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Deven Greene 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in the San Francisco Bay area. Ever since childhood, I’ve been interested in science. I studied to be a biochemist and did biochemical research for several years. At that time, the only writing I did was putting together grant proposals and research papers—pretty dry stuff. I went back to school and became a pathologist, a specialty I practiced for years before trying my hand at writing fiction. I incorporate elements of medicine or science in most of my writing. “Unnatural, Erica Rosen MD Trilogy Book 1” is the second novel I have written, but the first I have published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first novel published, “Unnatural, Erica Rosen MD Trilogy Book 1,” was released earlier this year. I was forced to write this book the day I started it, around two years ago. No, I wasn’t held at gunpoint, but the idea came in a flash, and I couldn’t suppress it. I was getting ready to start another novel, one I’d been thinking about for some time, when I felt compelled to write this novel about human embryonic stem cell gene editing. Being interested in all things science, especially medically-related science, I’d read quite a bit about CRISPR/Cas9 and genetic engineering, a real game-changer in medical research. I loved the idea of introducing the effect of a genetic change by way of a Chinese girl with blue eyes. To use that in a thriller, I needed to think of a nefarious use for this technology. The novel took off from there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t have any quirks. I prefer to write in complete quiet, but given that I don’t live alone, that’s often not possible.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think I am influenced by every book I read. Even books I think are terrible influence me in that I try to avoid the weaknesses I find.

What are you working on now?
I am working on “Unwitting,” which is book 2 of the Erica Rosen MD trilogy. The main characters introduced in Book 1 are involved, but Erica finds herself at the center of a new problem. This novel is actually the one I was planning to write when I was side-tracked by the idea of creating a novel about human genetic engineering, the central theme of Book 1. “Unwitting” will be published in October 2021. I am also working on Book 3 of the series but don’t have a title yet.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m pretty new to this, so I don’t have enough experience yet to have a “best.”

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn techniques for novel writing. I advise new (and seasoned) writers to read books, attend lectures, and take courses. However, that shouldn’t get in the way of writing. Don’t be afraid you don’t know enough. Just do it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get as much feedback as you can.

What are you reading now?
Currently, I’m reading a non-fiction book, The Lassa Ward. The author, Ross I Donaldson, MD, MPH, went to Africa to fight the deadly viral disease Lassa Fever.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will complete Book 3 of the Erica Rosen MD trilogy. After that, I may work on a collection of short 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?
I would bring textbooks to learn Spanish, Swahili, Chinese, and Hindi. That would give me the best chance to communicate with any potential rescuers. It’s doubtful I’d be able to read them all and master the contents in less than twenty years, so I wouldn’t get bored with them.

Author Websites and Profiles
Deven Greene Website
Deven Greene Amazon Profile

Deven Greene’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Michael Scharen 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in California but grew up in Montana where I lived until graduating with my
Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Montana State University and attending graduate
school at Kent State U. in Ohio where I earned a Master’s degree in Physics. I then
moved to Santa Barbara where I worked several years in the new field of high
transition temperature, thin-film superconductors where I both conducted basic
research ad participated in product development. The first products were passive
microwave filters used in the rapidly growing cellular phone industry. I then worked
as a manufacturing engineer producing two-way text pagers, followed by fiber-optic
components. I currently live in the Northern half of the People’s Republic of California,
though not as far north as Jefferson.

I have written five science-fiction books thus far. These (in order) are the following

Sol is Not Lost
For the Ages
The Gifted
The Serendipity Factor
Treason

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Treason”. I will go into as much detail as I can, but since it is
the third book of a trilogy, I hope not too much. All of my books are hitting the market
simultaneously which may or may not be the best strategy.

This question requires some background so here goes. My first book — Sol is Not Lost
— centers on Trevor Van Leeuwan who is the great-grandson of the leading character
in Treason — Marcus Aurelius Van Leeuwan. Trevor is the leading character (I would
say hero, but this evokes the ‘great-man’ problem again — he is the inspiring figure, let
us say.) Trevor’s family have been colonists in a breakaway society on the planet
Magellan, discovered by his great-grandfather Marcus, who also developed Faster-
Than-Light interstellar drive. Only a tiny few in the Earth system know about this
because the technology is deemed too dangerous to fall into the hands of
governments. In any case, Sol is Not Lost and For the Ages were my first books. I then
wanted to delve into the history or this future history (sci-fi used to be called ‘future
history’). This is where the Van Leeuwan Trilogy comes in. We all watch sci-fi, but the
origins of these future worlds just seem to pop onto the scene (I have several complaints of how history is taught). I wanted to explore just what Marcus Aurelius and his brother
Hans Hermann-Hoppe (H-cubed) went through to bring those colonies into existence.

This is fodder for a trilogy (and more?).
This third book — Treason — delves into the nature of intelligence/consciousness in
sync with the interconnectedness of a biome and its implications. As Marcus and his
compatriots start to settle into their environment, there is still no guarantee that they
can ever return to Earth. What if they introduce some tiny virus or prion that would
endanger many billions of people in the home system? Treason refers to being
endangered by a would-be colonist who may have sold them out to the powers-that-
be in the Sol System i.e. their colony, their breakaway technology and all the reasons
why they wished to snap the confines — physical and psychological — of Earth and
increasingly Mars. The ‘Mars Frontier’ or the ‘New Settlements’ as I refer to them, do
not have a government. They do not need one or want one. I will say in all honesty,
this was how I began my world building — based upon Rothbard, Marc Stevens,
Frederick Bastiat and others. Only very recently I became aware that Elon Musk in his
StarLink documentation discussed his Mars Colony very late in 2020 declaring that ‘NO
EARTH GOVERNMENT would hold sway in the colony he was building.

In Treason, of course the colony — many light years from Earth or Mars — technology,
and all are at risk just as they finally found a place to settle for the long term. Enemies
on Earth have been titillated of this possibility but have no concrete proof thus far in
their ongoing attempt to co-opt the technologies of Van Leeuwan et al. We have a
sociopathic crony capitalist — Malcolm Aldrich and later his estranged and equally
psychotic lover, an ex-POTUS and again appointed Senator waging her own private
war to annex the Mars Frontier along with anything else she can get her hands on.

There are targets for abduction or worse and creative ways of dealing with those.
There are intelligence and counter-intelligence operations. In all of this, the deeper
scientific and philosophical discussions with the latest (real world) thinking on both
injected for the reader to ponder.

A YouTube trailer for Treason: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLJej7C63Gs

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
As far as I know — since I’ve never looked into how others write — I do not have any unusual habits unless just getting up, making breakfast and sitting down to write all day is odd. I had never even tried until early in 2020 and five books just flowed out of me like they had been dying to break free. Perhaps they were. I had always wanted to try, but psyched my self out of it. This time, I just tossed out any inhibitions I had in the past and wrote what was on my mind. The odd bit is that once you have breathed life into your characters, they really do start to ‘direct the author’. That might sound a little nuts, but it is not out of line with what authors or actors have said in the past.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t know that I have spent any long period of time with a specific author. One
whom I particularly enjoy currently is Thomas J. DiLorenzo. He is an honest economist
who writes history from the honest perspective demonstrating much what we know
as history is economically driven. He dispels the “Lincoln Cult” as he describes it. His
book on Alexander Hamilton is equally enlightening. He has stated, and I agree, that
historians are quite unable to write about economics, but economists are quite
capable of writing history. This may be a conceit, but reading Murray Rothbard — an
extremely prolific writer when he was with us — I still concur. Rothbard’s “Conceived in
Liberty” covers the entire Pre-War-of-Independence era which American History
courses and writers mysteriously leave out. It is this kind of honesty in writing that
attracts me and inspires me. It is writers like these who do not hold to the “Great-Man”
or “Great-Event” approach to history that has dominated over the millennia. History
has a flow with all kinds of characters influencing matters behind the scenes who are
never discussed. The so-called historical events are not matters that occur in fits and
starts or are generated by one or two minds at the time. It is the surrounding context I
am interested in that breaks through so many accounts that generally become
nothing more than myths. Winston Churchill is attributed to saying that “History will
be kind to me because I shall be writing it.”

The writer and thinker who really caused the scales to fall from my eyes is Marc
Stevens who wrote “Adventures in LegalLand” and “Government: Indicted”. His use of
the basic Socratic Method demonstrates that the world around us is largely a false one
in which people are participating through the veiled threat of violence or duped by
gaslighting rather than acting on their own in their own best interest or that of their
families. “Caesar’s Messiah” by Joseph Atwill would be another fine example of
applying Occam’s Razor to history.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am not working on anything other than my occasional inputs or comments at goodreads.com or other places. I have been spending all the last three months in an effort to launch five books at the same time. This is likely not the best marketing strategy, but I am hoping that this will convince some readers that this is a serious effort and not just a one-off attempt. I spent the time to learn Sigil to create my e-books and make them acceptable in terms of accessibility and readability on all platforms. I made audiobooks as well, which was quite time-consuming. First I had to come up to speed with Audacity — a free recording and editing program, then spend countless hours to cover all five volumes. Next, I needed a web/writing presence, so I embarked on setting up a website — https://michaelsbookcorner.com — and initially thought I would go with WordPress. I like to think I am reasonably intelligent and have built more than one website in the past, but WP stymied me. I finally gave up and went back to the tried and true.

This, of course, is not what the question was about, but I felt I needed to say why I am not writing at the moment. I do plan to get back to it. I left a lot of maneuvering room in my stories on purpose so I could revert to that ‘world’. It is very comfortable and there is much fodder for new books there. At the same time, should I try to write something completely new? Someone suggested that I try to write ‘comedy’. Thus far I am having trouble defining that. My novels are definitely satirical, and irreverent in launching direct or indirect assaults on the absurdity of the world — present and future. One list claims that ‘Catch 22’ is a comedy. In my opinion it is something of a ‘Black Comedy’ and perhaps my books are in that vein somewhat. I like to think that though they do identify those absurdities, they also highlight the brighter sides of existence and human capabilities. This has been a goal of mine.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have not determined that as it is much too early to say. I have only had my own website up for less than one month. I have established a foothold on goodreads.com with an author page/status. Again, it is a bit early to say and my navigation of that website is coming about in fits and starts. It is not exactly social media, but a close relation it seems. There are lots of distinct groups and discussions that are not nearly as fast-paced as Twitter or Facebook.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author myself, I can only say what has worked for me — in terms of writing — is just sit down and write. This does not mean a book, necessarily, every time. If you are online, there are plenty of places to write your comments both short and long. goodreads.com is a good platform for this, or social media (though it moves so fast and attention spans can be short). Don’t worry about how many people are going to read it — just express your thoughts — express yourself. I’m new, but I think expressing oneself is a major factor. If you don’t write about what interests or excites you then who else will want to read it?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I believe it was René Descartes who said, “If you are lost in a forest, continue walking in a straight line. Eventually you will be out.”

Ponder this for a while, and you will find it is true. This is what sustained me through two degrees in Physics. I enjoyed the work, but brute force can take a person a long way past his/her fellows. Use this for writing, and you will find that writer’s block is not the dreadful foe it is portrayed to be. Get up, take a break (not often) and the direction will come. As I have alluded before, it is spooky, but once your characters come to life, THEY WILL GUIDE YOU. This also may sound weird, but I will openly admit it for the first time here. My own characters and their actions have actually made me cry! Not only that, when I come back to record the audiobooks or do other edits, THEY MAKE ME CRY AGAIN! So take note. Stephen Spielberg or Ron Howard movies are not the only stories that can stir up emotions.

What are you reading now?
I am still spending all of my time getting the promotions going.
Next on my list is ‘Chaos of Empire’ by Jon Wilson
On deck is ‘The Jesuits’ by Malachi Martin

Once the initial push of book promotion eases, I will get back to these.

What’s next for you as a writer?
This is a difficult question.
The smart thing to do would be to test myself in terms of coming up with a fully new set of characters and circumstances. All five of my books take place in similar circumstances under the same ‘world’. Some characters are recurring and that is very comfortable. I also, intentionally, made much of this ‘world’ open enough to adding another five if not more stories if I desired. Trevor Van Leeuwan is the great-grandson of Marcus Aurelius Van Leeuwan; leaving a good century of room for stuff happening in between and among the same family or related members. It could be a sci-fi ‘Michener-esque’ saga.

The challenge would be to take a leap and do something different — at least a new ‘world’ and new set of characters. I like the sci-fi realm in terms of the ideas I like to explore. One day, I would like to be up to the challenge of non-fiction. It is possible, in this day and age, to do a decent non-fiction book through only internet research. At least there is one example I know of and that would be Joseph Atwill’s ‘Caesar’s Messiah’. Granted, Atwill knows ancient Greek and, I believe, Latin. He claims he wrote it without combing the planet in research.

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?
One could be stranded for a long time on a desert island, but it might not be such a bad thing.
1) Government: Indicted — Marc Stevens
2) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas Adams
3) Conceived in Liberty — Murray Rothbard

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Scharen Website

Michael Scharen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Ovidijus Gelzinis 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written 5 books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called – ‘Biden’s Presidency’. As it is a relevant topic which is widely discussed, I thought I would like to add my take on the Biden administration and my predictions for it.

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

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There many great political writers and commentators such as Chris Hedges, Noam Chomsky, Michael Parenti, Oliver Stone, Howard Zinn, Mick Hume etc who have influenced me.

Hume’s book – ‘Revolting!: How the Establishment are Undermining Democracy and What They’re Afraid Of’ has really influenced the way I understand politics.

What are you working on now?
I am doing my best to promote my current book – ‘Biden’s Presidency’ as I recently published it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
There are many good websites, such as this!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Before you start to write your book, try to make a plan in your head as it is the best way for me personally how I get new ideas and influence for writing my books.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When you write, you have to immerse yourself in the book you are writing. It is the best way to write a great book.

What are you reading now?
A book about Joe Biden’s Presidential Campaign of 2020. It is a book by Amy Parnes and Jonathan Allen. It’s called – ‘ Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency’.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As I wrote earlier, I am concentrating now on promoting my books. I’m not sure what my next project is going to be. It will probably be a history book or something about current events.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring a great book by Mikhail Bulgakov – ‘The Master and Margarita’.

I would also bring some survival books on how to survive in the desert!

 

Kristofor Hellmeister 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Kristofor Hellmeister is an alien—a legal alien born in Canada who has lived in Georgia since he was a young boy. Presently, he lives just outside of Atlanta with his wife, Kristie, and his three-year-old son, Maddox. Kristofor has always pursued writing, ever since he was a young boy writing about dinosaurs, tornadoes, and man-eating plants. He published his first book—a historical fiction called Brothers of Baseball—in 2017. Axiom is his first foray into science fiction and is the first book in the Axiom Chronicles. Kristofor enjoys reading anything from military fiction, to the newest Star Wars or Halo book, to fantasy and spy novels. He also enjoys spending time outdoors whether it is running a 5k, taming his wild backyard, or going on an adventure with his family. The core theme for all of his stories is that of redemption, for he believes this is reflected all around us and throughout history. He has written four books, and is currently working on his fifth.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Axiom was very personally driven and inspired by my own struggles with mental health. I started writing it while I struggled to maintain my own thought life, and this is directly reflected in one of the main characters—Sebastian. He is also a symbol of the culture around me in that he is moving from logical and reason based thinking(Enlightenment thinking) to a more emotional and passion driven thinking(the emotionalism of my generation). My other main character, Damien, is a symbol of a survival of the fittest mindset in that he only looks out for number one—another undertone I have found in my culture. The final main character, Myra, reflects my faith in that she seeks hope and reconciliation even in the darkness. Axiom is inspired by books like Anthem by Ayn Rand, 1984, Children of the Dust, and Fahrenheit 451. I just published the sequel to Axiom, titled Citadel, which picks up where Axiom ended.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m an unusual person, so perhaps that qualifies! I do most of my writing in silence, in my head, before I put the words on paper. Sometimes, I even act out the dialogue!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many! Bradbury, Wells, Ayn Rand, Orwell, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, Brian Jacques, and the book Children of the Dust. There’s so many more on top of that!

What are you working on now?
I just published the sequel to Axiom–titled Citadel. Right now, I am taking a break from the Axiom Chronicles and working on a standalone project called Shape of Memories. It’s Science Fiction, and I cannot honestly compare it to any other book I’ve read. It’s about Alpha Grisham (Alpha is the term for Captain I use) who crash lands on a planet and encounters a being who takes on the shape of his memories, including the shape of his dead best friend, his overbearing father, and woman who is soon to be his ex-wife.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Network. Network. Network. Don’t give up when your first, second, or third book doesn’t sell. Write from your struggles, your failures, your fears and you will never run out of material. Pour everything you have into each story as if it were the only story you had the chance to write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My mom once told me that no matter what, there was someone out there who would read my books. This encouraged me to continue to write.

What are you reading now?
Christianity and the Social Crisis of the 21st Century
Gone with the Wind

What’s next for you as a writer?
I aim to complete the Axiom Chronicles by writing four more novels. I want to publish two books a year. My long term goal is to write a 30+ book series as my magnus opus.

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 Bible, Tale of Two Cities, Robinson Crusoe, and a Halo novel.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kristofor Hellmeister Website
Kristofor Hellmeister Amazon Profile

Kristofor Hellmeister’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Nikolaos T.I. 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Nikos, I am a brand new writer and I have only just finished my first book! I am Born and raised in Greece, I am a Star Wars fanatic and I also like History, philosophy and storytelling in all it’s forms!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Name of my book is The End of History, The World behind Walls. The original inspiration of what a world might look like without History, came during a class at my University… I wasn’t bored. Though the story moved to a different direction than what I originally imagined, that original idea played a great part in starting the story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know what the usual writing habits are, but sometimes I stop writing and train in boxing and other forms of martial arts… that usually helps with the fight scenes. Other than that, I just sit on my computer and write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Probably every single one I have ever read, but I can’t tell to what degree and how. I know that Tolkien’s habit to describe the past in a majestic way to create out of nowhere feelings of nostalgia to the reader always impressed me. I am sure that there are pieces of everything I have read so far in this book.

What are you working on now?
The translation of this first book to Greek, because I started backwards, a comic book, and soon the sequel of this book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still looking into it… It might be awesome gang’s author interviews!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author, soo… I don’t think I have earnet the right to give advice to anyone… maybe have fun with it?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Have fun with it?

What are you reading now?
Vampire Hunter D. Vol. 1

What’s next for you as a writer?
Go on with this story that I unwittingly decided will span over 4 books!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A book on how to survive on a desert island, 1 on how to build a raft, Hermann Bengston’s The History of Ancient Greece to use as a hammer, and possibly the Silmarillion. I would definitely learn every single name in there before the raft was built.

Author Websites and Profiles
Nikolaos T.I. Amazon Profile

Nikolaos T.I.’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Jeric Sorrell 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a former U.S. Marine who got into self-help after exiting the military. I suffered with depression and anxiety, and I discovered that writing was a great outlet for me.
I have a daughter who is a major inspiration to me.
I love visiting new places like little towns and national parks.
I have published one book (The Study: Reflections on a Life of Meaning), and have another one on stand-by.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Study: Reflections on a Life of Meaning.
I wrote this book because I had a hospital visit in which I wasn’t sure if I would live through. I began writing this book so that my daughter would have valuable lessons from me even in my death.
Spoiler; I survived. But I continued writing, of course.
I was a fitness coach for several years. It is in me to help others, to inspire them. This book is written for everybody who dreams of becoming their best self.

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

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I enjoyed Tuesdays with Morrie and The Last Lecture.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a book called “Before You Go.”
There is no class that teaches one how to get along in this world once you go out on your own. We basically just hope that we can make it through each day without causing too much of a wave.
Before You Go explores the most important lessons one needs to know before entering the world. If I were to present a class to a group of Seniors in High School, it would be based on this book.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. It took me ten years to finally follow through with publishing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My father used to tell me to be nice to myself. If I called myself “stupid,” he would correct me.
I learned to only have positive thoughts about myself, and it made me realize the importance of the story we tell ourselves in our head.

What are you reading now?
“Own Your Weird,” by Jason Zook

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep publishing about one book a year for the next couple of years.
The books I have so far are based on my life coaching framework, so I plan to expand my reach in coaching.

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?
“Living with a SEAL,” by David Goggins
That’s all I need for motivation.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jeric Sorrell Website
Jeric Sorrell Amazon Profile

Jeric Sorrell’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Erin Woods 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have plenty of writings that were not published or turned into books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled Fickle, I have a tendency to be impulsive and the minute the plot popped in my head i began to write it. It was a struggle to write and think but i always feel the need to push through the mental strain.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really unusual but I enjoy listening to music and drinking coffee to open my brain. i sometimes eat gummy bears and it really opens my mind and helps me become inspired.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards. Any book by Jenny Han, If it Bleeds by Stephen King, and the usual young adult genre, fictional stories from Wattpad.

What are you working on now?
I am writing on a more science fiction romance story with a minority lead, don’t want to give too many details because there’s a possibility to publish and I don’t want to spoil it. Just know it has telekenisis

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still figuring that out but mainly I’ve been using Instagram and Twitter, I’ve been discovering more and more

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being a new author myself all I could say is, network and make friends and help others. Write what makes you happy and positively affects you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Not really advice but a saying: “You have all the time in the world, Don’t worry about the grammar, worry about the creation”
It truly helped my writing style and the way I create my chapters in a neat and precise way. It calms me and makes me realize the bigger picture.

What are you reading now?
I am finishing five total strangers.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I just want to create more and write more books. I want to be able to incorporate my graphic design passion into my writing and book creation more and more. I also wanna be able to help other writers in the future who want to be authors but don’t necessarily have the opportunity or chances.

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?
Before I go, Jenny Han TATBILB series,

Author Websites and Profiles
Erin Woods Amazon Profile

Erin Woods’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Sally Crosiar 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an aspiring novelist with two novels under my belt and more sloshing around in my head. I’ve also written two non-fiction books about healthy relationships, one of which was co-authored with Dr. Sidney Simon who wrote Values Clarification and many other books. A sweet project was my children’s book with an adult message, a slightly fictionalized story about when my late blind husband fell into a swimming pool twice within a week’s time.

My day job involves teaching online courses to providers of out-of-school-time programming for school-aged children as well as courses on play and health and nutrition. I draw on my long career in youth development and health in my teaching and in my writing.

I love playing in, on, and near water, hiking in mountains, creating wearable art with beads and fiber, and watching spring bulbs pop up out of the ground in March. I like planting too, but greatly dislike weeding, so I tell visitors that I want my gardens to look ‘natural.’

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Home Place is set on the family farm where I grew up and that I still call my Home Place after decades away. My greats- and great-greats settled that land, and I wanted to see if a young woman – not me – might be able to keep her Home Place intact as my family could not. It’s an impractical goal for Kat Patterson to rehab a 150-year-old house with 15 rooms and 8 exterior doors to live in with her dog, but her love of the place – which is all she and I have in common – makes her determined. It was fun to watch her try – despite a brother (entirely fictional) who wants to turn the place into a golf course which is what really happened to that land I still call my Home Place.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I found great relief when author Rene Denfeld suggested that we’re always writing even when our fingers don’t hit the keys – because I mull a lot more than I type! I’m a pantser so I don’t have a set ending in mind as I write so much of my mulling asks what my characters will do – not in the whole story but in the next ten minutes. By the time I sit at the keyboard, then, the next ten minutes are usually already written in my head – unless the characters take me off on an entirely different tangent as they are sometimes wont to do.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many… My first favorite was Julie Campbell who wrote Trixie Belden’s series. I favored Trixie far and away beyond too-good-to-be-true Nancy Drew because Trixie was a real girl who frequently fought with her brothers and got in trouble. Mary Stewart was another early and long-lasting favorite for her engaging characters and thrilling tales set in exotic locales. My next novel or the one after will reimagine what happens to one of Stewart’s supporting characters.

When I consider who I’d like my books to be compared with, I think of Elizabeth Berg, Jodi Picoult, JoJo Moyes, Marisa de los Santos, and more. With sales as robust as Nora Roberts’.

What are you working on now?
My next novel follows a minor character from my debut novel Come Back. Lee’s a small-town girl from the wrong side of the tracks newly arrived in Washington, D.C. The male lead is Matt, a privileged-white-boy aspiring musician. Both are ignorant because of where they’ve lived of racial issues but are ripe to become ‘woke.’ It’s as yet untitled, but when I picture D.C. in spring I see vivid azaleas. So it might be some variation on Bloom.

I put another story on pandemic hold but I’m looking forward to the safe opening of Finger Lakes wineries for purposes of research and ambiance-soaking. I’ve had numerous volunteers to assist in that process!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Free promotions have been my most fruitful strategy. Each time I offer a book for free, I experience a post-bump in sales and readership through Kindle Unlimited. The Fussy Librarian has so far been my best avenue to publicize those free promos. I’ve had modest success too with Amazon Ads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. And don’t worry that you don’t know how. If you really want to learn, keep writing until you do.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read, write, kill your darlings. And don’t quit your day job.

What are you reading now?
On the strength of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennesey, I’m reading Rachel Joyce’s latest, Miss Benson’s Beetle – and liking it. In spite of fierce sympathetic itching in response to all the mosquitoes Miss Benson and Enid encounter.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My goal is to complete a first draft of the Bloom novel in 2021, for publication in 2022. God willing and the creek don’t rise.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Besides the ones stored in my head? What better time to finally read War and Peace? How to Survive on a Desert Island for Dummies or the Seriously Unprepared? Tropical Cookery? My own work-in-progress and a blank book with extra pens.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sally Crosiar Website
Sally Crosiar Amazon Profile

Sally Crosiar’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Millie Stylo 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve only ever completed two projects. The first was lost by the guy I gave it to to type it up. Now I have Ama, my first published work

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Ama: a Short Psychological Horror Story and, honestly, I can’t remember any specific information about the inspiration. Bad memory runs in the family.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
None that I’m aware of, but I’m sure there’s something strange going on.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t read horror books, so Ama had no written inspirations. On the other hand other projects include inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, the Jill Kismet series, and the Rachel Morgan series. Some of the authors who inspired me to write include P.C. and Kristen Cast, Rick Riordan, and Christopher Paolini.

What are you working on now?
The three main projects I’m working on are Alice: Hellbound (a grim take on Alice in Wonderland), DieselGothica: The Bad and the Ugly (a rebellion story with many inspirations including Alice: Madness Returns for the city setting), and F**k You I’m Fabulous (inspired by “Go the F**k to Sleep”)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not really sure. I’m new to this whole scene.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Publishing and promoting a book is a scary thing to do. Try your best to press those “submit” buttons to get past the point of no return.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Perhaps my own advice from above: “F**k You I’m Fabulous” it means “I don’t care if you hate me, I’m going to do what I want to do.”

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reviewing Alice in Wonderland to be sure Hellbound is as close to canonically accurate as possible. I LOVE strong female leads. I also like to read manga and comics.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully double down and actually get my projects done.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A REALLY big comic book
A REALLY big manga
Another
The Jill Kismet complete series compilation
And you guessed it! Alice in Wonderland

Author Websites and Profiles
Millie Stylo Amazon Profile

Millie Stylo’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Maria Alcantara 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am passionate about financial freedom and have made it my mission to share my expertise in finance with millennial women worldwide. I spent 10 years building a career in finance, working in banking and wealth management and became a chartered investment manager. I learned an incredible amount of valuable information during that time, I am so excited to be able to share it with those who need it most now!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my book is Millennial Money Queens. It came about spontaneously! I was out for a walk with my husband and having a philosophical conversation about the state of millennial women and money. Unfortunately, many millennial women suffer financially due to outdated societal beliefs about the role of women in society and how that relates to money. I believe millennial women hold an important key to our society’s future success, we are very passionate about important issues like gender and race equality and sustainability. With the right financial education and empowerment, we can make a difference and create abundance for all! Millennial money queens is a term that represents what I wish to offer every millennial women, to be in charge of her money and create her dream life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do have unusual writing habits. I first discovered writing a few years ago, I woke up after having a dream about writing a book for young people about the inner power every human being holds. I simply started writing and the words just flowed! It was an incredible experience! I ended up writing 2 books in that series but never published it. I had the same experience when I started writing Millennial Money Queens, the words just flowed! I simply planned out the outline and the book was complete within a couple of weeks.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill were high influential in my whole journey in becoming financially strong. I quickly realized that these books hold immense power yet they did not speak directly to millennial women who certainly need to be empowered with this information right now.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a follow-up book, it’s built in a program format to help readers implement all the Millennial Money Queens strategies in 21-days. I am very excited to release this, as we know information becomes very valuable once it’s used.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best place is to visit my website www.millennialmoneyqueens.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself and never stop going for your dreams! Whatever path we choose, there will always be hurdles and challenges and those are actually blessings in disguise, they help us push ourselves out of our comfort zones, to expand and become greater versions of ourselves. There is always so much to learn, always be open minded to learning new things.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Everything is just a story we tell ourselves. This really marked me because life is often a very subjective experience, we all have different backgrounds, personalities and belief systems, we filter events through all that and the experience we end up with is a product of the choices we have made all along in life. A lot of us are subject to harsh self-treatment and judgement, those are all just stories we tell ourselves, they are not hard and absolute truths, we are always rewriting the story of our lives, the choice is yours!

What are you reading now?
Buddha’s Brain by Rick Hanson

What’s next for you as a writer?
I aim to impact 1 million millennial women to develop financial stability and freedom. Creating the tools to help them do that has been an incredible journey so far, the next step for me is to continue expanding my reach and help our generation make history in a beautiful way. Millennial women are approaching an important point in their lives, we are maturing and we need to make choices now about who we want to be, what kind of life we want to live and what kind of world we want to create. By making the right choices now, we can create something truly beautiful, finally put an end to outdated things like gender pay gaps, racism and the destruction of our environment. With the proper funding and education, all that will come much more easily.

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?
Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, the Bible and a survival book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Maria Alcantara Website
Maria Alcantara Amazon Profile

Maria Alcantara’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile