Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
What do you say when asked this question? How can we sum ourselves up to sound interesting in this little space? I’ve been living for a few decades here, on earth. Most of my experiences have probably been not unlike yours really. I love, enjoy, have lived through hell, come back from hell, I’ve sorrowed, laughed till I cried, get the jitters sometimes and I do have a tendency to over-indulge. Can’t help this, I appreciate the physical experiences! Now I am a writer drawing from all this and more. My debut novel, Millie’s Angel snagged a gold award in the 2017 Dan Poynter’s Global eBook Awards. I was pretty chuffed about that I’ve also released a novelette (which you can pick up for free when you sign up to my newsletter) and just about to release my second novel, Angels & Vixens; its a cracker of a book!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Angels & Vixens; an urban fantasy thriller with a side of romance.
This book picks up the characters born from Millie’s Angel, only their powers have developed and thrived, along with the intensity of their hatred, vengeance, love and clarity. It’s an edge-of-your-seat read.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write with the ocean.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I used to binge read Virginia Andrews (god she’s intense), Jackie Collins, Danielle Steel, Dan Brown, Bryce Courtney, Harold Robbins, Sally Beauman, John Grisham, Ann Rice … I could go on.
I don’t know that these authors have influenced my own writing, but I admire each and every one of them.

What are you working on now?
A dark urban fantasy romance thriller. I should be working on this right now actually … (kids are at school)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Building an audience and mailing list is paramount, finding and connecting with the people who enjoy my genre is a process I am still tackling, and I enjoy every minute of it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read the above paragraph, and read Chris Fox. He offers great practical advice without the BS. Read up and research your craft … knowledge is what you want, and your imagination will take you where you want to be.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world – Albert Einstein.

What are you reading now?
Did I mention Chris Fox? Six Figure Author.
I am also reading Ancient Tide by Simon Harding. I love this book, I particularly his poetic writing style, very much up my alley.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m taking a train from Chicago to New Orleans in a writer’s collaboration project this November hosted by J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon. We’re going to work on an anthology together. Super excited!

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 Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins, and probably a few stranded island survival books because I’d be dead in a week without them.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kim Petersen Website
Kim Petersen Amazon Profile
Kim Petersen Author Profile on Smashwords

Kim Petersen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born in Portland, Oregon Brett spent most of his younger days exploring the mountains and deserts of Oregon searching out backdrops for his stories. My western and serial killer story are filled with locations he has traveled, and the people he has met over the years. great characters are everywhere, you just have to open your eyes and look.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is, Among Us, A Normal Child, it is the story of a developing serial killer. Based on actual events but taken to the next level. I often wonder why there aren’t more like him. Many more people fit the stereotype but never become killers. I’ve sometimes wondered about my neighbors. Haven’t you?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do all my writing freehand first, but I’m learning to use the keyboard more.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Asimov, Bradberry, and Roddenberry. I also was influenced by H.P. Lovecraft.

What are you working on now?
Sequels to my western and Serial killer stories.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t know yet, I just got started and have mixed results so far.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up, keep pushing. If you believe in your story, others will too. Tell everybody.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you know.

What are you reading now?
Research only, no time to read right now.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Whatever the fates decide, if I can make this work. My sequels are my next adventure.

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 fishing guide, and a book of knot tying.

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Washington D.C., and it had a great influence on the way I proceeded my country, and the architecture I loved growing up. I have been writing works of fiction since he was a child, becoming a nationally published author at the age of 9, with the poem “In the Cold and In the Night”, but being big on sports and mixed martial arts as I grew up put a holt to my writing. I am a veteran of the United States Air Force, earning such honors as “Honor Guardsman of The Year,” and “Non-Commissioned Officer of The Year”. I was a Flying Crew Chief for almost 9 years, visiting over 70 countries during hundreds of missions and once again felt compelled to write about 10 years ago. I am also an avid dog lover, and married with a three year old son.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dreams of Hegemony. In many ways it is loosely based on my own life, friends, family, and situations I have been involved in either directly or indirectly. Many of my thoughts and visions of this book came to me during my flying missions or deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, I don’t think so. I constantly carry a pen and paper, or a digital notepad with me at all times, and whenever something pops into my mind, (usually great conversations or speeches) I write them down. If it was up to me I would write everyday, but my wife puts restrictions on how often I write because I can have an obsessive personality when I am driven.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My greatest literary inspiration is Edgar Allan Poe, who he began reading as a child. I also very much enjoy Stephen King. But, without a doubt It is Edgar Allan Poe. I feel he was a genius. I began writing poetry in my earliest years and still consider myself a poet at heart.

What are you working on now?
About half of the second part of the series for “Dreams of Hegemony” has already been written, but It will not be the next release. I am currently working on a realistic fiction/dystopian tale about a man and his son living under the oppression of a tyrannical government. It is very true to the harsh realities that many deal with every day in this harsh world. I don’t usually like those type of stories because the true brutality of humanity can be overwhelming and depressing. But the story is so intense and the ending is so unlike anything I have ever read or seen, it had to be told. I don’t want to give the title away just yet.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Obviously, if you have your own website and you have a large enough following, that would be great, but I do not have that luxury as of yet, and I currently try to use twitter, and interviews such as these to get the word out about my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write well, and pray. It`s difficult to get the world to look at your particular book and read it when there are millions out there.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don`t save it for the grave. Do it now.

What are you reading now?
Unfortunately, a great deal of my time is spent reading things I don’t find any enjoyment in. In a few months, I hope I will be able to find time for entertainment.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to find success in my current book so that I can increase my following for each subsequent book. I love to bring my visions to life, and I love to see people happy reading my books. It`s like a comedian that finds joy in the laughter of others. I want to see people enjoying my books, ideas, characters.

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 Stand, because it is ridiculously long. The Bible. And The Lord of The Rings series.

Author Websites and Profiles
Christopher Reamy Amazon Profile

Christopher Reamy’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the owner of IFAST Physical Therapy and Co-owner of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training (IFAST) in Indianapolis, Indiana with Mike Roberston. I work with athletes and “average Joes” from pre-teens to masters level seniors. ALL GAIN, NO PAIN is my first book I’ve written entirely on my own, and it represents decades of study and practical application in combining the best of physical therapy and fitness.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
ALL GAIN, NO PAIN: The Over-40 Man’s Comeback Guide to Rebuild Your Body After Pain, Injury, or Physical Therapy
This book answers the most common question I get when a patient wants to continue with exercise while they do their rehab or when they have completed their rehab, “What do I do now?”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do all my writing in the early morning hours before the sun comes up while sipping my Neuro Coffee. My writing is part of my daily morning ritual.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert Sapolsky immediately comes to mind. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers may be my favorite book.

What are you working on now?
Next… a women’s version of ALL GAIN, NO PAIN and a book on elbow pain.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Not sure. This is my first attempt at self-promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day. Write for yourself. Write what you know. It doesn’t matter what it is, just write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”
-Marcus Aurelius

What are you reading now?
The Undoing Project, The 4th Phase of Water, Game Changer: The Art fo Sports Science

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue to build a following with my blog and write the next book.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, The Obstacle is the Way

Author Websites and Profiles
Bill Hartman Website
Bill Hartman Amazon Profile

Bill Hartman’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The Supernatural Prodigy is my first published novel, but I’ve written four from start to finish. I’m editing the second one now and hope to publish it in January 2018. I’ve loved writing since the third grade when I wrote my first short story. I’ve written a bunch of short stories, a ton of poems/songs and dozens of articles. I was born in Massachusetts but traveled a lot, living mainly in New York, Florida and California. I’m retired now and writing full time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Supernatural Prodigy was inspired while taking a course taught by James Patterson. In one of the exercises we were told to come up with an intriguing first chapter or story idea. My idea was a guy trapped in a metallic room. I liked the way people reacted to it. They immediately thought up reasons why he was there. While writing the book, there were points where the story could go in too many different directions. That inspired the theme… the many choices we have at each major crossroads of our life and they paths we travel from there. A bit of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” in there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know how unusual this is but it’s definitely a habit. I write the minute I wake up and never at night. I learned from experience that my nighttime writing is really bad. I keep my laptop on the coffee table and in the morning I go straight to the couch and fire it up. When I’m stuck or don’t like what I wrote, I step out back and sit on the porch swing and relax. Often an entire chapter will unfold while I’m relaxing and I have to rush back inside to get it all down. When that doesn’t work and I can’t think, I eat and watch a show or read a book. Next day, my story flows again.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, way too many to list! For science fiction I’d have to say Isaac Asimov, Doc E.E. Smith, Robert Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, Orson Scott Card, and George Orwell. For fantasy my favorite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, Richard Adams, and Stephen King. For mystery/suspense it’s Stephen King once again as well as James Patterson; and my favorite romantic comedy authors would be Janet Evanovich and Jane Austen. Then there’s Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare in a category of their own. I’ve been “influenced” by every book I’ve read which is at least a thousand.

What are you working on now?
The next book is “Major Mara Jensen: Betrayed.” I wrote it in 2006 and now I’m rewriting it. It’s about a woman who lost or gave up everything while pursuing a career in the military

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m hoping it’s Awesomegang; but before finding you, it was Facebook, hands down. The targeted audience feature helps me find my audience for my particular book. Choosing genres is tough, especially when you cross the lines. Mine’s a sort of sci-fi metaphysical visionary urban fantasy. I noticed Janet Evanovich’s book “One for the Money” is listed as a crime thriller… (pause for effect). Awesomegang has a lot to offer and I’m looking forward to how it goes.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’d say the #1 advice I have is to improve your craft through reading and writing and don’t beat yourself up. All writers improve over time, and all writers write a bad book. Too many authors quit before they even get started. You need to get book(s) plural out there before you are “known” (series of long books are popular right now). Build a team that will critique, edit, design, and proofread your material. Use surveys and writer groups. I do NOT recommend sharing with close friends and family before your book is perfected unless you have that rare creative connection.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing! Keep reading. Write for your readers. I noticed that the more I wrote, the easier it got. I’d take a course or read a book and go back to my story and work it over. Now I’m rewriting my earlier novel and can’t believe how badly written it is. You improve if you continue to write and learn and tell it to your audience.

What are you reading now?
I’m researching the UN Peacekeepers while reading books on marketing. I had to put my fiction books to one side while I’m firing up my writing engines.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next target is to get “Major Mara Jensen: Betrayed” published by January 2018 while learning how to locate and accumulate readers who enjoy my story. This is all for our readers…

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“Robinson Crusoe,” “The Mysterious Island,” and “How To Survive on a Deserted Island” because that would be the mood and circumstance I’d be in.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cheryl Currie Website
Cheryl Currie Amazon Profile

Cheryl Currie’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a mom of three from Chicago, Illinois. My passion for writing began at the age of nine years old. I have written over ten books, but only two have been self-published. What I consider to be late in my writing career, I started just four years ago. My aspiration is for my work to be as successful and well-known as Stephen King.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published novel is titled, Black Rose I am a horror and supernatural fan. Movies and tv shows of that same genre have inspired me to write my novel, Black Rose. Such as IT, The Walking Dead, The Exorcist, American Horror Story, etc…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I feel I can be a bit of a perfectionist and extremely critical when it comes to my writing. This habit causes me to edit my work excessively.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, R L Stine, T. D. Edwards, and Larry Correia

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the second installment to my story Black Rose. I am also working on a non-fiction book titled.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am fairly new to promoting my books. I have tried several media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Good Reads, Google +. I am still discovering more platforms to use to promote my works.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors would be to not give up on it. Being a success will take long hours and research. It also takes focus, self-motivation, confidence in your work, and passion to become a published author.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The greatest investment you could ever make is in yourself.

What are you reading now?
I am reading The Peculiar Case of the Lakewood by T. D. Edwards. Great book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Along with my two new books, I am also collaborating on a children’s book. I am looking forward to where my writing career takes me.

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?
Any three Stephen King books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jewel Ruby Website
Jewel Ruby Amazon Profile

Jewel Ruby’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
HI. I’m Dawn. I have three books published. My earliest novel became available in 2013 and is dystopian with a heroine protagonist. This year, two more books were released.

Touch of Darkness is a short-story prequel written to provide the readers a different view into one of the main characters in Scythe of Darkness. These books were written with love and passion for the supernatural. Scythe of Darkness is infused with a romance between two characters whose attraction is irresistible … and deadly.

When I’m not writing, I actively take part in writing functions. I’m a member of SCBWI and have completed editorial work for a popular travel blog, A Backpacker’s Tale. I plan on traveling the world one day.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Touch of Darkness by Dawn Husted —
I hadn’t planned on writing a prequel, but a few readers got in touch with me. Not only did they enjoy Scythe of Darkness, but they asked about a sequel. With the sequel in mind, I decided that there needed to be a prequel too. The short-story prequel has been published permanently free at various online outlets. This story serves as an appetizer for the novel. The sequel will hopefully come out next year, but first, I have to write it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have to write in the morning. My creativity is at its highest before I become drained, and I MUST have a cup of coffee.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many authors have influenced my work.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert is creative caffeine.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed was written with such raw passion of which I found inspiring. I hope my stories connect with readers on a primal level too.
A New World by Patrick Ness was my inspiration as a reader and a writer. I love how he constructed the story’s world.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the fourth draft of a young-adult psychological suspense novel. It’s written with a contemporary audience in mind, but the story is told from the perspective of an unreliable narrator.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon Kindle Unlimited. My novels are on KU, but my short-story prequel (Touch of Darkness by Dawn Husted) is free and available on multiple websites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. Write that first draft for yourself, but don’t forget what the readers want too. Gather a small critique group of writers that can provide constructive feedback, and then write your second and third and fourth draft. Make it shine.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t let a manuscript sit too long. It’s okay to work on a story for years, but be able to distinguish whether it’s finished or not. Sometimes fear can hold a writer back from moving forward.

What are you reading now?
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To finish writing my current manuscript, and then listen to the muses on what to write next. But I’m always writing — no matter what. I should probably schedule camping somewhere in there.

I also love helping writers developmentally edit their books. So I hope to be critiquing new manuscripts.

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 goodness! Why are you doing this to me! Hell, I don’t know. I like so many different books. I’d probably take four off my shelf in the living room. I have a shelf filled with 10+ books that I’ve yet to finish reading or haven’t even started yet.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dawn Husted Website
Dawn Husted Amazon Profile

Dawn Husted’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written two books that I have self published. Both have been books of poetry. I’m currently working on a third book of poetry, and my first book of short fiction stories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is ‘Handle with Care’ The inspiration behind the book came from a simple conversation with a person who was going through difficult times and needed someone to care. I feel that as people, we truly need to handle ourselves and others with care. The poems in this book were inspired by that person, and many others just like them.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always drink a glass of cranberry juice mixed with a hint of apple cider vinegar and I wear the same cardigan when I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many! Stephan King, Gillian Flynn, Robert M. Drake, Allen Ginsberg. The list could go on forever.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on another book of poetry and a book of short fiction stories.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have always used Instagram and Facebook, I wouldn’t say their my best methods though. In the past that’s all I used so aAwesomegang has now become my first and possibly my best method or website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it. That’s what I’m doing and that’s what I’ve been told. Don’t wait for it to happen. Write every day and make it happen.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just do it. I know I’m getting repetitive hear, and I know it’s been said many times, but when something gets said that many times, it has to have some bit a truth behind it.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading ‘The Shining’ by Stephan King.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well I hope to write my first novel shortly after my book of short stories. I also write screenplays and I’m a filmmaker and actor, so one day I’d like to be writing somebody’s favorite book, or be the writer of their favorite movie.

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 Separate Peace by John Knowles
It by Stephan King
A Brilliant Madness by Robert M. Drake
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Mark Swartz’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! I am Fabiola Francisco. I write Contemporary Romance and Women’s Fiction, dipping my pen into new adult and young adult. I’ve been writing poetry since I was a teenager, and began writing novels in my twenties. For me it was a way of self-therapy, sorting through emotions during a difficult age and expressing myself the safest way I knew how to. I still have all my poems from those days, and every so often I go back and read them.

I still stay true to her first love, poems, while weaving longer stories with strong heroines and honest heroes. I aim to get readers thinking about life and love while experiencing my characters’ journeys. Life is messy, and I love showing that in my novels. Just because we’re imperfect doesn’t mean we can’t live happy lives. Embrace imperfections and fight for our happiness.

I currently have eight books published, and I have ten written. My next release will be January 2018, and it’s a story that hit me with a lot of emotions while I wrote it. I hope my readers feel the same.

My other loves are country music, exploring the outdoors, and reading.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Twisted in You. It is actually a book I began working on while I was writing my second novel. The idea came one day (I don’t even remember how), and I knew I had to get this book done at some point in my career. It is a much deeper story, with difficult themes for some, but ultimately showcasing the power of healing and forgiveness. I believe many times in life we overlook how imperative truly forgiving is for our own wellbeing. This novel shows that as well as the romance aspect in life. Unconditional love is difficult to come by at times, and this is a true testament of that kind of love.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know how unusual this is, but I tend to write out of order. I’ll usually get a book idea from a random scene or dialogue that pops into my head, I’ll write that down. After, the story starts to develop, so I’ll begin with the prologue or chapter one, but as I write, ideas come to me out of order. It’s interesting, but I can keep track of it and know exactly when to plug in those scenes I have written when the time comes. It helps me add depth to the story.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read a series by Jessica Sorensen a few years ago—The Nova and Quinton Series—that influenced me. I admired how Sorensen wrote a story unlike the typical romances and did it so perfectly. I had no idea what I was getting into when I began reading the first book, Breaking Nova, and it quickly became one of my favorite books. To break boundaries, push creative limits the way she did, was something that stuck with me. Life is messy, and it’s more than okay to show that in our romances.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the third book in my Rebel Desire Series. They are standalone novels following the lives of the band members in Rebel Desire, a country music group. After I finished the first book, Lovin’ on You, (and promising myself I would keep it as a standalone-how naive of me ) the idea for Cole, the band’s drummer, played out after a conversation with a friend. From there, I had to know more about another member, Jason, and I’ve begun working on his story, combined with another book idea I had saved for the future. The future is here, and I’m really happy with the way the story is going. I don’t have a release day yet, but I do hope to share it with readers in the spring of 2018. After all, who doesn’t love a good music romance?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I would have to say that the best method is interacting with readers and showing them who you are. No pretenses or masks, just be yourself and readers will want to read your work. I have a reader group where I spend most of my time, and they are my people, my tribe. A lot of them have been with me from the beginning, and their support is priceless. I would add that word of mouth works best when we’re talking about advertising. Interviews like this as well, where I can show who I am as a person.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Break the rules. Seriously, if you have an idea for a book and it doesn’t fit a mold, write it anyway. It’s easy to get stuck on trends, but if you force yourself to write what’s popular while it’s not your passion, this career will squeeze the life out of you. Though publishing is a business, writing is an art. Finding balance for both is key, but never compromise what’s in your heart.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t quit. So many times it’s easier to think about throwing in the towel than continuing publishing, but someone told me once to always keep writing. So when doubt creeps it, I remember her words.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Shacking Up by Helena Hunting. It’s a romantic comedy that has me laughing at some of the scenes. It’s so witty and well thought out.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a few projects ‘d like to finish, one of them being a poetry book. It is almost complete, so I hope I can work on that once I finish my current work in progress.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh, boy. Just 3 or 4? I’d choose them wisely. I’d take with me The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Rise Sister Rise by Rebecca Campbell, Wallbanger by Alice Clayton, and Unwanted by Kelly Elliott. Something for every mood.

Author Websites and Profiles
Fabiola Francisco Website
Fabiola Francisco Amazon Profile

Fabiola Francisco’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my first book. I currently work in the automotive industry, but I’ve always taken an interest in health and science. In my free time, I volunteer with various organizations. I also play piano and I love to work on seek and find puzzles.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is 20 Easy & Quick Recipes To Lose 20 Pounds. It was inspired by my company sponsored weight loss challenge. I lost over 30 pounds in 8 weeks. This weight loss inspired me to write my latest book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I still have to hand write most of my work. I just can get started with typing it out. Physically writing my outlines help me focus on my thought process and the purpose of the book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My biggest influencers are Jane Austin, Zarathustra, Toni Morrison and Erin Morgenstern.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a devotional style book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth has still been the most effective for me. Usually, people will buy your book if you can pitch them well.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My biggest hang up was just getting started. My advice would be to jump right in, and don’t worry about all the details. You will have time to work out the details in the future.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always smile. Even if you’re unhappy, smiling is contagious. It’ll start to brighten your day.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading The Chocolate Wars.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to start working on some fictional books. I’ve never written in that genre, so it’ll be an interesting challenge.

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 Song of Soloman, The Games People Play, and Chicken Soup For The Soul

Author Websites and Profiles
Cheryl Stubblefield Website

Cheryl Stubblefield’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written two books. Both of them started out as e-books. I wrote my first book The Successful Teenager at the age of 18. I was a successful entrepreneur and motivational speaker.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Monsters In Paradise: A short story of child abuse, victim shaming and mental illness in the Americas. This book is a deep look into the story of a little girl (myself) who has been through countless traumatic events. These events lead her to develop several mental illnesses that is currently still being treated.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write my books very fast. I’m a perfectionist but I also tend to rush sometimes and it’s not always a good thing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
V.C Andrews the Dollanganger Series

What are you working on now?
I’m working on my music and promoting Monsters In Paradise so I can reach millions and save the world with my story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth has been very successful. I am very good at pitching my work because I am a people person and others can relate to me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just get started. Even if you just write one sentence it will always be followed by another and another. Writers block is normal so don’t get stressed out. Find out what type of atmosphere you need to be in for the best results while you are writing. Experiment if you have to.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t stop when you’re tired… stop when you’re done.

What are you reading now?
Nothing at the moment. I’m too busy working and taking care of my family.

What’s next for you as a writer?
There is a fictional story brewing in the back of my mind that I’m excited to put down on paper. It will be my first time trying that genre so stay tuned.

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 dictionary, a journal and a motivational self-help book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Empress Rellise Website
Empress Rellise Amazon Profile

Empress Rellise’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve loved to read for as long as I can remember. In middle school, while working on creative writing assignments in class, I began to dream of being an author. After graduating high school, I actually attempted to write a couple short stories.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that while I had a knack for descriptive writing I wasn’t very good at planning all of the details that go into writing. Deciding that I didn’t have the patience to write I let the dream fade.

A few years ago my friend Troy Pendleton told me of some story ideas that he had and that he was looking for someone to collaborate with. It turned out that he had a natural knack for planning a story but couldn’t write.
We published our first book, Dead or Alive: The Reaper’s Redemption, at the beginning of August.

What are you working on now?
Our second book called Vanished.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far Facebook, Awesomegang, and Goodreads

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t ever give up on your dreams.

What are you reading now?
Troy’s first draft of our next book, Vanished.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Write and publish Vanished, then start working on the third book.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Dead or Alive: The Reaper’s Redemption, By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz

Author Websites and Profiles
Charles Little Jr Website
Charles Little Jr Amazon Profile
C

Charles Little Jr’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m ex-IT and retail operations, now writing full time. I write Space Opera with a spiritual side, mixed in with cats.
I currently have 2 Space Opera series, the first with 15 books, the second on book 4 of 6. I also have a dozen spiritual books, and an AI short story.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Destiny Stone, book 4 of the A.I. Destiny series. Written with co-author Elspeth Anders, its the midpoint of a quest in a galaxy where humans have suddenly appeared, and unbeknownst to them, AI’s are among them and seeking their own destiny.

The disparity of tech levels is examined from all sides. The AI’s who have it, the humans who dont really know how to use it, and the aliens who want it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I suffer from daily migraines, so I find it hard to keep a schedule. I find my best writing is done between 11pm and 3am. Consequently, I dont do mornings.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been reading, watching, and playing sci-fi all my life, and all of it has influenced me and what I now write. Recently though, Nathan Lowell’s books gave me the confidence to write day to day life in space, Glynn Stewart keeps upping the Space Opera bar to aim for, and LE Modesitt Jr. gives me somewhere different to go to recharge.

Reviews have compared me to EE Smith, but I never read any of his books, which shows influence flows through to you much more widely than we might think. I’ve also been compared to early Heinlein and Asimov, although I’ve haven’t read much of theirs either. But I have read widely, and been influenced by everyone, who in turn were influenced by the greats.

What are you working on now?
Books 5 and 6 in the A.I. Destiny series.
A stand alone book outside my main universe.
Planning a sequel trilogy for my first series.
Working with co-authors on new ideas in my universe.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I can’t yet say one stands out. Up until I pulled out of Kindle Unlimited recently, I’ve not needed to promote very often, and it’s only now my books are nearly everywhere I’ve begun to try all the reputed promo sites.
I use a Facebook group and page for keeping in touch with fans. My mailing list is still the fastest way to hear a new book is coming out if you are not on FB, with the FB launch events being second fastest.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Throw your expectations in the bin. And leave your ego outside. Neither are any help to you, and both tend to be new author’s worst enemies.

Write and keep writing. If you write in series, try and release all of them a month apart, as this generates the most momentum.

You need a polished book, so get an editor, and a proofreader. Then assume they are idiots and throw the book to your reader and read it like someone else’s books, looking for mistakes and correcting them. Keep doing this until you dont find anything, then get someone else to do it for you.

You need a cover which attracts attention, and looks the right genre. The blurb should entice the reader into the sample without giving away backstory or plot. The sample needs to begin by grabbing the reader by the throat and not letting go, and making them hit the buy button as soon as it ends. But to do this, it also has to be presented perfectly, with nothing which will bounce a reader out.

If you want to make a living at being an author, you have to treat it like a full time job. The chances of a first book hitting it big time are worse than a division 1 lottery win. The idea is to keep writing, keep improving, keep polishing, and one day a book will take off for no apparent reason because you simply hit the right spot at the right time. Everything you previously wrote becomes your back catalogue, and people will go looking for what else you’ve written. Nothing is ever a waste of time.

Write it, polish it, get it out there, and move on to the next.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best way to publicize your current book is to get the next one out there.

I’ve proved this is good advice.

What are you reading now?
Just finished Glynn Stewart’s Terra and Imperium.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish setting up the Gaia galaxy for future series.
Finish setting up the Earth galaxy for future series.
Write something different.

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’d rather take my Ipad mini, and a solar charger. Knowing I’d be stranded, I’d download as much as I could before hand. Even if I didn’t have the time to download, the books I already have would keep me happy for a good long time.

3 or 4 books? How can someone live like that?

Author Websites and Profiles
Timothy Ellis Amazon Profile

Timothy Ellis’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written 2.75 books (1 published, 1 in editing, 1 in process–and 75% finished).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Addiciton, Procrastination, and Laziness: A Proactive Guide to the Psychology of Motivation,

What inspired it was my own struggles with motivating myself, and the ground-breaking psychological insight I had that resolved those problems.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Continuously drinking black tea: As soon as one cup is drained, I pour another. Guzzle and repeat for 8 hours.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Abraham Maslow, Sigmund Freud, Ayn Rand, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Nietzsche, Montaigne

What are you working on now?
Editing my already written books to self-publish them on Amazon

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write about what you know best.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you don’t spend your life doing what you love, you’re going to be profoundly unhappy.

What are you reading now?
God No! by Pen Jillette

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to get a big publishing contract for my immense book: Self-Actualizing People in History.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Atlas Shrugged, The Farther Reaches of Human Nature, Gulag Archipelago, Montaigne’s Essays

Author Websites and Profiles
Roman Gelperin Website
Roman Gelperin Amazon Profile

Roman Gelperin’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Author, Trainer, Yogi and Spiritual Researcher that lives and works in Malta.
Author of 9 Mindfulness Books called Alchemy of Love Mindfulness Training.
Always fascinated with energies of: Love, Divine, Power of Mind, Creativity, Tao, Living one’s Highest Potential, I write self-development courses exploring topics of inner-development, esoteric or occult teachings, and New Consciousness. The main theme of my Mindfulness Training Books is our alchemy transformation, the alchemy of soul, our everlasting quest to find the gold within, discovering the stone that transforms metals into gold.
After helping Father George build a school in a remote area of Ethiopia, I entered the most amazing world of parenting adopting two angels from Ethiopia as a single mum. At the moment my kids are actively teaching me how to be a more loving, mindful and conscious parent.
Traveled through more than 50 countries and lived in 5: UK, New Zealand, Holland, Serbia and Malta. Worked as Head of Business Development, Trainer and Organizer of various Body Mind Spirit Festivals in Malta, I now write and lecture about variety of spiritual and self’development topics.
* ”Art of 4 Elements|Discover Alchemy through Poetry” (2015)
* ”A Guide to Mindful Eating|Conscious Eating” (2015)
* ”Mindful Eating with Delicious Raw Vegan Recipes|Mindful Eating” (2015)
* ”Mindful Being towards Mindful Living Course|Mindfulness Training” (2015)
* ”Conscious Parenting: Mindful Living Course for Parents|Conscious Parenting” (2016)
* ”Chanting Mantras with Best Chords|Chanting Mantras” (2016)
* ”Ama Alchemy of Love|17th century journey into enlightenment” (2016)
* ”Tree of Life|Spiritual Poetry Book” (2017)
* ”Conscious Creativity|Conscious Creativity” (2017)

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A-Ma Alchemy of Love is my Historical Spiritual Fiction Book set in the 17th Century Macau (China).
The Alchemy of Love Mindfulness Training Series is inspired by yin and yang, by mythology, alchemy, and within the parenting world by simplicity parenting, and alternative teaching educational models
A-Ma takes us on an exploration journey discovering the secrets of the bond we all have created during the millions of life-times on Earth, the bond of consciousness and suffering.
Through Ruben, a Portuguese Jesuit Priest who came to China to convert the Chinese into Christians, and through Ama and her family, friends, followers and enemies, we enter into the insights and challenges of the time they lived in, we join their attempts to learn from both the Eastern and Western philosophy, and we witness their personal alchemy inner transformation.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I let the book character lead me into the story, its development and its endings. Ama has decided to be born black much before I knew I will adopt kids from Ethiopia. At one point of Ama-s journey I removed all her sexual life and have returned to my story some time later, only to find out that this version of the story has never been properly “saved’. It has just “mysteriously’ disappeared from my archives. At the very beginning of the story Ama had her set ‘destiny’ with the Portuguese Priest Reuben, but along the story I realized that his enlightenment was not within this relationship with Ama. He needed his freedom, so I had to “release” him and change his Destiny following his Free Will.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many… I love books! I have deep respect towards Hesse, Rumi, Tolstoy, Jung, Jose Saramago, Orhan Pamuk, Ouspensky, Aurobindo, Giordano Bruno

What are you working on now?
Working on the book called: Symbols and their Spiritual Meanings. I am fascinated by alchemy, symbols, and this beautiful language of the soul.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I came across Awesomegang through Goodreads so Goodreads is certainly worth your effort . Also, recently I came across Booklikes and was pleasantly surprised by their personalized way of handling authors. Avoid Librarything like a plague. They have replace “a human” with a very sophisticated computer that treats every single user as a “cheater”. I made a few mistakes, because I don’t use technology so I misunderstood some of their questions and they deleted all my entries… So frustrating that there was not a single person to talk to…

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be your-Self. That is the only thing that matters.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Wow. I love advises and have read 1,000s of books from various Gurus and Sages of our past. Let me chose Jung for this one… “People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls.”

What are you reading now?
When Nietzsche Wept is a 1992 novel by Irvin D. Yalom. The most amazing work!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Workshops.

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. Tolstoy War and Peace
2. Sri Aurobindo The Synthesis of Yoga
3, Leonardo da Vinci The Complete Paintings and Drawings
4. Writings of Giordano Bruno

Author Websites and Profiles
Nataša Nuit Pantović Website
Nataša Nuit Pantović Amazon Profile
Nataša Nuit Pantović’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Basically, I am a management professional, but a social thinker and an author by passion.
I have published two of my books traditionally and two short stories books as Indie.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My recent book was “Life In Shackles” which is about plight of women. I love to write inspiration.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, many.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was inspired by “The Secret”. I am a fan of Rhonda Byrne.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am polishing my upcoming motivational book “Mindset And Passion – The Psychology Of Success” which will be released on 26th October’17 and available for preorder on Amazon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I select randomly. Goodreads is my favorite.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, write and read.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Nothing is impossible. If you know exactly what you want to do, there is always a way of doing it.

What are you reading now?
Just busy at the moment but will resume reading after releasing my upcoming motivational book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have nearly half a dozen rough manuscripts to polish and publish.

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 will take Spiritual or Philosophical books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Prakash Vir Sharma Website
Prakash Vir Sharma Amazon Profile

Prakash Vir Sharma’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an avid fan of political thrillers and military fiction. I also spend much of my time keeping up to date with international politics, particularly in regards to counter-terrorism and developing conflicts. When I’m not up to my eyeballs in distressing information about the EMP threat or learning about militia fighting in Libya, I like to unwind by playing board and role-playing games with my friends. I have one book out now, entitled SON OF SYRIA, with sequels in various stages of development.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is called SON OF SYRIA. It follows former Marine turned Vatican agent Kyle Hoyek as he ventures into the chaos of the Syrian Civil War to rescue civilians with only one thing in common: someone powerful wants them dead at any cost. The inspiration for this series as a whole comes from my research into the military orders of the Middle Ages like the Knights Templar. Despite their current mythic status, the Templars were originally founded to protect travelers trying to get to Jerusalem or other holy sites in dangerous areas of the world. It got me thinking about how such an organization would function if it was created in the modern world of black ops and international terrorism. Thus the Order of St. Adrian was born. The setting and story are taken straight from today’s headlines as innocent civilians flee the death and destruction in cities like Aleppo or Damascus. It was a natural fit.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to fully immerse myself in the scene. I have playlists of music that I use to get myself in the right mindset for action sequences, quiet conversations, or moments of tension. I’ll throw on some headphones, pull up my word processor on one side of the screen and a web folder with all my research on the other, and lose myself in the flow of my story.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Brad Thor’s novels have a great ability to take readers around the world and keep them on the edge of their seat with thrilling action. Clive Cussler and Brad Meltzer both brilliantly combine history, adventure, and suspense. Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series heavily influenced my writing style with a smart-mouthed protagonist facing impossible odds with humor. The old Expanded Universe of Star Wars novels (currently Legends) taught me a lot about the possibilities and hazards of building an extended, connected universe.

What are you working on now?
The sequel for SON OF SYRIA, which has the working title of LIVE BY THE SWORD, has been consuming all of my spare time lately. It’s even larger in scope and deals with issues of international crime, human trafficking, revenge, and fanaticism. I’m currently on track to have it released by the end of the year. After that, the third novel in the series will be released next year, along with several short stories following supporting characters in their own adventures.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve found Facebook to be a good way to reach out to my audience most directly. My website, TheBenSchafer.com, is a great tool and resource for keeping all of my core information in one place, but I enjoy the ability to have conversations with my fans in real time (or close to it) through my author page on Facebook. Goodreads is also a great place to connect with fellow fans, and that’s really what authors are, at heart.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. I know it sounds obvious, but I’ve found that every problem I’ve had in my writing can be solved by working through it. I don’t mean you have to slug through work you hate or don’t enjoy. If you get stuck, take a step back to the last place you know that you felt “right” about the story. Write in general terms about the direction you want the story to go. I’ve found that writing e-mails or messages to people I trust can really help work through mental blocks and open up new directions that you may not have seen while you were so focused on getting the next word right.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That the best promotion for indie authors is to produce more content. It’s so tempting, after crafting a work to release into the world, to want to push that work as hard as you can. But, in this market, it’s less about getting millions of casual readers as much as it is to get a group of loyal fans. And the way to do that is to give people more of what they want. People who like your work want to read more of it. They don’t want to find out that it’s been five years since your debut novel and you still haven’t come out with a sequel. That’s a great way to be forgotten, which can be a death sentence to a series.

What are you reading now?
HOUSE OF SECRETS by Brad Meltzer, DUET IN BEIRUT by Mishka Ben-David, and THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE by George V. Higgins

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve never been a short story guy, so that’s an aspect of my writing that I really want to focus on developing. I’ve also been learning the basics of screenwriting to produce short films with some friends who have a production company. There’s always something new to learn.

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 mean, the Bible’s the default Christian answer, but it’s packed with both life lessons and dramatic stories that make it a good read even without the religious aspect. Since my library is too small to take the whole Tolkien set, I’d have to take THE HOBBIT. To satisfy my Star Wars craving, Michael Stackpole’s I, JEDI since it has everything I love about Star Wars in one story. And, finally, something practical like the SAS Survival Guide, both to help me survive and to let me practice new skills to stay busy.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ben Schafer Website
Ben Schafer Amazon Profile
Ben Schafer’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m best described as a hot mess express, who tries her best. To coupon, to mom, to wife, and to pet all the dogs. All of them. I started my blog in 2017, as well as wrote my first (and as of now) only book. I am a mother, and right now a fiancé, with plans to be married by November 2018. I enjoy staying at home with my little one, and my Doberman Pinscher. For fun, I like to go on the boat, walk the river, go to Disney whenever possible, and hangout with my mom friends. I run my own blog, and specialize in all things mom, wife, and a frugal life. Follow along my journey of motherhood, and surviving on nap-time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Postpartum Party was inspired by my passion to help mother everywhere recover – postpartum! When I was recovering, and searched the Internet, my results came up very scarce. I’m hoping to help as many moms as I can out there!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say unusual, but I definitely don’t have any patterns! I just write when it comes to me!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.K Rowling is definitely my favorite author! Call me cliche, but I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan! The fact that was she denied by so many different publishers and is now basically the most successful author just really inspires me to not give up hope, ever!

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on producing more content on my blog, and since I have just completed my first book I am already thinking about content for my next book, most likely on pregnancy!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am really still figuring this one out, for sure!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Live your best life, and continue to persevere, even when things get hard/ you aren’t making any sales just yet!

What are you reading now?
A Cursed Child! The Harry Potter play spin off.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Going to continue to try and create great content on my blog, as well as work on another short ebook here shortly!

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?
All of the Harry Potter books!

Author Websites and Profiles
Amanda Rodriguez Website

Amanda Rodriguez’s Social Media Links
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Silicon Valley and have worked in tech my whole life. I started as a secretary at age 19, worked my way through self-study and got my dual major degree in Physics and Psychology with a very strong major (as in one more lab class would have finished it) in Biology. I then got into graduate school at Stanford. But like many high tech types, I dropped out… as I was still working full time as an engineer.

I worked for a number of large firms but I really loved working at high tech start-ups including a few I founded myself. I raised millions from venture capitalists and sold one of my companies to Samsung. Along the way I was granted a bit over a hundred US patents including some for PenTile Matrix display tech. If you have a Galaxy phone, you are using PenTile tech.

I have a chapter in Mobile Displays: Technology and Applications… and a chapter in Kay Koplivitz’es “Been There – Run That”

Most of my writing until now has been non-fiction for articles in tech journals and magazines.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first novel is called “All The Stars Are Suns”. It is the first of what I hope will be a series. This first book is set in our own solar system, Earth, Earth Orbit, and Venus… and tells the tale of how we go to the stars. It is “hard” science fiction in that there is no “Phake Physics(tm)” or magic. No warp drive, no ray guns, no faster than light comm systems. But the science and tech is very advanced. Many of the ideas are things I know about because of being in tech and having lots of connections with folks working on the cutting edge and beyond… plus, some of the ideas are inventions that I couldn’t develop or patent because they are “ahead of their time”.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My desk at home is set opposite my husbands. We talk all of the time as we write. He is a retired journalist and editor… He edits my work, both fiction and non-fiction. But one thing I do that perhaps is unusual is that I mostly write in the very early morning as I drink my one cup of coffee, then switch to unsweetened tea. I think about my next bit of writing as I’m going to sleep. In that fuzzy wuzzy state I often half-dream all of the action and dialog. When I awake the next morning, it flows through the keyboard.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve an avid reader. My husband and I have a library of over 10,000 books at home. We converted a detached garage into a small town library! I love Jane Austin, David Weber, Heinlein, Asimov, and David Brin. But I also read non-fiction, including science textbooks to stay current.

What are you working on now?
I’m “day dreaming” scenes for a sequel called “Ravens’ Rook”… it will be a challenge because while it will remain “hard” science fiction it will have the flavor of fantasy because as Arthur Clark said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” The tech will be very high bio-tech that would if you didn’t know that tech seem like pure magic. But the rules of science and how the tech works limit what can be done with it…

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Don’t know… just starting out!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write!

What are you reading now?
I’m ready West With The Night by Beryl Markem. It is a perenial favorite among women pilots. Imagine, growing up in colonial Kenya, working with horses and flying your own airplane? Wow! What a great life.

What’s next for you as a writer?

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?
Air Force Survival Manual !!! and the entire Honorverse series by Weber.

Author Websites and Profiles
Seaby Brown Website
Seaby Brown Amazon Profile

Seaby Brown’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Althaea and I am a professional witch, writer, and bone thrower. I specialize in helping people with spiritual struggles and the way those struggles intersect with other aspects of their lives. My books and articles are pulled from 20+ years of personal experience as a witch and emphasize a no-excuses approach to spiritual practice that is based firmly in common sense and efficacy.

Although I have been blogging and writing articles on witchcraft and polytheism for nearly a decade, this is my first book on the subject. However, I do have a number of books published under a pen name and am a freelance writer, writing primarily content but also ghostwriting a few books on magick.

When not writing or cavorting with spirits, I spend my time wrangling six half-feral children with my husband, wandering about the American West, and living off grid in the wilderness. My life is thoroughly wed to adventure and I am unapologetically living life on my own terms and sharing the adventure on social media whenever I can track down reliable wifi.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “By Rust of Nail & Prick of Thorn: The Theory & Practice of Effective Home Warding.” Initially, this was meant to be a ~1k word article for my blog. When it easily hit 2.5k words, I became concerned and sent out a cry for help to my amazing twitter followers. They loved the topic and responded with an overwhelming cry of, “keep writing!” Another hour went by and the first draft was now at 4.5k with no signs of stopping. Another cry for help was sent out into the twitterverse. My followers were thrilled, with multiple suggestions of turning it into an ebook.

Having worked as a ghostwriter for a few years, I was familiar with what it would take to finish and publish it. I was also familiar with how verbose I can be, especially with topics that I feel passionate about so having enough good, on-topic material to warrant a small book wouldn’t be an issue. So I let the words keep flowing.

About this time, I created a patreon page for my writing, with this book as a reward for my patrons. The continued support I’ve gotten for my writing, as well as the feedback for this book has been amazing. So many of the comments I’ve received for this book have truly blown me away, as I’ve clearly been underestimating my ability as a writer (ah, lack of confidence, that loathsome demon that plagues all writers…) As of the time of this writing, I am already working on a few more book ideas, including a companion piece to this my first book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing habits aren’t that much different from most writers: I cry, yell at my laptop, walk away in frustration, and wake up in the middle of the night with the perfect words rolling about my head. I drink too much damn coffee and stay up far too late because it’s quiet, still, and that’s when the best words like to be born. More than once, I’ve stopped everything to jot down notes on a scrap of paper or mostly-clean napkin in order to not lose an idea for a new book, article, or just the perfect phrasing for a section I was having difficulty explaining both succinctly and coherently.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My reading habits are a touch on the boring side as I’m nearly always reading nonfiction. So, rather than any one particular author or book having this profound impact on me, it’s been subjects and styles that have affected me and shaped the way I write and view the world. That clear and authoritative tone of text books is definitely found within my books (and likely in the way I speak,) but it’s tempered with my own voice -which vacillates between colloquial and authorial thanks to appropriately placed humor and curse words (yes, you can be professional and curse, I promise it works as long as it’s authentically you.) My approach to nonfiction writing is driven by the topic. I don’t fluff out the subject with copious amounts of anecdote. Rather, the focus is on what the reader needs -and they don’t need to hear personal stories that too often come across as boastful rather than helpful. They need the what, why, how it applies to them, and how to implement it within their own life and unique circumstances. That approach, along with too many commas and the heavy use of parenthesis are clearly, also, influences.

What are you working on now?
Although I’ve worked as a freelance writer for years and published under a pen name, I’ve only just published under my own name. At the moment, I’m really riding that “just published a book” high and have three books that I’ve been outlining and jotting down notes for in order to feel out which one needs to be written now. For sure, I will be writing a companion piece to my first book, but it’s looking like I’m going to diverge from that and finish another book first. It’s also nonfiction and in the same category but a different topic. All the trashy fiction is staying tucked safely away behind a pen name.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Aside from doing the obvious things, such as ensuring that my book is listed on all major retailers so it can actually be found and seen, my promotion relies entirely on the strong platform that I’ve built online over the last several years. I have been blogging consistently on my own website, with my own domain, for nearly a decade now, publishing focused content that directly relates to what my books are about. In this way, every blog post is a sales opportunity.

In part due to the need to promote my blog (though it is not monetized,) I’m also on a variety of social media sites. Social media is grossly misunderstood when it comes to effective marketing, but if you remember that the entire point of it is to be social -to build relationships with other people- than it can really help get your books visible and sold. I am so thankful for the amazing people that I’ve met entirely thanks to social media -people who have become close friends, who provide encouragement for my writing, and help share my content and books with their followers. But, regardless of how awesome anything write could be, it’s because of those relationships that social media works.

I’m also only recently appreciating just how essential a newsletter is to any marketing strategy. My own newsletter began as a sort of experiment, as the most unsalesy newsletter ever, with the sole purpose of just connecting with my readers on a more intimate level. I share news when I have news to share, but otherwise I still always get in touch with my subscribers twice a month, just to ramble, strengthen those relationships, and let them know more about me. It’s been about a year now, but the results have proved very worthwhile and I’m kicking myself for not starting a newsletter years ago.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
For the love of coffee, please do not approach social media as the place to endlessly post links to your book! No one wants to see that. It’s boring. No one who may want to read your book is going to follow you if you’re boring. You are first and foremost a person and since you’re an author, that means you’re probably pretty weird. Flaunt that weirdness. Social media was made for weirdness! Post pics of where you’re writing, talk about what you were thinking about during your morning coffee, talk about how you’ve had three pots of coffee today and the words are flying out of you, but yes, you have to talk about coffee because you’re an author and coffee makes the words go. Final advice, if you don’t drink coffee start. But don’t forget to be a *person* who drinks coffee.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never whittle toward yourself or piss into the wind.

What are you reading now?
“The Road Taken: A Memoir” by Therese Powers Kramer. It’s the memoir of the mother of a friend who said I reminded her of her mother. Her mother had nine children and was widowed when her youngest was just a couple years old. Because grief makes you do crazy things, she decided to take her brood to Europe for the trip of a lifetime. So, she bought a VW bus in England, and they proceeded to drive about Western Europe, having the kinds of adventures that only a woman with so many children could have. As the mother of six children, currently living life on the road with my husband and our children, there’s a lot to her tale that is very relatable and deeply humorous.

What’s next for you as a writer?
This month marks the anniversary of when I first began sharing my writing publicly. In looking back at the road to this point, I’ve been thinking a lot about “what now?” But, the road is laid out strongly for me: I’m going to keep writing. There are blog posts that need writing, and a pile of ideas for future books. The only thing I need to truly figure out is how to squeeze more hours from the day so I can write more without sacrificing time away from my husband and our children.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The complete works of Ray Bradbury, the largest collection of folk tales (divided by theme) that I could get my hands on, a blank book to fill with my own words, and the complete works of Emily Dickinson.

Author Websites and Profiles
Althaea Sebastiani Website
Althaea Sebastiani Amazon Profile
Althaea Sebastiani Author Profile on Smashwords

Althaea Sebastiani’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is CD Gorri. I write Paranormal Fiction in Young Adult and Romance genres.

To me, the world of the paranormal is full of endless possibilities. As a writer, I can take advantage of that. I can introduce old ideas through new characters and situations. And hopefully, I can entertain you while trying to do just that!

All of my books are set in the same paranormal universe and mainly take place in my home state of New Jersey. Characters and creatures overlap, but each series can be read alone. I have over a dozen books available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Kobo, Google Play, iTunes, and more!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Dragon’s Valentine is a paranormal romance novella that was originally part of a boxed set called Claiming My Valentine. I extended the story to nearly twice its size and am happy to say I plan on continuing the tales of the 4 Falk Clan brothers in this sensual paranormal series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if it is unusual, but I need complete silence when I am writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a huge reader! Love books, so I’d have to say everything I see, read, and hear is an influence. My favorite authors are to many to name, but here are some off the top of my head, Stephen King, J.K Rowling, George R.R. Martin, Dr. Seuss, Patricia Briggs, JR Rain, Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and so many more, including some truly fabulous indies like myself!

What are you working on now?
I am working on book 2 in the Falk Clan series, to be released as part of the 12 Magical Nights of Christmas anthology! It is called The Dragon’s Christmas Gift and it tells the story of Alexsander Falk and his true mate, Noelle Gifford.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am active on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook almost daily.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Write all the things! Seriously, just keep writing, it is the only way to hone your craft.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Make your own happiness in life, then you have no one to blame but yourself if you fail.

What are you reading now?
I am reading the latest Samantha Moon book by JR Rain.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have 5 WIPs at the moment, so writing I guess! LOL

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’d take my kindle with a solar powered battery charger then I would have my entire library

Author Websites and Profiles
C.D. Gorri Website
C.D. Gorri Amazon Profile
C.D. Gorri Author Profile on Smashwords

C.D. Gorri’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was the world’s top-ranked player of classic roleplaying game tournaments for about fifteen years, then turned to writing, first for games, then for tie-in stories, short fiction, and eventually novels, screenplays and more. I’ve written five books (Forced Conversion, GREENSWORD, Net Impact, Frame Shop, and (with Jean Rabe) The Love-Haight Case Files. I’ve also written more than fifty shorter works in the thriller, science fiction, horror, fantasy, mystery, steampunk, romance, comedy, and memoir genres. I’m a full member of International Thriller Writers, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Horror Writers Association, and International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My two latest books aren’t out. (I ghostwrote one and the sequel to my spy thriller, Net Impact, has not yet been released.) The last book I had published was The Love-Haight Case Files, which I wrote with my good friend, Jean Rabe. The notion here was that readers would enjoy a series of cases handled by a couple of young lawyers who represent the rights of supernatural creatures in a magic-filled San Francisco. On the supernatural front, I also recently edited an anthology of ghost stories, Familiar Spirits.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not an outliner. The fun part of writing is discovering how to keep the reader moving along the story arc with a cliffhanger, interesting dialogue, action, or a bit of comic relief. If I were to plan all of those details out in advance, the writing, itself, would be a bit of a slog. I also don’t write every day, but when I do write, I write fairly quickly and in somewhat large chunks.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a fan of Robert J. Sawyer, as well as Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes (in any combination) I’ve written a lot of time travel stories and game adventures and I think Ken Grimwood’s Replay is my favorite time travel book.

What are you working on now?
Just finished up Wet Work, the sequel to my spy novel, Net Impact. Dick Thornby has to deal with the aftermath of his last mission both at work and with his fractured family, plus he needs to break in a new partner, a young woman from the Prague field office of The Subsidiary. In the end, he can save his family, save his job, or save the world, but he can’t do it all.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon is the behemoth is sales, so you need to make sure your Amazon pages are complete, compelling, and linked well to all of your other work.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Short stories aren’t the stepping stone to publishing a novel that they once were, but they do help you learn the craft, get some experience dealing with editors and publishers, and develop the tough hide you need for dealing with reviews and the ups and downs of sales. Make sure your product meets the expectations you have for it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Moderation in all things, including moderation.

What are you reading now?
Jean Rabe’s Dead of Winter.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Getting Wet Work published. Sending around a screenplay I just finished to some production companies. Selling some more short 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?
War and Peace is not only an excellent book, but it is a big book and I’m not sure how often I may need to get a fire started on a desert island.

The Princess Bride has everything the movie has, but two additional layers that the movie never even touches. It also has an important message. Life is not fair. I imagine that would resonate if I was stranded on a desert island.

Oxford Unabridged Dictionary. I’ve got plenty of time to kill, so I might as well educate myself.

Something about how to survive on a desert island would also be useful, I imagine.

Author Websites and Profiles
Donald J. Bingle Website
Donald J. Bingle Amazon Profile

Donald J. Bingle’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account