Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up loving books and reading. I won awards for short stories I wrote in high school. My love for words led me to earn a degree in journalism. I worked as a reporter, editor, managing editor and in public relations before staying home with my children and freelance writing on the side while I wrote my first novel, Gems of Fire. It was inspired by the many books I loved as a kid, most notably C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, but also Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series.

I grew up loving all animals, but especially dogs and horses. I got my first pony at age seven and have experienced all the joys and sorrow of owning and showing many horses since. Now I’m in love with my golden retriever and will always have one.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Gems of Fire. My creative brain never stopped working when I took time off to stay home with my children, and it was my creation during the daily quiet of nap time as well as when I burned the midnight oil. It was a little bit inspired by the biblical story of Joseph whose jealous brothers sold him into slavery. My book began as a twist that the heroine’s older sister sold her into slavery out of jealousy, but the story morphed into what it is today and doesn’t resemble the original inspiration much. It delves into themes of overcoming fear, not fitting in and learning to appreciate your own gifts.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My only unusual writing habit is that I prefer the quietness of home versus a crowded, distracting coffee shop. My biggest distraction is my dog putting her nose in my lap when I’ve been writing too long.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read a lot of young adult fantasy with romantic elements. I don’t know if I never grew up, but I still love the genre I write. I’m a fan of Sarah J. Maas, especially the Throne of Glass series; The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima; Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles; The True Reign and Reign of Secrets series by Jennifer Anne Davis; and the Ruined series by Amy Tintera. I also love Harry Potter!

What are you working on now?
I am working on the second in the Gems of Fire series, called Valley of Bones.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My first book debuted in November, 2018, so I’m still learning the ropes of promotion. I’m learning as I go, but there is a lot to do in terms as an author besides write if you want your book to land in the hands of readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
First I would say to a new author not to give up. Second I would recommend investing in professional, personal editing right away, even if it seems out of the budget.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice is to treat others with kindness and give them the benefit of the doubt because you have no idea what they might be going through. The best advice for me, personally, has always come from the Bible. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

What are you reading now?
I am re-reading Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series in preparation to read the final one, Kingdom of Ash, which came out in November when I was working feverishly on my next book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once Valley of Bones is off to the editor, I’ll begin work on the third in the Gems of Fire 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, Pride and Prejudice, The Lord of the Rings and Les Miserables.

Author Websites and Profiles
Diane E. Samson Website
Diane E. Samson Amazon Profile

Diane E. Samson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a reluctant author of 6 books (mostly novellas). Growing up I never aspired to be an author, I never even kept a diary or journal. That all changed about five years ago when I realized I was in love with a time, place, and people that I felt needed to highlighted and their stories preserved. I started writing just for my family but it grew into a larger audience, and I couldn’t be happier.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“For Their Convenience … ten days out of a lifetime” Book 1 Bridge to Freedom, is about a domestic day worker and her husband a Pullman porter. Both jobs, in the Black community, were legacy jobs, a bridge from slavery to freedom and were passed down from one generation to the next. It’s an opportunity to look into, for ten days, the lives of this couple, their extended families, and their community, reaffirming that imagination is no match for reality.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I jot down notes, all over the house at all hours, as they come to me and then before I go to bed I gather them and place them in a basket. In the morning I review what I’ve jotted down and determine if it fits for my current project or if it stays in the basket until it fits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Elizabeth George, Maeve Binchey, Rosamunde Pilcher, Toni Morrison

What are you working on now?
“On Closer Inspection … ten days out of a lifetime” Book 2 Bridge to Freedom takes a look at another ten day period in the lives of the same couple. Book 1 was from Violet’s perspective, this one will focus on her husband, Everett.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still figuring that out – Awesome Gang?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t underestimate the need for understanding your audience and a good marketing plan. It is not enough to just write a book, publish it and wait for the magic to happen. You have to create your own magic.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Nobody is as interested in the success of your books as you are.

What are you reading now?
Becoming, Michelle Obama
Sign My Name to Freedom Betty Reid Soskin
Fresh Water Road Denise Nicholas
Preparing for a Black History Program I am creating.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing whatever catches my fancy and making sure that everybody who might be interested has a chance to decide whether or not they want to read what I have written.

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?
Shell Seekers
Anything by Elizabeth George prior to 2009
Where the Wild Things Are
Daughters of the Dust

Author Websites and Profiles
Tina Jones Williams Amazon Profile

Tina Jones Williams’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an artist and writer, having spent most of the last ten years creating live performance works. I have just self published my first book ‘The Curse of Her’ as well as this I also have ‘Becoming Horse Woman’ available on Amazon which documents my journey following the bridleways of Britain, just over 2000 miles.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘The Curse of Her’ is a series of poems I wrote following a trauma when I was seventeen. It depicts how young women treat sex and relationships particular if their first experiences are difficult. It is also a reflection on men and how some may take advantage of a vulnerable woman. Despite this the work is also fun and holds a strong rhythm, I find that a lot of people laugh out loud at certain parts.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Once I find something I want to write about I become a hermit and hate to be interrupted. I also drink an excessive amount of tea when I write!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many! I love reading and will read anything. At the moment I’m reading ‘The Jane Austen Book Club’ by Karen Joy Fowler and before that I read ‘Behind Her Eyes’ by Sarah Pinborough. My favourite writer of all time is Sylvia Plath, I’m obsessed with ‘The Bell Jar’ and I also love reading Dickens. I think it’s really important to read lots of different genres as a writer and I find influence in all of them. The reason I love ‘The Bell Jar’ is because it reads so easily due to its rhythm but the words and context are truly profound.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on my first novel, I keep changing the title so can’t give you one at the moment. It’s about mental health and the vulnerability of a woman living on her own trying to start her life again.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use blogs such as WordPress and Twitter to notify people that my work is available or that there is a special promotion and I find that this works well. Sometimes text alone can be lost amongst a thousand tweets so I like to add an image where I can.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it, I was worried about self publishing and promoting my own work in case it failed but its actually really exhilarating to be able to share your work with the world. Read everything and write like you have to.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
‘What’s the worst that could happen?’

What are you reading now?
The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To finish and publish my book, to just get my work out there, in magazines, newspapers, blogs and of course Amazon.

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 Bell Jar, Wuthering Heights, To Kill a Mocking Bird and Ariel.

Author Websites and Profiles
Martina Vermorel Website
Martina Vermorel Amazon Profile

Martina Vermorel’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in North Central Iowa, almost at the Minnesota border, in a small, rural faming community. For the past five years I have worked for my town’s weekly newspaper. In my spare time, I love to travel and go hiking, swimming, fishing, or wandering in the woods. Being close to nature is important to me. I’ve written twelve books, nine of which are published, the remaining books are set to be released this year. The published novels are: Burning Luck, Guitars and Cages, Guitars and Choices, Desolation Angel, …And All Shall Fade to Black, Broken Prince Mismatched Eyes, Midnight Musicals and Coffee Ice Cream, Racing the Sky and Serpent’s Kiss.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Serpent’s Kiss, the first of my shapeshifter novels, was inspired during an author takeover, when I started asking readers if there were any unusual animals they would like to see used in shifter books. Coupled with a writing prompt that read ‘Your character comes home and someone or something unusual is sitting on the couch’ Serpent’s Kiss was born. An MM Paranormal Romance with tons of political intrigue, my focus was on creating their own society, rather than having them try and blend in with humans.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When the weather is nice, I love to lay in the bed of my pickup truck, stare up at the sky, and watch the clouds roll by, drawing inspiration from them and other things I encounter out in the woods. I tend to take my notebooks and sit on a moss covered log overlooking a creek and just write until it’s time to go home again. I almost always hand write my first drafts before they end up on a computer, and on rainy days, a dusty old book store or library is my favorite place to read or write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders was the first big influence in my life. Through her characters, she portrayed a world I knew nothing about, during a time when I hadn’t even been born yet. I could feel their pain, their anxiety, their love for one another, and their struggles as I read the book, and when I learned how young she was when she first published it, just fifteen, I got the idea to write my first novel. While I didn’t quite complete it, the desire never went away, and now, I am focused on making a career of it.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am expanding what was initially intended to be a very short story. Slowly, it is being shaped into an MM Rock Star romance where the rocker and his soon to be bodyguard fall for one another while also helping each other move past some of the trials and traumas they’ve experienced in the past. I’m also working on the third book of a five book series, Guitars and Canvasses, which I expect to release in time for Christmas 2019.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now, it’s facebook, but I am slowly learning about different websites that authors can promote on and have begun to branch out.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it, don’t ever let anyone take your dream away. Tell the story YOU want to tell not the story others try and tell you that you should be telling, and when it gets hard, remember that nothing worth doing ever came easy.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never settle for being normal, celebrate being you.

What are you reading now?
Social Sinners Book #1 By TL Travis. It is an MM rocker romance and WOW, has it been absolutely stunning.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have five storyboards on the walls of my office, so once the third Guitars book is done, I will be switching gears and returning to the world of my motorcycle club to write the second book there. The first book, Burning Luck, featured Lucky, Thorn and Cain as they came together despite a rather rocky start. The runner up in the LGBTQ category of the 2018 Golden Flogger awards, Burning Luck blends bikers and BDSM with a healthy dose of romance and a dash of smuggling. In the new book, two very headstrong characters will be butting heads and I expect the sparks to fly and the sparkplugs to be firing on overdrive.

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 Lords and The New Creatures, Wilderness, and An American Night, all three by Jim Morrison, of the Doors, they contain the poetry he wrote during his lifetime. Of course the final book I would take would be The Outsiders. I have worn out two copies of it and am currently close to having to replace the third.

Author Websites and Profiles
layla dorine Website
layla dorine Amazon Profile

layla dorine’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 75 years old, British, married with three children.

I studied at the University of London (Queen Mary College) and was awarded a First Class Honours degree in Physics in 1965, and a PhD in solid state physics in 1969.

I was a Senior Lecturer in the Physics Department at the University of Salford from 1970 to 2002, and continued to work part time at Salford University until final retirement in 2012.

I play badminton and tennis on a regular basis, representing local clubs in league matches. I have a private pilot’s licence and enjoy flying, including touring in this country and abroad.

I have just written my first novel. Previously I have written, co-authored and edited seven non-fiction books on various aspects of microcomputers and development of physics software simulations.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is my first novel, a science fiction story ‘Stowaway to the Stars’. It is a story that I have had in mind for a long time. I had the idea I wanted to explore of what would happen if a woman from Earth accidentally encountered a human from another star system. I had certain elements that I wanted to include, but it took a long while, thinking about it in spare moments, to develop a full plot.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I suppose what was slightly unusual was that I developed the plot entirely in my mind, slowly over a long period, so that when I had the idea fully fleshed out, and semi-retirement gave me the time to start writing it down, the first stage of writing was relatively quick. But the writing needed a great deal of polishing before it was suitable for publication, and I joined a critiquing group, critiquecircle.com, which was very time-consuming but which improved my writing style enormously.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always been an avid reader of science fiction, particularly hard science fiction and space opera. I started on my favourite classic authors, such as Robert Heinlein (possibly my long-term favourite author), Arthur C Clarke and Isaac Asimov. I have been less keen on the modern tend to hugely elaborate plots with many simultaneous strands, and the tendency to long series of books, and worst of all, series where individual books have no proper ending. My favourites among recent authors are Charles Stross, Julian May, Timothy Zahn and Lois McMaster Bujold.

What are you working on now?
I have another idea based on the milieu I developed in Stowaway to the Stars, where Earth discovers the existence of the Galactic Union, and the subsequent events as the protagonists of Stowaway help to smooth the process of Earth’s efforts to join the Union.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is what I am still struggling to find out. The site that has had most influence on me has been eBookBetty.com, but it remains to be seen how well that works out for me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
All the articles I read stressed the importance of getting an agent for my book, and it was only after I finally managed to succeed in that that I realized it was only the first step. Agents are not necessarily able to place your book with a publisher. In the end I found a publisher independently. Then I discovered that a publisher does not necessarily mean success for your book, most of the promotion is still down to the author. I have now reverted to self-publishing to give me more flexibility in pricing and promotion.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I was ever given was nothing to do with writing or publishing, and was many years ago (and wouldn’t be so relevant today). The University I very much wanted to go to turned me down (possibly because I was not then attending a very prestigious school). I was resigned to settling for a more minor college, but one of the masters told me to ignore my rejection, and if I got good A level results (the British qualification for entry to University) to simply approach my chosen University again and tell them the results I had achieved. It worked like a dream and I got the place I wanted.

What are you reading now?
I have a large collection of books in my to read pile, by the authors I mentioned above and mnany others. I am also collecting books from writers I have not previously encountered to try and find new favourites.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To try and complete the development of the plot for my next book. Then I will reactivate my critiquecircle.com association to polish the text, and then self publish again.

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 suppose I would take my own book because it is a story that I like enough to re-read often. Realistically the other books would not be fiction (or that classic, the bible), but self-help and survival books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Graham Keeler Website
Graham Keeler Amazon Profile
Graham Keeler Author Profile on Smashwords

Graham Keeler’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am 28 years old, I have a beautiful 18 month old daughter, and I’m engaged. I have written two and a half books so far, but have only published two. I also play the flute, crochet, and was a recruit on season 15 of Food Network’s “Worst Cooks in America”.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Think of Me”. It was inspired by a writing prompt in Stephen King’s “On Writing”. It originally started as a short story, and I decided it needed to be made into a full novel if I was going to give it justice.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am definitely a pantser — I don’t plan anything about my books before I write them except for character profile sheets. I also keep an updated timeline as I write the book to make sure I don’t lose track of time.

I would say the weirdest thing about how I write is how I deal with writer’s block. I watch the TV movie “Bag of Bones,” based on the book of the same title by Stephen King. The main character experiences writer’s block and when he overcomes it, he is so relieved and it makes me want to write more than anything.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Clearly, Stephen King is one of them. I love his character development and his twist endings. I also love Kresley Cole, a paranormal romance author. Her “Immortals After Dark” series is the reason I started writing romance.

Of course, my list of influences would be incomplete without the author of the first chapter book I’ve ever read – J.K Rowling, author of the “Harry Potter” series. It was after reading “Harry Potter” that I decided I wanted to be an author.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the third book in my “Point of No Return” series. It doesn’t have a name yet, but I know it will be about a police officer who serves as a bodyguard for a former porn star to protect her from a stalker.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am truly terrible at promotion, which is probably why my first book didn’t get too many sales. For my second book, asked a fellow author for help and she sent me two pages of links for interviews and blogs. It’s saved my life and hopefully it will mean more sales.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be stubborn about editing. Finish the first draft without doing too much editing, then edit the hell out of it. I’m talking, four rounds of edits, then put the book aside for a couple of months, come back to it, and edit it two more times. You will be shocked how many typos you will miss. If you can afford a professional editor, I highly recommend it.

Another bit of advice I learned from (the hard way) is to search for the book title you want on Amazon and Google. You don’t want to be the hundredth “Think of Me” on the list, I promise. Do your research before you make anything official.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard was really basic; read your genre. A lot. Not only will it give you an idea of what people expect, it will also show you what NOT to do if you don’t like the way an author approached something, and it will show you what has already been done.

What are you reading now?
I am reading “Needful Things,” by Stephen King. As you can see, I have a mild obsession with SK.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I honestly don’t know. I’m bad at planning, both in writing and in life. Right now my plan is to work, take care of my little girl, and write when I have the chance. Maybe I’ll participate in NaNoWriMo in November, but that really depends on what’s happening at the time.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“Anne of Green Gables” by L. M. Montgomery, “It” by Stephen King, “Gone With the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell, and a survival guide.

Kat Schuessler’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been in education for forty-two years and counting as a teacher, coach, counselor and now as an administrator. I use my psychology and counseling background and my knowledge and fondness for kids in crafting my characters and dialogue. I have taken creative writing and screen writing courses at UCLA and USC. I have published four books, all available on Amazon and each to excellent reviews through True Visions Publications: Taking Lives (August 2014) the prequel to the Lives Trilogy; Stolen Lives (November 2014) Book One of the Lives Trilogy; Shattered Lives (March 2015) Book Two of the Trilogy; and Splintered Lives (November 2015) Book Three of the Trilogy. My fifth novel, Caught in a Web debuted April 2018 from Black Rose Writing and was named a PenCraft Literary Award Winner. Spiral Into Darkness launched January 2019. Born and raised in Wisconsin, I am happily married for twenty-six years and counting to my wife, Kim. Together we have three wonderful children: Wil (deceased July 2014), Hannah, and Emily, and they now reside in Virginia.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Spiral Into Darkness is my latest book. I wanted to play with the question, Is a serial killer born or made? and with that, two other themes emerged in the book: Is a family born or made? and is sexuality born or made? These three themes blend into the the totality of the book on a collision course to the ending.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I carve out one to two hours each night to write. Unlike many writers who isolate themselves in a room by themselves, I write in my family room with my family present, the TV on and the dog bothering me. I am able to concentrate better and can focus enough to tune out what needs to be tuned out. There are times, however, when I do go to a different room when I need to concentrate on getting a scene just right.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
One review compared me to James Patterson. She said, “If you love James Patterson, you’ll love Joseph Lewis.” I am proud of that one, but it also humbles me because I am influenced by him and I believe you can see it in my writing. Two other authors, John Sanford and David Baldacci I admire and have great respect for.

What are you working on now?
A follow-up to Spiral Into Darkness, tentatively titled Betrayed. Like my other books (and similar to what Patterson, Sanford and Baldacci do) I take characters from my previous books and move them forward into another adventure.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Twitter and Facebook a lot. I also use Indie Authors and other means. I took part in a blog blitz that helped get the word out. I also do a number of book signings in my area.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stick with it and develop a thick skin. JK Rowling received 1500+ one star reviews for Harry Potter. Thankfully, she kept writing and look where she is, and her series is today! Stephen King first used a nail to stick his rejection slips to. They became too heavy and he had to use a spike. Follow your heart and you’ll do fine. We’re not in it for the money- though that would be nice- but for the love of writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read! Stephen Kings says that if you don’t read, you won’t have the tools to write. My own thought is that reading is to writing as weightlifting is to athletics.

What are you reading now?
Patterson’s “Target Alex Cross”. Love it!

What’s next for you as a writer?
After my WIP (work in progress), I’m shifting gears and going into the Young Adult genre to work on a story that has been playing out in the back of my mind. New characters, way different story line.

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?
Stephen King’s “Different Seasons” (four novellas)
Peter Straub’s “Ghost Story”
Lord of the Flies
John Sanford’s “Eyes of Prey”

Author Websites and Profiles
Joseph Lewis Website
Joseph Lewis Amazon Profile

Joseph Lewis’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been a communicator since I was a kid. I love writing and speaking! Even though I have undertaken a Master’s degree in a STEM field, I have always known I would become a writer at one point in my life. So far I have written two books and I am working on a third one.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Mind Your Own Business” and is about finding your own voice and brand in business. It shares different tools that everybody can use to better share about their message, services and products with the world. It is about creating your own brand in authenticity and with a genuine feeling.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Haha, many! I wake up at 3 am and write 50 pages and some days I spend two hours looking out of the window thinking without writing a single one… They say writers are working while looking though the window and I guess they are right! I drink a lot of coffee, not too strong though… and mmm when I write I block off the world, lock myself in a tiny room at my house and just write without any exterior interference. I usually get in the flow of writing and write a whole book in three days and then spend a month not writing a single line :p

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Harry Potter! Also the alchemist, a ton of philosophy and astronomy books and I also love politics!

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a book about Emotional Intelligence, that is a concept I adore and can’t wait to share it with the whole world!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I pomote my books on instagram and twitter and am looking for new ways..

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“If you truly loved yourself you could never hurt another” Buddha

What are you reading now?
A man of peace in a world of war – about Kofi Annan

What’s next for you as a writer?
mmm can’t tell eh eh

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, I love my own advice eh eh

Author Websites and Profiles
Vanessa Ace Website

Vanessa Ace’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am Saifan Shaikh. My origins can be traced back to the wonderful state of Goa and I wrote my first book which released this year.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My Book is aptly titled “Pursuits of A Nihilist”. As to what inspired me to write this book was the seemingly endless rut I had found myself in, in 2018. I practically had a lot of free time to revel in my frustration and reflect upon my struggles in this world, which I would conclude to be meaningless, ultimately it all culminated into the Book which is out now for everyone to read.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
None worth mentioning, as much as I would like to categorize myself as unusually unique.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have to mention Yuval Noah Harari and his book Sapiens as the triggering factors that finally pushed me to write. J.K Rowling and Clive Barker are other authors I really appreciate.

What are you working on now?
With my first book published, I finally feel comfortable in putting pen to paper with a collection of short stories in the genre of Horror, some of which I had conjured years ago. I am really excited to bring those stories to my audience.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am fairly new to this, although the modern age has made publishing easier, making your book stand out in a swarm full of thirsty authors seeking attention on social media is really challenging. You can just hope the social media platforms do the job.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you have a story to tell, then stop procrastinating, sit down and write. Don’t worry about the reception. You only have a right over your labor and not the fruit of your labor.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think “live everyday like it’s your last” is probably the best advice i’ve ever heard, although I find it really difficult to abide by those words.

What are you reading now?
Clive Barker’s Weaveworld. Love it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be working on a collection of short stories in horror/mystery genre.

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 First and the most important would be a guide on how to survive on a deserted island, the other three could be fat collections of classic novels, probably from Dickens, and Leo Tolstoy.

Author Websites and Profiles
Saifan Shaikh Website
Saifan Shaikh Amazon Profile

Saifan Shaikh’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am 49 years old and have been married 26 years. I have no kids but 5 cats. I was diagnosed Bipolar 1 not that long ago. I have written 1 book and am working on the second in the series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is The Crucifix Dagger. It was inspired by the song, I Would do anything for love, by the artist Meatloaf.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I try to write as often as I can. If I am not actually writing, then I am working on ideas. Sometimes I have too many ideas, and have to force myself to only work on one book at a time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced by George r r martin, Mark Lawrence, the Age of Sigmar series.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the second book in my series called The Mirror of Bone and Blood.

What are you reading now?
Rise of the Ynnari: Wild Rider

Joel Harris’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I just finished my 28th book! They are all contemporary rom-coms. Lots of bromance and banter, flirting and friendship and sexy times.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Other Side of Wrong is book 3 in my rock star series Bad Decisions. And it is different from the other two in that it has a rock star heroine. I felt like I mostly saw male rock stars in the genre, and watched to show the other side.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t wear bracelets when I’m in a writing session. But other than that, it is a normal job, so no quirks!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
How many times can I say Nora Roberts? Not only do I love her books, but they’ve taught me so much. Stephen King’s On Writing was also a revelation. Ooh, and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic!

What are you working on now?
I am starting Book 2 of my Unexpectedly Royal series. Princess-y goodness!

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write as though you already have a contract. For it to become your job, you must treat it that way from the start. Set deadlines. Don’t make excuses. Read LOTS.

What are you reading now?
I’m in 2 book clubs, so I’m always trying to keep up with those! The Greatest Love Story Every Told – a memoir by Megan Mullalley & Nick Offerman, and The Woman in the Window, by AJ Pine.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Book 3 in my Bad Decisions rock star series, THE OTHER SIDE OF WRONG, comes out on March 5. It is funny and hot and I had so much fun writing this novella!

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

Author Websites and Profiles
Christi Barth Website
Christi Barth Amazon Profile

Christi Barth’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
A graduate student, pretending to have a social life with my thick munchkin cat. We have so much in common: eat, sleep, and no touching. Never underestimate the power of procrastination, but then I remember I paid thousands of dollars for one semester of classes.

I have written 3 books. All erotic romances that are insta-love, NO cheating, and HEA.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book I wrote was Vlad (Noir MC – book 2). My germophobic airport trip inspired it, the experience was horrible.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Talk to myself in the shower (perks of living alone).
Have a middle break of slurping instant noodles.
Pretend to write, but just stare at the screen with the word ‘The’ for 5 mins.
Coffee + Black Tea = multitasking of music, browsing makeup dupes to sea urchins, and tears of frustration.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
If you count Anthropology lecture book of human evolution and some long Economic textbook name as influencers.

What are you working on now?
Currently working on DEAN (Noir MC – Book 3)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Keep it simple with Kindle Countdowns and Free Promotions.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Speaking from personal experience, I plan my books down to the minor details. I start writing, and it derails every time. You can try my method of free mind creativity with a baseline (your book outline) to grab ideas from.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A friend told me, “Write that book like it’s a 20% essay paper due midnight.”

Fear is a great motivator.

What are you reading now?
Nothing really, just catching up on notes that have been sitting on my computer for weeks.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The only thing I want as a writer is to give my readers a cup of holy water to cleanse the sin they get from my books.

Also, money to pay rent.

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 dictionary, Yellow Phonebook, The Lord of the Rings. If I’m hungry, I have lots of pages to eat. Knowledge and nutrition, best of both worlds.

Please note the sarcasm.

Author Websites and Profiles
Celia Crown Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
A graduate student, pretending to have a social life with my thick munchkin cat. We have so much in common: eat, sleep, and no touching. Never underestimate the power of procrastination, but then I remember I paid thousands of dollars for one semester of classes.

I have written 3 books. All erotic romances that are insta-love, NO cheating, and HEA.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book I wrote was Vlad (Noir MC – book 2). My germophobic airport trip inspired it, the experience was horrible.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Talk to myself in the shower (perks of living alone).
Have a middle break of slurping instant noodles.
Pretend to write, but just stare at the screen with the word ‘The’ for 5 mins.
Coffee + Black Tea = multitasking of music, browsing makeup dupes to sea urchins, and tears of frustration.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
If you count Anthropology lecture book of human evolution and some long Economic textbook name as influencers.

What are you working on now?
Currently working on DEAN (Noir MC – Book 3)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Keep it simple with Kindle Countdowns and Free Promotions.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Speaking from personal experience, I plan my books down to the minor details. I start writing, and it derails every time. You can try my method of free mind creativity with a baseline (your book outline) to grab ideas from.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A friend told me, “Write that book like it’s a 20% essay paper due midnight.”

Fear is a great motivator.

What are you reading now?
Nothing really, just catching up on notes that have been sitting on my computer for weeks.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The only thing I want as a writer is to give my readers a cup of holy water to cleanse the sin they get from my books.

Also, money to pay rent.

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 dictionary, Yellow Phonebook, The Lord of the Rings. If I’m hungry, I have lots of pages to eat. Knowledge and nutrition, best of both worlds.

Please note the sarcasm.

Author Websites and Profiles
Celia Crown Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a new children’s book author that’s really excited to get more into the space in the next year. My first children’s book, called Fitness is Fun, was published in late 2018 and is the first of a series about all of the fun ways kid can exercise – biking, running, dance, soccer, yoga…you name it!

Even though I’m a new children’s author, I have been a writer for the better part of a decade, working on everything from investigative journalism assignments, to my own travel blog when I left the states to travel the world. My website and writing portfolio outline all of the writing I have done to date.

www.kaylamferguson.com
https://writers.work/kaylaferg

In addition to this children’s book series, I have a number of other literary projects in the works.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am a lifelong athlete and current 100mi endurance runner. I have discovered during my adult life the profound impact growing up with fitness, sports, exercise, teammates, etc. has had on me well beyond my competitive athletic years. I want to inspire that – healthy living, teamwork, enthusiasm to accomplish something challenging, and all of the other benefits of childhood activity – in our younger generation.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think if most people saw where and how I write they would wonder how I ever write anything at all, or keep track of it. Sometimes inspiration strikes at the most unexpected times, so I have collections of writing on my computer, on Google drive, in notebooks in drawers, on sticky notes inside books, on the note app on my iPhone and other places that I found to be convenient at the time of inspiration. It seems incredibly disorganized, but I know exactly what I have written where and have no difficult finding what I need when I need it. I’ve tried to make a more organized collection of things I’m working on writing but that just doesn’t seem to work for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Elizabeth Gilbert. Her ideas and they way she articulates them are so impactful; I would say she’s the author I’ve read the most in the past couple of years. I’m also a huge fan of Haruki Murakami, a Japanese author that I discovered while traveling and have come to follow very closely. His prose is different than many American authors, but I think it offers a fresh style for me to call upon when doing my own writing.

And, the first book I remember really loving in every possible way was To Kill a Mockingbird, so I have to put Lee Harper on the list as well.

Reading is one of my favorite past times and I’ve read so many books over the years it’s hard for me to name all of the authors I’ve resonated with and drawn inspiration from, but these three are staples that always stand out to me.

What are you working on now?
Throughout the next year I am working on my Fitness is Fun children’s series, an expansion of the first book I published at the end of 2018.

I also have a novel I’ve been working on that was inspired by my around-the-world trip in 2015-2016 that I’m hoping to have a rough draft of by the end of this year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am very new to the space and still figuring out what works best. I would say to date I’ve had the most success with my inner circle; friends and family supporting my endeavor, telling others about it and giving me ideas for ways to market it. As they say, word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author, and have gladly been accepting advice! But what I have learned so far is the most valuable thing to do is to just go for it…to stop worrying about perfection and reception and just do the thing (publish the book) you’ve been wanting to publish. The support I’ve received from just putting myself out there has been incredible!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It comes in the form of a quote: “remember who you were before the world told you who you were supposed to be.” Authenticity is everything.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a couple of books right now (I have a weakness for book clubs and join way to many of them):

-Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward
-Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami
-How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie and Associates

What’s next for you as a writer?
This year I intend to work on building my personal brand; I’ve done a lot of freelance writing over the last decade, but haven’t done a ton of work to associate it with a branded foundation of who I am personally and professionally.

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?
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
IQ84 by Haruki Murakami
The Harry Potter series (if that can count as one book!)

Author Websites and Profiles
Kayla Ferguson Website
Kayla Ferguson Amazon Profile

Kayla Ferguson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired property manager and have written two historical novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Divided Heritage. Inspired by my first novel, Voyage to Venning Road, as it is in a sense a sequel, taking some of the fictional characters from that first novel, which was based on a true story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Bronte sisters, Dinah Jeffries, Noel Barber.

What are you working on now?
Busy promoting my latest novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Local media and word of mouth.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Follow you dream and write books which you can pour your heart and soul into, books you really want to write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Edit and proof read – over and over again!

What are you reading now?
Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys

What’s next for you as a writer?
Compiling my short stories into a book.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, The Tea Planter’s wife by Dinah Jeffries, Tanamera by Noel Barber, Before I go to Sleep by SJ Watson.

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a new Indie author from the Pacific Northwest. Jake’s Redemption is my first published book. It is a cross-genre, full-length prequel that introduces a dystopian society and the first characters of this long, romantic story.
I love cowboys, ice cream, and reading almost any kind of romance and feel that every one of my stories, no matter how dark, must have a happy ending. I also strive to make them impossible to put down until the very end.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Jake’s Redemption: The Angel Eyes Series Prequel
History is where I get a lot of ideas in general. The very first idea for this series came to me in high school history class. We were studying the American Civil War. I remember thinking, “What could be worse than living as a slave?” The idea grew and morphed as my friends and I discussed the topic. Especially after I brought up two questions:
1. “What if slavery wasn’t about race, but instead about gender?”
2. “What if women were the ones in control and they weren’t all that nice.”
Those ideas sparked a long, interesting conversation, which encouraged me to put pen to paper.
History is where a lot of the societal base and the inequality in the story comes from, both older and more contemporary. Jake’s story came to light about two years ago, when I felt, that because he plays such an important part in the lives of the main characters in the series, that he needed his own story told first.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure about unusual, but I can write almost anywhere, as long as I have earbuds (to block out any background noise if needed) and somewhere to sit. I do enjoy working outside when it’s nice out.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My first favorite author was Tolkien. I loved the scope of his writing, the worlds and cultures he created enthralled me. I wanted to do the same. Kathleen Woodiwiss and Karen Robards are long-time favorites of mine. Both of these writers grab you and drag you into a story. Kathleen’s epic tales are a little old fashioned, but the stories are still beautiful. Karen weaves humor into her books which I love about her. The first erotica book I ever read was The Lover by Rodin Schone and it was a good one. There was a lot about hot sex, but there was definitely a growing connection between the main characters and wonderful/intriguing supporting characters. The first dark romance was Deliver by Pam Godwin. Another great story by a talented author. She takes terrible situations and spins them into something good. Two of my favorite cowboy authors are Maisey Yates (Broke Down Cowboy) and Peggy L. Henderson (Diamond in the Dust). They both inspire me every time I read them. There are more in the sci-fi, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic genres that I also enjoy, but I’ll stop here.

What are you working on now?
Editing Masters’ Mistress, Book 1 of the Angel Eyes Series and trying to finish Book 5 of the same series, Masters’ Betrayal

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Just started, so not sure.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it. Writing is a gift, if you have it inside you, let it out. You could be the next Nora Roberts or even the next Stephen King! You’ll never know unless you try.
But I’d also say that writing is not easy. It’s also not high paying until you are as lucky and talented as those two authors I just mentioned. It’s hard work to get to that level and then more work to stay there. But even if you don’t reach those lofty heights, the act of writing and then sharing your story with others who appreciate it, maybe even love it, will be extremely fulfilling. It’s a challenge, but well worth it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you have a story to tell, tell it, and don’t worry about what others may think or say.

What are you reading now?
Just finished “Not Quite Broken” by Abbie Zanders
Am now reading “Saving Maverick” by Debra Elise

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish the Angel Eyes Series and start on the next book or books as I go.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Lord of the Rings (they do have it all in one book and I’d definitely take that)
Dark Torment by Karen Robards
Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss

Author Websites and Profiles
Jamie Schulz Website
Jamie Schulz Amazon Profile

Jamie Schulz’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Let’s see, I am currently living out my happily ever after in Wisconsin with my high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband and our four children, two cats, and one dog. (Yes, our house could technically be classified a zoo.) I write emotional books about real Christians dealing with real problems of life, love, and faith. I recently released the first full-length novel in the Hope Springs series, which will very soon be followed by a Valentine’s Day novella. I also have a Christmas short story I offer free through my website. Before embarking on this Christian fiction journey, I wrote children’s nonfiction–more than 300 books about everything from animals to people to writing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Not Until Forever is my latest book (and the first in the Hope Springs series). Odd as it sounds, it was actually inspired by book two in the series, which I wrote first. There were two secondary characters in that books whose backstory I just had to explore. So I did–and their story became book one! And now that I know them better, book two is even stronger.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not unless you count talking to myself while I take walks. My morning walk with my dog is my best brainstorming time. When I get an idea, I pull out my phone and record it with my voice recorder. I suppose anyone watching me would think I’m simply on the phone–until they noticed that I never stopped to listen to the other side of the conversation.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So, so many. Jane Austen is my first and forever favorite author. I love how she brings her characters to life–flaws and all. Christian fiction-wise, I am a huge fan of Karen Kingsbury and Denise Hunter. But I think I’ve learned something from every book I’ve read throughout my life. What better (or more fun!) way is there to learn than from reading your favorite books!

What are you working on now?
I’m finishing up final edits on Not Until Valentine’s, a novella in the Hope Springs series that will release very soon! Then on to edits of Not Until You, book two in the Hope Springs series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have an email list I communicate with weekly–and I’ve met lots of great readers through that. So far, Facebook has also been a great source for promotion–both organic and paid. I’m also enjoying connecting with readers through promotional sites (like this one!) and will soon be running some AMS ads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
When it’s hard and the story doesn’t seem to flow and you want to pull your hair out, don’t stop. Keep writing, even if it means slogging one word at a time. Sure, you might have to throw much of it away–but that’s better than having nothing to throw away. You have to just get that first draft out one way or another before you can shape it into something beautiful through revisions—that’s where the magic happens.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s from the Bible: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Finding Joy by Melanie D. Snitker as well as The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maas.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books in the Hope Springs series! So many ideas, so many story lines! I wish I could write them all at once–but that might be a bit of a mess. So one at a time it is.

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 Bible, Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen, Persuasion – Jane Austen, The Hiding Place – Corrie ten Boom

Author Websites and Profiles
Valerie M. Bodden Website
Valerie M. Bodden Amazon Profile

Valerie M. Bodden’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 80 years old and currently have 10 books on Amazon. The sixth book of my Robert H. and Tisza series is underway. I live in southern Alabama with my wife Grace. We have five children, sixteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. I am an avid reader and speaker. I have two masters degrees, one is in counseling and guidance and the other is a Masters of Theological Studies. I am a retired school teacher, coach, and Navy Chief.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Can’t-Lose Her. It is the fifth book of the Robert H. and Tisza series and is based rather loosely on a real event. I liked the story when I heard it and thought I good use it to good advantage with my two heroes. It has been greeted locally with raved reviews.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in spurts and usually have two or three manuscripts underway at one time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
James Street, Robert Ludlum, Stephen King, Stephen W. Meader

What are you working on now?
The sixth book of the series and two short love stories.

Selected verses from the Psalms.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Local book signings and Amazon

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

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing and tell a good story

What are you reading now?
An old Stephen W. Meader book entitled “Cedar’s Boy.”
Florida by Lauren Croff
Longleaf as far as the eye can see.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Comments on selected verses of the Psalms.

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?
Holy Bible (ESV)
The Bourne Identity
Goodbye My Lady
A Land Forgotten

Author Websites and Profiles
Philip Dampier Website

Philip Dampier’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So far I have written one book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The book is called “A Wise Sensei Once Said In A Dojo Not So Far Away”. It was inspired by a realisation that 2018 marked twenty one years of karate training for me. So I thought what better way to mark it than to publish some of the wise words that I have been fortunate enough to hear over the years.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t have any unusual habits, but my writing style is very much like a blog and I ensure it’s an easy read for all of my readers.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would have to say Iain Abernathy and Kris wilder. These two have inspired me in terms of achieving more in martial arts and also giving me the knowledge to do so.

What are you working on now?
The next book of quotes, this will contain more tales from beyond the mat.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have found Facebook advertising to be successful.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Quitters never win and winners never quit. Always keep going forwards, as if you stand still you run the risk of going backwards.

What are you reading now?
Dude the world is going to punch you in the face here is how to make it hurt less by Kris Wilder and Lawrence Kane.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Another book in the instalment.

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?
Watch my back by Geoff Thompson
Bubishi by Patrick McCarthy
Dude the world is going to punch you in the face and here is how to make it hurt less by Kris Wilder and Lawrence Kane
Four Shades Of Black by Gavin Mulholland

Author Websites and Profiles
A s Chodha Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Melissa-Sue John is a mom, wife, blogger, author, publisher, social psychologist, and psychology professor. She was educated at Harrison’s Prep School, Holy Childhood High School, Hunter College, and the University of Connecticut. She is passionate about teaching, scholarship, and mentorship. She has a number of scholarly publications and awards including a collaborative grant from the Institution of Educational Sciences entitled, “Seeds of STEM: The Development of an innovative early childhood stem curriculum,” which focuses on designing an engineering curriculum for PK classrooms. In addition to research, she finds fulfillment in writing books with her daughters, Alyssa Simone and Olivia Lauren, as they attempt to increase literacy and appreciation for STEAM, and encourage youth to illustrate their art in her books. Her books are a part of the Olivia Lauren Book Series and entitled: Olivia Connects, Occupations A to Z, Things We Wear, Guide to becoming an actor, and Olivia Travels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book is Things We Wear and was inspired by the diverse and integrated world we now live in. We interact with people of different cultures, religions, ethnicities, who have varying traditions and ways of lives which are often reflected in the clothing they wear. To live with each other in harmony, we should understand each other. We should accomplish this as early as possible. Hence the need for children’s books that are fun, educational, and respectful of diverse characters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a parent reading stories to my children, I enjoyed Amelia Bedelia by Herman Parish. What a humorous author! But my work is more educational in scope and focuses more on diversity, than it is fiction. I think I am most influenced by Rudine Sims Bishop’s ideas of creating books that are mirrors, windows, and doors. Mirrors reflect what we see, Windows allow us to see others, and open doors allow us opportunities to engage with each other.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on helping young authors produce their work. I have taken on the role of publishing consultant for now. I am mentoring the next generation of writers. I have some other ideas festering, but I would like to let these 5 books get into schools and bookstore nationwide before publishing anymore of my own books.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I rely heavily on Instagram to promote all my book releases, book events, and news. However, my website is the best place to get all information in a digestible and organized format.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. You only get better by practicing. Do not give up, no matter how many rejections you get from large publishing houses. Hire an editor and illustrator. We are all blessed with different talents. If writing is yours, then outsource the others. A good illustrator and editor makes a world of difference in producing high quality stories.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Success is not a destination thing, it’s a daily thing.” – John Maxwell
In Your Road Map for Success, Maxwell identifies 10 things to look for when figuring out how to become successful and choosing good partnerships: 1) Those who make things happen, 2) Those who see and seize opportunities, 3) influence others, 4) add value, 5) attract other leaders, 6) equip others, 7) provide inspiring ideas, 8.) possess uncommonly positive attitudes, 9) live up to their commitments, and 10) have loyalty. I have been fortunate to have good partnerships in my life and they are all on my advisory board for Lauren Simone Publishing House.

What are you reading now?
I read widely- biographies, history, fiction, and self-help. I just finished reading Michelle Obama’s Becoming and now I am reading CHURCH Girls, an edited anthology of 12 Christian women who describe various stages in their lives and how they overcame.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As a writer, I hope to continue publishing fun, educational, diverse children’s picture books. But I also hope to publish a romance novel, a biography, and a self-help book for work life balance.

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 Power of Positivity by Norman Vincent Peale because I am going to have to be really optimistic to survive.
– Terry McMillian Who Asked You? because I am an avid Terry McMillian fan.
– The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom because this book really touched my heart.

Author Websites and Profiles
Melissa Sue John Website
Melissa Sue John Amazon Profile

Melissa Sue John’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in 1943 at Derby Royal Infirmary, and thus a war baby. I lived my early life in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, a market town in Leicestershire, but was sent away to be educated at Kings Mead Preparatory School, Seaford and afterwards at Rugby School that bastion of English education. Later commissioned into the Territorial Army, I have been variously an hotel and restaurant owner, director and chairman of a marketing consortium, and latterly a partner with my wife in a commercial legal services company. I have enjoyed my working life in England and Switzerland and now live with my wife Sally in West Sussex and northern Tenerife, where for five years I occupied myself as restaurant critic for a Canarian newspaper.
I had long wanted to try my hand at writing a book, probably much as many others do. I decided to try to make that dream come true, and sketched out my first book, the manuscript of which was summarily rejected. I then learned of the requirement for a skilled editor, and was lucky to be put in touch with one such. She guided me through an almost complete re-write and the book was picked up and made it into print.
My first book, Dog Days in The Fortunate Islands, charts the stories of moving my family and dog to live on a small island in the Atlantic Ocean, and which received much acclaim. It is available in paperback and e-book formats.
Prunes for Breakfast is my second book and records the life and times of my father throughout WW2, including a cache of unpublished personal letters with details of his landing in Normandy, fighting through the bocage and later capture and incarceration in a German POW Camp. It is available in paperback, e-book and audio formats.
The Reluctant Hotelkeeper is my third book, just released, and forms a prequel to Dog Days in The Fortunate Islands. It is available in paperback and e-book formats.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My third published book is entitled The Reluctant Hotelkeeper. It centres around the majority of my working life, bringing an old building back to life as a country house hotel. I was inspired to write it so that my family could one day learn more of my history.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I am aware of, other than my quill pen and vellum.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I like legal/crime thrillers such as authors John Grisham and Peter James. I also like historical novels by the superb Bernard Cornwell. The Dark Age period of England fascinates me.

What are you working on now?
Having just been published for vthe third time, I am taking a break and working on my family tree, which goes back, so far, to nearly 400 years ago.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is www.johnsearancke.com and I am currently using the inspired services of Margaret Daly of Margaret Daly Designs in the USA. She is awesome!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would not presume to offer advice, other than to engage with the best editor that you can find/afford. They work wonders with your manuscript. As for writing, if you feel that you have a book just bursting to get out, then go for it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never volunteer for anything. I learned that in the army and it has served me well.

What are you reading now?
I am just finishing off the quite outstanding Boudica trilogy by Manda Scott and will shortly be moving on to her epic on Joan of Arc.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Promotion, promotion. A necessary evil!

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 latest John Grisham, Lee Child and a simple cookery book.

Author Websites and Profiles
John Searancke Website
John Searancke Amazon Profile

John Searancke’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My lifelong dream has always been to be a writer. As a young girl, I used to write stories, plays, and magazines that I shared with my friends. (I even forced my friends to act out my plays!) After college, I worked as a journalist for many years, covering beats like finance, high tech, politics, sports, and community news. I loved being a journalist, but my real passion was more creative writing. This year, I just published my first book, My Family’s Survival, inspired by my grandmother’s story of how she survived the Holocaust.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called My Family’s Survival. It is inspired by my grandmother, who is a Holocaust survivor. I didn’t start to get to know my grandmother until after she died. When she was alive, I visited her multiple times, but we could never have a conversation. While she spoke Yiddish, Polish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, and Hebrew, I only knew one language: English. Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away in 2012—still years before I was ready or able to ask the questions about her experience. Thankfully, she—and several other surviving members of her family—had their stories recorded. Their testimonies are what led to my book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I “write” in my head a lot. I am active person, I love being outdoors, running, hiking, etc. I often start writing chapters in my head when I am outside exercising. Then I need to come home fast to write them down!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Elizabeth Gilbert, and Paolo Coehlo. I also aspire to write like Jodi Picoult.

What are you working on now?
My next novel

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still learning!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write. Edit later.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Listen to your body. It’s smarter than you are.

What are you reading now?
The Book Thief

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully another book!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Alchemist, Eat Pray Love, and something about astronomy, so I could learn about the sky above me!

Author Websites and Profiles
Aviva Gat Amazon Profile

Aviva Gat’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in 1964 at the tip of Africa, Cape Town, South Africa.
Quite why I have no idea, but I was drawn to be an entrepreneur straight out of college. I’ve consequently never had a salary in my life.
In 1995 Michael I moved to Southern California where I founded a business consultancy and online media and marketing engine in the burgeoning internet space.
But once Africa has a hold of you, it is impossible to resist, and back to South Africa I returned in 2003 where I launched a security company.
In 2015 I semi-retired and divested of the business to write full time.
Michael’s greatest love is the ocean, reading history, keeping up with the latest breakthroughs in science, understanding the cosmos and sharing all I can.
I consequently “dress facts up as fiction”–I find interesting historical, anthropological or other scientific facts I think would fascinate people, and I weave them into stories that give them context.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Ragnarok–Worlds Collide

I’d long wanted to see our world through the eyes of our ancestors and who better than a band of Vikings?
What does litter packaging floating in the ocean look like to them? Cut grass and a tarred road? A powerboat on a trailer and TV in a darkened room at midnight?
But where to put them?
On the periphery of civilization of course… on the deserted coast of their Vinland, our Newfoundland.
But I’m a science guy… how to get them here? Magic doorways or touchstones won’t work for me.
And then, NASA to the rescue! Google it yourself — NASA are dabbling with Warp Drive… with collapsing space as a means to travel.
Spacetime — they’re one indivisible thing, so said Einstein.
So if an above-Top Secret NASA experiment in the southern ocean, south of Australia — on the antipode or opposite side of the world to Newfoundland’s coast — were to backfire… rather than space warping, a column of time might swirl and punch right through the earth at light speed, emerging in a vast aurora on the other side.
Brilliant!
There’s our setup.

Flying out of Paris, home to Los Angeles, we meet our protagonist, Tegan Mulholland — a bored Hollywood movie executive and former investigative journalist. As her plane approaches the Newfoundland coast, the plane almost falls from the sky. Fate has them right at the event horizon of a cataclysmic aurora. Deep inside the swirling light show ships and planes have been plucked into oblivion by some rogue Bermuda Triangle.
Tegan’s plane survives… only just survives.
It’s 9/11 all over–international aviation is grounded while the UN grapples with the inexplicable event off the Canadian coast and a seemingly unrelated military stand-off unfolding on the other side of the world where Russian and Chinese spy satellites have detected what seemed to be an American rig setting off a nuclear device.
…and days later the first midnight massacres of hamlets along Newfoundland’s coast begins–survivors and grainy CCTV evidence roughly dressed, heavily bearded biker-gang types.
Still dealing with the emotional trauma of her harrowing near death aurora and plane experience, Tegan is navigating a prickly budding romance with Pete — the charming passenger who sat beside her and helped her through the terror. But the more she sees of these seemingly unrelated dramas unfolding on the news, Tegan senses that these events are connected in a way that nobody else has spotted.
She begins to delve.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think. I don’t plan. I don’t question.
When I’m gripped by a story, I just sit down and let it write itself.
The moment I ask a question whether a character “should do XYZ”… the magic disappears.
I’m just the scribe here. My job is to simply record the story that wants to be told – and the story teller doesn’t like to be interrupted.

I love it. The best books I’ve ever read are the ones I’m astonished to see appearing on the screen before me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Frankly I get bored with most stories unless I’m getting something out of them.
I’m a facts guy. I read a lot of non-fiction to understand how things and people and cultures and history works.
To me, reality is more exciting than any fantasy I’ve ever encountered.

So, fairly limited ficton:
James Clavell, Leon Uris, James Michener, Wilbur Smith
Just about ever science, history and anthropology popular textbook out there.

What are you working on now?
Two books.
> A sequel to Ragnarok — one of the planes that went missing in the aurora that almost took Tegan’s plane crash lands onto the Hudson — and a decade later the now-retired captain is starting to remember where… or ‘when’… they went.

> A sequel to my “Slave Ship Saga” – the third in the trilogy. In the 1980s (fact) I found a shipwreck off our coast… in 2015 the Smithsonian of Washington identified it as the 1794 São José Paquete Africa, the first and only slave ship in history ever to have wrecked (with 400 chained aboard) and be discovered. “The Praying Nun” told the story of our discovery and then takes the reader aboard the fated ship where we meet one of the slaves. The actual ship in history had 200 survivors who were ‘saved’ and then sold the next day to recover costs. “The Reckoning” follows one of those slaves and his experiences of 1794. The book I’m working on, tentatively called “The Accord”, follows the same surviving slave but now in an overlap of his story through the eyes of our protagonist, Jayne Alphen, wife of the newly arrived governor of the colony at Africa’s tip. Jayne, an heiress, is in an miserable arranged marriage with her much older husband who she has come to despise for his meanness, cowardice, and perversions. He only has power through his marriage into wealth. Horrified by encountering a slave culture for the first time, Jayne is terrified that she is falling in love (or at least is infatuated) with a most unusual slave she encounters. His freedom promises to become a vicarious emaciation of her own imprisoned heart… but her husband has seen her obsession and she must tread carefully.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Have you noticed – my stories sound really interesting, yet you’ve never heard of me?
I’m useless.
Perhaps I’m too old for the modern marketing methods and I don’t write the vampire LGBT stories that agents are looking for.
At last, I have a team of PR and marketing colleagues who are set to help.
Here’s hoping.
If I can win your interest today, then the first blow is struck!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it!
It is so rewarding.
Sit down and start to write.
Don’t over-think or over-plan it.
Nothing you ever write will be wasted — this is why God invented computers, you see. You write it and file it and go back to it another day.
Be smarter than me – write what people want to read, then let your imagination run wild. Don’t stop to say something in a better way, don’t worry about puncuation and spelling on the first go-round… that’s what polishing and editing and editors are for. Your’e the creator, so create.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you don’t know.
It’s like looking at a building from the outside – you’ll have no idea what you’ll find till you open the door.
If something grabs you, learn about it. Google is your friend. Google Earth can take you places. Youtube will teach you everything, including dialects and accents. Involved yourself in Social Media and meet like-minded people in groups that incorporate your interests

What are you reading now?
About 5 books. Stephen Hawkins’ posthumous book. One of the Trump debacles books (half heartedly). “The Sunburned Queen” — A documentary story about a 5 year old English sole survivor girl wrecked on the East Coast of Southern Africa in 1732… how she became absorbed into a Bantu tribe and married a chief, and how hundreds and maybe thousands of European shipwreck victims had the same fate, peppering the local tribes of Africa with European genes. Fascinating.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hearing from you, hopefully persuading me that I’m on the right track.
Seriously.
Readers have no idea how powerful they are in influencing a writer’s trajectory.
I may publish a compendium of my essays on various science and anthropology topics written over the years. Folks seem to like them.
I’m a simple guy of limited intelligence and vast curiosity. My special talent is being a bit slow to learn but then understanding what keys unlocked the stores of knowledge so that I can make these details more accessible to others in an engaging way and without the effort I had to put in. The idea of that thrills 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?
Lordy… I’m a nerd, okay. Certain (non fiction) writers prompt me to leap to my feet and start furiously writing the moment I’ve read a few lines of theirs.
Carl Sagan and Cosmos must top that list.
Any of Bill Bryson’s books will keep me in stitches, and his “Short History of Everything” will keep me amused forever.
Many will know that Prof. Richard Dawkins is more than just involved in a religious debate – his groundbreaking contributions to biology are epic. His ability to explain the machinery of life would certainly keep me reading and re-reading.
Then one of the physicists or anthropologists or neurologist books that can help me understand my place in it all… 4 books is too few, unless, of course, they are 4 kindles stuffed to the brim!

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Smorenburg Website
Michael Smorenburg Amazon Profile

Michael Smorenburg’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I’m 30 years old and I live in Ohio on the shores of Lake Erie. I live with my disabled mom who I take care of, so my life is pretty narrow. I have several jobs as a nanny, driver, dominatrix, and ghostwriter. I also do very basic IT support for the elderly.

When I’m hanging out with friends, we’re usually playing retro games or EDH. When I’m alone, I actually watch a lot of wrestling. I miss Lucha Underground, but WWE seems to be building some good stories towards Wrestlemania. NXT and NJPW are always very good, and I’m really excited to see what AEW is capable of. If you ever get me talking about wrestling in real life, I can go for hours about storylines and booking.

I look at a lot of porn! I’m always looking for a new kink or inspiration. Sexuality has always fascinated me, and I love the feeling of being intensely aroused. Discovering a new exciting kink is like an adventure.

Other than that, I really enjoy casual Magic the Gathering, though I never seem to be able to find people interested in non-competitive formats.

In total I’ve written nine books. I’ve written two guides to human sexuality, three full-length erotic novels, and four erotic short story collections. Everything but the novels were written as part of ghostwriting contracts. All my erotic novels are set in a universe called World of Womencraft. The world is based heavily on a lot of MMORPG rules, but its filled with real people. All of the action so far takes place on a large island called Patriam. The island was once part of a larger continent but broke away thousands of years ago because of an all-powerful spell gone wrong. Patriam has a rich history filled with extinctions, mysterious races, and the rise and fall of powerful guilds that reigned over the country.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I just released The Little Goblin Girl at the end of January. It’s about a young goblin woman who is the victim of a hate crime and her push back against a government that wants to see her people removed from the city they live in. First and foremost it is a high fantasy novel. I love sex, so my characters have strong sexual relationships that are detailed in the story. Social justice always tugs at my heart, and each year it seems more relevant. This is just a book about a group of friends and lovers pushing back against injustice, and seeing how far their ideals can take them against systemic oppression.

I started writing The Goblin Girl Series after being deeply inspired by the erotic goblin art of Incase. I think many people in the know would argue Incase draws some of the most beautiful and arousing erotic art of our time. Their attention to detail is astounding, and his dedication to presenting each character with different genitals and levels of pubic hair make them a personal favorite of mine. Make no mistake, The Goblin Girl Series wouldn’t exist without Incase.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I guess just one. Before I sit down to write, I’ll go through all my social media and my Youtube recommendations. After viewing everything, only then will I start work. I feel this approach removes all distractions while I work. I generally try to write 1500-2000 words in a sitting. If I’m ghostwriting and need to go longer, I’ll take a break and snack and/or watch Youtube/Porn before diving back in.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
This may seem strange, but Tampa is the most memorable book I’ve read in the last decade. It’s a cross between American Psycho and Lolita where a female teacher stalks and grooms a male student for her sexual appetites. It doesn’t focus on the sex but the main character’s pathos in why she does what she does and what she thinks she’s capable of as a sociopath. It was such an evocative premise for a book, and I became completely immersed in the story. I would definitely like to see more books that challenge our pre-conceived notions about literature. I think with far too many books, we have a strong idea of what we’re getting into before we even start. Tampa definitely challenged me on what a plot and premise can do to grip you. I hope people feel the same about The Little Goblin Girl.

What are you working on now?
I’m beginning a series of short stories (erotic, of course) to better detail the history of World of Womencraft. Patriam has experienced vast and sweeping changes throughout its history, but you only get to briefly learn about a few of those through the dialogue in my books. As you read, you’ll hear about events like The Wrath, The Reckoning, The Age of Lords, and Ka Tuk’s fall to Ur that caused mass extinction. You’ll learn about the long dead races like elves, vampires, and manani, but you don’t get to learn enough about their culture and how it shaped Patriam for hundreds of years.

I think one of the best things you can do as a fantasy writer is to completely flesh out your world so dedicated readers can immerse themselves in it. I’ve written a complete class hierarchy for World of Womencraft, and a brief Geography/History, but there’s so much more I can do to get the world across to my readers.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I feel like Patreon has allowed me to succeed as a writer. Through the financial support of my patrons, as well as their feedback, I definitely found the motivation to finish two of my novels that I had previously struggled to finish. It’s not enough to live on yet, but when people are donating money to you, you definitely feel the obligation to deliver them content.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you’re just starting, absolutely learn grammar and formatting. If you want others to take your work seriously, learn how to write sentences perfectly. Eventually you’ll reach a point where you don’t even have to think about it, but bad grammar and spelling will absolutely turn people off of your work.

Hold the course. Too many establish writers try to tell people how to write and they don’t remember what it was like to not be good at it or not be paid for it. I’ve gone months without writing. Like just straight up months. The push and support from my patrons definitely helped me get back into the swing of things. It’s never too late to start the book up again. There’s always a way to resolve the plot organically. Don’t give up because you haven’t touched your book in a week, or a month, or even years. You are never younger than you are right now.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Rip and tear until it is done

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a book called Sadie by Courtney Summers. It’s about this teenage adult who is hunting the man who killed her sister, and half the story is told as a true crime podcast. It’s not a bad book. Summers clearly understands how to write quality prose. There’s a grit and punchiness to Sadie’s perspective that I haven’t seen other writers replicate. I’m really picky about books though. I need a blistering pace and lovable characters to carry me through a story. I feel like that’s what I accomplished with The Little Goblin Girl.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Ideally, I make enough money through Patreon and Amazon to establish my only writing sphere where I can write about whatever I want. Some people might think The Little Goblin Girl is hardcore as a piece of erotica, but I want to explore more taboo themes if possible. For now, I’m still approaching agents with my query letters. I hope that my placement in Sex and Sorcery and my willingness to self market inspires agents to take a look at 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 Complete Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

This is the true fantasy epic. The scale and art and characterizations are unparalleled. Absolutely read this book, even if you have seen the movie.

The Gunslinger

Probably my favorite book. The world Stephen King is slowly creating in the first book is inspiring. I wanted to know so much more about Mid World. He doesn’t write like this anymore, and it’s a shame.

Autobiography of Red

I need to read this book again. This is singlehandedly the best collection of poetry by a single poet. The imagery in this book will absolutely stun you, and it has taught me that I don’t know the first thing about descriptive phrasing.

Author Websites and Profiles
Illy Hymen Website
Illy Hymen Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve lived many exciting chapters as a serial entrepreneur, a pop-culture podcaster in the top 2% on iTunes, a U.S. Vice Presidential advance person, and as an event planner to one of the richest men on the planet. I grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia, worked in Washington, DC for 25 years, then discovered that the desert southwest is where I am most at home. I live in Las Vegas, Nevada with my husband and two rescue dogs and I’m not happy unless I am creating something new every day.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
After taking a break from fiction writing for several years, I decided to start a new thriller series with a female hero, public relations hotshot Skyler Moore. “The Maine Nemesis” is her first book and it was officially released on January 25, 2019. The sequel, “The New Mexico Scoundrel,” is coming in May 2019 and “The Nevada Saboteur” will drop in September 2019. I’ve always loved the small towns and big cities of America, so I’m excited to take Skyler and her friends (and enemies) all across this great nation.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I really only write for a few hours a day, but I’m pretty fast and I don’t let social media or email disturb me. I need classical music or movie soundtracks as background noise; no lyrics. (I’ve actually been listening to a lot of bootlegged theme park background music lately; it’s weird, but I love it.) Typically, I write from about 8 o’clock in the morning until about Noon. I spend the afternoon doing errands, book marketing (which is half of the job for us indie guys and gals!), and playing with the dogs. I don’t touch my phone, tablet, or laptop come evening.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many who have inspired me, but some of my favorites are Carl Hiaasen, Sue Grafton, Stuart Woods, Tim Dorsey, Christopher Buckley, Christopher Moore, and Elmore Leonard. I’m also a sucker for Stephen King.

What are you working on now?
I just finished Book Two of the Skyler Moore Thriller series and I am passing it off to my editor in a week or so. I’m going to start right into “The Nevada Saboteur” very soon and I’m working on some ideas for a Y.A. witches thing and a television Christmas movie script, too. I like to multi-task.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m exclusive to Amazon right now, so Amazon ads and Facebook ads are my mainstay. I also have an Advance Team that reads my books prior to publication to help me be better and to help promote the book when it launches.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be afraid of going indie! But I’m new, too, so I’m still learning.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t wait around for the New York agents and the Big Five publishers — do it yourself!

What are you reading now?
I’m reading “I Don’t Like Where This is Going” by John Dufresne right now because it’s funky and takes place here in Las Vegas.

What’s next for you as a writer?
It’s all about the Skyler Moore thriller series and marketing, marketing, marketing, marketing, marketing, marketing, and marketing. Mostly those two things.

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?
Impossible and unfair! I recently had to pick ten for an article I was assigned and I thought THAT was hard. I’d say, “Tales of the City” by Armistead Maupin, Emma by Jane Austen, Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, and “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. And I’d sneak my own, too, naturally.

Author Websites and Profiles
R. Scott Wallis Website
R. Scott Wallis Amazon Profile

R. Scott Wallis’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m from Dallas, Texas. I’m an author, artist, and podcast host. I have written 5 books with my most recent being the most different genre I’ve ever written – urban fantasy. I’ve been writing since I was a child, but I didn’t think I would be self-publishing my work. After college, I took the leap and published my first book. I also drew a lot as a kid, but I’ve only been painting seriously for a year and a half. I describe my art as stylized. Creating is my passion, and I enjoy sharing it with others; especially, as a writer.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Cliff Lords: Weapons of Disaster Parts 1-3” come from my desire to create a comic book. I wanted to draw the pictures and design the entire comic book myself, but writing it was much easier for me to do. Also, I’ve written romance and drama. Writing an urban fantasy book was a goal and a challenge, and I enjoyed it very much.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure if this is unusual, because I recently learned that some people are able to read a book without using visuals in their heads. When I’m writing, I envision everything from the setting to the character’s tone in voice and facial expression.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many! My favorite childhood book is “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown. My favorite YA books are the Razorland Series by Ann Aguirre and the Indigo Summer Series by Monica McKayhan. My favorite authors are Eric Jerome Dickey, Nina Foxx, and Electra Rome Parks to name a few. Books that have influenced me as an adult are “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, and many like it – helping me get my finances together, and the Bible.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on “Cliff Lords: Weapons of Disaster Parts 4-5.” It will start where the first one ended. I can’t wait for it to drop. I’m also writing another book about the relationships between fathers and their kids from children to adults. I’m excited about both.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have been showing out, because this is the first year that I’ve actually promoted my work. Yes, I thought releasing it on Amazon was all I had to do. In 2019, I said I will be doing things differently. I hope there’s a huge turnout!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t overthink it. If you can afford to hire someone to edit, proofread, design your book cover, etc., do it! If you cannot or if you want to do it yourself, you can do it. Don’t get hung up on trying to be perfect, because you’ll never get to the next point or it’ll take longer to get there. Never take critiques to heart. Your book is your baby, but that doesn’t mean everyone will like or love your baby. If you love what you do, nothing can interfere. Do you!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’ve heard so much great advice. I can’t pick one, but I do have my own. I always remember to never settle even when I’m settling. This means even though I’ve been working a 9-5, my dream is to be a full-time writer – so, I don’t forget that. It means that I have accomplished my goal, but don’t get comfortable. Find that next adventure in life to explore.

What are you reading now?
I have a list to tackle. I’ll share with you a few books that I want to read: “The Hollywood Commandments: A Spiritual Guide To Hollywood Success” by Devon Franklin, “1984”
by George Orwell, and “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A movie! I am a movie-lover. Getting one of my books turned into a movie would be epic. It is definitely a dream of mine, because I do write my books as if it were a film that I was watching. Becoming a best-seller is would be great, too.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Goodnight Moon, and one of my books. Is there an option to bring a journal? I would love to document my being stranded on a desert.

Author Websites and Profiles
SLF Entertainment Website
SLF Entertainment Amazon Profile

SLF Entertainment’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Eddie. When I decided to write I started a literary/art magazine called SMOG CITY. It was critically acclaimed, perhaps for the art design more than the writing. At some point I decided to shift my attention to writing books. So far I’ve got two novels and a collection of short stories out. More to come, hopefully.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called BIGFOOT DEATH SQUAD AND EIGHT OTHER STORIES. I like to mix genres to keep myself interested – most of the stories are about the world of the paranormal intersecting with everyday low-lives and degenerates.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write to a timer. For 33 minutes I don’t have to write–I just have to relate to the work in front of me and nothing else. I learned this from a famous copywriter whose name escapes me at the moment.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Richard Price, Turgenev, Stephen King, Mark Twain

What are you working on now?
The next novel. It’s about a gang of dirtbike-riding arsonists.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Don’t know.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn to type and show up for work every day, even if it’s just a few minutes.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I arrogantly disregard anything anyone ever tells me.

What are you reading now?
I’m into this guy Robb White. He wrote “young adult” fiction but his stuff is wonderfully written, plotted, and paced. Almost everything he’s done is out of print, unfortunately. I liked his book Deathwatch.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A coming-of-age novel after the one I’m writing now.
I need to get a little older, get some perspective.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Any four books by Mark Twain would work.

Author Websites and Profiles
Eddie Mulnix Website
Eddie Mulnix Amazon Profile

Eddie Mulnix’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a travel junkie, video game addict, and writer–mostly because the voices in my head are too loud to ignore. My first book, a historical fiction novel set in Pompeii, started with a simple one-page blurb I wrote for fun while I was vacationing in the south of France. After I wrote those first few paragraphs, I was consumed by the idea of a young girl traveling back in time to try and stop the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Over the course of eight months, that little blurb became Defying Vesuvius, which I published when I was a senior in high school. Since then, I have written Merciless and Heartless, the first two books in my new fantasy series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Merciless is a high-fantasy epic which was inspired by Sarah J Maas’s Throne of Glass series and the character Zevran from Dragon Age. In my book, Mercy is a seventeen-year-old orphan who has been raised by a deadly Guild of Assassins since she was one week old. When she is finally given her first assassination contract–to kill the prince–she must brave the mad king’s court, which is rife with betrayal and intrigue.
I really wanted to explore how growing up in as brutal a place as an Assassins’ Guild would shape Mercy’s personality and her interactions with the people and world around her.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Other than staying up wayyyy too late writing, not really.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Kiersten White’s And I Darken series was a big inspiration for the mood and narrative style of Merciless. I also love Six of Crows, Shatter Me, and Throne of Glass.

What are you working on now?
This month, I’m publishing a prequel novella to Merciless, editing book 2 of the series, and writing book 3.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Because I write Young Adult fiction, I’ve found that Instagram is most helpful for reaching new readers. I’ve connected with a few Bookstagrammers who have done wonders for promoting my book to their followers (including one who gave Merciless a SIX-star review!).

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, read, and read some more. Aside from writing as often as possible, the only way to improve your craft is to read books by authors whose style and stories you enjoy.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write the story you want to read. If you love your book, writing will never feel like a chore.

What are you reading now?
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo.

What’s next for you as a writer?
SO MANY THINGS! I keep a list of book ideas on my phone at all times, and at the moment, I have concepts for at least twenty-three more books. (Where I’ll find the time to write all of them, I have no idea . . .)
First, though, is finishing the Merciless series, which is going to be six books long.

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?
To give a little variety, I’ll exclude the aforementioned favorites. I’ll say: Flowers for Algernon, The Summoning, An Ember in the Ashes, and Pet Sematary.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jacqueline Pawl Website
Jacqueline Pawl Amazon Profile

Jacqueline Pawl’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I wrote one book at this time with plans to start my second book sometime in 2019. I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. I went to Cardinal Mooney High School. I attended Youngstown State University, The Ohio State University, Evangel College, and Liberty University Online. I took the least amount of English classes and avoided writing as much as possible while in college. I took mostly engineering classes, math classes, and some criminal justice courses. My gambling addiction caused financial instability, and I became homeless. I am 54 while completing this interview. I have been a born-again Christian since I was 17. I was on active duty in the US Navy from January 1989 to December 1990 and acquired 16 months of sea service aboard the USS New Jersey (BB-62), the navy’s most decorated battleship. I was a naval reservist sent on active duty for a disciplinary action. The New Jersey did a WESTPAC (Western Pacific deployment) in 1989 while I was aboard including a short stint in the Persian Gulf. I received an honorable discharge. My life is exciting, tumultuous, stressful, and challenging. Youngstown is a declining Rustbelt town with a checkered past because of the Mafia’s influence. My mom grew up in Vienna, Austria under the Third Reich, married a WWII veteran, and moved to Youngstown. My dad grew up in Youngstown. Many of my life’s experiences are included in my first book, an exciting memoir while living on the streets as a homeless vet with all my triumphs and tragedies.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Praying Psalm 143:8-9 & Surviving on the Streets, a Veterans Story is the title of my first book. The inspiration to write this memoir comes from Psalm 107:2, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeeemed from the hand of the enemy” (KJV). I faced many dangerous situations while living on the streets, and living in Youngstown. God has answered many of my prayers, so I decided to write a book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I try to keep some blank paper with me in my backpack when I get some ideas to write down.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I like Tom Clancy novels. Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing has motivated me in the past and still motivates me today. Adam Makos wrote a great book called: A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II.

What are you working on now?
I haven’t written anything down yet, but I have some ideas for my second book which will focus on a serious issue, anti-Semitism. My mom grew up under the Nazi government in Vienna, Austria before moving the the United States in 1947. My grandfather was in the Luftwaffe during WWII.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since this is new to me, I tried Digital Book Today with limited success. This is my second attempt at using a website to promote my first book and I am optimistic.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My first book took me about seven years to complete including uploading it on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. If you can afford a good editor, I recommend this. I had to edit my book mostly by myself with the help of Grammarly. I could have finished a lot sooner with a good editor. Endure and make it happen. I only have one review for my first book, but it is four stars out five.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stand your ground. Face dogs when they come at you. Walk like you own the street. This has saved me from getting mugged. I also believe God had and has guardian angels protecting me.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Prophet of Revolution Karl Marx by Alfred Apsler.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am researching how to promote my book.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. Bible 2. Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing 3. A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II by Adam Makos and Larry Alexander.

Author Websites and Profiles
Robert Korchnak Website

Robert Korchnak’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The Wild Rose Press has published five full-length novels (one under a pen name), and Solstice Publishing has two novellas at their site. I’ve indie-pubbed The Penelope Pembroke Cozy Mystery Series (6 books), the Dreamland Series (romantic suspense, 3 books), A Very Kate Christmas, and Four Summer Days, which is based on genealogy and an old family story–the real truth of which will never been known.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Showboat Reunion, a novella offered by Solstice, was inspired by several dinner cruises on the showboat, the Branson Belle, in Branson, Missouri. I wrote an earlier full-length novel, The Showboat Affair, picked up by The Wild Rose Press, after the first cruise.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to take my lappy and hole up in a good eatery on a rainy afternoon. Otherwise. I just enjoy sitting in my study or outside when the weather is warm.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I cut my teeth on mysteries like Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Grace Livingston Hill, a Christian author. (My mother used Ms Hill’s voluminous works to keep me out of other content in the adult section of the library until I was older.) As an adult, I met Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, Margaret Truman, and others who wrote riveting mysteries which I like to re-read.

What are you working on now?
Retired and sometimes lazy, I’m still working on The Legacy of Diamond Springs, which I hope to indie-pub in the summer. It’s a romantic suspense set on the campus of a college sprung from an antebellum plantation. The idea came from my interest in old southern homes–restored, decaying, gone forever–and intensive research has slowed the writing process.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not good at “shameless self-promotion”–and I’m also lazy. However, I do blog and maintain a website. Ruthann’s War is featured on my website this month, so I decided to do a few more things to get it out there. I left Twitter and LinkedIn and focus on Pinterest and my FB Author Page. It would help if I’d remember to carry cards with me, too, when I’m out and about.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write for the love of writing. Break the rules. Ignore the naysayers. Understand that all first drafts stink. Don’t get bent out of shape over rejections. At the end of each day, take joy in your accomplishments, and determine to do better tomorrow if you didn’t accomplish what you intended. Enjoy life–it doesn’t last forever.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Growing up, I used to hear an older friend say, “I just had it to do.” I remind myself of those words when I’m dragging my feet about something.

What are you reading now?
I just finished doing more research for the WIP with some first-person accounts of life during the Civil War. It was gritty reading, especially War Crimes Against Southern Civilians (Walter Brian Cisco, 2008).

What’s next for you as a writer?
~A rewrite of a book for which I asked a reversion of rights–a contemporary romantic suspense with its roots in Civil War Arkansas.
~Also the publication of a novel which has been sitting on my computer for several years–just need a beta reader.
And my New Year’s resolution is to submit at least 6 short stories during the year. I’m halfway there

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My Bible (KJV)
Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology
The White Cliffs of Dover (Alice Duer Miller)
The Ghost Towns of Texas
(and 3-4 isn’t nearly enough!)

Author Websites and Profiles
Judy Nickles Website
Judy Nickles Amazon Profile

Judy Nickles’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Toronto, but now call the Canadian Prairies home.
I am the author of over six novels, including a Children’s colourful series set in the mountains of Banff, Alberta in Canada’s majestic Rocky Mountains.

Growing up in one of Canada’s largest multi-cultural cities, gave me the great fortune of be exposed to many different cultures and ways of life. After traveling and living in other cities and countries across Canada and the U.S., the experience of being exposed to people’s differences was hugely appreciated and conjured up stories just waiting to be told. I have been drawn to storytelling and writing since I was very young, spinning tales and stories to my friends and families, creating entertaining evenings and keeping people guessing!

I have been writing general fiction stories for years, never tiring of an extensive imagination from people and my various surroundings. I am a copywriter and small business owner living in the wide-open prairies of Canada, finding inspiration in everyday experiences and my all too colourful imagination.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is THE PHOENIX CODE. It is a follow up novel to The Blackwater Operative. I felt the characters from The Blackwater Operative still had so much to say and do. I envisioned them taking numerous paths and decided that a number of books would probably spring from the starting book. The inspiration for The Phoenix Code came from the events taking place in the world today infused with a dash of my imagination.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need to have warm, fluffy socks on. Whether it is the summer or winter, I need to feel cozy and comfortable in order to write. And of course, plenty of Earl Grey tea.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many books and authors have inspired me, even the books I did not enjoy. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas along with Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy are two books that have inspired me in my writing.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a follow up murder-mystery novel to Lakers: Murder On The Water. The novel is set in a small Nortwestern Ontario town. Spring brings a thaw to an exceptionally deep, cold winter and along with it the discovery of a body. The identity is unknown but the discovery of the body brings about more danger for this small Northwestern Ontario town.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have been using my own website, www.llabbott.com, to promote and inform readers about my books that are available.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, and don’t be discouraged by what you think others may say. Writing is a progression of your skill and imagination and it can only get better with time.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Enjoy the positive people around you.

What are you reading now?
Cold Earth by Ann Cleeves

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have sketched outlines for five more novels. Once I have completed the murder mystery novel, I am going to be writing a YA Fiction novel, hoping to address many of the conflict issues teens are facing today.

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, Anna Karenina, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Pride and Prejudice

Author Websites and Profiles
L.L. Abbott Website
L.L. Abbott Amazon Profile

L.L. Abbott’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a new author and this is my first work. Well, my first published work. There are at least three manuscripts lying around that never saw the light of day.

Oddly, I started my career in engineering, taken with NASA and space exploration. While, my career never went in that direction, I always liked writing best. It became my hobby (among other things like astrophotography, hiking and biking). So, here I am with a newly published novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of my latest book is “Echoes of Reality: The Hidden War”. The story has an interesting backstory. For a time, several of my friends decided to write 2-10 page stories. Weekly, each of us would come up with a theme and we would write a story in support of that them. One week, the idea of a magical blue rose was mentioned, and that idea took shape in my mind and was the genesis of the novel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not certain what is usual or unusual for writing habits. I do like staring at the ceiling a lot when the imagination train starts.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tolkien, Tom Clancy, Stephen King, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. There are quite a few more but those are the ones that come to mind.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second book that finishes what was started in “Echoes of Reality”. Currently, the title is “Shattered Stone” but like all things, that may change. It will wrap up some of the unanswered questions in the first novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m entirely new to book promotion. I’ll certainly have some advice after a few months!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being a new author myself, I think there are three characteristics that served me well: perseverance, imagination and self-confidence.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you are talking all the time, you aren’t listening.

What are you reading now?
Just finished up “City of Endless Nights” by Preston & Child. Fun novel that worked for some interesting reading while traveling.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Working to finish outlining my next novel. As usual, I have a huge number of ideas floating through my head and need to organize it.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I think LOTR. I suppose that makes three books right there. I never get tired of reading them.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kevin Fitzpatrick Website
Kevin Fitzpatrick Amazon Profile

Kevin Fitzpatrick’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the author of “The Magnetic Advantage: How Great Companies Attract, Retain and Engage the Best People.” This is my first book, which is designed to help business leaders improve profits through great people management. My slogan is a quote by Zig Ziglar “You don’t build a business – you build people – and people build the business.”

After 20 years working for a successful pharmaceutical startup turned multi-million dollar company I became a Ziglar Legacy Certified speaker and trainer. Combining Ziglar principles with my own corporate experience and research, I’m now focused on helping entrepreneurs, small business owners, and struggling organizational leaders realize their full potential.

I’m a wife, mom, and business owner, and love the craziness of it all! I live in Birmingham, Alabama with my husband Mike. We have a blended family with six kids: Cori, Stephen, Kristin, Madeline, Jacob, and Sean. I love animals, especially my dog, Bryant.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
We live in a time where the economy is booming and unemployment is at record lows. For many business leaders, their greatest challenge is recruiting and retaining talent. I wrote “The Magnetic Advantage” to help business leaders attract top talent, retain employees, and engage their workforce.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My most unusual habit is that my dog generally sits with me while I write. Not on the floor, but in my lap. When that gets uncomfortable, I place him on a blanket on my desk. He’s not happy if he is not right there with me! Plus, he is calming and gives me company during the long hours of writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a Zig Ziglar speaker, so I have to say that he is the most influential author for me. In second place, is Jim Collins, author of “Built to Last” and “Good to Great”.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on spreading the word about “The Magnet Advantage”. I would like to produce training and resources around the book as well. No plans for a second book at this time.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The place where I’m having the most fun promoting my book is Goodreads. I love connecting with others who love books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Expect this to be a long process. We live in a world where everything is instant, and book production and promotion is a slower process.

I recommend that you start developing followers on social media and email while you are writing your book. This will make the marketing process easier and more successful for you. Marketing is 50% of the success of the book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Zig Ziglar wrote that you can have everything that you want if you’ll just help enough people get what they want. I find that this is so true. When I give, I receive much more in return.

What are you reading now?
I generally have books in multiple formats going at the same time. On Kindle, I’m reading “Relationships 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by” John Maxwell. On Audible, “Exit Unicorns” by Cindy Brandner. In paperback, “Simplify” by Bill Hybels.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, the book that I’m currently reading, and my Kindle.

Author Websites and Profiles
Pascha Kelley Website
Pascha Kelley Amazon Profile

Pascha Kelley’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Scotland with my partner. I love T’ai Chi, baking and crochet, making jewellery, and singing. After spending several years getting all sorts of diplomas and Masters in Counselling and working as a counsellor and supervisor, I developed a lot of stress-related health issues and had to quit. Now I’m working on improving my health, and writing books as it’s fun and I’ve always wanted to be an author. I love books more than anything so to actually write them is incredible! I have only written one book so far, ‘Burn Out of a Fairy Godmother’, which is available on Amazon now, but am writing a sequel and have lots of ideas for other books, both in and out of the series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called ‘Burn Out of a Fairy Godmother’, and is inspired by my love of fantasy and my own experiences with burn out. I adore creating rich, colourful fantastical worlds for my characters to live in, and contrasting them with this world and its benefits and difficulties; then exploring how the characters survive or thrive in different contexts and environments. While there is some drama, there is a lot of humour too! The main character is a fairy godmother, who grants wishes to help people turn their lives around: she desperately wants to help all her clients, but stretches herself too thin, doesn’t eat, sleep or rest properly, and over time becomes more and more divorced from her self, and I explore the toll that takes and her efforts to make it better. I’ve learned a lot about burn out over the last few years, and there are a lot of factors to developing it, including work exhaustion, physical illnesses, stress, poor self-care, attitudes and beliefs about yourself and how you should interact with others. I actually developed ME-CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), which is a stress-related chronic health condition, so most of my time is spent managing that now. I think a lot of people expect far too much of themselves these days: I see friends and family over-working and feeling guilty about taking any time for themselves; I read about the insane working hours expected of people in business or corporate environments, where working constantly is always seen as good and taking holidays or even sick days is seen as selfish or lazy; it all leads to a dreadful culture of terrible self-care, and people pay the price in terms of health and personal relationships. I am working on recovering my health now, but wanted to use my experience in some creative way, and that led to the writing of this book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually go for a walk before I start writing. If I just sit down at a blank page, it can be a bit intimidating, but if I go for a walk first, I often start thinking of ideas and fragments of dialogue and by the time I get home I can’t wait to get it all down.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many! I’ve always loved reading, and read two books a week on average. I love fantasy authors like Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt, Diana Wynne Jones, Jonathan L Howard, and crime with strong female leads like Laurie R King’s Mary Russell series or Kerry Greenwood.

What are you working on now?
Several things! The sequel to ‘Burn out…’, and a series of short stories about the fairy godmother’s early cases; but I have ideas for other books both in and out of the series too, which I jot down as they come up. I started writing a romance recently… we’ll see where it goes.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to find that out! As a new author it takes time to try different things and learn about advertising.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be afraid! It’s so easy to criticise yourself into paralysis, thinking negatively and being too scared to share your work with the world. It helps to join a writing group, so you can get used to sharing your writing with a smaller number of supportive people first. I think it’s really important to be authentic in your writing also – it doesn’t matter what genre you’re writing, sci-fi and fantasy may be set in unrealistic worlds or scenarios but they still contain people with thoughts and feelings, and if at least some of those thoughts and feelings are based on something you’ve really felt or experienced in some way I think readers will feel that and connect more with the story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be congruent, genuine, authentic. It’s the only way to live a life that means something, whatever you’re doing.

What are you reading now?
‘The Wicked King’ by Holly Black.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have several goals for this year: learn more about advertising and book promotion, publish a paperback version of ‘Burn Out…’ and publish at least one, if not all, of my short stories.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Ooh, such an impossible choice! I think I’d take big books so they’d last as long as possible. I love ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell’ by Susanna Clarke; ‘The Amulet of Samarkand’ by Jonathan Stroud as I find his character Bartimaeus’s longevity and humour very comforting; ‘Inda’ by Sherwood Smith is amazing.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cole Todd Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a new author! Prior to writing I worked as a video game designer for about 15 years before I got tired of the game development industry. I still love video games and game developers. To this day some of my best friends still work in that industry and are amazing people! I can’t give up the type of work though that lets me create something. It took a while, but I now have one book that I’ve written that I’m proud of.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called Buried Instincts – The Zombie Apocalypse. I was looking around for the zombie apocalypse story that I wanted to read, and I tried a few, but they just didn’t check enough boxes for me. So, I decided to try writing it!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
What are the usual writing habits? I had a period where I kicked myself out of my apartment and parked my butt at the local coffee shop where I had the perfect level of distraction. If I was writing a section where I was describing the appearance of the zombies and you happened to walk in, you might have ended up being in my story!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love military science fiction writers like David Weber (Honor Harrington series) and Jack Campbell (Lost Fleet). I’ll read anything by John Scalzi. Read tons of Stephen King during high school. Recently fell in love with Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. The old Chinese classics like The Outlaws of the Marsh, Journey to the West, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms also heavily influenced me. There’s really too many to name.

What are you working on now?
So when I was writing Buried Instincts I realized I could’ve just kept writing and writing and writing. I decided to pick a good stopping point for the story and send it to my friends and family to see what they thought. Good thing I did, because I found out some pretty big flaws. I swallowed my pride and rewrote large parts of the book and tweaked my protagonists personality. So to answer the question, I’m writing the next part of the story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I guess that would be Amazon. My book was only very recently released (Feb 3, 2019) so I’m not sure if anything is working yet. Ask me again in a couple of months.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
This is what I heard, and I’ll pass it along. Just sit down and write. And if you can manage to do that, then when you’re doing it write for yourself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Well, besides the just do it and do it for you bit, I would say that you should be open to honest feedback. You’re going to take it personally because you wrote it, but try not to take it personally.

What are you reading now?
I just finished To the Sky Kingdom by Tang Qi. I’ll be reading The Eleventh Son by Gu Long next.

What’s next for you as a writer?
There’s so many next things. I am writing the next book. I’ve been learning about how to set up websites so readers can connect with me. I’ve been learning about marketing and social media. I’m very much looking forward to when things settle down and I can continue my characters journey through a zombified 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?
Some kind of handbook telling me what plants to eat or not eat. Some kind of survival guide for dummies. A book about building boats. And finally a self help book about keeping yourself motivated.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lynn Henson Website
Lynn Henson Amazon Profile

Lynn Henson’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write all my life but only recently gathered the courage to go public. My first published book is a children’s book about Inky the cute ink splash and his friends. I’ve created cute characters and through them tell stories with values like friendship, sharing, accepting the others, social tolerance, Eco awareness etc.
the second book is about to be published soon and I am already working on the third title.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
the book is called “Inky makes new friends”. It is about Inky, a weird cute creature who is a splash of ink. He wants to make friends but everybody reject him because he looks so different. On his quest he meets other different creatures and makes friends with them. Muddy is a goofy lump of mud and dusty is a female huge cloud of dust and dirt. It was inspired by a news item about children that got abused by their friends at school for being too fat or too colored or just different. I hope that the children that hear my stories and see the illustrations will grow up to be better people.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nope, Not really. I do write intuitively, not in a planned structure. I just let the stories flow out of me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tough one. I believe I am influenced by every book I read.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the third Inky book. It is about the huge Eco disaster of polluting our seas with drinking straws. I try to show the kids that we can manage without plastic straws and by that save the lives of animals worldwide. We can, and should use recyclable materials. It is also about taking responsibilities on the living creatures around us.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am quite new at this, so I wouldn’t know for sure. I currently use the Amazon promotion platform and I also hope that your website will help too

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Write as much as you can and don’t give up. Also, use professional editors because you don’t write as good as you think.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Go with your heart. Your subconscious already knows the answer to the question that is on your mind, so just listen to it.

What are you reading now?
I am researching for a detective novel so I try to read some detective stories.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Further develop the Inky stories for kids. Maybe push for an animation series. I also started some merchandising research, made some characters dolls etc.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The lord of the rings (complete trilogy in one title).
Catch 22
The Bible

Author Websites and Profiles
Riley Morgan Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve loved books forever. My fondest memories are of stories and reading. It was natural for me to take to writing. I have nine book out, most are under my Julia Bright name, but I also write paranormal as JS Bright

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest is book three in the Dark Eagle Series. Dark Eagle is paramilitary and cowboys all rolled into one. They are the kick butt heroes who don’t leave men behind, and they sure as heck look after their women. Of course the women in the Dark Eagle series can take care of themselves, but it sure is nice to have someone else around.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in the morning and try to spend a few hours reading in the evening.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Susan Stoker of course. I was so pleased when I was allowed to write in her world. I love Sue Grafton books, and Janet Evanovich.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the next in the Dark Eagle series and a paranormal that will go with my story in the Strange Magic box set.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Best method, that is hard. It seems like when I find something great the game changes.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing and take classes. You can always learn more.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up and don’t listen to what the negative detractors say, they don’t matter.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Wings of the Wicked.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The moon…okay, probably not that. More in Susan Stoker’s universe, and a few more in the Dark Eagle series. I’ll also be writing more paranormal, maybe paranormal cowboys too.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d take something from Janet Evanovich, Carl Hiaasen, and the set of Harry Potter books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Julia Bright Website
Julia Bright Amazon Profile

Julia Bright’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Texas and am a fifth generation Texan. I am married and have four children and two grand children. I am a graduate of Sam Houston State University. After graduating from college with a Bachelors Degree, I made a career in law enforcement. After 30 years of policing, I knew it was time to retire. I have always been interested in writing, but never seemed to have the time. I didn’t take the plunge into creative writing until a couple of years ago. So I guess, as the old saying goes, it’s never too late. I recently completed my first novel and feel as if it is the culmination of all I have dreamed of. I have so many more ideas I want to explore and can hardly wait to complete my next project.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Secrets of Time” is my first novel. I consider it literary fiction, using modern realism. There is a mystery that draws the reader in but I also try to touch on many of the social issues that are so prevalent in society today. Much of the story and the characters within it were developed from personal experiences. I feel like there is a piece of me in all the characters of my book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It’s interesting how I wrote “Secrets of Time”. I just sat down one day in front of my computer, feeling the stirring of my creative juices, so to speak. I started to write and the story just flowed out of me. Strangely enough, it wasn’t even what I had originally planned to write. Each day, I would wake up and begin a new chapter, not even knowing for sure what was going to happen. I can remember feeling excited at the start of each day, wondering what would become of my characters and where the story would take me next. The rough draft of the manuscript was literally completed in a few weeks. The painful rewrites and self-editing took much longer. When I finally felt as though there was nothing else I could add or change, I took the next intimidating and nerve-racking step and had it published.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been heavily influenced by the old classics and the great authors of the time. I suppose some of my favorites are Hemingway and Steinbeck. I like the down to earth characters and hardscrabble realism portrayed in their stories. Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird is an obvious influence. And, W. Somerset Maugham’s “The Razors Edge” is probably one of my most memorable reads. It tells the story of a man struggling to understand the true purpose of life while dismissing what others expect of him. I also like story tellers, like Louis L’amour. A prolific writer, his work seems simple and straightforward and yet his stories are enjoyable and give us a glimpse into America’s past. Another genre I favor is the spy novels from authors like Ludlum and John le Carré, who were marvelous at suspense. To summarize, I suppose I tend to gravitate towards the traditional classics because that is what I grew up with, and the great authors of that time set the standards that all of us are judged by today .

What are you working on now?
I have written a short story that has yet to be published. I have dabbled with some poetry and even submitted some work to writing competitions. However, I find that I am not completely comfortable with free verse, which does seem to dominate the contemporary landscape. Not to offend any poets, but I have to say, I am somewhat sympathetic to the words of the great Robert Frost, who once said, “I would as soon play tennis without a net as write free verse.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As a new author, I feel comfortable saying, I have found that getting my book into the hands of the reader has been a much more difficult undertaking than I could ever have imagined. In some ways, it is even more challenging than writing a book. I came into the business from a very naive standpoint. It never dawned on me, how difficult the marketing piece would be. I am still struggling with this and have not yet come up with a viable solution that does not cost a great deal of money.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t try too hard. Let the story flow. Once you have it down on paper you can always make the changes later.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A quote from Flannery O’Connor, “”I write to discover what I know.”

What are you reading now?
I am a history buff and I just finished, “Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates” by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. It is a subject that we hear and read very little about. The book is written in a straightforward manner and gives a great perspective on how and why our country created its navy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a couple of ideas for another book and a short story or two. I hope to get a project underway soon.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Anything that can capture my interest and pull me into the story and the lives of the characters. I like books that provide food for thought and artful ways to look at issues from a new prospective. History and suspense are what I usually search for first. There is a wide variety of works I have already read and any of them would do. As far as anything I haven’t read, there is so much out there, I would be hard-pressed to choose.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Wilson Website
Michael Wilson Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born and raised in Connecticut, I grew up admiring two authors: Laura Ingalls Wilder an Danielle Steele. Besides wanting to be Mariah Carey when I grew up, I wanted to become an author who wrote books and had babies. From going to college at 16, pitching screenplays in Hollywood at 30 and writing/producing off Broadway in my mid-30s, I’m like a cat in that I have 9 lives… and I continue to reinvent myself through my work as an author, coach, motivational speaker, and creator of the Fire Your Inner Critic training program for entrepreneurs. As a wife and mom of 3 kids and 2 fur babies, I’m learning that the goal of life is not to get it ‘right’ but to live my adventure. I’m the author of 23 books with more on the way!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called ‘Fire Your Inner Critic, Find Your Inner Badass and Finally Build Your Business.’ As a mentor and business coach, I’ve watched too many aspiring entrepreneurs listen to their inner critics and give up on their business dreams… and I’m done seeing that happen. I created a training program called Fire Your Inner Critic Level 1 that’s designed to help entrepreneurs dethrone their inner critics, activate their inner badass and stay the course on building a successful business. I wrote the book to give aspiring entrepreneurs a blueprint for how to trust their calling and build a powerfully successful business.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I talk to myself as I write. If the words don’t move me when I say them out loud, they must be rewritten.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Brene Brown’s ‘Braving the Wilderness’ rocked my world. I also love Danielle LaPorte’s ‘The Fire Starter Sessions’ and Gary Keller’s ‘The ONE Thing’ has reshaped the way I run my company.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a new book called “You Can Do Hard Things.” I’ve had this message in my heart for over a year now and I’m thrilled to finally have the time to sit down and write it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method for promoting my books is writing blog posts on Medium.com. I gain a lot of email subscribers and followers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write more books, even if you’re not currently selling a lot of what you’ve published so far. So many people balk at the idea of writing more books if they aren’t currently selling enough of the books they have on the market. My writing mentor (who earns quite a bit every month from Amazon revenue) gave me this advice when I first started and he was absolutely right. Writing consistently will develop your writing voice, will build your confidence, will give you more books to test in the market so you know what kinds of books to write in the future and it will teach you resilience and grit. As a writer, you have to play a long game strategy if you’re going to make a living writing full time. That means staying the course even when you’re not making the kind of money you hoped you would. Again, write more books and create a consistent writing schedule that you follow every single day.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Trust your talent and trust the timing of your life.

What are you reading now?
Relentless by Tim Grover.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Putting all of my books on Audible and going on a college speaking tour.

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?
Ooh, tough question. Here are the 4 books I’d bring:
1) Marianne Williamson’s ‘The Gift of Change’
2) Brene Brown’s ‘Braving the Wilderness’
3) Norman Vincent Peale’s ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’
4) A Course in Miracles

Author Websites and Profiles
Kassandra Vaughn Website
Kassandra Vaughn Amazon Profile

Kassandra Vaughn’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello, my name is Jeremy Forsyth. I live in South Africa within the city of Johannesburg. Writing is my biggest passion and I am lucky to have been given the opportunity to do it for a living. When I am not writing about elves, I am crafting copy for varies advertising agencies based in my city.

I am a pretty down to earth guy, who loves a good historical novel on a stormy day. I am a huge fan of the Medieval era and remain a devote Richardian. Also what I am most passionate about, is how shit I think religion is. Let’s just love everybody and accept them as humans who need love and compassion.

I have published three books; The Evening Tide, The Broken Rose and The Missing. These are the three opening chapters to my Sun, Moon, Sand and Star series, which is about different stories set in the different Elvin Realms at different times, each linked by characters, references and flashbacks.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Missing. What inspired it was my love for detective stories, which began as a kid when the Agatha Christie’s Poirot used to air. That shit used to give me the creeps as a kid. I wanted to write something similar.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Apparently, I am in love with the word ‘Whilst’ I have been rectifying this.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tolkien, Penman and Martin.

What are you working on now?
The follow up to The Missing and the next installment to the series, which will live beneath the banner of Fantasy but will operate within the realms of Horror.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Goodreads and creating compelling Facebook ads that send people to my website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always believe you have something more to learn; whether as a writer or a promoter of your work. Do not be discouraged. Get up and try again. Fuck anyone who gets in your way.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get up and try again.

What are you reading now?
The Exorcist

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing the next chapter.

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?
Penman’s Sunne in Splendour, Lionheart and King’s Ransom.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jeremy Forsyth Website
Jeremy Forsyth Amazon Profile
Jeremy Forsyth Author Profile on Smashwords

Jeremy Forsyth’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account