Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a bestselling South African author with a passion for romance. There are always ghosts in the story complicating the process of falling in love. All my books are set in and around Cape Town, South Africa. I have self-published 4 books and the last 2 were published by Trifecta Publishing House.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest is a duology (a series of 2 books) titles Roxanne’s Ghost Saga, which is the story of identical twins’ love for the same man. When I was at university – I was a psychology major – I was fascinated by twin-studies. When 2 people are genetically almost, but not quite, identical, the simmelarities and differences between them were what interested me most. The theme of twins reccur in my work, pretty much as ghosts do. With ghosts, those who linger after death, it was the reasons why some people rest in peace and others do not that drew me to write about them.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think me printing my WIP is a bit strange in this day and age, but a printed manuscript is portable and I do take it with me where-ever I go. My current story is never far from my mind, and who knows when I’m going to think of something to add, a better line of dialogue, whatever. I find it better to make changes/add directly to the ms instead of making notes on bits of paper or even in a note book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read widely and all authors have an influence. I love reading romance, history, intrigue, anything really except sci-fi and I’m not a great fan of fantacy, but it depends. Dan Brown, Ken Follett, Barbara Erskine, even Kathy Reichs, to name but a few, have influenced my interests when I create my own stories

What are you working on now?
My current WIP is another duology titled JJ. This one is stepping out of my comfort zone because it is the only one of my stories that has a … vampire. I’m not a fan of vamires and zombies and the like, and I never thought I would have a vampire in one of my books, but this guy wanted to be a vampire and there was nothing I could do about it. It was a bit like my ghosts – I could set about to write a straight forward love story and before I know it there is a ghost on the page who doesn’t want to go away. Best is to give the guy – or girl – a job. Same with this vampire guy. He was very insistent.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Oh yes, I do! My advice for all aspiring authors is two-fold: you have to write every day and grow a thick skin. Writing is a craft much the same as becoming say a chef of a mechanic – it takes time to perfect your craft. Practice, practice, practice is what makes perfect. And when I say grow a thick skin, bear this in mind – you won’t ever be able to please everyone. Strive for pleasing some of the people some of the time. There is always going to be critisism – and some critics can be really harsh! Take from the critisism what you can use to improve your writing or story crafting and disregard the rest. But at the same time, many, many readers might enjoy what you have to say. Those are the readers you need to find!

What are you reading now?
At the moment I’m reading Philippa Gregory’s A King’s Curse.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have many projects waiting for me to complete and publish them. After the JJ duolgy, I think I should finish my Bridesmaids, Weddings & Honeymoons series. The first 3 books are out already and there are 2 more to come. Then I would like to finish my Moragh Saga, a trilogy. Book 1, A Convenient Marriage is already out, and book 2, titled Poppet Nicole is nearly finished and I hope to publish it next year. 2018 is going to be another busy year for me – if I stick to my plan I will have another 5 books out, bringing my total published books to 11!

Author Websites and Profiles
Maggie Tideswell Website
Maggie Tideswell Amazon Profile

Maggie Tideswell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an Engineering Student with a strong ardor for technology and writing. I’m a google play developer, a motion graphic artist, a graphic designer, and a podcast host. I have recently written my first book which is now available globally on Amazon. My dream has always been to get my book published and hopefully reach many people and help inspire them in every way.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is Midnight Dreams. This book was inspired by many people in a lot of ways. I wanted to tell a story by creating my own world and weaved a story that intrigued everyone who read it. My passion for writing fueled me to do things i never thought i could. The characters in this book have been inspired by people around me.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It usually stars out with me creating a storyline with a flowchart. This helps me keep track of every character and every plot twist and diversion in the book. This helps me organize and effectively overcome the writer’s block. This method also helps me take a quick glance at the book’s plot if I wish to add minute details in the story. Once the flowchart is sorted out, I keep that as a reference and write the story.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The book Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss has influenced me in a lot of ways. It’s shed some light on how a tale can be told differently to capture the reader’s interest. Many of John Green’s book has also influenced me in a lot of ways. The fault in our stars, The Abundance of the Katherines and many more such books have helped me become a better writer.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on my Next book which is about friendship, love, and romance. I’m very excited to see how the book would turn out. The characters have their own personality and traits that is going to take the reader into a world of their own. Hopefully, my next book will be as successful as my current one.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I would say that the best way to promote a book is use services like Amazon advertising services and many book promotion sites like this one (awesome gang). But the best form of advertising is word of mouth. Get your friends and family to review the book and express their opinion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t hold back. The world needs to hear your story. Whatever genre you have written, whatever plot you have spun, the world will be short of one amazing book if you decide not to publish it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard is that nothing is impossible. When someone out there in the world, who also seems to be human can do something, why can’t you? in this case, if someone out there has written a best selling novel, why can’t you?

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. The book is entirely fiction and is amazing to read. I would totally recommend you to try this book out.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will continue to write and follow my passion. Hopefully, a few years down the lane, I turn out to be the best selling author of my time.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would take Papertowns by John Green, The fault in our stars and the Collection of short stories by Jeffrey Archer. These three books are more than enough to keep me entertained and drive away my boredom.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sushanth Shajil Website
Sushanth Shajil Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Family, including the furry, four-legged ones and friends warm my heart. Writing, dancing, theater, music and boating feed my soul. Murder in Galveston is my fourth mystery in the Liz Adams series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Murder in Galveston is my fourth book, published November 2017. Galveston is one of my favorite places. It provided a perfect backdrop for another Liz Adams adventure.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I start writing at 4 AM. The ideas flow more easily early in the morning.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Agatha Christie, Sir Conan Arthur Doyle, Sue Grafton and Clive Cussler.

What are you working on now?
Poetry

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It takes a village of websites to get the word out

Do you have any advice for new authors?
WRITE! WRITE! WRITE every day. Make writing part of your daily routine.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Life is like a wheel. Each area of interest is a spoke. The wheel cannot turn if any one area or spoke of your life gets out of balance by getting to much or little of your time and attention.

What are you reading now?
Doreen Virtue’s Mornings with the Lord

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on the idea for another 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?
Bible, Psychic Pathway, The Artist’s Way

Author Websites and Profiles
Marilyn Dalla Valle Website
Marilyn Dalla Valle Amazon Profile

Marilyn Dalla Valle’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Arizona, but now live outside of Philadelphia with my wife and five kids. I’ve written 4 or 5 novels, so far one has been published, Groomed is coming this Christmas, and the sequel to my first novel is coming Fall 2018 from Pink Umbrella Piblishing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
GROOMED, Book 1 in The Husband Trials. It started when I saw a guy flirting with a much older woman in the airport. It made me think what it would be like if age wasn’t an issue and we could court anyone through time travel. Naturally some women would be more popular than others so that inspired the deadly contest to determine who got the girl.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need Adderall. My adhd doesn’t let me write. Also I do most of my writing in empty jetways at the airport. (I work for American Airlines.)

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ronald Dahl
Patrick Rothfuss
JK Rowling
CS Lewis

What are you working on now?
The Time Traveler’s Sewing Kit about an African American boy who orders time-traveling thimbles from a demon catalogue.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Probably Goodreads giveaways. Expensive but it certainly drums up interest.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep pumping out the novels. After your 4th or 5th you’ll start getting good enough to make the agents take notice. If not, self publish. There’s always an audience for your book you just have to find it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid to make your characters suffer. Every scene must end it disaster.

What are you reading now?
Andrew Rowe – Sufficiently Advanced Magic

What’s next for you as a writer?
Pink Umbrella Publishing is rereleasing An Uncommon Blue (YA Fantasy) next March and publishing the sequel THE WHITE SERPENT the following fall. I’ll be querying agents with Time Traveler’s Sewing Kit when I’m finished.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, The Book Of Mormon, and the complete Chronicles of Narnia.

Author Websites and Profiles
RC Hancock Website

RC Hancock’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Telling about myself is difficult because there are many different directions I could go. I’m an author who takes her own life experiences, dreams, and regrets and turns them into novels using the premise, “I wonder what would have happened if…”.

It only takes one scene to make a story. Sometimes, the scene is sad or scary. Sometimes it’s guilty of making your heart flutter and palms sweat.

So far, I’ve captured these moments in two novels. The first is due to launch on December 21, 2017 and the second will be out in 2018- hopefully in early Spring.

When I’m not writing, I’m teaching or painting or spending time with my family. Life is really busy, but that’s what makes it fun.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book that’s ready for publication is “All the Different Ways”, and it’s the first in it’s series. It is inspired by life.

I woke up one night with a particular scene needling me; it just wouldn’t let me go until I wrote it down. Once that chapter was on paper, the rest just came spilling out.

I’m working on the second book now.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My unusual writing habits are that I hand write my entire first draft in a series of spiral notebooks. I refuse to type it until it’s on actual paper first. I use a calendar for organizing it, too.

My other habit is that I don’t start at the beginning. I actually skip chapters and work around certain parts. I have moments that get written first, then I fill in the gaps. It sounds like there’d be no cohesiveness but my books actually flow really well.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Cambria Hebert and her entire Hashtag Series. I also love the Pucked Series by Helena Hunting, the Assassins Series by Toni Aleo, and the Game On Series by Kristin Callihan. They all have a style I really appreciate and value. Out of all the ebooks I have stored, theirs are books that I keep going back to and rereading.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on book 2 in my series called “All the Other Reasons”. It follows the sister of the main character from the first book.

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

https://www.facebook.com/rjleeindieauthor

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors is to get involved with author groups on Facebook or other social media outlets for support, but ultimately, do what’s right for you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I’ve heard is to only participate in the book promotion and social media sites that I feel comfortable with. I don’t have to be in everything.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading the first eleven chapters of my second book– because editing is never done!! And then, for fun, I’m reading “Forever Pucked” by Helena Hunting.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The next thing for me as a writer in the short-term is to enjoy my book launch on December 21st! I’m so grateful for all of the support of my friends and family. It really blows my mind!

After that celebration, I’m going to continue writing, continue sharing my stories. I don’t want to hold my chapters in anymore.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I can only take 3 or 4??? Wow, that’s ruthless. Ok, I would take “Pucked Up” by Helena Hunting, “The Game Plan” by Kristin Callihan, and “#Nerd” by Cambria Hebert.

Author Websites and Profiles
R.J. Lee Website
R.J. Lee Amazon Profile

R.J. Lee’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a wife, mother, and social justice advocate. I live in Blaine, Minnesota with my spouse where I write to create awareness about the wrongfully convicted; innocent people convicted of crimes they did not commit. In June I published my first book on the topic and in November, my book was selected as winner of a national book award for non fiction/true crime.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is titled Reclaiming Lives; Pursuing Justice for Six Innocent Men. I was inspired to write it when I learned of a specific case involving six Green Bay, Wisconsin men convicted of a 1992 murder that may never have happened. The distinct possibility that innocent people could be in prison along with an element of bullying by law enforcement are aspects of our criminal justice system I found quite disturbing. I could not dismiss what had and was still happening to these men and their families. Having been bullied as a child became my emotional connection to them and their plight inspired my mission to advocate for the freedom of the men.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Oftentimes, my best writing comes to fruition at 3:00 in the morning.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The book that literally changed the course of my life is called The Monfils Conspiracy; The Conviction of Six Innocent Men which is the precursor to my book. This book is a documentation of the facts in one of the largest travesty of injustices in Wisconsin history with aspects similar to the Steven Avery wrongful conviction case. It questions the legitimacy of six murder convictions because of the absence of any credible physical or eye witness evidence.

What are you working on now?
My book represents actual people and true events with a definite aim to spur a more just outcome for innocent people still in prison so I’ve committed to an aggressive promotion of this book at this time.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The fact that this topic is very relevant with the inception of DNA technology since the early 1990’s, opportunities to promote my book are vast. Maintaining my blog, being a guest writer for various sites, doing interviews, engaging the public at book signings, fairs, and book festivals and my favorite; giving PowerPoint presentations for various groups, keeps me quite busy. My website which provides background and additional information about the case as well as broader information about wrongful convictions is: http://joantreppa.com/.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing a book can become laborious and tedious at times and bringing it to fruition typically takes many years. Make sure you are passionate about your topic because there will be times when you want to give up and chuck the project altogether. I found my persistent passion pulled me out of my slump and put me back on track many times over.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get your initial thoughts written down no matter how lame they sound and worry about cleaning them up later. No writer is perfect. Even the best of them need editors.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a self-published book called Injustice Is Served by Lynn Moller. Moller was a daycare provider accused of abusing a child while in her care. People who had placed complete trust in her for many years turned on her almost overnight because of a false accusation with no plausible evidence to back those claims. She committed to reliving her nightmare to create awareness about her situation, to teach others about the pitfalls of our legal system, and to point out dire mistakes innocent people make when unlawfully targeted by law enforcement. It’s a book everyone should read because it screams of the fact that being falsely accused and convicted can easily happen to any one of us.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m definitely leaning toward another book that will reveal an eye-opening and very disturbing overview of our criminal justice system through my close-up observations told from my non-legal perspective.

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 books addressing actual aspects of our criminal justice system would do, but Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, Mark Godsey’s Blind Injustice, and Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow are at the top of my list currently.

Author Websites and Profiles
Joan Treppa Website
Joan Treppa Amazon Profile

Joan Treppa’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
S. Tilghman Hawthorne is the author of numerous short stories several of which have been published in various anthologies. Bitter Prophecy is her first published novelette, but there will be many more to come!

Born and raised on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, she can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to write. When her mother read to her, she knew she wanted to create stories like that.

Writingdotcom awarded her First Prize in their Fireside Drama Contest for a short story entitled “Grand Opening” as well as a Red Ribbon for “Fantastic Integration of Setting and Plot” for her novelette “Little Bear”.

She’s had two non-fiction articles published in The Riverside Nurse and also won a poetry contest at 1-800-FLOWERS. She even won an “I’ve Been Published” t-shirt for her poem on the demise of the Taco Bell Chihuahua!! (He was really a “she”)

In October of 2014, her short story “Finding Grace” was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Touched by an Angel.
She has also had several short stories publishing in Anthologies.
Her novelette, Bitter Prophecy was recently published on Amazon and her full length novel, Legacy Of the Medallion: Blood Moon Rising is in edits now.

She worked as a Medical Secretary for 26 years in a Virginia Trauma Center, has been married for eighteen years and has two grown daughters and four beautiful grandchildren.

Susan has always loved to read and write but only recently began to pursue publication!

If you’d like to follow up with her, check out https://www.susan-hawthorne.com !
On Twitter she is @S_T_Hawthorne
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanHawthornesImaginationPage

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My novelette, Bitter Prophecy, has just recently been published on Amazon. I’ve always loved Fantasy and this group of characters: Mina, her best friend Pedar, her little sister, Zady and her grandmother, Alwynn, have been pestering me for a long time to be allowed out into the world. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think it’s particularly unusual, but I do try to stick with a schedule that includes time for exercise, time for family and, of course, time when I can close the door on the real world and visit the worlds of my imagination.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh my, the list is huge! And eclectic. The Fellowship of the Ring, of course, was a huge inspiration, but also the wonderful characterizations of To Kill a Mockingbird, the Fantasy elements of Peter Pan, the emotional development of works such as Oliver Twist, Eight Cousins, and Tom Sawyer. I’ve been an avid reader since the moment I learned to read and aspired to write from the moment I heard my first story at my mother’s knee.

What are you working on now?
I have an epic Fantasy in edits now called Legacy of the Medallion: Blood Moon Rising. I hope to publish it through Amazon in late Spring/early summer.
It’s about a young woman, who is a half elf, and who inherits her grandfather’s medallion. He was a great sorceror and died in order to create the medallion in order to stop a great war and to stop an evil sorcerer from taking over the world.
Mina imagines the medallion will take her on great adventures but instead she’s thrust into a new life she never wished for.. never in her wildest dreams!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m new at promotion and am trying several different angles including Twitter, my own Facebook pages, several author groups, and reading every blog and website on writing that I can get my paws on. My budget is limited, so I’m investigating every free avenue I can find until I at least begin to get a feel for what works and what doesn’t.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never Give up and NEVER think you aren’t good enough. Listen to the advice of stronger authors and work to learn the ropes. You’ll be glad you did!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Think of yourself as an apprentice. Read, read, read and pay attention to the rules… Once you know them and understand them, you may begin to bend – or even break! – them.

What are you reading now?
I wish I had more time to read!! Right now, while I’m learning how to publish and promote I have little time. But I must admit, when I Kay my head down at night I pick up my kindle and read a chapter or two. I do enjoy a bit of Dean Koontz, Stephen King and Lee Childs!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Building up my readership and getting more of my stories out there is going to be my greatest joy right now. I have several works in progress waiting in the wings! Feather of the Blue Heron is on my list after Legacy of the Medallion.
Its an inspirational piece on a woman who’s life is turned upside down and how she goes about setting things right once more.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Only 3 or 4? I hope I won’t be stranded long! No computer? Not even a pen and paper?
I’d love to be able to explore some of the new writers that are coming along now. Indy is so exciting. its a brave new world (no pun intended!(

Author Websites and Profiles
Susan Tilghman Hawthorne Website
Susan Tilghman Hawthorne Amazon Profile

Susan Tilghman Hawthorne’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Short Science Fiction stories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Short story Kraugg’s Choice.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Starship Troopers.

What are you working on now?
Three more stories.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My blog, Goodreads, Facebook.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep moving.

What are you reading now?
Online Science Fiction.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing! Writing! Writing!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Dictionary (Unabrided Oxford ductionary of English language). A couple of Heminway’s best novels.

Author Websites and Profiles
C.E. Gee Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have published two collections of short stories (Sniggerless Boundulations, and Laissez Faire), and edited an anthology (Sproutlings: A Compendium of Little Fictions). I am an Australian woman slash crazy cat lady.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Laissez Faire. It is a meditation on the indecisiveness that comes with anxiety and the inattentiveness that comes with depression, expressed in many fantastical forms. There is some Lovecraftian horror, absurdist suspense, myth retelling, and Carver-esque minimalism. It is tiny but satisfying for the soul.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I kind of have a triple or quadruple entry system, where I like to alternate between hand-written brainstorming notebooks to organising in a spreadsheet or Ywriter or Word, then sometimes back to hand-written palm cards, and finally typed up in polished a digital prose. It depends how long the piece is. The longer it is the more plotting and planning I will do.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love short story collections. Some of my favourites are by Cate Kennedy, Margo Lanagan, and Tim Winton. For novels I am a big fan of Karen Joy Fowler, Amy Tan, Michael Cunningham, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Kim Stanley Robinson. I also like my crime novels, Gillian Flynn and Adrian McKinty.

What are you working on now?
I did NaNoWriMo in November 2017 and got the first draft of my new crime novella Snakeweed. I am entering the editing process of that one. There are more collections and anthologies in my future.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I live on Facebook, that is my primary tool, networking through writers groups and communities. I like to review other indie authors, particularly dark story collections and non-fiction. I use Instagram to feed content to my FB Page and Twitter. I am a passive YouTube community member, I don’t make videos but I comment on a lot and support booktubers and nano writers. And I generally support content creators on Patreon, Kickstarter, and Thunderclap. Goodreads giveaways are a great tool if you have printed books. Amazon KDP Select free days and countdown promos are great to use in conjunction with virtual launches/blog tours for ebooks.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
In this global digital age there is a readership for absolutely everything. Don’t get too hung up on wanting to be commercially appealing or needing to be an original literary genius when you are in your first draft. Write it out in dot-points if you need to. You build a frame out of crude materials and hang your poetry on it. You need to generate some base material to edit. Writing is rewriting. Your unique voice is your greatest asset.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I like the advice “write about what scares you most”. And as an addendum I have heard comedians say – I don’t remember if it was Whitney Cummings or Jen Kirkman, possibly both, and quoting other comedians from the industry – for the purposes of being real and authentic just pretend your parents don’t exist or will never read/see your work. Those familial inhibitions can prevent you from getting to the real truth of what you are trying to say. You have to let it all hang out as a writer.

What are you reading now?
One of my NaNoWriMo buddies recommended The Notebook Trilogy by Agota Kristof. I’ve been reading The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, The Keep by Jennifer Egan, Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks, Ruby by Cynthia Bond, and The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna. I recently reviewed a brilliant short story collection called They Move Below by Karl Drinkwater.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to do some more collab projects. Compile another anthology. Write another novel. Compose some poetry. Enter some short story competitions. Develop some teaching materials. Publish some non-fiction essays. Yeah basically everything all the time. It is hard (but necessary) for me to stick to one project at a time. But writing is an endurance sport.

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 Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter
The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

Author Websites and Profiles
Morgan Bell Website
Morgan Bell Amazon Profile

Morgan Bell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been a closet author for twenty years. I am just now letting my light shine. My first book was “Correspondence with the Tooth Fairy,” adorable correspondence between my daughter and me while she was losing her teeth. I followed this with a series of humorous children’s poetry called, “Make Me Laugh.” I am disappointed by the common use of gratuitous humor by children’s authors resorting to references about farting, or barfing. I try to create memorable characters, use strong rhymes and meter, and always have a clever twist at the end to tickle the funny bone.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Christopher the Christmas Cow has been a project a year in the making. I wrote the story 13 years ago as a little play for a church Christmas party. I later recorded the book as an audio book and this year I worked with an illustrator to turn it into this bedtime reader. I hope that the story becomes a season staple. I am so excited to finally launch it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write from the comfort of my reclining sofa in my family room so I am close to the family action in the kitchen!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Shel Silverstein, Dr. Seuss, Jim Hensen, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Douglas Adams, J.R.R. Tolkein, Scott Adams, Madeleine L’Engle, Miguel de Cervantes.

What are you working on now?
I will launch my first novel titled, “Omniscience” in February 2018.

ABSTRACT:
Nathan Dunford needed humbling. Ten years of meteoric business success turned him into a colossal jerk. Little does he know he stands on the brink of disaster, about to lose everything he holds dear; his business, his family, and what shreds of his integrity he still has. Only an act of God can save him from his narcissism.

Nathan is about to receive the unique ability to see people around him for who they truly are. He will instantly understand everything about a person – all of their feelings – all of their thoughts. He is about to become Omniscient. But will the insight change how he treats the people most dear to him or will it make him a monster?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am new to this, and looking for ways to build my direct email distribution list for future publications.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author and I am in the business to learn from other authors.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Love thy neighbor as thyself.

What are you reading now?
Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke. Such a beautifully simple book with a wonderful concept of combining wisdom from many authors into a small compendium as though it were written by a noble night.

What’s next for you as a writer?
In the coming year I will be publishing sweet romance novels as well as a series of books targeted at tween boy readers (ages 10 – 14). I am also likely to publish my weekly blog titled Memoirs of a Paperboy blog as an e-book. Finally, I will be starting a VLOG as a health and fitness coach for aging men.

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?
Scriptures, the Globe Illustrated Shakespeare, the Lord of the Rings trilogy + Hobbit.

Author Websites and Profiles
David Newman Website
David Newman Amazon Profile

David Newman’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am seventeen and currently published my first book. Its genre is experimental with hints of surrealism, filled with nihilistic overview. I wrote most of them when I wanted to kill myself.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Luth. My mind inspired me. Yep, that’s the answer. Also, I would like to thank my bunny.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, in-fact I write mostly when its time to sleep. I can’t close my eyes and dream–they just make me tired and the desire to pen down my jumbled thoughts would fire up. Most of my poems have almost the same words–I can’t sleep

What authors, or books have influenced you?
James Joyce’s Dubliners, Howie Good’s Little tragedy and Charles Bukowski.

What are you working on now?
A novella, revolving around LGBT+ and physical disability.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome gang is, wait for it, awesome. Bookbub is really popular but their cost just blew my mind. Facebook and oh! Minds.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You can’t force yourself to write just like you can’t force yourself to shit; it will hurt if you do. Write because it comes to you out of nowhere when you are sleeping, brushing your teeth or cleaning your sink. Most importantly, don’t stop writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Not forcing myself to write, it worked miracles.

What are you reading now?
“Motorcycle diaries” by Ernesto “Che” Guevara.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Probably getting a degree in psychology and having more sleepless nights.

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?
Little tragedies by Howie Good.
Dubliners by James Joyce
Sense of an ending by Julian Barnes
The communist manifesto

Suhasini Mukherjee’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am twenty-four years old and have been writing for twelve years. In that time, I have self-published seven books. Originally, I was interested in writing mysteries, but over the years my interests shifted to science fiction/fantasy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is entitled, “Memories of Chronosalis”. It is based on a series I began when I was twelve. That was called, “Amber Oak Mysteries”. I didn’t like where the series was going as I was still young and was still trying to find my voice. I then decided to re-write my series and still keeping some of the original characters, I turned it into a science-fiction/fantasy novel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a tendency to write out all my of my story notes in a notebook. I’ll ask myself questions and sometimes respond to them. If I’m in a major writer’s block, I find myself acting out a scene or even a dialogue between characters.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
For an author, J.K. Rowling definitely inspired me to continue pursuing my dreams and to not give up no matter how hard things might seem. But I’d say for books, “The Maze Runner” series has inspired me to branch out into the world of science fiction.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the prequel to “Memories of Chronosalis”, it is written from the viewpoint of a major character in the book. This prequel is the backstory of how everything came to be in the main book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method for promoting my books would be through my facebook fan page or more recently Instagram.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write from your heart and don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.” -Cyril Connolly

What are you reading now?
I have yet to dive into the pile of books that are calling my name, but the next book I plan to read is a book by a self-published author from Scotland. It is a book about faeries and I’ve read the prologue which instantly captured my attention.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to continue writing as much as I can. At the same time, I plan to reach out to people about my latest 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?
That’s a tough question. I’m very much into series, but as for single books, I’d take “Carrie”, “A Wrinkle in Time”, and “The Neverending Story”.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ceara Comeau Website
Ceara Comeau Amazon Profile

Ceara Comeau’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born just north east of valley forge pa. in a place known as King of Prussia were my father was a well known chef at a local steak house. Valley forge for me was my back yard literally and those cannon houses got me in more trouble than one would want to remember as they were my play ground as a youth this place was also the gateway to hell for me and my sister who was left for death the pair of us was found by strangers in a grocery store dumpster. And what followed next was right of a horror movie itself and 50 years later I’m here to tell you about it this is my first published book just one of many already written over the decades I just never released any of them.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
THE MINUTEMAN FILES: Machine made humans / This book was inspired by my personal friend a man I body guarded for about 10 years off and on living in his home maybe you folk heard of him. Who is this man well he’s Hollywood’s Biggest name ever….
MARK LINCOLN MILLER you remember mark don’t you ROCK HUDSONS mark GEORGE NADERS mark my mark….. Mark was the biggest influence and had a personal hand in the books creation just before he died in 2016. This book was inspired by mark love for George Nader and his robots of chrome folks.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write alone with my two dogs and one rabbit of all things these are my only real friends on this earth. When I write I just slip away into a trans with my pets and brain waves just run wild every time when reality comes back I write it all down.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There is only one author who have ever influenced me he had my imagination on overdrive as a youth a influence that still drives me to this very day and than mans name was C.S Lewis maybe you heard of him if not you should.

What are you working on now?
(Medical Administration the straight A student guide for 2018) this is the current project due to be published just after January 2018? In addition to this title I have several books in the works all part of THE MINUTEMAN FILES: The first book is only the teaser of what to come and oh box all I can say is look out X-Files the difference between that show and this book is my stories are 100 percent real or are they, what will you believe?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
one word (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/765665)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
keep writing and never stop every time you have a thought write it down.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
blame it on that guy he’s not here. Well it sounded like a good idea at the time but in the end we can only blame ourselves for what we do on this rock we live on. I was once told, “never stop, truth matters” and it the very point to my book.

What are you reading now?
At this point in times I’m writing not reading for the simple reason I just left school where I spent about three years reading medical administration books and course materials followed by forensic psychology classes.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The minuteman files is my biggest project part of it are based on a research studied into the famous phoenix lights ufo and in 2013 I personally proved to the white house the phoenix lights was not a ufo period. That mystery is solved it scared the white house and the vice president gave my research to sir ridley Scott who used my gyro in his movie phoenix forgotten they had no permission to use any part of my minuteman research files they basically stole that gyro in the movie and I got no credit or royalties this was a out right theft I can prove.

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 Khyber rifles, the bible, the lion the witch the wardrobe

Author Websites and Profiles
Charles H Braie jr Website
Charles H Braie jr Author Profile on Smashwords

Charles H Braie jr’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Professional Blogger, Entrepreneur, Public Speaker, Life Coach and Writer.

Trisha has practised Mindfulness for the past 20 years and facilitated workshops and groups for the past 5 years. She has a postgraduate background in scientific research, with the focus being on psychology.

Her mission is to inspire and motivate language learners via a more holistic approach that incorporates positive psychological techniques, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and mindfulness. She has studied psychology for over a decade and is an experienced life coach.

I have 3 published books on body image, productivity, and mindfulness.

“Whether you want to learn a new skill for personal, business, travel or pleasure I can help you achieve your goals in fast and effective ways”.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Beginner’s Guide Mindful Learning: How to be More Focused and Productive

Are you struggling with focus and motivation when learning something new which is leading to non-productivity and procrastination?

Sound familiar? For many years I struggled with learning new skills at school, then one day I started to make real progress in languages and science. Initially, the teachers thought I was cheating so made me redo my work under close supervision, I got top marks. I went on to do research in psychology at postgraduate level and a higher diploma in history at the University of Oxford!

What was I doing differently?

I went from being totally unfocused with a short attention span to be fully focused and attentive. I achieved this by using a more holistic approach to learning that incorporated simple Mindfulness techniques that anyone can apply and it had really worked for me! Now I want to help you become a more efficient learner…

Most Mindfulness courses teach you the techniques, but not how to actively apply them to your learning routines.

Mindful Learning teaches you how to be a more focused, self-aware and motivated student or independent learner. This leads to greater productivity within your study sessions. This approach requires practice and an open mind to see results. If you are serious about meeting your goals and increasing productivity via some simple mindfulness techniques then this short beginners book is just for you!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am dyslexic!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have my own unique style!

What are you working on now?
Currently I am working on an accelerator programme for language learners based on scientifically proven techniques.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My books are all available on Amazon and via my personal website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write about what you love and have the passion for.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A quitter never wins!

What are you reading now?
A book on entrepreneurship called ‘Create Special’.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Interesting question, but wherever my words take 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?
I would bring a survival guide, War and Peace and my own book on Mindfulness!

Author Websites and Profiles
Trisha Dunbar Website
Trisha Dunbar Amazon Profile

Trisha Dunbar’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an author of ten books (two series), both mysteries. I am also the publisher at Cozy Cat Press where I shepherd over 40 authors and around 200 titles. We only publish “cozy” or “gentle” mysteries–like Agatha Christie or the “Murder She Wrote” television series. Every year at Christmas time, our authors get together and do a group project. Two years ago, we wrote a group mystery with each author penning a chapter. That is CHASING THE CODEX. Last year we produced a cook book focusing on dishes our characters like to eat. This year, we created COZY CAT SHORTS, an anthology of short mysteries from 25 of our authors.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My own latest book is FIRECRACKERED, the fifth in my Essie Cobb, senior sleuth mystery series. In this one, Essie is watching fireworks displays on the front lawn of her retirement home when one of the gentlemen residents sitting next to her is attacked in the kiester by a wayward firecracker. Essie doubts that the “accident” is that and she begins to investigate.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I use an outline and plan 30 chapters then write one chapter each day during one month until I am done.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Most of the major mystery authors such as Agatha Christie, P. D. James, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other classic British authors. I also read most all of the recent American cozy mystery authors.

What are you working on now?
As I just finished COZY CAT SHORTS, which is a huge project, I’m really ready to rest a bit. However, I have quite a few authors who have books in various stages of readiness and my job is never done. As for my own writing, I long to write a six book in my Pamela Barnes acoustic mystery series. I have an idea nagging at me about Pamela solving a major terrorist plot using her knowledge of acoustics (sound) technology, but I can’t quite fit it all together.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I recently discovered Wattpad where I have uploaded my first book in my Pamela Barnes series. That has garnered me some new readers I believe–and probably younger readers than I am used to having.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day. Don’t be afraid to cut large as well as small segments (but SAVE anything you cut out in a folder).

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’m paraphrasing something I heard from Sheryl Sandberg the other day:

“Perfect is wonderful, but done is better!” All publishers will appreciate this one.

What are you reading now?
A new submission from a new author and a new submission from one of our regular authors.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As I said, I’d really like to write the book where Pamela solves a terrorist plot using her knowledge of sound technology, but I’m not there yet. If anyone out there has an idea of how a sound specialist might come to take down a terrorist or terrorist ring, let me know!

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, Voltaire’s CANDIDE. I could read that over and over again. It’s really like music–and fun music. Probably some Agatha Christie, even if I remember the plot, I can enjoy the dialogue. Then, probably two very long mysteries that I haven’t read yet.

Author Websites and Profiles
Patricia Rockwell Website
Patricia Rockwell Amazon Profile

Patricia Rockwell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m 22 years out, I started Writing in June of 2017 so far I have published two books which are apart of a series with the third books making its debut before the end of this year!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book which will be coming out within the next couple of weeks is called Hope it’s the final book In a three book series called the Mae Sisters, I was inspired to write this book because of the relationship I have with my sisters and I wanted to display that dynamic of how family can love each other through anything.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I only like to write at night I would definitely call that unusal Lol but I hear many people do it so I can’t be that weird right?!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
One of my biggest influences would be Brenda Jackson! I also love Desiree, Shvonne Latrice, B love, and BriAnn Danae.

What are you working on now?
I am writing a book by the name of I won’t lose to love again which is one of the closet to my heart than any book I’ve written.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook but I have been trying to find different ways to meet and introduce myself to new readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would say don’t give up if you love it do it!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take your time, anything worth having takes time.

What are you reading now?
Nothing, I love reading so much I won’t be able to finish the book I’m writing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to be able to become a bestseller

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?
Chaos, a wife for a westmorlamd, and Dark Desire

Author Websites and Profiles
Iesha Bree Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m someone who spent a long time dreaming about becoming a writer and making many false starts, always thinking it would happen ‘one day’ but that ‘one day’ kept moving further and further into the future. Then, in 2015, something finally kicked in, and I just went for it and didn’t look back! I have written two big books now and am powering through my third, hoping to release two books in 2018.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ‘The Burning Sea’. It is the second book in my Viking-esque fantasy series, The Furyck Saga. It’s inspired by my love of history, particularly the Viking and Anglo Saxon periods. Deciding I couldn’t quite fit my ideas into a historical setting, I decided to create my own world, and it’s proving to be a lot of fun as the goal posts are mine to move as and when I choose!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write with headphones on, playing music that I’ve curated to fit certain moods. I have battle playlists, mystical playlists, and romantic playlists. Having a soundtrack playing in the background can really inspire my writing and spur me on through exciting scenes. Other times I simply listen to nature sounds like ‘thunderstorm at sea’, or ‘campfire and birds’. Anything to help put me in my story and take me out of my suburban neighbourhood!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jane Austen was the first author I loved. I’m a fan of her clever wit, seamless storytelling, and carefully entwined romances. They always hooked me! I love C.J. Sansom, who writes a wonderful series set in Tudor times, but then just as easily entertains me with his books set in World War II or the Spanish Civil War. I’m constantly amazed by the talent of Patrick O’Brian, who wrote his legendary nautical series as though he was actually living in the early 19th century. Same goes for Robert Low, who does Viking-speak like no one else I have read, and then can easily switch to 14th century Scottish. And J.K. Rowling created the most endearing and magical world, where you grew to know her characters so intimately that it felt like saying goodbye to old friends when it was over.

What are you working on now?
I am knee deep in the third book of The Furyck Saga. I’m planning to launch it in mid-2018. I have a general idea of how things might go overall, but I don’t write with an outline, so I often find myself crying out ‘plot change’, and veering off in a completely new direction. It definitely keeps me on my toes and makes me excited to get in front of my computer every day!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The two methods of advertising I’ve had the most success with so far are Facebook and AMS ads (Amazon). My husband is my marketing guy, and he spends his time tweaking and changing to find that sweet spot. So far we have found that it’s all about trying to narrow down the right audience, which can be really challenging.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Simply to start and keep going! I made so many attempts over the years but gave up one or two chapters in because of a lack of time or a lack of discipline to keep that regular writing habit up. But if you commit to writing two pages a day, or even just one, and then you monitor that progress, by the end of a month, you will start feeling spurred on. In the beginning, it felt torturous, like exercising when you were seriously unfit, but now, I can turn out over 30 pages a day if I need to, to meet my weekly target.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I read an interview with James Patterson a few years ago, who said that he wrote his first book at 5:30am every morning, while working a regular job. He just made sure that every day he would commit to writing in that timeslot. And over time, that small commitment every day added up to a book. I think we all believe we are too busy, and we have too much going on in our lives, but you can fit a book in there too. I had three kids, a job, and was setting up another business at the time that I eventually wrote my first book. It’s a mental switch when you realise that you can fit it in. So, don’t wait! Set aside writing time each day and commit to it.

What are you reading now?
I have three books on the go. Two I have read before, ‘The Book of English Magic’ by Philip Carr-Gomm & Richard Heygate and ‘The Real Middle Earth’ by Brian Bates. I am digging into them again for research and ideas for the book I’m currently writing. And for fun, I’m reading ‘Warriors of the Storm’ by Bernard Cornwell, who writes one of my favourite series, which has been made into an equally enjoyable tv show ‘The Last Kingdom’.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More of the same! I’m locked into doing at least two more books in my Furyck Saga series. I have a feeling I’ll have more to go after I finish those, but if not it will be a toss-up as to what comes next. I have been creating stories and ideas for books, tv shows, and movies since I was around 10-years-old, so I have a long list of possibilities lined up and ready to go!

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 Diana Gabaldon book, ‘Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone’, as I have been reading her Jamie and Claire series for 26 years now and I’m still keen to know what happens next! Her books are very long and detailed, so it would keep me entertained for ages. I would bring ‘War & Peace’, because I have had a bookmark in the same place for probably 15 years now, and although I have attempted to get through it a few times, I can never push myself to finish it. Being stranded on a desert island might force me to get on with it! And perhaps most importantly, I’d pack Bear Grylls, ‘How to Stay Alive’. Self-explanatory!

Author Websites and Profiles
A.E. Rayne Website
A.E. Rayne Amazon Profile

A.E. Rayne’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
“The Risen” was my first novel after years of writing screenplays and trying to crack into the film business. It all began when Brian came to me and simply said, “I know you’ve tried writing screenplays but have you ever thought about writing a novel?” The truth was, I had but I’d just never taken that step into that world. From that point he told me he had an idea and laid it out for me. The idea was huge. Too huge for one book, so I proposed we take a stab at one small portion as a first book to see how things worked with us collaborating. And with that, “The Risen” was born.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
As I stated, “The Risen” is our latest release. We’ve now added a short story, “A Shared Fulcrum” to the Lifetime’s War and are entering the last third of the sequel to “The Risen”, called “The Forgotten Few”. We hope to release that book within the first half of 2018 and are super excited to find our readers!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing habits are simple… I need to shut out the outside world, so I put on my noise cancelling headphones and queue up my ‘Writing’ playlist on Spotify, which features tons of soundtracks from films I’ve loved. I am super picky about selecting a set of scores that will fit the mood of what I’m writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As I said, I didn’t start out intending to write novels but have found it very rewarding. Wherein a film requires tons of different voices, working on a novel exists in my head… I mean, I always have Brian’s voice there, speaking to me, so that I stay true to his original story idea.

However, if you’re asking what authors I love, that list would include… John Irving, Stephen King, Anne Tyler, James Elroy. Beyond that, I’d be remiss not to mention the films that pushed me into studying film and pursuing a career in that field.

Being a child of the 70’s, it goes without saying that “Star Wars” and “Jaws” made a massive impact on my as a young boy, but growing up in that era created a deep love of film that reaches from 70’s films like “The Last Picture Show” and reaches to my true geek obsession, “Citizen Kane.” I guess you could say Orson Welles and his pursuit past the obstacles in his way (often due to his own faults) have influenced me the most.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently pushing hard through the last third of “The Forgotten Few”, the sequel to “The Risen”. It’s proven to be a huge step forward in the story of The Lifetime’s War, evolving the story and explaining much of the world beyond the first story.

Beyond that, I’ve started to begin thinking about adapting many of the screenplays I wrote in years past into novels. Those stories will reach beyond the dystopian settings of The Lifetime’s War books, touching drama and horror. And I can’t forget, that the third book in The Lifetime’s War is looming over me.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Wow… that’s a big one. All of us in this indie publishing world struggle to find that magic solution. So, for Brian and I, it involves looking at a site like kindlepreneur.com and their list of sites to use for promotions. It’s a huge list and ranges from free to paid, so take advantage of it!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. It’s as simple as that.

All of us struggle with getting the job done, doubting our efforts and our creations, but the truth is, you can’t really doubt what you never create. You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to write crap. You’re going to have days when it doesn’t flow. BUT…. just do it. Write. Find your voice.

Beyond that, read books… watch movies… learn storytelling and how others tell their stories.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t think of yourself or speak of yourself as an aspiring writer. You ARE a writer, so tell yourself and those that ask that you are. Success doesn’t make that any more truthful. Be yourself. Be proud of yourself.

What are you reading now?
“Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline.

It was given to me by a friend a couple of years back when I had back surgery and I completely forgot about it until recently. With the release of the films trailers, I jumped into and love it so far. Cline’s style is something we can all aspire to attain; streamlined and an easy pleasure to read.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m hungry to step beyond The Lifetime’s War and write other genres. I’m currently mulling over if I should write book three immediately after “The Forgotten Few” is completed or if I should take a break and 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?
That’s pretty simple for me….

“The Cider House Rules” by John Irving
I’ve never identified more with a character than I do with Homer Wells. I grew up the son of a doctor and never wanted to be a doctor myself. “Cider House” spoke to me in ways that no other book did or has since.

“LA Confidential” by James Elroy
I LOVE pulpy type detective tales and I LOVE Elroy’s writing. If you loved the movie, you’ll adore the book even more.

“This is Orson Welles” by Peter Bogdanovich
As I mentioned, I love Orson Welles, and this book is a delight for any fan. His bombast and his genius are on display on every page!

Author Websites and Profiles
Todd Hartsell Website
Todd Hartsell Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written two books now.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a novel in the mystery/suspense/thriller genre called White Jaguar – An Inspector Marco Nayal Novel. I like reading in the genre myself and when I moved to Mexico and started getting serious about my writing, I knew I would set the novel in the Yucatan area where I live. There aren’t many books in this genre featuring Mexican police detectives as the protagonist, so I thought it fitting to do something about that.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say unusual, but I am disciplined and structured. I am definitely one of those ‘plotter’ types and find I have to be thorough with my research and laying out the structure of the story line. I learned this lesson the hard way because in my first draft I burned through my storyline in 50,000 words. Then I got into all kinds of silly problems trying flesh out the story to something actually readable without just padding. On the bright side, it forced me to think really hard about what I was trying to do with my novel, the story and the characters; always a good thing for a writer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have read my way through a wide range of fiction authors, many of them in science fiction like Asimov, Heinlein, Dick and all the others of that era. In my own genre, I am influenced somewhat stylistically by the Nordic noir writers (I am Norwegian) like Nesbo, Adler Olsen and that hole cohort, but I confess to liking Lee Child, as well as Baldacci, Patterson, Grisham, you get the idea. On the technical side of writing, I will say my primary influence is Jon Truby although he advices more on scripts than on full size novels.

What are you working on now?
I have a long backlog of projects, a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Most immediately, I am starting on the sequel to White Jaguar and the new troubles waiting on Inspector Marco Nayal.
In tandem with that, to give my right brain a rest as it were, I will engage my left brain to do a book on project management to share what I learnt in my working life (I am retired) from 40 years of delivering projects.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since I am just starting out, I could ask you the same, because my advice at this time wouldn’t help that much, except maybe one thing: as a new author I have time but little money, so that means I try to do whatever I can that is helpful, but doesn’t cost money. For example, I list my novel on as many free listing services as I can find. We’ll see how it goes.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You already know my writing bias: make a plan, work on the structure of your story (and yes, even non-fiction should tell a story). I break the story into scenes like for a script. Then I schedule writing time and sit down and write. Let me repeat: SIT DOWN AND WRITE. Put everything aside. Learn to get into writing flow fast. I’m still learning myself, but I write non-fiction pretty steady at 2000 words an hour and fiction maybe about 1000. The fiction output is really dependent upon how well I planned the scene I am working on. I knocked out my first 50,000 word draft for White Jaguar in 21 days after committing to writing daily for 2 hours. Of course, sometimes things are really flowing and I do more than 2 hours, but sometimes I flame out a lot earlier. The I spent the rest of the year churning that first draft to 96,000 words before releasing on Amazon. Learning point: Final product depends on more than just writing speed: the editing part is a real bottleneck and self editing is just plain hard – it’s a skill all in itself. Get an external editor if you can without breaking the bank. I will probably go that route for my next one.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get clarity, be clear or words to that effect. If you aren’t clear about your story, your characters or where you’re going with all this, for sure you can’t expect the readers to be either. Nobody likes a confusing or muddled story, so be crystal clear on your intentions. Then do your best job writing. My point is: if you’re not clear in your head, it won’t be clear on the page.

What are you reading now?
Funny you should ask. I haven’t read fiction in over a year because I have been so involved in my own story work. I read a lot of non-fiction for other purposes, but I am ready now for some different inspiration. My wife has a lot of books from the Nordic noire genre so I am looking forward to catch up with the latest in that genre. My Spanish is getting to the point that reading is getting easier so I have a book by Paul Coehlo in Spanish on my desk. In addition to that, I am playing with some ideas for a novel in a particular genre and will be reading in that area to get a feel for where it is at stylistically and story wise. Don’t ask: I am not ready to talk about this part of my work, yet. But stay in touch and find out:)

What’s next for you as a writer?
As I mentioned above, I have a fairly well formed premise and story capsule for the sequel to White Jaguar plus a rough draft for a book on project management. I took a break from blogging last year so I want to get a little more regular there.

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 Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead. Then I would get all volumes of Isaac Asimov’s The Foundation Trilogy and the follow-ups and glue them together and call it one fat book. Then I would take Michael Gruber’s Tropic of Night. Finally, I would take Gabriel Garcia Marques’ On Hundred Years of Solitude.

Author Websites and Profiles
Preben Ormen Website
Preben Ormen Amazon Profile

Preben Ormen’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Washington State transplant from California and I love living in Port Orchard, the town that inspired Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove. I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing and romance novels were and still are my favorite. I’m a sucker for a happy ending. I currently have two books published and I am working on a third.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “The Meddling Madam.” When I wrote “My Fair Baron” my side character almost took over the story and my editor said “You’re writing a romance for her, too, right? Izzy needs her own book!” I got inspired by the musical “Hello, Dolly!” as Izzy’s personality is quite similar – she enjoys meddling in other people’s lives to make them happy.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in bed. I have to take a break if a cat comes to sit on my chest.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I enjoy reading other historical fiction, but I also love supernatural romance. Some of my favorite authors are Amanda Ashley and Christine Feehan.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am working on “The Meddling Madam” but I have plans for a steampunk novel after that! I’m very excited about the concept.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have an active blog on Tumblr as licieoic and I cross-post to Twitter and Facebook.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it. You will see a lot of rejections, but you can’t let it get to you. If you really believe in your book, keep plugging it. Reading is subjective and it’s not going to please everyone. Find the company that loves your book as much as you do, an editor who is excited to work with you, that’s what you want to look for.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My creative writing professor told me “You can do your best, but no one ever said your best was going to be good enough.” It kind of blew my mind because how could I succeed if my best isn’t good enough? But I think she meant that your “best” is going to mean different things to different people. So I take criticism with good grace because it’s just one opinion, someone else will have a completely different experience.

Also, Stephen King once said that his secret to writing novels is to write at least 6 solid pages of work every day. And I’ve tested this, it works! It’s very motivating to have a page goal for the day.

What are you reading now?
I’ve mostly been reading short stories on the internet because I don’t have a lot of time to invest in novels while I’m writing a new book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
What I hope to do is build an audience for my books. I’d love to have more people anticipating books from me in the future.

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 survival guides! And maybe a sketchbook if I’m allowed to have pencils.

Author Websites and Profiles
Licie Laine Website
Licie Laine Amazon Profile

Licie Laine’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I like to garden, love metaphysical studies, and collect crystals, minerals, and gemstones. I enjoy researching 16th-19th Century art and furniture, at the Antique shop where I work.
I currently live in Mississippi, though Arizona is my true home. I have two amazing sons, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and two wonderful grandchildren. A cat and a Collie own me.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Liam’s Spell, Book 2 of the Decker Brothers Trilogy. I am a Tarot reader and medium. When I lived in Arizona I read at several Metaphysical shops, private parties and psychic fairs. I also went through many years of psychic development classes and later taught them and Tarot. All of those experiences definitely inspired this book, as did my love for Sedona, AZ and Ireland.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
What is normal?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The first books I remember falling in love with were Misty of Chincoteague, Stormy, Misty’s Foal, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and for some reason I remember the Madeline Books.

What are you working on now?
I am working on Secrets, Lies, and Sins, Book 2 of The Quest for the Shroud series, Brody’s Charm, the conclusion of the Decker Brothers Trilogy, and an unnamed Romantic Suspense.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Layer. Use multiple sites. Split them up over the promo days.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Join a writer’s organization that offers online classes or workshops. I have been a member of Romance Writers of America for about twenty years and the things I’ve learned and information that is available to me through RWA is invaluable.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There is no right or wrong way to write. You do it the way that works for you.

What are you reading now?
Romantic suspense.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have several ideas for new stories/series rolling around in my head right now.

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?
Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Tolkien & Nora Roberts

Author Websites and Profiles
K. R. Richards Website
K. R. Richards Amazon Profile

K. R. Richards’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an artist in many ways. I love to write, dance, and paint as much as possible. I have written too many pieces to count and thank googledocs for saving all my precious ideas for future publication.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I have published a book of poetry, Perfect Love, that has poems from as far back as eleventh grade. I published it, because it has always been on my bucket list to be an author and I wanted to inspire others to do the same.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write down a lot of dialogue I hear from my kids at work or things I hear coworkers saw. I believe every aspect of life is chock full of inspirational sources.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am absolutely in love with Sylvia Plath. Her insightful mind and honesty have been an inspiration to me since I discovered her in middle school.

What are you working on now?
I am a bit of a frantic writer. I write multiple stories, screenplays, and ideas at the same time. I’m currently working on my first young adult novel about a senior in high school living with selective mutism.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think word of mouth is the best way to promote books. It’s personal and friends and family, even coworkers, make lovely advertisers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to finish something. So many people give up on their work before it’s done. Don’t be discouraged and never doubt your abilities.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever received was, “The trouble is, you thing you have time.” This is a Buddhist quote that reminds me to live each day as if it were my last.

What are you reading now?
I am in the middle of one book, One White Face by Hillary Corna. She even signed a copy for my and my best friend when she did a speech at our college.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As a writer, I am focused on learning how to approach traditional publishing. I already have the self-publishing game figured out and plan on seeing how I can wiggle my way into the big world of published authors.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring any practical survival books, honestly. My main focus would be getting out of there alive. I’m too much of a social butterfly to be stranded.

Author Websites and Profiles
Tranquility Castro Website

Tranquility Castro’s Social Media Links
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a college professor when not writing, in American Literature and Culture. I’ve published a couple of college textbooks, and a novel, Clotho’s Loom (2012). This latest, a children’s picture book, can be found under Dr. Shawn StJean, author of Cranky Bear Wakes Up (Illustrated by Todd StJean)
Amazon purchase page: https://www.amazon.com/Cranky-Bear-Wakes-Up-Sketchbook/dp/1981271864/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1512780258&sr=1-1
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cranky-bear-wakes-up-dr-shawn-stjean/1127591429?ean=9781981271863
Author’s blog (usually a book giveaway is underway): https://clothosloom.wordpress.com/

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Cranky Bear Wakes Up is about a furry fellow who lives by himself, he has no natural predators in the forest, and so he’s naturally the center of his own universe. He’s driven by his desires. So he doesn’t care about anyone else’s troubles. Until the day, of course, when he needs help, and the tables are turned on him. Only then does he learn. It’s a book about empathy–which I thought would make great thematic material for children. Martin Luther King said famously that Americans are terrible at empathy-it’s a kind of cultural “hole” in our perceptions, that we have everything to teach the rest of the world, and nothing to learn from it. So the book has an elemnet of allegory. To put it simply, we all need friends–and not just on days of crisis, but every day.
It’s a “story-sketchbook,” which means kids are encouraged to color and draw in it themselves (as the back cover clearly shows, I hope.) There’s no more important attribute for a child to cultivate than an active imagination, I believe. I’d say it’s for kids who want a good, old-fashioned bedtime story. Ages 3-10, or so. It’s probably 30-40 minutes reading-aloud length, because there is an actual plot structure, and so it might be stretched over two evenings for them. It also gets fairly exciting in the second half, and there’s an element of danger, so parents might want to give it a silent read-through, first. But there’s certainly nothing as intense as the little ones will see and hear on TV or in a PG-13 movie.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need to be near wood-pulp and wood, apparently. I write in libraries and bookstores during the cold weather, and outdoors during the warm months. Though once I get going, it hardly matters. But I think atmosphere and ambiance ought to matter to a writer. Because one day the book will be gathering dust on a shelf, or nanobyte-dust in a computer drive. But I’ve found it’s the writing, the act, that is one of the greatest parts of the experience: you’re living your best life. Using that great computer between your ears, getting into and out of trouble, learning and honing a craft that is down in our culture, but not out. Putting in the hours, the reps, like an athlete, or a musician. So it’s not so much the where, or the when (mornings for me,) as the WHY. Why can you be found writing? Because, as Pirsig put it, “The motorcycle you’re working on is yourself.”

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I prefer the nineteenth century, from Emerson to Crane. That is, Romantics to late Realism–what the British call the Victorian era. There’s no compromise in many of those works, no promise that “it gets better if you stick with it.” Poe believed that literature was primarily meant to be pleasing, beautiful. You have to enjoy every page, whether there’s action or merely description, or dialogue. Reading should be constantly rewarding/edfiying. And although 19th century writerscan be as different as any human beings can be, from one another, they do seem to share that qualitative standard in their prose. Remember, book covers did not sell books then.

What are you working on now?
I’ve written myself well above my head with my next, The Girl Who Stares Back. The scope is historically ambitious. The point-of-view is a nightmare to keep sorted, because it involves multiple personalities sharing a body and a point in time and space. And it’s meant, unlike my first novel, to be commercially viable. So, although it’s only about 300-350 pages, it requires crazy attention to detail. I’m not the type of writer who can just say “good enough” and ship it out the door. Though I’m not a perfectionist, either. I just want it to approach the stuff that has inspired me so much, at least in ambition, if not execution.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think book reviews sell books the best–which requires a lot of legwork and banging on doors, so to speak. There’s no shortcut that I know of.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Turn off your internet connection while you write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.”

What are you reading now?
Up-and-coming Indie Sci-Fi YA called Age of Eli. It’s Artificial Intelligence stuff, action adventure. I like to cross promote and share feedback with other Independents. There’s plenty of unknown talent out there, and we need to stick together!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Back to novels–hopefully, for now. For a novel I’m writing now, I’ve done hours and hours of research on Joan of Arc, because she figures as a major character. I’m going to do something controversial with her, make a change to the historical record which I hope will be obvious. But for that reason, I don’t want to get a bunch of basic facts wrong out of carelessness. If I offend people, it should be purposeful, not accidental. And to make a specific point.

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?
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig.
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville.
Walden, by Henry Thoreau.
Paradise Lost, by John Milton.
There’s a lot of bang for the buck, there.

Author Websites and Profiles
shawn stjean Website
shawn stjean Amazon Profile
shawn stjean Author Profile on Smashwords

shawn stjean’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account