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Karl Demmans 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a chemist, a musician, an academic author, and a poet. My musical journey began in Sarnia, Ontario where I studied music theory under the guidelines of the Royal Conservatory of Music. From 2013 onwards, I discovered an aptitude towards musical composition on guitar as well as lyrical rearrangements through my dedication to keeping a journal. I completed a doctorate in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Toronto, which was quickly followed by my first album release under the pseudonym Karly D. I have written hundreds of pages of lyrics, but this is my first foray into sharing my thoughts and poetry with a larger audience.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is entitled “Carved Heart In Trunk”. It was inspired by a decade of internalizing my thoughts then expressing them on a page-by-page basis. The general themes focus on isolation in the twenty-first century, anticipatory anxiety and the fear of death, daydreaming, and as everything is: love loss. All these events in my life that I’ve drifted through lost in self-thought eventually lead me to focus on my passion: Music.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write most of my content while sitting on the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission). I would listen to artists express their thoughts through their music and then I’d write anything that came to mind down on my iPod Touch. Over and over I’d reformulate, rearrange, and slowly progress through each microstory until the idea would complete itself.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favourite fiction authors are Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Patrick Rothfuss, and Brandon Sanderson. I really appreciate Kurt Vonnegut’s free form writing style – he is an incredible author who captivates the audience with his informal writing and jovial plots. As I read Vonnegut, I could never quite figure out how each of his stories would end. I loved that.
As for musicians, I am obsessed with Isaac Brock’s (of Modest Mouse) lyricism and word play. I’ll always strive to write lyrics in the same vein as “I wanna remember to remember to forget you forgot me”. It always makes me smile when I read that.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a second collection of poetry and music lyrics as well a second album under the pseudonym Karly D. The album contains beautiful cyclical guitar melodies which lull its listeners to sleep! The album is entitled “Anticipatory Anxiety and the Fear of Death”. It describes life in large cities and the loss of individualism; a theme which resonates in the collection of poetry as well.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method for self-promotion is through my Instagram and Facebook Page, which can be found here:
https://www.instagram.com/karlydmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/KarlyDMusic/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Everything. Down. There’s no need for self-judgement, just get everything that you are thinking down on paper then come back to it another day. You’d be surprised how beautiful your ideas are after a well-deserved rest

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Life is short, do what makes you happy. Always.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson. A long-time friend of mine has been suggesting that I give this series a chance and I’m very glad to have finally picked this novel up!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on a second collection of poetry and music lyrics, but first I want to try my hand at drawing charming borders for an artistic version of my first collection of poetry. I know that the collection would read better with a visual component and I’m excited to figure out what that would look like!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1) The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King
2) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
3) Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
4) Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind

Author Websites and Profiles
Karl Demmans Website
Karl Demmans Amazon Profile

Karl Demmans’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Narender Kumar 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an M.Sc with a physics subject from HNB Garhwal University UK India.I am operating a coaching centre where I teach poor students. One and half years back I have launched a website futurestudypoint.com to extend my services in an online platform.I have written 65 e-books and 6 paperbacks in amazon kindle.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest e-book is the ‘solution of class 10 science and maths question papers 2019 and 2020 CBSE board exam’ inspired by the student’s interest on reading last year’s question papers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, not at all

What authors, or books have influenced you?
R.D Sharma science and maths guide for CBSE students of all classes have influenced me to become a writer of CBSE NCERT solutions and notes.

What are you working on now?
I write post of 2000 – 3000 words daily for my website futurestudypoint.com.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I advice new authors to continue their reading habits to refine their writing skills

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In a Utube channel, somebody advises to earn money through writing an e-book and that’s day onwards I have been writing continuously.

What are you reading now?
I read the concepts of physics, maths, chemistry, and biology and simplify the concept so that every student could understand what is written in the book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to become a famous writer of CBSE notes and NCERT solutions.

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 going to be stranded on a desert island then I would have the book ‘Survival in a desert’ and religious books like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita, or other adventurous books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Narender Kumar Website
Narender Kumar Amazon Profile

Narender Kumar’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Matt Converse 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the author of seven books; a three-novella series, a two-novella series, one stand alone novella and one stand alone novel, I’m the Last Face You’ll Ever See, a modern day nod to Hitchcock’s Psycho. I was first published by Comet Press in 2015 with Behind the Velvet Curtain.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Where Evil Begins, the prequel to Leather Head was inspired by me asking myself why was Leather Head so evil? What made him that way? It came to me so clearly but it was so dark, I was almost afraid to write it. That’s when I knew I had to.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a night owl so I usually write very late at night and usually have some type of music that fits the mood of what I’m writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King was a big influence on me as I read him very early and became a big fan of horror. An even bigger influence is a director, Alfred Hitchcock. I aspire to bring suspense into my work as he did.

What are you working on now?
Leather Head Lives, the sequel to Leather Head, America’s Next Top Stripper that continues my Strip Shot/Behind the Velvet Curtain/Obsexsion series with my stripper character. I also started my first m/m Sci-Fi story, a modern day nod to The Day the Earth Stood Still, called 99 Days.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook and a few promo sites that work well for LGBT and or the horror genre.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Even if it’s just one sentence. Also, believe the stories of twenty rejections and finally that yes. Every no is one step closer to getting that yes.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do what you love and love what you do.

What are you reading now?
Lily Lamb. I love her dark m/m horror stories.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just to keep writing and getting better at my craft.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d bring my paperback books, I’m the Last Face You’ll Ever See, Window Watcher, Leather Head and Where Evil Begins.

Author Websites and Profiles
Matt Converse Amazon Profile

Matt Converse’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

A. Nation 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m retired and discovered how much I enjoy writing nine years ago. To date I have published 16 novels and several novellas. My husband and I travel throughout the western U.S. and take a cruise once in a while. When I do cruise, I leave a few of my books in the ship’s library. I love reading mysteries and watching science fiction movies. That’s when I decided to combine the two genres. I also have written travel mysteries about two of my cruise trips. I have one non-fiction novella that is doing well.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book (“The Night the Bridge Collasped,” a novella) is a true history story of a bridge collapsed in Idaho in 1971. I grew up in this small town of Post Falls and when someone reminded me of the occurence, I knew I had to write about it. The officer who responded to the accident on an old logging bridge across the Spokane River was a friend of my father’s. This is an accounting of how the town came together to help those who were affected. All proceeds from this book will be donated to the local town museum.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, after breakfast I sit down and just start writing. You see, I have either thought about the next scene beforehand or wrote it first in a notebook. During nanowrimo, I did over 3500 words in one day. The first time I wrote a book for nano, I finished it in 11 days.
I will mention that when I write I can visualize the story and the characters unfolding as if I’m viewing a movie. I’ve always had a strong imagination.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I enjoy Agatha Christie, Isaac Asimov, Mary Higgins Clark, Georgette Heyer, M.C. Beaton, Diane Mott Davidson, Rita Mae Brown, Robert A. Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Anne McCaffrey, J. A. Jance, and I’m sure many more

What are you working on now?
My latest book is Eye of the Throne, the second book in the Quest series. I first wrote the Eye of the Matrix about the future on Mars and the teens who travel to one of the alien’s planets. These two books are in the Young Adult category.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook groups do gain some buyers and followers. I finally hit 1000 followers to my FB author page. For my last book, I specifically told the Post Falls group about the non-fiction book and they helped me get enough sales to donate to the museum. Other books, I promote through my other FB page or genre related groups.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read as much as you can to get the flow and style of writing. Beta readers and an editor is paramount. I do use Grammarly and ProWriting Aid to catch my punctuation but a human reading your work is better after you have used those sites.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t tell everything at once, spread your story out to build it to a climax.

What are you reading now?
‘Death in the Stocks’ by Georgette Heyer.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to work on 30,000 words in the July Camp nanowrimo. I want to start my urban fantasy and cross paths with my next travel mystery. Whether it will be two separate books or one whole book is still up in the air. Those I’ll finish during the November nanowrimo.

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?
My 3 set, Star Traveler has my first, fourth, and fifth books. These enter into hard science fiction and a dark character. But if I were to choose another author, I would choose from the list I mentioned above.

Author Websites and Profiles
A. Nation Website
A. Nation Amazon Profile
A. Nation Author Profile on Smashwords

A. Nation’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

E Jean Simpson 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So far, I’ve gotten 4 books published and counting. I am currently working on another project.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
From the Lens of my Camera: This and That and a Big Black Cat is the name of my newest book. It was inspired by wanting to present photographic work which I had taken during the ‘digital age’ in photography. There are pictures and write ups for a lot of places we’ve seen in Canada. I had also recently lost my ‘catpanion’ Cairo (The Big Black Cat) and wanted to remember him. We have since adopted a real sweet little tiger stripped black, grey, brown and white kitten which we have named Ramses the Great. His adoption was also to honour Cairo’s life. We missed him. We love our new ‘catpanion’. There were other ‘catpanions’ and ‘boss’ animals in our life that I got to honour in the same chapter. I just liked the idea of being able to do something positive during a really rough time. The pandemic was in full swing and I took to writing and making books. At 57, I finally decided to do books….after years of saying I should. It was really a mix of things.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My books are more photography than writing. So, I just take my camera and go out and see what I can do. I try to be productive and find things I can do. My current project, takes some of what I learned in the process and puts it down so that others might benefit from what I learned. It’s a different style from my others (teaser) I like to spend some time working on a project most days. Whether it is advertisement type tasks, or getting material started or getting ideas for future books. I make sure to keep them all down so they are ready for me when I’m ready for them.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m actually more a historical fiction and historical non-fiction reader. I love Tudor History and Ancient Egyptian History. I love the idea of being creative and have a variety of genres that I enjoy.

What are you working on now?
In my latest work, I am trying to get down everything I am learning now and how to go forward in order to help others trying to do the same. Just because something is difficult to do doesn’t always mean it’s impossible and sometimes it is good to help make it possible for others.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t really found the best method yet. I think my approach to books is somewhat different than that of other Authors. I don’t use top of the line stuff to do my arts. I try to make it real and show people that you don’t have to have the highest priced everything to still do good work. It’s what comes from inside that gets you to where you want to be. Success isn’t always the same thing to everyone and it never should be.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do what you love. Everyone says it, but do people really do it? If you explore your world, you may find that what you love isn’t what you thought you valued and loved. Finding what you are good at and love is hard. Speak your truth. Truth is often underappreciated and improperly used. Truth isn’t liked because it generally doesn’t come with tinsel and bows. But, truth doesn’t have to be destructive, except that it might destroy who you thought you were so that you can become who you are meant to be. So, don’t fear truth or moving forward. Be who you are meant to be and be honest with yourself about who you are and who you want to be.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be honest with yourself. Treat everyone with respect.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading a historical fiction book called “A Divided Inheritance” by Deborah Swift. As I said, I’m attracted to historical fiction.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m nearing the end of a current project. I hope that it will be of help to other Canadian authors and Authors in general. It will be written from a Canadian perspective because I’m Canadian.

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?
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass Lewis Caroll
Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott
Christian Jacq (his series was wonderful about Ancient Egypt)

Author Websites and Profiles
E Jean Simpson Website
E Jean Simpson Amazon Profile

E Jean Simpson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Sanyukta Suryawanshi 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have always loved to write. As a kid,there was always a story playing in my head. Whatever the situation maybe, tiny or huge, I always took that and turned the scenario into a whole movie in my head, I later expressed it through drawings or writing it down on blank pages of whatever book I found , mostly ruined everyone else’s important journals, like mother’s expense book. Anyways, here I am now,already working on my second book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I haven’t decided on the name of the latest one yet, because I am still writing it. A beautiful piece of music inspired me to write it. I suddenly imagined a fantasy, magical world and here I am writing my second book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write only at night, I don’t know why but when everyone is asleep, that is when I feel like I can let my writer out, like a Werwolf you might say *laughs*
Sorry for the bad jokes, I just love to laugh. I easily laugh.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The book that changed me forever was ‘ Scary Birthday to You’ from ‘Give Yourself Goosebumps’ series by R.L. Stine
When I first read ”Choose your own ending” I immediately asked my parents to buy it for me. I was in awe, how can someone write a book that has so many different endings?!
I loved the book , all the endings were worth it. I have read many books from the series and I still do ( even though I am in my 20s)
This book is where I had my newfound respect for writers.

What are you working on now?
My second book , it contains magic, fantasy world, action and maybe a bit of drama.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Hopefully, awesomegang.com is the one for me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be afraid of writers block.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Start a fresh new series that everybody will love.

Whitney Shope 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hey everyone! My name is Whitney, I’m the author of “Dance It Out”. While DIO is my first book to be published, I have written six other books that can currently be found on the Chapters App!

I am born & raised in Ohio, a bit of an oddball but proud of it! I absolutely adore writing but my other passions include makeup and sports (mostly pro wrestling and the NFL). I’m a bit of a contradiction, I know! I’m also music obsessed and an animal lover to my core.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Dance It Out” is my first published book and the inspiration honestly came from my own love of dance and music. I’ve always been curious about these popular couples you see in the dance world and just how they ended up where they are. So, after a little discussion with some dancer friends, “Dance It Out” was born!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to keep my writing ideas scattered everywhere! I have notebooks, scrap papers and even little voice recorders filled with ideas in various spots in my house!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a massive fan of Sarah Dessen and Megan McCafferty.

What are you working on now?
I am currently finishing up a book called “Diva” and laying the ground work for two new stories; “Montage of Hell” and “Full Court Press”.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve found I truly love the writing community on Instagram!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Whatever is in your mind and heart, just write it! Don’t worry about how it will sound to others when you first get the idea, just write it. You can always go back and clean it up and polish it later, but it’s important to get the thoughts out as soon as you have them.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As cliche as it sounds; just be yourself! Who you are as a person will shine through in your writing!

What are you reading now?
I just finished Sarah Dessen’s “Never Again” and have been enjoying my fellow writer’s stories on the Chapters App!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to officially publish my books “Wrestling With Love” and “Worth The Fight”.

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?
“Go Ask Alice” – Anonymous
“The Game of Life” – Norma Howe
“The Truth About Forever” – Sarah Dessen
“Lock and Key” – Sarah Dessen

 

Leatra Hernandez 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written five books all together, but two of them were ghost written. The other three were self-published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is Selfishly. I was inspired by life and all of what I have gone through the last few years. I have had a lot of bumps, bruises, and scars that got me through my day to day, but I have been left with a piece to write about each day.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think today it is unusual for writers to still use pencil and paper or journals. I still use my pencil and paper. I also like to go back to my writings from high school and look at who I was back then and see how much I have changed now.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Maya Angelou. I don’t think any poet can say that she has not influenced them in the greatest way. I also like Stephen King because of the thrill he brings to his writing. Sista Soulja is another author that I find most appealing because of her urban style and Donald Goines is one I discovered who touches ,my heart because his look at life is real.

What are you working on now?
I did just finish a book of poems, but I do want my next project to be a nonfiction historical biography about Venus Hottentot. I have quite few ideas for my next couple of books, but Venus Hottentot is definitely one I am interested in writing about.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t really have a best website. Right now I am kind of new to the whole promotion thing. So I always look at different ways to explore publishing and promoting and trying something different and being that this is my first book in five seven years, I have to say that the resources for promotion is definitely different.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The only advice that I can give is to stay inspired and always be ready to try new and different things with your writing. Never shut yourself down from a new style or idea, because these new ideas and styles will help you become a better writer.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice that I have heard in my life is to always push myself.

What are you reading now?
Right now I am reading Hip Hop Illuminati: How and Why the Illuminati Took Over Hip Hop

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to write a few more books and maybe even start a journalism site. I work in broadcasting as a digital content producer and I think that it has taught me a lot about the world with just seeing the many different events take place and how the world reacts to them.

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 Coldest Winter Ever, Anything Emily Dickinson, Anything Zora Neale Hurston, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Author Websites and Profiles
Leatra Hernandez Website
Leatra Hernandez Amazon Profile

Leatra Hernandez’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Akash Kumar Champatiray 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Akash Kumar Champatiray and I am a student. Currently, I am volunteering as a content editor for a newspaper-cum-NGO. Including this, I write articles, poems and short stories for newspapers as well as for my personal blog in English, Hindi and Odia languages. I have written one book named “15 Lives 15 Tales”.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The bame of my latest as well as first book is “15 Lives 15 Tales”.This anthology of short stories is a collection of 15 tales written by me. From thrillers and chillers to general fiction, from a dash of romance to motivational stories, the varieties in this anthology will not only just entertain you but also you will be witnessing various hurdles faced by the people from every direction of lives.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write particularly twice in a month and the writing may be on a short story, poem or an article. Except this, I prepare news head lines and general news for the NGO-cum-newspaper voluntarily.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
One of my teacher is a writer in our local language. He writes so well and I am thankful to him that I have learnt the writing skill from him. Except this, the books like Five Point Someone, 2 States and One night at a call center etc. have inspired me to write a book of my own.

What are you working on now?
The latest book of mine is an anthology of short stories. So, I am working on a fictional book which will be a novel particularly. Except this, I am working to publish my poetry book in Hindi language.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Basically, I promote my books through sending the link of the books to my friends and their friends and request them to share it as well. Thanks to the internet and Google, I found “awesomegang.com” where I am promoting my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
First of all, I am a new author. I am very new to this publishing field. What I want to say is that, no one can be purely perfect. If you are a new author, then there will be mistakes and the books might not be sold as per your expectation. But you should take this as a lesson and find out the problems in writing skill, editing,marketing etc and then try to improve yourself when you publish your book next time. What I want to say is that “Just Don’t Give up”.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
After the manuscript for publishing was confirmed, once I was reading my book again and surprisingly, I found some typing mistakes and punctuation errors and I was unable to do any rectification because when I found those mistakes, the book was already published. Due to this, I was not willing to promote my book but my parents advised me to promote it. They said, ” the review of your book is very important and you can improve your writing as well as editing skills if you get honest reviews from the people. Great authors also make mistakes and you are just a new author. You should have the guts to be criticized. ” In accordance to them, “Criticism makes man perfect”.

What are you reading now?
Currently, I am reading a book named “Traction by Gabriel Weinberg”.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am trying to improve my writing skills. Writing skills and the content play a very crucial role and I am currently trying to improve it.

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 definitely take “Wings of Fire by Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam” , ” The Time Machine by H.G. Wells” and of course my book “15 Lives 15 Tales”

 

Adalynd LaVerne 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well..this is my first book I have made public. I’ve written a few short stories over the years, some random stuff, but nothing I have actively shared.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Behind the Fence is my first one. I guess I was inspired to show that there is much more to people then just what you see, each person is a cultivation of their history and environment. Good or bad, they are who they are. And they are responsible for their reactions to that cultivation.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Do I wear the same shirt when I write? No…I write in an obsessed frenzy. Nothing will motivate me, then all of a sudden I will sit down and loose myself. But, I’m pretty sure that is common for folks.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always been a huge fan of many genres. I can not pinpoint any specific person. As my life has changed, my tastes have changed. I am currently a huge fan of Phillipa Gregory. I love how she shows that there is another viewpoint to consider.

What are you working on now?
I’m wrapping up my second book, Burning Bricks. And currently brainstorming for number three.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have no clue. I’m new at all of this.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Um…I am one….

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To thine own self be true.

What are you reading now?
“Witching Hour”…I have read it about 30 times, but it still entertains me.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just working on the three in this series. Then, who knows? My life adventure will take me places that I probably can’t predict.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Hmm…good question. Probably “Outlander,” “The White Queen” and “Guardian Angels.” A little romance, some history and something to scare me.

 

Adalynd LaVerne’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Terry Connell 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a licensed acupuncturist and yoga instructor who also happens to be a writer. Back in the early 90s, I was a Social Worker in a psychiatric hospital, and before that, I spent a year as a teacher in a Catholic grade school. In-between each of these careers, I spent a lot of time bartending and waiting tables to pay for my studies. All of this experience informs the way my stories are constructed and colors the characters I write.

My first book, a memoir titled, “Slaves to the Rhythm” was a Cowley Literary Award Nominee. I liked my book, but thought it would make a much better screenplay. I re-wrote my memoir and submitted the script to a few film festivals. Much to my surprise, I won a few awards, including: Best Alternative/Social Screenplay and Screenplay Most Likely to be Produced at the Action on Film Festival (2016).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A LITTLE CHATTER is a collection of short stories I started as a personal challenge. After my first book was published, and I got such great feedback from my readers, I decided to challenge myself and try a different genre. My intention with these stories was to be diverse in the characters I wrote about – and in the way the stories were told (first, second, third person). I’m very happy with the end product – and even happier that this book has received such great reviews and won an award for Best Short Story Collection in the 202 IndieReader Discovery Awards.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Get up early – 3 a.m. early – make a strong pot of coffee and get to work!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ethan Canin’s short stories EMPEROR OF THE AIR was a big influence on me, as was his novel BLUE RIVER. John Irving is another favorite – esp. A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY and LAST NIGHT AT TWISTED RIVER.

What are you working on now?
I’ve got two different books in the works – a second memoir that follows my life after the death of my partner in 1993 and a collection of essays written while living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and writing for a local “gringo” paper there.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook and Twitter for social media. Still learning the landscape of the self-publishing word and learning about which sites are best. I will say – Awesome Gang has been very nice to me so far, and is very easy to navigate. So is Indies Today.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s not my quote, but one I live by – Writing is re-writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
see above

What are you reading now?
I just bought John Kennedy Toole’s NEON BIBLE and am looking forward to reading it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
another collection of short stories, another memoir, possibly a scripted TV show

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?
Confederacy of Dunces, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Just Kids, Bossy Pants

Author Websites and Profiles
Terry Connell Website
Terry Connell Amazon Profile

Terry Connell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Clairissa SinClair 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have ten published with half a dozen in the works.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Lotus Empowered was inspired by watching a marathon of Naked and Afraid. So many times the woman quietly goes about her business and forages while the alpha male tries to bring down a wildabeast with a rock before he taps out because of bug bits. Lotus is a composite of those women.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I require coffee and a chihuahua with some background music related to whatever I’m writing on.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Scott Hildreth. Sidney Sheldon. A little bit of Clive Cussler.

What are you working on now?
I just finished Lotus and have started on a sequel. Same time frame but a woman in the Florida everglades survives the global power outage. I am also finishing a time travel piece for a collection and a quirky piece I call “Side Hustle” about a man who works as a 911 operator but has to moonlight in fetish porn to pay for his sinfully expensive wedding.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have become more reliant on twitter to get the word out. I was more of a facebook girl. I did ok with a “fussy librarian” promo, but am always seeking new ways of getting my book out there.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep writing. Don’t stop. No matter what or who stands in your way. A journey of fifty thousand words begins with a single keystroke.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Fine trustworthy editors and proofers that you can trust. Don’t look for bargains.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Erin Trejo’s Monster.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A series of golden years love stories. “Second Chance at Love in the Sunny Dayz Trailer Park”. It is based on the crazy retirees in my home state. You realize that today’s seniors were the ones that partied at Studio 54 and went to key parties in the 70’s? They were hippies and groupies. They went to Viet Nam. They protested Viet Nam. They all have a story to 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?
Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear series. All of Cussler’s books. JR Ward’s Black Daggers.

Author Websites and Profiles
Clairissa SinClair Website
Clairissa SinClair Amazon Profile

Clairissa SinClair’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Debra Valentina 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
For over 30 years, I have been a holistic coach for female entrepreneurs and executives and an author of self-development books. I have written three books with more on the way! The first two books are based on my best guidance and wisdom I have for authors based on coaching my clients. The third books is my “memoir with a purpose.”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is “Beyond Chaos: Journey to Freedom and Joy.” It is my memoir with vignettes of the ups and downs of my eventful and full life. As I have healed from my childhood adversity, it was time to share with others that despite a dysfunctional upbringing, one can not only survive, but thrive!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My best and unusual writing habit is to let my subject matter germinate until it is ready and ripe to be written. The first draft of my latest book Beyond Chaos was written in a day and half. It was definitely ready to pour onto the page!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The authors that have influenced me the most are personal development authors such as Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay, Brene Brown, and Mike Dooley, to name a few.

What are you working on now?
I am working on gathering more vignettes about my life because people are asking for more of my life stories and I have plenty more to share!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I find that having 5-star reviews on Amazon is a helpful promotion for my memoir. I also like to be able to send my potential followers to my own website at www.beyondchaosbook.com.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors would be to write when you are feeling inspired – that is the only time I sit down to write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever received is to be true to myself. This is how I prefer to live my life.

What are you reading now?
I am reading a few books now, including The Art of Uncertainty by Dennis Merritt Jones, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispensa, and Patriarchy Stress Disorder by Valerie Rein, Ph.D.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be starting on a sequel to my memoir soon.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
Whatever Arises, Love That by Matt Kahn
Playing the Matrix by Mike Dooley

Author Websites and Profiles
Debra Valentina Website
Debra Valentina Amazon Profile

Debra Valentina’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Ilona Ciller 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I come from many places but the east coast of Australia is now my home. I love to travel and ‘made America great again’ by visiting. I’ve also been to New Zealand (my birth land), what a stunning place! And India, a country of contrasts with amazing cuisine and people! Other things I love are nature, gardening, walking, art, writing (of course) and so many other things… oh, and did I mention gardening? I also love comedy.

So far I’ve written 2 books:
A children’s picture book about a flying unicorn called Eclipse’s Quest – Crystal’s Gallant Adventures Book 2 (My twin did the first one in the series), and a fantasy/literary fiction novel called Triangles of Black.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Triangles of Black: Once in a Thousand Years.
I started writing this because I had a story to tell about corporate powers that rule our society. I wanted to expose some of this story, but in the most entertaining way that I could – with conflicts, friendship, spies and magic!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do have little rituals that help me to focus my creative energy that include getting warm and comfortable, then when all is quiet (usually when everyone else is asleep) all I need is a hot drink and I’m ready to go. Sometimes, if my youngest child falls asleep during the day, I’ll drop all the housework to get some writing done until she wakes. My house is not always tidy but who cares? Housewifery is not on my Resume!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I actually used to hate reading and only started enjoying it in my early 20s when I first read fantasy, but after a few years life got too hectic and I stopped reading for nearly a decade. Then I wrote my books that are a style of my own I think, but you can be the judge of that! I recently read some of Tolkien’s work and similar to my own they’re an Epic adventure containing humor but set at different times with a different darkness.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the Sequel to Triangles of Black – delving deeper into the arcane history.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method of promoting my book is to just be myself. Every website I can showcase my work has its place and usefulness.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you love what you write someone else will too.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

What are you reading now?
Currently in a writing mood so I’m not reading but the best thing that I read this year was a novella called Shadow Valley by Leon Jane.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once I finish my sequel for Triangles of Black, I want to write a few books for the Prequel. I get lost in my worlds of fantasy so I definitely want to write more magic.

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?
Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, Shadow Valley by Jane Leon, The Silver Brumby by Mitchell Elyne (takes me back to my childhood) and Triangles of Black by Me. Hope there are some thirst quenching coconuts nearby.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ilona Ciller Website
Ilona Ciller Amazon Profile

Ilona Ciller’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Sarah Awa 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So far, I’ve authored one fiction book, and co-authored a nonfiction book (The Authentic Twitter Platform) with Jeannie Ingraham. The sequel to my debut novel, Hunter’s Moon, is almost half finished as of the time I typed this.

I’m married to a hairy guy named Oscar, and we live in Ohio with our fluffy fur baby, Thatcher (a Shiba Inu mix). Though I write werewolf fiction, I moonlight as a vampire. I also have a certain superpower related to making puns. See my blog and Instagram (@sarahawa42) to read about that!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Hunter’s Moon was inspired by a Harry Potter fanfiction story I was working on in college. My favorite HP character, Remus Lupin, was in the story. I decided I wanted to make it my own, so of course I had to remove all the Harry Potter elements, characters, etc. It now takes place at a small, somewhat secluded college in northern Pennsylvania. I went to a small, isolated college—in Georgia—so you can definitely see what inspired the new setting I chose. But I needed a place like Pennsylvania (my home state’s neighbor) with more forested areas and greater seasonal variety…like snow to make tracks in. I won’t say anything more about that pivotal scene, as it’s a huge spoiler!

My own struggles in life inspired the themes of pain, suffering, coming of age—and realizing the world isn’t nearly as easy, safe, or fun as you thought it was when you were a kid. My main character, Melanie, contracts a painful, dangerous, and seemingly incurable condition, and she has to learn how to deal with her new reality, while fighting to change it. A year out of college, I got so sick I almost died, and was diagnosed with one of the top five deadliest autoimmune diseases, all of which are incurable. But it’s a lot more fun to write about werewolves and stalkers and secret organizations than to write about all the time I’ve spent in hospitals and all the chemo transfusions and bronchoscopies! (I do love books like Five Feet Apart, but I can’t write them.)

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Haha, I hear a lot of writers would never have finished their books without coffee and chocolate. Same here: dark chocolate and coffee with caramel almond-milk creamer!

I don’t have any strange rituals or listen to a certain kind of music to get in the mood. I mostly just stare into space while my subconscious plots and schemes, and I daydream and try to figure out how all these crazy ideas and character arcs can fit together. Then, suddenly, a flurry of inspiration hits, and my keyboard gets the workout of its life for a half hour. … And then I’m back to the daydreaming and staring. And maybe a little social media…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As I said above, the Harry Potter books, plus several other people’s fanfiction stories involving the Marauders. Shoutout to Jess Pallas and Iniga! I grew up reading J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Stephen R. Lawhead, Douglas Adams, Kathy Tyers, Frank Peretti, Patricia McKillip, the Animorphs books, some Star Wars novels, and loads of other fantasy stories, so it’s possible that all of those may have influenced me a little bit. (I didn’t read Harry Potter till college.) Ah yes, and I can’t forget By These Ten Bones by Clare Dunkle. I discovered that fantastic book after college, and it’s one of my absolute favorites; I’ve reread it many times. There are some pretty strong similarities between my book and that one—such as how it’s not fun but very dangerous to be a werewolf.

What are you working on now?
I’m almost halfway through writing the (first draft of the) sequel to Hunter’s Moon. Its working title is Feral, but that may change. The plot seems to be going in a different direction than I thought it would. As COO of Thinklings Books, LLC, I’m also wrangling a bunch of writers, proofreading, and I’m in charge of our social media. So I’m pretty crazy-busy right now and I really just want a nap! (Can you guess how clean my house is?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like to use sites like Booksprout and Booksirens to get book reviews. Those Amazon reviews are crucial! Booksirens has great lists of bloggers to contact. Every spare minute I get, I’m finding more promotional sites, brushing up on my social media skills, and building my platform; I’ve got a decent (and growing) Twitter following, have been doing fairly well with Facebook ads, and am now getting pretty good at Instagram. Like anything worth doing, it takes a lot of time and effort. Just put yourself out there, anywhere and everywhere you possibly can. Make lots of writer friends online. Write guest posts for blogs, and do exchanges. Try to get a Publishers Weekly review. Find any website that has a “library list” of books, and get your book on that list. Be everywhere you can be! (But avoid social media burnout. I’ve teetered on the edge of it…yikes. Trying to avoid that again!)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s true that you should gather as big of a social media following as you can. BUT if you haven’t spent the hours and hours and even years necessary to hone your writing skills (we all suck at first), you’re just going to be promoting a lesser-quality product to a lot more people. Actually, some people prefer that—on both ends: buyer and seller. I’m broke and live mostly in my head, rather than the real world, so I prefer, for example, cheap products for my home (unless it’s really important, like plumbing or fixing the roof). So in some areas I am willing to go for lower quality; this is not meant to be derogatory—we all have different preferences and tastes, and some of what I mean by “quality” is subjective. I just want you to be aware of both sides of the coin: Each person only has so much time, so you can spend it on becoming an excellent writer, or you can spend it on becoming really popular. (Neither choice is wrong; it’s just a choice.) Rare unicorns can do both. If you are one, I envy the heck outta you!

Also: since the market is so heavily saturated, you have to find something that makes your book and your brand stand out. It’s like interviewing for a job that thousands of other people are trying to get, too. (This is where quality can give you a real edge; the resumes that get tossed first are the ones full of typos, bad formatting, etc.) Be authentic; dig deep and really discover who you are, and then let your beautiful light shine! The right people will be drawn to you. Find your tribe. (Read my book The Authentic Twitter Platform for more detail. Lol, I couldn’t help throwing that plug in there!)

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Basically, what I just said above about being yourself—and being involved in a supportive community. I was bullied at school every day from K–12, and that made me feel like there was something fundamentally wrong with who I was—like it was a mistake that I existed. I’m not beautiful or popular or athletic. I’m quiet and don’t know how to talk to people. My personality was not like anyone else’s. (I sometimes suspect I’m on the autism spectrum. At least, dancing around the edge of it.) I’m a highly sensitive person, and the other kids’ words were like knives. I drew so deeply inward that I felt lost and didn’t really know who I was or what I wanted in life for decades. I even contemplated suicide for several years. In my late twenties, I finally came out of that darkness and isolation…it’s too long of a story for here, but I’ve grown by leaps and bounds and am much more confident and comfortable with who I am. Soli deo gloria. I’ve found my tribe and some amazing friends—I also found the wonderful man who’s now my husband! Community is SO important. We’re all in this together, and we need each other.

What are you reading now?
Oh, so many books…I’ve got a bad habit of bouncing around between a bunch of different ones. I’m reading The Young Unicorns by Madeleine L’Engle, Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa, The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice, and a few nonfiction books (including one about coping with anxiety…guess why!).

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finding time between Thinklings duties to finish the sequel to Hunter’s Moon! And then the third book in the trilogy. Pray for me, haha.

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?
Narrow it down to only 3 or 4? Ugh. Well, I’ll cheat a little and say: a single-volume edition of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, a single-volume edition of The Chronicles of Narnia, and a single-volume edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books. Gotta have a comedy thrown in there! Oh, fourthly, I’d pick something I haven’t read yet, like The Tale of Genji.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sarah Awa Website
Sarah Awa Amazon Profile

Sarah Awa’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Dayton O’Donnell 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m writing from Denver, Colorado and I’m a chronically artsy kind of guy. Between writing, playing music, photography, illustrating, etc… I keep myself way too busy for words.

It’s a real problem, honestly haha. Working on random shit until three in the morning is fun, but I don’t know how healthy it is. Whatever.

My girlfriend is the same way, though. So that’s nice. She’s a cutesie cuddle monster and encourages my creativity like you wouldn’t believe. Don’t tell her I said that. It’ll go to her head.

I’ve written three books. The first is called Shorts & Shit, an anthology of short fiction and poems. It got reviewed well, and it’s on pre-order at the time of this interview.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Shorts & Shit, being the last book I’ve actually gotten published, was a collection born from experimentation.

Nothing is all too experimental about it in a snooty-literature sense, but in each story and poem I intentionally tried to push my understanding of storytelling and it’s many many literary devices.

Throughout writing the book, I was reading a ton of Shirley Jackson, Roald Dahl, and H.G. Wells’s short stories. A few things really caught me reading these authors. For one, I fell in love with Shirley Jackson’s dark and subtle peek into people’s minds. Roald Dahl’s whimsical plot twists and wonderful, quick descriptions of people was something I envied more than anything. H.G Wells’s settings blew my mind along with his masterful use of narrative devices.

Every time I read a new story from one of those great authors — among many others — I immediately took notes of things I admired and tried to work them into new story ideas of my own.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love creating worksheets and then using them for my own writing… Maybe I’m just being a huge nerd about it, but there’s something really fun about breaking down some aspect of writing, then running myself through it with a nice worksheet. Ooh baby, do I love organization.

My favorite worksheet is called the Character Core worksheet and I

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Like I said before, Shirley Jackson and her subtle and understated stories have a way of getting under my skin. Roald Dahl has really helped me embrace my dark side and realize you can write some pretty fucked up stuff while still maintaining a whimsical feel. Love it.

H.G. Wells’s “A Dream of Armageddon” is by far one of my favorite short stories of all time. The narrative set up, the amount of feelings and steaks he sets up, the way he builds a plot just through some raggedy guy talking on a train, how his omission of certain things — while still sounding very natural — keeps his science fiction evergreen… Mmhmm! AMAZING! Just go read it.

Another story — and author in general — who’s stuck out to me is Neil Gaiman’s “Forbidden brides of the faceless slaves in the secret house of the night of dread desire.”

Mouth full, I know. But it’s a great read and really opened my eyes to how one can play with form and perspective in fun and effective ways.

Ooh, I also absolutely love love love Billy Collins. If you’re at all into poetry, or even into the idea of telling girls at coffee shops that you like poetry, you should read any of Billy Collins’s collections. Each poem is a little story and they consistently teach me how important surprise and honesty are to storytelling, be it through poems or novels.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a novel titled Mr. Strickham’s that’s set in a magical world and follows a young man who gets clinically diagnosed as boring haha. In order to cure his boring curse, he decides to leave home and go fight a Dragon. Will it work? Who knows?… Well, I know.

It’s a dumb idea, but I like it.

Also, I wrote a book of poems for my girlfriend called “Fuck it. I Like Poetry and I Love You” that I gave to her on her birthday. It was too cute for words, but I’m tweaking some old poems and adding to the book in general and will put that out sometime in 2021!

And I’m always writing / working on a short story or two here and there. Hopefully I can put out another anthology in another year or so.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For one, getting a Reedsy review has been very helpful and accessible. Other than that, Instagram is great. Likewise for Facebook. Word of mouth is scary, but works great, too.

My all-time favorite social platform, though, is Medium. It’s a great platform to put out poetry and get paid for it, too. And if you can get your work published and curated, your stories earn more for longer.

One thing that’s really helped me out has been MailerLite (https://bit.ly/MailerLite-is-greaterlite if you’d like to check it out). Because a mailing list is super important for Indie Authors, I have been using it to run my book’s landing page where I am actually offering up my book for free.

LP = https://offer.writethegoodest.com/shortsandshit

I found this strategy of offering a book for free to build a mailing list through this guy August Birch, The Book Mechanic. Kind of a corny name, but the man knows what he’s doing. Found him on Medium. He helped me understand the importance of building a mailing list and how valuable it is as a younger, indie author.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
This dude Thorndike did an experiment one time. Probably ages ago now. But he had 3,000 people try to draw a bunch of 4-inch, straight lines, blindfolded.

They were shitty at it.

One group of line drawers had someone next to them giving feedback on their stupid little line. The other group of line drawers had no one. And that group of lonely losers with no one observing their lines never got better at drawing blindfolded.

Basically, Thorndike found that repetition without feedback gets you nowhere.

Just because you write endlessly in your little writing cave doesn’t mean your moving your pen in the right direction. No matter how painful it is and no matter how awkward people’s, “Yeah, no, it’s really nice. It’s cool that you’re writing,” is, show people your writing.

Share share share some more and when people give you feedback, remember that they’ll never have the solution, but they can sure as hell point out the problem.

I recommend signing up for a critiquing community like Scribophile. If you can afford it, hire a fancy editor. If you have a significant other, let them read it earlier than you want them to.

You get it. Get some feedback on your shit or it will always stay just that: shit.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From Hemingway, in a book of his quotes concerning writing, he said gave some advice that was subtle but stuck with me in a big way. That’s his whole schtick, I guess. But he said just think about your feelings — get in touch with those, your feelings that is, if you haven’t yet. — and then try to imagine the exact events that gave you those feelings and write them down.

It’s kind of like, “Duh!” But really, I wasn’t doing that before. And I’ve read plenty of people’s writing that still doesn’t do that.

It was this chasing after the “real thing” that Hemingway was known for and taking that bit of advice to heart that really helped mature my writing.

What are you reading now?
Oh, I love bouncing around and reading a bunch of different short stories from different authors. Takes me ages to work through a collection, but I like it that way.

Right now, I’m going through “The Essential Bukowsky Poetry”, Billy Collins’s “Aimless Love”, Roald Dahl’s “The Umbrella Man; and other stories”, Georgia Park’s “Softly Glowing Exit Signs”; there’s a giant and eclectic collection called “The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories” that’s been pretty fun. David Sederis’s “When You Are Engulfed In Flames”.

Also, I am obsessed with Duolingo stories. And yes, I mean the language app. What can I say? They’re fun and I read them when I poop.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, to keep on writing!

My goal is to grow my mailing list and keep putting out poems, shorts, and novels for a long time to come.

I have started on my next anthology of short fantastic fiction and the common thread between each story so far is how normalcy can be just as surprising and delightful as exotic and exciting plots.

For instance, one story surrounds a young couple plagued by financial stress after they find that no one will buy the house they’ve sunk all their money into because, well, it’s super haunted.

Another story is about a man who’s nearing retirement, who gets his job displaced by an enchanted rock. Big slap to the face.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams
2. “The Bartimaeus Trilogy” by Jonathan Stroud
3. “Skin and Other Stories” by Roald Dahl
4. “Aimless Love” by Billy Collins

Author Websites and Profiles
Dayton O’Donnell Website
Dayton O’Donnell Amazon Profile

Dayton O’Donnell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

C. L. Nichols 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I retired from a career as a Computer Applications Analyst/Programmer.
I also have a lifetime experience playing guitar and bass in rock, country, and variety bar bands.
I am a lifelong reader of a wild variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction.

I have written several books, but I have published two of them so far.

The first is SPECULATIVE ENCOUNTERS: New Stories from the Slipstream.

Speculative fiction stories from C. L. Nichols In “Jump!” a lineman is transported to an alternate reality after a lightning strike, or is it only an hallucination? Someone awakens to find handwriting actually within his concrete bedroom floor in “The Silent Chatter.” A man’s wife is turned by a group of vampires; he follows and teams up with a female vampire to find them in “Till Death Do Us Part.” Other speculativve stories explore the unusual and bizarre environment of the slipstream. Added bonuses include selections from novels by C. L. Nichols for your enjoyment.

My second book is: MY GUITAR TUTOR Basics & Beyond. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BDK54KG

Learn the necessary skills to progress from beginner to intermediate player to advanced guitarist. Quickly become a competent rhythm or lead musician. Master the basics, then move beyond! Learn open and barre chords, progressions within a key, how to use a capo, how to transpose between keys and the other required knowledge necessary to play guitar. Then, move on to play lead guitar by mastering pentatonic/major/minor scales, modes, arpeggios, triads, etc. MY GUITAR TUTOR’S massive amount of information, charts and diagrams will speed your way to fun and profit. Have fun at home. Join or form a band. Realize your dream of becoming a true musician. Master the basics … then go beyond!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest is My Guitar Tutor, in which I draw on my life experiences as a guitar player in a number of bar bands.

Just published a few months earlier than the above, Speculative Encounters is inspired by my favorite genres of science fiction and horror.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, just try to produce something I like that I hope others will also enjoy.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
King/McCammon/Koontz/Joe Lansdale

What are you working on now?
Two novels in progress:
REMNANTS — a post-apocalyptic, and
DEAD OF WINTER — a small-town horror.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon, Smashwords, Goodreads, Pinterest, Facebook, and my own website caryandcate.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Copy written on your worst days are not that much different from copy written on your best days — they just may require a little extra editing attention.

What are you reading now?
Poetry

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue writing on my in-progress 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?
Swan Song by Robert McCammon
and short story collections from several prolific authors.

Author Websites and Profiles
C. L. Nichols Website
C. L. Nichols Amazon Profile
C. L. Nichols Author Profile on Smashwords

C. L. Nichols’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

John Pearson 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an engineer-turned-teacher-turned analyst. Straight out of grad school, I worked as a project engineer for nearly four years but was laid off after a market downturn. I then got my teaching certificate and taught for the next 13 years. During that time, I taught in two different school districts and at two schools, met my wife and got married, had a son, and won the Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament.
I wrote three books based on my kids and classroom experiences, and I also wrote one book about fantasy football.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is Learn Me Goodest, the third in the Learn Me Good series. As with the other two in the series, this book was inspired by the funny stories and quotes my students provided me with day after day.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I still write out my ideas longhand, in a spiral notebook, then type them up. I prefer the feel of a pen in my hand to the keyboard under my fingers.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Douglas Adams, of Hitchhiker’s Guide fame, is a big influence, as his humor made me want to write funny books. I also really enjoyed Ready Player One, with all of its pop culture references woven in.

What are you working on now?
My most recent projects have been YouTube videos with my son Andrew. We just made a series of May Gladness videos, since we didn’t get to participate in March Madness this year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a Facebook fan page, and I do a lot of promoting and interacting there.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you know. Write the story as it comes to you, even if it is not in order. Don’t worry about having a perfect beginning. If a middle or end scene comes to mind, get those ideas down on paper. You can always rearrange blocks later.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t eat yellow snow.

What are you reading now?
I just finished an AWESOME thriller by Riley Seger called Home Before Dark. I just started another by Lucy Foley called The Guest List, at the recommendation of my wife.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully getting more sales!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
#1 – How to Get Off a Desert Island for Dummies
#2 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
#3 – The Stand
#4 – Jurassic Park

Author Websites and Profiles
John Pearson Website
John Pearson Amazon Profile

John Pearson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Samy Barnat 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Samy Barnat. I have been an independent and multidisciplinary researcher in human sciences for 10 years now. Independent and multidisciplinary are two keys words important to understand my work. An independent research brings outside of the box thinking. A multi-disciplinary background (psychology, politics, economics, philosophy…) gives a rare global vision that many experts lack. Both precious to find global solutions to the global crises we face. Indeed most scientists have been working in silos isolating the different disciplines social and non-social. But reality is one and all these disciplines interconnected. For example, the science of emotions interact with the rest of cognition and society to form happy or suffering personalities. To be happy you need to understand yourself but also society and even broader your ecosystem. Because happiness requires to live in a way that causes no regrets later on. And you can do that only if you have a knowledge broad enough. For example, if you consume anything without worrying about the consequences to find out later that the food you consumed caused you or your kids a cancer you will be full of regrets… Concerning my educational background, I have multiple graduations: social sciences especially psychology, philosophy, politics but also engineering. Many people don’t understand the value of philosophy. In your opinion why two philosophers Adam Smith and Karl Marx created the two systems that dominated the modern world? If philosophy has no value? On the contrary, philosophy is the art of interrogating the deepest questions about human life with maximum skepticism to find the most solid foundations possible to live our lives. Any serious scientist also knows that the ancestor of human sciences for thousands of years was philosophy and that a lot of the theories of psychology were taken from philosophy until very recently with the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) inspired by Stoic Philosophy which is in fact a Rational and Cognitive Psychotherapy. Concerning my degree in engineering, it gave me a unique perspective to combine engineering with human sciences, like others before me also did to be more creative indeed many concepts of psychology are analogies from mechanics: resilience, psychological structures… Better Than Capitalism is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first and only book as per now (2020) is Better Than Capitalism. It was inspired by my long years of research to try to find a better system than the current dominating system. Indeed the free market and globalization are destroying our lives. Destroy our lives really? Yes really, the value of your money is stolen through devaluation, pollution destroys your health, overconsumption destroys the environment and leads to wars. But that’s not all, there is also climate change. We hear so much about climate change but are not told enough why it matters. To summarize in one sentence: life cannot exist outside of a narrow range of temperatures. To give you an idea of what a small increase in temperature can do to the environment you just have to know that 250 million years ago the worse mass extinction began when carbon dioxide increased global warming of more than 5 degrees Celsius resulting in a release of methane19. It has been called the Great Dying as 90% – 96% of species went extinct. The famous Paris agreement was aiming to stabilize us at a maximum of 2 degrees. But it was an empty promise we have not reduced but increased our CO2 emissions since. We are on our way to reach 4 degrees according to most scientific predictions.

And anyway, globalization will end so be prepared is the minimum anyone clever should do. Globalization will end really? Of course in the future not so far we will finish oil reserves and this civilization will collapse it is a fact. The machines used to produce food need oil. The trucks to transport food to the supermarket need oil. Without oil, you simply go to the supermarket and there is not enough food to buy! That should worry you a lot because it is coming, the world oil reserves will come to an end. It is not just some theory this is science and facts. Just now we have oil but that will not last we consume it faster and faster with more and more countries being industrialized. So are you going to wait that we run out of oil to prepare yourself and your family? If you do that you risk the worse: being without food and at risk of civil war with other people looking for food and water. Don’t be skeptical right now people are at war for water and food, it has happened again and again through history what protects you more than others? The government can’t protect you from everything (as proved the Covid-19 crisis). You are on your own. The conclusion is simple how are you going to live when the system you currently depend on will collapse? This book is the answer to this question.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Socrates, Platon, Aristotle, Descartes, Nietzsche, Marx, Smith…

What are you working on now?
The marketing of Better Than Capitalism.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still a beginner I learned a lot from https://kindlepreneur.com/ Dave is awesome the best I have found until now.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn a lot from https://kindlepreneur.com/ Dave is awesome the best I have found until now.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Change what you can’t accept, accept what you can’t change at least until you find a solution.” – Me
“Shoot for the moon even if you miss you will land among the stars.” – Les Brown?

What are you reading now?
Globalization and its discontents.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next book on happiness.

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?
For me reading is about changing the world to make it a better place this is why I became a researcher in human sciences and philosopher. The people who had the biggest impact to improve the well-being of the world did it through either inventions or ideas. Science was just an idea but it completely transformed the world. Free market was just an idea it did a lot of good but also a lot of bad it is time for the next big idea to transform our civilization this is what my book Better Than Capitalism is about. And my next book will be even as important: a guide to living a happy life. I wrote them because I came to realize that nobody addressed those topics well enough I am not being arrogant just being honest. So if I had to take two non-fiction books with me it would be my two books. If I had to take fiction books with me probably the Lord of the Rings series.

Author Websites and Profiles
Samy Barnat Website
Samy Barnat Amazon Profile
Samy Barnat Author Profile on Smashwords

Samy Barnat’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account