Please check out the authors below and share them if you like on social media and help them out.
Good karma goes a long way. If you belong to an Author group help spread the word about our free author interview series. We have started a new Facebook author group that focuses on author interviews and podcast interviews. Come Join us!

Ted Begnoche 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an avid reader and I write every day. My most recent book is called River Kill and it’s a mystery set Massachusetts. It’s the first book in a mystery series I’m developing. I’ve self-published several nonfiction books on Amazon as well.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
River Kill is my latest book, I’ve always been fascinated with mysteries and read quite a bit in the genre. I was inspired to write it by one of my favorite authors, William G. Tapply. He was my instructor at one time and was very encouraging and supportive.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write first thing in the morning, while the house is quiet and before the day starts for everyone else. I also write in bursts of 30-45 minutes at a time, I find it’s effective for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
William G. Tapply, James Lee Burke, Lawrence Block, Bill Pronzini. Stephen King

What are you working on now?
The next book in the Stuart McCann mysteries, tentatively called Blind Justice

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day, make it a habit. And the sooner you write during the day, I believe the better off you’ll be

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be consistent. Keep plugging away. You are only 3 feet from the gold…

What are you reading now?
Robicheaux By James Lee Burke

What’s next for you as a writer?
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?
Walden. 11/22/63 by Stephen King The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle

Author Websites and Profiles
Ted Begnoche Website

Ted Begnoche’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Calum Johnson 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m currently a postgraduate journalism student, studying near Manchester in the UK. I read history at undergraduate at Durham University, in the north-east of the UK. I co-wrote Athens in the Classical Period with two friends while at school just outside Manchester, and this is the only book that any of us have written (to my knowledge !).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Athens in the Classical Period was inspired by a particularly difficult course we all took after school, which seemed to lack any accessible resources targeted at providing a concise and reliable grounding in the major aspects of ancient Greek life. We were lucky to have had good teaching, from our Classics teacher but also a student at Manchester University, who would sit in on lessons. His knowledge was invaluable, but we knew it was something to which not everyone with an interest in the ancient work would have access to – so we put it all together in a book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not particularly, although I do find I’m never quite satisfied; there always seem to be changes to be made, even when a sentence … a page … a chapter … is perfectly good.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think our style is deliberately quite different from that of traditional textbooks and reference books. We began writing when we were around 15 years old, and it was inevitably a bit unpolished. We have edited the book since then, and the style fits professional conventions much more closely, but I would say that our influence was trying to do something a little bit different from the standard textbook; we want to retain the idea that we are students ourselves, passing on what we are learning.

What are you working on now?
I am currently busy studying and haven’t had much time to embark on something new, but I am thinking of ideas for a future project.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
We have very little experience in promoting our books; we have found Awesome Gang to be a wonderful idea for authors in our position – just starting out, and without a large group of potential readers that we already have contact with.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It has been said countless times before, and perhaps it is addressed better to prospective authors, but I think anyone with an idea for a book should try to write it.

We produced a book because we felt there was something missing, and we were not (and still are not) experts in the subject. We believed, nonetheless, that we could add something to people’s knowledge – and almost anyone should feel the same about a topic they know something about, or an idea they have had.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do something you enjoy. That way you worry less about how long it is going to take, and about any potential gain at the end of it. Working towards is a partial reward in itself.

What are you reading now?
I am currently dipping in-and-out of a couple of books. I’m trying to learn Spanish and have been reading Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish. I have just finished On The Road, by Jack Kerouac, which I really enjoyed. It’s a truly unique book, in a unique style.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have planned to write a couple of other history books – one, perhaps, on the Romans, and another on the period of Napoleon which, although a big change from ancient History, formed the basis of my dissertation at university.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring On The Road, actually, because I feel it is the kind of book you could read several times and get something different from each time. I would bring an encyclopedia (possibly of military history) because of the enormous wealth of knowledge it would contain, and its capacity to answer many of the questions that I would inevitably have.
I would also take a book in a foreign language – French or Spanish probably – because there is an essential difference between fiction written in different cultures and anglophone literature. You can also never hope to understand it entirely – part of its charm lost in translation – which would provide me with a never-ending (enjoyable) task on the island. I’m particularly thinking of a book by Émile Zola (“Nana”, “Thérèse Raquin”, for example).

 

Shannon Cutts 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I have written three books to date and contributed chapters and music to three additional books.

My first book was written in connection with a nonprofit I founded and ran for eight years.

My second and third books are part of a new blog-to-book series I’m having so much fun writing!

To make a long story shorter, over the last several years I have taken my passion for mentoring (given and received) and turned it into an unfolding series of books. Each book is focused on the shared benefits of connecting with animals and nature to add more healing, joy, wisdom and love to daily life.

So far I have completed two books in this series.

“Love & Feathers: what a palm-sized parrot has taught me about life, love, and healthy self-esteem” is a fun memoir about my life with my senior cockatiel, Pearl. The book also features our late dachshund, J.P. Morgan (named for the bluegrass song not the bank), and an additional colorful cast of animal characters.

“Waffles & More: A Love & Feathers Recipe Book,” which was co-written with my mom, an amazing chef, features 70 recipes people and parrots can both enjoy. Recipes include suggestions for “birdifying” certain dishes to make them safe for avians to try.

Right now I am working on book three in the series, tentatively titled “Love & Feathers & Shells.” In this book, our little flock expands to include a hatchling redfooted tortoise named Malti and a rescued adult Texas 3-toed box turtle named Bruce. I am really hopeful to complete and publish it this year!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Love & Feathers: what a palm-sized parrot has taught me about life, love, and healthy self-esteem” and “Waffles & More: A Love & Feathers Recipe Book” were both inspired by our whole family’s bond with my cockatiel, Pearl.

Pearl came to me as a five-week-old chick. He was the clear runt of his litter, bullied to the point where he had lost three claws and the end of his left wing tip by the time I rescued him from a local pet store. The first time we met, I was still mourning the untimely loss of my three-year-old cockatiel, Jacob, and he was still covered in down and baby bird formula – we were each a hot mess by anyone’s standards.

We connected instantly. I held out my hand to him and he jumped on and scampered up my arm and proceeded to hide under my hair for 45 minutes. At one point the bird department manager actually came looking for us because she thought I had stolen him! Pearl immediately bonded with me but also with my parents.

He loves my mom’s cooking and wants to jump on top of pretty much anything she makes – whole pizzas, apple pies, biscuits, lasagna, fresh bread – I run a blog called Love & Feathers & Shells that shares his daily adventures and often features my mom as well.

Pearl also has a special bond with my dad on account of how, during one period of time when I was away and he stayed with them for a few years, Dad used to put Pearl on his knee and let him chew the library books as he read them. To this day whenever Pearl sees my Dad, who is 6’3″ tall, he screeches and launches himself up to Dad’s shoulder to roost.

We joke that Dad is Pearl’s personal “Tall Tree” and Mom is his personal “Small Chef” but it is really true.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am a full-time freelance writer, so I am always switching hats back and forth from working on client projects to squeezing in time on my own creative writing projects. Because I work from home (which I love love love), Pearl, Malti and Bruce are always with me. Pearl shares the other half of my (our) writing table and if I vacate the laptop even for a moment he will climb on to try to pry off the keys or roost on the warm keyboard.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been an avid reader since before I entered kindergarten. My reading list is miles long – literally! I love Sy Montgomery’s books and the work of Dr. Irene Pepperberg, who is a pioneer in testing avian intelligence. Dr. Temple Grandin’s books are a huge influence, especially her book “Animals Make Us Human.” Jennifer Verdolin’s book “Wild Connection” will always be a favorite. Peter Wohlleben’s “The Hidden Life of Trees” and Elizabeth Tova Bailey’s “The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating” are shouldn’t-be-hidden gems! And so many more….I actually keep an updated reading list of my top favorite books if your readers would like to take a look: https://shannoncutts.com/reading/shannons-reading-list/

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on “Love & Feathers & Shells,” the next book in the Love & Feathers series. Up until Malti, my redfooted tortoise, joined our little flock five and a half years ago, Pearl had been an only bird since he was a hatchling. He was NOT pleased! Then, one year after Malti came along, I rescued a box turtle named Bruce. So we went from a little flock of two to four. Caring for exotic animals is not easy on any level and all three of my nonhuman flock mates have very specific care needs and very strong personalities. This next book will share what our daily life has been like as our flock has expanded and the ways each flock member has mentored and taught me.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The “Love & Feathers” books has arisen from a blog called Love & Feathers & Shells. The daily blog posts plus our Instagram videos is the number one way we stay connected with our followers and readers: http://www.loveandfeathersandshells.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
A very wise mentor once advised me to “bloom where you are planted.” I still refer back to his guidance – in fact I was just the other day talking about it with one of my dearest friends. I truly believe we have what we need in each moment to carry our dreams that one more small step forward. If you have a dream, do one small thing today to fulfill it. Then tomorrow do another small thing. If you keep doing one small thing as inspiration strikes, one day you will wake up with your dream fully realized.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think it would have to be from one of my longtime mentors, Don Miguel Ruiz. He shares five agreements that have completely transformed my life and my relationships with all beings, human and non-human:

– Be impeccable with your word.
– Don’t take anything personally.
– Don’t make assumptions.
– Always do your best.
– Be skeptical but learn to listen.

Don Miguel Ruiz and his whole family are writers and teachers – their books are phenomenal.

What are you reading now?
Oh boy. The stack beside my bed always looks like the leaning tower of Pisa. “The Body: A Guide for Occupants” by Bill Bryson, “City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert, “Dessert First” by J. Dana Trent” are all in progress even as I type.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My goal is to continue developing the Love & Feathers & Shells blog while working to complete the book by the same name. I have also started creating short films featuring each flock member and I plan to do more of that in the very near future. Your readers can view the films on our YouTube and Instagram as well as on our website.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/smcutts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveandfeathersandshells/

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?
Stranded on a desert island with books….that’s a tough one. I would take at least one by Sonia Choquette (but I would have to think really hard about which one!), “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz, “Letters to a Young Poet” by Rainer Maria Rilke, and definitely “Love & Feathers,” since the main reason I started writing the book was to preserve every precious memory of my life with Pearl, my soul-bird.

Author Websites and Profiles
Shannon Cutts Website
Shannon Cutts Amazon Profile

Shannon Cutts’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Greg Prado 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After writing for almost a decade, I’m extremely pleased to offer my stories to the public. I enjoy writing anything related to Sci-fi, the future, and especially mystery. I live in Apopka, Florida with my wife, daughter, and two mischievous cats. I’m a bit of a space junkie and am unafraid to discuss it with anyone willing to listen!

I’ve written four full books and two more are half-finished.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Entrapment,” is out now.

I was inspired after reading “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. I loved it so much that I had to write a bit of a love letter to it. The first few chapters are pretty similar to the novel by Agatha Christie, but the book diverges from that plot very quickly.

Fun fact: every single person who has read it says they’ve been surprised by the ending.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have to write the whole book in order. Any time I’ve gone to write a later scene, I end up erasing the product later on. When writing a novel, I develop a very basic outline of the beginning, middle, and end. That was what held me back for many years. I wrote several good stories that had absolutely no ending.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Agatha Christie, Suzanne Collins, Timothy Zahn, J.K. Rowling, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mal Cooper, and many others.

Truthfully, and I know this is a bit of a faux pas, I gain a lot of my inspiration from the games I’ve played over the years. Maybe I’m the most millenial of millenials, but my ADHD has made it very difficult to read books. They have to be truly inspirational to hold my extremely short attention span. Bioshock, the video game, was life-changingly brilliant for me. Its fingerprints are everywhere in my stories. I am a HARDCORE gamer, and spent my entire formative years on them (much to my father’s objections).

Of course, Tawdra Kandle gets her own paragraph. She’s my editor and my mother-in-law. She must have the patience of a saint because she read my first novel, “Drakesport,” without laughing out loud at every over-used trope stuffed into it. I could never ever, ever, have done this without her.

What are you working on now?
Tricentennial Man!

I’m SO excited to bring the story of Alexis Fox to light. He’s such a complex character that I had to give him his own book. It follows him over three separate centuries of life. I get to cover the 60s, 70s, 80s, and future all in one book.

God help me.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Bookfunnel has been absolutely indispensable. I could never have met with success without their promotions. It’s really easy, too. The Facebook ads have been great, but were very confusing at first.

Mailerlite has been helpful, but it is definitely a bit of a “learn it yourself.”

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have an ending in mind! I wrote two books that were totally unusable because I didn’t know exactly where they were going.

Don’t be afraid to throw away your first big story. I know you think it’s a #1 that is going to sweep the world, but I’d wager that it won’t (not as your first draft, anyway). That’s okay. Write more and learn. If you keep at it, you might just turn into the next New York Times bestseller.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Finish three books before publishing the first.

It’s totally counter-intuitive because you have to get that first one out, or your head will explode, but really it will give you a head start on publishing and is one less thing to worry about. I promise that it’s totally worth it. I can’t imagine how I’d be feeling right now if I didn’t have two finished manuscripts waiting in the chamber.

What are you reading now?
Agatha Christie–Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

I know I’m slow. Like I said, my attention span is really bad.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publishing “Unnatural Selection” and then, “The Andromeda Paradox.” I would love to write full time, but I need to make quite a bit more revenue first! It’s been an amazing ride, but I think I need to cultivate a larger fan-base before even considering writing as a career.

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…

“How to Build A Raft With Natural Materials 101”

Just kidding.

“And Then There Were None,” “The Great Gatsby,” and “Watchmen.”

Author Websites and Profiles
Greg Prado Website
Greg Prado Amazon Profile

Greg Prado’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

VK Tritschler 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a native New Zealander, who relocated to Australia a few years ago. The move prompted my desire to write into the flame of being an author. In 2018 I released my first romantic comedy, ‘The Secret Life of Sarah Meads’, a hilarious portrayal of how Sarah reignited magic in her life. Last year I was proactive in writing several books, including one of my new releases for 2020, ‘The Risky Business of Romance’ which is coming out with Inkspell Publishing in October. I have a supportive group of co-writers and authors in the form of Eyre Writers, which is based in my hometown.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
This year I have ‘The Risky Business of Romance’ coming out in October. Samantha is escaping her stressful life of trying to become a successful lawyer and the trauma of surviving the Christchurch earthquakes by moving to the sweeping scenery of rural South Australia and the heart of some of the wealthiest men in the country. There she meets Max, who has lived a comfortable farming and fishing lifestyle on the coast. His family has just discovered that an employee they trusted might be stealing from them, and his parents hire Samantha to investigate. Unable to understand each other’s true intentions, Samantha and Max struggle with their attraction and their separate goals. But when Samantha gets kidnapped, it is up to Max to save the day and win her love. It is inspired by my new home, and my own personal experience with the earthquakes.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to write with background noise. Often this is a radio or the television, but sometimes it the simple bustle of a coffee-shop. Some of my favorite lines have been inspired by the sounds I hear around me as I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many it’s almost impossible to list them all. When I was younger I went through a phase of reading all the classics, and some of my favorite authors are now long-gone but not forgotten such as Dickens and Austen. As I have got older, and especially now as a writer myself, I read new authors and writers. I love to see how age-old ideas are revamped and reinvented into new plots and twists.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on both a romance and a psychological thriller. Because of the graphic nature of writing the thriller, I use romance to balance out my emotional turmoil. Sometimes it works, sometimes it is frustrating! But I prefer to keep motivated and proactive as a writer.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Self-promotion is a technique that is both difficult and rewarding. But I love to engage on social media, I find that the interactive audience is the best promotional tool. I also spend a lot of time creating a dedicated and loyal local reading base, and this can be in the form of attending conferences and book signings, to getting to know the local librarian and providing book readings when they ask.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be determined! Being an author is hard work, but the rewards are the direct result of your input. The more you put in, the more you get out.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You are not an author, you are a brand. Sell yourself and your brand with pride, and remember that even the best-selling authors started somewhere.

What are you reading now?
At the moment I am reading Seveneves by Neal Stephenson which is a Sci-Fi. It’s not a normal genre for me but came highly recommended by my husband, in fact he insisted I read it!

What’s next for you as a writer?
2020 is going to be a massive year for me. With several books coming, and a growing fanbase I am excited and can’t wait to see what they think of my new work.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Pride and Prejudice – I love the romantic notion of this book
Bleak House – the descriptions are delicious
Tess of the Durbervilles – a love affair I began in high school
Jane Eyre – a reminder that good can come after hardship

Author Websites and Profiles
VK Tritschler Website
VK Tritschler Amazon Profile

VK Tritschler’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account