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Alistair Owen 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a screenwriter and author, and I’ve written three (soon to be four) books of interviews with British filmmakers – and one novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book – my first novel – is called THE VETTING OFFICER. It’s a short novel – part spy thriller, part love story – and was inspired by the books of John le Carre and the landscape of Devon in England where I was born.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if it’s unusual, but with fiction I write in longhand first – in pencil, in a Moleskine notebook – and wait until I’ve finished several chapters before typing them up. It frees up my thinking and means I don’t start editing straight away, which is too easy on a laptop.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Apart from John le Carre, THE VETTING OFFICER was particularly influenced by Julian Barnes’s novel THE SENSE OF AN ENDING, and the recent film adaptation.

What are you working on now?
Two books: researching a fifth book of interviews – with bestselling author and screenwriter William Boyd – and writing another novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t done it enough to know – my nonfiction books have all been promoted by their publishers, so THE VETTING OFFICER is the first time I’ve had to do it myself – but I’m hoping this website will work!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. Don’t take no for an answer. Don’t think agents and publishers are the only show in town. And do show drafts of your work to the smartest, most sympathetic people you know – ideally people who read the kind of books you’re trying to write – and listen to their feedback.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Billy Crystal to his writing class in THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN: “A writer writes – always.”

What are you reading now?
SCOOP by Evelyn Waugh – research for my interview book with William Boyd, who adapted the novel for television in the 1980s.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My fourth interview book is due to be published in August – THE ART OF SCREEN ADAPTATION: TOP WRITERS REVEAL THEIR CRAFT – and fingers crossed it will be as well reviewed as the previous three!

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 HUMAN HEART by William Boyd
THE SENSE OF AN ENDING by Julian Barnes
THE REMAINS OF THE DAY by Kazuo Ishiguro

Author Websites and Profiles
Alistair Owen Website
Alistair Owen Amazon Profile
Alistair Owen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

JA Andrews 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am from Plymouth in the United Kingdom, and about to start writing my 5th thriller novel. The first I wrote when I was 16 and never submitted it for publication. I named it ‘The Shade of Darkness’ and was inspired by dark thrillers at the time. I went through a period of reading a lot of Stephen King novels in my teenage years.

My second thriller was a rushed mix of madness, it was a self-published effort and I now consider this a mistake, but all good experience which led me down a path of professional commercial fiction.

I consider ‘Mummy’s Boy’ my first true real novel (although my third and lucky attempt). This was also the book that got me a book deal.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Mummy’s Boy – it’s inspired by things I’ve witnessed growing up. It contains a mix of characters who are dealing with real issues relating to mental health, alcoholism, drug abuse, mental abuse. I managed to combine many point of views into one chilling novel where every character is a victim of each other’s behaviours.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write standing up. Weird, I know – but I move around a lot in the thinking process and take lots of breaks.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, mostly. Although I have watched and read a LOT of psychological thrillers I always wanted to write my own and become an author.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently doing structural edits for my second commercial novel out in the later half of 2020. While also planning two more books for 2021.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
NetGalley is great for early reader reviews and can copy this into retailer descriptions on the sales pages of amazon, kobo etc. I think reviews make a big difference.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. I’ve tried and failed so many times. I wrote what I considered the wrong books for me until I found my own style that worked. For instance, I always wrote books in 3rd person and I look back now and realise they were awful. I also tried writing an erotic thriller to compete with 50 Shades, and that too was a failure. All failures lead to lessons learned.

I decided to try and write a book in the first-person perspective, as if I was that character in each chapter. My writing pace picked up, my planning was improved and this was just the winning formula for me. I appreciate everyone’s style can vary, but when you find out what works for you – just run with it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up

What are you reading now?
Every Little Secret by Ruby Speechley. It’s really quite something and very addictive.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To renew my publishing contract, hopefully, gain new readers and 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?
Carrie by Stephen King, Misbegotten by James Gabriel, Rose Madder by Stephen King, and Mummy’s Boy by JA Andrews – yes I’d bring my own to prove I actually wrote a published novel.

Author Websites and Profiles
JA Andrews Website
JA Andrews Amazon Profile

JA Andrews’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Lee David Daniels 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve always enjoyed writing. As a kid I made up stories about other worlds and the technology used in those worlds. Inevitably I grew up, got married, and had 2 wonderful boys. I got interested in the subject of Grit and how it can practically be applied to the many aspects of life.

I first wrote Grit for Kids which has enjoyed a run away success for its practical and easy to understand advice. I have followed that up with Grit for Couples, a book that applies the principles of Grit to relationships. It’s full of personal anecdotes and things I learned along the way in my 20+ years of marriage.

I have 2 young boys and oodles of small nephews and nieces. I also have a passion for travel. I decided to write an illustrated series of books called Around the World on a Kangaroo! These books tell the story of 2 boys and a girl who meet a magical kangaroo. Together they fly around the world and learn different things along the way. I also learned some poetry along the way as the books are written in rhymes.

In all I have 5 books which are all sold through Amazon and can be found on my author page.

I really do hope you enjoy getting to know these books. If you do please take a few minutes to leave a review. It takes a lot to write these books and I would love to hear what you think!

Thanks,
Lee

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Grit for Couples: 16 Steps to Develop Grit, Prevent Marriage Mistakes, Learn to Trust, and to Create Intimacy in Couples for a Successful Relationship.

I have been married to my beautiful wife for over 23 years. There have been ups as well as downs and I have learned a thing of two. Our marriage is stronger than ever. Now why is that I wondered?

What came to me is that it took a lot of grit to overcome the bad times and to keep the romance alive during the good times. I had to get the message out there. I also interviewed a lot of people to find out how they get to use grit to keep their relationship alive. These lessons I put in the book. How to communicate, how to keep the love life spicy, how to handle in-laws and kids, how to fight effectively. It’s all in there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write in my local grocery store. I buy some sushi and green tea then hide away in a corner. While happily munching on raw fish I click away writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Angela Duckworth – The power of Passion and Perseverance
Carol Dweck – Mindset

What are you working on now?
I am working on exploring how Grit helps in growing your career.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like Awesomegang of course! I also use Amazon ads, Facebook ads, and BookBub.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Above all, don’t give up. If you have a vision, fullfill it. When you’ve completed your book you will feel incredible pride which no one can ever take away. Then just be systematic in promoting your book(s) and success will happen.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It too shall pass.

All things really do come to an end, bad and good. Take the time to really enjoy the good times and know that the bad times will pass.

What are you reading now?
The 5 love languages

What’s next for you as a writer?
More exploration of Grit and perhaps some more illustrated children’s 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?
I would bring along plenty of science fiction which I love and a volume or two of survival books. I’m a city guy so I will definitely need those.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lee David Daniels Website
Lee David Daniels Amazon Profile

Lee David Daniels’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Denise Monique 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an ordinary girl that could no longer keep her story bottled up inside. I reside in northeastern Ohio, am married with five children and eight grandchildren. My degrees were earned from Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland State University. Currently, I am completing my Masters in Social Administration at Case Western Reserve University. I am a licensed social worker and love to travel as much as possible.

Despite My Odds is my first book under my name. I have co-authored two children’s books with my husband.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Despite My Odds: A Memoir, combines an autobiography and memoir. It details the struggles I encountered being alone, referred to as ugly and being subjected to many experiences that caused trauma in my life. The book speaks about self-esteem, promiscuity and relationship challenges. It also speaks to growth, self-confidence and self-worth. I felt that too many individuals were experiencing the challenges I had finally overcome. I love to give back, to see others reach higher heights.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
What is unusual to some may be perfect to others! I love to write before the birds chirp. I prefer crisp, wet weather. I write on everything, from store receipts to papers lying around. I prefer to have a cup of hazelnut coffee in hand and I like silence in my room. Sometimes, I will go to the lake and record the birds flying and waves crashing in order to set my mood.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The authors that influence me the most are Mary Higgins Clark. Nora Neale Hurston, Dean Koontz, Vanessa Miller, Mary Monroe, Walter Mosley, Jill Shalvia, Danielle Steel, Sista Souljah and Alice Walker. A scenic setting is very important to me as it is fundamental to get the story to take off. These authors have the ability to capture my interest, oftentimes, from the very first line.

What are you working on now?
I will be releasing a novel which involves a wealthy married couple and an agreement gone bad. While I don’t want to give too much more, just yet, know that it will be a mind twister. I am also working on a few short stories which will speak about the challenges that some women face with fertility, money and relationships.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I utilize a variety of social media platforms to promote my work. You can learn of my books, my husbands works, and purchase merchandise on our website at www.theocavi.com

I am also constantly giving away free books to women I encounter that struggle with self esteem issues. Recently, I donated several books to a local women’s shelter. Amazon and Goodreads are also platforms I use to connect with readers. Recently, I have been contacting bloggers to gain access to their platforms.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
We all have a story in us, just write it. Discipline yourself, write something each day. Set goals-small and large. Maybe you are the type to work on a chapter at a time, maybe you like to write all over the place. Find what works for you and commit. Know that It’s okay to fail. My error with my first solo book was not reviewing my author’s copy before releasing it to the public. I beat myself up, reissued copies to those that were affected after fixing my work; The errors did not change the amazing story within my book. I didn’t let it beat me down or make excuses-I just made adjustments. It’s okay to grow.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When I was interning for a local youth group, a visitor expressed that he lives by the model: “Preparation plus opportunity equals success.” He states his dad told him that every morning until he died. I use this often. To me it means always be prepared because opportunity can knock at any time. When it does knock, you will soar because you were ready for the moment. I stay prepared with keeping several copies of my book on hand when I’m out. I stay prepared with keeping a writing tablet in reach.

What are you reading now?
My preferences for reading include several books at a time. Usually, I will leave one in my office, and the other by my bedside. My sister gave me a copy of “The Hate U Give,” by Angie Thomas, and I am enjoying the read. I will begin “Stories We Were Never Told” by Sonja Yoerg, as soon as it arrives. Sometimes I will read two different genre’s at the same time. I am also reading “Successful Self Publishing” by Joanna Penn.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My writing will continue. I have some decisions to make regarding publishing as the marketing aspect is tedious and time consuming when you work a full-time job and are a parent of young children. Nevertheless, I will write until I can write no more. English has always been my favorite subject in school. Stories amaze me and I love to get lost in the imaginative mind of a good story teller.

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?
“Grace,” by Natasha Deon, would be choice number one as the scenes are so detailed you feel like you were there during these tumultuous times. Additionally, I’d grab a Nora Roberts book and one from Stephen King. These combinations will keep my mind off of my current situation.

Author Websites and Profiles
Denise Monique Website
Denise Monique Amazon Profile

Denise Monique’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

nekell brooks 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
1

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Quit Smoking, it is a problem that people need help with

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
no

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stefen James from Project Life mastery

What are you working on now?
Quitting Weed

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Currently Amazon

Do you have any advice for new authors?
no

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
find out what the market want first

What are you reading now?
a book on how communicating confidently

What’s next for you as a writer?
more self help books, maybe one on health

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?
Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Bible, The major pieces to the life puzzle

 

nekell brooks’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Oteng Montshiti 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Kanye, Southern District, Botswana, where i live with my lovely wife, 97 kilometers outside Gaborone. I writer motivational, christian fiction and non-fiction books. I am a motivational speaker. I have written over 10 books. My books include the following: Provoking the supernatural through faith, Prayers that provokes the supernatural, Mystery of the red hand bag and many others which are doing very well.

I love animals especially my cat.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Meditation made simple: how to meditate upon the word of God or His promises

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Before, i written any book i usually go into fasting and prayer. And God almighty will start to download ideas into my spirit. If i don’t do that i become dry.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite authors are; Pastor Chris, Joel Osteen, T D Jakes, David Oyedepo, Joyce Meyer, Apostle Maldonado, Sid Roth ( christian authors), Gray Chapman and F Dixion (detective books) Hardy Boys series)

What are you working on now?
I am writing a motivational book

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome Gang

Do you have any advice for new authors?
When you write books, don’t write because of money. Do it to make a positive impact in the lives of other people and money will just follow. Because if you make money your primary factor when there is no sales you are going to give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
One step backwards is a preparation for a giant leap.

What are you reading now?
Christian fiction and nonfiction books

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am planning to help up coming author in my community to achieve their dreams because the true meaning of life is when you help others to discover their purpose in life.

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?
How to pray effectively volume one by Pastor Chris
How to walk in the supernatural power of God by Guillerno Maldonado
The Hardy Boys series by F Dixion

Author Websites and Profiles
Oteng Montshiti Amazon Profile

Oteng Montshiti’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Maka Sepashvili 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I`m from Tbilisi, Georgia. I have some awards for my books. I write novels, short stories, detective stories. My books are: “The City of Masks”, “The Gordian Knot”, “Saraburi”, “Crime Won`t Happen Again”, “Where is the Letter from My Friend”, and “Main Colors”. “The City of Masks” received the prestigious award “Alaverdi” in 2010 and the novel “The Way Which leads…” won the annual One novel Competition in Georgia In 2016. My short stories were published in the collection of short stories by Georgian writers called “Alaverdi” and in the “Anthology of modern Georgian Prose”. The detective stories are published in the 8th volume of “Georgian Detective Stories”. My novels, fairy-tales, and translations are printed in many magazines.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book name is: “To road to nowhere…” It`s based on true events. My friend priest was captured in Abkhazia and the kidnappers asked money for his release. He was freed and when we met he narrated to me his story and told me maybe one day I`ll write about it. I wrote the novel and it has been awarded. The novel has been published in several magazines too.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don`t have any. Muses come everywhere, especially when I`m alone with myself.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are many authors, but especially Oscar Wilde influenced me to write the fairy-tales book.

What are you working on now?
I`m translating my detective stories

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Spread information about the author and the book. Send info and advertise the book on several literature pages.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
There will be many disappointments, obstacles, but never give up. The most important is to believe in yourself and in your dreams and work and work. Nothing is eternal, even the misfortune. Don`t betray yourself and your future.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“However life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at” – Stephan Hawking. “Don`t judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again” – Nelson Mandela.

What are you reading now?
Re-read Emile Zola: “The Ladies` Paradise”

What’s next for you as a writer?
I`m going to write a new science-fiction story.

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?
Bible, a book about wildlife, a book for boy scouts, a notebook to write in.

Author Websites and Profiles
Maka Sepashvili Amazon Profile

Maka Sepashvili’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Maka Sepashvili 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I`m from Tbilisi, Georgia. I have several awards for my books. My books are: “The City of Masks”, “The Gordian Knot”, “Saraburi”, “Crime Won`t Happen Again”, “Where is the Letter from My Friend”, and “Main Colors”. “The City of Masks” received the prestigious award “Alaverdi” in 2010 and the novel “The Way Which leads…” won the annual One novel Competition in Georgia In 2016. Her short stories were published in the collection of short stories by Georgian writers called “Alaverdi” and in the “Anthology of modern Georgian Prose”. Her detective stories are published in the 8th volume of “Georgian Detective Stories”. My stories, fairy-tales, and translations are printed in many magazines.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “The Road to Nowhere…” It is based on true events. My friend – a priest was captured in Abkhazia and the kidnappers asked for the ransom to release him. He was freed and when I saw him he recounted his story and told me, maybe one day I`ll write about it. In 2016 I wrote the novel and it was awarded a prestigious prize.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don`t have any. Muses come everywhere, especially when I`m alone with myself and also water has a big influence on me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
They are many. To write the fairy tales I was influenced by Oscar Wilde. Although there are many of them.

What are you working on now?
I`m translating in English my detective stories.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To put the book on literature pages, send info about the writer and about the book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
There will be many disappointments, obstacles, but never give up. Nothing is eternal, even the misfortune. Don`t betray yourself and your future.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“However life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at” – Stephan Hawking. “Don`t judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back again” – Nelson Mandela.

What are you reading now?
Re-read Emile Zola: “The ladies` Paradise”

What’s next for you as a writer?
I`m going to write a science-fiction story.

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?
Bible, a book about wildlife, a book for boy scouts, and a notebook to write in

Author Websites and Profiles
Maka Sepashvili Amazon Profile

Maka Sepashvili’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Jay Bazzinotti 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, my name is Jay Bazzinotti. I live in Boston and love the city so much that I give tours as a hobby. My first book was a technical manual on how to troubleshoot IBM networks in the 1980s (yawn). It was well accepted in technical circles and was reprinted twice. My first novel was the story of a policeman whose partner is shot to death before his eyes, called “The Double Solid” and was optioned for an NBC television series that was never made. After that I wrote a business success book for college students (and others!) sold on Amazon under the title “Lessons on Success from a Failure” by Jay Howard (a pen name used to protect the guilty). I also have written a book about the technological changes that hit America in the second half of the 19th Century and followed it up with “Calf Pasture Pumping Station”, the story of a down and out bar owner who must solve a vicious crime before the perpetrators decide to punish him for trying. I also write for Quora.com and have had more than 10 thousand articles published including articles in many famous magazines and publications worldwide. I have been interviewed on NPR and had articles on the BBC, in Forbes, Huffpost, Fatherly, the Beijing Times and many more. I have over 100 million page views and more than 50,000 followers.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I have always wanted to write a book about Boston and my first is “Calf Pasture Pumping Station”. I’ve read Robert B Parker and Dennis LeHane and other books set in Boston and I thought they all missed something, the certain essence of Boston that I wanted to capture. All of the locations in the book, no matter how surreal, are actual places. The Calf Pasture Pumping Station was a major castle built in Boston in the late 1800s as a pumphouse used to move sewage into the harbor. Abandoned in the 1960s, the forbidding building still sits near the ocean, filled with rusting machines and water and looks like something out of Frankenstein. It is the perfect setting for crime and mayhem.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I write I lose track of time. I can start at 5:30AM and look up to find it is now dinner time and I haven’t gotten up once. When I write, I try to write the scenes of the book that intrigues me the most first, in no order, then I move them around to fit the timeline of the story and alter them and fill in the gaps to bring the story together.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Herman Wouk is my favorite author; his book “The Caine Mutiny” stands out as the best book ever written in my opinion. Daniel Keyes’ “Flowers for Algernon” changed my life with its writing and concept. Recently, my favorite book is “Cutting for Stone”, which moved me to tears. I have read all of Parker’s “Spenser for Hire” books, all of the Dick Francis and Ed McBain mysteries but truly, one of the best mystery writers of all time is Donald E. Westlake, who not only wrote incredible mysteries, but made many of them into light comedies with hilarious sub-plots as well. Jasper FForde’s “The Big Over Easy”, a serious investigation into who pushed Humpty Dumpty off the wall is both an incredible mystery story and a wild adventure into the surreal. I’ve read it a half dozen times.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a sequel to Calf Pasture Pumping Station called “The Assassin’s Wife” that picks up a few months after the end of the first book. It’s a book of revenge and desperation and the things people will do for love and money.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have been pretty successful using Quora.com. Since I have a large following, I encourage my readers to try my book. Offering free copies in exchange for reviews is helpful. I also give a lecture series on Boston at libraries and other venues and use my soapbox to push my book, since many of the historical locations are used in the story.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do be a good writer you must read a great deal and you must write all the time. You can’t be a good writer if you do not write. You have to be able to string a sentence together in such a way that it compels the reader to move on to the next sentence, and the next. Using vocabulary and insinuation to briefly describe a person, a room, a location, a situation is critical to moving the story along. One of the problems with the book “Moby Dick” is that Hawthorne spends six pages describing one room – it destroys the story. Let the reader use his imagination.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Every single thing you do today is preparing you for the life you will lead tomorrow. As Sun Tzu said, ‘Sweat more during peace, bleed less during war.’ Or in the words of Muhammed Ali, ‘Having the will to win means nothing because everyone wants to win. It’s having the will to prepare to win that matters’ and ‘Getting thrown to the mat means nothing because sooner or later everyone gets thrown to the mat. To be a champion, you have to get up off that mat and fight one more round. All you have to do is fight one… more… round.”
“Your attitude is the single biggest determinant of success in your life. Nothing is more important or more powerful than having an unrelentingly positive attitude. Nothing.”
“If there must be an absence of pain for joy to exist then the individual is doomed. We must find a way to experience joy despite our pain because everybody hurts. Everybody. Everyone is fighting a secret battle we cannot see and the line between victory and defeat is often razor thin. Sometimes a person is standing right on that line and doesn’t even know it. A kind word or gesture from someone could be the thing that pushes them forward to victory, while a mean word or spiteful gesture could be the thing that pushes them backwards into defeat. That is why kindness is so important. Words and actions have power and consequences. Be the kind of person who helps others achieve their personal victory and you take part in achieving your own as well.”

What are you reading now?
“The Last Policeman”, the story of a young detective living in Concord, NH at a time when a huge comet is heading for the earth and there is less than a year to live. It’s both a mystery and a description of the crumbling of society and describes how people might react when faced with the inevitable end.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am excited about the sequel for my current book. I am trying to write a series a la “Spenser for Hire” or the Jack Reacher books. In my opinion, the flaw with Spenser and Jack Reacher is that they never grow. They never change. They never learn. They are born, fully formed, without human flaws or weaknesses. They win every fight, they out think every enemy. I believe a flawed hero is more human, more like the rest of, trying to get through the day, trying to help a friend, fighting his own demons and be successful at life. If there is no growth, no setbacks, no self-doubt, then there is no challenge – there is never any doubt the character will succeed. Without doubt there is no suspense.

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 Caine Mutiny” by Herman Wouk; “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller; “Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese, “Berlin Noir” by Phillip Kerr, “Lost in a Good Book” by Jasper FForde and of course some book on how to survive on a desert island. That would be good.

 

C.C. Converse 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am as spontaneous as the sky is blue. I moved away from my family and friends (to a different state) with my now-husband after visiting a city one time. I jokingly attribute this personality trait to ‘middle-child syndrome’ but it’s mostly likely undiagnosed ADD.
I often work on 2 or 3 projects at the same time, but Tessa Tease is the first book I’ve finished and published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Tessa Tease was just released and I’m immensely proud of it. My husband and I spent a week in South Beach, FL for Design Miami and Art Basel one year. The carefree lifestyle and timeless architecture inspired many of the scenes in the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I work best with a slight sugar rush and background music. I mix hot cocoa powder and marshmallows in my coffee most mornings. I also keep a notebook next to my bed. When I’m really excited about a book, ideas come to me in my dreams. I have to write them down as soon as I wake up so I don’t forget!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh man, growing up I would read anything I could get my hands on. I have a soft spot for Ian Fleming, but I wouldn’t be who I am today without Richelle Mead and James Patterson.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a trio of water-based romances. The first one is called Cruising for Love and it will be out really soon!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to figure that out. Right now I’ve been promoting through Amazon and websites like Awesome Gang to gain a following. I’ll let you know how everything works out!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be afraid to do what you love! I can’t stress this enough. I’ve been writing since I was in middle school. But my parents and teachers pressured me into going to college for accounting and finance. I didn’t decide to write professionally until my husband encouraged me to do so.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Never be afraid to ask for help. The worst thing someone can do is say no.” My Dad told me that once and it really helped my anxiety.

What are you reading now?
Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. I’m taking advantage of those free courses at Harvard.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My goal for this year is to put out as much work as possible. It took me over a year to write my first book. If I finish at least two more books, I’ll be happy. Of course, my goal is to write more than that, but two quality pieces of work are what I’m working towards.

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?
Goodness, that’s a tough one…I would probably bring the Twilight series because my other favorite series have more than 3 or 4 books in them. Whenever I reread the series, I’m taken back to a simpler time in my life. It’s a nice escape.

Author Websites and Profiles
C.C. Converse Amazon Profile

C.C. Converse’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

nekell brooks 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
1

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Quit Smoking, it is a problem that people need help with

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
no

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stefen James from Project Life mastery

What are you working on now?
Quitting Weed

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Currently Amazon

Do you have any advice for new authors?
no

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
find out what the market want first

What are you reading now?
a book on how communicating confidently

What’s next for you as a writer?
more self help books, maybe one on health

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?
Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Bible, The major pieces to the life puzzle

nekell brooks’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Kaye Schmitz 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My mother was an avid reader and made me one as well. She read to me right from the very beginning and I had a huge collection of Little Golden Books–which, sadly, got destroyed when they passed to my little brother. But when I had children and grandchildren, we built the collection back up again and I loved revisiting some of my favorite stories with them. We had the complete Dr. Seuss collection, too, and when I write poetry, my poems still tend to emulate the Seussian-style.

I have also always been a writer, and was first published at the age of ten-years-old, when my flower-filled fantasy, “The Garden,” was printed in my small hometown newspaper. I wrote short stories and poems during my teens and early twenties, and then dryer stuff in the form of business proposals and non-profit grant requests during the bulk of my working years. But when I visited an ancient cemetery in Midway, Georgia, one of the spirits there reached out to me and my first novel, THE CONSORT CONSPIRACY, was born. Now that I am retired, my newest novel, ON DEADLY GROUNDS, the first in a series, will be released on May 8. My third book, THE ROAD REMEMBERED, takes place during World War II and is currently being shopped with publishers. So far, my books are suspense with history and mystery woven in. I say so far, because one of the next books I will write is a vampire story with quite a wonderful twist.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest book is ON DEADLY GROUNDS and it will be released by Lamplighter Suspense on May 8. Like my other novels, a historical event provided the inspiration–in this case, the 1926 murder of Ned Doheny in an estate just outside of Los Angeles. Ned’s father, Edward Doheny, was involved in the Teapot Dome Scandal during the 1920s Warren Harding administration, which gave me not only the inspiration for the murder, but also the Russian involvement which my heroine must face.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unfortunately, I’m not very disciplined like some of the writers I have met. My friend, Steve Berry, for example, gets up early, goes to his office and writes 1000 words every day. GOOSEBUMPS author, R. L. Stine, writes 2000. To me, that feels too much like a job. And I am now retired. Plus, I like to putter around the house and I’m an avid gardener–planting hundreds of flowers every spring. So I get up when I wake up, have breakfast, maybe do a crossword puzzle or Sudoku, do my housework and yard work, then reward myself by going to my office to play with all my characters. While I was writing the World War II book, I often told my husband, “Okay, I’m going back to Germany.” I really don’t know if that’s unusual or not. It’s just what I do.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Several authors have influenced me. The late Dorothea Benton Frank was one of the first authors I heard say, “If Danielle Steele can write and be published, so can I.” I don’t think I had thought about being published before that. But she influenced me to think that way. I took a number of writing courses, including courses by writers Steve Berry and David Morrell, so I incorporated their methods and processes (except for the getting up early part) into my writing. And Kristin Hannah helped me to see how to build the dimensional depth of my stories by adding central characters who might have had nothing to do with the original plot line.

What are you working on now?
I have actually set up two novels that I am working on simultaneously–something I have never done before. But they are so different, I believe I can pull it off. One is the follow on book in my series that begins with ON DEADLY GROUNDS (coming out on May 8), tentatively titled FROM DEADLY TIES. The other book is a vampire book with a twist like nothing you’ve ever seen before and I am really anxious to complete it. I also just submitted a short story to an e-book series titled “1001 Dark Nights.” In addition, I am a regular contributor to several of our local magazines.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use social media as much as possible to promote–especially in these days of social distancing. I like Facebook and Instagram, but also use Twitter and have just begun really honing in on Goodreads. What a wonderful resource! Getting good reviews and pre-orders on Amazon are really great because Amazon will then use those, combined with their algorithms to promote the book for you. I actually send emails to my fans and readers and ask them to do a pre-order, complete with supplying them the link. This works best if the book is inexpensive–$.99 or free. Of course, the absolute best way to promote books, in addition to “word of mouth,” would be to get chosen by Reese Witherspoon or Oprah Winfrey for their book clubs. I haven’t figured that one out yet, but I’m still trying.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I certainly do. There are a number of things that have helped me through the years that I now pass along to new/aspiring authors. Except for the first one, they are not necessarily in order, because they are all important. But the first one is the most important:

1. FINISH YOUR BOOK – every time I speak to an editor, the first thing they say is, “Congratulations on completing your manuscript. More than 80% of people writing a book don’t.” Don’t let yourself become one of those unfinished statistics.
2. Write/read/edit your book as if it is a movie and get rid of anything that would interrupt that movie scene playing in your readers’ heads (a word they would have to look up, a tangent fact that doesn’t have anything to do with the scene, an explanation, an intrusion of research, and so on.)
3. Embrace re-writes. It’s easy to become attached to your words, but make cuts, streamline, and tighten up your story wherever possible.
4. Keep all your words–even after you’ve cut them to tighten up your story. You never know when that extraneous paragraph from Book #1 could be the perfect beginning for Book #2.
5. Eliminate overused words, such as “that,” “very,” and “of” as often as possible.
6. Practice BIC–Butt in Chair. No words will be written until that happens.
7. Become familiar with Blake Snyder’s “Beat Sheet” from his book, SAVE THE CAT. This is a great way to study the elements of successful stories and keep the pacing, along with the ups and downs of the story moving in the right direction.
8. Follow David Morrell’s “Writing with the Senses” as described in the next section.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I have been fortunate to have met many authors, most of whom have made my favorites list. But the best advice I received was from David Morrell, who describes himself as “Rambo’s Father.” He said that most writers–especially inexperienced ones–describe scenes from a single sense–that of sight. He encouraged me to totally immerse myself in the scene and be aware of everything going on around me–what sounds do I hear, what smells or scents reach me and do those influence any tastes I might notice, am I comfortable or uncomfortable–hot, cold, in pain, in bliss or oblivion? I have taken that to heart and now, when I write, it’s an easy matter to put my character in the scene and simply describe the movie playing in my head.

What are you reading now?
I actually have a number of “How To” books in my reading pile that help refine the writing. For me, I am always learning and looking for ways to go through the writing process with fewer false starts and wasted words. So I am reading books on story structure that includes “Scene, series, and theme.” I am also constantly reading sections of a book about Master Characters from Mythology and how to use them for my writing tropes. For pleasure, I have just finished Steve Berry’s newest book, THE WARSAW PROTOCOL, and David Morrell’s CREEPERS, along with Heather Graham’s BLOOD NIGHT and Kristin Hannah’s THE GREAT ALONE.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have many stories swirling in my head, just bursting to be told, so I will continue to work on them and keep them moving. In addition, I plan to do more teaching. Almost everyone I talk to says some variation of “I have a story I’ve been playing with,” “A novel is floating around in my head,” or “Listen to this story I came up with.” So I designed a writer’s workshop that encompasses all my years of courses and experience and is called “We All Have a Story to Tell.” And it’s true. I often speak at a senior center near me, and modified the workshop to include writing autobiographies and memoirs, to strongly encourage those seniors to write their stories for their children and grandchildren. I will be forever grateful that I got my parents on video, talking about different aspects of their lives and giving me the family history before they died. My grandchildren will love it even more when they become my age. I encourage people to write their thoughts, stories, and novels down whenever I can and will continue to do so.

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?
That’s easy. I would bring GONE WITH THE WIND, by Margaret Mitchell, AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, by Agatha Christie, THE DAVINCI CODE, by Dan Brown, and THE NIGHTINGALE, by Kristin Hannah. And if I could sneak a fifth one in without your knowing, it would be WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, by Delia Owens. Of course, as I typed this, I thought of half a dozen others, but, push come to shove, these are my top four/five.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kaye Schmitz Website
Kaye Schmitz Amazon Profile

Kaye Schmitz’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Krissy Baccaro 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m currently in the process of publishing my first novel, Buried Secrets: Some things should stay hidden – An Ella Perri Mystery Series available now on Amazon. I’ve written several short stories and last year I published Luca on Amazon and other retailers. In addition to that, I collaborated with several authors around the world to publish the anthology Once Upon a Story: Short Fiction Anthology a collection of intriguing and inspiring stories. My favorite genres are mystery/suspense/thriller but I do read outside of those too. Most recently, I’ve been working on the sequel to Buried Secrets. I love writing and reading and can’t get enough of either! When I’m not writing or reading I’m teaching it to fifth graders and that’s a lot of fun. I love gardening, spending time outside, and being with my family. I also own a hedgehog named Penelope.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Buried Secrets: Some things should stay hidden – An Ella Perri Mystery Book 1

The title came from the premise of the story where the main character, Ella seeks to uncover several secrets that have buried deep within the family for decades. These secrets have a rippling effect where one builds upon the next and then they begin to bubble to the surface until they can no longer be contained.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write with a bag of chocolate chips beside me. Eat. Type. Eat.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to name but I’ll start with Agatha Christie, Janelle Brown, A.J. Finn, Ruth Ware, Shari Lapena, Lisa Jewell…

What are you working on now?
I’m promoting my novel, Buried Secrets: Some things should stay hidden and I’m working on writing the sequel to it. I’m also contributing a short story to another anthology.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website: krissybaccaro.com. I also send a monthly email to my subscribers, I’ve written to several bloggers/reviewers to review my book and I put an ARC on Booksprout.co. I’ll be part of a book promotion through BookSweeps May 4th – 13th and part of a book blog tour: Love Books Group Tour June 8th-14th. I’ve entered a few book contests and I’ve reached out to excellent websites including Awesome Gang for help with promoting my book as well. Once my book is out there for a bit, I’ll experiment with some advertising!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never stop writing! You can do it. Write a little bit each day – it’s up to you how you go about that. You may choose to use a time limit like writing for 30 minutes/day or maybe you’ll stop after one chapter. Find the time that works for you, even if it’s only for 15 minutes at first. I also highly recommend sharing your work with someone – anyone. It can be a friend, family member, or you could join a writing community. There are several online and locally. My greatest accomplishments came when I finally shared my writing with others. I learned so much from other writers and became more confident.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
1. Be generous. Allow yourself to be okay with giving away something for free to your readers – maybe it’s a short story or a one-page list of writing tips…anything. You will engage your readers and attract new ones. 2. Build your writing “cartel”. Begin to network with other writers and share your stories with each other. Work together with the writers in your group to critique each others’ work, share and promote each others’ work and support one another. My greatest growth as a writer came when I became part of a writing group.

What are you reading now?
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll be continuing to write my Ella Perri Mystery Series and I plan to participate in other anthologies and writing contests.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Hobbit; Buried Secrets (of course!), and after that it would be very hard to pick the 4th because there are SO many that I love!

Author Websites and Profiles
Krissy Baccaro Website
Krissy Baccaro Amazon Profile

Krissy Baccaro’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Brittany Brinegar 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a proud Texas who loves writing about her home state. When I’m not writing, I enjoy watching baseball, football, and classic TV shows. I have two furry friends, Nikki & Penny, the perfect writing companions. I graduated with my Masters in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington.

I currently have two published books but I have many more (including sequels) in the “work in progress” stage. My published works are Enigma of Lake Falls & Apollo Project.

Enigma of Lake Falls: Texas 1949 – The Year Spies Invaded is a historical mystery. It follows Private Eyes Jenny Nicolay and Sawyer Finn in their pursuit of a Soviet Spy.

Apollo Project: A Sci-Fi Thriller is a character-driven, action-packed, sci-fi adventure. The book was co-written with my dad.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is the Apollo Project: A Sci-Fi Mystery Thriller. The name was inspired as a placeholder, like code names given to movies when they’re sent to theaters. After months of writing, the title stuck and inspired a NASA mission theme for the sequel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have two unusual writing habits. First, I am a complete night owl. The words flow better later into the night. I love the quiet, uninterrupted hours. Second, I tend to jump from project to project as the mood strikes me. At any given time I can have five active projects in various stages of completion.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My first influence, the reason I picked up the pen (figuratively because I can’t spell and must type everything) was Nancy Drew. I read the Girl Detective Series from book one until the series ended. I also enjoyed the nostalgia of the original series.

I am also influenced by my favorite television shows. I loved the action, mystery, and character development of LOST. Gilmore Girls inspired witty, fast-paced dialogue. Alias portrayed one of the best female spies in Sydney Bristow.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on three projects:
Undercover Pursuit (Spies of Texas 2)
Project Nemesis (War for the 4th Dimension Mission 2)

Spooked! (Mystery Madness 1) – a modern-day mystery connected to my Spies of Texas series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My current promotion strategy is to connect with authors via social media. I love connecting with authors and sharing advice.

I am also putting my marketing degree to use and creating ad campaigns with BookBubs. As an indie author, you wear a lot of hats.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author myself, I rely on the advice of my more experienced colleagues. However, I would tell new authors to continue to work your craft. Write, rewrite, and write again. Each draft is an improvement over the last. The dialogue flows naturally, descriptions improve, and characters leap from the page.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
For the Office fans out there… “Best advice Michael ever gave me: “Don’t be an idiot.” Before I do anything I ask myself “Would an idiot do that? And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing.” – Dwight Schrute.

And if you aren’t an Office fan you probably didn’t enjoy my joke. So the serious answer to the question – Don’t be discouraged. Even if no one ever reads your book, be content in the fact you wrote one.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading A Painted House by John Grisham. It’s been recommended to me for years and for some reason I never got around to reading it. I love period pieces and baseball so I think I’ll enjoy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Ideally, a bestseller. But I’d be happy for a small group of people to read and enjoy my books. No matter my success level, I will continue to write. When I don’t write, ideas bottle-up inside my head and invade my sleep.

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?
To Kill a Mocking Bird
The Firm
Relic
Team of Rivals

Author Websites and Profiles
Brittany Brinegar Website
Brittany Brinegar Amazon Profile
Brittany Brinegar’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Neveah Hor 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I’m Neveah Hor and I’m thirteen this year. I love writing, reading and dancing Ballet. I’m the author of Love Machine, as well as, The Revolution. Although I’m not a bestselling author, I’m determined to be someone’s favourite author one day. I’m currently receiving my high school education in Singapore and lives with my parents and an elder sister.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is titled Love Machine. I always get my inspiration from images from Pinterest and I develop my ideas in a writer’s notebook.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, it’s hysterical. Whenever I write, a random songs just plays in my head and then I’ll dance to the beat. The most humorous thing is that the song doesn’t match the mood of the novel!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Gillian Perkins. She is an Amazon Bestseller and went through the tough self-publishing route and I can totally relate to her. She is now a youtuber who makes really interesting videos about self-publishing. Her perseverance and success influenced me to think that self-publishing doesn’t necessarily mean your book can’t be a bestseller.

What are you working on now?
I am working on marketing my novel. It’s tough but I’m determined!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I set up my own author website, made use of the Amazon author central to set up my author page, set up my own blog, went on good reads to do review stuff, contacted book bloggers and searched for book promotion sites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do not ever pay for reviews. The only reviews you should pay for are kirkus reviews.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading the third book of the Evil Librarian trilogy by Michelle Knudsen. It’s captivating and I would categorise it under the genres of romance, horror and young adult, really would recommend it!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to market my books… and then write the second book of Love Machine.

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 three books—The curse of the Evil Librarian, Family storms and last but not least, my own paperback book!
And you know what. I’ve got a better idea. What about just bringing my kindle tablet and my iphone to the island?

Author Websites and Profiles
Neveah Hor Website
Neveah Hor Amazon Profile

Neveah Hor’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Pinterest Account

Leila Khan 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Leila Khan, I am an author, public speaker, a self-mastery expert, teacher and mentor of personal transformation. I have written and self published four books and a colouring book.

My Little Red Book of Wisdoms by Leila Khan

My Little Red Book of Wisdoms Colouring book by Leila Khan, illustrated by Abi Latham

101+ Ways to Overcome Life’s Biggest Obstacles by Leila Khan

The Best of the Blog: Life is Today Academy by Leila Khan

Instagram book @leilaakhan

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
101+ Ways to Overcome Life’s Biggest Obstacles! is jam-packed with strategies, tips, and solutions to help you through life’s bumps and hurdles. You’ll find this book offers you a myriad of tried and tested, authentic and creative ways of getting
through life’s problems.

This book was inspired by my life’s journey as I had been through so much and people would often ask me for advice. I also wrote the book because I wish I had read something like this when I was going through tough times, and determined to
succeed.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do something called a ‘word dump’! I either write or type out whatever is on my mind without thinking about it, with the intention to let go/release all the gunk from my mind. This then helps me to clear my mind and write blogs or posts from a more heart-centred space

What authors, or books have influenced you?
You can Heal your Life by Louise Hay helped to transform my self-love relationship and Deepak Chopra for helping me to bridge the gap between spirituality, science and everyday living. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is my all time favourite book because he spoke my journey through life in such a stunning way!

What are you working on now?
I am working on developing my coaching and public speaking business, getting new clients and promoting and selling the books that I have already written. I am passionate about supporting people who want more out of life, who no longer want to be held back by their past, who want to be themselves.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I promote and sell my books through my website www.lifeistodayacademy.com and social media pages. I also sell my books on Amazon kindle.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep going, don’t give up on yourself or your dreams. For us dream-chasers, realizing our dreams is not an easy process. We know that following the path of our passions is going to have many ups and downs, many twists and turns with many
tests of faith & patience. Keep taking small steps every day to make your dreams a reality.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You always have choices!

When I was about 16, I’d agreed to an arranged engagement, even though it was something that I didn’t want but I didn’t know how to say no. You know in life when you have pivotal moments, such as when someone comes into your life at the exact time that you needed them to and your life turns a different corner? Well, an ex-colleague of mine was my angel in disguise. I remember sharing with her what was on my mind, and she said these words that changed the direction of my fate and destiny

‘You don’t have to if you don’t want to’.

Wow, those words blew my world open.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading the Rules of Wealth by Richard Templar -It’s so important to continually be learning and applying the new knowledge to areas of our lives that are important to us.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on updating and improving my blog in order to inspire more people to follow their dreams, improve their mental health and manifest more money and abundance!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would definitely take The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, A Course in Miracles, Synchro-destiny and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra.

Author Websites and Profiles
Leila Khan Website
Leila Khan Amazon Profile

 

H. W. Taylor 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
In my science fiction world I’ve got seven books, two of which are in prepublished status. I’ve also written a couple of YA books that have been published traditionally under another name.

Storytelling is my passion and writing is my instrument for it. There’s few things I enjoy more than discussing a story with friends or my kids. I love story and have a semi-mystical view of its powers. I tell stories because I love them.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I have just completed the Unique Miranda Trilogy (and added a prequel novella to it titled Kill Ship). It all started with Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. I took names from it and from James Cameron’s 1986 film Aliens and started to weave characters. It grew from a simple premise: what happens in the future to all the people who freeze themselves now?

From that I created a story of one woman and then the cast kept growing and growing until I had this whole fun epic to write down.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to keep tabs on the weird writing habits of famous writers. I like orange peels by my writing desk. I make sure I take a walk throughout my longer writing sessions so my back doesn’t hurt (a painful lesson learned one summer). I allow my sons to interrupt me, that’s terrible for the writing, but great for the pleasures of fatherhood.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ray Bradbury is my godfather. Dante is my great-grandfather. Star Wars is in there too.

What are you working on now?
I was struck by an idea for a literary sci-fi military book. It’s wholly unlike anything I’ve ever read, but it is so entertaining to me that I couldn’t care less whether anyone else will want to read it. And yet, I’m certain this book will be loved. I admit to writers needing a certain amount of arrogance in which to operate and that I have a healthy dose of it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a lot of fun with other writers on Instagram.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read the books you love, break them down, chapter by chapter, and then write, write, write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Neil Gaiman: “Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.”

What are you reading now?
Gnomon by Nick Harkaway is unbelievably good.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I love, love, generating new ideas, so I’m working on executing them now. I’ve got another trilogy rattling around in me, so that might be my next big project.

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?
Dante’s Commedia so that I can figure out what Paradisio is doing. Brothers Karamazov so that my soul will be blessed. Maybe something like Finnegan’s Wake so that I will have plenty of problems to ponder. I’d want something by Ray Bradbury to make me happy, but I don’t know what…

Author Websites and Profiles
H. W. Taylor Website
H. W. Taylor Amazon Profile

H. W. Taylor’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Brittany Ferri 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an occupational therapist and writer. I have always loved writing, but I never realized that I could combine it with my love of therapy and education until several years ago. Since then, I haven’t stopped writing! I am also a freelance writer for a variety of health publications that educate the public on their wellness.
I have written a therapy textbook called “Effective Occupational Therapy Documentation”, a children’s book called “Why is there a person in my computer?”, and my second textbook called “Complementary Health Approaches for OTs” is set to publish in the fall of 2020.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Why is there a person in my computer?”. I am a teletherapy specialist who had the idea for this book last year. I realized that the idea of using technology and computer programs to receive therapy would likely be a tough concept for kids to grasp, especially kids with disabilities. It may be possible that therapy will only be provided through a computer someday, but — until then — kids may need some help understanding how teletherapy works.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes I write with an outline, sometimes I don’t use any organization and just let the ideas flow to see where it takes me. It depends on the project!

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a health education book to educate kids on both minor and major or difficult health conditions that they may encounter in themselves or their loved ones.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have gotten good feedback and engagement from posting about my books on various subreddits.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always write what you are passionate about. Even if those aren’t your “big money” projects, find a way to get that knowledge and creativity out in some way, even if it is keeping a journal or starting a small, personal use blog.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be limited by the confines of a job posting. Stick up for yourself and your profession if you know you can do something.

What are you reading now?
My winter was filled with checking books off my reading list. I have currently put that aside to start my next writing project!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would love to continue writing both children’s books, paperback self-help books, and therapy textbooks. I love educating others on what I know.

Author Websites and Profiles
Brittany Ferri Website
Brittany Ferri Amazon Profile

 

Abby Gordon 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I’m Abby Gordon and I’m a storyteller. Family legend (my parents!) says that as soon as I was talking I was telling stories to my stuffed animals and the dog. I loved books of all types as soon as I could make out words. Then I picked up a pencil! I couldn’t draw – unless stick figures are ever considered masterpieces, so everything in my mind I wrote onto paper.
I breathe therefore I write.
My first published work was a decade ago. Life with all its twists and curveballs happened, but I’ve recently refocused on my passion.
I currently have two primary series that are very different. The Order of the Rose is an historical saga – well, right now, it’s only two books released, but the third, fourth and fifth are being worked on. Two secret societies formed during the Crusades and have been struggling for supremacy in Europe ever since. In the first two books, their focus turns to England as the last of two bloodlines claims her place. The next three turn to France while continuing the English arc. The series is outlined through the mid 1960s. I love history and research and when a reader tells me they felt like they were in the book and were disoriented by the 21st century – that warms my storytelling heart! Both of the first two books – The Hidden Rose and Justice of the Root – received Five Stars from Readers Favorite with the reviewers citing the details immersing the reader in the scene.
The second series is vastly different – Love in the Shadows is a contemporary romance series, veering into the erotic with the steamy details! The prequel, First Connection, starts Christmas 2000 – he looks across a crowded room, lust at first sight and she rolls her eyes at him! – naturally our hero doesn’t let that stand! The first full-length picks up right where it ends – opening with the attack on 9/11, exploring the reactions of the people in NYC and around the world. Actually, the first two – The Submissive’s Touch and Fall of Adonis – happen concurrently, referring to events in the other book but can be read independently. The theme of recovering from the attack continues in the first few books as others weave into the series – including one that became reality and had me questioning the entire idea – sex trafficking. But I realized that the topic was too serious, affecting too many – both victims and those in law enforcement – so it stayed.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent published story is something totally different than either of my series! It’s a western as part of the anthology collection – Romances on the Range. The setting was inspired by my great-uncle’s home in north-central Texas and my imagination expanded from there. Rancher’s Refuge is my sweetest story so far, although there is definitely steam. Sam wants to get the last fifty acres his great-grandfather gambled away. Sally goes to her great-uncle’s house seeking safety in a childhood memory. Add in two rambunctious dogs, a matchmaking housekeeper, a tornado and a rodeo – there’s no way these two can deny what’s happening!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. At least, I don’t think another writer would call it unusual. When I get to writing, I hate to be disturbed. Outside noises, phone, text, email – I ignore everything when I get in the ‘zone’. Except my cats. I am a well-trained human staff member.
Sometimes I ‘pants’ it – writing as fast as my fingers will move. Other times – I spends hours plotting it out. While writing Justice of the Root, I found it was easier to write the story in York, then go back and write the story in London, THEN I wove the two together. I’m now doing that while writing The Lost Rose. The going back and forth drove me a bit crazier than even the cats could handle.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, goodness! I still remember crying while reading Black Beauty. Little Women and Little Men. I was the nerd who loved English and American Literature – Chaucer, Donne, Shakespeare, Hawthorne, Whitman, up to more ‘modern’ classics such as Tolkein, Lewis, Roberts, McCaffrey and Clancy. I try to pick up bits from everything than I can apply to my own writing – not styles or plots, but how to put in hints in the early books to play them out in latter ones.

What are you working on now?
The Lost Rose is vying for time with something that is coming to me in dreams. Perhaps that’s something for the unusal question? Mm. But going from Renaissance France to Philadelpia in 1934 is a bit jarring!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Networking, networking. I’m taking control of the business side of writing and finding amazing friends along the way who are helping me. One of them told me about AwesomeGang and here I am!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m old school and say carry a journal and writing implement with you at all times. Even one of those mini notebooks – something to jot down an idea when it comes to you, enough to jog your memory. I know, cell phones are more handy and I confess that if I’m out, I’ll tap something into notes. But I still prefer the journal.
But, always – write, write, write. Then, edit, edit, edit.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
quality over quantity. And always get at least another pair of eyes to go over your work.

What are you reading now?
I try to read in a genre I’m not writing in so my brain can take a break. That being said, I’m reading Colleen McCullough’s First Man in Rome – losing myself in time two millienia ago and realizing technology changed, but people haven’t.

What’s next for you as a writer?
In 2020, I want to finish two books in The Order of the Rose – The Lost Rose and The Heir’s Redemption, as well as three books in Love in the Shadows. As all five are in partial mode, it’s a matter of me explaining to the voices in my head – one at a time! You will all get your turn to tell me your story but not if you’re all yelling at me at once.
Sometimes that works. Sometimes it’s a matter of blocking the others out. Which doesn’t always work either.

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?
Could I just bring my kindle? That takes up less room! Lol. Well, Mmm, I’d say the series I’m reading now, or maybe some of McCaffrey’s Pern books. Something to lose myself in completely.

Author Websites and Profiles
Abby Gordon Amazon Profile

Abby Gordon’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Linda Dunscombe 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a multi- award winning writer who co-wrote the memoir, Madam, with Becky Adams. I live in Milton Keynes and I am an author and tutor with an MA(Distinction) in TV Scriptwriting from DeMontfort University, Leicester.

Madam won the Brit Awards Non Fiction Book of the year 2012

http://www.linda-dunscombe.co.uk

My latest offering is Jasmine Close
Follow the lives – Experience the drama!
A modern day soap, brought to you in a modern day way.
Available on Kindle, other tablets and smart phones.
Jasmine Close is a new soap opera, available to you in a new and unique way. There are twenty-five episodes. Each episode takes around 25 minutes to read and follows the lives and dramas of the residents moving into the newly built properties of Jasmine Close.
https://www.facebook.com/jasmineclosecrew

JASMINE CLOSE
by Linda Dunscombe
Jasmine Close is a soap opera to enjoy on your Kindle or eReader. Follow the lives and dramas of the residents of a brand new housing estate in episodes that take around twenty-five minutes to read. Perfect for your lunch break, short commute, or just to curl up with on the sofa or read in bed.
Victoria works in the show-home and she likes to know what’s going on. She’s nosy, bossy, and caring, with a husband who keeps going AWOL and a teenage daughter she’s struggling to connect with.
Jenny is suffering from post-traumatic stress and the move to the new house in the new city will, according to her husband, Miles, make everything better.
Barry is the building site Foreman who is working to a schedule that keeps being interrupted by the half-naked ladies in apartment two who keep diverting his men away from their work.
Steve severed his spine in a car accident and, fresh from the Spinal Injuries rehab unit, he’s trying to find his place in a world that is now much scarier in a wheelchair than it was when he could walk.
Sonia has a perfect family and a secret life while Belle just wants to keep her children safe and Natasha and Ed are adjusting to life with a new baby who cries all the time.
The American, Brett Anderson, is on a brief visit to see his sister, but he might have found a reason to make him stick around for a while longer.

Share the lives – Experience the drama
Jasmine Close Series One, Episodes 1-5 are available FREE HERE: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F5BJT2E
– Like our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter for updates, gossip and reminders of future Episodes.

The Book of Revenge is my new Kindle Crime Novella https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DRJ2V76

‘I HAD NEVER KILLED ANYONE BEFORE’

Matt fights crime, but his real enemy is himself.
His marriage is in tatters, his best friend is a bottle of whisky and a killer is in his town.
Murders are making the headlines. Is it drugs, or a serial killer? Or is it something worse? Much worse. Matt knows the victims; he knows what links them all together.
Matt is forced to face the past head on. Does it always have to be accounted for? He is beginning to believe that it does and, if he doesn’t find the killer soon, then the killer will be finding him.

I also helped my brother, Peter Swann, write The Lost Engine, Renovation of a 1933 Fire Engine, which tells the story of how Peter found what he thought to be a rusty old lorry and restored it to its original state as a beautiful 1933 Fire Engine,

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I wrote Jasmine Close because i felt that there was a market for a series that could be read in short bites in a lunch break or journey to work. It is written in the same style as a TV soap with continuing story lines and characters. Each episode takes around 20-25 mins to read.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so, although I like to get a first draft down as quickly as possible. I work to the mantra – don’t get it right, get it written. Once the first draft is completed the new mantra becomes – writing is re-writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lee Child, Phillipa Gregory, Evelyn Anthony

What are you working on now?
I have just started writing a fantasy trilogy

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write and then write some more

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t get it right, get it written

What are you reading now?
Just finished Blue Moon – the latest Lee Child thriller

What’s next for you as a writer?
Looking forward to getting the first book in the new trilogy finished

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?
Too many to choose from!

Author Websites and Profiles
Linda Dunscombe Website

Linda Dunscombe’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Kate Macale 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’ve written two Christian non-fiction Bible-based resource books and love to inspire hope and encouragement for my readers
The first booklet is called Abide in Jesus: a NKJV study of John 15: 1-8 and the second new ebook is called Faith Over Fear: Finding Hope in the the Midst of a Pandemic

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Faith Over Fear: Finding Hope in the the Midst of a Pandemic, and I was inspired to write it when the global covid19 pandemic arose. When I saw that bad news reports were causing some much fear that was worse than the virus itself, my heart was spurred on to write a book filled with encouragement, and scriptures to inspire hope.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I have any unusual habits while writing, (except lots of coffee ) but I did find a new love for listening to inspiring music during this time and put a playlist together specially for my new book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Joseph Prince books have really impacted me.

What are you working on now?
I’m going to start working on an expanded paperback version of the Faith Over Fear ebook.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome gang, social media

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep going, and don’t give up

What are you reading now?
Torn by James Owen

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to write some more resource Bible study booklets.

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?
One Wish by Kayette la Mane
The Eternity Stone by M. Marinan
You’re Special by Leitaya Macale

Author Websites and Profiles
Kate Macale Website
Kate Macale Amazon Profile

Kate Macale’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Deepank Pandey 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
An engineer by profession, a tutor by heart. Right
from the start of my graduation I have been
teaching part-time. Learning new things, listening
to the mind of a student, understanding their
needs, solving their problems.
All this knowledge allowed me to successfully
assemble my career as a tutor, manager,
businessman, life coach, writer and entrepreneur.

15 best tips to get good marks in exam , is my first book .
Currently i am working on 10 projects and they will be ready to come out in three to four months time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest offering is : 15 best tips to get good marks in exam . Being a tutor , the problems of the students inspire me to write this book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in very simple language . I have my upcoming projects in various genres like lifestyle, literature , health, business , etc

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J . K Rowling influenced me a lot .

What are you working on now?
Currently i am working on ten projects .

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon will be great.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it , don’t think about it otherwise any other will do it .

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Time and tide wait for none .

What are you reading now?
Harry potter and the cursed child.

Author Websites and Profiles
Deepank Pandey Amazon Profile

 

Daniel Rowell 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve technically written 7 books, one of those being a novella, and another one being the first book I ever wrote which wasn’t so great and may never see the light of day. But everyone starts somewhere, right??

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Salvare’s Mountain. I once heard about legends of ancient cultures that could use sound to lift mountains, and I thought that’d be an amazing magic system to put in a story!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unlike most writers, I’m extremely extroverted. I’m rarely inspired when I’m alone. That’s why I almost always have to go to a coffee shop to write. It’s not that unusual to go to a coffee shop, but I do think it’s unusual that it’s almost impossible for me to write when I’m alone. I can cope if I’m in the right setting, like a vacation spot with beautiful scenery like the mountains or something, but 90% of the time I write best when people are around.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
C.S Lewis is probably my favorite author, but my favorite book is The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. That book was what originally inspired me to write a book when I was about 16. Didn’t actually get around to it until I was 23, but the point is I eventually did get around to it! ;D

However, I will say that when I read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, it became a pretty close second!

What are you working on now?
Revisiting old books to improve them, as well as the final edits for Salvare’s Mountain.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon promotions have been the most helpful so far!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s easy to get caught up in getting book sales, but what will keep you sane is constantly reminding yourself that you write because you love it. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write books people want to read, because you should, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of losing your love for telling a great story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Figure out what journey you want to go on first, then find someone who wants to go there with you.

What are you reading now?
Just finished Scythe by Neal Shusterman, and it was pretty awesome. Probably gonna start on the second book in the series soon.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After Salvare’s Mountain (a stand-alone fantasy), I’m going to start developing a new fantasy series!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Well I’m gonna go with 4 because I can.

Mere Christianity
The House of the Scorpion
The Magician’s Nephew
The Name of the Wind

Author Websites and Profiles
Daniel Rowell Website
Daniel Rowell Amazon Profile

Daniel Rowell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Ivan Kuznietsov 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am Ivan Kuznietsov, an author of “The Mindful Thrift: How to Appreciate What We Have and Save What We Do Not Notice” book. My writing style is a combination of inspirational stories with instructive information. I am currently working on a new book, which is now not officially announced.

In addition to writing books, I am a certified World Class Manufacturing (Lean) Instructor. Together with the team, I reached the Silver Level Award for the introduction of the World Class Manufacturing system in 2017.

Besides the fact that I teach others, I continue my studies. I got the following certificates:
Time Mentor (ArcelorMittal University, 2018)
Master of Negotiations (ArcelorMittal University, 2017)
World Class Manufacturing Instructor (ArcelorMittal University, 2016)
Negotiations with Internal Clients (Training for Business, 2015)
Change Management (TMI, 2014)
Leader’s Way (Development Training & Consulting, 2014)

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Mindful Thrift: How to Appreciate What We Have and Save What We Do Not Notice,” and I was inspired on it by my previous job.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write early in the morning.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jeffrey Liker and Marie Kondo.

What are you working on now?
It will be surprise!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I did not have experience of promotion yet.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Trust yourself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To be mindful of life.

What are you reading now?
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Write, write, and write.

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?
1. The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day by Andy Puddicombe.

2. The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger.

3. And of course, my next book to finish it!

Author Websites and Profiles
Ivan Kuznietsov Amazon Profile

Ivan Kuznietsov’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

J.Allen Eckert 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have published 1 book of prose called Guide to the Underground and I’ve published 2 books of poetry that are part of a 9 book series. The other 7 books are finished and will be published shortly.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Weeping: Poems of Loss is my latest book. It was inspired by my own personal experiences of going through despair and depression. I lost my faith in God in 2007 and that had a ripple effect through my entire psyche that took 10 years to get over.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write while standing on my head. No not really. I just write poetry when I feel inspired to do so.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My biggest poetic influence would be I Heard God Laughing by Hafiz. I think Daniel Ladinsky does a wonderful job of translating it. It is so comforting and happy. There are many other books that I can’t think of right now. Neitzsche had a huge influence on me. Harper Lee. Jack London. St. Augustine. Will Durant. Too many to list.

What are you working on now?
I’m finishing up my poetry series Darkness to Light and then I’m going to write a book about the Spirit of Adventure which will be about how as people grow older and get stagnant in their lives the lose their sense of adventure and that causes their relationships and their spirits to wither.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I list on a ton of free ebook websites, pay some sites to promote the book. I like ebookbooster.com and kdspy.com. I’m sure there are many more good ones out there.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just let your ego go. I didn’t publish for way too long because I was scared to put my thoughts and emotions out there for the world to see and criticize. It’s not nearly as scary as it seems once you do it. So don’t let your ego’s fear stop you from doing what you know your soul needs you to do.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I have no clue. I’m sure I’ve heard lots of good advice but I’m of the option that no one else’s option is worth a damn. Most people’s advice comes out of fear and cowardliness. So I usually take the advice people give and do the exact opposite because then I know I’ll be doing something risky and adventurous and alive.

What are you reading now?
I like Carl Jung’s theories so I read a lot of books by Jungian analysts. My current book like that is The Kingdom Within by John Stanford. I’m reading Immortal Diamond by Richard Rohr. The Alchemist. Always reading Hafiz

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to write some prose books. Probably in the vein of self help/spirituality. I’m a pretty spiritual guy so I have a lot of ideas about that topic.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would take all books that have a lot of depth to them so that I could keep reading the same books for a long time but not get sick of the because I’d always be discovering something new. Hafiz for sure. Probably some spiritual book like the Bible or the Bhagavad Gita. Thus Spake Zarathustra. Some book by Carl Jung, maybe Aion.

Author Websites and Profiles
J.Allen Eckert Amazon Profile

Suzy Turner 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an author of both YA Urban Fantasy and Women’s Contemporary Fiction. I’m British but have lived in Portugal since I was ten years old (that’s hm…..34 years!). I’ve been writing since 2011 and have since published twelve novels! Some of them are published under my name Suzy Turner and others under my pen name, SG Turner.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is Aphrodite’s Closet. It’s about a woman who loses her job as a Greek Mythology librarian, inherits a corner shop and is convinced by her crazy best friend Coco to open an adults-only shop!
I was inspired to write it because many years ago my husband I considered opening a similar business (but then we saw sense lol!). It’s a really great book and was enormous fun to write. Despite the subject matter, it’s actually quite clean and could be read by teens as well as adults!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I’m deep in concentration I’ve got this horrible habit of chewing my tongue lol!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, and Twilight had quite an effect on me. As for my contemporary women’s fiction, I have been influenced by Jenny Colgan, Sophie Kinsella and the likes of Bridget Jones.

What are you working on now?
I’m writing another contemporary women’s novel called Flora and the Longbottoms (although the title may well change in the meantime!) about how a photo by the paparazzi changes the life of an ordinary woman in the fictional town of Frambleberry.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It’s not easy! But I’m currently doing the Amazon Ads for Authors course with Bryan Cohen which is proving particularly useful.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up! If you’re really serious about being a successful author, you have to have faith in yourself and your work. If you believe you can do it, you can. It just takes time.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best things in life take time!

What are you reading now?
I’ve just finished reading Feels Like Falling by Kristy Woodson Harvey. It’s very good.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll be launching my next Frambleberry novel (as mentioned previously), and my next Raven Saga book (Paloma Black). And then it’s on to my newest series, The Winterbourne Witches, the first novella of which is out now and only available to email subscribers. This is probably my favourite series so far!

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?
Oh no…. that’s a tough one! Only 3 or 4? Hm…. The Clan of the Cave Bear and Robinson Crusoe because they’d both teach me how to survive lol. And then perhaps the full Harry Potter collection (that counts as one, right?) and Memoirs of a Geisha because it’s just such a beautiful book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Suzy Turner Website
Suzy Turner Amazon Profile
Suzy Turner Author Profile on Smashwords

Suzy Turner’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Ann American 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for two decades and specialize in fiction. As an editor at a small press I contributed to reference books and periodicals. Currently, I’m working on my eleventh manuscript.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The idea for The 2020 Election Survival Guide stemmed from my frustration over the negativity in the media, especially social. When I read yet another Facebook rant about people needing to “being more kind” it spurred me to act. But not to write a partisan “advice” book (we have plenty of those). Rather, I wanted to offer readers a way to manage stress, celebrate America, have a laugh, and focus on what matters to them. If the book gives even one American voter some reprieve from the rhetoric, I’m delighted.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I often get inspired while on vacation. Because I write mysteries, I’ve asked tour guides some weird questions or bounced murderous ideas off my poor family while at a scenic location. I’m sure they think that is weird.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors: Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Sol Stein, Donald Maass, and earlier works by Nora Roberts. Books: How to Win Friends and Influence People, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, Mindhunter, On Writing, The Eight.

What are you working on now?
The fifth book in my series, which features a female FBI agent.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My book’s website for this project, my author website for my fiction.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Understand that it takes time to write well. Don’t be discouraged when you reread your earlier ideas or writing. It’s all part of learning your craft and expressing yourself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write the book for yourself first.

What are you reading now?
Several books on female code breakers during WWII. I recently finished Stoned, about the role of gemstones in world history. I’m always on the lookout for great character-driven fiction too.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Pride and Prejudice, Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and my best forensics reference book because I would still have to write, even if all I had were a stick and some sand.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ann American Website
Ann American Amazon Profile

Ann American’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Lucy Sidlo 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am pretty new to all this, I published my first book Vegan diet and I also published mini vegan cookbook for now.. More is yet to come..

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Vegan diet. Inspired by being diagnosed with an illness – not a life-threatening illness but doctors didn’t have a solution for me.
I spent hundreds of hours trying to find a way to manage or cure this illness.
And guess what happened – I found a solution in plant-based food! Now I want to help people though diet maybe they can be healed too.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so..?

What are you working on now?
Book about anxiety and fear..

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As I am new, I am still trying to learn.. For now I only started ams ads, it’s only been two days..

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well, it is not easy path.. But don’t give up!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always believe.

What are you reading now?
Like Jesus from Max Lucado

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publish more books, build fans and maybe finally earn some money out of it too

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?
Bible

Author Websites and Profiles
Lucy Sidlo Amazon Profile

Carina Alyce 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Carina Alyce is a real-life medical doctor that worked in the ER, Labor and Delivery, radiology, pulmonology, sleep medicine, and outpatient medicine. That sounds very boring, but it is exciting that she practices her slow-mo running between patients and will do the ‘I told you so dance’ with her stethoscope too. It makes sense if you watched Scrubs which is the most realistic medical show ever.

Writing has been a passion since elementary school, and in the early 2000’s she was a very active fanfiction author in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She’d been tossing around a genre-bending medical romance and tried her hand at fanfic again last year. With enough positive feedback, she went back to her original works and what was old became new again.

While she is not schizophrenic, she writes under a couple of different pen names. This particular pen name has one book published on Amazon. She writes (more) serious non-fiction parenting advice books and has two of those out. She also writes erotica with a work in progress novella that she’ll publish this summer.

She has also decided to switch to ‘first-person’ for the next questions.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Flatline: Book 1 of MetroGeneral 216

I love medical drama TV, but I hate watching bad medicine and bad drama. For example, the only doctors in the hospital on Grey’s Anatomy are surgeons – no pediatricians, radiologists, cardiologists. Where are the nurses and the lab techs? Why are firefighters dating all the doctors? (As a medical student, I dated zero doctors, zero firefighters, one patient’s relative, and the ER clerk!) You can write a nice dramatic romance and still have a real plot and real emotions with real medicine.

There was also some particularly bad medicine where a patient escaped from the hospital, the doctors ignored HIPPA, so that we were forced to watch the love interest die from a treatable condition – maybe he’d have been fine if he’d been treated by a pulmonologist rather than a cardiac surgeon.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It’s not a secret that I’m married with a bunch of kids. I have to write at night when the kids are asleep, and it’s been a little harder since they learned to read on the sex scenes!

The kids have been listening to me tell the story of my main characters through walks (minus the sexy part) and they are great at pointing out plot holes or asking questions. It’s like in Denzel’s Philadelphia movie – explain it to me like a six-year-old.

In addition, I believe in copious research. Medical research is easier, but, for the firefighter stuff, I took the firefighter entrance practice exams eight times and have about 600 pages of research from the CDC and OSHA on my dining room table. I also went down to the firefighter station five times (pre-quarantine) with the kids to ask questions about protocols and their equipment.

I did stop at the end of a serious medical lecture that I WAS GIVING to discuss a (fake) pregnant patient’s end of life care options with a critical care doctor and an anesthesiologist. Doctor’s call that ‘curbsiding.’

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Romance wise – I loved Victoria Dahl, Karen Hawkins, Lisa Kleypas, Sarah MacLean, Miranda Neville

Strong female characters – Mercedes Lackey, Tamora Pierce, Timothy Zahn, and Rick Riordan

Books that I found so compelling recently – I read ‘When Breath Becomes Air,’ ‘Only Plane in the Sky,’ ‘Walk on Water,’ ‘ The Fire Line’ which are all medical or firefighter/disaster related. I’m waiting for the library to reopen for my copy of ‘All Available Boats.’

What are you working on now?
The MetroGeneral 216 series is part of the greater MetroGeneral Downtown Universe. There’s a ton of colorful characters getting themselves into sticky situations. It’s not only fun and games though because since its more real life, they deal with serious topics like PTSD, end of life decisions – all the stuff in those police/medical/firefighter TV shows with actual research and plot.

During the story Flatline, a bunch of firefighters come and go from the hospital. I’m writing a sister series called ‘FireHouse 15’ that deals with the romantic and professional lives of those firefighters. The first book is called Siren Song and should be out in July.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have been kicking around awesome gang, topless cowboy, and knights. I got my link to here from self-publishing school.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Ask your (close) friends for special skills. One of my friends ended up being my copy editor and another family friend was a professional book cover designer.

Look up Pinterest early so you can start selling your ‘brand’ to people who are looking to buy.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
‘Explain this to me like I’m a six-year-old.’ ie – if the six-year-old can’t follow the plot, it’s too complicated or you need to be hired to work on the next Marvel Universe movie.

What are you reading now?
Umm, Ocean City Hight-rise fire standard operating procedures and 18 CDC/NIOSH firefighter fatality reports. Very uplifting.

Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski which is supposed to be the Bible of female sexual pleasure books – see – my kids shouldn’t read that sentence.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The Flatline book is 1 of 4 following my main characters Angela and Michael which takes at the same time as Siren Song which follows Erin and Noah so I plan on getting Siren Song done this summer and trying to put out the next book in the series every 2 months or so. It’s an eight-book series. Plus my other pen name series . . . so mysterious!

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 Lord of the Rings, Winds of Fate by Mercedes Lackey, Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce, and any book by Victoria Dahl.

Author Websites and Profiles
Carina Alyce Website
Carina Alyce Amazon Profile

Carina Alyce’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Karen Heenan 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a lifelong reader and a writer for nearly as long, but it took me until 50+ to finally work up the nerve to put myself and my work out there to be read. My first book, Songbird, was published in November, 2019, and I’m embarrassed to tell how long I worked on it. (Off and on, but still… if it were a child, it would be accruing college debt by now). Historical fiction has been my favorite genre since childhood, and while I might someday write something outside the genre, there are a long list of ideas to get through before that happens.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Songbird is my first book, and it was inspired by a fact I ran across in a biography of Henry VIII – that he once bought a child, off the street, to sing in the royal choir. Since “real” historical people have a distressing tendency to pop up again, I took that fact and built a new story around it, just in case, and created Bess, a girl sold to the King at the age of 10, who builds a life at court as a valued member of the King’s Music, the royal company musicians and entertainers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My most unusual habit is probably one I’ve acquired recently. Writing, and my other frequent activity, sewing, are sedentary, and I wanted to get more exercise. I started walking, and listening to writing podcasts, but then my characters started to talk to me, and I’ve since learned to dictate into my phone while walking. It needs cleaning up, of course (sometimes a lot), but it’s great for getting down ideas and especially dialogue while they’re fresh in my mind.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Even as a child, I loved historical fiction: Anne of Green Gables, Betsy-Tacy, Little House. I understood from an early age that books not only made the world go away, they could actually transport you to another time. That was a huge influence on my writing life.

Currently, my favorite historical author is Dorothy Dunnett, whose Lymond Chronicles are everything I would like to lay credit to as a writer. I also loved Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall series.

What are you working on now?
My current WIP is centered on Robin Lewis, a secondary character from Songbird. I thought I was done with the character and the period, but a few weeks after turning in my book, Robin spoke up and wanted to set a few things straight. I’m on the second draft of his story now, and it takes in a wider period of Tudor history, from early in Henry VIII’s reign up to the accession of Elizabeth I.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a big fan of Twitter, which I never thought I’d say, but I’ve made a lot of author friends, and learned a lot, not to mention having sold a few books there. A lot of promotion to me is karma – if I buy, review, or promote another author’s book, it will come around.

I’ve built a decent following on my author Facebook page, and I have a longstanding blog, which has recently been turned into my author website, and I’ve just set up my newsletter signup there. I’d love more subscribers so I don’t feel like I’m screaming into the void.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Your first draft is never going to resemble the shiny idea in your head, but instead of beating yourself up over it, take a breath, let the project rest for a bit, and come back to it and make it better. Bad writing, or clumsy words, or creaky plots – they can all be fixed. Blank pages are just blank pages.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Treat yourself with the same patience and understanding you would give to a friend. Writing isn’t easy, but it’s worth the effort, and we’ll never stop learning how to do it. Don’t expect perfection out of the gate, but don’t try to get out of doing the work, either.

What are you reading now?
I just finished The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel, and followed it up with the Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker. The first is a book I’ve been anticipating since I finished reading Bring up the Bodies, and the second has been on my Kindle since 2017 and now I’m mad at myself for waiting so long to read it.
Currently I’m reading a bunch of Tudor-themed research books for my WIP, and waiting for a book called Empire’s Reckoning, by Marian Thorpe, which will release later this spring. I loved her previous trilogy, and I’m so happy there’s more to the story.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m continuing to work on my next Tudor novel, tentatively titled A Wider World, and I have a hazy idea for a third book stemming from a character introduced near the end of book two. I’ve also got a Great Depression novel drafted that was put aside for A Wider World. I think when I finish this latest draft, I’ll let it rest and go back to the 1930s for a while.
In addition to actual writing, I want to do more marketing (since my in-person events have all been canceled) and work on building up my social media and newsletter following.

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?
That’s a tough one, but my four books would probably be Game of Kings (Dorothy Dunnett), Prodigal Summer (Barbara Kingsolver), The Sparrow (Mary Doria Russell) and A Big Storm Knocked it Over (Laurie Colwin).
Can I cut down a palm tree and build a bigger bookshelf?

Author Websites and Profiles
Karen Heenan Website
Karen Heenan Amazon Profile

Karen Heenan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Shayel Shein 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
1 so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Keeping a 3rd Eye on Your Kids: Positive Parenting Tips for the World’s Strictest Parents

It was inspired by my own little monkeys. Lots of water, lots of air. They needed more earth.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’d consider my writing very direct and intimate.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Actually, my influence comes mostly from expert podcasts, years of research, and personal experience.

What are you working on now?
Works on personal development and intercultural relationships.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Before you write it, know how you will get traffic to it. Have a marketing map all laid out.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Remember who you are, apart from your relationship to others and apart from circumstance. Remember who you really are.

You are a part of nature, not separate from it.

What are you reading now?
Business-related material.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m doing some introspection and waiting for a calling.

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
Think Rich Grow Rich
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff: Simple Ways To Keep The Little Things From Taking Over Your Life

 

Winston Legge 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired Alabama attorney residing in Pensacola, Florida. With my wife Jennie, we enjoy active travel, hiking and biking, domestic and foreign.
Locally, we play duplicate bridge, enjoy plays, shows, concerts and opera, along with good food, wine and friends. Of course, I write fiction, and try to find enough time for poker and golf.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My third book is BENSON’S PLAN, which features corruption in the modern United States political arena, extending to murder and treason as three college friends set out on a life long quest to bring this country to a system of complete and total socialism.
From my law practice, I have an extensive knowledge of government and politics with insight (no involvement) into lies, bribery, corruption and other common wrongs that permeate politics and quest for power in modern local, state and federal government.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My background is legal writing to submit to judges. Most judges are very busy. A good lawyer must be concise, get to the point, omit extraneous, and quickly convince the judge your client’s position should be strongly considered.
I outline the books main story. I often get to the main points quickly and directly. At this point, I could write the basic story in a few days. But a fifty page book does not work, so I then go back and add stories within the main story to fill out the book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say John Grisham, partly because he is a lawyer that became an excellent fiction writer, but more so because his first book initially failed, and he persisted.

What are you working on now?
Book Four, a fictional story around an actual secret part of a government agency.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am too new to be giving advice. I can say, keep trying

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When I asked a wealthy man what amount of return he tried to get on an investment, he replied “I have never known a man to go broke selling at a profit”. In life, do not be greedy.

What are you reading now?
There is so much going on in our country that I am presently consumed in following daily news to the exclusion of fiction and history.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I need about six more months to complete Book Four.

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 do not have a romantic answer. Give me books on small boat building, island food supplies, fire, smoke and other signals

 

Jessi Brooklyn 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello there, my name is Jessi Brooklyn!

I have been writing since I can remember. That sounds cliche but it’s true. As a child, I loved reading encyclopedias and history books. During my teen years, I wrote fanfiction for the Bonanza show running from 1959-1973. When I had practiced sufficiently for five years, my attention was turned to becoming a novelist. I am a romantic so when my first book was in question, the romance genre seemed the best place to start. I’ve written two books so far but have three more in the works. Still early days but I have faith that my break will happen soon. I’ve worked hard and received good reviews for my work.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published book, “White Fir Lodge: A Holiday Tale”, is a novella I wrote to research a novel. Adam and Victoria, the two main characters worked very well together and I was pleased. Their colorful pasts will be explained in the longer prequel novel. Their mountain horse ranch, White Fir, is based outside Carson City, Nevada. Adam built a great lodge to host horsebreeders from around the world and then his wife some time later.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say unusual exactly but I do love a bowl of ice cream while I’m writing throughout the night. Not a healthy habit but it helps my brain think up better scenes. At times, I’ll drive to a park and sit for a few hours, writing in a journal. I find the physical act of writing is a historic and ancient form of communication. I’m a history buff so the activity gives me a nerdy thrill.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Growing up, I adore Janette Oke’s work along with Jane Austen. “Pride and Prejudice” is my favorite still. Of course, I must confess a guilty pleasure in The Hunger Games, Twilight and Divergent series.

What are you working on now?
Two books are currently in progress. A Western historical prequel novel for “White Fir Lodge: A Holiday Tale”. This one will be entitled “White Fir Lodge: The Origin Story”.

The second book will be entitled “Praetorian Angel”. This historical fantasy book’s main character is an ex-prostitute making a new life in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the 1860s.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be honest, I am still finding my way and constantly learning. I have a website, www.jessibrooklyn.org, which I think is vital for my books to have a home. The greatest marketing tool in my arsenal so far would be business cards. I hand out those often and they have provided sales.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Not that I’m qualified enough but I would say that if one is serious about writing, don’t push your career. Do things in your own time. Don’t be pushed or discouraged by family, friends, etc. Life and writing a book are both marathons, not sprint races. When in doubt, make sure that you’re taking a step forward for your career at all times, not backwards.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best I have heard was the advice I gave for new authors. Honestly, I can’t remember where I heard those tidbits but they stuck with me. A main realization I have come across throughout the writing community is that authors are a highstrung lot. We are prone to mood swings, drama and tears. Every blog post has confirmed my worst fears. Creative, imaginative people do have their drawbacks.

What are you reading now?
Unfortunately, I don’t have the time for heavy fiction reading but I keep up with historical and medical texts for new book ideas. I love researching!

What’s next for you as a writer?
For starters, I’d love my work to be known nationwide and not just local though I appreciate every sale. I would like to quit my full-time job eventually and devote my time to cranking out books. And if one of my books were turned into a movie eventually, I wouldn’t object!

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?
Off the top of my head?

Book 1: The Preppers Survival Handbook: The Essential Long Term Step-By-Step Survival Guide to the Worst Case Scenario for Surviving Anywhere—by Buck Collins

Book 2: The Survival Medicine Handbook: A Guide for When Help is Not on the Way—by Joseph and Amy Alton

Book 3: Outdoor Survival: The Ultimate Outdoor Survival Guide for Staying Alive and Surviving In The Wilderness—by Gavin Williams

Book 4: Pride and Prejudice—by Jane Austen

Author Websites and Profiles
Jessi Brooklyn Website
Jessi Brooklyn Amazon Profile

Jessi Brooklyn’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Joseph Adrien Emmanuel Demes 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a medical doctor who works to help people through continuous quality improvement initiatives. I received his master’s degree in public health from the Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium. I am currently a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal. I have worked as a medical doctor, consultant, public health specialist, professor, and researcher. His work has taken him to Africa and Haiti. I also nurture my spiritual side and helps others on their spiritual journeys. I believe in social justice, health care for all, and solidarity for a better world. I like to travel the world, discover new cultures, meet new people, and expand awareness and light around the globe.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
COVID-19. UN ROMAN GLOBAL DANS UN MONDE GLOBAL.
The Title in English:
COVID-19. A Global Novel in A Global Village

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I slip with a pen, a notepad and a flashlight under my pillow so that I could write any idea that pop up in my mind while i am in my bed.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A purpose-driven life (Rick Warren).
Claude Sicotte (University of Montreal).
Francois Champagne (University of Montreal)
Lambert Farand (University of Montreal).

What are you working on now?
Now I am focusing on finalizing my Ph.D. dissertation (Ph.D. research) with the University of Montreal, Canada.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Definitely, Awesome Gang is the best. I really fall in love with this site. I really appreciate their professionalism and dedication to help the author.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Perseverance. Perseverance. Don’t give up. Keep moving. Keep believing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Love you God and love your neighbors.

What are you reading now?
A New Earth. Ekkart Tolle.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am focusing now on promoting my new 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?
A purpose-drive life.
A New Earth.
How to improve the quality of your life.
COVID-19. UN ROMAN GLOBAL DANS UN MONDE GLOBAL.

 

Maka Sepashvili 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I`ve written the following books: “The City of Masks”, “The Gordian Knot”, “Saraburi”, “Crime Won`t Happen Again”, “Where is the Letter from My Friend”, “Main Colors”, “The Road to nowhere…”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book is: “The Road to nowhere”. It`s an adventurous story based on true events.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like walking alone because it gives you more opportunity to think. Muses and ideas come up unexpectedly.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many. Often I can`t single out who is my favorite author, I love the authors who express the depths of human nature, both bad and good sides. Fedor Dostoyevsky, Emil Zola, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and many Georgian writers.

What are you working on now?
I`m translating my detective stories from Georgian into English.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think the best method is to spread the info about the book and author.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Life is full of obstacles, you`ll bump into many difficulties but never give up, believe in your dreams and future and work!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Believe in yourself and work. Every single day will bring something new.

What are you reading now?
For the fourth and fifth time “The Ladies Paradise” by Emile Zola.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I`m going to write a new science fiction 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?
First the Bible, then it`s difficult to say, there are so many. I think the book which would help me to survive on the island, books about wildlife. And definitely a lot of paper to write.

Author Websites and Profiles
Maka Sepashvili Amazon Profile

Maka Sepashvili’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Seth Clay 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, my real name is Emanuel Lira and my pen name is Seth Clay. I have written 4 books so far, but only one has been published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My very first Children’s Book is called “The Careless Kitty”. It’s a tribute to my family cat “Calvin”, but due to Calvin and Hobbes copyrights, I changed his name to Rascal. It’s a beautiful tribute book and it was launched last July.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually write after midnight ( I’m a night owl) when my writing flows better.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
C.S. Lewis, J.K.Rowling, Brazilian comic book artist Mauricio de Sousa, among many others.

What are you working on now?
Nothing specific, just promoting my first book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Social media works fine, but I have been looking at blogs and websites to find better strategies to make my book more visible to other audiences.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up on your book. If you believe it will work out, keep working hard and it will eventually get the deserved credit.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Silence is true wisdom’s best reply” – Euripedes

What are you reading now?
I read a lot of Children’s books. The last one I read was “Why is Grandma wearing a mask?”. A very interesting one about the coronavirus situation.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to build a good audience and a good number of readers before I launch my next book, titled “Joshuaaaa!”

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, Batman Comic Books and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Author Websites and Profiles
Seth Clay Amazon Profile

Seth Clay’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

E.B. Roshan 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a mother and homemaker, currently living in the American U.S., though in the past I’ve lived in the Mid East and Asia as well. I enjoy lots of creative activities, and while I’ve been writing my whole life, this is my first published book. I’ve got more planned, though, so stay tuned.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My new book is a short romance called “Wrong Place, Right Time.” It was inspired, at least in part, by my own relationship with my husband. Some of the other themes it deals with are inspired by the years spent in some of our world’s less happy places. So yes, this romance is not all sunshine and fun, but I believe the story it tells is important.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to drink tea when I write. I often write early in the morning or at night (active boys.) But I couldn’t say I thought either of those things was terribly unusual.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Definitely the classics! Homer, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Austen, etc. And the Bible.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a suspense story, set in the same “world” as this romance, but with (mostly) different characters. Hoping to have it published before the end of next year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m very new to this business, so I’ve only got promotions on a few sites. More to come, if all goes well. I’m sure Awesome Gang is going to be great promotion, though.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Hmmm, I am a new author, so I think I should be the one asking for advice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Hard question, for sure. But if I had to boil it all down I think it would have to be, “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.”

What are you reading now?
I’ve got more writing than reading going on at the moment. With the exception of kids’ books, of course.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to complete the (loosely connected) five book series I’ve begun and get them all published! This may take a while…

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?
Besides some kind of “Desert Island Survival Guide for Idiots,” I’d bring my Bible, a volume of G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown mystery stories, and The Brothers Karamazov.

 

David Cairns of Finavon 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is the first of three books that I’ve published so far, all covering the same period, the mid-19th-century in England and Australia. I’ve always had a strong interest in history, particularly mediaeval Scottish history and the 19th-century British Empire, when so much was happening that affects our lives today. I like to paint a picture with words, I’ve been told that, at times, my style is quite Dickensian with its atmospheric portrayal of foggy days and the dangerous London streets and slums. If so, I’ve achieved one of my aims.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ‘Bushranger Gold’. It’s about a notorious event that received a lot of coverage at the time although it is forgotten today – the hold-up of a gold escort near Melbourne in the mid-19th-century. It was, in some ways, the Great Train Robbery of its day and there are many twists and turns to the story which is what makes it so fascinating. While Ned Kelly is the archetype of the bushranger and he is known the world over, Frank Gardiner preceded him. He was probably the first “celebrity” bushranger and part of the story covers his early life. I first came across this event when researching my series, “The Helots’ Tale” which is all about the lives of my wife’s great great great grandparents who were transported to Australia in the 1830s –now that’s a real story of triumph over adversity.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know how you would describe unusual in that every author probably has their own way of going about things but I find that once I start writing the story – after having done my research – it tends to take on a life of its own. Sometimes it goes places I never imagined when I started and it can be quite exciting and even thrilling to follow the story along. I write when the muse catches me rather than dedicating a specific time to write but I find that once I get started, a few hours can pass very quickly.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was quite young, Charles Dickens was undoubtedly the greatest influence. His storytelling and the way he created three-dimensional pictures has never left me as it has never left the world at large of course. Arthur Conan Doyle with his Sherlock Holmes stories were a staple as I grew up and more recently, Nigel Tranter with his stories about Scottish mediaeval history has been an influence – particularly his Robert the Bruce trilogy. I also thoroughly enjoy the works of CJ Sansom.

What are you working on now?
I’m staying in the mid-to late 19th century in Australia. Melbourne this time, where I’m creating a detective story that will weave fact with fiction. I have the plot developed but it’s early days at the moment as I start building the characters. I’m looking forward to where the story is going to lead me.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Most of my life I have spent working as a business executive or serving on not-for-profit boards. So promotions have been things done on behalf of others not myself. Ask me any year or two and I’ll have a better answer!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Start! There are always a thousand reasons why you don’t write and a thousand other things that you need to be doing. But if you have a book in you, you owe it to yourself (and your potential readers) to put pen to paper or, these days, finger to keyboard, or perhaps voice to microphone. If it is to be, you will find that, magically, the pages begin to grow and the book begins to grow on you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I have benefited many times over from the advice of others but perhaps the single thing that has stuck is ‘do what you say you will do’. My family motto stretching back through the centuries is “Semper Fidelis’ – the US marines have adopted it too, but we were there first! It means ‘Always Faithful’ and that, too has been a watchword that dovetails well with that advice.

What are you reading now?
Currently reading “Lord of the Isles” by Nigel Tranter – the story of Somerled, founder of the Scottish clans, MacDonald, MacDougall, McDonnell and McAllister. As somebody once said, you can take the boy out of Scotland but you can’t take Scotland out of the boy!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m really looking forward to writing my next book. It will be a change of pace in that the “hero” will be a work of fiction unlike the three books I’ve already written which are based on real lives. It will still require research because I’m going to weave historical events and real people into the story but it will provide much more room for my imagination!

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 Christmas Carol by Dickens because Christmas will always be a special time, a Sherlock Holmes anthology (cheating here as that covers all the stories), the Bruce trilogy (another multi-book selection I’m afraid) and a thick self-help book of some kind because I’m sure I would need it!

Author Websites and Profiles
David Cairns of Finavon Amazon Profile

David Cairns of Finavon’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

BOULAKOUAS Rym 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Rym from algeria I wanted to share my real life love tragedy story to the world.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Stolen love

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Helen Oyeyemi

What are you working on now?
not working

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
no

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Dream bigger

What are you reading now?
The Farm, Joanne Ramos

What’s next for you as a writer?
this my first and final work

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring a book how to survive on a desert island

Author Websites and Profiles
BOULAKOUAS Rym Amazon Profile

Tom Greer 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born, raised and educated in Glasgow, Scotland but I’ve also lived in London, Germany, Belfast and the North West of England and currently live in the South West of England.
Published in 2013, An Expendable Spy was my first novel but in at the end of May 2020 I’ll be publishing my first London based crime novel, Death Comes Calling, which will be the first in the Inspector Gore crime series, and will be available from Amazon in download or paperback.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Death Comers Calling. The book is called that because the main character, Detective Chief Inspector John Gore, keeps getting anonymous, taunting letters from a serial killer who is murdering women.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Probably.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
For spy fiction; John LeCarre and Len Deighton. For crime fiction; Ian Rankin, Colin Dexter, Val McDermid, Peter May, Peter Robinson.

What are you working on now?
Death Comes Calling (see above).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Lets see.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, read, read. Also with regard to writing. Don’t give up and draft, draft and redraft.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Remember, everyone’s first draft is terrible. If you think yours is, you’re in good company.

What are you reading now?
‘The Five; The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper,’ by Hallie Rubenhold.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The second in the Inspector Gore crime series; ‘The Dying of the Light.’

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?
‘War and Peace’, because I’ve had it on my bookshelf for ten years and haven’t opened it once.
‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’, by John LeCarre.
For crime fiction, any of the Inspector Morse books by Colin Dexter.