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Allistar Banks 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Allistar Banks is a prolific author, having published five books in the last two years called A Colorful Balloon Ride, Lenny the Lizard and His Green Scarf, Spring Brings Summer, Girl Rise, and Cracking the Happy Weight Code. She was born and raised in McCormick, South Carolina. Ms. Banks is a graduate of Lander University in Greenwood, SC and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications in 2013. She has been featured in the Index-Journal, The Press and Banner, McCormick Messenger, Lander University’s magazine, and interviewed on WZLA 92.9FM. She is now honored to be on a future broadcast with the CBS Sunday Morning Show for her children’s book called A Colorful Balloon Ride, which teaches one to five-year-old’s their colors by using objects of carnival food and nature on Mary and Emily’s hot air balloon ride around the County Fair with Mr. John. She is best known for children’s and young adult fiction books that teach new concepts and emotional development. Besides writing, she enjoys reading romance and family drama, hiking, doing yoga and Pilates, spending time with her family and friends, pet sitting, and playing with her dog Sylvia.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Cracking the Happy Weight Code which is inspired from how I healed from having a bad relationship with food ever since middle school and I have kept a healthy weight now for fifteen years since the age of fourteen. In the book, talks about a young teen girl named Alli Billings who struggles and overcomes food addiction, body image, and low self-esteem and confidence. She learns to use biblical principles to maintain a healthy lifestyle and following healthy recipes to learn how to eat healthy and clean.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Nicholas Sparks, Dorothea Benton Frank, Rachel Hollis, and Meg Cabot have influenced me as an author.

What are you working on now?
I am working on two gratitude journals one for teens and one for adults. I am working on two cookbooks one for diabetics and one for weight loss.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
www.allistartheauthor.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would use an outline and join Facebook groups to get the word out there about your books in your niche. I would send press releases to your local newspapers to gain exposure from the community and get featured in your college’s magazine for your books.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up hope.

What are you reading now?
I am reading Through My Lens by Patrice Rivers.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publishing my gratitude journals and cookbooks.

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?
Sunday’s at Tiffany’s by James Patterson.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas.

Author Websites and Profiles
Allistar Banks Website
Allistar Banks Amazon Profile

Allistar Banks’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Alan Thrush 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in England, emigrating as a small boy with my parents and sister to Rhodesia in 1960. I grew up in Africa and lived there for most of my life. Educated at Christian Brothers College in Bulawayo, I was called up for national service in January 1974, but opted for selection and training as a career officer. I ended the bush war as a decorated captain in the Rhodesian African Rifles.

In 1980 I left Zimbabwe for South Africa, to begin a career in business-to-business marketing. I ran my own consultancy in Johannesburg for 30 years, and still run it today, though from Spain where I moved in 2016.

I have two grown-up children.

‘Of Land and Spirits’ is my first book. I am writing a second.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘Of Land and Spirits’ was inspired by the Rhodesian bush war. As with many wars, those who had done the fighting felt misunderstood and unappreciated by those who had not fought – on both sides. Whether or not this was true, I wrote ‘Of Land and Spirits’ to try to bring home the reality of what the soldiers had been through; what they had endured. The book was originally published in hardcover in 1997, but in southern Africa only, where it topped the bestseller lists in both South Africa and Zimbabwe. To bring the story to a wider audience, ‘Of Land and Spirits’ was re-published on Amazon Kindle in January 2020.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think it takes me longer to write than many authors. ‘Of Land and Spirits’ took me more than ten years to complete. I re-wrote the original story twice, from beginning to end, before I was happy with it; before I felt that I could not improve it further. Each time I re-wrote it, I added new characters whom I felt were needed, though the thread of the story remained more or less the same. I hope to complete my second book in a much shorter time span, perhaps a year or so.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read extensively, and I have been influenced by many books. Those that stand out for me in terms of influence include Nicholas Monsarrat’s ‘The Cruel Sea’, ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Brontë, and ‘Bomber’ by Len Deighton. Sebastian Faulks’ books are all excellent, though I would not say that I have been influenced by them.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a second novel. I prefer to keep the topic under wraps, because I am not sure how the finished story will turn out. The underlying theme may change as I go along.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
When ‘Of Land and Spirits’ was originally published in 1997, I used a professional book publicist to organise the promotion. This was the only way in those days, because of course electronic self-publishing was not then available. I’m a great believer in advertising and social proof, which are as powerful today as they have always been. Press reviews, and radio and television interviews remain enormously useful as a brief but strong boost to sales, if you can manage to arrange them.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would only repeat what is already widely advised: have your manuscript professionally edited, and have your cover professionally designed. Perhaps one more thing: never give up believing in yourself and in what you have written.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If what you are going to say (or write) is going to do more harm than good, then don’t say it (or write it). This was my late father’s advice to me.

What are you reading now?
Kathleen Winsor’s ‘Forever Amber’. Next up will be ‘The Strange Death of Europe’ by Douglas Murray.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I cannot say that I have a list of tasks related to writing. I think it’s important as a writer to be open to all things, and if you have this attitude it becomes difficult to define what may be next.

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’ trilogy by JRR Tolkien. These three books are exquisitely written. ‘Birdsong’ by Sebastian Faulks, which is one of the best books I have ever read.

Author Websites and Profiles
Alan Thrush Amazon Profile

Latesha Kellam 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I wrote my first story at the age of 14, about the events surrounding the unexpected death of my father. That was the day that I fell in love with writing. However when I went to college I majored in Computer Science. I still took quite a few English classes and my professors tried to encourage me to change my major to English and to pursue a career in writing. After college, I was all set to go into the IT field but my book about my 4 years at Ithaca College was very anticipated by my classmates. I did not finish that book because life took me in a different direction.

I have written 1 book so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Match Disaster is the name of my latest book. This book was inspired about events that happened in my life during a romantic relationship that I was in.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No I don’t have any unusual writing habits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors that have influenced me include Nora Roberts, Terry McMillian, Rhonda McKnight and Brenda Barrett.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on promoting my book The Match Disaster but I will be starting a new book soon. I am also blogging at bestbooksbylateshakellam.com/blog/

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have had success with Instagram and Facebook as well as my personal site bestbooksbylateshakellam.com/blog/.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Promotion is key to getting your books out there. Use every mechanism you can to get readers interested in your book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t let one person’s opinion of your work shake yourself confidence. Be proud of the work you produced.

What are you reading now?
Give A Little Love (Jordan Family Book 1) by Rhonda McKnight

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan on writing a series of three books with the first book being ready with the next year.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Notebook
KJV of the Bible
How Stella Got Her Groove Back

Author Websites and Profiles
Latesha Kellam Website
Latesha Kellam Amazon Profile

Latesha Kellam’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Raena Harper 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My writing adventure began with poems, for which I got a few awards in regional contests in my native Poland. But poetry only held my attention for a few years, and around seventeen I decided to write a novel. I caught the bug and soon after I wrote another one and started outlining more ideas.
So far I’ve written four whole novels, and a couple of others are at about 50% completion. I never tried to publish anything, though, until my “Diamond, Glass, and Ice” series. I’m a perpetual outliner – I keep writing outlines for novels that I don’t finish. The thing is I have loads of ideas and it would be a shame to let them go so I write down everything, just in case one day I want to turn those outlines into full-length novels.

Funnily enough, I never outline the novels that I do plan to finish. I always have a general idea of the story, of the theme and premise, and how it’s supposed to end, but I never figure out the story chapter by chapter in advance, that would ruin the fun for me.

My first two novels were in Polish but I’ve been writing in English for over fifteen years now (both poetry and prose) and I don’t think I have another Polish book in me. These two languages – and cultures – are very different from each other, and writing in either is a totally unique experience.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Diamond, Glass, and Ice, Book One.” Back in 1991, when I was barely a teenager myself, I was looking through teen magazines and I wondered, how cool would it be to live the splendid life of a celebrity? Or would it actually be a life full of drama? (I’ve always been a bit of a pessimist.) That’s how the idea for a book about an ordinary teenage girl growing up among celebrities came to life.

At the time, it was supposed to be a fairy tale kind of story. For decades, I would be writing, on and off, a fictional memoir about Eveline’s heartaches, dilemmas, choices, and sins. But then #MeToo happened, and as I zigzagged through 2018, bouncing from one high-profile celebrity scandal to another – some of this horrible stuff dating back to the ’90s – it started to dawn on me that my book’s protagonist is no longer a fictional character, and this is no longer the story of one woman. Rather, Eveline is a composite of countless real life women whose experiences mirror hers throughout the series. Today more than ever before I feel that this book had to be written.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a terrible procrastinator and a ritual person. I can’t write unless I know I have peace and quiet to do so, and enough time to start writing and keep going. In the past, I couldn’t write before playing a few games of Solitaire, and now I check out memes. I waste a lot of time this way, but I always need to get in the mood first. Once I start, I usually write for hours, sometimes up to thirteen a day, during which I will barely stop to eat or drink. I won’t even consider sitting down to writing for fifteen minutes. I don’t know how other authors do it, I wish I could use my time wisely like that, but I noticed a long time ago that I write much better stuff when I’m actually inspired rather than when I force the creative juices to flow.

I usually get inspired by an actor’s face in a movie. I see the face and suddenly I “know” everything about the person this face represents, and then a story presents itself to me of which they could be the “star.” I start seeing scenes in my head like a movie, and then I just write all of this down, mostly dialogue at first, as I can work my way up from there even if I don’t manage to preserve everything. I never create out of nothing, out of darkness, I write when the scenes start rolling before my eyes, and then it’s hard to turn the faucet off, so to speak.

Another weird thing about my writing (and I know it doesn’t only happen to me) is that my characters always know where they want to take their story. I might come up with the perfect solution to a problem and I’ll wrap up a chapter and think “thank God, I am so done, I can go to sleep now,” but before I open my eyes the next morning, my mind will put my characters in scenes in which they make different choices and they undo everything I’ve just written them into. And regardless of how crazy such a scene looks, once I see it with my mind’s eye, I can’t unsee it and I have to work it into the story somehow. I got used to it over time, though, and I welcome it because the story always turns out better than I thought it would be after the characters take matters in their own hands.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a sucker for a good adventure and a complicated love story, and I love to read about fantastical worlds in which ordinary humans do extraordinary things. There are way too many books I could list as those that influenced me as a writer and taught me a way of looking at the world. Some of them are: “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell, the “Witcher” series by Andrzej Sapkowski (I read it in Polish 20 years ago), “Winnetou” by Karl May (an amazing series about a young surveyor’s adventures in the American Old West), and surrealistic stories by a prolific English writer Joan Aiken, whose imagination seems to have no limits. As I grew older, I’d read mostly American writers, such as John Updike (my favorite author) and Toni Morrison.

I try to read books by authors known as great wordsmiths, who aren’t afraid to write about emotions, and about human nature, and the ugly stuff of life.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working hard on getting a printed version of book one of “Diamond, Glass, and Ice” out there, which should happen around summer 2020, and then off to editing book two, which will be released for Christmas. The rest of the series should follow in six-month instalments, I have drafted most of the story and I’m very excited about it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve only just started promoting my first self-published book so I’m completely new to this. There are so many ways of promotion and not all of them work for all authors in the same way. Because my series is about women’s issues, I hope to attract the attention of women’s – in particular feminist – magazines.

I think that for low-priced or free books book promotion sites are a great option because there are plenty of reputable sites that get the books before the eyes of readers at a reasonable price, which gives an unknown author the opportunity to get noticed and possibly start building a fanbase.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Jon Bon Jovi once said something along the lines of: “Never give up. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?” It’s so easy to doubt ourselves and lose our way in a world where being a dreamer is often equaled to being a lunatic. If you’re frustrated about your friends and family not being supportive, don’t worry, you’re not the only one! Many writers, musicians, artists, experience the same. Just keep doing your thing, keep showing up, and have faith in yourself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I forget who it was that said it but it was something about not worrying how to make everybody like your book. It’s impossible. Some people will hate your book, others will simply not care but they might still express an opinion about it that you won’t like hearing. Don’t beat yourself up about how your book failed those people, don’t try to fix it to suit everybody. Just imagine the kind of reader who would love your book, and what they would love it for, and write for those people and always do your best to make those readers happy because they will be there for you, they will worship you and spread the word about your book. You’ll always have them to fall back on when things get tough.

What are you reading now?
My TBR pile is getting bigger every week and I’m usually reading a few books at the same time. I also tend to abandon books before finishing them. These past few years I haven’t been good at reading fiction, everything I started, no matter how big a best seller, just didn’t seem to impress me. But I’m really enjoying “Circe” by Madeline Miller (I gotta say I love her simple yet passionate writing style) and “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. Naomi Novik’s “Spinning Silver” is a nice tale rooted in folklore (I love folklore, myths, legends, and the like), and “Gods of Jade and Shadow” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia seems like it’s going to be interesting as well (and the cover is out of this world). Then there’s also “The Judge of Egypt” trilogy, an adventure story by Christian Jacq, and “Angel” by Elisabeth Taylor (the author, not the late actress). That last one is close to my heart because it’s about a fifteen-year-old girl dreaming of getting out of her small hometown and becoming a famous writer. The story takes place a hundred years ago but the character reminds me very much of myself. I’m curious to find out how her dramatic story ends.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Apart from the “Diamond” series I’d like to finish at least a few of the books I’ve written outlines for so far. I’m constantly outlining, I have about seventy ideas to choose from. I want to try different genres but I can promise my readers that I’ll stick to writing love stories that are an exploration of the human condition, as that is my forte and my main interest.

In the meantime, when I have a free moment or I feel inspired, I’m gathering research and writing down notes for a time travel romance that I hope will turn out to be something special.

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 can a bookworm answer this question? Many great books made an impression on me throughout my life. I guess it would be smart to take with me books that I haven’t read yet, also, thick books that would last a while, and books that can be read multiple times.

If it were to happen now, today, my choices would be:
1. “House of Leaves” by Mark Danielewski, a book I’ve been wanting to read for years. It’s about a blind man writing a report of a documentary about a house that’s bigger on the inside than on the outside. (Don’t ask. But it starts well and it’s one trick of a book, apparently, so it must be a fun read.)
2. The “Gormenghast” trilogy by Mervyn Peake. I’ve just discovered it exists, and I love castle stories.
3. The already mentioned “Winnetou” by Karl May. (The Polish translation is brilliant.) There’s just nothing like it out there.
4. “Brazil” by John Updike. My favorite book ever. I’ve read it three times and each time I found new things to love it for. The perfect complicated love story, just my cup of tea.

Author Websites and Profiles
Raena Harper Amazon Profile

Raena Harper’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Mony Singh 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
“White Lies Dark Truth” is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
White Lies Dark Truth: Question Your Beliefs. Who Are You, Really?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a dam of thoughts and when it overflows, I start writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In Fiction: The Odessa File and Day of the Jacal by Frederick Forsyth
Non-Fiction: Osho

What are you working on now?
I am working on my second book which my real-life story fighting with black magic for 27 years.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am more of a writer and spiritual guide and lack marketing skills so I cannot answer this question

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, Just sit and write, unless you put your thoughts on paper, you will never be able to pick the right pearls to make a necklace.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do not give up

What are you reading now?
Nothing, I am at a stage in life where I am deleting old stuff from my bio-computer because God wants an empty disk to upload the enlightenment software

What’s next for you as a writer?
Currently, I am involved in Quora helping people by answering their questions. Only God knows what his next plan is for me.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
If I know I am going to be stranded on a desert island, I would not leave home in the first place and if I do get stranded I would meditate instead of reading a book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Mony Singh Website
Mony Singh Amazon Profile
Mony Singh Author Profile on Smashwords

Mony Singh’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

America King Yusef been 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Description
From a NY times best seller with his first book “Hip Hop the last Religion’ the writer of many music
Records with stars like Beyonce’s Shoolin life , Ella Fitz Gerald ‘At last , or movie he produced comedy classic “How high” or Fallen staring Denzel Washington . His second book
Reincarnegro is the true story from the First man Reincarnated a Autokrator his military rank with missons complete like , Ww2 Vietnam Dixie Mission execution of Hitler , Freeing Nelson Mandela
From Political asylum jails being held for 27 years . Allied International Force closed asylums in Africa Also The Autokrator helped U.s navy seals as the Shot coordinator for the execution of Osama Bin Laden
The Royal Commission a squadron of Allied International Force has conducted a government review with this book with chapters on Living God’s , Queen Elizabeth unjust , Ww 2 & Afghan war , Tech era
Lgbtq community , and 100’s of years over with a case study and Quote’s for you to keep .

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Reincarnegro winning in court 375 trillion and people don’t understand my life

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Song writing with artist like Jayz ,Rick Ross,Dre Dre

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Danielle Steel

What are you working on now?
Hip hop the last religion 2

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep it going never give up

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read inform your self

What are you reading now?
A book on European take over Africa

What’s next for you as a writer?
More movie s

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?
Hip hop the last religion
Reincarnegro
The Bible

Author Websites and Profiles
America King Yusef been Website

Gautam Kari 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Pune and raised in Dubai. After 35 years, I decided to close down my very successful business and follow my passion in animal behavior. I enrolled in Animal Behavior College, California and played music in bars across California to pay for my education. After graduating, I moved to India and helped set up India’s first luxury pet resort. “Always on Top, Dawg!” is first my book which talks about the importance of a strong leader-relationship when it comes to communicating with your dog.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Always on Top, Dawg!” was inspired with the idea to provide the right knowledge to pet parents and children and help them understand the root cause of their dog’s behavior to tackle problems better and permanently. I wanted to pass down the knowledge that I have accumulated over time as an animal behaviorist to help pet owners build a better relationship with their dogs.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes! I think faster than I type and so I ask my wife to type down chapters as I think them out loud!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been most influenced by Victoria Stilwell who is a positive training methodologist. I have learnt under her and her book “Train your dog Positively” has greatly influenced many techniques that I use for puppy training.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am working on developing the curriculum for India’s first professional canine behavior diploma course.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I feel that the best method for me is via social media and reaching out to my client database. That I way I can ensure I have put my book in the right hands.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always have a fresh pair of eyes look at your finished content. You will always get great constructive feedback which you would have definitely missed!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up because there are roadblocks. It just means there is another way around.

What are you reading now?
Currently I am reading “Mine!” which is a book on Resource Guarding by Jean Donaldson.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I guess the next step would be to write as many short books as I can about various training and behavioral concepts. There is just too much information for me to put down in one single 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?
Wow. That’s a tough one. I would definitely take

1. A Dog’s Life by Peter Mayle
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2
3. How to Win Friends & Influence People

 

Reno Anderson 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written the book Fierce: The FEW as well as a novel under a pseudonym called Caverns of the Heart.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
During this time of self-isolation, uncertainty about the future, women of faith need to be Fierce, Fiercely following a Holy God. So I wrote a Bible study workbook, called Fierce: The FEW (Fierce Everyday Warrior). Inspired by C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series, which I always love to read, even as an adult, my book encourages women especially to answer some hard questions about following Jesus.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write with my 13 year old dog at my feet, in a little office that was meant to be a laundry room. The sun shines in, and I have a watercolor painting above my head of the glorious sun-lit Italian countryside (one of my favorite places in the world). I can tune everything out, and that helps me to write anywhere really.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many…Ann Voskamp; Katie Davis Majors, William Faulkner, Elizabeth George, Hennig Mankell, and Barbara Kingsolver – a real motley crew!

What are you working on now?
I have started the second novel in my Jane Donavon series – a women’s adventure novel. And I am working on my next Bible study workbook, probably about courage.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a website, but I use facebook a great deal. And I have a huge email list which I have developed over years of traveling.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you think you can or want to write, then just sit down and start writing. Write anything, but just put down a sentence…and then a paragraph, which quickly becomes a page, and then you are off. But however and wherever, just write! Your own voice will develop the more you write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can do it! All you have to do is start – so just start. Sit down and write.

What are you reading now?
Just finished Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors – loved it because I can relate to her journey in many ways, I am also reading Malcom Gladwell’s David and Goliath – love his way of thinking.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep writing, and to keep traveling as soon as this world is back to “normal”. But I actually like this self-isolation, as it gives me the time to write, as I have never had before. My novel takes place in Europe, specifically Italy and Portugal, so I think I will need to be there soon for background writing. I will just keep on writing as long as I have life. In order to keep writing my workbooks, I need to study my Bible more and more to see what I can do to give encouragement to ask the hard questions of my faith.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, the Narnia series, Surprised by Joy by CS Lewis, and The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp. At least those….

Author Websites and Profiles
Reno Anderson Website
Reno Anderson Amazon Profile

Reno Anderson’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Fearne Hill 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am happiest at home, living in the deepest Dorset countryside with my husband, three untamed sons, varying quantities of chickens, a few tortoises and a beautiful cocker spaniel.
When I am not overseeing my small menagerie, I write contemporary romantic fiction.
And when I am not doing either of those things, I work as a consultant anaesthetist.
I have completed five full-length novels, two of them waiting to be published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Coming Together is the first in a New Adult Romance trilogy, entitled Johnson Road and is based around three students at Nottingham University. It was inspired by my own time at Nottingham University, living in a house in Johnson Road, although alas, my make housemates weren’t as gorgeous as Alex and Jasper. I also have a love for art history, hence the references to Sophie’s studies throughout the novel. The Barberini Faun, mentioned in the novel is worth googling if you don’t know it!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I do a lot of my thinking whilst out walking with the dog or driving to work and then transfer my thoughts to paper (or laptop) at the earliest opportunity.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a voracious reader and always have been – I will read anything and everything, apart from biographies of wartime exploits by ex-soldiers, which, not to belittle their often tremendous achievements, I find inexplicably dull.
My favourite author is Alexis Hall – the master of the witty metaphor.

What are you working on now?
I am writing a book with the title Rat in the Palace, which is a story about a gay Earl, set in modern times, who unexpectedly inherited a country estate. He’s a little quirky to say the least….

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a Goodreads addict, say no more.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write something and hopefully everything will start Coming Together!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t sweat the small stuff, life’s too short.

What are you reading now?
Mixed Messages #3 by Lily Moreton. All three are easy reading fluff but utterly delightful.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I love Ile de Ré – an M/F romance soon to be published is based on the island. I have another lined up in my head, a loved story about the little known prison on the island.

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?
Glitterland by Alexis Hall.
The Captive Prince trilogy by CS Pacat
The complete works of Shakespeare.

Author Websites and Profiles
Fearne Hill Website
Fearne Hill Amazon Profile

Fearne Hill’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Henry Collins 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Henry Collins, psychologist, economist and writer with over 18 years of experience. He is engaged in acute social issues, studying the behavior of people, writes inspiring literature. He is also a philanthropist and engaged in charity work. Monthly deducts 10-15% of their fees to charity and considers this one of the keys to happiness, to give joy and hope.
I have already written seven books and plans are no less than ten

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book “HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE QUARANTINE AND DO NOT LOSE YOUR MIND? HOW TO SURVIVE ON THE QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION DURING THE PANDEMIC?: Practical advice, inspiration of isolation, quarantine ideas”
I wrote it to help people psychologically deal with this pandemic situation.

What are you working on now?
Now I am finishing a series of five books and this is the first. My books will help you find a goal in life and always be happy

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up, go ahead no matter what

 

Henry Collins’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Stefanus Mutileni 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Stefanus Mutileni, a mechanical and marine engineer. I have great passion for writing and I blog on Blue Short Pants. My first shot at writing was way back in 2005, I wrote short stories for my classmates and over the years, I drifted off in 2018, I published my first book titled “The Graduate’s Holy Grail” which is a non-fiction self-help book and in 2019, I published my second second book titled “1805 -A Potter’s Bay Thriller” which is a crime thriller.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is 1805 – A Potter’s Bay Thriller. It was fueled by the strong emotions of distress and feeling dejected, that I felt at the time when I started writing it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, I tend to write most of my books when I am depressed or feeling down, and I find it easier to write in the early morning hours. I also eat a lot when I write, I have to change this part about myself!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read a lot of Jeffrey Archer’s books.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second book about the Potter’s Bay story that I started in 1805. Planning on a sequel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’d say Twitter was the best but I left that one, currently I use Amazon ads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, I’m fairly a new author but the newbies, I’d tell them to just write and when they experience the writer’s block, they must remember why they started int eh first place. They need to nurture the talent and passion.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When my small sister said “Just write, I’ll read your book.” Honestly, her words fueled me up.

What are you reading now?
Only time will tell by Jeffrey Archer.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Complete the sequel for the Potter’s Bay crime thriller.

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?
Mark Manson’s Everything is fucked and hos first book The subtle art of not giving a fuck, plus any other book by Jeffrey Archer.

Author Websites and Profiles
Stefanus Mutileni Website
Stefanus Mutileni Amazon Profile

Ashley Williams 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Ashley Williams, but I prefer to be call by my pen name, Loodie. I’m from Lake City, South Carolina. I recently publish a book last September, Pure Innuendos. Right now, I’m currently in the editing stage for my new book, The Patched Sea.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
There were many factors that inspired me to write Pure Innuendos. Three main factors: My raising in the south, the politics and stereotypes in small southern towns, and the historical Gullah Geechee Culture.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My usual writing habits are repetition, and writing too much details to justify my characters, settings, and plot

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My decision for Southern type of writing was influenced my Mary Monroe. I love her writing style and her detailed description with the setting and the depiction of character’s southern dialect and colloquialism .

What are you working on now?
As I’m mentioning before, I am currently in the editing stage of my second book, “The Patched Sea,” which I feel will be a heartfelt story. As far as writing another book, yes, I’m writing a third book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still new to this title as being “an author,” so I’m learning what’s the best method for me. I used Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to promote my book and it helped for the most part, but I’m still searching for the best platform for me as an author.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice? Let the characters write for you, and enjoy the ride.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing, don’t stop…forget the technical writings until you complete the end of your journey.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m reading, One House Over (The Neighbors Series), by Mary Monroe.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to learn more about the book marketing business, but right now, I’m writing my third 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?
An Anthology of Shakespeare’s Tragic Plays, Edgar Allan Poe’s anthologies, and a book of O. Henry’s short stories.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ashley Williams Website
Ashley Williams Amazon Profile

Ashley Williams’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Weyimi Ayu 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my very first book. I’m a community activist for criminal justice reform and mental health awareness, as well as a former lawyer & convicted felon who just came home in May of 2019. I’m an artist/producer (stage name = Pastor Ayu) from Washington, DC & I make what I call “Gospel Trap” music about how my faith in Jesus Christ turned my life around & got me back on track. I talk truthfully about the streets & how God’s mercy can change anyone, particularly if He changed me, over hardcore trap beats. While I was still incarcerated, I led the Bible study for my unit (Southeast 3 in DC Jail) and I was in the Inmate Gospel Choir. I still do Bible study & ministry at DC Jail right now with the Phoenix Ministry at New Bethel Baptist Church. I also work with the National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens (the formerly incarcerated) throughout DC in getting people jobs & housing when they come home from prison.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called “Home Is What You Make It: Poems from Quarantine”. It was inspired by my time incarcerated and poems that I wrote while inside. I compared it to how I feel now being quarantined in the house due to the coronavirus. I thought that these poems would be inspiration during this time now more than ever because more and more people have the same cabin fever that I have.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing habits are that I write in spurts. I’m not a steady writer. If I get in the mood, I try to write down all my thoughts and organize them later.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m inspired by the Bible, Pastor T.D. Jakes, Pastor Mike Todd in Tulsa, and other people that are preaching the message of Jesus Christ.

What are you working on now?
I’m actually working on a musical album that I want to release on August 4, 2020, which happens to be my 39th Birthday. I’m writing down lyrics and organizing my thoughts around completing this project. I’ll work on my second book when I’m done with that.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I published my first book on Amazon.com and I get a lot of lessons and knowledge from studying the material on Kindlepreneur by Dave Chesson. He really has a lot of great information.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors is to take action. The worst thing you can do is to just keep putting it off. God tried to get me to write this book upon my release from jail in May of 2019. I didn’t officially get serious about writing until the following March and I finally published the book on April 19, 2020. So just do it (like Nike says).

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard comes from the Bible and more specifically Jesus Christ. He said the two greatest commandments are to love God with all my heart, mind and soul and to love my fellow humans like I love myself. I really strive to live by this.

What are you reading now?
I’m actually reading Dave Ramsey’s book “The Complete Guide to Money” because I want to know how to handle all this money that’s getting ready to come in due to my book sales. Just kidding (actually, I really hope that happens lol)

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next book will be more focused on telling my story through a narrative of some of my life stories and how I overcame them with God’s grace.

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 probably bring The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Think and Grow Rich, almost any book by Dr. James Gills, and the Bible.

Author Websites and Profiles
Weyimi Ayu Website
Weyimi Ayu Amazon Profile
Weyimi Ayu Author Profile on Smashwords

Weyimi Ayu’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Michael Pool 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have three published full-length novels (Texas Two-Step, 2018 from Down and Out Books, Rose City, 2019 from Down and Out Books, and Throwing Off Sparks, May 2020 from P.I. Tales), as well as one novella, Debt Crusher (2016 from All Due Respect Books), one up-coming novella (Rocky Mountain Lie, an installment of Down and Out Books’ A Grifter’s Song series), and a collection of short stories, New Alleys for Nothing Men (Short Stack Books 2016). I have also edited an anthology of short stories, Fast Women and Neon Lights, and several issue of a crime fiction short story magazine, Crime Syndicate Magazine.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel, out May 12, 2020, is Throwing Off Sparks. I work full-time as a private investigator and have been working toward writing a series of private investigator novels for a few years. In 2018, I found a submission call for an anthology called The Eyes of Texas, which features private investigator stories set in Texas, edited by Michael Bracken. I decided to write a story to submit, and the story that came out of this featured a female private investigator from Tyler, Texas (my hometown), named Riley Reeves. Within the first page of writing this story I knew that Riley had a larger story to tell, and the Riley Reeves series was born. Throwing Off Sparks is the first book in the series, with a second installment, Devotion to Death, due out in 2021.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write early in the morning whenever possible. I also tend to have several projects going at one time rather than focusing on a single project, so that I can switch between them as inspiration strikes.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Raymond Carver was a huge early influence, as were Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Bukowski. More recently, Walter Mosley, Robert Crais, Sue Grafton, Elmore Leonard, and a whole host of modern mystery writers serve as huge inspirations.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a P.I. novel called One Way Out, which features bipolar, Denver-based private eye Rick Malone, who is snowed into a fictional small mountain valley where he’s investigating the disappearance of a local teenage girl for an estranged friend who sits accused of having done something to her.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m active on my Facebook author page, as well as on Goodreads and Instagram.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Focus on learning to plot along with learning to write pretty sentences. In many ways it is the most important skill of all if you want to have a career writing novels.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you’re going to try, go all the way. — Charles Bukowski

What are you reading now?
I’m reading John Straley’s The Music of What Happens. The series has a powerful sense of place, engaging mysteries in each installment, and, frankly, Straley is just a beautifully poetic writer with a fantastic sense of irony and melancholy. I highly recommend the Cecil Younger private investigator series, which is set in Alaska. It’s unlike anything else I’ve read in the genre.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Throwing Off Sparks will be released May 12, 2020, followed by One Way Out later this year. Each book is the first in a series, and each series will see at least five books over the next five years, which means I’ll be working with Riley Reeves and Rick Malone for some time to come. I’m also working on the follow up to Throwing Off Sparks, Devotion to Death, then moving on to the follow up to One Way Out, Cold Hard Facts.

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?
Songs of the Doomed, by Hunter S. Thompson, Where I’m Calling From by Raymond Carver, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, and Hot Water Music, by Charles Bukowski.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Pool Website
Michael Pool Amazon Profile

Michael Pool’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Johnny Oddsocks 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Firstly, I’m a father of two boys – both toddlers and they are the main reason I’m writing children’s books.

I’ve currently got one book available to buy (“What’s My Instrument?”) and a second “Freddy the Bird” coming very soon!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“What’s My Instrument?” is a picturebook that inspires children to take an interest in music. I come from a very musical family and it only seemed natural that I write a story which conveys one of my main interests to my sons – in a humorous way of course!

It’s about Marilyn the Mongoose who is keen to join a band- but she can’t play an instrument! She tries many different options, with varying degrees of success before she finds where her talents lie.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not especially! I do most of it on the train or in my lunch hour at work, as I don’t get anything done when my boys are around!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In terms of children’s books I love Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton, and as my kids get older my stories will undoubtedly get weirder in kilter with my favourite authors!

What are you working on now?
I’m putting the finishing touches to “Freddy the Bird” the first in a new series. It’s short and silly, it’s almost a comic style of story.

So this – and starting “What’s My Job?” the next in the What’s My? series. Busy!!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning this side of things! I’ve found free days on KDP to be quite successful, supported by websites like AwesomeGang, and the Fussy Librarian is a website I’d recommend.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep writing regularly, even if it’s only ten minutes here and there. Just one page a day is a novel in a year.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be yourself. Find your own natural style, it all comes easier if you are you.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Spot the Dog to my one year old, my two year old is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine and I’ve been trying to find time to read the Time Machine by HG Wells for months!

What’s next for you as a writer?
To get the second books out in each of my series. They both have the text written, I need to get illustrating!

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 Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Hobbit and probably some Kurt Vonnegut or Philip K Dick.

Author Websites and Profiles
Johnny Oddsocks Website
Johnny Oddsocks Amazon Profile

Johnny Oddsocks’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Morgan Holmes 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Morgan Holmes, and I’m 21 years old. I’ve lived in southern Wisconsin all of my life.

I’ve written two short stories so far, and I’m currently working on another.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called The Devil in the Woods. I always get inspiration from my dreams. They give me the basic idea and I write and expand on them.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like being able to write everywhere. I used to carry a big notebook around, which wasn’t very practical. So I write stories on my device, going back to when I wrote on my iPod Touch.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on writing and editing a story that I’ve been working on for YEARS. Getting started is the easy part for me. The ending has always been a struggle.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep on writing! I’m working on writing longer books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Morgan Holmes Amazon Profile