Awesome Gang

Where Awesome Book Readers Meet Awesome Writers

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.

Kevin Wagonfoot

Interview With Author Kevin Wagonfoot

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

I’ve always been really into figuring out how to get things done easier and faster. I like things to be simple and straightforward because I’m a very literal person. One thing that really bugs me is when I have to read through a long story about someone’s love for meatloaf just to find the ingredients list on a recipe site!

I’ve written a bunch of books packed with unique tips on how to do specific things efficiently. I make sure everything I write is to the point. My main goal is that when someone finishes one of my books, they have clear, useful advice they can start using right away.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is called “Organize Your Morning” and its basically how to build an efficient morning routine from the ground up. I’m also working on a series of similar “Organize Your…” books, covering meal planning, thinking systems, and goal-setting.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I feel like I spend about 80% of my writing time on outlining and research. When I feel like I’m ready to write it always seems to just flow.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
James Clear is a big influence, but I read widely.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a series of self-improvement books called “Organize Your Life” covering topics like morning routines, thought processes, meal planning, etc. Its all based on different habits I’ve been experimenting with and various mental models I find useful.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
awesome gang is great! I also have a personal site with a few free books if you’d like to check out my stuff before buying kevinwagonfoot.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Its never going to be finished until you publish, always publish before you think you are ready or you never will be.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” – John Dewey

What are you reading now?
Shogun because I liked the TV show

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to keep publishing short books that improve peoples lives

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’d like to bring the Culture Series by Ian Banks and some kind of survival manual I guess

Author Websites and Profiles

Kevin Wagonfoot Website

Kevin Wagonfoot Amazon Profile

Author Interview Series

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

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

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

Thomas Bika

Interview With Author Thomas Bika

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a licensed minister and chaplain, in Botswana’s Prison Service. My unwavering devotion to God’s calling has earned me a respected reputation as a wise counselor, a gifted teacher, and a compassionate leader. Currently serving as an assistant pastor, he approaches his ministerial duties with a rare blend of humility, empathy, and an insatiable thirst for spiritual growth. I have written 3 books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
As the author of “Mindful Parenting: Raising Emotionally Intelligent Children,” a few things really sparked the idea for this book.

One big inspiration came from my own experiences raising children. It can be tough navigating the world of emotions with little ones, and I found that mindfulness practices made a huge difference in our journey.

There’s also this incredible amount of research coming out about mindfulness and its benefits for both kids and adults. It seemed like a perfect fit to explore how mindfulness could be used to cultivate emotional intelligence in children.

But really, the biggest inspiration is the growing need for resources on raising emotionally intelligent children. This skill set is so important for success and well-being in life, and I wanted to create a book that could empower parents to help their kids thrive.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I find silence stifling sometimes. I can’t write in a dead-quiet room. Instead, I crave a little background buzz. Coffee shops are great, but my favorite spot is actually a bustling bookstore cafe. The sound of people browsing, the clatter of cups, even the hushed conversations – it creates a white noise that fuels my focus.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
For the parenting side: “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk” by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish completely changed the way I communicate with my own children. It’s a must-read for any parent! There’s also “The Whole-Brain Child” by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson, which offers a brilliant take on child development through the lens of neuroscience.

For the mindfulness side: “Mindful Education” by Daniel J. Siegel definitely played a role. Siegel’s work on integrating mindfulness into education was groundbreaking, and it really resonated with me. Another big influence was Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. His book “Peace Is Every Step” is a beautiful exploration of mindfulness in everyday life, and it served as a wonderful guide on my own journey with mindfulness practice.

What are you working on now?
You caught me in the thick of things. Right now, I’m actually developing a new Bible study series that I’m really passionate about. It’s going to be a project that blends my love for both the Bible and understanding it, and I can’t wait to share it with the world!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
i haven’t really had a lot of experience in book promoting, The only method I have tried with a little success is the Amazon KDP Ads promotions.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Here are a few nuggets of wisdom I’ve picked up along the way:

Find your voice and own it. There will be countless authors you admire, but don’t try to mimic them. Your unique perspective and experiences are what will make your writing stand out. Embrace your quirks and let your voice shine through.
Read like a writer. Pay attention to how other authors craft their stories, develop characters, and use language. What resonates with you? What techniques can you incorporate into your own work? But remember, reading is for enjoyment too! Don’t get bogged down in analysis – just get lost in a good book.
Develop a thick skin. Rejection is inevitable in this business. But don’t let it discourage you. Learn from critiques, take breaks when needed, and remember why you started writing in the first place. The passion for storytelling is what will keep you going.
Find your tribe. Connect with other writers, online or in person. Share your work, offer support, and celebrate each other’s successes. A strong writing community can be a powerful source of motivation and inspiration.
Most importantly, just write! Don’t wait for the perfect moment or the ideal inspiration. Set realistic goals, carve out time to write every day, and don’t be afraid to experiment. The more you write, the better you’ll become.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
hat’s a tough one! I’ve been fortunate to glean wisdom from so many sources – from the insightful research on mindfulness to the heartfelt conversations with parents. But if I had to pick just one piece of advice that’s truly resonated with me, it would be this:

“The only moment you have is this one. This moment is perfect.”

It’s a beautiful reminder to be present in the current moment, to appreciate the little things, and to not get caught up in the anxieties of the future or the regrets of the past.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m actually juggling a few things on my bookshelf! As you might expect, with the new Bible study series in the works, I’m revisiting some of my favorite scholarly texts on the Psalms. There’s a fantastic collection by Walter Brueggemann called “Interpretation: Psalms” that’s offering some fresh insights.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Expanding the “Mindful Parenting” series: There’s so much to explore in the realm of mindfulness and parenting. I’d love to delve deeper into specific age groups, tackling challenges like mindful toddler tantrums or cultivating teenage emotional intelligence.
Creating a mindfulness workbook for parents: A practical companion to “Mindful Parenting,” this workbook could offer guided meditations, journaling prompts, and other exercises to help parents integrate mindfulness practices into their daily lives.
Branching out into children’s books: I’m passionate about making mindfulness accessible to children. A series of picture books or a chapter book series with relatable characters could be a fun way to introduce young readers to mindfulness concepts in a captivating way.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The bible, blank notebook, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Author Websites and Profiles

Thomas Bika Amazon Profile

Author Interview Series

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

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

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

Joni M Fisher

Interview With Author Joni M Fisher

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written about eight books and published four. Coming from a career in journalism, I had to discover how to dive into point of view to reveal deep character. After writing a humor column in a local magazine, I discovered my narrative voice.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
East of Evil was inspired by setting up a trust fund for my daughter. She had a brain injury at age ten and we wanted to make sure she would get income no matter what happened to us. We didn’t want her squandering life insurance payouts and such like lottery winners do. When choosing a trustee, we had to find someone trustworthy beyond question. But what about trustees who get tempted by having access to fortunes?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write the first draft in first person, present tense to anchor the point of view in the character. It would be easy for me to slip into journalism mode and describe things objectively, but then the reader would be less likely to be drawn into the story experience. The second draft becomes third person present tense.
Perhaps the most unusual writing habit is how much I love research. I’ll immerse myself in the topic and visit the locations until elements of the story present themselves. I adore finding fun facts, such as, it is harder to get into veterinary school than medical school in the US.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a lifelong reader, in answering that question I could go alphabetically by author, but you’d stop me long before I reach the Ds. I’m an omnivorous reader. I’ll read anything but erotica. Tried it and it was too repetitive. Seriously, if I had a car chase in every scene…nevermind. The classics and the bestsellers hold equal weight with me.
Charles Martin inspires me. Janet Evanovich makes me laugh. Celeste Ng has amazing character-driven stories. Kristin Harmel’s descriptions of place astound me. So many fabulous authors have had an influence on me and my writing that it’s tough to pinpoint the superstars.

What are you working on now?
I’m starting a new series about a female prodigy who earns a master’s in art history and then takes a job at an art gallery. She uncovers criminal activity in the gallery and launches her own investigation to determine who is managing it, but she’s not prepared for the scope of the crimes and who is involved.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Marketing and promotion are worlds of their own. I am learning about them as I go, which is painful and a time suck. For this next series, I hope to work with an agent. All prayers are appreciated that she will love the manuscript!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read the bestsellers in your genre and others. Find out what the bestselling storytellers are doing that works and learn from them. Keep learning the craft of writing. Go to workshops, watch seminars, practice, practice, practice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Show don’t tell. It took me months to understand that advice from Author John Folsom, but it comes down to removing sensory labels. Describe the thing, feeling, or place with a few key details that capture the essence of it. Instead of writing that Bill was sad, describe how you know he is sad. If in the point-of-view character, then describe the sensation of sadness from the inside and then how it manifests itself in behavior.

What are you reading now?
I just finished The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman. It’s about a group of pensioners who investigate murders instead of playing bingo and sitting in rocking chairs. The first book has been optioned for a movie and the cast is exactly who I would have chosen.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll keep writing for General Aviation News, which embraces my aviation hobby, and I’ll keep writing novels as long as God gives me the steam to do it.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, a book about survivalism, and two of the thickest books from my massive to-be-read pile.

Author Websites and Profiles

Joni M Fisher Website

Joni M Fisher Amazon Profile

Joni M Fisher’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Pinterest Account

Author Interview Series

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

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

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

Khloe Anderson

Interview With Author Khloe Anderson

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Khloe Anderson, a seasoned author with years of experience, draws upon her background in science and her family’s history of diabetes to craft insightful books aimed at helping others understand the root causes of health issues. Her passion is to empower people to improve their well-being and reduce dependency on medication. Khloe is deeply engaged in extensive research, particularly focusing on holistic approaches to disease management through practices such as yoga and alternative therapies

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Food Journal: Monthly Meal Planner

The inspiration for writing this food journal book stems from observing the daily lives of homemakers. Recognizing the challenges they face in meal planning and grocery shopping, I sought to create a practical solution. This food journal serves as a tool to facilitate weekly meal planning, streamline grocery shopping, and manage finances effectively. It’s designed to empower individuals to plan ahead, stay organized, and lead healthier lifestyles.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Certainly! I have a few unique writing habits that help me stay productive and creative. Each day, I dedicate time to journal writing, reflecting on my thoughts and experiences. I also find inspiration in manifesting quotes, which I incorporate into my work. Additionally, I’m constantly making notes and preparing for upcoming books, ensuring that my ideas are well-developed and ready to be brought to life on the page. These habits not only keep me disciplined but also fuel my creativity and productivity as a writer..

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Fiction books- Sidney Sheldon, PG Woodhouse

What are you working on now?
Food Journals & writing a book on blood pressure & auto immune diseases

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep writing. Write regularly, even if it’s just a little each day. Practice makes perfect, and the more you write, the better you’ll get. Don’t worry about perfection in your first draft—just focus on getting your ideas down on paper. And most importantly, don’t give up. Keep pushing forward, and eventually, you’ll achieve your writing goals.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” It’s a reminder to embrace your uniqueness and authenticity. There’s immense power in being true to who you are, rather than trying to fit into someone else’s mold. This advice encourages self-acceptance and the courage to pursue your own path in life.

What are you reading now?
Gut health by Dr. Dimple

What’s next for you as a writer?
About blood pressure & auto immune diseases

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?
Sidney Sheldon books, lord of rings, Harry porter

 

Author Interview Series

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

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

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

Ronald Schulz

Interview With Author Ronald Schulz

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I try to live life to the fullest, regardless of circumstances like poverty and the ups and downs of friendship and love. I was born in Chicago in 1952 and dropped out to explore the Sixties counterculture across the United States before hitchhiking across Europe and Africa, working and loving my way on a roundabout Buddhist pilgrimage to Nepal. That is the subject of several more upcoming books. Now I am a semi-retired hobo, writing my honest history of those tumultuous times. I also hope to honor the memory of my many bygone companions before I vanish from this planet and feel assured of further adventures somewhere in the vast cosmos. I have two books already published with two more in the pipeline awaiting publication and am working on a continuing series of life adventures.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I write true stories, inspired my my experiences. Reality thrills me and my life has not been a bore. HOME AT THE EDGE, a sequel to my first book, Chicago Rage, takes you back to the Sixties Revolution, from jail to the madhouse. It is an on the road and in the streets memoir of free-loving, acid dropping radical youth in 1969, that still resonates today. In Chicago Rage we last saw 17-year-old Ron lying handcuffed over the hood of a car. We pick up with him entering Chicago’s Cook County Jail, where he and his radical companions are kept segregated from the other prisoners to prevent them from, god forbid, being a bad influence on murders and rapists.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, but I have to fit it into my busy life when I can. Inspiration is the key, I am a Fire sign and simply follow where my excited memory takes me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Victor Frankl comes to mind, as does Jung, Herodotus, and innumerable ancient and modern writers who probe into deep reality to discover what makes us tick and record the events that shape us.

What are you working on now?
The story of Karma Farm, the commune in Wisconsin that I was part of from 1970 and it is still a part of our evolving society based on the natural environment.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My Facebook page, Ronald Schulz, Books and Bluster, but my publisher’s site, Tumbleweed Books, is a good connector too https://daowenpublications.ca/our-authors/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find your passion first and write from that. Something that excites you will keep you going to surmount all that the vicissitudes of life inevitably throws at you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
We need to balance our life between the extremes, be bold, but also cautious enough to survive and find joy even in adversity. Don’t forget to glory in all that surrounds you, because death stalks all of us and will win in the end. Welcome death lie a friend when it comes with a clear conscience, for it is a portal to your further exploration.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Death is ever neigh, reaching for us. And so I continue to open the portals of memory and observe my people and surroundings with the hope and prayer that it will inspire and benefit an ocean of posterity.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That is a hard choice between spirituality, history and pornography, Buddha’s Sutra and Tantra, and the Kama Sutra too would be a well rounded collection, but all that I’ve read continues to inspire my wandering body and spirit, working in concert. But all I’ve read stays with me even as my eyes fail and books burn around me.

Author Websites and Profiles

Ronald Schulz Website

Ronald Schulz’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

Pinterest Account

Author Interview Series

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

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

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

Samantha Picaro

Interview With Author Samantha Picaro

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a self-published author of YA and have written 2 books. One of them releases on May 17. When I’m not writing, I’m playing a video game, watching a TV show – most likely something like 9-1-1 or Gravity Falls – and reading.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Recipe for Confidence. It was inspired by my personal experience of feeling like a failure, especially for going back to school to get a second Master’s recently until I realized paths can change and that success is how I measure it, not how others measure it. That’s what the main character, Bryn, comes to realize, too.

What are you working on now?
My third book, which will explore friendship apps.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Instagram without a doubt. I find the most engagement especially with Instagram Story Polls and Quizzes.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do you research, especially on what hats you have to wear besides writer: marketer, publicist, editor, and so on.

What are you reading now?
D’Vaughn & Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on my third book and coming up with ideas for a fourth 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?
Going Off Script by Jen Wilde
If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann
The Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

Author Websites and Profiles

Samantha Picaro Website

Samantha Picaro’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Author Interview Series

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

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

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

Rose Orongan

Interview With Author Rose Orongan

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am Rose Orongan, an author since 2016. I began writing at the age of 10, but primarily as a hobby rather than for publication. However, I decided to publish my stories as real books in 2024. My writing mostly consists of smut, romance, and dark romance books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book is titled ‘From Shadows to Roses.’ This book typically consists of explicit content and is rated 18+ due to its exploration of possessiveness, Stockholm syndrome, and kidnapping romance, leaning towards dark and bold themes. It inspires me because the limitations I faced in my own life are transcended through the stories I create, allowing me to bring my thoughts to life within the pages of my books.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
While I am writing, I often start to eat, and I also listen to music. In some cases, especially when I am writing a chapter filled with brokenness and sadness, I cry because I can feel it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jonaxx , Sierra Simon and Cecelib are the authors that influenced me by writing.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the latest Possessive Series. Mr. Adrian Steele

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I can say Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

Do you have any advice for new authors?
“Don’t be afraid to create something; writing is like magic. It’s all magical when you craft your own world.”

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Never say no to all opportunities, and don’t be afraid to create.”

What are you reading now?
I am Reading Sinner by: Sierra Simon and From Shadows to Roses by: Rose Orongan

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 Books: FROM SHADOWS TO ROSES, HIS INNOCENT SIN, AND SACRED SINNER.

Author Websites and Profiles

Rose Orongan Amazon Profile

Rose Orongan’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Author Interview Series

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

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

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

Joseph Tamone

Interview With Author Joseph Tamone

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Joe and I’m from Delaware. I’m married. My wife’s name is Erica, and she is my inspiration.

We have a lot of animals. That’s one of our passions. I have six dogs, five cats, eleven snakes, a lizard, and three birds.

I’ve written five books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Whatever Happened to Maryanna.

I wrote science fiction for the longest time, and I would only write science fiction. I felt like sticking to one genre as limiting my creativity, and I wanted to branch out and write something that felt raw and real. Whatever Happened to Maryanna is the farthest thing from science fiction. It’s a story of trauma and imperfect healing, which I think resonates with a lot of people.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The only habit I know of that seems unusual is that I have the ability to write manuscripts quickly. I wrote Whatever Happened to Maryanna in two weeks. It was published within four months after writing it.

I was told it takes most writers at least six months to write a manuscript.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King is who made me want to write.

I still write by a philosophy of his. He said “don’t write it right. Just write it, and make it right later.”

What are you working on now?
I have a new book coming out in June 2024 called Synesthesia. I always wanted to write horror, and this is my first step into that genre.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is something I’m still trying to figure out. I was told Facebook ads was the place to get sales. I have yet to make any. All Author seems to be a good place to connect with authors and readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be discouraged if you aren’t selling many books. Just keep going. Your hard work will eventually be recognized. Fight for your dreams and never give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That line from Stephen King.

“Don’t write it right. Just write it, and make it right later.”

What are you reading now?
I like classical literature. I’m currently reading The Count of Monte Cristo.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have many projects on the horizon. I have a book called Synesthesia which is nearing its release. I have the fourth book in my series coming out later this year, and I have another book, Tutto il Mondo, releasing later this year.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Odyssey, Tales of the Arabian Nights, and Lost Horizon.

Author Websites and Profiles

Joseph Tamone Amazon Profile

Joseph Tamone’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

Author Interview Series

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

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

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

PJ Zito

Interview With Author PJ Zito

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
PJ Zito is a multi-published author and speaker on the importance of living in the present moment by putting self-care first. Her mission is to reach a million hearts with her message of choosing greater peace, health, and happiness by living in the NOW.
Known as Mrs. Pat Zito, she worked in education for 27 years as an elementary classroom teacher, math and reading tutor, and reading intervention specialist. She was a musician and singer in the 9:30 Mass Contemporary Musicians Group, interpreting for deaf friends, and being actively involved in ministry for 35 years at her parish church, St. Justin Martyr, in Eastlake, Ohio.

PJ and her husband, John, have been married for 45 years and have raised four happily married adult children, welcoming their wonderful spouses who have blessed them with seven grandchildren who are always living in the NOW.

On her website, ZitoProHealth.com, PJ offers guidance on self-care priorities and prayerful meditation work. She has composed 30 songs and is creating music videos to share. Her signature book, Living in the Now: The Secret to Making Each Day Your Best, provides a workable, journal-type platform for lasting change by guiding the reader through 40 days of self-work.

Patricia Jean Smithyman-Zito’s self-help books, journals, planners, handbooks, diaries, and her how-to healthy cookbook – (#1 Amazon Bestseller) support her readers in creating a new NOW that lasts a lifetime. She invites you to join her on her mission to reach a million hearts, to discover the power of self-care for achieving a more peaceful, fulfilling NOW. Living in the NOW is the secret to making each day your best and the name PJ Zito is penned on more than 20 books to support you. Happy NOW!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Elevate Your Plate: Real Food Choices & Recipes for a Healthy NOW” is the name of my recently launched #1 Amazon Bestseller healthy how-to cookbook. This book was written to highlight looking into lifestyle options to transform your relationship with food, enabling your body and brain to heal from the inside out. The book simply helps you discover the profound impact of nutrition so you can choose living in the NOW as a more empowered version of yourself, in a new NOW lived by healthier choices.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write from 10:00 pm until 3:00 am consistently. I care for my 98-year-old mother during the day and write during the night. I have 13 books published on Amazon and at least 5 more submitted to my publishing team. All of my books, journals, planners, diaries, etc. support taking back control of how you live your best life NOW.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dr. Benjamin Hardy
Oprah
Father Richard Rohr

What are you working on now?
The second edition of my signature book, “Living in the Now: The Secret to Making Each Day Your Best”.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method is using the book marketing team, BASS-Book Authors Support Service. www.BASSforAuthors.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write consistently. Find other authors to work with through all aspects of the journey and believe in your message because the world needs your vision.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Make sure that your books look professionally published, especially if they are self-published.

What are you reading now?
I am reading “Laughter Rocks! 2.0” by Roberta Gold ~ A Bestseller on Amazon. I am a #1 Best-selling author on Amazon and I am just now working through my newly released book “Turning the Page: A Do Over Diary” to spend time in self-care as I preach to my readers.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To stay true to my mission to reach a million hearts about putting self-care first, I am passionate about supporting my readers with platforms they can use to consistently make healthy, happy changes that will last a lifetime. My next manuscript is “Holistic Self-Care for a Lifetime of Wellness: Transform Your Mind and Body Naturally for Optimal Health and Happiness.

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 use the time to tap my greater insights and superpowers by reading “The Intuition Code: The Habits of Mindfulness” by #1 Bestselling author Linda Berry. I would bring
“My Dreams Come True,” a journal by Bestselling author Julaina Kleist, and “Love Your Way to Success” by Bestselling author Moira Shepard.

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Kristina Hall

Interview With Author Kristina Hall

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a sinner saved by grace who seeks to glorify God with my words. I’m a homeschool graduate and hold a degree in accounting. When I’m not writing, I’m spending time with my husband, editing, reading, cooking, cleaning, arm wrestling, or lifting weights. I’ve currently published seventeen books and hope to publish many more in the future.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest release is a Christian historical romance novella entitled Heart of Trust. It’s the first book in the multi-author series Hearts of the West. The main plot is inspired by (and borrowed from) a story I wrote back in my early writer days and never published. It’s good to see some of it finally make it out into the world.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t believe so. I think I’m a pretty typical writer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been influenced by a lot of authors. Gilbert Morris, Lynn Morris, Madisyn Carlin, Susan May Warren, and Vanessa Hall are a few of them.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently drafting a Christian romantic suspense novel about a woman whose memory was erased. I’m also supposed to be editing a Christian western romance, but I haven’t pushed aside the procrastination enough to open that file 🙂

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be honest, I’m still learning how best to promote my books. I’ve currently been focusing on my blog, Instagram, and Goodreads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think my advice is pretty typical … Read a lot of books in the genre you’re writing in and have fun with writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’ve heard a lot of good writing advice. It’s too hard to narrow it down to one thing.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m reading Lethal Mark by Madisyn Carlin. It’s a novella featured in The Black Rose Collection, an NA non-magical fantasy collection that my novella Black is the Rose is also included in.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m hoping to release both the romantic suspense novel I’m currently writing and the western romance I’m avoiding editing this year, but that might be overly ambitious.

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 Black Rose Collection (I’m currently reading it, and it’s got seven novellas in one book.)
3. Unknown by Vanessa Hall
4. Iron by Madisyn Carlin

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Michael Gross

Interview With Author Michael Gross

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an author and communications consultant based in Brooklyn, NY who recently published my debut novel at the ripe young age of 72.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My novel is called Spillage. Fifty years in the making, it’s a wild play on the Faustian musical Damn Yankees, a rock and roll romance and a wickedly fun throwback to the crazy days of 1976 New York. I was inspired to write an early version of the novel by the kaleidoscopic chaos I was living through at the time, both in my personal life and the world around me. Recently, after stepping back from my role as a senior communications executive, I returned to the book, hoping to preserve its original vitality while tempering its excesses with the perspective of age.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wake up incredibly early to write, between 4:30 and 5:00 am. It’s an old habit, begun when I had a full-time day job. Now, it’s just my natural rhythm.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I began Spillage back in the 70s, I was influenced by some marvelously inventive popular writers of the time including Tom Robbins, Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Hunter S. Thompson. I also had as a mentor the postmodern master short story writer Donald Barthelme, to whom I am greatly indebted.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a journal I began during the early days of Covid, when I retrieved my old manuscript from the office I was vacating and began reworking it. The journal looks back at my early years in New York as well as the world I am experiencing now as a retiree.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I encourage people to visit my website, www.spillagebook.com, which has a collection of the great editorial reviews Spillage has received so far, as well as more information about me and interviews I’ve given. I am also active on Facebook @michaeljongross, Instagram @michaeljongross and X @spillageauthor.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I encourage people to visit my website, www.spillagebook.com, which has a collection of the great editorial reviews Spillage has received so far, as well as more information about me and interviews I’ve given. I am also active on Facebook @michaeljongross, Instagram @michaeljongross and X @spillageauthor.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In my first rewrite of Spillage, I toggled back and forth between a stripped-down version of the old manuscript and my memoir of my time as a young writer. The novel was in essence a book within the book. It was interesting, but the great advice I got from an editor was to take the perspective of the memoir and infuse it into the novel, fleshing out the characters and their world with more of my lived experience and letting the novel stand on its own. I’m very glad I took that advice.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a lot of crime and spy fiction, including the great Slow Horses series by Mick Herron as well as classics by Graham Greene and John Le Carre.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to keep at my journal through the 2024 Presidential election, give it a rest, and then decide whether I want to refine it as a memoir or fictionalize it, possibly as a sequel to Spillage.

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?
Alice in Wonderland, Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby and Catch 22. Each, in its own way, created a wondrous world with larger-than-life characters whom I would love to spend more time with.

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LAURI CRUVER CHERIAN

Interview With Author LAURI CRUVER CHERIAN

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello, I am a former ESL and bilingual teacher turned author and poet. I was born in Washington state and have resided in Texas for the last three decades. I have written two books of poetry and recently published a children’s chapter book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Four Anxious Armadillos, a children’s chapter book about four species of armadillos on an adventure through the pampas, the rainforest and Iguazu Falls of Argentina. I was inspired to write this book after sitting in my hot tub one evening, watching a nine-banded armadillo dig and root about in my yard. Prompted to educate myself on armadillo behavior, my internet search on the local nine-banded armadillos found in Texas led me to discover other armadillos, such as the pink fairy armadillo of Argentina, the screaming hairy armadillo of Boliva, and the three-banded armadillo of Brazil. I thought, “Wow, this is too good to be true; these characters deserve a story!”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I obey the muse. Whenever the ideas manifest themselves, whether it is three o’clock in the morning or riding in the car, when the creativity hits, I write. I often write with my chihuahua at my side. She has her own little blanket on a chair in the sunshine and she waits patiently for me to finish so we can go for a walk.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I enjoy Ken Follett novels, Bill Bryson, Kristin Hannah, and Abraham Verghese, to name a few. As a child, I loved Jane Austin, Louisa May Alcott, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I was influenced by my friend, Jennifer, who would pass her library books to me on the school bus in elementary school. I credit her with developing my early love for literature.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a historical fiction novel about my grandmother and great grandparents who ran a boarding house for immigrant men in Tacoma, Washington in 1910. I found my grandmother’s poetry and a newspaper article she wrote to the Tacoma Tribune. She made mention of her happy life at the boarding house, listening to the stories of the men and the events that brought them to a boom town in 1910.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a lot to learn about book promotion. I post on Facebook, the local paper, I make iMovies on my cell phone and post those. I know I can and should do more, but writing is a whole lot more fun!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be afraid to write! Just get your ideas down. You can take all the time you like to edit and fine tune it. Don’t be so critical that you never actually write your creative ideas down. Write while you have the ideas, don’t lose momentum. Form or join a writing group.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Show, don’t tell.

What are you reading now?
I have been pouring over books about Tacoma in 1910. I’m currently reading the “Images of America” books such as Old Tacoma and Mosquito Fleet of South Puget Sound.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Promote Four Anxious Armadillos. Get it into libraries and into the hands of kids. Tour and speak about armadillos and anxiety. Write a series of books to go along with Four Anxious Armadillos. Publish my next book about Tacoma in 1910.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Pride and Prejudice, A Treasury of Poems, and something by Bill Bryson or Kristin Hannah.

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Rebekah Webb

Interview With Author Rebekah Webb

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a dedicated wife and mother. I love spending time with my family. Throughout my life I have served God in small and great capacities. I have done ministry in several states, as well as serving in Mexico for 2 months. I have only written one book so far. I am currently writing my next book. Writing has been a passion of mine since I was about thirteen years old. I have many journals chock full of ideas and inspirations.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called, “First Love Lost, True Love Gained.” It is my personal testimony of how God led me to meet my husband. I was inspired to write this book, because I believe that God can help others find their spouses too. God walked me through so many steps in order to meet my husband. There is nothing that God cannot handle. If we trust God in every aspect of our lives, He can do Big things. I have been married to my husband for almost 16 years. He is my best friend. I cannot imagine my life without him.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not really sure. My husband helped me edit my book, as well as my blogs. He says that I put way too many quotes.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite book is the Bible I read it everyday. It has been my greatest influence throughout my life. I also have enjoyed other books like, “Red Moon Rising: How 24-7 Prayer Is Awakening a Generation” by Pete Greig and Dave Roberts, and “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a book about my dad. He has almost died several times. His story is definitely worth writing about.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still working on promoting my book. This is all very new to me. My Facebook page has the most followers, followed by Instagram.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author myself. I think that my advice would be to never give up. Keep your eyes on the goal ahead. Try to reach your targeted audience, and be patient with the process. It takes a lot of time and dedication to promote your book. I am still working on doing all of these things right now.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“A person is only as good as their word.” My dad taught me this while growing up. It has helped me to keep my word. When I promise someone that I will be there , then I am there.

What are you reading now?
I actually just finished reading, “Can God Supernaturally Bring me a Husband or a Wife?”
A new friend and fellow author in the same genre, Darnella Tyler wrote this amazing book!
I am also in the process of reading, “Healing Ever After,” by Kristie Guard.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am currently writing blogs and working on my next book. I would also love the opportunity to speak at women’s conferences one day.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would take the Bible, The Purpose Driven Life, and Red Moon Rising: How 24-7 Prayer Is Awakening a Generation.

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Clint Adams

Interview With Author Clint Adams

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m rather complex, but I strive every day to live as simply as possible. Throw in honesty and truth at all costs and you pretty much know what I’m all about. I became a writer out of necessity not out of desire…so the truth could be told. Done. I’m addicted to justice and my life’s not complete if I don’t watch DATELINE and Judge Judy every day. A lot of my writing revolves around seeking justice and accepting when it cannot be achieved.

I have written in several genres (middle-grade, young adult, adult thrillers, historical fiction and spiritual self-help). My current published book is my seventh.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
LIVE & LEARN: A Retiree’s Guide to Keep Going. It was released in several formats only a few days ago. Spiritual self-help for seniors. Yes, it’s as niche as niche can be. But, for sure, there’s an audience for it and I hope this book helps them.

I’m 66 years old, an age when folks look back. It took me until 65 years of age to see tremendous value in a rather challenging life lived. I may not have accomplished what I had intended, but I most certainly did learn a lot along the way. At 65, I knew for certain that this was my life purpose, choosing to learn the difficult lessons that were presented to me at birth. I’d love for others my age to see this same value in their own lives lived.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, I’ll admit I do something rather odd every morning. At the computer I type out at least 1,000 words of freewriting, like journal writing before moving onto anything else. The odd thing: I delete it all as soon as I am finished. I purposefully erase the past, my past, immediately after I create it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
THE COLOR PURPLE. A novel about profound suffering. A novel that has a realistic ending, not a Hollywood ending. Alice Walker influenced me in adulthood.

As a kid in elementary school. THE MEMBER OF THE WEDDING by Carson McCullers. I was raised in California and southern life in the U.S. was completely unknown to me. I was introduced to another world and then became fascinated by it.

What are you working on now?
Many more months of marketing this current book, LIVE & LEARN. As I’d mentioned, it came out very recently, and I will probably not be able to get any sleep until maybe next year. No way can I think about the luxury of writing something new right now. Not at all an option.

A few years ago, I pursued and earned a master’s degree in marketing just to market my own books. Writers should expect that this is the bulk of the work they’ll be doing as writers.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
There cannot be any one website that’s better than any other. There just has the be MANY of them. Get your work, your interviews, your books out there everywhere.

I also love people, but I’m not that good at socializing. Thank goodness book marketing can now predominantly be done online. Online mktg. of any kind works for me. I can interact virtually and don’t need to break out into a sweat while doing it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
More of an adage than advice: the truth will set you free. The biggest understatement of all time!

I’ll reflect on my current genre, self-help, but abstractly, it applies to several. “See yourself in these pages, in this story, in these circumstances.” With regard to my current book (spiritual self-help for seniors) LIVE & LEARN, I learned early on re: constructing my first self-help book, “Make your personal universal.” If it’s not, it doesn’t belong in the book. Meaning, if the reader will not be able to relate to any/all of my personal anecdotes they should be edited out entirely or revised. The whole purpose of self-help writing is to engage the reader, to make it as easy as possible for them to resonate with the concepts and solutions that are presented.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Re: voice. Long ago, when I was learning about the craft of writing, I was told, “EVERY story’s been told by now. The only thing that’s new anymore is the WAY it’s told (the voice). I completely agree. I used to be an actor before I was a writer, so speaking in a different voice is not new to me. My favorite: I wrote five novels writing in a child’s voice. I wish I could do this in real life.

What are you reading now?
Sadly, I only have time to read up on new ways to market books. There are always new and different methods that come about, and as they come along, these methods are usually nothing more old ones made easier.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would absolutely love to have a reason to write something related to LIVE & LEARN, supplementary material that will help the reader. In L & L, there are actionable items at the end of every chapter, but they are entirely optional. If exercises interrupt the reading experience, the reader should not be reading them. I would like to write a book that’s entirely actionable.

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?
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (to remind me of the human condition), THE GAME OF LIFE AND HOW TO PLAY IT (because it’s spirituality made very simple, the way it should be), THE COLOR PURPLE (to remind me that there’s value in suffering).

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C.C. Legault

Interview With Author C.C. Legault

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I work full time and have three young children and live in a small town in Canada called Sturgeon Falls. Northern Ontario is a corner of the world that means a lot to me which is why I decided to use it as the setting for my novel. Writing is something that I am deeply passionate about. It makes me feel connected to myself and the world in a unique way. For me, writing is the fun part. I’m still learning about how to reach readers and connect with them. Although it’s a bit scary, I’m really looking forward to this next step in my journey.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My debut novel is called Who Is Bobbie-Mae? The idea first came to me when I was in my twenties. I had just been through a break-up and was feeling kind of lost. I started thinking about my past relationships, the different places I have lived and the people I had met and started wondering, what if I forget the things that have happened to me, would it change who I am? Later on, when my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzeihmers, I started questioning even more the relationship between our soul and our memories and the relationship between the two.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I almost always write at night when the house is quiet and I have time to reflect. What helps me the most is listening to a lot music before and during my writing sessions. I like music that is emotionally moving. Some songs I listen to on repeat if I feel they are particularly inspiring for a specific scene or the emotions my characters are feeling. The other thing that has really helped is thinking about my characters and what going to happen next in my story, even if I don’t have time to write that day. I also like to write random ideas on my phone or in a notebook as they come to me. My notebook is a big mess of ideas!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favourite authors are Margaret Atwood, John Irving and Paulo Coelho but I’m always on the lookout for new authors. For me, reading and writing, like music, is all about emotional connection – to yourself and to others.

What are you working on now?
At the moment, I’m mostly focussing on learning how to promote my novel and engage with readers and other authors in a way that feels authentic to me. I plan a starting to write again soon. I always have multiple ideas on the go. I just have to chose which one to focus on next.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s a tough question for me to answer because I’m still learning and trying things out to see what will work the best.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice would simply be to write. Carve a bit of time every day to do it and make it fun. Don’t over think it. Enjoy it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A year ago, I read somewhere that if you want to write a novel, you have to treat it like a part time job. You have to work on it regularly. That advice really helped me complete my novel.

What are you reading now?
I am reading a book of short stories by Margaret Atwood. I’m trying to decide if my next book will be a novel or a collection or short stories.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The book that has influenced me the most would be The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I have read it many times and have even gotten my children to read it. It’s the book I read when I feel disconnected or that I’m falling off course.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, The World According To Garp by John Irving, The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom and The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood.

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C.C. Legault Website

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Richard Harland

Interview With Author Richard Harland

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a full-time author writing fantasy, SF and horror, for an Adult or YA or Children’s readership. I’ve had 17 books published, by Pan Macmillan, Penguin, Scholastic and Allen & Unwin, also indie publishers Karl Evans, Chimera and IFWG Publishing. All my books were first published in Australia, but Worldshaker and its sequels were republished internationally, including by Simon & Schuster in the US. (Worldshaker won the Prix Tam Tam du Livre Jeunesse in France!) I’ve written a few more novels that haven’t been published, and I had 25 years of writer’s block where I produced a whole cupboard-ful of MSS I couldn’t even manage to finish.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Book 1 of the Ferren Trilogy – Ferren and the Angel. It came out from IFWG last November, and Book 2, Ferren and the Doomsday Mission, comes out in July this year.

The Ferren Trilogy began with a dream. I dreamed I was under a blanket, then peeked out. There were uncanny, moving lights in the night sky, and ominous, inexplicable sounds. Suddenly I knew – the way you can know things in dreams, as though someone just told me – that this was the great war going on between the armies of Heaven and the armies of Earth.
I was still watching when one of the lights came hurtling down out of the sky straight towards me.
That was the moment I woke up, but I was still in the drowsy, not fully conscious state when you come out of a dream too fast. And I decided to myself, ‘That must have been an angel shot down and crashing to the Earth … and she must have landed very close by … perhaps she’s dead or perhaps she’s injured …’
I thought some more about it as I came to full consciousness. One thing I thought was, ‘Wow, I’ve been given the start of a novel!’ And I had! It took me a decade to fill out the background behind that first scene, then many, many drafts and versions. But through every draft and version, one thing always stayed the same: the opening scene. With Ferren the protagonist taking my place, the first ten pages of Ferren and the Angel have never varied. They were just handed to me on a plate!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
One thing I do is what I call ‘pre-filming.’ After writing through the morning, I do jobs around the house, then some time in the afternoon I relax into a sort of vague, unfocused sort of state and start picturing the episode I’m going to write tomorrow. Like a movie! I think of it as if I’m there, how it’ll look and sound and unfold. But I don’t write it down, it’s just a better version among a hundred other possible versions.
Instead of trying to fix it and clarify it, I let sleep do the job for me. That’s the real trick! I go to bed with all that pre-filming floating around in my head, and the unconscious mind goes to work on it. The not-so-good possibilities are shorn away, and what’s left when I wake up in the morning is the episode as it has to be, the single definite movie! It’s not my imagination any more, it’s as if it really happened. All I have to do is record it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A whole mess of influences from all over the place! When I first wrote stories as a kid, I loved Edgar Allan Poe, so all my earliest stories were full of sable drapes and guttering candles! Then there was Tolkien, who took over my mind as a teenager. Later on, Mervyn Peake and his very strange Gormenghast world … I’ve loved many very different kinds of books, including thrillers, crime, literary classics, and I suppose they’ve all left a mark. I could name fantasies nowadays that relate to the fantasies I write, and also fantasy authors I hugely admire, but I don’t know if they influenced me. If I was looking for influences behind the background world of the Ferren Trilogy, I’d have to name some very odd sources, like William Blake, Dante and Milton!

What are you working on now?
Book 3 of the Ferren Trilogy, Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love doing readings from my books. I think I must’ve always had a would-be actor inside me! And live talks about my books and writing – it’s old-fashioned, it’s time-consuming, but it works. For web promo, I think the video trailer for Ferren and the Angel was a real coup –
https://youtu.be/JGwpmn8nuIc?si=vBseXS_OSKfc6UV5. I can praise it to the skies because someone else created it, the very talented Liana Burrage.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I guess I can speak from the experience of my 25 years of writer’s block.Never give up! Whether, like me, it’s finishing your first novel, or whether it’s having that first novel accepted, or whether it’s having that accepted novel gain readers and approval, you need to be very patient and very stubborn and very,very persistent.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Find the thing yo do best, and do it. I spent many, many years trying to write literary fiction (the first half of those 25 wasted years). I’ve got nothing against literary fiction, but it wasn’t me – my talent is for imagining worlds and telling exciting stories that suck the reader in.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading all the Harry Potter books properly. First time around, I read some books as books and watched movies for the rest – I lost track of some characters and parts of the narrative.

What’s next for you as a writer?
When I finish the Ferren Trilogy, I’ll go back to the big adult fantasy series I was in the middle of developing before.

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’d go for books I already know I can keep re-reading: Lord of the Rings, Perdido Street Station, the Old Kingdom trilogy by Garth Nix, and – literary hangover! – Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Author Websites and Profiles

Richard Harland Website

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Roberta Gold

Interview With Author Roberta Gold

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Roberta is a Recreation Therapist and Certified Humor Professional, an inspirational keynote speaker, author, and Attitude Adjustment Coach. While working in mental health facilities, Roberta saw the power and connection of humor and laughter and developed Laughter for the Health of it with a mission to empower everyone to have a more positive outlook.
Roberta’s weekly group, The Sanity Savers, helps those struggling to find the bright side of life – with tools to flip the switch when falling into the negativity pit.
Realizing that to change the world we need resilient, happy children, Roberta created programs for students, teachers, and parents to withstand bullies, difficult people, and situations we have no control over. She empowers parents to leave their stress outside the home and be more present with their kids. Her weekly Zoom group, Parent Power Happy Hour, is free for all.
Roberta’s books: The Family That Laughs Together…A Quick Guide to Sanity When You Feel Like Screaming, Laughter Rocks! Tips and Tools to Help You Keep Your Cool and Have a More Positive Mindset, and her latest, Laughter Rocks! 2.0 More Tips and Tools for More Positive Mindset.
Sign up for her free weekly newsletter, Laughter Rocks! www.laf4u.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Laughter Rocks! 2.0

This book is the second in the Laughter Rocks! series and continues a compilation of my weekly newsletters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write upside down. HAHAAHA No, I write as often as time permits. Having a weekly newsletter helps inspire me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was raised on Agatha Christie but I have many authors I enjoy – from

What are you working on now?
I am actually working on a fiction book in which my character uses the tools I teach in my non-fiction books as she navigates her complicated life.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website – www.laf4u.com
Having a virtual book launch party which I am having on April 17th
wwww.BASSforAuthors.com
Organic promotion in Facebook groups
Friends and family

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write something every day – even if just a letter to a friend.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Pay to have your book professionally edited, a cover designed, and help with marketing.

What are you reading now?
Fiction: Tom Lake
Non-Fiction: Atomic Habits

What’s next for you as a writer?
As I wrote above, a fiction 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?
Several How-To books, a memoir, and a very long fiction book.

Author Websites and Profiles

Roberta Gold Website

Roberta Gold Amazon Profile

Roberta Gold’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile

 

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Marilyn Flower

Interview With Author Marilyn Flower

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This baby-boomer writer-poet also answers to ‘Sacred Fool,’ and claims to live at the corner of Humor Lane and Satire Street. Being retired allows me all kinds of time to write–in theory, anyway. Real life, well…you know how things go…

When I’m not writing or blogging, you might be able to catch me doing improv or reciting poems silly and sensuous at an open mic. I’ve written four non-fiction books, three published, one on the way. My first is about overcoming bucket list fears. Two are guides for writers, one about character creation, and the other about blogging as your characters. The bun in the oven is about using a process called SoulCollage® to enhance our writing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’m a sucker for challenges. In 2020 Ninja Writers hosted a challenge. We were to publish a daily blog post on a topic near and dear to our hearts. Then compile and edit those posts into a book. BYOB they call it—Blog Your Own Book.

The notion to do a series of posts as the characters of my novel in progress smacked me on the head, grabbed my hat, and threw it into the ring. That was numero uno. Once I got started, I couldn’t stop.

The most recent fallout from this addiction is Developing Characters: Fun Ways to Cast Your Fiction, available on Amazon. In particular, envisioning your characters using SoulCollage®, hearing their voices through blogging as them, and discovering their strengths and fatal flaws via the Enneagram. Because, Hokey Pokey fans, that’s what it’s all about! I use all three of these with my two novels in progress. Why? It works and it’s fun.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love writing dialogue. Sometimes I speak my character’s voices out loud as I write. If I get into a flow or it’s a sensitive conversation, I get the dialogue down as fast as I can so I don’t miss anything that comes through me. Later I go back and add the tags, beats, actions, and setting. But when the tap’s flowing I don’t stop for the side bits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Pat Conroy could have been my brother. When I read the opening lines of The Great Santani, I went, “I know that man. He’s my Dad!” Mercifully, my dad was only about a three where as Pop Conroy was off the chart in narcissistic pain and violence.

But we’re such kindred spirits, I read and reread the entire Conroy cannon regularly—even his cookbook. By the way, our Scorpio birthdays are only a day apart. He broke my heart by dying before I ever got a chance to meet him.

Of course, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s because of Atticus. And how much I longed to have a dad like him I could be proud of and learn from, as well as a timeless story about racial hatred. Oh, and Boo. My heart went out to Boo. Still does. In many ways he’s the soul of the story, not just a ghostlike man who only comes out at night.

And I’m head-over-heels in love with doctor-writer, Abraham Verghese. I’ve read almost all of his work. Favorites include My Own Country, about the early days of the AIDS epidemic, Cutting for Stone, and his latest best-seller, The Covenant of Water. Those two novels are based on his family and his life in Ethiopia and India, with lots of fascinating medical history woven into the stories.

What are you working on now?
Man Pregnant! Is the story of an unfaithful pro-life pastor who winds up pregnant. You heard right. And the mother of his baby is not his wife. It’s his choir director. His best friend’s wife by the way, and they’re both black. I contrived the story just so he’d have to walk in the shoes of young pregnant teens. He desperately wants what he fights to keep them from having.

Long, Hard, & Twisted has no socially redeeming features whatsoever. My soft-boiled detective’s partner in crime-solving’s been turned into a mouse. By a shape-shifting femme fatale who hides from the world as a unicorn. She has the hots for him and turns his boo into a bunny she threatens to feed to a snake if he doesn’t return her love.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have both a website and an Facebook author page. So far, the Facebook page’s getting more action.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep learning and keep writing. Don’t get so lost in learning craft that you stop writing. You master craft through the act of writing. And, of course, read, read, read! Don’t just read books. Devour them. Read them twice. Once as a reader, the second time, as a writer. Try to dissect how they do what they did that captivated you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As you write, read your work out loud. You’ll catch things your eyes gloss over. Listen for voice. You author voice and the voices of each of your characters. Hint: those are all distinct. Keep practicing. Keep listening. Read other authors out loud as well.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently rereading All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood. This would be To Kill a Mockingbird if young Scout fell in love with a tender giant of a Native American in his early twenties and Atticus ran a meth lab. WTF? But it’s that compelling because it’s that well-written. So compelling and well-written, I’m reading it again.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I envision a cozy mystery series set in Berkeley, California where clues to whodoneit are revealed in the process of doing SoulCollage®.

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?
God’s Hotel by Dr. Victoria Sweet
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
Playing with Fire by Julie Taymor

Author Websites and Profiles

Marilyn Flower Website

Marilyn Flower Amazon Profile

Marilyn Flower’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

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Cinthia James

Interview With Author Cinthia James

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Cinthia James, an illustrator and surface pattern designer based in Berlin, Germany. I have authored one book designed to establish a creative process that supports both beginner and seasoned artists. It offers strategies to find inspiration and tackle art block effectively.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I needed to revisit my artistic foundations after earning a graphic design degree and navigating a career that didn’t align with my creative goals. This led to the creation of “Treasure Found: An Art Journey.” The book is a personal account of overcoming the challenges I faced, embracing uncertainties, and celebrating my unique style. It’s packed with insights on pursuing art with discipline and joy, aimed at inspiring others to kickstart their creative journeys and build rewarding artistic practices.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really; my writing habits are somewhat structured, much like the art process outlined in “Treasure Found.” I typically start by taking notes and brainstorming, then I create an outline, and gradually tackle each chapter and subject—though not necessarily in that order. I haven’t written a novel, but if I were to, I imagine I’d follow a similar approach.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My book focuses on art, so I’ve been influenced by artists who have written about their creative fields or techniques, as well as art books in general. I assessed what I had collected, what I enjoyed, and what I felt was missing from an art book. The design of my book is clean and straightforward, featuring a conceptual treasure hunt theme. Among my influences, I really enjoyed “In Progress” by Jessica Hische and the pattern books by Bowie Style.

What are you working on now?
You can regularly see my new illustration projects on my website and Instagram, where I’m thrilled to continue sharing my artistic journey. Building on the momentum of “Treasure Found,” I’m now exploring art licensing to bring my creations to a wider audience. Additionally, I’ve begun outlining a second book that promises to delve even deeper into the creative process. There’s much to look forward to for those who support and follow my work.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have primarily focused my promotional efforts on blogs within the art and K-pop communities. I am now beginning to expand my reach to websites like Awesome Gang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Go for it! Write the book and don’t be afraid to self-publish. You can gain a lot both professionally and personally. I was initially fearful and experienced major imposter syndrome, but now, with my book “Treasure Found: An Art Journey,” I am an award-winning author and illustrator.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Starting is the hardest part; the rest gets easier.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Iris Murdoch’s “Under the Net”. From an art perspective, I’m also reviewing the fashion books in my collection.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As a writer, my second book will focus on a particular aspect of the creative process, aiming to thoroughly explore and expand on that theme. It will offer new insights and practical advice, enabling artists to delve deeper into their creative practices.

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?
Choosing books for a desert island is a tough call for me since I usually read a book and then move on to the next. For a novel, I’d need a crime drama. The other three would be art books: Piet Paris’ “Fashion Illustrations”, Antonio Lopez’s “Fashion, Art, Sex & Disco”, and either my own book, “Treasure Found: An Art Journey”, or a spontaneous pick from my shelf.

Author Websites and Profiles

Cinthia James Website

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Rich Linville

Interview With Author Rich Linville

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
For 45 years, I enjoyed teaching all subjects in elementary, middle school, high school, and college. Since retiring in 2016, I have published on Amazon over 300 children’s ebooks and paperbacks, over 150 audiobooks, as well as hardcover books. I have custom-written books for adults and children.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Tongue Twister” because as a storyteller and writer of illustrated, chldren’s books, I love to have fun and play with words.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I work back and forth on 1 to 5 books at a time. Sometimes, I will first write the ending and then go back to the beginning.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Little Golden Books, Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein have greatly influenced my approach to writing.

What are you working on now?
A book about a boy who is confused when someone asks him if he likes his pea soup, and he yells, “Who peed in my soup?”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For promoting my books, I use Awesome Gang and Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You write for the fun of writing. Also, as a small business, a writer has many tax write-offs. See your tax preparer.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write daily and save numbered versions from time to time. Take a break. Later, read what you’ve written, rewrite as needed, and edit. Read out loud and have others read before you publish.

What are you reading now?
I’m enjoying “101 Science Fiction Short Stories” by different writers.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to write more children’s 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 Penguin History of the World, The History of the Universe, A History of the World’s Religions

Author Websites and Profiles

Rich Linville Amazon Profile

 

Author Interview Series

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