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Juanita Walters 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a child of God. I’m a mother of 2 wonderful boys. Teaching is my profession and passion. In addition to being a writer, I am a mentor in the Girls Empowerment Movement (GEM), poet, minister, and future school building leader. I’ve written 2 books previously. “Lifted Faces-Transforming through the Word of God” and “S.H.E (She Has Evolved) Journal are the published titles on Amazon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I Told the Storm is the title of the latest book that I have contributed to. The inspiration behind my latest contribution is overcoming the storms and obstacles that life brings by anchoring yourself in God. Being an overcomer is the motivating/driving force behind the “I Told the Storm”.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Ideas and thoughts come to me randomly, therefore I tend to write on napkins, sticky notes, digitally, or whatever I can find to write on at the time. It doesn’t matter where I am, if God downloads something or I become inspired by something or someone I start writing. I don’t like the rules of writing much, so I tend to have a preference for poetry.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I mainly read spiritual books or children books (due to being a teacher and mother).

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a prayer book contribution with 50 other women along with a ghost writing project. I am also working on some poetry.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Instagram or Facebook I use to promote digitally. I also like to do word of mouth and networking.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take your time and get into a peaceful place to allow your creativity to flow. Follow the path God laid out for you and be yourself every step of the way! God didn’t ordain you to be like anyone else, use and speak from your own voice!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be you! God has an audience tailored to fit your voice!

What are you reading now?
The Bible

What’s next for you as a writer?
Promoting and stepping out of the box with my poetry.

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?
Honestly, I don’t have the answer to that right now. I am on overload with text from school.

 

Sharona Stone 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Sharona Stone, I am a wife and a mother of two boys. I am a License Associate Marriage Family Therapist. I am passionate about helping individuals heal by unpacking their pain to live a satisfying life. Currently I have written two books and I’m looking forward to write plenty of more.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am a co-author of I told the storm. I was inspired to be apart of this amazing book because I have overcame many storms in my life. The “storm” means the obstacles individuals experience in life. I want to inspire readers through my story and tell them no matter what obstacles they are facing they will get through. In I told the storm readers will be encourage not only by my story but many individuals stories. Readers will be inspire to go from pain to purpose in the storm.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I believe everyone have a unique writing habit. I like to write from a therapist and a Christian point of view. I want my readers to understanding the psychological and spiritual view of their painful experience in life.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Iyanla Vanzant books have help me through my own trauma I experienced in life.
Nabiha Kelly, Shattered shame and Rejection influenced me to talk about my truth and let go shame of fear.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a book about the many trauma I went through in life and how it took a fugitive to save me.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method to promoting my books is on Facebook and Instagram. Also, Amazon is great when it comes to promoting my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If your a new author sharing your story for the first time. Don’t down play your truth because you are afraid of your family and friends reading your book. Other people that have experience the same pain as you is waiting to be inspire by your story. Also, while sharing your story don’t write angry. Tell the readers your experience, healing and growth.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard was, the only limitations you have is the ones you put on yourself.

What are you reading now?
Beauty for Ashes by Joyce Meyer

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be doing two book signing events in New York. Also I will be doing workshops for women to heal and build.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I will take Beauty for Ashes by Joyce Meyer, Unlocked by TD Jakes and Wholeness by Toure Roberts.

 

Sharona Stone’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Marsha Taylor 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Northeastern Oklahoma and was raised in a small rural community near the Capitol of the Cherokee Nation. I have loved reading since I was a kid and started writing in high school. I have written a few books for my local community, including local histories and genealogies as well as a couple of romance books no longer in print. Mineral Creek is my first book in ten years after taking a break in writing to have a family. My husband and myself have 6 children ranging in age from 18 years old to a set of twins that are only 4 months old.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Mineral Creek and was inspired by a picture I saw in a weird Oklahoma book. In this book there was a headstone that read ‘murdered by human wolves’ on it. My imagination just soared. It was a story I had in my head for a few years and needed to be told. It is a complete work of fiction, the only fact is the headstone in the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have to listen to old tv shows like I Love Lucy and the Beverly Hillbillies when I’m writing. If it’s quiet in the house I can’t write a thing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love historical romance books, so my favorite authors are Hannah Howell and Lynsey Sands, but I also love Edgar Allen Poe and The Raven.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on a children’s book series featuring my twins , Alex and Amelia. I’m currently waiting on the illustrations to come back for the first book and I already have the second half written.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t found the best one yet but right now I just use Facebook.com and my website www.authormarsha.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t get discouraged if your book doesn’t start selling right away. It takes persistence and marketing to get your book out there but it can be done.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up. I didn’t think I would ever finish my first book but when I typed that last sentence and hit save it was the best feeling in the world.

What are you reading now?
I’m focusing on writing right now so there is no time to read at the moment but I’m always on the lookout for a new book to put in my collection.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a couple of stories started and I want to get those finished and hopefully start a few more.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Any book from Hannah Howell’s Murray Series

Author Websites and Profiles
Marsha Taylor Website
Marsha Taylor Amazon Profile

Marsha Taylor’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Jessi Elliott 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Jessi Elliott is a law clerk and author of young adult and new adult romantic fiction. Her love of writing was born after many years of reading and reviewing books on her blog.

She lives in Southwestern Ontario with her adorable cat, Phoebe. Yes, named after the Friends character.

When she’s not plotting her next writing project, she likes to spend her time hanging with friends and family, getting lost in a steamy romance novel, watching Friends, and drinking coffee.

You can find Jessi at jessielliott.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can join her newsletter to stay up to date on book news and upcoming releases.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Twisted Devotion is the fourth book in the Twisted series and it releases April 21, 2020!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Hmm, I don’t think so. I enjoy writing late at night and in coffee shops.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jennifer L. Armentrout, Wendy Higgins, and Becca Fitzpatrick are all influential authors in my writing journey.

What are you working on now?
I’m planning to release Twisted Devotion and getting ready to dive into edits for my young adult paranormal romance story!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Social media is so important! I think some authors and even new writers don’t spend enough time on their content marketing on social media.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Work hard. The harder you work, the better you’ll feel when you crush your amazing, epic goals! Also, find your people. A support system of fellow authors is an incredible thing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write the story YOU want to read.

What are you reading now?
Mostly craft books, and anything with the enemies-to-lovers trope! The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black is currently on my nightstand.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Working on my young adult novel to submit to publishers this summer!

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?
Save the Cat Writes a Novel and… a few Jennifer L. Armentrout novels.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jessi Elliott Website
Jessi Elliott Amazon Profile

Jessi Elliott’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Guy Arnold 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a serial business entrepreneur, who now specialises in working with businesses who want to expand quickly without prostituting themselves or offering deals that are unsustainable over the long term. I work with businesses large and small to help them put simple but powerful systems into their operations that supercharge customer loyalty, reputation and referrals, from the start, as the no 1 business-building strategy.

I’ve written 4 books of this subject: ‘Great or Poor’, ‘Sales through Service’, ‘The Reputation Book’ and ‘Slow Selling’

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘Slow Selling’ is deliberately titled to stir questions in people who see it: why would we want to sell slowly? Surely we want fast sales?

‘Slow Selling’ exposes and debunks all the popular ‘sales building’ and ‘quick fix’ old hat ideas of the past, and instead offers a more principle centred, joined-up approach to sales and business operation, in the world of two-way mass communication and the empowered customer.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in my campervan parked on Dartmoor!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ – Dr Stephen Covey
‘Good to Great’ – Jim Collins
‘The Speed of Trust’ – Stephen M R Covey
‘How to win friends and influence people’ – Dale Carnegie
and many more!

What are you working on now?
I’m putting together the ‘Slow Sellers Association’: an online platform for Business Owners, Leaders and Managers that will deliver 3 things for them:
1. Expertise (to get systems right)
2. Confidence (support of experts and a community)
3. Recognition (a public declaration of quality: being a ‘Slow Seller’)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I blog 2 or 3 times and week on my own website and on Linked In

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Focus on what you LOVE and what you’re passionate about: people can tell!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Success is all about spending your time doing something worthwhile and fulfilling: do this well and the money will follow (not the other way round).

What are you reading now?
The Four Legs of the Table: Raymond Ackerman

What’s next for you as a writer?
Who can tell?

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 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’
‘The collected works of PG Wodehouse’
‘The collected works of Shakespeare’ (corny, I know)
‘How to stop worrying and start living!’

Author Websites and Profiles
Guy Arnold Website
Guy Arnold Amazon Profile

Guy Arnold’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Lucian Bane 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written over 50 romance titles under many sub-romance-genres. I’m from Louisiana and a full-bloodied cajun. Me, my wife, and my 5 neices and nephews live with the bayou at our back door on a 3-acre piece of land full of trees! We love it.

We homeschool and so when I’m not writing, I’m helping with the kids or working on the house addition (we’re putting a second story) There’s never a dull moment around here, that’s for sure. I hope you enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoyed writing it!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The final (6th) book in my Reginald Bones series. A story about a man with split personalities who falls in love with the same woman. At first only one of his personalities falls for her and the other hates her. Eventually, they all like her and none of them want to share her lol. I think I may love this series the most out of all my stories.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It’s not unusual to me, but I plot the basic storyline which is almost always character-driven, and write by scenes while listening to word-less music.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Amo Jones is an amazing writer, that’s all I have on that lol. If I could learn the craft from anybody, I’d glean from her talents. But she is not easy to glean from since her craft is based on her very own unique talent.

What are you working on now?
My latest book coming is Headsectomy. About a man who is getting a head transplant to save his life. The short blurb– It’s a miracle he found a doctor to perform the illegal procedure, but can he and his family survive the chilling outcome of its success. It will be a medical thriller-horror that I hope will rock the reader world!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
www.authorlucianbane.com (My website!)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you want to make it as a professional writer, you had better take business classes and treat it EXACTLY like a business facing fierce competition. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time and money. Go big or go home with this one. Find writing groups that do not PLAY around with writing and marketing. The more strict the rules are in the group, the better the group.

Do NOT get caught up in any kind of bad drama. It is NOT worth it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Too many things to list!

What are you reading now?
Nothing at the moment

What’s next for you as a writer?
Marketing my backlists and writing Headsectomy and hopefully becoming a best-seller with that one!

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, survivors guide, diary, and…can i just bring my library???

Author Websites and Profiles
Lucian Bane Website
Lucian Bane Amazon Profile

Lucian Bane’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Andreia Nobre 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1977, and finished Journalism School in 2003 at University Estacio de Sa. I started writing poetry at 10, and went on to write short tales. After graduating, worked as a freelance Journalist, writing pieces for online magazines like Brazil Post (Huffington Post Blog) and QG Feminista).

I lived in Portugal, Scotland and Spain before moving to France. In UK, I came into contact with stand-up comedy, and since then I started writing humour content as well.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first published book, The Grumpy Guide to Quit Smoking, was written after I succeed to quit smoking for a second time. I started making snark remarks on Twitter about some of the most popular tips to kick the habit. Most of them and many more are now collected in this little book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to be surrounded by something to eat and to drink. I hate to seat at a table to write – I prefer sit on my bed.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Since I’m from Brazil, my favorite author is Luiz Fernando Verissimo. He is the son of a great writer, and went on to be a journalist. His columns in many Brazilian newspapers brings a weekly piece about politic satire. Many of his pieces were collected later in books. I wanted to tell my stories like him – nagging about everyday situations.

What are you working on now?
I have lots of projects started at the moment. A child’s book series which challenges gender stereotypes and is age appropriate to first readers in Portuguese. Two tales in Portuguese are ready to start publishing too. Now, I’m venturing into a tale in English too.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since this is my first book and I’m self-published, I’m still trying to find places to promote it. So, I don’t know yet which one is going to be the best method now. But Awesome Gang looks pretty neat – they even have a free interview platform for authors!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
With all the resources – many times available for free – on the internet, there’s no reason to be shy now. Find your favorite spot to write. Write down the main idea. Focus on your writing if you are a first timer. Then, self-publish yourself if you can’t find a publisher. Get out there. Your word can be part of the debate and the voices speaking right now.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get writing. It’s simple. Jot down your ideas. Decide later what this is all about.

What are you reading now?
I’m a huge fan of crime and detective stories, so I’m always reading some Doyle and Christie. If I’m not reading again my old books, it’s because I’ve found a new book by another less known author of this genre.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep publishing, establish myself both in comedy and fiction writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A book by Luiz Fernando Verissimo, another by Agatha Christie, a book about survival on a desert island and another one on how to get yourself out of a desert island, I guess. I’m practical that way.

Author Websites and Profiles
Andreia Nobre Amazon Profile

Andreia Nobre’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Sarah Gilbert 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been cooking for almost 20 years and fell in love with cooking at age 12 which started my motivation to take cooking classes every opportunity I had.

Once I started getting recognized by Taste of Home Magazine, Simple and Delicious, and even Paula Deen (on her blog, I won two contests!) I decided to start writing my cook books. My first one was Thanks A Brunch, Asian Fusion was my second.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Mexican American Cantina. This book will showcase my love of Mexican American food that I’ve been a fan of since I was a little girl. Going out to different restaurants and taco trucks inspired me to write this book. I spent many years trying to perfect these recipes and I am very proud of them!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing unusual, I just need to have mellow music on while I write to keep me relaxed.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Gordon Ramsey, Paula Deen and Ree Drummond. I admire all three of them to the highest degree and hope that some day one of them will be writing a forward for me.

What are you working on now?
Mexican American Cantina, just finishing it up and double checking everything before submitting it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t found a method or website yet that I have found to be successful in promoting my books. I have had a lot of success at Holiday Bazaars and handing out business cards personally.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing! Even when you feel discouraged, just keep writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To not give up just because the formatting of my book wasn’t working out for me. I had a little pity party for an evening and was told by my love that it will all work out, just start again the next day when I wasn’t feeling so frustrated.

What are you reading now?
The Psychology of Self Esteem.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be putting together all of my best recipes that have been featured in Taste of Home, Simple and Delicious and Country Cook Magazine plus others that I have held honors for. It will be an All American Cook 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 10th Kingdom, Still Alice, The Phantom of the Opera.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sarah Gilbert Amazon Profile

Sarah Gilbert’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Chip Hill 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired Air Force officer, aerospace industry professional and university engineering researcher. My interests include history, reading, playing guitar, thinking about things and simple woodworking projects. Now that I have retired, I am devoting some effort to creative projects including the Cloudland children’s book series, a teenage Christian musical, a T shirt project called Safe Streets, and random observational thoughts.
I have written three books in the Cloudland series so far and have ideas for a fourth. This is my first serious attempt at authorship, unless I add a humorous book from years ago called A Buzzword Dictionary? which cataloged many of the “buzzwords” I heard in my Air Force career… or technical documents from my years in aerospace research.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Cloudland books were inspired by, believe it or not, a poem I wrote back in high school about twin snowflakes. The idea was that snowflakes can’t look alike and this defied “King Nature’s” laws. When I envisioned the snowflakes up in the sky, I began to build a whole separate world (Cloudland) for which I described the creation of snow, lightning, rain, etc. And I created adventures for humans interacting with the strange creatures and sites of that world.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
None I consider unusual, but all painful, it seems. That is, although I can come up with ideas, getting those ideas on paper in well-written prose appropriate for the genre takes a lot of time and much re-writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m big into history, to include military history. I was a huge fan as a teenager of the John Carter series, and to a lesser extent the Tarzan series, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Another passion is anything Sherlock Holmes. Favorite authors include C.S. Lewis, Michael Chrichton, Tolkien, J.K. Rowling and John Grisham.

What are you working on now?
I’ve got ideas for a fourth Cloudland book but I have two other projects taking my time. I have written a teenage Christian musical that will be performed locally here sometime this year, I look forward to getting that off the ground. And I have trademarked a design for T shirts that pedestrians can use to remind drivers to slow down in their neighborhoods. The creation side of project is fun, the marketing side, not so much.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have really just begun on the promotion side. They are on my website (listed later), are available through a number of eBook sites, and I have started reaching out to various groups or sites for reviews.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The most practical advice would probably be to know what style of writing is most appealing to your audience, and work at the craft of focusing and improving your writing style. In my case, I had a lot to learn about the style of book appropriate for children aged, say, 7-11. But I worked with (and sometimes fought with) a good editor, and writing, like any endeavor, can be improved with practice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Well, I don’t know how it influences my writing, but there’s some pretty good advice in the Bible.

What are you reading now?
Next in the queue is Dead Wake by Erik Larson and a little escapism with an Elmer Kelton western.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully a fourth Cloudland book. The tease is I’m thinking about calling it Skyland… I’ll leave it to you to guess the significance of that.

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?
Whoa, my answer would undoubtedly change if I had some time to think about it. Probably Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. OK, that’s more than 3 or 4 books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Chip Hill Website
Chip Hill Amazon Profile

Chip Hill’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Angela Cole Claiborne 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an aspiring writer and I finished my first book over a year ago. I just published my first writings in a devotional I Told The Storm by Latonya Smiley. Expressing myself through writing is my best form of communicating. It is my hope that my stories inspire and give hope to all. I’m a Certified Christian Life Coach and HIScoach. I’m a survivor.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I Told The Storm is my latest book. I was inspired to submit my writing to this project because of a storm I went through a few years ago.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have no unusual writing habits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Linda Rooks author of The Sacrifice of Separation and Fighting For Your Marriage While Separated

Lysa Terkeurst’s books have influenced me.

Authors David and Amanda Taylor authors of; Motivated To Love, I Said I Do But I Don’t, Beauty In The Brokenness, The 37 Laws to Mastering Marriage

What are you working on now?
I’m working on my book The Sacrifice of Separation

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
No advice since I’m new myself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get all your stuff together because it’s later than you think.

What are you reading now?
It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst

What’s next for you as a writer?
To write a devotional and workbook. To host a conference centered around my book The Sacrifice of Separation

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 Sacrifice of Separation
I Told The Storm
The Purpose Driven Life

Author Websites and Profiles
Angela Cole Claiborne Website

Angela Cole Claiborne’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Barbara Oliverio 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the daughter of Italian immigrants and grew up in Northern West Virginia with a love of reading and a passion for learning. Following a career path that included being a teacher, journalist, and marketer, I have lived as far away from home as Italy where I had ample opportunity to practice my family’s native tongue as well as opportunity to take advantage of living near other European countries and travel extensively. My life-long joy in writing has culminated in novels that focus on young Catholic women in a positive light. Readers of all backgrounds have fallen in love with my characters who come from close-knit Catholic families who live their faith.

I currently have five published novels:
*Love on the Back Burner: A Tasty Romantic Comedy
*Love on the Lido Deck: A Nautical Romantic Comedy (Adapted as movie “Love at Sea”, available on Amazon Prime, Apple+ TV, and VuDu TV)
*Passports and Plum Blossoms: An International Romantic Comedy (Also in Audiobook)
*Game On: A Romantic Comedy that Scores
*Peak to Peak: A Romantic Comedy with Altitude

I am also a professional book critic, freelance editor, and a mentor to blossoming writers. In addition I share my writing and communications skills by preparing resumes and cover letters for job seekers, and I also coach them to optimize job interviews.

A rabid Pittsburgh Steelers fan, I live with my husband, an equally committed New York Giants fan, outside Orlando, where dinner is usually from one of my mother’s treasured recipes. When I’m not volunteering my time at my church, I can usually be found with my nose in a book, or shouting answers while watching Jeopardy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Peak to Peak: A Romantic Comedy that Scores

Living (at the time) in Colorado, I was acquainted with a large number of skiers. In addition, my husband and I had taken a lovely trip through through the lovely Catalonian area of Andorra. I wondered what would happen if a greedy industrial conglomerate would attempt to take over a beloved area near a ski resort –specifically one that was a convent boarding school. Out of the simmering stew of all of those ideas, this scenario was born:

Romie Costas lost her parents when she was a baby and was raised in an exclusive convent boarding school high above a charming ski village of Andorra in Colorado. She now runs a quirky gift shop in the town, and her life is uncomplicated until a global conglomerate who claims the mountain threatens to close down the school and evict the nuns that run it.

It’s up to Romie to determine a way to protect her childhood home, and she recruits a sophisticated alum who is a high-powered attorney, an elderly British globe-trotting couple, and even her vivacious childhood best friend in her quest. Along the way she meets Crosby McArthur, a charmer with striking jade eyes and a mysterious reason for popping up in the village.

Can Romie and her crew send the corporation back down the slopes? And what will it take for Crosby to secure a lifetime pass to Romie’s heart?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My Catholic faith informs everything in my life. I spend every morning in prayer, and I feel that if I don’t devote part of my morning reading “the” Book, then I won’t be prepared to write my book. That may seem unusual to some, but it is embedded in my DNA.

On a lighter note, I also have to admit…I speak my dialog out loud while I’m writing to see if it flows properly. This either can be very amusing or annoying to anyone within earshot.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anyone who would try to pigeonhole me by my bookshelves would be sadly mistaken. I am just as likely to read a book on the history of waste disposal as a fluffy chick lit novel. It all depends on my mood. I read a lot of books on the Catholic faith, the classics, history, biographies, bestsellers, current events, sociology, YA …you name it and I will read it, with the exception of pornography and anything that is gruesome or degrading. Since I must quantify, I will, and I’ll name my all-time top five books:
1) “Heidi”, because it is the first full-length book I ever read.
2) “Summa Theologae”, because St. Thomas Aquinas is equal to none.
3) “Sense and Sensibility”, because Jane Austen defined what a romantic novel should be.
4) The Starbridge and St. Benet series. I realize that’s cheating because it’s nine books but to appreciate the beauty and art that Susan Howatch brings, one needs to read the entire series.
5) “Almost Paradise”, because Susan Isaacs proves that a “woman’s” book can be funny and smart.

What are you working on now?
I have two non-fiction projects that I am researching — I am a researcher who doesn’t write and publish anything until I’m ready, but it’s an active process, not one of procrastination.

In addition, I work on the other area of my communications/writing endeavors where I create resume packages for job seekers and coach them to optimize their interview situations.

Oh…and I am also a professional book critic.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Hmm.
My official website is www.scolapastapress.com and I have a mailing list (that anyone can join by sending a request to “barbara@scolapress.com”. In addition, I invite folks to follow me at facebook.com/AuthorBarbaraOliverio

I am an outgoing kind of gal, and do book events at libraries and book stores, and visiting book clubs who have read my books is always fun.

If I am asked, I willing to contribute to blogs and other such sites.

Oh…my favorite things to do — because my motto is “Always Be Marketing” — are to a) always carry my bookmarks with me and offer one to someone who is reading a paper book, and b) for my husband and I to wear specific T-shirts and when people ask about them, we talk about my writing. His says “Only Real Men Marry Authors” and mine say “Careful or You May End Up in My Novel” and “I Write Fiction. What’s Your Superpower?” (We don’t wear them at the same time; that would be overkill.)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read read read. Read books by authors you admire and love. Read books that you feel are not particularly good so that you know what not to do. Don’t be afraid of the “p” word (plagiarism), because if you are ethical and don’t copy word for word and page for page, any story you tell will be original because it’s important to remember that every story has already been told hundreds of times — just not by you. Absorb the universal essence of “how” and apply it to your own “what”, “where”, “who”, and “when”. Read magazines, newspapers, the Web — read everything! The best way you can create is to study the craft. The other thing that helps me as a writer of contemporary fiction is to listen to dialog around me and jot down turns of phrase that are particularly good, or to jot down words that are particularly mellifluous or paint great word pictures.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
These things:
1. Read, Read, Read
2. “Sooner or later, somebody’s gonna tell you your baby is ugly.” In other words, don’t expect that every review will be a 5-star rave
3.”Unless you’re waiting for God to hand you words on tablets of stone, just write (you ain’t Moses).” ~Kurt Bobna, author

What are you reading now?
*The Twelve Chairs by Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov
*The ‘One Thing is Three’ by Fr. Michael Gaitley

After that, queued up is
*They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-1945 by Milton Mayer

What’s next for you as a writer?
I probably will produce more fiction in my chosen lane of clean comedy with a romantic twist, but right now I want to pursue the two ideas I have in non-fiction.

My husband, who is my biggest fan, and who was the main catalyst and support for my leap of faith to abandon my stable marketing career for a full-time leap of faith into full-time writing world, thinks I should investigate screenwriting. He was right about that original leap of faith, and he was right about the fact that one of my books would become a move, so I think I should trust his instincts!

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 have to take the Bible as that is a source of strength for me.
Jane Austen is a great inspiration, so a one-volume collection of her works would go a long way to keeping me entertained.
Since I routinely go back to read Anna Karenina, I think that indicates that I would probably not get tired of it.
For sheer pleasure of the guilty sort, I think some sort of compendium of the works of a laugh-out-loud Chick Lit gal would be necessary. Maybe Jane Heller?

I realize that I cheated by including two compilations, but there wasn’t anything in the rules that said I couldn’t, was there?

Author Websites and Profiles
Barbara Oliverio Website
Barbara Oliverio Amazon Profile
Barbara Oliverio Author Profile on Smashwords

Barbara Oliverio’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Don Sedei 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
When I graduated from La Roche College with a B.S. in Advertising Design, I set out to be the best designer in the world and spent my career immersed in the world of advertising and marketing, creating original ideas for some of the world’s largest brands to some of the world’s smallest brands fighting the disease of mediocrity.

In 2001, that same commitment opened many new doors, including the ones to my own ad agency, built on a simple mantra: “Every brand has a soul. But not every agency has the heart to find it. We do.” Likewise, I believe every story should possess a soul.

Today’s audience are adrenaline junkies looking for original, entertaining, and an unpredictable novel that will take your emotions on a rollercoaster ride that ricochets between loving, crying, loathing, laughing and cheering for the protagonist.

Chasing my dreams has been a lifelong passion the latest involves sharing the Tale of Bronco & The Wizard, published on January 7 of 2020, a lighthearted urban fantasy about friendship, football, and wizards. From the outrageous to the most heartfelt moments we discover a nefarious cult where the game of football is not in the hands of the players, but in the hands of some powerful wizards.

And then there is my dark side. Day One: Birth is a death sentence, was published by The Amusement Park, LLC and released on February 4 of 2019. A wicked fiction thriller and the first of a three-part Kachada Series of the untold story of Kachada Toscano, an unlikely tale where two parallel universes—the chilling ancestral traditions of the Comanche Tribe and the ruthless code of the Sicilian Mafia—mysteriously intersect.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Tale of Bronco & The Wizard is based on a true series of events during the 1980 Steelers Super Bowl XV run but is written as a lighthearted urban fantasy about friendship, football, and wizards and was published by The Amusement Park, LLC on January 7 of 2020.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Having spent over forty years in the advertising world creating campaigns, brand strategies, and creative positioning I have learned early on how to identify a good idea from a weak one.

I make an outline and review it over a period of weeks visualizing the story chapter by chapter before I begin to write it. It is a method I used during my ad career that I found focuses me on the overall feel and attitude of the story.

Naturally, like any creative idea, it evolves but at least I know what I want the protagonist’s soul to represent throughout the storyline.

At that point, I begin the process of actually writing. I do not write for others. I write to entertain myself. If I am emotionally moved during the process then I know I have it in a good place.

It usually takes me three weeks to write an entire novel. I never try to make it perfect during that first writing. I just want the story down as a layout so I can evaluate it.

Then I return to it after a week and start the process of refining it. That takes another three weeks. Then I hand it off to a copy editor. Then I rewrite utilizing the notes I agree with. Then I hand it off to a line editor. Once I have those notes I then rewrite the areas I feel need attention. Then I hand it off to a proofreader. I then make those adjustments and hand it off to yet again another proofreader. I make those adjustments and then I publish.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
This is going to sound odd, but I don’t have what I would call a favorite author or book. There are those I admire for different reasons. One such is the raw and honest dialogue writing of Elmore Leonard.
But for my novels, I draw upon my background in advertising that has exposed me to a collection of unique personalities, events, and experiences during my unpredictable creative journey as a creative inspiration.

What are you working on now?
DAY TWO: Leave no enemy alive, part-two of the Kachada Series is going through the third round of proofreading as I type this. I hope to have it published by March of 2020.

Right behind that is novel about a cross-section of emotionally wounded urban nomads and lost souls who learn first hand that one misstep can lead you back to the devil’s doorstep of the Hollywood Club where the journeys of the strange are welcomed. The Hollywood Club is written as a Frame Story and I promote it as a modern-day “Twilight Zone.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Not sure I have the answer to that being a relative newbie to the literary world. I am constantly researching sites and social media to expose my name and work. At this point, I design my own book covers and ads then release them throughout sites and groups as well as the standard Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin to test the success of the ads. From there I search for media that is affordable expose them. It is an ongoing finding.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Since I am a new author I’m not sure I qualify to give any such advice. The only thought I would try to pass on is to write for YOU.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you don’t dream it, it will never happen.

What are you reading now?
City Primeval by Elmore Leonard.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working to expose my novels to agents in the literary world and to film producers. Like I said earlier, “If you don’t dream it, it will never happen.” I am a dreamer.

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?
Deep Survival, U.S. Army Survival Manual, The Hunger Games, Special Forces Survival Guide, The Castaways

Author Websites and Profiles
Don Sedei Website
Don Sedei Amazon Profile

Don Sedei’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Valera Minin 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
this is my first book. The book is in good English. In Russia, such a book is censored. This is a book about real Russia.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Russian Justice: The Horror & The Fear. I was inspired to write a book about what is really happening in Russia, how people are disenfranchised and there are no human rights and freedoms

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
only the truth should be written

What authors, or books have influenced you?
life itself

What are you working on now?
life itself

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
people, the desire to change the World for the better

Do you have any advice for new authors?
write the truth and nothing but the truth. In Russia, there is a proverb – ” better the bitter truth than the sweet lie”

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
nothing but the truth. a negative result is also a result.

Author Websites and Profiles
Valera Minin Amazon Profile