Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and lived most of my life in California before I picked up everything last year and moved to the wild forests of Washington to get away from it all. I was a reader long before I became a writer. I started as a comic book geek in the golden age of Marvel Comics. Then moved up to Stephen King and it’s been a succession of Horror and Thrillers ever since. To date I’ve written three full length novels and three novellas. As is my reading tastes my novels are Thrillers that are laced with deeply Horrific elements.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called The Environmentalist and it was inspired by my own life experiences. A lot of it has to do with my move from Central California to Washington. I grew up out in the country in California, but I found the Washington forests to be a completely different environment. To be truthful some of it was a little scary. So I took those fears and pushed them into a story. Living in California you can’t help but here the constant battle between farmers and environmentalists, so I thought it would be interesting to wrap my fears up in that battle and see where it went. So far it’s been very well received.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write in the dark with the music cranked loud, listening to a mixture of 90′ Brit pop and 70’s-80’s hard rock. Most of the time I’m writing to an outline so I know exactly where I’m going and have the cover I’ve designed for the book up on the screen to keep me focused.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King was powerful enough to pull me out of comic books at a young age and he pushed me forward into Peter Straub, Anne Rice, Clive Barker, and F. Paul Wilson. Lately I’ve been hanging out with a lot of self-published authors like Fiona Quinn, Libbie Hawker, Anya Monroe, G.L. Snodgrass, Kristi Rose, and Eryn Scott who’ve helped me hone my craft, understand self-publishing, and learn a lot about trying to publicize my books. Actually knowing the people who wrote the books you’re reading adds a completely different level of emotion to the experience.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working out the bugs on The Casual Critic. It’s a horror story centered on the theme that there are always going to be consequences to even the most casual of actions.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best thing I can do to promote my books is to keep writing them. But you need to do a lot more than that. Sites like this one, The Awesomegang, are great. The Fussy Librarian, Bknights at Fiver, Ebooksoda, and ENT can really help get your name out there. Having a strong launch on Amazon will pop their metrics into helping you. Facebook and Twitter will also help. But in the end there is no magic formula because different Genre Audience are going to respond in different ways and you just have to feel your way around and try a lot of different venues until you find what works for you.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Too many time people go in a gooey eyed thinking that fame and fortune will all come in a single book, but readers like authors they can sink their teeth into, and sinking teeth in requires a backlog of books. So realize that you need to write a lot of books before you can start expecting a lot of success. And that success will be built up one reader at a time, so show appreciation for each and every person you can ever come in contact with who’s taken the time to read your book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep writing and success will follow.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Libbie Hawker’s “Take off your pants: Outline your books for Faster, Better, Writing” which will really make you re-evaluate how you approach your writing. I’m currently reading an advanced copy of Fiona Quinn’s next book Chain Lynx, which is just awesome!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on the Casual Critic, which should take a few months to get done. Then I’m going to write a short story called The Blocks. After that I need to finish the book I wrote for NaNoWriMO called A Deviation in Direction. Before I finally move on to the next book after The Rock Series called The Hunt. So I’ll be busy for quite awhile.

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’s “Shadowland”, Chelsea Cain’s “Heartsick”, and F. Paul Wilson’s “The Keep”

Author Websites and Profiles
Rick Soper Website
Rick Soper Amazon Profile

Rick Soper’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Beginning in 2013, I wrote books for a traditional publisher. In February 2015, I regained my creative freedom and decided to build an entity to represent my novels. I felt the representation would not only provide branding to my work, but also would raise credibility for me as an independent author. Thus, Ozwind Publishing, LLC was born. Little did I know that Ozwind would become much more.

I expanded the company to offer services to authors, focusing on empowerment as opposed to rejection. As a strength-based entity, Ozwind is an extension of my creative vision. I use my marketing expertise to help other authors, whether their work is published through Ozwind or another publisher.

I am an award-winning novelist. I am a member of the Paranormal Romance Guild and my second novel, “IDOLUM: Visions of the Undone,” was nominated by the PRG for best paranormal romantic suspense novel of 2013, securing and winning second place. My novel, THE FINE LINE, won a Reader’s Choice Award in 2013 as well.

I am also a playwright, director, radio personality, and puppeteer. I love writing paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and crime novels. However, I am branching out, exploring other genres, specifically historical romance and medieval fantasy.

I host THINGS THAT MATTER on BlogTalk Radio. Sponsored by World of Ink Network, the call-in podcast explores topics of various interest. I also use it as a marketing tool for other authors.

I am a graduate of Shawnee State University and hold a Bachelor of Arts in social sciences and psychology. I continued my quest for knowledge and completed studies in forensic psychology at the University of North Dakota where I received my Master of Arts degree.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
THE FINE LINE
VOICE OF THE DEAD
THROUGH GLASS DARKLY

All of the aforementioned are part of the BETWEEN WORLDS SERIES and were published in March 2015. THE FINE LINE is a 2nd edition and VOICE OF THE DEAD was formerly IDOLUM.

The inspiration for these books comes from several sources, one of those being my love for the paranormal. Secondly, I am educated in forensic psychology, so naturally, that inspired me to write mystery/thrillers that kept readers on the edge of their seats.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It takes some time for me to create a book. I get distracted a little too easily.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I loved Emily Bronte’ growing up. I also enjoyed Stephen King’s novels. Terri Blackstock also captivated me with her Christian mystery novels.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a medieval fantasy geared toward Young Adults/Teens. It is actually a cathartic work taken from actual life events and formed into a world of mysticism and war. It is a new route for me, but I am loving the adventure!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
You can find me several ways. The best way, nevertheless, is through my website, http://traceeford.com. The second best way is through Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/tracee.ford.author. Lastly, is my blog, http://traceeford.wordpress.com. If you Google me, I am sure to pop up.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
DON’T GIVE UP! If you have a vision, stay true to it. If you have a dream, go after it. My platform is DREAM BIG and I totally believe you have to chase your dreams, unrelenting in your journey.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
DON’T GIVE UP. Seriously, that is the best advice anyone has ever given me.

What are you reading now?
Terri Blackstock’s Cape Refuge series is what I am reading at this time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As I said, I am working on a medieval fantasy. On top of that, I recently launched a brand new radio show called THINGS THAT MATTER on BlogTalk Radio, sponsored by World of Ink Network. I am also hard at work for my publishing company, Ozwind Publishing. Busy, busy, busy.

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?
WURTHERING HEIGHTS
THIS PRESENT DARKNESS
TWILIGHT

Author Websites and Profiles
Tracee Ford Website
Tracee Ford Amazon Profile
Tracee Ford Author Profile on Smashwords

Tracee Ford’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, to start with, I am an American TV writer and novelist currently living in Los Angeles. I was born in the wonderful city of Cincinnati, Ohio to Frank and Dorothy, third generation Italian and Ukrainian immigrants. My mother was an incredible reader. She would read a book a night, and since we lived near a local library, she would walk my brother and I up at least once a week to the library and we would load up on books and head for home. So I can thank my mother for my love for books. After graduating from high school, I went to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, for four years before moving to the West Coast to pursue a career in television and film in Hollywood, where I’ve worked ever since. Though I’ve written lots of tv scripts, this is my first novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Starlight Wedding. Interestingly, I had planned on writing it as a movie and structured it accordingly. Different types of stories have different structures, but after completing my synopsis I thought why not make it a book instead of a movie and after leaving it sitting in a drawer for a year I finally got around to making it a book. I wish I could remember when the first inspiration hit me. In truth, I have no idea. I’m sure I’ll remember the second I send this in. I do know what inspired me throughout the book. My girlfriend, a lovely woman, is a planner like Amanda. In fact, she works planning events, and I am an artist, so to speak, like Daniel, which creates drama. Much less drama than what’s in the book, of course. But as I was coming up with the idea, I thought we could make some sparks fly between the characters by really making them polar opposites. To be clear, Amanda is not my girlfriend, and I am not Daniel. Far from it. But I would be lying if I said there isn’t a similarity between their relationship and ours.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Good question. I don’t have a routine at all. However, I wrote most of the novel on my phone and ereader. I find if I use a computer it hinders my creativity. There’s something about the permanence of seeing the perfectly spaced out sentences that makes me feel like I’ve got to get everything right the first time. Whereas on a phone, it feels like I’m just free writing. Of course, my eyes probably don’t like it, but hey, if it works, I’m all for it. I would use a pencil and paper if it didn’t mean I’d have to transcribe it later. So I’ve evolved. Just not enough to go straight to using a computer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always loved Romantic stories, especially the British classics like Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, etc… I was in an honors English class in high school and we had a summer reading list of I think four books we had to read. So while everyone else at the community pool was focused on sunbathing, I was trying to read a copy of Sense and Sensibility in the blinding sunlight. But I grew to love the books and the combination of humor, drama, and romance in those books stuck with me every since.

What are you working on now?
I am forcing myself not to write for one month. Then I will be adapting a World War 2 Romance I wrote as a movie a while ago into a novel. At least I think I will. I’m tempted to create a sequel for Starlight Wedding. Writing is incredibly creative and freeing but once I get into a novel, my mind is consumed until it’s done so I am enjoying the time in between books.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still new to the marketing side of this, so we shall see. So far, having a few friends who are tv stars that have read the book do social marketing has caused the biggest bump in sales.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing is a craft. It’s like everything else. If you don’t structure your story right you will wander through the book aimlessly and get off track. Most importantly, you’ll bore readers. I trained under a lovely woman, Jen Grisanti, who teaches the young writers at NBC, and also helps people through her website learn how to structure a story. I’d suggest anyone serious about writing that doesn’t know about structure to go to her.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As a Christian I find the best advice comes from the bible. But that’s just me. My father was a minister for most of my childhood and he paid my brother and I fifty bucks to memorize the first chapter of Proverbs, which was written by Solomon, arguably the wisest man who ever lived. I hated memorizing it at the time, but the words have stayed with me ever since. He says to seek wisdom, and you will find it. And I believe that. There’s a lot of deception in this world. And a lot of wrong choices. Wisdom helps you get through it as best you can.

What are you reading now?
I am a huge fan of Terry Goodkind. I’ve read all of his books. I am reading one of his latest, Severed Souls. As far as romance goes, I love Fern Michaels, and a little known author Cara Lynn James’s books are delightful.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a promotion coming up I’m really excited about. After that, hopefully talking with tv film people about making Starlight Wedding into a Rom Com movie.

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’d have to be books that can be re-read. The bible, of course, for me, would be one. Then Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. And then hopefully one that showed me how to get off the darn island.

Author Websites and Profiles
Frank Thomas Amazon Profile

Frank Thomas’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for several decades, because writing is cheaper than a shrink. Also, I went to the Phila. Science Fiction Writers Workshop for many years. This taught me how to ruthlessly edit my own work, so as to avoid being shredded by 12 or 15 critics. Several of my short stories were accepted by small magazines, while my previous six novels have yet to see the light of day. These novels are in a variety of genres including contemporary SF, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, and historical fantasy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Tesla’s Signal. It was inspired by the biography of nearly-forgotten inventor Nikola Tesla, who developed the system of alternating current electricity which powers our world. In addition to being a super-genius, Tesla had incredible powers of visualization, and believed he had received a signal from extraterrestrials. When I read his story, I said “this is a science fiction story that practically writes itself.”

In fact, knowing how difficult it was to write and publish a novel, I tried pretty hard to resist the temptation to write this one. (I have 6 unpublished novels in my closet.) But when I learned that it was now possible to do the entire publishing process oneself, I knew I had run out of excuses.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
That depends how you define ‘unusual’. Sometimes for my pre-first draft, when I’m throwing ideas around, I’ll write in longhand while sitting in my easy chair. For some of my earlier projects, I would scribble notes at work while waiting for a print job to finish. While commuting, ideas would come to me and I’d scribble them while waiting at traffic lights. I don’t advise this: you should never mix driving and writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I loved the classic SF novels about people with exceptional powers, whom society treated as outcasts. It kind of resonated with my life in high school. I also loved the novels that explored alien societies, or human ones on other worlds. My favorite SF novel of all time has to be Asimov’s Foundation series. The original Star Trek was also a favorite with me. I have modeled my life on Spock, and people even tell me I look like him.

What are you working on now?
I am working on some electronic music for an upcoming performance, but after that I’ll have no more excuses. I am brainstorming ideas for another novel about Tesla…(yeah, OK, it’s a sequel). The working title is Tesla’s Wavelength. Also, I really need to make a promo video for Tesla’s Signal. I am one of these people who have way too many projects.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Originally I was going to just promote on Facebook, but I have learned that Facebook doesn’t really approve of that, so I’m going to try some new things….starting with Awesomegang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Go to lots of workshops, or share work online, and take your hard knocks. I understand how fragile a writer’s ego is (I’ve got one too) but there is no other way to learn the craft. Someone has to kindly tell a new writer things like “you have too much description. Use one sentence instead of five.”

And here’s my #1 piece of advice: keep working on those first paragraphs until they’re the most perfect writing you’ve ever done. Get rid of the overdescription, the purple prose and the lumps of exposition. That “look inside” feature on Amazon is your most important promo.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Every word in your novel has to fight for the right to be there.”

What are you reading now?
K.A. Applegate’s Animorph series. Sometimes kids’ books are the best examples of crisp, concise storytelling out there.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Now that I’ve got the hang of self-publishing, there’s no reason why I can’t write more science fiction…not the horrifying, depressing kind, but the kind there used to be. Remember that expression “the sense of wonder”? Scientists are discovering all sorts of fascinating exoplanets that defy the “rules”. I want to imagine what kind of life might live on those planets. I don’t mean scary monsters…I want to imagine life-forms that have evolved better solutions and ways to survive than what we’ve got on Earth.

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 Foundation series. Wait, that’s 10 books. Maybe some of Sherri Tepper’s books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Laura Woodswalker Website
Laura Woodswalker Amazon Profile

Laura Woodswalker’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a film school graduate with most of my background comming from action/ sci fi scipts

This is my first novel, it was written with the intention of finally introducing myself to the world as a serious American writer

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

Honestly it was a little bit of the popular game series Final Fantasy coupled with urge of wanting to do a coming of age story mixed with a good old revenge story

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes!

Weird sleeping hours, (used to chain smoke while writing until I quit permanently)

Also unless it’s raining, I can’t write if it’s too quite… For some reason?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
R.A. Savaltore “Forgotten realms”

Rekie Kawahara “Sword art online”

Robert Peck “A day no pigs would die”

George RR Martin “game of thrones”

What are you working on now?
The follow up novel…

Divine 2nd degree

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far facebook… It honestly changed my life and introduced me to publisher and my closest professional writing contacts thus far

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be original, find your voice, put some emotion in there because your audience can feed off of it, and never Be one dimensional

Also get yourself a really good editor who isn’t money hungry…

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing…. It’s as simple as that.

If your good enough to branch out to an larger audience then they can’t get enough you..

What are you reading now?
Sword art online English version

Spies vs monsters by Aaron C. Richards

Nfl news everyday (Go Tennessee Titans!)

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next is to hopefully when some hearts and minds as a new author…

I’ve entered readers favorite this year do I’m hoping to do well with that

And to complete divine book 2 sooner than later

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 take my book without question lol

But I’d also bring two sword art online and a Game of thrones

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Bombay, India, into a family with Portuguese and Anglo-Indian roots. I moved to the USA for graduate studies and currently live in Milford, Delaware with my family. My first collection of short fiction, Bombay Bhel, was published in 2013. I am currently working on a series of short stories, Gateway of India, and the first two volumes have been published in 2015. My other projects include literary fiction and science fiction for young adults.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, released in June 2015, is Gateway of India (Book Two). Like much of my work, the stories are inspired by experiences growing up and living in Bombay, India.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really–I tend to write in layers, which means I write the first draft as quickly as possible. After that, I go through and add detail, fill in gaps, and rewrite many, many times!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many that I can’t list them all. With regard to my current books, the biggest influences are Jhumpa Lahiri and Rohinton Mistry. Overall, one of my biggest influences is Charles Dickens. His work has taught me the importance of creating memorable characters.

What are you working on now?
I plan to start on the third and final volume in the Gateway of India series. I also have plans for my first novel, but I haven’t had a dedicated amount of time to work on it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t do a lot of promotion, so most of it comes from recommendations by other readers. Goodreads is very useful in this respect.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
There’s so much bad advice out there that I’m reluctant to add to it! The only thing I can say is read a lot, and write a lot. It’s really that simple.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing, especially when you feel like giving up. It’s not always been easy to follow it, but I try.

What are you reading now?
The collected works of Charles Dickens.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully, my first novel. It will also be set in Bombay, India.

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 one I’m reading now, the collected works of Charles Dickens (in one volume). A Harry Potter box set. Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies. I guess that’s more than 3-4 books if you count them individually–am I allowed to cheat?

Author Websites and Profiles
Ken Doyle Website
Ken Doyle Amazon Profile
Ken Doyle Author Profile on Smashwords

Ken Doyle’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I’m Kellie and I’m a bibliophile! I’ve had a lifelong love affair with books. I love the fantasy and romance of immersing myself in a great story, so it was inevitable that I take the next step and become a writer. I have released one book and am working on a second. When I’m not reading or writing, I also love baking, interior decorating, and watching dancing shows on TV. I live in North Carolina with my wonderful hubby, 15 year old daughter, and two sweet kitties.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I recently released my first book, “Soulmate” which is a paranormal teen romance. Believe it or not, I woke up in the middle of the night about a year ago with the story for “Soulmate” running through my mind and I just knew I had to try to write it – so I did!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I work outside the home and have a family to care for, so it’s hard to find time to write. Saturday morning is my sacred writing time because my family is out of the house. I settle onto “my throne” with a big glass of Coke Zero and some junk food and write till the monkeys come home.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I LOVE to read and have read thousands of books by hundreds of authors, but Dean Koontz has been my favorite since I was a teenager. I’ve read every book he’s ever written – most of them multiple times.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a sequel to “Soulmate” called “Soulsearch.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am just beginning to learn how to market my books – exploring the possibilities and trying things. I’ll let you know when I figure out what works!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
There’s a lot more to it than just writing! The story is just the beginning. Deciding what publishing route is best for you, formatting and submitting your manuscript, and marketing yourself take just as much, if not more, work than writing the story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When I read this question, the first thing that came to my mind was Tony Little, creator of the Gazelle fitness machine, yelling, “You can do it!” People mock it, but it’s the best advice you can give yourself.

What are you reading now?
Al I’ve been reading lately are blogs and ebooks about self-publishing, but hopefully soon I will be able to read something just for fun again. Thanks to Amazon, my Kindle is full of freebies just waiting for me.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m halfway through the sequel to my first novel and I have plans for a third in the series. I hope to make writing a full-time career eventually, but for now I will keep writing whenever I have the chance.

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 have read “Watchers” and “Lightning” by Dean Koontz more times than I can count, so they would have to come. I also love “Pretense” by Lori Wick and “Midnight Sun” – the unpublished companion to Twilight, written from Edward’s perspective. I know, I’m totally random!

Author Websites and Profiles
Kellie McAllen Website
Kellie McAllen Amazon Profile

Kellie McAllen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m primarily a fantasy/urban fantasy writer, and have fifteen works published at the moment. My two major series consist of the completed epic fantasy saga Dreamwalker, and the in-progress urban fantasy series Elemental Magic. When I’m not writing, my second career is as a sign language interpreter, a field I absolutely love. I specialize in college interpreting, which means I get to sit in on some fascinating classes and be a perpetual student without the homework and exams. It makes for a great research source I can later apply to stories too!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest release is a romantic comedy titled, “Cupid’s Cat.” It started with a scene in my head of a used bookstore’s resident cat having the uncanny ability to fix people up—except his methods usually involve dropping heavy books on their heads or tripping them so they literally fall head over heels into someone’s arms.
Despite the quirky premise, the novella also deals with some serious themes, such as grief and heartbreak. The main character, Rachel, is a young widow simply trying to get by, but with the help of this unusual feline, she’ll learn that love can be found again in the most unexpected places.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a plotter, and love pen and paper for initially getting a story idea down. I also like to color code my outlines. Depending on how complex the story gets and how many changes I need to make, those brainstorming pages can get pretty complicated. If I were to look back at my notes from the books I wrote a year ago, I probably wouldn’t be able to decipher them.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I loved Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series, particularly how secondary characters introduced in one book later became the main protagonist in a later book. That’s how I’ve structured my Elemental Magic series. I’m also inspired by Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series.

What are you working on now?
I’m getting ready to release the sixth book in my Elemental Magic series: Spliced Magic. Air elemental Sylphie Seaton’s life is about to get turned upside-down when her brother ends up framed for murder and dying from exposure to a genetically engineered super serum. Sylphie will risk everything to save him, and it’s going to be a wild ride.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn from others who have gone before, but don’t expect the same results! Every author’s journey is different, and personal. There are a lot of experts out there who will tell you what you need to do to be successful, but not everything is going to fit your personality or style. Find what works for you, and whatever you do, make sure you’re always enjoying yourself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Give yourself permission to ___. Whatever it may be that is holding you back or causing an enormous amount of stress. Give yourself permission to write a lousy first draft/to take a week off writing/to not be perfect! Do what you need to always keep moving forward.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve got a handful of story ideas in mind; the challenge is picking which one to work on first!

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 book would be The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. It’s a magnificent synthesis of what it means to live with the heart of a disciple. I re-read it every few months. And while I would want a fiction book to keep me company as well, I can’t choose just one! And lastly, it’d probably be a good idea to have a survival man’s island cookbook!

Author Websites and Profiles
Angela Wallace Website
Angela Wallace Amazon Profile

Angela Wallace’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve lived a very charmed life, and I’m forever wondering what might come next. In the first 40 years of my life, I’ve been a monk, a Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol Deputy, an author, and a GLBT activist…and those are just a few of the highlights. Still, it’s my fascination with other people’s stories that really makes me a writer.

I’ve written five books so far, and I’m in the process of publishing my third one right now.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called The Knowing, and it was inspired by the spiritual revolution I’ve witnessed and personally experienced on the planet in the past 15 years.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Great question! I really enjoy being tied up and beaten with a large–oh sorry, you said unusual WRITING habits. Well, I think most of my writing habits are fairly usual, but I do tend to listen to the same music all the time when I’m writing. It’s two tracks from a CD I bought years ago, and I’ve since found them on YouTube too, so I’ll just play them over and over again.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s book, Good Omens, influenced my religious fiction series more than any other. It made me want to tell my own stories of what Heaven and Hell were really like. I’ll often quote the Left Behind series too, even though many people think they’re kooky. Sure, they’re a bit out there, but from a fiction standpoint, they’re brilliant adventures in storytelling! I’d be remiss if I didn’t add the Harry Potter series and J. K. Rowling, John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the writings of Saint Augustine, and Anne Rice’s Christ the Lord and Angel Time books. All of these have influenced my first three books the most.

What are you working on now?
Between late May and early June 2015, I’ll be preparing my third book for publication. Almost immediately after that, I’ll be working on the edits for my fourth book, Finishing Forty, which I should have ready by early November. And at some point this summer, I hope to return to writing my fifth book, Inside Out, a novel based on my last year as a monk.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It really is my readers who have helped me more than anything else. I do as much promotion as I can on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Goodreads, and more, but word of mouth and the generosity of my friends and family members who share my book’s Amazon links and add reviews to Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble have helped me tremendously.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Write first, edit later. Your readers can tell when your train of thought got sidetracked, so keep on writing for as long as you can each time you sit down to type. You can go back and edit it all later on.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Besides write first, edit later, I also love this advice from celebrated indie author Hugh Howey: “Make sure your work is as amazing as you can make it before putting it out there.”

What are you reading now?
The Big Miss, by Hank Haney.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Broadway! And Hollywood!

Okay, maybe not yet, but a boy can dream.

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 suppose I’d take my collected works of Shakespeare, because it’s a big book that’d take me quite a while to read, and even once I was done, I could go back and re-read them over and over again. Beyond that, I’m thinking at least one book about survival might be a good idea. And the last one or two? Perhaps a gigantic book of word puzzles, and an extra large writing journal. (I hope to be left with some pens and pencils too please.)

Author Websites and Profiles
Sean Patrick Brennan Amazon Profile

Sean Patrick Brennan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an award winning playwright and screenwriter. Among my favorite projects are a play and documentary on Cahuilla elder Katherine Siva Saubel entitled We Are Still Here and the one-act play Windstorm for which I interviewed Dr. Elisabeth Kubler Ross. My novels include The Women Debrowska that is (very) loosely based on her own Polish ancestry, Ouray’s Peak which follows the story of one matriarchal Ute Indian lineage, the Mystery Magical Realism Stone Quest series that include Desert Chimera, Gallows Ascending, and the newly released Neuri Shape-Shifter, and my recently completed contemporary western love story, Western Song.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Western Song. This book began life as an eight page play inspired by a series entitled “The Last Gasp,” a series of plays that was to take place in a judges chambers right before a couple’s divorce. Wanting a vivid couple, and having lived in Colorado and fallen in love with the West, I envisioned a cowboy and to complete the “fish out of water” sense, a Thai immigrant bride. I had also been inspired by Thomas Paine in my early teens, and so, I imbued my immigrant with the same love of Paine.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, define unusual. One writer’s poison is another’s etc. I write; it is my drug of choice.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, Margaret Mitchell and Gone with the Wind, Barbara Kingsolver, Stalag 17…Emerson and Thoreau, Ray Bradbury, Maya Angelou…

What are you working on now?
Marketing…UGH!
I am about to begin adapting my screenplay, adapted from the play AMARA. That’s a very fun endeavor– a Broadway murder mystery containing a play within the play and set in 1949.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have recently discovered the benefit of LIVE promotion, and so moving forward, I am hoping to make more use of LIVE appearances. I am planning to make presentations of my historical fiction THE WOMEN DEBROWSKA, and OURAY’S PEAK as well as my Psychic Mystery Series STONE QUEST and try to book appearances. I have found that running Internet promotions not to be very effective. A 99 cent has been the most effective– but how disheartening. Writing a book is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to offer for less than a dollar. You never make your money back– never mind the effort. And it does not build an audience– they re just off to find the next bargain– preferably one for free. I am really so sorry there were EVER any FREE book promotions ever offered. We are worthy of so much more than that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. Write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up. Write.

What are you reading now?
The Center Cannot Hold: Elyn R. Saks

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to begin a multi-generational novel that covers the 20th and 21st Centuries and all the craziness we have seen. We have lost our way in our great nation from “Give us your tired, your poor, your teeming masses yearning to be free,” to ” I’ve got mine, eff you…” and I would like to document that. What the hell happened to us? And can we be saved?

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 Poisonwood Bible: Barbara Kingsolver
The Madd Adam Trilogy: Margaret Atwood
The Magus: John Fowles

Author Websites and Profiles
Leigh Podgorski Website
Leigh Podgorski Amazon Profile

Leigh Podgorski’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Washington, D.C. in 1944. My father was an Army Intelligence Officer who was stationed in Germany right after the end of World War II. My mother and I were among the first military families to be sent to Germany in 1948. I lived there for most of my first nine years where I had to the opportunity to travel to most of what was free Europe at that time. After that, I grew up living with my parents at military stations all over the USA.
My father retired from active duty when I was in junior high school, so I was able to stay in the same community in Ayer, Massachusetts (a small town adjacent of Fort Devens, a large Army post) until I graduated from high school. I chose to attend the University of Connecticut, majoring in English Education. In my sophomore year, I met my future husband, David, and three years later in 1966, we both graduated on a Monday and were married the following Saturday. We moved to Boston where he attended Boston University Law School while I taught Kindergarten in the Boston Public Schools. After he received his law degree, we moved to Los Angeles where he joined a law firm, became a partner, and retired when we were both sixty-one.
We raised our two children in San Marino, CA, where both David and I were involved in the community. He served as President of the School Board and I held various offices in the local PTAs as well as became president of various philanthropic organizations. By the time my two children had both left home for college, I was spending a lot of time in Las Vegas becoming more entrenched in the growing Poker community. We bought a Las Vegas townhouse in 1996 where I spent a great deal of time while my husband finished up his law career. When he retired in 2004, we sold all our California property and moved to Las Vegas full time.
Meanwhile, my son graduated with an MBA from Yale, married and had four children. He lives in the Bay Area and works in the Transamerica Tower in San Francisco as a hedge fund manager. My daughter has a Master’s Degree in film from the London Film School. She married a British engineer, and at present, they live in Abu Dhabi.
I continue to play in local poker tournaments several days a week. During the World Series of Poker which takes place in June and July, I spend most days at the Rio, playing in various satellites and tournaments.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
While playing poker, I often found myself mentally chronicling the action at the table, and creating descriptions of the casino and its denizens in my mind. At some point I started writing down those words and, over time, collected a catalogue of notes. Then I had the opportunity to get into the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program where I learned some basic creative writing skills. At about the same time, my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and wanted to talk about his own life which included his years as an Army Intelligence Officer. I learned that my mother and I were among the first military family members to arrive in Germany after the end of World War II. My memories of the time (from when I was three until I was nine) were enhanced by my discussions with my father. I wanted to write about both those aspects of my life at the same time, and so the idea for River Card evolved.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I proofread everything I write at the end of each session, then I proofread and edit it again and again. As I was writing this novel, I paid for a professional edit, and based on that, made many changes, then paid to have it professionally edited again. I believe as one should not be her own lawyer, one should not simply proof and edit her own work.
While I consider myself very outgoing, sociable and gregarious, fiction writing is a solitary endeavor. After attending too many writers’ groups, writers’ conferences, writers’ workshops, writers’ lunches, even writers’ shopping sprees and mani-pedi sessions, I still had to come home and sit down at my computer and create my story. Add to that, my fondness, actually my love affair, with playing poker (I’ve been besotted for many years), and it becomes clear that my challenge has always been to work by myself.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ayn Rand: Although I don’t entirely agree with her philosophy of “objectivism”, her ability to promote her beliefs through her novels; to portray her characters in exquisite detail, to focus so artfully on her message, inspires me constantly.
Judith Krantz: I love her stories of Hollywood and fashion, describing in elegant detail (sometimes even listing what is in the bathroom medicine cabinet), what each character is doing and seeing, thus creating for the reader a specific experience on each page as the novel develops.
Bill Bryson: His research is uncompromising, and his world view is amusing and arch, while his prose is close to flawless.
Glen David Gold: I envy his ability to combine historical events with compelling fiction.
Lisa See: Her stories of Chinese culture, history and family dynamics are fascinating.
For many years I’ve always believed that one of my all-time favorite novels was Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk. Recently I reread it and realized how differently I react to the same manuscript which, so many years ago in my youth, I perceived as the ultimate escape into the life of an interesting young woman leading a fascinating life. Now, the writing seems somewhat dated, and the storyline of the self-involved young woman, quite ponderous.

What are you working on now?
The story of River Card ended with many unresolved issues, and that was my intent. I am working on a sequel which will take place in the near future; still in Las Vegas as well as other parts of the world, and will feature the child, Livy, the daughter of Phillip Vance, the casino developer, as she comes of age.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook, Goodreads, my own web page, joandestino.com, Amazon

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn the basics first! If a writer correctly and efficiently employs correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax, sentence and paragraph structure, she can break a few rules judiciously on her way to creating her own writing masterpiece.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When I first began to write seriously, I was advised to read everything I could that was published in my particular genre. At that point, I was not sure exactly what my genre would be, so I read as much as possible from the of New York Times bestsellers, concentrating on literary and historical fiction as well as biographies.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Katherine the Great by Robert K. Massie. Right now I’m reading We Are All Completely Besides Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The story of River Card ended with many unresolved issues, and that was my intent. I am working on a sequel which will take place in the near future; still in Las Vegas as well as other parts of the world, and will feature the child, Livy, the daughter of Phillip Vance, the casino developer, as she comes of age.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. Roget’s Thesaurus
2. By the Book, Writers on Literature and the Literary Life.
3. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

Author Websites and Profiles
Joan Destino Website
Joan Destino Amazon Profile

Joan Destino’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Originally from New York, I have lived in L.A. for several decades. In the past fifteen years I have written 19 nonfiction books. Yes, they are all available on amazon. Most of the books I have written are inspirational books, books which make you smarter, richer and happier. My books are short, easy to read, and easy to understand. Why do I write? I write because I like to help people improve their lives.

The last three books I wrote are humor books. Why? Because I’m funny. And because we all need to lighten up a little (or a lot), we need to laugh–to reduce the stress of life.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is: “Parties In My Pants”. It’s a series of short, fun and funny observations and comments from me on the current trends of the day. What inspired the book? I like to laugh and I like to make people laugh. Laughing is more fun than crying.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t have any unusual writing habits. I write in the morning, I’m a morning person. I sit down and stare at the blank page until I figure out what to write, and then I write it. And then I rewrite it. Then, after rewriting everything several times I then edit it and proofread it–numerous times. Finally, months later, it’s finished. For me, the fun and enjoyment is in the writing, the rest of it: rewriting, editing, proofreading, is “work”.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always been an avid reader. Having read over two thousand books, I learned how to write books by reading them. I was also greatly influenced by Ernest Hemingway. When asked the secret of his wonderful style Hemingway replied: “Use just enough words to tell the story, and no more.” That’s the style I use in all my books.

What are you working on now?
I am working on additional volumes of two of my series: “Parties In My Pants, Volume 2” and “Rants In My Pants, Volume 3”.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
On my author website/blog I offer free excerpts of my books. That gives people a real taste of my work and a real chance to see if they want to read the rest of the book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writers write. That’s what they do. My advice to new authors? Start writing and keep writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be true to yourself.

What are you reading now?
I am in between books right now. I am anxiously awaiting the publication of any new books from my favorite authors.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on two new books and I hope to keep writing them. That ought to keep me busy and out of trouble.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would rather bring paper and pen, or a solar powered computer, and write about the experience.

Author Websites and Profiles
Andrew Lawrence Website
Andrew Lawrence Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Meirav Oz, I’m a published Author, Screen Writer, a world-wide Speaker and an Owner of a Talent Recruitment Agency for Advertising, with over a decade of managerial experience in Israel’s leading international Advertising agencies. Today I live In Tel Aviv but, I was born and raised in small town in Israel called Kfar–Saba.I was a curious little girl with a vast inner world. I remember my childhood surrounded by books, I’ve spent most of my childhood in the corridors of the community library.
I tend to forget that my first book “Sweet Dreams” was published when I was about twelve, it was a children’s book written by a child. An allocation of thirty (must admit-childish and naïve) poems, (maybe that’s why I tend to forget it) I wrote those poems when I was about nine or ten years old.
My second book was published much later. Years after I grew up to be a senior executive in the tough advertising industry. I always had a passion for creative people. My background in writing helped me in my career, but I neglected writing for years. After a few years in the advertising business i came back to it and started writing an anonymous column in an Israeli Advertising magazine. The writing was my gateway from the hectic crazy world of advertising. I wrote about myself and my life. Karnie the main character is based on me but no one knew I was the one behind this character. After a year the magazine went out of business and I found myself continuing writing this fictional personal diary and realized I’m writing a novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my novel is “One Wrong Move”. It’s a novel depicting the behind-the-scenes of the advertising world. People say it’s like “‘Sex and The City” meets “Mad Men” in Tel Aviv.
My job was definitely a wonderful inspiration for the book. I remember days while sitting at presentation in boardrooms, participating and yet the same time observing everyone and everything. I used to run to my office and write all kinds of thoughts, insights & ideas for scenes that I would write them later at nights and weekends.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not the kind of person who writes every day. For me it comes in bursts of inspiration in various times and it can last for days and then disappear. I think a lot about the plot, the characters etc. The thinking process is the longest. I write notes on my Iphone in codes only I understand (sometimes even I don’t understand them 🙂 ).
When it comes to the keyboard it pours out of me with almost no editing afterwards. Even if I do edit it, I always go back to the first version. For example the first two chapters of my novel were written at 4AM for a column that later evolved into a novel. I didn’t change anything, all the characters were born that night.
A good conversation can inspire me to write. Driving is best for understanding characters and plots so I tend to write after driving, and the rest? Well I’m not gonna tell everything right?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My sources of inspiration is very wide – it could be from Israeli authors such as David Grossman, Eshkol Nevo, or Amos Oz (no family relation..), but also from contemporary journalism writing or even TV series. For example I can defiantly say that Lena Dunham is a creator that makes me want to write.

What are you working on now?
A TV comedy show I’ve been working on, and My third book, called “Milk”.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My method was a bit different than usual, when the novel first published in Israel, it created a great buzz in the Israeli advertising industry and was an immediate success. I had a unique approach in the way that I’ve pre marketed my book. I’ve created a fictional parallel world to the plot in my novel, using a fictional character from real life. With a 360 campaign I’ve build the identity of the character – in both social and other media; and it made the Israeli advertising world fall for it. So, when the publisher read all the media exposer I had in Israel when it was published, they turned to me and offered to translate it to English. Actually this campaign for the novel turned into a lecture called “One Wrong Move – Book Launching Campaign – The Seduction Journey of the Consumer by building a Fictional World”. I’m lecturing about it in various places in Israel and the world (I had a tour of lectures in California and also in crystal festival in France last December.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Oh I have few:
• During the writing process: while writing don’t be afraid of exposure and let yourself go all the way.
• Enjoy it. Don’t think what people might say, or if it will turn into a success or a failure. Write it for yourself, even if it will never come out to the world.
• Take writing courses. I took about 5 including screen writing – it’s very good for learning how to write authentic dialogs.
• Find inspiration anywhere. Start by listening to people. We tend to hear but not listen. I’ve learned to listen to people and most important to myself.
• Don’t let anyone read your Manuscript, pick only people you trust their mind and judgment and remember that the only person you should listen in the end is yourself.
• Send your Manuscript to as much publishers as you can. The more the merrier…!
• Don’t let negatives comments put you down, everything happens for a reason, this is not a cliché. If you believe in it – it will be publish someday.
• Once its published think of a unique way to promote it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid to expose yourself. Even if you write about a pink alien everybody will still think it’s about your life, so you might as well be true and honest, it’s always works when its authentic and coming from your guts.

What are you reading now?
“Intimacy” by Hanif Kureishi and “The Solitude of Prime Numbers” by Paolo Giordano

What’s next for you as a writer?
Becoming a published TV screenwriter with my TV comedy show.

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?
“Eden” by Yael Hedaya, “Death of a Monk” by Alon Hilu,”Hebrew Love” by Shoshi Breiner and “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez

Author Websites and Profiles
Meirav Oz Website
Meirav Oz Amazon Profile

Meirav Oz’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve just gotten to see my sixth novel come out, and I have lost count of the short stories that are out there in many forms. It has been exciting, these last few years, becoming a real writer. This spring I was startled to discover I’d been nominated for a Hugo Award, and it made me reflect on my writing career. I started writing over a decade ago, because I have always loved reading and at a point in my life I ran out of reading material, so I began creating my own. I used to believe that my natural writing length was a short story, but Vulcan’s Kittens, my first completed novel, changed my life. I finished it because my daughter challenged me to take a story I’d written for her, and make it into a full novel. The God’s Wolfling is the sequel to that young adult story. The other series I wrote for someone, initially just a scene to make him laugh, and it’s now a full trilogy with spin-off books waiting in the wings. The people I love are very important to my writing and really inspire me to keep going.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is Dragon Noir, the finale to the Pixie for Hire series. Dragon started out as a finish to something I’d started three years earlier, and I was really excited to write it. When I finished it, though, I realized I wasn’t done with this world, and I wound up sketching plots for three more books, but they won’t center around the same characters. Dragon became a book about motherhood, and parenting, but mostly about people who wanted to keep their loved ones safe, even if it meant they were put in danger themselves. It really harks back to the Noir feeling I started the series out with in Pixie Noir, and I loved writing the final battle – I was going to have a riding unicorn and wound up with a rhinoceros for a mount. Just fun to write and my reviewers have loved it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write very quickly in bursts. I can and have finished full length novels in about two months. I developed this habit because I’m currently working on a Bachelor’s of Science in Forensics, and I can’t write while taking a heavy class schedule. So I spend a lot of time working on promotion and marketing during the school year, and write like a whirlwind as soon as I’m on a break, pounding out several thousand words a day to get the bulk of the writing done. After I’ve written, and it’s off to editors, I can return my brain to science mode and get back into school. I’m not alone in this, I’ve had many people tell me that creative writing and science or math make lousy partners in the same brain at the same time. And yet I want to write Hard science fiction. That will be a challenge!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was mentored in my writing by Sarah A Hoyt and Dave Freer. Both of them write cerebral, character-driven science fiction and fantasy, so it’s little surprise that’s where I tend to follow in their footsteps. But growing up I read a lot of mysteries, adored Dorothy Sayers, and read everything on my parent’s bookshelves which meant Louis L’Amours from Dad and Georgette Heyer from Mom. It all goes in and flavors my writing.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a science fiction novel about a boy, his dog, and his ship. It’s not a young adult book, but rather a coming of age and mastering his own destiny. I plan for a little romance, but more pirates, and smuggling, and derring-do because they are fun to write. I’m also planning on writing my first full-length mystery novel this summer, a cozy about a librarian who retired from toxicology… that’s my background in wild plants, edible, medicinal, and poisonous coming to the fore.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a daily blog, and that gives me a platform to talk about my books, but honestly I’d rather be a content marketer. I love sites like Awesomegang for a short burst of eyes-on attention for my work, but the blog keeps them coming back because it’s not sell, sell all the time. I talk about everything from writing to cooking to art and beyond. Some days it’s just me rambling, other days I sit down and craft research articles that can help people make reasoned decisions based on science and critical thinking.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. The more you write, the better you get. But you have to get feedback on your writing and then, most important, you have to listen to the feedback and incorporate it into your work. I write for the Mad Genius Club as part of a team of authors and publishers – we even have a marketing expert who guests for us – and we give tips and techniques for everything from how to write a great hook (or ending, just as important) to how to select great cover art that suits your book. Seek out writing mentors who will promote your growth, but remember that not all writing groups are healthy places to hang out, and unless more than one person suggests a change, don’t do it. Hard to summarize all this here!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up. You can’t keep improving if you aren’t breathing.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Peter Grant’s latest, Forge a New Blade. I really enjoyed the first in his Laredo series, and this one is even better, really digs into the economics of the tiny government in exile trying to get back their planet when it was taken from them in battle. Space opera is always fun to read.

What’s next for you as a writer?
This year I will see one book come out. My school schedule comes first, and I’m into the last year for my degree, which means more challenging classes every semester. I’m writing two books this summer, but only one will see publication in 2015 as the other is promised elsewhere than Stonycroft Publishing and I don’t know what will happen with it, yet.

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 books that I come back to for comfort reads would be Lois McMaster Bujold’s Shards of Honor, or Robert Heinlein’s Glory Road. But if I were only allowed a few books on a desert island they would be things like my well-worn copy of my father’s Air Force Survival Manual, Dave Canterbury’s Bushcraft, and a book on the edible plants of the region.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cedar Sanderson Website
Cedar Sanderson Amazon Profile

Cedar Sanderson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
2

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Killing Time. Inspired by a life’s observation of miscommunication and the variety of religions that often spring from miscommunication.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No. I research, write, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, and rewrite.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always been a huge Philip K. Dick Fan–probably since I was about ten years old and borrowed my older brother’s Ace Doubles. His quote “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away” is probably what inspires me the most. I am a huge believer in viewing everything with a different slant.

What are you working on now?
I am currently assembling information for the sequel to Killing Time titled Making Time.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As a new author I am learning the ropes of promotion. I am so far most impressed with Awesomegang, especially with the follow up activity they pursue (such as this author interview). I have yet to see such active marrying of readers and authors on any other site that I have visited.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It seems that today just completing a book is almost enough for self publishing, but it won’t make your book a good read or enjoyable. I think most often I have heard “write what you enjoy and write it well.” You will gain readership if you construct a work that entertains you, as the writer. Make sure you edit and revise. Too many books are flung off the computer and self published that are fraught with misspellings, horrible grammar and sentence structure, and almost no sense of acceptable “word organization” structure. I told my daughter, who is also a writer and a copy editor, that Killing Time is not literature, but a work of organized words.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think it is what all authors eventually learn: persistence. It’s easy to have an idea and develop characters and plots. It is much more difficult to be persistent enough to complete those ideas into a finished work. Persistence.

What are you reading now?
Currently I am re-reading the Hitchhiker Quintet by Douglas Adams.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Now that I personally have “more time on my hands” I plan to continue writing and launching some of the long fermenting ideas that I’ve jotted down over the years.

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 Man in the High Castle – Philip K. Dick

The Lord of the Rings (yes, the whole trilogy in one long book) – J. R. R. Tolkien

The Bible (just because it is so much fun with all the battles, and slaughters, and otherworldly events) – Various Authors (usually attributed to ghost writers for God).

V.A.L.I.S. – Philip K. Dick (because I still don’t have it figured out).

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Maggy Jones, I write as MRJones.

? How long have you been writing?

I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember. I’m dyslexic so writing was difficult until I got a computer and Word. That made all the difference in my ability to write. My first novel, Ash on the Stairs, an erotic thriller, came out February 1, 2015.

? What inspired you to write in the first place?

A wild imagination and a voracious reading habit. Yes, I can read. Writing comes out scrambled.

? How would you describe your style?

Imaginative and eclectic in every aspect. I’m an artist and an RN who had a low entertainment threshold as a child.

? What authors inspired you when you were younger?

J.R.R. Tolkien, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, Ursula K. le Guin, Mikhail Bulgakov.

? How would you describe the part of the world that you live in and does it inspire you?

Southern swamp, on the Texas/Louisiana border. It’s a heavily forested sub-tropical jungle with bayous, canals, rivers, and creeks. There are alligators, nutria rats, armadillos, snakes, cows, and horses. All this and oil fields, pipelines, refineries, and rice fields. Yes, this inspires me. My second book, Slant Well, is contemporary fantasy / magical realism set in this area and includes all the above mentioned items plus gods, magic, and mayhem.

? What are you working on at the moment?

Follow up adventures to both books as well as marketing and building my brand.

? What do you want from your writing? Fame, enjoyment or a regular income?

Fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I already enjoy writing. A steady income would be wonderful.

? If you had a magic lamp that granted ONE wish for the future, what would it be?

A sound mind. My father had Alzheimer’s.

? If you could go back in time to meet one person who would it be and why?

Leonardo da Vinci. I’d have to have a crash course in Italian of that day, but, I have always admired his mind and would like to see it working.

? If you could be one of your characters, who would it be?

I would like to be Evelyn Eden, the female lead in Slant Well. She’s an ancient goddess living in this time with incredible power and human foibles.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Ash on the Stairs is my debut novel. An erotic thriller/romance, the inspiration was my need to tell a story. Yes, the same story, boy meets girl, they overcome difficulties, and fall in love. I challenged myself to write that story my way with my characters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do my best writing late at night when the phone has stopped ringing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.R.R. Tolkien, Ray Bradbury, Nora Roberts, Janet Evanovich, Mikhail Bulgakov, Kurt Vonnegut, and several more.

What are you working on now?
My second novel, Ash on the Stairs, a contemporary fantasy/magical realism adventure set in modern day Southeast Texas, is currently with Indie publisher, Eternal Press and is due out later this year.

I am also working on follow ups to both books.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, word-of-mouth, Facebook, and Twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“If it sounds like writing, rewrite it.” Elmore Leonard

What are you reading now?
Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep telling stories.

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 sincerely hope there is a book on how to survive on a desert island. I want that one.

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol

Author Websites and Profiles
MR Jones Website
MR Jones Amazon Profile

MR Jones’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live with my family in Kibbutz Shiller in Israel, where I was born in 1945. I continued my parent’s legacy by staying at the same place as they do. They came to this Kibbutz in 1937 after a last-minute escape from Nazi Germany.
For many years I’ve been documenting the events and lifestyle of the Kibbutz while developing my artistic skills. My work has been focused on photography of the nature landscapes of Israel, industrial environment and the interaction of people with technology. I have presented my work in many galleries in Israel and the United States. I have also lectured on these subjects under the general title “You Create Your Image”. In 2000 I won first prize in the “International Competition for Nature and Landscape Photography” which was held in Israel that year. In 1997 I have authored a book titled “I’ll Take You There” which presents the nature landscapes of Israel. It has become one of the most popular photo books in Israel. Since 2002 I serve as a member of Bezalel Academy of Arts and design- board of trustees in Jerusalem.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book “Israel, Photography Paths” summarizes all my art work of the last 3 decades. This album captures the Israeli landscapes, industrial environment, people in their work places, families in different life style, portraits and more. The chapters of text that follow the pictures, tells my thoughts about photography.
Usually people are attached to their environment. I believe that the way I look at natural, as well as agricultural landscape, is influenced by the kibbutz way of life. Where I was born and where I live, the open spaces and cultivated fields I see when I open my window, driving on dusty roads, the way the fields change their colors from season to season, the farming cycle and crop collection schedules. I evoke images from the distant past – manual cotton picking after school, picking potatoes and peanuts out of the earth – and wonder, how did all these images and experiences affect my artwork in the present? Did they somehow pave the way to how I would express myself and create in future years?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing naturally follows my photographs to complement the impression of the viewer. It comes from the deep of my inner, expressing my feeling about the subject I was dealing with.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In addition to photography books of different artist, I find great interest in History and wars of the 20th century. Authors like Hans Fallada, Andrew Nagorski and Paullina Simons are my favorites, as well as classic authors like Ayn Rand (The Fountainhead)

What are you working on now?
I keep going with a new photography project, which I hope will lead to a new book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In my opinion, the best way to promote the book is by Social Media, especially in mine and my friend’s facebook pages.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Follow your intuition and write from the bottom of your soul.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be yourself and play your own role in the world.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a book by the author Amos Oz: “A tale of love and darkness”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Taking pictures for a new project in order and eventually publish a new 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?
I would take these books: “The Bronze Horseman” by Paullina Simons, “The Greatest Battle” by Andrew Nagorski, “La Chambre Calaire” (Thoughts of Photography) by Roland Barthes and “The Second World War” by Antony Beevor.

Author Websites and Profiles
Chanan Getraide Website
Chanan Getraide Amazon Profile

Chanan Getraide’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Once upon a time a little girl told her grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop lady. Or a fairy princess fireman. ‘Write, Megan,’ her grandmother advised. So that’s what she did.

Thirty-odd years later, I write the kinds of books I love to read: young-adult paranormal romance fiction. Young adult, because it’s the time of life that most embodies freedom and discovery and first love. Paranormal, because I’ve always believed that there are more things in heaven and on earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy. And romance, because I’m a misty-eyed dreamer who lives for those ‘life is so breathtakingly beautiful’ moments.

To date I’ve published three of the five books in my Ceruleans series: Death Wish, Forget Me Not and Wild Blue Yonder.

I grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days I make my home in Robin Hood’s county, Nottingham. I live with my husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; my son, a budding artist with the soul of a paleontologist; and my baby daughter, a keen pan-and-spoon drummer who sings in her sleep. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me walking someplace green, reading by the fire, or creating carnage in the kitchen as I pursue my impossible dream: of baking something edible.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest release is Book 3: Wild Blue Yonder.

The Ceruleans series is quite personal to me, based on a mix of experience and fiction woven from my imaginings and ponderings. The setting – in a part of coastal Devon where I spent every summer as a child – was a key inspiration. But the story, about love and loss, light and darkness, good and bad, is based on my own efforts to make sense of a world in which people close to you can die; in which being true to yourself can be incredibly difficult; and in which love – for people, for places, for a way of being, for a passion and an ethos – is the only reason to hold on.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Earplugs. I write in cafes quite often, because I love the coffee, the cakes and buzz – but I need the buzz kept as background noise or it distracts me. So I take earplugs everywhere with me, and use them to zone out. In a particularly noisy cafe I’ll wear a double layer – foam earplugs with squishy silicon plugs over the top. I get some odd looks, certainly, but the writing flows beautifully so I don’t care. I just have to remember to remove the earplugs before going up to the counter to order another coffee, or the conversation ends up going something like:

Barista: Hmna ghrt albslo?
Me: Huh?
Barista: Hmna ghrt albslo?
Me: Can’t hear you – what did you… Oh, hang on. [Rummages in ears and pulls out plugs to the bewilderment/disgust of all around.]

What authors, or books have influenced you?
More than I could possibly list. I’ve been reading voraciously since I was tiny; it’s the only way to learn how to write. I specialised in African-American history and literature as part of my degree, and Maya Angelou and Alice Walker in particular have always been firm favourites. My copy of Oliver Twist is yellowed and well-thumbed, as are Wuthering Heights and The Phantom of the Opera. I read plenty of women’s fiction, a fair amount of crime and thriller fiction, some literary fiction and the odd humour title. But of course it’s YA that dominates my shelf: Stephenie Meyer, Cassandra Clare, Maggie Stiefvater, Rachel Vincent, Richelle Mead, Veronica Roth, Lauren Oliver, Becca Fitzpatrick, Jenny Downham, John Green, Lauren Kate, Suzanne Collins. I also have a soft spot for Harry Potter, which was the catalyst for my love of epic series fiction and is now my son’s passion.

What are you working on now?
Book 4 of the series, Devil and the Deep. The first draft is done; now I need to rewrite and edit and proof. And do the cover, which is always a long and fraught process!

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Explore. Go places, meet people, challenge your assumptions. Thoreau says it best: “How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”

2. Read. The single best way to improve your writing is to learn by osmosis, to read and read and read. Not just in your favourite genre; all kinds of books by all kinds of writers. Literary, mass market – even the bad ones have plenty to teach you.

3. Believe. If you don’t have faith in yourself, why should anyone else? You’ve nothing to lose by believing you can write, and everything to gain.

4. Enjoy. Always remember why you want to write – for the sheer love of it. Don’t get bogged down in the business of writing. Love every minute.

5. Keep writing. In his bestselling book Outliers Malcolm Gladwell lays down the 10,000-Hour Rule: to succeed at anything, you need to practise your craft for 10,000 hours. That’s a lot of writing!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
No so much advice, as wisdom: From Kim McMillen’s beautiful book When I Loved Myself Enough: ‘When I loved myself enough I knew I was in the right place at the right time and I could relax.’ If you trust in that, nothing fazes you. Whatever’s going on in your life is exactly what’s meant to be going on. No need to struggle or wish things are different. Just be in the moment and appreciate it as beautiful. It’s a mantra that got me through childbirth!

What are you reading now?
It’s Not Me, It’s You by Mhairi McFarlane. I love the way she writes – fresh, original and laugh-out-loud funny.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Bringing out the last two books of the series, Devil and the Deep and Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully. And then a standalone novel I have in mind, set in London’s West End.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. A poetry anthology containing works spanning hundreds of years and by poets from all walks of life, for comfort.
2. One Thousand and One Nights, all three volumes, for lengthy escapism.
3. Extreme Food: What to Eat When Your Life Depends on It by Bear Grylls, for survival.
4. One of my own books, for a reminder that with hard work and self-belief anything (even getting off that island) is possible.

Author Websites and Profiles
Megan Tayte Website
Megan Tayte Amazon Profile

Megan Tayte’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a novelist, a dreamer, a traveller, a mother, a wife and an incurable romantic. The seeds for my writing career were sown in early childhood, spent in Egypt, when I came to an agreement with my governess Zula: for each fairy story Zula told, I would invent and relate one of my own. Years later – following a degree in French literature, several years of travelling in Europe, falling in love with an Englishman, the arrival of two beautiful children and a career in property development – I decided after so many years of yearning to write that the time was now. Today, I live the dream: I write full time, splitting my time between my homes in Kent, England, and the South of France, where I dream up romances overlooking breathtaking views of the Mediterranean.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Although a standalone romance novel, Indiscretion is the first book in the Andalucian Nights Trilogy, the saga of a Spanish aristocratic family that spans 70 years, from 1950 to the present day. It is the story of a young woman’s journey of discovery that takes her to a world of forbidden passion, savage beauty and danger.

The setting is spring 1950. Alexandra de Falla, a half-English, half-Spanish writer, abandons her privileged but suffocating life in London and travels to Spain to reunite with her long-estranged family.

Instead of providing the sense of belonging she yearns for, the de Fallas are riven with seething emotions, and in the grip of the wild customs and traditions of Andalucia, all of which are alien to Alexandra. Among the strange characters and sultry heat of this country, she meets a man who awakens emotions she hardly knew existed. But their path is strewn with obstacles: dangerous rivals, unpredictable events, and inevitable indiscretions.

What does Alexandra’s destiny hold for her in this flamboyant land of drama and all-consuming passions, where blood is ritually poured onto the sands of sun-drenched bullfighting arenas, mysterious gypsies are embroiled in magic and revenge, and beautiful dark-eyed señoritas hide their secrets behind elegant lacy fans?

Indiscretion is a story of love and identity, and the clash of ideals in the pursuit of happiness. Can love survive in a world where scandal and danger are never far away?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need a herbal tea to kick me off!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Mary Margaret ‘Mollie’ Kaye (1908–2004) has been one of my favourite writers since I read her worldwide best-seller The Far Pavilions in the early 1980s. She has been an inspiration to me in my writing, because, like me, she was a traveller at heart and she wrote wonderfully descriptive stories set in exotic locations that really transport you to far-off lands.

What are you working on now?
This summer, my publisher is planning to bring out Masquerade, Book 2 of The Andalucian Nights Trilogy of which Indiscretion, launched in April, was the first.

A young Spanish writer becomes entangled in an illicit gypsy love affair – until an unexpected attraction pulls her into a world of secrets, revenge and mystery.

Summer, 1976. Luz de Rueda returns to her beloved Spain and takes a job as a biographer to a famous artist. On her first day back, she encounters a bewitching, passionate young gypsy, Leandro, who immediately captures her heart. Even though relationships with gypsies are taboo and her family are suspicious of his kind, Luz becomes fascinated by him.

Haunted by this forbidden love, she meets her new employer, the suave, sophisticated Andres de Calderon. Reserved but darkly compelling, he is completely different to Leandro – and almost the doppelganger of the gypsy. Both of them stir feelings in Luz that are unfamiliar and exciting, but danger, secrets and lies surround the two men in ways she has yet to discover.

Luz must decide where her heart lies, and determine the price of desire – her happiness, her ruin, or something far worse? Should she listen to the gypsy witch who appears with strange warnings about Gemini? And who will she finally choose, the gypsy or the hidalgo?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am most active on Twitter, but I am getting to know Facebook a lot better these days. I blog every couple of days, which creates a talking point on social media.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If the desire, the discipline and the time required for the project are all there, then:

First and foremost, write from the heart. Be true to yourself and don’t compromise to please the market. Markets change, fads come and go; your work will remain.

Research your facts thoroughly. A writer today has no excuse for not getting his/her facts right. Use all the tools available to you. Travel, internet, books, films, documentaries: they’re all there to enrich your experience and make your writing journey easier.

Plan your novel down to the smallest detail. This will make your writing so much easier and therefore so much more enjoyable. A plan is your map. Would you set out on a long journey by car without a map?

Read, reread and reread. Edit, edit, edit. Go through your manuscript again and again and edit it. I know that it will break your heart to delete a phrase or even one word you have spent time agonising over, but sometimes less is better than more. Not easy advice to follow, but in the long run it does work. If you can leave the manuscript alone for a few weeks and revisit it at a later date, reading it as if it were someone else’s, than that’s even better.

Do not get discouraged. Continue to write whether you think your work is good or bad. There is no bad writing. There are good days and bad days. The more you write, the better you get.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Anais Nin: “If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don’t write.” I do all that.

What are you reading now?
Apart from the longs hours of reading I do for my research, I read almost anything; but I love to read romantic novels most of all (the thicker, the better). I also enjoy reading mystery books, psychological thrillers, books about customs and traditions in various countries, books of quotations and dictionaries. I read every night before going to sleep at the rate of one chapter a night.

The last book I read was The Amber Keeper by Freda Lightfoot – I love family sagas. I am now reading The Dressmaker’s Daughter by Nancy Carson.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing more books, and more books! I have written books set on the Greek Isles, Luxor and the desert in Egypt, the French Riviera and Lake Como, all of which will be published in the next few years.

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 dictionary, because I love learning about language; my favourite book, The Far Pavilions; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; and the history book my grandmother wrote.

Author Websites and Profiles
Hannah Fielding Website
Hannah Fielding Amazon Profile

Hannah Fielding’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account