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Dennis AuBuchon 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
To Date I have written 35 books on a wide range of topics primarily focused on integrity principles. I have published a book to honor veterans and their commitment along with their families. I have also written books on quality principles ,the history of the pledge of allegiance and the American Spirit.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled The Ability One Program, a blessing for veterans. It is a group of organizations that provide support for veterans through the common products they make. They also provide jobs for veterans in the process.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do not have any unusual writing habits or at least I do not think they are unusual though they may be considered as such by others.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Books by Joel Osteen and Max Lucado in addition to a host of other authors too numerous to name. It is about the topics others write about and the quality of the content.

What are you working on now?
I am working on several books at the same time in addition to working on promoting my writing. I continue to post of social media websites to keep my name and my activities current.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Finding this website is a blessing. I continue to look for sites to list my books for sale trying to gain exposure for the topics on which I write.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I encourage any individual who is interested in writing to never give up. There is no age limit in writing a book or an article. It is something that anyone can do. You do not need to leave your home to participate in this activity.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
to never give up and to be persistent about my writing. Writing a book or article takes time but as you get more involved you learn and get better at what you write and on the topics on which you write.

What are you reading now?
I am not currently reading anything right now.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep focusing on my writing and to constantly search for topics which I feel need to be addressed by the general public. Sometimes it involves a new approach to an old topic

Author Websites and Profiles
Dennis AuBuchon Website

Al Lautenslager 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Al Lautenslager is a six-times published, best-selling author, entrepreneur, book collector, business-person, professional speaker who is passionate about Da Vinci and Renaissance history. He has traveled to Italy to see Renaissance history in full view, in Da Vinci’s own country. He has lived a life like da Vinci as an engineer and writer, with multi-disciplined interests, curiosities, skills and more. His pursuit of art and Da Vinci history comes from the research for this book and the many da Vinci books in his collection.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Da Vinci Visits Today. His pursuit of art and Da Vinci history comes from the research for this book and the many da Vinci books in his collection along with visits to Florence and other parts of Italy during his research.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Easy to read, read as spoken to, short chapters to keep attention.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code, Stephen King, George Orwell, Walter Isaacson

What are you working on now?
The new release of Da Vinci Visits Today, the media that goes with it and promotion.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon and media (radio, TV, Print) sites

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Done is better than perfect; follow your passions; work with the end in mind; a book is your legacy; always be marketing. Im still getting royalties on my first book released 15 years ago.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write with passion from the viewpoint of the reader.

What are you reading now?
Baseball books, Italian and Renaissance history books

What’s next for you as a writer?
Speaking, promoting, connecting with all things Italian

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Al Lautenslager Amazon Profile

Levi Fuller 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written 3 books so far, it is a 5 book series, so 2 more to go.
There will be more 5 book series coming out this year and the years to come.

I love watching suspense mystery movies, that is how I get started on writing them, hopefully one day my books will be turned into movies I know better dream big.

I enjoy wandering in the woods a lot, just walk around the woods, I feel getting in touch with myself, all the stress goes away. I also enjoy drinking beer, especially IPA and sour beer. Sitting on dock watching ducks swimming by is the highlight of my day. Many friends told me I am a simple person.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is named Vision of Fear, book 3 in a 5 book series. My coach told me never to live my life in fear, he inspired me to go on this fear series. All five books are fear related.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I am wandering in the woods, new ideas come out, then I record it on my phone.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Rich dad, poor dad by Robert Kiyosaki has changed my mindset about money.
How to win friends and influence people taught me how to make friends.
The Secret, taught me whatever I want, I will get them all just by believing it. So I believe every ebook, audiobook of mine will sell 1000 copies per day in the next 50 years.
Journey of Souls, made me realize I am on earth to learn to increase my awareness, life is game.

What are you working on now?
I am working on book 4 and 5 in Alma series, also working on hitting Amazon Algorithm for each of my book, so Amazon will promote my books, then sales will come easily.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, I cant say the best yet, since I havent tried many of them.

But for free books, Bknight on Fiverr has great ROI. Reading deals is also great.

I will know result of awesome gang soon. I hope to establish long term relationship with book promoting websites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You need to realize writing a book, be able to sell a book, make constant sales with a book, they are completely different. So start learning how to market your book ASAP.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep learning.

What are you reading now?
My eyes are not so good, so I do audio books, or Podcast.

So I listen to Rich Dad, the author hang out Podcast at least 3 times a week.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next step is hire a VA to help me manage newsletter swap, draft, social media post.
So I can focus on providing great content, also get my books out there.

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 secret
Conversation with God.
Journey of Souls.

Author Websites and Profiles
Levi Fuller Amazon Profile

Levi Fuller’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Aileen Jarvis 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I used to work as a child development specialist until I gave birth to my first child. Who would have thought a six weeks maternity leave would turn into a 4 years full-time stay-at-home parent. I love every moment of it but gosh … being a parent is tough! Everyday is something new. I didn’t realize how under-prepared I was to cope with all the stress but like all parents, we tried to do our best.

So far I have written one book Parenting With Purpose: A Practical Guide to Disciplining With Empathy and Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child. The book launched on Amazon on June 12th. Writing my first book was a journey. I never thought I would become a writer but here I am.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book that is scheduled to release at the end of the summer is Mindful Habits for Better Parents: How to Stop Losing Your Shit and Start Owning Parenthood. My inspiration comes from my personal experience raising my own children and coaching other parents.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, I do. When I hit a writer’s block. I would go take a shower or go on a run and somehow these help get my creative juices flowing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oooh, there are so many. It really depends on where I’m at in my life. Currently, I’m reading The Success Principles by Jack Canfield and I really enjoy it.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the audiobook of Parenting With Purpose and doing a final revision for Mindful Habits for Better Parents.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t know. Promoting book is all new to me. I’m still learning and figuring this out. Haha

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, don’t be afraid to share and publish your book! It took me over a year to get over my fear of writing and publishing Parenting With Purpose. I was nervous of what other parents will say and think of me. After launching my first book, I realized that I just have to let it go. Negative review is going to come. Some readers are more gentle and others will criticize your work more harshly but it’s all part of the process. We all learn and grow.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Hmm… one of my favorite advice is give yourself a little grace. I have always been really hard on myself, not only as a writer but as a parent. Sometimes we all have to take a step back and appreciate what we have accomplished.

What are you reading now?
The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m not sure. I’m excited to find out as well.

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?
Only 3 or 4?! That’s hard. I read a lot of non-fiction books, so I would bring any of the non-fiction books that are sitting on my bookshelf that I haven’t read.

Author Websites and Profiles
Aileen Jarvis Amazon Profile

Aileen Jarvis’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Mercy Mize 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Mercy Mize and I live in Pennsylvania. I am a 2nd grade teacher and first time author. Samson’s Tail is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is Samson’s Tail. I was inspired to write this book after we adopted our dog, Samson from the DAWGS Prison Program. This amazing nonprofit saves dogs from shelters and places them in prisons. There the dogs live in a cell with their handlers, are trained all basic commands, crate trained, house trained, and well socialized before they are adopted to their forever families. My purpose for writing this book was to educate and support the DAWGS Prison Program and others like it and therefore a portion of the proceeds from each book sold goes to them.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I teach the writing process to my 2nd graders and i often find myself thinking a lot about what I teach them as I am writing. I also am always thinking of ways I can help my students with my knowledge and experience as an author.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a 2nd grade teacher, I read so many amazing and influential children’s books. Some of my favorites are ones that teach children a valuable life lesson.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am working on promoting Samson’s Tail, that is a full time job in itself!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still learning all about Amazon, KDP, and ways to promote my book on social media but my absolute favorite way to promote my book is at local book events with the star of my book, Samson. He is a certified therapy dog so he is always allowed to join me and he is always a big hit! I really enjoy sharing Samson’s story with others and helping to spread the word about prison dog programs. I am hoping that soon book stores will reopen and I will be able to reschedule my events.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors would be to be willing to learn from others. Throughout this process I have learned and gotten great advice from so many. Also, make sure to network, find the authors groups on social media, reach out, and ask questions. There is a great community of authors with a wealth of knowledge who are always happy to help so make sure to tap into it!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think some of the greatest advice I have ever heard was to write about something that makes you happy or something that you are passionate about. My book is certainly something that is very important to me and I am so happy to be able to teach others about a program that benefits the dogs, the handlers, and the forever families.

What are you reading now?
Well, since it is summer I am just reading some fun, lighthearted beach reads.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am thinking about a second book. What might it look like? Another dog in the program? Something else that brings me happiness? Who knows?

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 is a hard one, there are so many I would like to bring!

The Color Purple
The Great Gatsby
The Secret Garden
Samson’s Tail (hehe)

Author Websites and Profiles
Mercy Mize Amazon Profile

Mercy Mize’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Carryn W Kerr 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my debut but this was what I was always meant to do. Even as a young child my parents and teachers often invited me to leave my imagination behind and join them. Horses are another passion. My enormous Friesian x Thoroughbred, named Mr Fantastic , doubles as my muse. In fact, I think all horses are muses.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Renascent World originally took shape in my dreams and I built on it from there. I loved writing the story and seeing it unfold as I followed Cassidy on her journey.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Often, when in the middle of a scene some idea hits into me and I have to start writing this scene for a new book. After writing two or three chapters I return to the f irst.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Actually, many, many authors inspired me in writing, but very few influenced and inspired me to write. Probably the earliest being J.R.R. Tolkien. But if we’re talking about who made me think that this was something I’d love to do, it was Stephenie Meyers’ THE HOST and Charlotte Bronte’s JANE EYRE.

What are you working on now?
Currently, my main focus is on the sequel to The Renascent World, titled The Renascent Children, but I have written a few chapters and the blurb for a new story with the working title, My Sacrifice.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It’s a little too early for me to tell. At the moment I am testing many different mediums.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Right now, I’m still taking advice left-right- and-centre. Still, what I’d say to anyone wanting to write a book is ‘just do it’ because you never know you can until it’s done. Don’t give up and accept all criticism with gratitude because that is how you improve your craft.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you want to accomplish something great then keep it to yourself until it is done because chances are pretty good that you won’t complete something you talk about.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett, Finale by Stephanie Garber and Shadow and Flame by Mindee Arnett. Mostly I listen to audiobooks but most of all I love to read a good, old fashioned paperback.

What’s next for you as a writer?
This question sends me into a state of excitement. All I want to do is write down all the stories flying around in my head. As I do, more and more characters and scenes crowd my mind. So ‘next’ is a rather broad term. I love, love, love f inding out what each seedling produces.

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?
Ouch! Only 3 or 4? Full series in the case of the f irst two— Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, then I think Jane Eyre.

Author Websites and Profiles
Carryn W Kerr Website
Carryn W Kerr Amazon Profile

Carryn W Kerr’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Janine Campbell 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
And Then Love Came Along is my first ever book. It’s a romantic novel published in the Love After Heartbreak And Loss Series and I am currently working on book two of the series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called And Then Love Came Along and it’s the story of two people who have suffered loss and abuse in life but still find a way to move forward into a future together.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My favourite place to write is in the garden with the laptop on my knees.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a great Jane Austen fan and love period dramas.

What are you working on now?
My second book is going to be published in summer 2020 and will belong to the same series as this book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like reaching people via my social media channels because it’s very easy and fast to get in touch with new people.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself and just do it!

What are you reading now?
The Silver Dark Sea by Susan Fletcher

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish my second novel and start writing my third :-).

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, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Wuthering Heights

Author Websites and Profiles
Janine Campbell Website

Janine Campbell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Alicia Nunn 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a former License Clinical Social Worker. I am also a women’s and Black Lives Matter activist. I love music, dance, reading, writing and most things creative. My love of writing was sparked by my paternal grandmother, Lola, who kept a library of books in her basement. I was an introverted child and would escape into the world of her books. I began writing poetry in elementary school and joined the journalism club in high school. I entered writing contests and always won first place. I aspired to be a journalist until a teacher criticized my writing in 10th grade. Being a sensitive child, I took her criticism to heart and took a different path. Decades later a co-founded a youth non-profit arts organization and the passion was reignited. I have written two books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Ashira’s World: The Queen of Heaven Returns, was inspired by an ancient African Goddess, Asherah. In the bible she is referred to as the Queen of Heaven. She was erased from history during the rise of patriarchy. When Asherah was worshipped the world enjoyed peace and prosperity. The protagonist, Ashira, is her descendant and who is called to save the world from self-destruction. She is a warrior with superpowers, but she doesn’t know it because she doesn’t know who she is. In order to fully activate her powers she must join with her soulmate, but the battle within keeps her from finding true love.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I enter the world I am writing about, so I lose contact with the outside world for hours and even days.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am greatly influenced by Zora Neale Hurston. I am also influenced by Ida B. Wells, Kristin Lattany and Toni Morrison.

What are you working on now?
I am working on my second novel. I don’t have a title yet but it will be about three sisters living in America who are business moguls. One sister is unfulfilled and travels to Namibia where she finds her roots, purpose and true love. Her sisters follow eventually and the trio are compelled to seek justice for their ancestors who were murdered during the first holocaust by the Germans, the Namibian genocide, during which two tribes were massacred.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method for promoting are Instagram ads, contributing blogs to digital magazines, promo sites, and author cross-promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice I can give new authors is to persevere. Writing and publishing is a long and tiring process, full of twists and turns, but you have an incredible voice and story to tell, so don’t give up!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard is, keep writing. My writing mentor, Ben Clement, gave me those wise words, which inspire me to keep going in the face of rejection.

What are you reading now?
I am not reading at this time as I am focused on promoting my first novel. I am looking forward to reading Sun is Sky by Jedah Mayberry.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I next evolution will be filmmaking. I just finished writing the screenplay for Ashira’s World!

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 were stranded on a desert Island I would take Their Eyes Were Watching God, Beloved, Children of Blood and Bone, Children of Virtue and Vengeance.

Author Websites and Profiles
Alicia Nunn Website
Alicia Nunn Amazon Profile

Anette Christensen 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have only written one book. Over 8 years, I undertook more than 7.000 hours of research. This included watching documentaries, reading articles, communicating with Mercedes Sosa’s family, friends and others close to the artist.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Mercedes Sosa – The Voice of Hope. The inspiration came from my passion about Mercedes Sosa. I first heard of her when her death was announced on the News on October 4, 2009. I watched a short clip, but it had a huge impact on me. I was captivated by her voice as well as her personal presence. Consequently, I immersed myself in her life and in her music.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I know of.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love biographies because I like to be inspired by others. I think it is important to get insight into the lives of people who comes from a different culture and has different interests or values than myself.

What are you working on now?
I am working on translating Mercedes Sosa – The Voice of Hope. It has already been published in Spanish and Italian. A French and a Lithuanian version are in the making.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I didn’t discover any advertising that really worked yet. Please tell me about it…:)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, write because you love writing and not because you want to become rich fast. Don’t rush it. Good books take time. When you get an offer from a company within the publishing industry, always check their credentials. There are lots of sharks in the water who are after your money, but don’t care about your book. I have avoided them.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I can’t think of any advice right now, but I have a rule, I live by, It is to always look for the best in others and believe they are doing their best. You don’t know what circumstances they live with.

What are you reading now?
The open veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano. I should have read it a long time ago but I only became aware of it resently.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I don’t have any specific plans as my Mercedes Sosa project takes up most of my time. I might write an autobiography or a book about living in Turkey where I have been living for 8 years and still live at present.

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 liked the Turkish Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk’s book, A Strangeness in My Mind, very much. I would like to read more of his books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Anette Christensen Website
Anette Christensen Amazon Profile

Anette Christensen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Bert Smith Jr. 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for years because I enjoy it, I never intended to write a book then a friend who read some of my stuff started encouraging me to give it a go, that’s when I started writing everyday and eventually ended up with a collection of poems that I think are good enough to share. This is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of the my book is Terminal Frivolity: A Collection of Poems, it was inspired by the life of a good friend.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I used to sit outside the pub people watching and write about the different characters I saw, also writing in the notes on my phone so anytime an idea pops up I capture it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
John Cooper Clarke, WB Yeats, Charles Bukowski

What are you working on now?
I write everyday I usually have a few poems on the go, some turn out well some go in the bin! I’m also promoting Terminal Frivolity.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Bknights on Fiverr for a free e-book promotion went well so I’d recommend them.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author myself I think the most important things are not to get discouraged, and don’t compare yourself to other people.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you know about and keep it simple.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading The Odyssey again.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll just keep writing everyday

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?
Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt By John Cooper Clarke
The Odyssey Translated By TE Lawrence
Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe By Christopher McDougall

 

K.E. Drake 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Katie. I was born and raised in a small town in Missouri, USA. I’m a bookworm and a closet geek. I have a special place in my heart for fairytales and romance stories, which are exactly the kind of books I write. I’ve completed four books, two of which are published on Amazon, and two that are still in the works. I also have several more books and stories partly written!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled Ruby Treasure. It’s the second book in The Happily Ever After Series. It’s in the final stages of editing and should be published by the end of August or September. I started coming up with the idea for the story while writing the first book in my series, Beautiful Melody, which had characters in it I loved too much to not give their own book, so I made them the main characters of that one!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure. I can’t bring myself write when the house is dirty and I find it hard to concentrate without listening to music. Does that count?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
One of the earliest authors I remember reading when I got my first Kindle was K.M. Shea. She writes clean and fun fantasy and fairytales that I read over and over throughout my teenage years. I think it was her books like Beauty And The Beast, Princess Ahira, Rumpelstiltskin, and a few others which helped me realize what the types of stories are that I love to read and that helped plant in me the seeds of desire to create my own stories.

What are you working on now?
My current work in progress is my next upcoming book titled Ruby Treasure. On the backburner, I also have three books that are partly written but nowhere near fully done. I plan to get back to working on each of them one by one after publishing Ruby Treasure.

I also have two books currently published in ebook form on Amazon and I’m working to get them get them both out in print!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Instagram is my main platform, but I also use reader and writer Amino pages, as well as searching for readers and reviewers directly and sharing my books with them.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you want. Yes, writing is work, and if you’re serious about it, you need to put in all the effort it requires. But you need to write what you want when you want. If you don’t have fun with it, then what’s the point?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best writing advice I’ve ever heard was from An author named Jenna Moreci. She said that your book will never be perfect. It’s not because perfection can’t be reached, but because perfection is subjective. What’s perfect to you may be garbage to someone else. So just write what you like how you like it and remember that you’ll never please anyone.

What are you reading now?
I’m in the middle of three books actually. Jane Eyre, Pureblood by Ellysia Fields, and Austenland by Shannon Hale.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Editing and writing more books, more all-nighters, and more procrastination.

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, wow. Let’s see. My Bible for sure. After that, maybe The Scarecrow King by Jill Myles, a classic like Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice, some sort of a fairytale, like a collection of Grimm Brothers stories or a retelling of Beauty And The Beast, although you would have to be holding a gun to my head to make me pick just one!

Author Websites and Profiles
K.E. Drake Website
K.E. Drake Amazon Profile

Jack Page 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written a host of books, for which I have won major book awards in the US and the UK. But for my latest novel “Call to Power: A prime corporate novel” I chose to publish under a pseudonym. Doing so guarantees my freedom as an author. Unlike my other books, Call to Power revolves around a number of hot-button issues such as boardroom intrigues, offshoring of manufacturing jobs, tax dodging, and religion.
I have been working as a manager at the world’s leading banks and businesses, which is why I am privy to how the global economy is really run behind closed doors.
But as Jack Page I have also authored a short story called “Wrangler of Wall Street,” which you can download for free at my website www.jack-page.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Call to Power: A prime corporate novel” is available from July 2020. I had the idea for the book at one of those Economic Summits in London, where the big executives of international behemoths mingle. The mood seemed to be one of inevitability. Talking to all those high-powered leaders I realized how little weight they attributed to the individuals of their own caste.
Our global economy puts an unprecedented strain on individual companies and people. Digitalization and cheap labor from abroad are responsible for mass-layoffs all over the developed world. Call to Power shows the effects this has on the lives of everyday Americans who feel the American Dream slowly slipping out of their reach. And this business thriller is even more about the stewards of these corporate giants, the top-managers whom I have seen increasingly trapped in a spiritual vacuum. Yet Call to Power shows a glimmer of hope, a possible moral compass that will ensure the promise of capitalism is met, and first and foremost the novel shows that one determined underdog can alter a seemingly forlorn course of history.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have the peak of productivity right after I wake up, which is around 5pm, that’s why I never understood the troves of authors who write during the night.
But given that I am an executive myself with a tough schedule, I seldom have the privilege to choose a specific writing time. I use every free minute in hotels, airports, or on trains.
And yes, I need absolute silence.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Michael Dobbs, John Grisham, Arthur Hailey, Stephen Frey, John Updike – and these are just the major fiction authors that kept me reading at night. I read probably just as many business books as novels.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For me it is my blog, Amazon, and twitter. I found that Facebook and Instagram don’t work so well for business novels.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stick with it. Like with most tasks, whether you are successful as a writer is decided over the long haul. The famous business author Malcom Gladwell talks about the 10,000 hours rule. Before you have not invested that amount of time in a skill, chances are you will not be truly good at it. Now you can do the math. Don’t give up after a year, or two, or even five. Honing your craft and your storytelling technique is something every author must do excessively .

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A CEO I used to work once told me on my first day: “Don’t ask, just do.” I don’t know if he came up with it himself or simply echoed the Nike-slogan, but being bold has enabled my prolific writing, just as much as my rapid career progression. Try, test, and enhance. This is by the way also the best way to combat writer’s block. Never waste time second-guessing and analyzing things to death. Don’t get me wrong: You must have a strategy, but you don’t have to polish it and be 100% certain of it. 70% is fine.

What are you reading now?
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou.
This is such an amazing real-world story that a business fiction author would have a hard time coming up with it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
First, I will be adding a lot of content to my blog https://jack-page.com/blog/ My goal is to make it the go-to portal for all things related to business fiction.
Second, I have a couple of new ideas for my next novel. After having looked at the Rust Belt in a kind of manufacturing novel, I might deal with digitalization by the very people pushing this trend onto the world, i.e. Silicon Valley. The next novel might, however, also take my readers to Manhattan and Wall Street. High finance never gets boring.
As I have dozens of new ideas, I am working closely with my readers to elicit which worlds they feel like diving in 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?
Robinson Crusoe. This would suffice to survive and get out of there.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jack Page Website
Jack Page Amazon Profile

Jack Page’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Stephanie Alexander 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Stephanie Alexander is the bestselling author of The Cracked Slipper Series and Charleston Green. She grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Drawing, writing stories, and harassing her parents for a pony consumed much of her childhood. After graduating from high school in 1995 she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the College of Charleston, South Carolina. She returned to Washington, DC, where she followed a long-time fascination with sociopolitical structures and women’s issues to a Master of Arts in Sociology from the American University. She spent several years as a Policy Associate at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), a think-tank focused on women’s health and economic advancement.

Stephanie embraced full-time motherhood after the birth of the first of her three children in 2003. Her family put down permanent southern roots in Charleston in 2011. She published her first novel, The Cracked Slipper, in February 2012. The first printing of the series sold over 40,000 copies. Her latest novel, Charleston Green, was an immediate Amazon bestseller in Southern fiction and has been called “an enchanting novel of a woman finding her way out of a midlife (and mid-death) crisis.” – Kirkus Reviews

In addition to her personal writing, Stephanie returned to the College of Charleston as an Adjunct Professor of Sociology and launched her freelance ghostwriting and editing business, Wordarcher, LLC. Beginning in the Fall of 2015, as a single working mother, she attended law school on a full academic scholarship, earning her juris doctor with honors from the Charleston School of Law in December, 2017.

She currently practices family law in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the Charleston suburb that is the setting of Charleston Green. Her personal experience rebuilding her life after divorce inspires both her legal work and her fiction. Stephanie and her husband live in the Charleston area with their blended family of five children and their two miniature dachshunds, Trinket and Tipsy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Charleston Green is Stephanie Alexander’s latest book. Her personal experience rebuilding her life after divorce, as well as her experience as a family court attorney, inspired this story of a woman who moves into a house that is haunted by the ghosts of an unhappily married couple, and must solve the mystery surrounding their death while she recovers from her own devastating divorce. It’s a story about letting go of the past, starting over, and finding yourself after personal tragedy.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Stephanie has to have her hair pulled back when she writes, and she can only write in Times New Roman 12-point double spaced font!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephanie’s favorite book of all time is Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt, which is actually a memoir and not a novel, but has the most powerful and unique voice of any book she’s ever read. Some of her favorite authors are Stephen King, Jane Austen, Philip Pullman, Margaret Atwood, Philippa Gregory, John Irving, and Pat Conroy.

What are you working on now?
Stephanie is working on a sequel to Charleston Green, as she’s already had many readers ask for one!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The Instagram blogging community (bookstagram) is hugely supportive of authors, although it can take some work to get attention from the big book bloggers. Stephanie is on Instagram at @stephaniealexanderbooks.com.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Study the craft through writing books. Find critique partner who will be constructive but tell you the difficult things you don’t want to hear. Get a thick skin, because rejection and criticism are part of this business!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Not everyone will like your books, and that’s okay. Books are subjective. Still, be willing to listen to constructive criticism about plot, character, voice, etc. It’s one thing if someone just isn’t crazy about your story because it’s not that person’s cup of tea; it’s another thing if you get feedback from someone you trust that the pacing is slow or the characters are flat.

What are you reading now?
Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

What’s next for you as a writer?
The sequel to Charleston Green, and then probably two more books about the heroine of Charleston Green, Tipsy Collins.

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?
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Author Websites and Profiles
Stephanie Alexander Website
Stephanie Alexander Amazon Profile

Stephanie Alexander’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Violet Hart 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello, I am a new author and Kingdom of Spades is my first published book. I have been writing for many years and finally decided that I wanted to bring my romance books alive to share with an appreciative audience.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Kingdon of Spades- What inspired this book was my love for poker and romance novels and I thought why not merge them to create a compelling love story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
yes I am kind of introverted, so sometimes I adore isolation so I like to write in the dark to inspire me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Danielle Steel has inspired me to write romance books. I have always been a fan of hers.

What are you working on now?
I am working on Kingdom of Spades Book 2: The Turn

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use a variety of book promotion sites to get the word out for my book and future books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just learn everything you can about the publishing industry. Marketing is very iportant too because if readers do not see your work they will never know how great you are.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The clock only goes around once.

What are you reading now?
Becoming the Narcissist’s worst nightmare.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To continue to write exciting and sexy romance novels.

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 any books from Danielle Steel.

Author Websites and Profiles
Violet Hart Amazon Profile

Violet Hart’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

K.R Jones Beavis 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing since the young age of 7, dabbling in short stories and entering numerous competitions. Possessions is my first full Novel and is the first book in a planned detective series. I also create short films, and have since created a video advert for my debut novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Possessions and is the first in a series I have called MSMI, which stands for Manslaughter and Murder Investigations. Watching a programme called Bones and another called Criminal Minds inspired me to start my own detective series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
As far as I am aware, I don’t think I have any unusual writing habits. Though my preferred place to write is in bed at night. That’s when the creative juices really start spilling.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Darren Shan is one of my favourite authors, and got me into reading and writing at a young age.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the second book in my MSMI series, and hopefully that will be out soon, too.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook for most of my advertising, but I will also be trying Amazon advertising in the coming weeks to promote Possessions.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. No matter how you feel about your writing, whether you love it or hate it, just don’t give up. In time you will get better, and who knows where success will lead you?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You try, you fail, you try, you fail. But the only true failure is when you stop trying!

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Four by Veronica Roth.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope some day my books will become well known and loved, and I plan on branching out into different genres. But to be honest, only time will tell.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring 4 of Darren Shans Demonata books, as they are what inspired me to write, and they are probably the best series I have read to date.

Author Websites and Profiles
K.R Jones Beavis Website
K.R Jones Beavis Amazon Profile

K.R Jones Beavis’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Anna "Annina" Lorenzi 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Anna Lorenzi, but my close friends and family call me “Annina,” which means “little Anna” in Italian, maybe because I’m not so tall, but it’s also a term of endearment. I live in Milan, Italy, with two wonderful beagles. I cultivate various passions of mine, of course, writing, but also photography, music, taking care of my garden and my bonsai, travel (above all in my beloved USA!), and motorbikes and cars, especially “old” ones. In fact, I’m the exclusive consultant for a company that I founded ten years ago with a friend, and which operates internationally in the field of classic cars.

As for books, tales, poetry, articles, “pages”…, in reality – for work or for fun – I’ve written quite a lot, but currently I’m promoting my first book that I decided to publish professionally, but independently, with Amazon KDP.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest work is called Meeting Laura – A Novel Loosely and Partially Inspired by the Life of… (translated professionally and amazingly by Starleen K. Meyer from the Italian, Incontrando Laura…). It’s available, both as a Kindle eBook and as a paperback in all Amazon stores.

Various things inspired me to write this book. The idea was born suddenly when here in Italy we began to hear of bachelor and master degrees for being influencers; some concepts (described in the pages of my novel) that are a profound part of me and for which I felt like I wanted to narrate them in other forms, again; and the knowledge – if “virtual” – of the real Laura who contributed, as an example of a type of woman, to the development of the idea of this project.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if they could be called “unusual,” but usually I write when caught up in the spirit of the moment, almost as if it were a need to satisfy, following the flow of images and ideas that I suddenly see so clearly in my mind. Anyway, better in the evening with a beer and an ashtray close at hand.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Honestly, when I write something I try, if possible, not to be influenced by what I read. I want my writing to be completely honest and really and truly mine, that it gets to the reader like something that belongs to me in the deepest part of myself, like a part of me, and not just like a nice story that I decided to put down in black and white.

What are you working on now?
At the moment, in addition to keeping up with my personal blog annina19.com dedicated to my activity as a writer, I’m really concentrating on promoting my book that just came out. I can’t deny, though, that I’m already thinking of the next one… maybe a sequel, since people have already started asking me for one, or… We’ll see.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Today, in these times of social media, of thousands of titles published every day in the world, these times in which everything has to be fast and the parameters of an initial judgment are often (and unfortunately) “the numbers,” the likes, the hearts… well, I think that it’s not possible to choose just one method or one site to promote works. Being as present as possible – and in a good way – on as many platforms as possible is key. It creates a strong image, credible, human, sincere. You have to get people to talk about you. Enormous media exposure is necessary, something that isn’t often easy to get.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think that the best advice is always to write what you want and what you feel the urge to write, and not to think about what others would want to read. Following one’s own genuine inspirational passions. Being honest, real (and even a little critical) with oneself is maybe the best way to be it with readers, the best way to convey what we propose on paper and what we are.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Ahh, that’s a good question…

I don’t know if it was the best, but it was important and significant for me, “Always be yourself, BE, don’t SEEM, and… if you insist and persist, you’ll achieve and conquer.”

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m really too busy to find the physical and mental space to enjoy a book as it deserves to be enjoyed. On the other hand, I’d like to begin a couple in English to improve my command of the language, maybe even starting with the last work of the “real Laura”…

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve decided to keep on with my activity as a writer as best as possible, including on my blog, and to continue to follow this path of self-publishing for my books. I plan to continue doing it in both my mother tongue and in English, thanks to the super collaborative relationship that I have with my translator. I would also like to grow my public, to reach as many people as possible to get their feedback, to grow and to learn.

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, man, it’s tough to decide. Let’s say that, in general, I think I would bring with me a novel I love, a book from when I was little, a book I’ve never read, and … the one I’m beginning to write!

Author Websites and Profiles
Anna “Annina” Lorenzi Website
Anna “Annina” Lorenzi Amazon Profile

Anna “Annina” Lorenzi’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Sorens Rughooputh 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
One of four siblings from a poor family, born and brought up in Palma on the tiny island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, Sorens Rughooputh soared in life through toil, sacrifices and determination. He didn’t have an easy childhood as a village boy helping his parents to meet both ends by raising a cow and selling the milk.
At a young age as soon as he stepped out of secondary school (by the way, Sorens disliked studies then!), though he had the opportunity to enroll at a university, he started working to help his parents financially. He obtained a job in an insurance company as underwriting officer in 1990 and moved on to another one in 1996, quickly demonstrating exceptional capabilities and he was appointed as Underwriter. His talent was acknowledged by an important conglomerate in 2000, the British American Insurance Company in Mauritius. Sorens, with his great potential and determination quickly climbed the career ladder to Project Manager – New Life Operations System, Operations Manager, Vice President – Technical Services, Senior Vice President – Business and Channel Development. Having successfully led teams of over 750 people, Sorens was selected in 2010 as finalist for Sales Director of the Year in the British Excellence Sales and Marketing Award (BESMA). 2012 brought a turning point in his life when he was seconded to Bramer Life – Botswana as Deputy CEO/Principal Officer until June 2015.
Sorens was a speaker at the first Pan-African Bancassurance & Alternative Distribution Channels Conference 2018 in Accra, on the topic “Embracing Disruption to meet Customer Expectations from Protection to Enrichment”. He holds an Executive MBA, Diploma in Insurance from the Chartered Insurance Institute UK, Fellow Certified Insurance Professional of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF), a Fellow Member of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management UK. Currently, Sorens is the Chief Technical Officer at National Insurance Company in charge of the Life Insurance Operations.
While working, he also studied through distance-learning programs. In 2017, Sorens travelled to the US to become a Certified Canfield Trainer on The Success Principles; he has already introduced these principles to 450+ persons in his Achiever’s Trail Workshops to develop and guide the upcoming leaders to live their dreams. He is also a Certified Trainer for Happy For No Reason by Marci Shimoff.
After a fruitful professional career, he has been working on his life purpose: READ, LEARN and SHARE with the aim to create a pathway to move forward and help people by imparting his knowledge. Achievers Trail is just the beginning.
Sorens is married to Shandya and they have an eighteen year old son. He enjoys traveling, reading books and the Internet and spending time with his family.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Achiever’s Trail – The Beginning – it is an engaging and practical guide that can truly transform your life journey

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jack Canfield, Jim Rohn, Kahlil Gibran, Robin Sharma, Brian Tracy, Les Brown, Neville Goddard, Marci Shimoff

What are you working on now?
Another book project – a self help book, sharing the steps to enlightenment

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Am too new

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Ask, Ask, Ask . NO is Next Opportunity

What are you reading now?
Paradise Regained

What’s next for you as a writer?
Sharing the content through workshop

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 Success Principles, Happy for No Reason, Death an inside Story , 5 Am Club

Author Websites and Profiles
Sorens Rughooputh Website

Margaret Marr 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in the mountains of Western North Carolina with my furry best friend Digger. By day I work as an environmental specialist at a nursing home. By night I write spooky paranormal stories with a hint of romance.

I’ve written over 15 books, which are available on Amazon with Kindle Unlimited or $3.99 to buy.

My hobbies include hiking, crocheting, diamond painting, adult coloring, and walking for my health. To date, I’ve lost 95 pounds!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is BANSHEE and is the second book in the Hayton County Supernatural Series for young adults. Inspiration for all my books comes from my interest in the paranormal. I love a good spooky story that gives me a chill, and I try to put that in my novels. The first book in the series, CREATURE, was inspired by a photo taken by a hunter’s trail camera near my hometown. It was an image of a human-like creature crouched in the woods, except it looked like something other than human.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t say that I do. I tend to sit down and write whatever comes to my mind and go from there. I usually do the dialogue, then go back and fill in descriptions.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the way Dean Koontz writes, but I can never hope to get that good! His writing is so descriptive and profound. I also love the spooky atmosphere in books by Amanda Stevens. She’s a great influence on my writing.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on several things right now. Readers have encouraged me to write my childhood memoirs. I’m working on a weight loss book with hopes to inspire others to lose weight and get healthy. My latest fiction book in progress is the long-awaited sequel to MOON OF LITTLE WINTER with a tentative title of WHISPER OF THE MOON. And I’m dabbling with the third novel in the Hayton County Supernatural Series called DEMON.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning the ropes where promoting is concerned. I don’t have a big budget for paid promotion at this point, so I’m using Facebook groups, Twitter, and any free places online to post information about my books. I also have a website where my books are listed at: http://margaretmarr.net

Do you have any advice for new authors?
No matter how discouraged you get, don’t give up! Continue to write and chase that dream. You’re doing something you love and want to share with readers.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Pretty much the advice I gave above, plus polish the heck out of your manuscript. It needs to be the best you can make it. You don’t want your readers to be introduce to a poorly written novel; they may never pick up another book by you.

What are you reading now?
I am reading THE LATE SHOW by Michael Connelly. I picked it up in the bargain bin at Wal-Mart. Sometimes, I find some great stuff in bargain bins, and this book is one of them. Every now and then I like to slow things down with a police procedural and a hint of suspense.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to become an Amazon bestseller. But, mostly, to continue writing books that I love to read and sharing them with the world.

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 the Bible? Tough question for a prolific reader like myself. But, here you go:

Seize the Night by Dean Koontz
Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz
The Graveyard Queen by Amanda Stevens
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Author Websites and Profiles
Margaret Marr Website
Margaret Marr Amazon Profile

Margaret Marr’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Kathy Carter 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a 49 year old elementary school counselor who has just finished her first book! I have been married to my best friend for 20 years and I am a dog loving, Mickey loving girl! I have three labrador retrievers that I have trained as therapy dogs and I use them in my counseling work. I also love college football and gardening!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Tolerated Not Wanted: Finding God in the Aftermath of Childhood Trauma
I was standing in my kitchen in November 2019 and hear God, almost audibly, tell me to write the story of how I overcame depression/anxiety and found healing in his arms. I argued with him for a while but the message was clear: Write Your Story! So… I did!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes! I write with a very candid, conversational style and I have a habit of using “…” in my writing. My poor editor had to fix most of them. I also write with such passion that I want to end every sentence with an exclamation point! Oops.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Priscilla Shirer
Neil Anderson

What are you working on now?
Becoming a guest on podcasts

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do not give up! Do it and do it now!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Look up!

What are you reading now?
Bible study by Priscilla Shirer

What’s next for you as a writer?
Not sure

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 God’s promises
Book of Jokes
A book with lots of dog pictures

Author Websites and Profiles
Kathy Carter Website
Kathy Carter Amazon Profile

Kathy Carter’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

J C 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am from India and I am currently working as an ATC . I am writing since an young age. As an introvert it was the most comfortable mean to express myself. Earlier I wrote for local literature magazines . This is my first independent book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book ’50 Days of Poetry’ is available across the globe on Amazon. As a part of growing up, I met a lot of wonderful people and their incredible stories inspired me to write this book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes ideas keep on rushing into my head. Those days I can’t sleep. Neither words flow down my pen when I sit down to write . It keeps on haunting me until I am finally able to write them down after suffering for a few days.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Our home was a small library you can say. We had a collection of lot of books. A few left their footprints on my mind. Srikanta by Sharat Chandra, The Traitor by Narayan Sanyal, Mother by Maxim Gorky, Pather Panchali by Bibhutibhushan to mention a few.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I tried facebook groups to reach out many people. It helped me a lot in selling my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write your heart out. You must like your book no matter what others say .

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My mother would always tell me
“In life take care of one thing, whatever you achieve ,first try to become a good human being. ” I think in todays world that is what we need the most and I am working on myself everyday to become a better version of me in all respect.

What are you reading now?
I am reading First Light .

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am looking forward to complete my novel as of now.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I will take Feynman lectures. Haha! Yeah , I love Physics.

 

J C’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Benjamin Weilert 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Benjamin M. Weilert . . . What does the ‘M’ stand for?
Mountain Climber, Movie Connoisseur, Master of Science, and (of course) Multi-novel Writer.

Benjamin M. Weilert was born in Colorado in 1985.
While he went to school for Mechanical Engineering (eventually earning a Master’s Degree), he has found science to be interesting enough to write fiction about it. He likes to classify his novels as “science fantasy,” wherein the science is real and (semi) accurate, but portrayed in a fantasy setting to make it accessible to non-scientific readers. If you want stories that are surreptitiously educational, he’s your man.

He has written in a number of genres and styles, including a science fantasy trilogy, a memoir about climbing all of Colorado’s 14,000-ft. mountains with his father, and a guidebook to cinema. He has had short stories published in at least seven anthologies.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Buried Colony,” and it was inspired by a short story I wrote for a “Science in Literature” course in college.

With my background in science as a Mechanical Engineer, I started to think about what technologies are currently present or are cutting edge right now that could be developed in 20 years to send humans out of our solar system. I believe this unique combination of technologies is plausible and overcomes a lot of the challenges involved with long interstellar journeys.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write my first drafts unusually fast. I’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for 10 years and I usually finish my first draft within two weeks. Granted, I do spend more time later on editing and polishing but I have so many stories inside me I feel like they need to get out as fast as possible.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Classic sci-fi authors like H.G. Wells and Jules Verne definitely inspired my early writing. I’ve also been influenced by the humor of Dave Barry, who I’ve read since I was a child.

In terms of books, my current favorite is Robin Sloan’s “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore,” which expertly fuses analog and digital in a story that I still think about to this day. I appreciate the old way of doing things, but I also like to see how technology can make certain aspects of our lives more efficient and easier.

What are you working on now?
Aside from promoting the release of “Buried Colony,” I’m currently editing a science fantasy trilogy titled “The Constellation Tournament” that takes physical manifestations of the 88 constellations and pits them against each other to determine who is the Sol Champion and who gets to be the North Star, Zodiacs, etc.
I’m also preparing a collection of my short stories, poems, essays, and articles to be published next year. “The Ascent of the Writer” will show readers how ideas I had years ago eventually evolved into the novels I’m writing now. Anyone signed up for my newsletter will receive the eBook version of this collection for free!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t know about “best” but I definitely use Goodreads to reach anyone who hasn’t already liked my Facebook page (BMW the Author) or joined my Facebook group (BMW the Author Fan Club).

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t necessarily write to fit a trend that’s selling. I’ve found that the books I enjoy working on are the ones that I enjoy reading. After all, with how many edits are needed, you’ll likely be reading your book -a lot-. Plus, if you’re serious about your writing, find a good editor who can help you improve. It might cost some money, but it’s definitely worth it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There are authors ahead of you and authors behind you. Cheer those who you will become and encourage those who you’ve already been.

What are you reading now?
My reading schedule/routine is a little broken right now, but I did just finish listening to Neil Gaiman’s “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” and I highly recommend it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Because I enjoy the control and freedom I have as a self-published independent author, I’m continuing to expand into different genres. While the core of my writing will still remain in the sci-fi/fantasy genres, I’m currently querying a children’s picture book titled “This is Not a Drill” and outlining a cookbook for homemade ice cream.

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?
Ironically enough, “The Martian” would be one of those books.
I’d also probably bring The Bible and “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore.”

Author Websites and Profiles
Benjamin Weilert Website
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Rex Sikes 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Today, I live the life of my dreams but that wasn’t always the case. I was a struggling young actor when a skydiving accident nearly cost me my life and robbed me of my career. It wasn’t the accident itself but the aftermath. I spent nearly two years trying to salvage myself but continued to spiral downwards to the bottom. I discovered I was an expert at creating more crap and worse problems! Finally, near comatose I decided this must change. I locked myself inside my apartment for 6 weeks while I came to terms with my problems. I tried visualization, prayer, I begged, bartered, affirmed and found littler relief. However, it was during this time of intense soul-searching and angst that I learned the secret to transforming my life. I began doing what I discovered and it was amazing. Everything began to change! I discovered a process whereby one can make changes much more easily and readily without setting up internal conflicts.

When you feel like you can change easily, you can change easily. I have shared this process and my methods now for 40 years. Anyone can transform their life positively and powerfully using my methods blueprint approach. I have shared this in workshops, audio and video programs for 40 years.

Now, I share more of it in my recent book ‘Life On Your Terms’. I do have some other books and programs available on my web site http://www.idea-seminars.com that I invite you to look into.

In Life On Your Terms I reveal other personal stories and the amazing stories of fascinating people who’ve overcome great adversity and transformed their lives. I know you’ll love it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It was not only my personal journey that inspired my book ‘Life On Your Terms: Live The Life You Want’ but also those of people, from around the world and all walks of life, I met and got to know in my life-transforming workshops and training programs. I realized I wasn’t the only master crap magnet in the world. Most people, like me, are great at creating and attracting or getting precisely what they don’t want! They aren’t so good at creating and attracting the happiness, money, relationships, health, and good things they do want.

Most people live in fear of the economy, the future, poor health, death, loss of relationships and struggle with anxiety, a negative attitude, lack of hope or faith, for much, if not all of their lives. It their lives aren’t broken many people live ‘ho-hum’ lives that are okay, and then they die. I learned we don’t have to live like this. We can do much better!

We can learn to create a champion positive and powerful mindset that causes us to feel better and do better. When you feel top of your game you are more productive and things are much easier. You are also far more resourceful and capable of handling difficulty or crisis.

We can be, do and have most anything we want! The reason most people don’t, or aren’t living the life of their dreams is because they truly haven’t learned this is possible for them. They have heard it said but they haven’t yet realized they can do it too! They think others are more fortunate or privileged, hence they miss out. I nearly did.

My suffering, pain and struggles nearly did me in. Thank goodness for that horrible time of misfortune or I might have missed out too. That time in my life and all hardship actually are blessings. Within the troubles is the way out. Do you have to struggle to change? Do you have to lock yourself in a room like I did for six weeks? No! I already did that for you. Wut hat I discovered about transformation I share in my book.

In the book I reveal how you change can be much more easily than you ever thought it possible. We crave change, but we fear it. We don’t want to leave our comfort zones, but I’ll show you how to do that comfortably. I share with you how you can change easily, readily, reliably and even have fun changing. Once you begin to understand some simple principles and practices you become so much more powerful and positive. Plus, I share stories of others who have made positive and wonderful changes for themselves as a result.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write a daily blog and have written it consistently, daily, without interruption, come what may, for over 8 years. I also like to dictate but find voice to text unreliable which means I’d have to edit while I write and that interrupts the flow. Until a really reliable voice to text exists I will stick with writing. However, I have learned I can audio record myself, or video. Then I can play it for voice to text or dictate on MSW and later edit the document while listening or viewing the playback for accuracy. That way I know what I said. Hopes this helps someone. I actually am pretty much a caveman when it come to technology. I prefer human contact and if we can’t be face to face in person, or on platforms, then phone over text. I am not a fan of texting except when necessary. I am however, as a father, adapting.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many. I enjoy the early works of ancient mystical texts, the Vedas, the Bible, Buddhist teachings and the Tao to our 19th and 20th century thought leaders such as Wallace Wattles, Robert Collier, Napoleon Hill and so others. More recent authors Alan Watts, Gary Zukav, Osho, Joseph Chilton Pearce, the works of most Quantum Physicist authors and researchers, Neale Donald Walsh, Bruce Lipton, Lynn Taggart, Buckminister Fuller, Gregory Bateson, Paul Watzalick, Noam Chomsky, Norman Vincent Peale, Bob Proctor, Paulo Coelho and others.

What are you working on now?
I have another book on handling troubling current times as well as personal difficulties. Another one on ending scarcity thinking and creating personal abundance and affluence. My works and my life work has always been about, since I began teaching it 40 years ago, releasing and let go of fears, disappointments, hurts and troubles and moving into your personal power, productivity and positive mindset to live the life of a champion, a winner and victor instead of a loser or a victim. My message is you can transform and here is how.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
People may visit my website at http://www.idea-seminars.con for programs and books. Life On Your Terms is on amazon. I utilize social media as best I am able. I don’t consider myself a social media maven and am learning the ropes there too. We are always learning. I certainly am. Nothing wrong with making mistakes unless we don’t correct them and move on.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. I started writing daily to discipline myself to do it. I write for you, not for me. I’ve never missed publishing a daily blog even if sick or traveling or if I have to write a few in advance if I am somewhere there is no Inet service. My point, I don’t want to break the chain for my readers. I have motivation now to keep at it. Plus, it has become a habit. It helped me to face the blank page and create something anyway. It helped me to improve my writing and my editing. I encourage you write every day. Edit after you write not while you write. And most importantly believe you can do it and decide to do it. If you wait to do it you will only have wasted time. Begin and follow through. Learn to be consistent.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just do it. Start where you are at and go. You don’t have to know how you just have to want to. You will figure it out along the way. You will get feedback while you journey. If you don’t do it you lose out. Enough baby steps taken in the same direction can take you to the top of Mt. Everest. Begin today. Decide what you want to do and begin. That may mean investigating, researching, reading a book, writing an article, taking a class, getting a mentor, investing in yourself, or anything else. It only matters that you know what you want to do and then begin taking steps towards making it happen.

What are you reading now?
I have so many books I read at one time. I read and continue to re-read Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich and his Laws Of Success. I have since I was 11 so it is a daily habit. I can’t emphasize enough not reading to finish but reading to learn the lessons. Re-read the same non-fiction instructional book over again and again at different times. You learn so much more by repeated reviewing. Most people don’t or won’t do this. I encourage my readers to study the material I share with them to master it. There is a vast difference between reading about or knowing about swimming and actually being able to swim. Learn to do it not just know about it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Transcribing my training programs into book form. It is a lot of work! I offer online learning and live events. I enjoy the life events so much because you get to connect and spend time together getting to know each other. Online I do webinars and connect that way with people. There are so many wonderful, good, fascinating, talented people, and far more plentiful than the not so good ones, I like meeting them and discovering who they are and what they are about. If I can help and add value to them then I am happy. I love sharing powerful principles and practices with people who put it into action and then pay it forward. A blessed 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?
The ancient texts I previously mentioned… and Napoleon Hill. Might want to include one I have never read about living on a desert island stranded, or how to get off a desert island… it could be useful information to put to use.

Author Websites and Profiles
Rex Sikes Website
Rex Sikes Amazon Profile

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