Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Venezuela during a dictatorship, while my grandparents had to flee Spain due to Franco. I was diagnosed with autism at a young age. When I came to the US I was exposed to sacred plant medicine that helped me become who I am and face my demons.
Treaty psychedelia is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Treaty psychedelia.
I am a firm believer that if society wants to progress and better itself, we ought to accept and appropriate the use of plant medicine in our lives. These medicines have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, and we as humans evolved with them.
I am also a belief that it ought to be accessible to everyone and not to the very few.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a tendency of grabbing every topic and smashing them all together. From politics all the way to fitness! (I am a personal trainer)

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Terrence Mckenna has been a great influence in my pursuit of knowledge in regards to psychedelics.
In regards to fiction, I have found Lone wolf and cub to be the greatest story of all time.

What are you working on now?
I am looking to write more towards fiction. I am also a personal trainer on the side.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am starting small with amazon

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t think too much about it

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You cannot ask the world to stop and get out of it. Life goes on you like it or not

What are you reading now?
The greatest interviews of all time were edited by Christopher silvester.
A gift from my philosopher professor in high school

What’s next for you as a writer?
Write more

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would rather have supplies.

 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hey! I’m an author based in California; I’ve published two full-length non-fiction books, along with several smaller projects.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is all about technical analysis in cryptocurrency markets; most people know little-to-nothing about cryptocurrency, and few avenues exist that allow inexperienced enthusiasts looking to get into cryptocurrency to develop a profitable skillset through technical analysis.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
For some reason, listening to rap music helps me write. It seems counter-intuitive, but it gets the job done!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The list goes on; but a few authors who I’ve drawn inspiration from are Robert Greene, Tim Ferriss, Noah Kagan, and Alex Hormozi.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on developing a full range of cryptocurrency literature; the market lacks in this area (in both volume and quality) and I intend to fill the gap.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think the best method is having a product that doesn’t need promotion; one that sells itself through delivering much more value than it costs. This concept took my first full-length book to 10,000 copies sold in its first year without any promotion other than giving copies of the book away in my community.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Know why you write and work backwards from there.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s hard.

What are you reading now?
Know-It-All, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, and the Law of Human Nature.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More, and better!

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?
Mastery, Tribe of Mentors, and an Encyclopedia!

Author Websites and Profiles
Jon Law Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a writer all my life–mostly of poetry and short stories–and a novelist for 5 years. I have two books in publication currently, THE CONSORT CONSPIRACY, by TouchPoint Press and ON DEADLY GROUNDS, by Iron Stream Media. My third novel, THE ROAD REMEMBERED, will release on November 1, 2021 by Kensington Studios Press.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest book is THE ROAD REMEMBERED. I got the idea after my father died when I found a large map from 1945 that showed his progress across Europe in the 89th Infantry Division during the final six months of World War II. A little later I found a transcript of an oral interview he had done for one of my cousin’s college classes. I read the transcript with the map open in front of me and it was as if my dad were speaking to me from his grave. After I read it, I knew I had to tell his story. But I had so many questions and was so angry with myself for not having asked them before he died. I was, however, able to find another veteran who was also in the 89th Infantry Division, so I flew to Austin to interview him as well. As it became known I was interviewing veterans for a story to take place at the end of the second World War, friends introduced me to others. I interviewed eight of them all together. The story was mostly written when I read Kristin Hannah’s THE NIGHTINGALE, and I knew I needed to add a character from the other side of the war. So I created a character based on the life of Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker, who saved 2,500 Jewish children from extinction. My early readers have loved being in the heads and hearts of both sets of characters–my American soldiers and the Germans who stood up to the brutal Nazis.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I wish I were more disciplined. Many of my author friends talk about writing 1,000 words each day, but I haven’t gotten to the point of writing every day. When I do sit down to write, however, I often write 5,000 to 6,000 words per day. Books still get written that way.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dorothea Benton Frank’s works helped me to understand that place is often an important character, so must be described with enough detail that the readers feel like they walk the same ground as the characters who are there. David Morrel and Steve Berry helped me to create suspense and Kristin Hannah taught me how to capture emotion and to live in the heads and hearts of my characters.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the follow-on book to THE ROAD REMEMBERED, which is actually a prequel with the action taking place primarily during World War I. The working title is THE ROAD OF REGRETS, but I am also considering THE ROAD RENOUNCED.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I wish it were different, but word of mouth is still my best method. I use all of the social media outlets and they are certainly good, but for this book I actually hired a publicist and will see if that makes a difference.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Probably the same advice they’ve heard a million times. Keep at it. Don’t quit. Writing is hard. Publishing is harder. Making a living at selling books is almost impossible. But perseverance is key. My agent has told me a number of times that more than 80% of authors from whom she requests manuscripts don’t bother to send them. That’s something I’ve never understood. I totally understand the fear new authors go through, but rejection is just a part of the journey. So you might as well submit requested materials because this could be the lucky time.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I call it “BIC.” Butt-In-Chair. I don’t always follow that advice, but I find that when I do, once I position my fingers over the keyboard, the words come. I’m trying to do better at practicing more consistent “BIC.”

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading books about World War I–All Quiet on the Western Front, A World Undone, and I was a Spy! When I allow myself to read fiction, I have picked up a couple more Kristin Hannah books and have one waiting by Sarah Pinbrough.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once I finish my follow-on to my current book, I have a story in mind for the final book in the series. After that I will either return to one of my earlier books and write follow-ons for them or go completely nuts and write a story about vampires by husband and I have been kicking around for years. It’s a wonderful story and I really want to get it on the page.

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?
Gone With the Wind
The Nightingale
The Outlander series

Author Websites and Profiles
Kaye Schmitz Website
Kaye Schmitz Amazon Profile

Kaye Schmitz’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

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Author Interview Series

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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I work as a consultant by the day and sleep at night and somewhere in between, I write. I live in the city of dreams, Mumbai. I have been writing micro-fiction for a while now and I am also an amateur photographer.

Just like you, I am trying to escape the 9-5 routine (being a consultant it’s 9-9 actually) and thought my writing skills could come to his rescue. I can be reached on Instagram (@mehul.j) or Twitter (@mehul_kj). Let me know if I am any good and should continue writing or just get back to the 9-5 routine.

As the above would indicate, I have written only one book, One Story One Blunder One Destiny.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
One Story One Blunder One Destiny is the name of my latest book, which is also my debut book. When I see around, the only thing that grasps my mind is how intertwined our lives are, every one of us. Any small change in one’s life causes a ripple effect to their immediate circle and that change affects their immediate circle and the ripple continues till it loses force.

But if you are one who believes in Destiny, like me, does any of the above matter? May be does, as one has said, its not the destination but the journey that makes all the difference.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Ummm, I wouldn’t know actually. Given I am not exposed to too many authors personally, I would not call my habits unsual.

What are you working on now?
Given that this is my first book which is self published. I am only focusing on spreading the word.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use instagram very often. I have not used other promotional means. I would hope to add Awesome Gang to the top of my list after this experience.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Persistence and Patience. That’s what has helped!

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Mehul Jain Amazon Profile

Mehul Jain’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

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Author Interview Series

To discover a new author, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors around. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring!

If you are an author and want to be interviewed just fill out out Author Interview page. After submitting we will send it out in our newsletters and social media channels that are filled with readers looking to discover new books to read.

If you are looking for a new book to read check out our Featured Books Page.

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an Eastern Orthodox author who is at least somewhat known among conservative converts. I grew up reading C.S. Lewis, and have read about 90% of everything he wrote, and that cannot but have an effect. My readership finds my writing familiar. Perhaps surprising at times; one kind reviewer wrote about one of my titles “A collection of joyful, challenging, insightful, intelligent, mirthful and jarring essays written by an Eastern Orthodox author who is much too wise for his years.”

Orthodox who grew up reading C.S. Lewis may find my writing something they can relate to; on Facebook I gave my name as Christos Jonathan Seth Hayward, and people have condensed that to CSH, i.e. “C.S. Hayward.” I’m deeply honored.

As to how many books I have written, it’s a lot. My “C.J.S. Hayward: The Complete Works” series, available from https://cshayward.com/cws, has eleven volumes of around 500 pages each. I’m prolific as a writer.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my last real title is “Orthodox Theology and Technology: A Profoundly Gifted Autobiography.” In spiritual direction, my director noted that one of the chief things I seem to have to offer the conversation is about the humane use of technology, in which regard I agree with Humane Tech but go much further in talking about how to master technologies that will surely master us if we do not master them.

One friend and co-worker a decade back talked about how she felt as if she was becoming attached to a computer keyboard. Now we’re glued to mobile devices that are always with us, and it’s an impressive feat just not to check a mobile device constantly.

I’m not aiming to have any real kind of last word on use of technology that is tamed by Orthodox spiritual practices, but I am trying to put in a good first word that can help a discussion get rolling. Bacon said “Truth arises more quickly from error than confusion,” and if I have succeeded I’ve provided a good dartboard for people to shoot at and then realize how they can improve their aim.

People often like to get to meet the person behind a book or series of books, and D. Donovan at the Midwest Book Review said that my autobiography would be an attractive offer to people who like my kind of work already, and people who like writing autobiographies. She wrote:

“Orthodox Theology and Technology
CJS Hayward
CJS Hayward Publications
979-8584713522
$7.99 Paper/$.99 Kindle

“Orthodox Theology and Technology: A Profoundly Gifted Autobiography will attract two different kinds of readers: those interested in orthodox theology and its intersection with technology and personal life, and autobiography readers (especially those with some prior familiarity with CJS Hayward’s weighty, expansive writings and reflections). It includes the kind of work that has drawn from prior readers responses of, “When I read it, I was stunned.”

“At a little over a hundred pages, this presentation will prove especially inviting for busy readers with only a cursory interest in Orthodoxy or Hayward.

“Orthodox Theology and Technology opens with Hayward’s musings about his life and work. His retrospective on life is explored in a ‘Dear Reader’ letter that moves from his teachings about math’s simple beauty to how he has struggled “to become more human” in his approaches to (and perception of) life, theology, and everything in-between.

“It will immediately become evident to readers that although Hayward’s musings are quite accessible, they are also filled with observations that embrace philosophical, psychological, and theological reflection. Thus, they are weighty reading even when they strive for language and descriptions to attract a casual reader. Furthermore, they offer a unique encounter with the kind of mind that most readers encounter only in books written long ago and far away.

“Orthodox Theology and Technology is no light collection of life encounters, but a deeply personal inspection of self and the spiritual works that drive relationships with God. Hayward is candid about his admittance of successes and failures in both arenas, as well as the impact of such writings on those who seek wisdom and faith: “I believe there is some merit in these pieces, but not that much: if they say something that needs to be said, they are limited to winning an argument. Theology can win an argument and some of the best theology is meant to win an argument, but the purpose of real theological writing is to draw people into the presence of God. These pieces may say something valuable, but they do not really do the job of theology: beckon the reader to worship before the throne of God.” The effect is, at times, mesmerizing.

“It’s important to note that this survey of Hayward’s life focuses on his scholarly and spiritual revelations at different points of his studies. This is no light romp through childhood and adult years, but a thought-provoking examination of the major influences on and developments of his intellectual pursuits. There is something here for everyone to take away, and the reading is meant to be rewarding to many different kinds of readers.

“As such, it’s a critical discussion of his involvement in mathematics and Orthodoxy that juxtaposes “a mathematician’s approach to relating” with broader inspections of college studies, interactions with professors and peers, and the overall contributions of his evolving psyche and scholarly studies on the foundations of life perceptions which translated to his writing a series of books inspecting Orthodoxy’s place in his world. This may seem very esoteric, but the book offers a real, live glimpse into such a world of mysticism and brilliance.

“Some might deem these discussions wide-ranging ramblings; but for those truly interested in the foundations of Orthodox thinking and the influence of education on the pursuit of God and character, Orthodox Theology and Technology offers a window into how this passion and pursuit evolved against different kinds of obstacles. Readers looking for wonder will find many wonders are to be found in these works.

“Additionally, as the end of the cyber-quarantine increasingly draws near, this book offers exceptional food for thought about “Do we really want to live this way?”

“Anyone with an interest in Orthodoxy in general and Hayward’s influences in particular should begin with Orthodox Theology and Technology before pursuing his other works. It is fascinating, providing a foundation for understanding, and a sense of his voice that will prove keys to a better appreciation of his writings.”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can only write my best work under what a bard might call awen: a sense of spiritual inspiration and a spiritual discipline that is at once wrestling with the work to master it and a struggle with myself to clear myself out of the way. I cannot summon the inspiration at will, and I cannot simply decide to write things in my best work. This allowed me, for instance, to write “The Consolation of Theology” at https://cjshayward.com/consolation/ downwind of the classic “The Consolation of Philosophy,” but I cannot write a classic at will.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Outside of the Bible, the great English language apologists: C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and more recently Orthodox orators like St. John Chrysostom. To read C.S. Lewis is to imbibe the tradition of medieval rhetoric. I have also read Simon Lancaster, who had a TED talk at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGBamfWasNQ and it was useful to read how an opposing school approaches rhetoric. However, I am grateful that even if I find Simon Lancaster fascinating, I have drunk long and deep at the wells of medieval rhetoric that pour out in C.S. Lewis. Perhaps I should turn to more like St. John Chrysostom and his “Treatise to Prove that No One Can Harm the Man Who Does Not Injure Himself” at a Fathers site I set up at https://orthodoxchurchfathers.com/fathers/npnf109/npnf1037.htm.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on trying to fill out an interview for at least some of my (mumble) books. And getting my room clean.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
One of the most important SEO tips out there is to write interesting and compelling works that people will want to link to. All of my essential collection is available on my website at https://cjshayward.com; and I have changed the links from “Buy on Amazon” to “Own it in Paper”, as at least some of my readers think my writing is worth owning in paper. I get about $100 more from Amazon after doing this.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I wrote great lengths of incomprehensible work that has been lost except at the NSA’s archives, and I’m glad it’s lost. It took me a really, really long time to write things that people can understand, and I don’t always do well. Practice writing as diligently as a musician would practice a musical instrument.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Madeleine l’Engle talked about how an artist, male or female, is called to serve a work in the shadow of Mary the Mother of God receiving God, carrying him, and giving him her humanity. The essential task is to serve a work, humbly, and in it to serve your neighbor.

What are you reading now?
Various religious items in Russian (this is less impressive than it sounds). I go through spurts of reading, researching, writing, and creating. Now I’m trying to manage a spurt of representing my books with Awesome Gang.

What’s next for you as a writer?
What is next for me is, I really hope, to become a novice under obedience. And write as little or as much as the obedience is assigned for 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?
The Bible, the Philokalia, and of my own work the Luddite’s Guide to Technology (https://cshayward.com/lgt/), even if my struggles would hardly need technology under the conditions. That, I believe, is my most significant work, and it has some truly good editorial reviews but hasn’t connected with reviewers on Amazon. It has most recently been reviewed:

“The Luddite’s Guide to Technology: The Past Writes Back to Humane Tech! comes from the “Major Works” series by C.J.S. Hayward and blends philosophical inspection with science, Luddite orthodoxy, and a curious blend of life inspection. It romps through the world of new devices with a clever eye towards considering the guideposts of technology choices.

“In the discipline of ethics, the Golden Rule represents a feat in formulating ethics: a single, short criterion that sheds light on many situations, and Hayward takes a cue, opening with a formulation of a “Silicon Rule” of “What do Silicon Valley technology executives choose for their children?” with a surprising answer: Steve Jobs did not give his children iPhones and iPads but walls of paper books and animated discussions with them. This single criterion unfolds at length in variations on the theme of right use of technology.

“C.J.S. Hayward (abbreviated “CSH” for “C.S. Hayward” on Facebook) adopts a revealing, chatty tone that winds intellectual debate, spiritual reflection, and cultural and social analysis in a curious, compelling manner. While this tone might not be for all readers, it will prove exceptionally fun and thought-provoking for those who relish both humor and a spiritual/philosophical style of inspection: “I remember, on environmental issues, someone talking softly about how “subdue the earth” in Genesis 1 originally meant a very gentle mastery. That was everything I wanted to believe, and I’d still like it to be true, but it has been said that the Hebrew has the force of, “trample it under foot!” Should we lord it over the earth? That’s one thing I think we have done disproportionately well. However, I bring this up for a reason. I believe we can, should, and perhaps need to lord it over technology, and the basis for our interactions, above the assumed life in the Church and frequent reception of sacraments, is the bedrock to how we should relate to technology. We should reject most use of technology along marketing propositions.”

“Indeed, it is the Orthodox reader versed in this discipline and Biblical references and inspections who will most likely be fascinated by the technological probe Hayward undertakes here. This audience will also appreciate the scholarly yet accessible inspections that consider such elements as ‘porn mode’ in a browser, Newtonian physics, the pros and cons of assistive technologies, and how technology shifts the mindsets of children and adults alike, as in the Lego scenario: “Charles Baudelaire, in his “la Morale du Joujou” (“the moral of the toy”) talks about toys and the fact that the best toys leave something to the imagination. Children at play will imagine that a bar of soap is a car; girls playing with dolls will play the same imagined drama with rag dolls as they will with dolls worth hundreds of dollars. There has been a shift, where Lego sets have shifted from providing raw material to being a specific model, made of specialized pieces, that the child is not supposed to imagine, only to assemble.”…

“The result is a literary blend of spiritual, social, and technological reflection wound in an overlay of tongue-in-cheek wry humor. Besides Eastern Orthodox and those interested in Eastern Orthodoxy, the work commends itself to those interested in the social dimensions of technology, including those drawn to the Lead Pencil Society and the Humane Tech movement, and the Nature Connection movement. The Luddite’s Guide to Technology will especially appeal to intellectual thinkers interested in the intersection between orthodox beliefs and technology’s allure.”

Author Websites and Profiles
C.S. Hayward Website
C.S. Hayward Amazon Profile

C.S. Hayward’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Raheeb wajith a busy entrepreneur,blogger,author and fitness freak .I am from southern part of India .I coach children with poor background for free. My Motto is to make everyone realize their potential and achieve something they are proud of. I have also authored Being Fit-a fitness book for all irrespective of age.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Greatness guide for teens: Understand your Childs need, avoid overparenting trap and prepare your kid for greatness.

The inspiration comes from my son Adil.I dedicate this book to him and ofcourse to all the young leaders of tomorrow.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually dont write books i dictate whatever flows from my mind and then process it into a readable manuscript.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
5AM Club by Robin Sharma and The Miracle Morning by Hal elrod.

What are you working on now?
Am currently working on my third project a cook book basically.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I usually promote through amazon kdp and kindle unlimited.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Only the First step is too difficult ,have faith in yourself and don’t procrastinate.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Whatever the mind perceives it can achieve.

What are you reading now?
Am reading $100 startup by Chris Guillebeau.

What’s next for you as a writer?
ACook book based on vegan .

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 Quran,
5am Club by Robin sharma
Blood sweat and tears by Bear grylls
The theory of everything by Stephen Hawking

Author Websites and Profiles
Raheeb Wajith Website
Raheeb Wajith Amazon Profile

Raheeb Wajith’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So far I have written two books. The first was a sports romance titled Three in the Key and the 2nd is a suspense titled Eye on the Prize: the Art of Deception.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Eye on the Prize is my latest book and the idea came about from an acquaintance being scammed. The rest of the story grew during my writing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a basic outline of what I want the story to be about but write whichever part motivates me. I don’t write from beginning to end.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the books from Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly, Dean Koontz
I loved Plum Island, Gone Girl, Lincoln Lawyer, Intensity, Harry Bosch series.
The last book I truly loved was Where the Crawdads sing.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on another thriller. It is in the beginning stages.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now, my suspense book is on sale for $2.99 for a limited time at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Eye-Prize-Deception-KC-Avalon-ebook/dp/B08VF9FMFK and paperbacks can be purchased at www.kcavalon.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have a lot of patience. It isn’t a career where you can expect to make it big. Just keep writing and keep your head up. It is an accomplishment just to publish a book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Practice mindfulness and focus on the present. When you spend time planning for the future of living in the past, you can’t fully enjoy the present. Don’t get sucked into the black hole of technology. Enjoy the person sitting right next to you.

What are you reading now?
A Killer’s Wife

What’s next for you as a writer?
I work full time as an office manager so writing is more of a hobby. I want to continue working on my third novel while remembering to enjoy the process.

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 Time Travelers Wife, Outlander, and one of Eleanor Oliphant’s books.

Author Websites and Profiles
KC Avalon Website
KC Avalon Amazon Profile

KC Avalon’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

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Author Interview Series

To discover a new author, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors around. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring!

If you are an author and want to be interviewed just fill out out Author Interview page. After submitting we will send it out in our newsletters and social media channels that are filled with readers looking to discover new books to read.

If you are looking for a new book to read check out our Featured Books Page.

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have always loved story telling and aspired to be an author in high school. Unfortunately I listened to the naysayers around me that convinced me it was a far fetched ambition and I chose to study accounting instead leaving my creative outlet solely resting on running table top games for my friends. My teen daughter, Emma, called me out after I gave her a speech one night about following her dreams and doing what made her happy. After that I self-published my first book in 2020. I just published my second full length novel and true to my word I am now chasing what makes me happy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dirge of the Dead is my latest book and it is the second in the Baku series. I wrote the bulk of it during COVID lockdowns feeling the weight of the isolation. My main character, while coping with her actions in the first book, finds herself alone and isolated from her friends and allies as she attempts to pull off a resurrection.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure if it’s unusual, but I like to write to music. It has to be instrumental and I tend to choose the genre based on the scene I am working on. This leaves me jumping from Celtic to dark gothic instrumental pieces. Lyrics seem to distract my train of thought. I share what I am listening to while writing on my facebook page regularly.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My first favorite author was Dennis Mckiernan. I found his Eye of the Hunter book in my local library and it was my first foray into fantasy books. I was hooked instantly by the cover and the book did not disappoint me. I love R.A. Salvatore and I think he writes some of the best combat scenes of all the books I have read. I aspire for my combat scenes to be as fluid and vivid as his one day.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the next book in the Baku series with the working title Beyond the Mist. It will bring the first trilogy to a close. I have a few irons in the fire for when I finish the first trilogy, but am leaning heavily due to request from my readers of doing a prequel series based on the cannibal necromancer Oxivius Soulforge.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method I have found so far is word of mouth. Facebook and Amazon ads get clicks but nothing beats when some one truly enjoys what you have written and shares it with friends.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I have been following along many fan groups and even best selling authors have people that can’t stand their work. There is a whole world out there and you have an audience. You just need to find them.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
End each day by telling someone you love them.

What are you reading now?
I am reading the new R.A. Salvatore novel Starlight Enclave

What’s next for you as a writer?
Next? I would love to keep exploring more of the world I have created with the Baku 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?
I would take The Companions by R.A. Salvatore to remind me of the good times with my friends, I would take Dirge of the Dead to remind my of what I can accomplish, and I would take a survival book of some kind because without some help I wouldn’t make it on my own for more than a couple days.

Author Websites and Profiles
Reed Westgate Website
Reed Westgate Amazon Profile

Reed Westgate’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve published four books so far, but I’ve been writing since I was 9, so I’ve written quite a few stories. My books are light, cozy reads with happy endings and are suitable for young readers as well as adults who are feeling tired, jaded, or overstimulated by the real world.

I’ve hidden behind books all my life and dreamt of being a writer for as long as I can remember. But I do other stuff too, since writing doesn’t pay all the bills (yet!). I run an adventure travel company called The Great Next, have written for National Geographic Traveller, Forbes, Travel+Leisure and a few other publications, and am a freelance content and copy writer.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I just published The Travelling Zoo, which is a sequel to Welcome to the Zoo. I wrote Welcome to the Zoo in 2020, during the first lockdown. I wanted to write something that helped me and my readers escape to a happy place, so I dug up all my memories of growing up in an old bungalow in India in the 90s. I’m one of four animal-loving siblings, and we grew up surrounded by cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, turtles, guinea pigs, and the occasional peacock.

The book did pretty well, and I received pictures of young readers cackling over the pranks, and reviews from adult readers who loved the nostalgia of it. All that positive feedback encouraged me to start on The Travelling Zoo, and I’ve just published that too.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I like to write in silence but I often play rainforest or ocean sounds to keep me grounded in the story. I like to write stretched out on the sofa or propped up by a dozen pillows on my bed, but one day I’ll have a big, soft armchair next to a window and I’ll do all my writing there.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jane Austen, Roald Dahl, Lionel Shriver, James Herriot, Gerald Durrell, Georgette Heyer, the Bronte sisters, D.E Stevenson, and so many more. This is always the hardest question to answer.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a funny, yucky book for younger readers who find pooping and tooting hilarious. But I’m also in the process of outlining a couple of books – a YA mermaid story and a darker one for adults. I haven’t yet decided which of the two I’m going to work on next.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m terrible at promoting my books, but I find that Twitter works, as irregular as I am on it. What I’m really trying to do is understand the Amazon algorithm and tweak my SEO and content so that my books show up to people who are actually searching for their next read.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, write a lot, and read a lot. Don’t just read the bestsellers – they’re usually selling so well because of marketing or social media, but it doesn’t always make them good literature. Read in your genre, read books about writing and work on your craft, read the classics (there’s an author for everyone), and make copious notes (mental or otherwise) about how you can improve or embellish your writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write the book you want to read.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading D.E Stevenson’s works. She lived in turn-of-the-century Scotland and her books are marvellous. I read her Miss Buncle series a few years ago, but am diving headlong into the rest of her books now.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Learning more about the art of selling my books, so that I can turn this into a full-time gig.

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?
Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, Roald Dahl’s Danny the Champion of the World, D.E Stevenson’s Miss Buncle’s Book, James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small, and Steven King’s On Writing.

Author Websites and Profiles
Mishana Khot Website
Mishana Khot Amazon Profile

Mishana Khot’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born and raised in the mean streets of Mumbai, I turned to books and music for sanctuary at a very young age. With an out-of-control and overwhelmingly imaginative mind, the world of fantasy was pretty much my natural habitat since the age of five. With music and writing as the two major contenders among my endless list of “passions”, I would not have guessed that my first ever publicly distributed work would be in the literary world.

Five years after acquiring my Bachelor’s Degree in Management Studies, I managed to publish my very first novel at the age of 27 while working a day-job as a Content Writer. I hope to write many more fantasy stories that will open people’s minds to regain access to a higher realm which every human freely entered into as a child, but became incapable of accessing as we grew older and became bound by the dark magic of the adult world’s perceived limitations of “reality”. And I hope to do this through stories that will also speak to readers at a vulnerably human level and deliver a message of inner-healing and restoration to our broken world.

I have released one book so far: ‘Sovereign Servants – The Sending’, the first instalment in the ‘VIRGIN EARTH’ fantasy series. And am currently in the process of writing my second book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘Sovereign Servants – The Sending’, the first instalment in the ‘VIRGIN EARTH’ fantasy series is mainly inspired by the idea that humans and our planet must have once been far more glorious than how they are today. So, one could say that the inspiration was humanity and our world itself. VIRGIN EARTH explores the idea of an Earth which was yet undefiled by the baneful touch of man. And looking at how humanity is forever plagued by wickedness such as greed and lust, it questions whether mankind in this glorious, unblemished earth can preserve the its maiden glory.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to insert shout-outs to manga and anime characters in my books.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I do not really consider myself to be someone whose writing is influenced by any authors or books.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the second book in the VIRGIN EARTH series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
None.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would advice new authors to be bold enough to take risks and execute brand new concepts and styles, and be willing to challenge the status quo.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
‘You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.’ – Robin Williams.

What are you reading now?
Nothing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am currently focusing on finishing the VIRGIN EARTH series and putting out a piece of work that I can be unapologetically proud of.

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 Holy Bible, The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, Fear is the Key by Alistair Maclean, and The Complete Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jasper W.C. Website
Jasper W.C. Amazon Profile

Jasper W.C.’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! My name is Aneika Turnbull. I was born and raised in Jamaica. I migrated to the United States when I was 15 years old. I recently graduated with my Bachelor’s of Science degree in Health and Exercise Science. My aspiration is to become a Physician Associate and collaborate with other medical professionals to boost access to healthcare in underserved communities. I started writing when I was around 10 years old and have participated in many essay/writing competitions. I wrote and published my first children’s book, A Little Girl’s Dream, in April 2020. I hope that others will find inspiration through my works of literature.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my book is A Little Girl’s Dream. The purpose of my book is to highlight to all children with and without disabilities that they have the power to dream and they can be anything they want to be. Their circumstances do not define them and it’s their differences that makes them special.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I still write on paper before I type…does that count?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many… but my favorite is Ben Carson’s life story in Gifted Hands. He is one of my role models.

What are you working on now?
I am a Co-Author on an Anthology book releasing this year. Therefore, I am currently writing my chapter for that book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t really have much experiencing on promoting my book on social media since I am a new Author. However, I have used instagram and facebook. I have gotten some great results, but I would like to promote my book more!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be creative and make your work YOURS! Believe in yourself and in your story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I have gotten so many advices but my favorite is “take things one day at a time”. It is important to slow down and deal with the current problem instead of overwhelming yourself with problems that don’t exist. I have had to learn that in a hard way and now I live by it daily.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Becoming by Michelle Obama

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would love to write more children’s books and eventually publish a memoir. I’m trying to make it to the best-selling list! As for now, I am focused on promoting my current 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?
Steve Harvey- Act Like a Success- Think Like a Success
Suzanne Collins-The Hunger Games
Genevieve Behrend- Your Invisible Power

 

Aneika Turnbull’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Based in Melbourne, Australia, I write dark tragedies focused on broken characters as they make their way in a deeply cinematic world.

My debut novel, The Devil in the red dirt has just released. I’m track to release my second, The Man From The Black Valley at the beginning of ’22

In everything I, and everything I writes, I try to give a voice to the voiceless and hope to the hopeless.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Devil in the red dirt. It’s a gritty criticism of how society treats the vulnerable and basically an epic case study into how cruelty creates cruelty.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
This book took me eight years to complete. I hope that isn’t usual for me going forwards.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m an odd one. Much of my favourite writing in pre-20th century. I think I was a pretentious teen and unfortunately it just stuck. Joris Karl Huysman and Thomas De Quincey are my favourites.

What are you working on now?
The Man From The Black Valley. An Australian Neo-Western with magical realism peppered throughout.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still figuring that out to be honest.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep writing. Never stop. Take years off if you need to. But keep on hitting those keys.

What are you reading now?
I’m writing so I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of time for reading right now. Mainly new born baby advice forums given my little girl is usually at home making a lot of noises I don’t quite understand, and some I wish I didn’t.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Get a second book out, and a third, and a fourth. And hopefully paythe rent.

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?
Confessions of an English Opium Eater
A’ Rebours
The Brothers Grimm collection
Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Smith Website
Michael Smith Amazon Profile

Michael Smith’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, my name is Jane – welcome to my page, and thanks for stopping by!

I grew up on a Mediterranean diet and knew firsthand about it.

I am a nutritionist, writer, consultant, recipe maker, and a Master of Science in Nutrition.

Plus, I’ve always been a passionate fan of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.

I am a beginner author and have written 1 book so far, but of course, I am not going to dwell on this 🙂

Best Regards,
Jane.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Complete Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: The Best Collection of 50+ Easy Mediterranean Recipes and 14-Day Diet Meal Plan for Weight Loss

What are you working on now?
Above a new book 🙂

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon Kindle PPC

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Jane Mosley Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Nuremberg, Germany, and came to the United States first as an exchange student, then attended Georgetown University. To date I have published twelve books, both poetry and prose, and two more are scheduled for publication by February 2022.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Kaleidoscope, a book of prose poems, and it was inspired by the intensity and the fragmentation with which the world comes at me as poet and therefore at the third person persona in the poems.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write a lot, especially notes about the world and my perception of it. Currently I am going through a series of old notebooks and am surprised to discover how much I edit out in memory as either insignificant or alternatively as something I don’t care to remember.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Poet Roland Flint was my first poetry teacher at Georgetown University and therefore tops the list.
Other influential writers: Doris Lessing (especially The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four, and Five; Sally Beauman (especially Destiny); Sylvia Plath; Anne Sexton; Mary Oliver; Elizabeth George

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a short story collection called They Didn’t Know What to Say. It is about the general bafflements in the human condition, especially as concerns relationships and related yearnings.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I always promote my books and events on Facebook. I also have a link to my latest book on my email return addresses which comes in particularly helpful when I correspond with authors who submit to my blog “Writing In A Woman’s Voice.”

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I often heard the advice to write for a specific someone as audience. In this day and age, with so many voices competently competing for being heard, I would say pick yourself as number one audience and write about what intrigues you. Spend your life and time on what inspires you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Paraphrasing George Saunders: It’s not about what you can do, literary acrobatics and such, but how you can make your audience feel.

What are you reading now?
Penelope Lively’s Moon Tiger

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have pretty much dedicated the next year to short stories for my collection in progress, They Didn’t Know What to Say.” I am also looking for creating some more Kaleidoscope prose poems, perhaps for a future collection. I will keep sifting through my own fascinating notebooks from the past for potential discoveries.

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?
Doris Lessing’s The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four, and Five; my own Parcival; and two very large blank notebooks.

Author Websites and Profiles
Beate Sigriddaughter Website
Beate Sigriddaughter Amazon Profile

Beate Sigriddaughter’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Emma Barry and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to write my first novel supported by funding from the Arts Council England for storytelling with a twist of personal development. Also, I’m learning how to narrate and produce the Audiobook version. I have written and published two anthologies of poetry under a pseudonym, Emily Halfpenny, with personal development themes throughout too.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Flat on the 7th Floor. It was inspired by the personal development books I have been reading and wishing I had learnt some things earlier. I read a lot of fiction as a young and new adult which inspired me to be adventurous in life as well as be entertained. I hope this book will be an enjoyable read for any age.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Oooh good question. I can write anywhere and at any time but one of my favourite ways to write is on a Sunday afternoon with an episode of Columbo on in the background. I say episode but they are actually more like films as they are 90 minutes long! I have watched all the episodes in the 10 series (and some of the episodes multiple times) I can switch between concentrating and watching my favourite parts!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I remember being obsessed by fiction authors as a teenager and read as many as I could get my hands on like Agatha Christie, J.T. Edson, Charles Dickens, Jeffrey Archer, Point Crime, Point Romance, The Saddle Club etc. Since mid twenties to now, the personal development books such as Stephen Covey, Rob Parsons, James Clear, David Bach etc.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on recording the Audiobook for The Flat on the 7th Floor, continue to promote all formats of the book and then I start writing the next book in the series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m learning more and more every day! So far I find that having an open mind to opportunities and a personal approach to keep going, promote regularly and to focus on one reader at a time is rewarding and fun.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
One of my quotes is “It’s never too late to give it a go.” E.L. Barry. There are lots of authors and readers AND there is room for you too. Give yourself permission to learn. Find a mentor and/or accountability partner to enjoy the journey with. Hire a professional Editor/Proof Reader/Cover designer. Give yourself contingency time. Read aloud your writing. Publish in all three formats. (Kindle, Paperback and Audiobook) Have fun!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There are sooooo many choices but I will go with… “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is now.”

What are you reading now?
For pleasure I am reading – Q is for Quarry – Sue Grafton
For work I am reading/listening to – Voiceover Narration – Dian Perry
For personal development I am reading – The Heart of Communication – Rob Parsons

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going all-in with writing the series – eek! I’m branching out to pursue collaboration and freelance work to reach young adults with personal development and life skills.

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?
Oooh so many choices but I will go with:
– The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle (as I’ll probably need it to stay sane)
– Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival Handbook (I haven’t read it but I bet it would be useful)
– One Million Tiny Plays about Britain – Craig Taylor (It was a good laugh)
– Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie (great book!)

Author Websites and Profiles
Emma Barry Website
Emma Barry Amazon Profile

Emma Barry’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written eleven mysteries in two series, the Cat Caliban mysteries and the Gilda Liberty mysteries, two standalong mysteries, SMOKE and BAYOU CITY BURNING, and a humorous sci-fi, SECOND COMING.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
On September 1st, I’m reissuing the second four books in the Cat Caliban series, featuring Cincinnati’s newest, oldest, and crankiest detective. FIVE-ALARM FIRE, in which Cat takes a beginners’ pottery class at a local art center, was inspired by my own experiences in pottery classes at an art center just like the one in the book — an old Victorian mansion. Specifically, it was inspired by late nights when I drove there late at night and entered the quiet house alone to check the kiln.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I doubt that my habits are unusual for a writer of my age. I spend a lot of time doing yoga, self-massage, and stretches that allow me to sit in front of a computer for 5-6 hours a day. I take weekends off. When I was younger, I could work all day and into the night, but no more.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to mention. I will say that two writers whom I admire in my branch of the mystery genre are Robert B. Parker and Lisa Scotteline.

What are you working on now?
NINE LIVES, the ninth book in the Cat Caliban series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
If I can get a book selected for a BookBub Featured Deal, that brings me the best results. Otherwise, Amazon ads have proved the most successful for me of the advertising venues.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read.

What are you reading now?
Having just finished listening to two wonderful mysteries by Faye Kellerman and Louise Penny, I’m listening to an Agatha Christie and reading Francine Prose’s THE VIXEN and a true crime book by Karen Abbott.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing Book 9.

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 like to answer questions about favorites because I have too many. If I took them all, I could probably use them to build a bridge to the nearest mainland.

Author Websites and Profiles
D. B. Borton Website
D. B. Borton Amazon Profile

D. B. Borton’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile