Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an attorney in New Orleans. My first novel, Tempesta’s Dream, tells the story of an aspiring opera singer growing up in Milan. It has been named by Amazon as a Top rated Novel, has been a number one selling Italian Historical Fiction novel, and was awarded the Pinnacle Acheivement in Historical Fiction.

My second novel is completed and is currently with my agent in New York, awaiting publishing. It was named a Short List Finalist in the William Faulkner Competition.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Bellafortuna is the name of my yet to be released novel. The birth of my daughter, my second child, no doubt was the inspiration for this novel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I listen to opera or romantic neapolitan songs while I write. You will find me buried in some corner of a coffee shop, earplugs plugged in, with no idea that Pavarotti is blaring.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Like many author’s my age, 46, Tolkien played such a huge role in my love of reading. The idea of creating an entire history of a location, always intrigued me. Of course, he always took it a step further by even developing his one language.

What are you working on now?
Putting the finishing touches on Bellafortuna.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The most success I had in any single day was with Ereader News Today. A great site, that really has a great connection with it’s readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write from the heart. Don’t buy into the idea that the best part of your book has to be the first paragraph. Tell a good story. That is the key.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From my wife – Don’t quit being an attorney.

What are you reading now?
When I am in the finishing touches of a novel, I try not to read other books, as I am totally engrossed in my own story.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully, the next book. No ideas yet. But willing and able.

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 Lord of the Rings

The libretto of La Boheme

and of course, my own books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Vincent “Chip” LoCoco Website
Vincent “Chip” LoCoco Amazon Profile
Vincent “Chip” LoCoco Author Profile on Smashwords

Vincent “Chip” LoCoco’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a paranormal and contemporary romance author. I also write historical fiction. At the moment, I live in the Northwest of the UK, though who knows where my writing will take me next! I am drawn to the little known, the secret stories, about the people and the nations: the English, the Irish, the Scots, the Welsh, and those who are now part of these nations whatever their origins. My vision and passion are fuelled by my interest and background in history and paradoxically, shaped by growing up in a clan steeped in lore, loyalty, and legend. I am intrigued by forces that simmer beneath the surface of these cultures, the hidden passions, unsaid desires, and yearnings unfulfilled.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Midnight’s Fate is the latest book I released in October. It is the fourth book in the Cynn Cruors Bloodline series of paranormal romance. My inspiration for setting the story in the Honduras came from a news article about a place that didn’t exist. So I wove my story in such a way that the Cynn Cruors now have to travel to this place that was lost thousands of years ago to find a special kind of silver that cannot kill them. Of course, through this quest, the hero, Zac McBain finds his mate, Faith Hannah, who has a supernatural skill of her own.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I can think of.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love books written by Tina Folsom, Donna Grant, J.R. Ward, and Monica Burns to name a few with respect to the paranormal and historical romance genre.

What are you working on now?
At the moment, I’m in the middle of writing my second contemporary novella, You and I. It will be part of a Valentine anthology that will be published by Beau Coup Publishing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I often use Facebook, Google+, and Twitter to promote my books. I also have promoted on The Romance Studio as well as a host of other websites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Think of being an author as embarking on a new adventure every time you write a new story. When you write, ask yourself, do you want your story to be plot driven? Or character driven? And read. Read about the genre you want to write about. Read about the rules of writing – about showing as opposed to telling. You don’t have to follow all the rules. If you feel that there’s something missing, make your own. The writing world may all be the better for it. 🙂

Don’t also be disheartened if you’ve only written a couple of sentences, a paragraph or less than the word count you’ve set out for yourself on that day. Be grateful that you were at least able to write down something than none at all. And when you can’t write, take yourself away from the computer or your pen and paper and take a breather. You may feel better afterward.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write!

What are you reading now?
Tina Folsom’s Cain’s Identity and Monica Burn’s Forever Mine.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve started on a new paranormal series with a dash of time travel. It’s going to be serialized in my publisher’s website and I have to complete the story. I’m writing the sequel to my contemporary Romance which will be part of the Valentine anthology, and last but not the least, continue writing the 5th book of the Cynn Cruors Bloodline 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?
First, I’d take Kahlil Gibran’s, The Prophet. A beautiful book that needs solitude to appreciate it. Second would probably be a book by Tina Folsom, another from Donna Grant, and the last is a book by Alexandra Iff. Their books are fantastic!

Author Websites and Profiles
Isobelle Cate Amazon Profile

Isobelle Cate’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m from Adelaide, Australia, and only ‘escaped’ for three years to work as a magazine journalist and stylist in Sydney. Previously, I was a gossip columnist and fashion editor at Adelaide’s daily newspaper, The Advertiser. I’ve since freelanced for titles including Woman’s Day and Shop Til You Drop. These days, I play mum to twin boys Alessio and Sebastian with hubby James in between writing romantic comedy novels. I’ve written six books and two novellas! My site is www.carlacaruso.com.au 🙂

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Pretty Shore – it’s the second in my Astonvale rom-com mystery series surrounding neat-freak professional organiser Celeste Pretty and sexy builder Lenny Muscat. It’s set in the beach town of Robe, which I’ve dubbed “the Hamptons of South Australia”, inspired by my time in the area as a cadet reporter! It also follows the romantic pursuits of Celeste’s assistant, Flip Belmont, and an elusive polo player/model, Blaise Zenith, hanging about the town…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I do have to write whenever my 1yo twin boys are asleep, so it’s 2.5 hours during the day if I’m lucky, then after dinner until my eyes grow sleepy and I need some trash TV time…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Sophie Kinsella and Maggie Alderson are biggies. Love Liane Moriarty, too. Oh, and Melina Marchetta, Enid Blyton and anything Sweet Valley-esque as a youngster!

What are you working on now?
Just about to work on a short novella for an anthology award-winning writer Annie Seaton is putting together. So I’m in research mode! It will involve the Italian lake district, a possible jewel thief, a glittering jewellery expo, and a professional Instagrammer!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Lovely reviews from random strangers who’ve come across my books via Netgalley or elsewhere!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write your best book. And take a bit longer if you need to. Not too long, but no need to rush-rush ALL the time. I think it’s easy to get bamboozled by all the social media ‘noise’ around you and the amount of other books people are pumping out, but it really all does come back to the book and slowly building up your author ‘brand’. Quality over quantity. Some people’s books may do well in a short burst but it’s about longevity. And persistence!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This one from top historical author Anne Gracie who writes for the Romance Writers of Australia newsletter, which I edit. Hit the spot when I needed it! “Most bestsellers will tell you they got there after writing a stack of books, before they wrote the one that propelled them onto a bestseller list. And often they can’t tell you why that book and not any of the others they wrote hit ‘the spot’. A couple of friends of mine say they think their books just reached a ‘tipping point’—that they had steadily been producing good book after good book, and their numbers had been steadily growing, until wham! They put the next book out and it hit a bestseller list. So it’s a build, and often a slow one.”

What are you reading now?
Feeding Fussy Kids by Antonia Kidman and Julie Maree Wood. Did I mention I have 1yo twin boys??

What’s next for you as a writer?
Tackling a meatier, longer novel inspired by my marketing gardening heritage and Italian ancestry!

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 Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella, Mad About The Boy by Maggie Alderson, and Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty.

Author Websites and Profiles
Carla Caruso Website
Carla Caruso Amazon Profile

Carla Caruso’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Thanks so much for inviting me, and for helping indie authors!

I have lived in western Montana for many years, but I grew up in Detroit, Michigan. When I was in high school the Motown sound was all the rage. I danced on a local TV show that was Detroit’s version of Bandstand. Oh, to get some vintage footage of that! I was one of the teenyboppers dancing on the pedestals. But I digress…

Along the lengthy, winding trail to becoming a novelist, I wandered around the United States and worked a dizzying array of jobs. I’ve been a journalist, book publicist, book editor, census enumerator, school bus driver, field interviewer, waitress, post office clerk, fish processor, library clerk, retail salesperson, Good Humor ice cream girl, fishing boat first mate, race horse hot walker, apple picker, and bus girl.

I have three books published, and another one coming soon — hopefully within the next year.

My award-winning first novel is SPIRITED AWAY – A NOVEL OF THE STOLEN IRISH (2012, CreateSpace Independent Publishing). DARING PASSAGE: BOOK 2 OF THE SPIRITED AWAY SAGA, the much-awaited sequel to SPIRITED AWAY, has just come out in paperback. The Kindle e-book edition will be released Dec. 20, and is available for pre-order now.

My other published book is PASSING IT ON: VOICES FROM THE FLATHEAD INDIAN RESERVATION (2008, Salish Kootenai College Press, Pablo, Montana), a non-fiction collection of feature articles I wrote for the Flathead Nation tribal newspaper in Montana.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Oh, I already spilled those beans, but I will just say it again: DARING PASSAGE: BOOK TWO OF THE SPIRITED AWAY SAGA is my newly published sequel. Readers of SPIRITED AWAY – A NOVEL OF THE STOLEN IRISH were not shy about demanding a sequel. Their enthusiasm was wonderfully inspiring, and I hope they will like the sequel as much as they liked the first novel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Hmmmm. I do most of my writing in my living room recliner, on a laptop. Is that unusual? Maybe. It’s not the best habit in the world, but I figure as long as I get the work done, so be it.

As I wrote my two historical novels, both of which are set in the 1650s, I did research constantly. For example, I looked up words on online etymology sites, to make sure that they were appropriate for my era. The whole research aspect of having written these two historical novels is amazing to me. It’s been rewarding, but kind of tiring, too. I need a break from it. But I may well come back to the seventeenth century eventually!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In the 1970s, I was a huge Toni Morrison fan. More recently, I have admired Barbara Kingsolver (especially her ANIMAL DREAMS), Anna Quindlen, Anne Tyler, Pat Conroy, Wally Lamb, and Norman Maclean — just to name a few.

I think my favorite novel of all time has to be Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. I just love it so much!

What are you working on now?
I’m revising and rejuvenating a novel I wrote years ago. It’s been gathering dust for long enough! This project is very different from the two novels I have published. Although it does include a lot of Montana history, that history is told within a contemporary framework. I guess that would make this novel I’m working on contemporary mainstream fiction.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have been focusing on twitter for a while now, adding and adding followers, and trying to get better at writing clever, concise tweets.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would say, make your writing your #1 priority. Arrange your schedule around it, using your most energetic, productive time of day to write write write.

Also, get your book or books professionally edited. Indie authors must turn out high quality, clean books if we are ever to be accepted as equals in the publishing world. I feel this is very, very important. When I see indie authors turning out sloppy, rushed books, I get terribly frustrated.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think, this from Thoreau: “Our lives are frittered away by detail: Simplify! Simplify!”

I love that. I think it’s helped me a lot through the years.

What are you reading now?
GONE GIRL. I am enjoying it, even though it’s not my preferred genre. I would like to know how the author plans her plotlines! That aspect of the book is amazing to me.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Lots and lots of novels! I hope to get better and better as a writer, and get my life experiences into my fiction.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, SHE’S COME UNDONE, and ANIMAL DREAMS.

Author Websites and Profiles
Maggie Plummer Website
Maggie Plummer Amazon Profile

Maggie Plummer’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written 9 novels (the 10th is written, still to be edited, and I’m on the third chapter of my 11th novel).

When I write, I go on a high that is unlike anything else I do (even sculptures or paintings – I am also an artist). I get fired up, energized and come alive inside when the urge comes upon me. It’s as though visions and scenes and concepts and ideas wash through my experiences and learning to become the pages of my books.

I now realize this phenomenon has always been with me – English being my favorite subject in school, essays my favorite assignments, and I could never get enough of reading books (fiction) – the written words taking me to that other world, that place of awe, mystery, excitement and crucial life lessons.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘why?’ is the name of my latest book, my first self published novel made available through Amazon and chapters.

Because of the ever increasing rate of suicides now, I began to vividly recall my own walk with suicide when I was a young adult. I remember it so clearly, how it had hurt so much and how it seemed like there was no way out of that place of pain.

But, I journeyed back to life. I struggled, and stumbled and searched for answers wherever they seemed to be. Eventually, I found what gives me hope, strength and meaning.

The discovery of what brings me life inside, such as the beauty of nature, the uplift of great music or the shivers felt from words that touch the heart took me to places inside of my own self that I’d previously been unaware of. I’d found life.

Now, I want everyone else to feel like I know I can feel. To turn from the road to misery and wanting to end it all to the road of genuine awe and moving forward with confidence was definitely worth every tear I’d shed and every effort I’d given.

Looking back, I realize that all my novels have been inspired from the same source – the emotional hurts, the awareness and then the healing. It’s the winning, the finding of the light at the end of the tunnel, and arriving there, there to that place of bliss, the place of the spirit, the place of LIFE.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I want to smile; no, laugh. Sometimes the energy I feel is so tremendous I’m whooping it up and screeching ‘hoorahs’ as I’m frantically trying to key in the thoughts that are going faster than my fingers. When I think of anyone watching these kinds of moments, well, call it what you like…

I like the crazy feelings, acting like hockey fans do or suddenly coming upon an insight that words somehow unveiled.

And, I do that thing called writing through the night and on into the morning. Eight hours is never enough. And because I have to write just one more thing, just one more and just a little bit more, I have even ended up eating my eggs at nine p.m. instead of a.m.!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Good question!

I’ve read so many novels, of various genres, that have held me spellbound.

As for influence, Louis L’Amour’s writing abilities, Danielle Steele’s insights and Dorothy Corkille Briggs’s gentleness are as mentors to my own writing.

Although I’ve always been fascinated with psychology, spirituality, astrology, the paranormal and many other intrigues, if these same lessons, insights and wonders are incorporated into fiction novels, I go with the fiction.

What are you working on now?
I am now working on ‘The Heights’ (first editing sessions), which is literally a take off of ‘why?’ When I finished ‘why?’, there was so much energy left from it that I felt compelled to write more words, get it out of my system so I could get at my next novel, ‘Xtremes’. Next thing I know, another novel was completed!

It was phenomenal! It seemed to have happened on its own! Wow.

Now, I’m working on ‘Xtremes’, a realistic, inspirational fiction novel about addiction.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website: http://www.inspirationalfictionnovels.com (weebly)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hurtandheal

And, I’m also a Goodreads Author.

My novel, ‘why?’ is my first attempt at promoting my books via social media, so I have yet to find out if this way will work out. This whole promotion thing is quite new to me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I was told to write what I know, but didn’t realize the fullness of this statement until I’d written a number of novels. What I know seems to pour forth from the inside of me, from my heart, from my passions, from my inspirations. This is what energizes me, prompts the words to be expressed onto the pages, and draws upon inner resources to become the scenes, the answers, the conclusions.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Be careful about what your think, for it tends to be.”

What are you reading now?
Dr. Wayne Dyer – so much food for thought…

Books like this, or like Sylvia Browne’s books or Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs of Love Signs fascinate me.

How much more could we know?

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll keep attempting to reach out to readers, get to know a few other authors, but most importantly, I have to write.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Books with blank pages so that I could fill them all (plus The Bible).

Author Websites and Profiles
Linda Sonnenberg Jackson Website

Linda Sonnenberg Jackson’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am currently a member of too-many-books anonymous as I am an addicted reader. I love living in imaginary worlds of all kinds. I have had many incarnations in this particular life–mother, running Quarter Horse breeder, cattle rancher, late-in-life Ph.D. student. My doctorate is in East West Psychology and introduced me to the worlds of Eastern Religion, Western Psychology, and myth. It was one of the most fun things I have ever done. And required a LOT of writing on imaginative and esoteric subjects. So why not try fiction? “Karda: Adalta Vol I” is my first published novel, tho I have published a few articles over the years. It’s my third try at a novel. The first one was when I was eleven. It was about a run-away girl and wild horses. (I was eleven.) My parent wouldn’t get me a horse when I was young. Hence, the fifteen or so years spent raising horses and cattle in Eastern Oklahoma. It’s still not out of my system so the Karda I write about is half horse, half hawk.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is “Karda.” One day a few years ago I put down the fantasy book I was reading and had the panicked thought, “I’m gong to run out of books.” So I sat down at my computer and decided to create my own fantasy world. Adalta is a tech-resistant world colonized by one of the Ark ships that left in the diaspora that resulted from the near collapse of Earth’s systems. (A collapse that seems closer and closer every day as I read the news.)

The colonists are Luddites who believe out of control technology was a major contributor to that failure. They attempt to hide their destination and are undiscovered for 500 years when a trade ship appears, and Marta Rowan embarks on her attempt to bring technology to this world of swords and elemental magic.

I am working on Vol. II now. It will be available this spring and a third volume in the spring of 2016. Knock wood. (Picture me knocking on my hard head.)

I spent several years (and one of my incarnations) as an environmental activist, and my love for the natural world is given free range in my creation of the world of Adalta. The colonists found it stripped almost to its bare bones by an ancient war and over the years have ‘terra-ized’ much of it with the seeds and embryos they brought with them from Earth.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t have any unusual writing habits. My most persistent habit is procrastination. I write slowly, rewrite constantly, and am unable to plot my books out. They just grow like Mandelbrot sets out of my computer right before my amazed eyes. I love to see words appear across the page like magic.

When I was very young–before I learned to read or write–I remember sitting down with a blank page and making line after line of writing-like scribbles across the page. I’ve been making those ‘writing-like-scribbles’ across pages ever since. Only now, they come from my keyboard and sometimes make sense.

I occasionally write poetry, too. That I have to write with a pen or pencil, preferably on a yellow legal pad. I have a fat file of yellowed, brittle, scribbled and marked through pages that just seems to keep growing. I do have plans to publish the one’s I wrote after my husband died, and I went a little crazy. I love that I can do that–self-publish them in tangible book form to leave for my kids and grandkids. It’s hereditary–my maternal Grandmother wrote her “80 Years of One Woman’s Life” when I was a teenager. Years later I combined that with the cook book she wrote, further family stories and recipes in “Grandma’s Cookbook: The Next Generation.” My mother and I had them printed for friends and family and one day I hope to get a new version uploaded for the next Next Generation.

Some of those poems are on my website: SherrillNilson.com

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read constantly and voraciously and probably am influenced by each and every book, for good or bad. I have developed a love of fantasy and non-technological sic-fi. (Is there such a thing?) So that’s what I write. I’ve been influenced by so many it is hard to pick out specific books or authors. I loved Madelaine L’Engle, the Narnia books, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover books, Anne McAffrey, Mercedes Lackey, Maria V Snyder’s Poison Study and Glass books. I particularly like books with strong female characters.

I only wish I could say I could find a Jane Austin influence in my work, but she’s so far above me it makes my neck ache from looking up. There are so many more–I really need to start a list somewhere. I have a terrible memory, or there is so much stuffed in my brain it takes a long time for what I’m looking for to surface. It will be a long long list. I think everything you read influences your writing–bad examples included.

What are you working on now?
Austringer: Adalta Vol. II is the story of the further struggle against the evil Itza Larrak and his pawn, Readen. Galen Danvyl, who is a ‘bad guy’ in Karda, is the main male protagonist. Galen struggles with his guilt, the breakdown of his emotional defenses, his more-than-just-disturbing connection to Adalta, and his love for the unavailable Tessa Me’Cowyn. Tessa herself struggles with the knowledge that she is the Austringer–one who hunts with hawks. Found by the Karda, Kishar, she must come to terms with the blockage of the Talents as a Healer she was born with and has lost and must become a killer. Her father is determined she marry the strongest Talent he can find for her to breed the grandsons who will bring him power and feed his growing ambitions.

Readen Me’Vere, the evil bad guy, is in prison. But that doesn’t stop him from trying to bring back the Itza Larrak, the even more evil ancient alien which will destroy Adalta in its efforts to–oops, spoiler averted.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still figuring that out. Any suggestions are more than welcome.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you are writing a series, have the next book or books ready before you publish the first. Learn the craft. I think that is an ongoing thing. Look up the Margie Lawson Academy for the most excellent teacher of craft I can imagine. Proof Proof Proof. Edit Edit Edit.

Love your characters. Love your setting.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Put your but in the chair and write.

What are you reading now?
On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington) by David Weber. Another strong female character,

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to keep my but in the chair. Finishing Austringer: Adalta Vol. II. Keeping Vol. III in the back of my mind so I can write it in a timely fashion. Finishing this series so I can write the book about the trees leaving. Leaving as in leave not leaf. Because I am saddened by the death of so many trees from bark beetles, drought, oak wilt and on and one and the issue seems urgent. When the dolphins left they said, “Goodbye and thanks for all the fish.” What will the trees say as they leave this ungrateful 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?
Jane Austin’s books–all of them. Marcel Proust’s In ‘Search of Lost Time.’ All seven volumes because that’s the only way I will ever get them read.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sherrill Nilson Website
Sherrill Nilson Amazon Profile
Sherrill Nilson Author Profile on Smashwords

Sherrill Nilson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a full-time writer living in the Pyrenees Atlantique region of France although I am originally from the quaint medieval city of Salisbury in the UK. I love exploring this mountainous region and want to set a book here, the scenery is too beautiful to waste.

I divide my time between writing my books in my own name (13 books so far but I have nearly finished the 14th) and ghostwriting books for clients. This keeps me pretty busy and the creative cells turning. I am also the editor of http://creativecompetitor.com a successful resource site for writers globally. The site was borne out of my love for creative writing and I had the idea to help others by using my experiences as a college tutor and published writer. I have had the great pleasure of watching it grow daily and we now provide many services for authors as well as fun writing opportunities.

My passion is writing fiction although I get little time to indulge in fictional works – I am an ideas person so I keep note of my ideas just in case I can use them at a later date. I am lucky because I can turn my hand to writing non-fiction too and I have to admit, I love research.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book was: Emotional Abuse – Get Out of My Head and Out of My Bed! I have always been heavily involved with self-development – having written workshops and courses for clients and hosted many in the past but, when it came to romantic liaisons, I kept experiencing some very unhealthy and manipulative relationships.

It took me a long time to put this book together. It was quite a painful writing experience and so, probably one of the hardest books I have ever written. It’s very personal in that I write about some of my own experiences because I really wanted to be able to reach out to other women, share my own emotional angst and say you are not alone. It gives a lot of hope I think for other women. There’s life after emotional abuse. I’ve had some good feedback and lots of women have shared their own experiences with me.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I used to take my dictaphone out with me when walking and had many strange looks as I would use it every time an idea popped into my head – especially if I was capturing information- like blood and weapons for a possible murder mystery.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have so many favourite authors but ones who have had the most influence on my writing career have been Agatha Christie and Mary Stewart. Both very different in terms of writing style but they had the ability to hook the readers and to keep the pages turning.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a book which reveals my favourite writing tips and tricks for bringing characters to life. I used to teach Creative Writing and Journalism at Wiltshire college in the UK but I like to think I specialise in characterisation, I think it’s so important. You can have a great plot but if the characters are not compelling and lifelike, the reader will soon lose interest.

My new book – Creative Writing – Create Living, Breathing Characters has a multitude of examples and in-depth information on how to build a character from the basic concept through to adding in those unique character traits. It’s in the final editing stage and will be published very soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have always had a great deal of success promoting my books through Twitter but I do recognise the value of marketing from lots of different angles. I think it’s about finding the marketing trick that works for you. It’s a competitive market out there and authors these days have to be prepared to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in with book promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s important to keep writing, to keep creating new books but to always put heart and soul into each one. There will always be people who do not like your books, as horrible as it is, it’s a fact of life. But I believe that as long as the writer has put 100% effort into their book, they should be proud of being called an author.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To keep writing and to never give up.

What are you reading now?
I am reading Patricia Cornwell’s The Bone Bed. I have been a huge fan of her books throughout the years and so I am desperately trying to find the time to sit back and to lose myself in this novel.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just to keep on writing. I love it. I am passionate about the written word and I really do live and breathe the writing life. I have some more self-improvement books to write and I would also like to complete my second novel which is entitled: Who Killed Kendra Laine? The first novel was written in a frenzied 30 days. It was an attempt to show my writing students what could be done if you really set your mind to it. It was a tough book to write but I loved the challenge. The book was called Who Killed September Falls? (Just in case you want to check it out). I have since taken one of the characters and placed her in her own series. I think when you get a strong character and one that can be developed it’s good to do so.

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 want to read Flesh and Blood by Patricia Cornwell, Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs, The Monogram Murders (Agatha Christie) by Sophie Hannah and, Dark Witch -The Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy – Book 1 by Nora Roberts.

Author Websites and Profiles
Annette Young Website
Annette Young Amazon Profile

Annette Young’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Anthony O’Brian is a lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest. He has a beautiful wife, three wonderful children, one dog, and two cats. O’Brian has worked a wide variety of jobs, traveled the continental U.S. extensively, and been involved in several professional and non-professional capacities through the years, as a teacher, principal, P.E. instructor, construction worker, bus driver, public speaker, welder, editor, truck driver, machinist, and mechanic; currently a business owner and President of a non-profit corporation. He enjoys writing and has plans for several books to be published soon. Anthony and his family are traveling the United States again working for their non-profit corporation.

O’Brian has published four books in ebook and paperback with one novel just released in audiobook on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. His ebooks are available on Smashwords, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, etc. His paperbacks are available on Amazon and B&N.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled, “The Fishing Trip” and it was inspired by my experiences as a boy and teenager growing up. Also, inspired by the “Hardy Boys” series, which I am wishing to emulate. I will be weaving in real events into my stories that either happened to me or my friends growing up.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
What writer doesn’t, right? I sometimes have a hard time sleeping and will slip over to my laptop and pound out words until my eyelids get droopy. This has been known to be my most productive and best writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
What is the word limit here?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Sherlock Holmes
Harold Lamb – historical fiction
Herman Wouk – historical fiction
Rafael Sabatini – historical fiction
Charles Dickens – Tale of Two Cities
Louis L’amour – westerns
Tom Clancy – Hunt for Red October and others
Robert Ludlum – Borne Series
Michael Crighton – Timeline

The list continues…

What are you working on now?
I am working on a fifth novel that has lost a little bit of steam. It is a great idea, but difficult for me to write as it may be a little out of my genre. We will see…I won’t tell anymore as it would only be a teaser.

I am also working on the 2nd book in the Summer Days Series (think Hardy Boys) and it is going well so far. These are fun and easier to write.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am relatively new to the whole market so it is still an evolving process, but I have found GoodReads to be a great tool for marketing. Even if it wasn’t for this aspect I would still be a member as a reader.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
For what its worth: Write something worth reading. Don’t worry about money or critics. Just know at the end of the day that your wrote something worth reading. Don’t get caught up in trends, but write from your heart.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write every day. Though I am not able to do so, it continually drives me to get back on track and write.

What are you reading now?
Well, now does that mean ALL the books I am reading? 🙂 I am in-between audiobooks, having just finished “Defying Hitler” by Sebastian Haffner, and currently have a page marked in “Civilian Warriors” by Erik Prince.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Another audiobook in January hopefully and the completion of my 2nd in the Summer Days Series. After that the sequel to The Elevator and book 3 of the SDS. I have another idea for a great novel, but this list has probably already taken up 2015.

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
The Survivor Club
Tale of Two Cities
and “How to get off a desert island after reading three books” by Anthony O’Brian

Author Websites and Profiles
Anthony O’Brian Website
Anthony O’Brian Amazon Profile
Anthony O’Brian Author Profile on Smashwords

Anthony O’Brian’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Cheshire England. As an adult i travelled to New Zealand, fell in love and ended up moving here to marry. I live with my husband, three children and two cats.

I am a family history researcher of the Plaisted line; world wide. I put together family history books and reunions books for others. In 2012, during one lot of research I started to write a novel. It became a Regency Mystery Romance which is yet to be published. It was a good story, though badly written. With help and time I believe it will be published next year.

Since that time I have written two short stories and four books to an adult series. “Garrett Investigation Bureau” revolved around an agency and it’s new agents. With plenty of twists and turn. These are all published and for sale online worldwide, along with my first children’s story called “Zoe’s Journey,” which is aimed at 10yrs and up. I have eight books published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
At present I am concentrating on a new series for young children based in the insect world. This was inspired by a friend who was looking for a book for to read to her young grandson. She suggested a Ladybug at the adventurer.

Girlie is a blue ladybug who journeys on adventures and quests to help save her friends. The first book is called “Girlies and the War of the Wasps.” This story is about finding the correct diet for a wasp hive so they stop kidnapping insects from the local villages.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Apparently I sometimes laugh when I write and I also talk, well whisper as I type. Other than that I let my fingers do the talking. Is this unusual enough….lol

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have no real idea. I have read so many different kinds of books over the years, some for research, others for enjoyment. I do have some favourite authors though. C S Lewis, A A Milne, Elizabeth Goudge. In the adult world i have enjoyed; J D Robb, Nora Roberts, Colin Forbes, Clive Cussler, Lee Child, to name a few.

What are you working on now?
I tend to work on several drafts at once. I have a lot of editing to do and I am trying to concentrate of “Girlie and the War of the Wasps,” and my adult book “Mascosta’s Dreamgirl,” which is book five in my “Garrett Investigation Bureau Series (GIB)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use as much social media as I can, though I am still learning where I can submit books to share with readers.

I do have a website, blog, pinterest, linkedin, twitter and facebook. I also try and promote locally where I live. I have one book in a local bookstore and I will be having my first book launch at our local library next year

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Dont give up, stay strong and keep writing. There is nothing wrong with self-publishing and there is plenty of advice out there where you can get help.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Grab your dreams and hold on.

What are you reading now?
I am looking at a draft from another author at present. I format draft manuscripts to eBook and Print standard so they can be uploaded online and or printed off and bought. It is a good story so far, by no means finished, so I can’t really tell you what it’s about.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Updating my website and learn better marketing skills. I would also like to see my first novel out there in the public eye.

“The Mystery at Crosswick Manor,” is set in the late Regency and early Victorian times. It tell the story of a young destitute widow and her first love. Showing how they reconnect and try to make each other fall in love, while around them a mystery deepens and a scandal brews.

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 notebook so I could write. A survivor’s handbook to help me create a place i’d need to live. A children’s book though I can’t decide which one. Lastly i’d find the largest most entertaining book I could find to keep me company.

Author Websites and Profiles
Claire Plaisted Website
Claire Plaisted Amazon Profile
Claire Plaisted Author Profile on Smashwords

Claire Plaisted’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a political economist, public policy analyst, and author. I am also a history buff with a focus on the Italian Renaissance. My fascination with that time and place encouraged me to write my first historical novel, The City of Man. It is based on a true story with real characters drawn from the historical record. The two main characters are the fundamentalist preacher, Girolamo Savonarola, and his nemesis, the infamous political operator, Niccolo Machiavelli. A trilogy structured on Dante’s Divine Comedy, it is an epic tale of Savonarola’s fantastic rise and tragic fall, symbolizing a critical juncture in the conflict between Church and State in the Christian world. More dramatized history than historical fiction, the story integrates the art, religion, and politics of this glorious period.

I have written 3 other books: Saving Mona Lisa, a tale of love, betrayal and Renaissance genius; a policy book titled Common Cent$; and a modern version of the Renaissance story titled, In God We Trust. The last novel is set in modern Washington D.C. in the time period denoted by the dotcom bust, 9/11, and the initial stages of the Iraq War.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My last novel is In God We Trust: A Novel of American Politics. It was inspired by the historical parallels between the religious-political conflict in Renaissance Florence in the 15th century that was the subject of my first book, The City of Man, and the contemporary American political scene.

In God We Trust uses fictional characters to develop the story as a chronicle of our times. The protagonist is Dante Jefferson Washington – a smart, young, black, religious conservative seeking to make his mark on the Washington D.C. political stage. He is modeled on Machiavelli (but not in the way we might expect from our vernacular usage of the adjective Machiavellian).

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t believe my habits are unusual. The key is to develop a disciplined work schedule, day-by-day. My books are heavily researched, which is a reflection of my own historical curiosity – leave no stone unturned. Researching is the fun, discovery stage, writing the exciting part, and editing the excruciating, but necessary, task.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Umberto Eco’s In the Name of the Rose, Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Eliot’s Romola, Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, Irving Stone’s The Agony and the Ecstasy, Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being, anything by Fitzgerald/Hemingway.

What are you working on now?
I’m researching a futuristic novel that will be the natural extension of my thematic thread that weaves through The City of Man and In God We Trust. That theme is the timeless tension between hope and fear, faith and reason, that shapes the human psyche. Our future world, which is rather close in time, will be shaped by the control of data and information that will form the basis of artificial intelligence. It portends a world radically different from the one we live in today, but one we must navigate in the same ways we have through the centuries. The world constantly changes while human nature remains a constant.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon – author and product pages. The world is learning to browse the electronic world of books in the same way we have with bookstores and libraries.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write something worth writing – there is often little else reward. Use digital formats in creative ways that go beyond print.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be yourself, if you can figure out who that is. I love the John Lennon quote: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

What are you reading now?
I am reading Daniel Silva spy thrillers because my next book will be my first literary thriller.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Juggling words, words, and more words to try to make some sense.

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 Great Gatsby, The History of Civilization by Will Durant, Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Harrington Website
Michael Harrington Amazon Profile

Michael Harrington’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 Sage L Mattison and I’m an author of erotic and creative fiction.

I am a creative, a stay at home mama and a business owner. I live with my husband and son in the suburbs of Chicago, while dreaming of life on the road! I enjoy spending my days writing and playing with my toddler.

There’s nothing better than chocolate peanut butter ice cream at the end of a long day.

I loves crystals, coffee, and telling the truth.

I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember and a reader for even longer. For too long I refused to acknowledge that romance and erotica were my favorite reads. They were hidden and secret. And then I thought, “What the hell am I doing?!”

I am a strong woman who reads erotica and romance and I’m not afraid to admit it. I indulge in my guilty pleasures now and so should you!

I’m currently working on a serial story called We Need Him. Part 1 and 2 are currently available as well as a Halloween short (a Christmas short is coming very soon!)

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent publish is We Need Him Part 2. I started this serial story because as a reader, I wanted to see more stories about mmf threesomes. As a writer, I was interested in exploring the dynamic of this sort of relationship, I am extremely fascinated by it and how the three would interact together. It’s been a challenge at times, to write three main characters who are in love and having steamy sex scenes but it’s also been a great way to work my writer muscle and get into their heads.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write scenes in my head, constantly. Usually everything is written in my head before I put it down on the screen. As I go throughout my day and while I’m trying to fall asleep, I’m almost always crafting scenes and brainstorming with myself what will and won’t work. I try out different actions and conversations between my characters in my head before I write it all out.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always been a big fan of Charles de Lint and Neil Gaiman as far as literary authors. For erotica, I love love love Red Phoenix and Lynda Aicher, I wait not very not patiently for their next books and am often wondering what their characters are going to get up to next.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing We Need Him Part 3 but I also jump around between the next serial story in the Missing Pieces Set and some Holiday shorts. I like to have a variety of things to work on, so if I get stuck on one story I can bounce to another for a bit.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not sure what has worked the best in terms of sales but I love twitter the most. I really enjoy engaging with readers and writers alike and sharing some of my own life.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be so worried. I worried for too long that I had to write something that “meant something”. I worried about being deep. I worried about my story not being long enough, or not sexy enough or not kinky enough. I worried about what people would think of me and I worried about taking time from other things in my life to write.

My advice to you, and myself, is to let go of that worry and just do what makes you happy. If writing makes you happy, do it. If writing sex scenes makes you happy, go for it. If you enjoy writing about 17th century France, then have at it! Don’t worry about anything but what you find joy in.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Fake it till you make it!

What are you reading now?
Trust Me Part 2 by DT Jones

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to explore more genres like paranormal romance and poetry. All of my will always have an erotic/romance element to it but I would love to try some other things 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?
I was about to say The Sword of Truth series because they have been my favorite books for a long time and I can re-read them forever but if I was stranded on an island I would probably like some sexy erotica so I’m not sure!

Author Websites and Profiles
Sage L Mattison Website
Sage L Mattison Amazon Profile
Sage L Mattison Author Profile on Smashwords

Sage L Mattison’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I would describe myelf as the ultimate multi-tasker. Sometimes I even have to remind myself who I am for the day!

Why?

Because I write under three different pen names and in three very different genres. As Debrah Martin I write literary fiction. Falling Awake is a dream-like tale where truth IS stranger than fiction. I also plots fast-paced and compelling thrillers as D.B. Martin, with the first in the Patchwork trilogy, Patchwork Man, out now. Its fallen hero, Lawrence Juste QC faces a future as tricky as his past when his previous misdeeds catch up with him and his dead wife blackmails him, apparently from beyond the grave. The second in the series, Patchwork People twists the knife even further when it’s released at the end of September 2014.

And finally there’s my YA teen detective series, penned as Lily Stuart – THE teen detective. Irreverent, blunt, funny and vulnerable, Lily’s diary tells the tale of her mother’s internet dating spree – and the murderer she meets, interspersed between daily life as a teenager, with all its bitching, banter, and vulnerability. Webs is also due to be released in September 2014.

So why not stick to just one name and one genre?

‘Variety is the spice of life,’ is my stock reply. ‘And I have all these ideas – they have to come out somehow!’

My past careers have spanned two businesses, teaching, running business networking for the University of Winchester and social event management. In 2014 I became Chair the Wantage (not just Betjeman) Literary Festival in my hometown, which was an experience not to be missed – and which has given Lily Stuart another idea… I also has two daughters and a dog to organise.

See – more multi-tasking!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is the second in the Patchwork trilogy; Patchwork Pieces. the trilogy will be completed in spring 2015.

The first in the trilogy, Patchwork Man, was conceived as a result of my mother’s description of how the rag and bone man used to tour the streets when she was young. It immediately conjured up images of post Second World War Britain to me and I wanted to write a novel with its roots in that period. To begin with, it was to be a stand-alone book, but as the twists and turns in the plot grew, and the characters developed, I knew I couldn’t contain the entirety of it in one book unless it was to be a mammoth tome like War and Peace.

I wrote up the rag and bone description, researched other common features of the time and came across a series of anecdotes about life in children’s homes in the fifties, at the time my mother would have been in her late teens to early twenties. She’s now eighty. A theme common to the reports was emotional isolation and the desire to leave the past behind them when the child reached maturity. So much of the way we are able to tackle the problems of the present depend on the emotional nurturing we received in the past. I began to imagine a man, emotionally deprived as a child, burying his past in favour of a future he’d manufactured, yet unable to deal with the consequences when that past could no longer be buried. That obviously provided the possibility of wanting past misdeeds to be buried too, and for it to be these that later came back to haunt the protagonist. He, or she, therefore had to be a ‘fallen hero’; on the face of it successful and well-adjusted, but underneath intrinsically damaged. Seeing an adaptation for the theatre of To Kill a Mocking Bird was the finishing touch and Lawrence Juste was ‘born’, enabling my long-time admiration for the message in Harper Lee’s masterpiece to become a central part of the life lessons Juste has to learn on his journey from damaged to whole.

I was extremely lucky to have a contact who introduced me to a High Court Judge and he initially checked the procedural sections for credibility and accuracy. He remains nameless of course, but he was of immense help with Patchwork Man.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I have my ‘writing’ room – which used to be my younger daughter’s dance studio (she was going to be a ballerina), so I’m surrounded by massive mirrors, although I can turn my back on them. Unlike eyes, they’re not the mirrors to the soul – but they do make you think. Reflections often depict people quite well – what they reflect at you rather than what they really are.

My day usually starts with a mug of tea, reading my emails and letting the ideas percolate. Then I write. If I’ve got into character well, the writing flows. If I haven’t there’s an awful lot more tea and email reading!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a child I steadily worked my way through the local library’s book shelves, starting with Enid Blyton, then onto Ruth Rendell, P.D. James, Patricia Cornwell via Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers and so on, until I reached Dan Brow –as everyone does. I also read thousands of other psychological and crime suspense novels in between. I love a good thriller, especially if it’s a brain teaser. Gone Girl was good too, but I worked the plot out about five chapters in, and that showed me how much the psychological thriller format eventually worms its way into your psyche. All that reading taught me how to write thriller plots, but my reading background is far wider.

I studied English Literature at university (a long time ago) and also developed a love of all kinds of genres – Shakespearean and Jacobean Revenge tragedy amongst them. If I took an overview, I can even see little traits of them in Patchwork Man, as well as the kind of moral twist there is in books such as Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird, which will always be one of my all-time favourites. It’s maybe also why I write in more than one genre. There is too much I love to read to stick to just one, and also too much to say in a lot of different ways!

What are you working on now?
I’m now working on the next in my YA teen detective series. I love writing as Lily – she says all the things I’d like to say, but know eyebrows would shoot through hairlines if I did. In Magpies there are a lot of secrets, all gradually being revealed, and Lily is getting to grips with not being as sharp as she was in Webs – an education in itself. And of course then there’s Si. He has Tourettes …

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
E Reader News today is great, and I’m testing out Book Sends over Christmas, but really promoting a book isn’t achieved though just one method. There’s Twitter, Facebook and a whole host of other social media to consider, blogging, blog-hopping and a wide distribution plan. Besides, the best book-sellers are in fact reviews – the online version of word of mouth. If a book is good, a reader will say so. What better advertisement is there than that?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing, keep reading, keep re-writing – apart from having a good editor, a good proof-reader, a professional cover designer and bucket-loads of persistence. Research the industry and find the sites you find most helpful for marketing and writing tips. There are lots out there, and the wider you research, the better you’ll understand where you fit into the industry and how you can do the best for your books because of it. Join support groups and forums, be part of a writers group to give and receive feedback and moral support through it. Above all, don’t give up. When one book is completed, write another one. There are very few overnight successes. Most authors achieve success through sheer grit and hard work. So can you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get it edited! then proofed. Be a professional.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading The Godfinch – Donna Tartt, but also have The Miniaturist lined up for staright afterwards and the The Hundred Year Old Man who Jumped Out of a Window and Disappeared to put a smile on my face after that …

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once Magpies (the next YA teen detective) I shall be re-releasing one of the first novels I wrote – the tale of a transgender called Billie, and then shall be concentrating on my nest series – Iniquity – including a heroine with a rather unusual gift.

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?
Lord of the Rings – epic! (hopefully that only counts for one book if I take the anthology)

To Kill a Mocking Bird – the inspiration for Lawrence Juste in the Patchwork series and such a brilliant book.

Maya Angelou’s poems (any of them) – more inspiration.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare – or as a close second, a collection of Jacobean Revenge tragedies (The White Devil, Dr Faustus, Duchess of Malfi etc) – the stuff of real drama!

Author Websites and Profiles
D.B. Martin Martin Website
D.B. Martin Martin Amazon Profile
D.B. Martin Martin Author Profile on Smashwords

D.B. Martin Martin’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have worked in law enforcement my entire career to include the sheriff’s department, corrections, and investigations. I have written since the first day of school when my poem was published in our school newspaper! I have three books out; I am working on a fourth.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“When Nashville Bled: the untold stories of serial killer Paul Dennis Reid.” Paul Reid was a media darling and had celebrity status here in Nashville. He was a serial killer who trolled “Music City” in 1997, with at least seven victims before he was caught. Yet there was little or no information on his victims. I decided it was time they were recognized. This story shows the ripple effect of crime; how a crime can not only harm the victim, but even a city and state.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get very OCD. My desk/writing area has to be set just so. I have a drink (soda!) nearby — to the left, because I am left handed. I can only type with two fingers.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to name. Dorothy Parker, Alice Walker, JD Salinger, & Gore Vidal are probably my favorite authors. In true crime, I love Lowell Cauffiel’s work, and Erik Larson. Plus I love talking to Burl Barer, RJ Parker, and Cathy Scott. These guys were tremendously helpful, funny, and sweet to a new cat on the block.

What are you working on now?
In 2003 in Memphis, Tennesse, a woman was arrested for killing her husband. She claims self defense in a domestic violence situation. Evidence shows otherwise. It is really about domestic violence where women are the abusers, and how we view religion, sex, and gender in crime.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t let anyone tell you it’s impossible, or you can’t, or you won’t make it. Writing is the easy part. Learn to self-promote. Read “Publish Your Nonfiction Book” which was my bible. This is not “fun” it IS work. Be slightly insane. Don’t read reviews; your worst reviews come from people who never read your book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Lowell Cauffiel told me to write, rewrite, and write it again. He said every true crime story should have an underlying meaning, which I agree. For example, my book “The Devil You Know” is about a child murder, but it is really about how we turn a blind eye to obvious child abusers, and insist bad things will never happen to us, or our community.

What are you reading now?
I don’t read anyone’s work when I’m working on my own stuff.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Promoting “When Nashville Bled,” my latest. Working on my next book. I’d like to keep getting awards, with sales going up, because a percentage of my books is donated to charities (i.e. “When Nashville Bled” – a percentage benefits the Tennessee Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children) and I hope to help these charities. Something positive has to come from these horrible events.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s hard! Poetry by Maya Angelou. I’d need something like “How to escape living on a desert island.” Something with animals. JD and Gore have to be there, too.

Author Websites and Profiles
Judith A. Yates Website
Judith A. Yates Amazon Profile

Judith A. Yates’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
A former KGB spy and CIA professional killer “Filament”. The author of the White House Special Handbook, Espionage and Counterespionage Handbook, Operation “Barack Obama”.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Operation “Barack Obama” inspired by my experience as a professional spy and a killer.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, I write because I was 30 years in espionage.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
None.

What are you working on now?
FBI Handbook.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write about something you know absolutely everything about.

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

What are you reading now?
Nothing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hollywood, maybe ?

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My 3 books.

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Thanks, Awesomegang, for inviting me!

I am a physician and an author, so I love sprinkling credible medicine into my fiction novels. I have quite a gaggle of books. And since my specialty was anesthesiology, my O.R. scenes shine as well as the antics which take place in and out of the operating room!

One of my novels stands alone. It revolves around organ transplantation and the subplot is about a dog. It takes place during Hurricane Ivan. That one is ‘Outcome, a Novel.’ I have one health book called ‘Younger Next Decade’ which has my pearls for healthy living and The Dr. Danny Tilson Novels which I’ll tell you about in your next question.

Also, I am a big dog fan! I have several large ones and one is a therapy dog. Because he became very popular in middle TN, everyone asked me for a children’s book about him. So, the Chester the Chesapeake children’s book series was born and there are now five books. Chester tells the stories and I illustrate them with real pictures of all the dogs. They are heartwarming! His latest one is ‘The Three Dogs of Christmas.’

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is with the editor. It’s the third book in The Dr. Danny Tilson Novels. However, each book can also stand alone.

So, my latest published novel in 2014 is Dr. Danny’s second one called ‘Silent Fear, a Medical Mystery.’ After I published the first book, ‘Operation Neurosurgeon,’ the characters were so beloved, everyone kept asking me for another novel with the same characters. That’s what inspired me to write it. As it turns out, like Ebola, the ‘organism’ in Silent Fear actually exists!

The third book in the series should be ready by March.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Ha! This sums it up:

Write, take dogs for a walk.

Write, take dogs for another walk.

Write, go see what the dogs are barking about.

Try and go write. 🙂

What authors, or books have influenced you?
James Michener’s historical fiction sagas are amazing!

Frankenstein is a classic and there’s a little book by the name of ‘Tinkers’ that really grabbed me.

However, I think my own life experiences have had the biggest influence on my plots.

What are you working on now?
I just put my pen down from writing the third Dr. Danny Tilson manuscript, so I’m working on it’s cover and all the other things that come before publication. It’s called ‘Collateral Circulation, a Medical Mystery.’

‘Silent Fear’ was just granted a stipend to be produced into an audiobook which should commence in January. So, I probably won’t start the next book in the series until that is completed.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Here are two:

My own: http://BarbaraEbel.weebly.com

Chester the Chesapeake’s: http://dogbooksforchildren.weebly.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up your day job too fast!

I think it’s great to dabble with writing for a long time and when you retire, go for it full time.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Well, actually it’s a saying by Einstein. It’s my favorite:

“If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.”

What are you reading now?
Just finished ‘Gone Girl’ before seeing the movie!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep polishing what I write and let my characters, Dr. Danny Tilson, his paramedic best friend Casey, and the scheming, conniving Rachel Hendersen live on in my novels.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Actually, I would bring two books I’ve never read.

Probably another Michener and The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, by David McCullough. I’ve been wanting to read it!

And my third one would be one of Chester’s books because it would make me smile. 🙂

Author Websites and Profiles
Barbara Ebel Website
Barbara Ebel Amazon Profile

Barbara Ebel’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Journeying the writing world for close to a decade, i have since come up with over twenty written book manuscripts-fiction and non-fiction (Life In Space (http://ebg247.com/bookdisplays/life-space), Winds of Change(http://ebg247.com/bookdisplays/winds-change) and Life’s Twists(http://ebg247.com/bookdisplays/lifes-twists)) “self-published” by ebg247.com and Maya: Initiate 39 currently being worked upon by Oregon-based Linkville Press). Nigerian by origin, my works cuts across all social divides and are aimed at face-lifting humanity from the threshold of mediocrity to the peak of illumination.

My Written Works
Fiction
1) One Man’s Deep Words (Philosophy,eductional, inspiratinal)
2) Wake Up, Dream Boy! (Sci-fi, horror, juvenile)
3) Saved By His Grace II (Christian fiction)
4) Saved By His Grace I (Christian fiction-a play)
5) God’s Love Towards His People ( A Collection of Christian Short Stories)
6) The Blueprint (SCI-FI and Fantasy)

7) The World We Live In (Literary fiction, collection of short stories)
8) The Journey to Love
19) Stories of Life Significance…a compiled selection of excerpted
stories (short story compilation).

For the Non-fiction works,
1) 11 Major Deceptions You Must Guard Against… (Self Help, relationship)
2) A Successful Marriage (Marriage/relationship)
3) 7 Mistakes Christians Make ( Christian)
4) The Benediction (Closing Prayers)…First Edition
5) AMY.W.Com (A compilation of related Non-fiction titles) (sexuality,
gender matters, relationship)
6) Who Are Your Friends? (Relationship)
7) What Should We Crave For In Life (Inspirational, self-awareness)
8) The Beyond-Physics Analogy ofNewton’s Laws of Motion (Science,
philosophy, physics)
9) Who is Man? (Philosophy, Christian, meta-physics)
10) Understanding Heterosexual Dynamics Using Science (Science, sexuality)
11) Come To Think OF It, Sex! (Adult, sexuality)
12) The Code-13 Principle (sexuality)
13) Seven Irrefutable Facts Associated With Business Success
(Business, motivational)
14) Why We No Longer Read Books ( Young adult, educational)
15) An Overview of Engi (o) sophy…a phase of true modernization
(Attachments as Ben1, Ben2 and Ben3) (Novel genre)
16) The Inspiration-Driven Ideological Discoveries (Novel Genre)
17) Housewifery…giving the role of women a professional and an
academic touch (women interests, educational/academic)

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Alice in the Hands of Time

The inspiration came from a fictitious “time machine” mechanism which when operated can deliver a programmed rational between the input of space and out of reality.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not Really….

But what i’d say is this:

“Writing, to me, is borne out of my reading out the words written down on the board of my mind and translated as the word-flow on the paper or other writing material at my disposal.”

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors? Hmmm…I’d say John C Maxwell, Lisa Nichols, JK Rowlings, John Grisham…and Brian Tracy

What are you working on now?
John and The Looping Time

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of Mouth, to me, is the best method of promoting my books. Then, the use of social and print media comes after.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never, Never , Never give up on your passion….

And as you continue to pursue your career, amidst several rejections, endeavor to make effort to always polish your craft.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Writing is a life-time take-home assignment. Therefore, keep writing to become better!” Words of advice from a friend.

What are you reading now?
The Executioner by John Grisham

What’s next for you as a writer?
The Release of a talk album (Possibly next year)

Public Speaking

Radio/TV presentations and interviews

Acting

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 Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Prayer of Jabez by Bruce

Author Websites and Profiles
Chimezie Ihekuna Website

Chimezie Ihekuna’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! My name is Loren Lockner and I always wanted to be a writer when I grew up. I have lived all over the world and teaching is my day job. I have been a published author since 2006. I released three romantic suspense novels as well as two picture books (African Dream & Night Flyer) and a YA novel that year. (The children’s books were by my pen name, Tyan Wyss) I have, since then, self-published three more books, Ghostwriter, Return to Mt. Snagra, and my best-seller mystery, Bouncer by Tyan Wyss as well as four romantic thrillers called Timberline Trail, Under a Desert Sky, Love Never Dies, and Heart of Africa.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Heart of Africa was inspired by the deep love I feel for South Africa (I lived there ten years) and its gem of a game park, Kruger. As I drove around that wonderful place, I daydreamed about a young, naive American woman getting lost in the bush. Heart of Africa came from that experience!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I view writing as a job–so I spend 5-6 hours a day writing. I also type 70 words a minute–so it helps me ‘zoom’ through a story!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the classics–Jane Eyre is a favorite of mine as well as Sherlock Holmes. But, Mary Stewart had the greatest influence on me as I loved her suspenseful style and attention to detail!

What are you working on now?
I am now working on the sequel to Bouncer (by my pen name Tyan Wyss), which is called See-Saw. I hope to complete the novel by summer, 2015.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook, Goodreads, KDP, and paid advertising sites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write until you can’t write any more. Then edit. Then pay an editor and LISTEN to them. Then obtain an awesome cover. Then the real work of promoting starts!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t stop writing, ever.

What are you reading now?
Health books and the entire Harry Potter series AGAIN!!!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Besides earning a million dollars and becoming a household name. Seriously, I don’t know!

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 this question. I have magical powers and first, won’t be stranded, and second (if my wand breaks) I’ll be stranded on Library Island and won’t have to choose!

Author Websites and Profiles
Loren Lockner Website
Loren Lockner Amazon Profile

Loren Lockner’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a former federal archaeologist, newspaper reporter and world traveler who got infected with a love for people from other cultures and learning about ancient cultures thanks to my Dad getting a UN job many years ago. That led me to attending college in Paris and Tokyo. When I began writing SciFi novels at age 38 I naturally included characters from other world cultures. Plus I’ve long wanted to explore the ‘what happens?’ element in First Contact with Aliens! As an arky with some awareness of the time depth for human culture, I write novels where Humans are the New Kids On The Block who encounter pre-existing Alien cultures that are ‘running things’ in the Milky Way galaxy. Just seemed logical to me in view of how many stars and planets there are in our galaxy, and how Life seems to pop up everywhere, even in boiling water, ice, rock or even near-vacuum! My first novel was Retread Shop, which Warner Books released in 1988. Since then I’ve written 13 more novels that include three series, even though many of my novels are standalone stories. Thanks to the internet and Amazon I can now be an Indy author-publisher who can control the cover art, book blurbs and other details of the novels I put out for SciFi readers. I love relating directly with readers!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is Earth Vs. Aliens. It tells the story of Jack Munroe, crewman on a comet hunter spaceship that makes First Contact with ‘Keystone predator’ Aliens in the Kuiper Belt beyond Pluto. When his crewmates die in a trap set by the Rizen aliens, Jack and his buddy Max begin an anti-Alien crusade that defies the social orthodoxy of Earth’s Unity government and puts their lives at risk. The idea for the story came from my idea that Aliens traveling star-to-star might only be ‘social predator’ peoples who evolved from predatory animals, like tigers and sharks, who take over new star systems as part of their Hunt Territory. Oh, all the Aliens are meat eaters too! Subject peoples are considered ‘herbivore’ folks who are not allowed to travel to other stars. I figured Humans, being contrary critters, would never accept Alien control. The story I ended up with was so much fun that I have three more novels planned in this series!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yeah. Obsession. When I’m writing on a novel I am anti-social and non-communicative to a fault! I write 9 hours a day and keep on writing chapter to chapter to chapter. I love following my characters and being surprised by how the characters sometimes ‘take control’ of the story and do stuff I had not planned. A big reason I write my novels is to find out how they end up!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lots of authors in philosophy and in fiction. I give credit to Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov, James Blish, David Brin, A. Bertram Chandler, Anton Chekhov, Arthur C. Clarke, Samuel Clemens, Charles Dickens, Alan Dean Foster, Bret Harte, Robert Heinlein, Ernest Hemingway, Zenna Henderson, O. Henry, Franz Kafka, Rudyard Kipling, Ursula K. Le Guin, Murray Leinster, Larry Niven, Andre Norton, Edgar Allen Poe, Jules Verne, A. E. Van Vogt, H. G. Wells and James White for showing me how to write good tales! As for books, I credit Brin’s Uplift series and Foster’s Humanx Commonwealth as inspirations for the galaxy-scale stories I write.

What are you working on now?
Genecode Illegal, which is Book 2 in the series that began with Little Brother’s World. This series has no Aliens in it but does look at a future Human colony world where Earth is forgotten and the genetic engineers or ‘genedocs’ are in charge. In this world, your worth as a person is based on your ‘genecode, which is tatooed on your forearm at birth. The story follows the adventures of two older teens, Sally and Little Brother, who are determined to change their world’s culture that judges people based on their ‘genecode’. Oh, there is also a romance/love story that evolves between Sally and Little Brother.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, I rely on social media venues like Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Twitter and Amazon’s Meet Our Authors forum where you can have good chats with both readers and fellow authors. Of course I have put together an author page at www.tjacksonking.com where folks can read interviews about me, read reviews of my novels, see the cover art for all my novels and find links to ebook and print book purchase sites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read a lot. Write a lot. Make your first draft as close to a final draft as you know how. Find a beta reader to give you empathetic feedback. Attend genre conventions to connect with fellow readers and authors. And be professional in all that you do in public and in private.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Forget about selling your book to Hollywood and focus on telling a good story that will transport readers to another world.

What are you reading now?
Sister Hoods, which is book 4 in the Portals series of paranormal detective stories written by P. L. Blair, an outstanding author who should have been picked up by a New York publishing house long ago! She is one of many outstanding Indy authors whose novels I enjoy reading, in between writing my own novels.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing book 5 in my Vigilante series, which is titled Alien Vigilante. This series, which began with Star Vigilante, has been my most popular SciFi 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?
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. On Human Nature by Edwin O. Wilson. Kim by Rudyard Kipling. A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

Author Websites and Profiles
T. Jackson King Website
T. Jackson King Amazon Profile
T. Jackson King Author Profile on Smashwords

T. Jackson King’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Morgan Amos, and a first time author of the book From The Killer’s Eyes, which is available on Amazon. Currently, I freelance for different online magazine publications including VMH, i.d.e.a.l., and more. I am a poet enthusiast, and I feel that writing is a way for people to say how/what they feel. Writing opens you open to discovering a new world of endless possibilities. It’s a journey that I and I’m sure other writers are happy we’re on.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
From The Killer’s Eyes is my latest book, and what inspired it is the things that happen within my life. I gathered inspiration from family, friends, myself, television shows, and just whatever caught my eye that I felt would be useful to add to my book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I am aware of.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a huge fan of Zane and I like Mary Higgins Clark.

What are you working on now?
I am working on my second book which should be out in 2015.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t really have a method or best website. I just use all social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, and of course, my own website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors would be to definitely stay dedicated to writing your book, and to take your time when deciding which route you want to pursue for publishing. Also, please research and find out all the information you can about publishing companies and also self-publishing. Make sure to have someone read over your work preferably not someone you know. Constructive criticism is sometimes best especially when marketing your book to a specific audience to see who will want to read it. And most importantly, remember to have fun and enjoy this experience. You have accomplished something wonderful and it should be treated as such.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I haven’t came across that yet.

What are you reading now?
Sadly, nothing at the moment. I’m busy with interviews. But about a month ago, I read Zane’s The Other Side of the Pillow.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Who knows. As I mentioned, I’m working on my second book. I just feel where ever God leads me is where I am supposed to be.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My own, and that might sound cheesy, but I worked hard. I would also bring Zane books with me, and probably some of Hill Harper’s books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Morgan Amos Website
Morgan Amos Amazon Profile

Morgan Amos’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile