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James P. Sumner 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I've been writing since 2013, and have self-published 21 books — 15 novels and 6 short stories/novels. I write mainly in the thriller genre, although I have published 1 novel in the YA Fantasy genre, just to be different!

I have three main series — Adrian Hell (a deadly assassin with a dark sense of humour… think Die Hard meets Deadpool), GlobaTech (about an elite unit of operatives working for a private security firm), and Roach (a man trying to outrun his deadly past).

While the series stand on their own merits, they collectively form the "Thrillerverse", an interconnected story world in which all the series are set. Along with their own stories, there is an underlying story that links them.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is Critical Strike, which is due for release December 21, 2021. It's actually my first crossover event — a large-scale story featuring all the characters from my thriller series. It's basically my version of the Avengers! It's been the biggest book I've ever written, in terms of word count and the sheer scope of the story itself.

It's the culmination of three years of storytelling across all my series — something I've been planning and building toward for a long time.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to listen to a specific type of music called Binaural Beats. This is typically instrumental meditation music that is designed to trigger certain brainwaves. For example, I listen to one that triggers theta waves to help me sleep, as they are the frequency your brain functions at when you're sleeping. I listen to tracks that trigger alpha waves while I'm working, as that's the frequency for heightened concentration and productivity. I think they help…

That, and coffee!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lee Child is the king of my genre, and it's hard not to look to him as the benchmark. I've also met him a couple of times and spoken with him, and he's a lovely guy. Definitely an inspiration.

The book that made me want to start writing was "Lethal People" by John Locke. It was unlike any typical thriller I'd ever read up until that point, and it showed me I didn't have to follow convention to tell the stories I felt I needed to tell.

What are you working on now?
Having just finished writing Critical Strike, I'm taking a couple of weeks off! However, I am storyboarding the next six thrillers I intend writing, across all my series and including another crossover. That way, I can hit the ground running when I'm ready for a new project.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As a long term strategy, self-publishing authors must embrace Facebook and Amazon (AMS) ads. I'm far from a master of them, but I've been doing them for a number of years now, and I sell enough books to replace the need for a full-time job, so I'll consider that a victory.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Set up a mailing list and promote it in your books. Your own list of readers should be your first port of call when promoting yours books.

Also, join writing groups on Facebook and get to know your fellow authors. Whatever question you might have, I can guarantee someone will have already experienced the same problem and found the answer.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It's not necessarily related to writing, but probably the best piece of advice I was ever given was to invest in myself and prioritise your own future. In doing so, I picked up the following anecdotes:

– Set your own goals and plan to achieve them. One at a time. Life isn't a race. your only competition is yourself.
– Having money makes you rich, but having time makes you wealthy. You work to live, you don't live to work. Working for yourself should mean you work hard, but also that you should take some of the freedom it affords you to enjoy your life.

What are you reading now?
I don't actually read all that much. As I'm quite a visual storyteller, my novels tend to focus on dialogue and action, rather than narrative. As such, I find movies and TV shows tend to give me more as a writer than reading books does. A well-written show tells a compelling story through dialogue, which is what I take more inspiration from.

That said, when I do read, it's typically comics or graphic novels — for the same reason.

What’s next for you as a writer?
"Phase 1" of my Thrillerverse stories will be complete when Critical Strike is released, so the storyboarding I'm doing now is setting up "Phase 2". I need to plan out the direction each individual series needs to go in next, while also build toward them coming together again.

A writer's work is never done!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
"Killing Floor" by Lee Child (one of the best thrillers I've ever read)
"Punisher MAX" by Garth Ennis (a graphic novel)
"True Conviction" by me! (to remind me of everything I've achieved)

Author Websites and Profiles
James P. Sumner Website
James P. Sumner Amazon Profile
James P. Sumner Author Profile on Smashwords

James P. Sumner’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Jess Blenkarn 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Jess Blenkarn and I am a 22-year-old author from Southern Ontario focused generally on science fiction and mystery. I wrote and self-published my first book at the age of 15 and haven’t stopped writing since. I wrote and self-published a total of 3 books, called “Irrefutable Annihilation”, “Soul Survivor”, and “West of Dawn”, but in 2021, World Castle Publishing professionally published my 4th book, called “The Sixth Book”.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “The Sixth Book”. It was actually inspired by a dream I had about a series of books that predicted the future. I then cut all the dragons and three-headed dogs out of that dream to create the book that I know and love today.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not actually sure if this is unusual, but I sure find it unusual: my first draft is usually 95% the same as the published version. I do small grammatical errors, but even in my professionally published book, the final version is basically the same as the final version, at least plot and character-wise.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Agatha Christie is probably the biggest influence on me as a writer! Yes, she writes whodunit murder mysteries most of the time, which is different from what I write, but her tremendous success as a writer is what I aspire to achieve every single day.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently finishing my last two semesters at the University of Waterloo while working part-time, so apart from promoting my latest book and writing a short story in my Creative Writing class, I am not working on any new writing at the moment. I am, however, in the process of coming up with a new idea so I can write my 5th book in the summer of 2022 after I graduate!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Promotion is quite difficult. I use my own website regularly, and then try to promote my work and my blogs on my social media accounts. I really rely on my connections and my friends and family to help promote my work.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. I know it is cliche but a million people will tell you to give up, and you have to tell them that you never will. No matter how long it takes you to write that first page, no matter how many rejection letters you receive, you can’t stop trying. Remind yourself how much you love writing and the rest will all fall into place. But that will never happen if you give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In grade 11, my Writer’s Craft teacher taught us to write what we know. She said that when we can write from the heart, we can truly change our readers’ lives. And she was right. Some of my most inspired work has come from writing about what I know – whether it be a situation close to home, or about a character based on someone I know, or about a simple feeling I can express in 80,000 words.

What are you reading now?
I am currently finishing up “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”. It is truly a great book and I highly recommend checking it out!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I don’t quite know what’s next for me. I know for the next five or six months my focus is on finishing my degree while promoting my existing books, and then after that, it will certainly shift to focusing on writing my next book. In the long term, I hope to continue writing before and after work every single day as I try to make a career out of my writing one day!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. This is my all time favourite book and I could re-read it a million times over without being bored.
2. “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. Another classic. I don’t even know why I love this book so much, but it is just such an easy read with so much depth to it!
3. “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris. This is a great book, but it only makes the list because I’m like 3/4 through it, and it would kill me not to know how it ends!

Author Websites and Profiles
Jess Blenkarn Website
Jess Blenkarn Amazon Profile
Jess Blenkarn Author Profile on Smashwords

Jess Blenkarn’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Anthony Signorelli 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a hobby author and that has led to 6 books published so far–all nonfiction. Recently, I made the plunge into full time authoring.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Consent Is Not Enough: What Men Need to Know in a #MeToo World. IT was inspired by a lot of time in groups with men who were discussing, and in some cases struggling with, the #MeToo movement.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Pretty straightforward. I write during the day.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Most recently, Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. Other examples are Re-Visioning Psychology, by James Hillman, all the books by C.G. Jung, and The Origins of Totalitarianism, by Hannah Arendt.

What are you working on now?
A book outlining a proposed amendment to the US Constitution, as well a book titled What Is Postcapitalism?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still learning this. I’m a prolific writer, but not as good at promotion. So far, Medium is helpful.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Persistence matters more than anything.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From a writing perspective, it has to be: Write every day no matter what. Stephen King is the most recent place I read that.

What are you reading now?
I am reading extensively on the history of dictatorship and fascism… trying to figure out if we might be going there as a nation.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing, and then more writing!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I think if I could only have 3-4 books, I might leave them on the beach and swim as far as I could until I could not swim anymore. What’s the point of having only 3-4 books while stranded on the island?

Author Websites and Profiles
Anthony Signorelli Website
Anthony Signorelli Amazon Profile

Anthony Signorelli’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Lyndi Allison 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As a tween, Lyndi walked miles to borrow books from the bookmobile and found quiet places to read them. Now she writes stories for young readers and helps other writers with their writing projects.

A retired high school teacher, mother of three adult children, and community youth volunteer, Lyndi moved with her husband to Panama where she hosts writing workshops, tours and retreats in nature and at Tranquilo Retreat. Often ideas come to her as she walks the beach and hikes in the mountains.

Lyndi has written a few books and published two, The Lines Between Our Stars and The Bridges Between Us. The Clashing Of Our Worlds, the third book in The Summer Triangle Trilogy releases November 15, 2021

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Clashing of Our Worlds, Book 3 in The Summer Triangle Trilogy releases November 15, 2021.
While stargazing around a campfire, many children and teens shared the grief they carried. Lyndi was struck by how challenging it is to help youth who grieve and was inspired to write the Summer Triangle Trilogy.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Even though I tell my muse I’d like to write at 3:00 pm, my muse tends to wake me at 3:00 am.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a huge Madelaine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time, C.S. Lewis, Narnia, and Rae Knightly, Alien Skills Series fan. But these are just a few writer who I like to hang out with.

What are you working on now?
Now that I’ve complete The Summer Triangle Trilogy, I’ve begun researching and writing The Winter Triangle Series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Marketing is a whole new area for me so I am asking authors what has worked for them. You can find some of their answers on my blog at my Tranquilo Retreat website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read and write all you can, listen to other author’s process and journey, and write using your own unique voice. No one can tell a story the way you can.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
For every author who gives advice saying not to write a certain way there is a published author who is writing that way.

What are you reading now?
I am reading young adult science fiction/fantasy authors and well, a little bit of everything.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I live and write adventurously pausing to share my writing passion with aspiring writers. This is me. This is now. This is ongoing.

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?
It’s rather cruel to limit me to 3-4 books but if I must say it would be:

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
Ben Archer And The Cosmic Fall, by Rae Knightly
Contact, by Carl Sagan

Author Websites and Profiles
Lyndi Allison Website
Lyndi Allison Amazon Profile

Lyndi Allison’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Phil M. Shirley 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Stoke-on-Trent, in the North of England, and grew up there. I am a former sportswriter and the author of nine books, including The Soul of Boxing, which was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. I live on the Isle of Dogs in East London.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Body in the Freezer. It’s a short novel about a depressed guy called Boyd who gets himself into all kinds of trouble while trying to impresss his psychopathic and sexually depraved girlfriend. The story was inspired by a true life BBC documentary about a human body parts business.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure if it’s unusual or not, but I rarely have an ending worked out. I tend to go with the flow of the story.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Cormac McCarthy, Sam Shepherd…

What are you working on now?
The Rivers That Run Through Us – a collection of (joined up) surreal stories set in the Isle of Dogs.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, finish! Just write it and finish it, and fine-tune later. Perfection = procrastination.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write it and finish it, and fine-tune later.

What are you reading now?
Estuary: Out from London to the Sea by Rachel Lichtenstein.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A short novel, Three Days in Thirty-Nine.
Based on a true story.
I co-wrote the screenplay for a US film production company, which optioned the original manuscript.

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?
Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea.
Cormac McCarthy, All The Pretty Horses.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, The Wheel of Life

 

Maricla Pannocchia 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Italy and I’ve written three books in Italian, all about social causes, and my first YA novel in English, “Letters from Afghanistan”, who has been released on September 11th 2021. I’ve chosen to make the novel downloadable for free to encourage as many people as possible to read it due to the topics it tackles. I want to use my passion and talent to make the world a better place through my writing and to inspire other people to play their part in improving our world.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a YA, coming-of-age story called “Letters from Afghanistan”. I am not sure what inspired me. I remember writing the first draft in Italian about 5 years ago when of course I didn’t have a clue about the situation Afghanistan is sadly facing right now. I’ve always written about social causes and I want my books to inspire and inform people and help them build a mindset which will allow them to work towards the goal of a global world and to join hands with others in the effort. We all know Afghanistan has been an harsh country, especially for girls, way before this last happenings so, when I wanted to tell this story, I decided to set it in Afghanistan but the country incorporates all the other countries where human rights are violated as well.

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

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t think I have been influenced by some particular authors or books. I can say I love reading classic novels, real life stories and books which talk about other countries and cultures.

What are you working on now?
I’m not working on any project right now because I am pretty busy but a new story is always on the back of my mind. What I want to do is to travel, now that the world is slowly re-opening, and to connect with people living in other countries. I want to talk with them, write their stories and make their voices heard so to encourage a mindset based on the celebration of diversity and on mutual respect instead than on division and individualism. I have a couple of stories in my mind but as I’ve recently come back from Morocco and I’m planning to travel to other countries, including a refugee camp with an Italian NGO, I’m pretty sure I’ll find inspiration for my next books travelling around the world.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Goodreads a lot and then I use Instagram to contact people who have profiles who somehow show an interest in books. I then kindly ask them if they’d like a free copy of the PDF in exchange of an honest review and many of them accept.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t assume that, once the book is done, the work is finished. That is when the work actually starts since today every person can publish a book, the tricky part is to get readers to know about it and to buy it. This is especially true if you are not known yet and you don’t have much money to invest in publicity. The most important thing, though, it’s to write something that comes from your heart. Find your own voice and don’t be afraid to put it out there.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I don’t know, I don’t think I’ve ever got any good advice yet. I’ve learned what I know about the publishing industry simply publishing my books and that goes for Italy. I’m still not sure how things work in other countries since I didn’t have to rely on that to make “Letters from Afghanistan” downloadable.

What are you reading now?
I just started the book “Ghosts: Despatch from Cambodia” by Tiziano Terzani. Cambodia is one of the most fascinating countries to me and I really look forward to its re-opening to international travellers. I also mentor two teenagers living in the capital and we talk with each other through email and Skype (not too different from the main characters of “Letters from Afghanistan”, which talk through email first and letters later). I plan to go there and spend quite a lot of time in the country and of course to meet these kids in person.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Who knows? As I’ve mentioned I’ve got quite a lot of ideas in my mind but I guess I’ll have to wait and see what I’ll write next. I really hope, though, I’ll be able to reach more and more people and I also hope my books will help them to step forward and make positive changes in their lives and in the lives of others. Some readers told me that, after reading “Letters from Afghanistan”, they got their eyes opened and will now do their best to help others. That is true success to me.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I don’t know. I would bring a couple of classics, a true story and then one or two lighter books, just to relax and unwind.

Author Websites and Profiles
Maricla Pannocchia Website

Maricla Pannocchia’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile