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J.C. Allen 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So far, this is my first book. It’s fascinating to put my life experience into a medium that can help people.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Make A Payment: How to Decimate Credit Cards with Debt Consolidation to obtain Financial Peace of Mind. The inspiration comes from my experience in the financial services industry and realizing the need to educate people. It’s absolutely mind-blowing how many people don’t have a grip on their finances.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say anything about my writing is unusual other than I am a numbers guy, so this was by far a huge personal accomplishment for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In terms of my writing, not many, Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover, Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad, Ramit Sethi’s I’ll Teach You to be Rich.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a complimentary book to expand and dive deeper into many actionable areas for individuals struggling with finding their path to financial freedom.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since this is my first book, it’s hard to tell at this point which of the many strategies I have employed will pan out until more data is gathered.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s a huge adjustment. Just keep reminding yourself that time is like a direct deposit in the reverse that you can’t stop. So Do You!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My grandma once said, “If I am not learning something every day, I may as well be dead.”

What are you reading now?
Well, I haven’t finished The Fountainhead yet… it’s interesting so far.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Many more books, and just work on my mission of helping people.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I guess just give me the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit, the world-building from Tolkien is on another level

Author Websites and Profiles
J.C. Allen Website
J.C. Allen Amazon Profile

J.C. Allen’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Lisa Parrella 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an attorney/personal trainer/writer/editor/ and now, children’s book author. So far, I have written two children’s books. I made my first book on StoryJumper. It’s called, “Miss Quacky Cracks the Case.” It’s a simple little mystery featuring the world’s one and only “ducktective,” Miss Quacky. Miss Quacky was a blind duck that I owned for a number of years until she passed. I was so excited about actually having published a children’s book that I decided to write another one. But this time I made it far more professional – complete with editing/proofreading and a professional illustrator. I am working on another adventure book for Colonel Whiskers and Q-Tip (who were indeed real mini lop bunnies) and I’m working on a book featuring my new (well, new to me) goose, Cous-goose. I’m writing it for Cous’ former owners. I think its fun to see your very own dog/goose/duck/bunny featured in a book, so I write about the animals in my life (some current, some former) and in the lives of friends and family. I’m not looking to change lives, amass a gazillion followers, or get on the Bestseller list. I just like animals and believe they are an important part of our lives. And by writing little books about the animals I love, I get to entertain myself, and, hopefully, my readers.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Colonel Whiskers and the Great Farm Heist. Adventures of a Military Bunny.” I wrote the book as a gift for my son who is serving in the U.S. Airforce. Colonel Whiskers and Q-Tip were his mini lop bunnies, so I had the illustrator make the pictures look as much like them as possible. Then I threw in Miss Quacky, and my Doberman, Frankie, our neighbor’s dog, Fiona, plus our cat and one of my donkeys to round out the cast. Just to amuse myself, as a former mortgage lending lawyer, I made the plot involve a foreclosure scheme.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I’m not sure it’s a “habit,” but I write what I consider to be “adult children’s books.” I know these are picture books and they are simple stories, but I find myself throwing in inside jokes, puns and legal information aimed more at adults.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jane Austen. Sophie Kinsella. The best writer in the world, P.G. Wodehouse, Rex Stout, Agatha Christie (except where she talks about adoption). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I loved Black Beauty, Beautiful Joe (about an ugly dog), National Velvet.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on another military bunny adventure featuring Q-Tip and a book about Cous-Goose (Called, “Couscous a Most Extraordinary Goose”) for my friends who used to own Cous but gave her to us to save her from their goose-eating dog.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am hoping it will be you.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Don’t fall for all the baloney about self-publishing being “easy.”

What are you reading now?
I mostly listen to audiobooks now. I’m listening to a book by Stephanie Barron where Jane Austen is the detective. It’s fun and she throws in some historical information.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Ahh, no doubt it’s stardom! But I hope to improve my writing enough to write a cosy mystery.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Pride and Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, a Jeeves and Wooster book, and a Nero Wolfe book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lisa Parrella Amazon Profile

Wez Wallie 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am Wesley Wallie, Bushmaster of the 5th Highland Wallie Clan.

This is my first book. (Don’t get used to it!)

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Hitnan: A Tale of Blood and Canes”

Inspired by tales my grandmother used to tell me when she babysat me; this book wouldn’t be possible without all her super-secret stories about sneaking around London and assassinat – oops.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write from the reception waiting room of my local hospital A&E after I once read about “Da Vinci Code” author Dan Brown hanging upside down to cure writer’s block, and I tried to fit a gym bar across the top of my bedroom door to use on days when I struggle for inspiration.

Thank God I live in the UK with socialized healthcare or else I’d be broke and wouldn’t have got past Chapter 3.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dan Brown (see above; I should sue him really!)

Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” is a masterpiece, but admittedly, hardly a laugh-fest. I find I have to watch something funny on Youtube after reading a chapter of that book.

What are you working on now?
The follow-up to Hitnan – “The Hitnan Strikes Back!”

Also a novella about a psychotic chicken nugget (yes, really).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Good question – still figuring this out. Instagram ads and Amazon marketing so far.

Also, standing on the top row of a double decker bus and screaming into a megaphone about how my book is so great and everyone should buy a copy. (Strangely, I always end up back in A&E after that. But hey, at least I can write some more chapters there!)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
No because I am a new author myself.

Perhaps, putting the money into having your cover properly designed is crucial. An amateur will never be able to do better than a professional. (Especially true when it comes to being a Pilot!)

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never operate a George Foreman grilling machine with wet fingers.

What are you reading now?
The second draft of the second chapter of my second book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Too early to say. There may not be a “next” if this doesn’t take off!

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?
Only need one: “How to Escape a Desert Island Using Just One Book”

Maybe I’d bring along another 3 copies, if only to burn for the fire or if I get the squits in the middle of the night.

Author Websites and Profiles
Wez Wallie Website
Wez Wallie Amazon Profile

 

Chantal Bellehumeur 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Canadian author born in 1981.
I’ve been composing stories ever since I knew how to write. My parents kept all the little books I created as a child.
Although I continued writing as a teen and young adult, I didn’t actually consider publishing anything until a friend of mine told me I should.
I currently have 18 published books of various genres as well as numerous short stories, memoirs, poems, and articles featured in compilation books, eMagazines, plus a local newspaper.
I’ve also written a few articles relating to Ulcerative Colitis because I was diagnosed with the digestive illness back in 2009.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’ve been writing so many short stories back to back lately. They have mainly been inspired by life itself, although I did write a fantasy one recently called ‘Walking Through a Painting” which came to me in a dream.
The book I published in March called “I’ll Take You to See the Ocean” was inspired by a trip I took to the Magdalen Islands with my family back in 2017. A lot of my travels end up inspiring new stories.
My latest, “Hidden Secrets,” was originally supposed to be set in Victorian times since I love that era. But, as I started writing everything changed.
I just go with the flow. Sometimes, my characters will completely take over.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get so involved in my writing that I sometimes forget to eat which is weird because I am normally eating every two hours or so. I just don’t see the time fly by when I am working on a story.
Also, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea and go to the computer to fix paragraphs or add to my stories.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Although I love reading, I can’t say that any particular book or author influenced me in my own writing.

What are you working on now?
I’ve been writing short stories and memoirs for an online magazine called Mom’s Favorite Reads eMagazine. The diverse issues come out on the first of every month and become FREE to download on Amazon and other platforms within a few days.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I still haven’t quite figured that your yet.
When I publish something new, I’ll post the information on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Linkedin. I also looks for book websites that can help me promote my work. Since I write as a hobby rather then for the money, I try to offer my work for free or as cheap as possible so it’s accessible to readers. I have no budget for publicity which makes it harder to promote.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write for the pure enjoyment of it, first and foremost.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write for yourself first.

What are you reading now?
By the time you read this, I will already be reading something new. I always have a new book to read or a story of my own to review.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I write as a hobby. I find the process very therapeutic, and the fact that others are interested in reading my work gives me extra motivation. I will continue writing short stories as long as there are people who wish wish to read them.

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 tough question. There are so many great books out there. I don’t tend to read the same one twice.

Author Websites and Profiles
Chantal Bellehumeur Website
Chantal Bellehumeur Amazon Profile
Chantal Bellehumeur Author Profile on Smashwords

Chantal Bellehumeur’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Aaron Li 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
500. When I was a child, I wrote a ton of 2 paged stories and kept an entire bookshelf full of those books. The longest book I wrote was about Minecraft. It had drawings, kinda’ve like a wiki page. It had 20 something pages.
But I’ve technically written 2. My first one was about quantum physics, that didn’t go well. My second one was a fiction book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Closed Eyes. I’m naturally inspired, I just like writing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Probably many, but I can’t think of any.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Holes and the Giver were very memorable.

What are you working on now?
Another book called Infernal Autumn, but not sure if it will ever be published. You can see it here: www.wattpad.com/1068100898-infernal-autumn-inferno

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Instagram. Just follow and repeat. I have a course online that explains that for free: businessschoolaaron.thinkific.com/courses/tips-from-webinars-for-free.
It needs some touch work.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Marketing is hard. Kindlepreneur probably has the best advice on the internet.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Being lonely, the best advice I heard was from myself. The best advice don’t come from ordinary people, they only come from intelligent people.

What are you reading now?
My book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Try and get my book published, and then chill. I don’t want money. I want viewers to teach the world.

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 obvious answer is survival books. If all information is specified and I’m ready to go, I’ll take The Giver or Holes.

Author Websites and Profiles
Aaron Li Website
Aaron Li Amazon Profile

Aaron Li’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Kyle Bernier 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an artist, creator, designer, counselor, researcher, and lazy person. I’ve dabbled in pretty much any creative pursuit you can think of, but my current focus is on my writing and printmaking. My book, “Lazy Creativity” is my first attempt at a book. It’s a self-help (emphasis on the ‘self’ part) in the sense that I wrote it as a reminder for me to make room for creativity in my life. We all have limited time, resources, and energy, so it can be challenging making space to create. I also believe it’s one of the most important things we can do in life. It adds color to the pages.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Lazy Creativity: The Art of Owning your Creativity. In my work as an art therapist and artist, I’ve seen firsthand the benefits of creativity and the value add it is in our lives. On one hand, creativity is an escape from our problems. It allows us to focus on something more positive for a change instead of our usual stressors. On the other hand, creativity is a way to push through our problems. It allows us to process our messy day-to-day lives while creating something meaningful. I’m constantly inspired by the creators I’m surrounded by who don’t consider themselves to be creative. In fact, those are my favorite inspirations!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I talk about this in my book, but I find time in the cracks of my day to write. If I have an idea, I’ll take a few minutes to frantically write down everything I can about it. Most of it is crap, but sometimes there are golden nuggets. Additionally, I, like many writers, I think, am a nocturnal creature. I create some of my best work, whether that be writing or other creative pursuits, after the sun goes down. I’m not a vampire, I promise. Evenings are when the ‘noise’ quiets down a bit and I’m able to get into the flow. Overall I’d say it’s about a 50/50 split between the more intentional evening writing sessions and the rapid and frantic writing I do during the busy day.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My biggest author influence is Jenny Lawson who fearlessly writes about her own life story and struggles. She opens up about her anxiety and how it is a constant factor she lives with. As someone who lives with anxiety as well, I related to her openness and vulnerability, as well as her courage and persistence. She’s great – look her up!

What are you working on now?
I always have a few things in the works. Right now, I’m putting together ideas for a couple different books, including a follow-up to Lazy Creativity. I’ve always wanted to write a horror book and have a few ideas I’d love to build on. Another project of mine is my website which I hope to turn into a creative community for people who want to share and celebrate their creativity. Oh, and I’m always working on a new print. Right now I’m pretty big into copper plate drypoint printing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method to promote your book is starting with what and who you know. If you can get your inner circles excited and motivated, that can grow to wider audiences. The first person you need to sell, however, is yourself. Believe in your book and then give it the respect and attention it deserves. Once that happens, promote the hell out of it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep track of all your ideas. You never know when one of those will turn into something bigger. Write them down, tell people about them, and hold onto them for dear life. If an idea sticks with you, expand on it. Research. Research. Research. Keep building on the idea until it takes on a life of its own.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I was told once to allow myself to be bored. Boredom leads to ideas. I write about this in my book as well.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and literature for my next projects.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next book is expanding on the concept of Ugly Creativity. In the meantime, I’m hoping to write some short stories and create a picture 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?
Calm, The Book of Hygge, Bored and Brilliant

Author Websites and Profiles
Kyle Bernier Website
Kyle Bernier Amazon Profile

 

Lydia Guleva 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My life is a crossbreed of a disaster documentary and a thriller. I moved a lot and often until I finally settled in my sixth country. Things eventually calmed down… sort of. Come on, I can’t have a peaceful life. I have to, at least, get a fixer-upper from hell with neighbors that keep things interesting. If I go a whole month without my foot going through the floor or an old, intoxicated lady asking me if I want a dead cat in a box (there was no dead cat. She hallucinated it), then it won’t be my life.

I have wanted to be a writer since I was little, but moving countries and changing languages made me think I couldn’t. That’s until I learned about those wonderful people called editors. Now I have a giant pile of first drafts and am slowly getting them edited and released. I’m currently on my third novel release.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is How to Steal a Kingdom. It’s the result of things getting out of hand with the original plan for the Doctors Without Boundaries series. It was supposed to be inspired by a love story in an app game, but by this point, it went so off the rails that I can’t say anything concrete inspired it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do most of my writing and editing on the phone now. It wasn’t always this way, but having a kid changed that. The only way I can get anything done is by stealing a few minutes here and there, no matter where I am. Since my phone is always with me, that’s where all the magic happens.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
For this specific series, it was an app game (Lovestruck) that influenced the first book. After that, characters took over and wrote themselves.

What are you working on now?
I’m editing book 4, All Roads Lead to Christmas. It’s a novel about a road engineer who, unbeknown to her, starts dating a lord and a general from a parallel dimension. To make matters worse, it turns out that the guy is friends with her brothers, which she finds out about minutes before being dragged into this brave new world.

To her horror, she finds out that the world that has magic is lacking in the Christmas department. Now she must bring Christmas into this world, build roads to deliver gifts to all the children, and convince her brother that she can figure out herself who she should and shouldn’t date.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like working with other authors so we can rise together.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find a group that’s willing to help each other. I learned so much about covers, blurbs, and active marketing from others. That’s years of experience working for a brand new author.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Books are like cupcakes. Bake them often. Decorate them well. Perfect your recipe.

What are you reading now?
There’s never a book I’m “currently reading” unless I’m reading it at that moment because I must finish it the same day or I won’t be able to sleep. I am making it through a mile-long TBR list made up of urban fantasy romance though.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Slavic Mythology Cr… well… I didn’t come up with the title for the next series yet, but it’s about gods and spirits from Slavic mythology. And of course, I will continue Doctors Without Boundaries 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?
The notebook. And by the notebook, I mean the laptop.

There are very few books I would consider rereading because to me that’s a thoroughly spoiled book. I can revisit how-to books because I forget things, but with fiction, I prefer reading something new every time. So, at the moment it would be the next four books on my TBR list. I don’t know if I can recommend any of them because I have never read them.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lydia Guleva Website
Lydia Guleva Amazon Profile

siva rama krishna kotra 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Twenty two ebooks and paper backs of this author are available in all Amazon websites which comprise twenty romantic, suspense and psychological thrillers ‘A Mansion Of Illusions (1,17,731 Words)’, ‘A village, a forest and an old mansion (1,13,049 Words)’, ‘Chasing butterflies (1,11,211 Words)’ ‘Across the river…under the bridge (1,02,739 Words)’, ‘Enna (1,03,119 Words)’ ‘Strawberry (1,11,700 Words)’ ‘Amaswitha (1,51,618 Words)’, ‘Sasikala (1,09,423 Words)’ ‘Just Relax! (1,15,793 Words)’, ‘ House of Delusions (1,18,530 Words)’ ‘Lovenest (50,565 Words)’, ‘Moonshine (51,427 Words)’ ‘Nirupama (51,675 Words)’, ‘Scarecrow (52,226 Words)’ ‘Rose Garden (62, 284 Words)’, ‘Dusk (53,856 Words)’, ‘Rain Flower (53,139 Words)’ along with a short stories book ‘Sand Dunes (24,973 Words), Half Opened Doors (1,23,600 words), ‘rustle In The leaves (3,52,000 words)’. The other two are non-fiction books ‘Body, Mind And You (16,533 Words)’ and ‘English Grammar Simplifier (18,436 Words)’. The total word count of all these books is more than 20,00,000 (twenty lakhs).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
rustle In The leaves with a word count of 3,52,000. It is a prequel to the books Amaswitha, Sasikala. I have an idea to write a prequel and nothing specifically inspired me.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t want my books to be edited by anyone. I do my own editing. I don’t have the feeling that I wrote the book if someone else edits my books. I don’t like even my family members know or read my book until it is published

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Arthur Haily-Evening news, Wilbur Smith-Seventh Scroll and Irving Wallace-Seven Minutes

What are you working on now?
I am just thinking to write but not working on anything

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep going on writing first for yourself and then for the readers. I do write my books for my enjoyment first.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be patient and keep going on

What are you reading now?
Not anything

What’s next for you as a writer?
reading 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?
Evening News, Seventh Scroll and Seven Minutes

 

siva rama krishna kotra’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Cryptic Nightmares 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Im a 34 year old american author, I have written multiple short stories posted on reddit but have one published anthology book with 7 of my short stories called “Shadows of my Mind” and one published novel called “My Tiny Town Just Got Put on Lockdown” Im also currently working on another novel in that series called “The Study”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest fully finished and published book is “My Tiny Town Just Got Put on Lockdown.” The initial idea for the story came from the first few weeks of covid. Typically at work I listen to books on audible or creepy stories narrated from reddit on Youtube. One day after listening to random story after story play on Youtube I thought, you know I bet I could write a scary story. That night I was talking to my wife explaining my desire to try and write a story. Her suggestion was that I try to do something involving the pandemic and even though my story has nothing to do with it I took her suggestion and began writing about the lockdown side of the situation. It was originally just going to be a few short story parts posted to reddit’s nosleep but then I just kept going with it. Eventually I ended up with just over 90k words and 20 chapters and realized that I had written a full length novel. Because of how well received that book was I decided to turn it into a series and am working on the second book in the series currently. I named the novel series Effluvium Haze and will eventually be a 3 book series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure how unusual this is but I find that I focus and write the best when I turn off all the lights, put my headphones on to block out everything else in the house as well as blast my EDM, and type away on the computer. It seems like even if I’m not particularly in the mood to write, once I get all that set up I find the groove within a couple sentences.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The two stories or books that have influenced me the most have been The Left/Right Game by Neon Tempo and Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend. Other influences in my particular writing style have been Dean Koontz for how much detail and description he puts in his books and lots of various other authors of short stories from reddit.

What are you working on now?
Currently I am working on book 2 in my Effluvium Haze series (Tiny Town) called The Study which is an early look at the same event from Tiny Town but from the perspective of a research scientist in Florida. My Tiny Town Just Got Put on Lockdown follows a midwest family doing their best to survive a situation they had no warning of. The Study follows a research scientist in Florida as him and his team discover a terrifying apocalyptical event just as it begins to happen.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly I don’t have one. I do my best to promote my books on my facebook, and twitter, and mostly my twitch channel but my influence reach isn’t very far so it’s not as effective as I’d like it to be.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Details! Lots of details! Play to your readers senses to make them feel like they are in the moment. Details make all the difference in excitement and quality. It can turn “I walked into a room and saw a candle sitting on a table.” into “The smell of rot and decay hit me hard as I stepped into the dimly lit room. The soft amber flicker of the candle resting on the desk was the only thing illuminating the darkness.”

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Remove all distractions. Distractions are like kryptonite to your writing flow so avoid them at all costs. Being in the groove of writing can be completely destroyed by even the shortest distraction, so avoid them at all costs.

What are you reading now?
Currently I’m re-reading Seize The Night by Dean Koontz. I was a teenager last time a read it so I wanted to go back and read it again.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Next I hope to finish this book and get started on the third and final book in that series. Then who knows, I might start a completely different series, or just do stand alone novels. We will see when the time comes.

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?
Dante’s Inferno (because I’ve always wanted to read it.)
How to survive on a desert island (seems appropriate for the situation)
Intensity by Dean Koontz

Author Websites and Profiles
Cryptic Nightmares Amazon Profile

W.D. Kilpack III 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been published in print, online, radio and television, starting with my first publication credit at the age of nine for an award-winning poem. As an adult, I received special recognition from L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest. I have been editor and/or publisher of nineteen news and literary publications, both online and in print, with circulations as high as 770,000.

I received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Westminster College of Salt Lake City. As an undergrad, I double-majored in communication and philosophy, while completing the Honors Program. As a graduate student, I earned a master of professional communication with a writing emphasis. I was also a high-performing athlete, qualifying for international competition in Greco-Roman wrestling.

I am a communication professor and a nationally recognized wrestling coach. I am happily married to my high-school sweetheart and am father to five children, as well as helping to raise five step-children. I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he continues to live, coach and teach.

I have published two novels, the first two in the New Blood Saga. Book one is called Crown Prince, the second is called Order of Light.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The New Blood Saga was inspired by a dream I kept having for months where I would wake up in tears. I knew that I would have to write something around that story. When I started writing, however, I realized that it would take more than one book to achieve the same level of emotional impact. So I thought it would be a trilogy. When I reached three books, I hadn’t even gotten to the most important part of the dream yet, so it became six books. In the end, it’s an eight-book series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know how unusual this is, but I read my stuff to my wife at night. She calls them her bedtime stories. So she gets to know the characters about as well as I do. She’ll speak up when she thinks that a character wouldn’t do or say something. She also has some very visceral responses to villains in my books. Just saying a name can get a reflexive hate response from her. I love that. It tells me that I’m doing something right.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Homer, Tolkien, Brooks, Donaldson, Martin, Jordan, Eddings, Anthony, Holdstock, Adams, Norman, Shakespeare, Aristotle, Frost. In my opinion, every fantasy novel is a repackaging of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Tolkien, of course, brought it to another level. Brooks, Donaldson, Martin, Jordan, Eddings, and Holdstock all had significant impacts in fantasy that changed the direction it’s headed.

What are you working on now?
My goal is for the next book in the New Blood Saga to come out each year in time for Christmas. I failed in that goal for book two, which taught me a lot. So I’m putting in more work on books 3+ to try to make the publication process more streamlined. Pretty much, the work that was being crammed into a short time frame is being spread out. That and promoting the saga is taking up my time right now.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook and, surprisingly, LinkedIn. The former was a no-brainer. I have a lot of connections with friends and family. LinkedIn came as a lark. I had an account for years, but did very little with it. Then I just decided to put more focus there, and have had shocking results. I’ve been interviewed on podcasts and blogs, thanks to connections on LinkedIn. A big book reviewer in India came across me on LinkedIn and wrote a five-star review. I literally now have hundreds of connections in India. The review has got to be the source.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write. Get it in front of as many people as you can. When I was in college, I would ask total strangers to read a story I wrote, because I thought they would be more honest. I was right. Just keep going, develop a thick skin, and listen to the feedback you receive.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Abraham Lincoln: “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”

Ferdinand Foch at the Battle of the Marne, World War I: “Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I am attacking.”

Albert Einstein: “We can’t solve the significant problems of our time by using the same thinking we had when these problems were created.”

What are you reading now?
Rereading the Lord of the Rings for the seventh (eight?) time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep working on the New Blood Saga, then branch out into other books I’ve written. I have a bullpen of sci-fi and fantasy just begging to be enjoyed.

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?
Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sunset Warrior by Eric Van Lustbader.

Author Websites and Profiles
W.D. Kilpack III Website
W.D. Kilpack III Amazon Profile

W.D. Kilpack III’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Amber Branch 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Amazon author and award-winning writer, Amber Branch, is a mom, wife, entrepreneur and brand ambassador. There is not much she won’t do or try.

Her drive and determination are what push her through to succeed. She is a modern-day Renaissance woman. Her passion for writing formed at a very early age. She has been writing limericks and short stories since she learned to write.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics/Technical Communication from the University of North Texas. She worked for several years in corporate America as a Technical Writer. The Lyrical Journal of Sapphire Rhymes: Tear-dropped stained confessions, is her debut poetry collection and prequel to Becoming a Beautiful Articulate Person: The genesis of transformation.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Lyrical Journal of Sapphire Rhymes: Tear-drop Stained Confessions
(new edition)

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I consistently wake up around 4:oo in the morning. I normally can’t go back to sleep until I write something in my journal.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a child, I was influenced by Dr. Suess and Shel Silverstein. As I got older, Maya Angelou heavily influenced me as a writer and a poet.

What are you working on now?
I am working on launching and promoting my current book The Lyrical Journal of Sapphire Rhymes (as well as launching some other brand merchandise — stay tuned).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like promoting on Instagram and of course Awesome Gang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be afraid to tell your story — the good, the bad, even the raunchy moments. You never know who needs to read it. Our stories may be different but they unite us all as beautiful articulate people.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“God cannot use you if you are perfect. Let Him use your imperfections to inspire others” (from my grandmother).

What are you reading now?
Gideon by Priscilla Shirer

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep writing and inspiring. In my next book, I plan to step away from poetry for a moment and focus more on telling my side of my health battles and being a COVID-19 survivor.

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 Lyrical Journal of Sapphire Rhymes” by Amber Branch
“Becoming a Beautiful Articulate Person” by Amber Branch
The Holy Bible
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou

Author Websites and Profiles
Amber Branch Website
Amber Branch Amazon Profile

Amber Branch’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account