Awesome Author Interviews

Here are some of the awesome authors that have submitted books for you to enjoy. Get to know them and discover their awesome books.

Megan Williams-Zanders

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
You could think of me as the walking cliche of the picture with the coffee shop backdrop with the latte next to the computer. I love reading, writing and all things coffee-related. As a mom of two, I am highly caffeinated at all times. I work in education to support vulnerable student populations. I love to travel, blog, and spend time with my family.
I just finished my first children’s book so I hope that makes me an official author. I’ve always wanted to be a published author. I would write short stories for my late Grandmother when I was younger- I like to believe she enjoyed them.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Curious Me: Questions About God. The book is inspired by my 6-year-old daughter who would ask me tricky questions about God. She believed he wore zebra space boots and lived on the moon- ah, the innocence. I figured I wasn’t the only parent or person who has been asked tough questions from youngsters so I made my experience into a book.

This particular book is faith-based but I think many can relate to trying to give and do our best to provide answers and guidance for youth.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I typically like to write out everything on paper before actually typing it on my computer. If I ever decide to write a novel, I’m certain that will change.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

What are you working on now?
I have two children and my 3-year-old saw that he is not in Curious Me so… I’m working on another children’s book featuring him.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s a great question! I am still researching. Promoting has been the toughest part of the self-publishing journey. I am currently leveraging my subscribers from my blog website. They have been a supportive community.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Join Facebook groups. That has been extremely helpful for me. There are so many different groups/communities that are willing to answer your questions, review your work, buy your work, etc.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Give yourself grace as you go through processes in life whether spiritually, mentally, or physically.

What are you reading now?
Where the Crawdad’s Sing by Delia Owens.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Promote Curious me, write more books and build my brand.

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?
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, All the Shah’s Men by Stephen Kinzer, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (I’m sure it will be very useful for my mental state while stranded).

Author Websites and Profiles
Megan Williams-Zanders Website
Megan Williams-Zanders Amazon Profile

Author Interview Series

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Peter J. Stavros

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an author and playwright in Louisville, Kentucky. My writing has appeared in literary journals, anthologies, newspapers and magazines, including The Saturday Evening Post and The Boston Globe Magazine. I have published one other book, Three in the Morning and You Don’t Smoke Anymore (Etchings Press, 2020), which won the Etchings Press 2020 Book Prize for a Chapbook of Prose. My plays have been produced across the country, some receiving Audience Choice accolades at various festivals.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a collection of humorous short stories titled (Mostly) True Tales From Birchmont Village. It’s based upon several short stories that I first published in The Saturday Evening Post about a close-knit community of quirky eccentrics navigating through their perceived crises and calamities. I really liked these characters so I was inspired to write more stories to follow them during the course of a year in their lives. I guess I wanted to create my own version of Lake Wobegon, with perhaps a dash of Mayberry thrown in as well.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t consider my writing habits unusual – more structured and regimented. I try to write for at least an hour a day, usually first thing in the morning, when the house is still and quiet, just the ticking of the clock on the living room wall and the furnace (or air conditioner) kicking on and off, before the demands and realities and responsibilities of the day come calling. And if I’m really lucky, I’ll wake up with an idea, or a plot, or just a couple lines of dialogue to work with.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say that my interests are varied, but at my core I’m a huge Hemingway fan. I like to go to Key West every now and again, and whenever I do I have to make a pilgrimage to the Hemingway Home and Museum, to the house out back and the second floor, to gaze upon his writing studio and take in all the inspirational vibes. As a playwright, I’ve always admired Sam Shepherd and his use of dialogue, how he could convey so much in so few words, something I strive to do not only in my plays but also in my fiction. For sheer poetry of language, I turn to Charles Bukowski. And being from Louisville, I of course admire one of our native sons, Hunter Thompson. When I was in school, I can remember reading his articles in Rolling Stone and being amazed that you were allowed to write like that, to actually insert yourself into the story! One of my tattoos is a caricature of Hunter Thompson.

What are you working on now?
I have several projects that I’m excited about. There’s a novella that loosely recounts my harrowing experience trying out for the varsity basketball team when I was a freshman in high school that I’ve had lingering around for a few years and I’m now finally getting into final form (fingers crossed) to release this fall. I also have a novel out on submission that centers on my fandom for professional wrestling, and another novel that I’m about to begin my third round of rewrites on that involves a recluse whose prior life comes calling for him in an unexpected way (how’s that for a teaser!). Both of these novels are kind of gritty and honest, and influenced from my time living in a small town in Eastern Kentucky.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Hopefully this Awesome Gang website will prove to be one of the best in promoting my book! Aside from that, I just use whatever other resources I can, from social media to my website to seeking out reviews, and not to underestimate good old-fashioned word of mouth. I have to admit, I enjoy the writing much more than the hustling, but it’s all part of the game.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you know, write what you want to read and perhaps most importantly, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. It could be intimidating at first to share your writing with the world. I know it took me a while before I could hit the “send” button (actually, not to date myself, but when I was first starting out as a writer, it was putting that manila envelope in the mailbox!), but I’m glad I did. Also, have a thick skin (which is still a work-in-progress for me) because this is a highly subjective endeavor, and what one person might love another person might hate for absolutely no reason that would make any sense to you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Several years ago, I attended a reading by another of my favorite authors, Nick Flynn, and during the Q&A session he relayed a conversation he once had with a young actor on the set for the film adaptation of one of his books. This kid asked Nick how to become a writer, and Nick said his response, without being dismissive or flippant, was to “just write.” And despite all of the writing seminars and classes I’ve attended, that simple piece of advice, to “just write,” has stuck with me – and going back to that question above on my writing habits, that’s what I try to do every day, to “just write.”

What are you reading now?
I’ve been so busy on this book that I’m afraid the books on my nightstand have started to pile up, but once I can get a break, I’m excited to read Billy Summers, the new novel by Stephen King (another of my favorite writers – and I guess I have so many!).

What’s next for you as a writer?
Aside from the projects I mentioned above, I want to go back to writing plays, especially now that theaters are starting to reopen. I get such a thrill sitting in an audience and watching people react to something I’ve written, which is completely different from someone just telling me that they’ve read my work. It can be a little stressful, especially if the audience doesn’t react exactly how, or where, I thought they would, but it’s also a total rush.

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?
Let’s see, in looking at my bookshelf, I would definitely grab my dog-eared copy of Fear and Loathing, and Sam Shephard: Seven Plays (we can count that as one book!), and maybe either Ham on Rye or Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame by Bukowski, and what’s a desert island without The Old Man and the Sea.

Author Websites and Profiles
Peter J. Stavros Website
Peter J. Stavros Amazon Profile
Peter J. Stavros Author Profile on Smashwords

Peter J. Stavros’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Author Interview Series

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

Jane Harvey

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Jane Harvey is a pen name, and this is my debut novel. However, my birth name is Dreena Collins, and I have published four short story collections as Dreena (plus omnibus editions). I was born and raised on the island of Jersey, in the British Channel Isles, which is a tiny but beautiful plus with dozens of varied beaches and a pleasant climate. I stayed in Jersey until I left to go to Wales for University and for a while after that, but I came back to Jersey after I retrained as a secondary school teacher.

I live with my partner and teenage son. My husband and I married in 2021 after ten years together. We also have a white Lhasa Apso who is quite a character!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My novel is a short, contemporary fiction novel called the Landlord of Hummingbird House. It’s about April, whose latest relationship has failed, meaning she is forced to rent a flat and start again, aged 32. She feels ashamed and a little lost.

There are a number of diverse and quirky tenants in the building who have become friends and are very loyal to one another, and form a community of sorts. April makes many assumptions about them, that are slowly unravelled, as a mystery comes to light and then is solved.

This novel grew out of a short story I wrote about two people who lived close by but kept missing each other – but it evolved significantly from there. I wanted to write something accessible and ‘feel good’ but also realistic and relatable, so while there are a number of familiar themes in the book that you might see in many chick lit or commercial novels, a lot of stereotypes are also undermined.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t really have any habits per se. In fact, that could be what is unusual about me! I don’t have a set routine and I am constantly thinking of story or marketing ideas, so any chance I get, I am writing or promoting or networking. Sometimes that even means writing stories on my mobile phone..

What authors, or books have influenced you?
This book is influenced by Graeme Simsion (the Rosie Project books) and Gail Honeyman (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine) in that I wanted to write an accessible book with relatable characters with their own challenges and uniqueness. I also wanted to write something a little comparable with Marian Keyes, who I love, as I wanted a strong female character and easy – but good-quality – read.

What are you working on now?
The Landlord of Hummingbird House isn’t launched until 31stg August so I am still in the midst of pre-order push and final stages of prepping and marketing. The most fiction writing I have done in the last few weeks has been to write a very short story – and I felt better for it!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think authors need to go to where the readers are – which means we can’t expect anyone to be lining up to read our books simply because we have put it out on amazon. Reader sites – such as this one – are an important tool to link readers and writers together. I also spend a lot of time promoting and interacting on social media.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do it now. Don’t wait. There will never be a perfect time.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness,” or as Caitlin Moran puts it: “If you have been complaining about something for three minutes, two minutes ago you should have done something about it.”

What are you reading now?
I have just finished Sandi Toksvig’s wonderful, thought-provoking memoir.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I wrote another novel last year – which is a mystery told from the point of view of a middle-aged woman – and I need to go back to it, re-read, edit etc., and see if I can find it a home. I hope so.

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?
Wow! Tough question.

Pride and Prejudice
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Handmaid’s Tale
Bridget Jones’s Diary

Author Websites and Profiles
Jane Harvey Website
Jane Harvey Amazon Profile

Jane Harvey’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Author Interview Series

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

K. Michelle Edge

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written, illustrated, and self published 5 books. I’m just a small town girl from backwoods Georgia that moved off the dirt road to make my own way! I graduated from Oregon State University with a B.S. in Natural Resources and have spent a portion of my adult career as a Wildlife Biologist (I’m 32).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Sailing Snailor: A Rhyming Mermaid Tale

Inspired by my love for poetry and the ocean

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t call them unusual… but I love to write poetic children’s books that rhyme

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dr. Seuss and Lucy Flemming’s Illustrations

What are you working on now?
“Not Enough Hugs: A Little Hippo’s PTSD” – This is a children’s mental health book

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Posting constantly on all social media outlets, Facebook group interactions, Fiverr book promoters and press releases, blogs and podcasts

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself… know that this is an ever changing game and you’re either in it because you love it, or you’re burnt out because you pushed too hard. I believe there’s room for everyone, so support your fellow authors.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Happiness is not a linear goal, so make it a daily maintenance

What are you reading now?
I actually hate to read (lol)

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep writing, illustrating, and self publishing until someone notices my work or I get tired of it

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 Shack”
“A Book on how to build things”
“Food in the wild”

Author Websites and Profiles
K. Michelle Edge Website
K. Michelle Edge Amazon Profile

K. Michelle Edge’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Author Interview Series

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

Robert Morgan

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am 74 years of age. I spent 46 years in the UK National Health Service before I retired in 2011. Not wanting to waste my time in front of daytime television, I attended a coach driving course and now drive buses on school transport every day. Always looking for something new and interesting to do, I decided to use my experience to write a book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is entitled Prepare Produce Present. During my career, I have given many speeches.
My first speech was a total disaster. Subsequent speeches got better with experience but I decided to analyze what I believed would make a killer speech. I know people become terrified at the thought of making a speech. So, using my experience and knowledge my book was born.

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

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m not a great one for reading, especially fiction books. I do like to read history books especially around the the time of the Tudor ynasty.

What are you working on now?
Havn’t decided on my next book yet. But it will definately not be a fiction book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am currently searching the internet for the best sites to promote my book. Obviously, my first choice was Awesome Gang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors would simply be to get started. It is too easy to put it off till tomorrow which never comes. Construct an outline first because otherwise if you just start writing you’ll probably go off on a tangent.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Insofar as book writing is concerned, the best advice I ever received was to write a non-fiction book that could be read in an hour or so. It should be on topics that solve a problem.
This advice is best if you want to get a book uploaded on Amazon and start making some money. With fiction books, you will be up against well-known authors who have produced many books over the years and have an established audience.

What are you reading now?
I’m not reading anything in particular at the moment. I am concentrating on getting my book promoted.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once I think that I’ve done enough to promote my book and it starts to make some serious sales, I will decide on the topic of my next book.

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?
Difficult to answer as there are so many books to choose from. As I said earlier, I only read nonfiction books so I would choose history books around the English Tudor period.

Author Websites and Profiles
Robert Morgan Amazon Profile

Author Interview Series

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

Ngozi Edema

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Ngozi Edema. I am a stay-at-home mom who enjoys writing children’s stories and recipes.

I started my journey into the world of writing and self-publishing in January 2017 when I published my first book, Bringing Africa Home: A Cookbook of 52 Easy African Recipes.
Two years later, I published Mama’s Daycare my first children’s book.
The Proud Sunflower and Mel the Monkey and the Aligator were published in August 2020.
Freddy and the Veggies April 2021 and Tyson the Lion who ignored his mom’s advice August 2021. Making a total of 5 books.

I consider it a privilege to share a part of myself with you and your little ones through my books. And please let me know what your kids think of these books!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Tyson the Lion who ignored his mom’s advice

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if this is unusual, but I inspiration early in the mornings and when I am going for walks. I stopped to write down my ideas so I don’t forget. My notes app on my iPhone is my go-to media for taking down new ideas!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Eric Carle: His books are simple and colourful for younger children and I like that they often stir curiosity.

Roald Dahl: He lets his readers be a part of the story. Very interactive.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a book to help moms become self-published authors too!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I run Facebook and Amazon ads

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Whether you are traditionally published or self-published, the best person to promote you is YOU. Never be embarrassed to tell people about your book. If you don’t tell them they won’t know and won’t buy!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take each day as it comes.

What are you reading now?
The Underdog Advantage by Dean Graziosi

What’s next for you as a writer?
To help moms become writers through my step by step guide in my new course.

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

Author Websites and Profiles
Ngozi Edema Website
Ngozi Edema Amazon Profile
Ngozi Edema Author Profile on Smashwords

Ngozi Edema’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Author Interview Series

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

V.C. Marello

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After college, I published winery reviews in Sonoma County and had two stories published in an educational comic book. But, I finally published my first book last year called Gate of Torment. For many years, I traveled constantly for work and spent many hours sitting and waiting in different airports so I ended up outlining over 30 different stories in the Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy genres. Currently, I am working full-time to pay the bills while at night I’m locked away writing down the story of whichever character happens to be screaming in my head for attention at that time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Gate of Torment (Hell Gate series), was inspired by the many years of working in the grocery industry. I had met a number of interesting customers and employees. I threw them all into a pot and stirred them up, merged them together while adding in additional ingredients like a Hell Gate, a fallen Angel, some evil creatures, and one goal for them – finding innocent blood in San Francisco to open the Gate. How hard can that be? The story fell into place.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if you would call it unusual, but I listen to music on a headset to one particular album for the entire writing of the book. Over the years I did not always have something to write down ideas about a particular story and I didn’t want to lose that thought for the story, so I learned to associate each chapter or story to particular songs or albums. The music starts and the entire story unfolds within my mind and my fingers type away on the keyboard trying their best to keep up with the characters talking in my head.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Goodkind, Terry Brooks, L. Frank Baum, R.A. Salvatore, David Eddings, and Stephen King. I read a lot of non-fiction books as well so I can understand and improve my craft of storytelling and writing, so I can build that armor around me for when the critics come pounding on my castle gate.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the sequel, Gate of Betrayal. and working to have it released by the end of September. I am also targeting the 3rd book, Gate of Judgement, to be released on Halloween. Big goals, I know, so fingers crossed!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome Gang – where else? Author also needs to be constantly promoting their book themselves and sharing the vision with whoever is willing to listen.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never ever stop. Write when and where ever you can, even if on a napkin. The characters in your head will drive you crazy if you don’t let them out into the world and share their story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My screenwriting professor in college told me to write what I know and the story will just materialize. When I finally understood what he meant, flowed fluidly. Now I struggle with finding the time to write.

What are you reading now?
I just picked up the book, Alone with the Devil, by Ronald Markman, MD. and Dominck Bosco. It’s about famous cases of a Courtroom psychiatrist. It’s intriguing to learn about what makes someone cross the line to murder.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I don’t know other than write, write and write some more. I want to get all of the characters out of my mind and give them life.

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?
As many books from the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind that I can bring. I can so easily slip into his world and escape among his characters.

Author Websites and Profiles
V.C. Marello Website
V.C. Marello Amazon Profile

V.C. Marello’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Author Interview Series

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

Holly Rose

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I finished my first manuscript in 2014 (when I was 17). I’ve written around 10 manuscripts since then and around 1,000,000 words. Ashes of Aether is actually my first work that I’m publishing, however. I’ve tried for traditional publishing (where you query a literary agent to represent you) for a few years, but it really knocked my confidence, and I didn’t get any feedback with my rejection. It also stopped me from finishing any of my work, too.

Then I saw some indie authors in my genre, and I decided to write Ashes of Aether! Deciding to try out independent publishing also fixed my inability to finish my manuscripts!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
ASHES OF AETHER is the first in my brand new YA Fantasy series and will be perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas, Leigh Bardugo, and Holly Black! Those authors have really impacted on my writing style, but the particular setting of ASHES OF AETHER is heavily inspired by World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls, and various other fantasy video games.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I really enjoy listening to alpha waves while I write, and I also drink gin/coffee depending on the time of the day! I also find I work best at night, and I have to turn word onto full screen focus mode with a black background because having a blank white screen in front of me is so daunting. I also used to write every first draft longhand first, but now I reserve pen and paper for those really tricky scenes. Sometimes writing a paragraph or two on paper helps me to find my feet.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Some of my earliest inspirations are Lord of the Rings and Dragon Lance, as well Trudi Canavan’s books! For more recent work, I’m also a really big fan of Holly Black and Margaret Rogerson.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on Book 2 of ASHES OF AETHER! The first draft is already written but I’m a massive perfectionist and like to rewrite all my books from scratch! I also plan to finish drafting a rewrite of my first manuscript ever from 2014, which I still very much love. The world building and plot needed a lot of reworking, but I’m much happier with this new version 7 years later!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I really enjoying bookstagramming, and I’ve built up a bit of a platform on there. I read very heavily in the same genre that I write, so it made perfect sense for me to network with other likeminded readers. Many of my followers on there have been so incredibly supportive of my writing journey, and I’m so thankful for each and every one.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice is to always believe in yourself, and to write the book you want to read. Also that if you’re a perfectionist, you should try to manage that. Perfectionism is good at the editing stages and really unhelpful during first drafting. I tell myself that I can always redraft my manuscript, so that helps me to get to the end of the project!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When I started bookstagramming, I found that it helped me to read a lot more, and by reading a lot more, I feel like my writing improved significantly. I know some of the greats like Stephen King recommend that you place as much importance on reading as much as writing, because reading other works fuels you with words. Also that the “road to hell is paved with adverbs” by Stephen King too. To be honest, I’d recommend picking up ON WRITING by him if you haven’t already!

Another is STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST. For a long time, I tried really hard to be original but originality is just mixing together existing ideas and presenting them in a different way. So if you feel like your ideas aren’t good enough and you’re trying too hard to be original, I’d recommend you pick up STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST.

Oh and finally, I also really liked ANATOMY OF PROSE, too. It helped me to think more deeply about what I was reading, and it has a lot of good advice!

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson! Fantastic world building and magic systems are what I love about fantasy, and at the time of writing this, I’m 1/4 of the way through the first book and I’m LOVING it so far because Sanderson does both of these so well.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a lot of books to write and a lot to read on my shelf. I really want to try for traditional publishing again one day, and I have some projects in mind that would be a perfect fit. I’m a massive fan of Chinese Xianxia/Wuxia dramas, and I do have a YA Fantasy in mind that would be set in a chinese inspired fantasy world. I’d also like to get into writing for the adult fantasy market one day, too.

Before then, I’d like to finish the rest of the books for ASHES OF AETHER, which will be at least four more. And then I’ll publish my rewrite of my first manuscript, because I think that would also be a good fit for independent publishing.

I also hope to hit my target of 50 books read this year (I’m currently on 35/50), which is quite small compared to some on bookstagram, but I work full time as a teacher and I also spend a lot of time writing and editing. Then I hope to read even more books next 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?
I would take the Lord of the Rings with me, A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab, and the Folk of the Air by Holly Black. Also I’m totally allowed to count these trilogies as 1 book and have an omnibus version of them. If I’m allowed a fourth, then it would probably be Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson!

Author Websites and Profiles
Holly Rose Website
Holly Rose Amazon Profile

Holly Rose’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Author Interview Series

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

Megan Jayne

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in a small village in Northern Ireland with my husband, two littles and beagle. I love reading, getting outdoors and baking (cakes). I’ve written two almost three books, if you don’t include my first ever attempt during my teenage years!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My debut The Worlds That Separated Us was inspired by a YouTube video mixed with a dream I had after inspiration struck whilst watching the video.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I sometimes write with my eyes closed, if I need to fully immerse myself in a scene. I’ve written some of my favourite scenes this way and it helps me stay visually connected to the story.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Alison Gervais – In 27 Days was a massive influence for me. Other authors I love include, Mary E Pearson, Adrienne young, Jennifer Armentrout, I’d read anything they write!

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on The Worlds That United Us, the sequel and final instalment in The Worlds duology.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still figuring that out! I had character art commissioned for TWTSU and I think that helped loads with promoting it, I’m obsessed with character art so I knew it would be something I’d want for my own book. Outside of that I find instagram a really useful tool when it comes to promoting.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes! Read as much as you can and never give up! Reading within your genre and outside it for that matter is extremely important. As for never giving up, the fear that surrounds publishing is something not a lot of people talk about and it would be so easy to give up before you’re even published. It’s important to never give up on yourself, and keep going even though you’re afraid of what that might bring, the world needs your book!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To never let fear stand in the way of my ambitions. It’s something I’ll admit I’ve struggled with, releasing my first book was like a breath of fresh air and it made me realise that fear isn’t always a bad thing so long as you don’t let it hold you back.

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading The Crown of Glided Bones and loving it!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a few projects in the works, for now I’m focused on TWTUU release next year and after that I have a new YA fantasy series that I’m really excited about starting to draft. I have so many more stories to tell and I look forward to sharing them in the years to come!

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 4 books!! I have no idea how I would choose them, I would probably pick The Remnant Chronicles, but then I couldn’t have all the books in that series… ahh ok I would pick Dance of Thieves, Vow of Thieves, The Kiss of Deception and In 27 Days.

Author Websites and Profiles
Megan Jayne Website
Megan Jayne Amazon Profile

Megan Jayne’s Social Media Links
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Loralee Evans

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So far, I have written eleven books. I have enjoyed listening to stories as long as I can remember, and I have enjoyed reading and writing stories for as long as I’ve known how to read. I have a bachelor’s from Southern Utah University. I am a teacher during the school year, (Aug to May) and on the weekends and in the summer I write.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Puppies and Portals. It is a middle grade time travel about some friends who find themselves transported back in time where they meet a Native American who helped the Underground Railroad in the early 1800s. I was inspired to write the story because there are very few accounts of Native Americans helping people who were escaping slavery. This is likely because being oral cultures, they didn’t have the chance to write their experiences down, or tell people who could. (Harriet Tubman, while illiterate, knew many people who could read and write, and therefore wrote her story down for her.) I wanted to imagine what it may have been like for one of the Native Americans active on the Underground Railroad, and so wrote a story down with him in it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have enjoyed the works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Harper Lee, Rachel Nunes, J. Scott Savage, Julie Wright, Mikey Brooks, and James Dashner. Reading their works helps to make ideas click in my head in regards to what I would like to write in my own stories.

What are you working on now?
I am slowly creating an outline for the sequel to the book I just finished. While both books will be able to stand alone (there are other books in the series as well) they do have characters in common.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Mybookcave.com is one of my favorite sites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be consistent in your writing. When establishing the rules of your world, make sure to keep your own rules. One thing that causes readers to find themselves unable to suspend their disbelief is when authors have characters acting in ways they would not otherwise act except that the author is making the characters act that way for the author’s convenience. Or, if an author breaks his/her own rules, especially if it is obviously being done so because of sloppy writing or a lack of imagination.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do not become too arrogant and think yourself above making mistakes. At the same time, do not beat yourself up with self doubt. A little self doubt is okay to keep you on your toes and improving, but too much is crippling.

What are you reading now?
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Author Websites and Profiles
Loralee Evans Website
Loralee Evans Amazon Profile
Loralee Evans Author Profile on Smashwords

Loralee Evans’s Social Media Links
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Michael James

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I currently work as a producer for Rogers TV, a community television station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I’ve been in broadcasting now for 28 years, 12 of those years with where I’m working now. “HOLLYWOOD HOUSE” is my debut book release.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
As I’ve mentioned, “HOLLYWOOD HOUSE” is the very first book I’ve ever written. When I was a teenager in high school, I was part of crew that was involved in the beginning stages of a genre that would be later known as “Hip-Hop”. That was over 40 years ago. I began writing about my experiences in the early 1990’s, and I’ve dabbled in and out thru out the next few decades. It was originally written as a screenplay, but after shopping it around for years, I decided to release the story in book form.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually take a whole week off work and do nothing but write. At the end of the week, I was able to have at least 40,000 words completed, good enough for a novella.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Being that I’ve studied screenplay writing, Paddy Chayefsky, Quentin Tarantino, Spike Lee and Woody Allen. As far as book authors, Cormac McCarthy, Truman Capote, Larry McMurtry and Richard Wright.

What are you working on now?
I’m very protective about my work. But I will tell you that my next book project is going to be on a more mature subject matter. Stay tuned!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Social media! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc. Use it frequently! Canva, which is a graphic design platform, is great for creating social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents and other visual content. It’s a very important website for promotion, and it has ready made templates. Also, if you haven’t used Amazon’s Free Book Promotion, do it, especially if it’s Amazon Prime Day.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stay the course! Never give up! Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t! No matter how old you are, keep writing!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Motivational speaker Les Brown once said, “You gotta be hungry.” He believed “…you have to work with a sense of urgency. We have to work to our full potential and work like everyday is our last.” It took me seven years after graduating from college to finally make it into broadcasting. I used that advice to finally complete my book, and I’m glad I did.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading some of the classics, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatzby”, Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”. On my list next, Ira Levin’s “Rosemary’s Baby” and Pat Conroy’s “The Prince of Tides”.

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?
Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” (At over 1,200 pages, that would keep me busy for years).
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley.
The Bible and The Quoran to compare stories.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael James Website
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Jean Marie Davis

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an empty nester with 2 grown children who, I am lucky to say, live close by. I worked in the Marketing Research industry for over 30 years and retired from in 2020. I had always wanted to write a book so with retirement and the pandemic happening together, I took the time to write a book. I had started the outline a number of years ago, but I now had the time to write it all down in a book. So, this is my first and only book I have written.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my book is Espoused. The inspiration and idea came from my sister, Beth Ann, who had been through a very contentious divorce. We were sitting on the beach (reading and talking) after her divorce had been finalized when she commented on how well her kids, ex-husband, and herself were doing now that everything was over. Beth Ann made the comment, “I think it was the break-up that caused all the friction. We were supposed to stay together and it was difficult to undo it. Now that I think about it, I believe people should have to uncouple after a certain amount of years. Let those who want to stay together fight it out in court!” An idea was born – what if you legally had to uncouple after 15 years? What would that look like in society? That was the beginning of the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t write in complete silence. I also can’t write with music. I get too distracted and usually start humming along with the music. I play a movie or tv series in the background. Maybe it was all those years working in an office and being used to the sound of people’s chatter in the background? My go to’s are: Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson, Ocean’s Eight with Sandra Bullock, Friends, Big Bang Theory.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Where to start? So many. During my high school it was Steinbeck, Graham Greene, and Jane Austen. I also loved to read inspiring stories – Wilma Rudolf (runner), Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earhart, and Vince Matthews (another runner). Every 2 years I re-read all 6 Jane Austen novels – her writing is inspirational. I never want to feel sorry for myself or think I can’t do something. Many of the books I read were about people who truly had difficulties in life and no matter how tough things may seem to me – it was nothing compared to what other people had to endure in their own life.

What are you working on now?
During the pandemic I became very interested in cozy mysteries (Emily Brightwell, Ashley Weaver, Maria DiRico, Catie Murphy). I not only enjoy the mystery, but love getting to know the amateur detective and all his/her cohorts. I’ve begun outlining my own cozy mystery series and am currently working on the first book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m new at this game so I’m not sure what is the best method! I’m hoping to find more locations where readers like to look for new types of books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I didn’t know where to start when I decided to write a book. I had an idea, but that was it. I started by reading books about writing books – Wired For Story by Lisa Cron, Fast Fiction by Denise Jaden, Writing your novel from Start to Finish by Joseph Bates. Everyone’s style will be different, but it gave me some direction to start to put the idea to paper.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Follow your heart, don’t let anyone say you can’t do something, be kind.

What are you reading now?
I just finished the crime mystery series of Cormoran Strike books written by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling). I’m currently reading Northern Spy by Flynn Berry.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I just released Espoused so I’m going to promote that for a few months and then begin my new cozy mystery.

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?
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, My Race Be Won by Vincent Matthews, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling (for a laugh).

Author Websites and Profiles
Jean Marie Davis Website
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Ron Cook

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a dog lover and storyteller and published my first novel, Dog Dreams: Fact & Fantasy, in 2020. I have another project in the works and hope to publish in early 2022. We live in an area of Central Florida with an abundance of wildlife and love all of the animals we see frequently – deer, bears, raccoons, armadillos – I could go on and on! We are especially fond of the Florida black bears – so much so we named our Rottweiler “Bear”.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dog Dreams: Fact & Fantasy is the story of an eclectic group of canine researchers who have developed a way to eavesdrop on dreaming dogs. If you have a dog, you may have noticed that when he/she is sleeping, you may see slight twitching, which indicates they may be experiencing the same type of rapid eye movement (REM) humans do, and that is the stage in which dreams occur. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could know what our dog is dreaming? Now we can!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I joke with my wife that I often “write” when I am lying in bed awake, and I often begin to develop characters as I drift off to sleep and also when I wake up but haven’t yet gotten out of bed. Then I make some cryptic notes and add to the story sometime later.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many books – so little time! I am most influenced by authors who spend time on rich character development and who use humor in their writing. I enjoy W. Bruce Cameron, and I also enjoy reading standalone articles, blogs and podcasts, especially those from humorists sharing funny animal stories.

What are you working on now?
In addition to a variety of articles, the novel I am currently working on will pick up from my previous research on dogs and use the new breakthrough technology we developed to solve the age-old mystery of why squirrels dart out in front of oncoming traffic. Stay tuned…

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

I am most definitely still learning but have seen some success with Amazon advertising, Facebook and later this month will be experimenting with my first free book promotion. I am working full-time, so it’s often difficult to find the time for writing and promoting.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t quit your day job!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Buy low, sell high.

What are you reading now?
I am currently conducting research for my next book, so mostly scientific articles for now. I haven’t had the time to get into a novel recently.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m a former college professor and Dean with a PsyD in Psychology, so my articles and future books will undoubtedly focus on various aspects of motivation – both in humans and animals.

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?
That’s a tough one and would obviously depend on whether or not I was completely alone or had good internet access. (kidding)
I am not a religious person, but if I knew I would be stranded and had the opportunity to choose, I would bring the Christian Bible, the Quran, the Torah, etc. Since it sounds like I will be there for a while, I will want to look for inspiration and hope.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ron Cook Website
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Kristine Hokstad-Myzyri

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Kris! Since I was old enough to have a tax-paying job, I have worked in nurseries, pre-schools, kindergartens, nursing homes for disabled children, youth clubs, schools, and the list goes on. Today I am an English teacher, a certified child care worker, and a published children’s book author. The title I am most proud of, though, is ‘mom’.
I have published two books in the Kate the Kitty series. A third book is in the making.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Kate the Kitty Beats Boredom. I am a huge ‘positive parenting’ advocate who always strives to find solutions instead of problems. With this book, I want to teach kids to use their imagination when they’re bored, and parents to be mindful of how they speak to their children. This book puts a positive spin on a potential conflict between a child who complains about boredom and a parent who tells their kid to do their chores.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually write with at least one of my kids hanging around my neck or cuddling my tummy. While I eat. Yeah, it’s a sight.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love David Walliams, Roald Dahl, and Astrid Lindgren to name a few.

What are you working on now?
The third book of the Kate the Kitty series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I wish I had a method. I use Facebook, Instagram, and my website. My favorite thing to do is collaborate with other authors. I have made lovely connections with indie children’s authors.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Seek help from other authors! And try to be patient (I can’t)

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You’re not everybody’s cup of tea, and that’s ok!

What are you reading now?
I’m soaking up everything I can about marketing as an indie author.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep promoting. Work on my next book. Stay patient and positive! Maintain the good relationships I’ve made with fellow indie authors.

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?
Frankenstein, The Lord of the Rings, The Lord of the Flies.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kristine Hokstad-Myzyri Website
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Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

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Gordon Lee

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Gordon Lee served two years in the Army National Guard, three years in the USMC making the rank of sergeant. He also notably served 20 years with the city police, and became chief of police. He was a traveling coin dealer for 10 years and ran his own store as a sports card dealer. For 24 years of his life he dealt in Antiques. He has travelled across Europe and America, living a life full of experiences which he is now sharing with others through his books. To this day, he is still residing in Oregon. Gordon Lee has written seven books, but currently has one published title.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Growing Up In Bay City Oregon: A Memoir 1936 – 1953.
Lee was inspired to write the memoir about the Bay City period of his life because he wanted to share it to hopefully inspire others.

Oregon author Gordon Lee will be publishing his debut memoir “Growing Up in Bay City Oregon: A Memoir 1936 – 1953” through Caliber Press. The book will be available on Amazon in e-book, paperback, and hardcover on July 31, as well as Kindle Unlimited.

The hardcover and paperback book will be made available to libraries and bookstores through IngramSpark, and the e-book will follow with an .epub version for other devices after the Kindle version is in KDP Select for 90 days. The Kindle version of the e-book will be free to download on Amazon for 5 days, from Aug. 1-5.

There are two versions of the hardcover book. One is grayscale on creme paper stock and the other is a premium color edition on premium white stock. Most of the images are black and white, but the color edition will allow the color images to print in color.

Gordon Lee’s memoir focuses on his childhood from when he was born in Nebraska and the family moved West during WWII so his father could find a war-effort job, eventually finding employment at the shipyard on Swan Island. After the war ended, the family moved to a cabin in Barview while Lee’s father built a house for them in Bay City. Lee recounts details of his youth and what it was like to grow up in Tillamook County during this time period.

He was a student at the Bay City school up until the 11th grade. In his memoir, he details what Bay City looked like before the re-routing of Hwy 101.

The memoir centralizes around the family’s poverty and how Lee managed to earn money working several jobs as a child, while also having many adventures despite their financial situation. The book has several historic photographs pertaining to Lee’s family and the various historic places that are mentioned in the book. Lee eventually left Bay City to join the marines, and then returned to Oregon to work a number of jobs before retiring. He worked most recently as an antiquarian.

Gordon Lee is also a life member of the Tillamook County Pioneer Association. He maintains a large private collection of historical Oregon photographs and other artifacts.

Gordon Lee is currently retired, but has penned seven manuscripts during the pandemic by hand onto yellow legal paper.

When asked how he was able to accomplish such a feat he said, “Writing is easy for me because I have done so many interesting things in my lifetime. You also need good work habits and a desire to accomplish your plans. Knowing your subject is also a requirement.”

Lee was inspired to write the memoir about the Bay City period of his life because he wanted to share it to hopefully inspire others.

“Although I did not have expensive, material things, I had a need to try new things as well as ideas that made it an exciting way to live and to learn while growing from a child to a young man,” Lee said. “My memoir is filled with real life events, including the good times and the bad, which is true to life.”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Lee has penned all of his books onto yellow legal paper, which his publisher types and then they both work on the edits together.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lee has been a long time fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and several notable Western authors.

What are you working on now?
Lee is currently working on the edits for a travel guide to Tillamook County that will take travelers off the beaten path.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This one, I hear, is very good! But you have to promote everywhere you can if you want to sell.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Finish the books, but also think about how you’re going to promote them and make a real plan for that BEFORE you publish, if you’re self-publishing or working with a small press. Even big publishers require authors to help with marketing – so think ahead on how you’re going to build an audience to help your book sales.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can’t finish something if you don’t start and keep going.

What are you reading now?
The newspaper. 🙂

What’s next for you as a writer?
Working on publishing the other six books I wrote. When you finish writing – you still have editing and other work to do to help the publisher out. You’re not fully off the hook. More-so, if you self-publish.

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, a book about desert island survival, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a book about how to get off desert islands.

Author Websites and Profiles
Gordon Lee Website
Gordon Lee Amazon Profile

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Sally Dallas

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written three books – the first one was so bad it was not even suitable for self publishing. The second one “Deceptions of Chenille” a romantic suspense/white collar crime thriller, I published in early 2020, and the third one “Death is Personal” is a murder mystery novella/cozy mystery that I published in early 2021. I’m retired from a successful career as a Vice President for a large international bank. Fiction writing is the polar opposite of what I did for my vocation. Writing is a challenge that I enjoy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Death is Personal was published in February 2021. The idea was spawned when I actually found a large, decorative knife on my morning walk! This novella is also inspired by my battle with stage 3 cancer. Death is Personal is listed in the top 800 of Kindle two hour reads.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Each writer is unique, so I have no idea if what I do is unusual. I’m retired from the everyday grind which can be both a blessing, and a curse. When you have too much time it’s easy to goof off and procrastinate. What works for me is setting personal deadlines, such as pledging to write 1,000 words a day, or setting a book up for pre-sale.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a fan of Sandra Brown, John Grisham, and Jodi Poccult. I want to write like them when I grow up. I just recently read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, and although I am not a big fan of her fiction work, Big Magic is a must read for budding authors. It focuses on self discipline, which is essential for success.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on books two and three of the Chenille Trilogy
Book One – Deceptions of Chenille – available now on Amazon
Book Two – Disappearance of Chenille – to be published in February 2022
Book Three – Delusions of Chenille – to be published in February 2023

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have had the best luck with Bargain Booksey. For getting KDP reads my twitter posts seem to bring the most action. For building an email list I like Voracious Readers Only.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Self-publish! I read an interesting statistic a few years back. Of the millions of potential authors who start writing a fiction novel, only 25% ever finish. Of that, only 1% are published by a mainstream publisher. Of the remaining 24% only 5% actually take the step to self-publish. I’m an old lady, so if I can figure out the technology to self publish, anyone can!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Years ago, early in my banking career, I was working on a complicated loan proposal for a real estate subdivision. One of the high-ranking Senior Vice Presidents (the boss of my boss, second in command to the bank president) told me I was tenacious. I’m embarrassed to say, I didn’t know what that word meant, and if it was a compliment or a criticism. I looked it up in the dictionary (pre-google times), and I’ve been tenacious ever since.

What are you reading now?
The Hypnotist’s Love story by Liane Moriarty. I have a new found interest in reading authors whose books get made into TV series. She wrote Pretty Little Lies. I’m analytical, so I want to know what makes a story attractive to a television producer? Why do they choose the plots that they do? Most movies and many shows are derived from books. I doubt I’ll figure it out.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I so want to get on the Kindle Vella band wagon. I may re-write my first book chapter by chapter and upload it as episodes. Also, I have a few ideas for non-fiction:
Realistic Retirement Planning
Personal Wealth Building
The Truth About Unaffordable Housing in California

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) A book on survival skills
2) Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand because I’ve wanted to read that book for years, but the length overwhelms me
3) The Bible
4) The latest John Grisham legal thriller

Author Websites and Profiles
Sally Dallas Website
Sally Dallas Amazon Profile

Sally Dallas’s Social Media Links
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Tlalinyane Moleleki

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the author of the knowledge of the great mind, and I am the philosopher by profession. However, because of understanding the concept of God far differently from other people, I was named the “the Faramentale.” Naturally, I am the person who finds happiness and comfort by having the greatest curiosity to understand and know things beyond ourselves, life and the world around us. The knowledge of the great mind is my first book and it is only the book I have written.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
NO!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The book of Ecclesiastes by king Solomon, Life is worth living by Fulton Sheen and many different ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle and Descartes etc.

What are you working on now?
I am still writing another book because everyday I always gain or find something to put on the paper.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome gang

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors is that writing a book is one of the great methods that could be used to change the world, but It requires a man who genuinely seeks wisdom than pleasure, a man who understand that it is always possible even if it may seem not to be.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My right hand once said to me, ” Mr. Tlali one the you will be great and the world will know about you; therefore, continue to keep up the hard working of anything that you want.

What are you reading now?
I am reading the Brand New by Julie Broad

What’s next for you as a writer?
To find solution and the right step to conquer anything that turns itself into trouble.

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?
Life is worth living, If you tell, The brand new, The 48 laws of power

Marsha Mildon

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
At 74 years old, I have spent much of my life writing: 3 novels, 2 non-fiction history, plus working as Editor in Chief of LawNow, a public legal education magazine for 15 years, teaching scuba diving for 20 years, and as a volunteer teaching seniors creative writing, and poor children in Peru and Ecuador. I’m also a dog mom, with agility and obedience ribbons for my dogs’ achievements. First 2 novels are lesbian mystery novels but through a debacle with the publisher I no longer receive any royalties although they continue to sell them.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest and best book as far as I can tell is ‘Dance Me a Revolution’. In 1987, I toured and trekked in Peru and Bolivia. Our guides were as wonderful as the sites, the history, the whole adventure. One day, limping in to the highest camp with our guide AnaMaria, I asked her “What did you study in university?”, partly because she was so knowledgeable about everything Peru and partly because it was unusual back then for an indigenous woman to go to university. She answered “Oh, we were all revolutionaries then. They closed the university.” That was the seed that inspired another 7 visits to Peru, the most recent as a research visit for Dance Me a Revolution in 2019, and the novel. To be clear, the main character Rosa is a trekking guide, but completely a figment of my imagination .

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a slow writer, partly because I’ve usually been writing many things at the same time. While drafting-thinking about-abandoning-picking up again, Dance Me has been written over 30 years while writing the other 4 books & many social justice articles. During the final 2 years before publishing, I wrote 11 drafts—to make it as wonderful as possible. The other slightly different habit is after writing a first draft, I do all my revisioning and rewriting while my laptop reads the story aloud to me, which is extremely helpful as I tend to be an ‘oral/aural’ thinker.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My parents read/made up over 300 stories to me before I was 3 years old & decided I would be a writer when I grew up…’The Big Golden Dictionary’ was my favourite book age 3-5. I would make up stories that included every word on the a page or the b page. Much later, Cdn writer W.O. Mitchell’s book ‘Who Has Seen the Wind’ had a big effect, only Cdn book in a 4-year Eng. Lit degree, and W.O. led a 6 week creative writing course in the 1970s, where he, Eli Mandel-poet, Sylvia Fraser-novelist, & Alice Munro-short story writer were all hugely influential and have continued to be through my life. Other influential books The Alexandria Quartet by Durrell, all Shakespeare’s histories & tragedies, (I wrote stage plays early in career) ?& Cdn novelist Margaret Laurence whose ‘The Diviners’ was the ‘turning point’ novel that triggered my serious turn to writing as a career.

What are you working on now?
Dance Me a Revolution is so new, I’m still very much involved with promoting it, but thinking about stories that have two dogs, Lucy & Branden as barkeologists sniffing out histories, or alternatively a memoir… leaning toward the barkeologists

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Oddly enough, #DogsofTwitter has been my best source of buyers for Dance Me a Revolution, although other social media help. My website has been helpful over the last couple of months. Promotions are my weakest point.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
‘Write it badly first’… Don’t struggle for hours or days to write the perfect sentence or find the perfect word during your first draft. Just write and write and write–even 10 minutes a day, it’s like playing practising scales on a cello–to get that first draft started & worked through to some kind of end. Then work on things 1 at a time, big things first–‘plot/setting/or character’ first. Then work on smaller but important things, e.g. MCs speech habits,

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It was a variation on ‘write it badly first’ from W.O. Mitchell, although he certainly didn’t say it that way. I was writing short poems at the time, and wouldn’t write a second line until the first was perfect… While they were good enough short poems, I would never have written anything longer without W.O’s ‘messy method’ of ‘just writing’, letting the whole grow over the drafts.

What are you reading now?
I read primarily for relaxation and fun, unless I’m researching something. Currently, I’m reading Margaret Maron’s ‘Bootlegger’s Daughter’ series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Doing some freewriting on the barkeologist and the memoir/creative non-fiction projects to find out which one is most exciting 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?
I would take the complete works of Shakespeare, which may be cheating a bit. I’d also bring a book on boat-building, one on navigation, and a recipe book for fish with coconut & cactus side dishes.

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C.J. Gagnon

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my very first novel, though many more will come! I’ve been writing for decades, be it short stories, screenplays, or homebrew campaign worlds for D&D, but this marks my first published piece.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It is called Unbound. I wrote this book because I found something lacking in the fantasy novels I was reading. Not to say they were in any way poorly made, the opposite in fact, but there were some aspects that I was particularly looking for that I hadn’t seen in a long time. So I decided to write the book I wanted to read!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I spent so much time listening to meditative Chinese guzheng & flute music on youtube while I wrote that now, like Pavlov’s dog, whenever I hear it, I NEED to start writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I dedicated my novel to the memory of Kentaro Miura. He wrote the series, ‘Berserk’. The complex, strange, violent, beautiful world he created has, and will continue to influence who I am as an author.
I’m also inspired by individuals like Rothfuss and his wit, Sanderson and his worldbuilding, Gaiman and his prose.

What are you working on now?
Book 2 & 3 simultaneously!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Today is my launch day so I’m about to find out.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take small breaks and come back to the work with fresh eyes. Go for a walk, take an afternoon or even a day off. It’s as important for authors as it is every other job on the planet.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That when you start writing, there is a huge divide between your ability to see flaws, and your ability to create something at the level you’re used to reading.
It can be daunting, but the more you write and learn, the smaller than gap becomes.

What are you reading now?
Malazan Book of the Fallen.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on getting print versions of my first novel into the world and sold at my local bookstores!

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 Kingkiller Chronicles (hopefully all 3)
Lord of the Rings
Conan Anthology

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T.R. Prouty

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve always wanted to be an author since I was a child, and to have my book characters “float down the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”!

I grew up the youngest of four siblings, and have had a knack for creating stories at a young age. Beginning my first novel at just ten years of age, I went on to publish it just last year! Of course it required a heaping ton of editing-haha.

I’ve now written three books in my middle grade, coming of age series Tomorrow Is Another Day (also known as TIAD). I am currently writing the fourth book, and am planning on releasing it in October of this year.

I wanted to dabble in something a little different, and one of my best friends, USA Today Best-Selling author Anne Stryker and I decided to write a YA fantasy romance! This one features well loved tropes such as friends to lovers, found family, and even has disability rep! We’ve had a great response with our reviews, and who knows? Maybe a sequel will be coming soon…

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is book three in my Tomorrow Is Another Day series. It’s called “Dingbats and Debbies”, and is the continuation of my alter ego, Dennis June’s, life story. I will not confirm nor deny if any of the shenanigans present in the book were inspired by actual events that occurred in my childhood, or were invented by my siblings and myself.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Oh, yes. I binge write, like, a lot. To the point where I refuse to so much as get up to use the bathroom. I also have a live story board, where I have my characters and act out scenes with them to ensure smooth flow of events and conversations.

Most of my ideas arrive at unusual and ironic times. Such as the shower, the car, in bed while I’m dreaming. Really any time that I have no access to writing materials is when I get my best ideas. Talk about a struggle!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’d have to say the Alice Series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Oh, and my life. So technically myself? My main character is practically me.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on book four in my Tomorrow Is Another Day series, called “Princess Dennis”!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Instagram for sure!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself and your ability to create. Don’t compromise your vision to fit the norms. It’s most important that *you* love your book. Trust me. It’ll be totally worth it when you get to hold your book in your hands for the very first time.

Oh, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it, or that it’s unrealistic.

CTRL F is also a lifesaver when it comes to editing. Just saying.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read your draft multiple times, and have at least one other trusted individual read over it for you.

Don’t compromise your book’s story for fame or money. Write what you love because you love it.

If you’re sensitive at first, don’t read or hyper-focus on reviews. Especially the discouraging ones.

What are you reading now?
I’m about to start reading Mistress of Myre by Anne Stryker, as well as The Betrothed by Kiera Cass!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully a best-seller or best-selling author award!

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 Great Gatsby, The Shadow Queen, and Turtles All The Way Down.

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