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.

Gene Rowe

Interview With Author Gene Rowe

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an ex-academic – a cognitive psychologist, but please, don’t hold that against me. Really, I know nothing about therapy or illness – I’m just a guy who used to do research into how people make decisions. And I did publish a lot – over 100 journal articles and book chapters. But you want to know about fiction, right? Well, as a solo author, I have three books now published (The Greater Game – 1st and 2nd Edition; The Price of Freedom Part 1: Ghuraj to Arkon; and The Price of Freedom Part 2: Velasia). And I’ve several more finished and ready to roll – space opera and comic sci-fi too. More of those another time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’ll set aside ‘The Greater Game’, which I sold to a small US publisher (White Cat Publications) in 2022, and have now ‘remastered’ for sale in the rest of the world through ‘Ministry of Lies’, as that’s really the first. My latest is ‘The Price of Freedom’ ‘binary’ (Parts 1 and 2). What inspired it was firstly a seeming publishing desert: I love space opera, but the Big Beasts (main publishers and their numerous imprints) aren’t interested in this anymore. Passe? Too ‘male’? Anyway, I wanted to write what I like to read: big plots, lots of characters, danger, drama, big themes, and action aplenty. This got so big, I had to release as two books (otherwise it would have been 800-900 pages).

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Alas, no. Unless… well, actually, yes, maybe. Whenever I come to a tricky plot nexus and the resolution doesn’t leap at me, I simply sleep on it. And it’s amazing how often I wake at 3 a.m. and suddenly know how to escape my own clutches – and then I rush down to the computer, switch on, and wearing nothing but my pants, I smash the life out of the keyboard until it’s done.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Well, LOTR initially, of course. But latterly, I like Peter F. Hamilton and James S.A. Corey.

What are you working on now?
Several, but mostly comic sci-fi set in Norwich, UK, where I live. I’ve finished two, and have high hopes for them… at least locally. I find writing these easy, as the characters are very real to me, so the dialogue in particular is effortless. And I think plotting is one of my strong points, and that probably comes from my past in writing non-fiction, which in a way trains the writer in plotting, since you need to tell the story of your research well in order to persuade reviewers and editors to publish your work.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Ah, there you’ve got me. I’m still trying to work this out.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. You just need to keep writing. One million words. It then gets easier.
2. Join a writing group: getting frequent profound feedback as you go along by people who are prepared to be diplomatically negative is invaluable.
3. Find your story. You might have to really look, with lots of false starts. Don’t be afraid to ditch those imposters. And once you’ve got a story you really feel, go for it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Ha1 I can’t really say I’ve ever personally received much good advice. Some platitudes; some cynicism. Pass.

What are you reading now?
Just finished Jo Nesbo’s ‘The Snowman’. Now embarking on a clutch of books by local authors bought at recent local bookfares – ranging from sci-fi to adventure.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, continuing writing my ‘Norwich Chronicles’ series, but also more editing (I co-edit the British Science Fiction Association’s Fission anthologies), and maybe try to perfect the art of short story writing.

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?
LOTR (Tolkien)
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
One of Peter F. Hamilton’s huge trilogies (which I count as one book, so I’m cheating)
Something by Jack Vance

Author Websites and Profiles

Gene Rowe Website

Gene Rowe Amazon Profile

Gene Rowe’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Author Interview Series

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Jill Peters-Gee

Interview With Author Jill Peters-Gee

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired Urologist. I started a support group for patients with interstitial cystitis and bladder pain syndrome after retirement. While putting together a resource list for the group, I discovered that there was a desperate need for an up-to-date book on IC, written by a doctor that treated IC. There was also a tremendous amount of new information that needed to be disseminated to both patients and the healthcare providers that care for them. That was the impetus to write “IC Journey to Wellness: Healing bladder pain syndrome and interstitial cystitis”. I have also just published a journal “IC Journey to Wellness: Journal”.
The journal is a workbook that helps to gather the clues needed, to solve the mystery of the symptoms of IC.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
IC Journey to Wellness, was published January 31st, 2024. It was written to bring patients and the healthcare providers that care for them up to date on what we know about interstitial cystitis and bladder pain syndrome. While there is no known cure for this frustrating condition, there is now hope.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to go to our cottage in Massachusetts, and get in the zone. The calm of the lake and the trees all ground me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert Moldwin wrote the IC Survival Guide in 2000. I have used his book for patients for decades.

What are you working on now?
Next book is going to be a book that addresses how to handle medical conditions while walking a camino. I have walked the Camino de Santiago twice. The cover of my book, IC Journey to Wellness, is the Camino in Galicia Spain. Everyone should be able to experience the Camino, even when medical limitations are present.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still learning how to market my book as a new author.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
A publishing service company is very helpful, especially for the first book. The education is so worth it!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Try to develop a routine, and make sacred time to accomplish your goals.

What are you reading now?
The Big Free by Martha Boone, M.D. (She is a fellow retired Urologist, now author). Loved her first book Mother Charity.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to continue to support those with interstitial cystitis and bladder pain syndrome. I am on the Medical Advisory Council for the ICA (Interstitial Cystitis Association). I want to record online webinars to help patients better understand their symptoms and make sense of therapies.

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 a survival guide book ( I actually applied to be on Survivor for season 2!), and then some mindless romance novels, that allow me to put my brain somewhere else. Love James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Nicolas Sparks.

Author Websites and Profiles

Jill Peters-Gee Website

Jill Peters-Gee Amazon Profile

Jill Peters-Gee’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

Author Interview Series

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

Cortez Law III

Interview With Author Cortez Law III

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Cortez Law III. I was born in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., a long ago! But I spent most of my formative years in Ravenna, Ohio. I graduated from Kent State University six miles down the road and earned a B.A. in Telecommunications or TV/Radio production. I’ve written nine books in the mystery, suspense, thriller, science fiction, and horror genres from a Christian and African American perspective.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Black Phoenix is the sixth book in the Atlanta Homicide Squad series. It tells the story of Sergeant Malcolm Hobbs and his elite X-Men Homicide Squad stretched to their investigative limits to uncover a shocking conspiracy of race, greed, power, and murder during Atlanta’s Civil Rights Era. The book reads or feels like a true crime or historical mystery novel that shifts the investigation from the past to the present and back again.

I was looking for the challenge of writing a mystery where mostly the reader wouldn’t know any more than the detectives. Within that framework, I could explore the themes of love, faith, forgiveness, second chances for several characters, and hopefully, a compelling mystery/drama the readers couldn’t put down.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
What a bore I am with this one. I don’t think so. I’m good at being at the keyboard every day. That helps me complete that first draft in a minimum of three months.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I like the Hero Myth of storytelling, so I feel comfortable with mysteries, suspense, and thriller stories. The person I miss who filled this niche before he passed in 2001 and was a Chicago Police Captain was author Hugh Holton. I read most of his work. Other favorites I’ve read more than once include Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Walter Mosley, Ridley Pearson, Jeffery Deaver, and Ted Dekker. It’s good to see additional African American mystery/suspense/thriller authors such as Tracy Clark, Rachel Howzell Hall, Kellye Garrett, Aaron Philip Clark, and Charles Prandy working today.

What are you working on now?
The marketing of Black Phoenix and setting up the 2024-25 lineup of books to come.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The base of operations for any writer is the personal website. I’ve done some work with book promo sites in the past, but I will increase that activity this year with the release of Black Phoenix. Early work in this area yielded me a #536 ranking in the Free In Kindle category and #1, #5, and #12 in three of the KDP categories for the book. I haven’t had much success with Amazon and Facebook ads yet, but we’ll see with Black Phoenix.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, read, read, in and out of your favorite genre. That’s my challenge because I love the crime genre so much. Study books on writing; writers can never know enough about the craft. Many writers are likely already aware of this, but the real challenge often lies in marketing. Set some money aside for that part of the business. Believe that even if you haven’t published anything, you’re still a professional writer. If you disagree with or refuse to believe that, you can consider yourself an advanced beginner.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’m sure I’ve heard a myriad of advice over the years, but what I’d annex to this question is that artists, writers, actors, actresses, directors, producers, singers, painters, sculptors, and even architects, and others, are brave. We put our spirit, soul, and body in the marketplace via our work to possible acceptance and rejection. Then, after success or failure, we dare to repeat that same process.

What are you reading now?
Nothing now, but I’ve got a list lined up.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Aside from the Black Phoenix marketing, deciding what book to write next. I’m leaning toward some different areas other than the Atlanta Homicide Squad series. But that series will continue.

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 stranded desert island? The Bible and any material on wisdom instructing me how to get off it! Probably, a book on swimming, too. In any case, I saw Cast Away. I might be able to find some tips from that.

Author Websites and Profiles

Cortez Law III Website

Cortez Law III Amazon Profile

Cortez Law III’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Pinterest Account

Author Interview Series

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

LaToya Lawrence

Interview With Author LaToya Lawrence

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written eighteen books so far and there are more of my books to come!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Whispering Staircase is the name of my latest new release. The book was inspired by my creative gifts and imagination.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No. Not really. What may appear unusual in the eyes of others are tendencies or attributes that are natural and ordinary to me.

I am a proudly unconventional individual anyway so it would not make a difference.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am not influenced by any author or book because I already have my own individuality, but I find other authors and their work incredibly inspiring.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a supernatural crime thriller.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It is not a one size fits all. What may work for one person may not work for others.

You have to market and follow the best route of opportunity when it comes to exposure in terms of what it is one hopes to accomplish.

Social media platforms and wisely advertising independently in various forms is one of the best methods.

I am in control of every aspect that goes into promoting my work. I never have paid an outrageous sum to get my work out there or let myself be handled by those who seek to scam or profit from my efforts ( there are a lot who chase after us authors offering their marketing or publicity services, however I was never the type who liked to give away my money or throw my money away).

If one is going to spend do it reasonably and wisely so that what you put out is worth what you may eventually receive later through sales.

Don’t let anyone try to rip you off when all you want to do is make a living doing what you love through the gifts you were born with and meant to share. Do not let any one pollute the beauty of that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If writing is one’s passion and calling do not let anything or anyone stop you in your endeavor.

Do not be afraid to be extraordinary in an ordinary world when it comes to distinction within your creativity.

Be one to naturally stand out when you do not fit in to what is common.

Do not conform to society’s restrictions– be one to transform and bring about change.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As far as the best advice, I cannot think of anything right now.

What are you reading now?
I currently am not reading anything I am busy writing and working.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have multiple projects in store.

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?
If I were stuck on a dessert island I doubt I would find reading desirable unless is was literature telling me how to escape. My mind would be too preoccupied with getting off that island.

Author Websites and Profiles

LaToya Lawrence Website

LaToya Lawrence’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

Author Interview Series

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

Astraea Long

Interview With Author Astraea Long

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a rising college senior concentrating in astrophysics! I have written two books belonging to a duology, the first having been recently published and the second to come next year.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Welcome to the Damned, and I don’t remember if anything specific inspired it, but I just remember finishing my second rewrite of this book and seeing the title as a neon sign in my head. It’s set in a cyberpunk world, and the characters are your typical ‘morally gray and proud’ troublemakers, so once that neon sign lit up in my brain, I knew it had to be my title.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure how unusual this would be, but I’m a huge binge-writer. This duology was originally one book, as a standalone, and I wrote it in seven weeks into 132.5 thousand words. Then I didn’t touch this story for a year because of college, and the next time I worked on it, I added nearly 30,000 words (I’m also an under-writer) in less than two weeks. Then I didn’t look at it for another six months. A product of learning quantum mechanics as a full-time student, I suppose :’)

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Nora Sakavic, the author of the All for the Game series, has largely influenced my debut duology through her representation of complex relationships involving characters who deal with trauma and have to learn to heal. Chloe Gong also inspired me as a writer because she showed me that young authors can be successful, too, and even though I always knew it was ridiculous to try to become an author while pursuing an astrophysics degree, I adopted the attitude of ‘Why not?’ and just went for it.

What are you working on now?
As an author, I’m currently revising the sequel to Welcome to the Damned. I have a couple other ideas for upcoming series, but I’m just focusing on the sequel to publish before I graduate. As a student, I’m continuing research I did during my junior year to try to publish that as well, and hopefully present it at a conference in December. I am also interning at CERN in Geneva this summer to work on dark matter search (I think).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is https://www.astraealong.com and my Instagram and TikTok accounts are both @theastraealong 🙂

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m sure we’ve all heard this, but just write it down. No matter how awful it is, just write it. This is probably easy for me to say because I’m a binge-writer, but if you logically think about it, your writing is never going to be perfect. You can make it better, but it can always be better (My published book can Definitely be so much better, but it’s out there now). So, spew out all your thoughts and imaginations so it’s in front of you and tangible. It will be messy and full of typos, but that will be your first draft. It only gets better from there.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Something along the lines of ‘You walk your own path’ or whatever. I do get frustrated sometimes that my book isn’t selling, or that I can’t solve this physics problem, but hey, how many physicists are also sci-fi authors? And professionally trained in ballet? (Yes, I almost went down that road, too.) And so on. What has helped me, is thinking about the different components that build up to become ‘me’ as a whole.

What are you reading now?
I just finished reading The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic, the existence of which is a miracle to me after she went off the grid for ten years. I’ve also been reading this 5000+ chapter Chinese web novel for ages, currently on chapter 1596…

What’s next for you as a writer?
After publishing the sequel, I’m also taking a gap year after college before grad school, so that’ll be a year of more binge-writing. The two possible upcoming series that have been rotating in my brain are: a xianxia style futuristic story about a girl who was kidnapped by the empress to become a secret bodyguard and assassin, and a superpower, dark-academia university setting that kind of takes on a deadpan narration.

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?
Just the All for the Game series. That’s it. Can you tell I’m a huge Nora Sakavic fan?

Author Websites and Profiles

Astraea Long Website

Astraea Long Amazon Profile

Astraea Long’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Pinterest Account

Author Interview Series

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

Dennis Scheel

Interview With Author Dennis Scheel

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Wring about myself… oh, the horror!
As a Christmas Child, I believe magic is everywhere, especially during the winter, and I try to weave that magic into my stories. After all, my firm belief in karma and destiny has shaped who I am, so it should guide my stories, as well.
I was born and raised in Denmark, but faced many challenges during my life, one of which was my inability to write my stories in Danish! I’ve had my stories brewing in my head since I was a child and struggled for years to express them properly. After recovering from a diabetic attack that left me hospitalized, I managed to find my writer’s voice in English, and am thrilled to now have the ability to share my tales with you.
I penned four novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Silvery Path is the latest and the last in the Underworlds series. It is the conclusion, and it was leading up to it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A few, Dianna Wynne Warlock’s Chrestomanci series, come to mind.

What are you working on now?
Mars Warriors is the next one.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it. You can do it!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I love when the story I write exceeds the idea I had envisioned in my mind, turning out better than expected. I find it rewarding.

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 Giver, Charmed Life, The Little Mermaid.

Author Websites and Profiles

Dennis Scheel Website

Dennis Scheel Amazon Profile

Dennis Scheel’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.

Natasha Trujillo, Ph.D.

Interview With Author Natasha Trujillo, Ph.D.

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have several publications in academia, and have recently written my first nonfiction book.
Dr. Trujillo is a counseling and sport psychologist, a consultant, an educator, an author, a former athlete, a woman, a daughter, a sister, a grand-daughter, a niece, a cousin, and a friend. But most of all, she is a human. None of the former labels make her any better or worse-equipped to deal with the inevitable experiences of grief throughout life. She is passionate about the power of storytelling and wanted to bring light to the incredibly nuanced and individualized ways we process and cope with grief. Like everyone else, she’s had her fair share of losses and decided that taking the risk to be vulnerable may encourage others to redefine their relationships with grief to live more holistic and intentional lives. She hopes this limited collection of stories can build the realization that there is no “right” way to grieve, and that it should not be pathologized or medicated.

She encourages each reader to see the vantage point from each of the characters who have played a role in her life. To empathize, to perspective-take, to look within and outside the self and find shared positive connection in the discomfort of the painful and unknown. To be willing to ask life’s questions that don’t have answers. To sit with the necessary acceptance that to love also means to lose, and to experience beauty also means to feel immense pain. She wants others to be open to changing the mind and the heart. To take what may be helpful and leave what doesn’t. You don’t need permission to feel and face what scares you the most.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
And She Was Never the Same Again: A Multigenerational Memoir
When working with clients, I often encourage them to find their “why” for any given pursuit. My “why” for writing this book is because of how it ends. The epilogue. Her. I needed a way to keep myself busy from debilitating pain, but to somehow balance distraction with simply being with my feelings; the only true way to move through grief. I wanted to better understand why I am the way I am, and why those I love the most are the way they are. I wanted to spotlight the shadowlosses most of us don’t see or try to hide from. I wanted to tackle issues of grief and loss in a more comprehensive way so that people can call grief out when they see it and not be afraid to name it. To say the hard things they think and be with the hard feelings they feel. I wanted others to find self and other-compassion in the messy process. I wanted to honor those that mean the most to me. Most importantly, I wanted others to see themselves in these stories and become more accepting of the fact that grief never truly goes away, but we can learn to handle hard better by accepting the suffering inherent in life and the growth that is never too far behind it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes lines will come to me at the strangest times and I will have to have a pen or my phone near me to get it written down before I lose it. They come in the middle of the night a lot.
I also can’t read a book without having a pencil in my hand and almost always underline, circle, and make a lot of notes in the margins of books.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Brene Brown
Susan Cain
Joanne Caccatoire
Edith Eva Eger
Mitch Albom
Nora McInerny
Adam Grant
Malcolm Gladwell
Authors who are real, raw, take vulnerable risks, and make me think well beyond once the final page is turned.

What are you working on now?
I am in private practice full-time and am thinking through my brand strategy and how to keep growing professionally to provide the best care I can for my clients.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
www.andshewasneverthesameagain.com
www.npttherapy.com
@npttherapy
https://amzn.to/44jGfZW

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You have to be afraid and do it anyway. At some point, you truly do need to let it go and accept that it won’t be perfect and you’ll continue to grow and become better at the flaws you leave in the work you produce.
Writing is a both/and pursuit, not an either/or. Embrace the duality of it, as it isn’t for the faint of heart.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t lose your voice or let other people change it in a way that dilutes your own authenticity.
Be open to changing your own mind.

What are you reading now?
Mind Game by Julie Kliegman (full disclosure – I am interviewed and featured it a couple of sections and just got my copy!).
All You Can Ever Know – Nicole Chung

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am trying to soak in the post-launch few months and see what I need to keep learning and how I need to keep growing. I am thinking a bit about another book focused on grief, but more about normalizing the varying sides of how it looks in just one person over time.

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?
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Think Again by Adam Grant
The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
And She Was Never the Same Again by me…. need the ongoing self-exploration/awareness to keep growing!

Author Websites and Profiles

Natasha Trujillo, Ph.D. Website

Natasha Trujillo, Ph.D. Amazon Profile

Natasha Trujillo, Ph.D.’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.

E.D. Garner

Interview With Author E.D. Garner

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a history nerd all my life. After earning my Master’s and PhD in History I took a job teaching at a small college in upstate New York. I love my job, I love the kids (even though I don’t get a lot of Gen Z slang, they try to keep me up to date). I have a dog and we do old man and dog walks on the regular.
I do historical reenactment often and I belong to a few different reenactment regiments.
I’ve written five books that are on Amazon right now. I wrote two books earlier in my career that were on a small academic press and are now out of print.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is “Humorous History: Funny and Interesting Facts in History.” I just love all of the quirky stories in history that don’t get told enough. I like to make things fun and so each chapter has a story about a particularly funny episode in history but also how it fits into the context of the period.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I try to write a little bit every day. I’m pretty boring in that way.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Well, as an historian most of my favorite writers are historians too. I’m in awe of David Blight, Eric Foner, and Linda Gordon.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on some upcoming books about “weird” history. My Amazon author bio is the best place to find a list of my books (I’m old and not the best at updating my website.)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon keywords. Good storytelling. I’ve had great luck working with the Fussy Librarian.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be afraid to get constructive feedback and don’t ask people who aren’t good writers to be your proofreader. Your roommate or your mom should not be your go-to choice for a good proofread (unless, of course, they are professional writers or editors!).

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep plugging away at what you want to do. So many people quit after the first speedbump or rejection. If you want it, keep going and keep perfecting your craft.

What are you reading now?
Consumer’s Republic by Lizbeth Cohen

What’s next for you as a writer?
If people keep reading, I’ll keep writing. I’ve got a lifetime of stories and footnotes to share.

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?
War and Peace (it’s long and would keep me entertained for a while), The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (dang that was a good book), and maybe the Bible just because I never really read the whole thing.

Author Websites and Profiles

E.D. Garner Website

E.D. Garner Amazon Profile

Author Interview Series

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

Renee Crames

Interview With Author Renee Crames

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my first book that I have written.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Magical Animal Faces is the children’s book that I just published. It was inspired by my grandchildren.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know about unusual but I woke up and had an idea and decide to write this book in a fairly short amount of time. This process has inspired me and I am already thinking about my next book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As of right now this is all new but social media and using the resources for book pages that are out there as well as word of mouth. The community of friends and family that I have are so supportive.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. You don’t know until you try. Faith over fear.

What are you reading now?
There are always several things that I am digging into for research and just enjoyment.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am thinking that each day is a gift and I am going to start working on my book launch as well as plans for my next book.

Author Websites and Profiles

Renee Crames Amazon Profile

Renee Crames’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.

Emaline Ashe

Interview With Author Emaline Ashe

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a relatively new writer using a pen name. I do so to protect the identity of my teenage son, who is adopted. We live on the east coast of the U.S.

Before I raised my son, I was a biologist. Once he came along, I threw myself into parenthood and science jobs are rarely part time, so I became a full-time mom under he entered school. I recently finished my first memoir, which is a novelette or short read.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Gift of Parenthood: From Infertility to an Open Adoption. Ever since we went through infertility and then adopted our son, I’ve wanted to share our story. Infertility can be so isolating and it’s rarely talked about in public. Adoption can also be considered somewhat taboo and has a lot of stigmas attached to it. I wrote this memoir to enlighten others about infertility and encourage others to consider adoption.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Just that I can’t seem to stop! I started devoting a lot more time and energy to writing last year and find it extremely cathartic. It’s one of the activites I can easily do while recovering from shoulder surgery in late March.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
“Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden just mesmorized me. It gave me such an intimate look into a forbidden world. This was a big influence for sharing my story. I wanted to give others a private look at the struggles and heartache that some go through to simply become parents.

What are you working on now?
Honestly, I have been learning to promote and market my first self-published book. It’s a huge learning curve! And, I have been actively writing personal narratives on Medium and doing a lot of PT to heal my shoulder.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
If you find out, can you please let me know? Seriously though, I will say that having a professionally done, attractive cover seems to be very important in this new digital world. You need something scroll-stopping and eye catching to get others to consider your book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The writing process is the easy part, the promoting process is tough. Start gathering an audience before you write your book. Practice your craft on Medium or Substack. Make sure you have social media accounts in place before your book launch (I did this backwards).

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Fake it until you make it” I feel this as a new author and suspect I’m not alone.

What are you reading now?
“Breath as Prayer” by Jennifer Tucker. I am always looking for ways to help calm my anxiety and am really finding this book give very easy and effective techniques for that.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would love to write a children’s book about adoption and a self-help 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?
-“Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden
-“The Goldfinch” by Theodore Decker
-“”Wild” by Cheryl Strayed

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Julie Simmons

Interview With Author Julie Simmons

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have a Bachelor of Arts in English and Bachelor of Education degrees from Memorial University. I currently reside in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada with my husband of 30 years, Rodney. My passions in life (besides my husband, of course) include musical theatre, Disney, and Christmas. I have been the host of On The Marquee, a musical theatre themed radio show, since 2017, which is now syndicated in Canada. I also teach classes in musical theatre to adult learners. I have been legally blind since birth and am a peer support volunteer with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). That’s How You Know is my first novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called That’s How You Know. Since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to write a book. The issue was that I could never come up with a storyline. Finally, the idea came to me in a dream in January of 2023. Yes, I always wondered if that was a real thing. I’ve heard creative people talk about getting ideas for books, movies, songs, and so on in dreams. Well now I can tell you that it really does happen. I dreamed one of the scenes in my book, and within a week, I had a fully formed story in my head. I wrote a detailed synopsis for myself and then I sat down to write the novel at the end of January. I wrote all day for about a month and before I knew it, I had the bones written in that time. Then I spent months re-reading and revising it until I realized it had developed into something I was quite proud of. I published it through Amazon KDP in less than a year on December 1st, 2023 at age 51. So it just goes to show that it’s never too late to realize a lifelong dream.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always write (and do most everything for that matter) with the radio on. I sit at my computer and stream my favorite local top 40 radio station while I work. My husband cannot understand how I can do this. He needs silence when he’s trying to concentrate.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite author is Jodi Picoult. She just gets right in there with controversial issues and her books make you think. She doesn’t shy away from anything and she does an amazing amount of research on her topics, even putting herself right into the heart of things by shadowing and interviewing people who work in the various fields or who have experienced first-hand the situations of her characters.
I’ve also been reading Danielle Steel since I was a teenager. Her stories are just lovely. It’s as simple as that. My guilty pleasure was always Jackie Collins books.

What are you working on now?
I’m full-time marketing my book right now. I’ve learned that self promotion is HARD.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve learned that using social media groups that specifically target marketing your books are useless. It’s me and hundreds of other people doing the same thing. People go to those groups to market their books, not to find things to read. Also those groups are only fodder for all the spammers pushing marketing services who invade your inbox dozens of times a day. I changed my approach when I realized this wasn’t working. Now I follow authors and interact with readers on groups where readers go to discuss books they are reading, books they want to read, or look for recommendations for books. It’s not about talking about your own book, it’s about just interacting with people and joining discussions, talking about what you like to read, and so on. This increases your visibility on social media, grows your following, and then, hopefully, they will be intrigued by you and seek out the things you’ve written. The disappointing thing is when it doesn’t result in sales. But it’s a process and takes a lot of time and patience. I like to talk about the two “Ps” of marketing: Patience and Persistence.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s not for the faint of heart and if you’re in it for money, you’re in the wrong business. Money is a good benefit, it it comes, but you have to be in it for the creative process and the joy of getting your work into the hands of readers. Reviews don’t come easy, and it’s not the people you think will be your cheerleaders who will actually be the ones who will champion your books. The people closest to me have not necessarily been my biggest supporters. It’s been people I haven’t seen since high school or university, my neighbor, people I was only casually acquainted with, who have been my champions.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I got this from my father-in-law and it actually made its way into my book. “Worrying is like paying interest on a loan you haven’t taken out yet.”

What are you reading now?
Only the Brave by Danielle Steel

What’s next for you as a writer?
I really don’t know, to be honest. It took me my entire adult life to get the idea for my first book, and that came to me in a dream. I’ve informed the Universe that I’m wide open for new inspiration, so I guess I’ll see what happens.

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 Maestro by Auden Dar, so I’d bring that. Maybe Chances and Lucky by Jackie Collins. Something informative, like a history of musical theatre book, and something by Humble the Poet. His books are so insightful.

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Robert Hall

Interview With Author Robert Hall

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written and published 13 manuscripts, please visit my website for detailed information about myself and manuscripts. https://payhip.com/RobertHall

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Our Awakening Transcendence Is Occurring Now https://books2read.com/u/m0JG67
The inspiration was to change folks’ perception to spiritual wisdom.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write best immediately after waking up when the mind is freshest.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors: Helen Schuchman, Gary Renard, Dan Brown, Stephen King, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and C.S.Lewis
Books: A Course In Miracles and The Disappearance Of The Universe

What are you working on now?
I’m attempting to develop an effective marketing platform. I’ve had virtually zero success attracting attention to my writings. In 2023 there were over 4 million new manuscripts written, the market is extremely flooded to say the least.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I really have no best method, this is what I’m trying to develop.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice is do not give up. There IS a magnificent light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve found the more I write the more I learn about myself, this is truly beautiful. -Bob

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
God Is.

What are you reading now?
A Course In Miracles

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully learning from professionals in Awesome Gang.

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 Course In Miracles, The Disappearance Of The Universe, The Bible and The Grapes Of Wrath.

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AJ McDine

Interview With Author AJ McDine

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a former journalist and police press officer from Kent in the UK. I started writing fiction over a decade ago as a side hustle and to fulfil a lifelong ambition to be an author.
I began writing pony adventure books for middle-grade readers under my maiden name, Amanda Wills, and in 2018 started writing my first psychological thriller, When She Finds You, under a pen name, AJ McDine.
Since then I have written six more thrillers. I published the first five – When She Finds You, Should Have Known Better, No One I Knew, The Promise You Made and The Invite – myself. The last two, The Baby and The Photo (which is out on 11 July 2024) are published by Bookouture.
Earlier this year I signed a second two-book deal with Bookouture. The first book will be out in the autumn of 2024 and the second early in 2025.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Baby is about a woman called Lucy who wakes up with a hangover one morning to discover a baby in her sitting room. There’s just one problem – Lucy doesn’t have a baby! Worried she may have stolen the little boy, she tries to unpick her hazy memories of the night before. As she sets out to uncover the truth, it’s not long before her life begins to unravel…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, but I do have three furry felines who like to share my desk when I’m writing! Our cats, Minstrel, Amber and Charlie, are all rescues and each have their own bed on my desk, which doesn’t leave a lot of room for me!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lisa Jewell, Liane Moriarty, John Marrs, TM Logan, JP Delaney and Sabine Durrant are all go-to authors for me. I was lucky enough to meet Lisa Jewell at a literary festival last year, which was amazing! She’s absolutely lovely and signed her latest book, None of This is True, for me. What a thrill!

What are you working on now?
My eighth psychological thriller, which is currently untitled. The first draft is finished and I’m waiting to get the structural edit back as I write this. The book will be published by Bookouture in October 2024.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m active on both Facebook and Instagram. I have been lucky enough to have the support of some amazing book bloggers on Instagram who have helped spread the word about my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write! It doesn’t matter if your first efforts are terrible – no one has to see them. But writing is a muscle that needs to be exercised, and the more you write, the better you’ll get. No more excuses – just give it a go!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
These words of wisdom from the great Ernest Hemingway: ‘The first draft of anything is s**t.’ It’s a great reminder that no one writes a masterpiece straight off. Manuscripts need polishing – and polishing some more – before they make the grade.

What are you reading now?
I usually have both an audiobook and an ebook on the go. Currently I’m listening to Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan and I’m reading Our Holiday by Louise Candlish. They’re both great psychological thrillers. I’m hooked!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to continue writing twisty, gripping thrillers that keep readers turning the pages long into the night!

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?
Tricky question! None of This is True by Lisa Jewell; What Lies Between Us by John Marrs; The Castaways by Lucy Clarke.
And, finally, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe so I can get some tips and tricks on staying alive on my desert island!

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Cindy Kappler

Interview With Author Cindy Kappler

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a mother of five adult children. I worked full time while my children were growing up. I had the amazing opportunity for many years to work at the school they attended as a school administrator. Getting up and going to school with my kids each days was the best gift I could ever have asked for! I knew what my kids were up to and I knew their friends, their friends’ parents and their teachers.

I have written three books – Be an Unstoppable Mom, We’re Pregnant! and I helped my children write a fill-in-the-blank book called 15 Reasons I Love My Dad. Book number four – Be an Unstoppable Teacher – is almost done.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Be an Unstoppable Mom – As a mother of five children, I am well aware of the demands place on today’s moms, especially those who work outside the home. As a working mom with five children I learned many strategies and time-saving routines that made our household fun, loving and efficient. The most important revelation I had as a mom was the power my mindsets had to make my day amazing or make it difficult. I – not anyone else – had and still have the power to determine how I respond to what’s going on around me. For example, focusing on mindsets of unconditional love, positivity, and patience and understanding made all of us happier, more relaxed and excited about each new day. My mindsets and the similar mindsets my children started to develop made life so much easier, smoother and fun. I’ve shared many of our strategies with other parents and they work for them too. I was inspired to write Be an Unstoppable Mom because I want all moms to know the power they have within themselves to truly be unstoppable in all they do.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get up EARLY in the morning to write. I finished my first book (We’re Pregnant!) by getting up at 4:00 am and writing before my young children woke up. Now, I am up at 6 am and on the computer writing by 7. I am usually done writing and/or promoting by 9 and then on to the rest of my day.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath – Filled with amazing ideas for creating meaningful moments at home, work and with friends.

Every book by Mary Higgins Clark – I’ve been reading Mary Higgins Clark since I was in high school. Haven’t missed a book.

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books – I love how silly but insightful each story is. The stories make great conversation starters with your kids.

What are you working on now?
The second book in my unstoppable series – Be an Unstoppable Teacher. Teachers who love what they do share their love of learning with their students. Teaching is not an easy job but it is full of rewards. From my years working on a preschool-8th grade campus, I learned a number of strategies that can help a teacher rekindle their love for teaching and make their classroom a place all students want to be. I am excited to share these insights.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth has been my best promotion method to date. This is especially true within my friend circle – a friend tells a friend who tells a friend. That’s a great way to start a promotion and get some excellent reviews.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As my dad used to say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and chances are, your book won’t be written in a day either. Like everything else, write your book one word at a time and then one page at at time. Find a consistent time to write and do it! You will be surprised at how much progress you will make if you write just fifteen minutes a day, every day. Consistency is the key. Look at promotion the same way – put in at least fifteen minutes every day to promote your book and the results will surprise you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’ve heard some great advice in my life. My three favorite quotes – “You may not be able to control what happens to you but you can control how you respond.” “Love what you do.” “When the one great scorer comes to write against your name, he writes not that you won or lost but how you played the game.”

What are you reading now?
Love, Mom – Inspiring Stories Celebrating Motherhood by Nicole Saphier, MD

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish Be an Unstoppable Teacher and promote 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?
A Mary Higgins Clark mystery book.

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lee adam

Interview With Author lee adam

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book title is Beast and Burden. I was inspired to write my first novel after developing a love for reading in adulthood, in particular Lee Child and David Baldacci books. After careful consideration I put pen to paper and produced my first debut novel, the storyline of which is inspired by my eldest daughter and the struggles that a father and teenage daughter face in their sometimes clashing relationship.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I prefer to write when I am doing the bedtime routine with my youngest daughter. Once I get her settled into bed that’s when my brain comes alive and I write whilst she falls asleep.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Lee Child ‘Reacher’ series was a massive influence on my writing style and choice of genre I chose to pursue. The way his stories are filled with mystery, crime, and fast paced thrills has captured my attention since I picked up his first book.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on another crime book based in the 1980’s in London, which I am aiming to do as part of a trilogy.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use many different social media platforms to help promote my work, as well as my amazon author page. I also have a very strong support network of friends and family who showcase my book, leave reviews, and use word of mouth on their own social media platforms.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice would be do not stress, if you get writers block then take some time out and go back to it when you are ready. You have as much time as you need, I didnt start my first book until i was 36 years old. Id also recommend planning your characters and storyline before starting, as you can then expand on anything or tweak anything that you may want to change.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up. Never give up on being who you want to be and achieving your dreams.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading

What’s next for you as a writer?
The next steps for me are focusing on my 2nd book. My aim is to have it completed and published in late 2025.

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Michael Bergen

Interview With Author Michael Bergen

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am Michael G. Bergen, the author of The Rutherford Chronicles. I was born in Croydon, England, during the Nazi “Vengeance” V-1 and V2 bombings of England and raised in Montreal, Canada. I spent three years in the Royal Canadian Navy at sea out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and studied for four years at Concordia University in Montreal. My varied life has involved living and working in 8 cities in 5 countries on 3 continents, as related in my Cold War Memoir. I lived and worked in Montreal while studying; in Croydon, England, for one year while traveling; in Heidelberg and Frankfurt, Germany; Paris, France; and for many years in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa.

Before writing novels, I spent many years in high-technology software research, marketing, and entrepreneurial business management. During that time, I wrote many technical and business papers and presentations. However, I became curious about my family history a dozen years ago. That launched an extended project that resulted in me documenting that history and inspiring me to write The Rutherford Chronicles.

The Rutherford Chronicles is a four-book series that follows a family’s lives, passions, and struggles through four of the most significant conflicts of the 20th Century. It’s a saga of ordinary men and women thrust into extraordinary, dangerous circumstances during the deadliest hundred years of human history. The Rutherford Chronicles is a fast-paced, exciting, and fact-enhanced historical series of sweeping breadth that will appeal to avid readers and history buffs alike.

The series follows three generations through conflicts on three continents and their rapidly changing world. It is a series about empires and war:

1. Empire Discovered is about the experiences of Joe Rutherford during the 2nd Anglo-Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902) and his service in British India (1902-1906).

2. Empire and War is about Joe’s service in the trenches and detention in German POW camps during the Great War or WWI (1914-1918).

3. Empire and Tyranny follows Joe through the economically stressful Interwar Years (1919-1939) in England and Joe’s Canadian future son-in-law and soldier during World War II (1939-1945) in England and Italy.

4. Empires Lost: Cold War Memoir follows the author’s life during The Cold War (1945-1991/1994).

These books tell of the horrors of war experienced by my grandfather, father and myself. We were personally involved in the four major conflicts of history’s most deadly and costly one hundred years and survived.

As background, 20th-century Europe began with five major empires:

1. The British Empire was ruled by Queen Victoria,

2. The Russian Empire was ruled by Tsar Nicholas II,

3. The German Empire was ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm,

4. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was ruled by Emperor Franz Joseph I and Emperor Karl I,

5. The Ottoman Empire was ruled by Emperor Mehmed V.

After WWI, only the British Empire remained, the largest in history. By the end of history’s most tempestuous and deadly century, there were none. However, although not classified as Empires, two vast new powers emerged from the two world wars: The United States of America (US) of the Western Bloc and the Soviet Union (USSR) with its Eastern Bloc.

According to the Imperial War Museums, every year of the 20th Century suffered conflict. It has been estimated that 187 million people died from war from 1900 to the present. In World War I, there were 20 million deaths and 21 million wounded. The total number of deaths includes 9.7 million military personnel and about 10 million civilians. In World War II, 75 million people died, including about 20 million military personnel and 40 million civilians, many of whom died because of deliberate genocide, massacres, mass bombings, disease, and starvation.

What did I learn from researching the history of all those wars and the deaths and maiming of millions of young people? It boils down to the wisdom of the famous Spanish-American philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist George Santayana. In 1906, Santayana partially answered these questions when he wrote,

“Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.”

So, why do we let our leaders and politicians lead us into war after war? Why do the youth of every generation rush to make themselves available to fight and die in battle? How do all of the lessons learned from the 20th-century wars relate to the world we live in today, with its global tensions backed by nuclear weapons? Are we not in another Cold War teetering on becoming another Hot War, WW3 perhaps?

If we can’t answer these questions and act to end the desire to wage war with the weapons now at our disposal, the consequences could be the worst in human history! I try to answer those underlying questions by exposing the dangers of war in the four books of The Rutherford Chronicles series through the personal family stories of the three protagonists involved. Still, the same questions keep appearing, war after war.

The Rutherford Chronicles journey begins with three historical fiction novels about life in the industrial district of Tyneside, Northeast England’s coal mines and shipyards. It continues through the Boer War of South Africa and a soldier’s life in British India in the early years of the century, France and Germany during the Great War, England, and the Italian Campaign of World War II. The series concludes with my memoir of the Cold War, involving Cold War NATO maritime exercises in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans, the Cuban Missile Crisis on the East Coast of Canada, and the US and Cuba during the 1960s. It concluded with a divided

Germany and a divided Berlin, the devastating proxy wars in Korea and Vietnam, and one of the Soviet-backed liberation struggles in Africa through to 1994.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is the fourth part of The Rutherford Chronicles series, Empires Lost: Cold War Memoir. It was inspired by my experiences with the Cold War in Canada and the Atlantic Ocean, living in a divided Cold War Germany and experiencing a precarious South Africa during the Soviet-backed struggle for a majority democratic republic.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
That’s an interesting question. Maybe my writing habits are all unusual for many people. However, I go to bed early and rise well before sunrise to research and write. It may be that many writers can produce a nearly perfect manuscript from the first pass, but that’s not true for me. All my writing involves extensive historical research, developing a broad outline of the story or stories, writing a rough copy, and then returning several times to refine the historical facts and edit and re-edit my books.

Of all writing habits, discipline is the most important, in my opinion. Writing is generally a lonely occupation, so the author must learn from whatever source one can find, verbal or written, and control one’s ‘bad habits’.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced by extensive reading of science fiction and historical fiction novels, non-fiction history, and military journals. I am well-read, having read most of the classics in many genres. While writing, I read fewer novels and more non-fiction, but I accumulate lists for reading between projects. Apart from my early readings of Ernest Hemingway, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, H G Wells, Issac Asimov, and Frank Herbert, I have been strongly influenced by Ken Follet, Mary Renault, and Irving Stone. Canadian author Farley Mowat is also a favorite of mine. As it happened, Mowat was in the Canadian Army during the same campaign as my father. I have read an enormous number of historical non-fiction books during my research

What are you working on now?
I am working on an epic historical-fantasy-fiction novel involving two thousand years of the Celts and my Scottish Clan MacRae and Rutherford roots, about two-thirds of my ancestry and heritage. It also touches on my other third ancestry and heritage: the Scandinavian Vikings.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method is https://www.michaelgbergen.com/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be empowered, confident, curious, determined and disciplined in your research and writing, but be open to continual learning. Do not shy away from criticism; constructive criticism is essential and valuable, so accept it happily in that light.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Ignore convention and follow your dreams.”

What are you reading now?
The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson, another favorite author.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Completing my epic work “The Lure of Celtic Legends”, traveling and enjoying life. I have outlined another memoir of my life in nature on three continents, which I may or may not publish as a non-fiction picture 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?
I would take a selection of books by Robert Graves and Bernard Cornwell that I’ve not read, plus a few non-fiction books.

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Michael Bergen Website

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Karen Brungardt)

Interview With Author Karen Brungardt)

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written, so far, 6 full length novels, 3 novellas, and edited 2 memoirs, one by each of my parents, who passed away in 1992. During Covid, I finally got the full manuscripts and was able to edit them into readable forms.
I’m a retired physician from Family Practice and practiced in Wyoming for many years. Now I live in Tucson, Arizona, along with my husband, who’s the only pet I currently have. I also play bridge, paint watercolors, teach beginning watercolor, and read books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Wings of Crystal: Book 3 of the Wings of Destiny series. I had the idea for this Epic Fantasy series in my head for a long time. I used Nanowrimo to start the book…4 different times. I guess the 4th one finally stuck so Wings of Crystal is the third book in the series and there’ll be one more book. I really love all animals and birds and so this series prominently uses such critters as, more or less, important characters in the book. Plus a winged horse. And, oh, did I mention this? There’s also a dragon.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I create books out of chaos. I can have a clean surface, ie, the kitchen table which has somehow turned into a desk, and poof! All of a sudden, I’m surrounded by piles of papers, mail, kleenex (mostly unused) and perhaps bills and maybe other stuff. As long as none of it has 8 legs, I’m good.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan has had a big impact on me and also Julie Czerneda. One book, Greenwillow by B J Chute, (many many years old) has also influenced me even though that one isn’t sci fi or fiction, the 2 genres I love the most.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on book 4 of my Universal Shapeshifter series, which is sci fi. I wish there were a category named science fantasy but there really isn’t (yet). Jessi (main character) is the only shapeshifter in known existence and only a few people know about her ability. It has its pros and cons, as she’s having to use the ability all the time to try to fix stuff in the universe but it really keeps her from doing what she wants to do, which is become the first ever intergalactic physician. Oh, and her hair is sentient and talks to her telepathically.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use my Facebook account and page to promote, Instagram, getting my toes wet in TikTok and my newsletter, which goes out bimonthly.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write the book! Edit later. It’s more important to get the words down than to make them perfect the first time. Also, know where your book is going. I always know the ending when I start and so everything in between the beginning and ending has to fit in with that goal in mind.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Kill your darlings. And Write the Book, edit later.

What are you reading now?
Peacemaker Wars by J. N. Chaney

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Wheel of Time (if I can take the whole series, haha), Greenwillow, The Amorphan Effect, By the Horse’s Wings

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Kevin Gen

Interview With Author Kevin Gen

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing at the age of 11, after getting excited about YA mystery books. I wrote six books in the seven years that followed, all of which were solely for hobby purposes and not available online. It took 18 years before I decided to jot down the stories that were still roaming around in my head, knowing how the Internet has grown to provide opportunities for indie authors. After about 3 years of writing, my debut novel Coldren’s Prison got published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest (and debut) novel is Coldren’s Prison. What inspired it were the many stories that I had in my mind and that had no place to go until I got behind a computer and started writing it down. Parts of it were inspired by scenes from books that I wrote when I was younger.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t say I do, although I sometimes open my manuscript only to be able to add one sentence to the story. On those days the will is there, but the inspiration isn’t, in which case it’s better to leave things as is rather than forcing a story that doesn’t feel right.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton influenced me at a young age. I read it for English class in high school and it has stuck with me since. The story and the characters truly touched me. Maybe it subconsciously inspired the gang theme in Coldren’s Prison.

What are you working on now?
I am now working on a sequel to Coldren’s Prison. I feel that some of the characters deserve more focus on their background and what has driven them to where they were in the book. Many have such a turbulent back story that hadn’t been brought to light yet.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I often fall back on social media platform, mainly Facebook to share stories and information, and Instagram for more visual promotion. I find these to be the places where book enthusiasts enjoy hanging out to share their love for books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Schedule time to write and stick to it. Once you skip a writing session, it’s easy to keep skipping, resulting in your book never finishing. Keep at it, and remember that it’s not hard to get your story out there anymore. You don’t need to fight for a publishing deal with a traditional publisher anymore. Publishing is easier than it’s ever been before. All you have to do is finish your book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If others can do it, there’s no reason why you can’t.

What are you reading now?
I have just finished reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I have been wanting to get into an exciting classic like that for a while and I was able to get my hands on a copy a while ago. I love the writing style used in the book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Promotion is a never-ending story. I’m going to keep my focus on that while I work on my sequel. And for the final destination, of course; Hollywood!

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?
Bear Grylls: Never Give Up, because I’ll need it
Ozzy Osbourne: I Am Ozzy, for a good laugh
S.E. Hinton: The Outsiders, for its sentimental value
Jeneva Rose: Home Is Where The Bodies Are, because I’ve been wanting to pick this up

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Ellie Lerum

Interview With Author Ellie Lerum

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! I’m a mom of 2 and a Christian author- I’ve published 3 Christian fantasy novels and a short story. There are plans for additional books in the works! My biggest passion in life is to help others know that they’re not alone in wondering ‘where is God’ during their most painful moments. I lost several pregnancies, friendships, and people in my life and was always left with a sense of loneliness. The Jean Cassy series, my first full-length novel and its companions, focuses on just this as I write the story of a young woman who loses her sense of self, children, friends, and more while learning who God is and what He has called her to.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Before I tell this story, it’s important to understand that I have functioning DID (Disassociative Identity Disorder). One of my fragments enjoys telling stories of his own, which is where Turning Point came from. It’s partially his story, and partially the story of a character I had created years ago and never really fleshed out. Turning Point is special in the fact that it was a group effort between alters, my husband, and myself.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think one of my most unusual writing habits is setting up in the kitchen, beside my espresso machine. It isn’t the strangest thing I’ve done, but as a busy mom who likes to keep an eye on her kids, it’s up there.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always taken influence from J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, and Jane Austin.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently finishing the editing process of Gracefully Broken, a Christian fantasy set in the same world as my other novels. In this book, readers follow Marin Lott- a promising young healer- as she obeys the confusing and sometimes cryptic calling that HaMelech has placed on her life. It’s been a huge project, especially when I had originally written it as a short story during the period between the first and second service at our church.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Society likes to tear people down, especially when it’s a creative mind who has put themselves out there. Don’t give up, don’t listen to the trolls, and keep your chin up: everything will work out in the end.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My grandmother would always tell me to keep writing, even when I know that my work confused her. I’m doing just that, as the story cannot be told if no one is willing to tell it.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently working on Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I love a good historical fiction, especially when there’s drama and intrigue around each corner!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing, writing, writing! I’ve got several novels I’m working on while also raising funding for a film project. Turning Point will be turned into a film within the next several years, so it’s a matter of keeping my nose to the grindstone as we publish and polish.

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?

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Ellenmorris Tiegerman

Interview With Author Ellenmorris Tiegerman

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have worked as a professor for 22 years at Adelphi University in Garden City. And as a function of my position, I wrote multiple textbooks about children with language and communication disorders, particularly, children with autism spectrum disorders. The result is that I have always loved to write but not in the area of creative fiction. Several years ago, I decided to write a murder mystery about a professor, like myself, at a university. But the manuscript sat in a closet, and I forgot about it for a very long time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My present book is entitled: Past Lives Denied. And it was inspired by a childhood/adolescent experience.
I had a secret growing up that I kept hidden away for many years. I was on vacation in Crete at an archeological site, and before I went in, I had the strangest sensation that everything was familiar and I had been there before. My conscious mind argued back, “Really? How silly. You just got here. You’ve never been here before.” I felt anxious, so I pulled away from the group and sat down, but I just couldn’t stop my thoughts about what was next to come in the tour. When I finally decided to catch up with the group, I knew what had been there and where things were located. So, maybe, I had had too much sun. It could be, but when I spoke privately to the tour guide, and she confirmed the thoughts in my head, I had to admit to myself that this was very “suspicious.” At the time, I really didn’t know anything about past lives, and as a teenager, I just categorized the experience as interesting and kept it archived in my memory. But it made me uncomfortable when I thought about it, so I tried very hard to forget it and push it away from my conscious thoughts. And, of course, the more I pushed, the stronger the imagery became.
I had the extraordinary opportunity to take a training course with Dr. Brian Weiss, who was reported to have hypnotized a client, Catherine, who reported a past life memory. I was transfixed and excited when I realized that I was not the only one with a past life memory. I finally had my opportunity for closure when I read Brian Weiss’s book: Many Lives, Many Masters. With that training experience and Dr. Weiss’s book, I pulled out my manuscript, which had been sitting in a closet, and I rewrote it with a new past life theme.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, I do have some unusual writing habits because I enjoy going to the gym at 3:00 in the morning, exercising for several hours, and then sitting down to write in a quiet space. I also limit my writing on a daily basis. So I set a goal of creating/generating so many pages, and then I work towards that goal daily.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As I said earlier, the book that has influenced me the most was Dr. Brian Weiss’s book: Many Lives, Many Masters. I have read and studied all of his books and feel strongly that he is the leading spokesperson for the study of past life theory and past life regression.

What are you working on now?
I would like to write a trilogy with the first book Past Lives Denies now in print. I am working on the second book entitled: God Denied. The three books will have as the underlying theme the recognition and acceptance by the main characters of their past lives. Important in all of the books will be the challenges that each character faced and how those challenges were resolved by each character. The three books will take place at a university in the Midwest, and there will also be campus riots and protests that each character will have to deal with, given the unrest so typical on our university campuses today. The books will underscore the importance of past life regression and how it potentially can heal not only the individual person but society as a whole. There is an important realization for society that Dr. Weiss refers to when he indicates and suggests that people “repeat their problems/issues until they resolve them.” I am suggesting that this is a dynamic issue for society in general, and past life regression will be helpful for the world to acknowledge.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The website that readers can search through about the book is: Ellenmorrisauthor.com
The website is being developed to include stories and essays from different people who have experienced past life challenges.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think the most important advice that I can give to new authors is to be persistent. It took me a very long time to organize the manuscript and change the theme to finally create something that fit my vision for an exciting story about past lives and how the regression process can help with personal healing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice that I have ever heard is that “life is a marathon, not a sprint race.” Pace yourself. Look forward and not backwards, except for healing purposes and past life experiences. Do not dwell on things. Mobilize yourself. You have the ability to find a past life and learn from your own personal problems.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I am reading, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, which is about multiple lives, and, of course, there is a wonderful moral to the end of the story.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to finish the trilogy by writing a final book that is truly creative and which will capture the imagination of the reader.

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?
Of course, I would bring several books, such as Dr. Weiss’s on past lives. But I would also bring some of the classics such as Jane Austen, Emily Bronte and Henry James. I would bring books that I could read over and over again with a great deal of passion and enjoyment.

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