Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write humorous New Adult fiction and debuted this year with a series set in Lake Tahoe called the Blue Series. Book 1, DEEP BLUE, is about Cali, an overconfident college grad who meddles in her best friend’s love life.

Cali has life all figured out, until she finds herself attracted to the childhood crush she left behind. Suddenly, she’s questioning everything: the career she staked her plans on, and her choice of boyfriend.

BLUE CRUSH is the second in the series, about Cali’s roommate, Gen, who moves to Lake Tahoe with Cali. In BLUE CRUSH, Gen is determined to go it alone after being betrayed by her college boyfriend. Working at a casino and avoiding cheating jerks seems like a good plan, until she meets the one guy tempting enough to drag her back down.

The Blue Series is set during a Lake Tahoe summer amidst the alpine mountains, beaches, and casinos. Both books are available on all major outlets. TRUE BLUE, Book 3 in the Blue Series, releases late fall, 2014.

When I’m not writing New Adult fiction, I’m watching smutty television, playing/wrangling my children, reading, or hoarding cupcakes. Oh, and visiting the gym. You know, because of all the cupcakes 🙂

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
BLUE CRUSH is my latest release in the Blue Series, and it was inspired by a summer I spent in Lake Tahoe my junior year of college. I worked as a cocktail waitress at one of the casinos and fell in love with the Lake Tahoe area!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’ll listen to the same song on my playlist over and over if it evokes a certain emotion I need for a scene. And chocolate. Don’t know why, but writers eat a lot of chocolate.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh my gosh, so many! I have a list of some of my favorites on my website: www.julesbarnard.com

What are you working on now?
TRUE BLUE, Book 3 in the Blue Series

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
awesomegang.com, of course 🙂

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be brave. Writing and sharing your work isn’t for the faint of heart.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can’t edit a blank page. I think Nora Roberts said that.

What are you reading now?
Dearest Clementine and Finding Dandelion by Lex Martin.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Book 4 of the Blue Series, TBD.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My Kindle 🙂 Making me choose 3-4 is just cruel.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jules Barnard Website
Jules Barnard Amazon Profile

Jules Barnard’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Denver and considered the Rocky Mountains as home. However, I spent the following decades in Dallas working as a Developmental Psychologist and Program Evaluator for social service agencies. I conducted research in child and family development and was affiliated with The University of Texas–Dallas, as researcher, lecturer and Adjunct Associate Professor. In that time I collaborated on one self-help book and published research reports in the fields of Education, Psychology, and Program Evaluation. Meanwhile, I quietly wrote stories for pleasure and self-expression.

I’m a mother of two, grandmother to two, and now live with my husband and a feisty Aussie in the Salish Mountains of NW Montana. I’ve set aside a research career to incorporate what I learned into my fiction. My first novel, Burden of Breath, was self-published in 2013, and a short story entitled “Offerings” appeared in the Summer 2013 issue of Sixfold. My recently completed second novel, Serita’s Shelf Life, is in review. I’m working on a third which will be set in beautiful NW Montana.

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What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Burden of Breath is my only novel currently on the market. It’s about an emotionally and physically scarred woman who struggles to separate from her mother’s crippling influence–even from the grave–and transform her life. My inspiration came from individuals who overcome devastating effects of early abuse to build meaningful, independent lives.

Serita’s Shelf Life is my latest completed work and should become available in the fall of 2014.

Serita is a 55-year-old woman with bipolar disorder who goes off her meds to become a more interesting person and find love. I was inspired to write this story because uncomfortable side effects of medications often compel patients to stop taking them, believing that this time it will be different.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
During the summer I like to write on my back porch. We live in the mountains and a have a view of the peaks of Glacier National Park about thirty miles away. Talk about inspiration!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read everything, but my favorites tend to fall into the literary fiction category. One of my favorite writers is Kent Haruf. He tells heartfelt stories in lovely, straight-forward prose. Looking back through my iPad titles, recent favorite novels include: Defending Jacob (William Landay), everything Lisa Gardner has written, Jo Nesbo’s police dramas, The Son (Philipp Meyer), Elizabeth Strout’s work especially Olive Kitteridge, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (Ben Fountain), The Dog Stars (Peter Heller), The Fault in Our Stars (John Green), and Peace Like a River (Leif Enger)… to name a few.

What are you working on now?
I’m writing a story that finally takes place in Montana–the others had to be purged from my system before my writing could catch up to where I actually live now. The story is about a man who disappears from a previous life and responsibilities and starts over on his own in NW Montana. He soon learns that his pst catches up with him in unusual ways and that “no matter where you go, there you are.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have promoted Burden of Breath as a free download six times since its publication in May 2013. Since I started with a small following of readers, this has been a useful tool for getting the book in readers’ hands. Free promotions, along with advertising on sites such as Awesome Gang during those promotions, sparks interest and the more my cover is seen, the better it will sell.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m pretty new at fiction writing myself, but I’d say, find a critique group or writer friends to read your writing ang give you honest feedback. We all need fresh eyes to read the work.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Dennis Foley always says, “Finish what you’re writing, even if it’s crap.” So many writers never finish.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My immediate goal is to write my next blog post for Montana Women Writers. Long term, I intend to keep writing novels about flawed, interesting characters.

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?
Roget’s Thesaurus, All the Pretty Horses (McCarthy) and Peace Like a River

Author Websites and Profiles
Ann Minnett Website
Ann Minnett Amazon Profile

Ann Minnett’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a high school and college English teacher who has lived in St. Louis, Missouri for most of my life. I have written two young adult novels: Spiked: A Rock and Roll Redemption Story, and A Season in Absurdica: A Rock and Roll Underground Story. I am currently working on a novella that features a girl protagonist, for a change. I am a lifelong lover of all music, but particularly rock and roll. My first clear memory is of me sitting on an old black packing crate in my older brother’s attic bedroom, listening to David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust album, checking out the alluring album cover. I seriously thought he was from outer space. I am also a big believer in living an active, healthy life–eating well, getting out on the mountain bike, hiking.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Spike: A Rock and Roll Redemption Story is my first. I wrote it in part as therapy, trying to work out how to live a happy life with so many arrogant jerks in the world. You barely have to do much more than live one day before you encounter the toxic, power-hungry people I’m talking about, whose dominance-oriented attitude sucks all the joy out of life–yours and theirs. I’ve been lucky to know a lot of other people, too, whose constant positivity, kindness, and high-spirited-ness make the jerks of this world look small and petty. Jason Stiles, one of my main character, is that type of person. He is based on several people I knew in college.

A Season in Absurdica: A Rock and Roll Underground Story is my second. It was inspired by all the weirdos I knew of in high school. I was not one of them, but instead an over-serious jock. I distinctly remember one spring evening in my senior year, when I was riding my bicycle down this creepy, tree-shaded road. I passed this old house, where I saw about a dozen freaky kids from my high school–punks, goths–gathering on the porch, laughing and joking around. They were probably getting ready to go see the Rocky Horror Picture Show in St. Louis. Something about their laughter suggested they enjoyed life more than I did, in my perpetual jock mode. I wanted to join them, but was way too shy, so I rode on. Years later, they ended up in my novel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I am pretty busy, so I write when I can. As a teacher, I obviously get more done the summer, when my “flow” isn’t as easily broken. I don’t have a special place or anything–I just find a quiet chunk of time and camp out on the couch with my computer, like I’m doing now. As far as the writing process goes, I am an elliptical writer, and not a linear one. What I mean by that is that I do not always start at the beginning of a plot, but with a character that has emerged in my head and endeared me. Soon, I can imagine the types of situations they might find themselves in, so I put them there and let them come to life. That will lead to another scene, then another. Before long, a plot emerges from these scenes.

I am a big believer in that you should allow yourself to have fun writing the first draft. Get a little crazy, don’t worry yet about mistakes, flat language. or inconsistencies. In the same way that a guitar player plays the best solos when he’s relaxed, so the writer composes his or her best stuff when he or she lets go of technical concerns (somewhat) and just lets it flow.

As William Forrester says in Finding Forrester, “Write the first draft with your heart, the second with your head.”

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jonathan Franzen, a fellow St. Louisan, is unbelievably fantastic. I am somewhat handicapped as an English teacher, as my tastes run more toward classic, or at least not-very-contemporary, works. Flannery O’Connor, which her wicked, wicked sense of humor. is my favorite writer. I discovered a real gem just out of high school in A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. It’s as outrageous a book as you could expect to find.

What are you working on now?
A novella involved a spunky, spooky, smart goth girl and her weirdo friends. Her macho football coach father would have rather had a jock boy, but as the story goes along, he will appreciate her more than he expected.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook hasn’t worked well, since it is all older people now, and my books are for young people. I in fact just opened a Twitter account today, after a few people convinced my it has a more diverse reach. Generally, I’m not a very pushy person, so I’m not a good promoter, but I realize one must promote regardless.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t get discouraged by the many, many hours you will spend laboring in obscurity writing your stories early on. There is no shortcut, no matter how good you are. It takes years to develop your style and voice, Ask any singer. If you commit to putting in this hard developmental work, the whole process will get easier, and your judgment will be much better.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The hard part begins after the book is written. You have to be humble and listen to people who can help you “brand” your work. We all want to be Edgar Allan Poe, literary genius, struck by inspiration at midnight and writing a masterpiece in some dark, dingy city apartment. But humility is essential–the humility to let other people read and honestly critique what you think is a done job, critique your cover, etc. I’ve had to admit I was wrong numerous times, but this worked out for the best.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a lot of non-fiction essays right now, about politics, science, and other topics outside my comfort zone. I believe that the key to staying creatively spry is to vary your interests. You then understand life more broadly, and it shows up in a positive way in your writing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to take a deep breath, clear my mind, and put in however much time it takes to get people to find and read my novels. I think they’re worth it. I think I can also grow as a writer once I get some significant feedback on these 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?
1) The Riverside Shakespeare.

2) The Bible

3) The complete works of Lord Byron

4) The complete works of Flannery O’Connor

Like I said, I’m an English teacher . . .

Author Websites and Profiles
David Brumfield Website
David Brumfield Amazon Profile

David Brumfield’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Firstly, because I know you’re thinking it and might be too polite/constrained by the fact that this isn’t an actual conversation to ask, my name is pronounced Kine-Wen.

I’m 27 years old, and have been writing for most of my life, and professionally for the last five years. I studied film at university (and was dubbed the worst film student in history on the basis that I’m not huge on Tarantino and I still haven’t seen the Godfather) and got my first of two lucky breaks in my third year, when I was allowed to intern with a local kids TV show and was then hired for the rest of the season. My second lucky break came after I finished my Masters degree, when I won a six-week internship in the Neighbours (Australia’s longest running TV drama). I worked there for four years, making my way up from intern to storyliner to scriptwriter. I went a little scatty after spending that long focusing on the same group of people, so last year I took the time out to write my first novel, The Edge of the Woods. So far it’s the only one I have published, but it’s definitely woken up the sleeping novelist in me. As much as I love writing for TV, and will continue to do so, novels and prose was my first love. I’m very happy we’re back together.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Although I had amassed quite a few novel ideas over the years (all of which I love and still intend to write), I decided to take the pressure off myself and write something completely new. I made a rough outline for what was supposed to be a teen romance and then mostly winged it, but it turned out Emma, my protagonist, had other ideas!

The first draft quickly veered away from a romance (though there are still touches of it in the story) to a coming of age adventure focusing on Emma’s relationships with her mother, her best friend, and the other women in her village versus the oppressive attitudes of the zealous Mayor. I wanted to focus on the courage it takes to do the right thing, standing up for yourself and the people you love. The fantasy elements are constantly present as a temptation for Emma, but as always, something too good to be true usually is.

It’s been called an anti-fantasy by one reviewer on Goodreads, which is an interesting take on it. Mostly I just wanted to take a different spin on what I’ve read in YA fantasy and give my readers a range of interesting characters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tie my hair up and let it out roughly every fifteen minutes when I write. I have no idea why, but it does make me look like a bit of a weirdo when I write in public.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My earliest influence was J.R.R Tolkien. The Hobbit is the first full novel I ever read, and at last count I own five different editions of it. I love his scope, how he built an entire world out of nothing and made it feel so real you felt like you were running after Bilbo and into the unknown. As a little kid living in a tiny town with barely any other kids and one shop, I turned to books. Tolkien made me feel like I was going on an adventure, and I think he was instrumental in teaching me how to use my imagination.

I discovered Isobelle Carmody when I was ten or eleven, when Mum brought home the first book of the Obernewtyn chronicles. Suddenly I was reading a book where the protagonist was a girl my age living in an incredible dystopic world. I devoured every book by Carmody I could. She wrote interesting women and put them in fantastic worlds and fairytales, sending them on adventures and showing incredible courage, intelligence and loyalty. Her writing style is so clear and evocative. She made me want to be a writer too. I got to meet her last year and I’ve never been so starstruck!

What are you working on now?
I’m writing a new YA/children’s fantasy adventure, this time a novella. A little inspired by my childhood love of stories and films like Alice in Wonderland, Spirited Away and Labyrinth, it’s about a girl who is blackmailed into helping a witch when her father is kidnapped.

I’m only in the first draft, but it’s a lot of fun to work on. I’m hoping to have it out before the end of the year. Then I’ll get stuck back into novels.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning that one! I’m waiting until I have more books out before I start promoting properly.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Your first draft will always be bad, so embrace it! Just write as it comes to you, experiment with POV and tense and character and don’t worry that it’s not consistent. The other drafts are for fixing up and honing. The first draft is a creative explosion. Enjoy it!

…But maybe don’t show it to people until the second draft.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just write.

What are you reading now?
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, The Fictional Woman by Tara Moss, Elemental by Amanda Curtin, Betrayal of Thieves by C. Greenwood and American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

I have a problem, I know.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m getting back into some TV work and I have nine novel concepts just waiting for me to write. It’s very exciting!

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 only way I can answer this is to cheat and include whole series under one umbrella. The Hobbit and LOTR, obviously, Obernewtyn (assuming the last one is out by the time I get washed up on this island), The Hunger Games and Pride and Prejudice. And when I’m done I can strap them together and make a raft.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ceinwen Langley Website
Ceinwen Langley Amazon Profile

Ceinwen Langley’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a small town girl at heart with a love for the ocean, mountains, dogs, and good books that take me on fantastic journeys. My mom loves to read murder mysteries and her sister loves urban fantasy. My husband wishes he had been an archaeologist and all of these influences find their way into my books. I have written three full-length novels, one short story, and a novella and I’m certain I have dozens more books in me, but the trick is finding the time to write them!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is Fortunes Bought and Sold and it was inspired by a vacation I took to Salem, MA with my family. Wandering the pedestrian mall, I realized it would be a cool location for a book and my North Shore heart knew I had to put a psychic in that location. I read several stories about the art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston, and those stories inspired part of the plot for FB&S. I love art, a good psychic, and twisted plots so the book was a joy to write. It also gave me a great excuse to go back to Salem several times just to soak up some atmosphere!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have never, never, never been a morning person until I started writing. My books get me out of bed as early as three a.m. because I simply MUST finish a chapter or start an outline before I go to work. Then I think about the story on the commute and make little notes to myself so I have something to work from the following morning. The part I struggle with the most is crafting the book blurb so lately I’ve started making that one of my first priorities. It not only frames the story for me, but having it done takes the pressure off when I’m ready to publish.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Wow – there have been so many! Most recently, I picked up “Playing for Pizza” by John Grisham – it nearly ruined my fourth of July barbecue because I was so engrossed in the story that I almost burned dinner! The story is so well crafted it gives you a feeling of actually being in Italy. Other writers I’ve been inspired by are Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison, Colleen McCullough, Jim Butcher, Faith Hunter, and Anne Rice. If you’re thinking the one name that doesn’t fit is Colleen McCullough, pick up the Master’s of Rome series – it’s as engrossing as any magical fantasy tale I’ve ever read.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m finishing Legendary Magic, the third book in my Relic Hunter series. Arienne Cerasola wakes me up in the middle of the night to remind me that the book needs to be finished but I’m a painstaking editor! I relate to Ari’s independent nature and I’ve had my share of disappointments in life as well. I think above all, Arienne’s an optimist and in Legendary Magic I give her the freedom to make her own choices, despite having the one thing she really, really wants dangled in front of her.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love Awesome Gang and although I was a reluctant Facebook joiner, I’ve found a great community of people who really want to support Indie authors. I was amazed that I have found so much advice, so many tips, and so many supportive people through these venues. It’s really given me courage and just the right amount of positive pressure to finish books and make sure they’re the best they can be. Some other Facebook sites that deserve a shout out are NerdGirl and Mad About Books as well as Discover Authors- these are great places with supportive people who really want to help an indie out!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I had Elementary Magic finished and ready for publication for at least eight months before I clicked the “publish” button on Amazon.com! I was so afraid that nobody would like it and that I’d get discouraged, but what happened really changed my life. I read my first review and actually cried happy tears because it was a “Solid 4.5 stars” and with that phrase I was addicted. I think the most important thing for new authors is to take that leap after you’ve revised your book for the tenth time. I am a ruthless editor and even I pulled my book and re-edited after it was published because I found a few mistakes!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think it was Colleen McCullough who confessed that after she finished writing a book she put it away for about a year before she began editing. I can’t keep my hands off of my book for that long, but I have found that three or four months is enough time for me to forget the passages I’ve written so I see them with fresh eyes. I have read sentences dozens of times while writing and thought “Yeah, that makes sense” only to put it away for months and then read it again and think “where was I going with that???”

What are you reading now?
I’m reading The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel. My husband has a passion for WWII history and every now and again he recommends a book to me. He hasn’t been wrong yet!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Oh, I have tons of notes about stories I want to write! I’m feeling a few angels, past lives, and legal dramas coming on…it’s tentatively called “Ruffled Feathers” and I think it’s going to be a HOOT!

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?
Kim Harrison’s The Undead Pool
Colleen McCullough’s Fortunes Favorite
Marsha Canham’s Across a Moonlit Sea
Stephan Talty’s Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent Who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day

Author Websites and Profiles
R. Leonia Shea Website
R. Leonia Shea Amazon Profile
R. Leonia Shea Author Profile on Smashwords

R. Leonia Shea’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi all! I’m Debra Kayn, and I live in the Bitterroot Mountains in N. Idaho. I’ve had 28 books published, but I don’t spend all my time writing. I love to be outdoors and any free time is spent riding, hiking, swimming, and goofing off. I’m a true romantic who got married right out of high school to the first older man who kissed me without asking first. We just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Struggling For Justice released July 7th, it’s the 6th book in the Bantorus Motorcycle Club series. It was inspired by all the other books in the series, but because they’re all standalones that feature a different couple in each book, the hero Remmy needed his own story. You see, he’s the oldest member at age 48 years old. A huge believer in living wild and free, he never thought he’d settle down. Until he met Natalie and she had him thinking that it was better to have a woman warming his back on the rides.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t write in silence. The more chaos going on around me, the better. I think it goes back to when my 4 kids were young, and I knew if the house got quiet, they were causing trouble. Now when the radio is blaring in one room, the tv in the other, and the smoke alarm is going off in the kitchen, I just tune it all out and write, because that means everything is all right in my world.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jude Deveraux is the queen of alpha men. They’re real men and they make no excuses. I fell in love with her stories before I started writing, and now she motivates me by being a classy author.

What are you working on now?
I’m almost finished with the 7th book of the Bantorus MC series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love being on Facebook, and socializing with my readers. It’s a platform that everyone is comfortable on and easy to spend 10-15 minutes having a meaningful conversations. So much of promotions today has nothing to do with talking about books, but getting to know each other as people. It’s like sitting down with friends and being a part of their lives, learning what books they read and enjoy, and sharing in the “likes”.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. I know everyone says that, but that’s the hardest part. Once you write The End, you can fine tune everything else. Oh, and write every day. If you don’t have an hour or two, take ten minutes, but write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always be professional. It doesn’t matter how many publishers you’ve been with or how many editors have touched your book, you treat all of them with a professional attitude and your career will grow.

What are you reading now?
I just finished The Fault In Our Stars. I wasn’t going to read it, because I could predict the ending and I knew it’d be sad, but I caved to peer pressure. This is one of those books where I wish I was a member of a book club, because I need to talk to others about what I read. So many mixed emotions! I love when a book does that.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books, more series, and I’m going to keep having fun with writing. The book community is a blast, and I love meeting readers. There’s been talk about having a signing next year in my town that I’m excited about. Good things happening!

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?
Thorn Birds
The first Montgomery book by Jude Deveraux
How to get off the Desert Island for Dummies book

Author Websites and Profiles
Debra Kayn Website
Debra Kayn Amazon Profile

Debra Kayn’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As it says in my bio, I’ve always wanted to be a superhero or a magician. But none of the spiders that have bitten me are radioactive, and my wand seems to be nothing more than an ordinary stick of wood.

I compensate by writing stories about the kinds of adventures I dream about. (Although, frankly, I’m kind of glad to just be a middle-aged author from Ohio. The monster my heroes have to fight are pretty nasty.)

I’ve been publishing independently since 2011. In almost three years, I’ve published three novels in my Wolf Dasher series (the fourth is due out this fall), a novella retelling “Beauty & the Beast” in a modern high school, a traditional fantasy novel (THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER), and three short stories.

Prior to writing fiction, I spent eight years writing role-playing games in the hobby games industry. That was pretty educational. Not only did I learn a lot about world-building, I also learned how poorly it pays and how to compensate by churning out a LOT of words per week. That’s one of the ways I’ve been able to write so prolifically as an indie author, so there was a real benefit there.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ROSES ARE WHITE, the third book in the Wolf Dasher series. Those novels marry James Bond-style action to a traditional fantasy world with elves and majic.

In RAW, Wolf has been on the ground in the elf nation of Alfar for about a year-and-a-half. Alfar’s political situation mirrors the basics of our own Middle East. He’s become a liability, and his controllers intend to bring him home,. But he becomes engaged to the captain of Alfar’s Elite Guard and refuses the order. At that point, the world’s greatest assassin, Dexter Rose, a magician who can disguise himself as anyone, threatens to murder key officials of Alfar’s coalition government. Naturally, Wolf is the only who can stop him.

I like the idea of an undetectable assassin. I wanted to pit my hero against someone who can’t be seen coming, who has never failed, and then make the stakes incredibly high.

I also play a lot with sub-themes of racism in the book. A religious schism in Elfin culture has two sects hating each other over issues of faith, and elves in general take a dim view of the humans they perceive as occupying their land. ROSES ARE WHITE is a nail-biting detective story, but it has a lot to say about how we treat each other based on the color of our skin and what faith we are.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say my habits are unusual. I outline five to ten chapters at a time to give myself a structure to write from. I try to write one chapter a day, five days a week. Once I’ve finished the manuscript, it goes through five drafts before publication. I have a great editor, who really makes sure I publish clean, taut novels.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Well, as a guy who writes, Bond-style action novels, I count Ian Fleming among my influences. I also like Byron, Albert Camus, Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, and Stephen R. Donaldson. They all taught me something important about how to craft an enjoyable read.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the fourth book in the Wolf Dasher series, GHOST OF A CHANCE. Unlike the others, it’s a direct sequel to ROSES ARE WHITE, and I want to get it out as soon as possible, so all the questions in RAW get answered. I’ve got two more books in the series planned for the coming years.

After GHOST OF A CHANCE, I’ll be turning my attention to another novella, THE SECRET THIEF. It’s part of my modern fairy tales work. It’s an original story, but it follows a 10-year-old boy who has become haunted by a monster that steals all his secrets and then tells them to the person who will do the most damage with them. It’s very much a fable in the classic sense.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not sure what the best method is. I don’t sell enough books yet for me to think any one way works best. I have a Facebook page, I blog, I tweet links to the blog, and participate in authors’ groups. I try to run sales on a regular basis, and I spend money to advertise. I’ve found advertising with the right sites to be the most effective means of pushing my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. the only way to get the book finished is to write it. Fight through the doubt and the procrastination. If you believe in your dream, make it happen.

Edit. You need an editor. It doesn’t matter how good your work is. You’ll make mistakes. Typos, grammar errors, etc. You need someone to catch them. A good editor will also ask you hard questions about your story structure, your characters, etc. Make sure you can answer them effectively. Be willing to make changes. It’ll make you a stronger writer.

Read. Publishing is a hard business, whether you do it the traditional route or self-publish. Join some writers’ groups. Read some books on the business. Ask questions. Get the answers you need to be effective. That’ll give you a much better chance for success. Writers write to be read. Give yourself every chance to be read.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t settle. Make your work the best it can be. Don’t accept shoddy or mediocre work from anyone — including you.

What are you reading now?
ANGST by David Pearson. It’s a pretty good fantasy novel, but I’ve been so busy moving from Kansas to Ohio and trying to get GHOST OF A CHANCE finished I’ve been going through it very slowly. I don’t read enough. It’s hard to find time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I don’t like to be satisfied for too long. I’m constantly pushing my boundaries. I like writing the Wolf Dasher books, but I don’t want them to be all I write. I’m exploring different territory with the modern fairy tales, and next year, I plan to publish a memoir about my childhood. I’d get bored if I just wrote the same kind of 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’d definitely take the complete works of Shakespeare. That would give me a wide variety of reading material. After that, I’m not sure I could choose. There is so much I’d want. I like variety. I’m not sure I could pick only a few books.

Author Websites and Profiles
John Phythyon Website
John Phythyon Amazon Profile

John Phythyon’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the author of “Angeli – The Pirate, the Angel & the Irishman” – a contemporary fantasy/mystery/adventure/romance and the editor/co-author of the “Moms are Nuts” humor anthology. Years ago I also published “The Surfer’s Guide to Florida” – a wave finding guide to the sunshine state. I also have 3 or 4 novels stuffed in drawers around here somewhere…

I’m a Labradoodle mommy and never turn down a cocktail. Or three.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Angeli – The Pirate, the Angel & the Irishman” is a super-fun urban fantasy/adventure with a good dose of humor and romance. It’s a little Sookie Stackhouse, a little Buffy the Vampire Slayer… but no vampires. Bottom line is it is a fun read. And hopefully infectious, though not in a skin rash sort of way.

I had always been a writer, I was the East Coast Editor of Surfer Magazine for years and a freelancer, but I started to do web design for added income. Then the web took off and I put writing aside for years. About four years ago I had a dream that was the nugget for Angeli, and suddenly realized I hadn’t been doing what I love for over a decade! I started working on Angeli and started my humor blog (http://www.AmyVansant.com) to help me get back into the swing of writing again.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Only that I prefer to do it very early in the morning, like 3 or 4 am, when my husband and dog are asleep and I don’t have to fear distractions. My husband and I both work from home and it’s like having a permanently 2 year old wandering around. Gordon, the Labradoodle, is much more mature.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The authors I love the most are much more serious than I am – Vonnegut, Douglas Coupland – much more literary. They inspire me simply because I love them and I want to write as beautifully as they do and touch people the way they do, even if my approach is lighter. Also, I think I probably started Angeli after reading the first two books of the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series. They were light and fun and I thought “This is just like how I write! Hey… how come I don’t write anymore…”

Then I guess my mind started writing via my dream world before the rest of me caught up.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a chick-lit humor novel called “Slightly Stalky,” which is the semi-fictional tale of how I stalked and bagged my husband (Spoler alert: I got him). I put so much humor into Angeli and my blog is pure humor, so I thought I’d just write a straight-forward romantic comedy next. Angeli has been well received, so I’m hoping to wrap up “Slightly Stalky” in time for Christmas and start working on the next Angeli book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve put an embarrassing large number of hours into building my Twitter following, so that helps get the word out. My next best is begging… a lot of begging for reviews. Begging friends, web design clients, people on GoodReads, people on the street… I try to send 1-3 requests for reviews out a day.

Speaking of which, would you like to write me a review on Amazon? Let me get you the link here… just a sec…

In all seriousness though, I’ll gladly give a free Kindle download to… say… 50 of your readers willing to do reviews? I only ask that they A. not hate books with some fantasy/supernatural elements/romance and B. are very very kind people who would never dream of breaking my heart.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing! You’ll never sell what you haven’t written. That’s the only knowable. Get a good proofreader. One that will not only check your grammar and spelling but who will tell you if your chapters are really in a bad order or your plot has more holes than a gopher field. Nobody is going to give reviews to a book riddled with mistakes. I used Nicole at http://www.ncdediting.com/ – she was AMAZING. Also, if your self publishing get a good cover! It makes a difference. I used Donna Murillo: http://dhm-designs.com/ She was also amazing with which to work. I REALLY lucked out finding both of these women.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That much of success is perception. You can’t forget the marketing. You could write the best book in the world, but if you or your editor/publisher isn’t out there flogging it, the odds of it selling are very slim. There is a ton of competition and you have to do everything you can. You have to get the reviews. People don’t even take your book seriously on Amazon until you have over 50 reviews. And getting reviews is BRUTAL.

Did I mention I’d love some reviews?

What are you reading now?
Stiff by Mary Roach. Love it. I love fascinating non-fiction. I wish had the patience to research and write it myself. I also just finished two short books by Nick Tory – Johnny 12 Steps and Johnny Vegas. Very funny, quirky little gems.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The goal is to keep selling books and hopefully someday quit the day job. I suppose you’ve never heard that before, huh? I also want to try and write a book every 6 months… but between marketing of the books I already have and work, that might be a tad optimistic.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh yikes. Oddly, the first thing that came to mind was an old book called “The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy.” I think they publish updated versions now. They basically have everything you should know to be a well rounded person in them. That would kill some serious time.

Probably Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle too.

Maybe my own books so I could really agonize over corrections I’d like to make….

And then I would insist that I’d be allowed to take all these books with me on a satellite phone, which I would then use to call for help!

Author Websites and Profiles
Amy Vansant Website
Amy Vansant Amazon Profile

Amy Vansant’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 British author who lives in Bristol, UK. I write psychological suspense novels; so far I have published three, with the fourth one due later this year. I’m fascinated by the workings of the mind, and strong emotions provide fertile material for novelists!

The first draft of my first novel, entitled His Kidnapper’s Shoes, was written whilst travelling in Bolivia. I was inspired by an impending birthday along with a healthy dose of annoyance at having procrastinated for so long in writing a novel. His Kidnapper’s Shoes was published in both paperback and e-book format in 2013, followed by my second novel, entitled Sister, Psychopath. My third novel, Guilty Innocence, has now been published, and like my first two, features my home city of Bristol.

Before turning my hand to writing, I worked mainly as an accountant, with a diversion into practising as a nutritional therapist. Diet and health remain high on my list of interests, along with travel. Accountancy does not, but then it never did. The urge to pack a bag and go off travelling is always lurking in the background! When not writing, going to the gym, practising yoga or travelling, I can be found seeking new four-legged friends to pet; animals are a lifelong love!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My last published book is called ‘Guilty Innocence’. I was inspired by the idea of how it must feel to find out someone you love has a secret criminal past. Not only that, but you discover they’ve been convicted of one of the most serious of all crimes – child murder. Then I decided to add a twist – what if the man concerned was innocent? This laid the foundations for the characters of Natalie Richards and Mark Slater.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, I don’t think so, although that may change as I slide further into my role as eccentric author! I’ll have to report back on this one in a year or two…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
If I had to choose three influential authors, I’d go with George Orwell, George Gissing and Iris Murdoch. Amazing talent, incredible novels. As for books, I doubt I could choose from the zillions that I’ve read. They’ve all helped me in some way. If a novel is good, I can learn from it. If it’s bad, there are still lessons lurking in the pages. I read voraciously, and I believe it’s an important part of being a novelist.

What are you working on now?
I’ve just finished writing my fourth novel, provisionally entitled ‘Training Room’. I’ve put that to one side for a while so I can tackle it with a fresh eye when it comes to the editing/revision process. Meanwhile, I’m writing extra blog posts and planning a novella, which I’ll give away on my website in exchange for sign-ups for my newsletter.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve found joining Amazon Select the best method by far, using their free and Countdown promotions. Select delivers visibility to authors like nothing else, which makes sense given Amazon’s clout in the marketplace. I use Amazon in conjunction with various newsletters and blogs to spread the word about when I’m doing a promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Remember the well-worn analogy of eating an elephant – one bite at a time. To those who’ve not yet done it, the idea of writing a novel can seem overwhelming. A hundred thousand words, or even more? No way! It’s less hard than you imagine, though. Remember the elephant. Keep writing, day after day, and before long, you’ll have the first draft done. Fifteen hundred or so words a day is very achievable, meaning you’ll be finished in a little over two months for an average length offering. Also, plan your novel; make notes for the structure, plot, characters, everything. You’ll find it keeps the dreaded writer’s block at bay like nothing else! Finally, believe in yourself. You’ll always get doubters, negative Nellies who’ll tell you you’re chasing rainbows by wanting to write a book. Ignore them and do it anyway. Who are they to crush your dreams?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
For writers? Let’s see – probably to prune excess words ruthlessly. Less is more when it comes to writing, I believe. Readers don’t appreciate pointless padding.

What are you reading now?
I’m in between books. I’ve just finished ‘Night Dancer’ by Chika Unigwe, and am about to start ‘Prophecy’ by J.F. Penn. Two very different books, but then my reading tastes are quite wide.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The next milestone will be publishing my fourth novel later this year. Besides that, I’m keen to keep up my blogging schedule, as creating new posts for my blog is something I really enjoy. I get lots of kind comments about my blog, so I’m hoping I’m doing something right!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Hmm, let’s think. ‘1984’ by George Orwell is a long-time favourite of mine, although possibly a little bleak for a desert island! I enjoyed ‘The Sea, The Sea’ by Iris Murdoch very much when I first read it, along with ‘Mirage’ by Andrea Newman’ so I’d probably take those two in order to re-read them. Finally, for light relief I’d pick anything by Lee Child. I love his thrillers!

Author Websites and Profiles
Maggie James Website
Maggie James Amazon Profile
Maggie James Author Profile on Smashwords

Maggie James’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Oh, where to start! Let’s see, I began writing when I was 8 years old. A woman I knew had written a one page story and thought it was the coolest thing to be able to make up your own characters, places, names and whatever so I wrote my own one page story and it grew from there. Of course, the older I got, the longer my stories were. It went from stories, to a novella, to full blown novels.
I’m not sure how many books I’ve written because I’ve started a lot and didn’t finish but I would say around 5 that were completed.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called The Kinetic Keeper. I remember the very day the concept came about. I was standing in line at a theater going to see Twilight (don’t make fun of me :)) for the 3rd time. (Again, don’t make fun of me) I was vaguely aware of everything that was going on around me and I began to think of a concept of a girl who constantly knew of everything going on around her and the fact that she could react so quickly to it.
Well the story started out like that but over the months, the concept changed quite a bit and I realized I wanted to have girl who discovered she had multiple abilities like telekinesis and such. Well, once I got hooked on that, I started spitting out page after page and six months later, The Kinetic Keeper was born.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I can think of. I’ve read so many different ways of how people need to write. Some need total silence, others need music. Some make themselves write a certain amount a day and others just wing it. I’d have to say I’m more of a wing it type person. I do try to set a timer sometimes and just do nonstop writing or editing in that time frame so I don’t have to focus on anything else. Otherwise, I’ll write a little, then clean my house a little, then write a little, then check facebook or a while. I’m bouncy like that. 🙂

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I remember in my teenage years, my favorite author was Christopher Pike. I just loved his books. Then when I got older, Dean Koontz became my favorite author. And I always thought I like realistic stories but now that I look back, these authors both had supernatural elements to their stories and I realized mine was always a bit of the same. So I guess they unknowingly influenced me.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the second book in the Kinetic series, The Kinetic Kin.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, I’m learning a lot about promoting and google is my friends when it comes to that. Also, the typicals: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads. And some sites I’ve paid a bit of money to help promote. Whatever I can find and do, I will.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you’re self publishing, be sure to take the time and make sure it looks good when it goes on the kindle or nook or whatever electronic device it may be going on. I read one book where the author just slapped her book on it and the formatting was all over the place. The story was good but it was definitely a turn off to see such a sloppy book because someone was a bit too eager to get their book out there. Have a little patience and make sure everything’s right. It’ll pay off in the end.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Probably to put my book on the kindle instead of continuously trying to go through agents and publishers. I would get rejection after rejection and every time, it would crush my spirit. But then someone convinced me to just put it on the kindle, not because it’s free (which is great) but because that way, it’s the readers who are the ones letting you know how great or not great your book is, not some agent. After all, the readers are the one’s who matter. That being said, I’m not putting down publishers and such, I think they’re great. But sometimes, you gotta do your own thing.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading the Divergent series a second time, currently on the second, Insurgent.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m planning on writing this series out and after that, who knows. I guess we’ll see where life takes me. I know I will never stop writing though.

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. Dean Koontz- Life Expectancy
2. Judy Blume- Summer Sisters
3. The Kinetic Keeper – Angel Stage 😉 (had to do that one lol)

Author Websites and Profiles
Angel Stage Amazon Profile

Angel Stage’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write stories that are often on the unusual side. The Filing Cabinet of Doom is my first book but my writing has appeared in several anthologies and websites including American Nightmare, Polluto Magazine (issue 10), Weird Year, Strange House Books, The Strange Edge (magazine and online) and Bizarro Central.

I also write erotica which is available on forbidden-fiction.com and anthologies The Darker Edge of Desire and The Big Book of Bizarro. I’ve written articles for Bizarre magazine and The Dark Side among others, and I love kittens.

My bio includes a lot of ‘bizarre,’ have you noticed?

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Filing Cabinet of Doom has just been published by Burning Bulb. It includes a novella of the same name and several short stories, which I hope show both the disturbing and jolly sides of my brain.

While the main novella is inspired by spooky, silent German films (it’s set in a black and white soundless world) I’ve tried to include my sense of humour as much as possible. The other stories range from magic realism to bizarro to horror to weird tale and were inspired by fairly mundane experiences which my brain took to a new place.

What authors, or books have influenced you?

I love Neil Gaiman, Kafka, Heather Fowler, Margaret Atwood, Haruki Murakami, Anais Nin, John Lawson, Daphne Du Maurier, Saki, Robert Aickman and Jeremy Dyson to name a few.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a YA novel and another collection of short stories.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

Roald Dahl once said he was always worried the reader would lose interest and wrote each sentence as if he had to grab their attention. That’s probably a good thing to aim for.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Probably from Neil Gaiman: “write stories people will want to read.”

What are you reading now?
I’m actually reading a book on the psychology of lying by Ian Leslie. I am! It’s not my usual thing but it’s very interesting.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hope people like my book, and move quickly onto the next project.

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 Sherlock Holmes collection, The Giant Book of Zombies (I can’t help it, I’ve loved that book for a very long time) and Man Ray pictures. Or Robin Ince’s Bad Book Club I haven’t decided yet.

Author Websites and Profiles
Madeleine Swann Website

Madeleine Swann’s Social Media Links

Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, where I lived and studied until I graduated from St. Andrews University (aye, the one the prince went to…after me!) with a Masters in English. My thesis focused on Creative Writing but that was no surprise as I’ve been writing since I was a child and my dream was always to use English to become an author.

That path has not been easy and it has only been thanks to self-publishing that my début novel is now out there. Over the years I’ve written several books but I have only published two. My novel, “The One: The Tale of a Lost Romantic in Seoul” is my polished pride and joy. “Altered Egos”, my collection of short stories, almost feels like a work in progress as I keep adding new material to it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The One: The Tale of a Lost Romantic in Seoul

The original idea came when I was lying in bed with a beautiful woman (yes, it does happen to writers sometimes) and I was thinking about the idea of when people say, “I would do anything for you”. Do they really mean that? If you loved someone, would you do anything to make them happy, or to save them? Would you hurt someone? Kill someone?

That then developed into the deeper idea that I believe all people, especially the most boring, drab people, are one incident away from descending into madness. It could be losing their job, losing their wife, losing their home – whatever it is, I think humanity’s sanity is a fragile thing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Does drinking absurd amounts of whisky while writing count as unusual?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favourite author is Haruki Murakami and I believe he must have influenced me greatly. George Orwell is also a favourite and I admire his ability to engage serious issues in an entertaining manner. This also applies to Kurt Vonnegut, who is able to convey his message without losing the dark humour that makes his books so appealing. For me, these three authors idealise what I want to do: provide depth and thought while still entertaining.

As for books, for my first novel there is one book that clearly had an influence and that is “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov. I loved the idea of having a narrator that is not a particularly likeable character, but one that feels justified in what he is doing. In fact, the original title I wanted to use for my novel was “The Confession of a Justified Sinner” but James Hogg beat me to it by, oh, just about 200 years.

What are you working on now?
I’ve now started work on my second novel, which will be something completely different. It is sort of a dystopian novel, but as with my first novel, I’ll be trying to put a new spin on an old idea.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to work all that out. I’m quite terrible at marketing. There was a reason I chose to study English and not Business – I’m just not cut out for it. The day I have enough money to hire a publicist is the day I can relax again.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do not believe you can self-edit fully. I thought I could. I’ve worked in publishing companies as an editor, have edited countless theses and essays from university students, and I spent over a year editing my own novel. Nonetheless, I still missed a boatload of typos.

Paying for something before you even earn any money is a tough pill to swallow but it has to be done. Think of it as an investment. Get a professional editor to check over your manuscript before you publish. Then you know it is all good and you can move onto your next work without any worries.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever received was from John Burnside, a successful Scottish novelist who I was lucky enough to study under at St. Andrews. Upon receiving one of my less impressive pieces of writing, he left a note saying “Needs inspiration – try more cigarettes and alcohol!’.

I still got an A+ for that paper, but it was the advice that really stuck with me.

What are you reading now?
These days I try to read as many books by fellow indie authors as I can, so I can then leave an honest review. Knowing how important reviews are to indie authors, and being part of the community now, I find it hard to turn back to mainstream novels, unless it is something I am desperate to read, like Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, the last mainstream published book I read.

Right now I’m reading a book called The Enchanted Castle by Marc Secchia, another indie writer. So far, so good! Uly

What’s next for you as a writer?
Get the first draft of my second novel out of my head and onto paper. Then comes the oh-so-fun editing part, though I will be making far greater use of professional editors this time.

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?
Is the Complete Works of Shakespeare allowed? I’m going to pretend it is.

In addition to that, I would bring:

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami – my favourite novel and I never tire of it.

Ulysses by James Joyce – I spent 6 months studying it at university and only scratched the surface. Something to keep my mind busy.

Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby – A little random but I love football (soccer) and no book better explains the passion of being a football fan. I’d miss the beautiful game on that island, so this book would remind me.

Author Websites and Profiles
Steve Justice Website
Steve Justice Amazon Profile

Steve Justice’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! I’m Zoey, a 37 year-old Brit from just outside Oxford. I’m married to an American, and have one young son, and two cats. I’m a full-time editor for several small press publishers, and I take on indie clients as often as time allows as well.

‘Inheritance’ is my first novel, and I’m almost 1/3 way through the sequel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘Inheritance’ is my current release. It’s inspired by, and driven by my main character, Dom, who’s basically a mix of two people I wish I knew. It’s also quite a ‘bookish’ book, with literature and fiction having its own part to play, which was a really important element for me.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a night-writer, out of necessity rather than choice, but, whatever works! I have a young son to take care of, and I work full-time editing from home, so my writing hours tend to be around 9pm-2am or thereabouts. I get through a lot of coffee.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In a way, Fifty Shades has influenced me the most. Because when I read it, I couldn’t help thinking how cool it would be if a story like that could be well-written. I wanted to write something sexy, and popular, but also something where no one would complain about the standard of writing. It also really let me see the kind of thing people want to be reading right now, which caused a huge turnaround from my usual genre and brought me into a whole new world. And when I entered this world, Andrea Andersson and her novel, ‘Unkindness’, was probably the one that persuaded me to seriously put pen to paper.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the sequel to ‘Inheritance’. It’s called ‘Indebted’ and sees Dom and Mel both going through their honeymoon period, and facing a whole heap of new obstacles to their relationship. It’s darker than the first novel, and more intricate. It’s involved a lot more research, and I’m hoping it’s going to have a whole lot to offer readers.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m genetically awful at promotion, honestly. I’m reliably informed by my publisher that mailing lists are the way to go. My favourite medium to use is Twitter, as it’s so laid back, but I think as a forum for selling books it’s not ideal. Right now I’m working on building up my subscriber list, and I’m also trying to spend more and more time on Goodreads. GR seems to be the best place to find like-minded readers to try out your books on, but with everyone having towering TBR piles it’s always going to be a challenge to get YOUR book under someone’s nose. I’m still trying to find my way.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I don’t really feel qualified to advise! But I’d just say, keep writing! For me, time is always the biggest obstacle to writing, but it really is true that if you just hammer out words for even an hour a day, they all add up and before you know it you have an MS to work with. I’m a big believer in fast-drafting, just write…like your life depends on it…and don’t self-edit. That can all come later. Get the words on the page first.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s a variation on “turn the internet off!” – I can’t think of a single, bigger time-waster when you do finally claw some writing time than twitter, or FB etc. STAY OFF THE NET AND WRITE! Twitter et al are wonderful support networks, but if you’re not careful you find you’ve posted 10,000 Tweets, and written 37 words. You really want to keep it the other way around.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a crime novel called “Forward Slash”. I’m on a bit of a violent crime kick.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More words!
I want to get Indebted finished, and keep working hard at promoting Inheritance. There’ll be a third, and final novel in the series, but that’s going to be well into next year.
Once the Diamond Books series is complete, I want to look at a possible spin-off centred around Mel’s former best friend, Nate. I also have a quick n’ dirty standalone brewing 🙂

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?
Could I bring my Kindle? Is that cheating? Probably…

Ok, well, I’d go for a big, beefy fantasy epic that I could lose myself in, probably a Tad Williams or maybe Patrick Rothfuss. In fact, definitely Patrick Rothfuss. I’d take King’s The Stand, because I’ve never made it to the end before and a desert island would be handy for that. And I’d take a Dickens, because I bloody love Dickens. Dombey and Son would do it 🙂

Author Websites and Profiles
Zoey DuBois Website
Zoey DuBois Amazon Profile

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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m 45 years old and have been writing and storytelling for as long as I can remember. This is the first time I’ve pursued actually publishing books. I’ve published one inspirational book about happiness and am about to release a free e-book about relationships.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Be Happy – The Foundation of a Happy Relationship: 12 Principles for Leading a Happy Life. Miranda (my Fiancee/Editor/Co-Author) is my inspiration. She outlines my ideas for me, she edits my work, she also makes sure I get my writing time in each day. She also does a lot of the promotional work and the behind the scenes stuff so I can focus on turning out words. She is my source of inspiration.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to create a quiet space and play epic soundtrack music like from LoTR, GoT, Dr. Who, etc..

What are you working on now?

A book about what communication is, how to do it with practical exercises and tools for when it goes wrong. No title yet.

I’ve also started outlining with Miranda a YA novel. No details yet 🙂

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Writing is production, your production is words. I track each day how many words I produce. This is how I set targets and I work towards them each day.

Don’t get caught up in editing while writing. During your writing time, write! I don’t use word or fancy editing software for a first draft, I use something like Notepad. Write and keep writing. There is plenty of time for editing later. All those squiggly lines distract you from creating and really getting your job done, which is to CREATE!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?

What are you reading now?
Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing as many books as I can. I have lots of advice to give and stories to tell!

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?

Author Websites and Profiles
James Horton Website
James Horton Amazon Profile

James Horton’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, let’s kick it off here. I’ve written one book so far. ONE. AND IT’S GREAT. “Nighthawks at the Mission”. Available at your finest Amazon.com website through GMTA Publishing.

So since I had no idea how to start off a free form interview and I like to rip shit off of people and myself at times, I’ll use this Fifty Good Questions To Ask Yourself And Others. I got it from the “Google”. Thank you The Fab Files of Fabiola Carletti whoever you are.

I’ll be using first though that James Lipton 10 Question Thing he borrowed from Bernard Pivot, someone I couldn’t pick out of a police lineup if my family’s life depended on it but James Lipton always acts like we all should. James Lipton I do know. Bernard Pivot is a fiction as far as I can tell. I will not use the “Google”.

So first, off, James Lipton bullshit.

What is your favorite word? Respect.

What is your least favorite word? Stupid.

What turns you on? Smart women. People enjoying my writing and laughing at the right parts or wanting to read more and more. Women.

What turns you off? People who follow trends like those fuckers who wait weeks in line for the next iPhone. People who make money just to make money and just sit on piles of cash and not do a single interesting thing with it or have any sort of life adventure or exposure to the outside world besides a safe touristy vacation (see: Zuckerberg, Mark and most of Wall Street).

What sound or noise do you love? Delicate sound of thunder coming from the Dark Side of the Moon (50 points if you catch the full reference.)

What sound or noise do you hate? Babies crying n’ shit.

What is your favorite curse word? Fucktard.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Storm chasing in tornado alley with professional meteorologists. Deep sea fishing off the Florida Keys. Either one.

What profession would you not like to do?

I really wouldn’t want to be an orderly at some senior nursing center. People dying. Cleaning up shit and blood all the time. Bleach smell everywhere. Watching relatives that should be euthanized because they couldn’t give a flying fuck about their own older relatives.

If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

Hemingway wanted me to tell you that he thought your writing was marginally okay. And that Grandpa’s coming by in a second to say hello. The one Grandpa. The other one is fishing and cursing at the moment. And your Grandmothers wanted to introduce themselves for the first time. And tell your cat Gump to get off my damn couch.

NOW I FILL OUT A RANDOM FIFTY QUESTION I MENTIONED EARLIER.

1. What are your nicknames? What do you prefer to be called?

Forbes. Some of you may have picked up that Forbes West is a nom de however you say that, most people including my own father call me Forbes. or Forbesy. Or Flobes because of that one time some Korean owner of a internet cafe butchered my name in a hilariously accented way. There is a reason why the name Forbes is used if you catch what I’m throwing out there. Yes, its not my real name, Detective. But it works.

2. What books on your shelf are begging to be read?

Frank Herbert’s Dune. Stephen King’s The Gunslinger (Plus its sequels). Nick Cole’s Wasteland Saga. Robert Hughes and his great book, The Fatal Shore. Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka’s WarDay. Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls. J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Revolution at the Gates: Selected Writings by V.I. Lenin and Slavoj Zizek. Ron Paul’s The Revolution: A Manifesto. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell.

3. How often do you doodle? What do your doodles look like?

Mostly I doodle little robots that shoot fire at each other and UFOs. Odd many armed monsters with squiggly heads and teeth. Giant heads filled with teeth.

4. What do you do if you can’t sleep at night? Do you count sheep? Toss and Turn? Try to get up and do something productive?

I usually just stare at the ceiling and then write down something on my iPhone’s notepad about a book or movie idea. Then there’s always the warm embrace of free internet pornography. Waking my cat up and chasing him around the room until he hides ontop of the refrigerator and won’t come down without violence.

5. How many days could you last in solitary confinement? How would you do it?

I could do a month easy. I’d just live in my head and my imagination which is what I do anyway for fun and games. I’d probably would just want to get out after a month because I want to do something else and not because I couldn’t stand the lock up and the walls closing in, blah blah. I’d be alright.

6. Do you save old greeting cards and letters? Throw them away?

I’m married so by law I keep them neatly stored for future non-reference and to be burned by absent minded caretakers.

7. Who is the biggest pack rat you know?

I work in property management in real life and the biggest pack rat I saw was this poor 40 year old Asian guy who was renting an apartment at one of the places I managed who moved out five years later. When he was moving I saw that he saved everything from VHS tapes to boxes upon boxes of Jenga and cut out pictures of Cub Scouts from magazines and little league trophies. He didn’t have any children. There’s probably a mass grave nearby of Cub Scouts waiting undiscovered.

8. When making an entrance in to a party, do you make your presence known? Do you slip in and look for someone you know? Do you sneak in quietly and find a safe spot to roost?

I always make an entrance like an asshole because I like making people laugh. I like seeing old friends so I want every first moment of a meeting with them to be special and fun. I like to mingle unless I’m a total unknown at some party where I know only the host by chance. Then I just head to the drink bar and make it fun for myself at least by getting plastered. After a while of being buzzed you always make friends somehow.

9. What is your strongest sense? If you had to give one up, which would it be?

My eyes are my best sense which doesn’t really mean much since I’m legally blind. If I had to give up a sense it’d be sight. I can’t live without music and people talking; that would fuck me up more than anything.

10. How many times a day do you look at yourself in the mirror?

Any chance there is a mirror in the general vicinity I’ll take a peak. My hair is wavy as shit and I always need to have a comb on hand because otherwise it’s just gonna become a fuckin’ afro in two minutes.

11. What is the strangest thing you believed as a child?

Socialism in one country.That adults knew what the fuck they were doing at all times and that authority figures got to be authority figures because they were just so fucking smart.

12. What is one guilty pleasure you enjoy too much to give up?

Sex with strangers. Cigars. I like that shit. Its a tasteful way of getting cancer.

13. Who performs the most random acts of kindness out of everyone you know?

My wife Junko. She’ll give her last ten dollars to some street urchin if they seem the least bit hungry. She’ll put down a hundred dollar plus donation for people she barely knows without a second thought.

14. How often do you read the newspaper? Which paper? Which sections?

I don’t read the newspaper anymore. If anything major happens I’ll find out. I might read the politics section of “Huffington Post” just to get pissed off for the day. I also don’t watch television that much, come to think of it. I mean, I watch TV shows and movies off of Netflix but its not exactly the most up to date material in the world now, is it?

15. Which animals scare you most? Why?

Japanese Hornets that apparently are genetically engineered to instill fear into mankind. One buzzed me when I was in Japan and I wasn’t scared at first because I THOUGHT IT WAS A GODDAMN HUMMING BIRD. Go look ‘em up I’m fucking serious. Or here for fuck’s sake:
And I for one welcome our Japanese Hornet Overlords.

16. Are you more likely to avoid conflict or engage it head-on?

Head on after a few beers, sure. I’m a coward at heart so I got to get some dutch courage. I take the Xanax Advantage (known before as the Zoloft Surge) as well. Its best to not feel feelings anymore when making a confrontation or conflict. It’s a jungle out there. Things must be said, words exchanged, masculinity indulged and I’m really too sensitive for this sort of hard business. I had a grandfather who was in the Battle of the Bulge killing Nazis at freezing temperatures and didn’t think it was “really that big of a deal to talk about” and here I am working up the courage to debate a bill with a waiter at the El Torito. As I look at my bill and its obvious error and feel the fear come on, I realize that the Blood of Númenor is all but spent, its pride and dignity forgotten.

17. What was the most recent compliment you’ve received and savoured?

The most recent compliment I got was from Nick Cole, author of The Wasteland Saga. I barely know the guy and he says on a national radio show that basically Forbes West has written some fine fiction- “Nighthawks at the Mission”. Now for a guy who has written some great stuff (Wasteland Saga) and has some recognition, this was a real treat to actually hear. I also was told that I write very well from another author I respect a lot, Michael Bunker and that I did some incredible world building in my book. My ego was incredibly stroked by that happening- two authors who have been in the game for a lot longer than me saying I do some good stuff.

18. What is something about yourself that you hope will change, but probably never will?

Being absolutely bi-polar about my writing. Either I think its shit and embarrassing one moment or the next greatest big thing to strike the planet Earth. Until reviews, positive reviews, come in at an overwhelming amount I won’t be satisfied. And even then I’ll probably be anxious.

19. Are you a creature of habit? Explain.

I work on writing on everyday so that’s my habit. I have to do something writing related. Drinking and doing *ahem* other things is a hobby but the reality of my day is sitting behind the laptop typing away at something to in order to get creative and get something together that I can use for writing (note, inspiring scenes from movies, pictures, whatever). So in that sense, yes, I’ll always be a creature of habit. Anything else though, I’m pretty well wide open and all over the place. As long as I get something writing related done. Doesn’t have to be much, but I had to always do it. Even on vacation. Even when people don’t see me openly do it. If it looks like I’m texting I’m not, I’m taking down notes on the notepad section.

20. Are you high maintenance? Explain.

Yes and no. Mostly I’m mellow and laid back. But I have a slew of personal demons that can rear up and every once in a while make my mood swing terribly. Mostly it has to do with future “what-if” scenarios and feelings of failure or that I’m not doing an good enough job. Those personal demons are sort of an odd crew to keep me up and running- I recognize without ‘em, I’m probably just content to sit back and let my life drift and not go out and try to achieve something, but at the same time there the ones that torture my emotions about what I do with my work and my marriage and friends and etc.

21. When was the last time you really pushed yourself to your physical limits?

The last time was writing a screenplay for a movie called “OK-ZERO” which is, shall we say, still in the pre-pre-production process. Anyway, I gave myself a six week limit to get the thing done and immediately spent those 6 weeks staying up until 3am and getting up at 6am for work. Needless to say sleep deprivation does some funny things to me- one, after a while I can’t keep my eyes open to save my life and two, when I am awake I am so wired I can’t shut up. The conversation from my end is a deluge not a collection of words to invoke communication with the other party. Its (hopefully) not rambling but its way too much for others to deal with. But I did it all because OK-ZERO has a shot at well, being something, and so if that means I’ll be extra weird and over-tired, so be it.

22. Do you have a whole lot of acquaintances or just a few very close friends? Why?

I have both. I have a few friends, the N[DELETED] brothers, [DELETED] and [DELETED] I grew up with and feel like they’re family to me. There are others one too out there (sorry not to be name dropping or making up a hierarchy of friendship here) but there the closest. Then there is the fact that I do know just a lot of people because i am open and I do interact. I like people really and I enjoy their quirks, viewpoints, whatever. It actually takes quite a good deal of time and effort to really hate someone but once I do I have a Sicilian feeling of prideful hate towards them. There’s only a few people I can say have made that list. The band Off-Spring, for instance.

23. Are you more inclined to “build your own empire” or unleash the potential of others?

I like helping others on their projects but right now since I’m starting out, and since I know I can only spread myself so thin with “real” work and other bullshit a capitalist economy makes me deal with, I’m in the single man empire building business.

24. What’s a strange occurrence you’ve experienced but have never (or rarely) shared with anyone?

About a year or two ago (I forget exactly), I, being in property management, got a frantic call from our a person co-signing an apartment home that I managed about his family. Now our community is about 296 apartment homes, so it’s basically a small town (2-4 people per apartment), just to give you an idea, and so no one really notices each other and keeps to themselves, so if something is amidst in an another apartment they won’t notice unless the proverbial bomb goes off. This co-signer was frantic, saying that he hadn’t been able to reach his father (who was in his 80s and a invalid) and his brother (in his fifties who was taking care of the father) for five days. The co-signer and I walked to the apartment as I had the key to the place and since he was only a co-signer and not a true tenant, I had to stick around when opening the place up since it wasn’t fully “his” place. I knocked on the door- no answer. I knocked again- no answer. At the moment I was thinking that maybe they had taken the old man to the hospital or something so I did the whole final knock, called out loudly “Management” and opened the door.

And well, inside was a complete and awful murder scene. Congealed blood all over the place, things knocked over. Two bodies, left for five days during a very hot and humid week, rotting inside. I couldn’t get the smell out of my mind for days afterwards and what I saw inside made me have a nervous breakdown later that night. Everything just seemed to smell like that apartment and I couldn’t get that vicious scene out of my mind for a month. I went out of my way not to go near that apartment for months. It was never fully explained to me the circumstances of what had happened, though it had been reported in the LA TIMES homicide section as a murder-suicide.

25. What do you think about more than anything else?

My future and better life. I don’t think anyone should drift in their lives and let things just run their course, I feel that if you want to really feel what life is all about you gotta take some charge and paddle against that soft current that leads you to just being, I don’t know, just another face in the crowd. You gotta paddle against the current. So I always think about what I want in the future and how to get there. I think about what new ideas for books or movies all the time as well but I think that can be wrapped under the same heading as just thinking about having a better life and being seen as a success. Those books and movie ideas are gonna bring me to a brighter future I want for myself and my family so I think about that always.

26. What’s something that amazes you?

The weather- storms, tornadoes, hurricanes. The great reminder of greater forces beyond our control. Humans have enslaved and controlled the environment so much that to see an honest to goodness storm or something worse come over the horizon reminds us of our tiny hold in an infinite universe.

27. Do you prefer that people shoot straight with you or temper their words? Why?

Depends on what mood I’m in. You shoot straight at me and I’m already not exactly in the most giving of moods I’ll lash out like a baboon poked with a stick. If I’m in a good mood, I’ll take the come to Jesus moment (probably). I’ll be honest, a lot of times “straight shooting” or “not mincing words” or “always telling it like it is” seems to me sometimes a bullshit cover for people to say whatever they want and given themselves a verbal clause not to get slammed back. Most of the people “who tell it like it is” are usually the first ones to get defensive as hell the moment you tell them “like it is.”

28. Where’s your favourite place to take an out-of-town guest?

Males, its The Library. Females its the Library. In all honesty, its Seal Beach, CA as a whole. The bars and restaurants are home away from home and I grew up there so I like to take them to my local haunts. Joe Jost’s in Long Beach, CA too. Old school once upon a time speak easy bar in Long Beach. Those who pay attention might remember it as the bar in “Gone in 60 Seconds” with Nicholas Cage. Ice cold beer, sandwiches, its something out of the 30′s. Neat place. Cop bar though- every other patron is in law enforcement some how.

29. What’s one thing you’d rather pay someone to do than do yourself? Why?

Public speaking. I can do it and I can do it well enough but I hate doing it. The anticipation makes me want to choke myself to death. I never screw it up but having a bunch of strangers or near strangers leering at me is annoying. I haven’t done it intoxicated yet so maybe that’ll help next time. I heard the story once that Hunter S. Thompson just used to sip Wild Turkey and take a Percocet before speaking and he said that was the easiest way to get through that bullshit. Seems reasonable.

30. Do you have a catchphrase?

“Like I fucking care.” First thing I could think of. I really don’t have one.

31. What’s your reaction towards people who are outspoken about their beliefs? What conditions cause you to dislike or, conversely, enjoy talking with them?

Depends. I like people having a different viewpoint (sometimes a very different viewpoint, I really do like hearing what they have to say and I don’t take offense unless its some out and out Nazi bullshit but that’s really hard to hear nowadays). I don’t like people who decide its time to convert me and keep pressuring me to buy what they are selling. That I don’t care for. We can have disagreements like gentlemen or gentleladies but the moment these people start getting emotionally upset because I’m not on board I hate it. But honest to goodness intellectuals believing in radically different things than I do? I love it actually. I hate the Republican Party as an organization but to talk to a intellectual from the party or a true blue Conservative with a ideological belief system who’s respectful? I can talk to them for hours. I love it. The weirder their outspoken beliefs, as long as they aren’t getting crazy and emotional, the more enjoyment I have talking to them.

32. How and where do you prefer to study?

Over the internet. At home. Slightly high. Pot isn’t there in that case for hysterical fun, but because it kicks up creativity a notch and makes your mind slink a little bit back into the subconscious so you can put together connections and create ideas.

33. What position do you sleep in?

On top of your mother as she lays on her stomach. That’s a weird fucking question. Next.

34. What’s your all-time favourite town or city? Why?

Key West, Florida. Its New Orleans without the creole, its on the beach, its America but it isn’t. There’s an odd redneck-hippie-Cuban-Bahamas vibe to the town, what with its frat boys and artists co-mingling. The history, the humidity, the odd people- its no wonder Hemingway, Thompson (for a small period of time), and Tennessee Williams called it home for a while. There’s an energy there that just helps any writer come up with ideas. I was there only once for three days and I could feel it.

35. What are the top three qualities that draw you to someone new?

A sense of humor (usually dark), someone who’s a bit of rebel in some way, and someone who does something creative in life (writing, artistry, music) and who doesn’t buy this whole go to school, get married, get a house, get retired, die scheme that’s being foisted onto a lot of people.

36. How has your birth order/characteristics of siblings affected you?

I’m the youngest, so I’m the baby. So I always feel a little left out of things, which makes me feel a bit of an outsider in my own family. That is NO one’s fault, but just my own warped perception on things. When you have a small family of four with no extended family (and my sister is seven years older than me), of course you are going to feel a little bit on the outside of things just because of circumstances. I think that’s made me feel like an outsider (again there’s no blame about that) so I look at things differently because I never have felt really “part” of a group. (If you are reading this and thinking somehow my family left me out or doesn’t love me, that’s stupid. They do. I’m just talking reality here. I’m very lucky when it comes to my family. VERY lucky.)

37. If you could eliminate one weakness or limitation in your life, what would it be?

Social anxiety. I have to really work to overcome it but meeting people and hanging out doesn’t come naturally to me. Now, if you know me in person that’s probably a shock by the way I act but remember I’m using sheer force, alcohol, and illegally obtained prescription pills and medicinal marijuana to function and be fun to be around. Otherwise you’d be dealing with Milton from “Office Space” the whole time.

38. If you could restore one broken relationship, which would it be?

Can’t think of a one. If its broken its because they fucked it up, not me. Sorry, sometimes I’m gonna lay some blame on some people. Sometimes there isn’t a a mutual “oh we were both wrong moment”. Those other people fucked it up. I’m generally pretty nice and forgiving.

39. If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to?

Bronson. Toughest name on the planet. But then I’d have to really work out and get some tats in order to back it up or else its just…odd. Is “Tex” a real first name? But then I’m not from Texas.

40. Do you believe ignorance is bliss? Why or why not?

Yes. If I have zero hope of fixing a situation or dealing with some information that’s just going to terrorize me and make me despondent, I’d rather not know (hypothetical: a comet is going to crash into the Earth erasing mankind. Don’t tell me about it unless you say Bruce Willis has a shot of fixing this thing). If, however, I’ve been given some bad news but there’s a small, even tiny possibility that maybe I can figure a way out of the situation, let me know. Don’t sugarcoat things. I can take it (most of the time. Otherwise I just end up buying a bottle of cheap port and sitting on my balcony crying for three hours before passing out).

41. What do you consider unforgivable?

Ending someone’s dream. Taking something that was something special to them and ruining it or ripping it off and calling it your own. I heard this one story- some ultra-Christian family, fundamentalists, who burnt three years of notebooks that their teen daughter had written about a fantasy world with characters and settings, etc that she wanted to have put onto a computer and typed up and sent to a publisher she had somehow connected with. The family made her burn the notebooks in their fireplace, because somehow it was “ungodly”. I could almost forgive murder before that. Molesting a child is unforgivable in my mind too but that’s sort of a “no shit” sort of answer.

42. Have you forgiven yourself for past personal failures? Why or why not?

Not really. I don’t mope around about it but I don’t forgive myself fully yet. I should have made better choices and been more active. I wasn’t perhaps in the best mental state for some of these events that happened, but I can’t get over my own mistakes. I’m learning but once in a while the sting hits me right in the back of the head reminding me of “what if”.

43. How difficult is it for you to forgive someone who refuses to apologize?

VERY difficult. A really strong person knows when they fucked up and they say they are sorry. Trying to weasel out of situations is the worse sort of shit to pull. Real men and women apologize. Children refuse to apologize.

44.Do you hold any convictions that you would be willing to die for?

If the USA’s ass was REALLY on the line, I mean a Civil War, World War Two type crisis, I’d die for it. I know its not perfect, I know its fucked in so many ways- I know that. Believe me. I can give you a laundry list of its problems and its corruption and its misuse of power. But I always thought that despite the corporate crap, the fundamentalist attacks, the petty Congressional lobbying bullshit, the flawed USA is still a pillar in keeping the world from really falling down to the dogs. Because who would replace us to lead the world? China? Russia? Sure there are other countries that are democracies with freedom of speech and perhaps even more liberty than we have here at home, but if we burn out those authoritarian states will pressure and pressure them and end their sunny days. The USA to me is like a mean old father who was once a hero- you may not like what he does, but you also realize that once the old man’s gone, there’s nothing keeping this whole thing together. Plus, the USA is home.

I should mention I love Japan and consider it a second home as well- if that fat faced little fascist in North Korea wants to take on Japan or the politburo in Beijing thinks they can get revenge on Japan, I’d die for Japan too. It’s a country of good people who have turned a corner in national life and despite all their flaws and bullshit don’t deserve annihilation or attack.They’re a peaceful people- they went 70 years without conflict with its neighbors. People who keep dredging up World War Two and Japan should remember that while you can’t forget what Japan did, just remember they’ve had two cities nuked, hundreds of cities hit with napalm raids, and millions of war casualties. They’ve done their penance for what their bullshit military pulled in the 30′s and 40′s.

I also do believe in social revolution that truly makes us all equal. If there’s a real chance that people can live their own lives free of direct government control and corporate bullying and working bullshit 9-5 jobs, I’d die for that. A lot of us spend 40 hours a week making others rich and losing out on time we could have with our loved ones and friends because of a forced necessity. There’s got to be a better way and if there’s a revolution that shows up that makes that happen, I’ll pick up a rifle and fight for that. And take a bullet.

45. To what extent do you trust people? Explain.

I trust people but verify whether or not they are full of shit. Reagan said that and the old man was right- put a hand out, be open, but make sure you aren’t being fed a line of horseshit and critically evaluate what people are telling you. Long story short, I’d rather take a chance to be stabbed in the back then to be locked in a closet not trusting anyone or anything.

46. In what area of your life are you immature?

I really do like playing with cats and dogs way too much so I get way too excited going to a Petco and seeing any new cats or dogs to adopt. Oh and I love drinking and *ahem* other recreational substances. Being out until dawn hammered always seems like the best of times. I’m a fratboy hiding as a liberal writer.

47. What was the best news you ever received?

That I successfully tricked my wife into marrying me and she said “Yes”, and that GMTA Publishing would put out “Nighthawks at the Mission”, my first novel that was originally self-published. GMTA is a small company but its exactly what I want in the long term.

48. How difficult is it for you to be honest, even when your words may be hurtful or unpopular?

It’s hard but I can do it. It takes a few false starts but I can do it. I hate doing it but I can suck it up and do it every time. Again, alcohol becomes a great friend in this time of strife so after I loosen up I can let the truth dribble out.

49. When did you immediately click with someone you just met? Why? What was the long term result? Conversely, are you close with anyone now that you really disliked at first?

In real life, a certain [DELETED] I consider him my personal anti-Forbes West because he likes a lot of the same stuff I do (*heh heh heh*) but he has a different world view that we disagree about. First time we met we argued over political philosophy over a round of beers (not this run of the mill contemporary everyday political shit but true to form we were arguing philosophy about society and government) and though we disagreed on almost every point, I respected what he had to say and we just became friends right there. Our meeting and argument was the mental equivalent of two Viking warriors dueling for hours in the frozen tundra who end up laughing and hugging because they found their exact equal in battle. It’s a rare but cool thing to have happened.

In the world of facebook, Michael Bunker. Great author, true rebel in society, pop culture aficionado like me and Neo-Amish. Can’t find more interesting mix of a personality outside the world of fiction.

As for anyone I really disliked at first, I can’t think of one. I usually don’t follow up with anyone I thought was a dick in the first place. Maybe Weird Al Yankovic.

50. When do you find yourself singing?

After drinking and only with a group of friends. Karaoke. Rarely any other time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Nighthawks at the Mission. It’s been sort of a multilayered meaning- “Nighthawks”, because that’s the slang for people who salvage off-world in the dead alien cities at night, but that’s not my original “slang”. My characters are “Nighthawks” since they reap all the high tech salvage and magic found on this planet that was just discovered to be on the other side of this portal in the South Pacific.

The term “Nighthawks” comes from ‘Nighthawking’- which according to the Wikipedia “is a term used by Britain’s metal detecting community to describe the theft of archaeological artifacts under the cover of darkness from protected archaeological sites and areas.”

Nighthawks at the Mission, the full title, is also a play on “Nighthawks at the Diner”, the Tom Waits “live” album. When I saw the cover for “Nighthawks at the Diner”, it sort of set a mood for what I was writing. Same thing for the music from the album- both the album cover and the music invoke a vision of people staying up late at night, smoking cigarettes, as a dark world just passes along under the midnight sky.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I watch a lot of youtube clips from old movies I’ve seen to get inspiration or to set a mood to my writing. I listen to them in the background as I type away. I also listen to music to set the tone and mood at the same time. If there’s no music, there’s no youtube, there’s no writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King comes first to mind. His early work (say pre-90s). He’s the Jupiter that all my ideas orbit around. Other than him, movies more so than anything. Now that doesn’t answer the question properly, but I get a ton of energy and inspiration off of Kubrick, Sergio Leone, early Coppolla movies and Martin Scorsese films.

What are you working on now?
TK. It’s an episodic short story series based on the “Nighthawks at the Mission” universe. While “Nighthawks…” is to be the first in an epic science fiction/fantasy series, “TK” is more concerning the daily life of Americans living and colonizing this strange Lord of the Rings like world filled with dead high-tech cities.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook and Twitter are neck and neck in promotion. They’ve helped the most. I use twitter for quick bursts of info and since it can be linked to Facebook they go hand in glove it seems.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice is to try something new (don’t try to copy and paste and rearrange what’s already out there) and to remember that writing isn’t a sprint or a hobby, its a second job that requires you to run a 26 mile marathon every day.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Have fun. It’s writing for entertainment, for fuck’s sake. The moment it stops being fun (and I’m not saying there’s not moments where it’s boring or tedious) but the moment its really like a 9-5 job, stop. Stop for a while. Stop for a month. Cool your brain off. And sometimes, its going to feel like you’re writing shit but just keep chugging forward. You may have to go back and re-write later but that’s later on down the line. Get the draft completed don’t just keep re-hashing the same paragraph in a trivial pursuit of perfection that can’t be attained.

What are you reading now?
The Fatal Shore. Robert Hughes. The Science fiction like idea the British Government did for real back in the 18th century of putting all their prisoners and poor people on the dark side of the moon which was Australia at the time. Fascinating to re-read again as you pick up more and more grim information about an insane idea and time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Next is a sequel for “Nighthawks at the Mission”, called “Lodger”. As I explained to someone, its something something “Treasure Island”, a cold frozen north that the characters travel through, and Singapore. And thats about all I have to say about that.

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?
Dune, Nexus Confessions Volume Five, and The Stand.

Author Websites and Profiles
Forbes West Website
Forbes West Amazon Profile

Forbes West’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. My early years were influenced by the Texas culture and lore. I spent twelve years, following high school and two years of college, in the television field as a repairman. At the age of 29 I surrendered to the ministry and entered Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Following the time there I pastored five churches in Texas and one in Hawaii. I then moved to Virginia as a Director of Missions for a local association. After three years, the Virginia Baptist Mission Board called me to serve them as a field consultant. In 2005 I moved to Danville, Virginia to become their Director of Missions working with 46 churches.

I have completed 6 westerns. Prior to that, I had 12 articles published in a pastor/staff training magazine entitled Church Administration. While at the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, I wrote a training manual entitled “7 Strands of Church Health.” I used the material in seminars across the western part of Virginia. It was published by the VBMB.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Viejo and the Lost Ranger” is my latest completed book. It follows the ending of the previous book entitled “Viejo and the Lost Child.” The deep dark emotional circumstances of the Texas Ranger simply needed to follow its course.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
One habit I have is that I can start writing anywhere, stop, then pick up where I left off, even days later.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The most obvious is the Bible. The most influential western fiction writers are Louis L’Amore and Elmer Kelton. Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” was a special read.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the next Viejo book entitled “Viejo and the Hunted Ranger.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My own site is cliffhudgins.net. I promote on Facebook and keep an e-mail list of friends.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, then write some more, followed by writing even more.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“It is better to write from the soul and have no market, than to write for the market and have no soul.” I don’t remember who wrote this, so I can’t give credit.

What are you reading now?
Due to my day job schedule and my need for editing my current work, I am reading my own material now.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to retire from the ministry in a few years and devote more time to writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible and three books from L’Amore’s Sacket series.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cliff Hudgins Website
Cliff Hudgins Amazon Profile

 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! Let me start by saying that I LOVE WRITING!

I wasn’t always a person that loved writing or dreamed of being a writer. Instead, I was one of those people that was a fiendish reader. I’d read everything in sight–no genre was safe from my greedy little hands. I was never without a book clutched protectively to my chest to ward off boredom, and anybody who thought they may borrow my book before I was finished.

People said to me, “Wow, that’s a thick book. You should be a writer, you read so much.”

I’d stare blankly back at them like they were insane and to be pitied, which they were and I did.

First of all, like about most things in life, size DOES matter. To an avid reader, the thicker the book the better. Second of all, any of us obsessed readers worth our salt knew just because you loved to read books didn’t mean you could write them! I mean, come on! I love steak–should I go slaughter a cow?

Well, a couple of years ago when I received a kindle and discovered the world of self-published authors, and in a fit of pique over yet another formula romance by a formerly favorite author, I decided to sit my butt down and write my own romance.

Four books later, I am now the totally insane woman that is trying her darnedest to not write formula romances and give her readers something fun, smart, unique, and very, very hot to read. Please pity me!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled Acadia’s Law: Book One, Undying Love Series. I was inspired by my two loves in reading–witty, sexy, funny romance novels with strong, intelligent, snarky female leads and even smarter, stronger men that can be their equals AND adrenaline pumping, zombie apocalyptic tales. (Hey, don’t laugh! Zombie books are nothing like most of the B movies out there. Talk about thrillers–apocalyptic books are some of the most well-written action you will ever read!)

Anyway, as I was saying before your laughing so rudely distracted me, Acadia’s Law is a combination of fun, hot romance and nail-biting action that I think really works, and I hope you do, too! (Rom-Zom is a genre that desperately needs to be officially recognized.)

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes. I think I am unusually stupid in my determination to make my self-published author life just that much harder by writing what I love to read. Despite severe warnings to myself and appropriate punishments, I still make conscious choices to mix genres. It is becoming a filthy habit that shows no signs of abating.

Otherwise, I can’t really think of any. Is spirit writing while channeling in a trance considered unusual?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Seriously? How much time do you have? Every single book I have ever read has influenced be in some way.

What are you working on now?
I am about to start my fifth book, which will be the fourth book in my ongoing series, “The Adventures of Anabel Axelrod”. (A contemporary romance/romantic-comedy/mystery/steamy romance/thriller. )

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My promotion method has evolved by probably making every mistake I possibly could along the way. I am a woman with goals, but tend to be a tad enthusiastically impatient. Now, I take my time self-publishing. I try to plan short term (one-two months out) and long term. I am open to all ideas for promotions and marketing, but I meticulously budget, track, and analyze the results of every campaign I run for every book, no matter how cheap or how expensive. If it got results, I will use them again.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Here is my email. Write to me with any specific questions. I would be happy to pass on any self-publishing/writing knowledge I have garnered, but I don’t do readings or critiques.

tracy.ellen@aol.com

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Love what you write. The rest is just details.

What are you reading now?
LOL, believe it or not, my first series to refresh my memory. Actually, I have never sat down and read the books just for fun. So, on my upcoming camping trip, they’re coming along for the ride!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Foremost, I hope to keep approving and learning the craft of writing. BUT, I’ve been told by those near and dear that I need to get myself out there publically and do a ton of self-promotion. (What the..?! I thought the whole purpose of being a writer was that I got to sway the direction of the universe without leaving home or getting dressed! Geez, if I wanted to be a public figure, I ‘d be running for Dictator of the World!)

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh, man! I’d like to see the person and their army that would “allow me” to take only 3-4 books! Any reader worth their sea salt knows you’d bring your loaded eReader and a solar battery charger!

Author Websites and Profiles
Tracy Ellen Website
Tracy Ellen Amazon Profile
Tracy Ellen Author Profile on Smashwords

Tracy Ellen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m proud to say I’m an indie author. I self-published a novella, Pain’s Joke, in April 2012. I’m currently writing my next book, Towpath Jesus, and it should be out before Christmas 2014.

When I’m not writing, I’m a machinist by trade, and a husband and father by vocation. I enjoy fishing, hiking, backpacking, and growing irises.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My novella, Pain’s Joke, is about a twelve year old boy who was born with a facial disfigurement. He befriends an old, washed-up minister, only to find that he is the same man who inadvertently caused the boy’s grandparents to lose their life savings many years ago. While there is a lot of discussion about faith and miracles, it is NOT a “Christian” book. The characters simply happen to be deeply religious.

The inspiration from the book came from the question I had been asking myself: What if a miraculous healing was only temporary? I really thought about the implications it would have for the character, and the idea just grew from there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say it’s all that unusual, but like many indie authors I have a day job, so I tend to write in spurts. I’ll write nearly everyday for a few weeks, then I’ll focus on family or work. Then I get back to writing. So it’s a lot of back and forth. It’s a challenge finding a balance among work, writing, family, and “me time”.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Paul Auster was the first author I really took an interest in. The funny thing is, I was only reading it because (at the time) a girl I was madly in love with was reading New York Trilogy, and I wanted an in, so to speak. The girl is long gone, but I still read Paul Auster. He’s absolutely brilliant.

There’s also the standards: Hemingway, Dickens, Thoreau, Whitman, Vonnegut, Orwell, Chesterton.

What are you working on now?
Towpath Jesus is about a seemingly homeless man I ran into while fishing one day a few years ago. He was a really cool guy, and he had a very unique outlook on life. He only worked odd jobs long enough to make his meager bills, then he quit and did whatever it was that pleased him. Biking, Hiking, Fishing. He was an avid freecycler and dumpster diver. It really made me wonder how he came to be who he was. So I made up a completely fictional backstory to this real life guy I met.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I would love to be able to say that I had some magic trick that let me sell tons and tons of books, but I don’t. And I think anyone who tells you they do is suspect at best. I prefer the good, old-fashioned word of mouth marketing. Reading a book, and enjoying it, is something that is personal and intimate. It’s between the writer and the reader. So when someone has a great experience as a reader, and it was so good that they’re willing to share it with people they know, that’s worth more than any marketing campaign or Amazon review. It’s the relationships that matter. Don’t get me wrong though, I still have an advertising budget. You have to get people to read it in the first place.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it. It took me almost ten years to finish Pain’s Joke, and it’s only a novella. It was mostly fear and self-doubt that kept distracting me from writing. You’ll have moments of self-doubt and times when you think you might not be able to hack it. But the worst thing you can ever do is stop writing. You’re only a writer if you write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I can tell you the worst advice I have ever heard: You can do anything you put your mind to. It’s nonsense. Believe me, I’ve put my mind to regrowing the bald spot on the top of my head, and nothing ever came of it.

What are you reading now?
I’m trying to avoid reading any fiction while I’m writing. After this book is done, I have a copy of Christopher Moore’s Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, and I’m about halfway through it. It’s hilarious.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to just keep plugging away. Whether I sell one book or a million, I’m going to write until the day I die. As long as I still have something to say, I’m still going to be writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
US Army Survival Guide

Meditations of John Muir

The Bible (It’s not that I’m overly religious, but I’d need SOMETHING to convince me that my being stranded was for some greater purpose. Otherwise I’d turn into those savage little boys from Lord of the Flies.)

Author Websites and Profiles
Chuck Hunter Website
Chuck Hunter Amazon Profile
Chuck Hunter Author Profile on Smashwords

Chuck Hunter’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a former reporter for The Newark Star-Ledger and currently write for HBO’s boxing website. I have written four books in my Frank Boff Mystery Series, “The Hurting Game,” “The Punishing Game,” “The Killer Sex Game,” and “The Payback Game.” all available on Amazon.com. My agent is currently negotiating to have “The Hurting Game” made into a major motion picture. In my spare time I am an avid reader and film buff. I have a strong cinematic sense and that has showed up in my novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Payback Game.” The idea for the book came from a news story I read about how illegal guns in the South were being transported up East Coast on the I-95 corridor to New York City and were being used in several murders.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I write, for some reason I have to turn the wireless keyboard at a 45 degree angle. I have no idea why.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Raymond Chandler, Robert Crais, T. Jefferson Parker, Lee Child, Michael Connelly.

What are you working on now?
I am currently writing the fifth book in the series, tentatively titled “The Death Dealing Game,” which involves gunrunning, several murders, high stakes illegal poker games, and a bold, political corruption scheme by the Mob to seize control of a major city police department.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day, even if you don’t feel like it, even if it is only for one hour.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A writer is someone who writes. Period.

What are you reading now?
Lee Child’s “The Hard Way.”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing, writing, and more writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“The Sun Also Rises,” “The Big Sleep,” “The Godfather,” and “Gravity’s Rainbow.”

Author Websites and Profiles
Nathan Gottlieb Website
Nathan Gottlieb Amazon Profile

 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am 27 years old. I was born and raised in the city of Detroit, MI. I love writing. I started writing poetry in my early teens and it become an escape and a release for me. As the years passed, my writing and love for words grew and I desired to be an English teacher/professor.

I have to published works: The Watchman and The Exposition of the Tabernacle: The Culture Exchange. Both of these books are written with spiritual principles and based upon the Holy Bible.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is entitled The Exposition of the Tabernacle: The Culture Exchange. This book was inspired by a class that I taught about the tabernacle given to Moses in the wilderness.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think any write has unusual writing habits, I believe they have habits that work for them.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love John Eckhardt, Cindy Trimm and Bill Hamon as authors. Their works have being a big influence in my life.

What are you working on now?
I am preparing for another book but I am focusing on a class I am offering from my latest release. As well, I am preparing for a double book signing on Monday, July 28 (the 2nd Book-Anniversary of the Watchman) at the Oak Park Public Library in Oak Park, MI.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Use social media. Write a blog. Do YouTube videos. You have to get in the trenches and make it happen. Do not only use one avenue, find the ones you can afford and go for it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do not lose yourself or your voice. Do not let the process of publishing change who you are. Your work is yours do not let another person or company define what you are producing. Do not devalue yourself or the value of the book while seeing others, you are just as valuable and never forget that.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just be you. Those words have helped me when the process got tough.

What are you reading now?
Born to Prophesy by Hakeem Collins

What’s next for you as a writer?
A world book tour with my multiple books.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Holy Bible, Hinds Feet on High Places, The Book According to James and Their Eyes Were Watching God

Author Websites and Profiles
Javon Rahman Bertrand Website
Javon Rahman Bertrand Amazon Profile

Javon Rahman Bertrand’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account