Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Sarah M Ross. I have currently published seven novels and am getting ready to publish number eight. I have always written, but never realized I could make it a career. I love telling stories and have a crazy imagination, so this really is the perfect (and dream) job for me.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is THE SECRET CRUSH. I wanted to write a Halloween novel, but as someone who is not a big fan of scary movies, I wanted to make it more of a mystery than horror story. It got me thinking: what can I do as an author to enhance the mystery to my readers. And the answer was: Don’t tell them who the main character is! So just like the identity of the crush is a secret to Hadley (our Heroine), it’s a secret to the reader too and I invite them to guess along with Hadley!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unlike a lot of my writer friends, I can’t write with music. I need total silence to really zone in to the voices of my characters.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So, so many authors have influenced me. I would say Ann M Martin, the author of the BabySitters Club books. These books really started my love of reading and Young Adult literature. Additionally, Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse novels inspired my love of paranormal novels. And finally, the master herself, JK Rowling, who began a reading revolution for young people across the world, and paved a path for lowly authors like myself.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on two projects: A sequel to my NA Romance, Inhale Exhale (which people have been asking me for since I released Inhale Exhale in 2013. I’m also co-writing a super fun YA Paranormal novel with a dear friend that I hope to release this summer.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing! Keep editing! And Keep living your dreams!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever received was to realize up front that you’re going to fail. At some point, you will fall flat on your face. Something will be a total flop. Just get up, brush yourself off, and start over. It’s okay to fail. It’s not okay to give up.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a fantastic novel by the amazing Nichole Chase.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to sell my audio rights soon as well as sign with a book publisher.

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 complete Harry Potter collection — I could read those over and over again!
The complete works of Shakespeare– you can’t go wrong with the classics.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sarah Ross Website
Sarah Ross Amazon Profile
Sarah Ross Author Profile on Smashwords

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Dr. / Osama Ahmed Bahudila doctor and author was born in a charming town called Garden of Eden in the most beautiful town called Yemen on the twentieth of October 1972 father of five sons: Nooran, Abu Bakr, Alaa, Lina and The last cluster Abdul Rahman God made them worthy successor to the best predecessor, most of his life spent in Aden where he completed most of the stages of primary and secondary education in different schools of the province of Aden, where he joined the military service in the field of teaching at one of the schools of Aden, according to then to get a scholarship to complete his university studies in the field of medicine and surgery at a nearby study the Arab countries there until graduating in two thousand and two the year of birth in the field of surgery General Medicine, and returned home after that to work in the province of Marib director of the hospital rural Cree, which was under construction to stay in the province for a full four years, then enrolled in the course of Graduate Studies in the field of Internal Medicine, where he completed his studies specialized in this area before moving to work in Saudi Arabia, where he worked at a clinic there and then returned home and is still working so far in the Health and population Office in Marib / Yemen province. You can follow me on my Facebook on this link:
www.facebook.com/osama.bahudaila
On my account on Twitter on this link:
https://twitter.com/osamaahmedbahud
Author Account on Google on this link:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Osamabahudila
Author account in the Amazon on this link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=Dr+osama+ahmed+bahudila&search-alias=books&field-author=Dr+osama+ahmed+bahudila&sort=relevancerank
Author channel in YouTube this link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAQH5WoQdSzZLTWHGXXiGWw
More books from the author
1-Notes and Jokes Doctor in the Kingdom published in December 6, 2014 at Amazon .com at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Notes-Jokes-Doctor-Kingdom Bahudila/dp/1505351480/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441592845&sr=1-7 2-Notes and Jokes Doctor in The Kingdom: A collection of true stories (Arabic Edition) (Arabic) Paperback – January 3, 2015 at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Notes-Jokes-Doctor-Kingdom-collection/dp/1505919797/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441593139&sr=1-9 3-Doctor Of Chieftains: A collection of true stories Paperback – January 13, 2015 at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Chieftains-collection-true-stories/dp/1507540868/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441593393&sr=1-10 4-A Song Penned By Alrahman: Aden (Arabic Edition) (Arabic) Paperback – April 19, 2015 at this link :http://www.amazon.com/Song-Penned-Alrahman-AdenArabic/dp/1511786345/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441595872&sr=1-3 5-A Song Penned By Alrahman: Aden Paperback – April 21, 2015 At this link: http://www.amazon.com/Song-Penned-Alrahman-Aden/dp/1511811056/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441596023&sr=1-4 6-Une chanson ecrite par Arrahman: Aden (French Edition) (French) Paperback – April 23 at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Une-chanson-ecrite-par-Arrahman/dp/1511848057/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441596130&sr=1-5 7-Ein Lied von Rahman geschrieben: Aden (German Edition) (German) Paperback – April 28, 2015 at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Ein-Lied-von-Rahman-geschrieben/dp/1511930101/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441596254&sr=1-6&pebp=1441596262908&perid=0JEQRACTBPJGCEQYJYMC 8- Medecin de chefs: Une collection de veritables histoires (French Edition) (French)Paperback – June 8, 2015 at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Medecin-chefs-collection-veritables-histoires/dp/1514269430/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441596378&sr=1-2 9- Greats on the top: “Secrets of success and financial intelligence and access to billions” (1) (Arabic Edition) (Arabic) Paperback – July 27, 2015 at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Greats-top-financial-intelligence-billions/dp/1515248062/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441596658&sr=1-1 10- Greats on the top: “Secrets of success and financial intelligence and access to billions” (1) Paperback – September 16, 2015 at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Greats-top-financial-intelligence-billions/dp/1517380197/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448290974&sr=1-2 11-216 Secret for The Happiness(Arabic edition) (Arab) Paperback on this link:
http://www.amazon.com/Secrete-Happiness-Arabic-Osama-Bahudila/dp/1530548632/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458100718&sr=1-1

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
216 Secret for The Happiness(Arabic edition) (Arab) Paperback on this link:
http://www.amazon.com/Secrete-Happiness-Arabic-Osama-Bahudila/dp/1530548632/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458100718&sr=1-1

What are you working on now?
216 Secret for The Happiness”English edition”

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?
1-216 Secret for The Happiness(Arabic edition)
2-Notes and Jokes Doctor in the Kingdom
3-A Song Penned By Alrahman: Aden
4-Greats on the top: “Secrets of success and financial intelligence and access to billions”

Author Websites and Profiles
Dr. / Osama Ahmed Bahudila Website
Dr. / Osama Ahmed Bahudila Amazon Profile

Dr. / Osama Ahmed Bahudila’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. Graduated high school in 2013. I enjoy reading pretty much every genre. I mostly write fantasy and science-fiction. I’ve written one book so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Cursed Mech: Green Bulls Tyranny. What inspired me to write it was my love for space warfare and giant robots.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
To dance around while writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King

What are you working on now?
My Second book for a fantasy series

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To go with what your heart says to write

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To never give up on your dreams

What are you reading now?
The Dark tower VI Song of Susannah

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep on doing what I love.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jackie Coats Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Before I was a teenager, I used to sneak Stephen King books off his mom’s bookshelf. That was my self-introduction into adult horror, which probably had an impact on my dark sense of humor and love of horror movies. That, on top of an active imagination, gave me some pretty twisted stories for a 12-year-old. And as I matured, I put that imagination to use by studying the importances of plot, characters, conflict, themes, and interactions while in college. But before writing full-time, I had a long career as an international film publicist. I had worked on multiple titles for Walt Disney, Pixar, Lionsgate, Lakeshore Entertainment, Warner Bros., Summit Entertainment, as well as the 2013 Academy Award® Best Foreign Language film, “La grande bellezza” (The Great Beauty). That was a fun job.

I’ve published four novels, a children’s picture book, and three short stories to date. The novels and one of the short stories belong to my Chupacabra Series and the other two shorts are independent from that series, as is the children’s picture book, obviously. This September, I’ll be releasing a novella called, “The Ghost of Christmas Past,” based on the popular Charles Dickens character from “A Christmas Carol.” You’ll discover how the Ghost of Chrismtas Past came to be and what kind of live it lived before transitioning into a spirit.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I suppose I should talk about “The Ghost of Christmas Past” since it’s completed, technically, and just waiting for final cover art and a publicity plan. I began writing the novella as a screenplay (remember, I used to work in Hollywood) in 1996. In 2006, the script was entered in the prestigious competition, Scriptapalooza, and placed as a finalist out of over 3,000 entries. Though it didn’t win, that competition had validated the story for me. Winning over judges is much more difficult than winning over the average reader.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual? Not really. I sometimes listen to music when I write to help inspire. Or sometimes I take a leisurely drive. Something about not having anywhere to go helps clear my mind.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Being a WWII-horror, Robert McCammon inspired my love for cross-genre after I read, “The Wolf’s Hour.” My Chupacabra Series is a western-thriller series. J.K. Rowling showed me that YA and fantasy could be wonderfully engaging and inspired me to write outside of horror. And J.D. Salinger’s depth of character in “The Catcher in the Rye,” challenges me to make every character count.

What are you working on now?
I just started outlining the final two books of the Chupacabra Series, numbers five and six together. Though the stories are separate, there is some interlocking. I thought it was best to outline them back to back to avoid those “Oh, Crap!” moments when I realize I need to go back to the previous book and plant some information when it’s already been published.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best success I’ve received was when I put the second book in my Chupacabra Series, “Curse of the Chupacabra,” for free promo on Amazon from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. It really bumped up the sales of the first book in the series, “Night of the Chupacabra.”

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Hang in there, and don’t take only the “downs” with a grain of salt, but the “ups” too, because the next day might be a downer and to land after falling from a higher position hurts a lot more. Just today, I received a message from a book reviewer who was reviewing my “award-winning” book “Night of the Chupacabra,” to tell me that he/she would either give it one-star or mark it as DNF. Now, remember when I said “award-winning?” I never thought it would receive that kind of review… ever! I admit the book’s not for everybody, but DNF? Really? My heart dropped to my feet like a Pachinko ball. I actually thought long and hard on what to tell the reviewer. I’m not opposed to bad reviews, but because the decision rested in my hands, the temptation was much too great to tell the reviewer to forget they ever read my book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you’re passionate about, and then rewrite it, and then rewrite, and then rewrite it…

What are you reading now?
Disclaimer: I’m probably the world’s slowest reader who writes. Granted, I like to spend more time writing than reading, but I’ve been reading Anthony Renfro’s “Nightlight Tales,” since November of 2015. And this should, by no means, be misconstrued as a dislike for the book. I am enjoying his collection of short stories. It’s just difficult for me to read while I write because one story takes me out of the other.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m hoping to do another children’s picture book. I’ve come across some amazing illustrators and I have a poem ready for a Halloween book. And once the Chupacabra Series is finished, I have a stand-alone high tech thriller novel I’d like to dig into followed by another dark-thriller series. And somewhere in-between all that, I’d like to publish a short story collection.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Probably some the longest books ever written to help keep me entertained until I’m rescued: War and Peace, Les Miserables, Gone With the Wind, and Stephen King’s The Stand.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Hebler Website
Michael Hebler Amazon Profile
Michael Hebler Author Profile on Smashwords

Michael Hebler’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello, my name is Daniel. I was born in Oklahoma and spent my childhood running from tornadoes and baking in the sun. I now live in East Tennessee near the Smoky Mountains. I started writing in the fourth grade and fell in love with the idea of weaving a story. I have written countless books, some I plan on publishing, some that were just for fun. I have several out through self publishing and a new trilogy that is being published through Cosby Media Productions.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Legacy of Dragonwand is my latest work. It was inspired by several small things that came together. First, I was challenged to write a short story that had 10k words or less. I wanted to do fantasy and ran with it. I have small items I collect to inspire me, one was a unique, artisan bubble wand. I used it to start the story. The story did not remain short, so I kept writing it and eventually gave birth to a full novel that my publisher has split into three parts.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to surround myself with inspirational things. Dragon statues, crystals, hot air balloons, things like this.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.K. Rowling has been a big inspiration, as well as C.S. Lewis.

What are you working on now?
At this very moment I am crafting a short story called Electric Coronation. It is a steampunk-ish fantasy story that I am attempting to bring in at 20,000 words.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook. It’s free, lots of people are there, easy access.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t let editing get in your way. I see a lot of new authors who write a chapter and then spend days begging everyone in their Facebook groups to read, critique, edit, review, that one chapter. They haven’t moved forward with the story they are so fixated on what they’ve already written. Write the whole story, then get to the grind of editing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write every day. Even when it is junk, just write. Don’t stop.

What are you reading now?
Star Wars: The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a massive Christian sci-fi novel that I want to put in the hands of a publisher. It needs a lot of work as it stands right now, but I think it will be a great read.

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, Lord of the Rings, Protostar

Author Websites and Profiles
Daniel Peyton Amazon Profile

Daniel Peyton’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an educator, and a mother to a 20 year old. Faith and family are very important to me; my dog is included in family! I love to read and write! I was moved around a good bit in my childhood, and started writing poems and stories as a child to provide entertainment for long trips. After a while, my family settled in the southeast, but my life was enriched by each of the different places we lived. I have self-published one book so far. My best genres include science fiction, realistic fiction, and poetry of all types. I love to write poetry about emotions, nature, my loved ones, and even my dog. I enjoy taking photographs of nature and sunsets, or watching sci-fi movies and X-Files or Fringe re-runs.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is also my first published book! “Made for Me,” a scif-fi romance novella, has been self-published on Amazon for Kindle. My inspiration was an online contest that set the genre, which is one of my favorites anyway! I imagine I may have also been influenced by countless sci-fi movies since my adolescence, and possibly some of my blind date experiences.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes I get a random idea, sitting in a cafe, and jot it down quickly so I won’t lose it forever. It usually gets written on a page of my checkbook register if no other paper is available! I otherwise normally prefer starting at my computer keyboard.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a child, I was deeply influenced by Exupery’s “The Little Prince.” It held different meaning for me each time I re-read it at different phases of my growing up. Stephen King, James Patterson, Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, John Grisham, Laurie Notaro, Neil Gaiman, and Ray Bradbury have influenced me. Sci-fi is my favorite, but I also love a little humor once in a while! “Through the Looking Glass” by Lewis Carroll was an enjoyable play on words and took me to other places, something I really enjoy in a book! This is why I also enjoy many different books of historical fiction by various authors, and would love to write in this genre some day.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am working on a sequel to “Made for Me” for Amazon Kindle. I am also editing and re-writing a manuscript for a time travel sci-fi adventure, which I hope to get published int he next year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since I am new to this, so far I have found Facebook and Twitter quite valuable for spreading the word. I am finding new sites and methods all the time.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself, and talk to other writers, whether in person or online. You will see that you really can do it! Other than that, Save it all, in more than one place. I have lost so much writing when a laptop crashed and I lost a flash drive. It really hurts.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A friend once told me, “If you want to stand out, stand alone.” This can be taken so many ways. I knew I wouldn’t feel like a true writer until I had published a book with my name on it, not just by being part of an anthology. Self-publishing is a very independent move. So, I also take this to mean, have faith in yourself. Share with others, heed advice, but do it yourself, and do it because you enjoy doing it!

What are you reading now?
Right now, I am reading “Cross” by James Patterson. His books just pull me in with the relentless action and suspense.

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me is to publish a full length novel in e-book AND in print. To hold book signings in local bookshops, and maybe to appear in book fairs to promote my books, to be recognized as an author! Of course, if I extend this dream, I would be traveling to my book signing at the bookstore in San Francisco that Kerouac used to frequent, then catch a plane to Italy! Ah, well, there’s always another “next!”

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 Prayer for Owen Meany,” by John Irving. It’s just so darn good and those characters were like friends to me. “Under the Dome,” by Stephen King because it takes a long time and has so many layers. “The Spell of the Sensuous” because it really makes me appreciate the world around me. Perhaps I would also take “Through the Looking Glass.” It would make me laugh, again and again!

Author Websites and Profiles
Pamela Schloesser Canepa Website
Pamela Schloesser Canepa Amazon Profile

Pamela Schloesser Canepa’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Macclesfield in the UK in 1980 and I was raised in Doncaster. I trained to be an electronic engineer, but found greater satisfaction in programming computers. I have a wife and three children.

So far I have written two books and I am working on a third. I have plans for many more books, but I find it is best to focus on one at a time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I will release “Stranded Aelians Need Technical Assistance” in November 2016. The story is about a girl called Sarah who is sent to the North Pole on Christmas Eve by accident, where she discovers a race of Lians from the planet Ael.

The story was inspired by questions about how Santa is able to deliver presents to the whole world in one night and by the movie “The Thing”, in which an alien shape-shifter is discovered frozen in the antarctic. Due to the story being written for children, the tone is driven more by adventure than by horror. The story is finished, but I am waiting for the illustrator to finish his work.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write my stories on a smart phone and transfer them to a laptop for formatting. I also have a nasty habit of putting in too many commas, but hopefully they won’t spoil your enjoyment of the story too much.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Backwards by Rob Grant and Wagstaffe the Wind Up Boy by Jan Needle are my favourite fiction books.
I find that my stories are also heavily influenced by TV series such as ReBoot and Power Rangers.

What are you working on now?
My current project is “Stormbringer: Haunted City”, which is the third book in my “Legends of the 23rd Century” series. It takes place two years after the first two books and follows June Anderson as she struggles to overcome the urge to take revenge on the gang leader who killed her mother. Her main mission this time is to discover the cause of hallucinations which are affecting an entire city.

To compound her mission further, she has to contend with four teenagers each with different Stormbringer-like powers.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far I’ve had little progress with promoting my books. Most promotional websites either ask for money I don’t have or for more Amazon reviews than my books have.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be discouraged if your first book doesn’t sell. Readers will be more likely to see your work if there’s lots of it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have heard is to learn from criticism in reviews.

What are you reading now?
I’m not currently reading anything.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The next book in my schedule is “Sir Orion: Champion of Murhaven”, which takes place in a world of steel castles, robotic knights and a millennium of peace broken by a war of conquest.

The Queen of Murhaven dies in childbirth, leaving the King with twin heirs; a prince and a princess.
The royal seer informs the king that one of his children will overthrow the king before his time, so he sends his infant son to live in another kingdom.

Many years later the kingdom comes under attack from outside. While losing knights and territory, the King receives a message from the leader of the invading force, stating the princess is their target.
After losing the strongest of his champions, Orion is the last man willing to fight for the kingdom, but also the weakest.
With the princess kidnapped, Orion must venture into enemy territory retrieve the princess and slay the leader of the enemy forces. However, Orion is faced with a difficult choice when he unmasks the enemy commander…

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?
Backwards by Rob Grant, Wagstaffe the Wind Up Boy by Jan Needle and an instruction book on raft construction.

Author Websites and Profiles
Anthony Black Website
Anthony Black Amazon Profile
Anthony Black Author Profile on Smashwords

Anthony Black’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi!
I have only written two books so far, but I’m working on a pretty cool Sci-fi romance series!
I live in Switzerland, the land of cows, chocolate, and ridiculously lasting watches. But I was born in Brazil, the land of soccer. That is until we lost 7×1 to Germany. Now we’re trying to find a new purpose in life, like pottery.
Yeah, I’m a child of the world, and I’m also just a smart-ass author, here to entertain you. I like to write about fantastical worlds, love stories larger than life and epic battles.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Courtroom of Ashes was actually inspired by one of the thousands of jokes that go on about a lawyer going to hell.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in absolute silence.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Patrick Rothfus for one, Susanna Clarke, Susanne Collins, Junot Diaz… there are so many!

What are you working on now?
A Sci-fi Romance Trilogy!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to figure that one out.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up, never surrender.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way.

What are you reading now?
The 1st Mercy Thompson book by Patricia Briggs

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep 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?
The Name of the Wind
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel
The Hunger Games Trilogy (Ha! I just played the rules in my favor)
Super Sad True Love Story

Author Websites and Profiles
C. S. Wilde Website
C. S. Wilde Amazon Profile

C. S. Wilde’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Philadelphia. Philly was a great music town. And music was a major influence to my writing. The combined mix of rock, folk, jazz and rhythm and blues helped me develop a musical sensibility to my own literary voice.. Blues music, especially, taught me how to capture great human moments with a simple turn of a couple of lines. Philly was a town known for its sarcasm and its irony. This helped me see world and human events through the prism of humor. The City of Brotherly Love offered a mix of high and low culture. I’ve always been attracted to those two extremes. As a young journalist for a Philadelphia newspaper, I started to see the world at large, and how civilization and sophistication were but a thin veneer concealing the primal impulses that rest beneath the surface. Peace and love better wear a bullet proof vest.
I wanted to be a writer from the time I was twelve years old. My first professional writing gig was at eighteen, writing for Nightlife Magazine, a weekly newspaper that was distributed largely to the bars and nightclubs in North Philadelphia. The paper was owned by two brothers, who wanted to tell of the black entertainment and social experience in the urban center. As I was not black, the club owners used to get a kick out of me when I delivered the papers as that was part of my job along with writing the stories inside. At nineteen I started working for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin as an editorial clerk. I moved up to doing the Vietnam casualty beat, where I interviewed the survivors of the soldiers killed in action. I was promoted, covering the fire and crime beat. At twenty I experienced the surreal extravaganza of the city at night, replete with gory crime scenes and six alarm testimonials to the destructive consequences of a hot plate left on too long in a faulty electric socket. It was edifying to say the least.

I am the author of the bestselling release, “Beautiful Bad Girl, the Vicki Morgan Story,” a biographical novel that chronicles the tempestuous love affair between department store scion Alfred Bloomingdale and his long time mistress that made international headlines while defining exotic sexual mores among the rich and famous, during the eighties. I have written several other books. They include “The Guys Who Spied for China”, “The Constant Travellers,” and “The Blood Orange,” a modern take in the great Los Angeles film noir romantic mystery tradition.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Cuban Quartet. It is an action adventure tale, filled with romance and international locations. This is a love story that is based on speculative incidents that may have occurred when Cuba fell to Fidel Castro in 1959. The main narrative occurs some thirty years later when the two protagonists must track down four rogue government agents who vanished like ghosts with millions in gold shortly after the Cuban Revolution.
With Cuba so much in the news today, I figured this new work of fiction would draw a lot of interest. The core of the story is based on a projected event told to me by an older friend, a former CIA agent, who as a young man had been stationed in Cuba less than a year before it fell.”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing process, frankly, is erratic. I would love to say it is regimented and that I am up at four in the morning and write X amount a day, so many pages in so much time. But I would be lying. For one thing, my business keeps me working at all hours, and providing information to the various and sundry is more than a perfunctory gesture. I think about what I want to write for quite some time. I sit with it, play with it, let it gestate. I mess around with it, some trial out of the gate pages to see what I like what I don’t like. I listen for the voice of the piece. Oh, the voice. The voice is the GPS, a true guidance. And then I sit and write pretty feverishly. I get absorbed and don’t think about much else. I finish a first draft, which is like hacking through the jungle weeds to find the highway. Once I finish the first draft I realize, okay, I can now see the story I really want to tell. And then I tell it. Many revisions later, I have something that looks like a book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced by many authors. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is beyond a doubt one of my absolute favorites. His books demonstrate a mix of passion and violence with the metaphysical and the gloriously absurd. Tom Pynchon is another of my favorite writers, an author who doesn’t slide easily into any genre but picks his themes and subjects as they inspire him. I also enjoy Joyce Carol Oates. Her book, On Boxing, is arguably one of the greatest books on boxing ever written. There is Tom Wolfe, of course, and Norman Mailer’s non-fiction novels. These writers can capture the tone and feel of the times in which we live.

My favorite writers are modernists, mostly. Charles Dickens is an exception, and there are others, but I have always gravitated more toward the writers of the twentieth century. It was rich period for literature. William Faulkner is inspirational, as is Kurt Vonnegut in his wonderful ability to capture the humor in some of the more dire scenarios of modern times. Samuel Beckett is remarkable, as is the much underrated poet, Kenneth Patchen and his poetic novel, Journal of Albion Moonlight.

The list goes on. As a teenager I was lucky enough to avail myself of the remainder bin at the old Marlboro Books, in New York. There for a buck a piece, one could find great modern works published by the iconic Grove Press and New Directions. It was no nonsense literature, more to the point, but beautifully written and in the modern context.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am an extroverted writer. There are some, but not all that many. Most writers I know are happy daydreaming by themselves or sitting alone in a coffee shop working out their chapters. Introverts, mostly. For me, I have an outgoing personality which allows me to do well in interviews. As a former public relations and marketing executive, I have honed my skills over the years. I know what people are looking for in interviews. I can anticipate and satisfy. I am naturally funny and that goes a long way to liven up what can otherwise be a dull and unproductive session. I also blog and write different articles. That draws a crowd. With a Hollywood background I know one has to stay out there, engage and indulge while bringing some life to the party. Because in interview sessions, it ain’t always easy staring at someone with bad taste in fashion, no mouthwash, and a deep rooted desire to right all wrongs in the universe by flexing their agenda in the middle of a question-answer session. But then, with many, if they didn’t have an ax to grind, they would be having some fun. We can’t have that now, can we?

Author Websites and Profiles
Gordon Basichis Website
Gordon Basichis Amazon Profile
Gordon Basichis Author Profile on Smashwords

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m 27 and I live in the UK. I have many interests including history, art, animals, spirituality and music concerts. I am the self-published Author of five books: Arabella, Thirteen: The Horror Collection, Silver City, Poems for All Occasions and Mina Harker: The Curse of the Vampire. I do not limit myself to writing in one particular genre. I have had work published online and in magazines/newspapers. My favourite Authors include Cassandra Clare, Nicholas Sparks and Darren Shan.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest title published this spring is called Arabella. Arabella is an Historical Romance novel. I have long been a fan of Historical Romances on the BBC and the works of Authors such as Jane Austenand the Bronte’s and I’ve always wanted to write my own. The idea just came to me one day in 2015 and from there I began to plan the story into sections that later became Arabella.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can be quite messy and write a lot of notes on anything that is available at the time inspiration strikes, but apart from that no.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am influenced by many Authors depending on what genre I am writing in, but with my most recent novel, Arabella, I would have to say Jane Austen.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a few different titles: Annoria- a sequel to Arabella, Silver City 2: Black World and a new four part fantasy series that is currently not fully named.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I try to promote my books with low cost options at present, so I tend to use social media sites and book sites such as Goodreads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, never give up. No matter how hard writing that book first seems, the more you write the more your craft will unfold and the easier it will get. Don’t give in to writers block, as you will find it is only you that is creating obstacles.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s more of a quote than advice but here it goes: ‘If you don’t like where you are move, you are not a tree.’ I like this quote because it reinforces the fact that we are free to choose where we want to be in life. I do love inspirational quotes.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare, as well as The Broken Unicorn written by a friend for my birthday, and another book by my friend Charlotte Davies, which is titled The Lie and the Journey and is currently free to download from LuLu.com.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will continue to push myself to write even better than before as I continue my journey as a writer. I plan to add more articles to my blog and include more interesting topics and posts to write about. I am also studing creative writing and proofreading/editing and have plans for my own business as a Freelancer in writing and marketing books for other indie authors.

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?
Now that is a difficult question. Hmmm I really need to think about this one! Alright, I would have to say It Started at Sunset Cottage by Bella Osbourne, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, Pride and Predjudice by Jane Austen and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

Author Websites and Profiles
Louise Lake Website
Louise Lake Amazon Profile

Louise Lake’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a wrinkly (77 in a few weeks’ time) with two bright and energetic granddaughters who have been the motivation for the 9 books I have published under the name Grandpa Mike. The little Number Magic books are aimed at educating and entertaining bright young children with a love of maths and puzzles, but the latest – Dee-Dee and Effie Learn to Sail – is much longer and uses a story to present lessons in sailing and seamanship. Having upped my game this far, I now feel fit to tackle a 50,000-word sailing adventure involving the same two girls (who resemble my to granddaughters in a few respects). That should keep me busy at least until Christmas.

The rule my wife and I followed in bringing up our own two sons, and which underlies my books for and about children is “If a child wants to try something new, don’t tell them they’re too young – show them how. They are far more likely to get seriously hurt if they try without instruction when no-one is around.”

I have published 3 other books, under my own name – two short stories and a collection of travel articles.

I have a UK passport, but I spent my pre-teen years in East Africa, which may account for my preference for having a bit of space around me – I live in rural France.

I have never been interested in ball games (probably because I was never any good at them). Sailing is my main hobby, and I have done quite a lot of cycling and ski-ing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dee-Dee and Effie Learn to sail is inspired by my two granddaughters, but I have not taught either of them to sail (I did teach the elder one to paddle a canoe a couple of years ago). It is set on the outskirts of Norwich (th eoriginal one, in the UK), where they live, so readers familiar with the area will recognise it.

It is also inspired by my lifelong love of sailing, and of teaching children, including a period I spent as an amateur helper to the wonderful old Frenchman who taught my two sons to sail Optimist dinghies on a reservoir southwest of Paris.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not to my knowledge.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Martin Gardner for the maths and puzzle books, which are my attempt to produce similar material for a younger audience.

Arthur Ransome is the main influence for the book I have just started working on.

What are you working on now?
A sequel to Dee-Dee and Effie Learn to Sail. Now that they have learned the basics, I plan to send them off round the Norfolk Broads with their little dinghies, accompanied but not too closely supervised by their parents in a hired ‘boat with a lid’. Grandpa Mike will be there to add to their skills from time to time, too.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still looking for a cost-effective method. So far, Facebook has been the best, and it’s getting better as I grow my circle of friends.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Remember that cartoon of the frog strangling the heron that is trying to swallow him? DON’T EVER GIVE UP.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
First check to see if there is a market for what you want to write. (If not, that doesn’t stop you from writing it, but you’d be well advised to make your name first by writing what lots of people want to read).

What are you reading now?
If you mean today, The Music Instinct, by Philip Ball. If you mean over a typical week, then a mix of fiction from Georgette Heyer to Julian Stockwin and a steady stream of popular science and mathematics books by people such as Simon Singh, Jim Al-Khalili, Philip Ball…

What’s next for you as a writer?
Longer books. Hoping to build a series of children’s boating adventure books if I can discipline myself to writing 50,000 words or what I’ve cut my teeth on so far.

Publishing paperback (and perhaps audio) versions of any new books. Dee-Dee and Effie Learn to Sail should be available in paperback by the end of May.

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?
Curiosity by Philip Ball, Coot Club by Arthur Ransome, a French edition of any Maigret story by Georges Simenon, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

Author Websites and Profiles
Mike Kingdom-Hockings Amazon Profile

Mike Kingdom-Hockings’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Sammy Hermans is an upcoming author that was born in the early 80’s and has since childhood a great interest in the Yoga art. He was studying multiple Yoga exercises and grew up in Ghent, a famous city in Belgium, but he is a real world citizen. The author loves to do research about the different Yoga styles to implement them in the Yoga classes. Discover all the amazing ideas in his books

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
HOW TO CONTROL YOUR KIDS WITH YOGA?

What are you working on now?
THE YOGA BODY BOOK

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
NEVER GIVE UP

Author Websites and Profiles
SAMMY HERMANS Website
SAMMY HERMANS Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
An Oklahoma native, I transplanted to the Gulf Coast nine years ago, to be near my grandkids. They inspire me to write! I’ve written four books and various published articles. I am a member of the Gulf Coast Writers Association, where I’ve made several great friends. Writing bonds us!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“My Gabe” visualized in my mind a few years ago, after seeing the large number of copies of the “Twilight” series books on desks at the school where I taught for a short time. This was a rough school, where I didn’t believe most of the girls would read an unassigned book, much less a romance. Rather than the dark vampire theme, I wanted to write something that would inspire them to look inward, to the spirit dwelling within themselves, for self-esteem and happiness.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually have the ending in mind before I start the beginning.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Stephanie Meyers, John Grisham and Mark Twain, among many others have influenced what I like to read and write.

What are you working on now?
A series of middle school-aged books based on a young boy’s adventures with his “Granny the Spy.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://www.facebook.com/sa.monkress.1

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t expect overnight success and write for you, not the money.

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

What’s next for you as a writer?
Children’s books, short stories and magazine articles.

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?
Something new by John Grisham, J.K. Rowling and perhaps one or two of the classics.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sue Monkress Amazon Profile

Sue Monkress’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Toronto, Canada and am currently enjoying living and writing full time on the shore of Nottawasaga Bay, just outside of Collingwood, Ontario. Although I’ve been writing and sharing stories for most of my life, it wasn’t until I retired from the high school classroom in 2012 that I was able to shift into high gear as a writer. I am now the author of two multi-book literacy programs for grades 4 through 12, a critically-praised manual for writing popular fiction, a romantic suspense novel, an award-nominated science fantasy novel, and my latest, a science fiction novel for adults — ten books in total so far, with many more to come.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a science fiction novel for adults titled The Genius Asylum. It’s the first in a series of books set at the turn of the 25th century, and was inspired by a question that popped into my mind as I watched a news item on TV: Why does it take us humans so long to grow up and realize what’s really important in life? Just as we start to get a handle on how things are supposed to work, we die. My writerly imagination immediately supplied a possible answer: What if it’s because…? I happened to be working on a cryptic crossword puzzle at the time, so from there it was a short step to a series of novels, each one presenting a puzzle, the solution to which would be a clue to solving the greater mystery from Earth’s ancient past. The Genius Asylum is 1 Across.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Other than feeling compulsively driven to write, I don’t think so. I used to have a pink track suit that my son referred to as my writing outfit because I wore it so often when working, but these days any teeshirt and pair of slacks will do. Since reading an interview with George R.R. Martin, I’ve come to realize that there are others of my tribe out there, with left and right brains simultaneously engaged to make the first draft the very best that it can be.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I fell in love with science fiction at the age of 11, so the most influential authors in my life all come from the speculative fiction genre: Clifford D. Simak, Anne McCaffrey, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, J.M. Straczynski, and Zenna Henderson, among others.

There are four authors from my past that I especially admired and have always tried to emulate: Ray Bradbury, for the lyrical flow of his writing style; Robert A. Heinlein, for the scope of his vision; Isaac Asimov, for successfully combining teaching with writing and doing them equally well; and Sir Terry Pratchett, for turning a funhouse mirror on the world and showing us The Truth About Things that lies therein.

What are you working on now?
While plotting out books 4, 5 and 6 of the science fiction series (Sic Transit Terra), I am also writing the first of two urban fantasy novels for the Hellmaw series being published by The Ed Greenwood Group. A romantic suspense story with daemons. I can’t write horror with a straight face, so this is going to be on the Pratchett-esque side.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m in transition right now. I’ve had a dedicated web site for a couple of years (www.thewritersnest.ca) and have been making a point of attending writing conventions to serve on panels and to network, and I’ll continue to do that. I have emailing lists and issue a quarterly newsletter for teachers that includes updates on my fiction writing as well. I also have author’s pages on Amazon and Goodreads.

Never thought I’d be on the social media, simply because it’s so time-consuming. However, my publisher recently nudged me into Facebook, and I’m seeing a lot of good possibilities there. You know what they say about ocean liners — you have to turn them by slow degrees.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You are now a student of writing, and every book you read is going to teach you something. So, no matter how busy you get, make time to read, and be prepared to take notes. If a book grabbed you from the first sentence, or the suspense built steadily to the climax, or the characters jumped off the page at you, analyze how the author made it happen. Then try to duplicate the technique in your own work. You don’t have to read in the same genre as you’re writing. The rules of effective storytelling will still apply. What’s important is that you read.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Bring your characters to life and then let them surprise you.

It works!

What are you reading now?
I’ve just finished reading Reap the Wild Wind by Julie E. Czerneda and Eye of Glass by Marie Bilodeau, and am about to begin 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

What’s next for you as a writer?
For the next couple of years, I’m going to be concentrating on completing books 4, 5 and 6 of the Sic Transit Terra series and both of the Hellmaw novels.

Author Websites and Profiles
Arlene F. Marks Website
Arlene F. Marks Amazon Profile

Arlene F. Marks’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi – my current author website may be a little confusing. It is http://springer-spaniel-mysteries.com since my first books were about Springer Spaniels solving mysteries (illustrated chapter books for kids 8+). All my books are on the books page. The first Spaniel book is free.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I think we need courage every day. The reason I wrote a vampire book was in response to other vampire books already out there. For example, my vampire struggles with mediocrity and finances.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Other vampires tales have influenced me over the years. I really don’t like combining vampires and werewolves, so my vampire book contains no werewolves!

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a time-travel, real estate, satire book about Charleston, SC.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still in the process of finding out what works for me. I’ve done giveaways on Goodreads.com for reviews and those went well. I’m using Smashwords. I’m offering a permanent free book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
After you write, market market market! And start working on the next book. Never give up, never surrender!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You only fail if you quit.

What are you reading now?
“The Fiery Cross” and “The Fatal Shore”

What’s next for you as a writer?
To finish my second novel. I’ve been struggling with the plot for over a 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?
“Gone with the Wind”, “Interview with the Vampire”, “Pet Semetary”

Author Websites and Profiles
Nancy Lucas Website
Nancy Lucas Amazon Profile
Nancy Lucas Author Profile on Smashwords

Nancy Lucas’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a writer and filmmaker from Dublin, Ireland. Film is in my blood. I started making little shorts when I was 11 years of age, and when you’re starting out like that the onus is on you to do pretty much everything, so that’s how I started writing. I’ve always loved telling stories. I’ve written two books, but I’ve only published the most recent one (the first will remain hidden forever), and I’ve already started on the next one.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My new book is called Pass the Night, and it was inspired by a screenplay of the same title that I wrote a few years back. It made the quarterfinals of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting (AMPAS), but nobody in Hollywood wanted to make it because it was too dark, so I decided to adapt it into a novel…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I treat it like a proper job, so I try to do it every day (except Saturday and Sunday of course) and I tend to do the creative side early in the morning. The afternoon is good for revision, but I’m always wiped out creatively by then.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, James Lee Burke, Ambrose Bierce, M.R. James, H.P. Lovecraft, Annie Proulx, Michael Chabon…

What are you working on now?
My next novel, Blood Wisdom: A Tale of Mothers & Daughters & Demonic Possession. It’s full on, no holds barred, horror, and it’s also adapted from one of my screenplays.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Trying out websites like Awesomegang… Tweeting. I’m very new to this.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author, so it would be ridiculous to spout advice, but… I have been writing for a long time, so I think the most important thing is to keep at it. Try and write every day. And even if you get discouraged, whether it be from rejections or bad reviews or bad sales, keep going. Write the next one. If you feel like you don’t want to do that then maybe writing isn’t for you. (You know it’s for you when you get all of the above, and you still can’t wait to get started on your next project anyway!)

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write every day.

What are you reading now?
House of the Rising Sun by James Lee Burke. He’s amazing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My 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?
Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King, Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon, Light of the World by James Lee Burke…

Author Websites and Profiles
Rob Kennedy Amazon Profile

Rob Kennedy’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Amy Flint and I am the author of the Porter Biggleswade series. I have an MSc in Forensic Archaeological Sciences and I was lucky enough to work in Pompeii and at the British Museum. I currently live in York with my husband, two small children, and Tabitha the tortoise.

I have written two books in my Porter Biggleswade series about a paranormal investigator who lives in York. Shadows in the Mist was published in 2014, and I have just released The Haunting of Delavere Hall.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Haunting of Delavere Hall is the second book in my Porter Biggleswade series. Paranormal investigator Dr Porter Biggleswade is asked to investigate rumours of ghostly monks and a murder at Delavere Hall, a crumbling estate on the Yorkshire coast. I visited such places as a child, and I recall being fascinated by the idea of secret rooms, hidden passages, and sightings of ghostly figures. Old properties have a habit of inspiring the imagination!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Looking after a small baby and toddler forces me to write whenever I have a free moment. Five minutes here, ten minutes there… it’s amazing how much you can write in short bursts.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many, but I’m a big fan of Joseph Heller and Annie Proulx. I love their style.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently marketing The Haunting of Delavere Hall, but I’ll start writing the third book in my Porter Biggleswade series on 1st May. I’m very excited!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use social media to kick start my book promotion, such as Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook. Goodreads is a very useful website for marketing ideas and suggestions, and it also helps to drive traffic to my own website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Enjoy the process of marketing – do a plan, breaking down tasks into bite sizes so as not to overwhelm. You’ve invested precious time in writing your book, and if you truly love it, you’ll know it deserves time spent marketing it. People need to know it exists to read it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Patience is a virtue!

What are you reading now?
A 1964 travel guide to Egypt. It’s both funny and charming without meaning to be either.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing to market The Haunting of Delavere Hall, and starting my third Porter Biggleswade 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?
An Encyclopædia Britannica – to keep those little grey cells ticking over; Catch 22 – for humour; Jane Eyre – for comfort; and The Haunting of Delavere Hall – as a reminder that I wasn’t always stranded on a desert island!

Author Websites and Profiles
Amy Flint Website
Amy Flint Amazon Profile

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a blogger, writer and vivacious reader and currently have one non-fiction book written with a short story coming out next month. I have a few books in the works that will come out this year and next year. They range from non-fiction for adults, fiction for teens and chapter/picture books for children.
I thoroughly enjoy reading Christian fiction and I can almost always finish any book in a day or so.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Path to a Modest Lifestyle is a guidebook that was inspired by my blog A Pinch of Faith; which is a modesty and Christian blog that encourages women to do the will of God. I felt a calling to share the word of God with the world in a different way than it had been shown before.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I do? When I write I usually listen to piano music on Pandora and write as many words as I can in a session, that will usually entail anywhere from 1500 words to 3000.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Before I even wrote The Path to a Modest Lifestyle, I became friends with a few authors my age who write Christian Fiction and they definitely influenced me when considering an audience, where to publish and so many other factors.

What are you working on now?
Write now I am working on a few different things. I am currently in the editing stages of a short story called This Place Called Home, which will be available at the end of May 2016, and I’m also working on two full length books: The Messy Road to Homemaking, a non-fiction book, and Searching for Summer; a non-fiction novel for teens.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I would say word of mouth is the best way of promotion, having a great street team, beta readers and blog tour hosts is an easy and great way to spread word of your book to a large audience.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Write without stopping. Write without thinking. Write with feeling. And edit edit edit later on.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep Moving Forward -Meet the Robinsons

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading (or just finished reading) A Mighty Fortress by Faith Blum today.

What’s next for you as a writer?
For me, I’m just going to keep writing and doing what the Lord leads me to do.

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 all in one book of The Chronicles of Narnia, (that counts as one right? *smile*), The Holy Bible, and my current favorite, Fire and Ice by Michele Barrow-Belisle.

Author Websites and Profiles
Amanda Leite Website
Amanda Leite Amazon Profile

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I tell people I didn’t want to be a writer, and the truth is I didn’t choose to be a writer, the Lord put it in my heart. My mom encouraged imagination and creativity as a child, so it became something that stuck with me. Now I have written four novels, published two, and I’m working on at least four more.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “When the Italian Came to Stay.” As sad as it sounds, a year or so ago, I was watching the ITV/PBS drama “Downton Abbey,” and the imagination just sort of came alive.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do my best writing late at night.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh my, T. S. Eliot, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, Francine Rivers, Julie Lessman, Elizabeth Camden, and a list of so many others.

What are you working on now?
I am actually working on two things now – 1) a Regency Romance about an estate that loses everything, and 2) a Young Adult Supernatural Series in which the characters have special abilities.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now I would say Awesomegang – who wouldn’t want to meet their favorite authors?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
At the risk of sounding redundant – DON’T GIVE UP!! My first rejection letter was an unsigned photocopy, and honestly, that hurt more than if they had told me what they really thought. Don’t be afraid of constructive criticism, it is like a bee sting – it will hurt for a second, but you will learn from it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
DON’T GIVE UP!!!!

What are you reading now?
Right now I am reading a Regency Romance by Ruth Axtell called “Moonlight Masquerade: A Regency Romance.” I’m really impressed with it so far. It is fresh, and that is something that the genre needs.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing, and thanking everyone for their support!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1) the Bible, 2) “The Lady of Bolton Hill” by Elizabeth Camden, and 3) The Norton Anthology of British Literature.

Author Websites and Profiles
A. R. Conti Fulwell Website
A. R. Conti Fulwell Amazon Profile
A. R. Conti Fulwell Author Profile on Smashwords

A. R. Conti Fulwell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Maya Tripathi is a twenty-year-old novelist living in the Pacific Northwest. Having moved to the United States from Ukraine at the age of seven, she developed a love for traveling and literature. Her experience in a lasting relationship has given her the taste of love and adventure that inspired her to begin writing her first novel. On April 7th, 2016, she published Fallacies, a start to a series that she hopes will impact her readers in the same ways that her relationship has impacted her.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is Fallacies. It was inspired by my relationship with my boyfriend. The experiences we shared gave me the motivation and emotion to begin writing my novel, giving the words a deeper meaning.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to write in bed late at night with covers tucked over my head. It makes me feel as if I’m caught in my own little bubble, helping me to become a part of whatever world I’m creating on my word document.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Books such as Divergent and the Hunger Games have given me insight into the topics and writing styles that interest me. These were a refreshing break from writing once I was half-way through my novel.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the second installment to the Fallacies series, Book 2.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best website to promoting my books is currently the official website for the series, http://mayatripathi.wix.com/fallacies. While I utilize multiple sites to promote my book, it is the landing platform for many marketing efforts.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for aspiring authors is to write what’s most important to them; not to follow what’s popular or what will sell. Writers should write on what they can relate to. The best books are those that are unique. They start their own trends. A good idea will sell on its own, but it’s hard to stand behind work that’s not meaningful to you as the writer.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have heard is that it’s important to take a break and take time to yourself, because you’ll never accomplish anything with stress.

What are you reading now?
Because of how busy I have been recently with the publishing and promotion of my novel, I have not had the time to read any other novels. However, I do plan to begin working on Lori Brighton’s “The Mind Reader” in the next few upcoming weeks.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Currently, I am focused on completing the Fallacies 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?
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Author Websites and Profiles
Maya Tripathi Website
Maya Tripathi Amazon Profile

Maya Tripathi’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Kathleen Sindell, Ph.D. writes and teaches to improve financial literacy. She is the author of numerous academic, professional, and popular, finance books, articles, and publishes a weekly social security blog. Sindell wrote the bestselling reference books, Social Security: Maximize Your Benefits, 1st Edition “(listed for three months on Amazon.com’s 100 Bestselling Retirement Books), “Investing Online for Dummies, Eds. 1-5” (listed for two consecutive years on the Wall Street Journal’s Bestselling Business Book List), “Managing Your Money Online for Dummies”, “The Unofficial Guide to Buying a Home Online” and many other business and finance reference books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Social Security: Maximize Your Benefits (2nd Edition)” . This is the second book in the series and my 13th business / finance reference book that I have written.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually write for four hours in the morning. I complete my academic, research and administrative work in the afternoon.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There is a long list of authors who have influenced me. They are too numerous to name.

What are you working on now?
At this time, I am working on promoting “Social Security: Maximize Your Benefits (2nd Edition)”. I plan to make short videos about the book using my new iPhone.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I believe that television or radio spots are the best way to promote the book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors is break up your book writing tasks into small parts. That way, you will not get overwhelmed.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can’t be a hero in your hometown.

What are you reading now?
I am reading books about how to create Facebook and LinkedIn professional pages.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be creating and compiling materials for UMUC for two undergraduate courses (Retirement and Estate Planning, and Investments).

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 cookbook for the types of fish, fruits, and veggies that might grow on and around the island, how to make fire, and how to communicate with planes, boats, and vehicles that could rescue me.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kathleen Sindell, Ph.D. Website
Kathleen Sindell, Ph.D. Amazon Profile

Kathleen Sindell, Ph.D.’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Cam I was born in it-almost-never rains Los Angeles, California and grew up in Brighton, England.

I currently feel very adult I have two books under my hat. Both books are in the Young Adult genre.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Fate of Amber Pine was inspired by a car accident I was passing on my way to Comic-Con a few years back.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really usual, but my mates think it is, I can stay up for three days straight when I’ve found that place…the place when the words just flow and blend together like cheese and chocolate, and create chocolate moose cheesecake.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
One of the first novels I’ve ever read was Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt. I found it in a thrift shop I used to frequent a lot and it took over my summer days. I didn’t read the first in the series until summer was over and I was searching for more work by her in my school’s library. Recently I learned I missed out on five other books. Now I’m a wee obsessed with getting them.

What are you working on now?
My character Antonio Caffarelli-DeSonto’s second novel. I’m actual having a lot of fun with it, it takes place in the summer in my hometown. It’s like going down memory lane a bit. Except my character is batshit.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is the part where I’m to say Awesomegang eh? I don’t actual have one as of yet, but I only have two novels under my hat. What until that third one, then, I’ll have to come back and tell you lot.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. One sentence, paragraph, page, it doesn’t matter simply write. Then when you think you’ve got the most brilliant novel the world has ever seen put it aside, come back to it, and realise it’s utter nonsense and start again. I say this all the time to my little sister who likes to write too.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be draft write for money. At first, I thought it was the worst thing to hear as a writer. Then I understood it later. People don’t see brilliance when it never leaves the comfort of mates.

What are you reading now?
Insight by Jaime Magee.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Oi. I don’t know but I really want to continue to write and become an entrepreneur. I’d like to be able to tell people, yeah, I got here with my ah-mazing rock star writing talents. Starving artist. Not a real career. Wrong.

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?
How’d I get stranded?

Catch 22, Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter I figure I need length novels to forgot I was deserted on some island.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cameron Hart Website

Cameron Hart’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Jeffery Craig lives in the southeastern United States with his husband and partner and a menagerie of much-loved pets. He’s an avid supporter of the arts and co-owns a local art gallery/gift store that provides an outlet for area artists to showcase and sell their works.

Jeffery is currently working on the Reightman & Bailey series of mystery thrillers, and the first two books in the series, Done Rubbed Out and Hard Job are available now. He’s currently working on the third book of the series, Skin Puppet.

When he’s not writing, Jeffery might be found working on a painting or sitting on the covered porch of his historic southern home with a good book in hand. He can be reached via his website (http://www.jefferycraigbooks,com) or on social media.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Hard Job, and it’s the second book of the Reightman & Bailey series. Both it and the first book, Done Rubbed Out, tell the story of an unconventional group of characters who develop new friendships while trying to solve a perplexing murder in a southern city. I’d been thinking about the story for a while, and started writing it in early January. It quickly developed into the first two books of the series, and explores the conservative social environment in the south, and new attitudes and social norms that are emerging. I suppose my inspiration came from some of the wonderful people I have come to know over the years, and the issues that have been faced by groups of people considered outside the norm.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t really have any unusual writing habits, although I will say I don’t often write at a proper desk! I find myself writing at the kitchen breakfast bar, while outside enjoying the garden, or while curled up on a couch somewhere in the house. I have a lot of help most days – our three dogs consider themselves expert writing assistants and are willing to work for treats!

Like most mystery writers, there are times I find myself having trouble falling asleep when I’m working out the next set of clues or trying to develop a character. I’ve been know to get up in the middle of the night when inspiration strikes and stumble to the keyboard to capture an idea while it is still fresh.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was so lucky as a child…my mom spent hours reading to me while I was very young and introduced me to some wonderful stories. I remember her reading Back Beauty, Little Men, and stories about Robin Hood and King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I learned to read myself at a very young age and still spend a lot of time and money on good books. I read a variety of genres, and a pretty good mix of fiction and non-fiction. I love the classics as well as the amazing new works available almost daily. As far as influences, anything by Joseph Campbell is wonderful, and the classic mysteries are inspiring.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on the third book of the Reightman & Bailey series, Skin Puppet. It deals with some tough issues such as child trafficking, and also gives us further insight into Toby, Melba and Madame Zhou Li, as well as into one of my favorite characters, Moon. All of the characters in the series are multi-layered and as they work together to solve the crime du jour, new facets of their personality emerge as they’re confronted with new challenges and grow as individuals. I also have a fantasy series started, and a literary novel about the high plains of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas underway. That one is a difficult one for me to write as it draws from my own family history. I think it will undergo multiple drafts and versions before it sees the light of day!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Book promotion is the hardest part of what I do. I’m not much for tooting my own horn and that makes it hard. Thankfully, there are some good writers groups out there on social media and I’ve learned a lot about book promotion from them. I have a blog, which I try to focus on things other than just my books, and I’m active in multiple writers’ communities. There are now some great sites (like this one!) that focus on bringing writers and readers together and getting the word out. I try to keep in mind one of the basic rules of marketing – it takes at least three times seeing the same thing before it causes a viewer or reader to think abut buying. That means that just when I think I’m repeating the call to action too many times or posting the same thing again, I’m probably only beginning to get the word out.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice I have is for a new author to just keep writing. There’s no other way to improve. I try to write everyday and there are times when that’s hard to do. The other thing I’d say is for new authors to explore all of the publishing options out there. Explore traditional paths and look at the new and emerging paths as well. The publishing landscape has changed radially in the last 5-10 years and is projected to evolve more in the next 5-10 years. Know what your options are and what the pros and cons are of each path.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There were three pieces of advice I received that I think about daily: 1) Use professionals when needed and don’t scrimp if you can help it (editors and cover designers) 2) no matter what anyone else says, make sure that what you write is true to yourself. If it isn’t, it won’t read as true to anyone else, and 3) Buy a copy of Elements of Style and keep it next to your keyboard while you write. I refer to it again and again.

What are you reading now?
I’m re-reading Mary Renault’s fabulous series about Alexander the Great and I’m enjoying it more now than the first time I read it!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on Skin Puppet and then I’m going to spend some time on the fantasy series. I think it will be challenging and fun to have two different genre’s underway at the same 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?
Just three or four? That’s not fair! I would take all three of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series. There is plenty there to keep me entertained. Alternatively, I’d take three blank journals and a good ink pen, and fill them up while waiting to be rescued.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jeffery Craig Website
Jeffery Craig Amazon Profile

Jeffery Craig’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Christopher Coates grew up on Cape Cod Massachusetts, and moved to Michigan for college.
He currently lives in Kent City Michigan with his wife-Jerri, daughter-Nicole and son-Jared.
Christopher is a retired Firefighter/Paramedic who works full time in Information Systems for a major West Michigan company.
His goal is for the his first book, The Ark, to launch him into a successful writing career

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Ark. The story was in my head for many years before I decided to write it

What are you working on now?
I am working on getting The Ark some publicity. I have also started work on a second book, The Resurrection Wager

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never quit!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Working on my second book

Author Websites and Profiles
Christopher Coates Website

Christopher Coates’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile