Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As a young girl who spent her allowance on Nancy Drew mysteries, I realized that one day, I might have a story of my own to tell. Maybe even more than one story. After years focused on raising my kids, I eventually reconnected with my passion for creative writing. I took and completed a series of courses in this field. Shortly thereafter, I crafted my first novel, Wishless, a contemporary YA, released in 2011.

At the moment I have several other novels currently in various stages of development. In addition, I have a two-book collection of short stories entitled PETIT FLEURS and VIGNETTES being released through Immortal Ink Publishers in September of 2014.

I enjoy reading outdoors on a warm spring day, spending time with my family, and finding the perfect new way to turn a familiar phrase.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called THE MAKING OF NEBRASKA BROWN, a contemporary mystery novel being referred to as Oz meets Tuscan Sun. I was inspired to create a tale of home and identity as seen through the eyes of one young woman at the start of adulthood.

The idea of this story came to me as a compilation of the themes of “finding oneself” and “the truth within the lies.”

These topics have always been of interest to me, and I had a great time fleshing them out in this fashion.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I find that I do my best work right after a morning shower. Yes, I have a Water Muse. Bless her heart. I also find that my creative juices typically get flowing while I am reading the work of some of my favorite authors.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As I mentioned above, I am deeply and creatively touched by the likes of Elizabeth Gilbert, Laurie Halse Anderson, Anne Lamott, Ann Brashares and John Green to name a few. I also adored reading THE HELP. This book really made me crush on the art of the novel.

What are you working on now?
My current work-in-progress is titled COUNTING SNOW DOVES and it is a contemporary murder mystery in the upper YA/NA market with literary fiction crossover appeal.

I’m extremely excited about this project. Please visit my website to learn more about this unique story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have joined a large number of Facebook groups dedicated to authors and readers where I promote my work. In addition, I typically participate in a variety of paid promos once a month or thereabouts to help spread the word.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Allow me to rattle off a few pieces of advice that I find helpful and pertinent. They are – in no particular order:

Stay humble.

Continue to read in your genre.

Be polite.

This is an industry that changes on a dime. Be prepared to shift to accommodate these fluctuations.

Keep the faith and don’t give up. Even when you really want to.

Smile and breathe. Keep perspective.

Most of all, keep learning.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I have two favorite rules about writing that I’d like to share:

1) READ. You cannot write much more than a grocery list if you do not read.

2) If it SOUNDS like writing, delete it.

What are you reading now?
The Signature of All Things by the amazing Elizabeth Gilbert.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m very excited for the release of my short story collection. These tales were written over the course of seven years, dating back to 2007! Many of them have appeared in an online magazine but never before in print, so I am thrilled to be compiling these stories into two volumes available in both eBook and paperback. I invite you to join my mailing list to be notified of this release as well as other giveaways and fun. We will be offering all subscribers a FREE copy of one of the volumes just for being with us. Here is the link to the form: http://eepurl.com/UfER1. And we do not spam, so no worries!

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 Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou

To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee

At Wit’s End – Erma Bombeck

Home – A Memoir of my Early Years by Julie Andrews

Author Websites and Profiles
Louise Caiola Website
Louise Caiola Amazon Profile

Louise Caiola’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
By August 2014, I will have eighteen novels published, and three non-fiction books. As for the novel, they span glam lit (True Hollywood Lies, Impossibly Tongue-Tied), mommy lit (the Totlandia Series, The Baby Planner) contemporary women’s fiction (Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives), a political thriller (The Candidate) and The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook series, which are nine humorous romantic suspense novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “The Housewife Assassin’s Deadly Dossier.” It’s a full length prequel to my seven-book Housewife Assassin series.

Whereas the series is written in the heroine, Donna’s, first-person voice, for the prequel I put it from the point-of-view of the hero, and in third person, so that the reader will live through the action that led up to Donna becoming an assassin.

I’ve been pleased with the reviews. They let me know I accomplished my goal: to dovetail the Donna her readers know with the woman whose husband’s death led to such deep despair that it changed the course of her life, and that of her young family’s.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t call my writing habits “unusual,” but “essential.” For example, I do a full outline before starting each book. That way, I won’t get stuck and miss my deadline. The outline breaks up the plot into actual chapters within the traditional three-act arc.

Also, I find it easier to write as night, as opposed during the morning. I’m working on that. It may help me have less vivid dreams, LOL!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love John Le Carre’s books on espionage, as well as Martin Cruz Smith’s Arkady Renko Russian crime mysteries. Both have great plots, know their subjects well, and wonderful literary phrasing that takes them beyond the realm of genre mysteries and thrillers. I’ve just discovered Neil Russell, and I’d put him in this category as well. His latest novel, “Beverly Hills Is Burning,” is a true tour de force, melding historical Hollywood with a thrilling present-day mystery.

As for the classics, I love Edith Wharton, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, and of course Agatha Christie and Sir Author Conan Doyle.

What are you working on now?
I’m finishing up Book 8 of my series, “The Housewife Assassin’s Killer Ap,” Which is available in August 2014. I have a million stories for Donna. It makes me proud that the readers clamor for more.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Thanks for asking! You can find me…

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josiebrownauthor

On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JosieBrownCA

My Websites: http://www.josiebrown.com and http://www.housewifeassassinshandbook.com

My Blog: http://www.housewifeassassinshandbook.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be afraid to write the book YOU’D want to read.

You are the best judge of what you should be writing: not an editor, not an agent, not a trend, not your mother. Not even your best friend.

YOU.

During NaNoWriMo, I put up thirty-one tips, one for each day, for other authors, both aspiring and published. We all need to remember why we put in the hard hours–and our hearts on ours sleeves-as we scribble away. This way, I share my thoughts on the industry, now some seven years and eighteen novels later.

Readers will find them here: http://www.authorprovocateur.com/2013/11/my-nanowrimo-tips.html

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It came from author Stephanie Bond: “Keep writing, and publishing. It’s how readers find your, love your books, and spread the word about your books.”

What are you reading now?
It’s non-fiction: Garson Kanin’s “Hollywood,” which is chockfull of wonderful anecdotes about the golden age of Hollywood–a favorite time period of mine, and the subject of future novels.

I’m also reading Aimee Bender’s “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.” It came out the same year as my novel, “Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives,” but I was so wrapped up in my book tour that I never got around to reading it. So far, I love it for its lyrical phrasing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Research and outlining Books 9 and 10 of the Housewife Assassin series.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Gone With the Wind (I’ve read it thirteen times); An F. Scott Fitzgerald anthology of his novels and stories. “The Night Porter” by John Le Carre, and an anthology of Raymond Chandler novels. All I can say is, “Thank goodness for eReaders” so that we never have to choose only four!

Author Websites and Profiles
Josie Brown Website
Josie Brown Amazon Profile

Josie Brown’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love writing since picking up my first urban fictional book. I wanted to turn my love of reading into writing. In 2001 and 2002 I went the self-publishing route and published 3 books. I knew that self-publishing wasn’t the rout I wanted to take anymore, so I continued on to write more manuscripts until I was able to get signed with a major publishing company. Writing has become a way for me to be creative in telling compelling stories and memorable characters of lies and deceits. I am also a member of the Motown Writer Network and she currently resides in Detroit, Michigan with her two daughters.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Love On Death Row is my latest novel. and what inspired me to write this novel is an idea I got from working in a female institution as a correctional officer in Virginia, and also while watching an episode of Lifetime Movie Network.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write two hours before I got to work in the morning and two hours after I get off from work. I spent maybe 4 hours writing on my off day and of course with two to three cups of coffee next to me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have to say Nikki Turner, Nisa Santiago and Kiki Swinson

What are you working on now?
I just complete a novel with my fellow book mates called “Sorority Ties” also short stories and a new novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I would have to say Facebook and other bloggers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up on your dream if you want to write, but it’s a lot of work. You have to promote yourself first by having a website and being active in reading groups. A must is to have your work professional edit. A bad review can really hurt your sales.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I had advice from some bestseller authors who told me the same advice that I would give to new authors. and that is promote yourself first then your book will follow. Make sure your book is properly edit and having a great book cover will also help.

What are you reading now?
South Beach Cartel by Nisha Santiago

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on Part 2 of the Sorority Ties, two short stories and another novel.

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?
Bad Girl Blvd by Erica Hilton, The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah, The Family Business part 1 and 2 by Carl Weber. These are awesome read.

Author Websites and Profiles
Melissa Love Website
Melissa Love Amazon Profile

Melissa Love’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I wrote The Guardian’s Wildchild, published by Omnific Publishing. My second novel, Forbidden, is being polished and will be available to my eager fans within the year.

Fifteen years ago an extreme paranormal event triggered my overwhelming need to write. Who can deny a force that transcends logic? But then, I’ve been used to the paranormal since childhood. No witches or werewolves but I seem to have a gift of the bizarre, knowing stuff, time travel and such. Sometimes it’s a nuisance; sometimes it’s fascinating. As long I don’t grow hair on my chest, I’m okay with it. LOL.

These unique talents have led me down a path to study Reiki, meditation, and Shamanism. I’ve enjoyed testing my courage, character, and physical limits through recreation and my career. As a paramedic I’ve seen and experienced things most people would rather not. All of this has opened my eyes to the grand scheme of life and the profound depth of the human spirit. The result has also been a wealth of material for writing fast paced and intense novels.

Looking back I can see what drove me to be successful. It’s passion. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to achieve great things. All you need is unrelenting passion.

I participate in writing groups to gain insight in the writing and marketing challenges; and to assist new authors to reach their goal of being published.

Send me a note, chat with me about writing or the bizarre. You won’t shock me. I believe every soul is unique and beautiful, including you.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Guardian’s Wildchild was inspired by a paranormal event. Initially I began to write about my experience of the ‘time/space travel’ as a way to defuse the energy. After about a hundred pages I realized I was writing a story that needed, or demanded, to be told. I had no choice. A disembodied narrator sat on my shoulder and dictated the dialogue, described the scenes, and pushed and pulled me through amazing plots and plot twists.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The most unusual aspect of my writing is that I will interact with my characters. I know my characters as if they are living, breathing and following me around while I get the groceries or weed the garden. I can see them, feel their presence. I know when they are pleased with the progression of the plot and their role. When they are dissatisfied, they can be quite rude, turning their back to me or giving me a dismissive shrug. In that case, I know I have to go back to where my ego got in the way and let them and the disembodied narrator take over.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read a lot of different genres and I like both fiction and non-fiction. However, I think it was my mother who inspired me to write. As an introverted child I had difficulty expressing myself. She advised me to write what I was thinking and feeling. Those written passages turned into prose and poetry. This led me to discover the quiet voice within, then allowed my imagination to become a wild, exploding passionate adventure in creating something magical.

What are you working on now?
“Forbidden” is my current project. It started with an incredibly wild idea that I resisted. As the Borg say, resistance is futile. Once I realized that I was again a servant to my disembodied narrator, the research began. After two years of writing Forbidden and editing, I am at the polishing stage. Here is Forbidden’s synopsis:

Within hours of arrival in the Middle East city of Samarra, Eliza Leigh MacKay and fifteen Americans are plunged into a desperate struggle for survival. Eliza, alone, survives the massacre. A cover-up ensues.

Police captain Hashim Sharif, a devout Muslim, is forced to become the keeper of the impetuous MacKay woman. When she escapes and is cornered by madmen, Sharif discovers she is no shrinking violet and awakens to his deep affection for her.

Sharif and Eliza are immersed into the shadowy world of espionage, corruption, murder, and kidnapping. From shabby back alleys, a crumbling mosque, mountain caves, to the splendor of the marble columns in the federal building, Captain Sharif hunts for the American’s killers.

As Captain Sharif’s investigation progresses, he and Eliza become the hunted. Compelled to trust each other, they hold back feelings they’ve considered forbidden. When Sharif discovers who was behind the massacre, it hits him with deadly force – as if shot by his own AK47.

Feather Stone takes you on a richly textured epic adventure through stunning landscape and into the minds of desperate men. A strong cast of characters will grab and hurl you into a plot full of treachery, and passion that refuses to be silenced.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My favorite promotional options are reviews and interviews. Reviewers have been very pleased with The Guardian’s Wildchild. Currently, I’m a member of The Romance Reviews , TRR, http://www.theromancereviews.com/ .

At TRR I enjoy the opportunities to advertise my book along with the fun contests and activities for readers. It’s a great site to meet other authors and readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
New authors need to understand that today’s readers have high expectations. You can’t write a novel and throw it onto Amazon and hope to get great reviews without ensuring it has been perfectly edited. Readers are reluctant to spend their money on a new author. Many rely on their friend’s recommendations. If your novel is full of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or confusing points of view, you’ll get passed over. Yes, hiring an editor will take a chunk of change from your budget or savings account. However, an experienced editor is worth his/her weight in gold.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up! I spent ten years writing and rewriting The Guardian’s Wildchild. I paid for university courses on writing. I listened to the criticism of my editors. Once the manuscript was ready for publication, I sent it to publishers but received three rejections.

My husband said, “Don’t give up!”

After some research I discovered I was sending my manuscript to publishers of the wrong genre. I discovered Omnific Publishing and, voila, The Guardian’s Wildchild was published September 2011.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading two books right now. One is Jennifer DeLucey’s exciting series, The Light Series.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3378915.Jennifer_DeLucy

The second is a writing manual by C.S. Lakin (winner of 2014 award for 100 best websites for writers). Website: http://www.livewritethrive.com/
Her book, Writing the Heart of Your Story, is filled with the best advice for making your novel sing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next? Finalizing Forbidden and getting it into the hands of my fans.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
First book: a humorous book by comedian Red Skelton
Second book: a book about courage by Alfred Lassing: “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage”
Third Book: 500 blank pages so I could write.

Author Websites and Profiles
Feather Stone Website
Feather Stone Amazon Profile

Feather Stone’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a writer of horror for over forty-two years, published the last thirty of those with twenty, two novellas and twelve short stories. Some of them are murder mysteries, dark paranormal time-travel, thrillers; but most are horror. Horror with heart, I like to call my spooky tales. I consider myself a horror writer because most of my stories have a certain darkness to them, although they also deal with the human conditions of despair, hope, hate and love. And I’ve seen so much change in those years, especially since the advent of the Internet, Amazon and the eBook, that I still can’t believe how far it’s all come or how far I’ve come.
Forty-two years ago, when I was a young mother of just twenty-one, I started sending my books, typed on an electric typewriter with their hardcopy pages stuffed into a copy box and sent snail mail, to what was then the only places I could send them to, traditional publishers like Avon, Dell, Leisure, Kensington, and a mess of others now long gone listed in a fat hardcover book from the library titled Writer’s Market. It sometimes took years to get a book read and accepted, more years to see it edited, published and on the brick-and-mortar bookstore shelves. Then every six months or so (often they were months late) I’d get these weird royalty statements I never could figure out. They’d pay me pennies on each dollar the book earned (imagine, I used to get a measly 4%-7% for the paperbacks in the 1980’s) and take back large amounts I could never understand for what they called returns, whatever they were. In fact, the whole traditional publishing route was not very lucrative for most authors, who weren’t treated very well by them, unless you were a best-seller and made oodles of money for the publisher and then you were treated much better. Or so I’ve been told. I never knew for sure because I wasn’t considered a big writer, though whenever someone read my books, they raved about how good they were; wondered why I wasn’t famous. I just couldn’t get the publicity I needed to make that leap to the big name list. Besides, I was a woman, and look at how few women have ever been mega selling horror writers like Anne Rice. Very few.
So I don’t miss those awful days when the traditional publishers ruled the world at all. I love the Internet and, as I’m starting to do with all my books, self-publishing with Amazon Kindle…where I get a generous 70% of my total book sales and actually get a simple-to-understand readable royalty statement on my laptop every month. Total accountability. It’s heaven. But it’s taken some changes in my outlook and how I write and publish my stories. It’s taken some time to bring my career up to date.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My two latest novels, number 19 and 20, are also now my best-selling ones. They’re adventure/thrillers with a touch of horror/sf thrown in. Dinosaur Lake (which was a 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST*) and its sequel Dinosaur lake II:Dinosaurs Arising. You can find them here along with all my other 20 novels: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Kathryn%20Meyer%20Griffith

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. When I was younger I used to work all day (as a graphic artist out in the real world) and then write every evening from about 7-10. Now days I’m retired and can write WHENEVER I WANT. I prefer to write in the mornings on my laptop on my sofa with my big TV on low, for company, and a cup of my famous chocolate coffee concoction beside me on my end table. Heaven. I don’t miss that old typewriter one bit!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, of course. I love him because, like me, he can write anything almost in a variety of genres. The vampire stories of Anne Rice. Dean Koontz, because he helped me get my first agent (long gone now like the traditional publishers…I agent myself and self-publish and make a LOT more money on Amazon Kindle KDP). I used to read a lot of SF and historical romances when I was younger and had favorites like Ray Bradbury Heinlein.

What are you working on now?
Hmm. The last year and a half I’ve been working hand-in-hand with ACX to produce all my 20 books in audio books. I pick my own narrator/producer and work with them as we record and edit the audio books. So much fun, but taking so much longer than I would have thought. I have 16 out now and four left to go! When done they’re released on Amazon.com, iTunes and along with the eBooks as Whisper Sync. It’s been…interesting. I’m working on my best-selling Dinosaur Lake II:Dinosaurs Arising now with Dan McKinney, a great narrator!
AND I’m writing the third dinosaur book, Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation. Should be done by Christmas 2014 or so. After that, for book 21, I have NO IDEA what I’ll be writing. Should I return to my horror roots or write something totally…different. Perhaps.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome Gang of course. And the list of all the ones they provide. Author marketing Club is GREAT. A whole bunch of places all in one location. Then I post on Facebook and Goodreads and all my writer/reader loops.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be patient. Write. Write. Write. Learn the craft. Hire an editor and a proofreader so you can self-publish (I spent 40 years making peanuts with legacy publishers and now make a living with Amazon Kindle KDP). Get a great cover by a great cover artist….and understand that you might never be famous or rich and that it could take a LOT OF TIME to become a real author. Write because you love to write and write what you love to read.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Learn the craft. Show not tell. Use dialogue whenever you can. NEVER GIVE UP.

What are you reading now?
Just finished Stephen King’s newest novel about a haunted carnival, more a mystery than a horror story.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Like I said…not sure what kind of story I’ll write next. When I finish these last 4 audio books and my third dinosaur novel I will write whatever pops into my head, be it romance, mystery, horror or thriller. I am never out of ideas. For awhile now, because I’m older and time is slipping past, I’ve been thinking of writing a fictionalized story of my big family (we were 7 siblings, mom, dad, grandma and grandpa…sheesh…like the Waltons…lived through the 1950’s-now) ; more a sort of biography. Lots of stories there.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Books by Stephen King, Anne Taylor, Ray Bradbury, Heinlein and the top murder mystery books. A really great ghost story (whatever is big at the time) and a science fiction. I’m looking for new authors to read everyday.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kathryn Meyer Griffith Website
Kathryn Meyer Griffith Amazon Profile

Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a newly self published author from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The Black Van is the first published book that I have published, though I am currently working on my first novel also. I also wrote several short stories and a fantasy novella when I was younger. I hope to become a successful author some day but for now I will keep writing away until hopefully that day comes. My road to writing hasn’t been a easy one. Discovering my craft when I was a teenager, my first story was written on lined notebook paper and was about thirty pages long. I kept writing and wrote all the way till I was 21. Then, due to a bout of depression, I stopped writing. I decided to go off to college to try and get a better career and after several years in college, three degrees that didn’t get me anywhere, I pay my bills with the fruit of with menial labor but my true job is writing fiction. I have picked up the craft again after 12 long years and, now in my early thirties, I now feel a great need to get my work out to the world. I hope that people will derive as much pleasure from reading my work as I have had in writing it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest and first published book is called The Black Van. It was inspired by a joke I had with my girlfriend concerning a spawn point. I originally intended to have it featured on a website I had gotten a job to write for (a job that never materialized) and the story was only supposed to be about a page long. However, as I kept writing it, it kept growing in length and one page turned into 8, then 10, then…well you get the idea. The most amazing thing about this book to me is how I didn’t even have a definite plan on how it was going to end. I mean, the ending changed on me several times while I was writing the book and it was really touch and go if Shelia was going to make it in the end.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am a big procrastinator for one. Probably the biggest. I typically will watch as much Netflix as possible before being overcome with a huge feeling of guilt. Then, I’ll break down and write, sometimes writing for hours. I instantly feel better once I’ve written. I also do write brief outlines sometimes, but they’re more like suggestions if I do write them at all and the story may be completely different once I’m done with it. Other times, I have an idea on certain things I want to see in the story, or an idea on how I’d like the story to end, but no idea on how I’m going to get there, which makes for some pretty exciting writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Definitely, the late Michael Crichton. His book, Jurassic Park, really got me into reading books like never before and got me hooked on his books. I’ve read almost everything he’s written and I really like how all of his books are written in a different genre and style. I hope to write similarly to him. Dean Koontz, especially his Phantoms book, which scared the willies out of me and showed me how one could take a really imaginative concept and weave it into a supernatural mystery story. Also liked the writing style of S.D. Perry and Steven King.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a horror fantasy novel now called The Lance Walker Chronicles: The Terror of Savannah.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon’s promotional deals have helped me when they enable writers to promote their books for free or at a reduced rate. Also, just talking to other writers has granted me a list of places to go to promote my book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write. You’ll learn how to be a better writer by writing. Also, read as much as you can and soak up and observe the style of other writers. You know, how they construct their sentences, etc. Attending a writer’s group can also be a good idea, but do your research first so you end up in a group that is actively interested in building your talent up. Also, being around other writers, as long as they’re not putting your writing down, is good because it gives you someone you can talk to who does what you do. Most importantly, never give up. Even if it takes years to become successful, it will have been worth it. And even if you don’t become successful, at least you are doing something you love right? You know what makes you happy and that’s more than some people can say. But do remember that if you never try you’ll never know…so again…write, write, write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just write! Oh, and write what interests you.

What are you reading now?
A Dreadful Deceit: The Myth of Race from the Colonial Era to Obama’s America by Jacqueline Jones, Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige, and the Orcs series by Stan Nicholls.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To finish my novel I’m working on.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Anything by Rick Riodan. Also, any DC graphic novel such as Blackest Night. And The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton would be good too.

Author Websites and Profiles
Joseph Ezell Amazon Profile

Joseph Ezell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My Higher Purpose and Definition of Success are helping people be happy and successful. I have 30 years of business experience, the last 10 as a C-Level executive. I have found that the way to make a company successful is to make the employees successful. I have spent many years teaching employees how to be leaders, how to be successful, and how balance life’s demands so they can reach most people’s ultimate goal which is to be happy. I wake up at 5 am every morning to write before my kids get up and my real work day starts. I have been married for 25 years and I have 3 wonderful teenagers.

Connecting Happiness and Success is my first book, but I have enjoyed the process so much I have 2 more in the works with co-authors and 2 others planned. Stay tuned.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called Connecting Happiness and Success because all the lessons I have learned about happiness and success through the years seem to be connected. There is not a single correct answer or single correct source, each of the ideas is connected to other ideas. Understanding those connections will give us lots of arrows in our quiver to attack each challenge. Religious texts, self-help gurus, and scientists are teaching similar concepts. They just spend so much time arguing the differences, they don’t focus on where they are all saying the same thing. In Connecting Happiness and Success I try to bring those lessons together in one comprehensive solution that anyone can implement.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get up every morning at 5 am and write until my kids get up. Often I have to force myself to stop writing and get the day started.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Shawn Achor and Sonja Lyubomirsky have written great books on happiness. Jack Canfield wrote a great book on how to be successful.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a book called 52 which provides companies with 52 opportunities to help their employees be happier and more successful so the company can be more profitable.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Goodreads seems to be a great place to get my book noticed.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It is about sharing a message rather than selling books. Share your message with enough people and the books will start selling.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Never, never, never give up.” – Winston Churchill

What are you reading now?
Arianna Huffington – Thrive

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books that help people learn how to be happy and successful. I am working with two co-authors on two books and then have 2 more in the planning stages.

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?
Michael Creighton, Clive Cussler, and Tom Clancy books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ray White Website
Ray White Amazon Profile

Ray White’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 bioengineer, currently on the tail-end of a PhD in Maryland. When I’m not research cardiovascular devices, I use my science background to aid me in writing my books. I’ve currently written and published one novel and a couple of short stories. However, I have two more novels with the editors right now that will be published around the late summer/early fall period.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ‘Enhancement: Black Market DNA.’ Inspired by biomedical technologies and research, I wanted to explore what happens when the technologies (like genetic engineering) that are supposed to be making human life better are abused and manipulated for selfish interests. I think that ‘Enhancement’ is able to do that while providing a fast-paced ride through the eyes of Chris Morgan, an ex-con illegal genetic enhancement manufacturer. It was a blast to write and I hope it’s just as enjoyable and interesting to read.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I like to blast Irish pub songs while I write. I’m not sure I can tell you why but it puts me in a productive mood.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Undoubtedly, Michael Crichton has been a tremendous influence. I loved to speckle in science with my thrillers and I doubt there are many in the technothriller genre who haven’t been inspired by him. David Brin’s ‘Earth’ also provided me a unique perspective to gauge the impact and consequences that human technology has upon our lives and, as the title implies, the rest of the world. And, James Rollins is a king of fast-paced thrill-ride novels. I really wanted to capture some of the twists and turns Rollins provides readers in my own work, especially in ‘Enhancement.’

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m finishing up two novels. In one, an artifical organ designed to provide its users virtual immortality ends up killing them instead. The organ’s inventor, an entrepreneur and researcher, must uncover why before he ends up as another victim of his own invention. In the second, a former special forces soldier is abducted and comes face-to-face with a biotechnological nightmare that sends him on a mad, twisted race to save his life.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I wish I had a good answer for this question, but I think the best method to promoting your books is just to put out the best darn novel you can. Then, keep doing that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author myself, my advice would be to make sure you’re professional in everything you do. Find good beta readers that will give you the critiques and advice necessary to make your work better. Identify editors who can ensure your voice comes across while polishing your book. Ensure you get a proofreader who knows their stuff.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep writing. Every day.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a book by another scientist called ‘Chimeras’ in the Track Presius series by E.E. Giorgi. Giorgi really provides a fantastic blend of science, police procedural, mystery, humor, and thrills into one beast of a good detective story.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan on extending the ‘Black Market DNA’ series. Chris’s adventures are far from over and the world of illegal genetic enhancements is going to have a hard time letting go of him.

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 think I’d first pick ‘The Dubliners’ by James Joyce. Each story in there is thoughtful in its own way, providing plenty to think about. That would be key to me, too. Make sure that whatever I’m reading can be reread over and over if I’m going to be sipping from coconuts and talking to a volleyball for who-knows-how-long. After that, I’ll go with another heavy novel like ‘War and Peace’ or ‘Anna Karenina’ by Tolstoy. Then, maybe ‘Hearts in Atlantis’ by Stephen King. Plenty of good, entertaining stories in there.

Author Websites and Profiles
Anthony Melchiorri Website
Anthony Melchiorri Amazon Profile

Anthony Melchiorri’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Charles Michael McCormick, I am a Vietnam war veteran. After the war I earned a B.A. and an M.A. in clinical psychology. My book is Across The Pond by Michael McCormick.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Across The Pond. My experience during the Vietnam war.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hemingway, Steinbeck.

What are you working on now?
I’m retired.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
internet.org, obooko.com, free-ebooks.net, freebooksforkindle.net, digital libraries.com, gutenberg.org

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing and reading.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take care of your health.

What are you reading now?
The Battle For Hue.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Don’t know.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
For Whom The Bell Tolls, Across The River And Into The Trees, Cannery Row

Michael McCormick’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a wanderer at heart. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, I started college at the University of Alabama on a swimming scholarship, transferred to the University of Northern Colorado, and finally graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in horticulture. I now live in Kauai, Hawaii, where I’ve worked as a bookkeeper for several years while trying to find my dream job.

An avid outdoorswoman, I enjoy outrigger paddling—both one-man and six-man—running, surfing, and scuba diving, as well as yoga. I am always up for adventure and love doing things that scare me a little.

Wandering is my first book, and I hope to write many more.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Wandering is my first and only book so far. I needed a change of pace, I sort of freaked out when I turned 40, so I quit my job and bought a one-way ticket to Mexico. I spent nine months traveling in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Cuba, Australia, Cambodia and Thailand. I blogged throughout the trip.

When I returned home to Kauai, many people couldn’t believe that I had done all that by myself, especially being a woman traveling solo. Since I had such great reviews from my blog, I decided to turn them into a travel book.

The book is more humor than guide… I have a bit of social anxiety and get lost everywhere I go. There was no lack of funny and ridiculous situations in which I found myself.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write near the beach, with just a bit of tequila to make the words flow better.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love humorous books, like those of David Sedaris and ‘Holidays in Hell’ by P.J. O’Rourke.

What are you working on now?
Advertising and promotion! And vaguely planning my next adventure for a new book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Along with social media, I like to mail a copy of the book, along with a handwritten letter, to various companies that might be interested in the travel genre; not necessarily publishing companies, but magazines and stores that can promote in an area where I cannot visit.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Start working on a marketing strategy while your book is being published. I underestimated how many marketing sources exist and spend almost as much time now on my computer as I did while I was writing. Advertise everywhere you can and become very active in social media.

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

What are you reading now?
I’m reading ‘The Book Thief’ by Markus Zusak, ‘Close to the Wind’ by Pete Goss, ‘The Geography of Bliss’ by Eric Weiner, and ‘South America on a Shoestring’ by Lonely Planet.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am planning another solo trip, this time to South America, and will continue to keep a blog and write about my adventures. The future hold more travel in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. So many places I’d like to explore and write about!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring Jane Eyre and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. And hope that someone else with 3 or 4 books was stranded nearby.

Author Websites and Profiles
Melissa Burovac Website
Melissa Burovac Amazon Profile

Melissa Burovac’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an artist, a poet and a writer. In the past, my professional life has undergone several changes, as so many of us are experiencing in this day and age.

I earned a master of architecture from RPI in Troy NY. Later I earned a Master of Computer Science from the University of Michigan. Now, on it face, this transformation seems like a 180 degrees of change, from artistic to mathematical persuasion. But for me, I love to extend my skills in opposite directions, reinvent myself and find out the common areas between different disciplines.

during the last couple of years, I published four books: Apart From Love. Rise to Power, Home, A Favorite Son, and Twisted.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is RISE TO POWER. It is volume I of the trilogy, THE DAVID CHRONICLES.

This story is greatly inspired by painting and sculpture throughout the history of art, depicting this fascinating character. The view of the story has undergone amazing transformation over the ages. Take a look, for example, at the Painting ‘David and Bathsheba’ painted by Lucas Cranach the elder in 1526. He treated his subjects with awe and reverence, and the only naked skin visible is Bathsheba’s little foot, bathed by an adoring maid. David is presented as a psalmist, rather than a leering, dirty old man peeping on an unsuspecting, naked woman. There is not a hint of sin here!

Now compare the way Picasso transformed this very painting. The composition is exactly the same (only mirrored left to right) but the brush stroke is modern, it is spontaneous and fresh, bringing a sizzle to the entire scene. He enlarged the proportions of all the figures, especially David, so it is easier to spot the king here, because he is the only one fleshed out among the men at the top. His musical instrument is barely sketched, because the important activity is not playing heavenly music but rather gazing at the women, gazing at all the women, with keen, sexual interest. The water dripping from Bathsheba’s foot is clearly emphasized, with its juicy suggestion of a symbol of lust.

There is no right and wrong way to interpret the story. As an artist and writer, I believe that my mission is to let the characters speak to you through me. The king is flesh and blood in my mind, and so is Bathsheba. This story is happening here and now. I invite you to take a listen to David’s voice, to be found in the voice clip for the audio edition of Rise to Power.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Opening lines present themselves to me all the time. It is the closing lines–those that must carry a punch, and linger in your mind–that are more precious to find. I put my thoughts on this very subject in the mind of my character, Mr. Schribner, in my boo HOME:

“Mr. Schriber reflects upon his writing method. In his mind, it is best to skip any introductions and open, quite abruptly, from the middle of things. There may have been some events in the past, events leading you up to that first sentence—but he, the writer, allows you just a sense of them, a sense vague enough just to come closer and listen.
Beginnings, he tells himself, are cheap. They come to him every morning by the dozen; and as easily as they come, he finds himself compelled to discard them. Too bad about the trees. Most of them have been sacrificed for nothing, for the pulp upon which he attempts to write his first, second and third drafts. His waste basket is already overflowing with crumpled beginnings.
An ending, on the other hand, is precious. It comes rarely, sometimes in a dream. He has to jot it down quickly, before it evaporates. A good ending allows the tale to linger in your mind, well beyond the last sound of the last sentence. It invites the words, utterances and expressions, the little fragments that float there nebulously, over his head, to come to him. Once captured, they will flow out of his pen. Only then will he pour himself out. But right now—without an end— Mr. Schriber is stuck.”

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Surprisingly, I find poetry to be the greatest influence on my writing: I appreciate the nuances, the overloading of words, and the musical rhythms used in the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, the sonnets by Shakespeare, and the lyrical descriptions of Virginia Wolfe, to name but a few. I love The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky, and Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, for their expressive use of ‘stream of consciousness’. Playwrights Arthur Miller, T. Williams.

What are you working on now?
I am just about to publish A PEEK AT BATHSHEBA, which is volume II in the trilogy THE DAVID CHRONICLES. This is the book description:

Against the backdrop of wars, raging within the land and without, David is growing into the mantle of leadership. Between his anointment as a tribal king and his anointment as the king of all of Israel, he uses wisdom, cunning, and his own understanding of the forces of history, aiming for high ideals: stopping the bloodshed, uniting the nation and bringing about healing and peace.

But then, having reached his peak, David falters. He makes a serious error that threatens to undo his political success, and cost him not only the adoration of his people—but also the sense of being sustained by a divine power. That error is most torrid tale of passion ever told: his deliciously forbidden love for Bathsheba, and his attempt to cover up the ensuing scandal by sending her husband—who serves him faithfully in his army—to his death.

This is volume II of the trilogy The David Chronicles, told candidly by the king himself. David uses modern language, indicating that this is no fairytale. Rather, it is a story that happens here and now. Listen to his voice as he undergoes a profound change, realizing the magnitude of his sin, and the curse looming over his entire future.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The heart of my book campaign is my blog. I update it daily, with thoughts about creativity, the back story behind the story, the cross pollination between my art and my writing, and the latest news and reviews regarding my books.

Check it out: http://uviart.blogspot.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice to develop your writing–besides reading a lot–is this: read your story aloud in front of a live audience. Listen not only to their comments and suggestions, but more importantly–to their breathing pattern while the story is being read. Are they holding their breath at the right moment? Do they burst out laughing, or wipe a tear when you intended? If not, you must go back to the drawing board and adjust your sentences.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?

What are you reading now?

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am just about to publish A PEEK AT BATHSHEBA, it will be volume II of the trilogy THE DAVID CHRONICLES. Here is the book description:

Against the backdrop of wars, raging within the land and without, David is growing into the mantle of leadership. Between his anointment as a tribal king and his anointment as the king of all of Israel, he uses wisdom, cunning, and his own understanding of the forces of history, aiming for high ideals: stopping the bloodshed, uniting the nation and bringing about healing and peace.

But then, having reached his peak, David falters. He makes a serious error that threatens to undo his political success, and cost him not only the adoration of his people—but also the sense of being sustained by a divine power. That error is most torrid tale of passion ever told: his deliciously forbidden love for Bathsheba, and his attempt to cover up the ensuing scandal by sending her husband—who serves him faithfully in his army—to his death.

This is volume II of the trilogy The David Chronicles, told candidly by the king himself. David uses modern language, indicating that this is no fairytale. Rather, it is a story that happens here and now. Listen to his voice as he undergoes a profound change, realizing the magnitude of his sin, and the curse looming over his entire future.

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
Uvi Poznansky Website
Uvi Poznansky Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Coyote Jack and the Bluebirds is the first novel that I’ve seen through to completion for several years (having self-published with a local printer back in the pre e-book wild west days). The characters and story really meant something to me and it was a joy to write. Aside from that I have also published two novelettes and am currently balancing the cherry on the top of my next novel, due to be published in a few months’ time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Coyote Jack and the Bluebirds was inspired by a real life blues musician that visited my home island of Jersey several years back, and whom my band and I supported for several rather embarrassing gigs. He was supposedly the son of a real famous blues guitarist and his website featured all kinds of cool articles and excellent studio tracks. In the flesh though he was awful and my band and I had to carry him both nights. I remember thinking at the time that the whole idea of a bogus bluesman exploiting our preconceptions of the genre and what it is to be ‘famous’ would make a cool story – which it did. Much else of the novel is based on my 15+ years experience playing in various bands; plenty to draw on there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well at the moment I have three kids under the age of five so my writing habits are dictated by whichever scraps of time and quiet get thrown my way. I’m not the sort who can sit and write for hours – I tend to nip in and out when composing, though wilfully submit to the grind of second and third time edits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always been a big fan of satire; from Swift through Austin and Thackery and on to the likes of Self and Amis. I’ve read everything by H.P.Lovecraft and would love to write something set around the Cthulhu Mythos one day. Favourite novels are To the Lighthouse by Wolf, Pale Fire by Nabakov and Infinite Jest by Foster-Wallace, all of which are just incredible. Kurt Vonnegut is something of a hero too.

What are you working on now?
A detective novel set on my home island of Jersey. It’s rude, dark and oh so nearly finished.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still experimenting with that. To be honest I absolutely hate the endless clickery and field-filling that comes with promoting one’s work on the internet, though accept that it such a crowded market it’s absolutely necessary and right that one should be forced to work at getting noticed. My greater game plan is to create a larger body of work before REALLY going to town in that respect.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Edit, edit, edit. Always leave a good few weeks in between edits to allow your brain time to detune from the composition process so that when you come back to the next edit it’s as a reader – that way you’ll be more likely to spot deficiencies in plot, pace and structure. Always think of the reader – no-one owes you their time; you have to earn it. Give them a reason to want to turn the page, otherwise why should they bother?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A good friend of mine once told me that he had given up on one of my books (not Coyote – this was years ago!) after several pages as ‘there was nothing there to make him want to continue.’ Brutal words but they stuck with me. The best advice is often the hardest to hear.

What are you reading now?
Just finished reading ‘Look Who’s Back’ by Timur Vermes. Nice idea but I suspect something has been lost in the translation as I’m glad it’s over.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My detective novel, followed by a shot at some short story writing. Time to see if I can get myself published somewhere.

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?
Gulliver’s Travels, The Bhagavad-Gita and a couple of Ray Mears’ survival guides, preferably the desert island editions.

Author Websites and Profiles
Paul Bisson Website
Paul Bisson Amazon Profile

Paul Bisson’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Romance author Lindsey Brookes has finalled in/or won more than 75 RWA chapter sponsored contests with over a dozen different manuscripts. She is also a four time RWA Golden Heart finalist as well as a past American Title III finalist and winner of Harlequin’s Great American Romance Novel contest.

Lindsey writes for Kensington Publishing, Amazon Publishing, as well as Indie pubbed several of her contemporary romances. Ms. Brookes was recently announced a finalist in the Booksellers Best Awards with her contemporary romance – Kidnapped Cowboy. She’s written 11 contemporary romances under Lindsey Brookes as well as 4 young adult novels under the pen name Kat Brookes.

Check out her websites:

www.lindseybrookes.com

www.possumhollowseries.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I had two books released the same day. Loving Ellie is an emotional romance with touches of humor and won the Harlequin’s Great American Romance Novel competition. I wrote it because I have a thing for cowboys and wanted to try something with a bit more emotion in it.

The other book – Reeling in the Redneck – is the third book in my Possum Hollow Series. It’s redneck romance at its best! I love writing this fun, sassy, southern series with its zany characters and will be putting out more in the series in the future.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t write if its quiet. I’m usually on my couch with the television on, people moving about the room, dog barking. You name it. But it gets the job done. 🙂

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have so many published friends who have given me support and guidance over the years. But I can’t say that any one certain author or book influenced what I write. Mostly because I read historical romance, love it, but I write contemporary romance.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the sequel to Kidnapped Cowboy. Captive Cowboy is going to give Brandon (the hero’s brother in Kidnapped Cowboy) his very own happily-ever-after.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Besides Awesome Gang, I have a list of promo websites/newsletters that I try and notify or place ads in. Facebook is a great place to promote as well.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. There are so many more options out there for authors these days.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write because you love to.

What are you reading now?
A Highlander romance series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing up Captive Cowboy.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d take Pamela Clare’s McKinnon Rangers Series and Lori Foster’s Love Undercover series. (Hopefully they’d be available in bundle sets so I could take both series) 🙂

Author Websites and Profiles
Lindsey Brookes Website
Lindsey Brookes Amazon Profile

Lindsey Brookes’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Whitney Pagano. I’m a self-published author. Other than the first volume in an intended series of poetry, The Cracked Heart’s Club, I’ve also written two YA fantasy manuscripts that I’ve yet to publish as well as a lot more poetry.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest published book(that happens to be my first published one, also) is The Cracked Heart’s Club. It’s a small collection of a portion of my poetry. At the time I wrote it, I was going through a break up, and I was depressed. I felt as if I needed to let it all out-all the sadness, anger, confusion inside of me. I let my fingers write the words that my mouth refused to say. When I finished writing, some two days later, I discovered that I’d basically written a book of poetry. I decided to publish it; hopefully, someone will gain solace from their personal problems while reading it, just as I gained comfort from writing it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do have writing habits/writing routine. I’m not sure if they can be classified as unusual or not. I write every day, and I’ve found that I can’t write anywhere else currently except while sitting on my bed. Before I put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, I must do two things: Listen to Neil Gaiman’s expert on writing advice from the Nerdist Podcast while smoking a black and mild. That’s basically it. If I try to start writing without doing both of these activities, I get major concentration/writer/imagination block. I guess that’s what makes my writing habits unusual-that I simply can’t write without first performing that particular ritual.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ah! So many authors have influenced my love for books and the written word. I’ll name a few favorites: Maya Angelou, Agatha Christie, Dick Francis, Wale (the music artist/poet/lyricist), Jill Scott and C.S. Lewis-to name a few.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the second volume of The Cracked Heart’s Poetry Series. It’s entitled The Bleeding Heart’s Club, and should also be available on Amazon, soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Promotion for myself means that as soon as I’ve it ‘publish’ on Amazon, I start the process of marketing my book. I have an intensive method when it comes to promoting my books. I take the usual route: promoting through companies/websites that offer promotional services for indies writers like Pixel of Ink and you guys of course, Awesome Gang. I have a list of hundreds of sites for book promotion. This list is divided into categories according to price and popularity. Promotion for me takes up to 24 hours after I’ve published. I put a lot of work into promoting my work.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Continue to write. Exercise that muscle. Write as much as you can without compromising quality, because the more product you have available, the more money you could make, increasing the possibility that you could do what every writer dreams of: making a living off of your writing alone.

2. Set aside a budget for your book. Have a set budget for promotion/marketing, cover art, and editing.

3. Don’t be ashamed to be a newbie. All of the most talented authors that ever existed were new authors initially.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Neil Gaiman: “If you want to be a writer, you must finish things.”

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading several books: Maze Runner by James Dashner, Wool by Hugh Howey and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (a legacy not soon to be forgotten and who will be sorely missed.)

What’s next for you as a writer?
I intend to publish the second and last volumes of my poetry, then I’ll resume working on one of the aforementioned YA manuscripts I’d taken a break from.

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 Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou, a Sherlock Holmes Complete Stories and Novels Volume, and a book of pictures of my son.

Author Websites and Profiles
Whitney Pagano Amazon Profile

Whitney Pagano’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I’m Krissy Daniels, hopeless romantic, lover, dreamer, coffee addict. If it weren’t for my hubby and kids, I’d lock myself in a dark room and write until my fingers bleed. I love telling stories. I’ve written three books, two of which are published with Kensington/Lyrical Press. The third is coming soon. I’ve many more planned and can’t wait to share them.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is How To Kill Your Boss – An Erotic Love Story. I started writing it the day I was fired from my job. The boss was a bully. He’d yelled and screamed in my face and I stood up for myself. He didn’t like it so much. Looking back, it was a blessing in disguise. I wrote three books, and I was able to purge my anger with him through How To Kill Your Boss.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I’m aware of. I do need quiet, which is hard to come by in a small house filled with teenagers and dogs.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
This is such a tough question for me. I don’t think any particular book influenced me, but one author did inspire and encourage my journey. Rebecca Zanetti. I’ve know since grade school that I wanted to be a writer. Life just got in the way. I’d always had a vivid imagination. My mom always encouraged me to write. It became an attainable dream for me when I’d read that one of my high school classmates, Rebecca, had written a book. I bought it, read it, fell in love. I hunkered down and wrote my first book, Aflame, book one of the Apotheosis series. I honestly was doing it just to prove to myself that I could. When I finished, I reached out to Rebecca and asked for advice. She was so gracious and giving of her time and knowledge. I took her advice and joined RWA and GSRWA. A year or so and eight million revisions later, I signed my first contract with Lyrical Press.

What are you working on now?
Aglow, book two of the Apotheosis series. I’m determined to have it revised and turned in by the end of July.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a newbie, so I’m still figuring that out. Promoting, for me, is harder than writing the damn book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Oh jeez. I feel too new to be giving advice. If I had to say anything, it’d be to just write for yourself. Don’t do it to please others, because then it isn’t genuine and it isn’t your true voice. Write because it makes your spirit soar, not because you want to make money.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If the words aren’t coming, go do something else until they come. My doctor told me that exercise is one of the best ways to inspire creativity. And you know what? She was right.

What are you reading now?
Nothing. I just finished Devil’s Game by Joanna Wylde. Loved it! I won’t let myself buy another book until I get Aglow turned in. I don’t want other author’s voices in my head while I’m writing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just keep writing. Just keep writing. Writing. 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?
Can I take an unlimited supply of pencils and paper instead?

Author Websites and Profiles
Krissy Daniels Website
Krissy Daniels Amazon Profile

Krissy Daniels’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My bio says I was not born in a small cabin in the big woods of Wisconsin, which is true. I’m from Michigan. However, it’s true I did grow up in a little house…one of those adorable suburban ones built in the early 1960s. Right after high school I toured Europe for three weeks, during which time my family moved to Arizona, though not with the intention to ditch me! I flew to Tucson on faith that someone I knew in this city I’d never been to before would be there to meet me at the gate and take me to my new home whose address I didn’t actually know yet. And yes, for the record, that was before cell phones! My next adventure was college at the University of Arizona where I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in General Fine Arts Studies. That’s the cool, and not entirely useless, degree where you get to dabble in all the dark arts, I mean, Fine Arts. I majored in drama, minored in art, music, and dance. Studies in film and literature rounded out the curriculum. For the P.E. credit I took fencing. Every novelist of fantasy lit ought to duel with a rapier at least once.

Did I mention I knew I wanted to be an novelist when I was 16? While the mechanics of writing can be learned from a textbook, my studies opened up a whole new way of seeing things. I write scenes as if I were a stage or film director. Words are my camera. They capture sets and costumes, drama and emotions. Words are my power tools. Words are my paint box. I love to build and paint with them. I’m a big fan of employing color and imagery for their symbolic as well as literal content. Those techniques, and others, are in the books I’ve written, which include “Distant Eyes,” “Sword Striker,” “Charm of the Gloaming,” and “The Crystals of Yukitake.” When the big publishers failed to take notice of me, I founded my own publishing house: Little Pebble Press. In addition to my novels, Little Pebble Press has published children’s picture books and a cookbook.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Sword Striker” was born during the wee hours of a June night in Sedona, Arizona. Sedona is the location, according to legend, of a mystical vortex. I don’t know what the vortex is or if it’s real, but there IS something special about Sedona. I went to bed that night with fragments of “Return of the Jedi” settled in my mind and by sunup a story of my own had emerged. By the time I returned to Tucson the story that would become Sword Striker had begun to whisper its secrets to me.

Politics and spirituality have always fascinated me and inevitably find some expression in the stories I write. In “Sword Striker” they surface as Lord Brant’s reaction to the oppression suffered by ordinary people and the vengeance raging in him over the death of his father. For me as a writer and a person, there is no more powerful theme or act than forgiveness. It’s something more than one character in the novel has to grapple with, and to do it requires true courage. What I created is a great adventure – one born out of political strife within the kingdom but also internal strife, where a boy learns what it means to become a man of compassion. Controlling your temper and being able to forgive those who wronged you, along with putting the needs of others before your own, that’s strength that takes courageous formation, and it’s an achievement worth chronicling.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
This may or may not be unusual but my writing method is non-linear, meaning I don’t write from page One to page End in order. For me, writing a novel is like working a puzzle with a thousand pieces and no picture on the box. Everything is already there, pre-existing in that inexplicable realm of creativity: it’s just a matter of touching the pieces and figuring out how they fit together. What a thrill when they do! When my brain is on fire with ideas, it’s a total high, and I can write for ten hours straight and forget to eat. At other times, when the fire has long since died down, inspiration likes to purr as a way of procrastination against stuff I don’t feel like doing. I get a lot written at tax time. Then, at the times when the brain is totally dry or squishy, I work on marketing or do research or clean the house.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Laura Ingalls Wilder, Margaret Mitchell, and James Joyce, not necessarily in that order. I made the acquaintance of Ms. Wilder’s series when I was in junior high. She made me feel like Laura was my best friend. I read “Gone With the Wind” when I was 14. Ms. Mitchell taught me to write the ending first so you know where the story is heading. I encountered Mr. Joyce in high school but didn’t really appreciate him for another five years. A shout out to “Dubliners” for turning 100 this year. “Dubliners” is an amazing collection. There is so much to learn from Mr. Joyce. A big influence on me presently is Charles Dickens. I love the way that man uses imagery and personification. Jane Austen also gets a spot on my dance card. And I must credit Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain chronicles for getting my mind tuned in to a medieval sensibility. He and the masterful J.R.R. Tolkien. With Tolkien as a model I invented a foreign language. I don’t care that George Lucas isn’t an author of books. The biggest influence on “Sword Striker” was “Star Wars.”

What are you working on now?
“Star and Sun” is the sequel to “Sword Striker” and the third book of the Khryterdon Sage trilogy. It takes place twenty-five years after the events of Sword Striker when the kingdom of Khryterdon has new adversaries on the horizon. Book Three concludes with Intrigue, a web of murder and sorcery that threatens to destroy Khrytish liberty for decades to come. Projected release date is late 2014.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website: www.stanincelarts.com. All my publications have their own page where you can learn more about them, as well as find links to prominent global retailers. For fun, I post my photography on my website too. If my website is my baby, Twitter is my new best friend. The world connects on Twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Know English grammar. Know when to use their, they’re or there. Grammar is your toolbox. You can have the greatest idea for a shed but if you don’t know how to use a hammer and saw you’re either not going to get the thing built or it will be a rickety tumble-down disaster people will avoid. After that, write because you love doing it. Write because the people in your head are real. Write because you have a gift to share. And don’t stop.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’ll give the nod to Yoda: “Do or do not, there is no try.”

What are you reading now?
Barbara Eden’s autobiography. I loved “I Dream of Jeannie” as a kid. Sidney Sheldon was a brilliant man. I wish I could remember the exact quote, but he once said something about how terrific it was to write novels because you can take the reader to any exotic location and you don’t have to worry about a production budget, and you have total artistic control. That inspired me.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing, more editing, more publishing. There is always another book to create. The craft is too glorious to ever get dull. Along with my work on the Khryterdon Saga, two of my authors are writing sequels to their children’s books.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
First of all I’d bring a really good dictionary and Roget’s Thesaurus. If I’m stuck on a desert island I will want to recline on the sand and write. For pleasure reading, which is the gist of this question, I would bring “Ulysses” because being stranded on an island would give me time to read it again and again and again and maybe then I’d start to understand it. I’d probably have to bring “The Odyssey” too for reference. I’d bring “Dubliners” as well because I love it. Then the Harry Potter series for pure fun.

Author Websites and Profiles
Elizabeth D’Onofrio Website
Elizabeth D’Onofrio Amazon Profile
Elizabeth D’Onofrio Author Profile on Smashwords

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