http://awesomegang.com

Where Awesome Book Readers Meet Awesome Writers

1. Rare Atmosphere, a memoir by Rachelle Rogers - Rachelle Rogers is a writer and poet. Originally from NYC, she received a BA in English Literature from Hunter College. In South Florida, she was a freelance editor, and dance writer for several publications, including The Fort Lauderdale News/Sun Sentinel. Author of A Love Apart, a novel, POSSOONS, stories, and Rare Atmosphere, a memoir, her work has appeared in several literary journals including Passager, Sow’s Ear Poetry Review, Calyx: A Journal of Art and Literature by Women, and The Pedestal Magazine. She lives in Asheville, NC.
   
2. Maelyn (The Nine Princesses Novellas) - When I was five years old, I told everyone I wanted to be a princess when I grew up. And I was dead serious. Um… okay, it hasn’t happened yet. The U.S. is currently suffering from a sad shortage of princes to marry, handsome or otherwise. So I do the next best thing: I write about princesses! And I love every minute of it. The idea for this series sprung from a desire to write about a large family of princesses. I settled on nine because there are already three Musketeers, five Chinese Brothers, seven dwarves, and twelve dancing princesses. So nine seemed good. Yeah. That’s how my logic works. I’m not actually adopted. But I share a lot in common with Maelyn. We’re both the eldest child in our families, a little bossy sometimes, addicted to reading, and not always as confidant as we like to appear. But remember, Maelyn is a princess. And I’m still working on that. Aside from being an author, I’m an artist who draws cute cartoons of doggies. A mommy of three boys who hate princesses (but like the dogs). A retail employee with a job that seriously cuts into my writing time. And a part-time college student. I barely have time to write this bio. If YOU have more time than I do, I’d be forever grateful if you’d would “like” this page, or write a review of my book. Thanks so much for supporting an indie author! God bless you.
   
3. Redemption Song - I was born in Dublin (Ireland) on the 27-03-1966. Ever since I learned to read I wanted to write and I completed my first full-length novel at the age of 10 (no, I don't still have it, alas; I'd love to look back now on the me that was). That was me hooked and I've been doing it ever since, more or less, though occasionally life gets in the way. I lived and worked in various different countries for many years but Dublin always seemed like home (or at least I feel less out of place there than anywhere else) and eventually I returned and settled down. I married Eimear on the 14-07-2001 (Yes, I had to check the date). She's the No. 1 litigation lawyer in Ireland but a wonderful person nonetheless, and the anchor that stops me drifting away and getting lost on the dark seas of my own mind. We have three perfect boys, and a less than perfect dog, now alas full grown and apparently more walking toxic waste producer than dog! And yes, all parents think their kids are perfect but ours actually are. So there.
   
4. Accidental Mobster - M. M. Cox is a journalist and professional blogger who just recently published the Teen Mobster Series with Bluewood Publishing. If you’ve ever wanted to try laughing while biting your fingernails, you should read her books. Cox has lived in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Colorado Springs, Boston, and Washington D.C. and forces herself to run marathons in different cities. If you ask her why she writes, she’ll tell you that she attended her first writer’s conference at the age of 13 and dreamed of sharing her own stories ever since. Cox currently resides in Oklahoma City with her husband and children. Yes, she’s had to crouch down in a storm shelter during a tornado. No, she hasn’t seen a witch and her flying monkeys. Apparently those are only in Kansas. But there's a first time for everything...
   
5. How to Photograph Waterfalls Like a Pro - Steve Rutherford, multi award winning professional photographer, trainer, best selling author of the "How to Photograph Anything like a Pro" book series, and editor of Photographic Fanatic Magazine was born in Sydney, Australia in 1972. Over the past decade Steve has built himself a reputable name in the international photographic world. A multitude of international awards, high demand for his creative commercial vision in fine art, and hundreds seeking his training courses, seminars and now books. Steve has an easy to understand practical approach to teaching photography and has captured his photographic secrets in the "How to Photograph Anything book series" so you can discover photography at your own pace. Previously a high level manager within the Australian Federal Police, a Prison Officer with the notorious Long Bay Prison's Riot and Emergency Response Squad in Sydney and Border Protection Specialist for the Australian Customs Service, Steve Rutherford's background has been as diverse as the images he captures. With this past Steve has seen both the best and the worst that humanity can be. Steve uses this experience when adding his own unique perspective to the world. Such a perspective can expose the story of a single floating leaf on a tropical island paradise, or the grandeur of midnight in New York. Steve is highly recognised as a leading and trusted professional, by the photographic industry worldwide. He is an Accredited Associate and North Queensland Chapter President of the 

AIPP - Australian Institute of Professional Photography, and Associate of NZIPP - New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography. He is also a member of the 
PPA - Professional Photographers of America. Visit www.steverutherford.com
   
6. Close Up & Personal, JS Taylor - JS Taylor is a best-selling cross-category author. She teams fiction writing with a successful and award-winning journalism career, working for The Times and The Mirror in London, UK.
   
7. The Victim - Meet Jonas Saul, an international bestselling thriller author. "I have read a lot of Koontz, Patterson, Connelly, Coben ... they were starting to blend together ... in my opinion, Jonas Saul is my favorite author out there." -Reviewer Jonas Saul is from Toronto, Canada. He lives in Leavenworth, Washington and has just finished an extended tour of Europe (Italy, Greece, Hungary, Denmark and many more). He is always writing the next novel. The Sarah Roberts Series are his best sellers with the highest reviews. His Mafia Trilogy is fast becoming the next series to rival Sarah Roberts. Jonas Saul's published novels include: The Sarah Roberts Series: 1. Dark Visions 2. The Warning 3. The Crypt 4. The Hostage (*Featuring Drake Bellamy from The Threat) 5. The Victim (*Featuring Aaron Stevens from The Specter) 6. The Enigma 7. The Vigilante (Due Summer 2013) The Mafia Trilogy (Starring Darwin and Rosina Kostas) 1. The Kill 2. The Blade 3. The Scythe Standalone Novels The Threat (Starring Drake Bellamy) The Specter (Starring Aaron Stevens) Short Stories Visitations - A Book of 25 Short Stories The Burning Trapped Jonas Saul was born in the small city of Oshawa, Ontario, just outside Toronto. He grew up reading Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and John Saul. Jonas wrote his first short story when he was ten-years old and went on to win Writer's Digest Short Story awards for his writing as an adult. He has traveled to Writer's Conferences and worked with New York editors for the last twelve years. "I have been an avid reader for many years. Read everything from King to Koontz to Sandford to Patterson and Connelly. Now I have stumbled upon Jonas Saul. Do yourself a favor this year ... start reading this author and the wonderful novels he has to share ... Jonas Saul will be at the top of your MUST READ AUTHORS list." -Richard Huxley, author of The Cleansing. Sign up at Jonas Saul's website for newsletters and updates; Website: www.jonassaul.com Twitter: @jonassaul Email: jonassaul@icloud.com
   
8. The Ranch Next Door and Other Stories by Elisabeth Grace Foley - Elisabeth Grace Foley grew up an avid reader and has always been fascinated with history, so when she turned to writing, historical fiction was naturally her first choice. Her first published story, “Disturbing the Peace,” was an honorable mention in the first annual Rope & Wire Western short story competition, and is now collected with six others that are appearing for the first time in her debut short story collection, 'The Ranch Next Door and Other Stories.' A homeschool graduate, she chose not to attend college in order to pursue self-education and her writing career. She also enjoys music, crocheting and spending time outdoors. She lives at home with her family and a large stack of writer’s notebooks.
   
9. The Deansgate Deadline - Hate to massage well-trampled cliches, but really love to write. Very happy chap, soon-to-be-married father of a little two year old. Love movies, books, TV and sport. Very lucky in life and in writing. Have written for both the stage and screen. Always smiling. Always writing. Plenty of both in the tank.
   
10. Shadowed - Having spent most of her life in London, Sarah quit her job in the non profit sector in 2009 and took off on a round the world trip with her husband and princess-obsessed daughter on a mission to find a new place to call home. After several months in India, Singapore, Australia and the US, they settled in Bali where Sarah now spends her days writing and trying to machete open coconuts without severing a limb. She finished her first novel Hunting Lila just before they left the UK, wrote the sequel, Losing Lila, on the beach in India, and had signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster by the time they reached Bali. A third book, Fated, about a teenage demon slayer, which was written during their stay in California, was published in January 2012 by Simon Pulse (an imprint of Simon & Schuster). The sequels to Fated – Severed & Shadowed were released in November 2012 and March 2013. Sarah’s next novel The Sound, a young adult thriller, will be released August 2013 in the UK, Australia & Canada and in the US in August 2014. She has co-written the Hunting Lila screenplay and is working on several other books and screenplays (multi-tasking is one of her favorite things).
    
11. The Spirit Keepers - J S Winn earned graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Metaphysical Sciences. Her first novel, mystery/suspense Out of the Shadow, was published on Amazon in 2012. Her newest novel, a romantic suspense, The Spirit Keepers, was published on Amazon in early 2013. She has had a play produced by the Actor’s Alliance Festival in San Diego, and her poetry has been anthologized by the San Diego Writer’s Workshop in For the Love of Writing. Her play “Gotcha!” was selected for a reading at the Village Arts Theater in Carlsbad, California in May 2012. She presently lives by the beach in San Diego County, California. For more information about The Spirit Keepers, please visit http://www.jswinn.com or contact the author at author@jswinn.com
    
12. Zaire’s Golden Babies - Charles Leister is the author of Zaire's Golden Babies, four-hundred-page tome that digs into the rough and downtrodden environment of a developing nation. Charles is is a native Californian and graduate of the School of Criminology, University of California at Berkeley. For thirty-four years he worked in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean and Central America in government service and as a private consultant. He retired from the State of Arizona's Department of Environmental Quality in 2008.
    
13. SPECIAL EDUCATION - Bobby Hutchinson wrote SPECIAL EDUCATION
    
14. Doom & Gloom by M J Shaughnessy - Monica Shaughnessy draws on her experience as a lifelong Texan by creating characters larger than the Lone Star State itself. She's the published author of novels, short stories, and plays for the children's market, and two of her stories won finalist status in writing competitions. Her books are offbeat and strangely dark, but always thought provoking. When she's not slaying adverbs and polishing prose, she's either on her yoga mat or stargazing in her backyard.
    
15. Change by Treesong - Treesong is an author, community organizer, talk radio host, and Real Life Superhero living in Southern Illinois. He grew up in the Chicagoland area and moved to Carbondale, Illinois to study philosophy at Southern Illinois University. Through his academic studies and activism, he became involved in the environmental movement, eventually changing his name to Treesong to reflect his newfound Earth-centered spirituality.
    
16. Suriving And Thriving In Seminary by Danny Zacharias - Danny Zacharias is a professor, speaker, author, and tech ninja. He lectures in the area of Biblical Studies and Biblical languages at Acadia Divinity College at Acadia University. Danny works hard to help people understand the message of the Bible and to teach them to be responsible readers. He is also passionate about utilizing emerging technology in education. This shows in his website www.NTGreekResources.com, where he provides quality multimedia resources for learning Greek, including apps, videos, and songs. Another passion is productivity and success in life's endevours. He is a an avid reader on leadership, productivity, and business success. Danny has turned this passion in his life into eBooks for college and university students. Danny is a graduate of Providence College (BA), Acadia University (M.A., M.Div.) and currently a Ph.D. student. He and his wife, Maria, live in Wolfville, Nova Scotia with their two sons, daughter, and cat.
    
17. Between Two Sisters (a contemporary western romance novella) - While I have neither cowboys nor horses currently in my life, I grew up ridng. My husband may not wear a cowboy hat or cowboy boots, but he's my greatest love. As fabulous as he is, I can't help but feel my heart beat a little faster every time a good looking western guy passes me by! There's something unfailingly romantic about cowboys, and I love to let my imagination run wild about these rugged men so many of us women adore.
    
18. Unlock Dream Power: 40 Keys to Find Your Path - Dr. Fox, a private-practice licensed psychologist with over 25 years experience, says, “Having this book at the beginning of my practice would have reduced the amount of time it took me to get to where I am now by at least ten years.” It was while recovering from complications from an experimental treatment for MS (which was ultimately successful) that Fox had a recurring dream that facilitated his recovery and led to his fascination with dreams and their meanings. Fox and his wife Deborah Brogan, a board certified psychiatrist, currently reside and share a private practice office in Mesa, Arizona.
    
19. ALL MY LIFE - Rucy Ban was born in 1978 and still continues to thrive. Ever since she first met Francine (the protagonist of her favorite novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn), Rucy fell in love with the written word. Rucy has a B-school degree in Marketing which she now puts to good use teaching lovable rowdy rogues and negotiating with her equally belligerent adolescent. In her previous avatar, she handled corporate communications for companies. At present, Rucy lives in Sao Paulo, travels often, speaks decent, if not quite fluent, Portuguese and really hates talking about herself in third person.
    
20. Heronfield by Dorinda Balchin - I was born in Derbyshire in England in 1957. I had always wanted to be a teacher so after graduating from the University of Warwick in 1980 I began a career in teaching. Books and writing had always been a passion for me, but with two children to raise and a demanding career in the field of education my love of literature was mainly confined to reading with little time to explore and develop my writing. Then in 2008, along with my husband, I gave up my teaching career and made a life-changing move to southern India where we now run a guesthouse. This change of lifestyle has allowed me the time to develop some of the writing projects which I have worked on over the years. I hope that my love of history is reflected in my well researched novels (in fact I enjoy the research as much as I do the writing!) The influences on my writing are truly eclectic - the social and historical writings of Dickens, factual history books, historical novels by a variety of authors, books about philosophy or religion, science fact or fiction. Each genre has a place on my bookshelves and has helped to shape my ideas and writing style into something which I hope reflects the richness of human life in an accessible and entertaining way. Away from writing I have a passion for the sport of fencing and am proficient in all three weapons as well as being a qualified coach. That, together with my love of horse riding and archery convinces me that I was born in the wrong century! My life in India also allows me to spend time photographing this truly amazing country. What with all that and running the guesthouse I’m sometimes surprised that I ever find the time to write!
    
21. New to Paleo: A Beginner’s Guide to Super-Charged Health with the Paleo Diet - From an early age, I loved to read and write. I remember going to the library and being disappointed when I could only loan out a maximum of 7 books. My Mom still tells this story with great fondness : ) This passion for books developed into an even greater passion for writing. My formal educational pursuits allowed me to delve deeper into writing and I always gravitated toward the writing based courses. As I entered the workforce in my early 20′s, I quickly began receiving writing assignments from my bosses that ranged from white papers to producing submissions to the Board of Directors where millions of dollars in funding was being requested. My ability to write clearly, concisely and under time constraints was a huge confidence booster for me. It is now natural for me to take this approach when writing for clients. Speed and quality are two huge components of my work.
    
22. Zero to $1,000: How to Make $1,000 a Month in Passive Income - From an early age, I loved to read and write. I remember going to the library and being disappointed when I could only loan out a maximum of 7 books. My Mom still tells this story with great fondness : ) This passion for books developed into an even greater passion for writing. My formal educational pursuits allowed me to delve deeper into writing and I always gravitated toward the writing based courses. As I entered the workforce in my early 20′s, I quickly began receiving writing assignments from my bosses that ranged from white papers to producing submissions to the Board of Directors where millions of dollars in funding was being requested. My ability to write clearly, concisely and under time constraints was a huge confidence booster for me. It is now natural for me to take this approach when writing for clients. Speed and quality are two huge components of my work.
    
23. Steve Pavlina’s Ultimate Guide to Lucid Dreaming - From an early age, I loved to read and write. I remember going to the library and being disappointed when I could only loan out a maximum of 7 books. My Mom still tells this story with great fondness : ) This passion for books developed into an even greater passion for writing. My formal educational pursuits allowed me to delve deeper into writing and I always gravitated toward the writing based courses. As I entered the workforce in my early 20′s, I quickly began receiving writing assignments from my bosses that ranged from white papers to producing submissions to the Board of Directors where millions of dollars in funding was being requested. My ability to write clearly, concisely and under time constraints was a huge confidence booster for me. It is now natural for me to take this approach when writing for clients. Speed and quality are two huge components of my work.
    
24. The Camping Guy - Born and raised on the Canadian prairies, Dianne Greenlay is the author of the hilarious story, THE CAMPING GUY, as well as QUINTSPINNER – A PIRATE’S QUEST and DEADLY MISFORTUNE, Books One and Two in a fast-paced award – winning adventure series, set in the 1700's, in the pirate-infested waters of the West Indies. Greenlay is a playwright, producer, and Creative Director of the long-running community theater group, Darkhorse Theatre, and is fluent in at least her mother tongue and she thanks her fierce English teachers for that. More of her thoughts on life can be found at www.diannegreenlay.com.
    
25. Last Orders - Tony Black is an award-winning journalist and the author of some of the most critically-acclaimed British crime fiction of recent times. Acclaimed titles include 'The Storm Without' (the first Doug Michie crime thriller) and the Gus Dury series 'Paying for It', 'Gutted, 'Loss' and 'Long Time Dead'.
    
26. Beautiful Monster - I guess my life as a writer started when I was five; I'd sit under the kitchen table with my box of multi-colored wax crayons (I miss those) and create picture books. Creative writing was always my favorite subject and I used any free time I had to sit down with a notepad. I'm an avid reader, a big fan of cookie ice cream and I'm often travelling.
    
27. Anastasia, The Siberian Mystery - Vladimir Megre, one of the outstanding laureates of Gusi Peace Prize 2011 is a well-known Russian writer, the author of the world known novel and bestseller Anastasia and The Ringing Cedars of Russia series of books. Many significant changes influencing the world perception and lifestyle have occurred in the life of the writer after meeting Anastasia. Today more than 10 million copies of the series of books have been published and sold throughout the world and within Russia alone. Today in Russia the readers of the series of books have created more than 200 settlements consisting of Family Estates.
    
28. Chasing Vegas - Tad Vezner is a night cops reporter at a major metropolitan newspaper in America. He sometimes offends people with the jokes coroners tell him, but they eventually forgive him. Prior to that, he backpacked across two continents, worked as an illegal banana picker, and did social work in Chicago. Chasing Vegas was written with the help of cops, criminals and gallons of midnight oil.
    
29. Murder At The Rocks - Jill Paterson was born in Yorkshire, UK, and grew up in Australia before spending 11 years in Canada. On returning to Australia, she settled in Canberra. After doing an arts degree at the Australian National University, she worked at the Australian National University's School of Law before spending the next 10 years with the Business Council of Australia and the University of NSW, ADFA Campus, in the School of Electrical Engineering. Jill is the author of three published books. The Celtic Dagger, Murder At The Rocks, and Once Upon A Lie which are all part of the Fitzjohn Mystery Series.
    
30. Into the Dark - Born in Indiana and raised in Iowa, Stacy Green earned degrees in journalism and sociology from Drake University. After a successful advertising career, Stacy became a proud stay-at-home mom to her miracle child. Now a full-time author, Stacy juggles her time between her demanding characters and supportive family. She loves reading, cooking, and the occasional gardening excursion. Stacy lives in Marion, Iowa with her husband Rob, their daughter Grace, and the family’s three obnoxious but lovable canine children. Stacy's books include the short story Welcome to Las Vegas, Into the Dark, and Tin God.
    
31. The Cyber Chronicles V – Overlord by TC Southwell - T. C. Southwell was born in Sri Lanka and moved to the Seychelles when she was a baby. She spent her formative years exploring the islands – mostly alone. Naturally, her imagination flourished and she developed a keen love of other worlds. The family travelled through Europe and Africa and, after the death of her father, settled in South Africa. T. C. Southwell has written over thirty novels, ranging from fantasy and science fiction to romance and adventure, as well as five screenplays. Her hobbies include motorcycling, horse riding and art, and she is now a full-time writer.