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Matt Beighton 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
For the last 8 years or so I’ve been a primary school teacher. For the last 4 years, I’ve also been writing children’s books. They were born largely out of a desire to add my own voice to the amazing stories that are already out there, and to write something that I know my daughters and the children in my class would enjoy reading.

So far, I’ve written 7 books. There are currently 4 books in the Monstacademy series for readers aged 6+, which are funny stories about a girl’s adventures at a school for monsters. I’ve written 2 books in the epic-fantasy series, The Shadowland Chronicles. These are more for readers aged 10+, especially those who love The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit or The Chronicles of Narnia.

Alongside these, I’ve written a book of school poetry called Tig, You’re It. The poems are all inspired by my time as a teacher, anybody who has ever been to school should find something they find funny in there.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The last book I wrote was Tig, You’re It, my book of school poetry. It was inspired by the great works of Allan Ahlberg and my time as a teacher.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m definitely what we call a “pantser”. This means that I sit down and write my story from scratch, with only an idea of where it needs to go in my head. Some writers like to sit down and plan out every chapter and carefully plot each section. That works great for them, but I prefer to jump in and see where it goes.

The exception to this is The Shadowland Chronicles. That world is so big now that I have a printout of the map on my wall and use little counters for each character so that I can keep track of where they all are!

I also have to have music on when I’m writing, but it can’t have any lyrics. There are some great playlists on Spotify that are filled with relaxing film scores which are great to write to.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ever since I was 12, I’ve been a devoted fan of Terry Pratchett. This has now reached a point where I’m hunting down first editions of the books and buying any merchandise I can get my hands on. I love Tolkein and Douglas Adams as well, for different reasons.

There are so many exceptional new authors bursting on to the scene now. My daughter and I both love the Morrigon Crow Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend and I’m currently loving Scavengers by Darren Simpson. Mid-grade books are so full of excitement right now, it’s a great area to be writing in.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a mid-grade novel about an evacuee who arrives in Cornwall and is quickly thrown into a treasure hunt. He’ll meet a German Jewish boy who came over on the Kindertransport and I’m interested in exploring the relationship they might have; coming from such different backgrounds but with the same shared experience at the end.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It’s constantly changing. For a while, I had a lot of success with Amazon and Facebook ads, but they’ve changed a lot recently. Word of mouth is always good, and I love visiting schools to run my creative writing workshops with children.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write as much as you can. My writing now is so much better than when I started 4 years ago. I write a lot of freelance work as well which means I’m constantly improving. It’s very hard to do that when you have a full-time job as well; I’ve been very lucky to have a supportive wife and family who’ve put up with me juggling two careers until recently.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s a toss up between:

“How hard can writing be? After all, most of the words are going to be and, the and I and it, and so on, and there’s a huge number to choose from, so a lot of the work has already been done for you.”

Or

“Writing is the most fun you can have by yourself.”

What are you reading now?
Scavengers by Darren Simpson and Body by Bill Bryson.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish my current work in progress, then move on to the next Monstacademy and the final Shadowland Chronicles instalment. Whilst I’m doing that, I want to reach out to more schools to visit with my workshops.

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?
Night Watch – Terry Pratchett (could also be the Shephard’s Crown)
The Lord of the Rings – Tolkein (I’m counting the trilogy as one book, you can’t stop me!)
Hitchiker’s Guide To The Galaxy – Douglas Adams (again, the trilogy in five parts is just one book)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the most emotional of them all)
And snook in under my coat, Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

Author Websites and Profiles
Matt Beighton Website
Matt Beighton Amazon Profile

Matt Beighton’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Thomas Galindo 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up on the East Coast of the United States. I have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and work as a Mechanical Designer while I ponder the absurdity of existence and suffer from curiosity, creativity, anxiety, and depression. I live with my wife and two cats, DeLorean and Taco.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The City Below the Cloud was inspired by the dystopia we live in today and a possible future of it. One important role of writing is organizing thoughts and concepts to better understand the world we live in today and plan for the world of tomorrow. I think Science Fiction is one of the best vehicles for this because it removes all limits and lets the ideas move to their natural extremes.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I guess one habit is that I do a lot of world-building in the shower. I’ll zone out for a while and explore every facet of a world and how it relates to the characters in the story I’m writing. I’m not sure how unusual that is, though.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think my main influence would have to be Frank Herbert. His Dune series really showed me what was possible with writing. Another one is Arthur C. Clarke, his story and concept centric approach elevates writing beyond just character. Then, on the reverse, Lucy Maude Montgomery shows how powerful characters can be in transporting a reader to another world.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on a collection of short stories that exist in the same universe in the future and are tangentially related to each other via a scientific think tank in Antarctica.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I enjoy hearing what people think of my book and what they took away from it, so I’ve mainly tried to find book bloggers. They read it and tell their readers about their experience. Then, the book’s true audience can find it through them.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write the stories that are important to you and have meaning. Without meaning, a story becomes hollow.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A story may have already been told, but it hasn’t been told by you.

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading through the Pali-canon, the Buddhist bible, for lack of a better explanation. I found out it was only fully translated into English within my lifetime and I’ve really been enjoying the wisdom in it. I’m also rereading ‘The Giver’ series. Lois Lowry does a really good job of creating unique cultures to explore and learn from.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More short stories. My story idea list is up to 86, so there’s plenty more that my brain wants to say. Hopefully, I can find the time and focus to write it all down.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Let’s see, first would be something nice and relaxing like one of the Anne books. I think Anne’s House of Dreams. Then, something with hope like Childhood’s End. I would definitely need one of the Dune books; I think maybe God Emperor. Lastly, so I never run out of things to read, The Neverending Story.

Author Websites and Profiles
Thomas Galindo Website
Thomas Galindo Amazon Profile
Thomas Galindo Author Profile on Smashwords

Thomas Galindo’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Taryn Feldmann 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
i’m a university student and writer. I love reading its my main passion in life. I love binge watching Netflix and writing at the same time. Music is also my life! I’ve written four books. One is a standalone and the other three are a trilogy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Gods of the Worlds. Greek and Egyptian mythology, I love ancient history especially ancient Egyptian history. I have a fascination with aliens and ancient civilisations and have researched the topic. My book focuses on these themes and the concept of good vs evil.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My unusual writing habit is writing different books at the same time. i have a very overactive mind and like to do multiple things at once. So I have half finished books that I still need to complete.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Nora Roberts because she writes beautifully and can write any genre. I love her fantasy novels. Wilbur Smith is my favourite adventure writer and his books have helped me with the type of style in adventure books.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a medical romance novel and fantasy novel about witches.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome Gang of course and any website willing to promote my book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up and just write. Don’t worry about over thinking thoughts or ‘I’m not good enough.” Just sit down and write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep swimming! Dory’s line is my motto in life.

What are you reading now?
Lesley Pearce – Belle. It’s a time period romance one of my favourite genres.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to take a break while I study but before that I’m going to publish my medical romance. During university breaks I will write my fantasy novel.

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?
After (Anna Todd), Message from Nam (Danielle Steel) and Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

Author Websites and Profiles
Taryn Feldmann Website
Taryn Feldmann Amazon Profile

Taryn Feldmann’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Arnittress Dowdy 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was either in the second or third grade when I discovered poetry, and in the forth grade when I discovered romance novels. With poetry, I thought it was cool how you could express yourself, create a scene, and even tell a story. Now as for the romance novels, welllll…. We moved into this house and the lady that lived there was an avid romance novel reader. In the garage, there was a little room. In that room, there were a bunch of books, magazines, and some other things. Being the curious kid that I was, I looked through everything. Out of all that was in that room, one book stood out. The cover was simple. The background color started off cream at the top and faded to white as it got to the bottom. At the top was the author’s name, the title below that. Both were in a whimsical type font in bold black letters. Under the title was a small set of eyes and a woman standing on what looked like a podium, naked with her back facing the reader. The name of the book was Once Is Not A Enough by Jacqueline Susann who also wrote Valley Of The Dolls. I remember opening the book and the first thing I read, was a scene where two women were having sex with each other. I had no business reading that book. I took it to my room and finished it in two days.

That’s when my writing journey began. In the beginning, I wasn’t consistent. I was just writing poems just to tell family members, well just my mom that I loved her. Once I got into high school, everything changed. My writing was influenced by the sex I wasn’t having. Life after high school had me writing about my emotions and the sex that I was having and wanted to have. I eventually started sharing more and doing open mics. My emotional inspired poems were sparking conversation. I thought that was amazing. I was getting requests to write poems for other people and for weddings. People trusted my words enough to have me write a piece for their loved ones.

The next part of the journey was attempting to get my poems published. I discovered that my poems/poetry would be hard to sell and market. It didn’t stop me though, it made me push myself as a writer. It pushed me so hard that my first novel, Dreamtini which was published in 2007.

When I wrote Dreamtini, I wrote the follow-up immediately after. I was hoping to release that a year later. I had to take an hiatus which lasted nine years. During that time I became a mother twice, to two handsome boys. In 2016, I made the decision to start following my passion and at the same time show my boys that anything that they are passionate about or any dreams that they had, they could make happen. It’s been a long journey but I’m here and to date I’ve written, two novels, Dreamtini and Dreamtini II: The Reality and two poetry books, Pieces of Me and Simply Me.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled, Dreamtini II: The Reality. It is the follow-up to my first novel, Dreamtini.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I really don’t have any unusual writing habits. I’ve been writing for over 30 yrs. Whenever I get the urge to write, I write. It doesn’t matter if it is a poem or or an outline for another book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I can’t say that any author in particular has influenced me. Writing is just something that I just enjoy doing.

What are you working on now?
I’ve just released Dreamtini II: The Reality, so I’m getting ready to promote that as well as launching a podcast. Soon after that I will begin to work on m next book, The Tales of Kayla & Kay-Kay.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method for me as far as promoting my books would be a tie between my newsletter and word of mouth.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors, keep writing, your story needs to be told and read.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I’ve ever heard was to follow my passion and keep doing what I’m doing.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading, Mastery by Robert Greene.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Launching my podcast and releasing my next 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, Catcher In The Rye, Anything by Robert Greene.

Author Websites and Profiles
Arnittress Dowdy Website
Arnittress Dowdy Amazon Profile

Arnittress Dowdy’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Dee Rose 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in raised in Gary, Indiana. I currently live in Denver, Colorado. The two places are like night and day. Gary is poverty stricken and Denver is a growing big city. I grew up in poverty before joining the Navy. When I got out, I moved to Denver and went back to school. I started at Aurora Community College and graduated. I then went to Metropolitan State University and majored in Political Science. I have two daughters. I’ve published eight books so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is The Hangman Returns. I’ve created what I like to call the Hangman Universe or HMU. The Hangman books are novels. The other books, featuring he supporting characters, are novellas. I used to rap and The Hangman was one of my creepy songs. I thought, this would make a great story to write about, and so I did.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Honestly, I don’t have any unusual writing habits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The main author that influence me is Stephen King. I love the supernatural elements in his books.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on the follow-up novella to The Grand Librarian: Life of an Immortal. Its call The Grand Librarian: The Future Wizards.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method of promoting my books is through the my own website, DeeRoseBooks.com.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors would be to just sit down and write. Get the story out and worry about the smaller stuff later.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I’ve ever heard was, “don’t sweat the light stuff”. Its from the wrestler X-Pac.

What are you reading now?
I’m not reading anything right now. I’m extremely busy trying to market my book and finish the once I’m working on now.

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me as a writer is a break. Haha. I’ve been going hard and heavy for about three years now.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
If I was stranded on a desert island, the books I would take are, Cujo, Carrie, and my own book, The Hangman.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dee Rose Website
Dee Rose Amazon Profile

Dee Rose’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Kayla Krantz 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written almost fifteen novels. My writing fluctuates between a variety of genres, but my favorites to write are psychological, horror, and paranormal. I love suspenseful stories, and I can lose myself easily in just about any book. When I’m not reading or writing, I like to draw and bake.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Storm Breaker, and it’s the final book in the Blood Moon Trilogy. The Blood Moon Trilogy was inspired by my love of classic horror. I wanted to explore the myth of where werewolves and vampires came from, but I wanted to do it in a way different from typical slasher films.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to write with pen and paper before I move it to a word document. I can’t write directly on a computer. Something about staring at a computer screen makes it hard for me to think.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love authors that can tell layered, complex stories with unforgettable characters.
I’ve been greatly influenced by Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, Gillian Flynn, Mary Kubica, Ruth Ware, and Lynn Weingarten.

What are you working on now?
Now, I’m working on a piece for a box set called Dungeons and Demons. In this story, a group of teenagers play a game of Dungeons and Dragons on Halloween except one of their friends is not who they think he is.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
When it comes to promoting, the best tool I have is networking. Connecting to not only readers but other authors is very important. The best way of doing this for me is Twitter. The #writingcommunity is a wonderful place filled with supportive souls.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never forget why you’re telling your story. It can be easy to get discouraged and to think that your idea has been done or no one will read it, but the truth is, no one can tell your story the way you can.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There will always be people who don’t like your work. Don’t sweat it. You’re not pizza.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading My Sister is Missing by Carissa Ann Lynch.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As a writer in the long term, I am looking forward to eventually finishing my nine book series, the Rituals of the Night series. In the short term, however, I am looking forward to the release of the Soul’s Day boxset, and my piece in it Dungeons & Demons.

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 Dark Half by Stephen King
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Bad Girls with Perfect Faces by Lynn Weingarten

Author Websites and Profiles
Kayla Krantz Website
Kayla Krantz Amazon Profile
Kayla Krantz Author Profile on Smashwords

Kayla Krantz’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Kristin Sherry 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Kristin Sherry is a career consultant, speaker, trainer and four time author. She is the managing partner of YouMap LLC, which certifies aspiring coaches, recruiters, career services and HR professionals as YouMap® Coaches and Workshop Facilitators.

Kristin has been a featured career expert on Wharton Business Radio, invited to speak at DisruptHR and numerous conferences, events and radio interviews, has contributed to Entrepreneur Magazine and has been featured in Digital Business Women eMagazine and Inc.com.

She lives with her husband Xander and their children in North Carolina.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Your Team Loves Mondays…Right? was inspired by the number of people I was coaching that were trying to escape their boss. I had written YouMap to help people find a job they’ll love, but if that job was vacant from someone escaping their manager, I wanted to help all managers earn their team’s respect and get better results.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write at least one book every year.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Sam Horn, author of IDEAPreneur and Napolean Hill, Think and Grow Rich.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a children’s book and Maximize 365, which is a year’s worth of practical tips to maximize your potential.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use LinkedIn to promote my books since I write career and business books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Check out my free 9-video series for authors on my LinkedIn profile.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/so-you-wanna-write-book-kristin-sherry-youmap-creator

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much. – Jim Rohn

What are you reading now?
Think and Grow Rich, Napolean Hill and Smart Women Finish Rich, David Bach.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A four volume children’s series on pre-career exploration.

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, Pillars of the Earth, The Stand, Four Seasons.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kristin Sherry Website
Kristin Sherry Amazon Profile

Kristin Sherry’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Kenn Crawford 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written 3 books to date and working on several more – fiction and non-fiction.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Misadventures of Mallory Malo. Quite a few years ago I was writing for a site and every week I wrote “The Saga of Bayou Billy” stories. It was aimed at adults but one of my biggest fans was a young girl (her bother would read the stories to hear and skip over the stuff she was too young to hear.) When I heard about this, I started to include her in some of the stories (she was called “the kid”) and then I wrote a story that she could read herself without her mom “editing” it as she read to her.
I wanted to write a book that I would be proud to let my grandchildren read, so I started reworking that story I wrote so many years ago. Writing a middle-grade book was a lot harder than I thought, and more rewarding than I could ever have imagined.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need absolute silence, which is rather ironic considering I am a musician.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My grandfather was my biggest influence. Ever since I was young I could remember Papa typing on his manual typewriter, writing his stories. When I became a teen he lent me his typewriter and I have been writing ever since.

What are you working on now?
The sequel to “The Misadventures of Mallory Malo” as well as a couple of non-fiction books. Many people will tell you not to work on several books at the same time, and I agree… I “rotate” my work-in-progress books. When the draft is sent off to beta readers I use that time to work on a different book. When that is sent to beta readers I go on to the next book until I am eventually back to the beginning and making changes according to the feedback I received from my beta readers. Then it’s rinsie in repeat.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth. Initially, I used free audiobooks to help spread the word about my debut novel, and it was quite popular, but I found that getting sales was difficult because they could hear it for free. Not to mention, a full-cast audiobook with close to two dozen voiceover actors was a lot of work. Now I am just using word of mouth and testing a few Amazon ads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day and every day your writing will get better.
Write the first draft with your heart – write the second draft with your head.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“The worst feeling you will ever have is being on your deathbed with your music still in you.” My grandfather before he passed away.

What are you reading now?
Books on independent publishing

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m also an independent filmmaker, so there’s always the possibility that I might turn Mallory into a movie.

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 know you’re probably looking for favorite fiction books, but if I was going to be stranded, I’d rather survival books. I can also make up stories to entertain myself so I’d rather books on finding edible plants, purifying water and stuff like that.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kenn Crawford Website
Kenn Crawford Amazon Profile

Kenn Crawford’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Roderick Edwards 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Roderick Edwards is an adoptee who after 50 years found his birth family. This revelation sparked the “real” person inside him and he went from being a data analyst drone to writing books and doing art and designing elaborate gardens. I’ve written 4 books in less than 6 months and am eager to continue to write as many books as I can in the short 20-30 years of life I have left. The genre for the books range from a fictional tale of a man waking on a strange planet all alone to my autobiographic of the adoption reunion to a philosophical look at apparent coincidences to a hypothetical treatment of overthrown governments.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
How to Overthrow a Government is a hypothetical and historical look at sedition, treason, and rebellion. It details how these thoughts and actions have played out in history and how they could and are playing out in the present day. It is a dangerous book to even own much less read in a non-free society, so be aware.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Some people find that I am loose with “tenses”. I tend to write in a past-present-future tense that I call elastic tense.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I really like Isaac Asimov but most books I’ve read have been boring history books by dead Roman and Greek guys.

What are you working on now?
I am presently working on two books;
1) Excel for Everyone — instead of for “dummies”. It is a help book like never before.
2) The History and Future of Black People — yes you read that right. Stay tuned.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to figure that out. I so much dislike mass marketing so I’ve been trying to do podcasts and promote via social media. It hasn’t blown the lid off of anything yet.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write a few short books and publish on Amazon or some other site. Consider these your trial books. You probably won’t even sell one. But this is just for you to understand the process before you invest in your life’s work.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep on keeping on. Yep, just that simple.

What are you reading now?
Reading? I’m a writer. Do you think I have time to read? LOL

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m trying to figure out new ways for people to interact with my writing. For example, the old method of endnotes is so yesterday. A quick link in the sentence seems better.

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?
4 blank journals and 50 pens. Hey, I’m a writer, not a reader.

Author Websites and Profiles
Roderick Edwards Website
Roderick Edwards Amazon Profile
Roderick Edwards Author Profile on Smashwords

Roderick Edwards’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Max Willi Fischer 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born and raised in an immigrant family, Max Willi Fischer has always had an interest in history. A retired middle school teacher, he enjoys writing about the ironies that occur in history. His first novel, The Corkscrew App, was published by Royal Fireworks Press in 2016. He’s also published several short stories. When not writing, he enjoys travel, reading and home-improvement projects.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
In the months immediately following my retirement, I first became aware of German/German-American civilian internment during World War II. I read Jan Jarboe Russell’s The Train to Crystal City with shock and amazement. Long before the mess on our southern border, our government was separating families…innocent families, guilty only by ethnicity. My mother had related to me how my great uncle Willi had been interviewed by the F.B.I and how my great aunt Frieda would not allow politics to be discussed under their roof. Upon reading Russell’s book, things fell into place.

My latest book, American Brush-Off, tells the story of seventeen-year-old Lud Mueller. Labeled a “dangerous enemy alien” in his hometown, Lud learns his deliverance depends upon his wit trumping his brawn. Interned in the Texas desert, he and his family become pawns in a secret World War II strategy. This isn’t what he expected for his senior year of high school.

American Brush-Off was written with two goals in mind. First, it’s important for young readers to realize how fear can contort one’s outlook on reality. Of the 11,000 Germans/German-Americans interned during World War II in this country, not one was ever convicted of treason or any other felony. Second, while Japanese-American incarceration during World War II has received wide-spread publicity through the decades (and rightly so), virtually no one is aware of the injustice inflicted upon thousands of German-Americans in a similar manner.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I consider myself a “plantser”. Some sort of historical paradox grabs me, and I plot the path of my book to a degree. Then again, I make so many changes along the way as the characters take root that I’m actually “flying by the seat of my pants”.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
One of the first pieces of advice I received as a writer was to read Stephen King’s “On Writing”. His insistence on the economy of words has remained with me. With each review I do on an individual chapter as a I write (or the entire manuscript at the end), King’s admonition on making it easier on the reader echoes within me.

What are you working on now?
Once again, I’m drawn to how fear of the unknown turns man into mush. “Revelations From the Dead: Chronicles of the Night Waster” is set in 1830’s New England. Communities are being ravaged by the disease of consumption (tuberculosis) which contemporary medicine is unable to treat successfully. It leaves the door open for Old World superstitions and bizarre remedies. In an era when the word “vampires” wasn’t known, the belief in them truly existed.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Good question. Having only published my second book–an eBook at that–success has been limited. Hopefully, Awesome Gang will remedy that situation.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Write what you know about and drives you.
2. Expect rejection; lots of it.
3 Remain committed and undeterred; don’t give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Strange, but as a writer, I am truly dependent on what I learned on the football field in high school over fifty years ago. During my first year on the team, upperclassmen sought me out with forearm shivers to the helmet. After some of those blows, I saw everything around me in a yellowish tint–the color of the mesh scrimmage vests half of us were wearing. Yet, I consistently got up and back into the fray. “Never stay down; never give up” applies on the football field; it applies in writing; it applies in life.

What are you reading now?
I just finished David McCullough’s “The Pioneers” about the settlement of the Ohio country after the Revolutionary War. As a former history teacher, I’m dependent on non-fiction to inspire my historical fiction. To me, reality is stranger than fiction.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve decided to forge ahead in the world on-line self publishing. It gives me creative control. However, it does place the onus on me to responsibly market my own material.

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?
Long Knife by James Alexander Thom; Panther in the Sky by James Alexander Thom; The Conquerors by Alan Eckert

Author Websites and Profiles
Max Willi Fischer Website

Max Willi Fischer’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
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Gene Lipen 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I really enjoy writing children’s books. There is something about the process that gets me completely exited. I love the idea that some kids will find my books fun and might learn something in the process. Currently, I am working on publishing the 3rd book about Arthur in the Kids Books for Young Explorers series – Solar System Amazing Space Adventure. I am also working on future books for this series and can’t wait to get them out into the world.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A lot of my ideas for new books are born from my two daughters. The last book that was published was named – USA Destinations That Spark Our Fascinations. My family loves to travel and I decided to create a book based on the destinations my kids enjoyed.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually try to write a little bit every day. Some days are more creative than others and sometimes ideas can come to you throughout the day. I always try to jot down my thoughts right away on paper. It is interesting how focusing on specific topic will spark ideas that you never had before. I believe this to be true not only with books, but many other challenges in life.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have read many children’s books and enjoy most of the classics. All of the books I read influence me in one way or another, but it is my family that brings me the most inspiration for writing.

What are you working on now?
My work right now is focused on the next book about Arthur. There are many more adventures coming up for Arthur in the near future, so stay tuned!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still a novice when it comes to promotions. I do believe that it is important to promote books and am trying multiple methods to do so. I don’t think I have found the best one just yet, but I am working on getting better with this activity.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think it is important to understand your final destination when you want to become an author. Where is it that you are trying to end up and what is the criteria for your success looks like. I believe that once you have identified these items, it becomes a lot easier to get started. Also, I would caution you about having anyone negatively effect your dream of becoming an author. If you have a dream, go for it and never look back. Ignore anyone who will tell that your dream is impossible to achieve.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Success is a progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”

What are you reading now?
I am reading the book: “The First Tycoon”

What’s next for you as a writer?
I believe that I have a lot to learn still about writing and publishing books, so I really plan to focus and devote my time to this.

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?
Don Quixote
Great Expectations
The Count of Monte Cristo
Probably a book about surviving on a desert island

Author Websites and Profiles
Gene Lipen Amazon Profile

Gene Lipen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Deborah Ivey 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a wife, mother, grandmother , life coach, and US Army retiree. I currently work for the US Government as an Administrative Officer. I have coauthored 4 books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I told the Storm. It’s a coauthor project . It was about getting free from storms.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Romance and Self help

What are you working on now?
My own book

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth on social media

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t let fear hold you back. Just do it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write from the heart

What are you reading now?
Addicted to Pain by Rainie Howard

What’s next for you as a writer?
Workshops to get more exposure

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?
Harlequin Romance

 

Deborah Ivey’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Andy Greenhalgh 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a British author living in London. I spent most of my life working as a professional actor on stage, on TV and in the movies. Nowadays I teach acting in a university. I have written two books, SPENCER’S RISK and SPENCER’S BLUES. They are both dark comedies. SPENCER’S RISK deals with gambling and crime, SPENCER’S BLUES is set in Georgia USA and deals with a love affair that crosses the racial divide.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
SPENCER’S BLUES is my latest book. It is very hard to say where ideas come from but I knew I wanted to write a love story and I was interested in the white supremacy movement. I wanted to see if I could deal with a difficult subject in a comic way.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I type standing up because it is good for my back!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So difficult to pick out individuals because I think everything we read goes into the mix somehow. People have said that my style reminds them of Tom Sharpe.

What are you working on now?
Gathering ideas for my third book

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have found that good reviews are the factor that makes a difference to sales.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do not let it become a chore. Writing should be fun for the writer as well as the reader.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do not worry about being original. In terms of content surely everything has been done. Your voice will be individual.

What are you reading now?
A biography of Joey Grimaldi by Andrew McConnell Scott

What’s next for you as a writer?
Getting stuck into my third novel

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 like to have another go at ULYSSES.

Author Websites and Profiles
Andy Greenhalgh Amazon Profile

Andy Greenhalgh’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile