Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Canadian living in North Vancouver, BC. I have had many careers, and started several successful businesses and many failed ones. My longest career was as a Naval Architect and yacht designer. Among over 100 boats I designed is the Walker Bay 9, the world’s most popular dinghy. It is also the smallest boat I ever designed.

I began writing short stories on a long cruise to Australia in 2009. Every night I would write a short story about my adventures, some real, some imagined, and email them to my wife. Writing stories became a hobby.

In 2016 I combined several of my short stories and much new material into Tiger and the Robot, my first full length novel, and the bfirst one published. It proved popular and generated roylaties which in a good month bought me several cups of coffee. Since then I have finished annother book, and I am part way through a third. It is becoming a series, which I call the Bay Mysteries. I wrote the last book in the series first.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Bay of Devils is my second published book. The main characters are all based on people I have known. The book was inspired by two events. One was a news story in 2018 about the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the liner Princess Sophia, known as the Titanic of the Pacific, The second event was a personal cruise to Alaska with my wife aboard our yacht Tangleberry in 2008. On that voyage we visited Thomas Bay, aka the Bay of Devils, which is reputed to be haunted. I put the two events together in one book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am what is called a “seat of the pants” writer. I don’t write an outline, I just start with the briefest of ideas, then write. I often dream about the story I am writing. The last three chapters of Bay of Devils came to me in a dream. I got up in the middle of the night and wrote them down.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a fast reader, and for years I read a book a day. That was in an era when I had no TV and the internet did not exist. These days it takes me a week or more to finish a book.

As a child I loved Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London. Later I read Mickey Spillane and Agatha Christie. I also like more literary authors such as Thomas Pynchon and John Barth.

What are you working on now?
Bay of Angels is my third novel, second in the Bay Mysteries series. It features Sean Gray and Cindy Lu, who were introduced in Bay of Devils, and Sean’s five-year-old son Chandler, Chan for short. What starts out as family sailing vacation in the remote island’s of BC becomes an action packed adventure.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I wish I knew. In my business career I developed the philosophy that “nothing works but everything works.” What I mean is that there is no single magic bullet, but if you do everything you can, somehow the result is ultimate success.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be in a hurry to quit your day job.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t listen to people who tell you what you can’t do.

What are you reading now?
Circle of Bones by Christine Kling.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The Bay Mysteries series will have ten books. That should be enough writing to keep me busy for the rest of my 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?
I would choose them by size. I would bring books I have on my shelf but haven’t read yet. Authors include Conrad, Faulkner and Melville.

Author Websites and Profiles
Grahame Shannon Website
Grahame Shannon Amazon Profile
Grahame Shannon Author Profile on Smashwords

Grahame Shannon’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I got married young and had kids right away, fell hard into the green-hippie mom rabbit hole. I love it, I still am a hippie, but it really took over my life, trying to be this perfect mom who only fed her kids organic and no plastic and cloth diapers and everything…

I love fiction to the core of who I am, but I kind of forgot that in the midst of reading all the how-to-be-a-perfect-mom books. When I found fiction again after about 5 years into my mothering, it was like a breath of fresh air. A few years later, I started writing, and romantic fiction was the only option for me. I love it so much.

I’ve written two novellas so far, One Magical Place released in October 2020 and Stuck Together is releasing December 2020. I’m starting to brainstorm the third book, it’ll be a 4-novella series following all four Sullivan brothers.
There’s a full-length book in my “graveyard drawer”. I’m not sure if that one will ever see the light of day. I wrote about 10 different versions of it and it got to be kind of a Frankenstein situation.
Once I decided to try my hand at writing novellas, the writing really took off for me. I’m kind of a perfectionist so it helped a lot to be able to do *my best* at something but then be done with it in a relatively quick period of time. I also think it helped me understand each story element and go deep with the characters without getting overwhelmed. Especially since I worked on that longer novel for about 5 years without seeing the fruit of it. After the pandemic is over, maybe I’ll hand “Frankenstein” over to my beautiful surgeons, my editors, and see if they can help it live.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
One Magical Place. It’s about a bookstore owner and a yarn shop owner who fall in love. I actually had this as a business idea, that you’d have all your favorite introvert stores in one place. Buy some yarn, read a book with a cup of coffee or tea… sit on an antique couch. I quickly realized I wouldn’t want to actually deal with all the inventory and interacting with customers everyday, because I’m extremely introverted myself. So I decided to write a book about it. I get to have all the fun of imagining it and designing it and none of the work of keeping up the actual store.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Hmm… I’m not sure if they’re unusual. I like my cheap yellow office notepad, sometimes when I feel like I have writer’s block I’ll make myself write with pen and paper.

I can write anywhere kind of quiet if I have my AirPods and my playlist. I write to Indie Folk for Focus on Spotify and I turn it up really loud. Like I said, I have four kids, so if my husband is taking care of them, I can write just about anywhere comfortable.

I like to write in my bed, but sometimes I have to make myself go to a coffeeshop, because then I *know* I’ll get work done and not be as distracted by housework or Netflix.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh man. Penny Reid is a big one, I love how she didn’t just write stories but really created a community around nerdy romance. My hope is to do that with what I affectionately call modern “hippies”. We’re the quirky, attachment parent, natural remedy, green-minded counterpart to her nerdy scientist community.
Also Katherine Center is one of my absolute favorite writers. I love how she writes positive stories of people overcoming hard things. And they’re just gorgeous to read, they feel like friends.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on novella # 3 of the Sullivan brothers series. It’s about the second oldest brother, Teddy. Just like he sounds, he’s sweet and squishy and lovable, but struggling to overcome depression.
The heroine is a quirky realtor, who uses her intuition to help people connect to their homes.
I’m also dedicating this to the daughter of a friend, a beautiful girl who died this year by suicide, so it’ll touch on mental health a bit more than my other books.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
edenwilder.com You can sign up for my newsletter there, and I’ll be sending Stuck Together out for freeeee to those who sign up for the newsletter. That will be sometime in the next two weeks, definitely before Christmas 2020! So super excited about that, go sign up for my newsletter! 🙂 Stuck Together is a light pandemic romance, so perfect for right now.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. Read lots of fiction. Save the Cat was amazing for me to understand story structure (although sometimes I still can’t wrap my brain totally around it!) but just remember that writing is storytelling. It isn’t just about making words and feelings, it’s about the big picture of what’s happening, the underlying themes. I think a lot of us start with Bob waking up and walking from room to room, but it gets frustrating when you’re not sure how to move beyond that. So big picture *storytelling* was the thing I needed to understand in order to move forward.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing. We get distracted, us writers. We like *having written* but we don’t always want to sit down and do the damn thing. So read fiction, read a few helpful books and articles, but the only thing that’s really going to make a difference is to sit down and write something. If it doesn’t change anyone else, it always changes you.

What are you reading now?
I picked up a few Christmas romances on kindle unlimited. One is The Christmas Fix by Lucy Score. It’s cute so far. I’m trying to be better about reading instead of watching tv before I go to sleep, so I at least fit in a few minutes a day doing that. When I’m not actively writing I obviously read a lot more, and then I read less in seasons of creativity. I’m also alpha-reading for my lovely friend and editor, Kristina Suko.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m excited to finish this 4-part novella series and then see what’s next. COVID has definitely made it challenging to plan. When I have more “brain space” I’d like to try writing something longer and see if I enjoy that, but I’m not ready to commit quite yet. Maybe I’ll keep writing novellas. I’ve got a chiropractor story knocking around in my brain for after the Sullivan brothers’ stories are finished…
I’m also trying to learn about marketing and how to use my instagram for readers, how to create that community feeling and things like that. So just widening my skill set.

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?
Oh man, that’s such a mean question!
How to Walk Away by Katherine Center
Truth or Beard by Penny Reid
Renegades by Marissa Meyer (Or Heartless if I was feeling dark and twisty that day…)
The Shack by William Paul Young
Ask me again tomorrow and I might have a different answer.

Author Websites and Profiles
Eden Wilder Website
Eden Wilder Amazon Profile

Eden Wilder’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been a restaurant worker, a soldier, a snowmaker, an exterminator, a college student, a CPA, a middle school teacher, and now teach fourth grade.

I am a husband of 32+ years and a father of two young men who have grown to be successful in their chosen fields of endeavor.

I am also an indie writer. I have written and self-published 9 MG/YA/NA novels including the River Dream Series and the Buzby Beach Novels.

My books are based on my experiences growing up in my favorite part of the world – Southeastern North Carolina. The people I met, friends I made, and experiences I had while coming of age at the beach help shape my characters and my stories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is BUZBY BEACH HOMECOMING. It was inspired by the idea of a soldier, estranged from his parents by his decision to join the Army, coming back to the island he grew up on and trying to pick up his old life. My own experience of coming home and readjusting to civilian life, trying to reconnect with friends and old girlfriends, gave me the idea.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I seem to write best after everyone else in the house has gone to bed. There is something about the quiet and the darkness that helps me get into the zone where the story flows more effortlessly.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have an eclectic taste in books. When I was young, I read every Hardy Boys book there was. As I grew, I developed an interest in science fiction. Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Heinlein became three of my favorite writers. Asimov’s Foundation Series is one I have reread countless times. If there is one book that influenced me most as a teenager, though, it would be Heinlein’s STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND.

For a short while, I was heavily into reading Stephen King. He was the only horror writer other than Poe whose work I enjoyed. Other authors who influenced me are WEB Griffin, Larry Bond, Tom Clancy, and Brad Thor. More recently, books by young adult authors Sarah Dessen and Ally Carter, and novels by Wily Cash have influenced my writing for the better.

What are you working on now?
I currently have three projects in the works. This year’s NaNoWriMo project is about a military retiree who never married starting college as a freshman. The time is summer and fall of 2019, and the pandemic is just over the horizon and will impact my main character before the book ends.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Because I am a self-published indie author, my promotional budget is limited. Most of my promotion is done online via social media with the rest being word of mouth. So far, Facebook and Twitter (with the help of askdavid.com) have been my primary method of advertising my books. I am hopeful that Awesome Gang will become a successful part of my promotional efforts.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. I know this is cliche, but cliches are cliches because they are usually true. Write what you want to read. Find a trusted friend or family member who will give you honest feedback. Never self-edit, always find/hire someone to proofread your work for conventions and content. Utilize betareaders and respect their feedback, even if you disagree with their comments and don’t follow their advice. Oh, and keep writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Honestly, never judge a book by its cover. In a much more global sense, get to know about something or someone before you decide how you’re going to feel about them. My father taught me that.

What are you reading now?
At the moment, I am reading THE MARROW OF TRADITION by Charles W. Chesnutt about the November 10, 1898 coup against the duly elected African-American leaders of Wilmington, NC by a group of white supremacists.

What’s next for you as a writer?
In the next year, I want to branch out and write more directly about social issues and their effects on the students I teach.

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 first book I would want with me is the US ARMY SURVIVAL MANUAL.
A copy of STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND would be next.
A Bible.
A Spanish/English dictionary so I pass time learning another language.

Author Websites and Profiles
DW Davis Website
DW Davis Amazon Profile

DW Davis’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Bingo Baby is my fourth novel. I have also written In The End (2016), Ancestry: Awakenings 2018), and The Witch Detective: The Fire And Brimstone Bourbon Trail Case (2019). My first two novels were written under the pseudonym Cullen Kit Alexander. I am a playwright and proud Trekkie living in Lexington, Kentucky. I graduated with a master’s in clinical psychology from Morehead State University. I have been happily married for over twenty one years to an outstanding social worker and I have four adult children. I strive to be a prolific writer. I currently have two new books in the works: The Antique Dealer and The Butcher, The Takers, and The Money Makers.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book was inspired by actually playing, observing, and watching people play bingo in Georgetown, KY. The characters were developed and given some traits of family members that I highly admired. In thinking of the story, I thought about what would happen if a child was born at a bingo hall that was responsible for her nickname and how her life would play out after retuning to a small town after a failed marriage.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I sometimes text myself when I think of a page to write for a book while sitting in a doctor’s office or another appointment waiting,

What authors, or books have influenced you?
James Patterson, Dean Koontz, and Nicolas Sparks.

What are you working on now?
The Antique Dealer – Lisa Joy inherits two things from a relative — an antique shop and the ability to travel back in time with objects connected to another person’s past. This is a fantasy novel set in the small fictional town of Swallow, TN.

The Butcher, The Takers, & The Money Makers – A black market for babies and young teenage girls that is controlled by an unknown group of powerful people who use a serial killer to dispose of young mothers face off against Paisley Hunter, a retired Chicago police detective.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have utilized Facebook adds and FIVERR to help promote my book sales in the past and will continue to do so. Book trailers are helpful to pull attention to your book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Ignore the nice rejection letters from literary agents. Continue to write and reach for the stars. These are your stories that you want to tell and enjoy the ride.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what makes you happy.

What are you reading now?
Cross by James Patterson. Trying to read all of his Alex Cross books in order of print.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing more books and after that — writing 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?
How To Survive On A Desert Island, Tropical Cookbooks, and Mary Ann’s and Gilligan’s Island Cookbook — you have to eat so you can write on palm tree bark.

Author Websites and Profiles
Alan Hounshell Website
Alan Hounshell Amazon Profile

Alan Hounshell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am married to my wonderful wife of 15 years and the father of 3 young boys and another on the way. I am a working professional and MMA practitioner who loves to express himself through writing. I’ve found the writing process to be incredibly therapeutic and healing and a way to reclaim and rewrite some of the challenging parts of my life. Sometimes it can be difficult to express myself fully in conversation and writing gives me the time and attention to express myself creatively to the fullest. To date I’ve only written one book but am halfway finished with my second book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Capturing the Ghost and is about my process of acknowledging and accepting the parts of my childhood that were too painful to believe or hold in my conscious memory. At around age 35 I began slipping into a mental breakdown as memories and flashbacks of my own childhood abuse overwhelmed my everyday life. It was at that time that I met a part of myself who stored up all the trauma from my past and knew everything that happened to me. Over the course of 2 years he showed me what really happened to me through regular flashbacks, body memories, and panic attacks. It is a story about finally accepting just how painful life can be but also an acknowledgment of how resilient and powerful a human being can be.

I decided to write this book as a therapeutic release. It was a perfect outlet for me to dive into my past on my own terms and make sense of it creatively. I decided to publish it as a means of finally owning my past and hopefully be an encouragement to others suffering from PTSD and childhood trauma.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write off of pure emotion and it seems like the words just spill out of my brain. I only write when I’ve felt compelled to do so and when the mood hits me it can be very difficult to interrupt or postpone the writing process. I wrote the first draft of Capturing the Ghost in 2 weeks and it took me roughly another 3 weeks of editing before I sent it off to my copy editor. Carl Jung once said that the creative mind is never free and I believe that is definitely true for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Thus Spake Zarathustra” is a huge influence on me and is a book I reread regularly. Anything by Paulo Coelho is also a huge influence on me but most notably are “The Zahir,” and “The Alchemist.” The Bible is another book that resonates with me, particularly the works of the minor prophets. Jack Donovan and David Deida are authors whose works have shaped my view of the masculine journey.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a prequel to Capturing the Ghost which tells the story of my childhood abuse from the lense of a child. Whereas Capturing the Ghost is following my life as an adult reliving the past, my next book will be following my life as a child and understanding how I made sense of and survived the childhood trauma as it was happening. It will explore the power of the mind and the concept of disassociation and how suggestible a child can be without the guidance and support of capable parents. It will also convey how difficult it can be to accept life’s greatest tragedies and the propensity for people to create alternate stories about their lives to help cope with the pain of the truth.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I lean pretty heavily on Amazon at the moment. I am still getting familiar with the various ways of promoting my work and plan on expanding my network in the future.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it. Start writing and don’t talk yourself out of it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always tell the truth. Once you start lying to yourself you begin rationalizing poor and destructive choices and can find yourself in situations you would have never imagined.

What are you reading now?
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To enjoy the creative process and write when I am so inclined.

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. The Bible
2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
3. The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis
4. Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom

Author Websites and Profiles
David Tanner Lauka Website
David Tanner Lauka Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I teach at a community college in Texas. I studied creative writing under Caroline Gordon at the University of Dallas and hold a Ph.D from Texas Woman’s University.

I just released OUTSKIRTS OF THE WOODS, and I am nearly finished with a fiction novel entitled JOSEPHINE’S JOURNEY, which shares the journey or a young woman through the 1960s.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
OUTSKIRTS OF THE WOODS is a collection of my eclectic writings over many years.
This collection illustrates the changes of a spiritual seeker: Vedantic to Christian, Pro-Choice to Pro-Life, and Bohemian to Settled.

BERTHA’S BUTTER CLUB, a one-act comedy, jabs at every person who thinks they have the formula to make others lose weight. DYSLEXIC chronicles my many and long attempts to seek a cure. Other essays compare convicted murderers Susan Atkins and Karla Faye Tucker, and uncover the tragic deaths of two abortive women.

Also included is an essay based on a Caroline Gordon short story, my creative writing mentor at the University of Dallas. OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES: this one-act has a 13 year old pro-life debater who greatly loves her dad who performs abortions. The play is followed by DAUGHTER OF INDIA, a biography of my aunt, Sanskrit scholar Camille Svensson. At last comes poetry. One poem can hold a whole universe – finding love, losing love, reaching for God but touching a dark hole and discovering the true God.

This book covers forty years of love, disillusionment, and then finding love again.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write whenever I am able. Due to my teaching career, my writing time can vary wildly.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Caroline Gordon holds a special place here, but there are and have been so many other great writers.

What are you working on now?
I am nearly finished with a fiction novel entitled JOSEPHINE’S JOURNEY, which shares the journey or a young woman through the 1960s. It should be published soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I must admit I am new to this side of writing. I can see that promotion is not an easy chore.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep doing what you love.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up!

What are you reading now?
Radical Son by David Horowitz, Avatar of Night by Tal Brooke, and Fire From Heaven by Maureen Flynn.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After JOSEPHINE’S JOURNEY, I plan to write a play I began five years ago, INTERSECTION.
It is loosely based on a murder in Hillsboro by the Clyde Barrow Gang in about 1932 (before Bonnie joined the gang). It is from the survivor’s pov.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Holy Bible
Jane Eyre (my favorite book of all time)
the collected works of W. B. Yeats

Author Websites and Profiles
Cate Murray Website
Cate Murray Amazon Profile

Cate Murray’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a mother of 1-year-old twin boys and two older boys who are the illustrators of my first children’s book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book is called “Shall we go adventure? A Journey To Being You!” The birth of my twins was the inspiration behind this book. It all started with a few words to make them smile and now is transformed into a beautiful bedtime story for all children.

In August, I took a program to write a children’s book in 5 days, and it was written by the end of day 3. I then continued on the writing journey with the author/publisher, and we had 5 weeks to complete and publish. I set myself a goal, being a mom of 4 boys, homeschooling, and homemaking and raising twins. It’s a busy life, but this goal, I was determined to accomplish my inspiration and my dream.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Trying to find the time to sit and write is a challenge. But you can sometimes find me hiding in the laundry room or during dinner prep, just starting to jot down ideas and start writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My biggest influence has been Robert Munsch. He came to my school when I was in grade 1. I was 6 years old. He was telling his stories and making us laugh. He asked me if I liked reading and writing, and to answer him, I got the opportunity to give him a few of my stories and tell him I wanted to be a writer when I got older.

What are you working on now?
I am now working on a children’s book series with a similar philosophy to my first book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still on the learning path with this one, but it appears Awesome Gang is a great place to start. I am a big fan of Kindlepreneur and learning a lot about the self-publishing world, and I will update more once I have learned a few secrets.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
When you reach the point of frustrations and question your abilities on this writing journey, my advice is to take a step back analysis and get support. Giving up at this point makes no sense, so push through and accomplish your goal. You can do it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up!

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Anna Junker Amazon Profile

Anna Junker’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
To date I have wrote 5 full length noves. One of which i have trasnlated into 9 languages. Plus written 4 novella’s.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Secret of the Sword is getting ready to come out here soon under the Trient Press publishing house. It is the first in a three part spin off of the Lite and Darke serires.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write the end first.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anne Bishop is my biggest infuence as a writter.

What are you working on now?
Anyone that knows me, knows I’m always working on at least 3 WPS, on top of working within a publishing house. My biggest move right now is not that of a writter but that of of a office personal within Trient Press.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Surprisingly IGTV and Youtube are my biggest helps for promoting. But not because I’m promoting my books but because I’m using it to promote others first.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have a marking budget. I does not matter if it’s $50 a month or $100. Go after the radio shows and podcast that cost money. Pay for that P.A. posting yourself on social media helps some but get your name out there.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Hire a great editor or work with a publishing house that offers editing.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading the entire Black Jewels collection again in preperation of the new one coming out in 2021

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books, screenplays, poems? The sky is the limit and I won’t limit myself to one thing.

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 Black Jewles as most of them are in one or two combined books.

Author Websites and Profiles
M.L. Ruscsak Website
M.L. Ruscsak Amazon Profile

M.L. Ruscsak’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and I am both an observer and participant in life. I have a tehnical educational background while still utilizing my creative side with writing on different subjects, playing the guitar, and designing things.

I have written 3 books so far. One on “Men’s Guide to being a Single Parent” and two poetry books. My next book will be on organizing family reunions.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My lasted book is called “Mental Streams: Poems of the Heart and Soul”. This collection was inspired by world events over the last year including the political & racial divide in this country, Covid-19, and things I have been thinking about over the years.

The love, family, and nature pieces in the collection were inspired by the wonderful emotions and powerful positive emotions I have experienced and observed.

The above topics resulted in a collection of poetry which is as diverse as I am and gives the reader a number of different pieces to satisfy their appetite.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Most of my poetry starts from an idea. An idea, concept, or emotion comes to me and that sets the theme for the peice. The outline from the piece comes quickly and I usally map out that outline quickly before I forget. I then follow-up with filling in the details.

This whole process can take 5 minutes or 5 days.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am influenced by books which present an interesting point of view and which have strong messages. the subject matter varies all over the place and the gems of information can come from anyway.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on marketing my latest book. In the new year I will start writing a book on planning a family reunion. I have been planning full week (7 day) family reunions to different locations including, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Smoky Mountions, and Mexico for over 15 years and I want to pass on to others how to pull off a major event like these.

I will be walking you through all the detailed planning steps including lodging, transportation, activities, etc.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have my own website which covers many different topics including a major tab for books. I promote my books in the book section of my website.

I also promote my books on Good Reads and Facebook.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice is ‘Just Do It’! Everybody has at least one book in them. You just have to get started. To help you get started there are a lot of how to articles on the web which will help.

First you want to write about something that you know. Think about what you what to write about and how your book will be different than othe books on that topic.

The key is for you to realize that you have a unique perspective on things because everyone’s experiences are unique to them. Take advantage of that uniqueness in your writings and you will be off to a good start.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stay ture to yourself. You will never be as good a writer by trying to be someone else, as whomever you try to be like will always be better at being themselves.

It’s good to learn from other authors but take that knowledge and craft something that is unique to you.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading guitar theory books.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To continue to observe and experience life and then put it on paper.

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. Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species
2. Immanuel Kant’s The Metaphysics of Morals
3. Ernest Heminway’s The Old Man and the Sea
4. The Collected Poetry of William Butler Yeats

Author Websites and Profiles
Henry Thomas Website
Henry Thomas Amazon Profile

Henry Thomas’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a first-time author of a novel, and Secret Faces of Darkness: LOST is my first novel. It’s a young adult vampire fantasy and the first of the Secret Faces of Darkness series. Apart from that, I to write started many novels in the past, but this is the first one I managed to finish, so there are many other ideas waiting for when I have more time and patience on my hands.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I wanted to write a ‘realistic’ young adult novel involving vampires (if there can ever be any).
Originally, a ‘vampire’ was someone so strongly attracted to life and power over other people that they weren’t able to leave this earth. In the past, it was thought that such individuals could come back to haunt others.
On this basis, I tried to use vampires and what they symbolise as a metaphor for darkness that can be found all around us, among others in the human mind.
As mentioned elsewhere, such darkness, especially when connected to power over other people, can be strangely alluring.
I wanted to explore how we can face it, be tempted by it and how one might try to deal with it in everyday life, in the current global circumstances.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write while I do other stuff with my hands, because ideas tend to flow more freely when you’re not forcing yourself to stare at the computer screen and write those 1000-5000 words you’ve set as your daily goal.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Terry Pratchett and his amazing Discworld series as well as his humour, Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, and Neil Gaiman with all of his novels, but also many contemporary science fiction writers.

What are you working on now?
I’m going to start a blog, another book series, and I’m also working on the second book of my Secret Faces of Darkness series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still endeavouring to discover it. Awesomegang. com is awesome!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Follow your dreams, that’s all we can all strive for, I guess, and be kind to yourself and other people.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take life day by day, don’t dwell too much on the past or the future.

What are you reading now?
Re-reading the Metro sci-fi series by Dmitry Glukhovsky.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To try to succeed in the literary world.

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?
Can I take an Ipad? Survival on a Desert Island Handbook, 500 Ideas to Escape from a Desert Island Including Building a Radio Station, The Tropical Cookbook, and a medical encyclopaedia.

Author Websites and Profiles
Poli B. Amazon Profile

Poli B.’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Sienna, and this is my first book!
I am very excited to finally launch this book, first of my series “A Quokka’s Adventures”.
I am a world traveler with a wanderlust spirit.
After travelling the world for a few years, I decided to combine my love for kids and my knowledge about the world to teach children about today’s important values.
I am enthusiastic about educating kids on less known places in the world and all the different animals in it.

When I am not writing, you can find me exploring new places around the world and living new experiences to inspire me for my new books!
I also enjoy doing sports and cooking! Or let’s be honest, I enjoy eating and try new cuisines! 😉

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Beauty of Diversity!
It is the first book of the series “A Quokka’s adventures”.
My travels and the situation we are in right now inspired this book and the all series!
I want our little ones to grow up knowing more about the world that surrounds us. I would like for them to have the knowledge of different species of animals and less known corners of the world.
But what matters the most, are the values I want to transmit with my books. Diversity, equality, confidence, inclusion, acceptance….
They all are crucial topics in our lives nowadays and I hope my books will help children get familiar with these values in a fun and easy way.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. Just sitting down at my desk with a nice cup of tea. But I need to be in a room alone, with no noises or distractions.

What are you working on now?
I am currently writing the second book of my series. I am very excited for this one! Ally will be in a different place this time and she will meet many new interesting friends. The book will talk about confidence and how we all need to believe in ourselves and help who is in need.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Freebooksy has been working great for me. And of course, Awesome Gang 😉

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just start! If you have an idea, just start writing about it! Don’t overthink it!
The pig picture might seem scary at first, but if you break it into smaller pieces everything will be easier and manageable.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“one day or day one – you decide”

What are you reading now?
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am going to keep writing about Ally’s adventures and educate kids about the world that surrounds us and its important values!

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?
Probably some books about how to survive on a desert island 😉

Author Websites and Profiles
Sienna Poe Amazon Profile

Sienna Poe’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a yoga teacher, LIVE broadcaster, podcaster, and author of the book, A Yogi’s Path to Peace. 60,000 followers around the world tune in to my daily sunrise broadcast from the beach, and my weekly podcast the Silent Bit.

This is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Yogi’s Path to Peace: My Journey to Self-Realization, is a memoir about finding peace and happiness after years of being sad, overworked, and bitter to my perceived unfairness of life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I journal as often as I can and I use the journal entries not only to write my book but to get a clear awareness as to where I am.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Autobiography of a Yogi had a profound influence on me. Parmanasa Yogananda detailed his journey and through his experiences, it expanded my view of everything. In a way it’s what I hope happens to others who read my book. That they get a glimpse of another way of looking at their life, giving it a different perspective.

What are you working on now?
Book just recently published, in a way still working on it, by recording the audiobook version. I still also host a weekly podcast called The Silent Bit and a daily LIVE broadcast from the beach helping people find peace with a short yoga session, conversation and guided meditation.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
linktr.ee/donnamelanson I’m new to book promotion, so this is where I’m starting.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Work on creating a community that will not only serve as a platform to help promote but they also become some of your biggest cheerleaders.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep it Simple.

We often want everything to be just so, but we can get lost in the details, and end up quitting before we begin. Write simply for the pure pleasure of writing. Promote what you have to say and don’t worry about what anyone is saying – keep going.

What are you reading now?
embarrassingly nothing, but I do have a stack of unread books waiting for me all yoga and spiritual based.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A companion workbook that will help guide people towards the life they are meant to live.

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 it’s been written –
How to survive on a desert island.
Edible Plants
and, Autobiography of a Yogi

Author Websites and Profiles
Donna Melanson Website
Donna Melanson Amazon Profile

Donna Melanson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is Annapurna Debnath, a 16-year-old from Kolkata, India. I’m an avid reader, listener, public speaker, Bharatnatyam dancer and classical singer. To me, writing it like painting the voice of the soul in a blank sheet of paper. 50 shades of silence which I’ve been nourishing since the last 4-5 years have today been painted with words, in the form of poetries, and here I come up with my self written book of 50 enchanting poems which have been published by Amazon, both in Kindle e-book and paperback edition and has gained a best sellers rank. ” January of 2017″ is the first ever poetry book of my life.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
January Of 2017- Overflow of grief one day turns into a poetry.
It was on my death bed in 2016, when I decided to scribble. Yes, you read it correct, I was struck by eosinophilic asthma and the doctors told me that I could die within 6 months or so. When my condition worsened, I was admitted to a hospital, rather a field where I fought with death for 5 days and gained triumph over it on the 6th day. On the very next day, I wished to listen to a voice, voice of a long lost, but I was refrained from doing so. I lost all ties with that voice, which served as the voice of my life on a cold winter night of January. And it was then, when I wrote my first letter. I wouldn’t lie, my English answer scripts were something to be mocked at, but my mom unfurled my hidden potential, motivated me, and today, I am the best speaker of my school. It’s been 4 years since I lost that voice, and I had been craving for it.
In the conclusion, what I would like to draw is, anybody can write and experiences are enough to turn a person into a poet. Writing is never a one man’s game, more than your vocabulary, it’s the vocabulary of your experiences which help you to weave words.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Khaled Hosseini anytime , Agatha Cristie, The Autobiography Of A Yogi

What are you working on now?
My book on monumental history.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing is never a one man’s game, more than your vocabulary, it’s the vocabulary of your experiences which help you to weave words.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
WRITE YOUR SOUL OUT

What are you reading now?
India A History by John Keay

What’s next for you as a writer?
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

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?
Autobiography Of A Yogi, The House Without Windows, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Author Websites and Profiles
Annapurna Debnath Website
Annapurna Debnath Amazon Profile
Annapurna Debnath’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Alice B. Robinson is an author who wants to show by example that cooking can be not only interesting, but also fast and easy at the same time. She started cooking since childhood. One of her first dishes was pancakes and pies.

Today, she is an experienced housewife who wants every woman to Shine with culinary masterpieces, having simple products at hand.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Oh My CookBook! Best Chicken Recipes: 50 Delicious and Easy Poultry Dishes

I was inspired by the upcoming holidays.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Alice B. Robinson Amazon Profile

Alice B. Robinson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile