Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I work as a medical doctor and as a software engineer (when I can find the time). Those are just two of the many irons I have in the fire. As an active Christian, I teach, preach, counsel, and lead a connect group.
“Baptism: let’s not water it down!” is the first book I have published under my own name, although not the first I have written. I also have two other books in the works, but with no specific target for their completion.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Baptism: let’s not water it down!” was written to fill a need. I had been teaching a class at my church for over a year. This class prepares new Christians for baptism; it gives them a good understanding of how to live a life that pleases God. It also shows them the significance of water baptism, and how it fits into the Christian life. After teaching this class with only the bible as our textbook, I saw the need for a more focused book. And so I wrote one.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure whether other authors do this, but I like to plan the whole book early in the project. Then I can write the chapters in whatever sequence I feel like. I say “write”, but most of my writing is done by dictation, as I find that I’m more productive talking than I am writing or typing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite writer is Charles Dickens; and I am especially fond of “A tale of two cities.”

What are you working on now?
One of the books I have in the works is one about grief. I leave it alone for months at a time; and every now and then, I go have a look and make some changes or additions to the material.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m just learning about book promotion. So far, I’ve only tried AwesomeGang; and I’ll wait to see what it adds to the sales of my book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Spend adequate time planning your book; then just write it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think it has to do with figuring out who my book is being written for, what type of person is going to purchase it. Being clear about that can be very liberating.

What are you reading now?
The soul winner, by Charles Spurgeon.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, I’m moving very slowly with my next book. I really want to spend some time finding the most cost-effective ways of promoting my book, “Baptism: let’s not water it down!” When I figure that out, it will be full steam ahead on all the other writing I have in the works.

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?
What do women want, by Luise Eichenbaum & Susie Orbach;
Clinical neuroanatomy made ridiculously simple, by Stephen Goldberg;
Paul’s epistle to the Romans, by the Apostle Paul.

I think I would want some writing material as well, and a large bottle with a cork, so I could create something and launch it to the world.

Author Websites and Profiles
Clive Nicholson Website
Clive Nicholson Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve spent most of my life living in Florida and am a graduate of Florida State University. Go Noles! I am a retired police sergeant having served my community for twenty six years. When I was hired, women were still relatively new to the law enforcement profession and I was one of only five at my department. It certainly led to some challenging times but I’m better for it! I spent ten years as the detective sergeant supervising the department’s Homicide Unit. If you can imagine it, I’ve probably seen it! My career was an incredible journey!
My first book was published last year. I’m working on Volume 2 of it and have an idea for a third book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book was published last year, “Behind and Beyond the Badge”, and I’m currently working on volume 2. Honestly, I got tired of seeing police officers portrayed in a primarily negative light in the media. I’ll be the first to admit that not all cops are good but that’s no different than any profession. I think if everyone thought for just a few minutes they could probably think of at least one person that they’ve encountered in their work life that they thought probably shouldn’t be in that particular profession. Overwhelmingly, the majority of cops are good cops but more importantly they are good people! They live and work in the same communities as everyone else and face all that life has to offer, the good and the bad. Most people see only a badge, behind and beyond the badge is what people need to know, the person! My first book and volume two are stories about individuals who actually did the job. It’s their story; I’m merely the vessel to tell it. I could never have done my job without other first responders too so I’ve included not just police officers but fire fighters, paramedics/EMT’s, dispatchers, crime scene technicians and victim advocates. It’s not just cops but all of these other people who often see the horrific things that we as humans can do to one another. I call these folks my Village of First Responders. I really had no intention of writing a second book but the feedback that I have gotten has been so positive and people truly don’t understand but want to know more. So, volume two is in the works and hoping to have it published this November. The book has also afforded me some amazing opportunities for speaking engagements. I’ve spoken at universities, police academies, civic groups, and book clubs and have done book signings wherever I can. I’m passionate about the books message. My mantra is this, “My book doesn’t have the power to change minds but by offering a different perspective perhaps I can open them!”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so but one thing I’ve learned is that I can’t force my writing. If the words aren’t there on a particular day I don’t get frustrated or angry, I just take a break and enjoy the day. Some days I write better in the morning and others in the afternoon and most often I have some music playing in the background.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t believe any one particular author or book has really influenced me. I love to read. Like everyone, I have a group of favorites but I also like to read works of new or fairly unknown authors. I read fiction and nonfiction, my “to read” stack is high.

What are you working on now?
Volume 2 of Behind and Beyond the Badge. The stories in this book are much deeper and I’m really excited about the direction it is going. We’re targeting November of 2018 as the publish date.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Hands down it’s Facebook, even with the recent issues they’ve faced. Instagram is next. I am on Twitter and still learning to navigate that world and to grow my following.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author the entire process can be overwhelming. I am a member of several author groups on different platforms and while many offer good advice it too can be overwhelming. My best advice is to find that one person who you trust and is willing to be a mentor and answer your plethora of questions, because you will have them! If you are limited in your funds, which many new authors are, the one thing I wouldn’t skimp on is your editing and book cover. If your book doesn’t look professional or has a multitude of mistakes it turns people off. And one thing I’ve learned is how important book reviews are. If I read a book I leave a review of it on as many websites as I can. No one has to ask, I do it. I’d suggest that you do the same. And if you’re writing nonfiction, there can be some different challenges. Most people read fiction!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When I was writing my first book there was so much to learn and I’m still learning. Everyone told me to read everything that you can on author forums. It can be overwhelming but they are good places to learn or to take notes and to ask questions about. The best advice I ever got was to have my book professionally edited and I did.

What are you reading now?
“Parade of Horribles” by Rhett DeVane. She’s a fellow author from my area in north Florida and has written several books. I always like to read books by different authors and to support fellow authors.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on volume 2 of my book, the target date for publishing it is November 2018. I have a speaking engagement coming up later this month and am tossing around an idea for a third book, something different but an issue that I am equally passionate about. We’ll see!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
There are so many great books out there, I think they would have to be somewhat inspirational or motivational. I really don’t think I can choose!

Author Websites and Profiles
Donna Brown Website
Donna Brown Amazon Profile

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing because it seemed like the thing to do. When you’re only really good at one thing in life, you end up drifting toward it, regardless of how little money you end up making out of it. I’ve written two full length novels, 2012’s Disappearance and 2014’s Prospero’s Half-Life. My latest is a serial novel being published through Across The Margin’s publishing wing, ATM Publishing. The first part, Interstitial Burn-Boy Blues, was put out in 2017. I’ve also placed short fiction in a variety of outlets, some of which even still exist.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Interstitial Burn-Boy Blues, the first part of a serial novel. It’s very much a product of the looming spectre of climate change, the class consciousness of John Steinbeck, and the working class American heroism of Bruce Springsteen. It’s a response to that certain restlessness that lingers in the American spirit.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I change it up pretty often. Sometimes I like to write longhand, sometimes it’s computer-only, sometimes I scrawl it on tattered abandoned walls.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anyone writing about the decay of American civilization into post-oil, climate-change-scarred barbarism must acknowledge a debt to George Saunders. Full stop. Also inhabiting my sleeve are Steinbeck (Grapes of Wrath and Cannery Row), Hemingway (For Whom The Bell Tolls, not any of the self-indulgent toxic crap he pumped out elsewhere), Faulkner’s short fiction, McCarthy’s Outer Dark, and the lineup of apocalyptic women from this decade: Emily St. John Mandel, Edan Lepucki, Sara Taylor, and Claire Vaye Watkins.

What are you working on now?
My main work in progress is the next part of the serial novel, titled Sacramento Sunline Blues. Additionally I’m working on a cycle of short fiction that falls within the scope of what’s known as Southern Ontario Gothic.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
There’s no one best place to promote – you just have to take the opportunities as they are put forward to you and promote it everywhere, while walking that careful balance between promotion and spam.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing and don’t take any one piece of advice too seriously. You can only really learn by doing two things: reading everything and writing everything.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Red means run, son, and numbers add up to nothing.

What are you reading now?
My current reading list is Norman Mailer’s The Naked And The Dead and Don DeLillo’s latest, Zero K. I actually pre-ordered Zero K but have yet to actually finish it, which is so typical of me.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m guessing rejection, with hopefully the odd acceptance peppered in like a carrot to keep this donkey going.

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?
4 books? Faulkner’s short fiction collection, Hemingway’s short fiction collection, my Alice Munro omnibus, and probably Gravity’s Rainbow, because I’d finally have the luxury of time to take in each and every little minute detail Pynchon builds in to that doorstop of a novel.

Author Websites and Profiles
Trevor Zaple Website
Trevor Zaple Amazon Profile
Trevor Zaple Author Profile on Smashwords

Trevor Zaple’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a daycare teacher during the day / writer at night, and I love what I do. With my Ranlyn Series, which is a series of six siblings who stumble their way into the marriage market in the Victorian era, I got a contract with Red Sage Publishing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my work-in-progress is “The Magic of Loving Him,” and it was heavily inspired by Lisa Kleypas’s own work.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think that I do. I sit in a quiet, comfy area; rock out to some soft metal; and I do my best to ignore the world.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lisa Kleypas is the reason that I write romance novels.

What are you working on now?
I’m still working on the Ranlyn Series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Don’t be annoyingly persistent, but never give up.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author. Please advise me, old authors. To new WRITERS, I’m just going to tell you to trust yourself. If you have it in you, you’ll know what to do.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stay classy.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Olivia Parker’s “To Wed a Wicked Earl.”

What’s next for you as a writer?
To move on to the next book. I also want to attend a book conference sometime within the next year.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Pretty much any historical romance by Lisa Kleypas would suit me.

Author Websites and Profiles
Abbey Faith Website
Abbey Faith Amazon Profile

Abbey Faith’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m known to be quite mad. I’m English and have written three books-two of them under a pen name. Shhhh it’s a secret. I have a degu, a tortoise, some fish, and a fire-breathing, flying bearded dragon called Cossie. (Might have exaggerated her skills.)

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Missing Remnants was inspired, oddly enough, by a story I heard of a country claiming they had no disabled people when they were asked who they were sending to the Paralympics. Their answer did not compute but it made me wonder what it must be like to have your existence denied by your own country. I wrote a skewed version and set it on a space station because that’s how I roll!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No. Leaving coffee to go cold for hours, talking to yourself and your characters are all perfectly normal habits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy has to be up there-all five parts of the trilogy! I also love Agatha Christie. When I’m being horrific James Herbert usually fits the bill.

What are you working on now?
I wrote a book for Radish Fiction called Iridessian Haunts which I may call Unwelcome when I inflict it on the world. A team are attempting to build on a new planet. The planet has other ideas and is fighting back. They’re unsure if the forces fighting them are paranormal or just alien, so am I for that matter! It’ll be great when it’s finished.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t found it yet. Oh sorry, yes, Awesome Gang-obviously!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. Do spell check.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do not ever give up.

What are you reading now?
Where There’s a Will by Alex R Carver
Bulwark by Brit Lunden
Monsterland by Michael Okon

I plan to at least finished SOMETHING this year.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll be publishing another book later this year whether the world wants it or not! Sorry world.

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 definitely take the book that is capable of making me a coffee. Then I’d go with an Agatha Christie, a James Herbert and something hideous and factual about pandemics.

Author Websites and Profiles
DJ Cooper Website
DJ Cooper Amazon Profile

DJ Cooper’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, but it’s going to be a 3 part series. I am very excited about entering this world and becoming an author!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called Win The Hour, Win The Day. .. Time Management for Small Business. It is the result of starting my own business and working too hard for too long. . .and learning from highly successful people. . . that it’s not what you do with your day but what you do with your hour. .. . Watching Successful People manage their business, instead of it managing them was life changing!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I really don’t know what “unusual” means. . is calling your mother regularly moaning about how long it’s taking. . .is that unusual? lol!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Well, I am a business book junkie. . .I really enjoyed Draw To Win by Dan Roan, Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson, and Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds had a big impact on me.

What are you working on now?
Part 2 for the Win The Hour, Win The Day series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, I am very new at this. . so the results are not in yet;)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take it one day at a time. Connect with other authors. . . I learned so much more –when I discovered this writing community.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The only thing that matters is what you do next!

What are you reading now?
Never Split the Difference. Chris Voss

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am eager to get to my next series on Leadership and Management . . but I need to finish this series first;)

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?
Ask and It Is Given, Esther and Jerry Hicks
Experts Secrets, By Russel Brunson
The Long To Freedom, Neilson Mandela

Author Websites and Profiles
Kris Ward Website

Kris Ward’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve had a passion for writing as far back as I can remember. Jotting down stories in my notebook in elementary school, dreaming up ideas of characters and reading books and fantasizing about other endings I could give the characters pushed me to writing my first full length book and self-publishing through Amazon. So far I have three published novels and one novella. But my computer is filled with scattered ideas that I plan on developing so be prepared for many more to come.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’m currently working on wrapping up the Davis Brothers series. After many late nights and coffee binges, I finally finished the edits on Flying High. Inspiration for writing this book snuck up on me as i finished the first book. It wasn’t my plan for this to turn into a series but I thought Chris deserved his story to be told. I guess he grew on me during book one and I wanted him and Natalie to get their own happily ever after.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Inspiration strikes me at the most random times it seems. It’s not uncommon for me to grab my phone and text myself (yes, you heard me) the ideas so I don’t lose the creative streak.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on book three in the Davis Brothers Series. It’s in the beginning stages but I’m leaning toward the title Fly Away.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Practice makes perfect. At the time I published my debut novel I was pretty proud of the quality of my work. Today I read it and cringe. Your writing will constantly grow and improve as long as you practice and keep writing. Don’t give up and don’t take it so seriously. After all, it’s supposed to be fun.

What are you reading now?
I just started Jock Row by Sara Ney and so far I’m loving it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would love to dive into a new sub-genre in romance and explore new ideas. But I’m taking it one day at a 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?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Notebook and The Vampire Diaries (obsessed).

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I published my first book this past weekend. I published my second book two days ago. I used to be a waitress, then worked for a school for many years. I write when I am emotional, when I want to get a significant day on paper, or just for fun. After realizing I enjoy writing more than anything else, I decided to start a career as an author.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book published is “19.” It is a story of a college student that has her first seizure. I was that student. I released it in the fiction genre because parts of it are not accurate. I was inspired to distribute it because when I think back to those days of defeat, I felt in my soul, it took a lot for me to triumph. I have days where I need to get up out of my emotional funk, whatever my issues may be. This book reminds me I am strong enough to do so.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, I have many unusual habits. I cannot write unless I am lying on my belly. I sometimes get writer’s block if I am sitting up while I type. I need to listen to nineties music if it is a story of that era, I will listen to pop music if the story is about a girl living now. Those are the two biggies, the music and lying on my belly.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
“Paterson” by William Carlos Williams is a massive influence for me. I love the short stories inside the big picture Williams tells. The book is more than a history of New Jersey; it is about rooting for the underdog. Another influential author is Gertrude Stein and “Tender Buttons.”
The book showed readers there is no ‘right’ way to write a story. As I was reading, I felt as though Stein came into my living room and moved all of my furniture into my bedroom, but somehow it worked.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the next book in the series “The Regrettable and Forbidden.” The sequel to “Wendy’s Song.” We find out what happens to John, which many people are asking.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My personal facebook page. I share the link to my book and ask my friends and family to share and they usually do. I have a great support system. I need to find more followers and a bigger list if I want to make a career out of this.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author, I am making a lot of mistakes. I would say don’t be afraid to make mistakes, that is how we learn. Read books on how to write. We are all life-long learners. When you are overwhelmed or confused, take a minute…breathe, and come back later.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Go for it, what do you have to lose? This is your passion, be happy.

What are you reading now?
“Hidden Depths” by Louise Guy
“Hidden Depths” is a collection of short stories from various authors. I like to read short stories, mostly. I also enjoy poems and a decent graphic novel at times.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to continue the Regrettable and Forbidden series, then create a new contemporary fiction series that feeds off of that. I already have characters and scenes in my mind. We shall see.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“Paterson” by William Carlos Williams
“The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald” by Matthew Joseph Bruccoli
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Author Websites and Profiles
Robyn Branick Website
Robyn Branick Amazon Profile

Robyn Branick’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a stay-at-home mom of three daughters. My oldest recently graduated high school and I home school my two younger daughters. I’ve written six books in the series, The Alexis Stanton Chronicles, and co-authored a children’s chapter book with my three daughters titled, Holly Hunderson Moves In.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Holly Hunderson Moves In is my latest book and it was inspired by my three girls. My oldest was doing her senior project on self-publishing, my middle daughter complained when she had to write for school and my youngest complained when she had to read. So, we got together and decided to write a book. My oldest got a good grade on her senior project, my middle daughter doesn’t complain about writing any more and my youngest no longer complains about reading.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I know of, but aren’t authors unusual by nature?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury are all strong influencers of my love of reading and in turn my love for writing.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on several projects. I haven’t chosen one to focus my efforts yet. However, I’m leaning toward another Holly Hunderson book or a spin-off of my Alexis Stanton Series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook has been good to me by connecting me with my readers. I’m not sure if it makes me many direct sales, but the word of mouth from my current reader to their friends and family makes up for it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. Keep at it and find a good editor.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Treasure Island to my daughters.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m hoping to write some more in the Alexis Stanton Chronicles as well as the Holly Hunderson series. I do have another idea for a series I’d like to start writing soon.

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?
Books on foraging for wild plants, a book on first aid, and probably The Hobbit for entertainment.

Author Websites and Profiles
JC Phelps Website
JC Phelps Amazon Profile
JC Phelps Author Profile on Smashwords

JC Phelps’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 written two books at the moment both of them are poetry books. I am in the middle of writing two short stories, that I plan to publish as well. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. It is my talent that I have in life.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Who am I?, I was inspired to write poems about myself. Things that some may say define me, I am trying to build my career in writing and make a name for myself. I felt writing about myself, giving a bit of my personality. Was a good place to start.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do not think I have any unusual writing habits, I just obsessively write. I have papers all over my house, one bad habit I do have is starting a story or project and stopping because I have let my fear of it not being good enough get in the way.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced by authors Zane and Eric Jerome Dickey.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a few projects two are books, that will be filled with a lot of drama and action.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have not found a method that best suites me yet.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep writing and be good at what you do!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am looking in to getting my feet wet, and gaining a bigger audience. I will keep writing books and my poetry no matter what comes of it.

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 be stranded with if you give a moose a pancake, I know why the caged bird sings, any two other books that are from the authors Zane and Eric Jerome Dickey

Author Websites and Profiles
Annaerb Jones Website

Annaerb Jones’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! It’s a pleasure to be here. I write in many genres, including clean historical romance, contemporary romance, YA paranormal romance, YA fantasy, as well as middle grades chapter and picture books. I’ve written over 20 books to date.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is A Whiskey River Princess (Whiskey River Brides, #3). We’ve all wanted to get away from our lives from time to time, to find adventure. The fictional character in my book Gabriella Grimaldi does just that. She flees her life of privelege and protection and opts to find adventure in Wyoming’s wild west. The inspiration for the character of Gabriella came when I thought how an actual princess would react to being placed in such a situation. With a bit of research, I found that the Grimaldi family had been the ruling family in Monaco for centuries. But although Gabriella was fictional, her uncle and cousin were real people. As a teacher, I love to mix fiction with history when I can.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Don’t hate me, but I’m a natural born morning person. (I know!) But I love rising early in the morning to get a head start on the day. I find that I accomplish so much more in the morning than I ever do at night, so I get up as early as five o’clock in the morning to write every morning–sometimes earlier–even on my days off.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephenie Meyers, author of the Twilight Saga, incluenced me quite a bit. Before I read the Twilight books, I had never really read YA books before. After reading her books, I thought, “I could write that!” And my first book Cambria (Cambria Series, #1) was born. Another book that influenced me is A Knight in Shining Armor, by: Jude Deveraux. In my opinion, it’s the best time travel romance book ever written and is the model for which all time travel books should be written. Another book that influence me was the first “real” book I ever read when I was a child titled Renee. I couldn’t tell you who the author is. But I enjoyed that book so much that it instilled a love of reading in me that I sill have today.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the edits and second draft of The Banker’s Bride (Whiskey River Brides, #5), and I’m also writing the first draft of The Sheriff and the Outlaw (Whiskey River Brides, #6). There will be ten books in all for my Whiskey River Brides Series. In addition, I’m mapping out other books that I will be writing soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth is always the best advertisement. However, Bargain Booksy is wonderful and I’m had great results. Also, Hot Tree Promotions is wonderful for book promotions.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. More advice: You can do anything if you set your mind to it. A professor of mine in college once told me that you aren’t truly a writer until you get your first rejection notice. When I got mine, I ran inside, happy as a lark, jumping up and down. My husband asked me if I got accepted, and I told him no, I got rejected. But that meant that I was finally a writer. When you start submitting to publishers, be thick skinned. For everyone who is anyone was told that they couldn’t do it: Barbara Streisand, John Grisham, and many more. Don’t listen to the nay-sayers. Keep studying your craft, keep writing, and know that you’re in good company. Keep believing and your dream will come true.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The same as above. Never give up, and you can do anything if you set your mind to it. My father used to tell me that and I tell it to my own children, too. And it’s true: You can do anything if you set your mind to it, but you have to put in the hard work, too. It won’t just come to you. You have to earn it. The onld saying is that it took ten years to become an overnight success is sometimes true. But never give up and you will achieve your goals.

What are you reading now?
I just finished A Little Spark, by: Amy K. McClung. I highly recommend it. I’m also reading How to Write Non-Fiction, by: Joanna Penn, and Plot Gardening, by: Chris Fox. I highly recommend them all. In addition to reading books in your genre, it’s necessary to read books in your craft, as well.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, first I’m going to finish my Whiskey River Brides series. Then I plan to venture out to many other projects that I have in the works, including some YA, contemporary romance, middle grades, and more historical romance.

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, of course. Then I’d bring A Knight in Shining Armor, by: Jude Deveraux, Twilight, by: Stephenie Meyer, and a writing journal. (Hey! A journal is still technically a book! LOL)

Thank you so much for having me here today! I really enjoyed it!

Author Websites and Profiles
Theresa Oliver Website
Theresa Oliver Amazon Profile
Theresa Oliver Author Profile on Smashwords

Theresa Oliver’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Joseph Lewis Tamone. I’ve been writing my entire life, and The Fusion World Project is only part one of eight in the Philanthropy series. The sequel, In The Shadow Of The Demon, is finished and ready to be released. The rest are still underway.

Writing is my passion. It’s been my hobby since I was able to pick up a pencil. I’ve given myself insomnia thinking about things to write.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Fusion World Project: Philanthropy I. I didn’t title the book until after I had written it because I couldn’t think of one. The title is in reference to a major event within the story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I pace in circles constructing chapters in my head, and then quickly type the words out before I forget. Brainstorming without a keyboard or pen in front of me helps me articulate my story so that it makes sense.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, Phillip Pullman, everything by Phillip K. Dick, and the greatest writer of all time, Thomas Jefferson.

What are you working on now?
The fourth book in the Philanthropy series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I still haven’t figured that one out.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If writing is your passion, then write. Don’t worry about money. Just create your art, and somebody will recognize it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t build a career doing something that you hate.

What are you reading now?
Nothing at the moment. I read so much that I couldn’t find anything I wanted to read, so I decided to write something that I’d want to read.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing up my very ambitious eight-part series.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Odyssey, One Thousand And One Nights, Lies Incorporated (or anything by Phillip K. Dick)

Author Websites and Profiles
Joseph Tamone Amazon Profile

Joseph Tamone’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Henry G. Taygar. I am currently the librarian at Academy Emerald. I was adopted into the Academy when I was a small child, something that is pretty unusual. I’m 42 years old. I have a beautiful wife and two wonderful children that I love to play with who live at the Academy with me. And of course, the students who come through these halls. I love to read and play chess (a truly wonderful game). I have only written one book so far, but hopefully there are many more to come.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is Academy Bloodstone. I just felt the time was right to begin compiling the adventures of the Academies into one cohesive document. Hopefully it’s both entertaining and informative!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It’s very warm where I live, so the best time to be outside is early in the morning or late in the day. I enjoy sitting outside under the stars and writing until I fall asleep.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been greatly influenced by great modern novelists like Rick Riordan and James Patterson. I also enjoy a good Sherlock Holmes story now and then.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the second book of Alphas, the sequel to Academy Bloodstone.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have found that word out mouth does a good job, as well as spreading it through social media circles.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author, I would rather be given advice. That’s not an option? Well, I would have to say that no matter how intimidated you are by the world of publishing, give it your best shot. It will never be as good as you imagined, and that’s fine, because the next time it will be better, and the time after that even better.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There is no such thing as overtraining, only under-resting. Basically, take care of yourself! It’s important to be aware of your needs and treat yourself accordingly.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading the final book of the Tunnels series, Terminal.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing, probably.

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 The Mysterious Benedict Society, Ender’s Game, and the Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes. I could read those novels again and again and still enjoy them.

Author Websites and Profiles
Henry Taygar Website
Henry Taygar Amazon Profile

Henry Taygar’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, this is my debut novel, The Jracon’s Burden, but I can feel I have many books inside me, desperate to get out, so watch this space! I am in my early 40s, with a wife and kids, a fish, a hamster and a yorkshire terrier! I love anything to do with science and the natural world, reading and running.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Jracon’s Burden – I knew I wanted to write a fantasy story, and wanted to put a unique slant on it to make it stand out in a saturated genre, so hopefully I’ve managed to do this. I’ve always loved high-paced page-turners with cliffhangers at every turn (think James Patterson), so I have tried to recreate this.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure what “usual” writing habits are! I email myself the latest draft of my story as I go to try to ensure I have as many backups as possible, just in case I change my mind on a plot course, or flush my laptop down the loo!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
James Patterson, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Dean Koontz, Ian Fleming, Lee Childs, Terry Pratchett, David Eddings, Tolkien, C.S.Lewis, the list goes on!

What are you working on now?
A sequel to The Jracon’s Burden, and a sci-fi, post-apocalyptic survival story (again with a twist on the genre)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m new to the promotion game, but Awesome Gang came well reviewed!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t lose heart! Enjoy the writing while you can, because the promotion can be a real slog!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Live in the now, man!

What are you reading now?
Simon Pegg’s autobiography

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep tapping away on the keyboard, see how The Jracon’s Burden does, use it as a measure and a guinea pig as I venture into the world of self-publishing…

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 Hobbit, JRR Tolkien, The Dragonlance Chronicles – Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency – John Seymour (to grow my own crops!)

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Maggie Locke
I live in Erie PA
I work at a hotel in housekeeping, I write when I can.
I’ve always loved to write and tell stories.
I’ve written two books The Good War and Saving Cooper.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called Saving Cooper
I was at the library and the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin fell from the shelf as I was taking another book from the shelf. I read it. I can understand why queen Victoria cried over it. Very moving!
It inspired me to write the book, the ideas just started to flow.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I like to have music playing while I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I do read a lot. I like Diana Gabaldons’ Outlander series. Sherrilyn Keyons’ Dark Hunter, Dream Hunter and We’re Hunter series and Gena Showalters’ Lord’s of the underworld series.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a children’s book called Aimee’s adventure.
I’ve decided to turn the good war into a series.
I’m working on a paranormal book called Heros of time.
Where three ancient Greek heroes are brought forward in time to battle ancient Greek monsters that were accidentally unleashed.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do have a website. authormaggielocke@simdiff.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be persistent!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Do what you love, and happiness will flow” my dad said that to me when we were talking about my books in the garage.

What are you reading now?
Night pleasures by Sherrilyn Keyon, its the second book in her Dark Hunter series

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully writing more books

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s a tough one. A survival guide, a book on Morse code, my address book for when I get rescued

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Maggie Locke
I live in Erie PA
I work at a hotel in housekeeping, I write when I can.
I’ve always loved to write and tell stories.
I’ve written two books The Good War and Saving Cooper.
I do have a website authormaggielocke.@simdiff.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called Saving Cooper
I was at the library and the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin fell from the shelf as I was taking another book from the shelf. I read it. I can understand why queen Victoria cried over it. Very moving!
It inspired me to write the book, the ideas just started to flow.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I like to have music playing while I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I do read a lot. I like Diana Gabaldons’ Outlander series. Sherrilyn Keyons’ Dark Hunter, Dream Hunter and We’re Hunter series and Gena Showalters’ Lord’s of the underworld series.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a children’s book called Aimee’s adventure.
I’ve decided to turn the good war into a series.
I’m working on a paranormal book called Heros of time.
Where three ancient Greek heroes are brought forward in time to battle ancient Greek monsters that were accidentally unleashed.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do have a website. authormaggielocke@simdiff.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be persistent!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Do what you love, and happiness will flow” my dad said that to me when we were talking about my books in the garage.

What are you reading now?
Night pleasures by Sherrilyn Keyon, its the second book in her Dark Hunter series

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully writing more books

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s a tough one. A survival guide, a book on Morse code, my address book for when I get rescued

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Oh, I’ve written at least five. My terrible desire for perfection often stops me from publishing any. The Tree That Grew Through Iron was the first full length novel I wrote that I felt confident enough to share with the public.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Tree That Grew Through Iron is the name of my latest book. It was inspired by characters I created and used to roleplay in a creative writing message board back when I was sixteen years old. The characters have been with me for so long, they needed their own story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think all authors have a unique approach to writing. I don’t know how strange it is, but I do like to sip on a dirty martini while I write. It helps ease any apprehension brought on by anxiety.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Neil Gaiman, a thousand percent. His work is stunning. I could write a thousand books based solely on my internal praise for the man.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second installment of The Tree That Grew Through Iron. I don’t want to give the title away just yet, until I can reveal it with the cover.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly, Facebook is amazing. Never underestimate the power of a boosted post.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stick with it. Follow the dream. Write, then write more. The most brilliant thing about the art of the written word is you can’t master it. Your next book will always be better than your last, because the learning process is continual. Perhaps most critical of all, don’t ever think you’re “too good” to talk to aspiring writers. Remember, you were them once. Everyone starts somewhere.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Play to your own strength. You may admire the writing style of *insert author here* but your own inner voice will still resound with your readers if you stay true to yourself.

What are you reading now?
Oh dear, I’m embarrassed to admit I’m not currently invested in a good book at the moment. I’ve been hurling so much of my free time into editing that I haven’t made the time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More installments of The Tree That Grew Through Iron! This series is going to keep me busy for quite some 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?
American Gods, The Grand Escape, and Ghost Writer. Hooray, nostalgia!

Author Websites and Profiles
McKenzie Austin Website
McKenzie Austin Amazon Profile

McKenzie Austin’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello all! My name is Christopher R. Michael and I am an author out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I have been writing since high school and recently decided to do so professionally. I have three works published right now and I am working on a fourth.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Chestnut Ridge is the name of my latest book. It was inspired by a creepy house that I once lived in and strange things would happen. The first book, If Only You Were Gone was unique in its own genre, while Chestnut Ridge is more of a horror type book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write ideas down on my small, pocket sized notebooks. I write many ideas down about what will happen in my book and then later turn each idea into many pages in my book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King is the biggest influence on my writing, while Dean Koontz and John Grisham have a great deal of influence, as well.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I am working on the second book of If Only You Were Gone.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still in the learning process for promotion. I have registered with Goodreads and a site called Bookdaily, although bookdaily is shutting down soon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to not listen to people who doubt you. I have listened to people say that it is not possible to do this for a living for far too long. I have finally decided to do what I have always dreamed of doing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be what you want to be in life. If you have a dream, make it a reality.

What are you reading now?
A Face in the Crowd by Stephen King.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will finish this second part of If Only You Were Gone, then I will be writing a second book to Chestnut Ridge.

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?
Everything’s Eventual, The Darkest Evening of the Year, and the Bible.

Author Websites and Profiles
Christopher Michael Website
Christopher Michael Amazon Profile

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I just have finished my first Book – I wanted to die, but I changed my mind and now working on my second one, but I can’t reveal the title yet.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My life is my inspiration, going through the same experiences over and over again left me with some questions and made me go deeper to find out answers. The results and the process are in the book to inspire others and to help them find their answers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, I just like to have a nice view, the Ocean or the Bali Jungle.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
All Lise Bourbeau’s books, Anais Nin, Carlos L’Abatte and I think all the books that have been in my hands had at least an idea that made me the person that I am today.

What are you working on now?
Another book about love, but I am not the subject anymore… I write about people that inspire me.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To make time to write every day. even if it is just an idea.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To always follow my heart and never compromise.

What are you reading now?
Mind – A Journey to the Heart of Being Human by Daniel J. Siegel

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing my second 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?
Listen to your body / Who you are by Lise Bourbeau
About Presence by Carlos L’Abbate
You can heal your life by Louise Hay

Author Websites and Profiles
Ana Dragalina Website

Ana Dragalina’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in the Kansas City area, am a husband, and a father of twin boys. I likes post apocalyptic stories, probably a little too much. Somehow I also fits in the time to write.

I have currently have 3 published novels in the zombie apocalypse genre I co-wrote with my friend Thomas Baker.

I have 3 other novels of my own that are in various stages of completion.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dead of Winter

It it the 3rd in our Outbreak series. The setting was inspired by a vacation to Colorado Springs and the surrounding area I took with my family when my boys were 4 years old.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, don’t think so. I just fit it in when I can for now. Like all writers, I would like to have more time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King is a big one. Been reading him since I was a teenager. Fred Saberhagen, Michael Moorcock, Anne McCaffrey, J.R.R. Tolkien were all influential from my early years.

What are you working on now?
I am on my second draft of my fantasy novel called Assault Against the Heavens. I had the idea when thinking about what it would have been like to live in ancient Greece or Rome and Zeus was really a god and what if he came down and lived among his people and became their ruler.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still trying to figure that one out. I’m hoping that word of mouth will be a big one. That people enjoy my books and want to share them with others.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Nothing new that hasn’t been said elsewhere. Keep writing and keep reading. Polish your book as much as you can but it will never feel finished. You are just going to have to get to that point where you release it into the wild.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A lot of Stephen King’s On Writing book.

What are you reading now?
Thread Slivers by Leeland Artra

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just keep writing and releasing. Getting better at both the writing and the marketing of my books.

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?
Can I cheat and bring the whole Gunslinger saga with me?

Author Websites and Profiles
Robert Wagner Website
Robert Wagner Amazon Profile

Robert Wagner’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Christopher Bowron has always loved a great story, and possesses a unique gift of the magic to tell one. He can be described as a “thriller writer, with a mysterious undertone,” who can take his readers on believable journeys to the sharp edge of reality and the paranormal. The use of seat belts is optional while reading his work, but you may need to buckle up and hold on tight from time to time.

Christopher’s roots are Canadian, and his two children make the fifth generation of his family to live in Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario. His other home in Southwest Florida, in an area of everglades and ocean, provided him with ammunition for his imagination. This inspired his love of writing, and became the backdrop in the creation of his first published, best-selling novel. “Devil In The Grass” and soon to be released sequel “The Palm Reader.”

He is fortunate to be able to live his own personal great story, which includes graduating from Brock University with a Bachelor of Arts in History, creating a wonderful family and life, running a successful real estate brokerage, having the opportunities to enjoy fine wine, sports and getting away to do some salt water fishing in Florida whenever possible.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Palm Reader– is the sequel to my first book: Devil in the Grass, which is a best seller. I had such a great response from the first book that I felt the story couldn’t end. Readers and reviewers thus far have really enjoyed the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It probably isn’t unusual, but I do get up very early and write. My head seems to be clearer and the coffee is a bonus.

I will also write late at night if I feel inspired.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
JRR Tolkien– is probably my ultimate favourite. What a story teller.

I loved James Patterson’s early books– the ones he wrote.

What are you working on now?
I have a third book up for publication called: Waiting for Morning Time. It’s a novel based upon a true story where three men go fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and their boat sinks. The story was big in the news 17 years ago… what a great story. I think I was able to capture it and do it some justice.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method to promote has been word of mouth and a growing fan base. Goodreads has been excellent, as well as Bookbub.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you write 300 words a day, you will have a novel inside of a year. Be consistent and don’t be afraid to write what you want to write, not what you perceive others want to hear.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Grow thick skin.

What are you reading now?
The Cuban Affair by Nelson Demille. I’m just finishing up and need something new. — any suggestions?

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m writing the third book in the Jackson Walker series and it’s called: The Sawgrass Savannah. It will be a continuation, though I’m branching away from the Satanist bad guys. I’m interviewing a man who was chef to four US presidents. We will see where that goes. It sounds like it could be an interesting story.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Lord of the Rings, War and Piece (Only because I know it would kill some time) One of the Bernard Cornwell series– all three books. I love that writer.

Author Websites and Profiles
Christopher Bowron Website
Christopher Bowron Amazon Profile

Christopher Bowron’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Bruce Post is an award-winning playwright, published novelist and teacher of theatre. His plays have been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Washington D.C., Connecticut, and Martha’s Vineyard. He is published by Broadway Play Publishers, Smith and Kraus and the Dramatic Publishing Company. He is the recipient of the 2012 Playwrights First Award and the 2003 John Gassner Award. His novel, Fleeing Steady Habits, was published July, 2016, by Black Rose writing and is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. He is currently completing a trilogy of novels about experiencing the end of civilization while on board a cruise ship. The first part, Eris Adrift, is available on KDP. Bruce teaches HS Drama at the Waterbury Arts Magnet School. Currently, Bruce continues to write and teach in Connecticut.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ERIS AT HOME and it is the third book in the ERIS series. I was inspired to write the series by a post-it note on my computer that read “cruise ship apocalypse.”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write as often as I have the time. I recently suffered a stroke, which forced me to write using voice recognition software, which is certainly an unusual experience.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am greatly influenced by Mark Twain, Ray Bradbury and Stephen King.

What are you working on now?
Promoting my books and completing the third book in the ERIS series, ERIS AT HOME.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
KDP Select works well for me. Also Goodreads.

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

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t worry if you think what you wrote is trash. Give it time. You have no real perspective on your work until you begin to forget about it.

What are you reading now?
LIGHTNING by Dean Koontz

What’s next for you as a writer?
Attending book festivals.

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 FEMALE MAN by Joanna Russ
DANDELION WINE by Ray Bradbury
THE STAND by Stephen King
THE DARK TOWER by Stephen King

Author Websites and Profiles
Bruce Post Website
Bruce Post Amazon Profile

Bruce Post’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Anita Gray is a Top #100 and International Amazon Bestselling Author of BLAIRE, BLAI2E, & There’s Something about BLAIRE. Since publishing in December 2016, Anita has topped the author ranks on amazon for #2 across numerous genres. Anita has also earned several awards and was nominated for the Summer Indie Book Awards 2017 for Best Romance.

Anita is expanding The Dark Romance Series. Late 2018, she is publishing a spin-off series called BLAIRE’S WORLD, written by a collection of bestselling and new authors. You can learn more by visiting BLAIRE’S WORLD

Anita in a nutshell: she’s obsessed with The Walking Dead and The Originals, loves books of all genres, tolerates rock music, and detests TV without meaning. She thanks her readers and fellow bloggers – who she adores beyond words – for supporting her throughout her journey. She admits she couldn’t live without her family, the beating heart to her life. She owes everything to Shane.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
BLAI2E, part 2 in the Dark Romance Series. I was inspired by a mixture of authors, movies, music and life events. BLAI2E has been my hardest story to tell to date.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m an OCD edit-author. I edit as I go, which kills the mood. But I am trying to break the habit.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anna Zaires is a huge inspiration to me. Not only is she talented and one of the best storytellers I’ve read to date, but she’s the kindest person.

What are you working on now?
BLAIR3, Part 3 in the Dark Romance Series. And I’m also working on a frenemies to lovers standalone.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do a lot of author cross promotion, Facebook giveaways, and author takeovers. I also use Red Feather Romance.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you don’t enjoy what your writing, your readers won’t. And a cover is the most important thing to selling, second to writing a different, exciting and engaging novel.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write drunk. Edit sober.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Twilight for the 1000s time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m turning my Dark Romance Series into audio books and having them translated in numerous languages.

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 Twist Me Trilogy and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Author Websites and Profiles
Anita Gray Website
Anita Gray Amazon Profile

Anita Gray’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
“La La Feels Blah-La” is my first completed and published book. As president and founder of The Virtue Agency, I’ve spent the last fifteen years writing and developing digital content to maximize brand exposure and engagement for clients across the country. I’ve authored articles that appear on MarketWatch (WSJ), Yahoo! Finance, MNN.com, EWG.org, and HealthyChild.org. I’ve also written creatively my entire life – but not for public consumption.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
As a mom to four daughters who is committed to natural and mindful living, I was inspired to write “LaLa’s World” after over a decade of reading countless popular children’s books and realizing that only a handful of stories truly serve to impart spiritual wisdom. My intention with this series was to write something in the same vein as Dr. Wayne Dyer’s children’s books and bestsellers “Incredible You!” and “Unstoppable Me!” that will help my daughters and other children better understand how their beliefs manifest their realities so they can grow up to be the change they wish to see in the world.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write in the morning before my thinking mind is fully awake. I find that I write best when I can just let the story flow out of me rather than overthink which words belong on the page.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My mother was a librarian, so I grew up reading countless literary works of all genres in quiet corners of the local library. Some of my favorite children’s books are The Giving Tree, Green Eggs and Ham, Go Dog Go and Good Night Moon. In terms of adult reads, my primary influencers or favorites are Power of Now, Dune, Fountainhead, Gone with the Wind, Dracula, Silence of the Lambs, and anything Shakespeare

What are you working on now?
I’ve written the second book in the LaLa’s World Series and have a title in mind for the third book. I’m also writing a novel which is in an ambitious narrative and complex format. The sweet simplicity of “LaLa Feels Blah-La” was a much needed break!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I find in life you get what you give. I’ve given away a lot of copies of “LaLa Feels Blah-La” in the hopes that the word will spread and I find it works! I also think patience is key – it takes time to grow the right audience. I rely heavily on social media to communicate and share – but NOT sell.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t over-edit yourself! Let the words flow as outrageous or simple they may be and just let the story flow out of you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t take life so seriously, take time to play and spread joy!

What are you reading now?
Little Fires Everywhere

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep writing!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Power of Now, Awakening the Buddha Within, a Survival Manual.

Author Websites and Profiles
Tela Kayne Website
Tela Kayne Amazon Profile

Tela Kayne’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name’s Katya, I live in a city called Johannesburg in South Africa and this question is already making me shy because Ash Rising is my first novel. Well, I mean, it depends on who you ask. According to my desk’s drawer I have finished about three novels over the years but this is the first one I’ve actually had the guts to put out. So let’s see how that goes. As for me? Typical left-handed right-brained crazy. Myer Briggs would call me an ENFP unicorn (although the first time I took that test in a job interview I broke it) and William Moulton Marston would call me a ‘high I’. Most people are just surprised I pay taxes.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I have always loved fairy tale retellings and adaptations, especially the risky-yet-beautiful efforts like Oyeyemi’s Boy Snow Bird. One day I had a dream (not like a Martin Luther King Jr. dream, like a lying down and snoring dream) about this freakishly huge pumpkin from a science experiment gone wrong and this dystopian fairy tale world gone mad and I just knew that I had to write it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Two words guys: left-handed problems. The struggle is real. I would love to sit on a park bench and write down literary thoughts in a moleskin…except that the literary thoughts are smudged by the time I’m on the third syllable. So, I would love to have unusual writing habits but I am sadly exiled to boring ol’ laptopping. Except, okay, sometimes I really need to get up and make myself a bowl of chocolate icing before the plot can progress. But that’s normal right?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think that, if you’re doing life right, all the authors and books influence you. The good, the forgettable, the downright bad… especially the bad, if you’re a writer. Margaret Atwood has made me want to write so much that it burns, same for Anita Brookner. Madeline Miller’s Circe was just wow… And this is going to sound very bad, but I was very positively influenced by Twilight in university. I opened it and read some of the character development and some of the, um, plot and I was like ‘I can really do this’.

What are you working on now?
Ashes Slowly Fall, the sequel to Ash Rising. I’m so excited, it’s allowing me to delve way deeper into one of my favorite characters from the first one, Vanita. It’s a sweet side character getting her own show and becoming much grittier, darker and more complex. Without giving too much away, the Bene Gesserit and The Hatchet really influenced this one a lot. It’s gonna be good!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I trained as a journalist and so I firmly believe that relationship is everything. Awesome Gang is (obviously) awesome and so are Amazon ads and KDP Select, but my main method is having conversations with the following I’ve built over the years of people who’ve loved my stories. Communicating to them over email in an honest, relationship-centered way about any new or old projects is hands down the best promotional tool I have and it feels authentic to both me and them. You can find out more at https://katyastead.wixsite.com/katyalebeque

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Good grief, I have no idea how qualified I would be to give advice. I think my advice for author-ing is the same as my advice for all walks of life: everything comes out better when you enjoy it and everything comes out better when you’re not freaking out. So be kind to yourself. Not super scientific – but hey, works for me.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It changes from day to day. Yesterday the best advice I’d ever heard was ‘everything will be alright in the end. If it’s not alright, it’s not the end.’ Today the best advice is ‘dry your hair with a T-shirt instead of a towel so it doesn’t frizz.’

What are you reading now?
I have no problem with monogamy when it comes to people, but with books I have commitment issues. In my current harem are Madeline Miller’s Circe (again because I love it), Mary Stewart’s Arthur books and Peter Brett’s The Daylight War. I recently finished Exhibit Alexandra and The Toymakers which I enjoyed a lot too.

What’s next for you as a writer?
There are a couple of projects to complete after Ashes Slowly Fall. I have a full-length novel called How To Survive Becoming Spiritual that has survived its first professional edit that I need to work on, and another still ind rafting stages about an AI-powered clone created to replace a missing movie star.

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 is TERRIBLE. No one with any shred of compassion should ask this question.

I am going to my island now and not talking to you.

Author Websites and Profiles
Katya Lebeque Website
Katya Lebeque Amazon Profile

Katya Lebeque’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, but only one has been published so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
How to Improve Your Credit On A Budget. I was inspired by my kids. I made a lot of mistake along the way before I figured things out and I wanted to give my kids a blueprint of what not to follow. I started writing down little trick and decided maybe more people could learn from my knowledge

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to use dark humor when I can

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Nothing that I can think of. I love to read so almost everything I see influences me, but mostly my family.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a weight loss with knowledge and a spice of humor. It is called a Fat Man’s Guild to Weight Loss

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far I have only advertised on Amazon and I am still learning.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would say the only advice I would say never gives up and never stop learning. The best way to do better than someone that is more talented is to work harder. Also never be afraid to fail that is how you learn the best and never be assume of anything you do because your past has placed you where you are today.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late and to be late is to never happen.

What are you reading now?
I am reading Dorthy must die

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on an fiction. I want to write both Fiction and non-fiction.

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 for strength, One of my books so I can work on improving from the last book and something brand new so I can be surprised

Author Websites and Profiles
Darrell Reeves Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love to write in my spare time when my son is at school, and write a lot whenever my husband is on deployment in the forces. We currently live in Hampshire, England, but move around a lot. I love the Thoth tarot by Aleister Crowley and he inspired me to write my first novel, but there are two more novels in the pipeline. The Fool is the name of my first novel, named after a ‘child god of the Major Arcana’ in the story. It is set in ancient Egypt and I have been told that it is brought to life through my writing. Love is the law, set this tale in motion and I am proud of what I have achieved. My short story, The Justice of Re is available now on all platforms. It was inspired by the ancient art of divination: the ‘throwing of the sticks’ in Egypt and I have built up a family tale of suspense around it. (Also available on all platforms.) I have a number of short stories that I am thinking about publishing, but I have yet to make cover’s for them. I hope to make a living from my writing, as I love to spend time with my little man.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Fool was inspired by Aleister Crowley, a magician and maker of the Thoth tarot, of which I am a fan.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to write in the garden on a sunny day, but a lot of the time I sit with the computer on my knees and type all day.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t read many books. My book club, the Qwerty Quills inspire me through the books they have read with their current idea’s and my short stories mainly come from their newspaper clippings or gossip.

What are you working on now?
Marketing my novel and I have started book 2 out of my Egyptian Tarot Trilogy, which still has the vein of the Thoth tarot, but is set in Austria in the 14th century.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Hard work. I am currently making little business cards and flyers to distribute to places where people like tarot and coffee shops.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Learn about the marketing side of things and don’t just write. I wish someone had told me what I had to learn ages ago… (you have been warned.)

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Work hard and edit with a professional.

What are you reading now?
I am just writing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Two more books in the pipeline and more short stories to intrigue 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?
777 by Aleister Crowley. The Book of Fortune. Blaketon Hall Limited. Harry Potter series.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michelle Moore Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a clinical psychologist in private practice in the Phoenix area for over thirty years. I have written two books. The first book was “Dreams: Guide to the Soul” in which I describe a dream interpretation method based on Jungian principles and feedback from my many clients. The second and current book is “Multiple Sclerosis Mission Remission: Healing MS Against All Odds” which describes a treatment approach I cobbled together including medical, spiritual, psychotherapy, and alternative approaches to send my primary progressive MS into remission.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Multiple Sclerosis Mission Remission: Healing MS Against All Odds” describes a treatment approach I cobbled together including medical, spiritual, psychotherapy, and alternative approaches to send my primary progressive MS into remission. I was inspired to do anything to send MS into remission that had a 5% chance of helping me, as long as it had low risk of causing permanent damage.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need to go on long vacations which are dedicated to writing after I stroll the sights. That is when I write the “heart” of the book which is followed by late nite or early morning epiphany sessions for a year.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert Johnson’s “Owning Your Own Shadow”
Sigmund Freud’s “Interpretation of Dreams”
Carl Jung’s “Man and His Symbols”
Hermann Hesse’s “Siddhartha”
Anything by Deepak Chopra
Anything by Wayne Dyer
Anything by Mark Twain
Anything by William Faulkner

What are you working on now?
I am considering a followup on my first book about dreams. I am considering writing a book on attention deficit or Asperger’s, as these clients are an important part of my private practice as a clinical psychologist.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
http://www.drfoxblog.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write regularly, promote regularly, and be patient. This is a marathon, not a 100 yard dash.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In graduate school, an older graduate student warned me to get my requirements done first before trying to be a “star.” Don”t put the cart in front of the horse. Keep putting one foot in front of the other.

What are you reading now?
The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am traveling to major cities in Europe. Last year I went to London; this year I am going to Rome; next year I may go to Paris. I think about writing fiction, but I am driven by the facts and what I personally experience.

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 Course in Miracles
How to Survive on a Deserted Island

Author Websites and Profiles
Steven Fox Website
Steven Fox Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I believe I can safely say that I’m the best-looking concert-pianist-turned writer from the Long Ridge side of North Stamford, Connecticut. So far that’s been unchallenged.

In the early 80’s, I was offered a Julliard scholarship by Abbey Simon and was signed by Global Records, who changed my name from Hausman to Houston. The producers of my first album, “Beethoven Sonatas: Moonlight Pathetique Appassionata”, won the Grammy that year. I did over a hundred concerts to promote my second album, “Tonight and Forever.” Being responsible for all my travel, I went into serious debt. Life as a D-list concert pianist was sort of a nightmare, and since I couldn’t afford to play, I planned to just sit out my four-year contract. I then wrote my first play, “Playing with Fire,” which was picked up by Earl Graham of the Graham Agency and optioned for Off-Broadway by Lois Deutchman. I never went back.

My second play, “Sweet Deliverance,” received some great reviews from regional productions and was the last play optioned by legendary Broadway producer, Alexander Cohen. When Alex suddenly died it was held up in two-year contracts. Gerry Cohen, the brilliant TV director, then produced and directed my next play, “Becoming Adele,” which had won the Key West Theater Festival Award. He did an amazing job. It got raves in LA and was optioned by Warner Bros. Television.

I then worked in Hollywood for a bit, but my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. In order to move back to New York City to be closer to family, I began ghostwriting. “The Lost Artist: Love Passion War (Part 1)” is the first book I’ve written in my own voice and name, which was the hardest writing I’d ever done. It felt like the absence of a voice. But I got used to it, and it really helped me get over that hurdle.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Lost Artist: Love Passion War (Part 1)”

Having escaped Nazi Germany by going along to Palestine at the age of 13, my father became a WWII war hero in the British commandos, but his passion was art.

I knew he had a remarkable story, but I felt too far removed to write it. Besides what he told me, what did I know about the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, Palestine before the State of Israel, WW II’s North African Campaign, the No. 2 Commando, etc.? I’m used to researching a subject until I’m comfortable enough to write about it, but this just seemed overwhelming.

Then in 2010, I received an email from Einat Amitay, a top computer scientist with a chair at IBM Israel, saying, “You may not know this, but your father is very famous in Israel.” At first, I thought it was a scam, but as I read on, she talked about a children’s book that my father had illustrated, “And There Was Evening” (“Vayehi Erev”) (ויהי ער). I knew the book because my father had brought it back from his one trip to Israel in the early 90’s. In early 1948, he had turned in the illustrations right before leaving Palestine/Israel for New York City and never gave it any more thought.

He showed me the book in disbelief. “It’s a miracle. The book was actually published, and this one little bookstore somehow got the leftover copies from the 1950’s printing.”

I told Einat that during our first Skype conversation. She laughed, saying, “He could’ve walked into any bookstore and found it. It’s everywhere.” It never crossed his mind that the book could have had more than one printing, much less become a bestseller and timeless classic, now in its 42nd edition, referred to as the pearl of Israeli children’s literature. After a sixty-year ongoing search for the artist, Einat, dying of breast cancer, had joined the mission and, against all odds, finally solved the mystery.

The story was now too much for me to resist. Einat was a great support. I was very moved by her story of finding my dad and wanted to tell it as a present-day backdrop to telling his story. We became close friends as we chatted often on Skype. Though she made it clear that her chances of survival were slight, she was so vital, such a wonderful person, and had such determination that it was hard for me to accept. How many people dying of breast cancer would have the determination to join a 60-year search for a lost artist of a favorite children’s book and be the one to actually succeed?! I will always be incredibly grateful to her. What she did meant so much to my family and me. I only wish my father could have known her, but he died a few years before.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I strive to write shitty. I don’t recall anyone ever recommending that. That’s something I though up all on my own. But it really helps me get down those first paralyzing words. Once down I’m then driven to improve them.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jane Austen. It’s amazing that “Pride and Prejudice” was written over 200 years ago. There are so many reasons why it’s a timeless masterpiece; perfect three-act structure (not coined until 1979 by Syd Field), compelling drama with characters you care about in unfair situations, brilliant dialogue that is always true to the characters, and of course her timeless sense of humor that flows so naturally from the characters. Many writers inspire me: John le Carré, Daphne du Maurier, Graham Greene and Moss Hart, to name a few. Some I’ve recently discovered: Dov Zeller, Lara Lillibridge, and Jennifer Haupt. Since they inspire me, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jane Austen hadn’t also inspired them.

What are you working on now?
“The Lost Artist: Part 2,” which will complete Einat’s mission of finding my father as a present-day backdrop to telling his story of becoming a British commando and highest decorated WW II Palestinian soldier in the British Army, his love affair with a beautiful English professor while recuperating from critical injuries in Italy, and his tumultuous years in Palestine after the war up until the formation of the State of Israel. As with “Part 1,” the research is overwhelming.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t done much other than promoting “The Lost Artist” on Amazon and boosted posts on “The Lost Artist’s” Facebook page. The boosted posts on Facebook have gotten a good reaction, but for the money, I believe the Amazon promotion generates the most sales, though it’s hard to tell.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Again, write shitty. Trying to write brilliantly can be paralyzing. Keep the bar low. Take the pressure off. Write shitty, and if you’re good, you’ll work at it until it’s done. So write shitty and you’re sure to succeed.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A wise, older friend once confided, “I’m going to tell you the secret of life. Someone had to tell me because it’s too simple for idiots like us to figure out. The secret of life is, just do what’s in front of you. That’s it.” Now, whenever feeling overwhelmed I try to remember to just do what’s in front of me, and it usually helps. I think “Just do what’s in front of you” should be stamped in big letters on every crib.

What are you reading now?
“Commando: Winning WW2 Behind Enemy Lines” by James Owen and “Indianapolis” by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic, about the sinking of the great American battle ship. As I said, research is overwhelming and everything’s WWII. But I also recently had the chance to read two wonderful new writers: Dov Zeller’s “The Right Thing To Do At The Time” and “Book of Hats” and Lara Lillibridge’s “Girlish.”

What’s next for you as a writer?
There are so many books that I want to write, but right now I’m trying to just do what’s in front of me and focus on Part 2 of “The Lost Artist”. After that, I really want to write my mother and especially my aunt’s story. In 1938 Vienna, immediately after the Anschluss, the Nazis placed my mother’s family under house arrest. My mother was only a child at the time, but my aunt was a beautiful 16-year-old. I think it’s amazing what she did to save her family, and I hope to have the chance to tell it.

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?
Four books?! Have you seen my place? There are books on the floor. To choose only four I’d sooner feed myself to the sharks. But besides the obvious, “How To Survive On A Desert Island,” I’d take “The Complete Unabridged Works of William Shakespeare.” He was a genius, but his plays always need to be cut for today’s audiences. He’d probably now make “Hamlet” 90 minutes with no intermission. But with time as no issue, I could finally complete my goal of thoroughly reading everything he’s ever written. I’d also bring “The Complete Dickens” and “The Complete Tolstoy,” which would be some heavy books. I might also bring “The Complete Jackie Collins.” Seriously, you’re sitting on a beach all day. Who the hell would read Shakespeare, Dickens, and Tolstoy? You need some trashy fun.

Author Websites and Profiles
Eric Houston Website
Eric Houston Amazon Profile

Eric Houston’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a neurotic college sophomore who fills entire notebooks with half finished stories, and I’ve only finished four– one of which I actually published which is The Road That Went Right.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My inspiration for The Road That Went Right comes from a number of things. I wanted to recapture the experience I had when reading The Hobbit and The Wind in The Willows, so I wove in a lot of those elements while crafting my own story. I also have a habit of meeting new people at college and going on sporadic adventures with them, making fast friends, and you’ll see that being a reoccurring thing in the Road That Went Right.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Haha, anyone who is overly serious about writing fiction has at least one of those. Mine has to do with role playing. When I was younger, I would roleplay without letting anyone in on what I was doing, and needless to say, my grade school teachers thought I was crazy. These days I find a place where I know no one will be watching, and I vocalize what I imagine my characters to be saying to one another, and I go back and forth between characters. I also close my eyes and tune out my surroundings until I’m surrounded in the fictional setting that I want to write about.
You asked, and now you know.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Well, apart from Lewis and Tolkien, what really got me into fiction/fantasy was a children’s book series called “The Secrets of Droon” by Tony Abbot. I don’t know how many of you have ever read those books, but they were about three kids who discover a portal to a secondary fantasy world, and I ate it all up when I was little. I’m just sad I never finished, there were so many!

What are you working on now?
I have two books that are still in the planning stage. One I have entitled “The Last Twenty Years,” it’s about a girl growing up and trying to live a normal life while a planetoid is scheduled to collide with earth within twenty years time– also her family is involved in criminal activity.
The second is an epic fantasy novel centered on the “Mean Old Hermit” who is featured in my published book “The Road That Went Right.” It will take place during his younger years as an action hero defending the world from the Emperor Across The Sea.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
… I dunno.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never submit your manuscript to a self publishing agency. Those guys are crooks, and they’ll bleed your bank account dry.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This one I got from Brandon Sanderson, the author of the Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive, and that’s that you should never wait for inspiration before you write; instead, you should write until you’re inspired. Regardless of whether or not my book is good, I would never have finished it without this advice.

What are you reading now?
I’m into Stephen King right now as well as Robert Jordan’s “The Wheel of Time” series. They’re all phenomenal.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully, I can crank out those two novels I mentioned earlier.

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. There is an omnibus out there containing “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and that will definitely be with me.
2. All of the issues of the independent comic book series “Bone” by Jeff Smith are also in one volume. I don’t care where I am, so long as I have that.
3. I’ll have my trusty copy of the “Sword of Shanarra” Trilogy (also conveniently an omnibus).
4. Moby Dick.

Author Websites and Profiles
Luke Peace Amazon Profile

Luke Peace’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Kroonstad, Orange Free State, South Africa. I only start writing in 1983 with some poems and up to date I wrote 937 poems. I started writing eBooks in 2015 and until now I have written 48. I also have 2 books from someone else who asked me to write their stories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest eBook is in Afrikaans and is called “Gedagtes”. It is the second collection of 100 of my poems.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have tried KOBO and Amazon KDP but with not much success.

What are you reading now?
I read everything on the TV Show Survivor because it is the next item on my bucket list. I want to be a contestant on Survivor South Africa.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am compiling a ultimate cookbook with all my recipes combined

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?
Not so much books to read but you will never find me without a pen and writing pad

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a cosmetologist working as a nail tech when I’m not writing. I have a four book series that I have been working on. I have the first one published called Desert’s Secret with the second one coming out in August.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Desert’s Pride it is the second book in my series. I was inspired for this series by my love of horses and history.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do my best writing in the middle of the night. I wrote this series being totally nocturnal.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh man this is hard I have so many book and authors that I have looked up to but some of the biggest influences are. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes was a huge influence she wrote books that I love but she did it at such a young age. Robin Mckinley is another author that I look up to she writes books in a way that I hope some day to write

What are you working on now?
I am working on the third book in my series Desert’s King as well as the fourth and final book Desert’s Chosen

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Instagram is where I find that I connect with my readers. I love being able to inter act with them and really see what they are reading and what they are looking for.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write for you, write what you want to read, write the stories that you see missing in the world. Those will be the most amazing to read.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be a pair of white socks be a pair of dragon socks. Write for the people who will love your style don’t write to please everyone.

What are you reading now?
I have been reading The Daughter of the Siren Queen the sequel to The Pirate King Daughter. It is an amazing book with adventure, romance, and hello pirates!!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once I finish this series I have the next one already mapped out. I am so excited to keep developing this world that I created with my 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?
Mara Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
The Blue Sword by Robin Mckinley
When Demons Walk by Patricia Briggs

Author Websites and Profiles
Chelsea E. Munsterman Website
Chelsea E. Munsterman Amazon Profile

Chelsea E. Munsterman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an Australian romance writer with two children. Although my family and writing are my first loves I also love to read, knit, listen to music and watch my favourite shows. I’m also a bookkeeper and florist. I have written 15 books, all of which are published and I have more coming soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Afterworld – Spring Gluttony, Book 2 in my Sinful Seasons Novelette Collection was released on the 6th of June. It originally started as a short story (two chapters) and was written for an anthology, Words to Music. I had already had one short accepted (Mystified) but I think The Afterworld was a bit racy. The theme of the anthology was we were given a song and had to write a story inspired by it. Mystified came from Mystify Me by INXS and The Afterworld came from Let’s get Crazy by Prince. The Afterworld title came from the song as did a few other lyrics. So basically I was inspired by a song. When I decided to write the collection, I thought I would turn my short stories into a longer novelettes, so then The Afterworld was born.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I can think of. I drink a lot of coffee and stare at the my daughters paintings behind my laptop when I’m thinking of what to write or when I get stuck. I don’t tend to listen to music and write in silence usually.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many authors but I guess my biggest inspirations are Paullina Simons, Nora Roberts, Cassandra Clare and many many indie authors I have come to love. There have been so many authors and books over the years it’s hard to limit the list.

What are you working on now?
Book 3 of Sinful Seasons Collection, Cowboy Daze – Autumn Lust. It is about a bull riding cowboy and a journalist who is sent to Texas to interview him and write articles about him. It is sexy but sweet and I’m on the home stretch. I hope to have it ready for release in early July.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Even though I’ve been published for a while, I didn’t do a lot of marketing in the beginning (things were different and I was with a couple of indie publishers so did a little). Since then I’ve been testing the water with different sites and I’m still learning about the whole marketing thing so it’s early days and I’m not sure which are the most effective yet.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write from the heart and keep writing. I wrote about 4 or 5 books really quickly when I started and then spent a lot of time polishing them. I then slowed right down and wrote here and there when I felt inspired but now I push myself to write and I keep on going. The best way to get better is to keep doing it. So write and write!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep on writing! The same advice was given to me.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Anima Mea by Lucy Pepperdine

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have three or four more novelettes to write for my Sinful Seasons Collection. Then after that I have to finish the many works I have in progress. Writing, writing and more writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bronze Horseman and Tully by Paullina Simons. Anna Karenina and the Jane Austin collection.

Author Websites and Profiles
Joanne Sexton Website
Joanne Sexton Amazon Profile

Joanne Sexton’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written two books, and contributed one chapter to a marketing book on Propaganda.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The upcoming book is called the art of psychoanalysis. What inspired it was the first book. I’ve always had a knack for understanding how people’s minds truly worked.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I set a timer up for 25 minutes, take a 5 minute break. On and on. Sometimes I listen to specific music that’ll get me in a particular mood, or listen to random audiobooks. That way my conscious mind won’t get into a state of performance anxiety.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert Greene – hands down. His books have inspired my entire blog, and books.

What are you working on now?
The art of psychoanalysis. As well as some other business ventures, but that’s not entirely relevant to this topic.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Any forum where your prospective readers may be.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
For sure – if it resonates with me!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Hmm… anything coming out of Ryan Holiday’s books.

What are you reading now?
Too many books to say… My reading style is sometimes I get into moods of wanting to learn various sorts of information. Things I like to learn would be about investing, business, writing, marketing, etc. Therefore I listen to several audiobooks based on my mood.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After I finish the art of psychoanalysis, and my contributing chapter about Propaganda – I think I’ll be putting the pen down… I do have another book I’ve been wanting to write for the last four years now. Maybe I’ll work on that, but definitely editing “How to make someone obsessed with you.” I would like to edit, and expand the book.

Three things I want done by the end of the summer, and my birthday: Finish the art of psychoanalysis, finish editing the first book and contribute my propaganda chapter to a marketing book project I am proudly part of.

Then the rest would be writing blog posts, and marketing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
perennial seller by ryan holiday,
The art of falling in love

… the others I’d have to come back to!

Author Websites and Profiles
Scarlett Kennedy Website

Scarlett Kennedy’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
What’s up, Awesome Gang? Hey, I’m Stuart R. West, author of nineteen novels (although several are in the process of moving to a different publisher). I’ve been a corporate sell-out, graphic artist, stand-up comic, and played in an alternate-rock, performance artist, funky-country band where I portrayed Demented Cousin Bo, who ate kitty litter and wore pajamas on stage. Sigh. Let’s hope this writing gig works out.

I’m carving out a series of thrillers, suspense, mysteries, comedies, and horror novels all set in the creepy state of Kansas where I reside. (Hey, Kansas still has active KKK and mafia, not too mention satanic cults! Fun!).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Ghosts of Gannaway is being rereleased with an awesome, much more fitting cover from the fine folks at Grinning Skull Press and artist Jeff Kosh. It’s a historical ghost saga loosely based on the sad, true events that brought the small mining town of Picher, Oklahoma to its knees. (Naturally–I think–the ghost story elements aren’t true. Kinda. Maybe. I dunno…)

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, as a dedicated insomniac, most of my plotting takes place between the lonely, soulful, train horn blaring hours of two to four A.M. Of course, sometimes the plot twists don’t sound as good in the cold, harsh light of day…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dick and Jane Fill a Bucket. Encyclopedia Brown Meets His Maker. Bi-Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat…

I could go on and on. But I won’t.

Lately, I’ve been enjoying Elmore Leonard. The man wrote mostly through dialogue, yet showed so much characterization and plot and made it look easy.

What are you working on now?
My first short story collection of horror/thriller/dark humor tales, Twisted Tales from Tornado Alley, should be out by end of summer from Grinning Skull Press. And currently, I’m nearing the end of my werewolf/dark comedy saga, Corporate Wolf. Inspired (and nightmared) by my many years in the corporate dungeon, think American Werewolf in London meets Office Space.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Begging. Pleading. Crying. I have no shame.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
First, get those stars outta your eyes. Just obliterate them. Second, if you don’t drink, start. Heavily.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t get in a fatal car wreck while wearing dirty underwear.

What are you reading now?
A Pig’s View of Heaven by Stephen McQuiggan. Crappy title. The plot’s meandering and I have no idea what’s going on yet (that’s a good thing). But this horror novel has some of the finest prose I’ve ever read. Beautiful. I’m jealous.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I intend on usurping Donald Trump as president. I mean, if he can do it, I can, right?

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 those Charles Dickens books I’ve loved the first three pages of, then sorta give up. That should occupy years of time.

Author Websites and Profiles
Stuart West Website
Stuart West Amazon Profile
Stuart West Author Profile on Smashwords

Stuart West’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m 66 years old, a scientist , writer and editor living in North Carolina. For most of my life I worked as a scientist and technical writer and I still have an active freelance science and medical writing business. I’ve been writing fiction as a hobby since I was a kid. Now I’ve finally decided to publish my one detective series. So far, I’ve written two novels (one is unpublished) and am at work on a third.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Stripper! is my latest book. I’ve been a mystery and detective fan forever, and I wanted to create a new and different detective. I also wanted to take the challenge of writing about someone as different from myself as I could. Welcome Natalie McMasters, Nattie for short, a 20-year old college student who doesn’t realize she’s bisexual, who is working as a private detective trainee at her Uncle’s detective agency while she’s in school at a large state university in the southern USA. Nattie was inspired by a guy I met years ago who had a job with a detective agency while he was in college, which mainly involved watching people who had filed disability claims with an insurance company to ensure they were actually injured. I wrote a short story, Stakeout!, which you can read for free on Wattpad (https://www.wattpad.com/564938180-stakeout-part-1 ), that tells of Nattie doing that job. Then while on stakeout, she sees something she isn’t supposed to see…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I’m a pantser, which means that I write by the seat of my pants. I generally know the beginning and the end of my story when I start it, but I let it go where it will rather than trying to meticulously plot it out. That makes the writing process non-linear, which inspires creativity.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to mention. The great detectives: Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe, S.S. Van Dine’s Philo Vance, John Dickson Carr’s Dr. Gideon Fell and Sir Henry Merrivale, Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe and Dashiell Hammet’s Sam Spade. Great storytellers including Louis L’Amour, Edgar Rice Burroughs and the pulp authors Lester Dent (Doc Savage) and Walter Gibson (The Shadow). F. Paul Wilson’s Repairman Jack is a contemporary favorite, as is Preston & Child’s Agent Pendergast and Lee Child’s Jack Reacher.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the next Natalie McMasters novel, the sequel to Stripper!, entitled Revenge! The title says it all. Look for it this fall.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I can’t recommend Awesomegang too highly. Booksbutterfly and Freebooksy are good too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write! Then get a good honest evaluation of your work. Use your beta readers and listen to them when they’re all telling you the same thing. Find a good editor or do it yourself if you can, then self-publish when you’re ready – don’t waste years of your life with query letters.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Work hard and believe in yourself.

What are you reading now?
The Giant Rat of Sumatra, by Alan Vanneman, a great Sherlock Holmes pastiche.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to take Natalie from a wannabee P.I. to a mature career P.I., which will take several books. After that, we’ll see.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Annotated Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William S. Baring-Gould
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress – Robert A. Heinlein

Thomas A. Burns, Jr.’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have worked as a teacher, editor and writer, and have published seven books for children and teens. My latest books, Pairs on Ice and Pairs at Nationals, are contemporary middle-grade novels that came from my experiences as a skating mom. Using skating as a backdrop, they showcase issues that any tween could face: the stress of competition, dealing with difficult teammates, bullying, and divorce and remarriage of parents. They also show the joy of success and the satisfaction of working towards a goal. I’ve loved writing about characters who can skate the way I always wished I could.

I have also published numerous children’s stories in magazines such as Highlights for Children and Jack and Jill, and in a variety of anthologies. My other books include three non-fiction books for teens (Teen Eating Disorders, Teen Dropouts, Understanding Johnny Tremain) and a history of Florida for children (Seeds of a Nation: Florida). Many of my short stories are historical, and I especially love the Revolutionary War period. My book, Young Patriots: Inspiring Stories of the American Revolution, is a collection of short stories showing events of the Revolution through the adventures of young people.

When I’m not writing, I enjoy boating on Florida’s St. Johns River with my husband. I like to say: Give me a book and a boat and I’m happy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Pairs at Nationals. It’s the second book about competitive ice Jamie Bartlett. In the first book, Pairs on Ice, she learns to become a pairs team with Matt O’Connor. In Pairs at Nationals, she and Matt face more challenges. When their coach is badly injured in an accident, they must move to a rink far from home to train with a new coach. There, they face bullying and a coach who clearly isn’t interested in their success.

My love of skating and my daughter’s years as a skater inspired me to write about the skating world. I decided to write about bullying because it’s been in the news so much. I wanted readers to feel what it’s like to be a victim—and to know they don’t have to be defeated.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It may not be unusual, but this is one of my writing habits. I always write directly on the computer, but when I’m ready to read through an entire draft, I have to print it out and read the hard copy. I need to see it and feel it on paper. I curl up in a comfortable chair, take a deep breath, and see problems I would miss on the computer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Wow, that’s a hard question because there are so many. Here are some that come to mind:
For historical fiction: Margaret Mitchell (Gone With the Wind), Sue Monk Kidd (The Invention of Wings) and Anita Diamont (The Red Tent). Since I write for children, I’d also choose Ann Rinaldi, Avi, Karen Cushman, plus Esther Forbes for Johnny Tremain and Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars.
For contemporary fiction: Kristin Hannah, Anita Diamant, and Jodi Picoult, plus children’s authors, Judy Bloom, Ann M. Martin, Eve Bunting, Kate DiCamillo, and Lois Lowry

What are you working on now?
I’m going back to my historical fiction roots and am researching a book for children about the 1848 Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. It was the first women’s right convention in the U.S. I absolutely love research !!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to figure out what works. I’ve tried Facebook and my blog, and have also promoted my books on Twitter. Now I’m trying some dedicated book promotion sites like this one. I’ve found that book signings can be good, too. I’ve had most success at skating rinks, so I looking to find more skating venues to sell my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Read a lot.
2. Don’t worry about trends, but write what you love because you’re going to be spending a lot of time with your book.
3. Read your work out loud. English has a rhythm that makes it pleasing to hear. Find that rhythm in your writing and it will flow better.
4. Find a critique group to give you feedback as you write.
5. Join writer organizations, and attend their conferences when you can. I belong to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and Florida Writers Association (FWA).

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you love, what you feel passionate about — and don’t give up.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Love and Ruin, Paula McLain’s third biographical novel, this one about Martha Gellhorn, one of the 20th century’s great war correspondents and Ernest Hemingway’s third wife.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books, I hope. I’m eager to start writing my Seneca Falls story.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Way and Peace by Tolstoy and The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher —They are both long books that I loved and would help pass the time.
Plus: Survive Now, Thrive Later by Bob Mayer and any book I could find about building a raft.

Author Websites and Profiles
Elizabeth Vollstadt Website
Elizabeth Vollstadt Amazon Profile

Elizabeth Vollstadt’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a rhyming, metered poet. I have written 3 books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Compilation of Poetry, inspired by the Lake District poets of long ago.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write only in concert with my muse.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Emily, author of the Clockwork Twist adventure series, The Oxford Book of English Verse, The Oxford Book of American Verse, and a plethora of the best authors of poetry in my father’s library.

What are you working on now?
I currently have a new volume of poetry in the works.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome Gang has been most helpful for promoting my work.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read only the very best authors and poets that you can find. Do not settle for less. The more you read their work, the better your own work becomes.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Dan Poynter, the Father of Self-Publishing, spent an entire afternoon personally encouraging me to self-publish my poetry.

What are you reading now?
Clockwork Twist, Family, by Emily Thompson. This is the seventh book in her Clockwork Twist adventure series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Penning the best poetry I am capable of.

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, Roget’s Thesaurus, Webster’s dictionary.

Author Websites and Profiles
Janice T Website
Janice T Amazon Profile

Janice T’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but have only seriously considered it as a career option for a few years. Mistakes Were Made is my debut creative publication, though I’ve written lots of journalistic pieces before it and since.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Mistakes Were Made is about just that-mistakes-and the lessons that come from them. The poems in the book cover a variety of situations, some of which happened to me, others I’ve watched loved ones endure. Some of the pieces take place before I (or the speaker) even realise that it was a mistake, and this naivete really shows through.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m afraid I’m really quite boring in terms of my writing habits! I try to be relatively flexible when writing because I never know when inspiration may strike, so I have snippets of poetry and ideas for prose strewn across different notebooks, the notes in my phone, etc.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I grew up on Poe and Shakespeare, so, at heart, it has to be those classic authors. Wordsworth’s Preface to Lyrical Ballads and his ideas of poetry as a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling” made a huge impact on me, too. More contemporaneously, Hugh Martin’s The Stick Soldiers and Sabrina Benaim’s Depression and Other Magic Tricks have both helped me to embrace vulnerability in my writing, which has made a world of difference.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’ve got a few different projects at hand. I’ve got a few individual poems preparing for publication in some literary magazines (more to come on that soon on the website and social media!), as well as more chapbooks/collections going forward. Additionally, I’m working on both a biography and a novel, so I certainly keep myself busy!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
At the risk of sounding incredibly corny, I’m pretty excited to have discovered Awesome Gang! Otherwise, I’ve found Goodreads to be a wonderful platform, as well as Amazon’s author tools.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My biggest piece of advice is to write! It doesn’t matter how many ideas you have if you never put the words to the page. From there, you just need to go for it! Pitch your work to publishers and agents, or self-publish. Submit to lit mags. You’ll never know what might happen if you don’t try!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My personal favourite, which I find myself returning to constantly, is that it’s okay to be confusing. A piece doesn’t have to have an obvious meaning to be good (even if a workshop insists it be clearer). After all, where would literary criticism be if all meanings were obvious?

What are you reading now?
I recently finished The Handmaid’s Tale! I have no idea how I’d gotten this far in life without reading it, but I’m so glad I did. It’s especially impactful with the state of the world at present and it made me think much more deeply about contemporary society. Highly recommend!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I can’t say too much just yet, but there may be a new edition of Mistakes Were Made in the works, as well as those other works in progress I’ve mentioned!

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?
Does a notebook count as a book? Because that would be a must-have! Otherwise, I have collections of Poe, Shakespeare, and Fitzgerald that would probably keep me busy for quite a while.

Author Websites and Profiles
Juliette Sebock Website
Juliette Sebock Amazon Profile

Juliette Sebock’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Although this is my debut novel, it’s by no means my first manuscript. In the past 17 years, I’ve finished around 10 and probably started 30. It was a learning process as I improved my craft to the point where I landed an agent in 2013. After four years of ups and downs and close calls, I broke things off with her and signed with a small publisher for my first book. It’s gone better than I could have expected, being named 2018 “Book of the Year” by the Maxy Awards (for books from small publishers).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I wrote this story as a way to deal with and process my grief after my dad died.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m streaky. One week I need to be out and about in a coffeeshop. The next I need a dark, quiet basement with no one around. The trick is figuring out which one I need at the time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Mitch Albom is one of my favorites, and many readers (as well as agents and editors) have said my work has a similar feel. Also Ben Sherwood’s The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud. But don’t watch that movie…read the book!

What are you working on now?
I’ve just signed the contract with Black Rose Writing for my second novel, called The Town with No Roads. It’s scheduled to release on Valentines Day, 2019. I’m working on polishing that now.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t have a ton of Facebook friends, but I have good Facebook friends. I don’t post a lot, but when I do, most people respond. That and my website (www.joesiple.com) have been my best tools.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t chase fads. Don’t write what agents and editors say they want. Those things change quicker than you can write a book. Write what’s in your heart and it will be your best writing. Eventually the fads will come to you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’ve received a ton of great advice in my life, but the one thing that has stuck to me recently is from Wonder. Simply, “Choose Kind.”

What are you reading now?
The Book Thief and a book on meditation.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep polishing that new manuscript and hang on for Valentines Day, 2019!!!

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 Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
Meditation by Eknath Easwaran
Lost on a Page by David E. Sharp

Author Websites and Profiles
Joe Siple Website
Joe Siple Amazon Profile

Joe Siple’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Owner of a Fitness marketing company. Manager and sales trainer for a NSW Western suburbs fitness centre. I become interested in teaching people to drive after one of our customers from the gym who was a driving instructor told me about his experiences.
I’d been looking for a change working away from sitting in front of a computer and being in an indoor environment while still being my own “boss” and at the same doing something that I felt was both rewarding, fulfilling and allowing me to spend more time with my then 3 year old daughter.( Now 9) m

Have written “Fitness Marketing Strategies” www.fitnessmarketingstrategies.com and “How To Pass Your P Plate Test First Time” www.passyourdrivingtestfirsttime.com as well as numerous articles on fitness marketing and safe driving

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
27 Low Or No Cost Ways To Get More Leads, More Sales AND More Repeat Business For Your Driving School”

Lets have a “sea change” my wife said.

Oh Yeh,right! What a great idea THAT was..

So I up and left a thriving business built over 5 years and moved to another state which really could have been another country.

The driving school business was so radically different in many ways!

I wrote the book as a reassurance to myself that I could do it all over again from scratch.

Build a successful business that did not involve me working for someone else.

Slowly but surely I’m getting there. No regrets,I’ve picked up lots of new skills along the way,yes there have been lots of hiccups but it’s been both fun as well as a learning experience.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think most writers by the very nature of what they do have unusual writing habits,but no,I write in a peaceful area with some nice aromas from an oil burner or incense in the background and occasionally some relaxing music.

And depending on what time of day a nice glass of wine:-)

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have Read many thousands of books in the personal development/spirituality /self help genres. My guilty pleasures are fiction law thrillers and my Kindle is my best friend!

Lee Child is probably my favorite author even if he did caste Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher(hopefully twice is enough!)

What are you working on now?
A weight loss book for the professionals who drive trucks/semis/teach people to drive industry. many are badly overweight from poor diet/sitting all day/lack of exercise.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well only just got my book up on Kindle and I won’t be putting the deposit down on that AMG C63 anytime soon

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it. Truly it’s not that you can’t it’s just that you THINK you can’t. Just eliminate the “thinking” part and start.
One word.
One line.
One paragraph.
Eat well and exercise. Look after yourself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Reading Tim Ferriss “Tribe Of Mentors” and hearing lots of good advice every day.Learning to believe in yourself through small successes every day.Read,and read some more,listen to good stuff in your car,stay away from the shit pumped out by the consensual media.

What are you reading now?
Tribe Of Mentors by Tim Ferris

What’s next for you as a writer?
Wealth,fame,unlimited abundance,If not then I’m happy to settle for a nice glass of red around a campfire with my wife and daughter!( and hopefully getting my “groups” tighter on the range.)

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?
SAS survival book, Autobiography Of A Yogi,an unread Wilbur Smith Book and an unread Lee Child book

Author Websites and Profiles
Kim Martin Website
Kim Martin Amazon Profile

Kim Martin’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired Yorkshireman, living in an Award-winning Yorkshire village which has provided some of the inspiration the fictional village of Abbotts Meadow, which is the setting for my first two books.
I have 2 published books, No Way Out, (which has received 5-star reviews on Amazon) and Absolute Duty, and am halfway through writing a third.
My working life has been spent in the worlds of Bookmaking, the Motor Trade and Financial Services and for a time I worked closely with New Scotland Yard’s Stolen Vehicle Squad at Chalk Farm in North London on Organised Crime and Greater Manchester Police.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Absolute Duty is a sequel to No Way Out and was inspired by my love of horseracing, especially Royal Ascot which has featured prominently in my life, although my ambition to have a runner there is still to be fulfilled, and my passion for Yorkshire, in particular the wild, open spaces of the North Yorkshire Moors.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I know that all authors are different and have their own ways of writing.
I spend a great deal of time getting to know my characters as real people, and find that this helps to understand how they think, speak and act in any situation, giving a consistency of action which helps my readers bond with them.
I tend to have a basic outline of the story but find that starting to write and watching the characters and plots develop works best for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Because of the genre, Dick Francis, was a hero of mine, and I had a lady reader comment that No Way Out was “like a Dick Francis but with a better twist”. her words not mine, but I would have been ecstatic just to be likened to Dick Francis!

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on two books.
The third Patrick Spencer thriller, possibly titled “Imposter” should be available early nest year whilst I am playing with a slightly different genre, a cosy mystery which may be titled “Murdered by Gossip” which will feature two new amatuer sleuths, Evelyn Warburton and Dahlia Peasbody, who are elderly Churchwardens in another North Yorkshire village, Priory Bridge, just a few miles from Abbotts Meadow.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I decided that I would wait until I had some reviews and feedback before attempting to turn what began as a hobby into a serious enterprise and other than a brief Amazon campaign, Awesome gang is my first attempt at marketing my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write!
Forget about whether you could do it, whether it will be any good, what if no one likes it. it doesn’t really matter and if you don’t write anything you will never know.
If you don’t have a laptop or computer, just take a pencil and some paper and begin, Charles Dickens didn’t have a laptop either!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The same as I have just given, begin.

What are you reading now?
P.F. Fords latest in the Dave Slater and Norman Norman series. Very well written, great characters and easy to read.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to continue the Patrick Spencer series as I have outline plans for at least another four books and more than one reader has made the comment that they could see this series as a “Sunday Night TV” series. One can live in hopes but it would be a great achievement if this were to happen.

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?
Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile or any other of her fabulous books, I especially like Miss Marple.
Any of Colin Dexter’s Morse series.
Any of Peter Robinson DCI Banks books.
Any Dick Francis book.
This is despite the fact that I have read all of the books by the above authors.

Author Websites and Profiles
Owen Seymour Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a 58 year old grandmother, happily married for 30 years. I am a fan of both history and fantasy fiction, and a huge fan of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” movies. When I was in the U.S.A.F. around 38 years ago, I was stationed in England, and toured Europe extensively for two years. I started writing fanfiction several years ago, but am now trying to write original fiction. I consider myself a writer of historical fantasy, meaning the stories have fantasy elements but are set in a historical time and place.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest book is “The Death Doll,” which was inspired by one of my favorite childhood books. It is set in New Hampshire during the Salem witch trials, and deals with the dangers of gossip and other “fake news.” It also incorporates the “wandering heroine” featured in so many tales of mythology and folklore. Although my first book is what I’d call a historical fantasy, I consider this one a historical fiction because of the amount of research I put into the time period, the fact that Durham, N.H. existed at the time, and the references to the witch trials that occurred in the summer of 1692.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to start my stories with pen and paper, and don’t start typing until the chapter is finished.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Although I’ve read Tolkien and J.K. Rowling, I’m not sure either was much of an influence. I mostly read for the stories, not the authors. As a child one of my favorite books was “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London, which was an action adventure also set in a historical setting. I also loved “My Enemy, the Queen” by Victoria Holt, which is a straight-up historical fiction about Queen Elizabeth I. And there are so many others, I couldn’t name them all. But I also have a soft spot for Jane Austen!

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the sequel to my first book, which is a historical fantasy about Vikings in the modern country of Newfoundland. I’ve also started on another historical fantasy about Celtic tribes in Ireland circa 500 B.C. I’m hoping to have the first draft of the sequel finished before I actually go to Ireland at the end of June, because I’m sure that my trip to Ireland will inspire me to work on the Celtic fantasy!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly, I’m still working on that one.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s a tough decision about self-publishing vs. traditional publishing. I know there are some extremely successful self-published authors, but self-promoting your book is like a full-time job! Of course, traditionally published authors also have to do a lot of self-promotion, so be prepared for that.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write every day, no matter what! There are days when I can barely write two paragraphs, and other days when I can write several pages. You cannot wait for inspiration. Writing is just like playing a sport or musical instrument, the more you do it, the better (and easier) your writing becomes.

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading “Killer Debt” by Suzanne Adair, another self-published author. It’s the fourth book in a historical fiction series set during the American Revolution. After that I have some fantasy books I’d like to tackle.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After I finish my “Celtic Rings” series, I have in mind a series based on the travels of a Viking woman. It will probably be more historical fiction than fantasy, but I’ve also got an idea for another Celtic inspired historical fantasy. I have lots of ideas!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Hm, does “Lord of the Rings” count as one book? If so, that one plus at least one Jane Austen, and two good books that I’ve never read just to keep it interesting.

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m first of all a short story writer and novelist. I’ve published one book and am writing another, and have had several short stories published. I’m also a journalist, it’s how I make my living, and it gives me a lot of ideas for stories. I’ve covered the Middle East and its conflicts for the past 30 years. Fiction is primarily my escape route from what often appears like a no-way-out tragedy in this region. It allows me to imagine a world where people reach out to one another despite the madness.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Goddess of Battle is the name of my latest book and it was inspired by my reporting of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The characters stem from a collection of women and men I met over the years, who impressed me with their humanity, for whom I never had enough room for in a 500-word news story. The book was written from a deep need to show the world the humanity of all the sides living the conflict, and the possibility of bridges that could be built between the various narratives.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Since I have a crazy job, and a family, I often just write in my head, keep my characters close beside me so that when I do have time to write, usually for a few hours on a Saturday, the words just come rolling out.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many. Each book I pick up is a world I dive into and come out a different person. My favorites authors are Margaret Atwood, Paulo Coelho, and so many more. Most recently I loved All the Light We Cannot See and am deep into A Little Life, which I am loving for the way it turns ordinary lives and people into subjects the reader begins to love.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a novel of historical fiction set in ancient Canaan right around the time when monotheism was beginning to catch on and the Hebrew tribes were fighting to take over some of the city states. There are two main characters — a woman who rules one of the ancient city states, and a modern-day young woman working at an excavation of the site that once was the woman king’s city.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not sure, I’d have to ask my publisher.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s going to be hard work marketing your book, but don’t give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write your passion.

Author Websites and Profiles
Gwendolyn Ackerman Website
Gwendolyn Ackerman Amazon Profile

Gwendolyn Ackerman’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 (completed) book. Like so many others, I suspected that I had books in my future, but never have I ever gotten through an entire one. Articles, no problem, 60,000 words of an unfinished story, yep.
I am so grateful that the process in Work Pray Allow came through me. It was just the coaching I needed to get through the process. And I have since used the process for book marketing and promotion, brushing up on my French skills for an upcoming vacation, and the next step is something that I am excited to say meshes both of those things together!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Work Pray Allow was inspired by a nagging search that I was on for decades. It was such a magical experience to me in my trainings to have that “Aha!” moment of realizing that I had my answers all along. I just needed to find the right proddings and exercises to unearth them. I had to share these keys. They will literally change our life!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure it is unusual, but my method is fast and furious. I recognize that I work better in a sprint than a marathon. Crisis, deadline, abrupt life change–these bring out all of my superpowers. But slow and steady kills my project every time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I really enjoyed Ed Rush’s 21 Day Miracle, as it was the first book to give me the permission to write quickly. I think that Brooke Castillo’s Self Coaching 101 is a hidden gem. I am also loving the Medical Medium books.

What are you working on now?
Right now I have more promotion to do with Work Pray Allow. I held myself to a tight writing/editing/publishing deadline, so I am still learning to navigate the Amazon market. In the midst of all of this I did hit a bit of a road bump when a mosquito born illness made me surprisingly sick. A month later and I am living pretty normally again, but with medication and limitations. The process, however, has been a blessing in that it introduced me to the Medical Medium works. So a big part of my recovery has been eating really healthy, plant based meals, and it has gotten me deeply into gardening. I realize that most plant-based recipes are bland and unexciting. So I have been studying French cookbooks and creating plant-based versions that are absolutely delectable. I still cook a side of meat for my husband, so I can always recommend a protein to go with my recipes. But I think my next book will have a lot to do with this process.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is www.sacredfolk.com. There I have several Kundalini Yoga exercises–all breathwork based, nothing too challenging, and definitely nothing acrobatic! I also enjoy posting favorite quotes from Work Pray Allow on Twitter as @sacredfolk. On Instagram I share my garden and food journeys.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Know that you can do anything you want. Your writing/editing/publishing process does not need to look like anyone else’s. And definitely, definitely check out Kindlepreneur.com. Dave Chesson, the founder, has some incredible resources and articles. I learned a lot from him.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think that would be Brooke Castillo’s framing of problems as impossible. I love this, because it is exactly what I did for five years with a leading Investment Bank. When you see something as an impossible challenge, and decide it must be achieved, you will see a way through it. I love taking problems and strategizing through them.

What are you reading now?
Truthfully, Work Pray Allow. I’m on one of my 21 day pushes right now, on day 11 now.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would love to self publish a cookbook, and then write about that process. I love that many writers are talking about how to self publish books on Amazon, it really opens the door for many of us who may have thought it too big a goal. I think the cookbook market needs that as well. I mean, how many wonderful cooks do you know whose recipes you would love to have?

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Wow, great question. Definitely a Medical Medium book to teach me about which specific foods would be most beneficial for different ailments. Some type of foraging book so that I would know which plants I could eat, and which to propagate. And then I know, I sound narcissistic, but Work Pray Allow. I would need that to keep me motivated. Always moving forward. Never stagnating, getting bored.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kristen Nichols Website
Kristen Nichols Amazon Profile

Kristen Nichols’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am 22 years old writer who wants to inspire people. I am passionate about reading, writing, Music, Art , photography, science and many more.
I write to express. I write because I want the world to see me and listen to my thoughts.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Meet me in New York. It’s inspired by many people, one of those people is Van Gogh.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write the end of the story before I think of the beginning of the book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jane Austen/ pride and prejudice

What are you working on now?
I am working on my second novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I send the link of the novel to my friends and I post it on some grounds

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep on writing, don’t give up no matter what.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read a lot and you will write effectively

What are you reading now?
A Brief History Of Time by Stephen hawking

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am just focusing on my first novel right now (Meet me in New York), and I am writing my second novel too.

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?
Pride and prejudice, David Copperfield, the alchemist, and fight club.

Author Websites and Profiles
Nora. H. Amazon Profile

Nora. H.’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I only have one book on the market right now. But I’m working on my 2nd one. I grew up in Eastern Kentucky and came of age in the Bluegrass region of Central Kentucky, where I developed a love for antiques, historic buildings, and the arts. I started dreaming of becoming a professional writer in 7th grade. While in high school, I was chosen out of thousands of kids to attend Governor’s School for the Arts in creative writing. I attended Eastern Kentucky University where he got his BFA in photography.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Preservationists. I would say it was inspired by man things. My love for old homes and antiques, a girl I met and fell for and my love for interesting people.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I normally play guitar, then go running and then write. It seems like my brain is more clear when I get done. I feel like it is easier for me to write after I get done.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many books have inspired me. I grew up on the classics. Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre so many classics really inspired me. But also books like On The Road, I love the beat generation. Some of the newer books that I really loved was The Secret Wisdom of the Earth and All the Light We Cannot See.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on a book about 2 pre-teen boys who after the death of their parents have to live with relatives who have put them in a bad situation. they have a young country boy help them run away and finds them a new home. They befriend a young high spirited girl who takes them on adventures around their new town.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now Amazon and Facebook.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would say I have a lot of advice. One is trying to write every day, even if it is for 20 or 30 minutes. Write about what you are interested in. Write a book that you want to read. Pre-market, Pre-market, Pre-market. If when your book comes out you sell an ok amount of books on Amazon, Amazon will take notice and start to advertise for you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can’t edit what you have not written. So write as much as you can and edit it later.

What are you reading now?
Well, I just got done with The Cove, so I’m in the market for something new.

What’s next for you as a writer?
First doing everything I can to make this book a hit. I want to make it a full-time job. So a lot of marketing and interviews. I also want to have the 2nd book out within a year. My goal is to put out a book every year, or 2 at the latest.

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?
Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, On The Road, and The Secret Wisdom of the Earth

Author Websites and Profiles
Jason Daniels Amazon Profile

Jason Daniels’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Dallas Gorham has finished seven Carlos McCrary, Private Investigator, Mystery Thrillers and is working on an eighth.
He is a sixth-generation Texan and a proud Texas Longhorn, having earned a Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Texas at Austin. He graduated in the top three-quarters of his class, maybe.
Dallas is also a reluctant Dallas Cowboy fan (Cowboy fans: You know how it is. But he has no choice… He’s named after them, sort of.) Like his fictional hero, Chuck McCrary, he now lives in Florida in a waterfront home, where he has followed his lifelong love of reading mysteries and thrillers into writing them.
Dallas, the writer, and his wife moved to Florida years ago to escape Dallas, the city, winters (Brrrr. Way too cold) and summers (Whew. Way too hot). He is also a reluctant fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Miami Dolphins. (NFL fans living in Florida: You know how it is. But again, Dallas has little choice since he now a Floridian.)
Like his fictional hero, Chuck McCrary, he lives in Florida in a waterfront home where he and his wife watch the sunset over the lake most days and where he has followed his lifelong love of reading mysteries and thrillers into writing them in his home office. He is a member of Mystery Writers of America and the Florida Writers Association.
When not writing fiction, Dallas is frequent (but bad) golfer. He plays about once a week because that is all the abuse he can stand. One of his goals in life is to find more golf balls than he loses. He also is an accomplished liar (is this true?) and defender of down-trodden palm trees.
Dallas is married to his one-and-only wife who treats him far better than he deserves. They have two grown sons whom they are inordinately proud of. They also have seven grandchildren who are the smartest, most handsome, and most beautiful grandchildren in the known universe. He and his wife spend waaaay too much money on their love of travel. They have visited all 50 states and over 90 foreign countries, the most recent of which was Indonesia, where their cruise ship stopped at Kuala Lumpur.
Dallas writes an occasional blog at http://dallasgorham.com that is sometimes funny, but not nearly as funny as he thinks. The website also has more information about his books. If you have too much time on your hands, you can follow him on Twitter at @DallasGorham, or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DallasGorham.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Relics of a Happier Time. It was inspired by a loose end in McCrary’s Justice, the sixth book in the series, in which Chuck laments that he was never able to solve the mystery of his cousin’s disappearance. In this eighth book, he tackles that disappearance again.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I am on a roll on my first draft, I try to write 4,000 words a day. I seldom achieve that goal, but it helps me keep my mind focused.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In no particular order: Lee Child, Robert Crais, David Baldacci, Michael Connelly, Robert B. Parker, Janet Evanovich, John Sandford, and Tom Clancy.

What are you working on now?
Relics of a Happier Time. Tag line: Chuck McCrary searches for the body of his female cousin—missing for four years—and uncovers a string of serial killings before the killer comes after him.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Join Kindle Unlimited, use the free days, and advertising one different book each month on the email services like Awesome Gang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Forget about trying to get an agent and a traditional publisher. That is the past. Self-publishing allows you to have total control–and total responsibility for results.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Every great book was once a louse first draft.”

What are you reading now?
“Hostage,” by Robert Crais. I am reading it for the second time. I just watched the movie on Netflix and I want to see the difference in the plot and characters.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish the eight book, “Relics of a Happier Time,” and start on the ninth.

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?
“Early Autumn,” by Robert B. Parker. “Nothing to Lose,” by Lee Child. “King and Maxwell,” by David Baldacci. “City of Bones,” by Michael Connelly.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dallas Gorham Website
Dallas Gorham Amazon Profile

Dallas Gorham’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a self-published author with nine (9!) self-published books. I really love writing mysteries, so that’s the genre I’m in right now but who knows what could be next? When I’m not writing, I’m traveling or dedicating myself fully to “dog-mom” status. I have three rescue pups, all equally hungry for love and attention.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest is Passion, Chaos & Peanut Butter Fudge. It’s another book in the Marian Moyer series—her stories just never end! SHe’s a fun character that way.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I need absolute silence to write which can be hard to find. But I don’t have any dance moves that get me in the writing mood. Not that it’s a bad idea. I may implement that later.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jane Green, Carole Matthews, and Jojo Moyes are my favorites. I also love Janet Evanovich, Jodi Picoult and Liane Moriarty.

What are you working on now?
Right now i’m actually working on a Women’s Fiction. It is very different from my usual mystery style. About halfway through I realized I was going to have to keep moving the plot forward without any help from shady characters, weird evidence, etc.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
At this point, a lot of my sales depend on the building blocks I’ve been putting into place the last four years. Having a website I could drive people to certainly helps. eNewsletter. Social media. A lot of the usual suspects.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Experiment! What works for one book doesn’t always work for another one. Playing around with your marketing, taking risks, and trying new things is the key to growing yourself as an author.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Spend money to make money. It’s hard, especially when you’re first starting out, but sometimes throwing money at things if you have the budget goes a lot further than spending hours of time trying to figure something out.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Liane Moriarty’s The Husband’s Secret. Now I’m in the mood for a biography so I’ll have to see what’s on my shelf. I have several waiting to be cracked open.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I just launched Writerlust.com which is a website filled with writing and marketing tips and tricks for self-published authors. That will take up a lot of time. Once I finish the Women’s Fiction, I actually have a non-fiction on my plate that will be different but exciting.

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 read anything by Jojo Moyes 100 times. I’d probably also bring something about The Kennedy’s. I’d bring a business-minded book and I’d round it out with a historical fiction.

Author Websites and Profiles
Allison Janda Website
Allison Janda Amazon Profile

Allison Janda’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Let’s see, I’m in the United States Army, I’m coming up on eight years in October. It’s kind of cool and sad, because I’ll be parting ways with the military due to an injury. This injury keeps me off my feet a lot but lucky for me, I get to write. I’ve published four books and I’ve been in four anthologies. I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book that’s out is “Planet Dead One Shot: The Briggs Boys”, it’s kind of a prequel to Planet Dead and it was something I made for my fans. I enjoy writing, so I write short stories and books that tie in with my series just for them. It was free for a year or so and now it’s on sale, I have two other projects that I’m working on, “Planet Dead 3” Which is somewhat inspired by The Jonestown Mass Suicide and The Realm, which is like Vampire Diaries meets Harry Potter.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I know of, I like to make a playlist for every project I’m working on. The music keeps me in the tone of the book. I also cast my books like a movie and use actors to help me invision the characters, but I think everyone does that, right?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Bobby Adair’s “Slow Burn” turned me on to the post-apocalyptic genre, before then, I always loved zombies, but mostly in movie form. After reading “Slow Burn” I told myself I have to write something like this, something that will just grab a person and not let them go. So I guess he’s a pretty big influence on me.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a YA fanatasy called The Realm, which is about a young girl who is the key to saving a magical Realm from a dark overlord. She has three boys who have come to bring her back to The Realm, but not only does she not want to go with them, someone else is trying to get her as well, and they’re willing to use deadly force to do so. I’m also working on Planet Dead 3 that picks up with Catherine a few months after book one, she’s now in New Orleans and she’s about to risk it all to save her son (Jordan), Sue, and her brother in-law (Peter) but before she can put her life on the line, she has a few other lives that need saving and ending.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome Gang! Duh! haha I like going into facebook groups and getting to know people, I do a lot of social media, to the point that my wife things I’m addicted and I guess she’s not wrong.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you want to read, if it’s a story you enjoy, I’m pretty sure someone out there will enjoy it too. As far as self-publishing, yes it cost a lot of money, but don’t let that be the reason you don’t start. Get started, do what you can and you’ll find a way to get everything else done.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Trust in the process, life is hard and this industry is hard, but as long as I continue to write and grow and trust in my work and the process, everything will be alright sooner or later.

What are you reading now?
Dread Nation, it is an awesome book. I love the twist on history and the genre, I can’t wait to see what happens at the end.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m gonna win a Stoker award and get one of my books made into a Blumhouse movie…I just got to pay my dues first.

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 outdoor survival guide
A book about building boats
The Outsiders (Stay Golden)
One of those big ass Walking Dead Comic vols. haha

Author Websites and Profiles
Sylvester Barzey Website
Sylvester Barzey Amazon Profile

Sylvester Barzey’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Falmer, Brighton England, right by the Uni of Sussex. I am Hairdresser and a retired international musician. I live with my cat called John and always house two student lodgers. I love having young and creative people around. At present, my debut book Beaten but Unbowed (waking from the nightmare of abuse) is my first and only book, although I have written articles about hairdressing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Beaten but Unbowed (waking from the nightmare of abuse) I wanted to get my story out, to help others who may be suffering from the confusion that childhood abuse can have, or CPTSD. So far, it is having positive results, and gaining good reviews.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The unflinching truth.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Pete Walker CPTSD Thriving not surviving.

What are you working on now?
My sister’s biography, No Limbs No Limits

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook fan page, twitter,

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Turn your book into audio with Amazon and team up with a narrator, going 50-50 on profits. It’s well worth it, as it has a different clientele, and also makes your book accessible.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It takes time for the book to gain traction.

What are you reading now?
Being an NHS Chief Executive 31 May 2018
by Lisa Rodrigues

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep writing also a course on article 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?
Outrun, Bob the cat, Whos eaten my Cheese,

Author Websites and Profiles
Karen Braysher Website
Karen Braysher Amazon Profile

Karen Braysher’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an award-winning best selling traditionally published author. I am also a member of the Authors Guild. I am represented by the former Vice President of Paramount Pictures. My book the Forlorned was turned into a motion picture and released world wide last October. Sadly, I am a cocky gate type of survivor– I’m the victim of a phony trademark infringement lawsuit. I recently won my case in The U.S.Supreme Court! I won against a convicted child sex offender who wanted to sue for the word “Forlorned” in my book and movie title. Because of the horrible harassment I suffered at his hands–I recently formed a world wide organization called Authors Unite Against Bullies. I hope to help other artists and authors who have been in my shoes

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Forlorned–I was inspired to write the book as a way to get people (especially kids) to want to learn more about the War of 1812. So often the War of 1812 is overlooked in school. I also wanted to shed light on the fact the many American patriots buried on Dead Man’s island by the English were in danger of having condos built over the top of them. I wanted them repatriated into the veterans cemetery in the states. I believe most of the bodies were moved and buried where they should be now and with the respect they deserved.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in busy places with lots of noise, cafes or at my desk with mood music in the background.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My biggest influence comes from the classics. I enjoy reading Charles Dickens, Mary Shelly, and Emile Bronte. I am a huge fan of James Herriot.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a sequel to The Forlorned. I also have a few movie offers in the works as well.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
www.Angelatownsendbooks.com, www.angusmacbain.com or my blog http://angelatownsendbooks.blogspot.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do not let anyone bully you–always fight back! NEVER let anyone take credit for your work. Be proud of your writing. Ignore mean reviews– but take ones with constructive criticism to make your work stronger.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, and the pig likes it. –George Bernard Shaw

What are you reading now?
A Victorian Ladies travel guide a re-print from the 1880’s.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Always more writing and motion pictures. I hope to expand my organization Authors Unite Against Bullies to get a better reach and proactive mission. My goal is to help fellow 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?
All The Happy Potter Books!

Author Websites and Profiles
Angela Townsend Website
Angela Townsend Amazon Profile

Angela Townsend’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a middle-aged goat with perigrinating tendencies. I have lived in many countries, from the hyper-civilised, to the barely functioning, from the stayed to the vastly entertaining. I have been writing since I was rather young and realised you could do something with paper besides eat it. I have about half a dozen books at various stages of completion.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Mrs Maginnes is Dead is inspired by my time in Scotland, the realisation that the people I met there were not quite sane, an inexplicable longing for those little sandwiches they sell at Marks & Spencer’s, and a persistent feeling that my landlady must be gaming the system, or else may be quite bonkers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
If I don’t like a draft, I chew it up so it does not go to waste. I also have a computer with very big keys to accommodate my hooves.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to enumerate. I am a big fan of the classics (Sterne is a particular influence for Mrs Maginnes is Dead) and classical philosophy (particularly Aristotle). I also owe a debt of gratitude to Chaucer, Fielding and Cervantes. I prefer original editions because the paper tastes better—the archival chemicals they use on the new stuff is quite bitter.

What are you working on now?
I am working on Fresh Meat, a humorous vampire thriller set in steamy Puerto Rico, where the mosquitos are scarier than the undead.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome Gang, of course.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It is a long, dry road. Hydrate and pace yourselves. Invest in your mechanics (people won’t take you seriously if you can’t spell) and have a good, strong hook. And love what you do. Oh, and if you like eating manuscripts, make sure you keep your rejects separated from your good stuff.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never be rude to an Irishman, no matter what you do.

What are you reading now?
The Frogs by Aristophanes, Which in Progress,
(Elie Adams) Down Girl (Kate Manne).

What’s next for you as a writer?
A bit of shopping and then dinner.

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 Illustrated Guide to Edible Wild Plants; Shelters, Shacks and Shanties: A Guide to Building Shelters in the Wilderness; Wilderness Medicine Beyond First Aid.
What would YOU bring?

Author Websites and Profiles
Maeve Sleibhin Website
Maeve Sleibhin Amazon Profile

Maeve Sleibhin’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 Scotland, live in South Korea, and have two published young adult fantasy books. They are the first two in The Aronia Series, and I am working on the third and final book now. The series follows Abigail Crumble, a young bookworm who made the mistake of wishing on the stars without realising they are cursed.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Faelti is the follow up to The Watcher of the Night Sky. The title pronunciation is “FAIL-TEE”, and is so named because of a race of creatures in my universe. It is translated in the language of the fae to mean, the corrupted ones. Many things affected the plot. I can say Asia has had a large part to play in that as well as Scotland.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure I can call my habits unusual. I can’t write in cafes or busy places because I get too distracted by the people and noise. I need to be in my home office, locked away from the world. I always have a notebook with me when I am out, in case I get some sudden inspiration, and I am an avid user of Google Notes.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
R. L. Stine probably is the reason I started reading so much when I was young. I was obsessed with S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders as a teenager. I went through a thriller phase, and Mario Puzo phase before getting into fantasy. Neil Gaiman, J. K. Rowling, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, and Terry Pratchett are probably the greatest contributors.

What are you working on now?
The third installment of The Aronia Series. It’s called Aaravale but that’s all I’m telling you.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I can list the ones that are not effective… but I will be nice I’d say Freebooksy is a great one for posting promotions. I stay active on social networks. Twitter and Goodreads are great for contacting bloggers and authors. Book bub is the best but it’s difficult to get featured on.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t rush to get your book out there. Get feedback from beta readers, get it edited, get the cover made professionally (if publishing indie-style). Don’t lose heart if you keep getting rejected by agents or publishers. That’s just the way it is.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stephen King has some good advice on writing. I’d recommend listening to what he has to say.

What are you reading now?
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. She is talented! It’s been a long time since I found a book that caught me. I was getting so tired of reading the same thing, noticing the same formula in new books. This book has helped me get out of my reader’s slump.

What’s next for you as a writer?
When I went to Japan last year, I got this sudden idea while touring Osaka castle. I want to work on that.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
This question is so silly. Why would I be allowed to take books? That suggests I know I am going to be stranded. Therefore I would take some kind of survival book, The Bible, some kind of Scouts guidebook, and an empty notebook (pen attached).

Author Websites and Profiles
Rachel Pudsey Website
Rachel Pudsey Amazon Profile

Rachel Pudsey’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account