Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Written? many
Published? 2 so far. I hope to come out with the third soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Goan Holiday. When I wrote One Monsoon in Mumbai, I wanted to pursue the story behind two side characters and see what got them to do something so illogical, so evidently self-defeating.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I thrash out my plot on long drives.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Like a lot of other writers: Jane Austen
P. G. Wodehouse is another.
Erle Stanley Gardner
Anuja Chauhan among Indian writers.
I love the sheer drama of Erich Segal.

I read many others but can’t say my writing is influenced by their works. Current fav to read is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I loved the first 4 books of the Harry Potter series. Indian myth-litt author Krishna Udayasankar is an all-time fav. Nora Roberts prior to 2010 ish. Stephen King, Mark Twain, Tom Clancy, Robert Pirsig… the list goes on.

What are you working on now?
Book 3 of the Indian Summer series. Plus,. one other work I can’t talk about right now.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Trying out now; will let you know later. 🙂

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Make time to write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can’t edit a blank page. Write even if you end up deleting the scene later.

What are you reading now?
A mythology retelling

What’s next for you as a writer?
A cowriting project, followed by a contemporary romcom/suspense which is my forte.

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 Kindle. 😀

Author Websites and Profiles
Anitha Perinchery Website
Anitha Perinchery Amazon Profile

Anitha Perinchery’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
A.G. Vlahos was born and raised in Maryland with a special fondness for the Eastern Shore. Countless summers were spent visiting the coastal towns along the Chesapeake Bay. ‘Bella the Blue Crab’ is a tribute to the beloved Maryland blue crab and is the first book in the Bella the Blue Crab series. This beautifully illustrated Children’s book pays homage to the towns where the Chesapeake Bay blue crab is celebrated and enjoyed.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My recent Children’s book is ‘Bella the Blue Crab,’ and my beloved daughter was the inspiration for the book. Bella the Blue Crab promotes the importance of being a positive role model through acts of kindness and good deeds. These wonderful qualities are demonstrated when Bella helps her fellow Sea creatures, and as a result, helps saves the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Very interesting question, but none that I have been told!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many of the Children’s books we’ve read to our daughter, have helped inspire my passion for writing a Children’s series. I believe our children provide so much inspiration and great material to get our creative juices flowing.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the next story for the Bella the Blue Crab series. Bella’s adventures will take her on an exciting trip through the Atlantic ocean, with many exciting stops along the way to help her friends in need.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
AwesomeGang has been the most forward thinking and helpful that I have come across in assisting Authors with their book promotions and spreading the word.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is simple – write about what you enjoy and believe in. If you believe in your idea, don’t let the doubt creep in that you can’t do this. Everyone starts somewhere, and those that succeed are the ones who didn’t cave at the first, second or third sign of rejection. Also you must be open to feedback and critiquing, and have thick skin!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you strongly believe in your book and your idea, keep moving forward.

What are you reading now?
I enjoy reading Mystery Thrillers in my personal time, which is scarce. I also enjoy exploring the wide variety of Children’s books available these days. I particularly enjoy books that promote kindness and helping others by being a positive role model.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working to continue my Bella the Blue Crab series

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That is a great question, and I believe the Bible should be one of those books.

Author Websites and Profiles
A.G. Vlahos Amazon Profile

A.G. Vlahos’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was raised in a western Pennsylvania town with a population of 5,000. My access to books was limited to the school library until the age of 12 years old. My neighbor was establishing the town library and asked me to help her. I worked for $0.25 an hour checking in books and re-stacking them on the shelves. It was then that I discovered many things to learn by scanning book titles and checking-out many books to read. I learned that reading was a fun way to learn many different things that were not discussed or taught in school. I attended college and graduate school in PA, TX, and D.C. in the fields of political science, economics, and finance. I earned my private pilot’s license, joined the Air Force, co-built an experimental aircraft and lived across the U.S. and in England. I believe that the more you learn, work, read, travel and experience, the easier it is to be a storyteller. Now I write to help make learning fun for children who choose to read for entertainment. I hope that you enjoy my storytelling and feel the same as I do – that it’s important to learn the difference between FACT and FICTION AND that reading is a fun way to learn, because learning is a lifetime experience!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book and latest is The Critter Family: The Fun Begins! It is the first in The Critter Family series. Book 2 entitled The Critter Family: Exploring the Shenandoah will be released in late May followed by Book 3 entitled The Critter Family: To Wyoming and Back! while will be released in August. I was on vacation when I completed a day of touring and sat down with my computer and began making a list of critters (animals). My husband asked what I was doing. I said that everyone loves animals, maybe I’ll write a book. Then 3 months later I began. I wrote over 300 pages which are not the basis for the first 3 books in the series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a background in political science/economic/finance and have accomplished a significant amount of research and analysis in these areas. I believe that to understand and learn anything, a person needs to be able to pull up information. When I did these things, search engines didn’t exist so I needed to use library catalogs and search through library stacks, something students today aren’t quite as familiar with. But my writing habits haven’t changed much. I begin forming ideas and start writing. After my first draft, more ideas come to mind. The difference in writing this children’s book series from my earlier research is that all kinds of fun ideas come to mind at all times of the day and night and must be captured. I also have unsolved issues in the stories that I will revisit in later books in the series.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Eevi Jones, author of “How to Self-Publish a Children’s Book”

What are you working on now?
I am editing Book 3 in The Critter Family series, have outlined Book 4, and am ready to take pen to paper. (or keyboard strokes on the computer!)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Website is at http://www.barbarabanks.studio/taxiway.
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BarbaraBanks.Author

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t hesitate to begin writing. Write from the heart and let your ideas flow. You will go through several phases of editing to embellish your ideas, refine your expressions and writing style. You will never write a book if you don’t capture those initial ideas. There’s always time to add to your story. BUT it is just as important to set a deadline or else your will never finish your book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid to start writing. It will come to you.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a couple of Newt Gingrich books.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publishing Book 2 in The Critter Family Series in late May 2020 Aentitled “The Critter Family: Exploring the Shenandoah” followed by Book 3 entitled “The Critter Family: To Wyoming and Back” in August 2020.

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 book on stock/option trading; a book on social media; a Newt Gingrich novel; and a Michele Malkin book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Barbara Banks Website
Barbara Banks Amazon Profile

Barbara Banks’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, my name is Jacqueline Pirtle. I am the owner of the lifestyle company FreakyHealer, and I am a holistic practitioner, speaker, and the author of 365 Days of Happiness, Parenting Through the Eyes of Lollipops, and What it Means to BE a Woman. That makes 3 books!

My passion for mindful happiness shines through in all of my life and work, helping clients to shift into a high-for-life frequency—a unique experience that calls people into their highest potential in their NOW!

I have been featured in multiple online magazines, including Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, NBC NewsBetter, have appeared on Women Inspired TV, and interviewed on podcasts and radio shows such as The Sunday School Radio Show, The Lisa Radio Show and WoMRadio. My article “Are You Happy?” is in print in The Edge Magazine.

I was born in Switzerland, have lived all over the world, and am now making my home in the US with my wonderful family. My professional background is in holistic wellness and natural living, I hold various international degrees, and am an internationally certified Reiki Master.

I also consider myself a professional red wine and dark chocolate taster.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called What it Means to BE a Woman.

The inspiration clearly came because I am a very happy woman.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure if that is unusual, but, I get my physical me and my mind out of the way so words can just flow though me, into the computer, and onto paper. The more I let go of what I think my new book has to be the better and easier writing is for me.

Plus I truly enjoy writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am always influenced by everything, be it an author, a book, an article, or nature and life itself. It is a constant inspirational play that is going on for me.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am promoting my new book since it was just published, while, of course, playing with new ideas to write about.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use all my social media accounts and my website to post about my books, I also make videos, use your service and the service of BooksGoSocial, and have a publicist that helps me out when needed. Plus I am very proud and happy to self-promote, something I learned to enjoy.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be shy to self-promote and to talk about who you are and the writing work you do. Be outspoken and infectious with your writers-joy. People love that.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stay lighthearted and enjoy what you are doing. BE happy!

What are you reading now?
I always read a bunch of different things, books, online, letters, articles… I read everything right now!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing and writing and promoting and promoting.

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 from Esther Hicks
Books from Gregg Braden
Books from Bruce Lipton
And a journal for me to write my own next book…

Author Websites and Profiles
Jacqueline Pirtle Website
Jacqueline Pirtle Amazon Profile

Jacqueline Pirtle’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I’m a thirty-something author who works from home. I have two pet rats who are my snuggly friends. I love to watch YouTube videos of playthroughs of my favorite games.

As of right now, I have five books published: one novella, three novels, and a compilation of six short stories and novelettes. All of them are contemporary romances, either romantic erotica or new adult romance.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest release is Irresistibly Yours, which is a compilation of short romantic erotica stories. The inspiration came from multiple things: dreams, my wandering mind, a spark of a scene idea… and culminated in a sweet set of six stories.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not particularly. Before I can actually write I usually mull over my idea and work out plot holes in my mind prior to outlining. Then I’ll start writing once I have a decent outline written up.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lots! I particularly love Emma Hart, Sara Ney, LJ Shen, and Noelle Adams for starters. A couple of the books that influenced me early on were His Wicked Games by Ember Casey and Escorted by Claire Kent.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing the third book in a trilogy of novellas about naughty men. They’re interconnected, so I’m going to finish the last one before I start revisions. I want to make sure I have everything tie up in a nice bow between the three.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’d say my newsletter gets the most attention out of everything. Most of my social media doesn’t get a lot of traction, but that’s due to algorithms and what is showing on somebody’s feed.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read. Write. Repeat.

It’s a good idea to read, especially in your genre so that you know what the expectation of the readers is. And keep writing. Practice makes perfect and you can’t become a better writer if you aren’t writing on a somewhat regular basis. I went a couple years barely writing and I can attest to losing some of my skill due to not writing regularly.

Even though marketing is an important aspect to assist with success, I still stand by the notion that getting the next book out will be the best way to market yourself as an author.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up. Writing can be a struggle in many aspects. Either it’s a struggle to get the words on the page, or to edit them to sound decent, or to get people to actually read it so that you can make a career out of writing. If writing is your passion, don’t give up on yourself. You can take a break if you need it, but never stop trying. Keep writing, keep editing, keep publishing.

What are you reading now?
I have an intense love for historical romances, so I’m currently reading Sophie Jordan’s upcoming book The Virgin and the Rogue. I’m also in the middle of reading Rache’ Aaron’s 2,000 to 10,000, a book about how to write faster and better, which I definitely need right now. Too many books to write, never enough time!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve been loosely outlining a novel about a girl who meets her celebrity crush and they have a summer fling. I keep fiddling with the details, but I think I’ve finally nailed down the details and the overall plot. Once I finish my naughty men novellas, I’ll likely work on this. Then I have two other stories I’m debating between: a cute and steamy Christmas novella and an enemies-to-lovers next door neighbor novel that takes place around Christmas. We’ll see which wins out!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh wow. These questions are always difficult, especially as an avid reader. Let’s see… I would like to have a little variety, so I would go with Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, and The Grand Escape by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. A romance, a young adult, a memoir, and a childhood favorite.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lilly Avalon Website
Lilly Avalon Amazon Profile
Lilly Avalon Author Profile on Smashwords

Lilly Avalon’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is the first book I have written. I plan to write 2 more.

I am a mother of 3 boys, a wife, a business owner, and a doctor of physical therapy that loves helping people stay active and pain free! I am board certified in orthopedic physical therapy.

I love analyzing movement and helping people understand why their body is breaking down and where the pain is coming from. I enjoy educating people about movement and helping them get back to what they love. I opened Penrose & Associates Physical Therapy in 2007 in Lacey, WA. I love creating a place where we “Listen to patients and achieve lifelong results.” We partner with our patients for life to keep them mobile and free from pain killers. We are on their team as we will all need “tune ups” and we all need to continue muscle and joint maintenance.

I have a podcast called “Stay Health South Sound” where I interview providers and health fitness experts to help our community stay active and pain free. I offer free quarterly workshops on knee pain, back pain, shoulder and neck pain, balance, and osteoporosis. I love to educate people about their body and what they can do. Do not assume it is age. The best thing to combat aging is exercising and eating whole foods (lots of veggies!).

I offer online classes and can work with many people via Telehealth. Email info@penrosept.com for more information. Check out www.penrosept.com.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Run Forever! Secrets to Common Running and Walking Injuries.

This book was in the making for several years. A good friend said I should write the book and so I started it when I was on bed rest for one of my boys. Since then I joined a business group that encouraged owners to write a book to help others and explain what it is exactly that physical therapy does for people. I don’t do physical therapy. I help people get their lives back! I get them to sleep without pain for the first time. I get them to get back to traveling and playing with grandchildren. I get them back to work. I give people what they want and their identity again. I had to write a book showing them how that is possible. Do not assume it is just age and that this is what it is.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I use the ap Otter to dictate and then go edit the document later. It is just faster that way. I love integrating patient stories to help readers find themselves in the story.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love “The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery” as it truly helps me understand myself and others.

“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change”

What are you working on now?
Next book is more of an “anti-aging book.” The secret really is exercise and diet.

The next one will be osteoporosis and how to combat that naturally.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Not sure yet. Just starting out.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep finding ways to help more people.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Focus. Schedule out your day and stick to it.

What are you reading now?
Profit First.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Promoting my book and making an online course to go with it. Virtual courses to go with my 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?
First of all the Bible. Then likely how to survive on the island books as I have no idea how to do that! I also would want to read a good mystery so an Agatha Christie book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jennifer Penrose Amazon Profile

Jennifer Penrose’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a law student, an artist, and a writer. Growing up I dreamed of being a great science fiction writer and YA novelist. Later I developed an interest in writing for television and film. Although I certainly can’t be counted among the greats yet, I’m excited to finally be living my long time dream. This past December, I published my first YA book: Enemy Rising. It is the first in a series set in an alternate 1805 India. I am currently at work on book two, as well as a number of other manuscripts.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first published book is a YA called Enemy Rising. The book is set in 1805 India, which was a volatile time in history, when the British had broken faith and began battling to conquer country. However, in my book there is an outbreak of curseds (zombies) which reshapes the political powers and forces four radically different youth to take unexpected measures to survive. The story was inspired by a dream I had of a princess and her best friend fighting zombies.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Honestly, I don’t think so. The greatest advice I ever received from a mentor was, “Writers write.” So, that’s what I try to do. I sit down. I chug my coffee. And I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh wow, honestly, so many authors and books have influenced me. I love the English and Russian classics. Writers like Tolstoy, Dickens, Austin, Hardy and Dostoyevsky were among my favorites as a child. But I also loved and was influenced by science fiction stories and YA series. Bradbury, H.G. Wells, Asimov, Suzanne Collins, and Brian Jacques were some of my favorites. Although the styles vary greatly, these authors all had the ability to paint a whole and complete picture. It’s something I will always aspire to and strive for.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am working on the sequel to Enemy Rising. I’m also about half way done with a science fiction novella. It’s different from my previous work. More mature in tone. It’s something I’m really excited about. Of course, I also have several YA and middle grade books outlined, and as long as Book Two makes reasonable progress, I will begin working on a second series this summer.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m pretty new to book promotions. I’ve been running ads on Amazon with decent success, I also managed to unload a number of copies with a Books Butterfly promotion. I’ve heard Robin Reads, James Mayfiled, and Buck Books are also good sources, so I’m going to keep throwing it out there and see where it sticks.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writers write. Seriously though. If you have a dream, fight for it. You can always edit a bad story or a rough script. You can’t fix an empty page.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, writer’s write. To be fair, I think that applies to anyone no matter what their dream is. Dreaming is good, but it will always be just that without action. So, pursue dreams. Take the knocks. Get back up again and keep going.

What are you reading now?
As a 2L, I read a lot of legal texts. Although it’s very different from pleasure reading, it’s taught me a differnt side of writing, which I really appreciate. As soon as exams end, I’ll be finishing the second book in Cixin Liu’s Three Body Problem trilogy. I can’t recommend it enough.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope that I will continue to hone my skills and that my books will find an audience. I’m going to keep writing, keep learning, and keep trying.

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?
Hmm. Tough question. Probably Oliver Twist, War and Peace, the Bible, and a very thick Survival Guide.

Author Websites and Profiles
C.J. Fisher Website
C.J. Fisher Amazon Profile

C.J. Fisher’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a licensed clinical social worker, a college instructor, a proud Italian mama and a California transplant from New Jersey. The Cardinal Club – A Daughter’s Journey to Acceptance is my debut memoir.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Cardinal Club – A Daughter’s Journey to Acceptance. I wrote it after my mom died from Alzheimer’s disease. We’d always had a difficult relationship. I loved her deeply, but I struggled to understand her. The book was my way to make reconcile my relationship with her.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My best time for writing is in the morning. Consequently I do a lot of writing in my pajamas.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Wow. So many. I was an English major in college. I loved D.H. Lawrence. Now I read a lot of memoir. Dani Shapiro, Anne Lamott and Cheryl Strayed are favorites. I loved Nora Ephron’s humor. And David Sedaris.

What are you working on now?
A collection of stories about the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love getting in front of audiences. I’m a natural teacher. The coronavirus has quashed that. My book is available through Amazon and other online vendors and on my website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Honestly. You can’t be a writer and not write. You have to be willing to do it badly at first.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write because you have to write, not because you want to get published. When I began The Cardinal Club, a mentor asked me did I still want to write the book if no one but my family were to read it. I said yes. That’s when I knew I was ready to write it.

What are you reading now?
The Overstory by Richard Powers and Untamed by Glennon Doyle.

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Suzanne Maggio Website
Suzanne Maggio Amazon Profile

Suzanne Maggio’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
In late 1993, I started the Allpar web site, covering Chrysler; two years later, I gained a PhD in social and organizational psychology, which has helped me to understand the way Chrysler’s culture has influenced their designs. I also wrote two books which are coming out soon, one on the Dodge Viper (via Veloce) and one on a series of key Jeeps (via Enthusiast Books / Iconobooks). Neither of these has been printed and distributed yet.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book, the only one which is in print now, is called “The Rise and Reinvention of Chrysler Minivans,” and tells the story of how a rejected idea has now ended up with 15 million sales. It was inspired largely by Milt Antonick, a former Chrysler (and Studebaker) designer who showed me photos of the first minivans at various stages of their design, and by Bill Cawthon, who encouraged me to write a book about something I knew about.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know what normal writing habits are. I do edit my own work (and anyone else’s) rather viciously.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’d like to say Terry Pratchett, but really, I read so much when I was younger that I have no idea what my influences were any more. Possibly the biggest influence on my writing style, other than the terse journalist style of John Steinbeck in his better works, was a professor at Rutgers who taught writing for business—not the way business writing usually ends up, but the tight, easily understood way it should be.

What are you working on now?
I am working on finding a publisher for my next book idea, which is long on prose and short on photos.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m hoping it will be Awesome Gang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make sure you have a good job first.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Make sure you have a good job first.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Paul Krugman’s “Arguing with Zombies” and started on a collection of short stories.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to find a publisher for the next book….

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Terry Pratchett’s longest books — excluding Raising Steam, though.

Author Websites and Profiles
David Zatz Website
David Zatz Amazon Profile

 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Although the first part of my life was spent in following a musical career, I always had the desire in the back of my mind to write fiction. At this moment, there are ten titles available, with my eleventh going live in the next 2-3 weeks – and I can’t wait! I am also making good progress on my twelfth book which, this time, will be a collection of short stories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “The Enigma of Heston Grange.” Over the years I have received numerous requests to write a sequel to my first book, “The Cryptic Lines,” and this is it! Heston Grange is an immense, rambling old mansion, in a remote part of the British Isles, with many dark secrets hidden within its decaying walls. I really hope my loyal readers will enjoy it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, my guilty pleasure is that I eat chocolate while I’m writing. Whilst there is nothing wrong with that, essentially, the danger is that I can eat far too much of it, if I’m not careful(!)

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anything with a ‘cosy’ mysterious edge to it. So, Agatha Christie, Thomas Harris and some of the less macabre Stephen King stories.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a collection of short stories, and I estimate that I am just over half way through the whole collection. I’m able to be spending more time on the writing than usual, due to the coronavirus lockdown.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Even if you can’t think what to write, just sit down and start. It is often the actual act of writing which gives the creative juices the kick-start they need.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This from Stephen King, “You should avoid adverbs like the plague.”
So I do avoid them, happily 😉

What are you reading now?
The QI Book of the Dead

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m always on the lookout for new ideas. However, after I have completed my short story collection, I think I will return to work on my Ruritanian saga. At present, this runs to 6 volumes. It certainly needs volume 7, but I am not sure yet whether an eighth book will also be required, to tie up all the loose ends properly. Watch this space!

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?
Life of Pi
The Bible
The Virtual Lives of Godfrey Plunkett

Author Websites and Profiles
Richard Storry Website
Richard Storry Amazon Profile

Richard Storry’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love m/m fantasy fiction. I have written two books so far, The Garden Of Beauty under A Lestat and Fatal Moon: Angels Axia.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Fatal Moon: Angels Axia. It was inspired by many things, the song Lillium from Elfen Lied, Devilman, Demon Lord Dante, Gantz, and my own disillusionment with Christianity.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to plan the characters before I write the story.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anne Rice, Poppy Z. Brite. R.L. Stein, that is about it.

What are you working on now?
A series of Yaoi manga scripts and projects, and my next book in the Fatal Moon series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I usually just find places that have open advertising and post the link. Promoting is hard.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep trying your hardest.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
None really.

What are you reading now?
Tailchasers Song, I love that book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to expand my inventory and write more 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?
Triads by Poppy Z. Brite

Queen of The Damned by Anne Rice

Volume one of my own manga currently in progress, Fatal Moon.

A choice your own adventure style goosebumps book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lestat Mordred Amazon Profile

Lestat Mordred’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written a lot in my life. But I’ve never published anything. With the coronavirus and the obligation to stay home, I took the time to self-publish my first books.

I’m talking about sexuality, because it’s a theme that can help your married life and make it happier and more sparkling.

After 20 years of marriage people need to understand how to invigorate the relationship. That’s what I deal with in my books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I wrote a manual “How to Improve Your Sex Life” and an erotic tale “A Shared Fantasy”.

Sex is a difficult subject. There are many taboos and many prohibitions. And maybe it should be. But in an adult couple it can work wonders.

All my books (I hope to write many of them) want to help women to be reborn with good sex and a great complicity with their partner.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
There is a lot of dialogue with my partner, even in intimacy. I use this to write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve read a little bit about erotica in my life. I’ve read many classics. When I was young, I read fantasy novels, then romance novels. Then historical novels again.

A long time ago, a friend of mine gave me a wonderful Italian novel by Domenico Rea, Ninfa Plebea.

If you find it, read it.

What are you working on now?
I’ve got two stories running through my head. One is about an American couple who decide to take a vacation in Italy. Here the story gets complicated, because incredible things are going to happen. And the other one… I’m not saying it. I don’t want to spoil it. But it’s so hot.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m just getting started. I’m trying various things. I hope I’m doing well here with Awesome Gang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yeah. If you’re a self-publisher, take some time to figure out how Amazon Kindle works. There’s an incredible world of things to know.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write to market.
But I write for me too. It makes me happy. If I sell, it’s better.

What are you reading now?
I’ve been very busy studying book marketing lately. But I put some Dyphia Blount books in the Amazon cart. I’m told she’s great with short stories.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I don’t need the money, fortunately. But I really like the idea of having an audience of readers who are passionate about my stories. I hope I can do this.

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 history book, a medicine book, an agriculture book and a love book…

Author Websites and Profiles
Esme Langh Amazon Profile

 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a native of Kansas City, Missouri. I graduated from Central Missouri State College and served in the US Army. After spending over 40 years in the construction and nuclear power industries I retired to the Pacific Northwest. I have lived and worked in Germany, Scotland, England, Australia, Sweden, France, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Chicago and Boston. A Bullet For Your Thoughts is my first novel in the Nate Harver, Private Investigator, series. There are two additional books in the series, A Bullet For The Republic and A Bullet For The Cartel. My wife Kate and I currently live in (and love) Portland, Oregon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book in the Nate Harver, Private Investigator series is A Bullet For The Cartel. Inspiration for the story came from real life events around the drug trade. I thought – you can’t make this stuff up. No one will believe you, so why not give it a try? Also I was toying with the idea for the nastiest villain ever. I wanted a bad guy who was unforgivable, but with a backstory that at least showed the reader how he got that way.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes an idea pops up and it absolutely has to be put on paper. For me, this can happen morning, noon or night. Once I start, it can turn into a short story, a novel, or a rambling stream of thoughts. If it becomes a novel, I have to apply some discipline. Then I usually go to the gym or walk in the mornings, come home and write until my wife tells me to come down for dinner, and maybe do some revisions later in the day. If the wine at dinner is good – then no more writing until the next day. Music helps when I write. The CD The Very Best Of The Gipsy Kings got me through the first book, A Bullet For Your Thoughts. The first Santana album got me through the second book, A Bullet For The Republic. The Grateful Dead, Ginger Baker, and Rodrigo and Gabriela pulled me through book three, A Bullet For The Cartel.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The two authors providing the most influence were John D. MacDonald and Robert B. Parker. MacDonald got me through two years in the US Army. I really needed some diversion at that point in my life. His character Travis McGee has remained with me for over fifty years. Parker’s Spencer is a hero with ethics who needed an alter ego, Hawk, to do the dirty work. I loved them. Patricia Highsmith with her dark, dark thoughts was an inspiration. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Norman Mailer, Robert Caro, Robert Crais, Julian Barnes, T. C. Boyle, Ken Bruen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Elmore Leonard, Andre Dubus III, Ian Fleming – the list goes on and on.

What are you working on now?
Short stories in every genre imaginable have consumed me for the past year. Currently, I’m trying to finish up the fourth book in the Nate Harver series, Cloudy With A Chance Of Gunfire. I needed to get away for the “A Bullet For…” concept. This tale has Nate pitted against a local TV weatherman who is a serial killer when he’s not telling us about the rain forecast for the next two weeks. Nate teams up with a gang of Russian mobsters to find out who is killing their “Adult Entertainers.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My local publisher at Celtic House Press here in Portland, Oregon does my promotion through sites like this. I have a website: lawrenceerickson.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
DO NOT BE AFRAID to put your thoughts on paper, or at least type them on your laptop. Everybody needs an editor.
Get as much negative criticism as you can muster up. It makes you better.
Don’t listen to the folks who tell you how great a writer you are.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. Followed in close proximity by “The path to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Keep these two things in mind and you can go a long way.

What are you reading now?
David Halberstam’s The Powers That Be and The Monkey’s Raincoat (for the third time) by Robert Crais.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More short stories, I hope. Then I need to find a place to put them. The fifth book in the Nate Harver series (A Bullet For Mr. Lucky) is three-quarters written and has been setting idle for way to long. I have around 20,000 words down on an idea for a YA SF mystery, which intrigues 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?
Harlot’s Ghost by Norman Mailer.
A Catskill Eagle by Robert B. Parker.
A Paris Notebook by C. W. Gusewelle.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.
And, I’d need to sneak in a copy of The Great Gatsby.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lawrence Erickson Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Andrew Neves, and this is Microgreens World. Come with me on a journey, as we experiment and taste and learn about the latest on microgreens.

Since I can remember, I’ve always been mindful of my health. Well sort of. I started smoking at 14 and quit at 30. I drink a glass of red wine every three or four days. And the day I quit smoking was the day I became a vegan. Can you believe such madness?

I played college and professional soccer. I retired but still wanted to play; till I was 70, LOL!
I did read about Sir Stanley Matthews, the great English Soccer player. He played in the English top tier until he was 50 years old. He never smoked. He became a near vegetarian at 37 after an injury. And he has a soccer move named after him: the Stanley Matthews.

For the past 25 years, I have been gone from vegan to pescatarian. My youngest son, a vegetarian from birth to 14, is a 6’4″, 190lb soccer center forward. Yeah, elephants are vegetarians, and the planet’s largest mammals too.

Our family dinners start with vegetables, grain, and whatever meat you want. Every meal has to have something “green” on it, and it’s not Jell-O, LOL!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
This is my first book. Eat Now! 15 Savory Microgreen Pocket Recipes. It is the first of five Recipe books and is part of my Easy Guide to Microgreens Series.

Last year a friend introduced my wife and me to microgreens. They were flavorful and tasty on our evening meal. Then we started hanging out at some of the better restaurants in the city. Everyone, it seemed, was talking about these microgreens.

Then my curiosity and scientific training ( I have a degree in Applied Mathematics) took over. I researched and read and read. The research showed microgreens were incredibly nutritious[i]. The kinds of nutrients you got in a handful of arugula microgreens were more than 30 tablets worth of multivitamins.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m meticulous about my research. It day-driven and I subscribe to the very best from around the world.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The are several authors and books that have influenced me. Here are my top 5:

1. The Magic of Believing by Claude M. Bristol. We are creative beings, all of us.
2. Dan Poynter’s Self Publishing Manual. From the man who started the Indie Revolution.
3. Robert’s Rules of Writing by Robert Masello. A great source of inspiration.
4. The Creator’s Code by Amy Wilkinson. For building your book business.

What are you working on now?
I am working on Books 2 thru 5: Soups, Sandwiches, Juices, and Pizzas

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As my book business is new, I am only using Amazon, BookFunnel, and Draft2Digital.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it. Hone your craft. Every piece of writing has a structure. Learn it, understand it, use it, master it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Establish your writing space and break the project into small pieces (sentences | paragraphs | chapters)

What are you reading now?
Create the Future by Jeremy Gutsche. Jeremy is the CEO of trendhunters.com. I’m always looking to stay with the times.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Build my publishing empire. Lol. I know so many people who want to write a book and who don’t know how to do it. And others who don’t know how to publish or market it. So that’s where I’m headed.

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?
Wow!. Tough question. Four books. Hmmm. Okay here you go:

The Treasured Writing of Khalil Gibran to meditate.
The Pert Em Heru (Egyptian Book of the Life) to survive.
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens to keep my sanity.
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon for some outrageous fiction.

Author Websites and Profiles
Andrew Neves Website
Andrew Neves Amazon Profile

Andrew Neves’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
To write a book I need many years. It is the result from a long-term search I usually make with my life-companion Aurora Mazzoldi. This search aims to better understand what is acting within ourselves. We find there many parts fighting one another because they want different things and we look for a solution: How to bring order in this chaos?

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Its title is “How To Get The Best From Life. Explore hidden realities and make better choices”. After a long time spent analyzing inner and outer conflicts, it was time to make this search public. It could help others to live better.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes! Before writing, Aurora Mazzoldi and I elevate our energy to get some intuition. Some ideas come also while walking.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
“In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching,” by P. D. Ouspensky.
“Zen and the Psychology of Transformation,” by Hubert Benoit, a French psychiatrist who made Zen Buddhism comprehensible to western people.
Max Freedom Long’s and Serge Kahili King’s books on ancient Hawaiian Psychology and Magic.
Eric Berne’s “Games People Play.”
and many others.

What are you working on now?
To get the best from life, it is important to make right choices and have right goals, but it is not enough. The next problem is: How can we achieve our goals?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have 2 sites:
https://www.introspectivity.com

Home – Osservatorio Interiore

and an Italian association: Osservatorio Interiore a.p.s.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be patient! (as I also have to be). It can take a long time to become known.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Attention.” It was concise advice from bonze Ikkiou, as described in Hubert Benoit’s book and reported in my book too.

What are you reading now?
There are many problems to solve in my search. I look for detailed information from inside and outside me. I use internet, books and other resources to get informed, but I have no reading program.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will continue the cooperation with my life-companion Aurora Mazzoldi and write new books with advice for better living.

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?
This is an embarrassing question!

Author Websites and Profiles
Luis Pisoni Website
Luis Pisoni Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in New York, am married with five adult children ranging from 15-27 years old. I grew up on Long Island, the youngest of four and my wife was a middle child from a family of seven. Both of us were previously married and found personal faith after challenging and difficult circumstances in our lives. We met a Christmas party in 1994 and were married less than 2 years later. I adopted her 3 year son soon after our wedding and had 4 other children together.

I worked for many year as a Computer Network Specialist before following a spiritual calling. This led to many years of serving God and helping others on a much deeper level with great passion and compassion for others hurting and struggling.

I had been planning on writing a book to help those struggling with being lonely and unfulfilled being unmarried, whether never married or divorced.

Biblical Rhymes and Reasons is my first book and it was a surprise. I had other books in mind for the future, but this came about through unexpected circumstances.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Biblical Rhymes and Reasons began when I started collecting the little reflections I wrote on social media as I was considering deleting all my accounts. As I reviewed some of them, I actually liked some of them, and felt encouraged to privately expand and journal upon some of them and then became inspired to wrote more. As I did so, the idea of putting them into a book collection form, for myself and to share with others, came about. In the process of inspiration, I had the vision for organizing the book into seven topical chapters and wrote a lot of new stuff to make each chapter complete and the whole book more interesting and broader in scope.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I consider myself an amateur and somewhat don’t know how to answer that, except with that I rely much on what I believe is inspiration. I definitely get consumed once I get started and will pull “all-nighters” because when I really don’t want to stop and need the quiet, especially in my brain.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I grew up loving “To Kill a Mockingbird”, “Tom Sawyer”, and “The Outsiders”, various crime mysteries, and then fell in love with Stephen King, especially “The Stand” and the “Dead Zone”, which I ironically enough considered them spiritual besides horrific in nature. My mother made me read “A Road Less Traveled” as a young adult life lesson which increased my interest in books that help others as well as my self, and of course I have read many theological – spiritual materials in pursuit of my calling. I loved reading writings from the “Church Fathers” mostly because it made me feel like I was travelling through time to listen to those historical perspectives.

What are you working on now?
As I pursue a new beginning and somewhat secondary career and parallel pursuit as a “life Coach”, I have become writing a coaching booklet. I do want to start on the “singles” book I mentioned earlier, but I am juggling too much at this moment, especially with the Corona Virus pandemic overwhelming everyone and everything.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since I am just getting started, the current best website vehicle has been Facebook, but I hope to expand, which is why I am writing this.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be in a hurry. Take the necessary time you need to make your book what you can call a finished product. Write it as if it is the only book you will ever write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Try not to have any regrets, starting now!

What are you reading now?
A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway. I am hoping it will give me a different perspective of people and life from a another time and place, as well as the experience of the world being turned upside down.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am currently learning about the need to market, not so much because I want to sell books or expect to earn monies, but because I practically need the money to publish what I want to publish, simply as a personal project and accomplishment. I do not have grand illusions of “success” and it is not my motivation for writing. I want to write because I want to write and then share what I wrote because I believe that is part of the reason I am inspired to write. However, I do want to write some practical professional materials I doubt that I will attempt to publish, but simply use as a guide to help others with. Eventually, I want to start my “singles” book for unmarried people, which I mentioned more than once, so maybe that should become a priority.

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, because I know from personal experience it’s real and powerful effect on life, love, truth, wisdom, faith, and more…

A “Far Side” comic collection, because I need to laugh and I love the creative and somewhat twisted humor that makes you think at the same time.

Author Websites and Profiles
Stephen Maloney Website
Stephen Maloney Amazon Profile

Stephen Maloney’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an author, life, coach and motivational speaker on autism awareness. I’ve written 1 book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Love is Too Hard: The Dating (Mis)Adventures of a Man with Autism. My failed first dates inspired me to write it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Being on writers block from time to time

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Shania Twain and her book From This Moment On. Kerry Magro and his books.

What are you working on now?
My next book “My Autism Story: From 400 Non Cheers to 4000 Roars”

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be patient. Success doesn’t happen overnight.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next book and many more after.

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Louis Scarantino Website
Louis Scarantino Amazon Profile

Louis Scarantino’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing all of my life. I never submitted my books for publication until 2014. I January 2015 I was signed by Loveforce International Publishing Company. I have many books out but I mostly concentrate on book series A Week’s Worth of Fiction, (Fiction) Volumes 1-4, Slices of Life (humor) Volumes 1-2, Stories of The Supernatural (Ghost / Horror) Volumes 1-2, and Classroom Confessions (Stories about Teachers & Students) Volumes 1-2 and School Kidz (stories about school aged kids) Volumes 1-2.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am working on The Corona-virus Physical, Spiritual and Mental Survival Guide in collaboration with other writers in the Loveforce International Stable of authors. It will cover not only physical information about the virus and protecting yourself from it but also how to handle it and the effects of self-isolation mentally and spiritually. The book is unique because it’s family oriented.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am naturally very creative and I tap into the ebb and flow of the universe. I don’t have a muse problem like most other authors. I write so many different types of things, short stories, plays, music, I create videos and have a flair for humor as well as serious writing including both fiction and non-fiction. I find that when I am dry in one area, my creativity is active in another. I therefore just switch my emphasis, so I rarely have a muse problem.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
For books, O. Henry, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Dashiell Hammett and Stephen King. For songs, Lennon & McCartney, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and Bob Marley, people who wrote songs people still sing and re-record. For Plays, William Shakespeare and Thornton Wilder. For film, Steven Spielberg.

What are you working on now?
Several things. A Rock musical, a Rap musical, the aforementioned Corona-virus Survival Guide, I contribute to blogs and videos. I am writing songs for about a half a dozen recording artists. An Alternative Rock band called Teacherz recently released Sonny Brought A Gun To School. A band called A Prophet Among Us is releasing Hope is the Answer, and hip-hop artist named The Godfather of Love just covered my song Godfather of Love.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like Awesome gang. My publisher mostly promotes through Amazon because they have an exclusive with Amazon and a group of booksellers outside of Amazon, selected by Amazon. For my songs, I think most of the Recording Artists use Spotify, Amazon and Google Play.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make an outline of your story before you actually begin writing. Write towards filling in the outline. Then re-read what you wrote to see if it makes sense. Then re-read it again to look for mistakes in punctuation, grammar and usage.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There were two pieces of advice actually. One was not to care about what others think. The other was that there is a market for everything you just need to connect with the market for your creations.

What are you reading now?
Mostly, the newspapers and online blogs to gather info on the Corona-virus.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Likely a sequel to one of my series books or a self-help book. That’s what I like about my publisher they don’t really pressure me to write anything in a particular (except as a contributor to a time sensitive book like The Corona-virus Physical, Spiritual and Mental Survival Guide).

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 Faith Trilogy by The Prophet of Life, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, A Stephen King Anthology, and just for fun, Classic Children’s Stories You’ve Likely Never Heard by Dr. Goose.

Author Websites and Profiles
Mark Wilkins Website
Mark Wilkins Amazon Profile

Mark Wilkins’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I always wanted to write but didn’t have the time until I retired. I love writing historical fiction. My love for historical fiction began as a teenager when I read Les Misérables. The morality, the settings, the richness of the characters and their struggles enthralled me. I found myself hooked on stories about Paris and read the classics by Jules Verne, George Sands, Émile Zola, Colette and many other fabulous authors. I knew one day I would write historical fiction and now I am happy to say that I have.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first novel is titled “Dance of the Restless Soul.” It is the first in a series of 4 books. It takes place in La Belle Epoque Paris. It is about the rebellious daughter of a rich aristocrat who risks her life when she enters the gritty Paris underworld in pursuit of her dream to become a famous cabaret star.
Many years ago, I visited Paris and knew that when I wrote my first book it would be about Paris during the exciting late 19th century period.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, unless you consider wanting to write non-stop.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In addition to the 19th century French fiction authors, I enjoy sagas like James Mitchener’s Chesapeake.

What are you working on now?
I am working on book 2 of my series titled “Dance With the Devil.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t found one yet other than providing free books through promotions like yours.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be discouraged, if you love writing-don’t stop.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you love to write, learn everything you can about how to write to the best of your ablility.

What are you reading now?
Amanda Hughes “The Grand Masquerade.”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue to write my series.

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?
Anything relating to French historical fiction.

Author Websites and Profiles
Rene Fedyna Website
Rene Fedyna Amazon Profile