http://awesomegang.com

Where Awesome Book Readers Meet Awesome Writers

1. Pibbin the Small - Adventure, mystery, and wild creatures all play a part in Gloria Repp's many books for children. She grew up in the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Northwest, and it was there she learned a love for wilderness that pervades her stories. Interspersed with the years spent raising her three children and writing books, she taught creative writing and worked as an editor. These days, she takes every chance she gets to explore the forests in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, and at the same time, she’s plotting the next story in her frog-fiction for young readers, TALES OF FRIENDSHIP BOG.
   
2. The History of Veggies (An Ed the Dragon Book) - I am a writer, illustrator, graphic designer and a mom. I've lived in various places across the country but currently my heart is in the Bay Area. I have two sweet children, two dogs and a mini-cactus named spike. In my free time (ha ha ha), I like to read books, jog slowly, cook badly and sleep rarely.
   
3. Rev Up Your Metabolism After 40: How to Reshape, Revitalize & Rejuvenate Your Body with the 7-Day Ageless Beauty Detox System - Amy Grams is a Nutrition Educator and Coach and founder of Nutrition-Accomplished.com. She specializes in helping women over 40 who want to rev up their metabolism, relieve stress and revitalize their bodies and their lives. Amy spent fifteen years climbing the career ladder in corporate finance before the effects of chronic stress and poor eating habits took their toll. After changing to a diet based on local, seasonal, unprocessed organic foods, her energy and health returned and her passion for nutrition was born. Amy is an Honors graduate of Bauman College’s Nutrition Educator and Nutrition Consultant Programs, holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley (go Bears!) and is a recovering spreadsheet-loving CPA (don’t bother asking her for help with your taxes though). She is a soccer/baseball/basketball mom to an energetic elementary school boy and loyal servant to a 125 lb. English Mastiff named Allie. She makes her home in the gorgeous wine country of Sonoma County, California.
   
4. Chinese Medicine For Healthy Skin: The Chinese Medicine Guide to Healthier Skin, Ageless Beauty and Vitality - Michelle O’Shaughnessy was born in Florida. During her formative years, she lived in Bogota, Colombia, where she became fluent in Spanish. She began her academia in Florida, then continued at the Sorbonne Université in Paris, where she had her first facial and fell in love with skin care. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida in Anthropology and Latin American studies. She is now a Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DOM) who graduated cum laude with a master’s in Oriental Medicine from the Florida College of Integrative Medicine in Orlando, Florida. Additionally, she has received several advanced certifications in acupuncture facelifts and cosmetic acupuncture. O’Shaughnessy is the proud owner of an Aesthetic Acupuncture Clinic in Orlando. Her clinic specializes in acupuncture facelifts and is among the first to incorporate facials, Chinese herbs, acupuncture and skin care to help improve skin care concerns including acne, rosacea, anti-aging, rashes, psoriasis as well as women’s general health. She also owns Healing Herbal Soups, a line of medicinal soups that are made with herbs and vegetables to bring the body back to health. They are also cooked in alkaline water while healing vibrational music is played during the whole process. O’Shaughnessy has a strong passion for studying traditional Chinese medicine and herbal remedies for bringing the body back to health naturally. She completed an internship in China at the “Chinese PLA General Hospital,” the largest military hospital in Beijing. She is a board member of FSOMA Florida State Oriental Medicine Association and is a faculty member where she teaches Food Therapy and other classes to graduate students at the Florida College of Integrative Medicine. O’Shaughnessy has been an esthetician for more than 18 years. She has worked for Sothys USA as a national trainer as well as Babor.
   
5. Death By A HoneyBee - Abigail Keam is an award-winning author of the Josiah Reynolds mystery series. She is also a accomplished beekeeper and has sixteen awards in honey categories at the Kentucky State Fair. She lives in a metal house that sits on the Palisades of the Kentucky River with her husband and several critters.
   
6. LAUNDRY MAN - JAKE NEEDHAM is an American screen and television writer who began writing thrillers when he realized he didn't really like movies and television very much. Mr. Needham has lived and worked in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand for nearly twenty-five years. He is a lawyer by education and has held a number of significant positions in both the public and private sectors where he took part in a lengthy list of international operations he has absolutely no intention of telling you about. He, his wife, and their two sons now divide their time between homes in Thailand and the US.
   
7. Food Scrap Gardening: How To Grow Food from Scraps, Reduce Waste and Feed the World - Author Name: Will Cook email: tom@juicetom.com
   
8. Eating Alkaline For Weight Loss – How To Lose Weight, Prevent Disease & Eat Healthy - My name is Matt Cama, Founder of Happy Healthy Habits. My mission is to inspire millions of people worldwide to create change in their lives by teaching them simple and easy habits they can implement into their lives that will lead them to feel and abundance of health and happiness in their life.
   
9. Divorcees.biz: A Novel of Fun and Romance - Born on Tyneside, Eileen Thornton now lives in Kelso in the Scottish Borders with her husband Phil. She took up writing purely as a hobby in 2001, but found herself hooked. For several years she wrote articles and short stories for national magazines, until she decided to write a novel. Her first novel, The Trojan Project, an action thriller was published in 2008.
   
10. Sea Sick: A Horror Novel - Published author, Iain Rob Wright, was born in 1984 and lives in Redditch, a small town in the West Midlands, UK, with his loopy cocker spaniel, Oscar, his fat old cat, Jess, his many tropical fish, and the love of his life, Sally. Writing is the passion that fills his life during the small periods of time when he isn't cleaning up after his pets. He is the author of several novels, including the critically acclaimed, The Final Winter, and the deeply disturbing thriller, ASBO. Check out his official website for freebies, news, and updates at: http://www.iainrobwright.com
    
11. HANA’S YEAR Resisting Peer Pressure by Carol Talley - Carol Talley lives in Hermann,Missouri, where she works as a writer and editor from the vantage point of her porch overlooking the Missouri River. A former teacher of English at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Talley has been writing educational materials since 1989. GUMBO GOES DOWNTOWN is her fourth children's eBook. She is the author of eBooks CLARISSA, PAPA PICCOLO, and HANA'S YEAR, also published by JOAN'S eBOOKS LLC.
    
12. Valley of Deception by T.H. Michael - As a child, growing up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, I always knew that I wanted to be a cop from a very young age. While in college, majoring in Political Science and Law Enforcement, I was asked if I wanted to take the test to be a Deputy U.S. Marshal. (Most of us hired had never heard of the Marshal's, except on television's Gun Smoke. A common joke at the academy was, 'I didn't know how to spell it, now I is one.' It's funny because most of us spelled Marshal, as Marshall, until hired. And yes, the grammatical error is on purpose) I was hired, to be a Deputy U.S. Marshal, in June of 1984 and was posted to my home town of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (extremely unusual and rare. A deputy had just been fired days before I was to be hired). During my 27 years I have hauled hundreds, if not thousands, of prisoners to penal institutions. I have seized everything from race horse to million dollar farms and jets. I have protected Judges at every level, including Supreme Court Justices. I have protect some of the most famous and notorious witnesses in the U.S., all without incident. And, finally, have arrested hundreds of fugitives over the course of my career. The idea for the main character came to me one day as I was walking into the local county jail to pick a prisoner up. The name, Jake Mathews, popped into my head and stayed there for twenty years, until I finally wrote it down on paper, and created this Novel. I've had a blast with this first novel and hope to write many more in this series. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.
    
13. Assured Destruction - After crewing ships in the Antarctic and the Baltic Sea and some fun in venture capital, Michael anchored himself (happily) to a marriage and a boatload of kids. Now he injects his adventurous spirit into his writing with brief respites for research into the jungles of Sumatra and Guatemala, the ruins of Egypt and Tik'al, paddling the Zambezi and diving whatever cave or ocean reef will have him. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers and SF Canada, and the author of the Assured Destruction series, 24 Bones, The Sand Dragon, Hurakan, Ruination and several award winning graphic novels for young adults. His most recent project, The Terminals, has been optioned for television by Sudden Storm Entertainment. Michael lives in Ottawa, Canada with his wife and four daughters. He tries very hard to keep life an adventure both on and off the page. Please come find me on Goodreads.
    
14. Send No Angel - J.H. Glaze is a versatile storyteller, born in northeast Ohio. As a young adult, Glaze traveled the country, often hitchhiking, looking for adventure and new opportunities. The experience of these early years were sometimes unbelievable, the impact of which are evident in his natural style of writing, an accessible "hey, I know you" kind of word construction. It is this everyman voice that leads the reader along a path that seems quite familiar to them before providing a twist that can be so unexpected. With a blend of humor and horror, he delights in giving the reader something to look forward to in every chapter of every novel or short story. His writings include a paranormal horror/thriller series of full length novels, "The Paranormal Adventures of John Hazard", which currently consist of "The Spirit Box", "NorthWest" and "Send No Angel". The main character, John Hazard, is a former police detective turned paranormal investigator. Many more adventures are planned for John and readers are invited to stay tuned. "Ghost Wars" is coming.
    
15. The Greatest Father Who Ever Lived - Daniel R. Johnson & Jon Tice wrote The Greatest Father Who Ever Lived
    
16. Eldorado - Jay Allan Storey is a writer, musician, international traveler and all-round student of the world. He is the author of one novel, ELDORADO, one novella, CHOPPER MUSIC, and several short stories. Soon to follow are a second novel, a second novella, and numerous smaller projects, both literary and musical. He loves both reading and writing, and both listening to and playing music. He also enjoys cycling, traveling to exotic lands, and working with animals. He's crazy about any activity relating to the water, including swimming, surfing, wind-surfing, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Jay is married and lives in Vancouver, BC.
    
17. The Depot - A romantic-suspense writer, Carmen DeSousa's novels overflow with romance, mystery, suspense, and of course, tragedy. After all, what would a great story be without a tragic event setting the stage? Her sensual and gripping mysteries have earned bestseller status on three continents because of her ability to make readers love, laugh, cry, gasp, and hope. All of her novels are standalones; however, she does link each of her stories with a little surprise. If you read out of order, you'll never notice. But if you read in order, it's fun. Find her novels in print and eBook formats at your favorite retailer. She Belongs to Me - December 2011 Land of the Noonday Sun - May 2012 Entangled Dreams - September 2012 When Noonday Ends - December 2012 Split Decisions - June 2013
    
18. Living Sacrifices: Book One - Renee Alexander is a veteran analyst of celebrity crimes and indiscretions. LIVING SACRIFICES, released September 2012 by Amroad Publishers, is based on real life events. The author came of age amid a group of cruel oppressors. Witnessing friends being neglected, beat and sexually terrorized was normal for this child of a self-made-wealthy businessman; the favored niece of an American gangster; the first cousin of an NBA player; the extended relative of a rapper, boxer, mega-church preacher, and decorated soul singer. No stranger to the stage herself ReneeA, a classically trained flutist, competed yearly with her wind orchestra and even performed “The Greatest Love Of All” before an audience at the National Naval Medical Center (our President’s hospital!). A late believer in educating oneself for personal growth, ReneeA achieved independence from her controlling father and arranged marriage by earning degrees in Mental Health Studies, Liberal Arts, Information Systems, and General Business. Currently pursuing an advanced degree in Human Studies her alma maters include MSU, University of La Verne and Touro College. Born on the east coast, the author divides her home life between Washington, DC (Politiciantown), and Los Angeles, California (Hollyweirdtown). On both coasts she stays busy checking up on celebs and pounding out more novels on her beloved keyboard. Visit her on the web at AuthorReneeA.com. _________________________________ Renee Alexander is a survivor of Childhood Ritual Abuse. Her celebrity-connected family's longstanding affiliation with occult circles exposed young ReneeA to Hitler Worship, emotional abuse, animal cruelty, assault, and other trauma that shattered her main personality into five. During adult therapy, ReneeA discovered an entire book within a set of diaries dating back to the ninth grade. Her true-to-life series "Living Sacrifices" explores family dysfunction, sexual deviance and spirituality. Immersing herself in school work quieted "the voices" when nothing else could. ReneeA has earned degrees in Mental Health Studies, Liberal Arts, Information Systems, and General Business. Born and raised in the Washington DC suburbs, the divorced and continuously healing author now lives in sunny Southern California.
    
19. Ruler by A.C. James - A.C. James--author of paranormal and erotic romance. Wife, mother, and storyteller extraordinaire. I reside in northeast Pennsylvania drinking large vats of coffee while taming two toddlers by day and writing by night. She loves to hear from readers. Please visit her at: www.acjames.com acjamesbooks.blogspot.com https://twitter.com/ACJamesauthor https://plus.google.com/101104502734815294205/posts http://www.facebook.com/pages/AC-James/129228540578101
    
20. Photographic: A Novel - K.D. Lovgren has studied film editing, acting, directing, and read lots of celebrity blogs. And earned degrees in English and German from Mount Holyoke College. She calls her books "relationship mysteries," and would like to think writing them will give her a better clue into what makes a relationship tick. She feels sympathy for famous actors who live in the unceasing glare of the public eye, and their unheralded spouses. This is her first novel.
    
21. Agent of Influence - A native of Louisville, KY, Russell spent seven years researching and writing Agent of Influence. A fast-paced thriller, the novel grew out of his travels as well as his obsession with history. If he really has some free time on his hands he enjoys scuba diving and skiing. He has been a certified scuba diver since 1996 and has been diving in California, Cozumel, Cancun, Grand Cayman, Belize, Honduras, Nassau,Key West, and the Exuma Islands. One of his most memorable and exciting trips was an expedition to cage dive with great white sharks on the Pacific coast of Mexico.
    
22. AN IMAGE OF DEATH - Chicagoan Libby Fischer Hellmann is the award-winning author of nine crime fiction thrillers. They include the Ellie Foreman series, which Libby describes as a cross between “Desperate Housewives” and “24,” the hard-boiled Georgia Davis PI series, and two standalones, SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE, and A BITTER VEIL. Her tenth release, in September 2013, is HAVANA LOST, a mafia thriller set largely in Cuba. She also has written nearly twenty short stories and novellas.
    
23. The History of Veggies (An Ed the Dragon Book) - I am a writer, illustrator, graphic designer and a mom. I've lived in various places across the country but currently my heart is in the Bay Area. I have two sweet children, two dogs and a mini-cactus named spike. In my free time (ha ha ha), I like to read books, jog slowly, cook badly and sleep rarely.
    
24. Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder - MaryAnn Kempher's writing is infused with romance and mystery. Her love of romance stories goes back to her teen years spent living in Reno NV where Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder is set. MaryAnn's travels have taken her to beautiful cities in Italy, Southeast Asia and the sultry desert country of Qatar. She met her husband on one of her romantic misadventures while traveling. She has two children and currently lives in Florida where she and her family share their home with two dogs and a cat. Her writing influences include favorite authors Jane Austen and Agatha Christie. She's a huge fan of the Hercule Poirot mysteries. Her guilty pleasures include any and all sweets, including a good cup of Mocha. For more about MaryAnn Kempher, visit mkempher.com
    
25. The Stronger, Safer Kind (The Boys of DownCrash #1) - Visit London Casey on Twitter @london_casey or at www.LondonCasey.com
    
26. Forest Of Love - Want the latest in Emily Josephine's publications, as well as notifications when she is going to do a free promotion via KDP Select? Then be sure to visit her author blog at http://emilyjacques.com. Sign up on the form in the right sidebar to stay updated on all the happenings with her writings and books! Emily Josephine has a passion to help others find optimum health and to live the life of their dreams. Born in 1970, she learned about organic gardening as a child and became interested in natural health and nutrition in her mid-twenties. A few years later, she decided to fulfill her dream as a fiction writer, and over the course of five years completed three novels. After becoming a mother, she discovered the world of blogging, and decided to use that platform to teach others about reaching their health goals. Now, she combines both her passion to teach others about natural living and to inspire others to greatness through her novels and short stories.
    
27. Parabellum by Mitch Goth - I began writing at a very young age, mostly short stories and crudely drawn comic books. I completed my first book at the age of 15, the second at the age of 16. Now, a few years later my debut novel, Parabellum is my first professional publication. I look forward to publishing many more novels in the future!
    
28. Little Willie - Born in 1952, she married her high school sweetheart, (41 years and still counting) raised 7 children and has 18 grandchildren! California is her native state, but she has lived in most of the western states in the USA and is currently in New Mexico. She spent many years home-schooling, planting her gardens and considers herself the 'Johnny Appleseed' of asparagus, having moved so many times in her life! She feels fortunate to have recently lived in Cochabamba, Bolivia for 2 years, and to have taught the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades at FootPrints School. She also supports Thomas Jefferson Education, also known as "TJEd" or "Leadership Education." Her interests include reading, writing, baking, crafts, toll painting, gardening food and flowers, genealogy, true history, the Constitution, politics and religion. Having spent so much time reading to her own children, Ann decided to write books that not only teaches good principles to children, but to parents as well. She also wanted her books to be short and sweet so that parents don't get bored reading them over and over again! She wishes more parents habitually enjoyed this bedtime ritual!
    
29. The Baker’s Wife: A Short Story by Loretta Giacoletto - Loretta Giacoletto's novel Chicago's Headmistress was recently nominated for Best Historical Fiction at eFestival of Words. Loretta divides her time between the St. Louis Metropolitan area and Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks where she concentrates on writing fiction, essays, and her blog Loretta on Life while her husband cruises the waters for bass and crappie. Their five children have left the once chaotic nest but occasionally return for her to-die-for ravioli and roasted peppers topped with garlic-laden bagna càuda. An avid traveler, she has visited numerous countries in Europe and Asia but Italy remains her favorite, especially the area from where her family originates: the Piedmont region near the Italian alps. Loretta's novels are filled with bawdy characters caught up in problems they must suffer the consequences for having created. In LETHAL PLAY a grieving widow is suspected of killing her son's coach, a man with more enemies than friends. FAMILY DECEPTIONS follows two generations of earthy characters who learn to thrive and/or survive through a series of misdeeds, the worst against those they love the most. FREE DANNER features a cynical young man whose troubled past and deadly encounters hinder his search for the father he has yet to meet. THE FAMILY ANGEL is an Italian/American saga about the Americanization of an immigrant family of bootleggers, coalminers, winemakers and priests, and a mysterious black angel who enjoys sticking his nose in the family business. The previously mentioned CHICAGO'S HEADMISTRESS, a prequel and partial parallel to THE FAMILY ANGEL, follows a 1905 Italian street urchin's notorious rise to wealth and power as the headmistress of Night School, Prohibition Chicago's most popular and innovative men's club in the 1920s. Loretta is also the author of A COLLECTION OF GIVERS AND TAKERS, an anthology of twisted stories about the good, the bad, the self-centered and the disillusioned In addition to the horror anthologies, Damned in Dixie and Hell in the Heartland, Loretta's short stories have appeared in a number of publications including The MacGuffin, Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, The Scruffy Dog Review, Allegory and Literary Mama, which nominated her story "Tom" for Dzanc's 2010 Best of The Web.
    
30. Mata Hari’s Daughter - Van Holt wrote his first western when he was in high school and sent it to a literary agent, who soon returned it, saying it was too long but he would try to sell it if Holt would cut out 16,000 words. Young Holt couldn't bear to cut out any of his perfect western, so he threw it away and started writing another one. A draft notice interrupted his plans to become the next Zane Grey or Louis L'Amour. A tour of duty as an MP stationed in South Korea was pretty much the usual MP stuff except for the time he nabbed a North Korean spy and had to talk the dimwitted desk sergeant out of letting the guy go. A briefcase stuffed with drawings of U.S. aircraft and the like only caused the overstuffed lifer behind the counter to rub his fat face, blink his bewildered eyes, and start eating a big candy bar to console himself. Imagine Van Holt's surprise a few days later when he heard that same dumb sergeant telling a group of new admirers how he himself had caught the famous spy one day when he was on his way to the mess hall. Holt says there hasn't been too much excitement since he got out of the army, unless you count the time he was attacked by two mean young punks and shot one of them in the big toe. Holt believes what we need is punk control, not gun control. After traveling all over the West and Southwest in an aging Pontiac, Van Holt got tired of traveling the day he rolled into Tucson and he has been there ever since, still dreaming of becoming the next Zane Grey or Louis L'Amour when he grows up. Or maybe the next great mystery writer. He likes to write mysteries when he's not too busy writing westerns or trying to find out when they are going to start making Twinkies again.
    
31. The Magic of Colors by P. Ann Postak - Born in 1952, she married her high school sweetheart, (41 years and still counting) raised 7 children and has 18 grandchildren! California is her native state, but she has lived in most of the western states in the USA and is currently in New Mexico. She spent many years home-schooling, planting her gardens and considers herself the 'Johnny Appleseed' of asparagus, having moved so many times in her life! She feels fortunate to have recently lived in Cochabamba, Bolivia for 2 years, and to have taught the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades at FootPrints School. She also supports Thomas Jefferson Education, also known as "TJEd" or "Leadership Education." Her interests include reading, writing, baking, crafts, toll painting, gardening food and flowers, genealogy, true history, the Constitution, politics and religion. Having spent so much time reading to her own children, Ann decided to write books that not only teaches good principles to children, but to parents as well. She also wanted her books to be short and sweet so that parents don't get bored reading them over and over again! She wishes more parents habitually enjoyed this bedtime ritual!