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Tatum Hamernik 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Connecticut and received a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from Western Connecticut State University.

Reading and writing have been a central part of my life since I was in grade school. I still have stacks of journals, stories, and poetry dating from first grade through college. It was a means to escape, to create, and to express myself.

After college I spent six months in Thailand as a volunteer English teacher. When I came back I moved to NYC and have been working in the media buying industry for the past three years.

Although I love my job in media, writing has always been a calling of mine. Fiction was my primary genre for many years, but after moving to the city I fell in love with writing poetry.

When I’m not reading or writing my favorite escape is the beach, preferably a clean and secluded one. There is nothing like the smell of the sea. I spent many summers by the ocean so it is only fitting my first book would be called ‘Ocean Breath’. It’s my first and only book (so far). My debut book is a collection of poetry with illustrations I drew myself.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is named ‘Ocean Breath: A Poetry Book’ and it was inspired by my past. My late teens and early twenties were years that I grew a tremendous amount while learning a lot about myself. This book includes poetry that touches upon emotions of the past, memories, love, heartbreak, and finding happiness.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write in the notes app on my iPhone then transfer the drafts into a Word doc where I will edit and reorganize my work. I also love using colored fonts while organizing my poetry in a Word doc.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Rupi Kaur literally paved the way for self-published poets. Milk and Honey was the first poetry book I read that really made me excited for contemporary poetry. I’m also a big fan of Robert Frost. In college we had to memorize a poem and I chose Frost’s ‘Fire and Ice’ then memorized a few of his other poems for fun.

Other authors that have had a major impact on me are John Green, Jenny Han, Malcolm Gladwell, Michael Crichton, and Stephen King.

What are you working on now?
I am working on my second poetry book! As well as a non-fiction book that will give step-by-step instructions on how to write, format, and publish a poetry book of your own.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Instagram is my main promoting website right now, but I also got a lot of love on Facebook from my close circle of friends and family on my book launch day.

My website tatumhamernik.com is up and running with a few blog posts and I have big plans to make the site a lot more comprehensive in the future!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As Stephen King says “kill your darlings”. Do not post something or publish something just because you are emotionally attached to it. Not everything you write will be amazing and that is okay.

Read, read, read. All genres, as much as you can! You can learn so much from other writers.

Lastly do not give up! And try not to compare your beginning with someone else’s middle or end of their writing journey. It is a lot of time, work, and effort. Just stick with it!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world and there will always be someone who hates peaches. Writing is so subjective, if someone doesn’t like what you wrote it doesn’t always mean it was bad and someone else might love it!

What are you reading now?
A Stephen King book of course! This one is Needful Things. I switch between reading Stephen King, poetry, non-fiction, and fiction books throughout the year. In the Fall or Winter it’s usually Stephen King for spooky season.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books! Being an author has been a dream of mine forever, so after publishing my first book I can’t wait to do more!

I am also looking to expand my reach in the writing community. I have a solid group on Instagram of fellow writers and book lovers. Getting to know them has been so fun and I can’t wait to meet more people.

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?
This is an amazing question!

Looking For Alaska by: John Green
Catcher in the Rye by: J. D. Salinger
The Summer I Turned Pretty by: Jenny Han

I think it would be too scary to bring a Stephen King or Michael Crichton book with me on a desert island.

Author Websites and Profiles
Tatum Hamernik Website
Tatum Hamernik Amazon Profile

Tatum Hamernik’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Michele Olson 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a marketing/advertising writer and voice over person for over 40 years. In the past few years I turned to writing a novel. My first novel, Being Ethel (In a world that loves Lucy) came out in January 2020. It’s the story of Piper Penn and how she lands on Mackinac Island in 1979…a known shoplifter she’s surprised to find a friendship with an I Love Lucy loving nun. Suspense follows, along with romance and all the magic of Mackinac Island.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Out in November 2020, Being Dorothy (In a world longing for home), the sequel to Being Ethel (In a world that loves Lucy) It takes place on Mackinac Island in 1980, and follows a world with a James Bond feel, and what can happen when a marriage is falling apart.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t like to be too regimented…I’m a “panster” as we are called, doing things more sporadically.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anne Lamoot, Susan Branc, Nancy Drew books.

What are you working on now?
The third in my Mackinac Island story series, Being Alice (In a world lost in the looking glass)

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get to know the business side of being an author. It’s as important as the writing side.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be kind. Kindness always wins.

What are you reading now?
Goliath Must Fall.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing the story of Piper Penn on Mackinac Island.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Susan Branch Fairy Tale Girl, and Anne Lamott Thanks.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michele Olson Website
Michele Olson Amazon Profile

Michele Olson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Sylvia Hehir 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live and work in the wonderful west highlands of Scotland. I write mostly teenage fiction but also dabble in radio drama and scriptwriting.
I have written three young adult novels including a page-turning thriller, Sea Change, and the first two books in the fun Love and the Village series – Deleted and Delivered.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Delivered, published in November 2020, is the second book in my Love and the Village series and follows on from Deleted. Teenagers, wherever they are, face the same challenges when growing towards adulthood. I love writing about the day-to-day life of these young adults and their crazy shenanigans.
I previously taught in secondary schools in England and Scotland.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write a first draft with pencil and A4 notepad. But my handwriting is quite bad so I have to follow this up on the computer quite quickly otherwise I’ve no idea what I’ve written! I’m probably in the middle of the plotser-pantser continuum – usually have an outline in mind but happy to work out the story as it progresses. (unless it doesn’t!)

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the Georgia Nicolson books, and would love to write like Louise Rennison. Aidan Chambers and Patrick Ness are big influences on my teen fiction. I also have a bunch of Scottish crime writers I hugely admire including Val McDermid and Stuart McBride.

What are you working on now?
Two main projects at the moment. The next book in the Love and the Village series is ticking along and I have an adult novel I’m working on too.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth up until now. I’m just entering the Amazon Ad zone!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing and reading. Note down those odd scraps of brilliant dialogue you hear on the bus etc. – you will forget them otherwise

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be boring.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading the latest Mick Herron book in the Slough House series set in ‘the London outpost for disgraced MI5 spies’. Such fabulous narration.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing for an adult market will be the next big challenge. My work in progress also requires quite a bit of research and will be a more complex plot than my YA fiction. So plenty to do.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Pride and Prejudice, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and a big thick thesaurus.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sylvia Hehir Website
Sylvia Hehir Amazon Profile

Sylvia Hehir’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Victoria and Hyperion Knight 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
We are Victoria and Hyperion Knight–little sister and big brother. We grew up during the booming, upbeat, hair-band decade of the 1980s, and a few years out of high school we got investigated by the FBI. We can’t blame them, they had never met the likes of us before…

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Damnable Fun
Revenge is a Dish Best Served in Cold Hard Cash

This bank-heist story was inspired by the following true event:
Our teenaged years consisted of one hair-brained petty-criminal scheme after another. Amazingly, we were never arrested, but our exploits garnered a lot of attention from law enforcement. When we were barely out of your teens, Hyperion had established himself as a professional concert pianist. Meanwhile, Victoria and her then boyfriend (now husband) (who was also her brother’s best friend) were still trying to make their way in the world. By coincidence, the local bank (where said boyfriend worked as a teller) was burglarized. This being such a small town, there weren’t that many suspects for what was clearly an inside job. So, for many weeks, the FBI Special Agent in charge of the investigation only had eyes for us. The FBI followed us, interrogated our parents, and gave us lie-detector tests. We were innocent but we sure wished we’d been clever enough to burglarize that bank. Now, because the feds spent so much time focused on us, the crime remains the largest unsolved bank burglary in Northern California. Even though we’ll never know who actually perpetrated the crime, it loomed so large in our imaginations that, years later, we still feel compelled to tell the story of how we would have done the heist if it had been us. And that is what inspired this fun bank-heist book about getting the old gang together for our biggest “hit” yet.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Being a brother and sister who write together is probably pretty unusual in and of itself. We each contributed to the book, talked extensively about plot twist ideas, and had to fit our conferences in around Hyperion’s busy traveling schedule as a concert pianist.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
We love true crime novels. The weirder the better!

What are you working on now?
We have a sequel to Damnable Fun coming up, all about the next heist pulled by our gang. Victoria is also working on a collection of short stories about living in Las Vegas–a place that has fascinated her since childhood.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For us, Awesome Gang has been a big help as well as Author Ad Network. We have worked with BookSends, Buckbooks, BKnights, and Bookbub as well.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
We’re still new authors ourselves, so all we can say just keep on writing and letting those creative juices flow. Hopefully you have a rich well of memories from your “glory days” like we do to fuel your creativity.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Fitting in” is for suckers!

What are you reading now?
A lot of upper YA novels. We hadn’t planned for our book to fit into that genre, but after it was written, it was clearly about kids just out of high school, so we have had success marketing it to that genre and now we’re trying to familiarize ourselves with the genre of YA crime novels.

What’s next for you as a writer?
We’re still writing and collaborating and will have a sequel to Damnable Fun out soon!

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Victoria and Hyperion Knight Website
Victoria and Hyperion Knight Amazon Profile
Victoria and Hyperion Knight Author Profile on Smashwords

 

Christopher Akpoghomhe 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Christopher Akpoghomhe is a writer and an entrepreneur, with the aim of helping young people gain relevance in their immediate society and the world at large.

He focuses on training young persons to maximize their potentials, not just to impact lives, but also for huge profit.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “How To Monetize Your Knowledge”.
This book was inspired by my deep passion to see young skillful persons succeed with their skill, to see young people maximize their potentials and become a Global Brand to be reckoned with.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in a quiet, where I am alone and I also write in the early hours of the morning, between 3am and 6am

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Edirin Edewor
Dr. Myles Munroe
Dale Carnegie
Napoleon Hill

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on Children Activity books and Journals

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
New authors, when publishing your book, take note of these four things:
• Keywords related to the niche you’re writing on
• The description should be captivating such that would make your audience want to know more about you or what your book is all about
• The Introduction in your book should be top notch, it should stimulate in your readers, the desire to read more
• Lastly, Marketing is very key, market, market, market your book. Never stop marketing

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t think low of yourself, Christopher Akpoghomhe

What are you reading now?
Personal development books

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publish Children Activity books on Amazon

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?
• Spirit of Leadership by Dr. Myles Munroe
• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• One of Brian Tracy’s on Selling

Christopher Akpoghomhe’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Olga Pleskonos 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Olga Pleskonos, a mother, investor, and entrepreneur (featured in Vogue, Motherhood Magazine, Simply Her), has always been interested in self-development topics. That is why she has created Human Upgrade, online courses, where people can develop their talents by working with the subconscious mind through meditation and other self-development tools.

But positively impacting adults’ lives is one thing. Additionally, she wanted to spread supportive, valuable, and kind ideas among children through her books. Children are our and our Planet’s future. And we, as adults, can show and teach them such values: kindness, support, and good manners.

Olga was inspired to create “The Great Book of Kindness” by observing, nurturing, and spending a lot of time with her son, Arthur. This book is soaked with love and practical examples of how to develop and spread kindness in the world.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Great Book of Kindness: Teach Your Child to Be Kind in 12 Easy Steps

I was inspired by observing, nurturing, and spending a lot of time with my son, Arthur. This book is soaked with love and practical examples of how to develop and spread kindness in the world.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Write fast in a flow when very inspired

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Follow your Dreams and heart

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You are already great. Polish your skills and become better every day.

 

Marc Kelly 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello,

I am a new author and I live in England. I’m married and I have two little boys aged 2 and 4. I’ve been an avid reader of Fantasy, Sci Fi and Horror all my life. From when I was a teenager, I started telling these stories in my head, developing the characters.

I always dreamed of being a fantasy author full time, but life got in the way and I didn’t really pursue this. Too much self doubt to try and apply to Trad Publishing Houses. Then I stumbled across a Facebook group called 20Booksto50K and this changed my outlook on writing.

That group showed me that it was possible to become a writer and that all the barriers to entry weren’t really a thing. I lurked there (I still do) and learnt what I could, then I started implementing it all. I started planning my books, and the series just grew and grew.

I’ve always loved ambitious series, be it fantasy, Sci Fi or Horror. So Epic fantasy story lines and space operas were what I was drawn to.

In planning, my Rune War Series will spiral into around 30 books or so. There will be spin off series, and series to read side by side. Plus the prequel stuff. It will all be set in the one book universe and all be interlinked.

So far I have written two books in that series. Book 2 released very recently, like yesterday! I’m getting stuck into book 3 and also a book 1 of a side series.

Hopefully you all follow me in this endeavour.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Latest book is called Rune Stone. It was the working title initially, then I changed it to a new one. But at the very last minute reverted back to Rune Stone. Its book 2 in the Rune War series and really opens up some of the characters and the problems going on. Trying to slowly up the stakes.

Inspiration wise, everything I read has an influence on my books. My biggest inspiration for these books stemmed from Raymond E Feist, but there are many more.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Normally at night. But nothing unusual. I outline a lot, then get stuck in and allow my creative juices to shape it as it will.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lots of authors!

Starting with Raymond E Feist. His main midkemmia series was one of the first big ones I read and resounded with me at that age.

But theres so many, David Gemmell, Brian Jacques, Tolkien (of course who isn’t) Robert Jordan, Sanderson (goes hand in hand), Peter F Hamilton, Kevin Anderson.

Loved the DragonLance and Forgotten Realms books!

I’ve currently embarked on some Warhammer 40K books and I am on Book 21 of the Horus Heresy. (Theres 55 books in that main one alone) This has given me ideas and influenced my writing to add a little darkness and chaos when needed I think.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on Book 3 of the Rune War Series, Book 1 of the City Watch series, and revising my prequel introduction books, the Elemental Order Series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is https://www.scribbledpages.co.uk

But if I am being honest, advertising direct through amazon is so powerful thats my current go to. However I am working on a better engagement through my newsletter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you love what you do, the writing side of it. Just know if you want to keep doing this they need to make you money to at least cover the costs of production. So take the time to learn other aspects and become self reliant.

But a bit like gambling, when the fun stops, stop. (So cheesy) But you need to enjoy writing the words, getting your story out, becoming the creator of your works. I love that feeling.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Believe in yourself, because no one else necessarily will.

What are you reading now?
Book 21 of the Horus Heresy: Fear to Tread.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing, but once there is enough material and I have more time and money I would love to create an animated series from my books, but not too cartoony.

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?
Thats a hard one, probably the Lord of the Rings because it’s one complete story in one book. 1008 pages from when I last read it.

The others, maybe the last three of the wheel of time series. But either way, it would be cruel, not nearly enough books!

Author Websites and Profiles
Marc Kelly Website
Marc Kelly Amazon Profile

Marc Kelly’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Katherine Monroe 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m just a simple woman from Poland who enjoys writing books. I’m fascinated by the East Asia culture especially, I love music and art, also learning foreign languages.
I’ve written more than 10 novels for sure, but published only 3.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel’s name is ‘The Scarlet Angels’ and it’s a Supernatural, Psychological Thriller settled in Cardiff, Wales, about a female detective that again as an adult comes across the legend she heard as a little girl from her grandmother. Soon the lines between what is real and what is not blurs more and more, so we are not sure if she is just going crazy or for real something weird is happening. It was inspired by a certain song and music video.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so… Maybe just that if I’m hooked on writing, like I had a wonderful idea, I can spend the whole night writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Certainly Stephen King or Anne Rice’s books.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on ‘The Scarlet Angels’ novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I mostly promote my books on Facebook groups for authors and readers, and for now it’s the best cause it’s free and currently I can’t afford paying for the promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just go for it! Write down your ideas and don’t be afraid of anyone opinion. And of course, work on your grammar

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just write!

What are you reading now?
Mostly Stephen King’s books.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I wanna write ‘The Scarlet Angels’ and promote novels I’ve already published.

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 Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
‘Sleeping Beauties’ by Stephen King and Owen King
‘Interview with the Vampire’ by Anne Rice

Author Websites and Profiles
Katherine Monroe Website

Katherine Monroe’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Paul Amess 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in the north of England with my family and I am lucky to live in an area that is outstandingly beautiful. I’m a Yorkshireman through and through, and after travelling to various places around the world, I have decided that the place where I live is actually one of the best spots on earth. This is how I got into walking, to experience the beauty of my own backyard at first hand. That this then turned into writing books about my travels was almost a natural process.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Coast to Coast: Finding Wainwright’s England. The Coast to Coast walk is one of the most well regarded walking routes on the planet, and regularly features in top ten lists that also take in such delights as the Camino, the Inca Trail and the Appalachian Way.
I wanted to experience this myself, so along with my regular walking buddies, we went ahead and did it. The route was originally devised by Alfred Wainwright of course, and I wanted to experience the walk and find out what it was all about. As I went along, I found out as much as I could from people we met about the history and the people along the way. There was such an incredible wealth of detail to discover, and this book is the result.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to lock myself in the cabin at the end of the garden, get a fire going and just write, so nothing unusual as such, but I definitely find the routine helps me to get going. If I have writer’s block, I just start tapping away at the keyboard, just to get going again, and I find that this gets me back on track.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say authors such as Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams are the authors I grew up with, and I think their dry humour has rubbed off on me which I try to inject into my writing. I am also a big fan of Bill Bryson and always make sure I grab his new releases as soon as they are out.

What are you working on now?
Nothing. I have just finished book number three and I am having a week off, and by the end of the week I reckon I will know what is coming next.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s a toughie. I’m quite new to this, but I have to say how impressed I am with the awesome gang. The whole process was easy from start to finish and took a surprisingly short time to do.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just go for it. They say that we all have a book within us, and I have always felt that I had one in me. Now that I have completed my first few, I feel that I have lots of books in me, and wished I had started earlier. So I would have to say my one piece of advice is to just go for it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never, ever, ever, give in. Sometimes you may not feel that those around you believe in you or what you are doing, but don’t let this stop you. You will meet resistance from others at some point, and things will not always go your way, but once you start something, hold onto it for all its worth, and see it through to the end. You might just be pleasantly surprised.

What are you reading now?
I’ve just started The Body, by Bill Bryson. My mum bought me it for Christmas but I just haven’t had time to read it, but I am making an effort to read a few pages each evening. To be honest, it isn’t much of an effort as it is very easy reading.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have got lots of ideas, possibly another travelogue or maybe some science fiction, or maybe something altogether different again. Ask me next week.

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?
Ha Ha! Well, The Body, of course, because I have just started it and I would like to finish it. Other than that, Bram Stokers’ Dracula would be essential, as I read it a long time ago but would enjoy the luxury of being able to read it again. Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 would definitely be in my bag, as it is one of the funniest books I ever read, and finally, assuming we are going to be on this island for quite some time, I reckon J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, which I could read again and again.

Author Websites and Profiles
Paul Amess Amazon Profile

Paul Amess’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Amy Q. Barker 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
One book so far (Rue), but working on book number two as we speak. Hope to get it out there in the next month or so.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Rue. My husband and I used to visit San Francisco every year. While he attended an annual work conference, I bought a Muni pass and tootled all around, exploring the many wonders of that great city. When we stayed at the Scarlet Huntington Hotel, and sipped cocktails in the Big 4 lounge, I notice the piano player and said, “Boy, the local lounge singer is a dying breed, aren’t they?” And BOOM! Just like that, I had my story idea.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get up every day at 4:00am to write for two hours before work (before going to my day job). On the weekends, I write for 4-8 hours each day.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I know this will sound snobby, but up until recently, I never read any books that weren’t considered “classics” or written 100+ years ago. I was an English major in college and this was what we did as English majors and I just continued it into my adult life. My favorite author is Ayn Rand, but I also enjoy Edith Wharton, Daphne Du Maurier, Willa Cather, W. Somerset Maugham, and of course, Jane Austen.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on refining a new book, women’s fiction just like Rue, but with more of a family dynamic.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook has worked well for me, however, I’ve just started to create a bigger presence on Instagram and Bookbub.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Run! No, just kidding. But this is the thing I have been telling everyone who has asked me since I published Rue: You better REALLY want to do this – with ALL of your heart and soul because writing ain’t for wusses. Neither is publishing and promoting. It’s a lot of hard work and a roller coaster ride that never ends.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Before I started writing, I spoke briefly with a published author of fantasy fiction–she said, you better decide up front what your goal is. Why do you want to write? If it’s to become a best-selling author, then go research that before you write a word. If it’s to feed your inner soul, then the rest will come naturally and only when the timing is right. A lot of being successful is based on luck. I’ve thought about that conversation about a thousand times since then, and I know I write because of the latter reason, but it takes some talking down off the ledge sometimes in order to keep that perspective along the way.

What are you reading now?
I love Cormac McCarthy, which I realize is completely out of my genre, but his style and choice of words is spectacular. I’m reading No Country for Old Men right now.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish book number two and publish!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Atlas Shrugged, Pride and Prejudice, Gone with the Wind

Author Websites and Profiles
Amy Q. Barker Website
Amy Q. Barker Amazon Profile

Amy Q. Barker’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Amy Adler 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Amy L. Adler, MA, MBA, is the founder and president of Five Strengths Career Transition Experts, a firm specializing in resume writing for executives. Amy is a Certified Master Resume Writer (CMRW) and Certified Employment Interview Coach (CEIC). She won first and third places for Best Executive Resume Toast of the Resume Writing Industry (TORI) Awards and has served as a judge in this esteemed annual competition.

Courageous Career Change: Fearlessly Earn the Executive Role You Deserve is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Courageous Career Change: Fearlessly Earn the Executive Role You Deserve

I’ve been writing resumes for executives for 11 years, and the one thing that seems consistent across the hundreds of clients who have engaged me is that they experience fear around their job search. This book helps executives move past their roadblocks and provides specific strategies to get them into their next role.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure my writing habits are unusual, but they are founded on my earliest career in book publishing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep going. You will get there.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m looking forward to expanding on my current title and to creating peripherals for it.

Author Websites and Profiles
Amy Adler Website
Amy Adler Amazon Profile

Simon Williams 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in the hottest, driest town in North East Australia. So, I spent my childhood dreaming of what it would be like to travel the world and living somewhere else. And that is what I eventually did. Along the way I moved to the USA and got married… and then things took a turn for the worst.
I started to write as a way to deal with my life falling apart. I have written 9 books so far, all with the same theme of overcoming obstacles and dealing with adversity.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book I have written is Wanderlost 5, which is the last book in the Wanderlost series of stories. I sat down to write what I though would be one book on the day of my 50th birthday. It turned into a series as there was so much pain and anguish in my life that I was dealing with, the writing is what kept me alive.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well it seems I write some of my best material after I have come close to committing suicide or I have had someone threaten to shoot me. Do not ask me why this happens to me. All I want to do is go about life with the least amount of fuss and danger.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
All of Bill Bryson’s books.
Fat, forty and fired.
Around Ireland with a fridge.
He died with a falafel in his hands.

What are you working on now?
Once I finish the reedit of the second and third book of the TORN series I will start on book 4. As if I did not have enough stories to tell already I had not even gotten to the part about, being thrown in a jail cell on arrival to a foreign country, believe I am going to be taken to an empty field and disposed of by the police, have a judge refuse to allow the Federal Police to let me leave the country the week COVID-19 starts shutting down international travel, AND have a hitman hired to kill me and my lawyer.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Bookbub was a very successful place the only time I have used it, but I am only now rereleasing all my books after a major rewrite as after the hitman and being taken to an empty field by a police officer in a foreign country, my perspective of the world and life completely changed.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write. And be so honest about what you are writing you feel uncomfortable. There is enough fantasy and fakeness in the world today. It needs more honest voices.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
What are you doing here? Go home and write.

What are you reading now?
Erebus by Michael Palin

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish the rewrite of TORN 2 and TORN 3. Take a month off, and get drunk, or go stand in front of a riot and scream at everybody, or drive my car at breakneck speed down the highway. Then if I am still alive, start writing TORN 4.

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?
Either books made from vegetable matter so that I could eat them. Or how to books such as How to survive on a desert island. What a stupid question. If I can go to a library and will not be disturbed for a day what 3 books would I take is a FAR better question. If I am on a desert island I want to live, period. I am right now starting a write in campaign to never have desert islands used as a reference point for discovering people’s desires. Here is another better angle for that question. If I have the chance to go on a date with any woman/man I wanted, which books would make me rather stay at home and read.
I will be probably be chastised for writing that, well after a policeman sticks a semi-automatic rifle in your face in a deserted space at the end of a dead end street in Rio de Janeiro, a person stops caring about things such as that.

Author Websites and Profiles
Simon Williams Amazon Profile
Simon Williams Author Profile on Smashwords

Simon Williams’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Laura Churchill Duke 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Two Crows Sorrow is my first novel.

I am a journalist with Saltwire Network base, writing lifestyle articles for Atlantic Canada. I can also be heard as the Kentville community contact on CBC Radio, Information Morning.

I live in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada with my husband, David (a history professor at Acadia University), two sons (Daniel & Thomas) and 5 resuce pets. I love to travel and hike and am always up for an adventure!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Two Crows Sorrow is a creative non-fiction about the life and death of Theresa McAuley Robinson in a rural community in Nova Scotia in 1904.
Several years ago I was commissioned to write the scripts for Valley Ghost Walks, and came across this story in my research. I kept thinking about the story for years afterwards, and finally decided to try writing it, although I solely write as a journalist.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write using cue cards and online timers.
Before beginning, I wrote each event on a cue card. Through my research, I knew all the pieces that had happened, but needed to decide what order to tell them in. So, I arranged all the cue cards in order, and sat down writing card by card.

When I write, I set my online timer, usually for 30 minutes. As a freelance writer who works from home, it is easy to get distracted, either by an incoming email or Facebook notification. I turned off all my social media, and often the phone, and did a dedicated half hour, every day.

I have a wonderful friend who checked in with me almost every day to make sure I was doing my scheduled time!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the Atlantic Canada true crime books by Debra Komar. However, I wanted my novel to read like a story rather than a journalistic account. I found it difficult to find something similar to the style I wanted to write, as creative non-fiction is a newer genre.

What are you working on now?
I am continuing to write newspaper articles for Atlantic Canada, but am always looking for the next intriguing local historical murder.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In conjunction with my website, www.laurachurchillduke.ca, I heavily rely on my author Facebook page to promote my book. I find the local and personal connections is what helps me the most.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
There is never a good time to start writing. There will never be a perfect moment or a time when you are not too busy.

Make writing a priority, and even if you set the timer for just 30 minutes a day, it is better than nothing. Once you start, you will become so invested, you may reset the timer several times!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just do it. Be Brave.
Don’t worry about what other people are going to think, or if you are good enough. Just try it.
I was worried about the reactions from Two Crows Sorrow, but it has been better than anything I ever would have imagined.

What are you reading now?
I love Fredrik Backman’s novels, like A Man Called Ove, and am now reading Beartown. I love Backman’s characters as they make me think about them long after I have closed the book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would love to publish another book about another local true crime story. I am always on the lookout for another great story that equally captures my imagination as did Two Crows Sorrow.

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 love when people give me books they enjoyed! So, I would like to have several books I hadn’t read before, as I rarely read a book twice!

Author Websites and Profiles
Laura Churchill Duke Website
Laura Churchill Duke Amazon Profile

Laura Churchill Duke’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

J Patrick 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been a creator all my life and I have been a practicing engineer, managing and running a region for a big corporation. I have been writing all of my life on and off. I have also been taking photographs as an amateur all my life, documenting scenes from my travels. This is my very first book, Psalms of Life Vol I, Pollyanna. It is inspired by my mother Marion and my journey through life since my divorce.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I suffered a divorce in recent years and in my recovery for some reason, I drew new inspiration from life and that resulted in an outflow of poetry from my heart. I didn’t plan on it and I didn’t consciously every just say to myself, “I’m going to start writing poetry now”. But it’s never felt so right and so opposed to my daily life. I give credit to my creative mother who recently became diagnosed with Alzheimers. She’s taken to calling me “Pollyanna” in that I always see the positive in all around me. My book is a result of all I’ve been through and the new man I’ve become. I wanted to combine two of my passions, photography and poetry.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I suppose what is unusual in my habit is that I never sit down to write a poem. The words simply start coming to me in the middle of a moment. I can be sitting outside, in an airplane, driving my car or even mid-sleep. I then start jotting in my journal. I make edits and editions sure at times but I like to go with the flow of my mind and my heart and rarely change them completely.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am inspired from many directions, including poets and philosophers, mystics and musicians. Some examples of my inspirations are Julian of Norwich, Kahlil Gibran, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rumi, Tennyson, Rudyard Kipling, Teilhard De Chardin, Rabi Abraham Herchel, St. Catherine of Genoa, Mechthild of Magdeburg as well as Keats and Yates. Of course, I’m also inspired by the words of Martin Luther King , Sinead O’Connor, Sting Bono and Tim Booth.

What are you working on now?
I have so many poems and I just keep creating. The hardest part is organizing them and creating a theme and a sequence. I am working on my next book of poems which will be called Psalms of Life Vol II, The Dandy…. more on that soon. In addition, creativity dawns creativity so I have many other projects I’ve been inspired to try.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am a new writer and book marketer so I am just learning. My advice would be to start marketing your book much earlier than I did and with everyone you know and all social media platforms. Begin planning giveaways and contacting magazines to post and review your work. I should have planned to do so when I started writing my book and not when I finished. But I never really knew if I would actually complete it!!! And I’m just happy I did.
You can find me @perfectpatrickpieces on instagram and my website www.perfectpatrickpieces.com.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author myself, I sure can try to advise my fellow new authors! My first bit of advice is keep writing. Don’t force it. Just do it as it comes and appreciate that there is value in it and keep going! Don’t let others impact your thoughts of yourself or voices in your head tell you that you are not a writer. You are!!! Also, get an editor that is experienced with poetry to help you. This was also key to my success. Also, as I mentioned, I would definitely have started marketing my work sooner than I did. You can start spreading the word as soon as you have an idea and your connections will keep you motivated.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never ever give up and never ever stop creating. Also, Don’t do anything if it isn’t fun!

What are you reading now?
Ascent to Love by Ruth Burrows
and World Poetry by Katherine Washburn and John S Major

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m not sure. I’ll just keep my mind open. I think that’s another good piece of advice. If you force yourself to do something you don’t enjoy and you are not motivated to do, it won’t be worthwhile. Right now, I’m just trying to complete my second book and also market myself and my current book. I’m also looking for magazines to interview me and present my work and possibly looking for some other collaborators for…. who knows!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Revelations by Julian of Norwich
Poems by Alfred Tennyson
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Ghosts of Mississippi by Maryanne Vollers
…oops, that’s five!

Author Websites and Profiles
J Patrick Website
J Patrick Amazon Profile

J Patrick’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile