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Wilfredo Alcántara 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As many of americans, iam an inmigrant, from the first island Christopher Columbus step into the new world, call it later, as America,[la hispaniola] formaly call , Dominican Republic,.
Move to NC, 2006, father of two princes, and proudly husband. Move from DR, in 1987 looking for the American Dream. Back in the island. Win few national award, on short story category, consider myself, poet, by divine gift.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Idolo de Idolo….
It was practically inspire, on a old, Latin saying. A bit, of poet, maniatic, and crazy, we all have a bit… it’s practically inspire, on this weird desire,who call our little intimate person, every time we ask ourselves, how about “IF” . As we age this question, become part of our daily thogs. With this humble, little story, we from our point of view triying to fullfill the answer of thi complicated interrogant.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes. I write a lot of songs, never publish one, but can’t stop it.

What are you working on now?
I am a Truck Driver

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Face book…
Tick tok.
Instagram

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up… publish, publish, what ever come to you mind.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You never know about tomorrow, don’t ever loose faith.

What are you reading now?
The bible

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am on the process of writing a mini series. Called, let’s make a movie.

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?
No idea

Author Websites and Profiles
Wilfredo Alcántara Website
Wilfredo Alcántara Amazon Profile
Wilfredo Alcántara Author Profile on Smashwords

Wilfredo Alcántara’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Med Fox 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a novelist, poet, and researcher specializing in analytical psychology and criminology, he studied philosophy and literature, and i am also social activist.
This is actually my first novella and it is a part of a series called Stranded, and i had experiences with poetry and prose.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The sewer man is a a part of Stranded series.
I have always loved mystery, especially that related to the human psyche, so what inspired me to write and choose this genre of literature is my love for analytical psychology.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
yes, and i think it´s most common with lot of authors.
Dark places and i love to write under candles light, and i prefer rainy nights.
I only write by night and i hate to write by daylight.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Edgar Allan Poe
T.S Elliot
H.P Lovecraft

What are you working on now?
The second Part of the series ( The Grey City)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far i do not have.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author myself so it is just love what you do, changing the world don´t require swords and bombs anymore, if you know what i mean.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Love what you do until you do what you love.

What are you reading now?
The psychology of people.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Be a famous writer.

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 Hundred Years of Solitude.
Invisible Man.
Edgar Allan Poe´s whole collections.

 

Jordan Tate 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi everyone and thank you for having me! My name is Jordan Tate I’m a female author and screenwriter. I mainly focus on thriller, horror and fantasy but I’m also very interested stories based on actual events.
My work as a screenwriter has been strongly influenced by Alfred Hitchcock,  Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, Brian DePalma and Dario Argento my favorite director. She loves to put my audience and my readers on the wrong track with characters that are never what they seem to be.

Watching “King Kong” for the first time when I was a child, probably around 5 or 6 has been the triggering event that made me want to work in the film industry and to create stories.

I have written several short story anthologies in the past, my first one “Shudders” is a tribute to the most famous monsters in literature and cinema: Dracula, the wolfman, the Devil, ghosts and demons…It also features a heartbreaking story revolving around the elephant man titled “Beauty of the heart”.

My second one “HEAD IN THE CLOUDS” is a romantic and melancholic voyage a dark fantastic and poetic universe that intertwines around destiny, slavery, forgotten fairies, a painter in need of inspiration, the first and last voyage of the Titanic, the hope of a sick child and a woman destroyed by life.

I have also written a Christmas novel titled “SIX DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS”, which I’m very partial to, because it’s magical, and although quite dark in some aspects, much more merry than what I usually write, (smiles) that’s the story of a very uncommon stealing since it targets
Santa’s Sleigh only six days before Christmas, in the book, Santa’s imps, toys and two orphan kids, join forces in order to save Christmas and children dreams from the dark and Evil queen behind the robbery.

I have also recently finished a book titled “TRAPPED”, based on a true story that took place in Marseilles, in a building called Bois Fleury that is run by the local mafia…I plunge my readers in the hell experienced by two retirees and their daughter who see their lives turned upside down when the real estate agency that manages the apartment they rent begin extorting money from them on behalf of the landlord, owner of 8 apartment and local mobster hiding in the guise of an illiterate peasant,
An uncompromising, painful tale of life from which you will not emerge unscathed. Scary and tragic. Especially since one of the tenants (the father) actually died from the harassment he’s been through.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My last one BLACK MASS a story within the story, revolving around a female journalist, Verity meeting with a mysterious rock star, Lachlan Alden for an interview in Pere Lachaise cemetery. Interview that quickly becomes a tour in one the most haunted places in the world, when Lachlan begins telling her of all the stories of the damned souls that haunt the place.

I was actually watching a show revolving around supernatural, which is a theme I love, and they were talking about the ghosts in Pere Lachaise. I wasn’t planning to write a new book at this moment, then I became fascinated with the subject and said I’m gonna write a book about this place and it will be titled “Black mass”, I had a precise vision of it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really…Besides thinking and creating a scene, a chapter in my head long before putting it on the paper, especially when I’m lying in my bed. I never knew why but water is a triggering inspirational element to me. I also keep a notebook and a pencil by my bed and writes down my dreams and ideas in the middle of the night.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King for sure, I’ve started reading his novels when I was a teenager (Christine, silver bullet). I’m a huge fan of the phantom of the opera by Gaston Leroux too, The great Gatsby for Fitzgerald’s perfect portrayal of people’s falseness, of loneliness and of New York (my favorite city in the 1920’s), Dracula by Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, and the picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is my favorite book.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on my next book at the moment. It is titled “WHITE GOLD” and it’s very different from “black mass” and any of my previous books, it will be a thriller, an adventure story and a love story. It mainly revolves around illegal ivory trade, animal protection and elephants protection. I’m a huge animal lover, always have been, I wanted to pay tribute to animals, their intelligence and their beauty into a book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I usually post updates on my instagram page and youtube channel, I like to talk to my readers, post their comments and reply to them as often as I can. I love this communion with them, which you don’t necessarily have with film.
There is an immediate response to my writing, a deeper connection between a book reader and its author. I use facebook quite often too…And I love doing interviews as you seen (smiles)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Follow your dreams. It’s really very simple. Don’t wait for inspiration to come your way to write, begin writing, the muse will come.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think that’s the one I just told you in the previous post (smiles)

What are you reading now?
Many articles for my next novel, so basically everything that revolves around ivory trade and elephants. I love learning something new everyday.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next novel “White gold” will be released in the summer of 2021. I have several projects in the works too, probably a horror film and a thriller but It’s too early to talk about these. I also have a dark fairy tale in mind for Christmas, yes, another 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?
The picture of Dorian Gray, a Novelization of King Kong, something funny with uplifting quotes for the dark days, and the phantom of the opera.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jordan Tate Website
Jordan Tate Amazon Profile

Jordan Tate’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Marilena Pappa 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Marilena Pappa, I’m a Greek writer, living in Athens.
I was born in 1988 and studied Public Administration and Communications and Journalism. I have published 7 books (children’s fiction, poetry and literature for adults) in Greece and Cyprus, plus my new one “James & The smiling planet” that has been released worldwide.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book and my first one in English is “James & The smiling planet” and I’m super excited about it! I originally wrote this book in 2009. Back then I was madly in love, but there were so many barriers that wouldn’t let me express my feelings. So, I transformed everything I was feeling to a story of magic, paint, stars, a whole new universe, making a planet smiling – hoping that the planet would smile back at me (eventually).

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Ever since I was a little child I was watching people. How they talk, they behave, the smile, they cry. I remember my mother taking us (me and my brother) to the playground and me not wanting to play. I would prefer sitting next to mum’s friends and listen to their stories, exploring their faces and making my own stories. I do the same thing until today. I believe that every person I meet has a new story to tell me. I also tend not to read anything at all during the period I’m writing a book – I don’t want anything to distract me from my story. Ideally, I would prefer to be detached from the world during this period (but this isn’t easy to be accomplished). So, I mostly write during the night when the world is sleeping and I can feel all by myself!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many! During my high school years I was influenced by the Greek poets Kostas Karyotakis, Giannis Ritsos and Odysseas Elytis. There were days that I would read their poems over and over again. Later, I discovered many Russian writers. I absolutely love Nikolai Gogol. During my university years one of the books that affected me is “The Fall” by Albert Camus.

What are you working on now?
I have a draft story in my mind, but it’s too soon to tell whether this will be transformed into a book. I only know that I need to write about love. My previous book that was released in Greece (following also my previous books) was dark, was related with my inner need to explore the connection between life and death, the circle and meaning of life. During this writing period I was feeling that I was walking blind through a dark tunnel, where I had to rediscover my self, reevaluate life. I think I’m out of this tunnel. Out in the light and I need this feeling to be reflected to my next writing steps.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think the best method to promote your books/ your art/ anything is always to stay connected with your audience. The communication among writers and readers is priceless.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The same thing that I’m saying to myself and the key message that derives from “James & The smiling planet”: Keep going.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When I was in high school my father told me that I shouldn’t listen to anyone. He told me that I should get to know myself better: my powers, my flaws. So this is what I did; Never heard of anyone, always knowing who I am and where I’m going (even when I walking through dark tunnels).

What are you reading now?
Today I started reading the book “El amor en los tiempos del cólera” (Love in the Time of Cholera) by Gabriel García Márquez. Something tells me that I’m going to love it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want “James & The smiling planet” to reach as many children as possible around the world. To inspire them, encourage them to accomplish their goals, make their planets smiling.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would take with me “The Monogram” – an extended love poem by Odysseas Elytis, “One day” by David Nicholls, “The overcoat” by Nikolay Gogol.

Author Websites and Profiles
Marilena Pappa Amazon Profile

Marilena Pappa’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Michele Olson 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an author who writes mainly Mackinac Island stories filled with mystery, romance, friendship, and faith. The first starts out in 1979 on this wonderful island in the Straits of Mackinac that joins the Upper and Lower Peninsula of Michigan…a place with no cars to this day. The first book is Being Ethel (In a world that loves Lucy) and tells the story of Piper Penn and how her life changes when she meets an I Love Lucy loving nun. I live in the shadow of Lambeau Field, so of course I’m a Green Bay Packers fan!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The sequel is Being Dorothy (In a world longing for home) where Piper Penn meets a mysterious couple on the porch of the Grand Hotel on the Island…think James Bond! I’ve also written a fun, useful, non-fiction book – 5 Easy Steps to a Happy Birthday, so no adult ever has to have a ho-hum birthday again…on their terms. Start now to have a happy birthday forever, this is a great gift too.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a “panster” meaning I’m not very organized about it…but it works for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read far more non-fiction than I do fiction, which is a bit unusual for a fiction author. I love the fiction and non-fiction of Anne Lamott and too many authors to even mention.

What are you working on now?
My book coming out fall of 2021 is the 3rd book in my Mackinac Island story series…Being Alice (In a world lost in the looking glass)…it’s 1981 and Piper Penn meets a woman struggling with a disformed face who has to serve as a guitar tech for a famous rock artist at the Grand Hotel for the summer. Mystery, romance, friendship, and faith follow! I love the singer/songwriter artists and Mackinac Island, so it makes for a good basis for a story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m probably still looking for that, but it’s constant marketing…and my website is fun. I use my Facebook page and my website mainly.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn the business side of the being an author, and be careful because there are so many people out there who want to charge you and take your money. Be very careful.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read the Bible and pray every day. It doesn’t get better than that!

What are you reading now?
I just got Nomadland because I want to see how the book is written after seeing the movie. I want to see how the author handled so much “non dialogue” in the book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to finish writing Being Alice, and then I have one more to that series. Then I’ll probably start a new series…and I love to speak…so when the world is normal again, I will be out speaking. I also do pro voice work and am an artist.

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 in the Message format, The Bible Unwrapped – Making Sense of Scripture Today by Meghan Larissa Good…such a great book, and Susan Branch books…she’s a watercolor artist and writer about her life and I love how she weaves the two together…my goals as someone who loves both art forms too.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michele Olson Website
Michele Olson Amazon Profile

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

Fabio Porrino 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Fabio Porrino and I’m an Italian web marketing expert, I’m 37 years old, I’m also passionate about spirituality and mysticism.

I have written four books, I only translated my first book “Spiritual Marketing” into English and Spanish, but up to now it has not been as successful as the original Italian edition, which is doing very well considering it is a self-published book in a country where people read little like Italy.

If Spiritual Marketing were to start selling better even in the most competitive landscape of books written in English, I will try to translate my other books as well.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The last book I have written is about blogs and will be published in Italian in the next few days. It’s titled “Blog: How to invent a job from scratch, or almost, using the Internet and blogs.” and it is a manual on how to write a blog and how to use it to invent an online job.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, usually when I feel like writing I take my moleskine and a pen and start writing. Mostly at night. Then when I organize my ideas I start typing on the computer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In my work certainly the most important author was Seth Godin, I have all his books that have been translated into Italian and also some in English.

I recently got into esotericism and mysticism and the author I read the most is the British Dion Fortune. Her novels are magical and her essays sublime. She largely inspired my second book “Lentamente” (Slowly: Heretic Marketing Thoughts between Minimalism, Esotericism, Science and Magic.); but at the moment it is available only in Italian.

What are you working on now?
Nothing… I just finished writing my fourth book. I actually started translating “Celtic Myths and Legends by TW Rolleston”, since the old Italian edition is nowhere to be found, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to complete the feat… it’s so difficult and I’m not a professional translator.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a web marketing expert, I have mainly used Google and Amazon Ads (but they cost too much, especially in the marketing niche), my website and a little my social profiles.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m a first-time author, I published my first book one year ago… is there anyone who has any advice for me?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It is not advice, rather one or more mental states, I talk about it in Spiritual Marketing. When you read about spirituality, everything becomes clearer and everyone begins to have a clear idea of what they can do… we impose limits on ourselves.

Surely the most important thing for a writer is to read. Read many books. Especially the classics.

What are you reading now?
“Glastonbury: Avalon of the Heart” of the aforementioned Dion Fortune, talks about magic (true magic) and King Arthur. But I almost finished it, I think that later I will start “The Demon Lover” by the same authoress, or “Three Men in a Boat” by Jerome K. Jerome. I have not decided yet.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I don’t know… at the moment I only wrote non-fiction, I would like to write a novel…

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 hardest question for an avid reader… maybe the three books would be:
– Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune
– Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch
– and some of the Italian heretical philosopher Giordano Bruno (his knowledge is said to be behind Shakespeare), burned alive at the stake by the Inquisition in Rome in 1600 AD.

…. and maybe, if there is still some space left, the Holy Bible.

Author Websites and Profiles
Fabio Porrino Website
Fabio Porrino Amazon Profile

Fabio Porrino’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Allen Sama 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After getting laid off from the only real job he ever had because of the Subprime Mortgage Crisis, Allen Sama was in dire straits. He was trying to learn to trade the markets to earn a living but it wasn’t going so well. But thanks to a simple oversight, Allen stumbled upon a little-known method of trading that changed his life. Since then, he has been improving his methods and spreading the word about trading options.

Allen now lives what he calls the Passive Trading Lifestyle: trading for a few minutes a day, and using the rest of his time as he chooses. He is the Head Trader at Option Genius LLC, and happily shares his trading knowledge with his members, students, and listeners of the Option Genius Podcast.

Allen lives just outside Houston, Texas with his wife and three young children. When he is not working, he enjoys traveling, playing with his children, eating out and chocolate.
He would love to hear from you at help@optiongenius.com.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Passive Trading: How To Generate Consistent Monthly Income From The Stock Market In Just Minutes A Day… Allen wanted to help as many people become successful investors and take control of their finances. So he wrote a book telling them how to do just that.

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Allen Sama Website
Allen Sama Amazon Profile

Randy Foster 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written many short stories, and one novel that I just published in in 2021. I am a lifelong, avid reader. When I was a child I was scared to sleep by myself in my own room. To keep my anxieties in check, I would read … occasionally well into the night until my eyes drooped and I drifted off to sleep. Ironically, my favorite reads were horror stories. Stephen King and Dean Koontz were my favorite nighttime authors.

I have a Masters of Counseling Psychology from Mississippi College, and have worked in the field of mental health of over two decades. During that time I have worked as a recreation therapist, a counselor, a forensic psychologist, a safety director, a unit director and served as the Director of the Office of Incident Management for the MS Department of Mental Health.

I enjoys fishing, golfing, reading, watching the New Orleans Saints get so close to the big one every year, and of course writing — always writing. I have traveled far and wide, but Mississippi will always be my home and I will always be a child of the South.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Delphi Eddies: a southern-fried tale of seduction, secrets, and sin is my latest book. I wrote it with the specific intent of getting away from “Twilight Zone” type endings which seemed to plague me in my short stories. My drive was to create character studies with enough suspense to keep the reader interested and moving forward. I found that the process of writing The Delphi Eddies was cathartic for me, as I ended up drawing upon many of my own life experiences to help paint the portrait of the fictional town of Delphi. I can say, the experience was some of the best therapy I have ever had.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write to music. I often listen to music that I have handpicked to match the desired mood of what I am working on. Also – sometimes I will write on my phone, opening up google docs while I am waiting somewhere. I end up getting a lot of my writing done in this manner. (of course editing comes later!)

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As stated above I am an avid Stephen King fan. I also enjoy Dean Koontz, the duo of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, C. S. Lewis, Orson Scott Card, and most recently I have adopted a new favored writer — Stephen Graham Jones.

I have so many favorite books, but last year on Goodreads I listed my favorite as Mexican Gothic. Of all time, I would say that Earth Abides ranks pretty high up there.

What are you working on now?
OK, it is silly, and because of this I may publish under a pen name but I really wanted to write it regardless. The story is about a man made vacation island. Think of it as a giant oil rig, but made into an island, complete with beaches. Due to circumstances I am still working out, the island sinks into the sea and only the tallest buildings are left with some floors still above water. The story will follow several characters (each with their own POV storyline) as they struggle to survive and figure out what to do next.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well I gotta say, awesomegang.com of course!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write! Write continuously and edit later. When you get bored and have a different idea, write it down. You can always come back to the other. The old adage is true, “A writer writes!”

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You have to be daring in your writing. You have to risk something, some part of you. If you never go outside your comfort zone at least a little, you will never discover what you are truly capable of.

What are you reading now?
My Heart Is A Chainsaw, by Stephen Graham Jones

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am collaborating with the wonderful bunch at Novis Opera to produce an audiobook version of The Delphi Eddies, which should be released in the summer of 2021. Meanwhile I will continue to work on the story I described above.

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?
Earth Abides, The Stand, Leaves of Grass

Author Websites and Profiles
Randy Foster Amazon Profile

Randy Foster’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Sandra Barret 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I work with Opensource software during the day. At night, I write, mostly science fiction and fantasy. I have five books published, three in the space opera genre. My next projects will delve into urban fantasy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
EYE OF THE DAMNED is the third book in my science fiction series. It delves into what it means to be family, within the backdrop of an interstellar war. I was inspired to explore this area as so many of us form our own families beyond or sometimes instead of the ones we are born into.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure it’s unusual, but I have one laptop dedicated to writing, so when I sit down to write, it’s the only thing I do on that laptop. It helps me stay focused. If I stray too far, I can turn airplane mode one to cut me off from Internet distractions,

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tanya Huff and Anne Leckie are the two main authors for me of late. I’ll read anything they write. I love the flow of their writing as well as the strong characters, regardless if gender.

What are you working on now?
I’m delving into urban fantasy now, with a first stop in necromancer land! I’m looking to put my own twist on this premise, with a strong focus on the characters themselves.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m new to promoting for my latest, but in the past I’ve gotten the most traction out of bloggers and other influential recommenders.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, read, write some more. Don’t take your craft skills for granted. Always look at ways to improve, whether it’s the depth of your characters, your use (or misuse) of setting, or dialogue. Choose certain books you enjoy, and dig deep into why they excite you. What is the author doing that rings magical for you, and could you bring that into your own voice?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write more. Your online time on social media and blogging should be a small portion of what you do. Your readers want books to read and that means budgeting your time so your focus is on writing.

What are you reading now?
Malazan Book of the Fallen. Well, it’s a reread of the series. There is just so much to these books it’s hard to understand it all the first time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Novellas, I think. I want to experiment with shorter length storytelling, and I’m curious to see what length falls out naturally from my next few stories. I also want to engage more with readers and authors.

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?
Cyteen, it’s sequel, Regenesis, and the Ancillary Justice series.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sandra Barret Website
Sandra Barret Amazon Profile

Sandra Barret’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Michelle Bradshaw 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a mom to an amazing, comical, dancing, baseball playing, wanna-be superhero. He inspires so much of my writing. I also have some furbabies. I am currently in school to finish my teaching degree. I have written two children’s books and one young adult novel so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a children’s book called, I Have ADHD, So What? It was inspired by my son who has ADHD. I wanted my son as well as any other children who are diagnosed with ADHD to know that their diagnosis does not define them negatively but actually makes them special. It’s the second book in The Brayden Series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t really have any unusual writing habits. I pray about what I am writing, listen to music as I write, and then read my rough draft to my two best friends for their thoughts and opinion.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced by many wonderful authors and books. Harry Potter and the Twilight series are at the top of the list. As far as children’s books I would have to say The Kissing Hand and The Puppy Sister are at the top of that list.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on my next book in my young adult series, the next book in my children’s book series, and my very first Christian romance novel.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write from the heart. That feels like the best advice I can give because the best scenes in my young adult novel were written from tear-stained laptop keys. My second piece of advice is to write about what you know or should I say what you have experienced. We all have gone through things in life that might help someone else if you wrote it all down.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up. There are a lot of steps involved in the publishing process. You just have to keep at it and you will eventually have your book in your hands to share with the world.

What are you reading now?
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins and Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am currently working on my next book in my young adult series, the next book in my children’s book series, and my very first Christian romance novel.

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 really hard question. I love all my books, but if I had to choose the Bible, a survival guide, Roller Coaster Love by J.S. Wilsoncroft, and Dream by Misty Powell.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michelle Bradshaw Website
Michelle Bradshaw Amazon Profile

Michelle Bradshaw’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Paul James 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As Paul James, I’ve written a YA Science Fiction series, The Modest Proposal Institute, I’ve edited and published my aunt’s WW2 diary as Annie’s War, and a fictional diary of a Canadian family during the events that took place from Sept 11, 2001, the bombing of the WTC, to September 2002.

As P.C. James, I’ve now written two cozy mysteries of The Miss Riddell Cozy Mystery series, with anothr two, at least, to come out very soon. I’ve always enjoyed Agatha Christie-style mysteries, especially Miss Marple who reminds me of my aunts when I was growing up. I decided to write my own (Agatha isn’t writing any new ones:-) but including the early years, which Agatha didn’t do.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s Murder, on a Galapagos Cruise is the second book in the series and it was inspired by the Galapagos cruise I took when I retired. We didn’t have a death onboard but the setting is real — I have the photos to prove it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
None that I’m aware of unless procrastination is a ‘style’. I write (and un-write whatever I’ve just written) on an old laptop at m desk for some hours every day. Eventually, the ‘writing’ exceeds the ‘unwriting’ and I have a book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite authors are Jane Austen and Bill Bryson and I try to get a touch of their humor into my stories. For cozy mysteries, I like all the classics, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers,

What are you working on now?
Book 3 of The Miss Riddell Cozy Mystery series, A Murder for Christmas, and an as-yet untitled fourth book in the series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use AMS ads as a running promotional effort, of course. For promotions, I’ve found Awesome Gang very effective, in addition to many others.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice is to write every day, followed by work out the story before you write, which is easier said than done in my case but I know it works.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Plan out the plot in some detail before you write. I’m still working on making that happen consistently for me but when I do, it works. Also, write a series, not a standalone book.

What are you reading now?
Two non-fiction books — The Consuming Instinct by Prof. Gad Saad and Manthropolgy by Peter McAllister. I’m sure something from both of them will show up in my fiction in years to come.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish four books of Miss Riddell Cozy Mysteries and then either revisit my Modest Proposal Institute series or do another cozy mystery series.

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?
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Author Websites and Profiles
Paul James Amazon Profile

Paul James’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

A.C. Ward 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an accountant by day and a writer by night. My favorite things to do are reading manga and playing dating sim apps on my phone. I’ve reached “the end” of 11 books, and am currently publishing books 6-9 this year.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Katana of Trust, Book 1 of The Kami Prophecy, is a samurai fantasy. I’m a bit of a Japanophile. This series combines a lot of the interests I love. The very first scene came to me in a dream, and it grew from there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I listen to J-rock singer Kiyoharu while I write. I listened to his song Slow in the Wallflower anime, started watching his videos on YouTube, and then purchased all his CDs. Some during my trip to Japan.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite books growing up were by authors L.J. Smith and Richie Tankersley Cusick. Both wrote great characters that I found addicting.

What are you working on now?
I am in the middle of edits of books 2-4 in The Kami Prophecy, but heading towards the end. Once done, I’m going to start organizing my ideas for book 5.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m trying a Goodreads Giveaway for the first time. Freebooksy has gotten me the most new readers when I do a giveaway through them.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Focus on reaching “the end”. Somewhere during your writing, you will think your idea is stupid and not worth continuing. You’re wrong. Push through. You can’t see what you have until you finish it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I hate hearing it, but “Just Write”. Writers get stuck in their heads and second guess everything. Sprints help me to push through, and are another thing recommended.

What are you reading now?
I just downloaded Binti by Nnedi Okorafor. It was recommended by the Goodreads writing group I joined.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m excited to release the first 4 books in my longest series yet. I haven’t reached the end yet, and am planning 6 or possibly 7 to the series. It’s so much fun, and I’m not ready to give up the world I created yet.

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?
Poison Study, Daughter of the Forest, Shades of Twilight, and Fatal Secrets

Author Websites and Profiles
A.C. Ward Website
A.C. Ward Amazon Profile
A.C. Ward Author Profile on Smashwords

A.C. Ward’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

J.T. Fluhart 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Southern Arkansas with my wife, Alma, our two kids as well as Kat our cat and Max, our huge German shepherd dog. I’ve travelled extensively around the world and draw upon my experiences to create relatable characters and interesting adventures for my readers to enjoy. I’m currently in my third year of law school. Upon graduation and now with the completion of my first novel, my last bucket list items will be achieved.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Super Moon Protocol

As an avid reader of suspense and thriller novels I have always aspired to write one myself. A few years back I decided to sit down and hammer out my first attempt at a short story. I used many elements of my real life on a small farm in North Texas. The short story had all the elements of what I love to read… fast paced, heart pumping suspense, descriptive creativity and subtle humor. I love to tell good stories. It was based on a rooster. You may be thinking, a rooster? Throw in the CIA, Mexican cartels, smarty art psychologists, Vietnam survivalists, redneck truckers, Nazi librarians, hi-tech weaponry, lots of horsepower, heart tugging moments and yeah well, you won’t look at roosters the same again. I can promise you that!

The book has conspiracy depth going back to WWII and the creation of NASA and the CIA. Mel and Rob Florchett must untangle their tragic family history to unlock the danger looming for the entire world in the coming days. The characters are colorful, interesting and very relatable. I believe men AND women would like this read as I have some very strong ass-kicking female characters and the undercurrent of family and love throughout. (I like writing strong female personalities like the co-star of this book, Mel) The men will get off on the road chases, horsepower, weaponry, war history, humor and sadness. Everyone will love the fact it is a thrilling page turner to see if the world as we know it is devoured by an animal apocalypse!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write to thrill…. in other words, I work hard to keep the pages turning. To me, if the reader is entertained, then I’ve done my job. I’m not here to educate about history, science and wisdom of life. I write to keep readers turning pages.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many… Tom Clancy, David Baldacci, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, then sprinkle some Stephen King all over them all.

What are you working on now?
The sequel to Super Moon Protocol…. which is, Lockdown Protocol. I won’t give the synopsis yet as I don’t wanna give away the ending for Super Moon Protocol just yet.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve been trying everything. Google, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon Ads. Anything really to help promote the book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just sit down and do it. I found writing the book was the easy part. It’s everything after that becomes the work.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stephen King explained in an interview a book should not take longer than a season to write, or it will never get finished. I took that advice and finished my first book.

What are you reading now?
Nothing… spending all my free time promoting Super Moon Protocol.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To finish the next two books in this trilogy. Lockdown Protocol and Final Protocol.

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 Kindle and solar cell…. is that cheating?

Author Websites and Profiles
J.T. Fluhart Website
J.T. Fluhart Amazon Profile

J.T. Fluhart’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Eric Butler 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a writer of things that go bump in the night. While everything I write will always have elements of horror in them, I will also include other genres as variety is important. I have a number of stories appearing in Black Hare Press anthologies, Red Cape Publishing anthologies, and three novels: The Shadow Within, The Pope Lick Massacre, and The Sins of the Past.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Sins of the Past is my latest novel. It began as a short story for an anthology but it wasn’t long before I realized it would work better as a longer piece of fiction. The story called for a piece on spiritualism in the Victorian era. I have a love for the time period in fiction so mashing it with my love for horror seemed like a perfect fit. I also wanted to challenge myself to write a tale that didn’t necessarily need the excessive gore and situations my first two novels contain.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It seems like I’m always writing, but otherwise, I don’t do anything that stands out.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a huge Richard Laymon fan. I also have been influenced by Robert Jordan, Arthur Conan Doyle, HG Wells, C.S. Harris, Lewis Carroll, David Morrell, and the many authors of Marvel and DC comics.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the next Ephraim Godwin Chronicles project. It will be a sequel in a way but the books in Ephraim’s world will be able to be read as a stand-alone if the reader so chooses. I’m also working on a splatterpunk throwback to the 80s camping horror.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
You can find all my stuff on my blog/website ericbutlerauthor.com and on my Facebook page.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Number one thing is to write…all the time. You may not use it but it will make you a better writer in the long run. Also, don’t pigeonhole yourself to a genre when reading. I love horror, but I don’t limit my reading habits to that genre. I like to see who other writers work within their chosen genre. You can learn a lot by just reading.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Remember to treat others how you want to be treated. Don’t make enemies on your way up because they will be more than happy to help you back on your way down.

What are you reading now?
I’m getting into the indie horror writers like Carver Pike, Lee Franklin, Daniel Volpe, Aron Beauregard, and the Paperbacks from Hell series. I’m a big comic nerd so I’m always reading a collection of Batman or Marvel Epics – right now it’s Power Man and Iron First Vol 1.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully, it’s more of the same. I plan on getting a few more novels out this year and I have a number of stories appearing in anthologies from Black Hare Press, Red Cape Publishing, and a few others…

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?
Robert Jordan’s The Shadow Rising
Arthur Conan Doyle’s complete Sherlock Holmes
Richard Laymon’s Night in the Lonesome October
Spiderman Omnibus by Roger Stern

Author Websites and Profiles
Eric Butler Website
Eric Butler Amazon Profile

Eric Butler’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Dr Kieran Mervyn 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
A native of Belfast, Ireland, I have lived in Leeds since 2004 with my wife Faye (co-author of Is Mise Cara) and five-year-old son Finn. Cara passed away in 2019 aged 11.

– One book currently published called ‘Is Mise Cara’ (Irish Gaelic for, I am Cara).
– One chapter in a book (Networks in Healthcare: Managing Complex Relationships, Malby & Murray-Wallace, 2016).
– Widely published with 20+ publications in academic journals and practitioner journals.
– Research and management consultant and Co-Director of Finncara Consulting Ltd – www.finncaraconsulting.co.uk.
– Visiting Professor at London South Bank University.
– Teach at various UK universities including University of Law, London, University of Roehampton, London, Hull University and Derby University.
– Social entrepreneur. (I previously completed a mixed-methods study on behalf of DISC and the West Yorkshire Partnership (Leeds, England) for their Big Lottery bid to support people with multiple and complex needs. The charity acquired a £9.8m grant as a direct result of my work with Dr Nii Amoo.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘Is Mise Cara’ [Irish Gaelic for ‘I am Cara’].

My daughter passed in Dec 2019. The book idea emerged after a series of supernatural events unfolded at our home in Leeds and in Ireland. We were inspired to leave a legacy for Cara by helping others.

25% of the royalties from each ‘Is Mise Cara’ book sale will be donated to Yorkshire Brain Tumour Research and Support. This will supplement other charitable activities that ‘Is Mise Cara’ are involved in to fight the scourge of brain disease.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, I write from the heart based on real-life phenomenon. Many readers find the book an deeply emotional but humorous read.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lorna Byrne (100%). A deeply kind and amazing soul who helped us to navigate through the quagmire of grief and paranormal activity.

What are you working on now?
Many readers have shared similar experiences about the afterlife.

I am now compiling their stories into a new book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It’s very early days. I have just started to promote it online and via my website www.ismisecara.com.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Follow your heart. Never quit asking questions on everything from the core purpose of your book to digital media strategies and beyond. The digital marketing space is dynamic and chaotic but laced with exciting opportunities.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Lorna Byrne advised us ‘If you can change one person’s life, then the book will have been a success’. We have achieved that and much more. It’s great to share royalties with brain disease charities.

What are you reading now?
Rise of a Lightworker by Will Sibley.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To develop a second book on the afterlife and to raise much needed funds for brain disease charities.

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 Power of Now.
Ten Dead Men: Story of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike.
Angels at My Fingertips: The sequel to Angels in My Hair.
1984.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dr Kieran Mervyn Website
Dr Kieran Mervyn Amazon Profile

Kokujin the Author 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a really shy person writing their first book. Before that, I spent a over a decade working behind the scenes in TV, radio and film

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is a graphic novel titled “Becky”. I’ve always loved the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story and decided to take a stab at it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It’s funny, I usually do not write when it’s warm outside. For whatever reason, the stillness and quiet of a cold day really inspire to put ideas to paper.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ralph Ellison and J.K. Rowling really influenced me. Ellison’s clever word play in Invisible Man is something that should be studied by any writer and the sheer detail of Rowling’s world building and likeable characters are what inspires me about her.

What are you working on now?
Work continues on “Becky”. Because it is a graphic novel, drawing out each page takes time. When the first ten pages are ready, I will release those free to readers and ask that they donate if they like what I have so far.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Figure out what you enjoy writing. So many “tipsters” will encourage you to write to some audience…but locate your voice first and be confident that the right people will find you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Have patience. Growing and audience is glacial at times. But if you love your story then it’s worth sticking it out.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m reading Native Son by Richard Wright. It’s so far from what I write in terms of content but I believe you can find tools for your writing style in any work you pick up and read.

What’s next for you as a writer?
For me the next step is finishing “Becky” and working on the four sequels I have planned for 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?
Oh wow…
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Invisible Man
On Time by Morris Day

Author Websites and Profiles
Kokujin the Author Website

Rejoice Frank 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Rejoice have been writing ever since she knew how to write and she said she will continue to do that, according to her writing gives her joy, she quote ” there is nothing like bringing out imaginary characters into the world, because I believe everybody deserve a story”

She has written one book and she will be writing more with time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Colours

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if this is unusual, I found myself more comfortable with writing on a book with a pen than on a computer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Julie Garwood

What are you working on now?
On my nest book

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to complete the book I am presently working on

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 bride by Julie Garwood
Trouble with harry

 

William Jablonsky 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I’ve written four and a half. Published three: The Indestructible Man: Stories (Livingston Press, 2005); The Clockwork Man (Medallion Press, 2010 and republished in India and Croatia by Grey Oak and Skorpion); and Feral Boy Meets Girl: Stories (Unsolicited Press, 2020). Currently editing down a beast of a novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Feral Boy Meets Girl is a genre-bending collection of twelve stories that involve outsiders within their own communities, families, even intimate relationships–naturally, complicated by things like zombies, feral children, pookas, and parallel universes. Because that’s how I roll.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Every time I think I do, someone admits to something stranger. Writers are a quirky bunch. Dark roast coffee, Bela Fleck on the box (sometimes I’m in the mood for a little jazz), bucket hat on and tipped below one eye.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many. Steven Millhauser, Aimee Bender, Tim O’Brien, Flannery O’Connor (you cannot study short fiction without her), Kazuo Ishiguro, the mighty Saunders.

What are you working on now?
A novel about teenagers on the cusp of adulthood who suffer from a science-fictional disability that renders them periodically intangible, which mucks up their lives and interpersonal relationships in all the ways that might entail, and then some. Many hearts get broken.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Goodreads is great. I’m learning the wonders of Twitter as well. And of course, since I’m old, I have a Facebook account which I use to ply my tawdry wares.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Finishing that first draft is the hardest part. So do it. Power through. Write crap. You can make it not crap later.

The first draft teaches you how to write the second, the second teaches you how to write the third, and so on, and so on.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you want to write, find your audience, go where the love is.

What are you reading now?
Sequoia Nagamatsu’s excellent collection, Where We Go When All We Are Is Gone.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Tame the beast of a novel. Then start another novel, most likely involving zombies.

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?
Millhauser, We Others
Karen Russell, St. Lucy’s Home For Girls Raised By Wolves
Moore and Gibbons, Watchmen
A DIY book on surviving on a desert island

Author Websites and Profiles
William Jablonsky Amazon Profile
William Jablonsky Author Profile on Smashwords

William Jablonsky’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Erin Cisney 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born, raised and currently live in Lancaster, PA. I’ve been interested in poetry since I was a teenager and discovered Edgar Allen Poe and Sylvia Plath. I’m equally interested in science and my bachelor’s degree is in Biochemistry. Writing poetry is my main creative outlet and it’s been great to be able to share it through my first published collection, Anatomy Museum.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book Anatomy Museum was inspired by own experiences growing up and coming to terms with my own identity.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Laura Kasischke – Space, in Chains
Jean Valentine – Break the Glass
Ariel – Sylvia Plath

What are you working on now?
A folder of mismatched drafts that I re-write over and over. Looking for inspiration, but not chasing it. Trying to maintain a consistent writing schedule, but not torturing myself if I lapse. Being my best self, trying to pinpoint exactly what that means.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Twitter. I don’t know how well it’s been at promoting my book, but it’s been fun to connect with other poets.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Art is subjective. Take criticism graciously and considerately, but also remember why you write and stay true to that.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Writing autobiographical material in the third person can be helpful to view your work from an objective perspective.

What are you reading now?
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars. by Joyce Carol Oates

What’s next for you as a writer?
Still figuring that out. I love spontaneity, don’t like to have everything planned. (In other words, I do what I want).

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?
Rabbit, Run by John Updike
The Hike by Drew Magarey
Homie by Danez Smith
The Girlfriend Game by Nick Antosca

Author Websites and Profiles
Erin Cisney Website
Erin Cisney Author Profile on Smashwords

Erin Cisney’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Connor Bjotvedt 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written a number of unpublished books over the years, all dealing with themes of struggle, identity, addiction, and faith. As a former addict, my work does focus on underground topics and is very reflective of the life I have led; yet, conversely, I have also lived and worked as a missionary and my current work reflects a theological/ philosophical understanding of the world and global events.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My current book is titled, “A Contemporary Portrait of the Southwest.” The collection was inspired by the life I have led in the southwest and a number of lives that I have not lived. Often, my work can be considered “autobiographical,” yet this piece would be more akin to the moniker, “aspirationally autobiographical.” With this collection, I intended to shed light on the lives of those I have spent a lifetime loving and those I met through years of research and investigation.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, I write exclusively at night–pulling from notes compiled throughout the day. If there is a scrap piece of paper in my hand, wallet, pocket, mouth, etc., then there is surely some piece of verse or half-idea written on it. My poems are not traditionally composed but rather “found” throughout the day and later stitched together.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Two authors above all else inspired the style of writing that I have today: Jonathon Safran Foer and Richard Brautigan. However, their work is not really what inspired this collection. Instead, the music duo “Public Service Broadcasting” and the music genre DIY Punk really helped usher this collection into the world.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I have returned to my first love: Haiku. For the entirety of my career, I have joked that I paid a great deal for an education that has amounted to nothing more than 17-syllable poems–but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Personally, I use Linkedin to promote my work, but I have a number of alumni organizations that help spread the word on behalf of former colleagues and their work. You should never be afraid to advertise to your friends, family, and especially former classmates.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, write something that you are interested in–regardless of its perceived merit. You will most likely not publish the first thing you write, come to terms with that and pursue alternative projects while you continue to develop those original ideas and characters. Also, read everything you can get your hands on.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever received was from my mother. She said, “Do something you like right now because you’ll end up doing something you hate later on, anyway.” That push was enough to set me on the path I am on today.

What are you reading now?
Currently, I am reading a number of things (I am an English teacher these days).

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have no idea and for the first time in my life, I have no idea. I graduated quite quickly with my bachelor’s degree and even quicker with my master’s degree. I have never felt more intimidated by the prospect of authorship and writing in my life than I do right now, but that’s all a part of the fun, I guess.

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 Brian Friel’s play “Translations,” Richard Brautigan’s “Rommel Drives on Deep into Egypt,” “The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, & Issa (Essential Poets)” edited by Robert Hass, and either “Astoria” by Malena Morling or “Human Wishes” by Robert Hass or “Everything is Illuminated” by Jonathon Safran Foer.

Author Websites and Profiles
Connor Bjotvedt Website

Connor Bjotvedt’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Raki Kopernik 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a queer, Jewish writer. My most recent book is a short story collection called, The Things You Left (Unsolicited Press 2020), which is currently a 2021 Minnesota Book Award finalist. I also wrote an immigrant poetic memoir about my family called, The Memory House (The Muriel Press 2019), which was also a Minnesota Book Award finalist in 2020. And I have a transgender love story chapbook called, The Other Body (Dancing Girl Press 2017). I’m a fiction editor at MAYDAY and I live in Minneapolis with my wife, her ten year old daughter half time, and our cat Kiki.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Things You Left. I find a lot of inspiration for stories from my dreams, like magical prompts.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure it’s unusual, but I have a lot of semi finished books, stories, poems, and screenplays that I like to sometimes mix and match together when I feel like I need to create something new.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Etgar Keret’s magcial flash fiction, Aimee Bender, Jhumpa Lahiri, Jeanette Winterson, Diane di Prima, Maggie Nelson, Catherine Lacey, Laura van den Berg. One of my favorite books is Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters.

What are you working on now?
I just finished a magical realism novel about a girl traveling around Europe followed by the ghost of her ex-girlfriend, and am working on a screenplay adapted from one of my short stories.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Usually I do an email blast, Instagram, and Facebook. And then make flyers and tell all my friends to tell everyone they know!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t compromise your work. There’s room in the world for all of it.

What are you reading now?
Drive You Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

Author Websites and Profiles
Raki Kopernik Website
Raki Kopernik Amazon Profile

Raki Kopernik’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Michael Overa 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Michael Overa was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. After working as a writer-in-resident with Seattle’s Writers In the Schools (WITS) program, Michael transitioned to teaching composition at Shoreline Community College and Edmonds College. As a short story writer, Michael has published two collections of short stories, This Endless Road and The Filled In Spaces (both published by Unsolicited Press). He is currently at work on his first novel, Ain’t No Way Home. His stories have been published in The Portland Review, The Heartland Review, Crosscurrents, and East Bay Review, among others.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is a collection of inter-connected short stories called “This Endless Road.” I’ve always enjoyed road trips and stopping in small out-of-the-way places. I enjoy imagining what it might be like to live in different places, even if I’m only passing through.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I spend a lot of time thinking about stories before I start writing. Often, new story ideas begin while I’m suffering a bout of insomnia. Lying in bed, I begin to tell myself stories. I might create and recreate stories for a week or so before I put pen to paper.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Don Delillo’s book “The Body Artist” is one that I re-read on a regular basis, about once a year. I also enjoy a good deal of magic realism, although I rarely write it. Borges, Marquez, and Cortezar are regular sources of inspiration.

What are you working on now?
At present, I’m working on a novel about the 1990s music scene. I’m dating myself here, but I grew up in that music scene, and I have a good amount of nostalgia for the music and passion and creativity that young people brought to the city.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m always curious about finding new sources and methods for promoting books. I find that the best method is simply getting out and submitting work. I may be a curmudgeon, but I’m not very active on social media, so it’s not my regular go-to.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Write. Write. And then, drink coffee, read some books, and spend some time alone with your own thoughts.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Writing, like life, is not a competition. You’re not in competition with other writers. Do your work to the best of your ability.

What are you reading now?
I listen to a lot of audiobooks these days because I read a good deal as a writing instructor. Right now I’ve been listening to David Copperfield. I just finished White Fragility.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I think the next thing is usually the same: keep writing. I’m working through the third draft of the novel and looking forward to finding an agent. As someone who has published through a small press (Unsolicited Press), in the past, I’ve really loved the autonomy and agency that I’ve had. However, I would like to step up to the next level with the novel.

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?
Delillo’s “The Body Artist” for sure. Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” Harari’s “Sapiens” and a book about how to survive on a desert island.