Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a singer/songwriter, recording artist and record producer. I’m probably best known for penning the song “Shadows of the Night” which was recorded by Pat Benatar, won her a Grammy and has now become something of a classic rock staple. I’ve written many songs over the years for myself and others. This is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is entitled “Shadows of the Night,” after the song of the same name. I was inspired to write it because I was adopted just prior to birth. When my adoptive mother finally told me that I was indeed adopted she also said that my birthmother had died in childbirth. Although this news hit me hard and filled me with guilt, for whatever reason I believed deep inside that my real mother was in fact alive and that I would find her someday. That day finally came and I also discovered that I had seven sisters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think that I do have any unusual writing habits. Although, when I am writing I become totally engrossed in the process and revel in the attention to detail.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say that Blake and Emerson have influenced me quite a bit. I’ve also been heavily influenced by poets such as Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti, T.S. Elliot and E.E. Cummings.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on ideas for my next project. I never thought that I would write a book in the first place and now I’m feeling that I may want to write even more.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s really hard work. Don’t give up no matter what!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That IS the best advice I’ve ever heard. Don’t give up! Ever!

What are you reading now?
Right now I am reading “Awakened Imagination” by Neville Goddard.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m not sure. Most likely when I figure out what I would like to write about next, I’ll probably begin an outline.

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?
For me, that’s an impossible question to answer. I can’t ever imagine being satisfied by having only 3 or 4 books to read. I usually keep 5 or 6 books by my bedside at any given time. I am constantly rotating them. Eventually they are replaced with even more books.

Author Websites and Profiles
D.L. Byron Website
D.L. Byron Amazon Profile

D.L. Byron’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a single mom with dominion over a Y.A. Crossover Paranormal Fantasy universe. There are eight books in my universe, and we just got full bookstore distribution, it only took a decade. Children Of Ankh series has four books, and I’m writing book five, Tragic Fools. It’s been a while since I’ve had a working title out of the gate. You can expect this addition to the series in Spring 2020. I also have another series in the same universe, the C.O.A Series with three books and a fourth coming out by next fall, possibly sooner. Keep an eye on the website www.childrenofankh.com for announcements. There are also middle-grade Children Of Ankh series shorts for my younger readers. I thought it might be cool to give the backstory on pop up characters. Also, the main series cold hard crosses over to New Adult at Let There Be Dragons. Shock and hot damn crosses over, be prepared for things to get sexy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Handlers Of Dragons is the latest installment in the Children Of Ankh Series. Looking back on my books, they are figuratively about my battles through life and with m.s. Things are always clear in the rearview mirror. In Handlers Of Dragons, the main character is a train wreck after the trauma of the Immortal Testing and a surprise paternity announcement. She has a volatile ability and related glitches that make bonding with her Handler a priority. Her paternity announcement makes her a target for all of the things that go bump in the night, but she’s not afraid anymore because she’s a Dragon.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have the weirdest collections of things around my computer. There’s a zombie pen holder, an enormous chunk of rose quartz and a red dragon keepsake box. There’s a little round Ankh box and a plaque that says, ” Do one thing every day that scares you.” There are a few pictures of my children and a giant seashell. I have a super flamboyant golden, old-timey goblet. There’s a wine cork with a burlesque girl’s bottom half with heels and fishnet black stockings dangling out of it. One more important thing… I always wear Ankh earrings.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My childhood obsession was C.S Lewis. I love Stephen King and J.K Rowling. There are so many different genres I love as an adult.

What are you working on now?
What can I tell you about Tragic Fools without giving too much away? It’s full of dark comedy and love scenes to curl your toes. You will be blushing as much as you’re laughing for most of this book, avoid public reading. (Insert wink here.) My series readers know I love to drop bombs. I can tell you this much, all of the bombs I’ve dropped on you don’t even come close to the frigging hilarious ones I’m going to drop in Tragic Fools. We are going to get to know the characters heading into the next Immortal Testing. We’ll also be diving into the other Clans. There is some epic backstory with situations that answer a few lingering questions. In response to the crazy amount of emails I’ve received about a character, I’m making it happen. He’s coming to America.
The name of this next book is self-explanatory. I keep it real in my books. Immortal or not, they make stupid mistakes. They get into ridiculous situations, trip and walk into walls. Shit happens, even when you’re immortal.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a crazy amount of social media going on. Everywhere.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep going. Keep writing, rewriting, editing and moving forward. Nothing happens overnight. Think of the long game.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write with your filter off and stand by it. Don’t adjust it because you fear judgement. You’ll be judged anyway. Be authentic, raw and real.

What are you reading now?
I’m down the rabbit hole writing a new book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Everything is changing in 2020. The possibilities are endless. I’m going to have audiobooks out for the entire series this coming year.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by C.S Lewis and two of my own books so I can carry one living in my universe even when I start to forget. I mentioned I have m.s earlier. I’d probably go with Enlightenment and Wild Thing.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kim Cormack Website
Kim Cormack Amazon Profile
Kim Cormack Author Profile on Smashwords

Kim Cormack’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a mother to two beautiful kiddos, they are the joy of my life. I also dabble in photography, graphic design, freelancing, and painting (acrylic). I enjoy writing in all genres, I’ve published 5 Ebooks on Amazon KDP, but I’ve recently ended my relationship with them and moved over to Nook. My current titles (with the exception of the newest: Companion of The Dead) are in the process of being reformatted. I live my life according to The Law of Attraction, and I try to spread love and light where I go when I’m able.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Companion of The Dead is my newest title. It is inspired by the true-life paranormal encounters that my family and I have experienced over the years.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always write my initial draft by hand, (often around 3 AM) and then I transcribe them on the keyboard at a later date for editing. I just find that the words tend to flow better for me that way.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have so many author loves, my favorites are R.A. Salvatore, Stephen King, and Eckhart Tolle.

What are you working on now?
It’s a secret lol.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not great at promoting myself, I have a hate of Instagram and Pinterest, so I imagine that doesn’t help.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Nope. I’ve been self-pubbing books for about 8 years now and I’m still not the best at it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Live in the now.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently re-reading The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks, The Stand by Stephen King, and I ALWAYS have The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle nearby.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m hoping to, at some point, find a publisher. I’m growing tired of the Self-pub game.

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 Now, Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire, and Starless Night by R.A. Salvatore.

Author Websites and Profiles
Angel Hammer Websit

Angel Hammer’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
How many books have I written? (Quickly checks Amazon:) 59. There is some repetition, and a Bible I should never made has a ludicrous paperback price of $1006.90. And speaking of Bibles, my main collection has a unique page count that comes to over twice the length of the Bible. (Quality is a different question, and the answer to that question is obvious.)

A bit about myself? I’m an Orthodox author. I spent the first portion of my life as a mathematician, then a second portion as a bona fide Renaissance man, and seek to live the remaining years as a monastic.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recently modified collection is “The Luddite’s Guide to Technology.”

When I started as a high school Unix system administrator, very early on my quite technical boss gave me a lecture about dangers of electronic communication, including that it’s much easier to flame someone you cannot see, and that a large portion of our communication is nonverbal and it’s very easy to miss things that would get across in person.

That was early on in a trajectory of both working with technologies, and being wary of their social effects. When I posted the beginning of what is now “The Luddite’s Guide to Technology”, my position was a minority position. There were books which I read, including Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in an Age of Show Business” and Jerry Mander’s slightly more off the road “Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television.” A more recent title, and from an Orthodox author too, was Jean-Claude Larchet’s “The New Media Epidemic: The Undermining of Society, Family, and Our Own Soul.”

The chapter which opens the book has possibly a single contribution I haven’t seen in the literature. As far as ethics go, the Golden Rule, “Treat others the way you would like them to treat you,” is a rarity: a simple principle that is applicable to many situations. I proposed “the Silicon Rule”, namely: “What do Silicon Valley technology executives choose for their children?” For one example, Steve Jobs’s house was no nerd’s Paradise with giant Pez dispensers dispensing top-of-the-line iPhones: it was wooden tables and shelves of books, and active and involved conversation between members of the family.

A lot of people working in Silicon Valley are remarkably Luddite when they make choices for their children. And once one knows what kinds of choices are made by Silicon Valley tech giants, it brings considerable clarity into how we should be using things.

Note that I am not exactly calling for dropping all technologies, but we need to “trample them under foot,” as discussed in the opening chapter of “The Luddite’s Guide to Technologies,” a book title chosen for deliberate irony.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I remember when one respected community member suggested I adopt a formula with a moral like a popular TV show; the truth of the matter is that I cannot write whatever I choose.

I can try and pursue a work, but sometimes the work I catch is different.

Madeleine l’Engle talks about the artist (male or female) as a birth-giver to creations.

She emphasized listening and serving; I would speak of a wrestling that is simultaneously a wrestling with my work, and wrestling with myself to get myself out of the work’s way so it can express itself.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Bible in seven languages, the Philokalia and St. Isaac the Syrian; medieval versions of Arthurian legends (I’ve spent time on better things.) I’ve had an eclectic reading with a slice of anthropology and linguistics.

C.S. Lewis formed me as a writer, and if you like C.S. Lewis you might read “The Angelic Letters” at https://cjshayward.com/letters/

What are you working on now?
Right now I am serving no great creation; I am not always free to serve one. I recently posted “Paradise” at https://cjshayward.com/paradise/ and I am looking forward to what I may serve next.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
On my website, if a title is included in a collection, there’s a link at the top left to one collection it is included in. Beyond that, I’ve found the Midwest Book Review to be worth its weight in gold.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Someone said, in reference to Unix wizardhood, that you shouldn’t think of wearing the wizard’s mantel. Just walk along the path without such worries, and someday you will look over your shoulder and find that you have worn the mantle since you know not when.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Treat others the way you’d want them to treat you.

What are you reading now?
I just finished “Minutes of the Lead Pencil Club,” I am reading the Bible and St. Isaac, and probably the best book I’ve read recently is “The New Media Epidemic.”

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m pursuing monasticism and that orients everything. It may be a little while before I write something new.

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 Philokalia, and a huge notebook with a box of pens.

Author Websites and Profiles
CJS Hayward Website
CJS Hayward Amazon Profile

CJS Hayward’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi there! My name is Elle. I love writing books even more than I love reading them, and that’s a lot. I live with my husband and our five young kids near Lake Michigan and the Indiana Dunes, which is where I set my stories. I spend my days wiping snotty noses, picking up dirty socks, and daydreaming about drinking fancy drinks on a tropical island alone with my husband. Oh, and sometimes I write. I try to write as often as possible.

For fun I love to get comfy rocking fuzzy socks and binge watching my favorite shows. I like my coffee hot, my avocados salty and my wine red. I am owned by several pets: one doggo, two cats, and two guinea pigs. I go through lysol wipes and febreeze like nobody’s business. Clearly I’m living the glamorous life of an indie author!

I’ve written two books. Illusions is the first in the Ravens of Darkness series. Reflections, book two in the series, will be released in November 2019. I am currently writing book three, Deceptions, you know, when I’m not picking up socks and daydreaming…

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Reflections is my latest completed project. It is the second book in the Ravens of Darkness series and will be released soon. I was inspired to write a sequel to the first book, Illusions, because I felt the characters had so much more to tell us. The storyline for the series actually came to me years ago, in a high school economics class, (it has nothing to do with economics, I was just bored and looking for an escape). I started writing it out and then stuff happened and life got busy: college, a real job, marriage, kids. One day, I decided to continue where I’d left off so many years ago and started writing what is now Illusions: Ravens of Darkness.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write most of my books in email drafts on my phone while I’m waiting for my kids at their various activities. When I like what I’ve written, I send myself the email and then copy and paste it into an actual document.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh boy…this is a hard question — like asking what’s my favorite Beatle’s song or favorite Disney movie. How do you choose? I feel like everything I’ve ever read/heard/watched has influenced me in some way for good or for bad. Music, movies and tv have had an influence on me as a writer just as much as books have. I certainly consider song lyrics to be a huge source of inspiration.
I love classic literature and especially Shakespeare, so definitely he’s an influence. I like how he played with the audience’s expectations and how identity is always a very fluid thing.
In no particular order, I really enjoy the works of the following writers: James Michener, Philippa Gregory, Anita Shrive, Jodi Picoult, Robin Cook, Tom Wolf, Richard Bach, Tom Clancy, Edgar Allen Poe, Jane Austen, Earnest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald,, John Steinbeck, Gene Roddenberry, Robert Hunter, Roger Waters, Lennon/MacCartney, Simon/Garfunkel. I’m probably forgetting so many.
Influence is everywhere.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on insightful and delightfully entertaining answers to this author interview. Haha.
No seriously, I’m currently working on Deceptions, book three in the Ravens of Darkness series.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing is the easy part because you’re burning to tell the story that’s within you. Marketing and selling your books…well…that’s the hard part. It’s easy to get discouraged when book sales are low, but you have to ask yourself if it’s the sale that’s important or the telling of the story? For me, sure, I’d love to sell tons of books, but guess what? I’ll write them anyway because I can’t stop myself. I love the process and my characters too much to quit. SO… the lesson here is don’t write solely for money, write because you can’t not write and be happy with that. If your stuff is popular and it sells, yay! Bonus!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Writing advice: Read your stuff out loud to yourself. It really helps reveal the rhythm or lack thereof.

General advice: Always Be kind: You never know what someone else is going through.

What are you reading now?
The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester because I have to read the book before I see the movie, and I really want to see the movie.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My immediate plan: Finish drafting Deceptions.
Long term: Write a couple more books in the Ravens of Darkness series. Then maybe I’d like to launch a new series, perhaps a spin-off of Ravens of Darkness, with new characters and a different vibe to 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?
The Bible. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. A Dictionary. A big fat notebook (and a pen).

Author Websites and Profiles
Elle Preston Website
Elle Preston Amazon Profile

Elle Preston’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tara Blair Ball is a freelance writer and a memoirist. She lives in the Southern United States with her wonderful husband (marriage take 2), her twin toddlers, her teenage step-daughter, one exceptionally dumb mutt, and one super smart teacup yorkie. She smiles all the ever-loving time and could live every day of her life on pizza. She has written one memoir.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Beginning of the End: A Memoir is the true story of my life over a nine month period. In 2017, I thought I had it all: a handsome husband, beautiful infant twins, and a great house in the suburbs. But then came a discovery that worked just like a grenade lofted into the middle of my superficially serene life: my husband had been secretly abusing drugs for years, had a secret card, and had embezzled from his job. After trying to work things out and having two devastating miscarriages, I then committed my own great act of betrayal: having an affair.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I use chewing tobacco! I know, it’s exceptionally gross, and I’m a classy lady, so you’d never think I’d use chewing tobacco, but I used to be a secret smoker, and now I’m a secret dipper. It’s so attached to my writing habit that every time I try to quit, I go through major writer’s block. I know I just need to push through it, but I haven’t been willing to yet since I have such a great writing routine going!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, Mary Karr’s Lit, and many writers on Medium like Shannon Ashley, Kris Gage, and Shaunta Grimes. Women who tell it like it is and keep writing!

What are you working on now?
I’m a top freelance writer on Medium, so I’m always putting out content there. I also have several freelance clients I blog for. After I get through the promotion period for this first book, I’ll likely begin on a sequel.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never stop writing! Use a platform like Medium to get your writing out there and hopefully get some money too!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Your first draft will always be $h1tty. Write anyway.

What are you reading now?
Aimee Bender’s The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m always writing, so we’ll see what happens!

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 Time Traveler’s Wife, The Secret, and Hyperbole and a Half.

Author Websites and Profiles
Tara Blair Ball Website
Tara Blair Ball Amazon Profile

Tara Blair Ball’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Detroit son, born and bred. After college, I did a stretch in the US Air Force as an officer in Space Command. It’s not as cool as it sounds – spent four years, three months, seven weeks, twenty-one hours sitting in a hole in the ground in North Dakota. Since, while there, I started writing my novels. Loosely based on my service time and set in my hometown, the UrbanKnights are a team of detectives tackling crimes no one else will touch. So far I have five novels out THE RANDOM AFFAIR, BLACK BEAR, PALE HORSE, CARIBBEAN KNIGHTS and SINS OF THE FATHER, all available on Amazon.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is call FAVORITE SON. It’s a continuation of SINS OF THE FATHER, a political thriller of hidden secrets revealed. The inspiration can literally from an empty lot. It’s starting to see some life breathed into it, but for decades, a lot lay empty on Detroit’s riverfront. In my story, the city’s fourth casino springs up there. On it’s opening night, the owner, a local football legend is murdered. The UrbanKnights are the only ones who can solve this mystery.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t call it unusual, but I gotta have either smooth jazz or techno music in my ear while writing. I mean, techno did come from Detroit, so…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tom Clancy, who modernized the thriller genre. Walter Mosley, Vince Flynn, I got into Mark Greaney’s Gray Man series and of course Ian Fleming.

What are you working on now?
The next chapter of the UrbanKnights – The First Rodeo. This one goes back to the beginning of series’ lead, Jordan Noble’s days in the Defense Intelligence Agency

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m using storyoriginapp.com, goodreads.com and www.prolificworks.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing.
Edit often.
Get people who will be honest to give reviews.
Believe in yourself or no one else will

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Edit and join a writing group

What are you reading now?
Becoming by Michelle Obama
From Colony to Superpower by George C. Herring
Lethal Agent by Kyle Mills

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working an visibility and ‘getting’ out 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?
Just 3 or 4?
Well, probably the Bible, I think I’ll need the Big Guy on my side now; Lord of Flies, I never seem to have time to re-read it, Colin Powell’s authobiography and the Gone Girl, never got around to reading that.

Author Websites and Profiles
James H. Roby Website
James H. Roby Amazon Profile

James H. Roby’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello, I am a young writer. I have written two books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
When Earth Passed Away 2700, and I was inspired but a lot of sci-fi shows and games I’ve played like Mass effect and Futurama.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write my stories out on paper journals first and then edit and change anything and everything when I transfer to my phone. I wrote both my books entirely on my phone.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
After going through some drama in my life, I read Red Queen and it inspired me a lot as it opened my heart up to reading.

What are you working on now?
I am working on my drawing skills, as I plan to make comics one day or other projects with drawings.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, Amazon because I am in kdp select.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Dream big and write bigger.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There is always a rainbow after the storm.

What are you reading now?
Timeless Regency Romance by Julie Klassen.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to sharpen my story telling skills and drawing.

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, my book, Tale of Ephoreia for sentimental value, and Narnia.

Author Websites and Profiles
Stephanie Menges Amazon Profile

Stephanie Menges’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a transformational writer and speaker. I am a servant of God, serving currently in the Pastoral office. I believe my self to be God’s personal assistant, and I have messages from the throne to share with the world. I believe that spiritual power extends to all areas of life and to levels of human consciousness. I have written one book and I am busy on my second one.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Formlessness
The book was inspired by my journey through my space-less wilderness. The book is inspired by creative events in my life. Some are joyous, some are painful, and most are spiritual. Each one of us undergoes formlessness in our lives and I wanted people to be aware of what is happening during that time.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yep, very.
Everything about my writing schedule is unusual. First of all, I write for the kingdom. Thus I am controlled by the kingdom. Every time I plan a writing schedule, forces beyond my control invade it. So my writing habits are like this: Anytime, anywhere, everywhere, and anyhow. I write in a taxi, in my bedroom, in my office, in the ladies room. I sometimes write in church during a service. I am ever ready because God does not have a schedule for my particular type of writing. He comes anytime and instruct me to write. I sometimes write for hours; 5-6 non-stop, at other times I can write a 10 minute revelation. I write at 2 am, I interrupt prayers at times and quickly jot down snapshots of messages through visions…. it’s really awesome and crazy

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A lot.
I have loved reading since I was a teenager. I used to feed on Sweet Valley High, Sweet Valley University, etc.. Charlotte’s web gave birth to my love for novels. Then came Charlie and the chocolate factory. A couple novels took my heart since then. Suddenly out of nowhere I was captured by James Patterson’s books. I have read 1st to Die, Along came a spider, Alex Cross series, and many more. There is no other author that has made it possible for me to finish a book in 2 and a half days, except for Mr Patterson. My current passion is Joyce Meyer and Bishop TD Jakes.

What are you working on now?
I am working on my second book: Idealistic Business Plan tools. I am also doing a lot of charity work through my foundation: House of glory. I help abused women and children.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am an emerging author. Amazon is currently working for me. My twitter and Instagram pages are coming. Facebook has been the most responsive. I am a newcomer on Goodreads, I am still figuring how it will help me with my book marketing. I have also created a blog: www.thandomabuza.wordpress.com to create a desire for my book. I am learning about a few other ways to reach out to my audience and this website is one of them. I don’t have the best at the moment, hopefully awesomegang will be one.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would recommend self-publishing.
If it can get you closer to writing Steven Spielberg or Oprah Winfrey an e-mail. Then it is worth a shot. If they can invest enough time and effort on their marketing, then I believe they can make it. Otherwise finding a publisher will be fine if you don’t have enough time and energy to market your book, you just have to know that you will be tied to your publisher for life.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
No one on earth is like me. People can do the things that I can do but they will never do them like me.

What are you reading now?
Me and my big mouth- Joyce Meyer.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Two more novels next year and a book tour in December 2020.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would definitely take the Bible, my book Formlessness. I would love to be stranded with anything by Nora Roberts, and off-course anything by James Patterson.

Author Websites and Profiles
Thando Mabuza Website
Thando Mabuza Amazon Profile

Thando Mabuza’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I completed my first book about ten years ago to make my sister laugh on her birthday. She tells me she reads it twice a year! However, I used an old print-on-demand service and ordered two. I have the other copy to my mother. This is truthfully my second work, but my first publicly published one!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called And Riley Runs. It is the result of a middle-of-the-night nightmare or waking dream. I loved the idea of a young, lost girl who calls hey mother for comfort and help. Some details changed. Honestly, the story wrote itself through me!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have to write while listening to The Great Pumpkin Waltz from the Charlie Brown series. I really do. I’ve written both books this way.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Agatha Christie and Barbara Michaels each infuse an appreciation for human traits that develop characters without necessarily using those traits to further the story. It’s like they are real people stuck in a story. I love it.

What are you working on now?
I’m testing my writing chops by writing a weekly serial on Instagram. In know, right?? I never thought I could do it, but I’m enjoying it. I don’t even know how it’s going to end, and readers are messaging me about this story as I post the segments! It’s great!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still in learning mode, quite honestly. In a year, I’ll have an actual answer.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m a mostly new author myself, so I don’t have sage advice. However, I will say “Don’t decide not to do something you feel you should do just because you don’t see someone else doing it. Do it.” It pays off to be you and no one else.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“A man may smile and smile and be a villain.” It’s not advice, but I loved it when I heard it in Hamlet and I look forward to fashioning a character with this back story. That is from Hamlet, isn’t it? It’s also a warning and I appreciate it because I’m optimistically cynical. I long for a villain’s moustache to twirl.

What are you reading now?
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin and
Go by Kazuki Kaneshiro.
These are a bit highbrow for me as I prefer a good old murder mystery.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A book series based off of my short story and a relaunch of my very first 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?
Here Come The Brides by Bernard Glemser
Ammie Come Home by Barbara Michaels
Edge of Glass by Catherine Gaskin
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (my reading chair is named after her)

Author Websites and Profiles
N. Annette Knight Website

N. Annette Knight’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a physician, working as a Civil Servant. I consider myself a futurist, dreamer and Storyteller. My interests range from Administration and technology to Economics and Ancient History. I have published 44 research papers till date on several Emerging Technology and Governance subjects. I am an avid reader, prolific writer and a focused academic. Presently based in New Delhi, India. I have authored 9 non-fiction books so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ‘Man From Tomorrow’. It is a Sci-Fi Suspense Thriller. It is inspired by man’s quest to explore the cosmos. It intricately mingles geopolitics, personal relations and scientific research in the back drop of our Quest of the Cosmos.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes. Everyday, inspite of my other commitments, I make sure that I write for 2 hours, no matter what.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Frederick Forsyth has had a huge influence on me, both as a writer and a person. His ‘The Devil’s Alternative’ is my Favourite. Other Author’s and Books that I love are
Michael Crichton- Sphere, The Andromeda Strain.
Arthur C Clarke- Songs of Distant Earth
Isaac Asimov- Foundation and Earth.

What are you working on now?
I am presently working on a Sequel to my book ‘Right to Money.’ I am also working on a Sci-fi novel set in the near future.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I write a daily blog where I serialize my novel for my followers and readers. I blog on Medium.com, Blogspot.com and my website- novelspace007.wordpress.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write Every day, no matter what.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
‘Show, not tell’ was the best advice I ever got.

What are you reading now?
Directorate S by Steven Col.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More Sci-fi Novels.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
You can Win, by Shiv Khera
Last Songs of Distant Earth, by Arthur C Clarke
The Bhagvad Geetha
The Old Man and The Sea- Ernest Hemingway

Author Websites and Profiles
Kartik Hegadekatti Website
Kartik Hegadekatti Amazon Profile

Kartik Hegadekatti’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing for a long while now. I just have recently embarked on my self publishing journey. I have written 5 books . Currently only one is published. One is on preorder. The rest will be available soon. My style of writing is non-fiction self help books.I take great pride in knowing I am able to help other people with my words.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Where to find the woman of your dreams. After seeing so many single guys struggle with finding their soul mate and just struggle with women altogether. I knew I had to do something for my guys out there. What inspired me was knowing what I know relationship wise, being married for many years myself. I knew deep down inside I could help. So that alone gave me the desire to write the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I use mind maps
Sticky notes
And still walk around with a pen and paper to jot down notes when they pop into my head.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Joanna Penn
Steve Scott

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on a relationship series do to be out in late November. The series currently consists of 3 books. More books may be added to the series in the future. Right now this series will be able to help Women, Men and Couples.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Content Marketing and blogging.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
#1 Always get a professional cover designed for your book.
#2 Define any areas of weaknesses and make a point to hire a professional in all of these areas.Then focus only on your writing and your strengths.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
People judge a book by its cover.

What are you reading now?
5 secrets to story structure.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To write more books in 2020

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Diary of Anne Frank
War and Peace

Author Websites and Profiles
Dalton Smith Website

Dalton Smith’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
“This Pale Mortal Shell” was my third completed manuscript and the first published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I was in England and one of the places I visited was Bath. In the circus, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_(Bath), there is a beautiful grassy area and a very small copse of trees. Apparently, the architect who designed it believed Bath was the center of druid activity and designed the King’s Circus with the measurements of Stonehenge in mind. After visiting the Jane Austen House in the morning, I had a little picnic snack under those trees and I communed with the trees and, I think, druids. I conceptualized a ghost story that involved a body snatching element. This initial idea took a little time to marinate, and I wrote some ideas out that never came to be. Ultimately, it became This Pale Mortal Shell.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I might have thought so at one time, but I find that I am similar to many other writers and their habits. I write whenever I can and stress eat just like everyone else!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Even though I don’t write horror, Stephen King is one of my heroes. I also love Sherrilyn Kenyon, Margaret Atwood, and Victoria Alexander. Strange combo, but it works for me!

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a series about selkies, the first of which will be released this fall. Keep an eye out for it! “Only Skin Deep, book 1 of the Selkie Chronicles”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I feel like Twitter has been the best in all. I have made a lot of connections there and the writing community is always willing to boost your signal.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I know it may sounds lame, but…

Read, read, read. Write, write, write!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t think, just do it!

While that only applies to certain aspects of writing, I think it’s good overall advice for living.

In reality, I do a lot of thinking about the work and the characters. But sometimes, you just have to give something a try before you know it won’t work.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading “The Van Helsing Paradox” by an indie writer named Evelyn Chartres. I’m about halfway in and I love it!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will keep working on “The Selkie Chronicles” and I will also be releasing the first in a series of Regency romances the middle of next year.

Author Websites and Profiles
D. Elizabeth Ayers Website
D. Elizabeth Ayers Amazon Profile

D. Elizabeth Ayers’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a professional recipe developer, food blogger, and food photographer. I’ve written four cookbooks.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “I Love Dinner Cookbook: Easy Dinner Recipes That Will Make You Love Dinner Again.” It was inspired by the never-ending struggle of getting dinner on the table! I decided to streamline all my favorite recipes into one easy-to-use cookbook.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I run on coffee.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was originally inspired by Michael Ruhlman’s cookbook, “Ratio,” in which he breaks down recipes into simple mathematical formulas.

What are you working on now?
I’m taking the leap from nonfiction to fiction. I’ve just completed my first novel, “Roller Coaster Romance,” which will be published soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My favorite method for promoting my books is to feature them on my two websites and in my newsletters.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Produce the best quality product you possibly can. Learn how to advertise when you publish your first book; don’t wait!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Heinlein’s Rules for Writing.

What are you reading now?
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my leap into fiction will be a success, and I’ll be able to turn it into a 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?
Burn This by Lanford Wilson, Persuasion by Jane Austen, and Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.

Author Websites and Profiles
Katie Moseman Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
DAEIOS: 140 FEET DOWN is my debut novel. I’ve always wanted to write a book, and when my husband proposed to me in 2013, he told me that I could follow my dreams, whether that be to hang a shingle of my own out as an accountant or write that book I’d always wanted to write, with his complete support. I didn’t have to think twice about what I would do, and I started writing the book in my head soon after we returned home from what would be our engagement trip.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called DAEIOS: 140 FEET DOWN. My inspiration was mostly current world issues. We see it in the news every day: climate change, racial tensions, abortion rights, drug addiction, men assaulting women and the MeToo movement. Although this isn’t a political book, I took these issues and imagined what they might look like in 2034.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think the only unusual thing I do is to free-write my book ideas on a giant artist’s pad in large letters in pencil. It makes me feel like a carefree child creating my art. Then I can go in later and circle ideas I like and make smaller notes next to them, or I can erase small sections and edit them. I can also cross larger ideas I don’t like off easily with a Sharpie so I don’t waste my time looking at them. And I can draw large maps, which helps me organize my setting.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ll tell you a secret: there’s a question below that asks what books I’d bring with me if I were stranded on a desert island, and all of those books have influenced me. I’d also have to include THE HANDMAID’S TALE since DAEIOS has some overtones of it.

What are you working on now?
Right now? I’m working on my book launch for my ebook and paperback, which is November 9th, plus my audiobook and a hardcover with a dustjacket. My days are mostly made up of researching and booking promotions, reviewing my audiobook narrator’s work and sending her notes, and impatiently waiting to find out if my dustjacket has been approved by IngramSpark. My brain is consumed with those tasks right now, so I’m not writing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not exactly sure yet since my book hasn’t launched, but so far I’ve found Facebook has given me the best response when I post book news. I think my own website is giving me some traction too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stay with it, it’s tough sometimes. Take breaks to just think without sitting at your keyboard or holding a pen. Riding on the back of a motorcycle is perfect for this. Write yourself out of those corners and kill the darlings that need to be killed. Look for plot holes and find ingenious ways to fill them. Most importantly, hire a good, professional editor, because that person will be able to see things you’re no longer capable of seeing because you’re too close to your work. Some authors say they can’t afford to hire a professional editor, but I believe I can’t afford not to, and I’m a good self-editor.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best writing advice I’ve heard was from Craig Johnson, the author of the Longmire series that was made into a television series. A person at a writing conference asked him how long to expect it to take to write a novel, and he said, “It takes as long as it takes.”

What are you reading now?
I’m reading BEACH MUSIC by Pat Conroy at the recommendation of a Twitter friend. It’s beautifully written and reminds me that I need to increase my vocabulary. I don’t stick with a genre but go from book to book as I hear recommendations by others and think I might enjoy them. I’ve discovered some wonderful books that way that I wouldn’t have otherwise picked up. Next, I want to pick up something in the murder mystery or crime thriller genres, which are what I fall back on when I need a quick read.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m either going to write a sequel to DAEIOS, which I have some ideas for, or one of those murder mystery/crime thriller books, depending on how well DAEIOS does. I also have ideas for a play, a comedy, that I’ve been thinking about writing for a while, about dating in middle age. I’ve acted in eight community theater plays, four times as the lead, and would love to write a play and see it performed at my local theater. And then Broadway, of course.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Planning ahead for being stranded, that’s so me! The book I don’t even have to think about is GONE WITH THE WIND, which I’ve read every year since my mother passed the book down to me when I was 13. I love the setting of the old South, the vivid characters, the brutal descriptions of the war, and of course, the tempestuous romance between Scarlett and Rhett. I insist that one of my books be a series, THE HUNGER GAMES, which I’ve reread a few times and haven’t grown tired of. I loved the writing and the story in THE BOOK THIEF, so I’d bring that along. Finally, I’d bring along a Tana French novel because I love her writing style, but I don’t know which one I’d choose, they’re all good.

Author Websites and Profiles
Colleen Eccles Penor Website
Colleen Eccles Penor Amazon Profile

Colleen Eccles Penor’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account