Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Thanks for asking! Everything I write is about creating healthy vibrancy, reaching your ideal natural weight without starving yourself, and eating all the foods you love. One of my favorite tools for transformation is journaling, so it is no surprise that I’ve written FIVE journals!!!! I also have a book on manifesting health and happiness!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Kitchen Magic: Simple Recipes & Rituals to Manifest Health & Happiness

I actually wrote this book in a spell of inspiration while on a writing retreat at the beautiful, magical Mesa Refuge in Point Reyes Station. It just came out of me during my two weeks there! It based on everything I know and live when it comes to healthy, natural, joyous living!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know that I have any unusual habits. I have terrible posture while I write! That’s unfortunate, because I tend to take very good care of my body at most other times. I do tend to write in spells. I’ll think about an idea for a long time, maybe take a few notes, and then – BOOM – it will start to pour out of me!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Michael Pollan! He has also written at Mesa Refuge, by the way. I read a lot of non-fiction; I’ve read everything by Mary Sheedy-Kurcinka, if you are looking for parenting books! I also have a degree in poetry and love e. e. cummings, Rumi, and Marianne Moore to name a few.

What are you working on now?
Which one? I have a list of at least a dozen, but the two coming along the farthest are Too Busy to Cook: The Ambitious Person’s Meal Planning and Prep Guide to Eat Twice as Healthy in Half the Time…Without Adding Anything to Your To-Do List and Weight Loss Mindset: Transform Your Weight Loss Program with Expert Advice from Trainers and Coaches to Motivate and Lose Weight Without a Diet.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I actually do a lot of one on one emailing. I keep in touch really well and have a lot of friends from the span of my life, so I always tell them about what is going on. I also have had good returns by sharing to my email list, via Facebook posts, and with ads on Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find someone who “gets you” who will always read what you write and offer feedback and post reviews when you need them! It’s surprisingly hard to get people to follow through!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Good or bad, it’s all a phase. That was actually parenting advice someone gave to me, but I think it applies to writing, publishing, and life in general. Also, get plenty of sleep. That will make you better at everything.

What are you reading now?
Non-fiction: Broken Open, Persephone Rising, Buddhism for Mothers of Young Kids, Joyful, and Factfulness, though that one has been put on the back burner a bit. I only read on fiction at a time, right now I’m actually listening to Squirm.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Wow. That’s a good question. As an independent author, I want to find a high level editor and book formatter to hire. I have some awesome people I work with, but not in that category.

I’d also love to gain an established readership so that I get scooped by a large publishing house with major leverage to negotiate an awesome deal for myself! Actually, truth be told, if I was going to negotiate, I’d bring my husband with me as my representative! I hate confrontation!

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?
Well, I’d probably bring the most comprehensive desert island survival guides I could find. But if you mean for entertainment, I’d just get the biggest compilations I could find, hoping for a combination of inspiring, hopeful, entertaining, and engaging.

Author Websites and Profiles
Alegra Loewenstein Website
Alegra Loewenstein Amazon Profile
Alegra Loewenstein’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing poetry at age 8, and I was lucky to have a 3rd grade teacher who encouraged me. I had a difficult and lonely childhood, and words became my life source. Writing has always been my favorite form of self-expression and healing. I have written one novel and one non-fiction book, and I am working on a second novel now.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Daughters of Icarus is my most recent book. It was inspired by two women–one famous and one not-so-much. Virginia Woolf is a bit of a heroine in my heart as she paved the way for female writers with a strong feminist voice, and the story of her suicide lingered with me in my late 20s, and the image of her walking into the water became the seed for a pivotal scene in Icarus. The not famous woman was an acquaintance from graduate school with whom I was quite fascinated. These two women are the fabric of Icarus in the characters of Kate and Greta.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think it’s unusual as much as old school. I still love to occasionally draft a scene with pencil on a yellow legal pad–it’s a sensory thing for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Way too many to list. Virginia Woolf, as I mentioned earlier, is a literary giant in my world. Toni Morrison’s melodic voice and depth of emotion, Emily Dickinson’s circular themes in life vs. death and freedom vs. imprisonment, all the Victorians, Margaret Atwood, Iris Murdoch, Ray Bradbury, Khaled Hosseini, and more recently Gilliam Macmillan and Martha Hall Kelly. My two favorite books are The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles and Possession by A.S. Byatt for the way they play with time and narrative roles (which is the subject of my non-fiction book, by the way).

What are you working on now?
A book tentatively titled Pieces of Courage. It’s about two brothers–one neurotypical and one with autism, their alcoholic mother, and the auto mechanic/tattoo artist/preacher who moves in next door and befriends the boys. The oldest son and the mom are empaths and cope with their abilities in quite divergent ways that create a chasm between them and a tragedy in their community.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still searching for that!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Only through the act of writing will your writing improve, and give yourself permission to write bad first drafts because that’s part of the necessary process.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Toni Morrison once said that she had an aha moment in which she listed all the responsibilities and roles in her life and forced herself to boil it down to the things she must do or she would die, and her choices were to mother her children and write books. It’s not advice exactly, but it resonated with me and I have never let go of those words.

What are you reading now?
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and Walking on Water: Reflections on Art and Faith by Madeliene L’Engle.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Whatever my characters tell me to do. I go where they lead me.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The aforementioned Possession and The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Something by Joseph Campbell. The Bible.

Author Websites and Profiles
Alinda Quinn Website
Alinda Quinn’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
First and foremost, I am a Husband and Dad to two amazing girls, they keep me on my toes and keep me honest. They are the best coaches any guy could wish for.

On the side, I’m a keen cyclist and surfer, DIY enthusiast and love speaking and motivating audiences.

Then I’m a Business Coach based in the UK, working with service/client businesses. Specifically other coaches and consultants, therapists, freelancers and at the corporate end £1m accountancy and law firms.

I’ve written 5 books now, but my most notable are Online Business Startup and Take Your Shot, both of which have amassed well over 550 reviews now across the various Amazon sites.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Take Your Shot.

It’s a story about a guy called Russ, who is a struggling golf professional who happens to meet a business coach who helps Russ to turn things around.

Russ is actually my first coaching client from 3-4 years ago and I found myself repeating Russ’ story at every possible occasion until someone prompted me to put it into a book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Plenty, but my favourite writing habit is to dictate my content into my phone and then get it transcribed by Rev before post-editing it into “useful” content.

I find typing quite laborious, and I type at maybe 50 words per minute but speak at 90-100. So, I can’t type as fast as I think.

It made sense to dictate the content, and after getting over the fact you feel like a right plum talking to yourself it’s fun and flows much better.

It’s sped my writing up no end.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a big fan of storytelling so this has influenced my choices:

The Lean Startup by Eric Reis
Built to Sell by John Warillow
Go For No by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz
The Goal by Jeff Cox, Eliyahu Goldratt
The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim and Kevin Behr
Sell or Be Sold by Grant Cardone
The Prosperous Coach by Steve Chandler and Rich Litvin
The Big Leap by Gay Hedricks
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

and of course:

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

What are you working on now?
I’ve just finished the first draft of my next book which is going to be my entire coaching programme in a simple, easy to use manual. Which will be closely followed up by a workbook to accompany it.

I know my toolkit helps people so I want to get my coaching tools out to a broader audience.

That will probably be it, writing-wise for a while…although having said that I’ve planned out a sequel to Take Your Shot!

So, maybe 2019 has two more books to add to the collection.

Business-wise, I’m working on a Content Marketing platform for small business owners to help them research and publish content, blogs and articles for their businesses more regularly.

It’s at investor stage already which is very exciting.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Speaking gigs, my Fearless Business Facebook Group and Podcast Interviews have so far proved to be the most fruitful when promoting my books.

Plus a well-honed launch process helps to get the books out there into the charts on Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t think about the publishing process.

Plan your book/chapters first.

Base your chapter plan around a single message which might be made up of several core pillars.

And then…

…WRITE!

Don’t think about what you’re writing, don’t be tempted to go back over and edit it.

Set yourself a word count goal and write until you hit it.

This is your first draft.

The hard part it now done.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Your message is unique, and someone will want to and benefit from hearing it. So, if you don’t publish your book now, Robin, you’re being [expletive] selfish!!

What are you reading now?
Launch by Jeff Walker (again!)

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?
Think and Grow Rich

and then probably 3 books by Ray Mears, Bear Grylls and Chris Ryan on survival skills and bushcraft!

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
In the past, I wrote non-fiction books focused on retirement and finances (boring!). The fun began when I started writing fiction for middle schoolers and teens. I completed the three books for the Cliftopolis SERIES in 2018 and recently started the first Hidden Folk novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Cliftopolis SERIES was inspired by mismatched flooring in our 100-year-old building, which looked like it was a secret entrance to a hidden basement. I wondered if there might be tunnels underneath the city. Later, I began to imagine what might have happened if Norwegian settlers brought with them trolls. Finally, throw in a robot, several inventions, and time travel. That put the young hero and his friends on a quest to save his family and classmates from the dreaded “trollbies!”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I typically wake up before five and write for a couple of hours each day. I also love to illustrate. The combination keeps me busy and happy.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
It’s a long list. Credit goes to C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, James Scott Bell, Rick Riordan, Max Brallier, and many more.

What are you working on now?
The Hidden Folk novels feature Brad Andersen. Although he might seem like your typical thirteen-year-old eighth-grader at Bryne Middle School, he’s not. His parents died shortly after his birth, and he hates living in foster care. No matter how hard he tries to obey his foster parents and please his teachers, Brad somehow ends up in trouble—a lot.

Since his tenth birthday, Brad has sought the truth about his family history. In his last year of middle school, Brad discovered his birth parents were murdered, thrusting him into a dangerous three-year investigation that revealed long-kept secrets about the original settlers of Harmony Valley.

Now sixteen, Brad and his two high-school friends must bring the murderer to justice while preserving the Harmony Valley secret. But they’ll have to act quickly before the killer fulfills a plan to destroy an entire race of benevolent but misunderstood creatures.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In-person reading at schools and Facebook have helped. But like many authors, I’m always looking for new ways to promote my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write! Ask for help developing, editing, and proofing your book before hitting the publish button on Amazon! The extra effort on the front end will make a difference for your readers.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Combine extensive reading of several genres outside of the one you prefer to write.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a variety of books, including classics (e.g., H. G. Wells). I also read ARCs for other authors, which sharpen my ax as I chop away at the next novel.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m excited about applying what I learned with the Cliftopolis SERIES as I write the Hidden Folk 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 NIV Bible, In Defense of Jesus by Lee Strobel, and Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, PhD.

Author Websites and Profiles
Grant P. Ferguson Website
Grant P. Ferguson Amazon Profile
Grant P. Ferguson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi!

I’m from Arizona, and even though I was born to the Apache Tribe, I’m also Navajo and Hispanic from my grandpa’s side, and currently tracing about eleven more bloodlines. I just lurk on the reservation, writing stories about the reservation, laughing at things other people find terrifying. Shivering at things other people find stupid. I’ve only written one book so far, although I have lots of short stories people can read, and many of them are for free. They’re mostly horror, but I have started moving slowly but surely into fantasy and romance, and I’m starting to like thrillers.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My books is called “Pariahs.” I used to be a substitute teacher on the reservation. Those kids were abused, and there was nothing I could do about it. There was also a trend of being extra horrid to the well-behaved kids. They were the outcasts. Even the teachers picked on them, which was abominable. I mean, what for?

When I made “Pariahs,” I had one little boy in mind. He was one of those students that you love because you don’t have to constantly call them to order, and he got picked on for no real good reason. My main character Vijeren came from him, although Vijeren and this little boy are very different. Vijeren has picked up flavoring from numerous other people.

When I left, I told those kids that I would never forget them, and I haven’t. I wish I could have given them a family, I wish I could have given them a happy home, and when I wrote “Pariahs,” it was my way of giving it to them.

These kids were not in despair, though, which is something that people don’t comprehend. They were funny and laughing all the time. “Pariahs” emulates that, so even though there are dark and gruesome things going on, the characters are bright. They go head on with all the mess happening, and it makes the book a plethora of light and shadow.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I just have to make sure everything is cleaned up. I can’t stand writing in a dirty room. I used to have snacks, but then I forgot about them in the heat of the moment and knocked the snacks over, which made the room messy. So yeah, no snacks anymore. I also have to be showered. I don’t know why.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say CS Lewis. There’s not a quote of his that I find that hasn’t inspired me, or made me feel good. He had a way of talking directly to the reader, which made me understand my own feelings when I was a child.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the second part to “Pariahs.” I’m in the “kill your darlings” stage. I also have a few short stories in progress, so writing is going really good.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
At the moment, it’s twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would just say not to worry about other authors. Some have a million books or stories, some have sold tons of books, others suck, but if you start comparing yourself to them, you will not get to where you want to be. You mind your business, and pay no attention to theirs’. Everybody has their path, and everybody has their speed.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That when I write, I am a mere scribe.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Emma by Jane Austen.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My second book, and I’m in the Christmas special for the Wicked Library Podcast.

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?
At the moment, I would take Jurassic Park, Persuasion, The Hobbit, and Jane Eyre

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hiya, I’m Dominique Goodall, the soon to be debut-author of Runed Legacy. I’m from the UK, and I’ve always loved the magical systems which different authors have written about… and a few years ago, I decided to create my own, using the UK as the basis for where Runed Legacy would be set. Starting in Wales, I used Welsh inspiration for the shape of magic that my main character, Gwyn, and others use. I also delved into Welsh cryptozoology for different creatures for them to have as familiars, moving into different creatures from the countries represented. I enjoyed reading, in a morbid way, about the Salem Witch Trials, and I wanted to bring them here to the UK, in a different style… working on a dark fantasy feel, along with as much historical accuracy as possible.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Runed Legacy was inspired by the idea of a Gwyllgi – a creature not unlike the Grim in Harry Potter, but based in Welsh mythology. I came up with the idea of people, or magic-users, wearing their familiars in ink-form in a world where magic was illegal… and then it spiralled from there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I listen to music super-loud when I write, and I’ll pour everything of me into my books, often writing my first draft in just 5-10 days. I then go back after a week break, and start reading through, finding the plot-holes, changing names, fixing spelling and even adding filler or details where my breakneck speed has failed me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been influenced a lot by Sarah J. Maas and David Clement-Davies – they’ve taught me that fantasy worlds can be otherworldly, or they can dwell, nestled inside our own, with any kind of clarity.

What are you working on now?
Red – I’m currently working on a dark-fantasy version of Red Riding Hood, inspired by my love of the fairytale. It’s almost finished, and acts as more of a continuation to the story – if it had halted earlier, anyway! There are some romance sub-sub-plots, but mainly it’s a story that, despite the dark fantasy element, refers to powerful women, friends, family and the bonds you form within your community.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook will always be my website of choice, because it offers unlimited interactions with authors and readers, for anyone able to access it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you want to write. Don’t write for a trend, as it’ll be over before you know it. Enjoy writing, love what you do – and remember… read as much as you can, in and out of your genre!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Break out of your comfort zone, and try different genres. You’ll never know what you are good at!

What are you reading now?
I’m not, I’m actually prepping for a book release instead!

What’s next for you as a writer?
2019 is going to be a year of writing, publishing – and my first ever book signing!

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?
Hmmm…. Lord of the Rings (The trilogy, as you can buy them in one book!), The Sight… IT and probably A Court of Thorns and Roses – they’re all books I reread.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dominique Goodall Amazon Profile
Dominique Goodall’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I choose to be a multi-genre Author because I have too many stories to share! I have written and self-published eleven books and I’m working on my twelfth – a horror novella about what happens to a man who uses a magical typewriter to make ideas come to life. I was born in Switzerland and live in Canada. We boast an incredible Autumn, but unfortunately, it is always too short!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of my work in progress is Q.W.E.R.T.Y. Honestly, whenever I start a new book, the title always dawns on me first and then I revolve the story around it! I’m a little backwards that way, but then again, I’ve never been one to follow any set rules. That’s the beauty of being an artist: creative freedom!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
To elaborate on the previous question, I guess it’s unusual to begin with the title. After I settle on the title, I create the book cover. I write the story from beginning to end. I suppose I imagine myself in a bookstore, as a reader. I see the book as a reader does: title, cover, inside text…I also edit as I write which I hear is a big no-no, but according to who? If it works for you, I say, go for it!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a huge Jack Finney fan and he inspired me to try my hand at writing Time Travel. His time travel books still have a prominent place on my bookshelf. I also own all of Richard Paul Evans’s books. He writes a Christmas themed book every year and I have borrowed this tradition and recently published “The Christmas Miracle”. Finally, I keep a stack of antique books in plain view. They date as far back as 1854. They are meant to remind me that the world has always needed, and will always need, books. (Not to mention they are beautiful!)

What are you working on now?
I’m working on Q.W.E.R.T.Y. now and I want to go back to Time Travel in January of next year. (I think there’s a small pun in there somewhere!)

Time Travel has always intrigued me. No matter what, though, love is a prominent theme in all of my books, including the horrors.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I find Twitter is a fantastic outlet. (That’s how i found you!). It’s an international stage and I’m able to connect with people all over the world. The Writer’s Community is fantastic. Writers support each other and offer great advice or input, and we just “understand each other.” I’m grateful to all of my Author friends.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s simple, really.

Be bold. Be brave. Be you.

Your unique voice will draw people in. Don’t try to mimic other Authors.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Let go of the past, but hold it dear.

This holds true in all areas of life but if you want more writing advice: don’t think that your 5th book will be similar to book 1. You will evolve and that’s more than okay. However, that fact doesn’t diminish your accomplishment with book 1.

What are you reading now?
I have a huge “to be read” pile and my next read is Julia Benally’s latest, “Pariahs”. Then it’s on to Peter Hartog’s, “Bloodlines” and Shannon Reber’s “The Key” and “The Girl in White”.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To write one book after another until I’m awarded the “world’s oldest Author” medal.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I can only choose four!? Let’s see, Gone With the Wind. Time and Again by Finney, and, “The Gift” and “Michael’s Choice” – my two part thriller series.

Since this is the last question, I want to say thank-you very much for the opportunity!

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a professional captain specialized in ocean racing and expedition sailing. Through 15 years of my sailing career, I’ve visited over 100 countries on some of the most amazing sailing yachts in the world.
I’ve also participated (as a captain of the expedition yacht) in the production of the extraordinary documentary film – ‘Aquarela’, 2018, dir. Victor Kossakovsky.
Sailing Adventures of Pazzo Pirata, Expecting the Unexpected is my first book. However, it’s the beginning of the series, so hopefully, soon you will be able to read a lot more

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Sailing Adventures of Pazzo Pirata, Expecting the Unexpected

It’s based on the true story of my one-year long travel of chasing the dream to become a professional sailor. It was very adventurous and eventful period of my life and I’ve wanted to share this story for a long time.

Publishing it this book is a part of the larger project. I aim to take part in Vendee Globe single-handed around the world race, and I hope that this book is going to take me there

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I just need to wait for the right timing, once it goes it goes… It took me nearly 5 years to wait for this one, and then 3 months of doing nothing else than writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Czech authors, such as Bohumil Hrabal, Milan Kundera, Ota Pavel. Their stories are very light and funny, but deep at the same time. I was aiming for the same direction.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second part of Sailing Adventures of Pazzo Pirata. It will be dedicated to 5 years dedicated to ocean racing and thousands of adventures that came along with it.

Some of the adventures were a bit off the ocean racing, such as being hired by special forces (as a sailor) to help them to kidnap the wife of the president of Yemen

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be honest, I’m still trying to figure out what’s best

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up! Your story is your contribution to the rest of the world, make it as good as you can!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To quit smoking.

What are you reading now?
Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco

What’s next for you as a writer?
Right now I really need to go back to sea. 3 months away from it is as much as I can take. Once I recharge my batteries with the ocean, I will continue to work on the second part of my series.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
How I Came to Know Fish by Ota Pavel

Traditional Boatbuilding Manual

Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl

Author Websites and Profiles
Pazzo Pirata Website
Pazzo Pirata Amazon Profile
Pazzo Pirata’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Dax and I have so far written two teen fantasy novels and am in the process of editing my first teen thriller/mystery novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel, a thriller/mystery entitled, The Red Man was inspired by my own mental health. Since I was a child, I’ve experienced a process known as dissociation, where the mind will disconnect from itself and/or the body, to protect the individual from excessive stress or trauma.

Evylia Wilde, the lead protagonist, lost her mother at a young age but can barely remember a thing about her. As the story progresses, we learn more and more about Evy’s mother, her past troubles with dreams and dissociative episodes, and the legend behind it all, The Red Man.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual, you ask? Hmm, I’ve never thought about them that way.
I always like to have a snack or drink handy when I begin writing for the day but besides that, I don’t think I do have any unusual habits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
An author which has influenced my work for years is Terry Goodkind, author of The Sword of Truth Epic Fantasy series.

The way Goodkind brings his worlds and characters to life is inspiring beyond words. I can never get enough of his work.

What are you working on now?
At the moment, I’m still working on The Red Man but do hope to begin planning a new dystopian novel, revolving around the segregation of men and women in the not too distant future.

This is just one of many things I’m scared will happen in our near future, that men and women will live separately, no longer able to tolerate each others company.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I find it best to try and promote blog content across various social media networks, to give others a taste of your writing style. True, some blogging and writing styles may differ from each other but it’s more about showcasing your work to people who will actively engage with it.

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

There is no substitute for learning more about the craft and how to improve yourself and your work. You are not the smartest person alive and if you’re just starting out, your work will not be as polished as it can be.

However, that’s okay. We all take time to practise and harness our true strengths. Be consistent, deliver great content, and do yourself and your work proud.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Know what a story is at its core. Only then will you understand how to improve your writing in a way that will dazzle readers.

What are you reading now?
The Woman in the Tree: The True Story of Camelot, by Natasha D Lane.

So far, I’m loving this book. I can’t wait to see how it ends.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m actually excited to be planning a new novel (as aforementioned) surrounding the idea of segregating men and women. With fourth wave feminism on the rise, I’m actually rather worried about the human race and our current global climate.

One day I was watching a youtube video on feminists and I found myself thinking: what if their goal was to separate men and women? How would that work? Would there be a big riot over land and resources?

At present, I’m only so far as a working title and a few notes but I’m eager to get more jotted down.

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?
Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi.
Heartless, by Marissa Meyer.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by JK Rowling.
Wizard’s First Rule, by Terry Goodkind.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dax Munro Website
Dax Munro Amazon Profile
Dax Munro Author Profile on Smashwords

Dax Munro’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 from the midwest, Marietta, Ohio, but have lived in the burbs of north Atlanta for close to 20 years. My husband is native to Atlanta and is sensitive, as all southerners are, about The War of Northern Aggression- he lessens the blow by telling his friends and family that I’m from SOUTHERN Ohio. We have four teenagers and two large dogs.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
We’re All A Mess, It’s OK
When my first book, The Amy Binegar-Kimmes-Lyle Book Of Failures hit #1 in Humor & Entertainment on Amazon people started sending me their funniest failures. I created a #FridayFail on social media and within a year I had 60,000 words. After the content editors and I picked the best stories, I had a 237-book of essays and one-liners. The point of the book is to make people feel more normal- everyone makes mistakes. Sharing your failures in a funny way bonds people together. If you do not laugh out loud, I have failed you.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I set up in an office in our walk-thru pantry. I am literally less than 2 feet away from snacks at all times. I like to write with the pantry and side door open so my dogs and I can see and hear cars go by and get fresh air. I normally write in the mornings, while the kids are at school.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The biggest influence is Jenny Lawson. Her book, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, is one of my all time favorites. She, like most us, has plenty of issues but she weaves them into the most ridiculous stories. I write for a magazine, My Forsyth, and Jenny afforded me an interview! She is so gracious and funny, I love her. My books are comedic so I’m influenced by Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Samantha Irby, and Jenn Mann. I love everyday life comedy.

What are you working on now?
The reason I wrote a book at all was to get signed on by an LA entertainment attorney to represent my screenplay. He told me he would not work with me until on until I was “on the map.” I’m so glad I started writing books because I have enjoyed the challenge and have met so many writers and creative people during the journey. I’m currently working with Atlanta filmmaker to fine tune my screenplay, #fakemom, which will be shot in the fall of 2019. It is also a comedy, but not based on my books.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I sell 90% of my books through Amazon using their AMS pay per click advertising. The other 10% I sell through speaking engagements and press. My favorite promotion is being a guest on podcasts. You can do the interview in your pajamas (they are audio only) and they are archived forever. You can find podcasts easily on Facebook and Twitter, search #podcasts or #podernfamily to identify hundreds of podcast shows. The hosts are generally wonderfully supportive of authors.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Study all of the FREE resources that are available to you BEFORE publishing your book. There are 7 million books on Amazon, your title, subtitle, category, and keywords are really important. Two of my favorite self-publishing gurus are Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneur https://kindlepreneur.com/who-is-dave-chesson/ and Laura Peterson from Copy That Pops https://www.copythatpops.com/

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do not be upset if someone doesn’t get your book. People are allowed to express how they feel about anything and unfortunately, if they read your work on their worst day, they may lash out at you. You know your intentions for your work and you are introducing your characters and ideas to the public. You cannot please everyone.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Elena Random and the Firebird Unit by J.S. Wood. I bought her series for my kids, but they are so good I started reading them. I admire people that can create an entirely new world.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m finishing up re-writes for my screenplay and then I will be working on two projects with Atlanta filmmaker Sam Juergens. Sam just won Best Comedy for his film short, The Interviewers at the Franklin International Film Festival- next up is the Atlanta Comedy festival. I was an actor in the project. http://ow.ly/8I7a30mL8X4

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Let’s Pretend It Never Happens, I know This Much Is True, the Bible and East of Eden.

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
In 1995 I answered a magazine ad asking for short western fiction stories. I sent my first story “Caught Red Handed” to Western Digest in Calgary. An additional 6 more of my short stories were published in later editions. That inspired me to seek out additional publishers.
My first book, “Matsutake mushroom (A non fiction guide book and summary of a season of commercial picking and selling the popular mushroom.) was published by Naturegraph publishers in 1997. I am an outdoors-man, hunter, fisherman gather my own winter firewood and such. My wife and I live in the mountains of Northern California. It is about an hour commute time to Eureka for shopping. So far, I have written 15 western fiction novels. Three of those are “Blackhorse Westerns” published by Robert Hale, LTD in Great Britain.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel, published by Sundown Press, is “Bounty Poachers,” which is volume 3 of a 4 book series. After I wrote the first book in that series , I realized that I had good characters and could carry the story on, so I decided to make it a series (my first)..

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do not write on a particular schedule. Often times it is because an idea came to me and If I have the time, I make good use of it. I may write for an hour or so, sometimes all day long but not everyday.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert Randisi, James Reasoner and Frank Roderus. All three men are original members of Western Fictioneers.

What are you working on now?
I now have plans to take another of my original novels and expand the story into a continuation. Not necessarily a series but it would be a second book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Whenever I have a book set to be released, I send an announcement to relatives and friends. I also send an announcement to all the members of Western Fictioneers. I then send announcements to two newspapers, which shows up a few days later in their lifestyle sections.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
All I can say is that if you like what you write about, stick with it, keep trying and sooner or later someone will allow you to be heard.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read over, revise, if necessary, before you send it in.

What are you reading now?
A western fiction novel by J Lee Butts.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I had four novels published this year, I plan to keep writing but not to equal or exceed any quota. Most likely I’ll write one novel and a few short stories in the next year.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Well, the Bible for one, the others would be western fiction, can’t name a particular author because there are so many good ones.

Author Websites and Profiles
J.L. (Jerry) Guin Website
J.L. (Jerry) Guin Amazon Profile
J.L. (Jerry) Guin’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a civil engineer living in the Netherlands. I quit my job to start my coaching company ‘Clever Input.’ I have helped and coached thousands of people, especially children and teenagers, to achieve their dreams. I’m also a composer, arranger, pianist, former athlete, former professional dancer, international performer, choreographer, life coach and author. I have always been interested in human development.
In 2010, I launched my first book ‘Het vergeten vak’ (published by Aspekt) in which I share my vision about human development and a successful life. This book is sold in the Netherlands, Belgium, Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire.

Till now I’ve written 3 books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Self Improvement Training: 9 Ways to Train Yourself and Build an Awesome Life, Practical Tips

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I prefer to write early in the morning

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to mention but Paulo Coelho is one of my favorite authors

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a book about the benefits of writing your goals down, the Law of Attraction

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Protect the time and space in which you write. Don’t let others disturb you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Follow your dreams

What are you reading now?
A Higher Loyalty (James Comey)

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m thinking about it

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

Author Websites and Profiles
Rudsel Cameron Website
Rudsel Cameron’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired attorney. I have written five books, all available on Amazon. My autobiography is entitled, “Fried Fish.” My second book, “Rev. Joseph Cadwallader,” is about a Civil War ancestor. Next comes the Justice by Cadwallader series of books based on work I did as an attorney: “Shawna Johnson’s Case,” “Monique Meak’s Case,” and “Myra Boule’s Case.”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Myra Boule’s Case” is a fictionalized retelling of lawsuit involving a lady who was ripped off by a lawyer. She hires attorney Thomas Frazier to get her case back. Just as he is about to get the money, she fired him. She was made to pay for all the work done on her behalf.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write when I am elevated in mood. Being Bipolar I, I find it difficult to get started but, when I do, the writing comes in a rush. A book may take days of hardly any sleep, sometimes weeks. I work on it until it is finished.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Some of my favorite authors are judges. Most judicial writing is terrible, but some judges are above the norm. For instance, former Justice Scalia often succeeded at making it interesting.

What are you working on now?
Trying to market my books.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stick with it. You will find your niche.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t make a permanent solution to a temporary problem. This too will pass.

What are you reading now?
anything I can get my hands upon about how to market my books

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m trying to decide on the fourth book for the Justice by Cadwallader series. Maybe it will be the lady who wrenched her knee in a graveyard.

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?
“Shawna Johnson’s Case”
“Monique Meak’s Case”
“Myra Boule’s Case”

Author Websites and Profiles
Brian Cadwallader Amazon Profile
 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Michael J. Merry was educated at the Royal Liberty School, Essex, United Kingdom. In 1968, while working in the Republic of Panama, the Guardia Nacional overthrew the elected Government. That evening Merry, in his personal vehicle, collected Panamá’s President and several Cabinet Ministers, and drove them through searching military patrols to a safe base in the Canal Zone. Appointed Division Vice President for a major U.S. financial news operation, he opened fifteen regional offices throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. These produced an acclaimed on-line, real time, financial, and political report. In 1996 he was contracted to write two weekly televised investment shows, and edit a monthly asset venture newsletter. Mr. Merry is retired and lives in Miami Shores Florida. He has written six previous books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Percy, and two other fools’ is based on the mysterious disappearance of Percy Harrison Fawcett (1867/1925) who along with his son Jack, and a friend, Raleigh Rimmel, vanished in the jungles of the Mato Grosso in March 1925. An experienced explorer, Fawcett and his two companions were searching for a lost city he called ‘Z’, near the Xingu river. They disappeared, and were never heard from again. In 2018, an English aristocrat heads up a group that travels to the area to search for Fawcett’s remains. Meeting the Kayapo, guardians of the Upper Olgo and the Piripkura, protectors of ‘Z’, they are continually harassed by the ‘Amazon Mafia’, a gang of river pirates, trying to usurp the expedition. From Manaus to ‘Z’, this tale will keep you in suspense every foot of the thousand mile journey. I have written an additional six books. Percy was a project

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write short stories and novels about subjects of interest. When I set out to write “Percy”, I had no idea of the suffering and pain that many of the quarter million indigenous peoples of Brazil have put up with. Tribes are described as indigenous when they maintain traditions of a previous culture associated with a given region. Research has opened my eyes, and I have found that unfortunately, mistreatment continues to this day.
However, the exploitation of these jungle dwellers is slowly being eliminated thanks to the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, the Brazilian Government’s Bureau of Indian Affairs and several private organizations such as Survival International.
We may only hope that eventually, modern mankind will stop trying to convert everyone on earth to their own image and allow these tribes to live as they wish on lands where they and their ancestors were born.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Any author that details preparations for a task

What are you working on now?
A new book of short stories

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

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

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If it seems too good to be true it usually is!

What are you reading now?
7 Troop by Andy McNabb

What’s next for you as a writer?
More short stories

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
James Bond omnibus by Ian Flemming
Horatio Hornblower omnibus by C S Forrester

Author Websites and Profiles
michael merry Amazon Profile
 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Canadian fantasy author. I grew up in Nova Scotia in a little town called Stewiacke that has a population of around 1300 people. I didn’t have to push a button to cross the street until I was 23 years old and was living in Regina, and was trying to get across a busy 4 lane highway. I know that probably seems preposterous to anyone living in a big city, but I was terrified. I was actually wondering if the light would really change and the cars would really stop for me. I’m from the Maritimes, okay.

I’ve written 1.75 books so far. Soon to be 2.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book (which is actually my first book) is “The Cracked Altar.” There was a million things that inspired all the various characters and things that happen in it, so it’s difficult to talk about what inspired the book as a whole. Ultimately, I always wanted to write books, even as a kid. It was I way I could escape into that other world for longer; live there even. And I knew that if I was writing a book there’d have to be knights; there’d have to be dark, forbidden magic; and there’d have to be this girl at the centre of it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I keep a pen and paper on my bedside table in case I wake up in the middle of the night and just have to write some stuff down. I usually can’t go back to sleep until I do. I’m sure that’s pretty normal for writers though. However, I do get up at 5 a.m., take a cold shower and say Morning Prayer before I start writing for the day. That might be weird for some people who stay up really late and take long hot showers.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Probably everything I’ve ever read has influenced me to some degree. I read a lot if old stuff because I want to be influenced by masters who have stood the test of time (Poe, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, etc.) In college, my sister gave me a copy of “Longman’s Anthology of Gothic Verse” which had a whole bunch of dark Romantic stories and poetry in it by guys like Percy Shelly, Lord Byron, Samuel T. Coleridge, Walter Scott. I found that stuff really relevant to what I was doing in the Cracked Altar, and I wanted those kind of moods and emotions to pervade my own work.

That being said, my favourite book of all time is definitely Sabriel by Garth Nix. I remember being in grade 10; I had just been expelled from the Christian school and was back in South Colchester Academy, and because my courses were messed up, I had these extra free periods which I spent reading in the library. I was looking for a new book to read, and when I discovered Sabriel on the lower shelf it was like I had found a tome of dark magic. I couldn’t believe that there was a book. It has such a unique take on Death and necromancy, and Sabriel was such an infatuating heroine. My mind was blown!

What are you working on now?
My next novel, the one that’s 0.75% complete. It’s kind of like a historical fantasy based on the Norse sagas–particularly the Tyrfing Cycle. It’s the story of Hervor Angantysdottir. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get this out by June, so fans of Viking stories and Norse mythology should keep an eye out. (Yes, that was a reference to Odin). I’m really looking for to releasing it!

I’m also working on a short story about a priestess-in-training who has to keep vigil in this corrupted temple on the eve of her consecration.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I really can’t comment on this. I’m too new to online promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing is art. Being a writer is art + business. If you’re serious about being a writer and making money from your work, someone is going to have make business decisions. If you go the traditional route, those business decisions are going to be made by a publisher upon reviewing a profit vs loss analysis done up by the acquisitions editor who wants to buy your work; If you go the indie route, you’re going to be making those decisions yourself.

Also, if you do decide to self-publish, you need to know that there is this whole vampiric industry that preys on self-publishing authors. You’ll need to do a TON of research and learn a whole bunch of new skills, and you’ll need to be super critical of everything you watch and read because there’s going to be someone trying to sell you something every step of the way. That said, we live in an amazing era, and you can learn a lot for free!
Either way, the earlier you start learning about the business aspect of being a writer the better. A good place to start would be Writers Digest and Jane Friedman’s blog. And even if you do plan on going indie, you absolutely must check out Janet Reid’s Query Shark and read ALL the queries. Her information is extremely valuable and will make you a better writer.

www.writersdigest.com

www.janefriedman.com

http://queryshark.blogspot.com/

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Sara Douglass had a great little bit on her website talking about how the most valuable tool a writer has is his/her reader’s imagination. I really think that this goes hand in hand, or is even the same thing as Ernest Hemingway saying “Don’t describe emotion; create it.” So often writers are told to show not tell, and I think this often gets interpreted as longer more frequent descriptions. Sometimes, maybe even a lot of times, that is the right thing to write. But for example, I had a college buddy once tell me he was reading this Resident Evil book. He said he found it annoying because whenever Jill Valentine shot a zombie’s head off, the author described in such detail that he was forced to visualize it as it was written AND WAS UNABLE TO IMAGINE IT FOR HIMSELF.

Sometimes saying less is more. People automatically visualize characters, places, things, even with minimal detail. Use that to your advantage. Choose very carefully what you tell your readers. Let them make the story theirs.

I can’t describe the exact way my first kiss made me feel, and I shouldn’t try, because it isn’t important for anyone to feel what I felt. They should be having their own experience. If you’re writing a scene like that, you should create it in a way that your readers are vividly reliving their own memories. Make them feel sixteen again. Don’t tell them what it’s like to be sixteen. They know! And if they haven’t reached that age yet or they’ve never had a first kiss, I guarantee they have an idea in their minds of what they want it to be like and what they’d like to experience. It’s your job as a writer to transport them to that moment!

Doing this is hard because it’s intuitive and requires a lot of deep insight and restraint. But it’s what makes writing art.

What are you reading now?
My brother let this compendium of all Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Cimmerian stories. You want to read something that’s going to get your heart pounding? Check out, “The Scarlet Citadel.” Howard’s writing is lush and really fast-paced; a lot happens in a really short time and it’s usually all very bad.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well I’ve always had people telling me I’ve got a great voice for radio, and I’ve got a bit of recording experience (I used to play in a black metal band) so in addition to finishing up the Hervor book and learning how to more effectively promote my work, I’m intending to put out an audiobook for “The Cracked Altar.” I really think it’ll be a lot of fun.

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 not Robinson Crusoe. Maybe T.H. White’s “The Once and Future King,” “Dracula,” “The War of Souls” (That’s a Dragonlance trilogy), the Holy Bible… Really, if I’m going to a desert island I should choose more practical reading material. I’ll probably die of thirst and hunger before I get through it all, or end up using most of it to wipe.

Author Websites and Profiles
Timothy J. R. Rains Website
Timothy J. R. Rains Amazon Profile
Timothy J. R. Rains’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I like to think of myself as a vocational alchemist, since I experimented with a number of careers (actress, graphic designer, journalist and EMT, just to name a few), before I found a niche in the healthcare field. I’ve been a registered nurse now for over two decades with roughly half that time spent in various emergency rooms across Vermont and New York. Before The Idoron, which is my first novel and longest work to date, I had a number of short stories and poems published in online and print magazines.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Idoron is my only novel to date. After hitting a wall with a paranormal thriller I was trying to write last year, I decided that challenging myself by plunging into another genre was the only way to get out of the slump. It worked!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Is it unusual to require oceans of caffeine, uninterrupted solitude and absolute silence for up to 10 hours a day? Then… no, none whatsoever.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Carol Goodman, and Richard Brautigan.

What are you working on now?
When not plugging away at my horror novel, I’m reworking some short stories to release for free on Amazon.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing, no matter what, and above all, believe in yourself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The only way to “learn” how to write a novel is to…write one.

What are you reading now?
Kill Creek by Scott Thomas.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Long range? I’d love to see the Idoron made into an anime series and eventually, would like to make a living through all my little words.

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?
No books, because unless there’s a five-star resort on that island, there’s no way I’d go along with the whole, “being stranded” thing.

Author Websites and Profiles
Antoinette McCormick Website
 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a freelance author, writer and cartoonist. I have four books currently available online, plus I appear in the anthologies Summer Solstice by A Writer For Life LLC and 42 and Beyond from Hydra Productions.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Ki-Chan: Demon Hunter Book #2 is the latest one. It’s part of a series of books based on dreams I had as a child.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write a good chunk of my ideas on post-it notes, and I leave them all over my house. I sometimes put them together in little patterns so it looks like I’ve decorated.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The two authors that made me explore reading more intently were Charles Dickens and Douglas Adams.

What are you working on now?
Ki-Chan: Demon Hunter Book #3, though I’m not sure when it will be out.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Lately, I’ve been using the Ripl app to make cute new videos for my books. Aside from this, I highly recommend my PA Chandra Trulove Fry, she has really done wonders in introducing my books to new readers!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t write books for popularity. Write for yourself first. If you don’t like your books, nobody else will either.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In life, you need to find people who fit your morals.

What are you reading now?
Comic Art Propaganda. Each time I read it, I feel like it gets a little more relevant.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am looking at releasing an art book for Ki-Chan, but like the third book, I do not yet have a time table.

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 Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Comic Art Propaganda, Dali and perhaps a copy of a Sailor Moon manga.

Author Websites and Profiles
Koriander Bullard Website
Koriander Bullard Amazon Profile
Koriander Bullard’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a contemporary and paranormal romance author who has published 13 full length novels and contributed to 3 anthologies under my own name. I have also written explicit erotica under a pen name and will be releasing my first political thriller under the name Ann Nevada in 2019.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is One Magick Yule and it was inspired by my interest in spirituality, Wicca, and my love of animals.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual? Aren’t all of us unusual in some way or another? I generally write in my recliner or in bed with Lifetime or Hallmark playing in the background. I don’t plan my books, the initial idea just pops in my head from somewhere or nowhere and I sit down and tell the story as it comes to me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been reading since I was 4, so it is really hard to say any one book or author has influenced me in any way. My parents never censored what I read, so if I wanted to pick up an adult rated book when I was a teenager, I did. I loved Harlequin, and thought to myself when I was about 18 that I could write one of those books! Then I met a wonderful man who gave me a book idea and I sat down and wrote the first two chapters of a fantasy type adventure. He read it and told me I should write books, so I did. And he continues to inspire and support me today.

What are you working on now?
I just finished writing a book in 26 days, so I thought I’d take a break. However, I am working on a political thriller called The 2nd under the pen name Ann Nevada and I am going to start work on Beneath the Magick Oak which is going to be a time travel romance. One or both of these books will release in 2019.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like to experiment with various sites, and use my own Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well. Up until recently, I haven’t tracked results other than watching my Amazon and Draft2Digital accounts for sales. That will change in 2019.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Believe in yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. Just do it!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you want to be a writer, just write.

What are you reading now?
The Psychic Workshop by Kim Chestney

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have set 3 goals for the upcoming year. Finish ground school and start working on obtaining my private pilot’s license, release 6 full-length novels, and travel to one place I have never been.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I can’t even begin to fathom thinking about only picking 3 or 4 books! Can I have my Kindle with a generator to charge my battery instead?

Author Websites and Profiles
Teresa Keefer Website
Teresa Keefer Amazon Profile
Teresa Keefer’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have had a number of careers, writer, homicide detective, tribal police chief, adjunct professor.
My first two books, Fatal Flowers and Dear Departed, were published by The Berkley Publishing Group, in New York. Of Fatal Flowers, crime writer Ann Rule said, “Fatal Flowers will make the Silence of the Lambs seem almost tame.” I wrote Shadowland Survivors twenty years after Dear Departed was released.
The Cold River Rising series is now into its sixth book, and I’m planning more, so I have published 8 novels, and two non-fiction books, The One Minute Lie Detector, and Live for Almost Free.
Cold River Rising has been optioned for a feature film.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Cold River Renaissance is my latest novel and was inspired by the characters I created in the first four books in the series. I was searching for some closure to the conflict I had presented in books three and four.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in every situation but usually like to write in the morning. As I get later into a deadline, I write into the night, then wake up, make coffee and breakfast, and start again, often into the night.
I can write at a party, on a plane, in a crowded bar. I can write anywhere and anytime, and if I am off in a corner at a gathering, I’m usually working something out in my latest book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Numerous. Early on, John D. MacDonald. Then Joseph Wambaugh, Stephen King, Peter Straub, Dan Simmons, David Morrell, and a lot of others.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a television pilot and series bible for Dear Departed.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is being modified. When it is up and running again, you can find me at www.enessmith.com. Amazon Kindle has the best representation of my books. Or, you can email me: enes@enessmith.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Don’t listen to friends and family who tell you that you will never publish anything. Believe in yourself. Read the best.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Ray Bradbury said “You only fail if you stop writing.”

What are you reading now?
The Coldest Winter, by David Halberstam

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve written a screenplay for Cold River Rising, and am working on series proposals for Dear Departed and Fatal Flowers. Then book six in the Cold River series.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Anything by Robert Crais
Modern Poets
Crime Fiction Boxed Set: Fatal Flowers, Dear Departed, Shadowland Survivors

Author Websites and Profiles
Enes Smith Amazon Profile
 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a journalist for various publications and a content writer for different tech companies. I live in Russia, but I am from a small town in Massachusetts where most of my friends were rocks.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book was The King of FU. It is a magical realism, coming-of-age novella set in a small town with small heroes and even smaller villains. It was inspired by growing by growing up in a small town surrounded by small heroes and even smaller villains.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write something every day. No discernible time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A few poets like Sylvia Plath, Charles Baudelaire, T.S. Eliot. But I was more inspired by writers who used a lot of honesty and humor to shape their real-life stories like Bill Bryson and David Sedaris.

What are you working on now?
Just finished a new Radio Drama and Bilingual (Russian/English) Novelette called “The Babushka Society.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still learning, but so far the best reactions I’ve received have come from review blogs like the Bibliophagist and Kookbookery.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be patient, save money, spend time.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
People just want to be entertained.

What are you reading now?
Jonathan Stroud.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on developing projects for Patreon and submitting The King of FU to different magazines and festivals.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’m not much of an outdoorsman and I can’t read when I am hungry so I’d probably bring four copies of the Encyclopedia Britannica and hope that someone somewhere dropped a box of matches.

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Vallabh Gondkar and I’m 13 years old. Till now I have written 1 book only but I’m still writing various books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
10 ways to be topper of your class. I got inspiration from those who score less in exams. So I decided to make a book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, I don’t have.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J. K. Rowling inspired me.

What are you working on now?
I’m writing a fantasy book now.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up keep writing and imagining. Never give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keeping a small book in pocket.

What are you reading now?
Chariot of God.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to be the best writer in the world.

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Canadian writer living in the maritime province of Nova Scotia. I curate the music library for Ancient FM, an online medieval and renaissance radio station. Beneath the Roots and White Bird (books 1 and 2 of The Aure Duology) are my only published works at this time but I’m working on a standalone fantasy novel entitled “Silver Light.”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
White Bird is my latest published novel. It sprang naturally from the story line of Beneath the Roots. Beneath the Roots was inspired by William Morris’ book “The Sundering Flood.”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Don’t know if this is weird, but I only listen to medieval and renaissance music when I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
William Morris, Patricia A. McKillip, and Robin Hobb.

What are you working on now?
Silver Light, a stand alone fantasy novel.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. And don’t stop writing.

 What are you reading now?
Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story, by Douglas Preston.

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?
Lord of the Rings and The Riddle-Master series (it’s in one volume now).

Author Websites and Profiles
W.K. Greyling Website
W.K. Greyling Amazon Profile
W.K. Greyling’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a project manager and IT Professional but I am passionnate about books since my childhood. I dreamed about writing my first book more than 20 years now. That dream went true and I am so happy to live my passion.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My last book is “shadows”. It is inspired by my life, my trials and the dead of a friend, I really loved, because of cancer…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes. I write as I feel. Nothing else matter for me

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Victor Hugo “le dernier jour d’un condamné”
André Brink “une saison blanche et sèche”

What are you working on now?
I work on my second book, “les lionnes”. A story of an 3 woman of African family fighting against the hell in their lifes, but determined to succeed, unconditionally.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up and do as you like. Your creativity is your pearl!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“die with weapons in your hands rather than resigned”

What are you reading now?
The Bible

What’s next for you as a writer?
See more people being empowered by my self motivation books and get international recognitions or awards

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?
Victor Hugo “le dernier jour d’un condamné”
André Brink “une saison blanche et sèche”
Aimé Cesaire “Cahier d’un retour au pays natal”

Author Websites and Profiles
Michel Fotsing Amazon Profile
Michel Fotsing’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a multi-genre self-published author. I love writing stories, and have been doing so since the age of 10. I had a poem published in an anthology of young poets when I was in high school.

I am fascinated by anything paranormal and am Founder and Lead Investigator for Seeking Answers Paranormal of Tennessee. (http://seekinganswerstn.wixsite.com/saptn) My book, A Walk into the Unknown, was written while relating to some of the cases the team has worked.

I live in Tennessee in my own haunted house.

I spend most of my time writing, reading, making memories with my family, or watching TV. I am a huge Netflix junkie. My favorite shows to watch on Netflix are Supernatural, The Walking Dead, Criminal Minds, Impractical Jokers, Riverdale, NCIS, Hawaii 5-0, and The Andy Griffith Show. But, as you can see I am always adding to that list.

I love all types of music as well. I often times find myself singing along to whatever is playing at the time. (That doesn’t mean I’m good at it, but I love to sing nonetheless.)

A lifelong dream of mine is to live in a house on the beach. There is nothing quite like falling asleep and awakening to the sound of waves crashing against the beach and seagulls talking to one another.

I have two children, three dogs, two fish, and seven cats. My children’s book series, The Adventures of Miracle, is based off of one of my cats.

I have fourteen published books as of November 30, 2018. I have two more in the works as we speak. My published books are: The Monster Within, The Protector, One Great Love, The Greatest Gift, A Walk into the Unknown, One Message, The First Case (Colt Investigations #1), This Nightmare Called Life (Colt Investigations #2), Laid to Rest (Colt Investigations #3), Haunted by Evil (Colt Investigations #4), Meet Miracle (The Adventures of Miracle #1), One Big Furry Family (The Adventures of Miracle #2), Furry Holidays (The Adventures of Miracle #3), and The Missing (True Disturbing Files #1). The ones that are due out soon are: The Unsolved (True Disturbing Files #2) and The Wicked (True Disturbing Files #3).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled The Missing (True Disturbing Files #1). It is seven-hundred-and-eighty pages of compiled cases of missing persons in the United States. I decided to write it, because everyday when I turned on the news there was someone being reported as missing. I could not begin to imagine how those people’s families feel when some of them may never know what happened to their loved one. I wanted to put those cases out there for the public to see, so maybe at least one of the families could get some answers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to listen to music while I write, but other than that I don’t believe I have unusual writing habits. I prefer to write my rough draft with a pencil or pen and paper, and then later type it up on the computer to do the editing, proofreading, and revising.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am huge fan of Ann Rule’s True Crime books. She is who originally got me into that genre. Nicholas Sparks is my favorite romance author, and the one who got me interested in writing a romance novel. Heather Graham’s Harrison Investigations and Krewe of Hunters Series are my favorite paranormal fiction books. I would like to say she was the one who influenced me to try my own hand at that genre.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on two more books in the True Disturbing Files Series, The Unsolved and The Wicked. Both will release in early- to mid-2019. The fifth book in the Colt Investigations Series is also in the works, but a definite title has not been decided for it yet.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook groups and word of mouth seems to be my best means of promoting my books at this time.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t get discouraged. Be a writer because you love to write, not because you want to get rich. Trust me, that is a very slow process, and it doesn’t happen overnight. Just keep doing what you do, and eventually it will pay off.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Believe in yourself and don’t get discouraged. It is hard to be confident when you don’t see the ratings and reviews racking up from your hard work, but keep the faith in yourself and keep working hard. Hopefully one day it will pay off.

What are you reading now?
I never read one book at a time. For some reason, I am always reading at least two or three books at the same time. Currently, I am reading Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, The Psychic in You by Jeffrey A. Wands, and The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to one day have a bestselling novel, but we shall see. I plan on continuing to write in multiple genres and see where that takes me.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would definitely take my top four favorite books: Ghosts by Hans Holzer, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, A Night to Remember by Walter Lord, and Christina’s Ghost by Betty Ren Wright.

Author Websites and Profiles
Marie Tayse Website
Marie Tayse Amazon Profile
Marie Tayse Author Profile on Smashwords

Marie Tayse’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 YA Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance Author signed to Foundations, LLC. I have written 15 books, waiting for most of them to be published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Crimson Savior (Hell’s Guardian Chronicles Book 1)
I was inspired by the Anime: Sailor Moon and turned my vampires into Super Heroine Vampires! (I put a unique twist on vampire novels)

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t listen to music as often.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
S.D. Perry- Author of The Resident Evil Series
Holly Black- Author of Tithe: A Modern Fairy Tale
Richelle Mead: Author of Vampire Academy & Bloodlines Series

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on quite a few new Series at once. So be on the lookout for more work from me!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use every Social Media platform I can to reach potential readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up! There are days when you want to throw in the towel. Don’t! Believe in yourself and you will get there.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be YOU! Don’t try to be another author who is already successful.

What are you reading now?
I am currently not reading anything. I don’t like to mesh ideas from other books with my ideas.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep on pushing out as many books as possible so I can reach new potential readers.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Most of the Resident Evil books.

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Julie Anderson lives in south London and Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. She is the author of three books, two novels and a collection of inter-linking short stories and regularly contributes non-fiction to web-sites, her own and others. Her work can be found on a number of academic courses. She is Chair of Trustees of the Clapham Book Festival, the annual celebration of books and reading in south London and curates literary and story-telling events across the capital.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called ‘The Silver Rings’. It is the sequel to ‘Reconquista’, which was long listed for the Mslexia Chidren’s Novel Award 2016. I was inspired to write the story which became ‘Reconquista’ by the first visit of my god-son to our home in Jerez de la Frontera. I wrote about this at http://thestorybazaar.com/the-godmothers-tale/. Southern Spain is such a melting pot of historic cultures, Christian, Jewish and Muslim and has much to teach the modern world about how people from different cultures and faiths can live together ( and what happens when they do not ). My young heroes experience the best and the worst of this in the 13th century Reconquest of the Muslim south by the Christian north.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write early in the mornings, closest to sleep, as I often find my unconscious mind works away when I am not aware of it and comes up with all sorts of resolutions and ideas for my story. Otherwise, I am quite disciplined and meet my daily/weekly word targets.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to list here. Classic authors I constantly return to are T.S. Eliot, Charles Dickens and Shakespeare, while modern authors I read are Hilary Mantel, E.Annie Proulx and Margaret Attwood. I’m a sucker for a good old-fashioned adventure story and still read Robert Louis Stevenson, Alexander Dumas and John Buchan.

What are you working on now?
In something of a departure I am writing a contemporary thriller, set in London. It’s about power and what people will do to get it ( I was a Whitehall Senior Civil Servant for many years, so this is a world I know well ).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I try to cover a lot of media, not just web-sites, but print media and personal appearances.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. What you are doing is worthwhile. You will get better, you will find readers.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up. That’s why I pass it on.

What are you reading now?
A brilliant history book called ‘Last Hope Island’ about Britain in WWII, but from the perspective of the Europeans who came here escaping Nazism and Fascism. It shows just how amazing Britain was when it chose to ally itself and work with it’s neighbours, something which the people of the Uk seem to have forgotten of late.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a new publishing contract for my next book – the thriller – which is very exciting.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A of this moment – A Thousand and One Nights, Shakespeare’s Collected Plays, The Origin of the Species and the Complete Works of T.S.Eliot. This list would change depending on my mood when asked.

Author Websites and Profiles
Julie Anderson Website
Julie Anderson Amazon Profile
Julie Anderson Author Profile on Smashwords

Julie Anderson’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 Elena Adani and I am a well-being professional and a coach. My main passion is to help people achieve extraordinary goals. I was born in 1968 in Modena, a town in the north of Italy, the same town where Mr. Enzo Ferrari the creator of Ferrari cars was born. For a long time, when I was a teenager, I had a difficult relationship with my father and had difficulties in taking life easy. I was plagued with the challenge of having a good self-esteem and also come to grips with my negative emotions, especially after my boyfriend passed away. Then one day I got in touch with a life coach who helped me to change my habits and inspired me look at myself and the reality in a total different way. From that moment on my life changed dramatically. I began improving my self-esteem, and I met many positive people who brought joy into my life, and I still do. About 7 years ago I made the big leap, I can say a “Quantum leap” because I decided to quit my job and dedicate myself to my passions: writing books and helping people to solve their self-esteem issues. Until now I have written 2 books: “Stop killing your back with the secret power of emotions” which i s about how emotions can cause back pain and how to manage them in order to get well. The second book is “Be the Hero of Your Life” an Instruction Manual for Self-esteem. I also have written some poems that were published in 2013 by “Impronte” an Italian Publishing house of Rome.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My last boot is “Be the Hero of Your Life – An Instruction Manual for Self-esteem”. I was inspired by myself and by the people I know who have problem of Self-esteem. In fact in this book I mentioned some episodes of my life, especially the period when I was stuck and frustrated and I did not know how to feel happy. I was also inspired by my interest in the knowledge of the unconscious mind and how and why things happens.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do not think so but before writing sometimes, I do meditation or some stretching exercises in my sitting room.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced by Mr. Bob Proctor and Mr. Joe Vitale who are 2 of the authors of the book “The Secret”. In fact I have followed kind of coaching program with the Proctor and Gallagher Institute for one year. One of the book that literally changed my life is “La fisica dell’anima” (the Soul’s Physics) written by the Italian author Fabio Marchesi. After reading this book I better overcame the loss of my boyfriend who passed away in 2006, and eventually I felt increasingly better day by day. By that moment on, in my free time I began to study the internet marketing and understand how to do a on-line business.

What are you working on now?
At the moment I’m wiriting two books.
The first one is about the Laws of the Universe. A boy and a girl meet a library and after few time they agree writing together a book about the Laws of the Universe. Inevitably, they fall in love. Despite her love, the girl decides to take a break because she needs to overcome her fears and suffering (she lost her husband few years before). Then, she decides to visit some monasteries in the middle of Greece, hoping to find herself and other secrets about the Laws of the Universe.
The second book is about back pain, here I explain how to avoid the main 5 mistakes you often do when you have back pain. I give many pracatical tools about postural balancing, sport, diet and supplement.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Now I’m using different methods. On my internet site https://lifenowacademy.com you can download for free the first chapter of the book. On Facebook and Instagram I have made some Ad campaigns, I keep on talking about my experience, my book and the topics related to self-esteem. I’m also creating some short videos giving simple tips to improve self-esteem. At the moment I do not have many followers because I have published my social pages about 3 weeks ago. I also would like to release interviews on the radio or on the Tv, so I’m planning to get in touch with Radio and Tv stations to do so.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes of course.
Especially if you’re not a well known author you should keep on advertising your book through posts, videos, Amazon or other platforms if possible. Give people at least the first chapters for free, so they know what the book is about and if they like it or not. Furthermore, a good cover is vitally important. You can not expect your book sell if it has not a captivating cover. Better to rent a skilled designer or find a free of copyright picture that may suit your idea of cover. Ask your friends or on the internet communities if they like your cover or not, and possibly if it can be improved. In any case, you have to follow your heart and, if other’s people suggestions do not convince you, then go on with your idea. If your goal is being a writer and live with your book income, do not write only one book but as many book as you can, but quality books about topics people are interested in.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Follow your dreams, no matter what people say and difficulties you may overcome, do not let problems discourage you from achieving your goals.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading “The Purple Cow” of Seth Godin.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I wish my book inspire people, and I expect to increase my sales and create self-esteem courses both on-line and live by next year.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I will bring The Purple Cow by Seth Godin, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, and a book that could explain how to survive in desert island.

Author Websites and Profiles
ELENA ADANI Website
ELENA ADANI Amazon Profile
ELENA ADANI’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Mumbai to a businessman father and lawyer-turned-homemaker mother. A BCom graduate, my first tryst with professional writing began in 2007 for JLT (Just Like That), a youth-focused publication by the Times of India group. Later, I gave up my MBA dream to work for three years each in the editorial departments of Spenta Multimedia and Condé Nast India. I’m now a freelance writer and copyeditor since 2017, with bylines in Condé Nast Traveller India, Architectural Digest India, Film Companion and JetWings, among others. ‘PiKu & ViRu’ is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book is titled ‘PiKu & ViRu’, and it’s inspired by a period in my life. I was going through a dark phase in the beginning of 2017 when some of my friends pushed me to write my story. I didn’t really want to, but when another friend–a romance hater–unwittingly suggested a similar idea for a web series I was conceptualizing, I knew I had to do it. Soon, I got down to penning the synopsis. It received a standing ovation at an open-mike contest, and the judge encouraged me to realize it as a full-length novel. And then there was no looking back.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, though I’m still trying to figure this out

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.K. Rowling will always be my inspiration because of her vivid imagination. I also love the spiritual elements in Paulo Coelho’s works, such as ‘The Alchemist’, and I’ve tried to incorporate that in P&V by throwing in a guardian angel.

What are you working on now?
Once I’m done promoting P&V, I need to cross off everything on my freelance writing and copyediting list. After that, I might either pen a sequel or dabble in non-fiction.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still figuring this out. Though, I think engagement is the most important in whichever medium you choose.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Grow a thick skin.
Understand digital marketing.
Write 500 words every day.
Go, live your life.
Silence your inner editor while writing your first draft.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Enjoy the process, and be consistent in your promotions.

What are you reading now?
The Karachi Deception by Shatrujeet Nath.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A few articles for Architectural Digest and pitching to more publications.

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) Seven Habits of Highly Effective People — Stephen Covey
2) The Power of Now — Eckhart Tolle
3) Between a Rock and a Hard Place — Aron Ralston
4) Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had — Brad Cohen and Lisa Wysocky

Author Websites and Profiles
Priyanka Agarwal Website
Priyanka Agarwal Amazon Profile
Priyanka Agarwal’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 former teacher turned software developer and I write books on the side. I’ve written two books: The first in a fantasy series called The Bahawre Legend and a self help book called Distraction-Free Writing. I’ve also published some short stories.

As of November 2018, I’m nearly finished with the second book in the fantasy series: The Bahawre Covenant.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Bahawre Covenant. It’s the second in my fantasy series.

My inspiration for the series was the idea of an island with unusual properties. Rather than use our world, I opted for an alternate universe or maybe a planet so far away we’ve yet to discover it.

One thing I hear people say about fantasy stories is how easy it is to get lost in the over-abundance of description. It’s easy to lose the plot.

So I went with the idea that most things in a fantasy world can be familiar to the reader. People, tables, horses, etc. All I need to do is twist them a little, which requires less description and gets the reader into the plot more easily.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
As a geek, I have what some may see as an unusual process. I start with plain text files formatted as Markdown. I keep them in a version control system (git) so I can track my changes. I don’t touch a word processor until I start the editing process, and only then because my editor doesn’t know Markdown. And I don’t own a copy of Word. LibreOffice does everything I need.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Robin Hobb, R.A. Salvatore, Roger Elwood, Frank Peretti, Robert Jordan, Patrick Rothfuss and Terry Pratchett. I think everything I read influences me in some way, but those authors stand out.

What are you working on now?
My fantasy series, Legends of Aeo. Book 2 will be out in December 2018. I plan to move right into the next book. Hopefully, books 3 and 4 will both be released in 2019.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve experimented with a number of things, none of which have worked particularly well for me. As of 2018, I’m a relatively unknown author. With every market so saturated, it’s difficult to grab anyone’s attention. I’ll just keep poking the bear with a stick until it growls.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write as often as you can, because practice makes perfect. Keep writing, keep improving and keep submitting your work. Whether you submit to agents, periodicals, magazines or self-publish, get it out there. The more people see it, the more likely someone will love it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Assume other people are at least as smart as you are.

What are you reading now?
The questions on this author interview form … okay, really, I’ve been re-reading the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m toying with the idea of some children’s books. My kids keep pushing me to write down the bedtime stories I used to tell them. We’ll see. I’m currently focused on my fantasy series.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible (so many stories and re-readable), The Name of the Wind (I could read this many times and not get bored), The Hobbit, Dwellers (These last two because it’s been a long time)

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an accountant by training and I run businesses . I spend a lot of time interacting with people. As such , i get to hear a lot of stories and this has helped me to compile them into books .

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
” She Fell In Love With A vicious Man “.
I have played an important advisory role to many people over the years . Many women , have come to me with their stories , asking for advice . I have manged to use some of the stories in my books but at the same time , i have managed to bring in a lot of my own imagination to make the stories interesting .

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes . I tend to describe the scenery from where my stories are taking place. This helps me to bring the reader close to the events .

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have read a lot of books that have paved my path . Sydney Sheldon and Chinua Achebe have been my greatest influence.

What are you working on now?
I am working on ” Death did not Spa” me it’s Wrath” .

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am selling the books on Amazon and promoting them through Face Book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I encourage them to not be afraid . They just should start writing their stories and before they know it , they will have finished writing a book .

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Papa used to tell me that I can do anything as long as I put my mind to it .

What are you reading now?
The go between by L. P Hartley . This is the th time . I love the novel .

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a list of titles that I have put down . After i finish , Death diod not spare me its wrath , I will choose a title to write another book . This I do while marketing my other books . I want to also see if i can get my books into movies .

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 Go between
2. Things fall apart
3. Nothing lasts forever

Author Websites and Profiles
Tafiska Nyasulu Ndovi Amazon Profile
Tafiska Nyasulu Ndovi’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Speak Up Stand Strong is my first official book! Here is my story…

I am a mission driven life, leadership & empowerment coach. That mission is to:
1. Help women speak up with more ease, power and resilience so they get more of what they need and want in life and so they have a bigger influence in shaping the future – for themselves, their communities, and the world.
2. Help women develop their own values-centered purpose and mission driven goals for a happy and fulfilling life.
3. Help women plan, focus and take courageous action so they move consistently forward in the direction of their goals and dreams.

I am from Sacramento, California, USA and was raised in a police family that spent weekends in the mountains of South Lake Tahoe. I have travelled extensively worldwide and have lived in Alaska, Texas, and China. I recently came back home to California with my husband and my two children (a tween and a teenager!).

I spent many years of my young adult life in California and Alaska where the mountains and rugged coastlines are gorgeous, wild and easy to get to. I love to ski, backpack, hike, camp, ice skate, run, bike, and climb mountains—nothing in the extreme, but I dabble in them all. I gain perspective, grounding and peace from being in the mountains.

I also love to learn. I love to read, study languages (I speak French and Mandarin) and study/practice drawing. I love to dance (I studied and performed seriously for years). I’ve taught myself to play guitar and I love to sing alone in my living room when no one is watching AND with friends whenever possible.  I love to share these passions with my children and I hope to infect them with a love of learning for themselves (So far, so good! Both my kids are avid musicians and skiers!).

I have been a professional coach and personal and professional development trainer since 2012. I have over 25 years of experience in training, effective communications, cross cultural communications, community and multiple stakeholder relations, program management, and public speaking.

I have a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, USA and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of California, Davis, USA. I am an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coach Federation, world traveler, outdoor adventure mom and a life-stuff-survivor like all of you. You can learn more about me at www.leannferry.com.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest (and first!) book is Speak Up Stand Strong. I was inspired to write it when I was exploring my own values and purpose within in my coaching business. When I first became a coach, I thought everyone could be my client, but this was wrong. As with everything it turns out, I needed to focus on what really mattered to me to be successful in my work. Through my own internal exploration of what drives me, where my personal genius zone lies and what mark I wanted to leave on the world, I realized I could help shape the future by focusing my coaching work on helping women increase their fitness for knowing themselves and what they truly want, speaking up and being courageous.

I believe that you don’t get much of what you truly want if you don’t speak up for it. It’s true for everything – life, work and relationships. The truth is, speaking up effectively and following through with that to get the outcome you really need (without folding) is truly hard for all people – not just women. And also, women face particular challenges when speaking up as a result of a negative bias many people have against women who speak up.

After having my own daughter and after surviving breast cancer (which changed my life and perspective on many things), all of these things came together for me and I understood for the first time what my purpose in life actually is.

I set out to write a 2 page lead magnet to describe my coaching program to help women and it “accidentally” became this 86 page book! It turns out I had a lot to say about women and how hard it is to speak up!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I call myself and accidental writer! I never meant to write a book. I tend to do things backwards of most people I know. I did not turn a lot of blog posts into this book. I set out to write a basic 2 page thing and once I got into it, I realized I had a lot more to say. It took a lot of coaxing from a couple of important people in my life to get me to actually write this book. They had more confidence in me and my writing than I had in myself! I think this is akin to what a lot of women go through in that we know a lot, we have experienced a lot, and we have a lot of important things to say – things that are valuable and need to be shared with the world. So often, we don’t realize it’s there and/or we don’t think it’s valuable. My own struggles are very related to what I help other women do and overcome in their own lives. I love my job!

Also, the fact that I wrote this book in my car, the coffee shop and many other places while toting around a heavy shoulder bag full of notes and a computer (all while fulfilling many other responsibilities) is something many busy women can probably relate to!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love reading nonfiction and fiction. The following nonfiction really stands out:
Brene Brown (all titles!), Eckhart Tolle (especially The Power of Now), Jack Canfield (The Success Principles), Clarissa Pinkola Estes (Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype – I’m currently re-reading after 20 years!), Thomas Gordon (Parent Effectiveness Training), Alfie Kohn (Punished by Rewards), William S. Pollack (Real Boys: Rescuing our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood), David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day), Katharine Graham Biography (Personal History).

Favorite fictions include:
John Irving (all titles especially The Cider House Rules!), Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins, Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund…

What are you working on now?
I am working on a self study program and small group coaching program based on this book Speak Up Stand Strong. It is my female focused signature coaching and training program to empower women to develop more courageous voices, get focused on the lives they deserve to have, speak up for themselves and to stand strong against the blatant and so often hidden oppressive forces they face everyday as women. In my program, women work on developing courage, healthy boundaries, personal power – and their voices – so they get more of what they want in their personal and professional lives.

I am also the founder and creator of The Courageous Mindset® – my coaching business and courage focused program for both male and female clients who are ready to bust through their comfort zones and into the lives they truly want to be living. So I am always working with clients through this courage focused program.

You can learn more about all this at www.leannferry.com

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since I am just starting out with my first book, I have done quite a bit of research. I have learned a lot from www.kindlepreneur.com. That guy is great. I plan to follow his advice.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Since I am a coach I have to say: get focused on what you really want, plan it, and take baby steps to make it all happen. After that, you’ve got to keep up your courage, stay organized and don’t back down if things go wrong (they will!). Have grit and believe in yourself and stay connected to your purpose! Surround yourself with people who support what you are doing and protect yourself from those who don’t!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do or do not. There is no try. – Yoda

What are you reading now?
Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. It changed my life in the early 90s. I’m currently re-reading after more than 26 years! It’s even better the second time around!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am definitely going to take a break from book writing and focus on the other components of my Speak Up Stand Strong program. But I can feel the pull of wanting to write another book or two! In the future I’d like to write books about everyday courage and personal verbal defense!

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?
Bossypants by Tina Fey (funny!), Our Dumb World by The Onion (funny!), Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund (beautiful writing!), The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle (deep!).

Author Websites and Profiles
Leann Ferry Website
Leann Ferry Amazon Profile
Leann Ferry’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my first book ever written and published. My Lifelong dream was to become an author in hopes of inspiring and helping others through my work and through whatever financial gains I will be lucky enough to receive. I am a born-again Christian, was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. I went to school in Southern California to study Theology and Communications. I came home one year ago after a severe heart issue and a severe battle with anxiety and depression, which I still battle and suffer with greatly today. I made weekly video’s on my Facebook page regarding my greatest battle with Depression in order to inspire some people. I’m hoping it did.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Story of 1000 Testimonies by Jason Ryan. My inspiration was the fact that I may die without a written legacy or without a lasting impression on this world. I want to write to inspire people, to teach people, to touch people’s hearts, and hopefully to change the world forever for the better. I can’t think of a better way for people to be inspired spiritually and emotionally than to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior the way so many people have and the way I once did during my freshman year out in California. Learning to Live life by loving in action is the greatest thing any of us can learn in our lifetime.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to try something new during each of my books. I never want to live inside the box. For this book, I combined poetry and music with storybook telling tales. I also combined fiction with nonfiction stories. I wanted to try some things that I haven’t seen tried before in writing. I’m not sure if it will work or connect with the audience, but I decided to give it a shot and leave it on paper. I also changed narrative voices in some of the stories to keep the readers on their toes, or to at least give the story a second read and have an even better experience.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the New Testament because its the most influential book in the history of the world. People go out of their way to live and die by the word of God. I also love the readings of Edgar Allen Poe because of how beautifully he tells a dark grimly tale through the most eloquent of rhyme-schemes. Okay, I think I got all my grade school vocabulary out of the way. But seriously, I want to touch my readers in an everlasting way. Emotionally and spiritually.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a book of proving God’s existence and on my autobiography of how I went from being born a Roman Catholic, my journey into and through Atheism, and how I transformed into a born again Christian again. Some revelations are soon to be made.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Its tough to say so far since this is my first book, but the website Kindlepreneur has been extremely helpful in helping me find sources. I have found this website along with affiliated websites through this link. I would also strongly suggest the cocktail method: keep meeting people, building connections, and getting people’s email whom who know and whom know and trust you. The best way to build your brand is through those who love you most.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Pour you heart and soul into your work. Another thing I would strongly suggest is living life out on the edge, meaning take a chance. If you’re unsure about trying something new for the first time, give it a first time try. At the very least, you’ll learn a lesson to teach others when they ask for your advice down the road. At the most, you’ll have done something new and innovative for the first time and be able to set the precedent for how marketing or writing is done down the road. Anything else between the two is a blessing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“what you can control in life you must control”. The more of our life we can control, the better a life we can choose for ourselves. For those things in life we can’t control, there’s little use getting upset about it anyways. And God is always a prayer away. Another piece of advice: Love is the greatest cure to all emotional and spiritual concerns. I made that one up, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense through my spiritual and emotional trials.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading as much theology as I possibly can because I’m working on finding the proof to God’s existence. As tough as the challenge will be, I have a lifetime in front of me so I’m ready and up for the challenge.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More inspirational books, some fictional stories, and a whole lot between the two. My next two stories are in the works, but I don’t want to give everything away. But I do want to let you know that I will not be boxed into one main genre or category in my life. I want all my ideas to pour out of my head and onto paper before I die.

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, Old Testament and the New Testament. That’s the cure to my emotional and Spiritual concerns right there; yes I pulled an Angela form the office answer, no I’m not ashamed of it. I would choose the book “The Yankees: Through the Centuries” So I can relive my glory days as a Yankee fan before I was melting alive. I would read a how to Manuel consisting of every way possible to survive in the wilderness for as long as humanly possible. And I would choose Story of 1000 Testimonies by Jason Ryan. I don’t know why, but I like the author for some reason. And I know he put his everything into his first disasterpiece. Or masaster. Can’t be anywhere between the two. Pick your word. Read it for yourself and let me know. I’m always a message away.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jason Ryan Author Profile on Smashwords

Jason Ryan’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account