Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the love child of a hippy and a gypsy. Okay, not really, but the shoe fits pretty well. Though I love to garden, I have a difficult time putting down roots of my own. Traveling, meeting new people, having new adventures and creating art of all kinds provides the fuel for my very Sagittarius fire. Yeah…spontaneously combustible.

The people I meet, the stories they share with me and my personal adventures inspire the words in my books. Speaking of which, I’ve written two so far. 😉

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My current work in progress, “White Picket Fences” is the sequel of “To Speak of it Again.” Where the first in the series is highly based on my life from birth through the age of 40, the sequel spans the next five years. I get to tell the love stories and the observations I’ve made of the people I’ve met along the way!! *EEEK!* And wow…have I heard some stories and seen some $#@%!!! It’s been incredible, but don’t take my word for it… *wink and smile*

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Me? Unusual? Yeah, probably…

I’ve been known to forget to shower, eat or socialize for days at a time when I’m writing. When the inspiration hits, nothing will stop me.

Coffee with a ton of creamer and a wee bit of sugar is my constant companion. I block out the world with a variety of music blaring through my earbuds. Like seriously, I listen to everything from Apocalyptica to ZZ Top and everything in between. I think my playlist has A.D.D. I’m checking into it. 😉

I chew on a pencil though I never use it to write. Does that count?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
If you know me, you know my favorite book of all times is, “The Scarlet Letter.” I think it’s because it’s the first “grown up” book I read as a child.

I am and always will be in love with the classics. I love language and the classics are full of swoon inducing vocabulary.

What are you working on now?
Oops, I guess I covered this one already BUT…

I usually have more than one project at a time going on and this is one of those times.

I am also working on the start of a new series about women. No, not famous women…women. I sincerely believe each of us have a story and I’ve been blessed to have met some pretty phenomenal women who have agreed to let me share their lives with you. I don’t make promises easily, but I am convinced you will find a bit of yourselves in at least one of these amazing souls.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My street team is incredible! Dina’s Dolls pimp me out like a … wait, maybe I shouldn’t use that saying here. 😉 Let’s just say they know how to get the word out.

Social media has taken over and no matter the site, there are promotion opportunities available. I think it would be unfair for me to choose just one when they’ve all been such a great help.

Personally, I send everyone to my personal website and from there, people can connect with me on my other sites. www.dinaredmon.com 🙂

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write…even if it’s not on your current project. Write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you know … and that’s what I do.

What are you reading now?
I’m going cross eyed with edits and re-writes on my current project.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have plans for two different series. As earlier stated, I am starting a series about the average woman to show just how brilliant we are AND I’m also working on a paranormal series. Yep, gonna try my hand at that as well.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“To Speak of it Again” Yep, my first book because it reminds me where I came from and how I became who I am.

“The Scarlet Letter” because I will never tire of reading it.

“How to Survive Anywhere” because, well…it speaks for itself. 😉

Author Websites and Profiles
Dina Redmon Website
Dina Redmon Amazon Profile

Dina Redmon’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Oh, my goodness. Well, I’ll start with the books. I’m a USA Today, New York Times best seller who has written about 40 books. I also have some sweeter versions of a few of the Hell Yeah! so I have about 50 different books for sale including translations. And I have about 45 plotted for the future if I live long enough to write them.

As for me, I’m just a country girl. My books are much more interesting than I am. I love animals. I used to love to cook until I moved back to Austin and am surrounded by wonderful restaurants. I play piano. I used to teach piano, at one time I had 40 students. I am an accountant by trade. I also sing and have written songs, poetry and plays. My favorite colors are earth tones, like sand and burnt orange. I love flowers and the beach.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I just completed TEXAS WILDFIRE, which will be in the 12 Alarm Cowboy Boxset and is up for preorder now. It will release August 4th. The book was inspired by a friend I used to have who was a volunteer fire fighter and lived a life defined by the saying, “I Am My Brother’s Keeper.” I fictionalized it of course, made it hot and sexy, as usual.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write from my recliner with a dachshund in my lap. I keep a cup of coffee or a diet coke to my right. The TV is usually on so I don’t feel alone, but I don’t ever know what’s playing. I write every day unless I’m on a research trip.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite author is Clive Cussler and I love how he works in history and lore into his adventure stories. I try to do the same with my romance.

Delicious by Shayla Black and Wild Card by Lora Leigh are two of my favorites.

What are you working on now?
I am working on two books – IF I CAN DREAM, the next Hell Yeah! about a McCoy cousin, Tennessee and his wife, Molly. It’s a second-chance romance. I’m also working on the sequel to TEXAS WILDFIRE, called TEXAS C.H.A.O.S. – The letters stand for a fireman saying, Chief Has Arrived On Scene. It will be an older sexy man, younger woman romance and I am super excited about it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My advice is to try everything. The world of promoting is constantly changing and what works for one doesn’t always work for another. Get yourself out there.

Authors need to be flexible, they need to watch the markets and adjust their tactics but the possibility for greatness is limited only by your determination, your grit and your ability to tell a story that people want to read

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice has changed over time. I used to tell authors that now is the time to write, opportunity is unparalleled. And that is still true. But I like to add a bit of other advice now – Write the best damn book you can. So many people want to write for themselves, and that’s part of it. But you also need to write a book someone wants to read, if you plan on selling it. Competition is fierce and you have to write a book that is so good it stands out from all the rest

Write a good story. Series sell. Sex sells. HEA is better. 3rd person is easier. Past tense. 50000 words or more. Don’t spend a fortune on covers or special models – write a good story and a better blurb. Start with a bang – don’t describe the setting in the first paragraphs. The way people shop now is to read the first few pages in the sample and if you don’t catch them there, the reader will move on

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I write sexy stories, full stories about love, romance, adventure – some have serial killers, some have Mossad agents or Texas Rangers, some have drug cartels and every other thing I can think of. They also have great sex, sex and love the way it should be. In my personal life, many people were offended by my writing. Ha! I tend to think that they read it and liked it, they just didn’t know how to admit it. When I almost quit because of criticism over the content, my Nana told me 4 words that if I had listened, I would have saved myself a lot of heartache – her advice can be applied across the board. Here it is. TO HELL WITH THEM. – haha – there you go.

What are you reading now?
I’m not reading anything, I’m in writing mode.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will continue to add to the series I have active – those series are – Hell Yeah!, Texas Heat, Moon Magick, Dixie Dreaming, El Camino Real, Sons of Dusty Walker, 12-Pack and Texas Heroes. I also plan on trying my hand at historical

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?
Since I would continue to write to entertain myself, I would bring a big dictionary and a big thesaurus. I would bring a Medical handbook in case I get sick and a Survival book so I can identify the plants that are safe to eat. And lastly, I would bring a book of magic spells to try to get myself the hell off the island – – haha bet you thought I was going to list some entertaining books – – no, I shall write those for myself.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sable Hunter Website
Sable Hunter Amazon Profile

Sable Hunter’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write Asian-American fiction with a geriatric twist. Currently, I have two books out, with a third one scheduled for winter 2015.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Seniors Sleuth

It’s the first in the series of Winston Wong Cozy Mysteries. It combines my love of mysteries and seniors. Also, it’s in honor of my mother, who used to read Agatha Christie stories with me.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love using very particular styles of pens to write. Recently, I’ve picked up the habit of writing longhand and then typing everything up later.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to count! In terms of Asian-American women writers, I’m a big fan of Jean Kwok and Lisa See.

What are you working on now?
I have a multicultural YA novel that comes out in winter 2015. It mixes historical and paranormal elements. Also, I’m working on the next Winston Wong book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Giveaways are fun, and I also like connecting with readers in person.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always put writing as a priority and develop a set routine to do it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Follow your heart, and write what you want.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Carole Sojka’s SO MANY REASONS TO DIE.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m continuing with my mystery series and looking to bring diverse voices into literature.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
-How to Survive on a Desert Island (to live)

-The Remains of the Day (to analyze)

-A Jennifer Weiner or Sophie Kinsella type of book (to find humor)

Author Websites and Profiles
Jennifer J. Chow Website
Jennifer J. Chow Amazon Profile

Jennifer J. Chow’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have a library of fiction stories I’d written in the last 25 years some of which are a work in progress to be published. Fairy Food is the first to test the waters. I originally wrote it in 2004 and have been revising and tweaking it up to its final, last year. I’ve loved writing since I was 11 years old. The characters are real to me. I remember being in a sector of Macy’s or Gimbles to try out one of the electric typewriters; I wrote on a clean sheet of paper, “Vampires are attacking the city”, hoping to start pandemonium. My most exciting Christmas was when I got my first typewriter at 12 years. I couldn’t stop poking the keys for all the short stories they told. Today, I think I’d need a course in learning how to operate an electric or manual typewriter; back space, white out, line spacing, no highlighting to delete!

If you’ve gone to my websites, you’ll know I don’t just stop and start with writing. I have many creative outlets which enable me to incorporate writing. I commend those who are able to write about themselves and their personal lives; I’m an observer and prefer to give my life to another character, adding sweet, dulcet ingredients to taper down the bitterness or sharp, gritty additives to magnify her bite.

I love listening to music while I write. I’ve also been composing it within the last three years and its been a blessed fulfillment. I love it when I’m writing an act in a chapter and the music seems to go with the flow just like on a movie screen. Thunder storms are greatly inspiring. My favorite subjects involve animals, nature and the supernatural. My genre is Fiction-Horror-Thriller. I’ve always been a horror fan with an occasional sci-fi and fantasy thrown into my repertoire of book reads. Werewolves, vampires and ghosts offer the most fun to write about; those were the main themes I read growing up. When I observe people, I place them into such categories. Depending on looks and personality, they’re either werewolf, vampire or prey.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’m an admirer of decades prior to the 1990s; they seem to retain the stuff that made good movies and book novels. The 1970s inspired me to write Fairy Food.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I get an idea for a story, I grab almost anything to write its main inception on. I can also be up writing as late or early as 4am if I’m really caught up.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Quarrel With the Moon by J.C. Conway is the best werewolf novel ever written. That was the book that started an obsession in me for more. After that, I’d read The Howling – very unlike the movie – but still an attractive read. There were other werewolf books in between until I started picking up vampire books. The most prominent vampire book I adore to this day is The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause.

I should say thank God for individual imagination. I never go with the physical attributes described of characters in books; I always use my casting of characters’ physical attributes when it comes to reading and watching movies – I always have.

What are you working on now?
I have several stories I’m currently working on. With time permitting, I hope to put up the cover titles and synopsis to each of them on my site, rainbowkisses.com “Blood Brothers”, “Captive: A Nightingale’s Story” and “Family Counseling” are just to name a few.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In addition to Awesomegang, I try word of mouth and general social networking. I created a brief video promo using some music I composed. https://youtu.be/VskBYLPUkUA

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Flow with your heart. Don’t stay discouraged. Love who you are and be that. Let NO ONE squelch your dreams.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do not fear….. Isaiah 41:10

What are you reading now?
Currently, time isn’t permitting.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More wonderful stories; my dreams can’t wait to meet 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?
The bible, my journal, Quarrel With the Moon and my sketchbook (it’s still a book).

Author Websites and Profiles
Pamela Benjamin Website
Pamela Benjamin Amazon Profile

Pamela Benjamin’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I recently became Comet Press/Sex Files first author with a gay category book, my erotic gay thriller novella eBook BEHIND THE VELVET CURTAIN, a peek into the world of a stripper and the stalker he attracts. This was released March 2nd, and two days ago I finished my horror novel at 68,500 words.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am a stripper turned author, as is the main character in Behind the Velvet Curtain. (Of course, when I wrote it, I was still unpublished so it’s a bit of life imitates art.) I wanted to give something real, Magic Mike the movie is a glossy, unrealistic look, this is more what it’s really like to be a stripper and everything that goes with it. The “creeper” (obsessed stalker) in the book is based on a real fan, but it never got to the level it does in the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t write every day like everyone says I should. I almost always write very late at night with music on. Lady Gaga played while I wrote Behind the Velvet Curtain, while I switched to Depeche Mode for a darker mood when writing my horror novel.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Definitely Stephen King.

What are you working on now?
Just finished editing/polishing my horror novel that is a nod to not another writer, but a director, Alfred Hitchcock. It’s a psychological horror novel with blood and guts but also the suspense and mystery of Hitchcock. In particular, it is a modern nod to Psycho.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
At first it was twitter but lately more with Facebook. Giveaways and contests I’ve found to be very helpful, which I didn’t understand at first but now I get. I’ve also done several interviews, which I really enjoy.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep at it, all the stories are true. Add me to the list of authors that were rejected by 20 different publishers/agents/magazines with my novella, book, and short stories before finally getting that yes. Keep writing and keep submitting.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Success doesn’t bring happiness, happiness brings success. Do something you love.

What are you reading now?
Honestly, I’m not. I’ve never read less than since I’ve been published. I never liked reading in school. I loved writing. I’m atypical to most writers in that regard.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publishing my horror novel. I can hardly wait. This took a long time to write while what I have out now, the novella, didn’t take me very long at all. I very excited to get it out there.

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 wouldn’t bring books. Like I said, I am very atypical to what most writers seem to be like. I don’t read that often. Although I’ve loved just about every book I have read. I know I’m weird, but why read when I can write and create something myself? If I brought a book it might be To Killing A Mocking Bird, only because I have it but haven’t read it. I guess I’d also bring Psycho because I’ve never read the book. So, OK, I will bring two books after all.

Author Websites and Profiles
Matt Converse Website
Matt Converse Amazon Profile
Matt Converse Author Profile on Smashwords

Matt Converse’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love speculative fiction but lean towards fantasy as my primary genre. I’m a history buff and prefer the time periods from ancient Mesopotamia all the way to the fall of the Roman Empire. At least, that’s what I’m into for now. This seems to change based off my writing but in general I do not like going much past the 1400s.

I have two published novels. “Winemaker of the North” and “Arcane Awakening”.

I have five additional novel length manuscripts.

I have numerous short stories some published and others unpublished.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Arcane Awakening” This is book two in my Saints of Wura trilogy.

This book had many inspirations but a large part of it was the Roman Empire and their dealings with the tribes of Germania. The subterfuge, “bought by gold” alliances, horrible bloodshed and enslavement… wonderful accents to a fantasy novel if you ask me. This coupled with the theme of magic being “reawakened” and the return of spiritual entities both holy and malevolent, sets the stage for the awesome climax to come. I can’t wait to release book three!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I binge write. When I’m writing a novel, it is difficult for me to write every day. I typically write in spurts of 5000-10000 words and then take a day (or two or three) off. My latest draft was 65k words and I wrote it in around 13 days.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tolkien and Brooks. That is, if I only pick two. 🙂

The lyrical poetry and scope of history/ language of Tolkien’s many works and the general storytelling of Brooks’ books are the chief influences in my own writing. Though there are so many influences, it really is hard to narrow it down.

What are you working on now?
Book three in my Saints of Wura trilogy. I’m looking to publish in late fall.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Be real. No one likes a salesperson. Blog about stuff related to your books. For me this means history, myths, etc.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read and the write your heart out. Get the story on the page no matter the cost. It’s much easier to edit a book when you have the story down. Worry about details and specifics after you have a first draft otherwise you’re doomed to never finish, at least in my experience!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just sit down and write. If I did this more, I would have more books.

What are you reading now?
About ancient history actually… I’m working on an idea involving the fall of Carthage and the slave revolts of the First Servile war. (The slave rebellion of Spartacus was the Third Servile war) I am essentially planning a Fantasy/ alternative history book. I will have more to come on this in the future.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing the Saints of Wura trilogy and two additional novels in the same world but much earlier in the history involving one of the side characters.

Aside from that, I have my alternative history idea I may run with or I may jump back to one of two other fantasy projects I left incomplete.

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 Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire (I would finally have time to read it)

…and a book about how to get off of deserted islands… 🙂

Author Websites and Profiles
J.T. Williams Website
J.T. Williams Amazon Profile

J.T. Williams’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m just a blue-haired geek with a dream of being a real author. I’ve published one book, written another to be published soon, and I have at least eight titles planned for the Auralight Codex: Dakota Shepherd series, with other series to take place in the same world. I’m not sure where in all that I’ll feel like a “real author”, but I’m excited to find out.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Awakened is the first book in a long series set in a world that I’ve been crafting with my wife for over a decade. It was inspired from a roleplaying game she started running with our group years ago, and we kinda took the idea from there and went with it. We’ve got a few truckloads of worldbuilding pre-installed, so the setting is pretty deep, and has been thoroughly examined for many years. This book in particular was inspired by a spree of Urban Fantasy reading that my wife did a little over a year ago. She convinced me to make a new character for our setting who would be Awakening to the supernatural and drawn into a story idea she had. I did that, we played it out, and eventually, I realized, this story, Dakota’s story, was one I really wanted to share, from her perspective.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, most of our writing is done after playing out scenes in a vocal storytelling style. So I do voices, I act out poses for clarity sometimes, and I get really, really into my character. Like, “method acting” into it. And then when I write the story down later, I revisit those scenes in my mind and just try to recreate what happened, especially the focusing on the feelings that were evoked. I feel like the best thing I could give my readers is a connection with the characters. At least for me, when I’m reading a story and the characters grab me, it’s the best thing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Barbara Ann Wright, Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson.
And respectively: The Dresden Files, The Mercy Thompson series, The Pyramid Waltz series, The Kingkiller Chronicles, and The Stormlight Archive.

But most of all, Neil Gaiman. Not his books so much as his words. A few words of inspiration he took the time to write down once have become a life mantra for me and have gotten me through more than writing slumps.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently finalizing the revisions on Hunted which releases August 14, 2015. Then I have to finish the cover for Hunted (I do my own cover art, having several years experience and several years of training as an illustrator and graphics artist.). After that, I will be outlining book three in the series while working on formatting for print copies and helping finalize my wife’s first book, Destiny Abounds, book one of the Starlight Saga, which is based on our space opera setting.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I promote my books on DarksbaneBooks.com, Facebook, and Twitter, and so far, I can’t say what works best. I’m a newb.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find the next word. Look up Neil Gaiman’s speech on that concept and read it. Live by it.
Seriously, write. Write another book. Then another one. If you keep writing, you will succeed eventually, period.
Also, check out kboards.com and the writer’s cafe there. Best place on the internet for indie authors.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Find the next word.” – Neil Gaiman

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading The Brigadoon Boondoggle, book two of the Monkey Queen series by Robert Dahlen, a good friend and a fantastic author.
Robert’s main characters are Michiko the Monkey Queen, and Beth, a geek girl with a special gift. We’ve long since decided that should their worlds ever crossover, Beth, Michiko, and Dakota would hang out and have a Ghibli marathon.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to be writing Dakota’s adventures for the next year at least. I’m currently releasing a new book every three weeks, if not from my series then from my wife’s space opera series. What’s next? More writing, really. Hopefully lots of people will read and enjoy my work. Maybe one day I’ll get to sit at a table and sign books for people. That’d be fun.

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 hate these kind of questions. You probably want me to answer with my favorite books ever, but I’m thinking which books would make my existence on a desert island most comfortable? A desert survival book of some kind? A book with information on how to get off of a desert island? A magic book with super powers that let me leave the island? This question doesn’t have enough boundaries for me to work within. Do these have to be real books? Can I imagine what super powers books may have in the next few years? Can I say “Kindle Voyage v5.0 now with solar power”? Let’s just go with that, actually. Now I have to go send that idea to Amazon.

Author Websites and Profiles
Shei Darksbane Website
Shei Darksbane Amazon Profile

Shei Darksbane’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up just outside of Chicago. I met my husband in Hawaii where we were both stationed when in the Army. We live just outside of Denver now with our two beautiful daughters and two giant lap dogs. On top of being a writer, I am a mother, an accountant and a youth volleyball coach. When I get a moment away, I enjoy running and hiking. I’ve always been a writer, though. I had notebooks that I carried around to class dedicated to my personal writings when I was a kid. It has always been a dream of mine to sit down and write a book. The dream got put on hold many times for many different reasons but I finally did it. I just have one book that I’ve published so far, but there will be many more!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book published was also my first, “the loss of A MOTHER’s loss”. It was inspired by the passing of my mother. My mom and I didn’t have the greatest of relationships, to say the least. The book is about the series of events that led us to our estrangement. When I went back to home for the funeral, to all the people she knew and had been telling not so good things about me, I had a week of flashbacks to all the reasons that part of me was just a distant memory.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My inability to focus on one project at a time is my most unusual habit. I constantly have new or better ideas and I jump back and forth from one project to another a lot. When I finally finished writing my first book, it was the first time I’ve ever been able to 100% focus on a project I was working on. That one was that important to me at the time. I needed to get it out. Now, I’m back to my normal habits and have 5 separate projects I’m working on which is continuously extending the deadlines I’ve set for myself!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
It may sound a little strange, but my biggest influence is Dr. Seuss. I read all his books as a kid and it is what got me started reading and, therefore, writing. I used to only write in prose because I loved the flow of his books. Then I read some of his non-rhyming books and I loved them just as much. His lessons on always being who you are through all of his books gave me the courage to keep writing even when I got looked at funny for having my personal notebooks with me all the time. Other than that, my inspiration has come from a great many places; Hemmingway, of course, Mark Twain, Dickens, Poe, Roald Dahl, James Patterson. I love them all!

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a handful of things right now. I’m still trying to get my blog fully up and running. I started it to promote my book but it’s turned into a site for me to write about whatever comes to mind. I write about my life, things that are happening in the world, short stories now and again, sports and whatever I feel at the time. It’s been an up and down ride but I enjoy that part so far. I’m also working on a couple of other books (the focus issues!). I’ve got what I’m calling an I Am series which is a series of essays on who and what people are. I have started working on a youth coaching book based on my experiences. And the last one I’ve really dove into right now is about friends that parted ways and don’t understand why things aren’t the same as they’ve always been.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I try and find sites like awesomegang here and get out there. I’ve used Goodreads and Amazon, Bookdaily and Bookzio amongst others. I promote on my personal site all the time, twitter, facebook, linkedin. I’m trying to use it all. Self-promotion has never been my strongest trait so it’s been a rough ride thus far but I’m not giving up yet!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Patience. That is what I keep having to tell myself. I’m still new at this and I’m still pushing my book wherever I can. So I would just say patience and not expecting too much from the offset, not getting hopes too high at the beginning. Write for yourself, if you are happy with your work, if it is everything you wanted it to be, take that as a win and let sales be a bonus.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t check your own stats. That’s got to be the best advice out there. Write, write, write and if the sales come, you’ll find out soon enough. Don’t check up on your sales all the time. Just write.

What are you reading now?
I am reading “eat, pray, love” by Elizabeth Gilbert right now. So far, so good.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m just going to keep writing. I hope to be able to focus enough on one project to have another book published by the end of summer. I will keep promoting as much as I can. I hope to be able to drop the accountant gig one day so I can become a writer full time and be able to time working on multiple projects and still meet the deadlines I set for myself. It’s a dream but I still see the possibilities!

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, The Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss

“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain

“A Light in the Attic” by Shel Silverstein

“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

Author Websites and Profiles
Jennifer Shriver Website
Jennifer Shriver Amazon Profile

Jennifer Shriver’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired airline pilot with quite a varied flying background, including work in Africa for a flying doctor service, and Malaysia for the oil industry. Now I just fly little Cessna airplanes as a part-time flying instructor, and an Aeronca Chief, which I part own, strictly for fun. I live in Devon, England, in a little market town on the edge of Dartmoor National Park and not very far from the sea.

I am married with three grown up children and three grandchildren. When not flying or writing I enjoy long walks on the moor or along the North Cornwall coast, reading, television, the theatre and the cinema. Mostly our holidays are walking holidays. In recent years we have hiked in India, Ethiopia, Gran Canaria and the United States.

I have only written one book, though I have another, well advanced, that I hope will be ready for publication by about July, 2016. Once that is out I have some pretty detailed plots in my head for at least four others, so when the time comes I shall have to decide which to concentrate on next.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The book is called Marshall’s Family. I got the idea for it a long time ago, and from time to time I scribbled notes, not so much on the plot, but on particular scenes that had somehow built up in my mind. Originally it was going to be set in a Europe being threatened by invasion from Russia, however, the end of the Cold War rendered that idea obsolete, so I switched the action to Africa. As soon as I did so I realized that it really was a far better setting. I was able to use some of my own experience to lend authenticity to the tale. In fact, in the first chapter the description of the night flight through lines of thunderstorms, and the rant of the homicidal soldier, overheard by Marshall, are both lifted directly from my memory. I think, had I gone with my original location, it would have been a very different book, and probably not so easy to write, but because I changed the background to Africa, the building blocks of the plot came to me relatively easily.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, except that I write at a little circular, marble-topped table that once graced a Chinese coffee shop in Sarawak.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Graham Greene. He reminds me of one of those Japanese artists who, after just a few strokes with a brush dipped in black ink, can produce a perfectly expressive representation of a bird or a flower or a mountain scene. His characters are so simply realized and yet so vivid. He dissects and lays bare their motives with great precision.

Antoine de Saint Exupery, for his wonderful prose. If Graham Greene paints in black and white, Saint Ex is all colour.

Ernest K Gann, for his descriptions of a pilot’s life, in the best flying book ever written, Fate is the Hunter. He outlines an exciting, dangerous aviation world, largely gone now, which, when I started out, I just managed to catch in its final years. When I read that book it is not just words, I can feel and hear and smell it all, and relate some of it to my own early experience.

Edward Abbey, for his humour, in most anarchic tale I have ever read, The Monkey Wrench Gang. It is a story with fabulous characters and outrageous situations, set in a real-life landscape. Funny and unforgettable, it will lift your spirits.

What are you working on now?
I am about two-thirds through the first draft of a story about love and war, in which a bizarre coincidence causes an American boy to profoundly affect the life of a German girl, he once knew, without either of them realizing it at the time. The novel contains scenes from the First and Second World Wars and the Korean conflict.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As I have only just started out as an author, it’s difficult to say which is best, but I have had great success using someone who helps self-published authors publish and promote their Kindle eBooks. She’s been helping me use social media, and prepare for my upcoming free promotion on Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stop prevaricating, sit down and start writing. Build on what you know. Don’t necessarily have a complete plot, but do have a beginning and some idea of an end.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Do it. Do it now, before you get too old.” From the book/film Valdez Is Coming.

What are you reading now?
I have just started reading, The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen. I cannot say much about it, because I am only on page 17, except – so far, so good.

I am one of those people whose rate of book buying exceeds their rate of book reading, though I read a lot. As a result I have a big backlog of books to read. The Corrections has just come off the top of that pile.

The last book I read was, Comanche Empire, by Pekka Hamalainen. It is basically a history of the Comanche Nation, and how it ran rings around the early Spanish/Mexican/American invaders for many years. It was only brought down in the end by sustained attacks on its economic resources.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next novel I suppose, and I should quite like to start a blog. If I do I’m afraid it will probably be quite serious, an old man’s rant at the injustices of the world.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Fate is the Hunter, by Ernest K Gann

Wind Sand and Stars, by Antoine de Saint Exupery

(Here I am going to cheat! ) Heaven’s Command/Pax Britannica/Farewell the Trumpets, by Jan Morris – bound in a single volume.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, by himself

Author Websites and Profiles
Anson Welsh Website
Anson Welsh Amazon Profile

Anson Welsh’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
By trade I have been a Vascular Ultrasound Technician for over 22 years. I’ve been a Christian for over 43 years.

I have written Five books so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Acts: A Bible Study With Someone Like You

This is the fifth book in series. In a Four year period I took the time to journal my thoughts and summarized every chapter in the Entire Bible. Out of these journals I am turning each book of the Bible into a Kindle eBook. I’ve revised my journals some to make them more personalized to the readers.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Of course the Bible. Motivational books that include the late Zig Zigler.

What are you working on now?
I just started rewriting my journal on the book of Proverbs from the Bible. I hope to in the near future publish stories from my 22 years in healthcare.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well besides Awesomegang, I like to promote to a lot on Facebook groups sites that are specific for Kindle, Books or Bible Studies.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Make your titles & descriptions Keyword rich

2.Make your book covers attractive and eye catching

3. Use Universal links (I use Booklinker.net) that take your readers from any country to your Kindle book.

4. Use both the ordinary and out of the ordinary when it comes to Marketing your book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t settle for mediocrity!

What are you reading now?
Proverbs from the Bible.

And books on improving my book writing and publishing skills.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To get my books into hard copies with Createspace.

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Kurt Olson Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Kansas, born and raised a country girl. I moved around a lot, but never left my hometown. Though, I hope to one day. I am the oldest of three and take my role with my siblings very seriously. Though that role changes a lot. I have a wonderful mother, who also enjoys writing and does her best to support my work. My adoptive father is also a supportive figure, who I’ve grown to look to as my real father, regardless of blood.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The full name is Watchers of Watchmen: A Rise in the Resistance. However, it is still in the editing process.

I first had an idea for a dystopia book when I was a freshman in high school. Though I could never flesh the idea out. That was until I had a dream where everything fell into place. Characters told me their names, and flashes of their adventures flew through my mind. Of course, I still had to edit this dream quite a lot, but that is where the idea came from.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I really start writing, and am writing several pages at a time, I tend to stand up.

It helps me take things more seriously.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh so many. My top favorites will always be Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and the Warrior series by Erin Hunter. I don’t know if they influenced my writing, as much as helped influence me to become a writer.

What are you working on now?
I am using this interview as a way to procrastinate editing my first book actually. Which is Watchers of Watchmen: A Rise in the Resistance. It is a dystopia styled Young Adult read that has a strong female character. There is a little sci-fi thrown in, but nothing outrageous.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I talk to everyone about my book. Even when I am at my day job, waiting for something or someone, I constantly tell people “I am writing a book, wanna hear about it?”

They seem intrigued, (maybe it’s because I am young, maybe it’s because I am so forward about it) and then they let me talk.

Facebook has become my best friend too. There are so many marketing methods on Facebook, whether it be creating pages, groups, events, or tagging your friends. It can be incredibly helpful, if even motivating.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author, I can’t say much here.

But I always remind people: I write for myself. If others enjoy it, then that is great too, but that isn’t why I write. I write because I have a story to tell.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I am going to take this as a question that goes beyond writing advice.

Stand for something… that is the best advice I have ever heard. Without a purpose in our lives, we tend to fall apart and lose ourselves. If we stand for something, then we have something worth fighting for, something to hold onto in the dark.

What are you reading now?
Actually, I am reading a couple books on how to obtain a literary agent and how to draft a query letter. They are incredibly informative.

In my spare time though, I also read bits and portions of The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to work out getting a literary agent for my first work. This is my first time at the rodeo, and I have a lot… A LOT… of research to complete.

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?
They would all have to be things I haven’t read yet, so I’ll give you genres.

1: A nonfiction book on how to survive. Not only because I am stranded, but because I love survival guides.

2: Something inspirational.

3: The Bible (I guess that is a specific one)

4: A Young Adult action book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Felesha Bonnell Website

Felesha Bonnell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the author of one novel and three short stories, and a former musician/songwriter. (I’ve noticed that this distinction tends to elicit a hostile reaction from other musicians, who tell me that music is forever and consider my use of the word “former” downright blasphemous. I maintain that it’s simply a statement of fact. I still love music; I just haven’t performed for a live audience in about ten years.)

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My novel is called “The Agent”, and I would characterize it as hard-boiled existential horror. It’s about a disaffected loner in his late twenties who begins to dream about a series of murders which occurred twenty-five years earlier; eventually, these dreams push him toward a confrontation with the killer and a sort of ghastly supernatural epiphany. My book was inspired primarily by growing up in the shadow of industrial ruins and failing retail stores in northwest Alabama.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, unless obsessive editing counts.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Peter Straub is my single biggest influence. William Burroughs, too–I don’t think I would have started writing seriously if I hadn’t read “Junky”. Fitzgerald, Raymond Chandler, Rod Serling.

What are you working on now?
My second novel, which will also be horror-oriented, is just beginning to take shape. I’m outlining and writing some individual scenes.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m sorry to say that self-promotion is a total mystery to me. I’ve found it very, very difficult.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be persistent. Work hard while you’re on a roll–until 1 or 2 in the morning, if that’s what it takes.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To outline. I thought I could keep track of the entire mess in my head, but of course I couldn’t. An outline really pulls the structure of your book together and allows you to see the big picture.

What are you reading now?
A biography of Mao Zedong.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, I’ll go on writing for as long as it’s enjoyable, and with any luck a few other people will enjoy it, too. With “The Agent”, my goal was to write a book that worked on two levels: as entertainment and as philosophy. If the reader wanted to stop at the first layer, fine, but hopefully there was something beneath that which was more deeply satisfying or at least worthwhile. I think the next book will be a little more abstract, not as accessible.

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?
Peter Straub, “Ghost Story”; Raymond Chandler, “The Long Goodbye”; Arthur Schopenhauer, “The World as Will and Representation”.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jonathan Mitchell Amazon Profile

Jonathan Mitchell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a English teacher, editor and translator for many years, always telling myself along that way that I’d like to write books, too. Finally, I actually did it! To date, I’ve written four books, three fiction and one non-fiction.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Stockholm Diaries, Caroline is my latest book, and it’s the first in my Stockholm Diaries series about North American women who come to Sweden and find love. I’m married to a Swedish man, and though we met in California, we’ve lived in Sweden twice. Both times, I met wonderful North American women, all with their own interesting stories of finding love. So I guess you could say that the series is a tribute to all of them.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not at all. In fact, it’s just the opposite–I have extremely regular writing habits! I write a minimum of 500 new words on a book or short story every morning, no matter what. That’s in addition to any editing, articles or anything else.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Though I’m a romance writer, my favorite books all fall under the literary fiction category! But I love to read romance, too–Lisa Kleypas’s Sugar Daddy is a current favorite!

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a short story that will fit between my two Stockholm Diaries, Caroline novels. Both novels are told from Caroline’s perspective, but the short story, Stockholm Diaries, Niklas in Italy, will be told from Niklas’s perspective.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Hmmm… jury is still out!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Persistance!!!!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Again, persistance. And Nora Robert’s best writing advice: “Butt in chair.”

What are you reading now?
JR Ward’s lover eternal. Let me tell you–I never thought I’d read a vampire romance, but this book came on recommendation, and it’s certainly engaging.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books, of course! I’m writing more Stockholm Diaries books as well as a non fiction project called The Romance Writer’s Primer: An English Teacher’s Guide to Better Writing Through Reading. If that doesn’t keep me busy enough, I’m thinking about another surfing romance 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?
Romance. All romance:)

Author Websites and Profiles
Rebecca Hunter Website
Rebecca Hunter Amazon Profile

Rebecca Hunter’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So far I’ve written two small books of poetry. I’ve always written poems, but this is my first time letting the world know that I have stories to share.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I wrote Flashbacks because I wanted to share certain experiences. A person is shaped by what she/he has been through, so this was my take on different things.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself and your work.

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 Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah

The Green Mile by Stephen King

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling

Author Websites and Profiles
TW Penn Amazon Profile

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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve tried everything from traveling with a carnival to hauling corn from a field in a dump truck, in order to support my writing habit. I’ve written a total of 5 books, so far, but have several that are in the process of being written.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Journey Back To Threa and it was inspired by the night sky, seen in all of its glory, out in the middle of the country. Looking at all of those stars, I just knew that we could have come from there, and that there had to be others like us, out there, somewhere.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if it would be considered an unusual writing habit, but I tend to have several stories going at once, because it seems to defeat writer’s block

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Books that have influenced me are Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Robert Jordan’s The Wheel Of Time Series, Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Series, Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight, R.A. Salvatore’s The Legend Of Drizzt Series and Piers Anthony’s The Zanth Series

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on book two of the Old Worlds & New Worlds Trilogy Of Gaia And Not Threa

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I promote my books on my website, www.musingsofamadmind.com and on Facebook, Goodreads, G+, and Kindle Mojo.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors would be to write what you like, what fascinates you, what scares you…just write, and publish, and write some more.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep writing. The more you write, the better you’ll get.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m rereading the entire Zanth series that my daughter so thoughtfully purchased for my birthday.

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next? Well, I guess after the third book in my trilogy, I’ll probably concentrate on finishing my other WIPs.

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 was stranded on a desert isle, I would have to bring either Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Series or some of R.A. Salvatore’s The Legend Of Drizzt Series and a book by Laurell K Hamilton, from her Anita Blake series

Author Websites and Profiles
Cindy Cowles Website
Cindy Cowles Amazon Profile
Cindy Cowles Author Profile on Smashwords

Cindy Cowles’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born a Navy brat and as such had to move about every three years to a new place. This gave me a lot of exposure to many cultures, diversity, and exotic places of travel. I was able to go to destinations and participate in many great adventures that many people only dream about.

Unfortunately my childhood was very rough and there weren’t very many happy times. As I look back at some of the pictures of my childhood, I don’t see any where I was smiling. I guess both the traveling and my need to express my emotions through a catharsis are the basis of my most of my writings.

I’m married now and we have a daughter. I’m active in her Campfire actives. I enjoy camping, traveling, hiking, camping, gardening, painting miniature figure, and yes, writing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book that I have published is one called “Lost Souls.” This is outside the realm of the dark elf series that is at the heart of most of my writings.

Last summer our family went on vacation to Northern Lake Tahoe and went over to Virginia City. While we were there, we lost our daughter in a haunted graveyard. I can tell you right now that there is no greater terror that a parent can face than the disappearance of their child. The wrong kind of thoughts had entered my mind. Some how I wondered what Stephen King would write. From there, the story fell into place.

We found our daughter, she was fine. She had simply found another family with a daughter her age and had moved to another section of the graveyard.

Initially “Lost Souls” was going to be a stand alone book, however, since I leave my mind open for any possibilities and try to remain flexible in my writings, “Lost Souls” may become the first book of a three book series. Like the first, the other two will center around my travels and my adventures in real life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do most of my writing at night, after work and after dinner. My best creative time is usually between 9 pm and 11 pm. I try to write about one thousand words a day and try to make my books to be around 100,000 words per book (or more).

When I go camping at the cabins at Camp Killoqua, I’m not as distracted and the surroundings put my mind into a better creative place. I’m able to write about 3k – 4k a day.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
R.A. Salvatore, E.A. Poe, and Stephen King are the authors that have influenced and inspired me. I think readers will be able to see their influences in my books. The last book I wrote “Lost Souls” was a direct influence from Stephen King and has a lot of the elements that he uses in his books and is actually dedicated to him.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on book 11 of the Orbbelgguren Series called “The Rising Dead.” In book 10 “The Troll Wars”, the war had ravished the land. Now the 11th book picks up where it left off. The survivors are dealing with grief, survivor’s guilt, and nightmares. The vacuum of power has now been filled with something worse than there was before. A half crazed, non-linear being is trying to save his race and he’s willing to destroy everything in the process, but has he unleashed something that not even he can control? Has his methods gone too far? The hero’s are trying to stop him, but are faced with what they would do to save themselves in the same situation. They must decide if they should let him continue and run the risk of destroying the world or stop him and run the risk of even a greater danger.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not very good at promoting my books. Right now I’m using Facebook, Lulu, twitter, Goodreads, and a few other places but with little success. Any help and advice would be appreciate. I’m not looking to sell a lot of books, but I think the niche that I am writing for would love the Orbbelgguren Series if I could get the promotions to them.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
This is easy. There are only 3 pieces of advice that I give to new authors.

1) Live. Put down the smart phone, stop the texting, stop being on Facebook, get off of the TV and go outside and live. Interact with people. Get in a fight. Fall in love. Get your heart broken. Travel. Watch the sunrise. Watch the sunset. Embrace the great outdoors. It’s difficult to write about something that hasn’t been experience. Remember, reality is sometimes stranger than fiction.

2) Read. Read good books, read bad books. Find out what you like and what you don’t like. Read classics even if you don’t enjoy them at least be able to say that you’ve read them and have an opinion about them. See how great authors write. See how bad authors write. I’ve read books where I’ve been so immersed in them that I’ve finished them in 1 day. I’ve read books so bad that I’ve tossed them across the room never to pick them up again. Reading stimulates imagination and is a great source of education. Read, read, read.

3) Write. Now that you’ve gotten what you want to write about and how to write it, it’s time to put it on paper, digital or otherwise. Just write. Write good stuff, write bad stuff. One of the best pieces of equipment to have is a waste basket to toss the bad stuff away and fill up. A good author tosses quite a bit away initially, but at least they write. The good stuff will come, the techniques will flow, but it never will if it’s never put down on paper.

What are you reading now?
I’ve got a couple of books by R.A. Salvatore that I have to catch up on and really would like to pick up the latest by Stephen King. Meanwhile I glance through my complete collections of Poe for inspiration.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I think I’m going to move away from my dark elf series again for a short time and write a non-fiction story about last summer’s vacation to South Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, and Bodie. My wife really enjoyed the travel portions of “Lost Souls” since she’s an armchair traveler. However, she didn’t like the horror parts of it (not her style). So, she’s asked me to write a non-fiction story that she could completely enjoy. She’s going to buy a bunch of these and hand out to our families, you know, like one of those Christmas/New Year’s letters that you usually get from long lost relatives that try to cram everything that they’ve done in one short letter.

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?
As much as I love Stephen King and E.A. Poe, I don’t think I would want to bring any of those books. I’m afraid that if I read those books I’ll find footprints on the beach of the deserted island that aren’t mine, a fire that I didn’t start, and strange messages written in the sand that would keep me awake at night (hmmm, I think I’m now inspired to write another book). Anyway, here’s a list of a couple of books I would love to have:

1) The bible. Not for religious purposes, but a reminder of those who had gone through trying times in their life and through faith had been able to see their way through it. This will remind me to never give up hope in such a desolate area.

2) A Boy Scout survival guide book. This will help with building shelters, fire, how to hunt and fish and even make a raft to get off the island.

3) “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells. This is not only a great story but a reminder that one person can help restart a whole civilization and if he could do that then I could simply make it through as one person on an island. Also, at the end our hero takes a few books to restart his life and the same question is asked “Which books did he take?”

4) “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe. The reason should be obvious.

If I could bring 1 more, it would be blank so I could fill it with more of my writings, be it fiction or non-fiction.

Stephen Christiansen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I’m a bit of an introvert, for starters. I enjoy being by myself, and if I have a book or a notepad and pen with me then so much the better! My three favorite things are books, horses and superheroes, which is probably why I write books about superhero horses (or maybe I’m just a bit strange).

Currently, I have nine books out that I wrote by myself, and one that I co-wrote with my sister, Frances. They are all children’s books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is the seventh in my Super Sporty series, and it’s called Super Sporty 7: The Fight Before Christmas. It didn’t really come in a sudden flash of inspiration; more like it gradually grew over time. However, the first concept came from a piece of logic that went something like this:

“The theme of the Super Sporty series is teamwork and friendship, so there has to be a story about Christmas in there somewhere. After all, Christmas is a time for spending time with the people you care about.”

(Christmas is also for eating chocolate, but that’s not important right now).

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, but what I write about IS unusual. I mean, superhero horses are weird enough, but it gets ever weirder when you find out that they are Texan superhero horses who play basketball and eat pizza. And one of them has a pet iguana.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Steve Cole’s Astrosaurs series was my favorite as a child. Super Sporty has been rather heavily influenced by it, not least because I first came up with Super Sporty when I was seven years old, and still completely addicted to Astrosaurs.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing Super Sporty 8: The Attack of the Pegasi. I’m also in the process of finishing a Super Sporty short story, called Down to Earth, which I hope to publish next month.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think that probably the best thing that an author (especially an author who self-publishes with Amazon) can do is get on Goodreads. Admittedly, I have not followed through with this advice yet, but I plan to very, very soon. My logic is that, since people go on Goodreads to find books to read, that’s the best place to market your books. All your potential customers in one place — what more could you ask for?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing, and keep reading. That’s all you need to do.

What are you reading now?
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Goodreads. And then … THE WORLD! (insert evil laugh here)

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 books 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Wrinkle in Time quintet. I’ve been meaning to read them for so long, but haven’t quite gotten round to it.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ellie Firestone Website
Ellie Firestone Amazon Profile

Ellie Firestone’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account