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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have a passion for writing, and I enjoy challenging myself with different genres and different projects. I’ve currently only self published my first book, but more are on the way!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Pause/Silence/Laughter: And Other Plays is a passion project for me. It was inspired by different aspects of my life, as well as my dreams. More than anything else, it is inspired by my desire to share my imagination.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a sucker for listening to orchestral music while writing. Music with spoken lyrics throws me off.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, Adam Rapp, Alan Moore, Blake Butler, Samuel Beckett, too many to list!
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a book of collected poetry called The Dreaming Key. Look for it to be released soon!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use social media: Facebook, twitter, instagram, for my initial promotion efforts, but Amazon has been successful so far, as well as a strong goodreads following.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Practice, practice, practice. And read as many books as you possibly can.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never say never.
What are you reading now?
The Vorhh. Such a different sort of book.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Releasing my second book and finishing my first 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?
Don’t make me choose! It’s too difficult a choice to make.
Author Websites and Profiles
Jordan Toney Website
Jordan Toney’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-four years ago now, and have had twenty-four (romantic horror, horror, romantic SF horror, suspense, time travel, historical romance, thrillers, and murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press. But I’ve gone into self-publishing in a big way since 2012; and upon getting all my 24 books’ full rights back for the first time in 33 years, have self-published all of them. My Dinosaur Lake novels and Spookie Town Mysteries (Scraps of Paper, All Things Slip Away and Ghosts Beneath Us) are my best-sellers.
I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-eight years; have a son and two grandchildren and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois. We have a quirky cat, Sasha, and the three of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk/classic rock singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.
2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *Finalist* for her horror novel The Last Vampire ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS * Finalist * for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.
*All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s books can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/ld4jlow
*All her Audible.com audio books here:
http://tinyurl.com/oz7c4or
Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:
Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forged, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Horror category), Witches, The Nameless One erotic horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (The First Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (The Second Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Ghosts Beneath Us (The Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story, Dinosaur Lake (2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising and Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation, Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars, Memories of My Childhood (short story collection) and Christmas Magic 1959 short story.
Her Websites:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathrynG64
My Blog: https://kathrynmeyergriffith.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathryn-Meyer-Griffith/579206748758534
http://www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/889499.Kathryn_Meyer_Griffith
http://en.gravatar.com/kathrynmeyergriffith
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KHIXNS
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaurs Wars…it’s the fourth and final of my Dinosaur Lake series. The series is about dinosaurs, of all varieties and sizes menacing Crater Lake National Park. Main character is a Chief Park Ranger called Henry Shore. I’m also working on my 25th novel, the fourth in my Spookie Town Murder Mystery series (Scraps of Paper; All Things Slip Away and Ghosts Beneath Us) Witches Among Us.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No. I like to write early in the day on my comfy couch with the TV on low (for company) and a cup of hot chocolate or coffee and a snack beside me.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King (of course because I write horror as well as murder mysteries, romance and romantic time-travel) and he is a great writer in many genres. Dean Koontz and Ann Rice…and, oh, so many others. I like any book which is well-written and a good story, but I am partial to thrillers and horror.
What are you working on now?
As I mentioned above I’m working on my 25th novel, the fourth in my Spookie Town Murder Mystery series (the first three: Scraps of Paper; All Things Slip Away and Ghosts Beneath Us) Witches Among Us.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome Gang is one of them! Thank you for all your help in promoting my 24 novels. I also use Twitter and other free sites.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up and learn the craft of writing. Have patience. Love the journey and not just the destination and paychecks. Self-publish if you think you can handle it. (I make so much more self-publishing these last 5 years than I ever did in 30 years with the legacy publishers.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up. Everything I said above.
What are you reading now?
The Stand by Stephen King (I’ve read it before but wanted to again).
What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep writing. Keep publishing. Promoting. I have published 24 novels, and 12 short stories, since 1984 but have been writing now for over 45 years.
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. A (big fat) book by Stephen King. Two classics like The Count of Monte Crisco. Bleak House (or any of his classics) by Charles Dickens.
Author Websites and Profiles
Kathryn Meyer Griffith Website
Kathryn Meyer Griffith Amazon Profile
Kathryn Meyer Griffith Author Profile on Smashwords
Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a bestselling Science Fiction/Fantasy author, speaker, and publisher, and was a former naval aviator and elementary school principal. I have 10 fiction stories including the “Theogony” and “Codex Regius” science fiction trilogies and stories in the “Four Horsemen” military scifi series. Get my free book, “Shattered Crucible,” at my website, http://chriskennedypublishing.com.
I am also the author of the award-winning #1 bestseller, “Self-Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores.” Called “fantastic” and “a great speaker,” I have coached hundreds of beginning authors and budding novelists on how to self-publish their stories at a variety of conferences, conventions, and writing guild presentations, and I have published six authors under various imprints of my Chris Kennedy Publishing small press. Find out more about having me talk to your group at http://chriskennedyspeaking.com.
I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where I manage the curriculum for sailors learning to maintain the Navy’s F-18 Hornet in my day job. You can follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chriskennedypublishing.biz and on Twitter at @ChrisKennedy110.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Asbaran Solutions (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4NOPP2) is a mech warfare book, set in a mercenary world about 100 years after first contact with the Galactic Union. The series is a result of brainstorming with author Mark Wandrey, who originally came up with the idea and is a co-author in the series.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Periodically, I need a change of scenery when I’m writing, and I will go and write in a fast-food restaurant. I will have lunch and then write for a couple of hours. Some of my best writing has been done at the local Chik-Fil-A.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
John Ringo’s Aldenata series really grabbed me and made me write scifi. I love the gritty way he tells a story, and try to write similarly.
What are you working on now?
I am working on “The Golden Horde,” which is the follow-up to “Asbaran Solutions.”
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Going straight to Awesomegang, where else?
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t wait until your book is released to begin promoting it–start early!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Save some of every royalty check for taxes. Don’t get to the end of the year and come up short!
What are you reading now?
Dead Dreams by author Brian W. Peterson. It’s an excellent psychological thriller.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Next up for me is finding a balance between publishing and writing–I need to write more!
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?
John Ringo’s Aldenata series (mentioned above). I could read them any number of times!
Author Websites and Profiles
Chris Kennedy Website
Chris Kennedy Amazon Profile
Chris Kennedy’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Brittany N. Gonzalez – or by my penname, Anthezar – and I’ve written one fantasy novel. I’ve also written plenty of fanfiction under the fandoms of Teen Titans and Harry Potter. I’m a huge fanfiction nerd, but I also heavily advocate it as well. You never know what gems are out there, written by young authors who only view it as a pastime. I came up with my penname when I was sixteen years old. I love to play video games; read books, fanfiction, and manga; watch anime; and take care of my newest four-legged writing assistant, Zelda.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My fantasy novel is called Beyond the Alluring Sky. There were a lot of factors that brought the whole story together, but most of them happened during the process of writing and editing. I will say that I wanted a savvy street kid and a naive sheltered kid to meet, clash, and become friends. I came up with the original concept in Oct of 2012, just a few days before Superstorm Sandy hit the coast of NJ. I wrote 47 pages by hand in my notebook while my house was without power for 9 days. The hurricane inspired a part that changed the course of the novel.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual writing habits… Mmmm, well, I’m super particular about formatting. I like to write in what looks like a printed book. But I also make the background of all my pages a light green, so that it’s easy on my eyes. I keep all my notes dumped in a notepad document and it’s completely disorganized. I’ll put anything and everything in there, including funny sayings, interesting points about writing, and a long list of words to delete because I use them way too often.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, so many. Patricia C. Wrede, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, Christopher Paolini, Hayao Miyazaki (not a novel writer, but a huge influence nonetheless), Hiromu Arakawa, Yuki Midorikawa, Julietta Suzuki – I should probably stop.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the next book in my series. I have an idea of how many books there will be. I’m not fully sure, though, so I won’t be saying exactly. But I do know that it’s longer than a trilogy. I’m also working on some fanfiction as well, because I have a number of readers who have been patiently waiting for it.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning about promoting my book and getting the word out. But I’ve been telling friends, posting on Twitter and on Facebook, and submitting requests to wonderful sites like Awesomegang. Hehe!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be humble, be persistent, be vigilant, and be hopeful. It’s hard taking advice and critique. Be humble, but trust yourself. You are the writer. You are the first reader. Please yourself before you please someone else. I also, personally, wouldn’t write because you want to make money. It’s not easy to write a book. If you love it, then don’t stop writing. Keep going at it. And when people don’t like your work – because you can’t please everyone – don’t get discouraged. There are readers out there who want to read what you have to say.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The KISS principle: Keep it simple, stupid. Or a nicer way to say it: Keep it simple, sweetie.
What are you reading now?
I just picked up Brandon Sanderson’s The Mistborn Trilogy. I’m working on the first book right now.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully a wonderful new adventure in book two of the Beyond Cycle. I love 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?
Oh, this is always a hard one. Well, I’m a Christian, so I would start off with bringing my scriptures. Second, oh… I’m going to have to cheat here since I have a book set of Patricia C. Wrede’s The Enchanted Forest Series. (Yes, I know I shouldn’t cheat; I’m so contrary, I know) Since it’s a book set, that counts as one book, right? Haha. Third, I won’t cheat here, all right, but I’d bring a volume of my favorite manga, Natsume’s Book of Friends, volume 6. Finally, I’d bring my favorite fanfiction. Of course, since it’s in digital form, I could just bring it all on a single USB drive… Hahaha. I’m kidding, mostly. One of my all time favorites is called Fate’s Favourite by The Fictionist. Some other mentions would be: Recnac Transfaerso by Celebony, Harry’s New Home by kbinnz, and The Last Gift by Keina Snape. Oh, my goodness, so hard to choose from – can’t I bring them all? They’d only last me a day or so…
Author Websites and Profiles
Brittany Gonzalez Website
Brittany Gonzalez Amazon Profile
Brittany Gonzalez’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
We are a husband/wife writing team. We have both written several non-fiction books and have now branched out into fiction. We have 2 books in the Chronicles of Maladore series which is set in a fictitious medieval land. We are currently working on the 3rd in that series as well a new series which is much different. The new series is a science fiction series that is a grand adventure through space!
We have 5 wonderful kids. Two are grown and three are still in school. We homeschool the three at home and spend countless hours dreaming up stories together as a family.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Our latest book is Redemption’s Price: book 2 in the Chronicles of Maladore series. We wanted to continue the story in The Chronicles of Maladore series. We loved the characters in Shimmer but there was so much more to tell.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
We take turns writing late into the night. We don’t go on dates. We write together every evening after the kids go to bed.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Frank Peretti, Francine Rivers, Janette Oke, Rachel Starr Thompson and too many more to list. Angie is an avid reader and devours everything she can get her hands on!
What are you working on now?
We are working on the third book in The Chronicles of Maladore series as well as a new science fiction series. It can be challenging to make the switch in genres depending on which book is in the hopper for that evening. We sit beside each other on our laptops and write at the same time. Then we switch up and work on either book. This allows us to continue the current series as well as developing a new adventure in space!
Angie is also working on a non fiction book for mothers. This is coming from almost 30 years as a parent. Insights for busy mom’s.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
We are still learning the ropes of marketing. I have come to realize that writing a book is the easy part! Promoting said book is a daunting task that often feels way over my head! But we have promoted on Ebookbetty.com and found some success. We did one book blog tour and that amounted to very few books sold or even free downloaded. We are just trying out promoting on sites such as yours.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing a good book isn’t enough. You have to promote your book and keep writing all at the same time!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I was told by another indie author to check out Nick Stephenson’s marketing course for authors. That is how we learned to start looking for sites to help with promoting.
What are you reading now?
Secret’s Abounding by Brianne E. Pryor
She is another Indie author that we personally know that is a homeschool graduate and has written 4 books.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Space, the final frontier!
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
My Kindle!
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
The Oath by Frank Peretti
Author Websites and Profiles
David & Angie Smuin Website
David & Angie Smuin Amazon Profile
David & Angie Smuin’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I worked in technology and education for…not gonna say exactly…but it was a long time! Now I scare people for a living! I’ve always been interested in things that go bump in the night and find topics of the supernatural and strange fascinating. I like to take those topics and weave them into a creepy tale. I have written several short stories (one even won a contest) and currently have one published novel. I live in a small town in Colorado which is perfect because I love being outdoors! I’m married and have five kids and one grandbaby at last count!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled DREAD. I heard a story about creepy Black Eyed Kids knocking on your door wanting in to your house or car. One story, in particular, caught my attention.
One evening a woman was on her way home with her young son in the back seat of the car. They made a pit stop at the local convince store/gas station. She parked in front of the store and ran in to get milk, leaving her boy in the car with his iPad. This is all pretty mundane everyday stuff in small towns.
When she returned to the car, she peeked in her rear-view mirror to check on her passenger. She was startled when she saw a boy sitting next to him. His head was covered by the hood of his jacket, and he bent to look at the iPad. She asked her son who his friend was. He said he didn’t know, but he needed a ride so he let him in. Much to her horror, the strange boy lifted his face to her. His eyes shining damp black orbs against his pale skin. She screeched. Jumped out of the car. Grabbed her kid and ran back inside the store. She tried to tell the clerk what was happening, but he assumed she was the victim of a car-jacking, so he called the sheriff. When the sheriff arrived, there was no sign of the strange boy.
She was too shaken up to drive her car. Her husband came and switched cars with her. On his way home in her car, he was involved in a car accident. Thankfully, despite his bumps and bruises, he was fine. The woman remains convinced that the Black Eyed Kid was somehow tied to the accident; either he caused it or appeared as a warning.
Maybe it was because I could identify with the lady, but that story got me thinking. What would happen if Black Eyed Kids took on a whole neighborhood? What would they want? How would the humans react? And DREAD was born.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to have a really hard workout or a long hike before I write.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King has been a big influence on me since I was a kid. I read the Shining when I was 11 years old! Anne Rice’s writing has always had an impact on me. Interview With the Vampire was the first time I realized that horror stories could be more than dark castles and jump scares.
What are you working on now?
I was listening to a podcast about shadow people a while ago and it triggered a long forgotten memory. My grandma told me a story about a tall, thin man who wore a stovepipe hat. He was very ugly and would peek in windows. If you saw him you might die. When she was growing up in rural Southern Colorado, she said that he peeked in on her and her sister and she felt cold all over her body. A year or so ago this character was attributed to several youth suicides on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota where they call him Walking Sam. Negative emotions and circumstances can bring him around.
My current WIP takes place in a suburban area that is being taken over by urban troubles. The Walking Sam character is drawn here and influences someone to commit a heinous murder. The victim’s family thinks contacting the dead will give them answers, but they draw Sam to themselves.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Mostly, I use my blog and twitter. I have a facebook fan page but use that for spooky tidbits than promotion.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
You might feel like giving up, don’t!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I got as a horror writer was to do things that scare me.
What are you reading now?
I just finished They Rot: A post-apocalyptic tale of survival by Luke Kondor and Daniel Willcocks. I’m halfway through Call Me Tiffany by Kris Rafferty.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a Christmas book of short holiday tales of terror that will be published sometime in November of this 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?
That’s a tough one! I think I’d take, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, and The Witching Hour by Anne Rice.
Author Websites and Profiles
Joy Yehle Website
Joy Yehle Amazon Profile
Joy Yehle’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in San Diego, CA. I went to college at UC Santa Cruz and got my Bachelor’s in Creative Writing and Modern Literary Studies. I’ve written three books, but Devil in the Countryside is the first one I’ve published.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Devil in the Countryside. It was inspired by my fascination with weird mysteries. Basically, back in the late 1500s, people were getting burned at the stake, murdered, and framed for being “witches” and “werewolves” at an alarming rate (think Salem witch trials). For some reason, the case of the Werewolf of Bedburg was more famous than all the others–it brought in all the lords and ladies from all over Germany. I couldn’t figure out why it was more popular than any other werewolf trial, so I wrote a book about it.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I just lock myself in my room, sit down at my computer, and bleed (as Hemingway would say).
What authors, or books have influenced you?
A lot of fantasy novelists, like Brandon Sanderson, Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie, Patrick Rothfuss, George RR Martin, Susanna Clarke (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell). I love historical fiction by Bernard Cornwell (Saxon Tales, Warlord Chronicles). I also love contemporary thrillers, like Savages by Don Winslow; Stephen King, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, etc etc.
What are you working on now?
The sequel to Devil in the Countryside! Also, an urban fiction novel that takes some common myth/fantasy tropes and turns them on their heads: a leprechaun with a gambling addict, a succubus who attends Sex Addicts Anonymous, a banshee who wants to be the lead singer of a band…My friends are excited for that book hehe.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not sure yet, this is all new to me. I’ve paid for a few New Release promos (about 8), for around 2/15/17, when my book is released on KDP.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Your best promotion/marketing tool is your next book, so don’t get overwhelmed/flustered with trying to book all the perfect promos at the right time, or releasing your book at the perfect time. You’ll still be a new author, and won’t be legitimized unless you keep writing and putting out content!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
See above: Your best promotional tool is your next book, so keep writing.
What are you reading now?
Just got Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. It was released on 2/7/17, and was at my doorstep about 3 hours later. You crazy, Amazon.
What’s next for you as a writer?
The sequel to Devil in the Countryside, or I might write about about writing and marketing books, utilizing the strategies I’ve used (if my release is a success…)
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?
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell (I count the trilogy as one book)
Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
Author Websites and Profiles
Cory Barclay Website
Cory Barclay Amazon Profile
Cory Barclay’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m 19, I live in Scotland, and my first YA mystery novel, The Game Begins, is currently number 1 in its category on Amazon. I’m working on its sequel, and spend my free time interviewing other authors, or buying more books than my shelf space can handle.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called The Game Begins, and it was inspired by my final year of school and the things which happened to me during that time. Writing started to become a coping mechanism for me then, and when I asked myself “what if it had been worse”, the idea for the book followed on from there.
The first draft was far more personal than I intended, so I had to do a lot of cutting and editing to keep it from being a fictionalised autobiography, and I’m more or less happy with the end result.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My strangest writing habit would probably be starting to write a chapter or a scene in my head before I type it up on my laptop. I’ve only recently started keeping a notepad with me so I can scribble the main points down before forgetting them, but I’ve always had a tendency to plan out stories when I should really be concentrating on something else. Like sleeping.
The number of times I’ve had to get out of bed at two in the morning to write an idea down before I forget it is higher than I’d like to admit.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
JK Rowling has been the biggest inspiration for me, because she was unemployed when she started to write the Harry Potter series and although she was rejected by publisher after publisher, she kept writing and trying to get her work out there, and that determination is something I doubt I could manage if I was in her place.
One rejection would have been enough to make me wonder if I could really be a writer for a living.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a sequel to The Game Begins, and promoting the first book since its 1st anniversary is coming up and I didn’t know when I published it just how important a role social media plays in getting your work out there.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t had much luck with Twitter or Facebook, but Instagram has been quite good, and so has my blog on WordPress. It lets me connect with other writers and readers and share advice and struggles, and I have more fun writing blog posts than I do Tweets.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing, and don’t edit your first draft until you’ve finished. Continually going over the first few chapters before you’ve finished makes it harder to get to the end, and wastes time.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Your story is only boring to you because you wrote it, and you’ve read it a 1000 times. A reader who picks it up for the first time won’t have that problem.
What are you reading now?
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, because I wanted to reread it before the Netflix series came out. Needless to say, I failed.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing my second novel, and moving on to a third.
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 to survive being stranded on a desert island, and how to get off said desert island.
Author Websites and Profiles
Rebecca Howie Website
Rebecca Howie Amazon Profile
Rebecca Howie Author Profile on Smashwords
Rebecca Howie’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the author of UNBRIDLED and WOUNDED WARRIOR WOUNDED WIFE, an active blog contributor to Huffington Post and BuzzFeed. As a licensed Physical therapist, I have helped people from all walks of life, including veterans recover and regain their strength. This work also connected me with the wives of wounded warriors and hearing their stories inspired me to launch the Barbara McNally Foundation, which is dedicated to offering workshops, seminars and scholarships that enhance the lives of women. The foundation also sponsors Support, Purpose and Appreciation ( SPA) Days for the spouses of wounded warriors, offering caregivers a much needed day of relaxation and self-care.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
WOUNDED WARRIOR, WOUNDED WIFE, is my latest book published Oct.15th 2106.
While driving across the Coronado Bridge I saw a man jump to his death. Suddenly, the car in front of me came to an abrupt halt. The driver looked me straight in the eyes as he got out of his car and he quickly moved to the edge of the lane, stepped over the knee-high barrier, and fell backward off the bridge. I learned he was a veteran. He went over the side as if it were a military maneuver, which he might have imagined it was; his last mission. I thought of his wife, his children and his mom. how could I help?
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing is a calling and a vocation.
I write daily ….
My next book will be on the writing process. It takes longer and cost more than anyone imagines to actually publish!
I love helping others rite their stories.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran show us that our writing lives on after we are gone.
Writing is healing and part of our legacy.
What are you working on now?
I’m working with wives of wounded warriors in helping them heal through storytelling.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
All social media and live speaking events.
I say yes to it all!
www.barbaramcnally.com
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always make time, even if you only have 10 mins. a day to dedicate to your art!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Embrace the journey! Enjoy the process and don’t be tied to outcomes.
What are you reading now?
I’m Not Dead Yet, by Phil Collins
What’s next for you as a writer?
TEDX
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 SEVEN SPIRITUAL LAWS OF SUCCESS
Two blank notebooks to write in!
Author Websites and Profiles
Barbara McNally Website
Barbara McNally Amazon Profile
Barbara McNally’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
For many years I collected what-ifs, plot and setting ideas, character sketches, and themes, so now that I’m a full-time writer (twenty-three books and counting), I never have to worry about writer’s block. OK, writing has become an addiction–it must be the blarney in me (well-oiled by Jameson whiskey?). My mysteries and thrillers reflect much of what I’ve observed by living abroad and traveling around the world. People’s lives are just very interesting no matter where they are. My sci-fi is also influenced by my previous life as a scientist, of course. But I write fiction to have fun, and that fun involves entertaining readers.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Gaia and the Goliaths was inspired by my concerns for the environment and how we must find alternatives for fossil fuels. I’ve been interested in environmental issues for a long time and have been a member of the Nature Conservancy forever. I also am a fan of other orgs that strive to protect the environment. One can consider Gaia Papadopolis, the victim in this mystery story, to be a symbol for Gaia, our planet.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t use an outline. I start a story and let it evolve organically. It goes best when my characters sort of take over and write their own part of the story. Sometimes the story becomes a short story or novella and not a novel. I’m a minimalist writer (hard-boiled for mystery buffs) so my novels aren’t War-and-Peace length. My longest one will be Rembrandt’s Angel, which will be published by Penmore Press this spring. More than Human: The Mensa Contagion, a sci-fi novel that probably could have been a trilogy like the “Chaos Chronicles Trilogy,” but I won’t ever force things. The story’s done when it’s done.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read a lot of dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels during the time in my early school years when teachers would have drills and we had to “protect ourselves” by hiding under our desks (I got in trouble telling one teacher that was absurd–I already had developed an approximate formula for the lethal radius of an atom bomb as a function of its kilotons). Generally speaking, mystery, adventure (many would be called thrillers today), and sci-fi books were my reading interests…and still are, which is why I write in those genres. Asimov piqued my curiosity by showing you can combine mystery and sci-fi (Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun). I’m an avid reader, though, so it’s hard to list all the influences. For each book, I have a “Notes, Disclaimers, and Acknowledgments” section at the end where I discuss influences for that particular book.
What are you working on now?
Besides Rembrandt’s Angel (Penmore Press book, where we’re in the last throes of editing), I’m putting finishing touches on a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel that will take place in my home state of California.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Hopefully yours? Truth be told, many readers are found on Goodreads, but my participation there probably can’t be called PR and marketing. I love the discussion sections. Because I have an active blog, my website sees a lot of action too, but all those blog readers don’t seem to translate into book readers.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
1) Make sure your books are the best they can be (I have a little course about that, a PDF free for the asking). Cover, title, hook, denouement, characterization, dialogue and so forth are essential elements. 2) Don’t have great expectations–there are so many good books and good authors now that make the competition ferocious. Have patience. 3) Be wary of PR and marketing people who say they can guarantee that your book will be a bestseller. 4) Don’t leave your day-job until you win the lottery with a successful book.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
See N. Scot Momaday’s quote which cycles at the top of my website. Some other good advice can be found on one of my webpages.
What are you reading now?
I just finished a P. D. James novel that I missed. I’ll pick another book from by TBRoR list (that’s “To Be Read or Reviewed”) list. TV’s pretty pathetic these days.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m thinking of making the “Mary Jo Melendez Mysteries” into a trilogy. This time China is looking for the MECHs (“Mechanically Enhanced Cybernetic Humans”). She already free them from Putin’s grimy paws.
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 Koran, Watts’ book on Zen, and the complete works of Shakespeare, including the sonnets.
Author Websites and Profiles
Steven M. Moore Website
Steven M. Moore Amazon Profile
Steven M. Moore Author Profile on Smashwords
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written two books for publication. My first, PLUM BLOSSOMS IN PARIS, was published by Medallion Press in 2010 and hailed by Booklist Reviews as “a terrific literary love letter to the City of Light.” I just published my second novel, SARABANDE, this month. I’m also a poet and a photographer—mostly landscapes and animals, and especially birds. (Blue herons are pretty well wary of me by now.) For about ten years, I’ve combined my passion for poetry, prose and photos into my personal blog, Murmurs.
I’m also mom to two kids who are growing up way too fast and a wife to my husband, Paul.
Random fact: I once made 37 free throws in a row. And that’s about the coolest thing I’ll ever do, as far as my kids are concerned.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I began my latest book, SARABANDE, at a time when writers were heavily involved with blogging, and Facebook and Twitter were still in their infancies. I became interested in the idea of how people project themselves online versus how they behaved in real life, especially in regards to love and romance. It was amazing to see how quickly intimacies could form over the internet, how much easier it was to share private dreams and vulnerabilities with perfect strangers than it was with one’s own family members, in some cases. So that was really the root of the book: how the internet could tap into all that inner restlessness and desire, connecting us to people we never knew existed, before the world became as small as our screens.
I had a recurring vision of two lost souls—Anna and Colin in my book—falling in love without ever actually meeting. Is that actually love? Can it be? Or are we just fooling ourselves and risking very real relationships in pursuit of some idealized notion of a soulmate?
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not unusual so much as sporadic. I can go days without writing and then hit a vein where I’m working for hours on end, several days in a row, and still have it not be enough.
For this book, I listened to Bach’s cello suites for much of the writing and revision process, since Anna is a master cellist known for her Bach interpretations. It worked out well, because classical music is the only music I can listen to while writing. Anything with lyrics gums up my writing brain too much.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
JANE EYRE was the first adult book I completely fell in love with, and to my mind, it’s still the perfect love story, where the romance is lovely but still secondary to the growth of the main character. Ann Patchett,in BEL CANTO, accomplishes the near impossible task of making words as emotionally satisfying as music, which is what I hoped to do in SARABANDE. She created such an evocative atmosphere in that story. I didn’t want to leave those characters by the book’s end.
I love the moral clarity of a writer like Marilynne Robinson and the poetry of a Michael Ondaatje. I don’t know—I guess I’ve tried to absorb as much as I can from as many authors as I can while still retaining my own vision and voice.
What are you working on now?
I’ve written a shorter novel about a blackout that strikes a Midwest town one hot week in July. It lasts for six days and scrambles the relationships of a young family there, with repercussions spilling out into the entire neighborhood. So I’ll be revising that in the coming months.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In all honesty, I don’t know. Self promotion is my least favorite part of this process, but I think you have to be dogged and persistent about it without giving up and just throwing money at the problem. I did find the Indie Book Reviewers List quite useful when it comes to tracking down book reviewers for a specific genre. After that, it’s just about following up on those leads, even if you only get a 5-10% response rate. That’s a start.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
It sounds trite, but just keep writing what moves you. If it moves you, that feeling is likely universal and will translate itself to others.
Also, I can’t express how much it helps me to get some distance from a project after I finish a draft. It really does make all the difference in the world to take a few weeks, or months, away from a story so you can come back to it with fresh eyes and a renewed enthusiasm.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A writing friend once told me to “prime the pump” when you don’t feel like writing by picking up a book you love and reading a few pages from it. It’s kind of like exercise—sometimes you have to get the blood flowing before you take off on a run.
What are you reading now?
THE GOLDFINCH by Donna Tartt. She has a wonderfully effortless style. The pages fly by.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to keep writing novels, poems and short stories. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I feel extraordinarily lucky to have this outlet for self expression in my life. Obviously, I want to have readers, too, but for me, the writing is an end to itself.
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?
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust (I’ve never had the patience to read it)
Good Poems edited by Garrison Keillor
How to Survive on a Desert Island (assuming there is such a book!)
Author Websites and Profiles
Sarah Hina Website
Sarah Hina Amazon Profile
Sarah Hina’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
We are an author duo Polina Traore and Dana Kaledin.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
So far, we’ve published our debut novel “Never a Dream”, but that’s just a first. As simple as it sounds, “Never a Dream” inspired by life, love, and dreams.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sure, like any other author, we both have the best atmosphere for inspiration. We have these brainstorming sessions: comfortable place, food and drinks. That’s how all the best ideas roll.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Polina: William Faulkner, Virginia Woolf, basically, everyone who’s responsible for stream of consciousness.
Dana: That would be Irwin Shaw. From him I taught how to develop believable characters.
What are you working on now?
We have several very different, but exciting projects. There’s always been something in every genre. Also, there’s a variety of characters, who just appeared and want to be written. But we wouldn’t want to jinx anything.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Dana: Social networks: twitter, instagram, facebook. We try to be present everywhere, easy to be reached and reach more followers.
Polina: Also, goodreads – we’ve met some incredible indie authors, readers and just interesting people.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Sure, get an editor! Always get an editor.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Pretty much the same one we’re giving everyone else now.
What are you reading now?
Dana: I’m reading a few books on marketing and promotion.
Polina: Sheet music. I try to appreciate art in every form!
What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully, only the good stuff. We will definitely keep writing, we will develop these newborn characters, let them grow and learn. And let them tell their stories.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Polina: I hope Kindle would be counted as just one book. Then two others could be empty, waiting for two books to be written. Think of all the free time!
Dana: Myths and Legends. I have a huge book in two volumes – something to read and learn.
Author Websites and Profiles
Polina Traore & Dana Kaledin Website
Polina Traore & Dana Kaledin Amazon Profile
Polina Traore & Dana Kaledin’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written 5 spiritual books, 3 hiking books and a vegetarian cook book. I am passionate about the work of Martinus, the Danish writer and mystic. His spiritual insight is awesome and all my spiritual books are about aspects of Martinus´ mindblowing revelations. Martinus reveals clear and logical answers to all the big questions. He achieved cosmic consciousness at the age of 30 and spent the next 60 years of his life revealing his spiritual insight, which is unsurpassed to this day. Martinus died in 1981 in Copenhagen and lived in Denmark all his life.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called ´The Downfall of Marriage´. It reveals the real reason why so many of us have problems making our relationships last and why same-sex relations are on the rise. The reason is to be found in a balancing out of our mascukline and feminine poles on our way to becoming real, all-loving human beings. It is the first book to be published in English about this very important transformation that affects us all on a mental, psychological, sexual and humanitarian level. It is a very important book because the information is really needed if we want to understand our own evolution.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really! I sit down at my computer and write what comes to me. Maybe much of what I write is channeled.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
All of Martinus´ work: The Book of Life (7 volumes) , The Eternal World Picture (6 volumes) and all his other writings comprising more than 9000 pages.
What are you working on now?
I will start working on a small book titled ´The Meaning of Life in a Nutshell. It will be co-authored with Maria McMahon.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Not sure yet! I have not done much marketing until now.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Go for it. Write!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don´t worry!
What are you reading now?
Erlendur Haroldsson: The Departed among the Living
What’s next for you as a writer?
Making the work of Martinus reach a broader audience.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would take volumes 1-4 of Livets Bog (The Book of Life by Martinus)
Author Websites and Profiles
Else Byskov Website
Else Byskov Amazon Profile
Else Byskov’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Stone House Society is dedicated to assisting those who are wanting to grow their spirit and inspire their passions. We have recently released our third e-book titled “I Ponder As We Wander” Our other two reads are titled “Confidence Booster Program” and “Humor Humility & Hope”
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Inspirational and motivational content is our forte. Our newest release is titled “I Ponder As We Wander.” This unique read features relative content for your mind to ponder as you go about your life. Important self -growth material which enhances your positive side and boosts your soul as you propel forward.
What are you working on now?
We always have a few projects on the go at the same time. Plenty of thought goes into our e-books as only the best content is acceptable to us. Our standard is high, we always want to improve as we aim to assist peoples lives, help them see their best and succeed at what ever dream they hold dearly.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Our site stonehousesociety.com features our e-books, they are avail at many retailers such as smashwords.com, kobo and ibook.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being a creative person isn’t something you can ignore or tame. If you enjoy writing, then you shall do just that. Writing is a process and can have many barriers, but the love of writing will always call you back to it. Be patient with the process and allow your thoughts to formulate as it morphs into a magical sentence on the page.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can’t please everyone, so don’t bother trying. Those which appreciate you or your work are the ones worth your time and energy. You can’t please everyone, but by sharing pleasing information or thoughts with someone is an amazing accomplishment you can be proud of. Your opinion shouldn’t be drown out by others opinions, in your heart, you know whats right for you.
What are you reading now?
What’s next for you as a writer?
There are no limits, where ever we go, it will be great!
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 can’t speak for everyone, my favorites are an atlas and a thesaurus, I can peruse those for hours!
Author Websites and Profiles
Stone House Society Website
Stone House Society Author Profile on Smashwords
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Writing is a passion, an escape, and a stress reliever from my daily routine. In addition to working on a full time writing career I own and operator of an adult boutique (http://nyceandnawty.com), as well as host a weekly live stream “Nyce & Naughtie Hour (http://www.youtube.com/c/NyceNNaughtie).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Naughty Notions Vol. 1 is a collection of erotic, humorous, and heartbreaking short stories.
As an aspiring author I’ve cut my teeth writing flash and short fiction. This was especially helpful when the dreaded writer’s block invaded my mental space, and served my muse with a temporary eviction. Like reinventing the wheel it occurred to me that I needn’t have a tome of 1,000+ pages in order to offer something substantial to the readership. My offering needed to be creative, moving, and enjoyable to read while showing my passion for writing. Thus Naughty Notions was born.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Do you have any unusual writing habits:
Ok, this stays between us. After a particularly bad writing drought followed by a deluge of ideas (too many ideas is as bad as none) I began keeping a scrapbook of ideas, a kind of insurance policy against both. If my characters stalked me; harassed me to the point of drafting a rough outline to exercise them from my mind, they usually get a story. However, an idea unused initially is still valuable. I consider these deposits for storylines to come.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Octavia Butler – Lilith’s Brood
Leslie A. Banks – Vampire Hunter Legend Series
Walter Mosley – Easy Rawlins Series
Anne Rice – Vampire Chronicles
Dean Koontz – Taken
Steven King – It
Bram Stoker – Dracula
What are you working on now?
“CYNN FULL BOYS”
When former state comptroller Theo Belarus reports to the medical unit of Gruenwald Prison for his first examination, he encounters a woman who is ruthless, manipulative, and seductive as sin. Though jaded by a system that betrayed him, Theo is unnerved to learn of the unique services the prison provides, and of the sultry doctor who dominates all, especially the Warden.
Suspicious yet intrigued by Dr. Cynn Blakemore’s offer to assign him to a “Special Block”, spared from the common nightmares of prison life, Theo hesitates. Scapegoated and unjustly convicted in a government corruption scandal, a small fortune to claim for his silence after parole, Theo realizes that free will is the only thing of value he has left to bargain. Confronted by hostile inmates, a territorial Warden, and hidden desires, Theo discovers there is more than his freedom at risk within the walls of Gruenwald Prison.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Readers interested in blog serials, short erotica, flash fiction, as well as information on upcoming books should login at http://naughtiescribe.com
Do you have any advice for new authors?
“You can’t catch a dream you don’t chase.” Don’t wait for a good time. Don’t wait until you think you’re a good enough wordsmith. Don’t think you’ve waited too long and regret not writing in your younger days. Don’t Wait! Put pen to paper and do it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Writing is a passion, publishing is a business. Learn both.
Author Websites and Profiles
Naughtie Scribe Website
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
“Diary of an unemployed actor” is my first and only book for now. I was an actor, till Greek crisis knocked my door.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Well, it is actually the diary of an unemployed actor, all ispired by real life.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I work at night, when it is quiet. When everybody is sleeping and no phone will ring. Sometimes i work for hours till i am completelly exausted, till first light or till my son wakes up. I used to drink a little while writing but now i gotta be fit each morning. I write in Greek, not english. I learned speaking english mostly by watching films and sometimes when i try to wright in english i sound like Master Yonda. So someone else is translating my work and i just help.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Mostly modern stuff. I love reality, on my acting, my wrighting and my life. Let’s say Bukowski, the man had no delusion about himself. I like Mamet. I also like Dino Buzzati. And offcourse the great grand Joyce. And a ton of Greeks. I like old stuff too, like Aristophanes and Lucian. I like comedy.
What are you working on now?
Now i am writing the next one, “A red seaman’s book”, another autobiographical book about my experience as a maritime security operator. That’s the full title for someone who’s guarding cargo ships against Somali (or other) pirates. And some small things from time to time on my blog Kazabubu. Sorry, it’s in Greek.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, here i am. I have no idea how to do it and i can’t afford paid promotion. I live in Greece, remember? But i’m working on it.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Offcourse, but it’s all in Greek. Lazaros Alexakis for example. His book “Stories of the wolf”, kind of some motorcycle’s diaries. I love motorcycles.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Not excuses, it’s just waste of time. Your’s and everybody else’s. Just admit and carry on.
What are you reading now?
I studdy culinary arts and Byzantine music when i don’t take care of my familly, so i read about cooking and psalms.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Start having feedback from my book and finish the next one.
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?
“Odyssey”. “Women” by C. Bukowski. “How to build your own sailing yacht”. And “Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson” ’cause only there i will be able to finish that book.
Author Websites and Profiles
Themis Angelopoulos Website
Themis Angelopoulos Amazon Profile
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Welcome! My name isDan Grey, and I write [primarily] How-To and Self Improvement books.
Growing up in middle America as a youth and a young adult, I usually made things happen in my life that required a ton of hard work (notice I didn’t say smart work) but I accomplished several things I set out for including a family, higher education and a well-paying career.
However, I could always feel that something was missing and that I was an underachiever. After a somewhat devastating life event, I decided to stop and take a look at my life from ground zero – and thus began my journey into deep self-improvement. After several years in this mode, I began thinking, “You know, I just might be an acceptable source to pass on much of this new found knowledge, experience and inspiration.”
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
the name of my latest book is the ultimate guide to cure acne
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
no
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Charles Dickens
What are you working on now?
a new book
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
i use twitter and facebook
Do you have any advice for new authors?
no
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
keep trying until you succeed
What are you reading now?
Adultery
What’s next for you as a writer?
i hope i write more books to help people
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 mockingbird , animal farm,the alchemist
Dan Grey’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in the northern Appalachian Mountains. There I enjoyed the beauty and simplicity of nature and life. I was a typical country boy and enjoyed this lifestyle very much. I started writing poems and short stories during high school. I had experiences during my youth that were difficult but have enriched my understanding of life and humankind immensely. I spent over three years living practically out of a backpack as I traveled from place to place; working as a convention coordinator, bartender and DJ. Then I studied Marketing and Management in college.
During this period I decided to enlist in the Army to learn about the world and finance my college education. I continued my college education in Europe. My academic interests shifted slightly during this time. I concentrated on Psychology and Humanities. I participated in various writing contests and projects during my education.
I have lived in Europe for many years. These experiences have nurtured and expanded my understanding of human existence. The first-hand experiences with many different cultures have given me insight into human nature and behavior. I desire to experience life on a one to one simplistic basis; engulfed in life and not separate from it.
My decision to write as an author happened two years ago. It was not really a decision; it just happened. There was a voice within that told me “It is time to write. It is time to share.” Since then I have written two books.
I am the author of “Simplicity of Life” and “One Moment in Life”. These books and my blog website are dedicated to spirituality, human existence and life awareness. I am currently writing the third book in the “Life” series. I write weekly articles and share these on various websites. There will also soon be Facebook Live Video sessions with myself and five individuals discussing ideas and insights relative to the above mentioned topics. These will also eventually be shown on Youtube. Life is a sharing experience.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Simplicity of Life: Why does being Human Complicate Everything?”
This book is the second in a three book “Life” series. It became obvious as I wrote the first book that a second book would be writing and a third. The inspiration to share the topics in the books originates from something that I have sensed since childhood.
This feeling or sensation is often described as the mystery of life. It could be said that this certain “something” that everyone senses from time to time is the totality of life intelligence or universal consciousness. We all experience a moment in our existence when unity between everything in the universe is felt first-hand. This has always been my inspiration; to become more aware of this conscious energy. I felt that sharing ideas and insights through these three books may give others helpful stepping stones in understanding our existence and life.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing style is a mixture of spontaneity and use of the writing skills I learned during my education. I consider what it is that I wish to share. I tend to keep the initial ideal short and fundamental. I do research for lengthier manuscript projects; then I simple start to write.
Every project is somewhat like a puzzle that magically fits together. The puzzle pieces are constructed through free-form writing although there is always an intuitive desire for structure within the written segments. It all somehow just falls into place at the appropriate phrase of the manuscript project.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Wow, I can not list all the written works that have influenced me. There are too many. I can list ten that could be considered as more influential than others.
– “Call of the Wild” Jack London
– “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” Robert M. Pirsig
– “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” Richard Bach
– “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare”
– “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” Joseph Campbell
– “A Course in Miracles”
– “Silas Marner” George Eliot
– “Treasure Island” Robert Louis Stevenson
– “Harry Potter” series J.K. Rowling
– “Game of Thrones” series George RR Martin
Equally influential are Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau and Lao Tzu.
What are you working on now?
I am current writing a third book in the “Life” series. The book will primarily discuss love and what human beings have done with it. The book will also consider aspects of our human development in areas of ego, desires, needs and wants. The book will discuss how human beings have used and misused emotions and behavior associated with what we have labeled as “love”. The first two books that I have written and this third book can be read separately or as a series.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
A person interested in promoting what he or she writes has many options. The key in promoting is to stay active. This means using all available resources that have proven to be respectable. There is not a sure-fire method in promotion. Self-publishing authors can use mainstream social media platforms to promote themselves as an author and present their books. A well structured website is also very useful. Word of mouth is perhaps the best method in becoming established as an author. Speak with people about what you write and ask for feedback.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing is not really something that is done for a reason. If you have a desire to write; then simply do it. The details will fall into place. It is truly about the joy of writing and sharing, not about the results of both. Stephan King stated this nicely in two quotes:
“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.”
― Stephen King
“When you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees. When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest.”
― Stephen King
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This would probably be a quote from Buddha.
“Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
– Buddha
What are you reading now?
There are two books that I am currently enjoying:
– The Light: A Book of Knowing: How to Shine Your Light Brighter and Live in the Spiritual Heart by Keidi Keating
– The Man with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
What’s next for you as a writer?
My third book in the “Life” series should be done by late summer 2017. I have several manuscript projects now in planning. I will start writing the next book immediately after the third book is published. The projects will be in diverse genres; some of which include:
– A non-fiction novel which will reflect on human interaction with life as seen through our experiences. This book may be very enjoyable for many people of all ages
– A novel about my search for love that started as a young boy. This may be in the form of a biography.
– Three books for children. I have these more or less written in my mind. The next step is to put them on paper.
– A science fiction novel based on spirituality. This book will have something for everyone; spiritual experiences, time-shifting (wormholes) and earth history. It is the story of a woman that is trying to make sense of her existence, her mortality and life. She will be accompanied by a dog with extra ordinary abilities.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would take a book with blank pages so that I could write about my experiences on this island; naturally I would also need a few pencils. Additionally I would take these books:
– “A Course in Miracles”
– “How to Survive on a Deserted Island”
– “Treasure Island”
– “Critique of Pure Reason”
Author Websites and Profiles
Steve Leasock Website
Steve Leasock Amazon Profile
Steve Leasock’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in upstate New York. The rural part, not the city. My dad is a musician and my mom is a poet, so I come from a family of artists. When I was seven I discovered Stephen King thanks to the picture of the cat on the front of Pet Semetary and decided I was going to be a writer. Instead of growing out of the notion, it stuck with me through high school (where I was editor of my literary magazine.)
After school, I spent a few years writing reviews of other people’s books for the website Dread Central. Then I branched out to ghostwriting erotica and romance for awhile before deciding to try my luck at getting published under my own name. My short story ‘Swim Lessons’ appeared in the 2016 Women in Horror Annual anthology and most recently, my paranormal erotica story ‘A Single Heartbeat’ was published by MLR Press.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Honestly, I was doing my annual rewatch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer when I got to the Season 2 episode ‘School Hard’. Any Buffy fan knows that’s the first appearance of Spike, who is one sexy vamp. I couldn’t help but imagine how the scene outside the Bronze would have played out if I was writing it.
That little ‘what if’ eventually became my debut M/M story ‘A Single Heartbeat’.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m very much a night owl, so I tend to be awake and writing when everyone else is asleep. My most prolific time is between like 4 AM and 6 AM.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, Clive Barker, and Anne Rice were all big influences on me growing up. I also love Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, Richelle Mead’s Georgina Kincaid series, and anything by Nalini Singh. Recently, I discovered Nora Sakavic’s All for the Game series & C.S. Pacat’s Captive Prince series and have fallen in love with them as well.
What are you working on now?
A lot! I’ve got a M/M wolf shifter novel in the works, a sort of twisted take on Cinderella with vampires (also M/M), and another story in the Heartbeat universe as well.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is my first real experience with promoting, so I’ll have to get back to you on this one!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read a lot. Write even more. Don’t worry about getting it perfect the first time. Or even the second time. Keep going. Rewrite. Edit. Polish. It’s a lot of work, but if you keep perfecting your craft, it will be worth it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Put your butt in the chair and write. Or, put more poetically, “The worst thing you’ll ever write is better than all the things you’ve never written.” (I’m paraphrasing, but it’s something like that.)
What are you reading now?
I recently finished the latest book in Jay Northcote’s Housemate series, ‘Watching & Wanting’. I loved it! Also, Glitter in the Garland by Helen Juliet is fabulous.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing! I’ve got several short stories out for submission as well, so hopefully those find homes.
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 first 2 books in the Earth’s Children series by Jean Auel, and the first 2 books in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Apart from being great books with a really high reread value, they are also full of survival tips! I read somewhere that Auel did survival training for like a year to learn the different tactics Ayla employs in the wild. I feel like that would be helpful.
Author Websites and Profiles
Morgan Elektra Amazon Profile
Morgan Elektra’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a former British Actors Equity member having been involved in many television and movie productions. I am also a former All-American from my days at UCSB, and a Canadian Equestrian Federation Coach and Eventing competitor, having one year assisted officially at Badminton UK. I have lived in and around Rome Italy for several years.
When not engaged in Writing books or composing songs with my Singer/Songwriter hat on I am fully employed as “staff” to my two cats. As they say Dogs have owners Cats have ‘staff’.
“Riding A Strong Wind” is my collection of short stories and novellas, written with elegance and light hearted romance as the criteria. I am currently three quarters through writing my next book which is more of a suspenseful effort but still with romance at it’s core.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Scot Free in Hollywood” ; and it was inspired by the hope of writing something entertaining, amusing, lightweight yet not silly, wherein I could draw on those things I observed in and around movie making,
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No I don’t think so, but I guess for me it’s a process of recording on paper the ‘movie’ I see in my mind. in short what I mean is it’s like watching a movie unfold for me and I write what I observe.
It’s great cos you get to go to fabulous locations with fabulous people.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
F. Scott Fitzgerald – love that elegant gossamer charm. I think my favourite two ‘shorts’ of his are “Love In The Night” and “Last Kiss”.
I also always liked P.G. Wodehouse, but sadly I’ve read them all and with the TV series and their familiarity to me they’ve lost a tiny bit of their novelty – but not much- terrific world to inhabit.
Oscar Wilde – really I should have started with Oscar, but perhaps better to leave the ultimate to finish with. Oscar Wilde is in my opinion the best playwright, ever, and his writing is just pure enjoyment. Everyone knows Oscar Wilde so there is little I can add, but he is simply superb and I will never tire of hearing his lines however many times I hear them.
Almost overlooked mentioning the brilliant E.F. Benson and all those Mapp and Lucia books – just glorious writing.
What are you working on now?
That Romance/Suspense novel that I mentioned I’m three quarters through writing.
It is a little more serious than my other work but I hope I can introduce an element of uncertainty and suspense whilst having at it’s core my natural leanings towards the romantic.
It is set in Italy.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I must admit I have not promoted before so it’s all new to me.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would not presume to offer advice.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Be kind”
What are you reading now?
This website !!
What’s next for you as a writer?
Think I’ll go make a coffee, and think how I’ll get myself going again on that Suspene book when I’m distracted by all this promotion for my Romantic Comedy “Scot Free in Hollywood”
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?
Collected Works of Oscar Wilde- Oscar Wilde
Jeeves and Wooster Omnibus- P.G.Wodehouse
Make Way for Lucia – E.F. Benson
Collected Short Stories – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Author Websites and Profiles
Robertson Tait Website
Robertson Tait Amazon Profile
Robertson Tait’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an author since childhood who loved to write, whether for contests, articles or books. I have written award winning short stories and magazine articles and finally turned my skills into a publishing company and writing service. We have published over 20 books and edited 100’s. As the century was coming to a close I had an idea for school kids who didn’t seem to know much about events in the early 1900’s and turned that into “Tell It To The Future,” which was a compilation of stories from people who lived during the decades of the twentieth century.
After that I wrote New Horizons, How to Write Your Book From an Idea to Your Published Story and finally got to taking a book I had started for my kids our of the drawer.
Code 47 to BREV Force was written on a train from New York to Florida to get my boys to read. that 75 page manuscript has evolved over the years into the Code 47 to BREV Force Trilogy that was just published in January.
I still have other books I am working on and authors that I coach one on one, but for now I just want to market BREV Force, which now is a Fantasy for Teens and Young Adults, or anyone who believes they could use a break from reality! It’s time I give these books a following!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Code 47 to BREV Force Trilogy was inspired when on a train to Florida from New York I couldn’t get my 2 sons, age 8 and 9 to read. They had their heads stuck in their “Game Boys,” so I began to write!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write everyday no matter how busy I am
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ayn Rand, Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Clive Cussler, Jeffrey Archer
What are you working on now?
Marketing BREV Force
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
any site where readers are looking for books
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it! Finish what you start and before you seek publishing get a professional editor
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take your book that you are passionate about and give it the best shot possible!
What are you reading now?
The Coffee Trader
What’s next for you as a writer?
Evelyn and Rose…women of valor
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, Fountainhead, BREV Force Trilogy
Author Websites and Profiles
F Barish-Stern Website
F Barish-Stern Amazon Profile
F Barish-Stern’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Croatia, in the city of Zagreb. I finished college there, and then I went on to live and work in three other countries: Belgium, United States and Japan. I went to graduate school in Baltimore, Maryland, and I have lived in United States most of my life. Currently, I live with my spouse Laurie in Bloomington, Indiana, and I work at Indiana University.
I have written two books, one of which is a deeply technical monograph. I have also recently published a short story, a fictional memoir of the legendary craftsman and inventor Daedalus.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a collection of essays titled “Whither Science?”; it is a reflection on the state of natural science in our present time.
Popular science news speak daily of exciting discoveries, complete with fascinating images and promises of great technological advances. Yet for all the buzz, recent decades have seen few truly fundamental scientific insights, let alone any onrush of transformative technologies. Our production of energy and goods, our transportation, medicine, communication — even our ever-present personal electronic gadgets — all of that is based on scientific discoveries that are at least half a century old, most of them much older than that.
Behind its image of fascination and near-magic, contemporary science has become a largely self-serving institution, failing both the public common good and its own noble ideals. In “Whither Science?” I attempt to lift the veil of magic from the practice of science, in hope that a better public understanding will restore its accountability, as well as its value as a great historic undertaking that natural science really is.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write slowly, and I’m careful about making my writing hang together coherently. Maybe that’s the scientist/engineer in me.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Classical Greek mythology has long been part of my intellectual world, and I always find something new and interesting in these ancient stories. Among the authors whose ideas have influenced my recent work, I count the philosophers Rene Descartes and Gottfried Leibniz.
What are you working on now?
I am working on a novella about Prometheus, the mythological rebel, fire-bringer and creator of humanity.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The Goodreads web site is very good; I also do some advertising through social media.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
In a cartoon by the well-known cartoonist Sydney Harris, a middle-aged academic bemoans his misspent years to a drinking companion, and says: “The biggest mistake of my life was to go into cosmology just for the money.”
Some things are meant to be a labor of love, or else nothing at all. Artistic expression and cosmology are such things.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Evaluate for yourself any advice you receive.
What are you reading now?
“City,” an old science-fiction novel by Clifford Simak;
“Medea,” a play by Euripides.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Whatever the Fates bring about.
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?
“Doctor Faustus” by Thomas Mann;
“Through the Looking Glass” by Lewis Carroll;
“Nonexistent Knight” by Italo Calvino.
Author Websites and Profiles
Danko Antolovic Author Profile on Smashwords
Danko Antolovic’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the COO of the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to promote, explain and defend free expression and the five freedoms of the First Amendment: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. I have loved history for my entire life. Several years ago, I began researching ancestry and it led to the publication of my first book, “The Forgotten Adventures of Richard Halliburton: A High-Flying Life from Tennessee to Timbuktu.” This was book was about an explorer and writer who was from my hometown of Haywood County, Tennessee.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I just released a second book, “Odd Words, 1920-1922: An Enhanced Compilation of Early Columns by Odd McIntyre” for Kindle, in advance of a biography on which I have been working for several years. “An Odd Book, How the First Modern Pop Culture Reporter Conquered New York” will be released April 1, 2017. I release “Odd Words” because I wanted to expose readers to this fascinating writer who has been forgotten. I stumbled upon a few of his articles while working on my first book and liked his style so much I went searching for more. Before I knew it, I was working on a biography!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am a really early riser so I do most of my writing between 4 and 6 a.m. before I head to by day job. I also have a patient wife and two talented daughters so family time is important in the evenings.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Years before i worked at the Newseum, I worked for Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. at Graceland. I was at the Newseum to participate in the opening of an Elvis exhibit. They also had an exhibit based on James L. Swanson’s book “Manhunt.” The exhibit made such a huge impact on me, I purchased the book. That led to an obsession with the Civil War and my ancestry hobby. Because of that, I decided I wanted to write about history. So I would have to say Swanson made a major impact (as was the Newseum…so much so, I got a job there!).
What are you working on now?
I chose to self publish “An Odd Book, How the First Modern Pop Culture Reporter Conquered New York” so it ate up quite a bit of time. After writing it and getting it edited, I had to learn how to use all the publishing tools. Obviously, the publishing industry is going through a renaissance right now so its fun to see how far one individual can take it using the tools that are available. Now I am going to focus on getting the word out about my two “Odd” books before I start another one.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I will have to let you know that one. I have developed a website for the Odd biography: http://www.anoddbook.com and have been laying the groundwork for months by pushing out content on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and through earned media. I also set up a email for news about the book.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Look for new and unique ways of getting what you write in front of people. If you read my biography of Odd McIntyre, you’ll discover that no one wanted to publish what he wrote. He wasn’t just rejected, he was rejected rudely and fired often. Eventually, he and his wife began sending his columns to newspapers around the country, letting editors know they could publish it for free. That eventually led to his becoming the highest paid and most read columnist of the 1920s and 1930s. In some ways, he was the first blogger!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up.
What are you reading now?
I have a huge stack ready for when by biography of Odd is out. I read everything Eric Larson writes and am waiting for his next one.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have an idea for a book that I think is going to be exciting to research, but I have to flesh it out a bit and see what sort of stories i can dig up around the idea. More to come on that!
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, a sketch pad with a lot of pages and a book on how to build a raft.
Author Websites and Profiles
R. Scott Williams Website
R. Scott Williams Amazon Profile
R. Scott Williams’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! My name is Michael J. Jung and so far, I have published two books in my Sell Books Fast Online eBook series (“How to Write Descriptions That Sell Used Books on Amazon” and “Pricing Used Books for Profit on Amazon”) with many more to come!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’ve just released my book “Pricing Used Books For Profit on Amazon,” a how-to book that gives easy techniques for setting competitive prices for used books you can sell on Amazon for extra money.
“Pricing Used Books For Profit on Amazon” was born from all the questions I received from readers of my blog, www.sellbooksfast.com, who wanted to know how to make money by selling books on Amazon. To answer them, I decided to offer an entire eBook series, Sell Books Fast Online, that would give in-depth answers and effective strategies anyone could follow to sell books online.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am an obsessive note taker. Any time I get an idea for a story or article, I jot it down on anything that’s available — and then take my notes to my office so I can organize them on my laptop. My desk is drowning under piles of old receipts, tickets, coupons, and envelopes with ideas scrawled all over them.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Nonfiction-wise, I’ve adopted the style of both Steve Scott and John Tighe. They’re two bestselling eBook authors who write a lot of how-to books. I’ve found their writing to be very easy to read and informative, so hopefully, my readers will find my books similarly instructive.
What are you working on now?
My third Sell Books Fast Online book — which will deal with how to receive better feedback from customers and how to develop better customer relations. Bad feedback and difficult customers are common pet peeves among online booksellers, so hopefully my new book will help give some strategies for dealing with this!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesomegang is a great site! I also like outsourcing some of my promo jobs on Fiverr.com (it’s a mixed bag, but you can get some great results from some of the book promoters there). And of course I make sure to let my blog readers know when I’m releasing a new book — and when they can expect a discount.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write down ALL of your ideas and keep them organized in a file (online or offline) that you visit on a regular basis. You never know when something you wrote months or even years ago will come in handy!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Focus on what you can do.
Too many people focus too much on what they can’t do, which can make them feel that a lot of things are out of their control.
But when you focus on what you CAN do, suddenly, you feel a lot more proactive and enthusiastic about your work — and it’ll show in your results!
What are you reading now?
Slayers by C.J. Hill, an indie comic called “Maintenance,” and a book on 101 unusual ways to make money.
I have eclectic tastes. Can you tell?
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll be finishing up the Sell Books Fast Online eBook series over the next few months and then move on to writing fiction. Writing my own fantasy comedy novels is something I’ve always wanted to pursue full time, so I’ll be going full throttle when that time comes!
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 to Survive on a Desert Island (wouldn’t you? :))
Silver Surfer: New Dawn (great collection of space adventure comic books — the Silver Surfer has basically become the Dr. Who of the Marvel Universe)
How to Lucid Dream (just because I’m stranded on a desert island doesn’t mean I can’t let my mind have vacations in my dreams)
Ozma of Oz (my favorite fantasy novel when I was a kid)
Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Jung Website
Michael Jung Amazon Profile
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my first book
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s The Drummers Playbook, and after a lifetime behind the drum kit I wanted to share with people what I’ve learned.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
For me it’s more about the musicians that inspire me. Working with Sonny Rollins was an eye opening experience and I learned quite a lot. Currently I’m preparing for a tour in Japan.
What are you working on now?
Playing, playing, and more playing… Just finished making a record with john Patituci, and about to go on the road
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Im be at this : )
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t do it lol, but if you must, give it your best!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Play
What are you reading now?
I am actually legally blind which makes reading very difficult now.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Nor sure yet, lots of music on the horizon but I would like to do take the same concept to the next level.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring music, original bebop. Miles, Sonny, Coltrane.
Author Websites and Profiles
Joe Corsello Website
Joe Corsello Amazon Profile
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a healer, a Transformational Love Coach, Author, and Spiritual Teacher.
Real Passion Revolution: 10 Secret Ingredients for Healed, Healthy, Happy Relationships is my first book debuting on Valentines Day, February 14, 2017
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Real Passion Revolution: 10 Secret Ingredients for Healed, Healthy, Happy Relationships was inspired first by my own challenging marriage of thirty-three years as well as all of the unhappy relationships of nearly everyone I knew.
I don’t believe in settling for less than what is possible. It is my mission to bring healing, happiness, passion, and fulfillment back into romantic relationships.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to write! I actually inspire myself with my writing – this is where I am the most creative in my life!
I must write “to” someone or I get stuck! In Real Passion Revolution, I am often writing to a specific young woman who is like a daughter to me as well as to my adult children who will learn far more from reading this book than from my own mouth.
When I journal, I am writing to God so even there my writing is relational.
I guess, I just prefer to talk with others through writing – I also am never interrupted and can complete all my thoughts
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Bryon Katie – Loving What Is
Don Miguel Ruiz – The Four Agreements
Marianne Williamson – Return to Love
Michael Singer – The Surrender Experiment
A Course In Miracles
Bible
Dr. William Glasser – Choice Theory
Ed Young – The Shack
What are you working on now?
I have 2 projects I’m working on:
1. A Real Passion Revolution Daily Devotional: A thought a day to inspire you to stay on track for a healed, healthy, happy life.
2. Transformational Love Curriculum: An online accredited high school course (available to the general public also) that teaches teenagers the relationship tools in Real Passion Revolution so they can learn to heal their wounds, become aware of their fears so they can disarm them, learn effective communication/listening skills, and teach them about self-awareness and self-empowerment.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I used Publishizer @ https://publishizer.com/ to pre-launch my book. They also query your book to various hybrid and traditional publishers that you can choose to work with or not. Go read their publishers list – lots of options for authors these days.
I’m using My LaunchTeam http://mylaunchteam.com/ to support my book launch (they referred me to Awesomegang)
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Begin your marketing process early. Use a company like My LaunchTeam to support your book launch. They have a ton of tasks for an author to do before, during, and after their book launch – I was introduced to them during my pre-launch so I’ve been burning the candle at both ends checking off the task list they provide. BTW – they got me to #1 Bestseller on Amazon in 2 categories 3 hours after my initial soft launch.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Follow those who have gone before you and do whatever they did to become successful.
What are you reading now?
Studying A Course in Miracles
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 Course in Miracles
To You, Love God
Love Poems From God
Something about how to survive on an island
Author Websites and Profiles
Denise Darlene Website
Denise Darlene Amazon Profile
Denise Darlene’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m from Cape Town, South Africa. I’ve been writing since primary school, starting with my debut novel, Fall of Zona Nox – which I finished in high school and have been upgrading since then. I also write non-fiction, mostly in the form of political commentary and analysis for the website the Rational Standard.
I am currently studying politics, philosophy and economic history at the University of Cape Town. My interests include those subjects but I also enjoy video games, fantasy and card game likes Magic: The Gathering.
My currently released books include Fall of Zona Nox and Cape Zero. I have almost finished two books in the Warpmancer series, the sequel to Fall of Zona Nox and the prequel.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Defiant will be my latest book after editing. It is the sequel to Fall of Zona Nox. It has many inspirations, but the most profound would probably be my philosophy studies and my analysis of revolution.
Of currently released books, Cape Zero was inspired by the trend of zombie fiction a few years back. It was meant to be a part of a compilation written alongside friends, but I was the only one who finished.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual? I gathered that eccentricity was a hallmark of most writers. Is something truly unusual when it becomes the norm? If I was to go on odd by proportion of the writers who go through it, then finishing my book and continuing the series is highly odd. I also have the habit of spending a little too much time fleshing out the backstory, that most readers will never delve into. I’ve written a backstory spanning a thousand years back, and not only for humanity but for many other denizens of the world.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Brandon Sanderson, the prolific and great author that he is, is very hard not to be influenced by when writing fantasy and sci-fi. His keen enthusiasm, attention to detail and characterisation is deeply inspiring.
My initial influence was Raymond Fiest, however. I had never read any author with such a large and detailed universe. It made me want to do the same.
From my own genre, I have been recently influenced by Robert Heinlein, whose ‘The Moon is a Harsh Mistress’ inspired much of my latest book.
What are you working on now?
I am finishing up the sequel to Fall of Zona Nox, Defiant. It will be the second book in the Warpmancer Series, and continue from where Fall of Zona Nox ends off.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Promotion starts at the store-front. Writers need to make sure their Amazon or retail page looks decent enough to attract readers to purchase their book. It is all good and well attracting readers to the page, but this means little if they don’t even download a sample.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you want but take heed of criticism. You write for yourself, but this doesn’t meant being blind to criticism of your work. Criticism doesn’t exist so that you can please other people – it exists so that you can find out a change that you actually prefer.
Your writing is for you. Identify your goal and then work towards it. Let other people help you along the way with criticism.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It wasn’t phrased as advice, but John Stuart Mills’ defence of freedom of speech and how this translates to justifying the importance of criticism was very inspiring and enlightening. Basically, we need criticism and discourse to interrogate our own preferences and ideas. Disagreement and being criticised allows us to grow our own position or change to a better one.
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Karl Popper’s ‘The Open Society and its Enemies: Volume 1’
It is an enlightening and highly interesting piece condemning the foundation of authoritarian ideologies and laying out what a liberal society means.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be continuing work on the Warpmancer Series and working more on my marketing.
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 Lord of the Rings
A book on desert island survival
Atlas Shrugged (so I’ll actually have time to read it)
Author Websites and Profiles
Nicholas Woode-Smith Website
Nicholas Woode-Smith Amazon Profile
Nicholas Woode-Smith Author Profile on Smashwords
Nicholas Woode-Smith’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in the UK with my husband and my two children. I love reading romance and had so many ideas in my head I decided to write my own.
I’ve written two books so far and have many more in the works, it just depends on which characters speak to me first.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Her Mistake, the idea of Grace and her life came to me when I was struggling to get to sleep one night and she didn’t let me sleep until I’d plotted her story out.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I write my stories in a notebook and transfer it to my laptop once I’ve finished, I find my words flow much easier this way. Some days I may write a hundred pages and others just two or three, I don’t put myself on a deadline because it wouldn’t be fun anymore.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Karen Rose, Charlotte Lamb, Lucy Monroe, Kristen Ashley, Diana Palmer and Lynda Chance to name a few. They are all so enjoyable to read and they pull you into the story they’ve written, making you care for the characters they’ve created .
What are you working on now?
I have a few books I’m working on at the moment.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself.
I was worried people wouldn’t like my book, that they wouldn’t enjoy it like I wanted them to and I ended up talking myself out of publishing it. My husband luckily had more faith in me and made me see that if I didn’t try I’d never know.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up. And like I said above, believe in yourself.
What are you reading now?
Lynda Chance- Her First Choice.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More 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?
Karen Rose-You Can’t Hide
Lynda Chance-Marco’s Redemption
Sylvia Day-Pride and Pleasure
Cynthia Eden-Midnight’s Master
Author Websites and Profiles
M.J Perry Amazon Profile
M.J Perry’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hey guys! My name is Charlie Serabian and I’m an all around artist and working professional. So far I only have one book published, but I’m also working on its sequel, a “throwback” volume and also a horror novella about a sea monster!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s titled Memorias – Deep in the Arnaks. What inspired it? Golly gee whiz Batman, what didn’t inspire it? I’d say
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so! I usually like to have a scented candle lit, coffee and water… oh, yeah. I have to have a clean work environment. It doesn’t have to perfectly organized… but clean. Definitely clean.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As stereotypical as it sounds, Stephen King is a big one. I don’t get scared easily by books (movies and games, sure) but his work just murders me on the inside. Others… Frank Herbert, Tolkien, Rothfuss, all the big ones you might expect. Murakami might be my biggest influence, in a way. He breaks all the rules of traditional writing and sucks you in. He’s an interesting cat as well. Definitely read any interviews he gives.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on book two of the Memorias series. After that I have a “throwback” book planned about the character Armun. It takes place in his younger years.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best “website” is definitely my tumblr page. It’s the easiest platform to use and modify and I am not super tech savvy. It’s also, obviously, where I write my lore blurbs, so everything is just in one place.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
HAHAHAHA….. no. No, definitely not. Nope.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To treat big decisions with the same thought process and energy you treat normal decisions. Sometimes we get so worked up we can’t see the forest through the trees, and we imagine that if we only give it MORE effort that it’ll change. This is, often times, not the case.
What are you reading now?
Rothfuss’s “The Wise Man’s Fear.” About halfway through and as expected it’s pretty damn good.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing book two, and then onto the “throwback!”
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?
Lord of the Rings, obviously. Murakami’s Wind-Up Bird Chronicle… hmm… Webster’s Dictionary, just keep up my vocabulary. The fourth one will remain a mystery. ; )
Author Websites and Profiles
Charlie Serabian Website
Charlie Serabian Amazon Profile
Charlie Serabian’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
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