Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Vincent Witcher is a freelance artist, writer, musician, animator, and Christian speaker. He is also animating some of his stories and has uploaded them to you Tube. He has a b.a. in art from Bob Jones University, an associate in multimedia arts from the Art Institute of Charlotte and a Master of Divinity form Liberty University. Vincent started writing as a teen. Vincent has written several books, but the book ,”Timmy Learns to Make Friends” is the first book that has been published. At present he is working on a sci-fi/fantasy novel entitled “The Fall of Telgar” which he hopes to publish by the end of the year. He is single and lives in the beautiful rolling hills of Southern Virginia.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Timmy learns to Make Friends” is the name of my latest book. I remember reading a really cute Christian children’s book called, “The birds of Wington” when I was growing up. The book inspired me to write my own story. I have been writing stories since I was a teenager. I looked into publishing my stories over 20 years ago, but back then self publishing was just not feasible for me. It takes a lot of work to get a publisher and I din’t want to wait 3 or 4 years to find a publisher so I chose create space, which is a free service for self publishing owned by Amazon. Now I can publish all the stories I want w

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if you call this unusual or not but I am also an artist and musician so both my art and music influence my writing and visa versa. While most people sit and veg out while watching tv or a movie I usually think about how to improve the story line or the visuals or how I would change the music or try to add the techniques I see or hear in the movie/ t.v. show i am watching and incorporate it into my latest project.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Wizard of Oz books, The Ring Anthology, The Chronicles of Narnia books, The Bible, Madeleine L Engle’s book, “A Wrinkle in Time.” The Time Machine, 1984, Fahrenheit, The Martian Chronicles.

What are you working on now?
A science fiction/fantasy book that I also plan to make into an animated movie series. The Star Blazer animated series was a big influence on me as a child growing up in the 70’s and 80’s ass well as Star Wars and Battle Star Galactica. The book is entitled, “The Fall of Telgar.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is my first self publishing experience so all of this is new to me. I’m learning as I go.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read and study about character development and how to develop conversations between characters as well as developing a good story line. These are the hardest areas for authors to grasp and get right. If your characters are flat and you really can’t get them to converse in a natural way then this tends to put people off from your stories/ books.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up and keep working on your craft.

What are you reading now?
Hyperion, Dune, I Robot.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A full blown novel instead of just short stories and children’s books. I also want to write a self help books and books on religious topics.

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, War of the Worlds, From the Earth to the Moon, The Time Machine.

Author Websites and Profiles
Vincent Witcher Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written two full length books and am working on a third. I have also had a short story published in the Dark Minds charity anthology by Bloodhound Books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Decimation: The Girl Who Survived.

It was inspired by a “what if” conversation I had with my wife. What if women died in childbirth? What would happen? What if a girl survived? What if she didn’t know how she got pregnant?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have recently enjoyed reading Michael Carey.

What are you working on now?
The Colour of The Soul

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook is probably where I promote most of all but I’m not sure how effective it is.

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

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If it doesn’t add to the story. chop it out.

What are you reading now?
Old Friends and New Enemies by Owen Mullen.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More of the same. Thrillers and the occasional short story.

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 Kindle for a start! There are far too many good books to read a book twice so I would take a combination of well-reviewed thrillers and SciFi.

Author Websites and Profiles
Richard T. Burke Website
Richard T. Burke Amazon Profile

Richard T. Burke’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an indie author, and my debut novel, A Beautiful Bounty, is a western historical romance. I also published a Master’s thesis in 2016, but that’s another story altogether! I am hoping to complete book two of the trilogy by the end of 2017, and then on to book 3. I have also written a few chapters of a suspense novel … which might have to sit on the back-burner for a while.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Beautiful Bounty: Book One of the Davenport Trilogy, is a western historical romance. I live on the west coast of Canada, and became very interested in the history of the Pacific Northwest. My story begins in Oregon and ends in the vineyards of California. I believe in romance, and strong female characters. My main character, Shiara Montgomery, is unconventional and has a penchant for defying rules. I also believe that a story can’t just be about well-defined characters … a great romance must have some intrigue and adventure, which keeps the reader invested.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am not sure what would classify as “unusual”, but when I write I get so focused that my house could be falling down around me and I wouldn’t hear it. I also prefer writing dialogue, as opposed to descriptions, so sometimes I go back and expand the descriptive sections to make sure I’ve done justice to the setting and historical elements. It’s my least favorite part!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read every genre, but in historical romance, my first novel that I read was by Johanna Lindsey … Gentle Rogue. I was hooked. That being said, I can’t even recall many of the romance novels I’ve read, but I will never forget my first. I wonder if that is like never forgetting your first love?

What are you working on now?
I’m writing Book Two of the Davenport Trilogy, which tells the story of the youngest Davenport sibling, Amelia, who makes an appearance in Book One. The story will travel from Sonoma to San Francisco and move north. It is tentatively titled “A Captivating Captive”, and will be another adventure-filled story involving a magnetic ship’s captain.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am on Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, Pinterest, and Facebook, but I have a blog on Tumblr where I share my journey and lessons learned as I pursue my writing career as an indie author. I love to hear from others, so drop me a line!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, lots! I am a new author, and feel that we can help each other as a community. That is why I share my learning journey on my blog. I hope others can learn from my mistakes. https://melissalurquette.tumblr.com/

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I was fortunate to connect with a published author who works with other authors to help them market and promote their books. She has been invaluable, but I would say that the best advice I got was to do a marketing plan … with a marketing timeline. This really helped me to learn more about the industry, my primary reader base, marketing strategies, and budget. It is a worthwhile investment of time. Oh yeah, and keep writing!!!

What are you reading now?
I am reading two books… one is called “P.S. Don’t Tell Your Mother” by Margo Bates – a fantastic and unique Canadian author. It’s very funny and the characters are larger than life!
I am also just finishing an historical romance novel “To Save a Sinner” by Adele Clee. I quite enjoyed it, and would read more of her books. I particularly liked the female protagonist, who had a mind of her own.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing. More writing. More writing…. well, in between marketing and promoting!

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?
Hm. Tough one! I always enjoyed 1984 by George Orwell, even though it was dark. I also enjoyed the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and could read that over and over again. Maybe I would take War & Peace because it’s very long, and would keep me entertained for a long time. Then, I would probably take the complete works of Shakespeare. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, and would never tire of reading Shakespeare.

Author Websites and Profiles
Melissa Lurquette Website
Melissa Lurquette Amazon Profile
Melissa Lurquette Author Profile on Smashwords

Melissa Lurquette’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a serial entrepreneur and have worked in recruiting for over 15+ years. I’ve owned my own recruiting firms and other businesses for that length of time as well. This is my first book; I’ve written for other publications and my own blogs, etc. for years.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Hire Power: Everything Entrepreneurs Need To Know To Hire Awesome People

My main gig is recruiting – attracting, finding & hiring the industry leaders for my clients. I am also a business owner who has hired (and fired) more employees, partners, contractors, etc. than most people could dream about in their lifetime. I have a deep passion for working with entrepreneurs and I want to share my best hiring tips + tricks + tools to make sure everyone has the ability to hire right, every time.

When you are putting almost everything you have back into your business, literally a single bad hire could cost you everything and I don’t want to see that happen to anyone!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am pretty all or nothing in life, so I’ll sit down and pound out numerous blogs, articles, and parts of this book pretty rapidly. I am not known for “gutting it out” so I have to write when I am inspired and when I want to.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a self-professed self-help junkie, so there are so many I don’t know if I could name them all. The 4 Hour Workweek and just about anything else by Tim Ferris, Smartcuts by Shane Snow are a couple that have profoundly impacted my way of thinking. I think just about every book I’ve ever read has somehow influenced me or been woven into my life somehow. Books on being a better leader, hiring well, managing myself and time are big on my list!

And, I am HUGE fan of Sword and Sorcery books and fiction books that are similar. I listen to a lot of audio books and it is almost always something fiction.

What are you working on now?
I’m always working on something! My recruiting business (www.BuildingGurus.com), my company aimed at helping entrepreneurs and small business owners find, attract, hire and retain the right people (www.RikkaBrandon.com) are the biggest areas I devote time to. I also have other projects that help candidates get hired (GetUHired.com) and I’m always working on something new related to traveling with my family – especially somewhere warm and tropical.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
With this being my first book, I am looking at a lot of different avenues. My website, mailing list, social media and Awesomegang are the main ones at the moment.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you have the desire or little voice inside you telling you to get your story out, listen. And, don’t assume you have to go the traditional route to get published. I’ve gone down that path and it was a bit disheartening and cost a lot of money. Ultimately, looking at alternative routes to publish worked for me. Just explore what’s out there and then write, write, write. Oh, and be prepared to alternate between loving and hating the process a lot!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That’s a difficult thing to narrow down, I’ve been given a lot of fantastic advice over the years. I think the best items for me are: never go against your gut, be really clear about what you really want and figure out a few questions you can ask yourself to make sure you are staying true to your mission.

What are you reading now?
Heir of Fire by Sarah Maas – fiction.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m always working on being better than I was before, so probably revamping websites, re-working or re-writing existing blogs, coming up with new, relevant content for my readers and possibly another book or books about hiring.

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?
Wow! That’s a tough one. I read really fast so it would be hard for me to imagine 3 or 4 books would hold me for very long. I’d have to say new fiction books, preferably a series or really lengthy books!

Author Websites and Profiles
Rikka Brandon Website
Rikka Brandon Amazon Profile

Rikka Brandon’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, my full name is Anne Athena Dura. I’m a freelance short story writer. I’ve been living in Greece all my life, but I’m originally from Albania. I studied Geology and I’m a Master student in Natural Disasters Management. I have too many interests (including teaching, humanitarian aid, fine arts, geo-sciences, sports, and more), but my greatest passion is writing.

I started writing short stories at a very young age. I’ve written numerous books, but I never thought they were good enough to be published. I’ve published three short stories so far in ebook format: “Nadine”, “Sweet Sweat” and “Through Michael’s Eyes”. Each story I decide to publish involves a social issue I’m concerned about, such as domestic violence, homophobia, religion, war, mental and physical health, etc.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published book is “Through Michael’s Eyes”. It is a domestic violence story presented through the eyes of a five-year-old boy.

The story was inspired by an incident in my neighborhood two summers ago. Writing and publishing a story about it was my way of protesting against such violent acts.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I like writing in a quiet room with a warm cup of coffee usually, or tea.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The books that have influenced me the most are: The diary of Anne Frank, The Harry Potter Series, The great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, Best of Friends. I’m not a one-genre type of person.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m rewriting a sci-fi novella. The original title was “Roommates”, which became “The other girl” and now “The other side”. I still haven’t come up with the final title of the story yet. I think I’ll let my beta-readers pick one.

The story is about a young artist who discovers the entrance to an alternate universe. After meeting her-alternate-self, she decides to keep it a secret. Things get worse, however, and the two universes collide.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The truth is that I’ve only been marketing and promoting books for less than a year, so I’m no expert. However, I choose social media for promotion and soon I’m planning to reach other means like local newspapers and magazines, bookstores, etc.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors? Be yourself. Just that simple. No one wants to meet a copycat. Being original is also a way to come closer to your fans as they get to know you better. Plus it feels comfortable not pretending to be someone else.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My whole life I had very little support in my decision to become a writer. Very little support in anything I did. That didn’t help much with my low self-esteem. Since I was a kid, I struggled to accept my flaws and love myself. I’ve wasted so much energy apologizing for who I am and thanking the people I love for being in my life as if I was a burden they had to put up with.

The best advice anyone ever gave me was “Love yourself”. Only then did I realize I had trouble accepting everything that I was. Being aware of it helped me accept my uniqueness, love my imperfections and feel comfortable in my skin. It might sound silly, but the phrase “Love yourself” shook me a little and changed my life.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading “The invisible man from Salem” by Christoffer Carlsson.

What’s next for you as a writer?
By autumn I’m aiming to publish my sci-fi novella, in both e-book and print. I wish to publish my first novel within the next couple of 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?
This is a difficult one. I guess I’d have my friends choose among books I haven’t read.

Author Websites and Profiles
Anne Dura Website
Anne Dura Amazon Profile

Anne Dura’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My pen name is Michael Beaulieu, though my actual last name is McCarthy. Beaulieu is a name that was in my family for several generations but then people kept having daughters and eventually there were no males left to carry on the name. So, using it as my pen name is my little way of bringing it back. I’ve written four books so far. Well, four that I count. The first is my current release, Reckoning Daze. Soon I’ll be releasing the young adult, urban fantasy novel Book of Shadows, the first book in a series of the same name that I’m doing about teenage witches. I’ve already completed the second Book of Shadows novel and I also have a memoir in the can called Fear & Self-Loathing in Los Angeles. Aside from writing books, I’ve also written 30 original screenplays, some of which I’ll someday make as independent movies. Others will be use as outlines for future novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called Reckoning Daze and it’s about an anorexic actress who’s full of secrets. You could say she’s so full of them that she’s overflowing with secrets. It was inspired by a few different things. The biggest is that I was living in Los Angeles and severely anorexic myself at the time I wrote it. So, I wanted to write a character that I could relate to. It’s also inspired by the woman I was seeing at the time, who was an anorexic actress. Finally, I had a lot of unique thoughts about Los Angeles while I was out there — I’ve since returned to the Boston area — and I wanted a character I could use to turn those thoughts into satire.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do and I don’t. It depends when you ask me. I can go weeks mostly writing during the day, keeping normal “office hours,” but then one night I’m feeling particularly inspired I might pull an all-nighter then wind up with an odd sleeping schedule for a week. I’m bipolar, though, so I need to try to keep things to a strict schedule for the sake of my sanity. Otherwise, I drink coffee in the morning and the Pepsi that’s made with real sugar in the afternoon. I usually don’t eat anything in the morning or during the day, choosing to wait and eat after my writing for the day is done. Where hunger would make some people cranky, I find that not eating when I’m writing keeps me on an even keel. I don’t experience hunger the way most people do though, a leftover effect from when I was anorexic. Instead of irritating me, it tends to have a calming effect.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The biggest author who’s influenced me is Francesca Lia Block. At the time I wrote Reckoning Daze, I found great comfort in her eating disordered characters in her novels Violet & Claire and The Hanged Man. Those books also showed me that a novel didn’t have to be 100,000 words. One of the things I love about her work is how she chooses her words so careful, saying with 10 words what other writers might need 50 to say. I’m also a big fan of Bret Easton Ellis and like to think of Reckoning Daze as my answer to Less Than Zero. Other authors I enjoy include Augusten Burroughs, Chuck Palahniuk, Elizabeth Wurtzel, Peter Hedges and Jack Kerouac.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m editing Book of Shadows, working closely with a couple of proofreaders. I long for the day when I can just hire a professional editor, but to be entirely honest I’m living well below the poverty line at the moment so those days are not here yet. In any case, I’m very excited about Book of Shadows. As someone who’s a witch, I wanted to tell a tale about teenage witches where the spells are based on actual spells, not purely the stuff of fantasy. Not that there’s anything wrong with pure fantasy. It’s just that there have been hundreds of teenage witch books and movies made over the years and I felt like it was high time somebody do something different. Something more authentic. Something I could show my kids someday.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still new to the self-publishing game so I can’t really say that I have a best method as of yet. I am taking Mark Dawson’s Self-Publishing 101 course, however, and am always trying his suggestions. My current plan is to have my book Reckoning Daze in several book newsletters on the same day in hopes that it will become a best-seller for the day in at least one category and move some units. Plus, it’s any author’s dream to be able to brag that they’re a best-selling author, so accomplishing that would be sweet, too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’ve found that reading writing memoirs like Stephen King’s On Writing and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird have helped me more than anything else. I do like reading writing advice, but hearing it from authors I’m a fan of always makes it much more inspiring than advice churned out by some guy who couldn’t get his owned work published so now he’s trying to make a buck off of other writers. Most writers could pen a how-to book but that doesn’t mean that most of them would be worthy of your time, much less your consideration.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That’s a question I’m always asking people on my music and pop culture site, Love is Pop. What’s the best advice they’ve been given and who gave it to them. I’m always surprised when people can so easily answer that one because I’m not sure that any one piece of advice I’ve ever been given has stuck with me over the years, much less who gave it to me. But when it comes to writing, I think Stephen King’s On Writing was probably the best advice book I’ve read. I’ve also found meeting authors like Francesca Lia Block, Peter Hedges, David Mamet, Oliver Stone and others to be very inspiring.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading The Clearwater Witches series by Madeline Freeman, a self-published author I interviewed on Love is Pop recently. I just finished reading The Girls, which I thought was pretty mediocre in spite of all the accolades it’s been getting. I’m still reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. That one seems to be taking me forever, but it’s a long book and I can only take so much of it a day, partially because I’m trying to savor it and partially because it doesn’t move fast enough to hold my attention for more than ten pages a day. I’m also reading I also enjoy reading the features in NYLON magazine every month. I know it’s for girls, but they never fail to put someone I’m fascinated with on the cover and their feature interviews rock.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Book of Shadows. I’m really excited about getting that out into the world during the next few months. With Reckoning Daze, I’d written the book ten years ago and only recently did some revisions. But they weren’t lengthy revisions. So, it already felt like a case of been there, done that before I even scheduled its release. That’s why I put it out first, I suppose, just to get the process of releasing it done and over with. Don’t get me wrong — I love it and feel that it’s some of my best writing. But it hasn’t felt new to me in a long time. Book of Shadows, however, does still feel new and exciting. Even though I’ve ate, breathed and slept with it for the past couple of years, it’s my baby and I’m going to really enjoy putting that one out there. As a young adult series title, I think it has the potential to sell much better than Reckoning Daze, which is something of an awkward, niche book that you probably need to have some experience with anorexia with to fully appreciate it. Just about any teenager on the planet should find something to like about Book of Shadows, though I do realize it will probably find more female fans than male for the simple reason that the three main characters are a trio of female friends.

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?
If the island was going to have electricity, I’d bring my Kindle, which currently has 292 books on it. But for purposes of this interview, I’ll bite. First, I’d take What’s Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges. Gilbert Grape, who was played by Johnny Depp in the movie, is a strong, male literary character who experiences a sort of isolation and depression I related to when it came out and still do to a lesser extent. I’d also take Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs because the fact that he survived that reminds me of how strong the human spirit can be and it’s also laugh out loud funny. By Francesca Lia Block I would bring The Elementals because it’s one of her longer works and would give me more hours of entertainment than some of my shorter favorites of hers. With Bret Easton Ellis, I would bring Glamorama if we were leaving right now, but on another day it could just as easily be American Psycho.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael McCarthy Website
Michael McCarthy Amazon Profile

Michael McCarthy’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written dozens and dozens of short stories and I’ve self-published a half-dozen or so essays.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
War and Vegetables: A Chronicle of The Last Gas Station is the title of my first Novel. I’m inspired by what I observe in life. I’m like most writers.. it all builds up and has to emerge. A friend handed me a copy of Fluke by Christopher Moore. I love it when people give me books to read. When I read Fluke it made me feel confident enough in my own writing to go for it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to get into a lucid state. I make myself really tired and slap-happy by staying up late and whatnot. All the weird stuff comes out that way.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Daniel Quinn, Riane Eisler, CS Lewis, Ray Bradbury, Christopher Moore, J.G. Eccarius, Hakim Bey, Dr. Suess.. I’m going to stop now. So many.

What are you working on now?
I have a lot on my mind.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I hate promotion. I’m good with marketing things, I love doing phone calls and promoting something I really believe in, but I have a hard time doing it for myself because it makes me feel like a self-promoting whore. But If I did it I’d make bank because I always do when I talk to people.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t pay anyone for their advice on your manuscript. If they are any good, they are real writers and they don’t have time to review you. Pay for editing and proofreading, maybe a cover, that’s it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
WRITE YOUR OWN BOOK

What are you reading now?
Mailing labels.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a Mars Trilogy outlined.. but I might get a lot of “flash poetry” out of my system and anthologize it with a lot of my old, older, and old, old poetry. Also trying to figure out why the Amazon Author Profile system does not keep my information.

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?
Three books on how to survive with nothing in the wild.. You know thirty people who all think they’re clever have given that answer.

Author Websites and Profiles
Robert Run Website

Robert Run’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
A Far Journey is my first foray into fiction writing. I am an English teacher who teaches writing. I am currently writing my second book called Dreams of Dust.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Far Journey deals with that journey we all must take back when we lose a loved one. It is a hard and rocky journey. The story is set partly in my home state and recalls some of the elements of growing up there–the little steam train, the ampitheater in the park, the morals and culture of small town Oklahoma.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Stories sort themselves out in the back of my mind while I deal with other things. When they are ready to be written, I sit down and write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was a young and foolish reader, I set out to read ALL the books in the library. Silly me–of course I couldn’t. I’ve read everything from Asimov and Heinlein and Stephen King, to Louisa Mae Alcott and Poe and Mary Stewart. My tastes are eclectic. I can’t say that any one writer has influenced me–perhaps they all have.

What are you working on now?
Dreams of Dust is in the process of being written. It will be set in the dust bowl and will deal with the dreams of the characters, who wish to see them fulfilled, or who haven’t quite made it yet. The characters are coming into awareness. We will see where they will take me.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am new to the whole book promotion thing. I am learning to use Twitter and I have an author page on Facebook. I have also purchased advertising in a local trade paper.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being a new author myself, I guess the watchwords would be not to be discouraged and be persistent. Learn from anyone who has anything to teach you about marketing. Revise, rewrite, revise again.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write on! You can do anything you set your mind to do.

What are you reading now?
Non-fiction books on the dust bowl for research for my new book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be trying to get this next book finished. After that, we will see.

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?
Let’s see… only four? I’m disappointed. I would bring a Bible, an instruction book on survival on desert islands, and a James Michener novel or two. Perhaps I would bring a couple of Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear series or a Harry Potter book or two.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ruth Ramsey Website

Ruth Ramsey’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Ricky Twiggs Jr., and I live in New Orleans, Louisiana. I am an artist, philosopher, and a bibliophile. Currently, I am studying to be a Clinical Mental Health Counselor. I have a strong passion for writing and delivering messages through various works that give way to countless interpretations no matter how many times they are read. I love when a book can be considered a living thing! That is what I try to create with every work. Something that is always changing for the reader. I am looking to continue writing for many years to come.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Wanderer is my latest work. What inspired this work was the ability to convey emotion about war in as little words as possible. Wanderer looks into the changes that war has on the soldiers and the families of the soldiers. It is some of the most powerful poetry I have written yet.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need to be listening to music in order to write or at least be flooded with noise for a time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been inspired by the great Charles Bukowski! I love his work and believe that he is the person that inspired me the most.

What are you working on now?
I am working on something unique. The life of a famous person and the struggles they face. Obviously, the work will be poetry. I think that this one will be the most fun as I am really building a fun and dark story around the characters involved in the poetic work!

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you love what you do. Write it and publish it. Do not keep it to yourself! Release those gems. Even you you don’t get paid for it. How many people can say they wrote a book?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Live your life well, love everyone, and don’t say ‘but’.

What are you reading now?
I am reading: Age of Anxiety

What’s next for you as a writer?
To market my books and see what the world has to say about them.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1) Myth of Sisyphus
2) The Giver
3) Brave New World
4) The Rag and Bone Shop

Ricky Twiggs Jr’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I came into the world in Burlingame, CA sometime before the first man landed on the moon. My father, Lt.Col. William Richard Dwyer was long retired from the army and thirty years older than my mother. My parents met and married in Las Vegas and were in the Bay Area chasing the ponies when I was born. My birth certificate has a home address on Fremont Street in Vegas. My family left Vegas one night, temporarily moving to Missouri, to escape the threat of bodily harm due to gambling debts. From Missouri, the family moved to Miami and then to Tampa where I graduated from T. R. Robinson High School.

At 17, I enlisted in the Marines on the delayed enlistment program, and two weeks after graduation, at 17 1/2 years old, I found myself at the front gate of Parris Island, SC wondering what the hell had I gotten myself into. Ten years later I had moved up in the ranks and while attending the Field Artillery Officer Basic course in Ft. Sill, OK, I discovered I had a talent for writing after achieving a perfect score on a military book review assignment. However, military life as a combat arms officer with a family did not leave much time for writing. It would be several more years before I would return to school and complete my MFA in Creative Writing.

Leaving active duty after completing my three-year obligation as an officer, I later served in the Marine Corps Reserve as an infantry officer and in the Nevada Army National Guard as an armor officer. The funny thing is that after serving in three combat arms branches in two services, I never saw a shot fired in anger. On the plus side, I don’t suffer from PTSD and I still have all of my body parts.

The Demon Pool is my debut novel. I am currently working on my second novel, The Magicians of Egypt featuring my protagonist from The Demon Pool, Jim Demore. A third Jim Demore novel, Midnight in a Dark Kingdom, is planned for 2019.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Demon Pool is my debut novel. I was traveling through St. Augustine, Florida and saw a roadside sign advertising the legendary Fountain of Youth. My brain went into its creative mode and the “what if” idea came to me that what if the legend of the Fountain of Youth was not due to the magical properties of the water, but was because of a powerful demon who lived in the pool (when not possessing someone) and could extend their life to 150 years.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write in public places, such as coffee shops. My current favorite writing place is in the food court of a local Austin mall.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Almost too many to mention. Stephen King, of course. Also Cormac McCarthy, Dean Koontz, David Baldacci, Lee Child, Greg Iles, to name a few.

What are you working on now?
I am writing The Magicians of Egypt, the second Jim Demore novel. The supernatural evil behind the magicians of Egypt, who were able to duplicate some of the miracles of Moses from the Bible, comes to idyllic Maui, Hawaii.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now it’s using websites such as Awesomegang.com. I have had some hits and misses with similar promotions. I am also looking at doing a promoting of the paperback version with a local Austin bookstore and possibly contacting Barnes and Nobel’s Small Press Department for inclusion in their stores.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read Story Trumps Structure by Steven James. Put some money aside for professional editing and if you decide to self-publish, pay a professional cover designer to do your book cover. Also, never, never stop learning the craft.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Real writers write. That was on a business card I received many years ago in Las Vegas.

What are you reading now?
Story Trumps Structure by Steven James (professional development) and for fun, Echos in Death by J.D Robb

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish The Magicians of Egypt and get started on the third Jim Demore novel, Midnight in a Dark Kingdom. Also, I have a ticket to the Killer Nashville writing conference in August.

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 next Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child, David Baldacci’s next Amos Decker novel, and probably Greg Iles’ Mississippi Blood. Also The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Author Websites and Profiles
Richard B. Dwyer Website
Richard B. Dwyer Amazon Profile

Richard B. Dwyer’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Thomas Hollyday (1942-present) was born in Easton, Maryland. His father was an acclaimed photographer and his mother a brilliant teacher.His father’s family were active in the history of Maryland since its settlement while his mother’s family were prominent in Democratic Party politics. His grandmother’s family descended from a well known German industrial family of Baltimore. He grew up in the southern atmosphere of the Eastern Shore with its maritime and military heritage. He studied writing with Elliott Coleman at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars and with C.Michael Curtis of the Atlantic Monthly. He served with distinction in Vietnam and became a successful international businessman.He also drew illustrations for national magazines and published maritime and Civil War history. He currently edits popular video blogs on you tube for animal water rights and for book reviews. He draws the popular humorous Animal Viewpoint Cartoons for newspapers. He continues to please his fans with new novels in his River Sunday Romance Mysteries collection. In his fiction he describes his recurring theme that human settlers since prehistoric times in the Chesapeake region have left a mist of legend and history that permeates its modern stories with a certain compelling truth. At the same time he incorporates the stories of machines with those of their human owners. Each novel, located in the small town of River Sunday, Maryland, also records the continuing beautiful nature of the area. His writing portrays today’s problems, conflicts, and memorable local characters with their loves and their combat with evil.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is Easter Sunday, the story of a father trying to rescue his son from a mud cave. I wanted to write about the swamps of the Chesapeake and the Native American heritage.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write notes and put them into books. As a cartoonist I have always filled my journals with touches of future jokes and of course of stories and characters.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many authors but I tend to come back to current authors rather than past.

What are you working on now?
Myt latest book covers the impact of social media on mobs.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Continue to write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do the research so you will not lose credibility. In other words, know the caliber of your weapons.

What are you reading now?
The new book by the creator of Downton Abbey.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A cartoon book to add to my two existing ones.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Probably the Bible, a good encyclopedia, and a collection of English Literature over the ages.

Author Websites and Profiles
Thomas Hollyday Website
Thomas Hollyday Amazon Profile