Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in London, but currently live in rural Surrey. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I also make music. I’m the author of Spell, Skin, Belong, and – in collaboration with my friend Simon Lewis – Jack Palmer & The Unspeakable Thing, and the spoken-word-with-music albums God Thing, Future Ghosts, Uforia, Open The Dog, Left At The Luna Mansion, and All Things Left On Earth. I was a member of the industrial band Cubanate in the mid-1990s, and have recorded six albums with the band Logos.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recently published book is Belong. It’s a tale of alcoholism and loss set in contemporary London. Though it’s fictitious, it was inspired by my days of heavy drinking while living in London in the 1990s. Here’s the blurb:

I was born to epiphanise. Soared heaven blue and drank deep of life. Alcoholism was never meant to be an option. But when my best friend Ridley died, my boozing was already insane. And now? Drink myself to death, or save the world?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write best at night, surrounded by cats, and accompanied by exceedingly loud music and a great deal of coffee.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think I’m more influenced by music than by writing, though authors who have had an affect on my work include T S Eliot, William S Burroughs, William Gibson, J G Ballard, Michael Gira, F Scott Fitzgerald, Allen Ginsberg, Patti Smith, Philip K Dick.

What are you working on now?
I’ve recently finished another two novels, both of which should hopefully be published in the next six months or so. I’m also working on a collection of all my spoken word texts in book form, and a novel set in the 1990s goth/industrial scene.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Probably my own website, as I have absolute control over what goes on it and how it is presented to the reader. Other methods seem very hit and miss to me, though Twitter seems very popular with some writers I know. I tweet regularly, too, though I’m uncertain how much of an impact it has on book sales.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write as much as you can, and read as much as you can. Live life, too; get out there and do new things. Your writing will be better for it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t listen to other people’s advice. Write what the heck you want.

What are you reading now?
I get through a couple of books a week, and usually have at least two on the go at once. I’m currently reading The Egg by Michael Gira, and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have two more spoken word with music albums on the horizon; both are roughly recorded and need finalising and mixing. As mentioned above, I should also have another two novels coming out in the next six months or so, plus a collection of the texts to all my spoken word albums. I’m very busy!

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?

Author Websites and Profiles
Darren Francis Website
Darren Francis Amazon Profile
Darren Francis’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Thanks for the interview!

I’m Tandy Mackal, an Atlanta-based freelance writer. I live with my very own Prince Charming, and we try to keep each other out of trouble. (Full-time job, that is!)

Jezebel Redeemed, a memoir, is my first book under my pen name.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Jezebel Redeemed is a memoir. Friends always tell me I should write a book about my life, but the scope and magnitude of that seemed a bit overwhelming. I began exploring different themes, and decided to write about one aspect of my life that is possibly the most telling, and is definitely the most painful – the men I’ve loved over my lifetime.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
For all my projects – books, articles, blog posts, screenplays – I write in spurts. I write small bits every day, because I can’t not write, but when I focus on a project, I pour myself into it and write as fast as I possibly can until I’m spent. This keeps the inner editor at bay for the most part.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been a writer for decades so I’m surrounded by all different kinds of writers on a daily basis. They have all influenced my writing in some way. The fiction writers have taught me to be a better storyteller, the nonfiction writers have taught me about theme and substance. The editors have tried to teach me the difference between lay and lie, but they finally gave up.

What are you working on now?
I’m toying with the idea of writing another memoir, this one focused on the women in my life. I think I need a little more emotional recovery time before diving in though. Jezebel Redeemed was painful at times.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to figure that one out.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I always thought I’d be a fiction writer since I devoured books like bon-bons. But writing fiction doesn’t come naturally to me, like nonfiction and screenplays. My advice is to try all different kinds of writing – don’t limit yourself to just one kind of writing. You might surprise yourself and find a gift you didn’t know you had.

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

I admire and respect writers who create word pictures with paragraphs of detail, but I tend to get frustrated with too much. I love writers who allow readers to use their own imaginations at times, as long as the story isn’t compromised.

What are you reading now?
Never Stop Walking by Christina Rickardsson

What’s next for you as a writer?
The dreaded M word – marketing!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Holy Bible
A Charles Martin book I haven’t read yet
A massive Shakespeare collection in one volume
The Oxford English Dictionary (yes, I read dictionaries)

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Raesha but I write under the pen name RAE, I am currently an undergrad student attending the illustrious Clark Atlanta University as a sophomore. To start, my love for reading started when I was in fifth grade. You could never catch me without a book in school. This love for reading soon transitioned into a love for writing when I got introduced to the former website Quizilla. There I would read all types of interesting books ranging from paranormal to romance stories. I found it so refreshing to be able to step into the mind of another and see how they would tell their story which prompted me to want to do one of my own. Although I wasn’t very good I still tried and eventually I headed to Wattpad and published a couple of stories. I didn’t have a set genre I preferred then so I pretty much wrote anything. Now, I have three books published under a small publishing company called Major Key Publishing and looking to publish many more in the future.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest books is called The Gospel of Uriah: Tales of a lost soul. My inspiration for this story drew from being tired of reading the typical “thug” related urban fiction or African American fiction stories on Wattpad. Don’t get me wrong they were all good, but I wanted to be different. I decided to tell a story of a young girl who just trying to find her way in life after all hope for her seemed to be gone. I wanted to focus on real-world problems and have it be as relatable as possible.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to take a long break in between releases in order to recharge myself and get my creative juices to flow.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read a lot of urban fiction which is where most of my inspiration comes from. There are a few writers on Wattpad who specialize in this area and just to name a couple would be: GoldGotti, SignedJojo_ and Shantii14__

What are you working on now?
I am working on the second installment to The Gospel of Uriah: Tales of a lost soul.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads to promote my books. I’m also transitioning into using Twitter but I’m still new to it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To new authors, I would say just write from your heart. Put out what you want to see not what you think others want to see. I know it’s going to start off tough. You’re going to feel like no one is vibing with your story but don’t let that discourage you. Speak your own truth and eventually, people will notice. Don’t let the ratings or money aspect of it all stop you from doing you because that should never be your primary goal in regards to writing. If it is, you may found that you are disappointed with yourself and your work. That was a lesson I had to learn and am still learning.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I was giving was to write what I want to see and not what others want me to write.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading (or at least trying to read) Silence by Sparkle Lewis.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully, I’ll be able to push out three more books in next year or so. But, as I’ve mentioned before I tend to take a long break in between 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?
I would choose any three(or four) of the Bluford Series books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Raesha Carlyle Amazon Profile
Raesha Carlyle’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a martial artist, author, and confirmed introvert. I currently live on the Western edge of Canada with a pair of Siamese cats. I originally come from Gibraltar, and I spent my childhood aboard a yacht named ‘Gub-Gub’ sailing around the Caribbean, Southern Europe, and North Africa. I still enjoying wandering around and seeing new places, and if I can do it from horseback, that makes me even happier.

I started writing books during my sojourn in a UK boarding school, and haven’t stopped since. I’ve currently got four books in my science-fiction series published, and I’m planning to bring out my first urban fantasy about a team of vampire hunters based on a yacht in the Tropics out in autumn. After that I’m almost certainly going to go back to work on the next in the sci-fi series, as my characters are getting insistent (I’m a ‘voices in the head’ type of author, much to the frustration of various bosses and acquaintances).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called ‘Elemental Conflict’, and it’s the fourth in my Cortii Universe sci-fi series, following Khyria’s story as she heads off to the edges of what’s euphemistically called civilised space in a last-ditch attempt to save her sanity and her command.

I’ve been playing with the characters in that series in various forms since I was five or six, and ‘Elemental Conflict’ leads on from a train of events begun in ‘Elemental Affinity’, where Khyria is assigned to support Federal Planets Alliance troops in exploring a society petitioning for Alliance membership.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
That’s a dangerous question to ask a writer; the more writers I get to know, the wider my definition of ‘unusual’ gets…

Probably my most unusual habit is the cat toss. One of my cats actually loves the sensation of being launched through the air, and will jump up on the edge of a desk or table just to get you to gently toss him back at the floor. He hops straight back up again purring like a two-stroke, all excited to go again.

Needless to say, when my hobby involves hours sitting at a desk, we play this game a lot.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Probably enough to send everyone to sleep if I went into all of them here, but I’ll do my best.

Dorothy Dunnett deserves a mention for the most fantastic character development I’ve ever read; she writes the way I hope I will if I ever grow up as an author. Anne McCaffrey, who was my first contact with the varied worlds of science-fiction at the tender age of nine or ten; Jack Higgins, who writes hyper-realistic, gritty thrillers that gave me my preference for practical solutions to problems in my books; and almost certainly Terry Pratchett, whose talent for surgically exposing the nonsense underpinning society has no equal.

What are you working on now?
Currently I’m in the editing, aka pounding sand, stages of my first urban fantasy story, ‘Death is for the Living’. As you probably guessed from the title, it’s a vampire theme.

Most people consider vampires to be a plague from the shadows of the Old World, but before modern borders divided the lands around it, the Caribbean Sea was better known as the Spanish Main.

In the Tropics, the prey comes out to play after dark.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still in what’s politely known as the experimental stage in that regard. Like a lot of authors, I’m perfectly happy in the 50,000-300,000 word range, and utterly paralysed when it comes to trying to write the kind of short, impactful copy that results in hordes rushing off to buy my book.

My favourite method is to join a small but active group of fellow-authors and all work together as a kind of immoral-support group to share tips and cross-promote. I’m still waiting for best-seller status, but I have a great group of people to chat to meanwhile.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t expect to get rich quick. Write because you love writing. Don’t feel obliged to chase the latest trend, and for the love of anything you hold holy, don’t feel obliged to dumb down your work in case some readers may not be able to follow it. If you have a story that grabs them, they’ll find a dictionary if they have to.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always write a scene from the point of view of the person with the most to lose.

What are you reading now?
I’m working my way through Jack Campbell’s Lost Stars series. I actually enjoy Lost Stars more than the predecessor series, Lost Fleet, mostly because there are no perfect heroes in Lost Stars – they’re all cynical, all with less-than-stellar pasts, and they all expect everyone else to double-cross them at the drop of a hat. It probably sheds some very uncomplimentary light on my reading tastes that I find those types of characters much more relatable than the perfect heroes and heroines.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As my sci-fi characters are mercenary shock troops highly trained in assault techniques, I suspect I’m not going to hold out much longer before I end up working on #5 in my Cortii Universe series. It’s already drafted, but I foresee some major editing work in my future to polish it up for publication.

I’m also working on a Cortii Universe short that started playing in my head over summer, and will probably end up as #4.5 at some point; it takes a side-turning to bring Khyria and Irin Seviki back together for an unexpected summons to Central Worlds.

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?
Faded Sun, by C J Cherryh; Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett; Game of Kings, by Dorothy Dunnett; and The Horse and His Boy, by C S Lewis.

Author Websites and Profiles
J C Steel Website
J C Steel Amazon Profile
J C Steel Author Profile on Smashwords

J C Steel’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Stan I.S. Law (Stanislaw Kapuscinski), architect, sculptor, and prolific writer was educated in Poland and England. While there, he also played concert violin and studied opera at the Guildhall School of Music.

Since 1965 he has resided in Canada. His special interests cover a broad spectrum of arts, sciences, and philosophy. His fiction and non-fiction attest to his particular passion for the scope and the development of Human Potential. He authored more than 40 books, 20 of them — novels. His books are often classified as visionary-metaphysical, with science-fiction overtones.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I put together 4 Trilogies, the last being the AQUARIUS TRILOGY. Most of last year I spent arranging and publishing 5 volumes of my Blogs, inspired by Dalai Lama, subtitled “Is Serch of Secular Ethics”.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When ‘inspired’, I write some 300 pages of a novel within 6 weeks or so. Editing takes much longer, but it doesn’t stop me from writing non-fiction books, articles, blogs, and essays. My wive’s sculptures serve to inspire most of my, soon to be published, poetry.
I am a Hedonist. I write because I derive more pleasure from writing than from doing anything else.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
n my younger days, I was very eclectic. I read all of Agatha Christy and other detective novels, then all the Science Fiction I could find. Only then moved on to H.P. Blavatsky, Emmet Fox, Bertrand Russell, and a number of other, including Greek, philosophers. Next, I was attracted by the philosophy of science (Einstein, Feynman, Tesla). Still searching I escaped to into the mysteries of Bible, Old and New Testaments, the Koran, and ancient Vedas. Had to study, learn, then write a Dictionary of Biblical Symbolism before the Bible made any sense. It was then that I realized that both science and religion, when pushed into fundamentalism, miss the whole point. Science dealt almost exclusively with the past, the Bible had nothing to do with religion. I began looking for expressing my point of view, both, in fiction and in fact.

What are you working on now?
As mentioned above, mostly blogs. I am also researching a sequel to my book DELUSIONS—Pragmatic Realism, with a tentative title CONCLUSIONS.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am very, very inept at promotion. I publish my blogs (which often define the inspiration for my books) on FaceBook. The professional publicists, to date, took my money and did little in return. I’m looking for a publicist/promoter who’ll work on %age of profits.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do not start writing until you have something to say. Most people don’t. And if you want to write a novel, know your destination, where you’re going. Then writing is fun trying to get there.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stay away from Facebook, or you’ll have no time to write anything. (PS. This also applies to me!) Also, write a few short stories (10 or 20) before you attempt a novel. Character development in short stories teaches you to be concise.

What are you reading now?
A half dozen books I buy marked down to 99¢. I refuse to read books that are free. Obviously, they are not worth anything. Usually, are read at least 20 books before I start writing one.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve written 40 books since I retired. Perhaps when I start selling, I’ll start writing again. Until then… see above.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d take my ipad with 500 books. I’d hope the desert island would have electricity. As for paper, Shakespeare, Bible, and a couple of my own.

Author Websites and Profiles
Stanislaw (Stan I.S.) Kapuscinski (Law) Website
Stanislaw (Stan I.S.) Kapuscinski (Law) Amazon Profile
Stanislaw (Stan I.S.) Kapuscinski (Law) Author Profile on Smashwords

Stanislaw (Stan I.S.) Kapuscinski (Law)’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a new upcoming author from a small town outside of Chicago called Matteson. I was born in Memphis, TN but my grandparents brought me to Chicago after I was born. I’m currently working on my third book which is actually a sequel to my new release. The first book I ever wrote was titled “Home Sweet Home.” I wrote it when I was in the sixth grade and that was where I won the Young Author’s Award. I pretty much continued my journey of writing after that.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is “Gangsta Boos.” The subtitle is, “In Love and War.” What inspired me to write this story was I began to hear a lot about crimes that was going on in Chicago. On a daily basis there were more and more killings. Even when I was growing up they would call all the bad kids project babies. It was said that those kids had it hard growing up. They were all exposed to drugs, gangs and murders. So I decided to write about it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’ve always had a bad habit of writing over everything. If I see a pen and paper I’m writing. My grandmother finally got a relief when I learned to control it better, but now my 10 year old does it to her.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the author Zhane. She was a big inspiration for me. I was afraid of being judged if I spoke the words I felt was meant for me to write. It was like a sin and a curse for me when I had the vision. But to see her be so brave and bold was magical.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on Part 2 of the sequel Gangsta Boos. I hope to have it in stores by February next year 2019.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method at the moment is marketing on different social media sites. Although I’m gradually learning different ways to promote my work, Amazon has been my main source.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up! Be patient and if writing is your dream then chase it. You have to do whatever it takes to get you where you want to be. This life comes with sacrifices. One thing that I’m big on is helping those who helped me. If someone leaves you a rating or review, return the favor. If someone passes along some information you weren’t aware of, why not pass it along to the next author. This is not a competition. We all do this because we enjoy it and want to accomplish a goal. One favor deserves another.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The very first day after I found out my title was live, I was scrambling around trying to figure out how to promote it. Then someone told me about LinkedIn. I briefly setup my profile but I was interested in what others were saying. I put my profile on hold and began to search for other authors. I ran across two individuals that broke my spirit immediately. The first one who was a woman said to me, “For you to be an author your profile has lack of experience. For you to be an author you sure are short on words.” Then she says, “Some author you are.” I tried to explain but she never replied to me anymore when all I wanted to ask was for her advice but I was kicked to the curve. The second person was a male. He said well since you’re an author you can check out this. He said, “Black camel kneel at your masters feet. You know what you were put on this earth do. You speak only when you’re spoken to and do as your told.” I simple said, “Thanks for sharing that me!” It took a handicap man that couldn’t even walk to step in and say something. His reply to the conversation was, “Don’t ever worry about what people say to you. Some are jealous and some are just evil. Use whatever they say as motivation to show them you can do better and I guarantee you, you will be even better than they ever were. Just know that when you become famous, I’m going to look back and say, man I’m glad I met that woman.”

What are you reading now?
I recently started my own author’s group on Facebook titled, For The Love Of Author’s so I’ve been briefly looking over all my members work so I can leave them reviews on Amazon. The one book I’m really interested in that caught my eye is called, “Behind Every Smile,” and it was written by the lovely Ms. Kris Barringer.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next move is to continue my sequel. After I’ve completed part 2 then I’m going to work on part 3. After that I’m going to finish up a story I started on a while ago and it’s called, “My Short Bio.”

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 Holy Bible would be the first thing I grab. Secondly, a book on how to start a camp fire. Third, I would choose a book that teaches survival skills. Last, it would have to be a book written by Zhane to keep me entertained. My responses was due to believing that with God by your side anything is possible so I said the Bible, I’m definitely going to need something to eat so I said a book on camp fires, I need to learn how to tackle wild animals to roast in the camp fire so I said a book on survival, and finally a book by Zhane because I’ve already memorized all the words to mine.

Author Websites and Profiles
Latoya Jackson Website
Latoya Jackson Amazon Profile
Latoya Jackson’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My pen name is derived from the Greek meaning of Monica, which is “Alone”. I began perusing writing as a full time career after several life hiccups, and unfortunate events that left me not only alone, but lonely. The characters I created over time have kept me company, and I feel honored that I now have a platform to share their stories.

I have written five books with about fifteen other works in progress.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Black Panther: A Cougar’s Tale (available soon) is about a college professor who has an affair with one of her students. The story was inspired by the me wanting to put a twist on the classic cougar story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write out of order. I tend to write the ending first, I must know how the story ends before I can get started. Then I write the middle, and the beginning comes last. I have an unhealthy obsession with post-it notes.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love children’s books and horror stories. I would say that Roald Dahl has influenced me the most. He was a master of the double life. His children’s stories are classic but his darker, macabre stories for adults are often overlooked.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a short story series where I have the freedom to write in different genres. Currently, I am working on my first horror story which I hope to have available for Halloween this year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook and Instagram for the most part. Twitter, here and there.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My only piece advice is to keep writing and never stop. Every available moment you have, you should be writing something.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If they make six movies about sharks in a tornado, there’s no such thing as a bad idea.

What are you reading now?
The Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d love to transition into writing screenplays.

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 few books from the Wizard of Oz series. Those stories are pure magic.

Author Websites and Profiles
Monica Moore Website
Monica Moore Amazon Profile
 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Danie Jaye (Danielle Johns) from Upstate NY. I have two published novels: The Chase, 2013 (YA) and The Taming of Lions, 2018 (Literary Fiction). I am an avid reader and all around creative spirit. Writing is my passion, but if feeling inspired, I may be found working on interior design or baking. I love dogs and have a weakness for cinnabon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Taming of Lions is my recently published novel (Volume 1 of a 3 part series). I was actually working on a different book at the time when this idea fell into my lap. Charlie (one of my lead protagonists) was a character I created years ago, but could never quite find the right story-fit for him. Suddenly, as with all bursts of inspiration go, his story hit me. I knew then that I wanted to create something that resonated with people. I wanted his journey of self-discovery as well as Edward (the other lead) to be relatable and meaningful to readers of all ages.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do some of my best writing in the wee hours of the morning. As for any unusual writing habits, I welcome distraction believe it or not. I find that distraction sometimes helps with creativity and the dreaded writer’s block.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Gilbert and JK Rowling. Not only are they amazing writers, but they lead very inspirational lives.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on Volume 2 of The Lions Trilogy (title TBA). It’s a combination of working between my laptop and countless notebooks. I tend to always need something to write with wherever I go, so notebooks are always my go-to.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am found on instagram @daniejaye_author and love to connect with my readers there. My website (pending publication) will contain information on all of my books and a blog containing all things creative.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
DO NOT GIVE UP. Nothing worth having is easy receiving. In the beginning, I was told that rejection was going to happen and I thought I had tough enough skin to face it when it did. Oh, how I was wrong! What I learned through rejection was how to find my voice as a writer and how to continue perfecting my craft. Every day I worked hard knowing that one day it would pay off.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read. Although, I have always been an avid reader. Reading is not only one of my favorite things to do, but I learn a lot from my fellow authors.

What are you reading now?
Currently, I am reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I gravitated toward the book because of its strange title and was immediately hooked. It is the perfect book to curl up with alongside a cup of tea.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As I mentioned, I am currently working on Volume 2 of The Lions Trilogy. However, I am always writing, so I may be releasing other books outside of this Trilogy very 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?
Such a great question!
Would the entire Harry Potter series count as one? If not, my choices are:

1. Success Stories by Russell Banks
2. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Author Websites and Profiles
Danie Jaye Amazon Profile
Danie Jaye’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
When I was little, I remember taking computer paper, stapling pages together to make a ‘book’, and creating a children’s picture storybook out of scratch. Since then I knew I was destined to become a writer/author. But it was only recently that I just wrote and completed my very first novel! So far I’ve only written and published one book, but I’m working on a sequel and a stand alone project is also lined up!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Astral Offsprings: Reign of Aries. It’s only book 1 of a two part series, but it’s my first baby! The Zodiac signs have always fascinated me, being a Virgo myself, but I’m not one of those crazy people who are completely in tune with their sign!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I type really weird!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Leda C. Muir. She published the same way I did. Her book, Mooncallers, got me hooked! It’s a dark fantasy 6 part series that I highly recommend!

What are you working on now?
The sequel to The Astral Offsprings!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon since I published through them. But I also promote my book on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write it down. The moment you think of something great, jot it down in your phone, on your hand, or on a piece of paper; even if it’s small! You never know what it might turn in to!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up and don’t allow yourself to feel discouraged! Take a break if you need it, but don’t completely shut down.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently not reading anything! I’m just waiting for Mooncallers book 2 to come out!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully becoming a well known author!

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?
Maximum ride. Mooncallers. The Astral Offsprings. And To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

Author Websites and Profiles
Nichole Lemos Amazon Profile
Nichole Lemos’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Karen Botha was born in Lincolnshire England where her father was in the royal air force. As a young girl she always had a passion for reading and writing. Working most of her adult life in digital marketing didn’t leave her much time to pursue her passion for stories. At the age of 36 she retrained as a reflexologist and started working for herself. This helped her free up more than enough time to enjoy a re-found passion for writing.
Her first novel was inspired by true life experiences and tales from clients, although you shouldn’t’ believe everything you read. She has since written 20 novels which she is currently in the process of publishing.
She enjoys traveling rugby and motor sport, this gives her inspiration and ideas for her books.
Her new lgbt series is a mm romance novel about a racecar driver and his mechanic and she has some plans to publish a series about hot rugby players soon.
She currently lives in London with her husband and rescue dog called Shadow.
Karen is currently kept busy with several romance series. As well as the MM romance, she also has two romantic suspense series, one urban romance and a sweet and clean series coming out just before Christmas 2018.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book is one I’m finishing today. It’s called Cassius and is the third in the Love series which is an interracial romantic suspense series. I love it, because I get to write happy ever afters for hardened criminals. Where else does that ever happen?
It was inspired by nothing more than my imagination. There is not a single piece of that book that is part of my real life, it’s where my imagination has been allowed to go wild and it’s really quite scary what comes out!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Other than the insomnia?
No, seriously, I don’t have any writing habits because as well as writing I am on call as a massage therapist and reflexologist. I’m always getting last minute phone calls from my clients who are having bad days and need a pick-me-up so my writing fits around them and their needs.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
It’s difficult to say, because like my writing, my reading is eclectic. I’ve read since I was a little girl with the door closed on my bedroom. I’d get home from school and spend hours reading, and then when I was told to go to bed, I’d read again under the bed covers. I guess those formative years have influenced me the most because without them, I really wouldn’t be where I am now.

What are you working on now?
I’m in the middle of a fast release schedule at the moment. From September 3rd, I’m launching one book a week until Christmas. It’s pretty full on and means that while I’m writing one book, I’m editing another and promoting up to three others.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not experienced enough to say yet, because as I’m in the middle of a fairly heavy launch plan, it’s impossible to pull out one site over another. I like my newsletter the most though as my readers communicate back to me via that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write from your heart and you will always have something unique.

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

What are you reading now?
I have three books on the go now. One on audio by Sandra Owens, Someone Like Her. Then I’m reading Amber by Theodora Taylor and Miami’s Superstar by Diamond Johnson.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After Christmas, I have some more romantic suspense planned out, but I also have a few characters in my MM romance, Commitment, which are burning plots in my brain driving me mad to get their stories written. I’m going to be busy, that’s for sure.

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?
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts is my all time favourite, partly because I spent time in India and adore the country and people.
Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay because my friend is a doctor and trained with him and she says it’s all true!
Me Before You, Jo Jo Moyes because it just stays with you, it’s one of those books which doesn’t need to be great literature to hit the right chord.

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Thomasville NC. I graduated from East Davidson High School in 2012 and published my first book in 2014. I have since then published three other books and am currently working on my fifth book that is set to be released by new years. Besides writing, I love to spend time with my daughter, animals and listen to music.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Blood Count which is book 3 of my fantasy series The Everlasting Love.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
If you can call it that. I tend to write down anything that pops into my head and build stories off of those ideas.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was a kid I absolutely loved Stephen King and Dean Koontz novels and I grew up telling myself that I was going to be as good as them one day.

What are you working on now?
My current book that I am working on is titled Visiting Heaven and it is set to be released by New Year’s day. I’m writing this book as a dedication to my late grandmother who was my best friend. It’s about how a girl named Tori finds her way out of darkness she entered after losing her nanny with the help of her nanny and her 3 visits to heaven.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am always posting about my books on facebook and twitter along with posting them on promotion websites and my own personal website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Follow your heart and push for success because you can do and be anything you want.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Can’t never could do anything as long as you believe it.”

What are you reading now?
Nothing

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a current festival coming up in October that I look forward to.

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 survival kit book
The Bane Chronicles
Anything by Cassandra Clare

Author Websites and Profiles
Rebekah Mitchell-Wagner Website
Rebekah Mitchell-Wagner Amazon Profile
Rebekah Mitchell-Wagner’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a former front line MI6 special operative. I’ve had 6 full-length novels and two novellas published by HarperCollins (the “Spycatcher” series) and am currently self-publishing a new series – “Ben Sign crime mysteries”. I’ve published The Spy Whisperer and The Fifth Man. Sign is a former senior British Intelligence officer, turned private detective. Before becoming an author I served in hostile locations around the world, obtaining secrets that informed Western foreign policy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest Ben Sign book is The Fifth Man. It is set in the Falkland Islands, a location where I did part of my Special Forces training. I loved the location – harsh but beautiful. The story is about four islanders who one night sail their trawler far out to sea to confront an Argentinian spy ship. The four men wash up dead on the islands the next day. My protagonist, Ben Sign, is tasked to investigate their deaths. He is also told by British military authorities that there was a fifth man on board the trawler. The identity and location of the fifth man is unknown. If Sign can find him, it will give Britain the evidence it needs to go to war with Argentina. But, Sign has a theory that something else is afoot.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
You’d have to ask other authors if this is unusual, but I tend not to have much of a writing structure. I work long hours, though the schedule can be anarchic – writing at four AM, dinner at eight AM, long walk, more writing, lunch at dinner time, etc etc. I’m used to that lifestyle. In MI6 I worked day and night, depending on the circumstances, and I ate whenever I needed fuel.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was a voracious reader as a child. I read classics, and also obscure, out of print, novels and short stories about adventurers, detectives, spies, and anything else that fired up my imagination about the world, and its perils and marvels. Amid the more famous authors – and to pick one that I keep returning to again and again – I have no hesitation in choosing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He was a gifted storyteller.

What are you working on now?
“The Russian Doll”. It’s my third Ben Sign crime mystery, with an element of espionage. But, it’s not per se a spy or military novel. It’s about powerful people and their intriguing lives. I’ve nearly completed the novel. As with all my other novels, it contains a bag full of twists.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best way to get my news is via my professional author Facebook account:

https://www.facebook.com/Matthew-Dunn-168465723306908/

You’ll also find a lot of my TV and print interviews on the Internet.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
a) Write what you want to read.
b) Ignore latest book fads – they change every year and therefore are out of date by the time you publish.
c) Always give your readers the very best story you can concoct.
d) Never listen to advice from other highly established authors, myself included.

There are nuts and bolts tricks of the trade when it comes to crafting a novel, but the beauty of being a creative is that one can explore the recesses of one’s mind. Stay true to your soul.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Nothing is impossible; who dares wins; one foot in front of the other; never settle for a dull life”.

What are you reading now?
District VIII by Adam LeBor.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A plethora of more Ben Sign novels.

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 entire series of Sherlock Holmes stories, John le Carre’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Frederick Forsyth’s The Day Of The Jackal, oh, and any SAS book about how to survive on a desert island.

Author Websites and Profiles
Matthew Dunn Amazon Profile
Matthew Dunn’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write romantic suspense, and Shadows in the Dust is my fourth full-length novel. My other books are; Island Redemption – a game of survival on a tropical island, Chasing Bullets – He took a bullet to save her life, but now she’s on the run from him and Glass Clouds – danger and intrigue set in the lavender fields of Provence. I also have 2 free prequel novellas, Island Souls (prequel to Island Redemption) and Chasing Tara (prequel to Chasing Bullets)

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Shadows in the Dust is the first book in a new series, called The Colours of the Earth, a romantic suspense set in the heart of the Outback. This was the very first manuscript I ever wrote, a labour of love, which has sat at the bottom of my drawer for many, many years. I’ve taken it out, dusted it off, re-worked and re-mastered it. This story was born because I had to write about all of the characters I met during my years working on a sheep farm as a jillaroo in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. There’s even a slight paranormal twist, as I’ve always been fascinated by the deep spirituality a person encounters in the Australian bush. The heroine doesn’t trust anyone because of an event from her past and her journey towards finally breaking down that wall of loneliness to let people in, as well as finding love, is a long, hard, but in the end, joyful one.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
One day I’m going to save up enough money to buy myself a stand-up desk, but until that day I have an improvised version instead. It’s a cardboard box covered in a pretty table cloth that is just the right height, so when I need to stand for a while I just lift it up onto my desk and voila.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love to read any Australian author, as I believe in supporting our industry, and Aussie authors are amazing. Writers like Bronwyn Parry, Rachel Johns and Liane Moriarty are among my favourites. And I love anything with a bit of spice and suspense in it. Authors like Lisa Gardner and Karen Rose are inspirations for me.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second book in the Colours of the Earth Series, called Shadows in Deep Blue. The second book is linked to the first one in that it tells the story of Jenna’s (heroine of the first book) mother, who abandoned Jenna as a child so they might both escape her violent husband. The story can be read as a stand alone novel as well.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My newsletter subscribers are my biggest fans and they always give me lots of love whenever I release a new book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Slow and steady wins the race. This is a marathon, not a sprint. All those wonderful cliches, but they’re true. Every time you release a new book it’s a wonderful learning experience and your knowledge grows, your wisdom grows and so does your fan base.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As an author, it would be; You can’t edit a blank page. In other words you have to write something, anything, to be able to turn it into something better. It might never be perfect, but it will always be better than if you wrote nothing.

What are you reading now?
The Lavender Keeper by Fiona McIntosh.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I think I’ve got the writing thing going fairly well now, and so I need to learn how to market myself. Most authors tend to be introverts, which is me 100%, and it’s hard to have to push myself to get out there and make some noise so people can discover 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?
Lord of the Rings is may absolute favourite book of all time. I read it as a teenager and have been in love with it ever since. I’ve read it at least 10 times, maybe more. I would have to take Liane Moriarty’s latest release, whatever that may be. My other go-to book would be Eat, Pray, Love, because there is so much to be learned from Elizabeth Gilbert’s wonderful journey to find herself.

Author Websites and Profiles
Suzanne Cass Website
Suzanne Cass Amazon Profile
Suzanne Cass’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 a wife, mom, and writer. I enjoy the outdoors with my family, exercise, traveling and seeing what adventure God will bring us through next. After surviving domestic violence trauma in my early twenties, I realized my true calling was to help other women overcome domestic violence and life hardships. I’ve written one book and am working on another.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Deeply Wounded Hope and it was inspired by my journey of overcoming domestic violence.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I will start an article and hold onto it until it feels more inspired to finish. I’ve let life events dictate which articles get written.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Brene Brown, Gillian Flynn, John Maxwell

What are you working on now?
Starting to work on a book about relationships. Still flushing out the content and theme.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
All social media channels, your own personal blog, and other book sites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep journals. They helped me to write my first book and collate my thoughts.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I am enough. Let others be themselves and you do you.

What are you reading now?
The Great Alone, Eleanor Oliphant is Fine.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing for Domestic Violence month, and working on article submissions.

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 Nightingale, Daring Greatly, The Bible, and Big Little Lies

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am from Greenville SC. My first book was Urban Pulp Fiction, which was released in February 2018. My second book, Urban Pulp Fiction II was released in September 2018. It is the second of a series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of the book is Urban Pulp Fiction. It is inspired by the world in my head. To escape reality I go to my world of what if’s.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I first write on paper then type it out on the computer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Terry McMillian, Sista Soujha

What are you working on now?
Another stand-alone then part 3.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m just getting started and looking.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write. It will come together. Have fun.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write even if it’s trash. Every book needs to start somewhere.

What are you reading now?
Nothing, just writing right now.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve always dreamed of my stories to become movies/t.v. show(s). I would like to work toward 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?
My question would be…can I bring my kindle plus three hardbacks?

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, USA. Three adult children are who my world revolves around. Zumiez, my Papillion dog makes me smile every day.
I released my first book in 2013. Now that my children are older, I have time to devote to my writing. My favorite genre to write is Cozy Mysteries. I have two series released under that genre. The Jelly Shop Mysteries has four released stories and Shipwreck Cafe Mysteries has one.
I also release a new Christmas story each year( Keep the Faith, Ellen McGuire and The Wishing Cradle) with Daddy’s Last Wish being released this year.
The Baby Factory and The Big Mistake Club are two other books in different genres that I have written.
The sequel to Keep the Faith will be released this November, Be Careful What You Wish For, Ellen McGuire.
In January 2019, I will be releasing a new cozy series, Henrietta Higgins, Hairdresser to Murder. Book #1 is Curlers and Corpses and #2 is Perm…anently Dead.
2019 will be a busy year for me having 12 new books to release.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Until Jam Do Us Part, is the fourth in The Jelly Shop Mysteries. I love the people of Whipper Will Junction. They are quirky, caring and full of fun. I have 8 more books outlined for this series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
None

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Kathi Daley’s cozy mysteries.

What are you working on now?
I am finishing up Daddy’s Last Wish and the second book in The Shipwreck Cafe series, Death on the Half Shell. I also have a new YA book started called The Book Juggler.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My Facebook pages are the best promotional tools I use right now.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I learned the hard way. Never edit your own work.
Write what you know and what you enjoy to write.
It takes a while to build up a reader base, it does not happen over night.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up.

What are you reading now?
I am reading quite a few books on lighthouses and ghost stories as research for my Shipwreck Cafe series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to submit my new cozy series to Hallmark for consideration.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring empty notebooks and pens so that I could continue to write.

Author Websites and Profiles
Donna Walo Clancy Amazon Profile
Donna Walo Clancy’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 someone who enjoys things that are different, someone who doesn’t like to follow the norms of society, I once heard a quote that hit that state of mind right on the head, I can’t remember where I heard it exactly but it was, “Only dead fish swim with the stream.” It is only recently that I started putting pen to paper and release what has been frothing in my mind for ages. To date I have 1 book released

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called The Bedlam Butcher, and I plan to release a series of books under the Chronicles of Cain umbrella, not to give too much away, but I’ve always been a fan of smart serial killers and the blending together of historical elements with present vices.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I’m aware of. lol.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King and Patrick Suskind

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second book in the Chronicles of Cain series, at the same time I have seeds to plant that will be the base of the third book in the series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As this is my first book published I’m absorbing everything I can regarding the promotional side of things. Aside from creating my author page on GoodReads you guys are the first site I submitted my book to.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Let the story you want to tell flow from your fingers and don’t worry about formatting and correct grammar, early on, that’s what editors are for.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write every chance you get.

What are you reading now?
I just put down Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’, it was fantastic.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Next I plan on finishing the Chronicles of Cain series and at the same time fertilize these ideas I have for other 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?
‘Perfume’ by Patrick Suskind, ‘Pillars of The Earth’ by Ken Follett, ‘IT’ by Stephen King and ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ from Ray Badbury

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a copywriter by day and fiction writer by night. Or something like that. I also have a second-degree black belt in kickboxing, something which has had a big influence on my writing. I write young adult books, many of which feature kick butt heroines because I believe every girl needs to kick a little butt from time to time. I’d love to empower girls around the globe to take care of themselves and to follow their dreams.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Parallax Error is the name of the book. It’s inspired by Amanda Todd, a Canadian teenager who was bullied and told her own story in a series of flashcards on a YouTube video. The video makes me cry every time I watch it because this wasn’t fiction. It was someone’s life. I started to think about the skills and confidence I gained from kickboxing, albeit as an adult, and how this can help people. So I threw my heroine into a parallel universe where she’s not the school nerd any more. She’s a bodyguard-in-training. I desperately wanted to give Amanda a happy ending, something that simply couldn’t be done. But I made sure my heroine in Parallax Error had one.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Coffee, chocolate and my homemade shortbreads. Nothing too unusual there.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to name. One book that had a big impact on me as a teenager was Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange. The book painted a picture of a very violent world that made me think about a lot of things, including the importance of personal freedom. It’s hard to write kick butt young adult books and not be influenced by The Hunger Games. When I first heard about the book, I could’ve kicked myself for not coming up with it first. A story about teenagers pitted against each other in a fight to death is right up my alley.

What are you working on now?
And now for something completely different… I’m working on a series of six rock star romances. The first books I wrote were romances so in some ways I’m going back to my roots. Also, I’m a bit of a rock tragic. I spent my youth going to see bands every weekend and I still go to the odd concert. Last year, my husband and I flew across the country to see our favorite band, The Pixies, in Melbourne because they weren’t playing in our home town.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I got a huge kick out of getting a write-up in my local newspaper about my latest book. The interview got off to a great start when the reporter said she hadn’t planned on actually reading Parallax Error but she started skimming it and then couldn’t put it down. Many of my friends saw the interview and I got a huge buzz out of that too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If this is your dream, then do it. Don’t let anyone stand in your way. You don’t want to get to eighty and then think about writing a novel when it’s perhaps too late.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just do it. Okay, this may be the Nike tag line but it’s also my life motto. You can’t do everything in life but you can choose the things that are important to you and spend time on those things.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Boy Swallows Universe, by Trent Dalton. I’d give this book more than five stars if I could. It’s brilliant – full of heart, beautifully written and has a killer ending.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I thought I might finish the series of six rock star romances. It takes a while to write six 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?
I’d only need one – To Kill a Mockingbird.

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a writer based in Toronto, Canada. I’m a proud royalist with a lifelong passion for the British monarchy. An avid Diana-watcher for over 30 years, I was thrilled to cheer on the royal wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton on the streets of London in 2011. I was also honoured to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in 2015. My first novel, Diana A Spencer in Love, was published by Indigo Sea Press in 2017. Unbelievably, I have enjoyed a forty-year career with a large computer company as a global learning designer. I enjoy spending time with my two amazing adult children and grand-daughter Eva.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My second book is called Diana, A Spencer in Turmoil. It’s the second historical novel in my Diana Spencer trilogy. It continues the story of Princess Diana after ten years of marriage – when she is soaring on the world stage but facing private struggles with her marriage, bulimia and a relentless paparazzi. It’s historically accurate but does something no other Diana biography does – it tells the Princess’s story in her own voice.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Hmm, that’s a good one. My best habit is to finish writing when I’m really on a roll. I leave a chapter ALMOST finished. That way, when I pick it up the next day, I have energy and focus to complete it…and then I just keep on writing. I rarely have experienced writer’s block this way.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Colleen Mccullough – The Thorn Birds, Ayn Rand – We the Living, any fiction about royalty or life in Britain in WWII. I love a strong story with memorable characters and captivating writing.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the final book in my Diana Spencer trilogy – Diana, A Spencer Forever which chronicles the last year of Princess Diana’s life. Her work with banning landmines, coming into her own as a divorced woman and finding love again are all explored with the same attention to historical detail as the first two books.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Wow…that’s a hard one. Being consistent with all social media is key. I tend to gravitate to Facebook but I’m always looking for new sites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice is to create an outline for your book- Chapter by chapter. Even if it changes (my first book was supposed to be 10 chapters, but it ended up being 12), you need to have a vision and view for the flow and how the story unfolds. Then, create a writing schedule with deadlines and stick to it!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Show, don’t tell. Make your characters and narrative come to life by showing the audience what is happening through dialogue, rich details and the 5 senses.

What are you reading now?
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing my trilogy, getting my books out there and deciding what to write next!

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?
Anything by Maeve Binchy or Rosamond Pilcher. Probably The Thorn Birds. Maybe my own trilogy.

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have writing for over ten years. At this time I have a fiction inspiration novel called Mental Health Day about a young man living life in a rut. I also have my Rogue’s Phoenix series where the first book (Thieves and Kings) is out ad the second book (The White Orc) is in editing. I also have my post economic collapse/apocalyptic series called “The Divide” I currently have one book out (Cataclysm) and the sequel (The Tower) is due out October 30th, 2018.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Tower” is the second book in The Divide and was inspired by a brainstorming session with a friend where I asked a simple question, What would happen if we realized as a world that we had less oil than we thought? The outcome is a post economic collapse story where America went to war with China and Russia over the remaining commodity. It is a survival book that blends storytelling with a few survival techniques.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write when I can. I get an idea, I hash it out into an outline and then I start the story. There are time mid-story where the characters take the story somewhere different than I originally planned and so I have to go back and re-outline the rest of the books. I love to write while camping as it is quite and relaxing. I truly write when I can as I am a full time employee, dad and husband in addition to writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The fantasy authors are Terry Goodkind, R.A. Salvatore, Tracy Hickman, Margaret Weis. I also enjoy the Benny Imura series by Jonathan Maberry. Recently it has been the Survivor stories by A. American. I have also read the Star Wars books which have recently inspired a Science Fiction novel that I have in development now.

What are you working on now?
I am in development of a Science Fiction story where earth is slowly being abandoned for life in space. The story is tentatively called Washington(Named after the first space station in space for the novel). In addition to that I am working on the third book in The Divide as well as a Steam punk novel. I try to write in multiple genres. It keeps things from getting too stagnant.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far I have used Facebook, Twitter and my main webpage. I just in the past couple of days learned of promotional sites such as AwesomeGang that I am hoping to see more attention come out of. I listen to a lot of podcasts and read what works for other authors. I am starting to go to events to promote myself as well.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice I could offer is to just keep writing. Make sure you are enjoying what you are writing and you won’t have a bad book. Spend the money on book design and editing. Make the book look as good as you can. Beta readers are free and a great resource.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The book cover was the best advice ever given to me. The book cover is the first thing a person sees and is what a lot of people use to judge the potential of the book. The nicer the book and most explanatory it is will guide sales.

What are you reading now?
I am still in the Survivor books by A. American. This guy writes in a post collapse environment and the story is great. The characters use dialogue to explain situations and survival techniques. It is absolutely amazing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to wrap up the third book in The Divide, finish the first book in Washington and then begin a second book in that story. I also would like to begin work on book three in Rogue’s Phoenix(A Fantasy Fiction series I am writing as well)

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?
Terry Goodkind’s Faith of the Fallen. The story is amazing and I really enjoy the element of taking the main character Richard away from everything else he had worked for. I would take a survival book such as Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival by Dave Canterbury. More so for some of the useful things in it. This is a great resource for writers in the survival genre. I would take Going Home by A. American. A great story with great characters. I would also probably grab the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is an oldie-but goodie.

Author Websites and Profiles
Tommy Clark Website
Tommy Clark Amazon Profile
Tommy Clark’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born to Indian parents in June 1999. Introduced to books by my mother as a strategy to reduce my hyper-activeness and to get me to sit still for more than five seconds (I almost fell out of a window once), I fell in love with the fictional worlds conjured up by the imagination. I spent most of her childhood curled in the corner of the local library with a book. Once I picked up a pen, I never put it down, writing from the tender age of 3. “A.U.R.A” is my debut novel, a thrilling young adult science fiction. A current college student, I can be found weaving snatches of poetry into cohesive sentences for my blog in the middle of the night and sleeping in nine A.M lectures.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called A.U.RA. It’s a YA sci-fi novel and it was inspired by a particular image I came across of a purple iris filled with stars. The picture sparked an idea and the idea turned into a plot and finally a book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I only write in the middle of the night because ideas flow easier then. You could say I’m a night owl.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was influenced a lot by the authors of my childhood like JK Rowling, Roald Dahl, Margaret Peterson Haddix, etc. As I grew older, I started appreciating the beauty and the writing style in books like The God of Small Things and A Thousand Years of Solitude. Arundhati Roy is my writer role model.

What are you working on now?
I started a narrative poetry blog quite recently and I’m experimenting with contemporary styles of writing that don’t necessitate complete sentences.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Everyone loves free things.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You’ll feel like giving up so many times during your journey. Don’t. It’s worth it in the end.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Sleep on it and decide in the morning. Or just sleep in general.

What are you reading now?
The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to work on my poetry for the moment.

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 God of Small Things, Sherlock Holmes, the Kite Runner and Harry Potter

Author Websites and Profiles
Aksa Thomas Website
Aksa Thomas Amazon Profile
Aksa Thomas’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I have a couple books “written” none published as of yet, but here’s hoping it’s not long till that answers different!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s a Short Story called What Happened After Midnight. My inspiration came from one thought, “What if Cinderella went off track and her poor Fairy Godmother had to scramble to get her back on it?”
So much can come from a good “What if” question!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a sporadic writer. I can’t get too structured or I burn out way fast. Which means to annoitsidernit looks like I’m all over the place.
Also I have three pandora radio stations I listen to for inspiration, One Direction, Dan and Shay Country, and Josh Groban.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The most influential book is Ella Enchanted. I hated reading till I read it in fourth grade and I’m forever grateful it changed my life!
The authors who have influenced me most recently are, Kelly Oram, her books are incredibly funny, as well as so well written! And Amanda Kaye, we’re buddies and she’s the first to read over my stuff and give feedback—she’s invaluable. Her own work is amazing too! I’m in awe over what she can do with just 26 letters!

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on publishing a YA called Rival Summer. It’s about two competing summer theater camps and a girl who has to attend the “wrong” one.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not quite sure yet….but I’m eager to find out!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I still think of myself as a newbie, so I guess all I can say is, keep at it. Do it for you, not for reviews, or stars. Write because you have something you need to tell yourself. There is an audience for everything!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Best advice ever? Eyebrows are sisters now twins! Best writing advice? When it comes to writing you can not fail, only learn. And anytime you learn, you succeed.

What are you reading now?
Ha! I just binged the TV show Greek, so I’m not reading much in fiction. (I’m not one of those who can be mentally involved in more than one story at a time). But I am working through a great empowering self-help entitled, Mastering Affluence.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Great question. I hope a published full length novel is next. It’s what I’m working towards, so it’s bound to happen eventually.

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?
Ahh, “I could no sooner choose a favorite star among the heavens.” Ten points if you get the reference!
Well, okay. The Host by Stephanie Meyer, The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram, as well as her Jamie Baker series and The Harry Potter series (series count as one book right?).

Elle Saline’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Since I don’t know when I’ve always had characters and scenarios bouncing around in my head. Yet, it was only about 7 years ago that I attempted to transfer those thoughts to paper. To date, I have four mystery novels published and one short story. My novels are 1940’s detective fiction and they are set in Detroit, Michigan.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest publication is “Drowning in Deception: The Case Files of Sam Flanagan”. Sam is a detective in Detroit with WWII underway. This latest brings a bit of the war into it, and of course, there’s a suspicious death he must investigate.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. One thing that bothers me about myself is that I am very undisciplined. Writing and being undisciplined are not good companions.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The first influence in my life was a love of reading Nancy Drew books. I love them still! I graduated from Nancy to the Agatha Christie mysteries. She was a genius! Television detectives shows and old-time radio mysteries have influenced me, also.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on a short story titled “Expendable”. It’s about a 60’ish woman who is hospitalized and begins dreaming of her deceased husband. Is she just reliving a long-ago incident, or is he trying to get a message to her?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I post to many author/reader groups on Facebook and try to utilize sites such as Awesome Gang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice would be to write and submit for publication. Stephen King and James Patterson are not the only ones to get published. Go for it!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never quit! It’s got to be the best advice. If you do quit, there is no chance that what you desire will ever happen!

What are you reading now?
I’m just beginning to read “Dr. Hydenberg” by Jeffery Martin Botzenhart. It’s really a novella, but the premise is so intriguing. It questions the premise what if a person has been given another’s eyes. Would he then see what the host saw?

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to finish this short story and then start my next Sam Flanagan mystery.

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 have to take a Bible, of course. I’d love a couple of good Agatha Christie books, and very possibly my own novels. I know, I know, that’s more than four.

Author Websites and Profiles
Judith White Website
Judith White Amazon Profile
Judith White’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written two books. I am probably the weirdest author you will ever hear about. The books I write reflect my weirdness and I think that’s what makes me unique.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Rich, Famous, And Ass-Less is my latest book. What inspired my book was a man from England who used to be a servant. I heard the man drew pictures and then I let my mind fly.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Everything about me is unusual. I think, however, my most unusual writing habit is rubbing my face against my cat’s butt to ease writers block. My second most unusual habit is throwing ice cream at my neighbors children to combat writers rage.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tiffany Haddish has wrote a book about a unicorn. That inspired me because she was so uniquely herself. J.K Rowling inspired me as well with her attitude. She never gives up and neither will I!

What are you working on now?
A picture book of my trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico is my lates project. It will be full of socially awkward pictures.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I never promoted before so… this website is best!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be everything they told you that you shouldn’t be. It not about pushing boundaries, but it IS about pushing yourself.

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

What are you reading now?
Beyoncé’s Lemonade Box Set. It was so worth my car payments.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Short films to match my short stories.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Damn! That’s a toughy. I can’t choose! There are too many GREAT books out there!

Author Websites and Profiles
Dr. Fu LoveShit DE LA ROSA Amazon Profile
 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing for many years, this is my first book, just published in September. Writing poetry came easily, after the first few the words flowed, at times a number were penned in quick succession. They were my way of expressing my thoughts and feelings of loving and being in love. A love that surpassed anything I could imagine I would ever find. To find that degree of love unconditionally returned in equal measure had my fingers fly across the keys often late in the night. My quiet time, and when sleep eluded me and my mind was in overdrive. A feeling of flying in every fibre of my being.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Purple Diamonds 101 Love Poems
Simply a need to write. I had all these amazing memories, thoughts and feelings that filled my heart and my head. Writing soon became like auto writing. Scribbled at times on bits of paper though usually typed at some speed without pause.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say unusual, maybe rare. I don’t believe many authors write as I do, without needing to think of the next line or a word that rhymes with one I just wrote a minute before. It seemed to be a gift I hadn’t known I had within me, till I began.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
None, I’m an avid reader and have read all my life. My inspiration came from within.

What are you working on now?
I’m having a break for a few months then editing ready to publish my second book early in 2019.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I feel that will be your website. Awesome book Promotion’s.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just start.
If like me you have a collection of paper in a drawer that you still can’t bear to throw away. If you think you still want to publish it, one day. No matter how busy your life is; have one hour a day or one hour a month where you begin a rewrite. You may find that It’s not as difficult and revisiting something shelved like your book can help you decide if you believe others would enjoy reading it. Self publishing options are available.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To follow your heart.
Some call it intuition or a gut feeling,

What are you reading now?
I have just read Total Eclipse by Liz Rigby, hard to put down. Passed on by a friend that loved it. A great author.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Editing a large folder of verse and short biography like notes in my drawer.

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?
Gee, I couldn’t pick, but they would want to be very thick books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Janet Ely Website
Janet Ely Amazon Profile
Janet Ely Author Profile on Smashwords

Janet Ely’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have spent 2018 doing anthologies for both charity and royalties, with different groups and different people, getting my feet wet with the various genres and ways things are done. I’ve bounced all over the place from sci-fi space opera to horror, and everything in between. I’ve published one full length novel this year and one novella. Many more solo projects are in the works for next year.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My current book, a novella, is Autumn Magic. I love everything autumn, but here in Florida, I have to go to Hobby Lobby or Joann’s to see all their decorations to get the fall feel. I love romance and just wanted to add a little twist to the story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am a pantser – a last minute, rush to the deadline, work best under pressure writer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Nicholas Sparks and Cecelia Ahern for their ability to kick you right in the feels with their stories. I aspire to write something that affects people the way they do.

What are you working on now?
I have three more novellas coming up for winter, spring, and summer, as well as an ice cream themed novella coming out next July. I have two novels in the works and several collaboration projects.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth is the best way. Sharing on Facebook works, but I’ve found the old fashioned face-to-face has great benefits. Awesome Gang has been….well, awesome….also!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. There is so much more to the writing career than just writing the story. Build your tribe and keep them close. You can’t do it alone.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be true to yourself.

What are you reading now?
Reading is a thing? haha I have bookshelves lined with books that need to be read. I recently started Catch.net by Rita Delude.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to build a reader following that think my stories are wonderful and love to leave reviews.

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?
Faery Tale – Raymond Feist
The Rescue – Nicholas Sparks
PS I Love You – Cecelia Ahern
How to Survive on a Desert Island

Author Websites and Profiles
Lorah Jaiyn Amazon Profile
Lorah Jaiyn’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The official bio follows. It is a good summation of me. Although, I still want to be Wonder Woman with the bracelets. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be able to kick Superman’s ass? The only other superheros I’ve considered becoming are Rogue, Jean Grey and the Scarlet Witch. Anyhoo, I am a talker so let me just say, before I digress yet again, that I’ve written a total of nine published stories, numerous newsletters in former jobs and hopefully encourage many young women to pursue their dreams in the writing and acting field.

International Best Selling Author Hope Daniels grew up in a small resort area in Michigan where she and her husband still live today. As the third child of four, she had an exhaustive imagination. From straddling the back-porch railing as a wild cowgirl, to saving the world as Wonder Woman complete with homemade bullet stopping bracelets. She was always taking what she read and making it as real as she could, now if she could just find the wolf shifter of her dreams…

Love of reading began at an early age, due to a first-grade teacher living next door, and her own father reading bible stories to her before bed each night. It was cemented in elementary when she discovered scholastic books, specifically Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague. Her love of horses and reading has never diminished, even after her husband took her to Chincoteague Island for their honeymoon.

Daniels loves to write in multiple genre which includes her short in the International Best Selling Anthology All You Need Is Love produce by Encompass Ink titled Always and Forever, the Amazon Bestselling Anthology Black Magic (A Women of Urban Fantasy Production), a Contemporary and YA short in the LDL Ink Anthologies. She is also the co-author to the Magical Forces series books Hell In Heels, Hell On The Heart, Hell Of A Family Yule and Hell of A Night with Author Alicia Dawn. Hell Is The Tie That Binds releases October 5, 2018.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Hell Is The Tie That Binds is the newest release with Alicia Dawn. It was inspired by the characters themselves. They said they needed this novella to reconnect and rediscover why they loved each other so fiercely in the first place.

I’m also working on an unnamed MM Romance. This is a follow up to Troy and Marshall’s story in the Anthology All You Need Is Love. I felt drawn to give the two a full novel. I felt they have more to their story. More of a journey. Both suffer PTSD and Troy has issues we haven’t yet explored.

Next year a Reverse Harem sequel to An Awakening from Black Magic will be released. I’m moving slowly with this one. Each chapter is being beta read by the LDL Ink writing group. I’m getting great feedback. This is going to be a great story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to have either music or the TV on in the background. If it’s the TV, then it must be on something I am not going to stop writing to watch. I’ve had it on Paw Patrol while writing sex scenes before. I do not recommend it, though they turned out super hawt! Usually it’s the Property Brothers (hello, Jonathon can be one of my characters), or Say Yes To The Dress. I love both programs, but during the day it’s usually reruns. If Doctor Who or any Hallmark Channel movie, I’m done. Can’t write. I’ll watch the TV instead.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh wow, this is actually a very difficult question because there have been so many and I don’t want to forget someone. I would have to say one of the first was Marguerite Henry. Sea Star was one of my favorite books growing up. Janet Dailey’s Calder saga, though tame by today’s standards, kept a young teen hot under the collar. Anne McCaffery’s world building style still makes me want to wake up on Pern and be chosen to ride a Queen dragon.

What are you working on now?
Hell of A Life, the final book to the Magical Forces Series as well as the unnamed MM story of Troy and Marshall.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Why, awesomegang.com of course!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, learn and listen.

Read what you can about the business. Learn from your mistakes, as well as others. Listen to other authors. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice or their help.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
What I just shared above. Not to be afraid to ask for help and advice.

What are you reading now?
An ARC of Lauren Blakely’s, Once Upon A Sure Thing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
While working on the novels, hopefully to work on more novellas for anthologies. I love writing these short stories. I didn’t think I would. Typically, like when I get started talking, I tend to ramble. Somehow, I’ve been able focus for these stories and enjoy writing them.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Now you are killing me! I literally own thousands of paperbacks. For real. I have my own library! Can I make it 3 or 4 book series? (laughs) That would be easier to narrow down. This is like asking Frodo to give the one ring to a jeweler. One would have to be Kate Douglas, Larissa Ione, Melissa Foster and Lauren Blakely. I think I’ve covered my paranormal and my contemporary genres.

Author Websites and Profiles
Hope Daniels Website
Hope Daniels Amazon Profile
Hope Daniels’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 freelancer and providing my services as a Content writer and SEO expert. 50 Things to Know About Search Engine Optimization is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
50 Things to Know About Search Engine Optimization is my Latest and first book. When I entered in the field of Digital Marketing, I was feeling intimidated by each and every term. This book is for each individual who wants to enter the field of Digital Marketing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am very passionate about reading. Reading my habit and I can’t resist reading. In the field of SEO, the blogs of Brian Dean, Neil Patel, Rand Fishkin, and the blog writer shoutmeloud Ankit. I am currently reading their blogs and enhancing my experience.

What are you working on now?
I am working on my next book. which will be the next series of 50 things to know about SEO. The title is a secret yet

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It is my first book, so I am trying to promote it by submitting it on different websites and through social media.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always try to do Ethical Writing and Promote your own work.

 What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Brian Dean 50 tools Every Digital Marketers should know

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am continuing my career as a content writer. Although it is a different field but with a lot of similarities. I will be working on my next book in the near future.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Any kind of Fiction, Romance( yes, I do love romantic books:) ), comedy and suspense. I love Cynthia Eden suspense novels.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kiran Shahzadi Amazon Profile
 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My first book was a project with a former colleague, where we wanted to collect all the things that we had learned in our ten years of corporate experience, along with expert advice from people in our network, in a guide to help new hires.

My second book, just launched, is also a collection of wisdom and personal experiences: it’s 50 stories of people who have left behind the corporate 9 to 5 to create a different kind of career and life for themselves. I’ve framed these stories within my own experience of quitting my job and I’m hoping this will prove reassuring, inspirational and of tangible help to people who are considering their very own career transition.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest book, just launched, is Leaving the Corporate 9 to 5: Stories from people who’ve done it (and how you can too!).

In 2013, I took a leap of faith, leaving my corporate job without a clear plan as to what I was going to do next. One of the first ideas I had after leaving was to talk to others who had done the same. To be perfectly honest, this stemmed from a selfish desire on my side to be inspired, to find the courage to do what I wanted to do, and to learn from other people’s mistakes! In sharing the interviews on my newly established blog, however, I was able to broaden my reach to inspire and help other people like me in the process.

The first interview went up on the blog in January 2014 and, in the years since, I’ve spoken to 50 different people. With a range of experiences and fantastic advice hidden away in these old blog posts, I thought it would be valuable to collect all the interviews in a book. I called this interview series ‘Fearless Fridays’ on my blog, and I do love a good alliteration, so Fifty Fearless Fridays just sounded like it was meant to be!

I’ve also learned a lot from my own experience of the various twists and turns since I first made the decision to quit. Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to understanding who I am, what motivates me and what a fulfilling career looks like for me as an individual. I’ve become passionate about helping others do the same, and I now coach people through their own transition out of the corporate 9 to 5. I’ve framed the 50 stories in this collection within my own personal experience and what I’ve observed in coaching clients, adding some guidance as to what you can do to start creating your own career transition story. My hope is that this book will offer both reassurance and inspiration on the one hand, and concrete tips and action steps on the other, as you create your very own career transition story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say they are particularly unusual!

I’ve been publishing weekly on my blog for years (in fact, I started out with a new post every two days when I was travelling and then continued twice weekly) and that’s an integral part of my routine at this stage. I also now write for external publications so that has become a regular outlet, while I use my marketing and business experience to produce training scripts for a number of companies as well.

As a result, I write something pretty much every day. Although I never really face that dreaded “writer’s block”, there are definitely days when I feel inspired and can push out a great blog post in just a couple of hours, and other days when I just don’t have the energy or focus. The good thing is that there are plenty of other things that I can be doing on those days, that require a different kind of brain work!

Since I work for myself, I can also write from anywhere – from home, from a cafe, on a train or plane…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I couldn’t really pinpoint any specific author or book that has influenced me in the kind of writing that I do at the moment. However, I have read a lot of books about writing and my favourites include On Writing by Stephen King, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m promoting my second book!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The book is a part of my business strategy and I have an email list and social media following that I can promote to, and these people are the ideal target audience for the book. Going forward, I will make sure that the book is integrated into my regular email sequences and I will continue to promote it ongoing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to define what success means to you. Do you have to be a New York Times bestseller in order to feel like a writer? Do you have to sell a million copies? Do you want your book to be a step in your marketing funnel for your business? A platform that will give you credibility and help you enter a career of public speaking? Or just a passion project that you simply have to get out of your system? Knowing why you want to write will first of all keep you motivated through the lows but secondly also help you decide on the best topic and the right way to go about the whole process.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write! So many of us talk about wanting to “be a writer”, and yet we don’t do what being a writer essentially requires: writing! Writing every day, putting our work out there, and keeping going, whatever the response (or lack thereof). Don’t worry about getting it wrong – you’re not going to nail the very first post that you write, and you’re unlikely to be a bestseller with your very first book. Write, publish, then write again. That’s the only way that you’ll be a writer – and get better at your craft.

What are you reading now?
I have a gazillion non-fiction books related to careers and business on my Kindle… I’d love to take the time to read more fiction as well, so I will try to do that now that the rush to publish my book is over!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m planning my next book (and a new podcast) on the topic of Reimaging Success: questioning the traditional definitions of success that we have inherited from our parents, teacher and society as a whole, going beyond the narrow domain of work and money and incorporating all our personal and professional goals in a holistic way.

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?
Hmm, if I’m going to be stranded indefinitely I might have to say the Bible and the Quran as they would take a long time to finish and would definitely provide me with plenty of food for thought. Also the complete works of William Shakespeare, and a collection of Jane Austin!

Author Websites and Profiles
Anna Lundberg Website
Anna Lundberg Amazon Profile
Anna Lundberg’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in a small town with my family in New Mexico. I graduated college in 2010 with a degree in business and accounting. However, my true passion is all things book related. As a student English and Literature were my favorite subjects. Weekly library trips with my mother also helped instill my love for books. I would look forward to summer most of all, not because she was out of school but for the summer reading groups at my local library. After a friend’s encouragement I started my author journey in 2016.

I’m an avid book, music and old Hollywood movie lover. When I’mnot busy reading or writing I’m probably binge watching Netflix or PassionFlix. Some of my favorite authors are: Edgar Allan Poe, Abbi Glines, Colleen Hoover, Alessandra Torre, Nicholas Sparks and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

I also loves to connect with her readers on social media.

I’ve written ten books so far. I have at least one release every month scheduled until April of 2019.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest release is Becoming Bloody Mary which is a short story about how Mary became Bloody Mary. The full length sequel will release on October 31st. My inspiration was pretty simple. I was always curious about Bloody Mary. Her legend just always intrigued me which led me to wonder how the legend came to be.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I always write out an outline before starting my writing process but I rarely ever stick to that outline. Also, I have scenes where I have to have music playing in order to get through the scene written then others I need complete silence to get it written.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many amazing authors and books that have influenced me. For starters, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Edgar Allan Poe. They were my first loves. K. Bromberg, Colleen Hoover, Abbi Glines, Alessandra Torre, Jamie McGuire, Nicholas Sparks and Tarryn Fisher are definitely my go-to authors these days. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Nevermore trilogy by Kelly Creagh, Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, Fallen series by Lauren Kate, Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead and The Legion trilogy by Kami Garcia are among some of my favorite series.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on secret project with my publishing company and some other amazing authors. It’s really exciting but I can’t say too much just yet. It will tell you it is a fantasy and involves a hell hound…

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For me personally, I rely on Facebook and Instagram a lot. I’m still learning a lot about promoting. I know Twitter is really popular but have yet to get the hang of it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice is to new authors is to keep going. There are going to be times when you are discouraged and it’s important to keep pushing yourself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Two of the best pieces of advice I received was: First of all, find your people. Find those people that will listen, support and help guide you when you feel discouraged. Secondly, write for you. Write the words and books you want to read because at the end of the day you will never be everyone’s cup of tea. If you produce something you are proud of then that’s all you can do. Be proud of what you create.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Evershade by Michelle Areaux

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a couple of books lined up in this secret project through Kingston Publishing. Then I have a long list of to-write 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?
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgearld, The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, Driven by K. Bromberg and Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover.

Author Websites and Profiles
Stephanie Nichole Website
Stephanie Nichole Amazon Profile
Stephanie Nichole’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 a 31-year-old father of two beautiful girls (two & five). I’m a writer of all genres, but horror/suspense is my specialty. I donated my kidney to a friend back on June 26, 2018. I have written a novel, novella, and a short story collection.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Texting While Driving is the name of my latest book. To be honest, A Christmas Carol has inspired my story to a degree. The story is coming along wonderfully.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I almost always write on my phone. Also, with my full-time job and my two kids, most of my writing is sneaking off to a closet, or bathroom just to get a little writing done.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King has inspired me the most, love his tales. R.L. Stein, Michael Crichton are others I love to read. The Moves Make the Man by Bruce Brooks is my all-time favorite book.

What are you working on now?
My Texting While Driving novel as well as a few other stories I’ve started.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://authortitanfrey26.wixsite.com/authortitanfrey

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read and write as much as you can.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up. No matter how many rejections you may receive.

What are you reading now?
IT by Stephen King.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m just going to keep on writing. I have four stories planned out and I’m going to keep on writing till they’re done.

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. The Moves Make the Man by Bruce Brooks.
2. The Body by Stephen King.
3. IT by Stephen King.
4. 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

Author Websites and Profiles
Titan Frey Website
Titan Frey Amazon Profile
Titan Frey’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 Shawna an erotica author with books focusing on BDSM and LGBT romance, community and drama although I do enjoy mixing genres. I currently have 6 published works, 1 available for pre-order (releasing Nov. 7th), 2 in the publishing process and a tenth I’m currently editing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book (the one currently up for pre-order) is call The Lust Fairy in Exile. It’s a comedy erotica that I wrote while coping with a pretty hurtful rejection. The rejected book, A Girl Named Flower, was later picked up by another publisher and should be releasing Nov 12th. At the time of its rejection, however, I felt rudderless and decided to cheer myself up with a story that was semi-random and fun. As it turns out I can’t write such a thing without a plot, however, and as such the silly book I rote to cheer myself up became a proper novel worthy of publication.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well I generally write nude or nearly nude, does that count?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are many books I enjoy reading and many authors I look up to but very little has influenced my writing style. I don’t really try to emulate others so much as I try to put myself in my characters’ head and see the world of the story through their eyes.

What are you working on now?
The tenth book I’m currently editing is tentatively titled By Right Of Conquest and is about the end of a war between two fantasy kingdoms. Moregan, the warrior-princess of one of the kingdoms is captured by their conquerors and taken as a battle-bride/sex slave by the enemy leader’s son. Vowing revenge in whatever form she can find it Moregan is constantly frustrated by her clever captors and her growing sexual desires for them. It’s a departure from my usual fare but its been fun to push the boundaries a bit and explore what I’m capable of.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The most effective method I’ve found for promotion is social media posts. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Gab, MeWe, Minds, whereever. A few times a week post a catchy headline, the book description and a link and encourage people to share it around.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Going with a publisher is better than self-publishing but a real publisher will never charge you anything up-front. Cover design, editing, promotions, etc all come from their take of the royalties. Don’t get suckered in by scammers demanding hundreds or thousands of dollars to put your book out there.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“To be a great writer you have to write.” – Anonymous. Its the truest sentiment I’ve heard. People spend so much time wishing they could write a book or worrying about what people will think of their ideas. Don’t. Sit down, drink some coffee and get typing (or handwriting if you’re old fashioned).

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Secret History Of Wonder Woman (a feminist book that says very little about the comic book character), The Eldritch Tales and Strength Training.

What’s next for you as a writer?
With my Brooke’s Hollow universe saved from exile I’ll be returning to it for the election arc. Starting with A Girl Named Flower this 3 story saga will explore a mayoral election in the town and a party I’ve hinted at at the end of a few of my books. It will fundamentally shake the foundations of the existing stories and hopefully expand the universe in new and interesting ways.

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?
Darth Bane by Drew Karpacyn
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice
How to survive on and escape a desert island by whoever wrote it
Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzche

Author Websites and Profiles
Shawna Hunter Amazon Profile
Shawna Hunter’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have now written four VERY short books. I am gay and just trying to do what I love.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Girl Your Titties Stank”. My inspiration for writing the book is Nicki Minaj. The whole book is kind of a parody towards her songs.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do Africanized dancing in the mirror to laugh at myself before I write anything.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
None. I read a lot, but none of them are unusual like me.

What are you working on now?
“Yes! Play That Race Card Bitch!”, a book that is about black supremacy and black churches. The purpose of the book is to end black supremacy.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m a new author. Come and share some of that advice with me!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you laugh; you’ll live forever. I’m immortal bitch!

What are you reading now?
My own books. . .

What’s next for you as a writer?
Maybe a YouTube channel. I want people to really see what individuality looks like.

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 only bring one. Beyonce’s Lemonade box set.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dr. Fu LoveShit Amazon Profile
 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a wife, step-mom, daughter and sister. I wish I could spend all of my time reading. I’ve been writing since I was six but didn’t write a novel until 2015. I love to bake and want to see the world. I’ve written three books, working on the fourth.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Trapped in a Castle (A Slightly Strange Romance). It was my NaNoWriMo project last year. The idea of waking up in a castle and not knowing how you got there just popped into my head a few days prior to starting to write.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write when it’s quiet. I also don’t plan anything when I write. I just sit down at my laptop and see what happens. Even I’ve been surprised a few times.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Abbi Glines. I love everything she writes and I’m amazed at what she can accomplish in a year.

What are you working on now?
Book 3 of my YA series called Nykara. I’m hoping to finish it soon and then it’s NaNoWriMo 2018 which I’m planning to write another romance.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Social media, specifically Facebook and Instagram. I love when I see something someone has shared about my writing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. It took me over two years to write my first book and then another six months to self-publish it. I’ve since been picked up by a small publisher so anything is possible.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?

What are you reading now?
Kiss the Dead by Laurell K. Hamilton, part of the Anita Blake series. I love her books.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just keep writing more books. Lol. I plan to finish two more books by the end of the year. I’m hoping one day to make a living as a full time writer.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s a really tough one.
Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines
The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Author Websites and Profiles
Katie Holland Amazon Profile
Katie Holland’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 a southern girl and former marketing and public relations mercenary. I’m currently working on my twenty-first book––which is hard to believe considering I lied about writing my very first book in a pitch session. You read that correctly. I’d written millions of words for marketing copy, but I’d never written a novel. But I knew how to pitch. So I lied and believe it or not, got several offers for what became my first book in the Sex and Lies series: Sex, Lies & Sweet Tea. And now you know where the Lie really was in my pitch, but it all turned out okay in the end. It’s four years later, and I’ve been busier than a set a jumper cables at a family reunion ever since.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is number 8 in the Sex and Lies series. Sex, Lies & Champagne was actually inspired by two different trips to France, and by a secondary character I wrote in Sex, Lies & Diamonds named Tristan Bleu. He was so so much fun to write, I wanted to give him his own book. Even writers fall in love with their characters!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I really do drink iced tea–all day long. I always have a glass of it next to my keyboard. I do have a lid on it because I’m a tad clumsy at my desk. I also wear headphones and listen to music while I write. Nothing with lyrics. I’m strictly a classical chick while writing. When I’m not writing I’ll crank the AC/DC. I mean, I did grow up in the 80’s. I usually begin writing at my desk each morning, and if I work late into the night, I switch to a La-Z-Boy chair in my office.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The very first romance writer I really got into was Lucky, by Jackie Collins, but I read lots of authors. Stephen King is one of my all time favorites and being a lover of suspense and horror, I even wrote a horror novel entitled, Beauty. It’s inspired by a true story, so if you’re a fan of scary, I highly recommend you check it out. It’s my seventy-nine-year-old mother’s favorite book I’ve ever written. So there you go. I also love Harlan Coben, Dean Koontz, Vince Flynn, Lee Child and Deborah Harkness.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on finishing Sex, Lies & Leather–book 9 in the Sex and Lies Series. I’m also working on a secret project. Shhhhhh…

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Take it from an old and seasoned and “spin doctor.” Word of mouth is still the best way to promote anything. ANYTHING. Personal recommendation is the best advertising and always will be-in my humble opinion. Aside from that, there’s lots of free and paid website who have avid followings and large newsletter subscribers. And then there’s the bloggers who love to read and promote new and free books. And thank goodness for them. Without bloggers and readers sharing their thoughts on what we read, we’d all be in a world of hurt.

There are also plenty of websites handing out plenty of free advice on what and what not to do. Do your research. There are lots with excellent information on how to market your books. But know that marketing is always a moving target so I say again–do your research. I suggest reading David Gaughran’s books and blog. You can also use other great websites like Awesome Gang!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
There’s an old saying, “Write what you know.” I think that’s true to a certain extent. My advice is to write what’s in your heart. What you know will come out in your writing instinctively. But if you try to write what you think you should, or what someone else tells you to write, you won’t do your best work. I’ve always found that if you write the book of your heart, it will lead you to an amazing story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I saw a quote by actor/comedian, Ricky Gervais that said, “The greatest bit of advice I ever received was, ‘Don’t worry. No one else knows what they’re doing either.'”

I think it’s important to be open to new ideas and challenges, but know that life is an experiment. Some ideas work, and some don’t. Experts in their field will always tell you they don’t just know how to do their job–they know how NOT to do it as well. Life is trial by fire. Just make sure you keep an extinguisher handy so you can put out flames and move on quickly.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Deborah Harkness’s newest book, Time’s Convert. I’ve read all the books in the Souls Trilogy and if you haven’t read them, I highly recommend. Start with Discovery of Witches. I wasn’t a fan of paranormal or time travel, UNTIL I read Deborah’s books. These books have it all. Love, vampires, witches, magic and tons of history.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After Book 9 of the Sex and Lies series is published in January 2019, I’ll be back to writing the Jane Doe books. She’s so bad ass, and I can’t stay away from her too long. Besides, I kinda left her story with a new beginning. And I really like new beginnings for characters. I think it inspires people to know that every day is chance for their own.

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 a tough one for me, but I’ll try. I’d take Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell, IT by Stephen King, Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale and my grandmother’s Bible. These are the four most worn out books on my shelf. All well loved and for a good reason.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kris Calvert Website
Kris Calvert Amazon Profile
Kris Calvert’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I began writing when I was in Elementary school at White Pine School. I had began writing by ideas, and one of my ideas was when riding in a 89s Lincoln Continental as an only child idea for Master Jamison. The 89s Lincoln was an amazing vehicle. The car was maroon in color. There was a day I was going to a new doctors appointment and I seen fancy bright colored balloons on electric wires across the freeways. I had asked what they were for and found out that they were to keep the power lines from swaying or breaking and to make the connections more safe. I had this idea about a russian family and that they would be secretly related to everyone around the world. The Governments, Militaries and persons from all around the world would go for them because of the rarity. Many times during the weeks I can remember seeing Humvees, military trucks and military vans driving on the freeways. These were all ideas for a story which would eventually discuss a story about how I had a sister that no one had ever met and that I didn’t like the person and threw the person out with the trash for the trash trucks to come in the mornings and pick the person up. This person of course would never be found, because the fictional idea was of getting rid of the person. When I was growing up, I had four sisters. Then of course the fifth that no one met. Now I have been fond of many people for years and later there was a time when I was in middle school that I got emphasis of the idea of putting together another money making opportunity, which was about people that do not like pottery or find it embarrassing. That was when I was working with a dictionary during free time in school and looked up the definitions of harry and the definitions of potter. There was not an exact order to it. The word harry was discovered in the dictionary and I found it to co work with potter. Thus it eventually became harry of the potter, but the teacher took off the entire rest of the year, asked if she could use that, and it was recorded down and the lady took off the rest of the year to the best of my knowledge and I lost harry of the potter. We had a new teacher then, a guy teacher and if I’m remembering correctly we were studying the Chronicles of Narnia and were reading the novels and watching the movies. I have written many books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The thing is for the stories with the family related to everyone, I had not created a title for that book nor for the sister no one ever met that I threw away and I had shared those novels on school buses that had security cameras and of course the school had security cameras also. My latest project really is harry of the potter but it is not really a title for me at this point. My latest novels are the books Part Resistor, Aero Travel Innovaton, and The Guide To Computer Services.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I use to be very religious, and then my religion had changed to Wicca and the observance of nature and the environment in which I also study religions, the problems were that it took many years later to find the proper professionals, consultants or business partners to make particular stories into realities. Therefore I was limited during the times, because I did not have or was not absolutely certain as to my resources but had some guidance as to persons that may be interested in my styles of writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would think Goosebumps by R.L. Stein. I have of course liked many books that were about The Phantom of The Opera, Detective series, Blackbeard the Pirate.

What are you working on now?
Increasing my sales on my paperback novels and the electronic versions. I’m also working on films for almost each of the novels.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Typically I market them on the search engines and directories. I market them to friends and business partners. I also manage my own marketing and entertainment company.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Not really, I would think every author is kind of different and that there ideas of marketing and others may be very similar but there is not really any absolute methods. It would be great to have people to confide for business and or proper technical security and privacy policies and reading and understanding who or for what reason an author would do business with particular persons.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
For me working with the telephone to do marketing and business. The telephone has been a tool to really make work more exciting and fun. It has also made business more secure and more fun.

What are you reading now?
The Red Flower, Hells Belles, Think & Talk Russian, Bhagavad Gita As It Is, The Silver Chair, The Final Days, and books on history, Electromagnetic technology.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I dream to operate a more large scale radio broadcasting network. Aero Space technologies and traveling to outer space. I’m working on more websites with customers and commercial 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?
I would typically bring my own books, which discuss how the family characters are related to everyone in the world and that they would need to come to assist me. I have occasionally thought I would need whatever books that would allow me to be king or leader of the land. That way I can communicate and maybe stay a little more cold and of course remove extra pages for taking comments to fold and place in the ground for a clock. Many of my customers notice that I do write allot of good stories. If I want to be king of the desert, I would find it beneficial to have books to educate and teach my customers and rely on them for there support through the hard times and to find solutions to make the quality of life more improved.

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written the books, all currently available, and continue to work on new manuscripts. I’m working on a children’s book at the moment, inspired by and pokes fun at the tropes of fantasy and fairytales.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Faith’s Rise. It’s the third in the trilogy of …And All That’s In Between. For me, the three books have slightly different themes. The first being a serial killer thriller. The second is about possession, but with a small romance angle. The third has the feel of a superhero origin story, just no rights and capes, but is also the climax of three trilogy.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know what you’d class as unusual; I don’t know what is normal writing habits. When I write, I bullet point as much of the story as possible. If any lines of dialogue come to mind, I type it up. Soon it’s just a case of filing the gaps and joining the dots.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Neil Gaiman. J K Rowling. Brian Lumley. Jonathan Nasaw.

What are you working on now?
A children’s book, featuring my son as the lead character. It’s been fun to write. Just on the second draft. Third if you include the plot outline. Looking forward to putting it out there.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Don’t know. Still looking. Marketing is hard!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t get caught up in the number of pages written. Books can be short or they can be epics. Concentrateon the flow of the book. Look for constructive feedback from people, take it on board. Enjoy the process.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Neil Gaiman said not to worry about grammar. Don’t get bogged down by it. I’m not directly quoting him, mind you.

What are you reading now?
High Society by Ben Elton

What’s next for you as a writer?
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?
Good Omens, American God’s, Angelology.

Author Websites and Profiles
Philip J Dennis Amazon Profile
Philip J Dennis’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I wrote my first book four years ago and haven’t stopped. When my kids went to college I read book after book. Realizing how much I missed writing when I was younger, I thought I’d dust off my long-forgotten skills. I’ve just finished my seventh book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Unclaimed Regrets is being released on October 15th. I’m such a sucker for people re-connecting at a high school reunion – or even two people who never dated and were friends but found chemistry at their tenth or twentieth class reunion. There is something really romantic about that, I think.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t write with any kind of outline. I take notes on my characters and scenes I want to incorporate but my writing comes as I type. Sometimes my characters will take me on a path I had no intention of taking. It feels more natural to me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the grit and raw emotions that Tarryn Fisher evokes in her readers. She has a way of drawing me into anything she writes.

What are you working on now?
I’m in the editing stages of a women’s fiction (romance involved) about a 39-year-old woman who finds solace and friendship in a man nearly fifteen years her junior and ends up having an emotional affair with him. They go their separate ways after a bit and then tragedy brings them back together. She must go through all the stigma attached to dating a much younger man, especially in the eyes of her children.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Promoting is impossible!! I try FB, Twitter, and Instagram. Don’t know how much good they do though.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t compare yourself to other authors. Write and find your voice – find your style. But don’t harp on the successes of others. It’s not about that. It’s about finding your own audience and putting your work out there for the world to read.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To not dwell on each book you just finished. Sure, we all have to go through the painstaking motions of attempting to sell our books, but it’s more important to keep writing. Finish your next book – then your next. Just keep going…

What are you reading now?
I’m ready You by Caroline Kepnes so I can watch it play out on the Lifetime channel.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I think I might try writing a young readers’ chapter book. I have several nieces and nephews who are enthralled with my writing a book and I want to give them something they can read.

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 Love You With Lies Series by Tarryn Fisher: The Opportunist, Dirty Red, and Thief.

Author Websites and Profiles
Stacy Wray Website
Stacy Wray Amazon Profile
Stacy Wray Author Profile on Smashwords

Stacy Wray’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have self-published one full-length novel, called “Party Apocalypse.” I also have a couple of short stories, “Ronnie’s Candy Cabaret,” which is a companion story to my first novel, and “Precursor,” which is a part of a second series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest project completed was “Precursor,” inspired by some compelling Sci-fi plots I’d been thinking over. This was a fully produced backstory for the series that follows in the Twixtaverse Canon.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing terribly unusual. I’m not very good at typing, I kind of flux in and out of capacity with a keyboard.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Some of my favorite authors include Joe Lansdale, Clive Barker, and Stephen King.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m putting the finishing touches on a story called Iconoclast. It’s a sci-fi, action-horror story about a man sent back in time to assassinate a very notable religious figure. Can you guess which one?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I believe the best method of promoting books is to be extremely prolific and to write a long series. Unfortunately, I don’t do either of those things, so I guess I’m not the best at marketing. Maybe I don’t do it necessarily for money, though money would be an essential requirement were I to decide to quit my job and write full time. (Which is something that I would like to do).

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Read Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. A story is a living thing, like an organism. You can’t be expected to create great commercial fiction without really understanding what a story is. This book is a very long-winded explanation.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard? It’s difficult to say. I have a whole book on Stoicism that if full of great advice. No one ever told me this advice, but I would say, “Meditate once a day, for fifteen minutes or more.” Can’t go wrong with that.

What are you reading now?
I’ve been reading some business books. This latest one is called “Contagious,” by Jonah Berger which breaks down why certain media goes viral. It’s pretty clever.

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me is to try and develop a good marketing framework for my future projects. I set up a Patreon, but so far, no one really seems interested. I’ve been thinking one of the biggest problems with being a horror writer is the format because people have no patience to sit and read in a world of movies on demand and video games. I’ve been exploring ways I could make videos of my stories, hiring an artist to make illustrations and an actor for voice work. It could double as a podcast. Could be one way to break people out of the “I don’t read” purgatory some consumers are in.

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?
Definitely the Daily Stoic.

Author Websites and Profiles
DM Draper Website
DM Draper Author Profile on Smashwords

DM Draper’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 the author of two books – Elevate Beyond and Elevate Your Network. Elevate Beyond was released after I worked for the Los Angeles Lakers during Kobe Bryant’s final season. I knew I wanted to combine my love for sports with my ability to share a message and once I did that the course of my calling evolved. In addition to writing books and traveling the globe as a motivational speaker, I am the founder of the Professional Basketball Combine which helps basketball players sign their first contract. Above all, I hope to help people pursue their definition of success and happiness!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I wrote Elevate Your Network because I believe that people are the driving force behind success and happiness. The content in this book comes from thousands of interactions and experiences with people from across the globe and I decided to write it because there’s no substitute for human connection. There is no alternative to understanding the importance of relationships and how to create them in a meaningful way. It’s not enough to think about networking or using networking as purely a technique for advancing your career; it’s about building authentic relationships which builds deeper bonds and increases happiness which ultimately leads to creating more success in life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
One of my favorite authors is Jon Gordon and my favorite book of his is Training Camp. He is so masterful in his ability to share a message through a story. The list goes on but some books I really enjoy are How to Win Friends and Influence People, Delivering Happiness, Shoe Dog, and The Third Door.

What are you working on now?
My big focus at the moment is spreading the message of Elevate Your Network. It’s not enough to just write a good book, I have to live it. Along with the promotion of EYN I am really focused on expanding the Professional Basketball Combine as we head into 2019.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You can do it. I find it very helpful to break your writing down into periods that are comfortable for you. As a self published author, it’s different because I don’t necessarily have the same deadlines as other authors. No matter what type of author you are, I think it’s important to remember why you are writing your book and the impact you hope to have.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Two pieces of advice have been extremely relevant in my life lately – one from my mom and one from my dad.

“Live in the moment and enjoy the journey.” – Mom
“The only shortcut in life is to START NOW!” – Dad

My mom’s advice is so powerful because it helps me focus on the present and enjoy everything that surrounds me. As someone constantly focused on my goals and ambitions this reminder helps me appreciate the ride. My dad’s advice is incredible because if you want to create success and happiness you need to start now. You need to take actions, no matter how big or small, because there is no substitute for time. Start now and see all you can accomplish over time.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor as I hope to understand positive psychology more and how to leverage his techniques for building more meaningful relationships.

What’s next for you as a writer?

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?

Author Websites and Profiles
Jake Kelfer Website
Jake Kelfer Amazon Profile
Jake Kelfer’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Paula and I am a new author. I developed a passion for writing as a psychology student which lead to me contributing to magazines. My interests are in lifestyle, mental well being and humanitarian causes. I am Scottish but spent ten years living abroad – in Paris. I speak fluent French and have just obtained a Post graduate certificate in translation studies. I believe language can bring us together and make us more tolerant.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I wrote ‘an inward glance’ for two reasons – the first was because I enjoyed the process of writing and how cathartic I found it to be and secondly to raise awareness of an issue which I have been affected by and that is in the area of mental health. In my particular situation it was psychosis brought on by post natal illness. This is my first book and currently I am working on a second focusing primarily on recovery.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
In terms of writing in my living space here at home – I am particular about having a tidy desk and always a cup of strong coffee at hand. Preferably an espresso which reminds me of the Parisian streets and vibrant atmosphere.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many inspiring writers today. Recently I have been reading Anita Shreve and can almost transport myself to New England as her descriptions are so well written. I also love Kate Atkinson. Books with the theme of mental well-being also grab my attention. The Bell Jar and An unquiet mind challenge stigma and labeling and are very relevant today.

What are you working on now?
My daily writing consists of a few words and lots of reflection! I feel strongly about how we view and address conditions such as post natal illness. The more we talk, write and raise awareness the more willing people are to come forward and ask for support. This support however is not always there or is simply not good enough. Such issues are at the core of what I am writing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
All the usual social media sites including twitter are very useful when it comes to book promotion. What I have found is that because the subject matter of my book is quite hard hitting but brutally honest – people in general will not flock towards it, lets say. It is for everyone of course but particularly young mothers, people who are psychologically distressed and families wanting to gain an insight into their loved ones thoughts and behaviour. Therefor organisations offering services to this group of people are more logical in terms of promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in your self and your idea/project/plot! Take it slowly and ask your self why it is important to you. The writing process should be enjoyable and a journey of discovery. Sales and recognition may be great but a true passion and belief in what you are doing is essential.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Sounds simple but…’while in Rome do as the Romans do’. This encourages an open mind, spirit and heart. People appreciate small efforts and if you ‘can go the extra mile’ well, even better.

What are you reading now?
A non fiction book on person centered therapy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A lot of reflection. I am concerned about our society and some of our attitudes toward people who may suffer with various forms of distress. As a psychology graduate I would love to conduct some research in the area of child development.

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?
Goodness, that is tough! Sophie’s choice for sure. Also The catcher in the rye and something by Kate Atkinson (not sure if I could choose which though)

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in San Diego, California and earned a BA in English from San Diego State University and an MLS from UCLA. I began my career as a reference and collection development librarian in the Art and Music Section of the San Diego Public Library and then transferred to the Literature and Languages Section, where I had the pleasure of managing the Central Library’s Fiction collection and initiating fiction order lists for the entire library system. Although I also enjoy reading biography, memoir, and history, fiction remains my first love. In addition to the three R’s—reading, writing, and research—I enjoy Scrabble, movies, and travel.

My earliest ambition was to be a “book maker” and I wrote my first story, “Judy and the Fairies,” with a plot stolen from a comic book, at the age of six. I broke into print in college with a story in the San Diego State University literary journal, The Phoenix, but most of my magazine publications came after I left the library to spend more time on my writing

My stories have been published in Eclectica, The Binnacle, The Nassau Review, Orbis, Thema Literary Journal, Verandah Literary & Art Journal, Short Story America, San Diego Writers’ Monthly, The Storyteller Anthology, I-70 Review, and the anthologies Short Story America, Vol. 2 and The Captive and the Dead. Four stories, including three as yet unpublished, received honorable mention in the Short Story America Prize for Short Fiction contests. A romance novel, Seventeen Days, has just been published by Wild Rose Press, and I am currently revising another one for the same publisher.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Seventeen Days. The hero came first, inspired by video of Cruz on the soap opera Santa Barbara looking very sexy in a tool belt. The fishing village setting was inspired by my admiration for Elisabeth Ogilvie’s Bennett’s Island series, and the heroine’s anti-war sentiments by World War I combat scenes in the film Legends of the Fall.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if it’s unusual, but I cross out what I’ve scribbled down in my notebook when I’ve used it in the story? It helps make it clear what I haven’t used yet. I consider a lizard my muse and Huxley, a writer mouse from Starbucks, my sometime collaborator.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A major influence early on was the Williamsburg series by Elswyth Thane. It’s now very dated and politically incorrect, but I still see echoes of it in my writing. Ditto Robert A. Heinlein’s “books for boys.” Even though I almost never write science fiction, I quoted him in “Vacation Hold,” (Thema, August 2017: Missing Letters,) and named a character after one of his. Also see Elisabeth Ogilvie above, and I’ve written several captivity stories, including “Rumpelstiltskin,” (http://www.eclectica.org/v22n2/griffin.html), undoubtedly influenced by memoirists Jaycee Dugard, Elizabeth Smart, Katie Beers, Amanda Berry, et al.

What are you working on now?
Promoting Seventeen Days and revising a romantic suspense novel for the same publisher.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m new at promotion, so this remains to be seen.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read! Read anything and everything. The more different styles you read, the more easily you will develop your own. Read good writing, but even bad writing can teach you something. Write what you want to write. Don’t worry about writing in chronological or logical order; it can all be sorted out later. Write for yourself and polish for editors. Don’t give up. Sometimes a story will find a home when you least expect it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Richard P. Brickner, in his memoir My Second Twenty Years, said that a novel is an ocean to its author, but a mere drink of water to a reader. It reminds me not to take it personally if a reader doesn’t value my drink of water–he or she may not even be thirsty.

What are you reading now?
A Higher Call by Adam Makos, a true story of two World War II pilots, one German and the other American.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Revising Whirlwind for the Wild Rose Press, and then I hope to finish a story about two couples thrown together in a mountain cabin.

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?
Found and Still Waters by Jennifer Lauck, Against Wind and Tide by Anne Lindbergh, and Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Author Websites and Profiles
Linda Griffin Website
Linda Griffin Amazon Profile
Linda Griffin’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi my name is Todd Sommerville I currently have one published book it is a book of poetry that I was inspired to put together by my girlfriend, mostly love poems that I have written to her over the last couple of years, but I am working on second book a romance novel as yet untitled but should be out in about two months.
Other than that I am a 53 year old furniture worker and father to one grown son living in the beautiful state of North Carolina.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my book is ( A Relationship in Verse) a poetry book written for my high school sweetheart and love of my life who I hadn’t seen for nearly thirty years and reconnected with after my marriage ended in July 2016 it was a rough and rocky reunion with ups and downs that are reflected in some of my poems but things are working out now and I strongly anticipate there will be a happily ever after.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure my habits are all that unusual I tend to write poetry on my phone since it is often a spur of the moment thing that pops into my mind, and needs to be put down immediately or lost forever somewhere within all the jumbled thoughts in my mind, writing my novel is pretty straightforward though I just bang it out on the keyboard then go back and reread it for grammar and spelling errors.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
‘I have always been a huge thriller and/or fantasy fan so Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Anne Rice, as far as poets go I’d have to say that Edgar Alan Poe is one of my all time favorites, funny part is I don’t think I write like any of them sure wish I could…lol

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a romance novel and also trying to put together a compilation poetry book with contributions from friends of mine and some local artists, and yes I consider poetry to be an art form as much as painting , or playing music.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well obviously I hope this website will be a big help this is all new to me, and I’m learning as I go but putting my book in front of people who love to read is just a no brainer, if the work stands up people will recommend and support it if it doesn’t they won’t.
that’s why I try to put only my best work on display I certainly do not believe that everything I do is gold, in fact quite the opposite I believe a lot of my stuff is average at best and I try to leave those out of my published work

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, write as much as you can, write down your ideas whenever you have them , don’t wait make multiple drafts and explore different scenarios, reread your work more than once every time I reread I find changes I want to make, also stop rereading your book at some point you have to say it’s good I’m done…lol. I personally recommend 3 rereads 1 for spelling and grammar, 2 for content, and 3 for final touches then leave it alone.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t piss in the wind…lol, Can I say that is this a rated G forum?
Seriously don’t rush, take your time do it right the first time I’ve never been big on taking advice and consequently I have made many mistakes and mistakes cost money, a well placed 10 bucks is a far better investment than an ill placed 100.

What are you reading now?
Sadly mostly my own stuff, but I have signed up for a couple of poetry groups on facebooks and have been reading a lot of fellow amateur poets on there it keeps the big head away a lot of talent there it’s very humbling

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing the projects I’m currently working on and promoting the hell out of them, but I hope to continue writing novels, I will always write poetry just because it’s an outlet for my soul, and when I have enough material I’m sure I will release another book of poems.

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?
tough question most of my favorite books have been series like Stephen Kings Dark Tower, or Game of Thrones George R.R. Martin, or Tolkien Lord of the Rings, but I guess that’s a bit much so The Hobbit-Tolkien, The Vampire Lestat-Anne Rice, and The Call of the Wild-Jack London, the fourth book would be a large blank notebook assuming I’m allowed a pen or pencil as well.

Author Websites and Profiles
Todd Sommerville Website
 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Live in Iowa have finished my first book in my three part series “Battle and Betrayal” the first book is A Knight and his Squire. It is a fantasy fiction with mid-evil weaponry and technology, similar to Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings. It is not quite as Adult oriented as Game of Thrones (ASOIAF) and not quite as PG as Lord of the Rings it lies somewhere in the middle there are some adult themes but it is a great read! I have dedicated my first book to my father who is currently battling pancreatic cancer, if this book becomes a big success would like to donate some of the proceeds to pancreatic cancer research. Have started on book two and very excited where this series is going! I am married to my beautiful and supportive wife Leah and we are expecting our first child in January 2019, a little boy who I am so excited to meet and so thankful for.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“A Knight and his Squire” My wife is a strong believer in the power of positive thinking. She is also someone who really wants to do something she enjoys for a career. We went to a motivational conference near where we live and I started listening to some other motivational speakers online, ie: Tony Robbins, Les Brown. They said find something you love and make that a career. I started brainstorming my favorite movie is Lord of the Rings, my favorite tv show is Game of Thrones, I love playing RPG video games my favorite ever being Final Fantasy 7. So I thought hmmm maybe I could write a fantasy fiction that would be really good, exciting, and original. I am very happy with my results and hope readers are too!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really I just get the itch and write. I do have bios of my characters on a separate file that I sometimes refer to.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tony Robbins, J. R. R. Tolkien, GRRM

What are you working on now?
Book two in the series which starts off with a bang!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am fairly new I am hoping this will be the spark that starts a huge fire.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Patience

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Most people overestimate what they can do in a couple months and underestimate what is possible over the course of a couple decades.

What are you reading now?
A Knight and his Squire

What’s next for you as a writer?
Book 2 of Battle and Betrayal

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 three books in the series Battle and Betrayal

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Niedermann Amazon Profile
 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
THE B-SIDE DIARIES is my first novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
THE B-SIDE DIARIES. When I wrote it, I was a new daddy, and had to find a creative outlet that wasn’t noisy. Up to that point, I was a musician, who toured and played in Punk Rock and Indie bands. I was always interested in writing, or being creative in some fashion.

What brought me to finally sitting down and writing a novel was the feeling of my mortality. You see, when I became a father, I was in my mid-thirties. I would sit and look at my newborn son, Milo, and think about all the wonderful things I wanted to teach him. Then I thought about when my father passed away. He was only 40 when he died, and I was 10. This feeling made me very nervous that maybe I should document something in case I was ever to suffer the same fate as my father-morbid, I know, but inspiration takes many forms.

I decided to write a story about losing a friend, because I thought it was the best way to talk about life and what it means. I focused on my teenage years, because I figured if my son ever had to read it, he would be maybe that age, and identify with the character Rory, and his own feelings of loss.

My goal was to have a place for my son to come back to for life lesson type teachings from me. This was something that I wish I had when I was a teen, and I figured the only way to be a responsible parent was to write these things down in case of the worst. I wanted him to be able to come back and read about how to handle love, loss, friendship, growing up, and making a life-not to mention, how to write a eulogy.

I tried to put life lesson-type teachings into the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
During the writing process, I would put my son to bed and fall asleep beside him. Then I would wake up at midnight and write until 3AM, three times a week. Often I would be tired, but the story would keep me up. I almost exclusively wrote my book listening to my favorite punk, indie, and emo bands.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a child, I was inspired by S.E. Hinton. I still feel the Outsiders truly explains the push pull many teenagers feel about being part of a group, yet at the same time feeling excluded. I obviously identified as a Greaser. I also am inspired by John Green, Ned Vizzini, Henry Rollins, Stephen Chbosky, Rainbow Rowell, Matthew Quick, and Patrick Ness. I feel like THE B-SIDE DIARIES follows the themes and feelings the authors write about.

What are you working on now?
I am in the beginning stages of a novel called THE MOTOR OF DREAMS. It is a story two kids who are polar opposites, who make a bet to change each other’s lives.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am actually still seeking the write website or method to promote my books. I have had success with THE B-SIDE DIARIES being on the Amazon’s Best Seller’s List many times over, however, I do not feel it has reached its target audience yet. So, I guess the jury is still out on that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day. Write for yourself. Don’t follow trends. Read a lot. Don’t be afraid to write about feelings that are difficult. It helps you see the strength in your characters. Listen to your characters, they will speak to you the truths of your story. Lastly, all writing-good or bad-has its place in your understanding of yourself as a writer. Praise that fact!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
People don’t talk about their morals and values, they live by them. My father told me that.

What are you reading now?
Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, by Grace Lin. It is an amazing book! I am currently reading it with my son, Milo.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am hopeful to finish my next book, THE MOTOR OF DREAMS by 2020.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring Where The Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein, The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green, Ulysses, by James Joyce, and Life of Pi, by Yann Martel for obvious reasons.

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an author, blogger, and mom to the best kid ever. On the days that are not hectic (which is hardly ever) I spend my time writing what I can, as I have always been imaginative making up stories, and friends ever since I was younger.
I grew up in Southern California, and on top of being and author, blogger and mom, I also love to watch movies, read excessively, going to hockey and baseball games, and relaxing with just my friends and family.

I have several books out in different genres. The Taken Series is a 3 part series of dark romance, then there’s Fate, which is a short Adult romance, and my most recent release Counting Goodbyes, which is a young adult romance.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Counting Goodbyes was written on a whim when my daughter asked me to write a book she could read. It was inspired by her, but the story itself was written for every teenagers struggle in life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to jump from Book to book while writing. I always have several books going at once, and when I get stuck I move onto another story to give me time to think about the others.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love so many, but I guess my biggest influence is AJ Lape and AM Jensen. Both write so beautifully and AM Jensen has definitely been a great friend along the way, too.

What are you working on now?
I am working on two stories that are like nothing I’ve written before. One is a paranormal young adult romance about beauty and he beast with a twist. The other is a secret baby adult romance.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook most due to the fact I know how to use it best.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m still learning my way, but my advice is to keep pushing even when you feel like giving up. Use your good and bad reviews to push you forward to become a better writer.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Bad reviews are what help you fix mistakes.

What are you reading now?
I am reading the Fire and Ice series by Rhonda James and so far I love it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am looking forward into diving into stories with more depth. I’d like to write a book with issues that don’t come up often in books. Characters that have issues that don’t make them your typical heroin.

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?
TM Frazier’s King series, And AJ Lape Darcy Walker series.

Author Websites and Profiles
Whitney Cannavina Website
Whitney Cannavina Amazon Profile

Whitney Cannavina’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 had four published but written many more

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am very interested in current affairs and the development of new technology. I wonder a lot about how scientific discoveries — in the hands of global corporations — will impact our future. I am not a luddite, but I wanted to write something exploring the intersection between corporate technological advancements and ‘old world’ beliefs and practices.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I often think of new ideas while at the gym then rush home for an extended writing session. Exercise coupled with some good music on my iphone seems to get my creative juices flowing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Charles Dickens. His work is very much of his time in one sense but his wider themes about humanity are very relevant today. I like the character development of people like Dostoevsky and Austen — though they operate within very different genres. HG Wells is another favorite because of his visionary works.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a book about ancestry with a scientific twist.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I usually start with reliable old scrap paper as I have inspiration at inopportune times.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just get on with it. Time flies by if you don’t.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be a victim.

What are you reading now?
I am reading a number of historical books about 19th century Prussia as research for my next novel.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Getting more of my ideas down onto paper more quickly.

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, Crime and Punishment, A Tale of Two Cities, and some kind of massive historical text book.

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I think I am married to writing. When I say that, I mean I can’t leave it even in thick and thin, even if I feel I am done. It is something at need to come back to at the end of my day. 2 day down is my second short story fiction novel after 2 peg ke baad.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I got an itch when I was in college and discovered the kind of atmosphere people have created around periods. It was new to me, as I had never faced it myself before then. It’s then that I knew I had to do something about it. And so 2 day down is my first step towards it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to break my hair ends (unknowingly) as I sit to think. Embarrassed!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Mahabharata to a great extent.

What are you working on now?
Next is a full length novel in romance genre.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Reaaalllllyyyy need patience to be an author, at every stage.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
What comes instantly, leaves instantly – be it success.

What are you reading now?
A lot of love stories.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hope to see a change in the society through my writings. It will make my endeavors meaningful.

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?
Bhagvat Geeta, Perks of being a Wall Flower, something by Rabindranath Tagore,
Think straight, other non-fiction books on habits

Author Websites and Profiles
Nikita Lalwani Website
Nikita Lalwani Amazon Profile

Nikita Lalwani’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Oh, man, where do I begin… well, for starters, If you haven’t already noticed, My name is Amargeaux Rai, “Margo” for short, and I am…. a quiet, yet expressive person who loves being creative. I know that’s a really generalized thing to say, but it’s hard to get specific when you use SO many styles of art to express your wild imagination…. I write poetry, songs, short stories, I dance, I play instruments (as indicated by my songwriting), I practice yoga and Karate…..
I can’t think of anything else….
Though I’ve written many things, this is the first book that I’ve published so far. I’m VERY proud of myself.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called, “Kiss Me or Kill Me”.
It is filled with poems that I’ve written over the years along with some other poems I’d written for the book. This poetry book is me making peace with life, and even being thankful for the experiences that made as strong, compassionate, and able to be strong for others.

I’ve been through a lot of things that many people have gone through at some point in their lives; I’ve been picked on and beaten up in school, I struggled to make friends, I struggled to achieve the dreams I’ve had my whole life, I’ve been called terrible things for being a dreamer, I’ve suffered through depression, domestic issues, feeling alone in a crowded room, insecurities in result of all those things, and in spite of all that, I’m still alive and I’m not crazy!

THAT’S SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE!!

I’m a nice person, and I feel that a large part of who I am as a person, is because of those tough times. If it weren’t for those bad times, I wouldn’t appreciate those good times as much as I do, or the bad for shaping my character.

Through a lot of prayer and meditation, I managed to make it through, But I was always alone. I know that not everyone has the mental capacity that I, surprisingly, happened to have, and I’ve even been to therapy for some of the experiences I’ve been!

I want this to be a tool people use to reach out to others and let those who are struggling and let them know;
You are stronger than you know, and you are NOT alone.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Um… I have a pen and notebook that I take with me everywhere, including the pool and the shower, does– does that count?

Naw… naw, that’s not weird enough…. uh…. Oh, look at me now, I’m narrating my thoughts! I do this all the time! that’s plenty weird!

that, and the fact that’s I CONSTANTLY writing notes on my arm all the time… when there’s notebook right there in my hand.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
OH MY GOOD GIGGLY GOSH, WHERE DO I BEGIN!?!? Let’s see– do you have time?
Obviously, I have to mention some modern icons; J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, R.L Stine, but before that era, my absolute favourite book of all time was “The Dark Garden”, by Margaret Buffie. I was always inspired by magic, mystic and dark fantasy, but also by the stuff of fairy tales.

Now, as far a poetry goes, I’ve been influenced by both the classics– Maya Angelou, Edgar Allen Poe, Shel Silverstein (who inspired me to be a poet as a child), and modern poets– Rupi Kaur, Shelby Eileen, and Amanda Lovelace. I’m still discovering new artists everyday though, which is always exciting!

What are you working on now?
There are three things: I’m in the middle of creating a collection of paintings for a local gallery, I’m writing and illustrating children’s book with two more ideas to follow this one, and, of course, I’m writing more poetry, both for a new book, as well as a second edition of this one! (provided this one is a success…)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a list of websites that I visit. Some of them are free, some I pay a small fee for, but I simply follow their instructions for their service. Also, of course, I use social media, take webinars, and post discounts through my own personal website. Oh, and word of mouth, too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. Work hard, stay humble, stay hungry, stay a student. You can’t stay comfortable and expect things to change. Drive through the mistakes and the pain and frustration. Opinions don’t define whether or not you can do something, your belief in them does. Even the best fail a few times. give yourself a chance. You CAN do this!
Oh yeah, and get a second AND third opinion on your work. Even a fourth. It’ll build your confidence if the opinions are good, and your learning experiences of they’re not so good.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Yes, you can do whatever you put your mind to, but none of that matters if you don’t get tired enough of where you are to put your HANDS to those things!

What are you reading now?
Right now? I can’t remember the title. hold on, let me get it out of my bag….. “The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell”, By Chris Colfer. Colfer played “Kurt Hummel” on the T.V. show Glee, and I’m already a big fan of the show as well as that character and him as an actor, so that’s what made me buy the book, and so far, his style and imagination is amazing to see unfold in front of you.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve already mentioned some of the things I’m currently doing, but also I’m working on my blog, called Confessions of an Art Freak. It’s mainly about my life as an artist and handling my challenges, but also it pushes me to work on my skills as a writer by creating a new blog everyday. It’s on my website; AmargeauxRai.com

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?
JUST FOUR!? Well…. *sigh* I guess “The Dark Garden” By Margaret Buffie, “Here There Be Dragons”, by James A. Owen, and “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”, by Seth Grahame-Smith. I would only take three, that way I have some room to pack some sandwiches… or collect seashells.

Author Websites and Profiles
Amargeaux Rai Website
Amargeaux Rai’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Kathy Dinisi currently lives in California with her husband and two children. When she is not holding down the fort you can find her buried in her school books, hiking with her family or curled up on a couch reading a good horror book.

I have written 8 books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book that has not been released is Hell Bound(the end is near)
Which is the fourth book in my award winning series Hell Bound.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I eat chips with a coca cola.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King

What are you working on now?
My editor and I are working on the fourth book in the Hell bound series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love sharing in groups and on Instragram.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just have fun writing and dont get discourage when you recieve a bad review.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just have fun.

What are you reading now?
I’m not reading anything at the moment.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Um, I’m not sure at the moment. I have a couple books in mind.

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?
It , The stand and The most by Stephen king.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kathy Dinisi Website
Kathy Dinisi Amazon Profile
Kathy Dinisi’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Johannesburg, South Africa with my husband, three children and three poodles. My love for reading began with my weekly trips to the local library when I checked out Louis L’amour books for my father. It was during one of those trips that I discovered the Sweet Valley series and not long afterwards, my first romance novel – a historical Native American romance novel called Silken Savage. I’ve been a goner for romance novels ever since – both reading and writing them!

I am trying and failing to get over Game of Thrones and Sons of Anarchy and, to be clear, getting over Khal Drogo and Jax Teller.

I love chocolate in a way that terrifies my husband.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Deep Flaming Red. I began writing it in 2013 because I wanted to explore the idea of what believing in something and not believing in something can do to a person. Deep Flaming Red, when stripped down to it’s core, is a story about the lies we believe about ourselves and how that informs every thought and decision.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need to be warm when I write, so my writing space is situated where the sun shines through the most.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Wow, hard question. I’ve read so many wonderful books over the years. The book that had a profound impact on me as a child reading, was Heaven by VC Andrews. (I promised to name my daughter Heaven if I was ever blessed with one; she’s now 12! )

Writing style: no surprise, I love Stephen King’s writing style. I love the honesty with which he writes.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second and final part of Deep Flaming Red, titled Rotten To The Core.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love BookClub Pro (https://www.bookclubpro.com/) and Reading is our passion on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LOVEBOOKSWITHROMANCE/) . Their process is simple and quick!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just never, ever give up. Know that the feels feelings of inadequacy before AND after publishing are normal but they must not dictate your path. If you have a story in you, it must be told. Nothing else matters.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Tell your character’s truth. If your character is a serial killer, tell that truth. Don’t try to sugar coat it.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Pretty Broken Girl by Jeana E Mann and am about to start Betrayal by Aleatha Romig.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After finishing Rotten To The Core, I have a story in me about a broken girl who has the gift of playing the cello. It will be a deep love story off course.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
If I Break series (that’s counted as one, right!?!) by Portia Moore; Lisey’s Story by Stephen King; Silken Savage by Catherine Hart; Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh

Author Websites and Profiles
JD Samson Amazon Profile
JD Samson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
About me… I love to read, that’s why I also love to write. I love to travel and discover new places. That inspires me and I could spend my whole time doing that. I don’t know exactly what to say about me, but I think this gives you an overview.
I’ve written two books, both in portuguese. Now “Let me be” is the english version of my second book. This is the book which tells the years of my life that defined me forever, after my coming out as gay to my family. This is the tale of how homophobia can kill you, the story of how in a long and dark night love has defeated all fears.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Let me be” is the name of my new book, directly translated from the original version. What inspired it was all the people around me that helped me go through all the struggles wich I tell about in the book. Of course, being a kind of biography, my own life was what inspired it, but mainly it is a product of all the people that loved me and protected me, like my sister for example.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do have many unusual writing habits. I can tell you one. I love to write in the dark, with only a candle lightning the room, an instrumental music album playing in the background and, sometimes, a glass of good red wine or a cup of tea, depending on the mood, will give me just the extra inspiration.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t think they influenced this book in particular, but I’m a big fan of Hermann Hesse, George Orwell, J. K. Rowling, Frank Miller and José Saramago, the portuguese author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998. “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse is is probably my favorite book ever.

What are you working on now?
Now I’m only working in the promotion of “Let me be”, but I do have new ideas for a new book. It will take some time to write them, because I don’t like to rush my writing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think contacting directly bloggers and book reviewers is a good start. I also use my own blog, twitter and facebook to do it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, read and read. And read more. It will help you understand a lot what is right and what is wrong with your book. And never stick to the first draft of your book. There is always something you can review and edit. Take your time to do it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It was a simple advice, from my mother. Everytime I wanted to quit she would tell me: “You do it. No, you are not stopping here. You go out and you do it”. Even when I was afraid of facing the bullies, she would tell me that. Many times I thought she was being unfair with me, making me do things I didn’t want to. Later I understood that she was only teaching me that life keeps going on, that we can not just stop and wait for things to happen. Hiding is not the solution.

What are you reading now?
Now I’m reading “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris, based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to go for fiction again. The next story I have in mind is a very peculiar one about a mother and a son. And that’s what I can tell you now.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
This is so hard to do… but I would take “1984” (George Orwell), “Blindness” (José Saramago), “Batman: Year One” (Frank Miller) and “Siddhartha” (Hermann Hesse). This way I would have a wide range of authors and styles.

Author Websites and Profiles
Filipe Branco Website
Filipe Branco Amazon Profile
Filipe Branco’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account