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Eric Forsyth 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired electrical engineer. In my youth I served as an RAF fighter pilot. After retirement I spent about half my time sailing my 42 ft cutter-rigged sailboat ‘Fiona’. I have made two circumnavigations of the world, sailed to both polar regions and transited the Northwest Passage. I have written two books; a non-fiction memoir about sailing and a novel about the British attempt to rule Iraq between the world wars.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The book is entitled ‘Wings over Iraq’, Britain was awarded custody of the newly created country of Iraq after WWI. They were to govern until Iraq was ready for independence. Britain was mainly interested in the plentiful oil reserves which they protected by air patrols using obsolete WWI bombers; the Vickers Vimy. When I was in the RAF in the 1950s I heard hair-raising stories told by old-timers about flying in Iraq before WWII. Those stories were my inspiration for writing the novel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
For many years I practiced as an engineer, this entailed writing numerous technical reports. I also authored over a hundred refereed articles in engineering journals, I think this led to a writing style which is precise, accurate and devoid of unnecessary verbiage. Of course, in my novel I have attempted to clothe characters and places with enough description to engage the reader.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I my early years I liked books about flying, typically Nevil Shute and Ernest Gann, but I read voraciously books about a wide range of subjects. I like non-fiction histories, e.g. Barbara Tuchman, and historical novels, Patrick O’Brien and Robert Harris. For imaginative, beautiful English its hard to find a better writer than JRR Tolkien. Turning to sailing, I was impressed by Eric Hiscock and W. Tilman.

What are you working on now?
I am turning over a few ideas but I am not working directly on a book at the moment.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Widely read reviews by a reviewer that knows your subject are good. Successful promotion is probably the hardest thing to accomplish.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write for your own enjoyment. Very few authors make the New York Times best seller list.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep it simple

What are you reading now?
‘Erebus’ by Michael Palin

What’s next for you as a writer?
If I feel my books have reached a reasonably-sized audience I will write a follow-up.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
‘The Lord of the Ring’ by JRR Tolkien. ‘My Secret life’ by Anonymous. ‘Collected works of W. Tilman

Author Websites and Profiles
Eric Forsyth Website

Matthew Moyer 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my first book!!!

Matthew Moyer is an elementary school principal with over 17 years of experience in administration, and over 23 years of experience in education. In addition to his job as principal, he is a Nationally Distinguished Principal, Pennsylvania Principal of the Year, Author, National Speaker, Adjunct Professor, and staff developer with Thom Stecher and Associates.

Matt started his career as a 5th-grade teacher in the Spring-Ford Area School District. He earned a Masters degree and Principal’s certificate. He then spent 3 years as an assistant principal at Schuylkill Valley Elementary School in Leesport, Pennsylvania. From there he moved to his current position as principal of Rupert Elementary School in the Pottstown School District. He is in his 15th year as principal of Rupert, and absolutely loves it. He recently completed his course work for his letter of eligibility to be a superintendent. For the last ten years he has been the district’s safety coordinator and certified CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention trainer. He has served numerous roles and on a variety of committees during his time in the Pottstown School District.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Adventures of David and Donald- The Fractured Flower Pot

I was inspired by actual events in my life, and a desire to create a book that parents and educators can use.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
None

What authors, or books have influenced you?
John Micklos
Jerry Spinelli

What are you working on now?
Starting my next book in the David and Donald series. This book will be the second in what I hope will be a series of books that parents and teachers can use to help teach social emotional learning topics.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://sites.google.com/view/from-the-principals-office-mat/home?authuser=2

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stay the course! Your hard work will pay off.

Take your time and do your homework before you publish.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

What are you reading now?
Seinfeldia

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to create a series of book on Social Emotional Learning skills for parent and educators.

Author Websites and Profiles
Matthew Moyer Website
Matthew Moyer Amazon Profile

Matthew Moyer’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

S.P. Somtow 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My career as a novelist mostly took place from 1979 to 2001. I started as a science fiction writer, branched out into fantasy and horror, and then into historical novels and magical realism. My most well known books from that period are probably “Vampire Junction,” “Mallworld,” and “Jasmine Nights.” I won the World Fantasy Award, the Astounding Award and was nominated for two Hugos and other awards, and was president of the Horror Writers Association.

In 2001 I had a sudden feeling I should enter a Buddhist monastery in Thailand and I abandoned everything. When I emerged, I rediscovered the career I had set aside before I started writing for a living, and for the last twenty years I have been running Thailand’s opera company, Opera Siam. I’ve composed several operas and directed many others as well.

Now, perhaps in the last phase of my life, I’m reconnecting with writing again. I’m tying up loose ends. But publishing has changed a lot, and I’ve gone from being published by major publishing houses to reissuing all my out of print books under my own imprint and publishing new books myself. About 70 of my books are currently in print if you search on my name in amazon and other sources.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest books, are “Homeworld of the Heart” which was really triggered by wanting to reconnect with readers who for three decades have been asking me to revisit my “Inquestor Series.” I’ve also recently published two short memoirs, “Nirvana Express” and “Sounding Brass.”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I write a lot, and only after midnight.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say first, the classics: the Greek playwrights, Shakespeare and Jane Austen; secondly, writers whose work I consumed as a child, like Theodore Sturgeon.

What are you working on now?
I’ve resurrected several projects that were in mid-air when I suddenly disappeared from the writing universe twenty years ago.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. (1) You must have something to say. (2) You must actually say it. (3) You must be willing to do the work to give yourself the technical ability to do (2) in order to express (1). (4) You must speak the truth no matter what the cost. (5) Remember that in the moment of creation, you are the only being in the universe who can express that exact thought in that exact way. You are alone. (6) Fear nothing.

That’s about it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be so wrapped up in what you have to say that the characters all start sounding like you. (This is what Theodore Sturgeon wrote to me once, when I had only written a few books).

What are you reading now?
Ha, I just read some scandalous political books about Washington.

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 say, Lewis Carroll — but I pretty much have that memorized. So: the complete works of Shakespeare.

Author Websites and Profiles
S.P. Somtow Website
S.P. Somtow Amazon Profile

S.P. Somtow’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Keenan Booker 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a self published author with 8 books. My books are all written in non fiction format, they range from history, race, culture and psychology. I wrote all 8 books in the span of fires.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My last book I wrote is called “7”. It was about the number 7 and the significance behind it. This title was for my fan’s so they could know more about me.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in a unusual way, because my books are geared towards the intellectual. This allows me to write on subjects that are taboo or thought as uncommon. I go into the realm’s of what is either not commonly known or just not accepted. The reader who dive into my book’s will be challenged and the survivor’s will be victorious through the ages.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Great Plague of London.

What are you working on now?
The Encyclopedia on Women.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Kickedoutofheaven.com or I also sell my books at Keenanbooker.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To all the young and upcoming author’s out there it is very important that you communicate your message now more than ever. Book’s last forever where as the digital word can be taken away in minutes!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s cheaper to keep her !

What are you reading now?
“Love Scent”
by Larry Alexander

What’s next for you as a writer?
TO sell my books!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Kicked Out of Heaven V1,V2,V3

Author Websites and Profiles
Keenan Booker Website
Keenan Booker Amazon Profile

Keenan Booker’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Brandon Sharma 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Brandon Sharma and I am an avid holistic health practitioner currently based in Portland, Oregon.

I currently have one book under my belt!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ‘The Optimal Mind: Mindfulness And Meditation For A Stress-Free And Better Life’.

When I was younger, I suffered from stress and anxiety issues — that was until I discovered the power of meditation and what it can do for one’s life. At the age of 20, I started to take the practice of meditation seriously and before I know it, it has become a daily habit of mine.

The idea to write a book came one day when I was meditating — the same techniques that have helped me overcome my issues can also help someone, somewhere.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I encounter writer’s block, I will lay down my pen, retreat to a corner and meditate for 5 to 10 minutes to clear my mind. I find that this helps me get back on track and I don’t really consider this unusual. This is, however, a habit that has worked well for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The book ‘MEDITATIONS’ by Marcus Aurelius has a profound impact on my life since I started my meditation journey.

What are you working on now?
I am currently writing for Holistic Health Methods — a blog dedicated to putting out useful health and wellness content for the modern individual.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a small email list of dedicated subscribers and it has worked well for me in terms of promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Forget perfection. Just publish your finished work.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading ‘Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism’ by Fumio Sasaki

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to publish more useful holistic health content in the form of books with the hope that it will help more people in the future.

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 first book will be a book on how to survive on a desert island. The second one will be a book on cooking in the wilderness and lastly, a book on how to stay calm and collected in a crisis.

Author Websites and Profiles
Brandon Sharma Website

Brandon Sharma’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Barbara Venkataraman 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! I am a practicing attorney and mediator in Fort Lauderdale and I have written books in several genres. I have a humorous award-winning cozy mystery series set in Hollywood, Florida, starring Jamie Quinn, a reluctant family law attorney who keeps finding herself in the middle of murder cases. There are five books to date and a sixth one on its way. I also have a children’s fantasy (The Fight for Magicallus); a humorous grammar book (Teatime with Mrs. Grammar Person); a short story (If You’d Just Listened to Me in the First Place); an award-winning series of humorous essays (Quirky Essays for Quirky People); and a memoir (Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four is a memoir I co-wrote with my son, Josh Venkataraman, about his successful four-year quest to obtain posthumous pardons for four men wrongfully charged and convicted of a heinous crime in the Jim Crow South. We wrote it to inspire other people to take action in their own communities for a cause they care about.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do my best thinking in the shower or the pool, I call it a water epiphany.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love comic writers like Dave Barry, Erma Bombeck, and Mike Birbiglia, and I love books with heart like The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Less. They taught me that a reader has to care about the characters and relate to their struggles.

What are you working on now?
Book 6 of the Jamie Quinn Mysteries, which is called Villainy at Vizcaya.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method is connecting with readers on Goodreads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would recommend writing every day, reading books on how to write, taking classes, joining writing groups, setting definite goals, do flash fiction exercises to sharpen your writing, and don’t be hard on yourself. Pianists can’t play Mozart right out of the gate. It’s the same way you get to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I have heard a lot of great advice. One thing that stuck with me is that a book is a series of scenes that are connected.

What are you reading now?
Story by Robert McKee. I just finished the Pulitzer-Prize winning book Less. Loved it!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have several projects in the works: a children’s book, and a YA book.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s too hard! lol. Books that taught me how to survive on a desert island, most likely. Also, a couple from the Harry Potter series, The Elegant Universe, by Brian Greene, and the complete Shakespeare.

Author Websites and Profiles
Barbara Venkataraman Amazon Profile

Barbara Venkataraman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Jon’te Aycox 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Jon’te Aycox. I’m from Las Vegas NV. I’m a Artist(Painter) and a first time Author.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘Sweet September’
Lovers Of Spring

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, I just like to make sure I gotten lost of rest and like to write in a very quiet place. I only write when I’m inspired. It has to come from a deep inspirational emotional place.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Spiritual books, like Joyce Meyers books. I also love a really good Fictional Romance Novel.

What are you working on now?
I’m just focus on still trying to promote Sweet September part 1. Plan on working on a Part 2 also. I’m working on a new painting for a friend.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I know for me, I been putting my books on different book sites, like Awesome Gang , Barnes Noble, Draft2Digital ( just to name a few. Create My Book.com is another amazing free site, the company is from Belgium, they have a print demand setup, then after the writer published the book, they’re able to put it in their online book store for sell. All these sites are free, like Amazon, Kindle, Draft2Digital, Create My Book.com, LuLu. I just been trying to promote my book that way, google-ling all types of different book sites that has Author programs. But also print on demand sites, and putting my book on Twitter, different Facebook book groups on Facebook, Instagram also.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors is most importantly, write from your heart and be you in your writing. Give some kind of value, inspiration, meaning to your work. Yes we all want to sale and become successful but what’s more important is giving your audience something that touches their heart in a good way, that purpose. Plus never give up, keep writing, keep creating, make sure you enjoy what you do also.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I heard so much advice in my 41 years but recently I was so inspired by this advice, Be the person of faith, and pray bold prayers, speak big dreams Into your life.

What are you reading now?
I was reading some of a Picasso poetry. Very unique and truly makes the reader thinks and his art truly gives that unique thing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to get lots of readers for Sweet September and then I’m working on a part 2.

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?
Joyce Meyer Books and a very amazing Fiction Romance Novel.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jon’te Aycox Website
Jon’te Aycox Amazon Profile

Jon’te Aycox’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Melonie Garrett 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Melonie B, Garrett is a new author that leverages her Master Certified Coaching (MCC), diversity, inclusion and belonging dialogue facilitation, and organizational consulting experiences to develop and enrich her readers. Her writing style is geared to engage the reader interactively using reflection, prompts, practices, and questions with an opportunity to journal. She reaches a multi-generational audience, serving as a powerful resource for transformation. Through a trusting partnership Melonie helps clients to reshape leadership and organizational patterns of thinking and work practices that no longer serve their intent, goals, or desired outcomes. Her coaching approach deepens their self-awareness, social astuteness, and results, enabling clarity of vision, purpose, competence, value, and impact. Melonie is from the Washington, DC metropolitan area, where she is also the Principal and Owner of ATG Coaching & Consulting, LLC. Her career spans the telecommunications, finance, transportation, information technology, manufacturing, and hospitality industries. She has held senior leadership roles in Information Technology, Customer Quality, Leadership Development, and Human Resources (HR). Her coaching and consulting career includes engagements with federal and local government, non-profit, and private organizations across the USA, Asia, and the Middle East. She draws extensively from her various corporate leadership positions, innovation in dialogue learning, action learning/Socratic facilitation, mentor-coaching, and organizational development partner networks.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Stillness In My PPE a prompted journal that can serve as a companion through our pandemics. It was in the stillness of my own pandemic season of Covid-19 and racial injustice, that this prompt journal was placed very explicitly on my heart. Hence the journal was born and I became compelled to share it with the world.

Stillness In My PPE: A Guided Journal for Praise, Prayer, and Enlightenment During Pandemics, regardless of the reader-journalist’s religious affiliation, is an invitation to reflect on your journey through your various seasons of pandemics (dis-eases) and joys (eases)— the dichotomies of life. Whether your pandemic dichotomy is:

• Covid-19 grieving the deaths of loved ones and teaching you to celebrate their lives
• Racial injustice cutting your breath off and breathing easier because the world finally hears you
• Divorce feeling isolation and solitude/peace
• Facing an empty nest feeling a loss of identity and finding who you are underneath parenting
• Losing a job and sense of identity and finding a new identity and a way to make a living by living your passion, or something else altogether
Besides the times we are living in, I was inspired by a vision that came from my meditative practices. Very vividly I was told to to write a prompt journal to help people to be still and connect more fully with who they are beneath their ins and outs and ups and downs of life. So “Stillness” is designed to encourage the reader-journalist to look deep within for inspiration, rediscovering the answers to their hidden identity, perfect imperfections, passions, and belonging. Thankfully one of the gifts of our pandemic seasons is stillness, leading to becoming more fully the YOU, you were created to be. Additionally, my 13 year old niece illustrated the cover of the journal by coincidence. This further reinforced that publishing the journal was divinely guided!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
One of my unusual writing habits is to allow myself to be guided by the real creator of the vision. It was never on my bucket list to be an author. Yes, I enjoy writing letters, notes and prayers, but a published book never occurred to me. I really felt spiritually guided. Stories and questions to prompt the reader-journalist just flowed and called up my own experiences and stories deep within.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Walter Mosley is one of my favorite authors. He always asks questions or seeks answers that most are not focused on pursuing. Maya Angelou is also someone that has influenced me. She was always so wise and insightful, guided by her spirituality.

What are you working on now?
I am working on bringing some of the reader-journalist of “Stillness In My PPE” together virtually to share their stories that the journal has helped them to surface. I want to help them share the stories and look at the embodied learning.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far YouTube has been the most helpful for telling my story and promoting Stillness In My PPE https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=stillness+in+my+ppe

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advise for new authors is to go for it. Tell your story and map out your plan to promote your story. You do not always need to spend money to have a publisher promote your book if you leverage your network and social media.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have heard is “Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal”

What are you reading now?
I am reading “Lost Connections: Why You’re Depressed and How to Find Hope” by Johann Hari.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Next for me as a writer is to publish some of the prayers and notes of affirmation I have written over the years. Additionally, I want to creating a prompt journal to help us to reconcile our personal views on racial injustice.

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 the following books: the bible, A Walter Mosely book, and my journal, Stillness In My PPE. The latter would help me to capture my experience on the desert island and draw on what I have right within.

Author Websites and Profiles
Melonie Garrett Website

Melonie Garrett’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Austin Mitchell 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Austin Mitchell has so far written two novels and is completing another. He has written many short stories, a few plays and poems. Several of his short stories have been published in his homeland. He has read hundreds of novels and has read widely on the subject. He has also attended a few writing workshops. He is a past student of St. Mary’s College, Above Rocks, St. Catherine. He is from a community, called Glengoffe, one of the largest communities in the island, which is in the north east of the island, bordering the parishes of St. Mary and St. Andrew. He presently resides in the city of Portmore, which incidentally is also in the parish of St. Catherine.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Worst is Over Now-Another collection of short stories. Nothing really inspired this book.

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

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Louis L ‘Amour, Chinua Achebe, C. Everard Palmer

What are you working on now?
I am working on finishing my latest collection of short stories-The Worst is Over Now. There are two stories in this book which I hope to turn into full length novels. They are Sleeping Love and The Hardest Way Out.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use my blog:stredwick.blogspot.com. Up to now I’m not sure hoe successful this method is.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make your characters unforgettable and your story believable.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do not give up even in the worst of times.

What are you reading now?
Mostly accounting books as I am an accountant by training

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to promote my books on various sites

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A couple novels by Louis L ‘Amour and C. Everard Palmer

Author Websites and Profiles
Austin Mitchell Website