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M.F. Hidayatt 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This will be the first time that I’ve written a full-length book and published it on the internet. Before this, I’ve always written only for myself about the things that’s running around in my head. I’m an introvert and I usually like to observe and examine everything that’s around me when I’m out or hanging around of people.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘Searching for Mortality: Remember Death’ is basically my first attempt to write a full-length novel and published it myself, you could call it a passion project if you like. The story is loosely inspired by the existential crisis that I had during my time in college.
Originally, I’m planning on writing a different story from one of the many drafts that been piling up in my notebook up to this point. But considering that I don’t have any prior knowledge about any of this, I’ve decided to come up with something new from the ground up, a prequel, and if it goes well(hopefully) it would be the setup to the main series.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a big fan of Albert Camus and Haruki Murakami.

What are you working on now?
I’ve been busy lately but hopefully, I could take some time off this year to start writing again.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Musicians should go to a yard sale and buy an old f****** drum set and get in their garage and just suck. And get their friends to come in and they’ll suck, too. And then they’ll f******* start playing and they’ll have the best time they’ve ever had in their lives and then all of a sudden they’ll become Nirvana.” -Dave Grohl.

It got nothing to do about being a writer, but it somehow managed to help me a little bit in making the jump to write something.

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 Strange by Albert Camus, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami, Restaurant of Love Regained by Ito Ogawa, and Voices of a Distant Star by Makoto Shinkai.

Author Websites and Profiles
M.F. Hidayatt Website

M.F. Hidayatt’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Lee Ofner 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am writing on behalf of Matthew D Hutcheson, who is in federal prison. Matthew has written five books, three about life in prison or life of prisoners.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“In Defense of America” is Matthew’s most recent book, inspired by his love for America.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Matthew has written over 2000 pages about prison or prisoners.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Victor Hugo, Fyodor Dostoevsky, James Allen.

What are you working on now?
HERO…The Untold Story of Rod Blagojevich.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://www.bellohutch.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write. Let the story come out.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do not be judgemental. Rather remain in a state of curiosity.

What are you reading now?
Matthew is reading “Theodore Rex,” by Edmund Morris.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Matthew remains in a state of curiosity about 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?
Matthew would bring James Allen’s philosophy, Alan Watts philosophy, The Bible, The Book of Mormon.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lee Ofner Website

KC Freeman 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a fantasy/paranormal romance author. My debut novel, Rekindled Prophecy – Book 1 of the Greylyn the Guardian Angel series, came out November 19, 2019 in hard cover and ebook (paperback was released 2/18/2020).
Before publishing Rekindled Prophecy, I published two paranormal romance short stories in separate anthologies — The Bowman’s Inn (Autumn-Winter 2017) and After Dark (9 Modern Takes on Classic Fairy Tales).
When I first returned to my first love – writing – I was a ghostwriter for cozy mysteries and romance novels.
I left the corporate world in Washington, DC behind a few years ago to move to North Carolina with my husband and rise my five children. Luckily, the move enabled me to revisit my love of writing. I’ve wanted to be a published author since I was a child, but life got in the way for a long time. Now those stories, characters, and plot twists twirling around in my head can come to life. And that makes me incredibly happy to bring those stories to the world.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My current book, Rekindled Prophecy, is the first book in the Greylyn the Guardian Angel series. This story has been hammering around in my head since I was a teenager, but went dormant for years while I attended to other things – college, career, family, …life. I like to envision my main character as the love child of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (kickass heroine battling all sorts of supernatural creatures) and Jonathan Smith (angel from Highway to Heaven with a heart of gold trying to help humans with this thing called life). Greylyn is a guardian angel who saves humans from their own inner demons and the more nefarious real ones.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Right now I have to write wherever I can (usually with the laptop on my actual lap) as my office has been under construction for some time and no where close to being completed.

Before writing, I need to meditate to clear my mind of all the clutter and indulge in vast amounts of coffee.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King is the king for a reason, but I found I just don’t have the horror edge to my work (at least not yet), but he still remains one of my all time favorite authors.
Anne Rice gave supernatural creatures a humanity that readers could connect with, which is something I also try to deliver.
Danielle Trussoni reinvigorated the angel-theme I prefer to write (and read) and gave me more ideas for how to broaden my initial concepts to bring more depth to my writing.

What are you working on now?
Book 2 of the series, working title “Revelations”, is now with the editor. I am revamping the draft of Book 3, to break it out into two books.
Later this summer (2020) I will be co-authoring a novella with Bailie Hantam to bring together a supporting character from my series with a supporting character from her paranormal romance series.
I also have a general layout to work on for a military romance thriller (not sure that’s a genre).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I prefer to send out weekly blogs via my website https://kcfreemanauthor.com/ and weekly newsletters http://eepurl.com/gDp4Jr. However, I post daily on my Facebook and Twitter accounts, mostly Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KCFreemanAuthor/.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you’re like me, letting go of the story and releasing it for others to read was difficult, especially for the first time. I can edit and revise a story forever, but eventually I had to release my grip on the story. Also, in contrast to advice I received quite a bit, do not feel compelled to stick to a template. For example, romance stories most of the time follow a “beats” template. I find those superficial. Yes, they get the story out faster, but it misses the authenticity of the story and characters.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stay true to your story, true to the characters, true to the essence of the plot coming from your heart and from your head.

What are you reading now?
I just finished the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas and have started the Court of Thorns and Roses series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once I finish the series, I would like to make an entire series based on one of my supporting characters, Jasper. The first step is co-authoring a novella with another author (hopefully later this summer). Also, I am hitting the author book signing circuit soon with planned events in Charleston, SC and Charlotte, NC.

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?
Probably not a good idea to bring a Stephen King book on a deserted island. Talk about major panic!
I have to read Pride & Prejudice every year, so I’d bring that one.
Embodied Grace by Jennifer Lonnberg to keep me spiritually sane.
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory because I love anything Tudor related.
Dark Paradise by Randi Cooley Wilson because Gage Gallagher is my book boyfriend.

Author Websites and Profiles
KC Freeman Website
KC Freeman Amazon Profile

KC Freeman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Norman Brewer 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a retired journalist living in the Washington, D.C. area. I also did a stint as director of employee communications at the Transportation Security Administration in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (That is a mouthful, isn’t it?) The TSA experience was helpful in writing my two novels, both about domestic terrorism.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My new book is Killer Politics, a thriller about a white supremacist who hooks up with the nation’s most wanted terrorist to attack “soft” civilian targets. The supremacist is inspired by a Trump-like president, and Killer Politics is laced with satire aimed at a thinly veiled “President Tower.” It is the sequel to Blending In: A Tale of Homegrown Terrorism, which has just a touch of politics. Both books are told from an unusual perspective – that of the terrorists. No super cop saves the world in the eleventh hour!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Being retired and self-published, I don’t have deadlines. If I hit a mental roadblock, I wait until a solution presents itself. On the other hand, if ideas are overflowing, I may be writing until 2 a.m. and return a couple of hours later. Is that unusual?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hemingway’s taut style influenced me most. We lost an incredible storyteller when Pat Conroy died. I like authors with an off-the-wall streak – Vonnegut, Tom Robbins, Carl Hiassen (and I build comic relief into my humble offerings). The power of Maya Angelou can overwhelm. Sara Gruen and Erik Larson also are great storytellers, as is Walter Issacson, who must be really really smart.

What are you working on now?
Marketing Killer Politics, a challenge to say the least.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t found one that works repeatedly. I wish I had.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read and practice your craft as long as it’s fun.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Make each day count. Probably. Maybe.

What are you reading now?
The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson and Neon Prey by John Sandford.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Check back in a few months.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Complete Works of Shakespeare, The Bible, and some history of the world.

Author Websites and Profiles
Norman Brewer Amazon Profile

Deonne Williams 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live on the sandbar known as Florida. I am happily married to Rory and blissfully owned by a stunning mare named Kay Kay and a demanding over-familiar tuxedo cat named Ritz.
I love fantasy, RPGs, Star Wars, Jimmy Buffet and I’m a Dis-nerd too. This is my first of what I hope to be many more books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Fae Song Ballads of Balahar Book One

Celtic tales about bards who used their music to inspire warriors in battle, move stones for building henges or remove evil kings from their thrones.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t believe so, although it does feel that I do my best writing in the wee hours. It always seems that world has gone quiet and the silence allows me to hear my inspirations.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Marion Zimmer Bradley, Anne McCaffrey, Katherine Kurtz, Diana Paxson, Andrzej Sapkowski

What are you working on now?
The next book in my series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am someone who believes in an all available avenue approach. I have a website, a Face Book author page, profiles on Amazon and Goodreads, an Instagram and a Twitter. It would be hard to tell you a “best” method for me as this is my first book but I’m throwing the zooms at every avenue I can pursue.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself, write all the time even if you don’t plan on it ever seeing the light of day and no matter how small or strange, if the smallest snippet of an idea occurs to you, write it down.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“You are as famous as they think you are.”

What are you reading now?
Shamefully, I am not reading a book at the moment. I’ve been busy rolling out my own.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Now that I have proven to myself I can do it, I am determined to keep it up. In this case, that currently means keep working on 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?
As weird as it sounds, I would just want a complete set of Shakespeare, including the sonnets.

Author Websites and Profiles
Deonne Williams Website
Deonne Williams Amazon Profile

Deonne Williams’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Amanda DeShane 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Amanda DeShane. I am a artist and writer, so I guess you could say I have one foot firmly in both worlds. With experience as an early childhood educator and being a mother, it came as no big surprise that my first book was a children’s book. In November 2019 I indie published my first book, The Adventures Of Chippy The Squirrel. As of January 30th I entered into the world of adult fantasy with my Asgard Academy: The Prophecy, reverse harem novel loosely based on Norse mythology. I have only published two books so far but I have six novels currently in the works.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book Asgard Academy:The Prophecy was inspired by Norse mythology. I was reading an old Norse legend about how Fenrir who was bound to a boulder by the Gods and the idea just came to me. I had the brilliant idea to make a fictional world that centered around the world tree and the nine realms. It takes place in this made up world realm of Asgard between Fenrir, the giants, and demons that stand with him. And the descendants of the Gods who have mixed their blood lines with other supernatural beings to survive. In the beginning a prophecy is stated and a war is prophesied. In this prophecy a child named Aurora will be born of two Gods. She will become the shield maiden of her people, to fight Fenrir and win the war for good. The only catch is the prophecy doesn’t say when the war will be won. The God’s knowing a war and the end to themselves are coming, decide to bless her with powers and four demi God mates. A war before her birth between the giants, and the Gods takes place and only two Gods survive. Aurora and her mates are destined to reincarnate in each life and continue fighting the war until they win. It is a reverse harem adventure fantasy novel with a complicated story line. I am very much so looking forward to releasing the next book, The CLASH, later this year. It will have more battles and action.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I guess I do. I use the backwards method. I plan and map out my full story-line chapter for chapter. Then I write my blurb for the back of the book. Because I am a professional artist I then design my cover (Back, spine, front) so I can advertise and promote my book as I write. Then I write like crazy. Lots of mid night oil gets burnt within my figurative writing cave.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have many favorite authors and books since I am an avid reader. But I have my own unique style. I have never been the type to try to copy other peoples styles. I like to blaze my own trails. Some of my favorite writers are L.M. Montgomery, Bella Forrest, Diana Gabaldon, Jennifer Estep are just a few of my favorites.

What are you working on now?
Well since I was gutsy and jumped right into writing an adventure fantasy with a reverse harem aspect. I decided I wanted to be known for more than just reverse harems. Don’t get me wrong Asgard Academy will continue but I have other things in the works too. I am currently working on my next book Chronicles Of The Siren- Tidal Vortex. It will be a YA Fantasy novel about a eighteen year old girl named Teal who was found as a baby on the sea shore abandoned. When she is twelve she is set up for her fathers murder and ends up serving years for a crime she never committed. Shortly after she turns eighteen, she finds out after being sucked into a vortex at sea, that nothing is as she thought it was. Just when she thinks she is dying and her lungs fill up, she discovers she can breath under water. And she is not the only one that can breath under water. She fights against a secret organization called Nimrod, that is in the business of killing her kind. All while trying to get her revenge and prove she is innocent.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use my Facebook author page the most, and my website. Being an indie author, I have to market my own work and write which is proving to be a challenge. I also have Instagram, twitter, and pintrest but I don’t use them as often.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn your craft well, take advice, and grow a thick skin. This industry can chew and spit you out. Remember the reason you started writing to begin with and continue. I run a group for authors, writers, and aspiring authors on Facebook called the writers circle. I started the group after I published my second book and dealt with some snooty authors that were tearing other authors down. I built the group to share knowledge, free resources and make a safe place for authors to support each other.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think the best advice I have ever heard was that when the going gets tough you have to get tougher. Keep going. If you meet opposition you must be doing something right.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Sea Storm (The Lunafriya Chronicles Book 2) by Elise H. Ford. I read many books often.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will continue writing full time as an indie author. I have six books planned for this year, and I am hoping I will be able to write them and release most of them this year. I will be starting six different series that I plan to add to every year.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Hmm. A book on tropical plants /edible plants, as for the rest I honestly don’t know. My head has millions of story’s just waiting to come out, so if it were for the pure enjoyment of reading I can do that anywhere.

Author Websites and Profiles
Amanda DeShane Website
Amanda DeShane Amazon Profile

Amanda DeShane’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Mike Scantlebury 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Mike and I live in North West England, which is the non-fashionable side of the country. I write Crime Fiction thrillers in two series. The first is called ‘Mickey from Manchester’, and that kind of explains itself, except that ‘Mickey’ is NOT a cop, or a Private Eye, or a spy. He’s an ordinary sort of guy who was once served in the Military and can look after himself. He can’t stop himself going to bat for his friends, and there are twenty novels to prove it. Meanwhile, the ‘Amelia Hartliss Mysteries’ features a feisty heroine who is, more or less, a spy. She can’t help falling in love and there are twenty books about her life. You’ll find their adventures in all good bookstores, online and off.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, still being written, is called ‘The Great British FAKE Housing Crisis’. Hmm, what could that be about? Well, Mickey gets involved in helping his friend Don, a police detective, when managers in a local property development company keep getting themselves attacked. Mickey knows people, and that comes in handy when he’s trying to understand what’s going on, but unfortunately, the problems aren’t just local, they range right up to national level and that’s where politicians are getting themselves corrupted. Mickey is baffled as he finds himself in a hole, and it looks like he’s defending the Bad Guys! What can he do to expose the bribery but defend the local Little Guy? He finds himself being pulled in all directions, and that’s when the threats just get sterner and somebody dies. Now it’s Murder and Mickey has to do what he always does best, solve the Mystery and reveal the guilty.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t like to approach a blank page. I get some ideas, then add ingredients to the mix until there’s a seething brew. When I sit down in the morning to tackle my daily target, I always know what’s going to happen next, even if I don’t know the ending of the story.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I really miss Sue Grafton. She was an inspiration. Before that, it was Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald and Mickey Spillane, but strangely, I could never manage Private Eye stories. I like their approach, their style and their wit, and that’s the influence I try to bring into my books.

What are you working on now?
I mentioned a novel above and it is called ‘The Great British FAKE Housing Crisis’. Since it’s such an enormous topic, I decided I couldn’t do it justice with just one novel. In fact, it’s now evolved into 3 books! So, the answer is – I’m working on Part 2, and my next book will be Part 3 of the same story. Don’t worry, it’s still a page turner and, best of all, it has an enormous cast of characters.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I spent several frustrating years telling people ‘I write crime fiction books’ and they would inevitably say, ‘Where can I find your books?’ My answer now is: ‘Wherever you usually go’. Every book site, every social media outlet, I’ve got a presence. I blog and make short videos, and I write songs and sing folk-style. Where do you usually shop for books, e-books, audio books, songs and videos? Well, I’m there. You don’t have to search in corners for me. I’m right out there on the High Street.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors is to ask as many people as you can what their advice is, then CHOOSE. Some writers will say they write best in the morning. Some prefer the afternoon, or evening. You choose. Some prepare endlessly and work out plots intricately. Some launch into a story with nothing. You choose. Some write short novels, some long. Some like Mysteries, some Police Procedurals. All the time, the answers to your questions of ‘What is best?’ and ‘What should I do?’ will overlap and contradict each other. You can’t escape the fact that if you want to be YOU, then you cannot, cannot, be someone else. You have to look in the mirror and ask yourself: ‘What would I do?’

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard was from Seth Godin who understands the new digital world we live in better than anyone else alive. He said that writers, artists and business people only need to aim for one thing in the world, to be ‘remarkable’. He means that in the old-fashioned sense, to be ‘worthy of remarking’. That does NOT mean being good. Check it out, the best piano players in the world are not the best known – or the best paid. The best brain surgeons aren’t on the ‘Tonight’ show. So, who is? The person who is so much themselves, so unique, that people are anxious to hear what they have to say and will listen when those souls talk about what they’re doing. For authors that means only one thing: you CANNOT be the ‘new Dan Brown’. Dan Brown was not the new anybody! You have to be the real YOU, and then you’ll be handed the spotlight.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading books by Barbara Sher, Rory Sutherland, Hilary Cottam, Malcolm Gladwell and Vadim Zeland. The thing they have in common is that they are all about how to be a better human being. I’m learning lessons from them that I hope will bleed into my fiction. Now that would be something worth reading!

What’s next for you as a writer?
My aim for this year is to be a writer that lives in the real world. Right now we’re seeing floods and storms, pandemics, bush fires, famines and species extinction around the planet. If so-called ‘Fiction’ authors can’t include reflections of what’s actually happening to human beings, then we can’t be involved in anything that’s worth much, can we?

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Anything by Sue Grafton, Malcolm Gladwell, Matt Ridley and Naomi Klein.

Author Websites and Profiles
Mike Scantlebury Website
Mike Scantlebury Amazon Profile

Mike Scantlebury’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Eric Wilder 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in the sleepy bayou town in far northwest Louisiana listening to my Mississippi and East Texas grandmother’s tales of ghosts, magic, and voodoo. I’ve written thirteen novels, four cookbooks, and many short stories. My French Quarter Mystery Series is set in New Orleans and features sleuth Wyatt Thomas along with a gang of likable, recurring characters that help stir the pot.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
New Orleans Dangerous is the title of my latest book. It’s about satanism and vampires in New Orleans and was inspired by a story one of my readers recounted to me about a recent visit she and her daughter made to the Old Ursuline Convent in New Orleans. The story she told me seemed incredulous but proved to be true. As I researched the story I traced vampires back 300 years to the reign of France’s Louis XIV. When I began writing the book I didn’t believe in vampires. Now I do. If you’re skeptical, just visit the Dungeon Club in the French Quarter after midnight.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, too many to list.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m an avid reader with a wide range of interests from Shakespeare to Stephen King. Some of my favorite indie authors are CP Shepard, JC Brennan, and Paul Cude.

What are you working on now?
The title of my work in progress is Craters of the Moon, Book 9 of my French Quarter Mystery Series. When archeologists digging at an abandoned Creole townhouse in New Orleans find a dismembered skeleton and the preserved body of a fairy with missing wings, it sets private investigator Wyatt Thomas on an adventure that leads to the dark side of his mind.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have many loyal readers on my Facebook fan page LouisianaMysteryWriter. I also have lots of followers on Twitter at @ericwilderok. My most reliable method of selling books is promoting on book promotion sites like awesomegang.com, bargainbooksy.com, etc.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have a wonderful and evocative book cover. Make sure your book is thoroughly edited and free of typos, storyline flaws, etc. Most of all, tell a great story and keep your readers enthralled.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give your reader a chance to lose interest. Start your book with a hook and end each chapter with a hook.

What are you reading now?
Jim and Martha: a Novel on Eco Living by Joel Schueler

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just keep 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?
The Girl Who Played With Fire
Any book by John D. MacDonald

Author Websites and Profiles
Eric Wilder Website
Eric Wilder Amazon Profile
Eric Wilder Author Profile on Smashwords

Eric Wilder’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Kim Staflund 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written/published over 40 of my own books now. I also help other authors to publish their books.

So many people are publishing books of all kinds nowadays, and they need guidance regarding best practices with everything from writing to publishing to selling those books. I’ve made it my life’s mission to help others navigate this mysterious business littered with acronyms and peculiar old-fashioned practices.

As a bestselling author and TESOL certified sales coach for authors with 25 years’ experience in the North American English book publishing industry (in both the traditional and contemporary markets), I can show you how to write, publish, and sell your book(s) using all the effective traditional and online tricks of the trade. Add my substantial advertising sales and marketing background into the mix, and you have a serious mentor in front of you who can help you achieve commercial success as an author.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Oh, gosh … lots of books lately. One per month. Right now, I’m writing a new series to help distance educators with publishing and printing of varous types of books: ebooks, audiobooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, you name it. I’m eternally inspired by all aspects of this industry and how to help other authors reach their goals while I strive to reach mine.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Some may say it’s unusual to write/publish a book per month. That’s one of my habits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many authors have influenced me, and I discuss many of them in Profitable Publishing Today: Start Earning Money as an Author Without Quitting Your Day Job. I offer this book free of charge to everyone. In it, I talk about a few of my idols such as Joanna Penn, Mark Dawson, et cetera.

What are you working on now?
Always blogging and writing books.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I talk about this is, as well, in my free book titled Profitable Publishing Today: Start Earning Money as an Author Without Quitting Your Day Job. In this day and age, prolific writing and publishing is the best way to grow your author business. I talk about why. And I talk about how. I also share case studies of other authors who are seeing massive success with these types of activities.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read this free book and follow the program: Profitable Publishing Today: Start Earning Money as an Author Without Quitting Your Day Job.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The advice I’ve read and listened to from all the authors I write about in Profitable Publishing Today has helped me to improve my own results, and it has shown me that authors can indeed earn a living from their writing, from their passion.

What are you reading now?
You 2: A High Velocity Formula for Multiplying Your Personal Effectiveness in Quantum Leaps by Price Pritchett

What’s next for you as a writer?
Achieve quantum leaps with my book sales … and then share my success formula with other authors so they can do the same.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
You Were Born Rich by Bob Proctor

Think and Grow Rich by by Napoleon Hill

The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles

You 2: A High Velocity Formula for Multiplying Your Personal Effectiveness in Quantum Leaps by Price Pritchett

Author Websites and Profiles
Kim Staflund Website
Kim Staflund Amazon Profile

Kim Staflund’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Lawrence Lockett 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have released one book so far, I have written more that I didn’t release and I am working on two new books at the moment which I hope to release this year.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The unremarkable man, I had a dream which was the first page or two of the story then I kept writing until it became a book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Some of my ideas come to me at random times and places so I make notes on my phone each time and then I develop the ideas further as I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think every author or book I have read had some influence, seeing how each brings their world and characters to life.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the sequel book to my first which is called The New World, also working on a standalone story which is around time travel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still working on this aspect, at present it is trial and error for me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you have a good story then you should write and share that story, just keep any expectations realistic.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You only fail once you have given up.

What are you reading now?
About to start Fluke by James Herbert.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing my next story and once its ready, share it.

 

Lawrence Lockett’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

J. Sharpe 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a dutch author who write suspense novels and am best known for the fact that I blends themes and elements from two or more different genres in my books, including the bestseller Eden (nominated for a Bastaard Award), Syndrome (nominated for a Harland Award and Bastaard Award) and Broken Memory (also nominated for a Harland Award).

My work is often compared to that of Stephen King, Peter Straub and Dean Koontz, although I’m known for his own distinctive style.

So far 13 novels and several short stories have been published in The Netherlands and Belgium.

My work is translated in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. A few of my books are also available in braille.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name is Eden. It’s a post-apocalyptic suspense novel inspired by faith. It has a lot of hidden references to the bible, although its a suspense novel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I only can write when its absolutely quite, but i’m not shure if thats so unusual.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, Dean Koontz and a lot of dutch genre writers.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a new suspense novel (in Dutch) but in the next few months, a lot of translations will be available too.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I will quote Stephen King here: write and read a lot.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up. I, no. Cheese, right?

What are you reading now?
The girl next door by Jack Ketchum.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Going global with my translations.

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 books of Stephen King, Dean Koontz or Joe Hill will do.

Author Websites and Profiles
J. Sharpe Website
J. Sharpe Amazon Profile

J. Sharpe’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

J. Salvatore Domino 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I spent nearly 30 years writing technical documents and training materials for fortune 500 companies. I learned to take complex technical specifications and convert them into easy to understand documents. Writing became second nature.

After retiring from the Corporate life I turned my attention to writing fiction. I love creating my own players and story lines. I like to create likable characters and relatable subject matter that give the reader an opportunity to escape into an entertaining story.

You will always find a few hours of enjoyable leisure in each of his stories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest work is The DiMarco Incident. It is a novella length ebook. If you enjoy a thought provoking mystery that makes you wonder “What’s next?” Check out The DiMarco Incident.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write fiction, but not fantasy. My stories are believable. Real Life. I don’t write about aliens or vampires, just people.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was really impressed by the old classics. Tolstoy, Hemingway and Sinclair. One of my favorite works is The Death of Ivan Ilyich. I loved the way Tolstoy described the emotions of a dying man. It set the bar for my writing. I hope someday to reach his level.

What are you working on now?
I have been working on a Romance novel for several years. It presents a challenge because most romance novels are written by women. My goal is to create a story that will please both men and women.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, Social Media has been my number one vehicle for promoting my work.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. Keep reading. The more you do, the better you get.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing. Keep reading. The more you do, the better you get.

What are you reading now?
1984, Animal Farm. The political climate in the U.S. has brought me back to these books. I think when I read them the first time I misinterpreted them.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I started writing short stories. I am now working my way toward a full length 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?
If you are going to be stranded on an island, you have to bring Robinson Crusoe.

I might also bring The Devil in the White City, War and Peace and a Bible.

Author Websites and Profiles
J. Salvatore Domino Amazon Profile
J. Salvatore Domino Author Profile on Smashwords

 

Marco Rafalà 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a first-generation Sicilian American novelist, musician, and writer for award-winning tabletop role-playing games. How Fires End is my first novel. My short fiction has appeared in the Bellevue Literary Review and my personal essay about the disappearance of my uncle recently appeared in LitHub (https://lithub.com/when-a-family-measures-time-by-its-losses/).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
How Fires End is my debut novel. It’s inspired by family history and the local folklore of Melilli, Sicily. Melilli is the village where my father and his siblings were born and raised.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t have any unusual writing habits. A typical day for me starts with coffee, the previous day’s pages, and the notes I made about them and the novel in general—what I’ve learned up to that point. I’ll read other authors to clear my head of my own self-doubts but I’m careful about what I read because sometimes a book can derail your own work.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A Kiss from Maddalena by Christopher Castellani, Gilead by Marilyn Robinson, and Edinburgh by Alexander Chee. Italian Neorealist cinema also inspired my approach to writing How Fires End. Films like Rome Open City and The Bicycle Thief tell the stories of regular, everyday people whose lives were shaped by war on deeply personal levels. Rome Open City deals directly with the war, while The Bicycle Thief is about its aftermath, the hardships it brought. These films—shot in grainy black and white, starring mostly non-professional actors—didn’t gloss over the ugliness and heartbreak of war and economic hardship. And yet they also carried a quiet sense of hope for the future.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a new novel that came out of a line of dialogue in How Fires End. In Melilli, during the war, Salvatore’s father says to Vincenzo: “Soldiers came to our village last week. We prayed for help, and you know what happened? An American fell from the sky, pulled out of the clouds by the saint.” This line was also inspired by a story I heard from my father about a family in Melilli who helped hide an American paratrooper during the war. And so now I’m exploring where it takes me.

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Marco Rafalà Website
Marco Rafalà Amazon Profile

Marco Rafalà’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

HG Jones 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am HG, a former jounrnalist and political commentator. Under my pen name HG Jones, I have written 5 novels and 3 short stories under the Parliamentary Desires series, 2 novels under the Mobsters of Love series (3rd out later this year) and currently writing a Parliamentary Desires spin-off, Pressed Yearnings.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Mobsters of Love 2: The Flight of Hermes. It was inspired by the crime and drug epidemic in Sydney and Kings Cross. It is a modern retelling of a Romeo & Juliet story, but with 2 men and crime.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write best in the early afternoon, and it is not uncommon for me to sip on a glass or 2 of Australian Chardonnay while writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
EL James, author of 50 Shades of Grey
The Australian newspaper (mostly fiction)

What are you working on now?
Pressed Yearnings 1: Risque Rorting, an erotic spin-off of Parliamentary Desires. This novel is a sexual exploration of widespread crime and rorting within the Australian government, through the eyes of a young journalist.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I prefer organic promotion, but have my novels on many websites and services

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you know and are passionate about, don’t let anybody tell you to give up

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you know and are passionate about, don’t let anybody tell you to give up

What are you reading now?
Katerina by James Frey

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing Pressed Yearnings, then write the last Mobsters of Love novel to finish the trilogy, then Parliamentary Desires 6

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?
3-4 blank notebooks, so I could write more

Author Websites and Profiles
HG Jones Website
HG Jones Author Profile on Smashwords

HG Jones’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Gerald Cranwell 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a former US Navy cryptolinguist, with a love for history. I started studying the American Civil War many years ago, when I was teaching analysis to military students; often, I used examples from the Civil War to introduce various concepts, or to illustrate how application of intelligence principles would’ve made an impact. Eventually, I decided to write a series focused on the war as seen by an intelligence officer. I made the central character a Confederate mainly because they didn’t have an intelligence arm during the war, unlike the North. This gives a writer a lot more flexibility.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Rebel Spring- War in the Mountains is the latest book, and it deals with the war in western Virginia during late Fall, 1861. This ‘sideshow’ conflict resulted in the formation of West Virginia in 1863 and exposed some of the fractures in support for both North and South by the people of the mountains. I wanted to explore the stories of people who’d been virtually ignored by their government- either side- but were expected to provide loyal service regardless.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I start with a concept and work that into a rough idea of what I want the story to tell…but I’ll actual begin writing dialog in my head before I’ve even finished creating the plot. Often, I’ll come up with really good side stories which end up in either another story or cause me to rewrite the current book. Until I type the final line, the storyline isn’t really firm.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Alistair Maclean, Lindsey Davis, H. Rider Haggard, and Robert Ludlum. Spy novels, adventure novels, and stories set in exotic locales or in the past appeal to me, especially when I can clearly picture it in my head. I like filling in details for myself, so I’m happy to have a general idea of the scene or the characters’ appearance, but I want personalities to be fully fleshed out.

What are you working on now?
Book one in the next series- Rebel Summer. This takes place during August 1862 and covers Second Manassas and Antietam. The rest of the series will cover the war through Gettysburg, and then I’ll start Rebel Winter. The series will end with Rebel Fall.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning the ropes on promoting, so I’ve only done a handful of websites, including this one.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write- don’t worry about your cover or back matter or marketing, worry about telling a good story. Write what engages you and what you’re passionate about, it will create a more authentic reader experience.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A variation of the above, with the caveat that I should write for myself- if others like it, that’s icing on the cake. Write because it’s something you want to do, not something you have to do, and you’ll always enjoy it.

What are you reading now?
Fishel’s ‘Secret War for the Union’…again. It’s a non-fiction work on the intelligence activities employed by North and South, and I refer to it frequently to make sure my story is accurate.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Probably the business side- I’ve mapped out a total of sixteen books in the current series, so I know what I have to write, but there’s a LOT to learn about selling books.

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?
King Solomon’s Mines/Allan Quatermain, Brave New World, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Author Websites and Profiles
Gerald Cranwell Amazon Profile

Gerald Cranwell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile