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Dee Rose 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Dee Rose and I’ve been writing for about twenty years. I live in Denver, Colorado and I went to MSU where I studied Political Science. I have two daughters. I’ve published ten books so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my current book is entitled, The Death Brothers: A Supernatural Awakening. It is inspired by the combined stories of the vampire slayer, Jericho Caine, and the demon hunter, Father Tom Padilla. They are characters from the Hangman Universe, who set out on their own adventure away from the Hangman story.

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

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Mostly books by Stephen King have influenced me, like Cujo and Carrie. I like Pet Cemetery as well.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on the ninth book, out of ten, in the HMU called, Susan Taki: The New Coven. It centers around a new hero, Susan Taki, who was once part of an evil witches coven, but she falls in love with a priest and fights on the side of good now. The coven wants to make her stand trial for abandoning and betraying them.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method for promoting my books is writing blogs and author interviews.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors is to just keep writing and let the editing take care of itself at the end.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I’ve heard was, “Don’t sweat the small stuff”.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m not reading anything, just writing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once I’m done with the HMU, which still has two books remaining, I want to start a new series. I have one in mind already about a female bounty hunter in space.

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?
Honestly, I would take my books because I haven’t read any of them again since I published them. They would The Hangman, The Hangman Returns, and the Death Brothers.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dee Rose Amazon Profile

Dee Rose’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Charles Sterling 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a young and witty author of 6 fantasy books! I like to bend imagination to its creative limits while keeping it completely logical, like a bunny out of a hat.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Fantasia of Lorelei. The story style is similar to that of Alice in Wonderland where a quirky, humorous modern girl gets sucked into her book full of strange magical things! To name a few:
Creepy pumpkin headed people
Talking snowmen
Flying foxes
A dragon made out of candy that when it breathes fire makes smores out of its marshmallow teeth
Fruit Lies, fruits that grow on trees but taste like completely different fruit!
And of course, Santa <3
If you love Halloween and Christmas, this is the perfect book for that occasion! Laughter guaranteed.

What inspired it: My best friend told me that besides plot and story, if you have AWESOME characters they will carry your reader to the end. I made sure to create that.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write spontaneously, and I prepare playlists of music to write to. I end up changing the song every 10-20 minutes to make sure it fits the scene I am writing. Also I need tea beside me at all times.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Niel Gaiman inspired me with his writing style. While our fiction is quite different, I was inspired by how elegantly simple he writes. He proved to me that there is no need for long intricate sentences, just keep it nice and readable!

What are you working on now?
Promoting Fantasia of Lorelei ..Heh

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Book promoting methods change yearly, and recently I found out that book trends exist, and there is almost no way to predict them. So a lot of work and a little bit of luck is my method so far!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Niel Gaiman’s advice is the only one you’ll ever need.
Make. Good. Art.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
MAKE. GOOD. ART
*laugh*

What are you reading now?
Regrettably I don’t read as much as I should, but I highly enjoy books like As A Man Thinketh.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I try to stick to writing a book a year, so next year will be another book! I have no way of knowing what it is though, it just comes to me.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. Probably a book titled “how to survive on a desert island”
2. “how to survive on a desert island part 2”
3. As A Man Thinketh
4. War and Peace, because that book is so long it would take me ages to finish.

Author Websites and Profiles
Charles Sterling Website
Charles Sterling Amazon Profile
Charles Sterling Author Profile on Smashwords

Charles Sterling’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Terry Wright 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
At the risk of giving away my age, I’m a Vietnam Veteran, former auto repair shop owner, and an avid Harley-Davidson motorcycle rider. I’ve been in this writing business for 25+ years. Along the way I got totally frustrated with traditional publishing, agents, and the meager scraps they called royalties, so I started my own publishing company and self published my work, along with authors from around the world. I’ve written eight novels, several short stories, three feature screenplays, all of which have finalled in International Screenplay competitions, and one television series script.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Inspiration for each story comes in many forms. Injustice in the legal system inspired my latest book, “Justin Graves,” which was nine years in the making. A newspaper article about the world’s largest pearl being part of a wrongful death lawsuit in Colorado set me on a research mission through history and Tao legend for “The Pearl of Death,” and a short film I saw at the Smithsonian in 1986 inspired “The 13th Power” sci-fi series I wrote.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do, but I’m not giving my secrets away. Writing is a craft that requires the same amount of dedication, effort, and practice as any other artform, sport, or career. I dabbled at first, got serious, joined a writers group, critique, entered contests, and eventually developed a thick skin for criticism. All in all, that made me a better writer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a big Michael Crichton fan. James Patterson too. Stephen King, not so much lately, but I loved his book “On Writing.” Edgar Rice Burroughs … his Mars Series … totally mesmerized me as a teenaged boy. The De Vinci Code – Wow.

What are you working on now?
I’m editing a book by a New England writer, as I often do for many self-publishing authors. There’s a difference between editing and proofreading. I edit for content including character arcs and story structure in an effort to get that writer’s craft to a higher level.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Marketing and self promotion is a large part of an author’s workload. Every author should have his or her own websites. You’d be surprised how many authors do not. Readers buy authors, not titles, so an author needs a central hub where readers can find the latest books and news. Most beneficial reviews are those on Amazon by ‘verified purchasers’. Social media is good for self promotion where writers can let people know ‘who’ they are, hopefully get people to like you, and then, oh by the way: “I have written a book.”

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Rewrite. Never give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never be worth more dead than alive.

What are you reading now?
“Eternity Base” by one of my author friends, Bob Mayer.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Tahiti, I hope.

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?
Ah, the classic question from H. G. Wells’ “The Time Machine.” In this case I’d need books on survival.

Author Websites and Profiles
Terry Wright Website
Terry Wright Amazon Profile
Terry Wright Author Profile on Smashwords

Terry Wright’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

LC Rung 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have a PhD in communication, and I’ve been writing “novels” since I was eleven. I’ve written two books. One is a novella, titled Horse. The other is a short novel, titled Leaving Oklahoma. Aside from novels, I love reading true crime.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of my latest book is Leaving Oklahoma. I read a lot of true crime stories on the internet, and some of those stories involve people who go missing. My story is meant to be one of the theories that could explain why/how someone goes missing. (It’s not based on any real-life person.)

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to write while listening to the sound of rain, or the crackle of a fireplace. Sometimes I think of moving to Seattle, just for the rain.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King’s 1922. Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. Cecily von Ziegesar’s Gossip Girl series. Jeanette Wall’s The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses.

What are you working on now?
I just finished my novel, Leaving Oklahoma, so I’m taking a break from writing to start promoting my new book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I wish I knew! I’m still trying to figure out the best ways to promote my books. I love sites like Awesome Gang, which allow me to do that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Even if you think you’ve found the last typo, you have not. Read again.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t worry about what your writing looks like in the first draft–just get it all out there and clean it up later.

What are you reading now?
Articles about how to promote my book!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finding my next book idea.

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?
Anything by Stephen King.

Author Websites and Profiles
LC Rung Amazon Profile
LC Rung Author Profile on Smashwords

LC Rung’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Alice Gardner 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a psychologist with over 20 years of experience in couples counseling and individual psychotherapy. So far, I’ve written two books, both of which deal with couples’ issues.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called ”Healing from Infidelity”. Infidelity is a very universal issue that all of us go through it or deal with it in one way or another. In addition, it’s one of the most common subjects that I have worked on in my counseling experience.
In this book, I seek to chart the path forward, allowing couples to come to terms with the affair and overcome the pain, no matter what kind of betrayal they have suffered or the depth of the wound inflicted.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can contemplate and write anywhere as long as I have coffee and my laptop, be it on the plane while I’m traveling or late at night while everybody in the house is sleeping!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are many writers that gave me inspiration, but I should mention three of them as the most influential: John Gottman, Gary Chapman and Esther Perel.

What are you working on now?
At the moment, I’m working on my third book which offers easy to follow solutions to repair an unhappy marriage.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m trying different methods and ways to promote my books and I have not decided yet which one to choose as the most suitable for my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
What I can say is that you should read a lot, you must take your time and find a subject that really inspires and motivates you personally, so much so that when you write, it feels like your making a dream come true!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t let the bad days make you feel like you have a bad life!

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Alain de Botton’s Art of Travel and I’m loving it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish writing my next book soon, on which I’m really working hard, and then send it to my editor and publish 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?
For sure, ”Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality”, ”Man’s Search for Meaning” and ”Love’s Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy”.

Author Websites and Profiles
Alice Gardner Website
Alice Gardner Amazon Profile

Alice Gardner’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Victoria Bowman 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I, Victoria Bowman, am a young author who hated writing until around 9th grade. I decided to become an author and so my first book is a collection of short stories I have written. My hobbies include writing, sleeping, reading, and baking. My top 5 favorite books are: The Fault in Our Stars, The Prisoner of Azkaban, If I stay, Where She Went, and Splintered. And I am a Gryffindor! Technically, I haven’t really received an award for writing but one of my stories won me an honorable mention in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of 2019. I’m currently still writing it!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Collection of Short Stories. It was inspired by my inability to climb over writer’s block and finish stories that could be actual books.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Does pretending I am in an interview as I write count?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J. K. Rowling, John Green (Especially his books The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska) , Gayle Forman (If I Stay & Where She Went). I was also influenced by The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Stonefox, and Because of Winn-Dixie.

What are you working on now?
Ummmm Everything! Right now I’m working on my first book “A Collection of Short Stories”.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t have one, I use my Facebook, Pinterest, and other sites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
No, I am a new author…

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you want to read.

What are you reading now?
Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
How to build a raft
Toxic and Edible plants in all parts of the world
How to hunt and clean meat to eat
How to survive on a deserted island

 

Victoria Bowman’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Richy Great 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an Electrical and Electronics Engineer from India, working in Germany for an e-Mobility company. I have a decade of experience in software development and solution architecture. A prolific blogger and short story writer.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Bedtime Stories for Little Scientists: Volume 1 – From the Big Bang to Life on Earth

Being a father of a 5-year-old daughter, I experiment with innovative ways to educate her at home. I have devised a chronological approach to education, which helps children reach innovations faster than our previous generations did. This forms the core idea behind this book series which is my first to get published.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dan Brown and Stephen King has influenced me a lot, but I always write in genres which will not reveal my affinity towards their work.

What are you working on now?
Bedtime Stories for Little Scientists is my current project. I have planned to write at least 10 volumes covering all events that happened till 21st century. This will be a real help for parents homeschooling kids these days.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is the first time I am promoting my book and awesomegang is my first platform to do so.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always try something new. Experiment fearlessly.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am writing a draft for a new thriller which is inspired by True stories.

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?
Digital Fortress, Deception Point and some books of the Jason Bourne Series

Author Websites and Profiles
Richy Great Website
Richy Great Amazon Profile

Dave Klapwyk 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have travelled the world and have had many different types of jobs including, veterinary helper, carpentry, journalist, graphic designer and mechanical engineer. I have had story ideas bouncing around my head since I was a child.
Finally I have debuted my first novel which will be the start of the next chapter in my life.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Black Flag – Surviving the Scourge is my first novel and it is inspired by 40 years of watching every end of the world movie I could find and reading all the apocalyptic books the library had.
This latest pandemic gave me the last nudge to put this story out there. The coronavirus is bad, but it could be much worse. Black Flag explores how ordinary people react to a apocalyptic pandemic.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Instead of leading the characters through the story, I follow the characters. I setup the scene and place characters with distinct personalities and worldviews into a situation. Then I ‘watch’ what happens and write down what I see.
It is exciting to watch the events unfold and I always know what is going to happen till it does.
I have genuine joy and sadness watching the characters go through their situations.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen Koontz, Neville Shute, Stephen Baxter, The Bible

What are you working on now?
I am currently in the process of writing the 2nd book in the series titled: Black Flag – Surviving the Invasion.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Start now, but don’t quit your day job yet.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just try.

What are you reading now?
I am too busy writing to read right now, but the last book I read was The Valiant by Lesley Livingston. It was a good book, but I have no interest in continuing the series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have other projects in mind after the Black Flag series, but prefer to keep it secret for now.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
On the Beach by Neville Chute and the Flood series by Stephen Baxter

Author Websites and Profiles
Dave Klapwyk Website
Dave Klapwyk Amazon Profile

Dave Klapwyk’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Bob Laurie 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written two books, I call both books inspirational thrillers, different kind of thriller.
It took a while for Bob to know where he wanted to go with his writing. He’s always loved thrillers, but didn’t understand why they never include an inspirational message that can uplift the reader after the suspense is over. Bob endeavors to achieve that in his writing and hopes his novels stand out because of it. You can find out more about Bob’s books and other work at boblaurieauthor.com.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is A Deadly Miracle. After my first book The Book of Sonny, I knew I want to write suspenseful page turning thrillers. Reviews from people that were touched by my stories is what inspires me to continue writing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like dialog between well developed characters. You never know what they are going to say, that includes me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors like, Dean Koonz, John Grimsom

What are you working on now?
A sequel to my current book a Deadly Miracle

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
There is no one place to promote your book you have to be a part of all social media and other websites that promote books

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing is a completive and tough profession to make money, write because you have something you want to share with the world, Write and read as offend as possible and don’t get discouraged about money, Don’t chase after the money, if writing is your passion the money will eventually come to you

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
What I wrote above as advice for new Authors, because I’ve been told the same.

What are you reading now?
I am not reading right know because I am working hard to promote my current book, however, the last book I read was Intensity by Dean Koonz

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m am looking to retire from my full time job in a couple of years and hope to write full time after I retire.

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 Book of Sonny
A Deadly Miracle
Watchers
To Kill a Mocking bird

Author Websites and Profiles
Bob Laurie Website

Bob Laurie’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Lisa Jacovsky 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Doctoral Candidate in my third year, working in early intervention with little ones under 3 years old, hoping to inspire families with my books to be open to children and others different than them, to encourage friendship for all. This is my first book in the series Lets Talk!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my current book is Lets Talk! A story of autism and friendship. I get inspired from my job and career. I see daily the struggles little ones with Autism have and little ones that don’t have Autism when they want to befriend a little one with Autism. We really need to encourage our children to be open. We also need to see that Autism is just a diffeernt way to learn and little ones with Autism can do the same things any of their friends can. I want to change the way Autism is viewed and really encourage families to be more open.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes.ill get inspired at odd times and write notes in my phone. Or parts of a book in my phone and then piece it together later

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say my favorite authors, Anne Rice, Dean Koontz, Stephen king. I write in a different genre than I read but the way they have with words is what I strive to have too

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the fourth adventure in the Lets Talk! Series that the girls go on

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Twitter and Instagram

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep working, don’t give up. Self.publish and stay inspired

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be independent, don’t depend on anyone and work hard always

What are you reading now?
The sixth book in the outlander series

What’s next for you as a writer?
Querying to try to get a tradition publisher to sponsor me but if not I am going to self publish the second the book in the Lets Talk! Series in the new year which im.very excited about

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?
Neverwhere by neil.gaiman, pandora by Anne Rice and doctor sleep by Stephen king

 

Jessica Brzezinski 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Jessica Brzezinski has enjoyed working with children for as long as she could remember. She has worked as an educator for the past 15 years with elementary children of all ages. She holds her BS in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, as well as her MS in Education, specializing in Reading and Literacy.

Jessica teaches in Scotch Plains, NJ, and lives close by with her three amazing children and husband Bolus.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Jessica wrote her first story, “Things Feel Different, A Children’s Story About Change and the Global Pandemic,” as students embark on their journey back to school amidst the coronavirus pandemic. She hopes it will serve as a gateway for discussion among parents, teachers, and students. Most importantly, she hopes children will feel connected to her story and they will find a sense of validation and hope that they have tools to pull themselves through challenging times.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jessica is very inspired by author Trudy Ludwig and the artwork of Patrice Barton. “The Invisible Boy” is one of her favorite books ever written for children. The overall mood and tone conveyed by the illustrations, combined with Ludwig’s clever story to convey an overall message, is inspiring to children and adults alike. Jessica hopes to create her own children’s books for kids about several social-emotional topics inspired by students in her classroom over the years.

What are you working on now?
With her writing partner, Kristen Lipari, author of “A Different Kind of School Year,” Jessica is working on “The Pink Path,” a story about right and wrong and the power of making choices that affect others. They are also working on “The Attention Monster.”

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself and your ideas. Promote, promote, promote!! There are people out there that will LOVE what you do!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Put in the flex muscle!

What’s next for you as a writer?
A curriculum series of social emotional lessons for children based off “The Pink Path.”

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 Witches,” by Roald Dahl. “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,” by Kate diCamillo. As you can see, I have a love for children’s literature.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jessica Brzezinski Amazon Profile

Erasmo Acosta 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have only written this one book, which is also currently all I plan to write. The reason is that my entire life I worked for personal economic advancement. Of course I helped others, whenever I could, paid my taxes, and contributed to my favorite non-profits, but I never made a contribution humanity. I feel this is my opportunity to do that.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I watched a YouTube video that discussed both the Fermi Paradox and Dyson Swarms. It had a profound personal impact, leading me to drop some of my most deeply held beliefs. Less than two years later, after plenty of research on these and many other subjects, I started writing the book, K3+.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, and Arthur Clarke are my childhood heroes. I make references to them through-out the story. J. K. Rowling had a different kind of influence. Ever since reading the Philosopher’s Stone—I read all seven books many times—I was deeply impressed by her light and easy-to-digest style. The interac-tions between Fedrix & SueLing are an example.

What are you working on now?
Promoting the ideas in the book. Creating awareness to the possibilities of rotating habitats in space. Trying to spark a movement.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Currently I am publishing related articles on Medium which has proven to be a great avenue so far. I have also seen success with Goodreads.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My main focus right now is continuing to share my vision so that we as humanity can see past our biases and create a future of growth and expansion.

Author Websites and Profiles
Erasmo Acosta Website

Erasmo Acosta’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Hollan McCarthy 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing very young. I got my Creative Writing degree in 2009. Since then I’ve been doing a lot of other things. Thorn is my first novel. It too me years to finish it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I was inspired by reading Harry Potter. I remember thinking: I can write something just as good! I was in college at the time and dealing with a lot of professors who were very snobby about J.K. Rowling. They were unimpressed with her to say the least. But I think she’s marvelous. Her description and her storytelling. The cast of characters she has created. Writing anything that long and engaging is hard and demands respect.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I read a lot. I am obsessive over editing. An out of place comma will keep me awake. I published Thorn then went back and edited it five times.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a huge fan of both non-fiction history books and historical fiction. I like murder mysteries and just plain old mysteries. I like Kate Morton and Jennifer Donnelly. I still read Agatha Christie.
I actually don’t read a ton of fantasy even though it’s what I write. But I have some very specific fantasy writers I do love: Naomi Novik, Katherine Arden, Melissa Albert, and Robin McKinley. And Peter S. Beagle. He’s immortal. Tamsin is my favorite book in the world.

What are you working on now?
It’s called Swan and it’s a variation on the fairy tale The Six Swans. It veers hard off the path of the original story and I’m enjoying writing it. It’s very funny and I’ve done quite a bit of research for it. It’s different in tone from Thorn. I do have a sequel to Thorn brewing, but it’s in the very early stages.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
You can find me at hollanleemccarthy.com or hollanlee on Instagram.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being a new author myself, I’m not qualified to offer advice. Get a thick skin and don’t worry too much over that out of place comma?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Your first novel is your learning novel. Your second novel is also your learning novel. And your third. And so on. You learn with every story you produce.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a book about Seattle history and it’s haunted locations. Just in time for Halloween! It’s also a good historical work. Lots of history I didn’t know about the area.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing Swan and getting it out there. Starting work on whatever’s next. I’ve mentioned a sequel to Thorn, but the truth is I have several ideas floating around.

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’ve mentioned Tasmin by Peter S. Beagle.
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly.
Persuasion by Jane Austen.
Forever Amber by Kathleen Windsor.

Author Websites and Profiles
Hollan McCarthy Website

Hollan McCarthy 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing very young. I got my Creative Writing degree in 2009. Since then I’ve been doing a lot of other things. Thorn is my first novel. It too me years to finish it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I was inspired by reading Harry Potter. I remember thinking: I can write something just as good! I was in college at the time and dealing with a lot of professors who were very snobby about J.K. Rowling. They were unimpressed with her to say the least. But I think she’s marvelous. Her description and her storytelling. The cast of characters she has created. Writing anything that long and engaging is hard and demands respect.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I read a lot. I am obsessive over editing. An out of place comma will keep me awake. I published Thorn then went back and edited it five times.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a huge fan of both non-fiction history books and historical fiction. I like murder mysteries and just plain old mysteries. I like Kate Morton and Jennifer Donnelly. I still read Agatha Christie.
I actually don’t read a ton of fantasy even though it’s what I write. But I have some very specific fantasy writers I do love: Naomi Novik, Katherine Arden, Melissa Albert, and Robin McKinley. And Peter S. Beagle. He’s immortal. Tamsin is my favorite book in the world.

What are you working on now?
It’s called Swan and it’s a variation on the fairy tale The Six Swans. It veers hard off the path of the original story and I’m enjoying writing it. It’s very funny and I’ve done quite a bit of research for it. It’s different in tone from Thorn. I do have a sequel to Thorn brewing, but it’s in the very early stages.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
You can find me at hollanleemccarthy.com or hollanlee on Instagram.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being a new author myself, I’m not qualified to offer advice. Get a thick skin and don’t worry too much over that out of place comma?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Your first novel is your learning novel. Your second novel is also your learning novel. And your third. And so on. You learn with every story you produce.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a book about Seattle history and it’s haunted locations. Just in time for Halloween! It’s also a good historical work. Lots of history I didn’t know about the area.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing Swan and getting it out there. Starting work on whatever’s next. I’ve mentioned a sequel to Thorn, but the truth is I have several ideas floating around.

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’ve mentioned Tasmin by Peter S. Beagle.
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly.
Persuasion by Jane Austen.
Forever Amber by Kathleen Windsor.

Author Websites and Profiles
Hollan McCarthy Website

Barbara Brutt 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a 30-something hope-in-progress bent on growing despite the gritty, pot-holed road of adulthood. I believe words heal. I adore ice cream and only buy purses that provide room for a book or two. I’ve written Teal Paisley Tights (a new adult fiction book) and Take a Right at the Mistletoe (A Christmas novella).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Take a Right at the Mistletoe has been a story dream for a long time — ever since I first lived in Vienna, Austria. The Christmas magic and romance swept me off my feet, and I wanted nothing more than to write a sweet story in that setting.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Popcorn, lots of popcorn. And a constant trail of snacks.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Sandra Byrd, absolutely. Her fun series with thoughtful storylines have been a long time love of mine.

What are you working on now?
I’ve got a few different stories I’m considering, but at the moment, I’m working on training aerial and CrossFit to get back to my level of fitness.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Wow, I don’t feel great at promoting my books, but I do absolutely love the platform of Instagram! It’s fun and visual and quick.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You got to know WHY you are writing, and you have to stick with it. Just keep putting your butt in the chair. It’s really that hard (and that easy).

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
One day at a time — it’s so easy to get wrapped up in what’s coming or the what-ifs, but we can only live one day at a time. So dial into the now.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently in-between books, but I’m planning on reading Debra Curwen’s newest Christmas novella.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing. Always more writing. And maybe an audiobook.

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 goodness, I would bring my own journal so I could keep writing. Here’s the tough part, I don’t like to reread so I’m really not sure what books I’d be willing to have with me. You know, maybe Jane Austen. Her writing becomes more and more witty to me every time I reread an excerpt.

Author Websites and Profiles
Barbara Brutt Website
Barbara Brutt Amazon Profile

Barbara Brutt’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

NP Cunniffe 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in County Roscommon in the sublime West of Ireland. I decided to write and publish myself as I am obsessed with publishing and the publishing processes and, after 5 plus years of working within the publishing industry in London, I thought I’d give it a try. The Wake is my first story for adults and I have also published a picture book, Scott and the Runaway Sock, for children. They are extreme opposites, but I like exploring new genres to keep my brain engaged.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Wake is an Irish ghost story set in the rural West of Ireland. I was inspired to write a really immersive ghost story after watching the stage play adaptation of The Woman in Black by Susan Hill in London’s West End. I decided to set the story during a traditional Irish event, the wake, which usually takes place the night before an Irish funeral. I thought this would be the perfect creepy setting for my ghost story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to only write when I’m really passionate about a new idea, one that I think would make a good story. In terms of writing habits, I like to listen to film soundtracks as I munch on popcorn.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Where do I start?! Horror authors such as Stephen King and Darren Shan have been big influences. I am particularly fond of Andrew Michael Hurley at the moment and how he has brought English folk horror to the mainstram. Starve Acre is a must-read! I also love how Laura Purcell has popularisd Gothic fiction. The Silent Companions will give you chills for days. Also I think Irish modernist writer James Joyce has influenced my writing style, as I love giving my reader’s access into characters’ minds and what they are thinking.

What are you working on now?
Hmm… I will see how readers respond to The Wake first before I consider serving up another spooky tale. I have loads of ideas, so I will wait and see. I would like to continue with Irish folk or ghost stories, so please tell me if you’ve enjoyed The Wake!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook and Instagram. Facebook is great for engaging with readers while I love how visual Instagram is, which is great for posting covers and related artwork.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write with your ideal reader in mind. Not many people are interested in reading your diary, unless it has universal appeal and is truely exceptional.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Similar to the above: authors are not in the business of writing diaries.

What are you reading now?
I am reading Don’t Look Back by Ben Cheetham. It’s perfect reading for Halloween.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Again, I will wait and see. If people don’t like The Wake, I might return to children’s books. Or maybe Young Adult. I want my readers to enjoy my writing. I write for them, not just for me.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (does that count?), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (always makes me cry), The Goldfinch (that will keep me occupied for days) and, of course, Dracula!

Author Websites and Profiles
NP Cunniffe Amazon Profile

NP Cunniffe’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Noel Silvia 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m what happens to the kid who grows up asking “why?” to everything. They turn into an adult (sorta) who writes stories that are more fascinating (convoluted) than the answers to those questions. I’ve lived so many lives, I don’t know which one to focus on, but currently, I’m active duty in the Navy and actively putting pen (keyboard) to paper (screen).
I’ve recently published my first novel, “Where Light Enters”, and am plotting out my next one, “Ricochet Day”.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Where Light Enters” is the novelization of a short story I wrote. The original story concept came from three songs that randomly played in a sequence that made me thing, “This could be a story!”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
You know all of those things they say good writers should do? I do none of them.
I heavily plot out my “key frames” of my story, but after that, it’s the wild west. I jump around to the different sections wherever I’m feeling inspired to write about at that time. It helps me drop those narrative themes and connections easier, instead of being more linear with the approach. Some chapters have taken me twenty minutes to write, and some sentences have taken two hours. I try to write where and what I want, rather than being locked down too much.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Everything I’ve ever read has had an influence on me, but to name a few:
“World War Z” by Max Brooks proved that you can tell a story through seemingly unrelated short stories.
“The Neverending Story” by Michael Ende inspires me to want to capture the wonder of imagination.
Anything by Christopher Moore or Tim Dorsey reminds me to find the humor in the seemingly “normal” and run with it.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on my second novel, “Ricochet Day”. It’s currently in the plotting stage as I have the setting locked and overall arc finished. Half the fun of writing is in this “play” stage. The other half is finishing the final draft.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As a new author, I’m still trying to figure this out. I don’t have any good advice yet, but I can tell you what DOESN’T work…

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Here are my personal ten commandments of writing:
1. Write a book you yourself would want to read.
2. Write to write, not to be read or to sell/make money.
3. Don’t be afraid to get rid of what doesn’t work. Writing is like brushing a dog: sometimes you need to shed that excess fluff.
4. Nothing is ever lost. Anything you pull can be used again, either in a different part of the book or in a different book.
5. There are two people you shouldn’t listen to: those who love every word you write and those who hate every word you write. This includes yourself.
6. Take critiques to heart, but do not take them personally. If someone said you had spinach in your teeth, it’s better that they tell you than leave you walking around like that.
7. Write about what you know, and if you don’t know about it, learn everything you can so you can write from a place of authenticity.
8. Knowing when you book is finished can be scary. It’s like seeing your kid go off to kindergarten the first day of school; you have to trust that you’ve done all you can leading up to that moment.
9. People do judge a book by its cover, so make sure you take the time to get one that looks professional and presentable.
10. How many people say, “I want to write a book” but never do? Be in the minority not afraid to put themselves, and their work, out into the world.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Be proud of the mistakes you only make once.”

What are you reading now?
I’m involved in a few writing groups for genres that are not anything like what I write. It is helping me see other authors’ processes and gets me to play in playgrounds I don’t usually venture into. Reading their submissions is taking up a lot of my reading time, currently.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m currently trying to get my first novel out there and read beyond my close circle of friends and family while developing my second 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?
“Animal Farm”, because I always find new layers to it with every read.
“SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere”
by John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman for obvious reasons.
“Atlas Shrugged”, because at nearly 1200 pages, I’m sure I could use that for kindling.

Author Websites and Profiles
Noel Silvia Amazon Profile

Noel Silvia’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

April D Brown 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
April D Brown’s fascination with history, science, and social science led her on a quest to uncover forgotten societal mythology, which often masquerades as fact. New solutions to old queries will be uncovered in the future, through studies of the past. Her novels and novellas, while adventures, are written in a more clean and classical style, without extreme action, romance, or violence. Characters think before they act. Sometimes, this leads to trouble.

Her nonfiction is often written at the request of others.
Gluten (and allergy) free cookbooks, include tips for tricks for people with multiple common disabilities, including poor memory, low vision, and limited dexterity.
Journey Through Life Lists was written at the request of friends with serious memory loss planning their future, and desperate to remember their past.
VoiceOver with the Brailliant Braille Display was designed for personal use, when there was no written manual for learning to use a screen reader for the first time as a middle-aged adult.

The clear path April D Brown dreamed of as a child had roadblocks no one could foresee. Of those, the loss of memory caused far more concern, than the loss of hearing and vision.
Deafblind and doing fine, most of the time.
After all, vision, and hearing, can be internal, as well as external. With the help of her husband, cats, and dogs, she wanders along the path that unfolds slowly before her stumbling feet. The one path she tried to push away as a teen. Writing doesn’t come as easy now, as then. Though, it seems far more impactful. Full of hidden vision, wonder, and forgotten sounds and odors.

Depending on how you split my books, I have 19 books published. Or even 20, for one I edited and put together.

My Coffee, Tea, and Gluten Free can be broke into three main segments, and the Resource Appendix.

As for my fiction, they tend to be written in pairs. Or as some would say, as twins. Whether identical, or fraternal, or good, or evil, is up to the reader. I have a few pairs left to finish. I usually prefer to publish both in a pair close together.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Echo Lives is novel pair within itself. It follows identical twin boys who were born in different alternative universes. On Galataria, the differences are accepted, normal, and he grows up like everyone else. His twin on Earth does not have that luxury. Or any luxury. Life happens to him, with opportunities to make his own choices.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I used to enjoy working out writing issues in the garden, or while cooking. Doesn’t work anymore. Maybe I need to find a new one!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many authors over the years have influenced my writing style. Classics – Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder. While some of their writing may seem problematic today, it opened the eyes of readers as gently, and yet as strongly as they dared. Also, we do not know how much they fought against changes their editors and publishers may have wanted. They laid a foundation for writing against the grain of society.

I miss the classics writing styles, in the longer, more in depth, more developed way. At the time, there was no internet, no tv, and no color pictures. Many readers didn’t travel much, so all of the indepth description gave a life to places most readers would never see. We’ve lost much with that. We can no longer write descriptive alt-text for those who are blind or low vision. We have forgotten how to describe in a way those who will never see a place, a time, or an idea, will see it as if they were there when they read it.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I am going back to one that has been setting on a shelf for nearly ten years. While two other books are percolating – Karma’s Children and Parasitosis.

Karma’s Children is almost a triplet for my Abuse Survivors pair. In a sense it is how people in positions of power abuse those under them. Whether it be bosses, strangers, managers, or medical people abusing their employer, client, or a random stranger.

Parasitosis is about a super bug parasite that affects people, and causes them to revert to a more vicious state, where they do not trust, or respect anyone different than them.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still looking.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Listen to yourself. Even if a book idea isn’t popular now, it will be again. Write it and have it ready. Listen to your characters. Don’t throw it away, you’ll use it later. Maybe only on the website.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I wish I had started self publishing instead of wasting so much time looking for agents who weren’t interested in the books I wrote. Often submitted when the topics were unknown, then published everywhere a year later. If I had started sooner, I might have developed a group to work with to trade edits, cover art, and more.

What are you reading now?
Mostly mysteries. Looking for fun mysteries, that don’t involve crime. Finding missing and lost items, family members, and ancestors, searching for forgotten places and people.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to finish the stories I have started. That’s my hope.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s a difficult question. As I lose my vision, I can only read text in Arial Rounded MT bold size 18, so read on my Ipad, until I can’t. Then, I’ll have to read braille. If I were on a desert island, I’d need books that would help me survive. Is it a desert? Does it have plant life? Animal life? Or is it ice? What will I need to survive?

Author Websites and Profiles
April D Brown Website
April D Brown Amazon Profile

April D Brown’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account