Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Canadian ecologist / limnologist and award-winning novelist, short story author and non-fiction writer. I co-edit Europa SF and currently teach writing courses at George Brown College and the University of Toronto.  I have coached writers to publication for several decades using my Alien Guidebook Series writing guides. My non-fiction book “Water Is…” by Pixl Press was selected by Margaret Atwood in the New York Times ‘Year in Reading’ and was chosen as the 2017 Summer Read by Water Canada. My thirteenth book published in 2020 by Innana Publications is an eco-novel entitled “A Diary in the Age of Water.”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“A Diary in the Age of Water” (Innana Publications, 2020) is essentially a journey of four generations of women who have a unique relationship with water, through a time of extreme change through climate change and water shortage. The book spans over forty years (from the 2020s to the 2060s) and into the far future, mostly through the diary of a limnologist, which is found by a future water-being. During the diarist’s lifetime, all things to do with water are overseen and controlled by the international giant water utility CanadaCorp—with powers to arrest and detain anyone. This is a world in which China owns America and America, in turn, owns Canada.

Part of the story is told through the diary of a limnologist (someone who studies freshwater) who witnesses and suffers through severe water taxes and imposed restrictions, dark intrigue through neighbourhood water betrayals, corporate spying and espionage, and repression of her scientific freedoms. Some people die. Others disappear…

The spark for my novel began with a short story I was invited to write in 2015 about water and politics in Canada. I had long been thinking of potential ironies in Canada’s water-rich heritage. The premise I wanted to explore was the irony of people in a water-rich nation experiencing water scarcity: living under a government-imposed daily water quota of 5 litres as water bottling and utility companies took it all. I named the story “The Way of Water.” It was about a young woman (Hilda) in near-future Toronto who has run out of water credits for the public wTap; by this time houses no longer have potable water and their water taps have been cemented shut; the only way to get water is through the public wTaps—at great cost. She’s standing two metres from water—in a line of people waiting to use the tap—and dying of thirst.

“The Way of Water” captures a vision that explores the nuances of corporate and government corruption and deceit together with global resource warfare. In this near-future, Canada is mined of all its water by thirsty Chinese and US multinationals—leaving nothing for the Canadians. Rain has not fallen on Canadian soil in years due to advances in geoengineering and weather manipulation that prevent rain clouds from going anywhere north of the Canada-US border. If you’re wondering if this is possible, it’s already happening in China and surrounding countries.

I had a lot of material; I had already been researching water issues and climate change in my activism as a science writer and reporter. I had recently published “Water Is… The Meaning of Water”, essentially a biography of water, written from the perspective of mother, environmentalist and scientist. I had practiced as a limnologist for over twenty-five years and could mine my various personal experiences in the field, lab and office with genuine realism.

Just as “Water Is…” served as a watershed for all my relevant experiences as mother, environmentalist and scientist, “A Diary in the Age of Water” would galvanize many of my personal experiences, doubts, challenges and victories into compelling story. Although parts of the story wrote themselves, the entire book was not easy to write. There were times when I had to walk away from the book to gain some perspective—and optimism—before continuing. When I found myself drowning in Lynna’s voice, I invoked Hilde’s to guide me to shore. I found a balance that worked and compelled. Ultimately this opened to some of the best internal conflict and tension I have experienced in my writing.

“Evoking Ursula LeGuin’s unflinching humane and moral authority, Nina Munteanu takes us into the lives of four generations of women and their battles against a global giant that controls and manipulates Earth’s water.” — LYNN HUTCHINSON LEE, multimedia artist, author, and playwright

“A book of genuine power, A Diary in the Age of Water, is simply and beautifully told.” — LUCIA MONICA GOREA, author of Journey Through My Soul

“A Diary in the Age of Water is an insightful novel… a cautionary tale rummaging through the forgotten drawers of time in the lives of four generations.” —DRAGONFLY.ECO

“Lyrical and dystopian, ‘A Diary in the Age of Water’ is as much an ode to water as it is a cautionary tale about the dire implications of climate change.” —FOREWORD CLARION 5-STAR REVIEW

“In poetic prose with sober factual basis, Munteanu transmutes a harrowing dystopia into a transcendentalist origin myth. An original cautionary tale that combines a family drama with an environmental treatise.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS

“An exceptional and thought-provoking dystopian fiction.”—LITERARY TITAN

“The story like water itself fills you, moves you, hypnotizes you, and eventually, totally engulfs you.”—GOODREADS REVIEW

“Thoroughly researched and cleverly executed, A Diary in the Age of Water is a must-read, especially for those who are longing for nature, and touch, while fearing both.”
—CARA MOYNES, Amazon Review

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Absolutely none… (wink)…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Several favourite classics influenced my early writing. Works by Thomas Hardy, George Elliot, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky. Then there were the science fiction and dystopian classics like Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Frank Herbert and later Margaret Atwood then the cli-fi, climate fiction and eco-fiction of Octavia Butler, Jeff Vandermeer, Annie Proulx (Barkskins) and Richard Powers (The Overstory), among so many others. All these and many others have provided a grand tapestry of art, great metaphor and challenging idea.

What are you working on now?
The sequel to “A Diary in the Age of Water”, an eco-thriller that takes place all over Canada, from Halifax to Vancouver and the Arctic Circle. The story covers the Halifax Explosion of 1917, a newly envisioned NAWAPA, and features several ghosts…

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My own sites: www.NinaMunteanu.me; www.NinaMunteanu.ca; www.TheMeaningOfWater.com; “The Alien Next Door;” and my various social media: Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, Instagram

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t let your impatience to be heard and recognized interfere with the heart and soul of your art. Writing is work. But enjoyable work. If you don’t enjoy it, it’s not for you. You must enjoy it on some level. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. It isn’t. But it is extremely rewarding. It’s like Truth; it isn’t always nice, but it feels right. Write from the heart; if your writing doesn’t scare you a little, you aren’t writing from the heart and readers will feel it. It will seem fake, a shadow of your real story, the one you’re hiding from. Persist. Take courses. Learn the craft. Then write and send your material out. That’s how you learn to be a better writer.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read. Read. Read. Write. Write. Write. Read. Write. Read. Write. Read. Write.

What are you reading now?
Non-fiction: “Gathering Moss” by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Fiction: “Rogue Harvest” by Danita Maslan

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish my sequel and market my current book around my teaching gigs

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?
3 books by Thomas Hardy

Author Websites and Profiles
Nina Munteanu Website
Nina Munteanu Amazon Profile

Nina Munteanu’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Cape Breton born author, television producer, and filmmaker based in Nova Scotia. “The Forgotten Son” is my debut novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Forgotten Son” was inspired by my grandfather who was a Gaelic singer and storyteller. He had a wealth of stories steeped in the Celtic mythology. I was raised by my grandparents and growing up I loved listening to all the stories he would tell about the water horses, the fairies, the talking animals. I was very much inspired by those stories.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say I have any unusual writing habits except as with many authors I keep a pen and paper handy at all times for any ideas that may pop into my head. I also write more at night than I do during the day. The quietness of the night helps erase the distractions. “The Forgotten Son” came to me as I was drifting off to sleep one night. Let’s say it was a sleepless night after that.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I like a vast array of authors from Tolkien, Nicholas Sparks, Diana Gabaldon, J.K. Rowling, the Bronte Sisters, Ian McEwan, Lucy Maud Montgomery to name a few.

What are you working on now?
Currently I am working on a coming of age novel set during World War II in Newfoundland. I also have another fantasy novel in the early stages.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
With the launch of “The Forgotten Son”. I have been heavily focused on a social media campaign across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it and do not talk yourself out of it. You can do it. Find what method works for you. I find putting pen to paper and writing it all out is what works for me. I only go to my computer once I have the story fully fleshed out on the page first.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Believe in yourself and do not let anyone tell you it can’t be done.

What are you reading now?
Currently I am reading “I Found You” by Lisa Jewell and “Every Breath” by Nicholas Sparks.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Currently I am enjoying the launch of “The Forgotten Son” and continuing to work on my next manuscript.

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?
Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring”
Nicholas Sparks’ “A Walk to Remember”
Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander”
Lucy Maud Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables”

 

Colette Thomas’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a bestselling speculative fiction writer from Nova Scotia, Canada. Around my other responibilities I run FictionFirst Used Books, specializing in fantasy & sci-fi novels. I am a massive nerd we also cosplays with his wife, and alternates between red wine and coffee as the mood demands.
Having over two dozen short fiction credits to my name, “Boulders over the Bermuda Triangle” is my first published novella.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Boulders over the Bermuda Triangle” is a shared universe novella series from Engen Books of Newfoundland, Canada.
These episodic adventures all feature Cassidy Cane, archaeologist and explorer as she travels to different dimensions for adventure. Fans of Lara Croft, Doctor Who, and Sliders will enjoy these novellas.
My novella: When Cassidy enters a portal hovering over the fabled Bermuda Triangle, she finds herself on the strange alien world of Xik’en, located in the hub of an asteroid mine and where lizard-people reign supreme! Cassidy must team up with a spirited young Xik’en to save herself and recover the ARC crystals she needs… but can she escape? And what lies hidden below the station, in the Xik’en prison?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unlike many authors, I need complete silence in order to write, too many decades living on my own.
As such, I’ve had to resort to getting up at 5am to get some writing in before going to my day job.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My first love was fantasy, it was the world of Krynn (Dragonlance) that gripped a young boy with a learning disability and made reading fun!
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman will always have a special place in my heart no matter where my writing career leads.

What are you working on now?
As primary a short fiction author, I have many irons in the fire. Several themed short story anthologies are on my radar, as well as I have two “invite only” anthologies that I’m currently working on.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still a novice when it comes to this, but I’ve made several excellent connections through my author page on Facebook, and well as the valuable assistance from publishers I have been luck to work with over the years.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You can’t edit a blank page. Get that first draft down even if you know there are plot holes big enough to drive a truck through, revisions and rewrites will fix that.
Use your personal experiences when writing dialogue, remember how you felt when you were hurt, in love, surprised, etc… and bring those emotions into your writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You’re allowed to write crap!
Not everything you write will see the light of day, but even the worse story has a nugget of gold in it that can shine in a future project.

What are you reading now?
I’m one of those terrible people who have several books on the go at once. I’m just finishing “The Eyes of Light and Darkness” by Ivan Cat, about half through “Old Man’s War” by John Scalzi (probably my 5th time reading it), and just started “Terra Nova” from Engen Books.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m continue writing and submitting to interesting short story anthologies that caught my eye. I’ve also started collecting my published works and exploring putting out my own short story collection, as well I’m slowly working on my 2017 NaNoWriMo novel to see if this short story author has a novel in him.

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 reading habits are reflected by my mood, probably the reason I have several books on the go at once, but let’s see.
“Elfstones” by Terry Brooks, “A Thousand Words For Stranger” by Julie Czerneda, and “Old Man’s War” by John Scalzi.

Author Websites and Profiles
Peter J. Foote Website
Peter J. Foote Amazon Profile

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
~ Poet ~ Empath ~ Highly Sensitive ~ Psychic ~ Readings ~ Angelic Reiki Healing ~ Crystal ~ Enlightened Wisdom ~ Healer ~ Twin Flame ~ Manifestation ~ Mental Health ~ Eating Disorders ~ Body Image ~ Emotions ~ Sexuality ~ Erotica ~ Inner Child

I have currently only the one book published. However, I am in the process of writing two other books.

The one I’m writing about today is all about:-

Chapter 1 = My undying attempt to feel loved
Chapter 2 = Enlightened wisdom that keeps me alive…and fighting.
Chapter 3 = Mental Health Illnesses and how they are all fabricated illusions… yet so very pain-stakingly real.
Chapter 4 = How my shadow side actually saved me from an abusive relationship with a narcissist.
Chapter 5 = Sexual repressed desires/erotica

The second book I’m in the process of writing is all about:-
Chapter 1 = Being fearless and being the hero of my own life… being the hero of my own destiny
Chapter 2 = That hero (my Inner Child) being locked away and held captive…and me not knowing where she is or where she’s gone
Chapter 3 = Eating Disorder
Chapter 4 = Acknowledging my Shadow Side (and Traits), and also balancing Masculine and Feminine energies of whom I am.
Chapter 5 = Realising that I’m a Messenger/Spiritual Teacher who holds much Wisdom and Truth
Chapter 6 = Honing in on my emotions and being the sensitive soul and empath that I am
Chapter 7 = Worshipping both my Masculine and Feminine energies, and also my Shadow and Light sides
Chapter 8 = Getting justice for all who have wronged me
Chapter 9 = How my Soul leads my way now…

As you can see, my first two books are all centred on my journey.
I’ll leave the third book as a surprise for now!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Lady Of The Night: Enlightened Wisdom Comes From Pain, Emotions… And All Sorts Of Sane Devotions.

I’ve been through quite a lot of trauma over the years. All ranging from mental health issues, sexual harassment, emotional neglect, struggles with sexuality, losing my ‘known’ identity. The latest to add to the list is having my first relationship, with a narcissistic emotional and mental abuser.

When it comes to mental health issues, I’ve suffered from a range. Eating disorders, OCD, depression, self harm, suicidal tendencies. 15 years and still the same default setting comes through. Why? I guess I haven’t healed yet.

The thing with trauma is – you keep going through the same stuff until you learn the lessons embedded deep within it. Until you change the programme, the same frequency is going to keep being emitted. Trauma leads you to a place of self-love, and that’s what life is all about.

It’s not egotistical love. It’s not being selfish. It’s not viewing yourself as being superior to others. No. It’s about embracing all that you are, shadow side and all.

Self-love is about honouring yourself. Honouring your limits, your triggers, and honouring your energy. Where you place yourself, affects your energy. How much pressure you put on yourself, affects your energy. Who you spend time with, affects your energy.

This world is beautiful, and magical. Only the select view see it though. I’m one of those select view.

Exactly like my book description concludes: ‘Throw in the concoction of eating disorders, narcissistic relationships, a Divine Masculine Twin Flame that struggles with emotions, hidden sexual desires, struggles with sensuality and sexuality… and you’ve got a book that covers all areas of the psyche and mind.’

That’s what this book is about. My journey throughout it all.

The main character throughout, is myself. You’re reading the words as if you’re looking through my eyes. My writing does something miraculous though. You may be looking down on the paper through my eyes, but you’re creating your own story. You’re looking back over your lifetimes, and you’re picking out pieces of the puzzle. You’re acknowledging that these little gems that are found between my words, are actually the gems that you’ve been missing your whole life.

Of course, throughout, the differing stories focus and evolve around culprits or characters who played a huge part in the trauma that I endured. Again, there are characters who have helped me and who continue to help me forevermore.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to just go with the flow. Even if I think I’ve got nothing to write about, I’ll get my laptop out and I’ll literally just put down anything that comes to mind. It can be so wacky and metaphorical, but it all just seems to fit and come together so beautifully!

Other than that, I tend to just write from how I’m feeling. Feelings and emotions are such a great indicator for what you should write about!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
To be honest, I feel like I’m one in and on my own. Yes, there are numerous poetry books out there. Truth be told, I don’t particularly enjoy reading poetry. I can say that I’ve not read any books that are like mine, and therefore, they haven’t influenced me.

My own life experiences have shaped my writing, and I’m really proud of that. I’m proud of myself for having come through those experiences, and still be the strong beautiful soul that I am today. I haven’t changed, and what I mean by that is… I’ve not closed my heart… I’ve not turned nasty… I’ve not let the world turn me cold. If anything, I’m more loving, nurturing, protective, caring, loyal… because of the experiences I’ve been through. It’s a rarity in this world.

What are you working on now?
As previously mentioned, I’m working on two books. One that, again, is focused on my journey through life… but is definitely much more indepth… and it really scrutinises everything that I’ve been through, all whilst summarising it all really.

You’ll clearly be able to distinguish between the chapters, and you’ll follow the journey with ease. It’s very clear, yet as my writing does, it generates so many layers and so many stories that are buried deep within. You’ll find yourself swinging along many different turns and paths, and that’s what it’s all about. It’s about going deep within yourself, and honouring what comes up to the surface.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m fairly new to it all, and so I’ve put my trust in Amazon’s KDP. With my kindle books, I’ve enrolled in the Select programme. So, for me at this stage, it’s all about seeing what happens and trusting the process.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being a new author myself, I have to say… just go with it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Love yourself truly, completely and unconditionally. You’re the only person who will never leave your side. Other people come and go. You have to be your own best friend, because when you’re dealing with the stuff inside, it’s only you who understands.

And that’s my own advice.

What are you reading now?
I was actually reading my own book. I think it’s a beautiful element to be able to put yourself in the reader’s shoes for a few moments, and really indulge in the writer’s stories. It’s almost endearing to be able to forget that you’re the writer, and generate even more stories in your mind that you didn’t have when you were actually writing the book!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to be a well-known Spiritual Teacher. Get me on all platforms. Let me spread the word… share the word… let me be a ripple that generates a magnetic wave across the entire race of humanity, to really start implementing and living from a place of truth, peace and love.

I want to help others who have been on similar paths to myself. I genuinely believe… know… that I heal through words.

Author Websites and Profiles
PEARL . Amazon Profile

PEARL .’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve studied counselling and I’ve written three self-help books

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book “offended, offensive and consequences” was inspired by feeling offended by offensive talk, law and counselling.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t go into too much detail I’m more to the point

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m not going to be specific, but obviously a lot of authors and books have influenced me.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on spreading the word of my books it’s been difficult

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just go with the flow

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From the bible – no one reaches God unless through Jesus Christ

What are you reading now?
I honestly don’t read much apart from the news I’m busy writing

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me as a writer is more valuable insight

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 “survival guides“

Author Websites and Profiles
Nicholas Stewart Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
When I was in kindergarten, I managed to convince my classmates that my grandma was a tribal shamaness. Then I learned my letters, and kidding my friends no longer seemed adequate—so I started to write.
I have published three fantasy novels and an anthology. My short stories have been featured in various publications.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called Celts and the Mad Goddess, and it’s the first installment of The Deathless Chronicle. It was inspired by my love for history, the occult, and the Celtic lore.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always print out the first draft and mark it with a red pen. Some of my writer friends find it weird.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the stories of classic horror writers, especially H. P. Lovecraft. Out of contemporary writers, I guess the biggest influence came from Ken Follett and his Pillars of the Earth.

What are you working on now?
I’m rewriting the second installment of The Deathless Chronicle, which is titled Celts and the Gladiator. It’s set in Nero’s Rome.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve come to realize that paid advertising is the only thing that really works. It’s sad but true. I use Amazon to promote my books, and Facebook to increase my mailing list.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Plot your novels carefully and try to find your own voice. Write every day or your style will rust.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Show, don’t tell. It’s a rule worth obeying.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading “Weird Rome”, a non-fiction book about the Roman Empire. (Research for my upcoming novel.)

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m planning to release seven more installments of the Deathless Chronicle. I hope to launch one a 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?
War and Peace, Complete stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Complete stories by H.P. Lovecraft, and All Quiet on the Western Front.

Author Websites and Profiles
P.C. Darkcliff Website
P.C. Darkcliff Amazon Profile
P.C. Darkcliff Author Profile on Smashwords

P.C. Darkcliff’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have completed one book but have many more in the pipeline.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘Character Creation For The Creative Writer’

I’ve spent a large part of my life reading all genre of books and added to this was my hobby of collecting ideas and then combining them to generate new concepts. This all led me into the depths of why behave behave in the way they do, and I realised I could use this knowledge to show writers how t create the characters they need for their novels and plays.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to collect lots of ideas and then categorise them before deciding which ideas will go into aa specific chapter. Only then will I write and connect those ideas.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tom Campbell author and physicist and My Big Toe (MBT)

What are you working on now?
I have my time filled now with acting as a book agent promoting my first book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have no experience to speak of unless you count word of mouth on social media sites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I always suggest that a writer with an idea for a book should first create a kind of map for the whole book before sitting down to write, letting the map guide them.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can be anything you want to be if you are determined enough to achieve it.

What are you reading now?
Individual Understanding by EMILE GARCKE

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will continue to write and complete more books and hopefully each book will serve its purpose of helping others.

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 Big Toe by Tom Campbell
The Catcher in the Rye
Collins English Dictionary
Thesaurus

Author Websites and Profiles
William Byrne Amazon Profile

William Byrne’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Police Sergeant with 24 years frontline service and Cameron Bell is not my real name. I am married to my first love and have two teenage children. I have a docile whippet called Blue. I have written two novels featuring tenacious, no-nonsense Police Sergeant Will Cutter – “The Dead & The Drowning” and “When The Night Is Dark”.
Prior to writing novels, I designed and published tabletop fantasy role playing games. I had a company called Cold Blooded Games, which I used to publish “Dog Town” a rpg set in crime-ridden 1970’s New York.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“When The Night Is Dark”. I wanted to write a second Will Cutter book and I have always been attracted to harrowing and obsessive search stories. Movies like 8mm with Nicholas Cage and the BBC series “The Missing” where the hero unravels or turns vigilante. I also interested in ideas of justice, self-sacrifice and friendship. I set it in Ibiza because I am fascinated by the dark side of the party – the underbelly of a good time. I wanted to bring these themes together in a fast-paced, action-packed crime mystery.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t write at a desk. I write sitting on my La-Z-Boy with a keyboard on my lap and the computer hooked up to the TV. I use Google Drive, so I write on my phone quite a bit when enjoying a beer in the hot tub.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dennis Lehane, Robert B. Parker, Raymond Chandler, Edward Bunker. I like gritty, hard-boiled crime fiction particularly if written from the first person perspective.

What are you working on now?
The third novel in the Will Cutter series. It is called “Split Face” and is set in Port Talbot. It concerns the hunt for a serial rapist that disfigures his victims.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m the wrong person to ask as I am fumbling around trying to figure the marketing side of being an independent author. Amazon giveaways through the KDP program have worked the best so far, but have not translated into reviews.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t procrastinate over plot. Take an idea and run with it. I’ve written two novels and I have discovered the story as I have written it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can’t revise a blank page or bad writing is better than no writing.

What are you reading now?
“God Save The Child” by Robert B. Parker.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To continue writing as a hobby. If you put pressure on yourself to succeed you diminish the enjoyment of writing and end up moving away from why you started writing in the first place. To write my third book quicker than my second book which took 17 months. To understand book marketing better that I do now (I can only improve on that front)

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?
“Shogun” by James Clavell.
“No Beast So Fierce” by Edward Bunker.
“Oxford English Dictionary” because I would be lost without words.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cameron Bell Website
Cameron Bell Amazon Profile

Cameron Bell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a contemporary women’s fiction author based in Western Australia and Co-Director of Footprints Publishing PTY LTD. I’m also on the Board of Management for the Katharine Susannah Prichard (KSP) Writers’ Centre in WA and previously ran their publishing service, Wild Weeds Press.
To date, I’ve had stories published in ‘Paw Prints of Love’, Gumnut Press May 2020, ‘Destination Romance’, Serenity Press Dec 2018 and ‘Passages’, Serenity Press Dec 2018.
I also have a novelette, ‘When Love Breaks Down’, Serenity Press Aug 2019 and more recently, a novella, ‘The Wash’, Footprints Publishing Sep 2020.
I love writing, reading, music and travel, and drinking more wine than is good for me!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a contemporary women’s fiction novel, ‘The Sunrise Girl’, published by Footprints Publishing Sep 2020.
As a former crisis counsellor in the UK, I wanted to delve into the processes people go through to overcome grief, especially where guilt plays a role. The novel explores themes such as authenticity and escapism; how people use addictions such as drinking, smoking and sex to avoid confronting pain.
I used Ibiza as a focal point as it represents the hedonism people seek to escape their woes. The main character, Lucy, is in her thirties and has a party-girl past, enabling the story to move away from the stereo-typed twenty-something party goer and focus on a woman who really should know better.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
As long as I have coffee and my laptop I’m good to go, although sometimes a glass of SSB can help with creative thinking.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Gillian Flynn is a favourite. I love her style of writing and the authenticy she brings to each character. I also love Paulo Coehlo, especially ‘Veronika Decides to Die’. I enjoy the way he creates tangible characters and settings, often with an ethereal quality to the stories.

What are you working on now?
I’m writing a contemporary novel based in Russia called, ‘His Person’. It focuses on the friendship between an ordinary girl and the son of an Oligarch, and how their friendship is tested over time. There are elements of loss, betrayal and a smidgen of love.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This one is a recent discovery and looks promising, and I’ve recently started using BookFunnel to promote books by offering freebies and samples. It’s helped gain email subscribers, get my name out there and drive readers to my website and selling channels.
Having had several works traditionally published, I soon discovered that unless you’re published by the big 5, much of the promotional work comes down to you.
I’m also about to invest in some Amazon advertising and Facebook promos, so we’ll see how that goes.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing.
Getting books out there is hard work and doesn’t stop when you type ‘The End’. Be prepared to spend a lot of time building your author profile, presence and selling channels.
If you want to pitch to publishers make sure you do your homework and follow submission guidelines to the letter. Rejection is part of the process and can become a badge of honour (I should know)!
If you want to go down the self publishing road, invest in a good editor and cover designer. Don’t expect your first draft to be perfect. It’s not-trust me-so having someone who knows what they’re doing to make your words shine is a solid investment.
Knuckle down and get on with it!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get off Facebook and join a writing group. You will instantly build a community and grow as a writer.

What are you reading now?
‘Wherever You Go’ by Monique Mulligan. I’m loving it so far and Monique is a friend and fellow author.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish writing ‘His Person’ then send it to my lovely editor who will cover it in tracks and make me cry!

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 Alchemist’ by Paulo Coehlo. I’ve read it many times but never get bored. It makes me feel hopeful.
‘The Magic Faraway Tree’ by Enid Blyton. A childhood favourite and fabulous escapist read.
‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ by Richard Bach. This book lifts me up(!) when I need a kick up the butt.
‘The Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This one reminds me to let my inner child speak, and for me to listen.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lisa Wolstenholme Website
Lisa Wolstenholme Amazon Profile

Lisa Wolstenholme’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written nine books so far, with books 10 and 11 to be released soon. My most popular books are the four novels in the Loving Husband Series. The books are a combination of historical fiction and paranormal sweet romance featuring vampires, witches, and a ghost within the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials. I live in Las Vegas, and I love books, cats, and coffee–not always in that order. When I’m not writing I’m reading or cooking, and I love to bake.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Down Salem Way, which is the prequel to the Loving Husband Series. When I finished the Loving Husband Trilogy, a lot of fans asked for another book so I wrote Down Salem Way. I touched on the Salem Witch Trials in Her Dear & Loving Husband, but I felt I had more to say on the subject, so Down Salem Way covers the witch hunts in more depth. Since fans are still asking for more James and Sarah books, I’m continuing the story with more novels to come.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Great question. I don’t think my writing habits are particularly unusual. I give myself a daily word count when I’m writing a first draft because otherwise the first draft won’t get written. I hate writing first drafts, but so does every author I know, so I don’t think that is so unusual.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Definitely Charles Dickens and his novel David Copperfield. I read David Copperfield in college and I knew that that was what I wanted to do–write stories that were entire worlds unto themselves. I also love the poetic fluidity of Toni Morrison’s novels.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on a new Hembry Castle story, a sweet Victorian romance which was inspired by Downton Abbey and Charles Dickens. I know, but it works. The first Hembry Castle book was named a best historical novel by IndieReader, and luckily it has a loyal legion of fans. It’s a holiday story so it’s coming out later this year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is www.meredithallard.com, and that’s where I post all the latest information about my books and share book inspirations and other bookish thoughts. Many of my fans visit me there when they want to know what is going on with my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up, and keep improving your craft. I’ve been teaching creative writing workshops for years, and I know sometimes new authors become frustrated because becoming a writer is not a fast process. It can take a long time to learn the craft. But stay with it and keep on keepin’ on. Writing is one of those skills that will only improve with time.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I love the advice about how time is the most valuable thing we have. I agree with that. I know that I could certainly be more mindful of how I’m spending my time every day. When I’m more mindful about my time I leave myself more time to write, and I love writing more than just about anything else in the world.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading A Christmas Carol by Dickens. I reread that one every year but it’s helping me write right now because the story I’m working on is a holiday story. A Christmas Carol is helping me get into the Christmas spirit.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After the new holiday Hembry Castle story is finished, I’ll be working on a new Loving Husband story. Luckily, fans keep asking for more and I’m happy to oblige. I’m also working on my first nonfiction book, which is a lot of fun and a very different process than writing fiction.

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?
Four books is definitely too few for me, but if I were pressed to take four they would be:

1. David Copperfield by Dickens
2. Beloved by Toni Morrison
3. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
4. I’m sure something else by Dickens, but I’d have to think about it. Probably something funny like Pickwick or Nicholas Nickleby.

Author Websites and Profiles
Meredith Allard Website
Meredith Allard Amazon Profile

Meredith Allard’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Abigail, and I have currently only published one nonfiction book. But as every writer can admit to I have about two full novels shoved in my desk waiting to be revisited.

Though my first book is a nonfiction memoir/inspirational book. My true writing passion is in historical fiction.

I love classical books that have that warm and comforting tone to them and find my writing to be influenced greatly by those older novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Symptoms of Drowning was the name.

It came about as while I was going through a tough time in my life something I often said to myself was, I feel like I’m drowning.

And so, The Symptoms of Drowning was born.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so, but maybe I secretly do.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Probably L.M. Montgomery has influenced me the most as her writing is so beloved. It has stood the test of time which means that she must have done something right!

What are you working on now?
I currently put a lot of time into my health and wellness website but I am also promoting my book and planning my first fiction novel!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Reddit was extremely handy the it came to marketing my book.

I got may ebook downloads from other writers on that forum and have had a lot of good advice given to me as well!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write.

Don’t think about whether your friends or family will like it, if it is going to be a best seller, if it’s perfect or not.

Just write your book and send it out into the world and try not to care what others might think of it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To say what you really believe because people will hate and judge you whether you voice your opinion or not.

What are you reading now?
Scenes of Clerical Life by George eliot

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully a hefty historical romance novel!

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?
Anne of Green Gables, North and South, and Far from the Madding Crowd.

Author Websites and Profiles
Abigail Jane Amazon Profile

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

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my book is ‘Rare Element’ and it was inspired by 7 rare Earth elements which help run our world. In the same way our mind is everything.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No really.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Frank Herbert, Dune.

What are you working on now?
I dedicate most of my free time to invest in cryptocurrencies and reading about blockchain technology.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Whatever I’ve learned while I’ve been doing affiliate marketing, from social media marketing/branding (Instagram, Twitter, etc. ), paid reviews (that follow Amazon TOS), paid promotion, word of mouth, etc.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m a new author as well, so I’m not in position to give any advice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There is no writting block. Just write.

What are you reading now?
Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual, by Jocko Willink

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m focused on promoting the ebook that I’ve written.

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 just one – Building a Strip Canoe, by Gil Gilpatrick.

Author Websites and Profiles
Josh Idaho Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Writing, music and movies are a few of my favorite things. I’ve written one book, Branching Chaos, made up of revised editions of my first three novellas: The Dreary House, A Place to Stay, and Chance of Tragedies.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Branching Chaos, was inspired by teaching/attending school and anthology series like American Horror Story, Beyond Belief, The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
A conscious, uneven application of “le mot juste” causes several extra hours of editing and revisions to ensure such a term is as balanced as I can write it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King’s On Writing, Neil Gaiman’s Ocean at the End of the Lane, Chuck Palahniuk’s Diary, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Hiromi Arakawa’s Full Metal Alchemist and various works by CLAMP.

What are you working on now?
A list currently says “Record Audiobook” and “Release [album]”. Writing-wise, a fantasy book is outlined and a short story collection is waiting for me to write more short stories to collect in it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method is passive advertising.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Treat everyone you meet like an oyster, you never know when you’ll find a pearl.” -Crush from Turtle Talk With Crush

What are you reading now?
Finnegans Wake by James Joyce and A Whole of the Whole by Steve Patrick.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A journey through the Publishing Molehill of Independent Mountains for Self-Promotion.

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?
Finnegans Wake, Tao Te Ching, Branching Chaos.
Maybe something a bit more like 3-4 copies of Birds of America if some hope of actual desert island escape is retained.

Author Websites and Profiles
Nathan Nish Website
Nathan Nish Amazon Profile

Nathan Nish’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I wrote my first short story when I was ten. It was about a tornado, and it was a complete cliffhanger because I had no idea what happened next. At fourteen, I wrote my first book and sent it to a publisher with a query letter. I never doubted it would be published. When I got the rejection letter in the mail, I was devastated. I didn’t write for a year.

I wrote several short stories after that and started lots of books. Never finished any of them. In college I took a creative writing class in 2008, and wrote the first two chapters of a new book. In January 2019, I published that book after nine years of writing and editing. Since then, I’ve written four more, three of which are published.

My first book, A New Shade of Paint, is about a seventeen-year-old, Shannon. It draws in a big set of characters in her family and friends, especially her love interest Kurt. The second book, The Art of Messing Up, continues all of their stories. I’m currently writing the third and have a fourth planned to wrap up the series. I enjoyed the setting so much, I started a spin-off small-town romance series set in the same town. That way I get to interconnect characters from the two different series. (Way more complicated than I anticipated!) Book 1 is entitled The Trouble with Tulips, and I just released book 2.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Fault in Firelight. So this story got tricky because, as I mentioned before, my two series overlap, even though they are different genres. I had a side character in my original family life series with a mom who seemed to have a very complicated past. I thought, why don’t I wrote her love story? Having Stacy already established as the invisible mother of a side character drew a surprising amount of backstory into the story and pulled several characters from the other series heavily into the book. There were details already cemented that I had to work around that I hadn’t thought about. Writing The Fault in Firelight challenged my plotting skills and was definitely a growing experience.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I know of. I often write in the wee hours of the morning. But from what I hear, that’s rather typical of mom writers who have small kids.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I write Christian fiction, and my all-time favorite author is Lynn Austin. She’s had a huge influence in my life. As a young adult, I planned on being the next Lynn Austin. I’ve since learned that is quite unlikely to happen. Especially since I write contemporary fiction (so far), and she writes historical. But I can keep dreaming. Densie Hunter is the contemporary romance author I try to emulate in my own style with my small-town romances. I’m sure I fall far short of her greatness, but I read all her books to keep me inspired. No one can write a sizzling kiss scene and still keep things clean like Denise Hunter!

What are you working on now?
I’m writing the first draft of Casting Out Fear, the third installment in the life drama of Shannon Conrad, Kurt Blake, and their friends and family. These books are long (average word count 130K), so I’ll be at it a while. After that is the third book in my small-town romance series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m tip-toeing into the world of book promotions. At this point, I’ve mostly relied on newsletter swaps with other authors, which is a great cost-free marketing tool. My launch team helps spread the news by word-of-mouth. And collecting subscribers by giving away my reader magent on StoryOrigin and My Book Cave has yielded me some very eager readers. I’ve got lots to learn and am enjoying the journey.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t get discouraged and by all means–do not compare yourself to other authors! It’s a pit full of black slime you’ll be hard-put to climb out of. Learn from them, yes. Compare successes and failures? NO! Oh, and feel free to end sentences in prepositions.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To write the next book. Don’t get hung up on marketing the first one so much that you neglect to write the next one. And the next. Ever, always–keeping writing.

What are you reading now?
I just finished The Trouble with Cowboys by Denise Hunter. I’d missed a few from her backlist, and it was time to remedy that problem. Ahhhh. It was good.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing and try to improve my writing speed so I can release a bit more often and get ahead. Also to learn more about marketing and improve my craft. All of that in my spare time, because I have a part-time job and four kids. Yeah, four. It’s okay, you can feel sorry for me.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Cheesy or not, I’d grab one of my Bibles. (Hey, I write Christian fiction, what did you expect?). Something by Lynn Austin. I have a bunch on my shelf. And my Kindle. This island has electric outlets, right? I have enough books on there to last me months and too little time to read!

Author Websites and Profiles
Emily Dana Botrous Website
Emily Dana Botrous Amazon Profile

Emily Dana Botrous’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing all my life, but in recent years have had the opportunity to focus on my true passion, fiction. I’ve published one novel, White Oak; one self-help book, Living Happy, Joy and Free; and one elementary history book, Arkansas Heritage.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I initially was writing a complicated book with basically two stories, a fantasy novel and the dual story of the author living in a haunted hotel. Beyond, really took the center stage with its unique plot and so I took the other story out of it. I resisted doing this for some time. I have ADD and it really helped me to go back and forth between stories.

Beyond is the story of Laura Haskell, an established boozy author of fantasy fiction who lives in the notoriously haunted Crescent Hotel in San Francisco with her prodigious white German Shepherd, Cloud, who sees the ghosts and occasionally shares his point of view with readers. Laura inherited the hotel from her famous Madam grandmother “Elizabeth Schuster, who haunts the hotel and carries the secret of who Laura’s grandfather is. Laura becomes motivated to sober up when she meets and falls in love with Sean Wilson, the man responsible for proving ghosts exist by utilizing artificial intelligence and “seeing” dogs. Through Sean’s innovation, they are able to find out who her mystery grandfather was. The couple’s courtship persists despite Sean’s grueling travel schedule once he gets a contract with FilmFlix for a television series and culminates in a storybook wedding in a Scottish castle. When Sean dies unexpectedly, devastated Laura is able to reconnect with him in the afterlife through his technology and Cloud’s assistance.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a morning person, I try to never write when I am hungry, angry, lonely or tired. I try to cleanse my mind of resentments and toxic topics. I let my fingers do the talking with my muse.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve read thousands of books, they have all changed me except for the ones never finished.

What are you working on now?
I’m about to release Beyond. Once it is launched I will return to the other novel that was wrapped inside of it, titled The Two Moons of Merth.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, read, read!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Mind your own business.

What are you reading now?
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publication of everything I write.

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?
Any thick classic from Russian writers, A Tale of Two Cities, The Art of Racing in the Rain and the Overstory.

Author Websites and Profiles
RUTH MITCHELL Website
RUTH MITCHELL Amazon Profile

RUTH MITCHELL’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love writing! I write non-fiction and fiction.

I’ve written three books for moms and am in the process of writing a series of mini-books for moms (50-70 pages long). The mini books are filled with encouragement and practical tips you can put in place that same day.

In addition to my non-fiction for moms, I started writing fiction in Spring 2020. I write sweet-clean romance and have written three books in my series so far. Each book is a stand-alone story, only connected to the others by way of characters who overlap. My characters are relatable and realistic. The challenges they face bring readers into the story. My books are filled with swoon-worthy moments and always end in a happily ever after.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Romancing the Rancher is my latest book. It’s the story of Ryder, a man who has grown up on a ranch his whole life. At the time of the story, he has begun to feel restless and wants something more. Patrice is a spunky woman who lives in Los Angeles and has worked her way up in the fashion industry. When she comes to Hill Country, Texas for work and a visit with friends, Patrice intends to indulge her cowboy fetish. Meeting Ryder exceeds what Patrice had in mind. But, they are from different worlds. Can they bridge their differences and find a way to make a relationship work between them?

My inspiration for the book came from the many trips I have taken with one of my dearest friends to Hill Country Texas. When I started writing fiction, Patrice “showed up” as the best friend of one of my characters in book one. I immediately knew I wanted her to find her forever love. Patrice has a thing for cowboys, so the idea of bringing her to Hill Country to meet her rancher grew over time and I knew I wanted to write their story.

Patrice is a woman of color and I wanted to acknowledge the challenges she and Ryder would face, not only bridging the differences between his bucolic life and her lifestyle of fashion and city-living. I wanted to work through the difficulties couples often face when they enter into a biracial relationship. While my book isn’t “agenda-driven,” I would be remiss to write their story without addressing the way family and friends react to them being interracial. So, the story brings in their challenges and also works through some of the ways they handle these issues when they come up.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Doesn’t every writer have unusual writing habits? For example, I have a friend who writes prolifically and she uses her thumbs to type on her phone while she’s on the elliptical! That’s not me … I’d never be able to coordinate writing and an elliptical machine … That would be the last book I ever wrote–published posthumously! But, I do have my quirks. One is that I write very fast. I wrote my first work of fiction in a week. I also rarely hit writer’s block. I think that is because I take breaks between books until I feel the book percolate and bubble up and press me to get it out onto “paper” (computer). Then I write and write and write. Since I don’t force myself to write daily, I don’t think I hit many of the walls that daily writers encounter. If I’m not ready to write, I don’t. And when I am, watch out, it’s time for me to hole up and write for hours and hours.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jamie Langston Turner is one of my all-time favorite fiction writers. Her books inspire me to write relatable characters and real-life situations. Emma St. Clair is a dear friend of mine. She writes sweet-clean romance and has mentored me in my journey toward being a better writer. In non-fiction, Lysa TerKeurst and Alli Worthington have inspired me.

What are you working on now?
I’m now working on book four in my series: Not Falling for My Boss. It’s an enemies to lovers story about a young executive who runs his own financial planning company and his type-A office manager. I love the way this story is shaping up. It’s still in the brainstorming stage of development, but it already has some surprising and delightful elements.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My ARC team (Advanced Readers) are awesome! They share my book through word-of-mouth and they leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and BookBub. Beyond their amazing support, I usually do some paid promos like Freebooksy, free99books, and others.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write because you love it. Don’t let the drama and demands of writing life keep you from writing and creating and loving the process. Commit yourself to honing the craft of storytelling for the rest of your life.

Write first, edit later. Don’t let your editing brain keep you from writing.

Find other writers who are awesome and generous and pick their brains. Pour into other writers and form communities with them. We thrive together.

Take hurtful feedback into consideration. What could be true about what they said? How can I improve what I wrote based on this feedback? What is just opinion, and what might be fact?

Don’t skimp on your cover. It really is a make-it-or-break-it first impression to your reader.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Best writing advice: Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, kill your darlings (Stephen King). He was referring to the fact that we have to be willing to edit and edit and cut the things we love in order to make the story the best it can be.

Best advice for life: Trust God; Clean House; Help Others.

What are you reading now?
OH MY GOODNESS. Now, now? I’m finishing Rachel John’s book Engaging Mr. Darcy (a modern P&P revision). I am also listening to Letters to the Lost on audiobook. I read almost a book a day — sometimes more — so check with me tomorrow and you’ll hear other titles. Today I finished a Whitney Dineen book that wasn’t my favorite of all hers, but still was a fun read. I’m also reading The Fire in Fiction. It’s a book for writers about craft. Loving it so far!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing this five-book series. Then I have another series in my imagination–set at a coastal inn in Connecticut, run by twin sisters. After that, I have a women’s fiction story bubbling up in my heart. It’s about a woman going through a mid-life crisis, wondering if her mediocre life and bland marriage are all she has to show for living. I’m also working on my mini-books for moms (non-fiction). The next one is on time management.

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?
Seriously? This is a question we have to answer? If I were going to be stranded on an island and I could take only three books I would take Some Wildflower in My Heart by Jamie Langston Turner, The Bible, and the C.S. Lewis. Signature Classics Anthology. Yes. I’m cheating by taking an anthology. Honestly, I’d grow weary of the story, but I love it so much that I’ve re-read it many times, so it proves to be an old friend I want to revisit. How can we honestly pick three books? Thank God we don’t have to!

Author Websites and Profiles
Patty H Scott Website
Patty H Scott Amazon Profile

Patty H Scott’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tom Reissmann grew up under socialism in East Germany. After the fall of the Wall, he ventured out into the world, a journey that led him to live in seven different countries. He attended University in Britain and Australia and became a travel videographer, ensuring his global adventures continue.

Having witnessed the peaceful transition from a rigid, self-protective system in East Germany, he remains optimistic about the future of the world and its ability to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances and technology.

Often dismayed by dystopian visions of the future depicted in many books and movies, Thomas felt compelled to write a more optimistic science fiction novel offering a brighter outlook, while also discussing the obvious dangers of artificial intelligence and the current drift into authoritarianism, alternate realities, and surveillance capitalism.

Tom is a writer for International Living and the creator of an award-winning documentary (The Grizzly Truth) that helped to end the grizzly-bear-hunt in British Columbia, Canada.

His fiction is informed by science, history, and philosophy. Tom has worked with several science advisors and editors to produce The Reality Games.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Reality Games. I believe we are inundated with bad news every single day and it is all doom and gloom. However, looking at history and statistics (Sapiens by Harari) our world is actually more peaceful and safer than ever before. It seems that technology and science can solve most problems but we’re always focused on the problems. Therefore, I wanted to write utopian and optimistic fiction while also warning about technology and climate change.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write like a maniac. I forget to eat and drink and just get caught up in the process.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Books such as Sapiens, The Grand Design, Homo Deus, The Three-Body Problem, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and Our Final Invention have inspired the narrative of The Reality Games, along with TV Series like Black Mirror, Devs, and Westworld.

What are you working on now?
Promoting The Reality Games.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
A variety of different ones.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just pour it out and then perfect it with feedback from others and editors.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
shorter is better

What are you reading now?
Hoax by Brian Stelter

What’s next for you as a writer?
Write a sequel

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?
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, The Tao of Poo

Author Websites and Profiles
Tom Reissmann Website
Tom Reissmann Amazon Profile

Tom Reissmann’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve always been into everything creative. For my whole life, that’s been through writing and performing before more recently in which I’ve dabbled in crafts.

The closest thing to a “regular” job I have is working in theme park entertainment while my others consist of selling handmade crafts and writing (literature or travel blogging). My hobbies consist of reading, writing, aerial arts, playing music, and visiting amusement attractions.

Masqueraded: Act One is the first book that I’ve published but is not the first book I’ve written. I’ve always pursued creative writing, but I first started working on full on books in 2012. As of the moment, I have another series and two stand alone books that I know I’ll be publishing next before going back to the drawing board for new one. Masqueraded will be a trilogy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Masqueraded: Act One is my latest book, the first of three Acts in its series, and my first published book.

I first got a fleeting idea of writing a story centered around a circus, carnival theme and that concept eventually evolved into what Masqueraded is today. Amusement attractions have always been a fascination of mine and I feel like there’s a lot of untapped potential in stories surrounding them. I also like more weird, dark, unconventional twists to typically lighthearted, whimsical things. So, it was no question that Masqueraded would be just that.

The title is a more eloquent way of saying deceived, because that’s the most prevailing theme in the book/series; what’s real and what’s a lie?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if it’s all too unusual, but I go in major phases when it comes to writing.

Typically there will be about four or so months where I’m writing every day, all day. But every several days, I’ll change up which stories I’m working on. As such, I have a lot of other stories in the works, but Masqueraded: Act One was the first one I finished.

After a while of writing nonstop, I then go a few months where I’ve got nothing mentally and am at a block. But, I’ve been really kicking that lately. I’m pushing myself to just continue writing–pacing myself so I don’t get burnt out–but to keep at it everyday. I like to think that if I put anything down, it’s just a skeleton. I can go back and change or beautify it, but just put something down. Sometimes, that’ll spawn ideas that you hadn’t thought of for the story. Other times, I just pull something from real life as a concept idea and play around with that.

But that’s definitely something I’m working to do away with, because I’m ready to finish off more books. Creating different story lines and story worlds is a blast.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think the major, end all be all for me is the Brothers Grimm Fairytales. They are so eccentric and sometimes unsettling that it fascinates me. It’s that oxymoron of lighthearted, fun fairytales with a rogue dark, bizzare, or nonsensical edge to them.

I know it’s not necessarily the typical inspiration source, but for me, it’s the embodiment of my fascination with any literature that fits its quirky nature.

What are you working on now?
I have another book called Lacrimosa Medina that will be coming out after Masq: Act One and before Masq: Act Two. It’s what I’m currently fine tuning, in that beautify stage.

It’s more of a somber, gothic, poetical tale in stark contrast with Masqueraded’s wild, zany, sarcastic tone. Its moody, gloomy angst set around an abandoned attraction in Medina that’s haunted by a spirit that met a brutal fate, thus lacrimosa (weeping). It’s something of a paranormal romance which is a new genre, the romance part, for me as I usually take stories down a morbid road rather than into a love story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m most active on Instagram and then my website. Between the two, there’s a lot of fun tidbits you can read and see about Masqueraded before you read it. And, it’s without spoiling any of the story.

I’ve also worked with a few agencies, Silver Daggers as well as 38 Digital Media, on spreading the word. This had led to some fun interviews in book blogs and features in media like the LA Tribune, AP News, Yahoo, and so forth.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m pretty new myself, so bear that in mind. But really, I’d just say go for it.

Keep writing, keep reading, keeping learning about marketing, keep interacting with everyone else in the community, keep learning about all of these matters as well as the outlets you’ll be publishing on–just pursue it. Jump into it and chase it and never stop trying to learn, refine, and create your best.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Back to the writer’s block piece, the advice of writing *anything,* getting anything down in a draft is the best way to keep going.

You might turn around later and change it because you hate it, but that even spawns ideas for what you want to do differently or do next. If you have no starting point, take a page from the real world. Hearing about the pirate Mary Reed and the child she had, whether or not it survived; if it did, it would’ve been an orphan. And that’s what sparked the idea for my lead character in Masqueraded being adopted.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m reading one book after another on SEO, marketing, writing techniques, blogging, and fine tuning creativity.

It’s nothing as exciting as picking up a fiction book, but I’m in a workaholic state right now that I can’t seem to break. So nearly everything I do as of late is somehow pertaining to working.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My blog is a mix of travel and writing. I’ll go to unique places and do posts for them that’ll be helpful for other people to experience that for themselves. But, I also write about the fun facts and history of the various attractions at those places.

The half of it is writing short stories or pieces about books of mine. Some are even of character journals of some of the roles I’ve played and do as an exercise.

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:
1) Bible
2) Brothers Grimm
3) Diary of Chippewa Lake Park

Author Websites and Profiles
Alexis Dees Website
Alexis Dees Amazon Profile

Alexis Dees’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Lucy, I work as a startup consultant for the past eight years and I love it.
Since I started as a freelancer six years ago, the business grew to the global three-directional giant, with directions from strategic development for startups, productivity coaching for entrepreneurs to diversity and inclusion training for corporate clients.

I love what I do, to help more businesses and individuals I write books, so far I authored and co-authores eight books, which are published on Amazon and Bookboon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
StartUp Handbook – How to Convert Your Idea Into a Profitable Business is a second edition of StarUp Handbook.
The idea was simple – help more people to start living their dream, provide effective startup guidance without overcomplicating things.

What are you working on now?
I have two books on Peak Performance coming up soon, this is my pride book series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love working with pubishers, Bookboon has been my favorite for a long time, but it is time to get wider exposure.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do not be afraid and be consistent in your writing. DO as much as you can every single day, without skipping a day:)

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never agree to less

What are you reading now?
Few books on financial literacy and freelancing

What’s next for you as a writer?
Probably some more of self-help and business 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?
Irving Stone, Lust for Life
Amr Okasha, Brain Twister
Anything from Dr. Paul Ekman

Author Websites and Profiles
Lucy Kovalova-Woods Amazon Profile

Lucy Kovalova-Woods’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account