Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Like many writers, I have always wanted to be an author. I knew that it would be hard but I couldn’t let my doubt get the best of my dream. I decided to write for myself and put my stories out there the way I wanted them to be finished.
I started by publishing my short story (novelette), “Day by Day”, which is a romance I began my freshman year of university. I was studying creative writing because I had one end-goal: to become an author. I just published my first full-length novel, “Disturbing Peace”, a dystopian, YA, series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Disturbing Peace” was inspired by my college years. I saw how violent people could be with words and actions towards simple things they didn’t believe in. From being persecuted in school, I decided to write Poppy’s story that had been in my head for some time now. I wanted to turn the world upside down. I wanted to tell a story that didn’t have some political agenda attached, but instead had the heart of humanity attached.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not so unusual, but I have been told my detail is vivid and consistent. I want the reader to not only see the world I’m putting them in but feel and smell it to. To live it. And I use a lot of dialogue because I feel it is so important. More often than not we are having conversations. A writers job is to make those conversations interesting but people don’t just stand and stare at each other while they think.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephanie Meyer made the biggest impact in my life. I don’t care that some people criticize her stories or characters. Those people don’t give her writing a chance because her craft speaks for itself. She influenced me to follow my dream and write a story for the sake of the story getting to live.
Stephen Graham Jones also made a large influence in my writing career. As a student of his for two years I had the opportunity to learn from his talented brain. He’s encouraging and realistic and I needed that.

What are you working on now?
I have many pieces in the works but a sequel of “Disturbing Peace” is coming it will be, “Disrupting Chaos”. After that, I may have a third in the series. From then on, I don’t plan on dystopian being my genre any more. I have plans for more YA novels with a less futuristic toll.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s something I’m avidly working on. When you publish yourself you trade marketing for your novel done in your own way. And I knew that when I gave up on queries for my first novel. But, I want to prove you can be just as successful when you self-publish with hard work. Getting into physical stores is a large stepping stone I’m working towards.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing a book is not as hard as you think. Just write it. Don’t make it perfect, that comes later. But, don’t write it just to write it. Write it as the story that needs to be told. If the characters aren’t begging you to tell the story, look for another. The characters are now your family and you should know them better than you know yourself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stephen Graham Jones once told me, “If you don’t ever write it down it will never come to life… At least once you should erase your entire story and rewrite it. You’ll be amazed what comes out of it.”

What are you reading now?
I’m catching up on the newest of the classics of my time. “A Ballad of Songbird and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins in the Hunger Games series. And “Midnight Sun” by Stephanie Meyer in the Twilight series. It’s inspiration to me that if you write a good enough story, the fans will always stick by your side.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books I suppose. Getting into book stores, advertising, and writing always.

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 Help”, “Twilight”, and “The Hobbit”

Author Websites and Profiles
Nicolle Caputa Website

Nicolle Caputa’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Fazlous Satter. I am an author, human rights, human security activist, and researcher from Bangladesh, currently working with the Centre for Human Rights, Development & Human Security (CHRDHS) as its founding Executive Director. I am also working as an Independent Research Consultant focusing on human rights, geopolitics, natural resources based conflict, and other human security-related issues. I have two published books.

Being a researcher I have numbers of research on human rights and human security in particularly on emerging as well as prevailing domestic conflicts, regional geopolitics, border and enclave people, police reform, indigenous land rights, forest conflicts, vulnerabilities of ethnic minority women as well as on land administration, and its challenges.

My newly published book is titled ” Understanding the World’s Longest Civil War: Colonial State Formations, Geopolitics, Conflict over Natural Resources, and the Genocide. ” which is now available at amazon.

This book is an overview of over seven decades-long civil war in Burma and its both internal and external actors, root causes as well as complex dynamics including global and regional geopolitics centering Burma, conflict over access and control of rich natural resources and also the politics of illicit drugs.

One of my research publication titled “Struggle for Survival: A Study on the Legal Status of the Mandi Peoples’ Land Rights in Modhupur Forest Area” is enlisted in the libraries of some of the world-famous universities that include Yale, Colombia, U-Chicago, UC Berkeley, Illinois, Minnesota, Heidelberg, Max Plank Institute, Iowa, etc.

Being an activist I have also participated in several international human rights training programs that include 23rd Annual International Human Rights Training Program (IHRTP) conducted by the International Centre for Human Rights Education (EQUITAS); which at that time known as the Canadian Human Rights Foundation (CHRF) and 16th Geneva Advance Training Course (GTC) on International Human Rights Law and Diplomacy organized by the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR).

As a part of my online activism, I am also working as an administrator of a few social media groups on human rights, environmental justice, and geopolitics.

Besides activism and research, I was also involved with both print and electronic media of Bangladesh as a journalist for a long while.

Being a journalist I was involved with various national level media that includes Radio Metro-Wave (Head of News), Weekly Jai Jai Din (Political analyst & Regular Columnist), Jai Jai Din Protidin (Senior Reporter), Daily Ajker Kagoj (Sub-Editor), Dainik Desh Bangla (Senior Reporter), Dainik Lal Sabuj (Sub-Editor), Fortnightly ANANYA (Reporter), etc.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
RESOURCES AND THE GENOCIDE”.

The idea of writing this book came from the immense shock that I have gone through as a human being after knowing about the Rohingya genocide of 2017 perpetrated by the Burmese national armed forces Tatmadaw.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think like writing style, each author has also different writing habits in which she/ he is accustomed to. In my case, it usually takes time to get full concentration to start writing. But when it is back I can spend sleepless days and nights in non-stop writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My life is shaped by the influence of numerous authors and their books in a various phase that includes Karl Max, Friedrich Engles, Vladimir Lenin, Max Weber, Antonio Gramsci, Noam Chomsky, Amartya Sen, Maxim Gorky, Leo Tolstoy, Boris Polevoy, Alex Haley, Vandana Shiva, Arundhati Roy, Naomi Klein, Krishan Chander, Serajul Islam Choudhury and many more.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am working on the political ramification of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Concerning book promotion, I have no experience. My previous book promotion was handled by the concerned publisher in their traditional way.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Please, don’t forget the truth and your intellectual responsibility to expose lies.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read, read, and read as much as possible before writing.

What are you reading now?
My current reading is mainly focused on various research publications, reports, journals, and articles concerning the political ramification of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on common people.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As a writer, I am now focused on the next publication. I think in the life of an author, there is nothing called guaranteed. But I would like to read and write until my death to pursue my passion for uncovering the truth and exposed the lies to see a sustainable peace where people can live without fear with dignity and integrity.

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 Mother- by Maxim Gorky
2.The Story of a Real Man-by Boris Polevoy
3.Family Happiness-Leo Tolstoy
4.In the Light of What We Know-by Zia Haider Rahman

Author Websites and Profiles
Fazlous Satter Website
Fazlous Satter Amazon Profile

Fazlous Satter’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Have written two books Flipside of the Familiar and Darkside Relapsing. Have published creative work in journals such as Oddball Magazine, Vision With Voices, Indiana Voice Journal, Chronogram, Stray Branch Literary and Tuck Magazine

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Darkside Relapsing. For many of us who have been recovering narcissist, the road to recovery is long. Wanted to do a book that is somewhat a recovering narcissist manifesto.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Wondering down alleyways looking for subject matter and sitting at bus stops for inspiration.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Eric Bischoff Controversy Creates Cash and Golf Monster by Alice Cooper

What are you working on now?
Trash Bag Therapy book. It is about using a household object for therapeutical purposes. It could be used as Dollar store emotional relief

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Twitter has worked out well. Have a good group of authors who retweet my information and I do the same thing. It is a mutually beneficial relationship

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Start now! Go full throttle! Stir your creativity. Write ridiculous speeches, absurd poetry and strange step by step guides.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Material is everywhere. If you don’t have anything to write about check your pulse you are not breathing!

What are you reading now?
Humble the Poet Unlearn

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep coming up with projects have a performance group called the Tunnel Performance Society.

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?
James Thurber Thurber Carnival
Seth Godin Purple Cow
Chameleon Aura Billy Chapata

Author Websites and Profiles
Bob Eager Website

Bob Eager’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am 58 years old and am a born again Christian who came to the Lord in 1995. I have served as a church deacon in a Pentecostal church in Zimbabwe for about 10 years. After teaching a university course on community mobilization for 3 years I published my first book titled “Community mobilization and stakeholder participation for development” in 2016. In 2017, I received my calling to write Christian books and have to date written 3 such books (2 published;1 pending). Overall I’ve written 4 books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Template for Leadership. In 2014 I dropped out from a PhD program in Governance and Leadership at the university of Lusaka due to inability to pay the required fees. I also failed to secure a scholarship, so I had no option but to drop out. Since I had already done a lot of research on leadership in preparation for my thesis, I had to pick up the broken pieces in order to write a book on leadership from a Christian perspective after my call to ministry in 2017.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually take casual walks during which I pray and do some meditation. During such occasions, I receive some insights or downloads that I then use in my writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Bible is my primary source of inspiration. John Maxwell’ s 5 Levels of Leadership has also been a big influence.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently reading the Bible and some Christian books, while remaining open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I mainly use social media platforms but I also plan to open a website for promoting my books very soon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. If ever you fail; try, try again!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When intending to do something don’t be side tracked by what people say.

What are you reading now?
The Bible and other Christian books.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I remain open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

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) Template for Leadership by William Chauke.
3) The 5 Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell.
4) Poetic Word by William Chauke

 

William Chauke’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is K.M. My love for fiction struck when I was a young lad. Like many in my generation, Harry Potter stole me away in grade school. Then, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton changed the game in middle school, which was the first time I found that realistic violence or danger could be portrayed in fiction. I dig the idea that fiction can encapsulate someone, and that this experience sparks from words written on a page.

Thus far, I’ve written three books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled A Whistle on the Waves. The novel follows a young immigrant from Ireland who is thrown into the toils of the American Civil War. The song, The Lakes of Pontrartrain, came on NPR one morning while I was driving to my day job and inspired me to write the novel. The beautiful song is the only tangible inspiration for the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My habit is fairly straightforward. I read, I journal, then I write. I do this everyday, usually in the morning.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A countless lists exists in this box.
Hemmingway’s works have inspired me consistently throughout my career. Dostoyevsky’s work I often idolize as an unattainable feat, and I’m always awed by how genius it is. And while we’re listing off cliche geniuses, I’ll go ahead and throw Shakespeare into the mix. I studied his work for years, and have even acted it professionally.
Belive it or not, I often come back to George Carlin’s books whenever I’m feeling unfunny.
And I’ll throw in Johnathan Letham just because I love his books so much.

What are you working on now?
I’m actually rewriting my first book which has been both the greatest joy of my life and the bane of my existence for almost seven years now. It’s a dark comedy called The Ginger Who Snapped.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook, sadly. I’m new to all this shit.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write everyday and often. Read everyday and often. Have specific goals for yourself and hold yourself accountable for them. When you get rejected, let it push you further. Don’t allow yourself to fall victim to the hardships of being an author. Don’t do it for money. Do it because it gives you purpose. Expect to make mistakes. Expect to tell yourself that you suck. Expect every form of self-doubt, and keep writing anyways. Don’t let anything let you quit.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To write everyday. It changed my life entirely.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger, Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, and Principles by Ray Dalio.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To write another book I suppose. I’ve recently finished a third draft of a Mafia series I’m writing. After I finish this draft of The Ginger Who Snapped, I suppose I’ll start the sequel to the trilogy.

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 bring Infinate Jest, because if I were on a desert island, I’d probably actually read the whole thing.
I’d bring Crime and Punishment.
I’d probably bring The Old Man and the Sea.
And a playboy.

Author Websites and Profiles
K.M. Woods Website
K.M. Woods Amazon Profile

K.M. Woods’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m originally from Philadelphia, now residing in South Florida. Back in 2010, I became sick and underwent a kidney transplant that hindered my writing for a time. I had given up.
Once I was cleared to go home from the hospital, I made the decision to go full throttle on my dream of becoming a writer.
Now I’m a brand new author with my first book. It took some years to get here, but it was well worth it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book is called WAR PEACE LOVE: A Collection of Thoughts. It’s pretty much a collection of poems I’ve written over the years that connected with the theme of my book. I happen to read all my poems one day and thought of a great idea for a collection and began to put them together.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if this is unusual but for me to get inspired, I would listen to old school hip-hop. A little Wu-Tang. Maybe some Nas. Some Jay Z. But in order for me to write, I have to listen to Jazz. Miles Davis. Bobby Timmons. Definitely Errol Garner. It sets the mood for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My all-time favorite writers are Octavia Butler, Walter Moseley, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Ta-Nehisi Coates. If I can come as close to their level one day, that would be fantastic.

What are you working on now?
I have a new poetry collection that I’m working on, which I all ready have a name for the book. It’s called Peephole. A friend at work threw that word at me and ask that I write a poem to it. I did. So I thought it would be a great title for my next book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be honest I’m still working that out. I love being on Instagram, but you can’t beat word of mouth, so I’m really trying to get my book out there by telling everyone and anyone willing to listen.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m still learning since I’m a new author but I would definitely say to promote early and get the buzz going ASAP. Use all tools at your disposal.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I know this will sound utterly corny but it’s simple and true. If anyone has ever played the Lottery, their tagline is “You have to be in it to win it.” It’s corny but it holds a lot of weight. You can’t get anywhere if you’re sitting on the sidelines watching. A million dollars don’t fall out of the sky. You have to work for it. Success is hard work.

What are you reading now?
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

What’s next for you as a writer?
Focusing on the next poetry collection and also gathering my short stories for a short story collection. I’m trying to get all of it out there for people to read.

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 Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
Any book written by Walter Moseley
Kindred – Octavia Butler
Invisible Man – Ralph Ellison

Author Websites and Profiles
Bobby Price Amazon Profile

Bobby Price’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I graduated from the College of the Arts at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. As a child, I had several terrifying encounters with the paranormal that included full-bodied apparitions, poltergeist activity, and disembodied voices. Contact with the other side has been the driving force in much of my writings and beliefs; and over the years, writing music became a therapeutic and spiritual conduit, allowing me to connect to the world in a deeper, more meaningful way. Ultimately, this led to his pursuit of a degree in music and my ambition to write my first horror novel, INTO THE HOLLOW.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
INTO THE HOLLOW was inspired by a cross-country road trip to Halloween Horror Nights in California. Seeing the Evil Dead, Insidious, and Nightmare on Elm Street attractions inspired me to write a script for a horror film. After running into difficulties finding actors, I decided to turn the script into a book with Laura Ann’s help. Readers will find the horror attractions reflected in the pop culture references throughout the book. The short film Lights Out was additional inspiration for the theme of the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I listen to gothic, instrumental, dark magic music, specifically the Goetia by Peter Gundry, with pumpkin-scented candles. Also, due to my background in music, I constantly have to reread and remove extra alliterations.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My writing is primarily influence by directors and screenwriters such as Sam Raimi. Additionally, as his works were influenced by HP Lovecraft, my writing was also influenced by default. Lastly, the descriptive nature of my writing can be attributed to the influence of Edgar Allen Poe.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
INTO THE HOLLOW is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Work with someone who has experience; don’t be afraid to ask for help. Write the story you want to read, and don’t worry about what others want.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I’ve been given is to have an outline to give a general direction for the story.

What’s next for you as a writer?
People are already asking for a sequel to this book. Although it is a possibility, there is no plan right now. However, there is a future collaboration planned for a book that takes place during the Salem Witch Trials.

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?
When All Hell Breaks Loose by, Cody Lundin
Extreme Food by, Bear Grylls
Mud, Sweat, and Tears: A Survival Guide for Life by, Bear Grylls

Author Websites and Profiles
Ethan Blake Amazon Profile

Ethan Blake’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I published 1 book and the second one I’m going to publish soon.
I’ve searched for a recipe for peace and happiness for many years.
I searched for it in science. I received a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and worked in the field of molecular neuroscience. This gave me a solid scientific foundation and a comprehensive understanding of the processes that happen in our head. But the science did not give me the answer to the main question: how to live a happy and peaceful life.
Then I searched in ancient traditions: I studied yoga, practiced qigong, meditated, and took part in shamanistic ceremonies and initiations. At the same time, I studied Western psychology and received a M. Sc. in Psychology. I am grateful for these experiences. They didn’t give me an answer to all of my questions, but they pointed me in the right direction.
In my practice now I use a synthesis of all of my experiences. I am positive that the methods described in this book can be safely used for independent work with anxiety. I saw my clients overcome severe panic attacks that had been going on for years and improve the quality of their lives. Real client stories are described in this book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
STRESS, FEAR, PANIC ATTACKS, AND ANXIETY RELIEF

This book was written based on years of my work experience.
The result is a provocative read that provides 3 effective methods to overcome the most of your phobias:
– EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE (EFT);
– EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR);
– DAVID BERCELI’S METHOD.
However, if you prefer to stay passive, despairing, and hoping that someone or something will help you without an effort on your part, you should not read this book. It will not help you.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, I have not

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Dare by Barry McDonagh

What are you working on now?
The next book about phobias. I can’t say more before I finish it 😉

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t know, because it’s my first book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m also a new author and I have not enough exp to give any advice yet.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stay hungry, stay foolish!

 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was about 11 years old when I joined my first book club. I have enjoyed reading, researching and learning ever since. Whenever I sensed that I would be required to wait somewhere, I would always take some literature along to read. During my legal career, I became quite comfortable writing contracts, position statements and memoranda. Just now I have started writing books. My genre is nonfiction on topics of global interest. I have now written one medium sized book and one shorter book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book is entitled “Light Astonishes Time.” My latest book is entitled “Truth and Reconstructed Truth: amidst covid, freedom & conspiracies.” During the year of 2020, all of us have been bombarded by this story and that story about the upheaval in society. I decided to go back in history several centuries to study the development of how truth managed to disintegrate into reconstructed truth. My latest book traces two worldviews through the centuries in the context of gathering, analyzing and disseminating information.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I studied both engineering and law. I thus tend to be analytical in a practical way, as well as philosophical in a contemplative way. I do not just seek answers to questions. Instead, I also try to understand the thought process, the rationale, behind opinions and conclusions. Where experts in a particular discipline come to different conclusions, I conduct thorough analytics on both positions to ascertain which offers the more credible rationale.
Practically speaking, one of my most unique writing habits is that I often get inspiration between 2:00 am and 4:00 am. I would get up and scribble a few notes. I could retrace those inspirations the next morning as long as I could decipher at least every third or fourth word from my scribbles.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am just learning the business of writing and promoting books. I am by nature an introvert and so I do appreciate the support of writers and readers. The vibe and energy that seems to flow from the awesome gang is very encouraging.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
An endeavor is most worthwhile when it came with a sacrifice.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
If I could not figure out how to craft some mode of transportation from some island trees, then my mind would definitely drift to my philosophical side. Such being the case, I would want daily reassurance that I am not alone; that there is some entity bigger and greater than my little island. I would want to be assured that some entity bigger than and external to my problem is still dwelling with me. I would want literature from different eras of human history. I would want to read Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Thomas Aquinas and King Solomon.

Author Websites and Profiles
W. Charles Drewitz Amazon Profile

 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a TV commentator and Radio host, and author. I have done 8 audiobooks.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Trust Inside and Diet Fiction

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.K. Rowling and Gabrielle Bernstein

What are you working on now?
More self help books to come.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
None

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Follow your Bliss.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always write what you know.

What are you reading now?
The universe has your back by Gabrielle Bernstein.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully write more

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?
Books on psychic development

Author Websites and Profiles
Kris Kourtis Website
Kris Kourtis Amazon Profile

Kris Kourtis’s Social Media Links
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a science nerd and tech geek that happens to also be a creative storyteller, flexing both my right and left brain at the same time. Being a champion of the underdogs is something that I’m deeply passionate about as a social entrepreneur and content marketer; you can check out my LIKE A BOSS podcast and other bits to learn more. I’ve written two books thus far. My first, “One Sip at a Time: a Memoir” was about my now deceased best friend who was a woman ahead of her time: she was the first female VP at Revlon, shook up perfume advertising and was among the first divorcees who had to pay alimony to their ex-husbands. My second book, “The Battle for Humanity,” is a dystopian thriller that’s become a little too-close-to-home with the ongoing pandemic.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Battle for Humanity” is a hard science thriller that was inspired by the expected “command performance” of scientists who were expected to yield a vaccine for COVID essentially on the day that it was discovered. And to rally against the growing xenophobia that was rising after the wet markets in Wuhan, China were targeted.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know that my writing habits are unusual or any different than other writers, but, I tend to “get in the zone” after everyone else has gone to bed and type furiously through the night until I’m tapped!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dean Koontz, Tom Clancy and others who have a distinct data-rich and informative style of writing where the details matter but you get so caught up in the thrilling plot that the book moves along quickly.

What are you working on now?
I’m fleshing out the story line of my third book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Twitter and author promotion accounts have been helpful.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Celebrate your accomplishment of finishing your first book! It’s competitive out there with more than 2 million books published annually. That’s almost more books than eyeballs so it can be very challenging to get noticed.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Hold onto the mantra, “I’m not too old, it’s not too late” and do whatever it is that you’ve always meant to do!

What are you reading now?
Essentialism by Greg McKeown

What’s next for you as a writer?
I ghost-write blogs, scientific papers, articles, two weekly columns for a Top 50 media publication, and other forms of content on a daily basis so I don’t have the time that I’d like to dedicate to my next book. But, I’ll find a 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?
A Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (eternally timeless)
Rising Strong by Brenee Brown (inspirational)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (society can do better in science & equality)

Author Websites and Profiles
Loralyn Mears Website
Loralyn Mears Amazon Profile

Loralyn Mears’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 67 and have just published my first book. Given that the process took me 30+ years, a second book seems like a long shot. I am being flippant, but the truth is that the story I have released was bequeathed to me and demanded to be told. What took most of the time was my struggle to learn how to be a writer who could effectively tell that story. I have been writing all my life, as a lawyer and as a judge, so I was confident in my ability to communicate clearly in print and even prided myself on making technical points in plain English. Telling emotional truths along with factual ones and bringing characters to life turned out to be entirely new skills, however.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Choosing Life: My father’s journey from Hollywood to Hiroshima. My father’s crew took the only color footage of the aftermath of the atomic bombings only to have it classified as top secret by the US Government. He tried for decades to get access to make a film to show the American people what the reality of nuclear weapons was. As a teen, I was active in the peace movement and could not understand why my father was not marching at my side. Only in his late years was he able to connect with a Japanese group that managed to obtain a copy of the footage and track down some of the survivors my father had filmed. When he died, his last wish was to have his ashes scattered at Ground Zero in Hiroshima. I took my daughter there and we spent a year speaking to the survivors. What inspired me to write was a deep duty to tell the truths that were entrusted to me by my father and by the survivors.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
During a writers’ residency, I was wrestling with how to manage the intertwining stories that make up the book. I chopped up the manuscript and tacked all the pieces on the walls of the writers’ studio and started moving them around. It looked as if the work had been destroyed by a tornado, but it helped me enormously in structuring the book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Honor Moore and Nick Flynn (both memoirists) included me in writers’ residencies and taught me the basics of telling a true story while employing tools of fiction such as creating distinct scenes, employing all my sense and developing a clear voice.
On learning to write well, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones. In preparing for the topic, I read dozens of books on WWII, on the decision to drop the bomb, on Japanese history and culture, on the US Occupation of Japan, and, of course, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

What are you working on now?
Right now, having just released my book, I am trying to learn to “market” it, which turns out to be an endeavor calling for as much new learning as writing it did.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The most critical tool was creating a good website for the book to which everything else points. I was very lucky to have a friend who had the professional skills to do that and who was also moved by the story and willing to volunteer the time to set it up and teach me how to use it for blogging, reviews, and events. The biggest source of traffic to the website so far is from Facebook as a result of my own posts there and also a 3-week Facebook ad campaign run with the publishing company. I have also benefited from being active in the Authors’ Guild and Goodreads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to trust your vision for your project but listen to advice about how best to realize that vision.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment.” I embrace the idea that making mistakes is the only path to making progress. (It was also a useful saying to keep me sane when my daughter was a teenager — and it worked, she is now my best friend and a sage adviser in many ways!)

What are you reading now?
Kendi’s How to be an Anti-Racist (along with half the world, it seems); Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach

What’s next for you as a writer?
For now, I am trying to frame shorter pieces from the same material as the book in an effort to place them in online sites, magazines or journals.

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?
Joyce’s Ulysses; Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past; the Complete Works of Shakespeare; and the Bible. OK, not light reading, but they ought to keep me engaged no matter how long I am stuck and give me enough food for my own thought to distract me from worrying about it.

Author Websites and Profiles
Leslie Sussan Website
Leslie Sussan Amazon Profile

Leslie Sussan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love to read and write. I crochet, knit, quilt and sew. Mostly, I read and write. My first book is a re-telling of the classic fairy tale Cinderella. I added plot twists and family drama. My intention was to show the dynamics of a family with three sisters. This story my interpretation of what happened without a magic wand. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did writing it!
My second book is a completely different flavor than my first book. I have since, finished two other books that are waiting in the wings for their turn to shine!
Right now, I am in the process of writing for a series. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My second book is a historical romance set in Wyoming Territory in the 1800’s. I had a good time with the banter between the hero and heroine in the story. There are a lot of misconceptions in the story. My husband came up with the word “fallacious”. He was reading a list of unusual words. So, I looked up the definition and began to plot the story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to eat Twizzler bites. I call them my thinking vitamins. I find if I munch on them while I write, my scenes turn out better!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have so many favorite romance authors it is hard to say which ones influenced me the most. I have been an avid reader for years. In thinking back, I would have to say Barbra Cartland was most influential in my life. My older sister and I used to sneak her books out of my mom’s bottom drawer where she kept them hidden from Dad. We would read them and sneak them back as if nothing ever happened. Those books were my first romance books. I have been an avid reader ever since.

What are you working on now?
I am working on another historical romance set in Wyoming Territory in the 1800’s. I cannot give too many details away, but it should be a fun read.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like Awesome Gang! Newsletters, blog tours, Twitter, Facebook are all good promotional ideas.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it! Just like everything else writing is a matter of practice. Practice makes perfect.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Perseverance is a virtue!

What are you reading now?
I am reading books by my fellow authors of The Wild Rose Press. I have to say, we have some talented and intriguing authors!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing, keep writing, keep writing!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Gone With the Wind, The Notebook, The Thorn Birds, and A Knight in Shining Armor

Author Websites and Profiles
VIRGINIA BARLOW Website
VIRGINIA BARLOW Amazon Profile

VIRGINIA BARLOW’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello,
I am a new author, a breast cancer survivor, and a mental health advocate.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My debut memoir, Finding Czarinaty: The Journey To Peace Through Cancer, was inspired by my personal breast cancer journey and the yearning to find myself and live in peace.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I typically like to describe in three’s.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Eric Jerome Dickey
Mary B Morrison
Maya Angelou
Anthony Joiner

What are you working on now?
I am working on a journal/workbook as a supplemental guide to the book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Https://www.peaceandczarinaty.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be sure to write everything that comes to mind first. Then go back and refine the storytelling.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
write from the heart then write with your mind

What are you reading now?
Being Number One by Candice Lenoir

What’s next for you as a writer?
We will see in the days to come.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible for sure!

 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My home town is Wrexham, North Wales, though my partner and I have moved around a lot in the UK before settling in Cardiff twenty years ago. I have written four novels all of them influenced by either my own experiences or those of friends.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Text me from your Grave was inspired by a visit to an old Abbey in a place called Holywell not far from the North Wales coast. A legend surrounding an ancient eighth century well and Saint Winefride made me think about how I could weave the ghost of Saint Winefride into a modern murder mystery/detective story. I thought the best way to do this was to first connect the ancient ghost with a modern one and see how far I could develope the story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t have a set pattern for writing, but I make sure I write a few hours every day. When I write depends on what is happening that particular day. If a friend invites me out for coffee and cake or lunch or some other such thing, I rarely refuse! I just grab a few hours every day when I can. Sometimes I write all day (about 6 hours) with plenty of tea or coffee breaks!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Donna Tartts ‘Secret History’ had a long lasting affect on me as indeed Carlos Ruiz Zafron’s ‘Shadow of the Wind’. More recently I have admired ‘Eleanor Oliphant is completely Fine’ by Gail Honeyman and ‘The Muse’ by Jessie Burton. Reading these books made me realise that it isn’t so much about how you write but what you write. That said, I like the writing to flow so that there are no awkward ‘bumps’ in the story. I’ve read a lot of crime novels lately and I am experimenting with some ideas to write one of my own.

What are you working on now?
I am in the process of editing my latest novel “The Keeper”. It is probably best put in the category of ‘Crime’ though it would easily fit into the genre of ‘Commercial Fiction’. It might just fit into a psychological thriller. I seem to have a knack of writing novels that appear to have a genre of their own! It is about a young widow wanting to start a new life in a different town with her small daughter. Unfortunately, her helping hand leads her to abducting three young children. From then on it becomes a cat and mouse game with the police.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still trying to find the best way to promote my books. Before the lockdown I had planned on organising a tour of various towns with some fellow writers. Local bookshops organise ‘Book signing events’ which so far I haven’t managed to do, but hopefully when the pandemic is over, I can do that. Websites such as this one is a big step for me, so hopefully it well help. The website A – Z of Welsh Writers is a good stepping stone. I advertised it on FB and sold a few books on the strength of that. But you have to keep plugging away.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I joined a writer’s circle a year ago and have learned a lot from fellow writers. It helps to give you confidence in what you do. It is nice to talk to fellow writers and to bounce ideas off them. Similarly a group of friends decided to start a book club and we have read a huge cross section of books over the last two years. It is interesting to learn what readers like and don’t like. We don’t always agree! Yes we have wine and cheese too, but we are serious about the books!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up on your dreams. Believe in yourself and work hard.

What are you reading now?
I’ve just bought Mick Herron’s ‘Down Cemetery Road’. I haven’t read any of his books before, so tonight I will make a start.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I still have ideas in my head for at least three more books. If one of my ideas for a detective series takes off then maybe I will write more. Meanwhile my local library have got to know me and bought my first three books. When the city library opens properly to the public again, I have been promised a slot for an “author sign in”.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
‘A month in the Country’ by J. Carr, a gentle story of an artist’s encounters in post war North Yorkshire; Headhunters by Jo Nesbo, a very involved crime novel to bury myself in and ‘Life of Pi’ by Yann Martel. I’ve seen the film but never read the book. It might uplift me if I’m on a desert island.

Author Websites and Profiles
Pamela Cartlidge Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an author, designer, illustrator and artist. Mostly I do digital design work for software companies based in London. Recently I have also been working for the UN helping them design new digital services. I have written two novels and a few short stories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Cybernetic Soul is the first book in a new series of science fiction novels I have been planning for a while now. I wanted to start these books for a couple of years and when I left the UN I took the chance start.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don;t know about unusual. My rule is that each day I do not have to write anything, but I do have to read the last couple of pages I wrote, and I nearly always end up writing more.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many indirectly and probably none directly. Directly I have been inspired by movies and TV. These include original Star Wars and Star Trek pre 2010s. Indirectly I love Terry Pratchett, Bernard Cornwell, Neil Gaiman and many many more.

What are you working on now?
The next in the series of Starship Starstrel novels. Check out the first in the series called Cybernetic Soul on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FXR6G4H/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_dWeoFbJRTWBCB

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do not know for sure. My work has always been praised but I have never been very good at selling.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do a first draft before you start worrying about the detail. Just do a bit every day and don;t worry too much about the quality until the second draft. Use a good editor!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I met Neil Gaiman at his home many years ago. He told me what his father told him: Just write.

If you are a writer, then write. Sometimes it is hard work, but you have to push through.

What are you reading now?
I am in between books, but I have an odd hankering for Judge Dredd, so I will probably check out the latest from that stable.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I need to work on my style and simply keep writing. As mentioned earlier, I will be continuing the Starship Starstrel novels.

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?
Hm… Hm… The Lord of the Rings. Hm… The Winter King trilogy by Bernard Cornwell (I count this as one), Good Omens and maybe… Pillars of the Earth.

Author Websites and Profiles
NIKOLAI BIRD Website
NIKOLAI BIRD Amazon Profile

NIKOLAI BIRD’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my first book. Because I was not gifted with artistic talent it was necessary for me to seek out and find a professional artist whose talent I respect and whose work ethic matched mine.
After twenty years as an educator I decided to find a way to express my odd sense of humor in a comic book format.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
On The Verge
There wasn’t any one event responsible for this book. It materialized on its own one image at a time from everyday events and observations of the world around me. As a born observer with an outsider’s point of view, it is easy to look at people and their behavior in a different way.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
What can be frustrating is the habit, totally out of my control, of getting ideas at odd times, most often when I’m trying to sleep, so keeping a notepad and pen next to my bed stand is vital otherwise the images in my head disappear just as quickly as they occur.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
For this book, Gary Larson’s The Far Side is an influence even though I haven’t read any of the series for twenty-five or more years.

What are you working on now?
Depending on the outcome of this 30 page book there is another 80 images waiting to be illustrated.

 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Howdy – so, I am in my late thirties and for the first time I’ve published a book – The Awakening. I’ve written fan fiction stuff before to do with Star Trek, and a few other little pieces, but this first published book feels different to me.

Beyond that, I live and work in Essex, in the UK – my wife and daughter keep me grounded, and I am fortunate enough to enjoy my sales role, designing bathrooms. I love most forms of sci-fi, especially Star Trek, but also Star Wars (yes, you can like both), Doctor Who and Babylon 5, among others. Sci-fi also forms the majority of what I read, including the works of David Weber and Peter F Hamilton, among others.

I can’t not mention my lifelong enjoyment of all things Nintendo – I’m a child of the 90s, formed by that decade and all things Mario, Zelda and Star Fox. Formula 1 is my main sporting interest, though for my sins, I support Liverpool football club.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Awakening is about seeing a human/alien war from the perspective of the aliens. To them, *we* are the bad guys, and I wanted to explore that concept. Alongside this is the theme of cultural indoctrination and breaking free of it, Hence, ‘The Awakening’.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I do anything especially unusual – I simply write to please myself first and foremost, and see how things progress from there.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Roald Dahl was a big early staple of mine – James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG… all are timeless classics to me. As I have grown older, the works of David Weber, John Scalzi and Peter F Hamilton have shaped how I write.

What are you working on now?
There’s a sequel to The Awakening which is kind of written already, but undergoing major changes. I also have a dystopian future story and a story set in the here and now about revenge in the works.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, I’ve been blasting the Amazon link via Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr, as well as via my personal site, and I’ve put the link out there on some web forums I use.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think the most important thing is to make yourself happy with what you write. If you aren’t enjoying your own material, you cannot expect anyone else to. I’d also say that if you are stuck on one story, start or continue a different story, to keep the creative juices flowing and stave off writer’s block.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I was told to be mindful of exposition. It’s an easy trap to fall into, whereas letting the characters tell the story means the story unfolds with the characters, as they experience events. It makes things feel more real.

What are you reading now?
I’ve recently finished a bunch of stories I found on the Kindle store. Transmission and Negation Force are among the most recent ones.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Honest answer is that I don’t know. The Awakening sequel(s?) is underway, and the other projects will take me in a different direction. I might take a stab at an Ancient Rome story.

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?
Ooooh – I’m not sure I can answer this! The Old Man’s War trilogy is a zippy, snappy series that is always entertaining. The Void trilogy is epic in scope and has some brilliant characters. It might have to be the former, if only because if I were to escape the island the books wouldn’t sink my raft.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ben Berwick Website
Ben Berwick Amazon Profile

Ben Berwick’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account