Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I cannot get enough of storytelling in all its shapes and sizes. I hoard poetic forms and formatting tips. I write everything from screenplays to in-character diaries. Immersion and meta are the yin and yang of my soul.

I have published a chapbook, a poem, and a short story.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Violence Without Plot.

It began as the fantasy to live vicariously through a rich white man. Then, it somehow (and quickly) evolved into a story not about the rich white man, but about the women in the background with more personality, agency, and moral complexity than he could ever dream of. They drive the story, and he is simply along for the ride.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have an ability (…but it is also a crux.)

Thinking and typing coexist, in my mind. As I think, the words magically appear on the screen. If there is a buffer between my thoughts and my typing, I don’t notice it. This makes writing much faster and easier.

My Achilles’ heel is that without a keyboard, it’s difficult for me to think of stories at all. If I’m going to write, I’m going to need QWERTY on my side.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
It is a strange mix, but I draw from Chuck Palahniuk’s transgressive fiction, Douglas Adam’s cheerfully cynical tone, and the creeping madness of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a collection of short stories, all of which share a background character in common. She somehow slips into the white noise of every story. Naming the collection after her and thereby drawing attention to the ridiculous things she does in the background of stories that would still be interesting without her really does something for the artistic part of my brain.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best way I’ve found to promote my books is through my pre-existing social medias.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To new authors: you will have to decide if you are in this for money or for passion. You might think the two paths require the same type of work, but they do not.

You can focus on algorithms, demand, and niches to flood. This will change the way you write that first manuscript entirely.

You can focus on writing the story you want to read, because you will read it a hundred more times as you strive to perfect it. This will be artistically fulfilling, even if sales and publishing will depend more on luck than they otherwise would.

Lastly, you can strike a balance. Read everything in the genre you love to write most, see what works, and let that inspire you.

Just know what you want, so you can attain it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Imagine what you want to pick up at a bookstore, then write it for yourself.

What are you reading now?
I am reading three books: Gerald’s Game (by Stephen King), Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (also by Stephen King), and Fahrenheit 451 (by Ray Bradbury).

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me as a writer is self-actualization, if I’m lucky.

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 bring Fight Club (by Chuck Palahniuk), Woman World (by Aminder Dhaliwal), Candide (by Voltaire), and a sentimental book that I wrote in collaboration with my best friend, for no one to see but the two of us.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ellie Renae Website
Ellie Renae Amazon Profile

 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Kimberly Anne Bell, a native of Salisbury, Maryland. My pride and joy are my four daughters and son. I love nature, animals, and mostly anything that exemplifies life. I seek to have an everlasting relationship with the Almighty Father, to confidently soar like an Eagle through this earthly life. The Lord is my strength. I only reach my full capacity when I rely on Christ who is the head of my life and the source of my resilience. I believe that God will get all the glory, now and forever. Today I am a minister, public speaker and author of one book which is my life memoir: The Epitome of Kimmy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Epitome of Kimmy: Accept & Embrace It All is my latest book. It is my testimony of finding hope from a painful past. Through this short read, I share my journey from being abandoned by my biological parents at a tender young age to the emotional, physical and sexual abuse that I had to overcome on the path to adulthood. I was inspired to write the book because I believe that without me sharing my journey, it was meant for no reason. I believe that I made it through to let other people know they can be free as well. When you survive, it’s meant to be shared to help someone else. The truth in any form should be exposed. I am inspired to give back to others in any way I can which will always be to share my journey whenever possible.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have different word documents labeled with notes, memories, and inspirational stories. I highlight keywords or even add a picture or image to help me complete the chapter or stay on track with that particular chapter.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Joyce Meyer, T. D. Jakes, Denise Linn and Joel Osteem

What are you working on now?
Working for on a 30 days at a time self-care book

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Collaborating with other authors and content creators. doing podcasts

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Connect with a person that is just as passionate and has the same vision that you have in what you are writing about and the audience you are reaching.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
What you start you finish, always stand for something.

What are you reading now?
Becoming by Michelle Obama

What’s next for you as a writer?
Complete 30 days at a time – self care book. Publish a religious book and have my memoir audio and shared in various ways to reach millions of people.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“The Battlefield of the Mind” by Joyce Meyer
“Peaceful on Purpose: The Power to Remain Calm, Strong, and Confident in Every Season” by Joel Osteen
“Why? Because your anointed!” by T. D. Jakes

Author Websites and Profiles
Kimberly Bell Website
Kimberly Bell Amazon Profile

Kimberly Bell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been a cultural person and have admired many of the Kings and Queens of the United Kingdom for many years and have found my confluence of King Charles and his Attorney General William Hughes to be some business role models that I like each day in which this would further thrust me into the Nicholas II of Russia and all of India. My humble beginnings of the islands and Business Administrative work in Elk Hart, Indiana has been one of my pride and patriotic joys in the United States. My business role is the Pinnacle, because it is that I take my business beyond the highest pinnacles to assist my customers. Certainly their are many role models I like and have high regards for because they appear to share common spheres of interest to me and I myself being a very down to earth person from Oneida, New York feel about the same in which I have a love for nature, a respect for many things I learn and I am constantly learning and trying new things in which I have worked in Computer Technologies, Designing and Generating new ideas and having a great respect for the Orient.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It is known as The Guide To Computer Services. It is inspired by my experience working with and in computers in school, in business centers and with technicians of upmost respect and kindness to produce this book which educates the reader on everything they ever wanted to know and in the most fastest and concise method all the terms, terminology, software, hardware and all the diagnostical skills needed to work effectively with pc computers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have been fascinated by business persons and their management of Government for years. I have been writing about all the fascinating things on how my idea of leadership and Government works for many nations. In which I began to write about minature cities in which all the buildings, trees, bushes and all the forests that go around the city would have minature people, animals and all the things of a city but on a minature scale. I had been writing about this for years and it would become part of my stories of Adventure and The Creative Collection which is about many stories and aero space pilots which would travel by the portals of a magick ring in which many human aliens would have the smarts to speak with persons and share their thoughts on many objects. Why The Creative Collection? The goal is to extend communication to the deities of other realms which know human life exists but to bring about meetings and trust.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have read many topics and stories through the past year and prefer to not have an opinion about the things other then they were amusing, sometimes humorous but I would not presume they were influencing. I liked one book by Scott Cunningham and it would be the Solitary Practitioner of Wicca. I have been working in Wicca for many years now and I have been devoted to the teachings.

What are you working on now?
My work is in electromagnetic aero space technologies in which crafts, buildings, space stations, communities, vehicles, devices and all sorts of objects operate on electromagnetism in which this force is used in many ways to open faster travel paths through magnetic forces which provide an indefinite amount of energy which flows and powers all the things needed in the commerce. My second project is based on my belief on how Kings and Queens ruled nations from earlier periods of time to the present. This is like an embodiment of an angel of the light and known as the empirical dominion. This order defies the obstacles of mass and weight distribution of any planet in all the solar system to provide an iconery chair person known as an empirical order. My goal in this would be in religious texts and to be able to take mathematical adventures based in PHI Mathematics and PI numbers to create letters which would be be used to generate images for each letter in an alphabet and place the text in order using the english language and heretics to produce a picture on what each of the letters and numbers would mean. This would be incorporated into barcodes which could be updated and scanned all around, and the purpose would be to store infinite amounts of text, numbers and be able to convert them into pictures which could be stored in a barcode thus eliminating the amount of space needed to store publications such as books, magazines and texts. It was originally being done in QR barcode format but it is being changed to a different format to increase capabilities for many technologies and image flows for advertising.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I typically create an author website which shares with my readers about the item and all the benefits it can improve their life and how it is different from other similar publications on the web.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Try to be yourself and be a person that can improve the environment and the qualities of life of all your customers.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A person should try to take it easy, not work to hard but find persons that can also assist them in fulfilling or accomplishing their goals, dreams or object of perfection.

What are you reading now?
I am not reading anything in particular but I am studying electrical engineering courses and history books on New York and businesses which have risen and have had bankruptcies.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to be a leader of a big organization and have a large castle to sky. I would like to be supreme ruler of all of Russia and India. Some of my research goals are to create an under the ocean community known as Marcovia which would allow all the persons that travel to the city to be able to just jump right in with the Marcovia App. My second project is to perfect the electro magnetic vehicles, space crafts and work with all sorts of future cities and alien civilizations in space to create an electromagnetic powered, new universally known engineering.

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 presume I would bring books on Government Law and Organization. How to survive a plague, A book that would assist with the survival of persons or a nation. I would probably slip a copy of the Diary of Anne Frank because I liked her as a dream to be sister when I was in Elementary School.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kyle Oleynik Website
Kyle Oleynik Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a born and bred Portlander with three mischievous boys and one amazing husband. Along with being an author, I’m a part-time Spanish and creative writing teacher.
I first found my passion for reading YA back in 2009 when I discovered the Twilight series. (Don’t hate.) In 2018, I discovered my passion for writing them. I’ve written the rough draft for five epic YA fantasies, and have published the first one. My second will be released in February. I’m also working on a children’s book series about three boys who discover that an ordinary cardboard box turns into a miniature house that can fly. The Cardboard Box should be released in 2022.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Emerald of Viridian.
The inspiration: a strange concoction of life events and the need for a creative outlet. My children, great authors, painful experiences, escapism, and my bathroom shower all played a large part in producing the story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not unusual. Just cranky. If I don’t write everyday, I tend to become an unpleasant person. (My husband can vouch.) I also need chai when I write. Otherwise… Well. It just doesn’t feel WRITE.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh man. Sooo many. I devour large quantities of fantasy, and I feel like each have had an impact: Brandon Sanderson, Sarah J. Maas, Holly Black, and T. Ellery Hodges. The latter has become a good friend and amazing mentor during my transition from traditional publishing to indie.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I’m working on polishing the second of The Chronicles of Caelestis series, rewriting the third, publishing the first of the Cardboard Box Brothers (a children’s series), and entertaining lots of thoughts on a new YA fantasy series as well as a non-fiction “How to be an Indie publisher” book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now, I’m in the throes of advertising. I’m launching a Kindle Countdown event at the end of September and advertising across about 20 or more different platforms. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice: Set realistic expectations for yourself. One of those expectations is that you are going to have to work your butt off. There will be a ton of setbacks. Gird your proverbial loans for them.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Advice? I can’t think of any. I only have anecdotes that have kept me from falling apart. Each story a person shares where they faced rejection over and over and over before finally becoming successful helps me plod onward despite so many challenges.

What are you reading now?
Sabaa Tahir “An Ember in the Ashes” series. I’m on book 2, and oh my goodness gracious. Half of me hungers to finish it RIGHT NOW. To discard responsibility and get lost in her world. It’s amazing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
There is no real “next.” I want to write forever. I’ve found something that I’m 100% addicted, passionate, zealous for. If nobody read a word of my writing, I wouldn’t stop. I’m a part-time teacher (This year I get to teach a creative writing class! Woot!) but still hope to crank out as many books as I can afford to edit and get a cover for every year.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. Dawn of Wonder
2. The sequel to Dawn of Wonder that hasn’t been released yet.
3. The sequel to the sequel of Dawn of Wonder that hasn’t been released yet.
4. The sequel to the sequel… you get the idea.

Author Websites and Profiles
Claire Norsworthy Website
Claire Norsworthy Amazon Profile

Claire Norsworthy’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve always been a writer, but never seriously thought of publishing until after I retired. I have two books published on Amazon and have a third one in progress.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Firefly Magic started with the idea of childhood sweethearts reuniting. Of course, this theme has been done many times and I wanted to add a twist, so I wrote it as romantic suspense.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually have characters in mind before I begin writing, then I just let them tell their story. A plot happens later as I get to know my characters better.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dean Koontz is my favorite writer. I love his narrative descriptions. I also enjoy reading Nora Roberts and Sandra Brown. But I read a lot of authors and many genres and it’s difficult to say which ones have had the most influence.

What are you working on now?
A novel with the working title, “I’m Waiting For You”. It is a romantic suspense story where the two main characters meet while in a out-of-body experience.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now I’m using Amazon Ads and my personal Facebook page.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It sounds obvious but write. I found it helpful at the beginning to join a writer’s group. And read, fiction, craft books. But most importantly, enjoy the process. If you love what you do, it will show in your work.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t get caught up in other people’s opinions. Everyone had one, but it’s important to learn to trust your instincts.

What are you reading now?
Several books on marketing. I’m realizing the importance of discoverability if you want to sell books. Just putting it up on Amazon is not enough.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue to write new stories. I usually have one or two in the back of my mind as I write. I’ve set up a document in Scrivener to put notes in for any new ideas that come to me.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Anything by Dean Koontz or Sandra Brown and probably a book on how to survive on a desert island.

Author Websites and Profiles
pat Leo Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is CM Francis. I graduated undergrad bachelor’s in film and animation from Rochester Institute of Technology. I fell in love with writing screenplays and took four years to complete one (with many, many drafts). But I never really had the emotion and everyone’s perspective, so I spent three years changing it into it’s novel form. This the first book I have ever written.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my first book is “The Day I Died.” My story inspires Cat’s (the main character) story. We both have brain aneurysm occurring at a young age and struggle with everything physically and mentally.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I know of. I have a writing friend who she create tri-boards, notebooks, stickers, and different colored paper to help her through the outline phases. I only outline every chapter, approximately 500 words as I go.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
They Both Die In The End (I have used the author’s technique of having the perspectives sign characters being in third person while the main characters have one), Before I Fall (it’s has a sad ending, but hopefully in other ways) and Scarlet (from the Cinder series, and with every book in that series, you pick up a new point of view, first person).

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am working on “One Term Left (title is subject to change).” Taking place in Falmouth, Massachusetts, three friends – Sarah Sullivan, Alice White, and Makayla Kissoon – reach the start of their last term of high schooler when something changes in each of their life. I don’t want to spoil it to anyone, but I am on Chapter 9 as we speak!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is my first week of publishing, so I would have to say Awesome Gang :).

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Sometimes, you need release it. You will never truly be done writing, and you can edit it a million times. You might be scared with a lot of “what if,” but there’s a time you need to let it go and publish it into the world.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Do what you love, and F the rest,” Little Miss Sunshine.

What are you reading now?
I just finished The one memory of Flora Banks, and I’ve picked up a few books since – Broken Things, Nine Perfect Strangers – but nothing really grasps my attention.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Currently, I am still taking courses to to earn my masters, so hopefully next fall I am hired as a full time teacher instead of a teacher’s aide. I don’t think I’ll ever become just an author; sometimes, it is when you are concentrated on one thing that you find the greatest inspiration for another.

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 rarely read a book more than once, but if I were stranded on a desert island, one of them would be Hatchet. It’s about a boy named Brian who crashes. I would use his survival skills as my own. The second one is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Everyone loves Harry Potter and if I can’t find any wood, I would burn different pages whenever I got desperate. And I would have to say, Love Like the Movies. I love, love, love this book, and it is honestly my favorite of all time.

Author Websites and Profiles
CM Francis Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My names Ian I love writing drawing and painting. I currently have one book Mr Thinkalot’s Fantastic Space Journey out now, and my next book Mr Thinkalot’s Spectacular Space Journey out in October. But currently I have 3 books in the works.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Mr Thinkalot’s Spectacular Space Journey what inspired Mr Thinkalot was teaching climate change gently. I feel it’s important for younger people to understand, a lot worry and we hear of it daily. Also I wanted to make it fun not like a lesson, but a space adventure that will appeal to boys and girls. The second book has many female characters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Writing early hours because I struggle with sleeping.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
None have influenced on these books but I’m looking forward to doing horror titles and Stephen King was my favourite.

What are you working on now?
Another book on nutrition, but this is a book with fruit and vegetables that have names and talk and go to school.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well it’s on Amazon and deviant art.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t put off writing like I have, I never thought I could do it and here I am with nearly 2 books out and working on another 3. I never thought I could but when the publisher accepted I was like I should of done this years ago.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Chase your dreams.

What are you reading now?
I’m to busy to read right now. I have lots of illustrations and writing to be getting on with.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books more writing and more illustrating, the next book after the vegetable one, is Mr Thinkalot’s Epic Space Journey book 3. Also I have another book in the works but don’t wish to give anything away on that one.

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?
Stephen Kings I.T
Pet cemetery
The shining
Sorry love horrors.

 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a freelance writer and blogger based in Mumbai, India.

I have self-published two books so far.

The first one, published in July last year, was a PC Hardware guide titled “3 Steps to Building the Ultimate PC Gaming Setup” and I wrote it based on my own experience of creating a gaming setup for myself.

I also recently published a second one, titled “Plus Habits: 25 Proven Daily Habits to Boost your Productivity, Energy, and Happiness”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is, “Plus Habits: 25 Proven Daily Habits to Boost your Productivity, Energy, and Happiness” and was published just a few weeks ago.

It’s a collection of 25 powerful habits that will help you get better results in all parts of your life. It’s based on my own experiences of improving my life by developing better habits.

My main motivation to write it came from meeting people who showed a lot of potential but always failed in developing better habits. Most of the time, the primary reason for their failure was having unrealistic expectations. So, I wanted to write a book that motivated them to start small with their habits instead. Not just say, “Start small.” Instead, give them examples and action points that they can put into effect immediately.

Based on comments from early readers, I think I’ve succeeded with my original goal. Now, I’m planning on marketing it far and wide, and can’t wait to get it into the hands of many more readers who might benefit from it!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think this is unusual, but I tend to be more creative when I’m writing in a notebook rather than on a computer or any kind of digital device.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
-Carol Dweck, with Mindset
-Dale Carnegie, with How to Win Friends and Influence People
-Stephen King, with On Writing

What are you working on now?
Currently, I’m working on promoting Plus Habits and present it to readers who might benefit from it. To reach that goal, I’m working on developing a Plus Habits blog, and also creating self-improvement content to post on my Instagram page (@devkam321).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, sites like Awesome Gang and Discount Book Man have been amazing. I’m very grateful for the platform these sites provide for new authors like me. It’s a great opportunity to create an audience and get recognized.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t take a proper writing course when you’re just starting out. Sometimes it can be useful, but most likely you’ll just be overwhelmed with useless information and different kinds of rules.

Instead, start out with a project that you’re passionate about. Could be anything from a short story or a full-length novel. In the process of writing it, editing it, and publishing it, you will learn 100X more than any writing course can ever teach you.

Yes, it will be tough. But, you’ll actually learn some useful and relevant stuff.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield, “The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits. We can never free ourselves from habits. The human being is a creature of habit. But we can replace bad habits with good ones. We can trade in the habits of the amateur and the addict for the practice of the professional and the committed artist or entrepreneur.”

What are you reading now?
The Mouse Charmers by Anuradha Goyal. It’s an entrepreneurship book that has many case studies on successful India-based Internet startups. Very inspiring stuff.

What’s next for you as a writer?
It’s kind of a stretch, but I want to publish a full-length novel someday. Currently, I’m busy with Plus Habits. But, a few months down the line I definitely want to expand my skillset and write a great story as well.

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?
-Maximum City by Suketu Mehta
-Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger
-Everyday Greatness by Stephen Covey

Author Websites and Profiles
Devansh Kamdar Website
Devansh Kamdar Amazon Profile

Devansh Kamdar’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hey y’all! My name is Amenze Osa and I’m a mom, wife, eye surgeon, and author. I’ve written one book. That’s about all I’ve had time and energy for.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called “Mommy is Effing Tired”. The love I have for my daughter and the exhaustion I felt as a new mom in the middle of a pandemic inspired the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I mostly wrote my cheeky, rhyming cartoon mom book on the fly in my phone notes. Months later, after I passed my ophthalmology boards, I decided to publish it so other moms didn’t feel alone. Soooo… does writing for catharsis count?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Adam Mansbach and Dr. Fatu Forna. I felt more comfortable writing my book because of his book ‘Go the F to Sleep’. Here’s hoping a celeb mom will narrate my book some day! Dr. Forna introduced me to my illustration and publishing team; they did her Amazon books too.

What are you working on now?
Shiiiiiii! Surviving a pandemic, seeing my patients, raising my daughter, maintains my relationship with my husband and promoting this lil book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome Gang!!! That’s the answer, right?! Otherwise go to www.CrownVikingPublishing.com or search for “Mommy is Effing Tired” on Amazon and get your entire mom life! But obviously, Awesome Gang too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just go for it. And do your research the help is out there. This interview was brought to via a YouTube search on metadata at 2am while my child and hubby slept. Thank God for Saturdays!! But really, go for it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Go with ‘effing’. It will sell.” Thanks Dr. Forna!!!!

What are you reading now?
“Professional Troublemaker” by Luvvie Ajayie Jones. Before that it was “We Should All Be Millionaires” by Rachel Rodgers. Love me some black women making coin.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books in this niche. Teenage version, etc. Also may consider short stories for feature about life as a black female physician- the 2%. We’ll see. Right now, I’m just enjoying being able to say, “I’m an author!”

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?
“We Should All Be Millionaires” by Rachel Rodgers; “What Happened to You” by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry; and probably some book on survival on a deserted island.

Author Websites and Profiles
Amenze Osa, MD Website
Amenze Osa, MD Amazon Profile

Amenze Osa, MD’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am originally from Wisconsin, but traveled around the Midwest with my husband for school and am currently in Nebraska. I earned both my B.A. and M.A. in Communication Studies and began writing shortly after. The Dark Angel series is my first adventure as an author. The Shadow’s Grasp was published in January 2021, but edited and released as a second edition with a new cover. Its sequel, The Guardian’s Deception, will be releasing on September 14, 2021. I am currently writing the sixth book of this series and plan to publish them all over the next three to four years with two releasing every year.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Dark Angel series has been something I created and expanded on over the years since 2012. I don’t remember what inspired it, but a lot of my ideas come from dreams or music.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I prefer to write in the mornings when I wake up since that is usually when I’m more active. Other than that, I can sit down and write for hours straight when the story is figured out. In order to make that happen, I spend time listening to certain music that sets the tone for that point in the story. That’s usually how I come up with specific plot points or action scenes.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Before I became an author and started doing ARC and BETA reading, I mainly read Mercedes Lackey and the classics, like The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tale of Two Cities, etc. I also enjoyed Eragon and think my writing is most reflective of that series. Now, I’ve expanded my view of fiction and fantasy books and find that reading helps me develop more as an author.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am at the beginning of the sixth book in The Dark Angel series. There may or may not end up being a seventh, but once this is complete I would like to start on something new that I’ve had in mind to write for a while. I’m also learning how to get online ads and market myself as an author since nowadays that’s what you sort of have to do.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My secret for finding new ways to promote my books is to sign up for newsletters like Pretty-Hot and AwesomeGang, then go to this question and see what others are doing. I keep a list of online author profiles to complete and update whenever I release a new book and a list of sites for book submission, both for promotion and reviews. In addition to this, I actively post on Facebook and Instagram, keep a blog on Goodreads, and offer to read and review other author’s work in exchange for honest reviews. It’s difficult to get someone to read your work without something in it for them, so I find the most successful method is to make connections with other authors and help support each other first.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write for yourself, first and foremost. In any art form, there will be people who don’t like or don’t understand your work. That’s okay! If everybody liked everything, there wouldn’t be any variety. Because of this, it’s important for authors to know who they are and what they want to create. You’re not going to please anybody and you only have control over yourself. Write the story that you want to write above all else instead of caving into what’s popular, what gets readers, and what pleases the majority of people.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Motivation is sparked by action. If you want to write, write. Once you get started, you’ll find it easier to continue than if you remain lying down wondering how productive you could be later.

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?
My favorite book is Jurassic Park, followed by A Tale of Two Cities, then Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey. It’s a weird trio, but I have fond memories associated with each one.

Author Websites and Profiles
Courtney Lillard Website
Courtney Lillard Amazon Profile

Courtney Lillard’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a poet, writer, and the author of White Knuckle. My poems and short stories have featured in magazines and anthologies around the world. In 2018, I graduated from Teesside University with an MA in Creative Writing. I was born in England, but I now live and write out of an apartment in Barcelona.

Aside from The Black Poems (a limited edition chapbook), which you can find in selected bookshops in London, Manchester, Madrid, Warsaw, Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Paris, White Knuckle is the only book I have available at the moment.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled White Knuckle. It’s also my debut poetry collection, released last year.

It’s inspired by a severe childhood experience. An autobiographical report on the reality of life in a poverty-stricken, drug and violence-fuelled environment. It’s a gut-wrenching composition of grief, loss, and abandonment at an early age.

Overall, it features fifty-one poems and a letter to my younger self. Here’s a short sample poem from the collection:

Failing

Wandering the deserted streets at dawn
with dirty skin, no food for three days.

Feet blistered from wet, worn-out shoes,
knuckles grazed from fighting off two junkies.

Elbow stinging from a weeping knife wound,
I retire under the railway bridge.

School report card tucked inside my pocket,
it says I must try harder.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say I have any unusual writing habits.

If I’m in a professional mood, I’ll get up early, make coffee, and write or edit until Gosia (my wife) returns home from work.

Having said that, I’m convinced I do my best writing from midnight onwards when the world’s sleeping. I light up a cigar (Macanudo), pour a double whisky (Suntory Toki), and play some music (Max Richter or Chopin). That seems to bring the muse bounding from his cave.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stylistically, I would say minimalist authors such as Raymond Carver and Ernest Hemingway. I admire the concise structure of their writing style. And as modern attention spans continue to decline, I think authors must adapt to the times to keep the reader interested.

Bookwise, I suppose every book I’ve ever read has had some kind of influence on me.

What are you working on now?
At the moment, I’m working on a second collection of poetry. However, it’s still in the early stages, so I can’t say much about it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth and social media seems to work best for me. In particular, Facebook and Goodreads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Study the craft.

Start by reading books on writing. Here are some recommendations: The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, The Art of Fiction by David Lodge, The Elements of Style by Strunk & White, and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
For writing: “Get in, get out. Don’t linger. Go on.” — Raymond Carver.

For life: “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” — Epictetus.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently re-reading The Selected Writings of Guillaume Apollinaire. Next, I’ll be reading The Trial by Franz Kafka after enjoying the film adaptation by Orson Welles.

What’s next for you as a writer?
If all goes well, I’ll have a second poetry collection out next year. From there, who knows?

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Only four books? Thank heavens this is a hypothetical question.

Here goes, in no particular order: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (Flame Tree Publishing edition with the Gustave Doré illustrations), Where I’m Calling From by Raymond Carver, and The Collected Stories of Ernest Hemingway.

Author Websites and Profiles
Steven Bruce Website
Steven Bruce Amazon Profile

Steven Bruce’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I published my first book when I was 19-years-old after graduating high school and then I published Sade Evans: She Will Kill to Be Happy at that age as well. I published my last book, Hidden Agendas back in 2017 when I was graduating from college. As of right now, I’ve written three books and is planning on releasing another one pretty soon. Besides writing, I love music, singing, watching movies and having peace in my life.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’m not going to reveal the name of my upcoming book right now. It’s still in the developing stages, but it’s going to be one that nobody will forget. To give you a little information, it was inspired by three of my favorite singers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No I don’t. I pretty much write normal by typing out my books on my laptop when I’m watching TV or listening to music. My writing process isn’t weird at all.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Growing up, I used to love reading Caroline King’s Nancy Drew Mysteries. I fell in love with those books when I was in the fifth grade. Then, I got older and began reading young adult books like the Drama High Series by L. Divine. Now, I have read a lot of books over the years, but I just love the Drama High Series, because those books were so entertaining and filled with love, betrayal and even magic. It’s an urban book series that I’ve never forgotten.

What are you working on now?
My new book is currently in production, and for now I’m keeping details about it private. I’ll release them more and more as time goes on.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I really don’t have a “best” method or website where I promote my books. I just use whatever ways I can to get my books out to the world. With my upcoming book, I’m going to make sure that I promote it the best way I can.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
For new authors, I just want y’all to not be afraid of sharing whatever your vision is with the world. Every writer thinks that their book is great, which they suppose to think positive about their work. However, everybody has their own opinion, so y’all can get good reviews or bad reviews on your books. I think highly of my books, but I was met with mixed reviews in the past that caused me to feel a little doubt about my work. The thing that I always reminded myself was that I worked hard on writing my books, and there’s no way that I would let negative opinions take my love away from my work. Every writer should love their books and make sure to not let nobody discourage them from giving the world a new story to read. Just pray to God, believe in your book and yourself, and everything will be alright.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’ve never been given any advice on my books.

What are you reading now?
Nothing at the moment.

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me is to get this new book ready so it can be read by many people around the world. Making money off my books is good, but I really want as many people as possible to read them and know me as a writer who’s not afraid to express himself on paper by showing his creativity through his stories.

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’ll take the Drama High Collection By L. Divine, which is more than 3 or 4 books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Tonne Odom Website
Tonne Odom Amazon Profile

Tonne Odom’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been a content creator and entrepreneur for more years than I’d like to admit but Stop Asking For Water! is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Stop Asking For Water! is based on the true events of my children never wanting to go to bed. We all know how much kids like to stall…but now it’s personal! I knew I wasn’t the only mom out there who could relate so creating this book felt like a no-brainer.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need total and complete silence to write. I can’t listen to music, podcasts, or have any noise. I only write alone, at home. You won’t catch me at a coffee house writing. I would get way too distracted!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
All of the books and authors I love helped to shape my perspective as a person but not as much as a writer. I write what rings true in my gut and lean into humor whenever I can.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the next book of my Snarky Mom series. It will be another common parenting problem. Can you guess which topic it will be on?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Stop Asking For Water! is my first book so I am learning as I go.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I wish someone had told me years ago to just write what I want and not stick to algorithms or trends. Actually, many people told me that. I just didn’t listen!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid to fail.

What are you reading now?
Peppa Pig Meets the Queen. My daughter has forced me to read it nightly for the past 1600 days. At least that’s how it feels.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I don’t even know what I am having for dinner tonight. But if I had to guess, it’s probably salmon. And as far as writing goes, I look forward to seeing where the next story takes 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?
Prozac Nation (because I would need a depression buddy if I was stranded)
The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Llama (to help with the first one)
The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer (to remind me to have some grit)
And the 4th would have to be something I’ve never read

Author Websites and Profiles
Anjeanette Carter Website
Anjeanette Carter Amazon Profile

Anjeanette Carter’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a social scientist that has studied in the fields of criminal justice, sociology, and law. Having spent a number of years examining human behavior, societal issues, and political policies, I enjoy writing what I know—especially in storytelling.

I am passionate about community, women, and youth, and often spends time volunteering for causes in these realms. My other interests include spending time with family and friends, foreign travel, and a spectrum of arts and crafts.

I recently released my first novel and am currently working on my second.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Devil Is In The Details.

I am social scientist who reads an immense amount of non-fiction literature for my discipline. I also possess a love for all entertainment in the realm of thriller/suspense/mystery. Often, I find it difficult to free my mind and relax my brain in a challenging but thrilling read. So, I typically turn to classic literature for my reading entertainment. I started writing, and wrote the current published work, to offer readers like myself an engaging read that was not only thought provoking, but loosely educational. I love learning, I love reading, and I love being entertained. When the three are combined, I am in paradise.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am an emotional writer. So, how I write, when I write, and where I write is often guided by how I am feeling in the moment. To that end, I have written scenes all over the place (almost like puzzle pieces that fell out of a box—they are scattered everywhere!!!). It’s fun writing this way, but a lot of content ends up deleted in the end because the pieces just “do not fit.”

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I enjoy reading suspense and crime thrillers. Although I do not have a current favorite author, I did enjoy reading R.L. Stine’s “Fear Street” series as a child. His series were the perfect balance of mystery and suspense that I sought as a young reader; they definitely encouraged my reading habit and influenced by writing style.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on my second novel that is slated for release the end of the year 2022 or the beginning of the year 2023. True to my professional discipline, this manuscript will also be among the law enforcement/judicial system realm; and true to my passion, it will be another crime thriller.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word-of-mouth and social media are the best methods for promoting my book. I find that people are most influenced by people in their inner-circle. So, my goal is to target at least one person in each circle and eventually the buzz will spread.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love or what you have the greatest interest in. To follow the advice to write what is trending will make the writing process less enjoyable. So, stay to true to your craft and your passion–this will not only ensure that your manuscript will be completed, but your readers will ultimately receive the authentic you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write your ending first. Though very good advice, I do not follow it, BUT, again, I do believe it is really good advice. So, I try to have an end in mind even if it is not written down. Following this blueprint for writing means that all roads will lead to your end, even if you take a few detours along the way.

What are you reading now?
To stave off boredom, I read at least 2 to 3 books at a time. So, I am currently reading: Jacquelin Jones’s Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow, Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, and Tosca Lee’s Demon A Memoir.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Definitely more writing. I am currently working on my second novel that is slated for release the end of the year 2022 or the beginning of the year 2023. I also plan to host a book discussion with as well as a book signing for my readers.

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?
Thinking along the lines of survival until I am rescued, I would bring: The Bible, Book on Herbs, The Complete Guide on Natural Vitamins, Book on Essential Oils,

Author Websites and Profiles
LaKeisha LaKay Amazon Profile

LaKeisha LaKay’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an Aboriginal woman with stories to tell. I’ve been writing fiction since 2015 but The Conscious Virus is my first published novel.
I have three other books of the series at the first or second draft stage.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Conscious Virus was inspired by experiences of the Coronavirus Pandemic but it connects with ideas and experiences going back to 2015.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in the mornings before I go to work. Coming to the end of this book, I stayed up all night sometimes (or until 3 or 4 am), determined to get the best story out. Sleep-deprived, cranky, with nothing but my story to keep me going–that’s where The Conscious Virus came from. There was joy in it, too, as it came out to the world.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, Seth Speaks by Jane Roberts.

What are you working on now?
Although it pushed its way to the front to be the first book published, ‘The Conscious Virus’ will be the fifth or the sixth book in the Aedgar Wisdom series.
The first book of the series, the origin story, working title ‘Aedgar Arises,’ will be out next year. The first three books of the series are set in a remote Aboriginal community in the central Australian desert, close to Uluru.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My own website has a loyal following. It has featured extracts from the conversations Nerida has had with spirits since 2015.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep listening to the voices in your head. Love and value yourself. We are each here for a reason and writing keeps you on your path.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When I was a confused young woman, an old Aboriginal man told me to begin healing by loving myself. I considered it and began to treat myself with kindness and compassion. It saved my life. So, I know that an idea can help change a person’s life, if they are ready to hear it.

What are you reading now?
Spirits of the Ghan by Judy Nunn and Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult. I’ve just finished Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child. At work at lunchtime, I’m reading Both Sides of the Fence, a memoir by John Spencer, a man of Aboriginal and Scots ancestry about the history of Central Australia.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m looking forward to producing an audiobook version of The Conscious Virus in the next few months.

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 I Ching (The Book of Changes), the Wilhelm translation; Traditional Healers of the Central Desert: Ngangkari by the NPY Women’s Council; The Macquarie Dictionary; Dear Veronica by April Crawford.

Author Websites and Profiles
Miki Mitayn Website
Miki Mitayn Amazon Profile

Miki Mitayn’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Truthfully, I always struggle to write these, lol. Alright, well, I’m an English major but a math minor. I’m a substitute teacher born and raised in Alaska. I’m a graphic designer, and I’ve done all the cover designs and internal illustrations for my books.

I’ve written only the one book, with book 2 almost done and book three in the first draft stage. However, I’ve published about 120+, which are various notebooks, journals, and kids activity books on KDP, and I’m working to create a small business with them.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book would be book 2 of my Firebrand series, titles Crimson Shores. This is inspired by a lot of things from Lord of the Rings to the old movie Captain’s Courageous and the BBC series Musketeers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a night owl, so if I’m not thinking about it, I’ll stay up working until 2:00 am sometimes. I also listen to music, and I’ll either listen to one of those hour long videos of epic music, or I’ll have a bunch of kpop playing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis are big, as are Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan. I also really like Timothy Zahn.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on a few more low content books for Amazon KDP, namely puzzle books for kids.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Twitter has been my best, as has Instagram, and I’ve seen some good traffic from Facebook.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
First, get on social media, and do it quickly. Build your author platform before your book is out, because if you try to build it after it’s out, it’s a lot harder to get momentum. Granted, is going to be hard anyway, but it helps to have the platform built first.

Secondly, as good as you think your book is going to be as soon as you finish the first draft… it’s really not. It takes a while to develop, but that’s alright. After you finish your first draft, go through and read it yourself, because then you’ll find the holes that need a little more filler. After that, rewrite the whole thing, and I mean literally put the document on one side of the screen, bring up a blank document on the other side, and then retype every word. You shouldn’t just copy/paste, as that defeats the purpose. By rewriting every word, you then decide if it has to be there, or if a better word will work, or if you need other words. You also see where your work is lacking.

Thirdly, trust your gut. If you think the story is good, then keep working at it. If you think something isn’t working, though, then it probably isn’t and needs to be changed. There’s a difference between the story being good and the story being conveyed properly, so even though your idea may be amazing, there might be a more amazing way to get that idea across.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When creating heroes, to every two virtues you give them, also give them one vice. In the same way, for every villain, give them two vices to every virtue. Perfect characters feel unrelatable, and flaws in characters make them more relatable to readers. If the villain has a virtue to them, then the reader cares about what happens to them.

As an example, Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff from Marvel Comics, started as a villain, and one of her defining traits is she’s constantly trying to make up for that in her life as a hero. She is extremely loyal to anyone she considers a friend or ally, she’s extremely intelligent, and she’s a really good fighter. However, she is not averse to killing (she kills pretty easily, actually) and she is really good at lying and keeping secrets. Her vices have reasons behind them, and help flesh out her character. Without her vices, a lot of her character is lost.

What are you reading now?
The Bible. I’ve been powering through the Old Testament (Leviticus and Numbers are tedious) and am getting into the action books.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish book 2 and then get on to book 3. I’ve got 6 books planned for my Firebrand series, so I’ve got a bit to do before it’s done.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
How to Build a Boat
The Bible
A blank notebook
A blank sketchbook

Author Websites and Profiles
Stefan Coleman Website
Stefan Coleman Amazon Profile

Stefan Coleman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! My name is Krista, and I am (or at least was) a traveling fiend. The advent of COVID-19 has pretty much grounded my travel forays, but I have a wellspring of memories that I can tap into. I presently work at a hospital, and I probably don’t even need to say how great my life has been the last year and a bit. Writing has been my escape hatch from this dystopian reality, and I invite anyone and everyone to join me in the bottom of my pit.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I started writing my travel novel, MEMORY ROAD TRIP, four years ago after my niece asked me to tell her a travel story as we were sitting around bored at a wedding. I proceeded to tell her a story about how I got locked inside a French cathedral. She found my story so funny that she asked me to tell her another one, but the wedding toasts prevented me from telling her another hilarious tale. I always loved writing, but I mostly ever wrote poems. It took me a little while to find my voice, but once I found it, I wasn’t able to shut myself up. In the course of four years, I wrote over 250,000 words — enough stories to fill nearly three entire books. MEMORY ROAD TRIP is the first installment in what will be a three-part series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Oddly, I have not suffered from writer’s block (yet! knock on wood.) I think I suffer from the opposite. I have too many thoughts and tend to “over-write” things. I’ve learned to embrace the mantra “kill your darlings.” I’ve murdered so many paragraphs during the editing process that there exists a literary graveyard under my desk.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My heroes are John Muir, Victor Hugo, Vincent Van Gogh, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Henry David Thoreau (in no particular order.)
As a kid, I wasn’t a big reader. I always preferred to draw or write poetry. The first poet that I really got into as a teenager was Arthur Rimbaud, and I distinctly remember that I tried copying his style.
The first book that I ever read was James Michener’s THE SOURCE. I was given an assignment in high school to do a book report, so I searched through my mom’s stack of crime novels and found the least crime-looking one. I read the whole thing while listening to Europe’s “The Final Countdown” album. To this day, I can’t read a book unless I have music playing in the background.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on my blog (https://kmarson.com/blog/) and posting whatever thoughts come to my head at the moment. Other than that, I’m mostly focused on getting the word out about my book. I’d much rather spend my time writing the second installment, but as a self-published author, I am responsible for marketing myself, which isn’t nearly as fun as writing (so I’m discovering.)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Ya, good question. I’m still trying to figure the ropes out considering that I’ve never swung on them before. I am definitely open to suggestions. (hint, hint, wink, wink.) I figured that Awesome gang would be a good start! I’m not the most media-savvy person out there. I’ve managed to avoid Facebook until only recently. I have hardly any friends on there and it’s purely for the lack of trying. If anyone wants to visit my Facebook page and friend me, it will make me feel very special. For the most part, I think that I was born in the wrong century. Did I answer this question okay? I don’t think that I did.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being a new author myself, I still have a lot of questions as well, but I’m figuring things out as I’m going along. Writing is a lonely business, and it’s easy to forget that there are other people out there. The best advice I can give anyone is to find a good pair of eyeballs to read your novel before impatiently hitting the publish button. My number one saving grace was finding a good editor. Never underestimate the importance of ARC’s (Advanced Reader’s Copies.)

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Winter’s Coming.” There’s something about that phrase that makes me want to prepare for the worst.

What are you reading now?
Well, considering that I live in Phoenix, Arizona, I’m reading a book about cacti. I recently revamped my garden and planted a bunch of shrubs that haven’t survived the summer. Come fall, I’m simply going to stick a bunch of cacti in the holes that I already dug.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to quit my job at the hospital and work on making the book that I wrote into a movie. No? Don’t believe me? Ya, I don’t believe me either. Guess I’ll initiate Plan B then, which involves all the other internet promote-y stuff. Yada, yada, yada, we all know the drill. Personally, I’d rather just be a writer, but what good is writing if no one reads what I wrote? Marketing is part of the deal, so I may as well embrace it. Sigh. I wish that I was rich. Wouldn’t that just make life easier? If I was rich, I could afford to be a writer. What was the question again? Oh, ya, what’s next for me as a writer? Guess the answer is that I’m going to keep on writing but now with the side hustle of promoting.

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 Complete Letters of Vincent Van Gogh. It’s a three-volume set, so does that count as one book or three? If I’m allowed two more books, then I’ll also bring along The Journals of Louis and Clark and Les Miserables.

Author Websites and Profiles
KRISTA MARSON Website
KRISTA MARSON Amazon Profile

KRISTA MARSON’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account