Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written just one book so far and Part Two is on the way soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called “A New Way of Loving” and it was inspired by the work of Diana Richardson. My own challenges in relationship and witnessing the challenges of so many others also inspired me to write it.. Diana’s work goes to the core of the conflict between men and women. Often men don’t get enough sexual interaction with women and the reason is because women are so often left dissatisfied in their encounters with men. So more and more often they decline after a certain age. They usually don’t know what is missing. They just know that something is. This is a tragic situation really and it’s responsible for literally all the dysfunction and turmoil that defines modern day life. The way to healing this split between men and women is known and proven through Diana’s work and it’s revealed in my book as well.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes i do. I often wake and sit bolt-up-right in bed in the middle of the night with an epiphany. I go downstairs and start writing in my iPad then go back to sleep before dawn for a few more hours. When i sit in front of my computer again i can hit the ground running.

It took almost 3 years of writing before the story came and i began to find my voice. Now it flows fairly readily as long as i block the time to write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anais Nin was my mother as a writer. She gave birth to the creative just by her sharing her perceptions of people including herself in day to day life in her diary. Then also her more polished works of fiction were very compelling. She was an incredibly loving being, very feminine and very intelligent.

Henry Miller was another one early on and Lawrence Durrell.

Then later came Stuart Wilde. Stuart is a brilliant writer and incredibly perceptive. He has an amazing gift of explaining complex metaphysical concepts in clear easy to understand language, while being incredibly funny and entertaining at the same time. I later learned from him that he was inspired by Durrell as well but he surely has his own style. I consider him to be my teacher. When i began to read his books over 25 years ago, i lost interest in most other writers. I read everything he published and all of it is pure gold to me. I still prefer to read his books over and over than to start new books because i go deeper each time, and it changes me. It helps me continue to grow. I do read other books but always seem to gravitate back to ole Stuart.

What are you working on now?
I am working on Part Two of A New Way of Loving. And it feels that Part Two is working on me too. There’s a way that it’s coming through me rather than me being the writer. In fact that’s the only way that i can write anything decent and meaningful. It’s more of an allowing than a doing really.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m using Kindle and Create Space together and learning from John Tighe how to do the marketing. He has a brilliant and easy to follow program and he’s very likable. He’s genuine and has the serving people part down pat.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well i think the best advice is to not get too carried away by the advice of others. Writing is a creative process. It involves bringing something out from the inner depths. So my advice is to take care of your body. Detoxify everyday, Eat well. Get out into nature everyday if you can and flow along with life. This way there will be less in the way of what wants to flow from within you. Develop the habit of listening inside to your body and your inner promptings.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
See above…

What are you reading now?
I just picked up another old favorite Stuart Wilde book the other day titled “The Trick to Money Is Having Some”. It’s hilarious and very poignant too.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well it’s just one day at a time. I have the outlines for Parts Two and Three of A New Way of Loving loosely laid out before me and am blocking time for those to come through. I’m planning to have both completed and published by the end of 2014 …God willing, as they say.

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 first of all ask if i could bring a companion too. If the answer was “no” then i’d probably decline the offer. If i could then i’d bring notebooks and i’d bring books that would help with surviving and thriving on a desert island of course. I’m sure it would be great fun.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ami DeJong Website
Ami DeJong Amazon Profile

Ami DeJong’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing ever since I was a little girl. I remember asking my parents for a horse, thinking that this was a normal pet to have like having a dog or a cat. When my parents told me I couldn’t have a horse I ended up writing stories with girls who had horses. My main character in The Runner has a horse she rides and they’re a pretty awesome team.

The Runner has been out since December and I’m getting ready to release my second novel Rubicon. Both books are series, but it is easier for me to switch back and forth between books. I’ve written numerous screenplays, short stories, and television sitcoms, none of which have ever been turned into anything, but I love doing it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Rubicon is inspired by the winter I worked in an ice cream shop and strange things happened.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing too unusual. I like to buy spiral notebooks with cute pictures and cool designs. I’m constantly taking notes as I write because I learned that the best way for me to finish something is to plow on through. If I realize I need to change something I’ve already written, I make a note to do it later. If I didn’t do this I could easily see myself rewriting the same opening scene and never get past it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am constantly reading. I read anything and everything from classic literature to teen paranormal romance. Because I write in the YA genre I’d have to say that my favorite YA books growing up were R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books and L.J. Smith’s Secret Circle series and her Vampire Diaries series. I think it is amazing that these authors and their works are still being loved twenty years later. It seems like so much has changed in the world of technology, but something in these author’s works continues to be loved by teens (and grown-ups) today.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second book in the Avi Bloom series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to figure this out. Awesomegang.com has some great services and most are free.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read the blogs and advice of other authors. I am still very new at this, but I learned so much just from publishing my first novel. There are writers who have been doing this for years and they are very helpful.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep writing. This seems to be the only advice every single writer agrees on.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison. She’s been able to sustain this series for roughly 19 books and the series is still going strong. She’s amazing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to close up both of my series by the end of the year. I already have so many other book ideas, but first I have to finish what I start.

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 Sorcerer’s Stone, Pride and Prejudice, and The Amazing Adventures Kavalier & Clay. I could reread these books for as long as it took to get rescued.

Author Websites and Profiles
J.M. Johnson Website
J.M. Johnson Amazon Profile

J.M. Johnson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a fourth generation Californian who lives in East Highlands, California, not far from

where my great-grandfather planted the first orange trees in this area. I had a wonderful childhood and grew up thinking that everyone had grandparents with big, soft beds and great stories to tell. I like music (classical and swing), walking by the ocean, reading (MG, YA, and adult), cooking, and the smell of violets I seem to have a good memory, for I can recall things that happened when I was not yet three years old.

I come from a family of pioneers. My great-grandmother walked all the way from Vermont to California because the swaying of the wagons made her “seasick.” She had very large feet, and no wonder. I have always loved to hear those stories. I have a special love for the beach, for I spent summers there at my grandparents’ house. Maybe that’s why so many of my children’s books have beach scenes in them – or at least river scenes. My favorite color is blue, and I love caramel sundaes. When I was a child, I was ill for several months with an ear infection, and I read the poems of Robert Lewis Stevenson. I still remember the magic of the counterpane when I made hills and valleys and populated them with tiny china animals.

I have written 30 books, over 500 articles and short stories, and seven juvenile plays.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I just finished the final draft of WHEN CRICKETS STOPPED SINGING, set in 1939 in the fictional Southern California town of Messina. It was a time of indecision in our country – a time when we were on the brink of entering World War II. It was also a time of indecision in Messina. Mr. Jefferson Clement was back, and no one seemed sure what to make of that. Three friends (Angie, Reba Lu, and Geraldine) decided to follow the preacher’s advice and love their enemies – the people in the town who were the worst sinners. Mr. Clement was on their list. So was Dodie Crumper, the least liked child in the 5th grade. The inspiration for this story comes from a situation in my home town, something that I observed and escaped becoming a part of. Though these characters are fictitious, they are very real to me.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I often read of writers who work for long stretches of time – sometimes whole mornings.

This would be such luxury. Since I teach school three times a week and conduct a fair number of writing workshops, I find myself working in spurts and late at night. Twenty minutes here; ten minutes there. It all adds up, and I have learned to use these minutes to the best advantage. I always carry a notebook of some kind so that I won’t let a bit of conversation or a great idea slip by me. When I do get a chance to write for an extended
period in the morning, I sit at the computer in my robe and slippers, a fresh pot of coffee and a bowl full of Cheerios nearby. Whenever I get a chance I spend a few days at the beach, where I know of a little motel right on the sand. Then I write for long, luxurious stretches of time, stopping only for a walk at sunset and food now and then. I don’t really think these are unusual writing habits. They are just mine.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In college, I loved to read Faulkner (especially THE BEAR) and Hemingway (everything). I have a special place in my heart for Mark Twain and Steinbeck. In more modern literature, I admire the simplicity of Alexander McCall Smith and the great energy of James Rollins’s adventures. In MG and YA literature, I like to read anything by Karen Cushman, particularly CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY and THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE. Mary E. Pearson’s THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX fascinated me. I love everything by Ursula K. Le Guin and Laurie Halse Anderson. Gary Paulsen’s HATCHET is timeless. And I admire the poetic voice of Jane Yolen. As for influence, I guess I’ll have to return to Faulkner. It was while I was working on an analysis of THE BEAR in college that I discovered that I had a voice of my own and could write. My analytical essay earned me a monetary award and the feeling that I had more words to share

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on two books: one a MG novel titled THE TROUBLE WITH ARNOLD and the other a YA novel titled KYTELER’S INN. This book is both contemporary and historical – one layer built on top of the other. It takes place in Ireland today and, alternately, in the 14th century.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon. Linked In, Facebook. My own site at http://www.marilyndonahue.blogspot.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, read, read. Especially read in the genre in which you want to be published, but don’t limit yourself. As you read, use a yellow marker and highlight passages that you admire, bits of dialogue that are meaningful, images and metaphors that make you catch your breath. It is even a good idea to type several pages from a favorite book. This is a great way to capture the phrasing – the pauses that matter – the flow and rhythm of the writing.

Write, write, write. Carry a notebook with you. Jot down bits of conversation and make notes about the voices you hear. Record impressions: smells, sights, sounds that touch your imagination.

Take a piece of paper and rough sketch a setting (any setting) that appeals to you. Don’t try to do this well. It is meant to be rough. Keep your hand moving. Take another piece of paper and describe what you just sketched.

Now use your rough-sketching experience to map your entire story by creating the kind of map/sketch kids love to look at in the front pages of the books they read. These exercises keep you (and your readers) aware of the details of setting. They also help you create characters who belong in your story and a plot that is believable.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t try to write about what you know. Instead, write about what you feel. If you’re not sure what that is, go back to Number 7 and sketch a little more. I find it amazing that emotions are related to moving a pencil around on paper!

What are you reading now?
I am starting FAKING NORMAL by Courtney Stevens Potter. Just finished another of the Richard Jury mysteries (THE ANODYNE NECKLACE) by the talented Martha Grimes. And waiting in the wings on my new Kindle is THE FIXER UPPER by Mary Kay Andrews.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have several books I want to finish and a few I want to begin.

(1) KYTELER’S INN: a YA novel set in contemporary Kilkenny, Ireland, with the historical story of Dame Alice Kyteler, the “witch of Kilkenny” as an undercurrent.

(2) THE TROUBLE WITH ARNOLD: with MG characters who are close to my heart.

(3) THE QUICKSILVER TREE: first draft completed, but I’m not satisfied.

(4) THE BUS AND US: a memoir piece that may have limited appeal, but I intend to finish it anyway.

(5) A collection of family stories that I have to write if I want to be able to use my spare bedroom as something other than a storage place for family papers and pictures.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s easy. THE BIBLE. Shakespeare’s collected plays and sonnets. HUCKLEBERRY FINN. A collection of GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES. That’s four, but I need one more: A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES by Robert Lewis Stevenson.

Author Websites and Profiles
Marilyn Cram Donahue Website
Marilyn Cram Donahue Amazon Profile

Marilyn Cram Donahue’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a prolific writer, drawn especially to the genres of science fiction and fantasy. My published novels include a Young Adult urban fantasy series (Mary of the Aether, Mary of Shadows, Mary of Starlight, and the forthcoming Mary of Cosmos), a fantasy duology (Bloodstone, A Whisper in the Void), a post-apocalyptic adventure (Shadows of Tockland), a standalone fantasy e-book (Garden of Dust and Thorns), and my latest novel, a dystopian science-fiction tale (Children of the Mechanism).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Children of the Mechanism is my latest novel, a dark, dystopian science fiction novel about slaves living and working in the bowels of a mysterious factory under the gaze of cruel robots called Watchers. It is based on a short story I wrote many years ago that was inspired by a documentary I saw about children in the Holocaust. I was disturbed at the notion of people born and raised in evil circumstances who have no other experience of normalcy. However, when I turned the short story into a novel, I think I was more inspired by the condition of child laborers in third world sweatshops. In my own strange way, I wanted to tell their story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do my best writing very late at night. In fact, midnight to about 2 in the morning is when my creative juices are really flowing. It has something to do with being so tired that I get into a foggy, semi-conscious state of mind. It’s like I’m able to tap into a kind of dream state. It’s not healthy, but it works.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have enjoyed and been inspired by many writers, including J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Victor Hugo, Stephen King, Orson Scott Card, Tad Williams and C.S. Lewis.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a post-apocalyptic novel called Fading Man. It takes place in the same world as another novel of mine, Shadows of Tockland, though the characters are not directly connected to one another.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Websites that have worked for me include Goodreads, Amazon’s Meet Our Authors forum, Kindle Boards, Blogger and my own author website, Jeffreyaaronmiller.com but my most effective promotion came through a rather unusual and unexpected means. A college professor who teaches a regional teachers’ workshop decided to put my first novel, Mary of the Aether, on his recommended reading list. This got me a lot of attention and raised my visibility across the state.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I haven’t figured this whole writing business out yet, so I’m probably not one to be giving advice. I am still desperately in need of advice. I would say be very careful with self-publishing. The lack of professional editing has flooded the marketplace with typo-ridden novels that negatively and permanently impact the reputation of their authors and the self-publishing industry as a whole.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I love genre fiction. However, when I was in the creative writing program at the University of Arkansas, one of my professors challenged me to first learn to write non-genre fiction. He said too often writers hide behind genre conventions to hide weaknesses in their prose, plotting and characterization, so he recommended that I work on those aspects of storytelling. I was then able to take those skills and apply them to genre fiction, creating stronger and more compelling stories.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Spin by Robert Charles Wilson.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will finish Fading Man and go immediately to work on the next novel, a YA fantasy called The Figment Tree. At the same time, I will keep plugging away at this promotion thing, trying to eke out a little place for myself in the indie writing 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, gosh, I can’t answer a question like this. 3 or 4 books is just not enough. I rarely reread anything. There are too many others things to read. I think I would spend my time on that desert island trying to build a raft to get back to civilization, where there is no end to books!

Author Websites and Profiles
Jeffrey Miller Website
Jeffrey Miller Amazon Profile

Jeffrey Miller’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m from Boston, Massachusetts and as we speak, I’m anxiously awaiting the summer months! I co-own a custom stainless steel design business, and in the midst of all the daily insanity that ensues, I somehow manage to write books as well. From 1996 to present date I’ve written six books. The genres range from music to thrillers, to children’s books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Left-Hand Path.” It’s inspired by everyday people who on the surface appear to be kind and harmless. On the inside, they all have an agenda of some sort. It’s chilling to think that the strangers we encounter on a daily basis could be up to some rather evil behavior. It’s even more chilling to think that the people we know are up to the same things.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I was just talking about this to someone the other day as a matter of fact. I work best in the early hours of the day, well before the phone calls, the depressing news reports, the daily interactions, etc..

When I’m writing, I always need music playing lightly. Not coming at me from the computer speakers and not from headphones. It has to be playing from behind me on my right side. I’m not sure if that’s unusual, but there you have it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was in high school, I read “Less Than Zero” and “The Rules of Attraction” by Bret Easton Ellis. That’s about all it took. I knew that one day I’d want to write disturbed and misguided characters the way he did. I was also, and still am, a big fan of H.G. Wells and Lois Duncan. I find myself blending all of their elements of suspense, philosophy and drama into my work.

What are you working on now?
I’m completing my upcoming novel “The Crooked Roads through Cedar Grove” for an early 2015 release. I’m recording a book soundtrack for said novel as well. I’m also working on my next children’s book with my co-author Susan Saunders.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use social media to my advantage, usually Facebook and Twitter. I like directing potential readers to my website http://www.robwattsonline.com

My best method for promoting my work is via book signings and readings. Writers can only sit behind the computer for so long. They need to get out there and meet their potential new fans. Posting links to their book all day long just doesn’t cut it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, make sure you have a job. A job that you enjoy and one that pays your bills. The money isn’t going to come rolling in once you publish your first book. The term starving artist isn’t appealing and I’ve seen far too many aspiring authors fall into this trap. Join a local writers group or organization. Network with other authors and ask questions. Attend a book reading at a local library or bookstore. Learn from authors who’ve been around the block a few times. Most important, be your own writer. Learn from your inspirations, but make the story your own.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Back in 1995, I attended a reading by author Martin Espada. He was kind enough to say “Don’t be afraid, just write it. If you are passionate about it, you’ll make it happen.”

What are you reading now?
Believe it or not, I’m reading a book called “500 Cheeses.” I’m very much a foodie.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m always looking for the next big challenge. I’ve been writing fiction for a while now. I’d like to dive into non-fiction within the next year or two. I’ve gained some substantial knowledge on one or two topics over the years, and I think they might be of interest to readers. We’ll see.

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?
Off the top of my head, I’d probably want to have “101 Things I Learned In Architecture School”, “1000 Places to See in The USA and Canada”, “Waking Up In Iceland”, and probably “A Survival Guide if You’re Ever Standed on a Deserted Island.”

Author Websites and Profiles
Rob Watts Website

Rob Watts’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi I am a newly published writer (newbie) from Lufkin, Texas. I was born in South Dakota and raised in Montana. Somehow I ended up in Texas. I have always written something. Stories from cereal boxes when I was a kid. Poetry when I was a teenager and now books when I finally grew up. My other love is nursing. I have a PhD in Nursing and I presently am employed as an Assistant Professor at Stephen F Austin State University.

Spirit Warriors: The Concealing is my first book. It is in the YA, fantasy, romance genre. It was published by Booktrope Publishing in November 2013. The second book in the series Spirit Warriors: The Scarring will be out in Spring of 2014. I have started Book 3 and there will be a total of 5 books. My editor would like me to come back and do a prequel to the series. We will have to see about that!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first and latest book is Spirit Warriors: The Concealing. It was inspired by a short story that I wrote in college. The short story was based on my childhood growing up in Montana. I gave a group of kids special abilities based on my experiences with the Native American culture. The professor loved the story and told me I needed to write a book based on the story. He warned me that it was unpublishable because it was too dark and no one would publish it for the YA market. Of course that was before Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games. I went back to that story and wrote the book. I thought the time was finally right for me to tell my dark story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have to have music to write and I want it to be loud. There is something about music that makes me creative. I also match the music to the mood for whatever I am writing. If is sad I want sad music. If is upbeat or fast, I want some good thumping bass music.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I started out being influenced by the classic children stories. I loved Cinderella. As a kid, I actually thought the pumpkins in the garden turned into beautiful carriages! As I grew up I read the Little House on the Prairie series and Nancy Drew. Some other books that I read and adored included To Kill a Mockingbird, Lonesome Dove, Tom Sawyer, Lord of the Rings, and Twilight. I like books with a strong poignant message.

What are you working on now?
I have just finished editing on Book 2, Spirit Warriors: The Scarring. I am working on book 3, Spirit Warriors: The Burning. I hope to finish Book 3 this summer and have it ready for publishing in Fall of 2014.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is a hard question for me since I am such a newbie in the book publishing arena and my book is so new. Can I come back and answer this after I release Book 2? 🙂

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to not give up. You will be rejected. Some people will not like what you write. Write it anyway! If writing gives you pleasure and you enjoy it, just write. Don’t worry about what everyone else has to say.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My best advice comes from Mark Twain, “Write what you know.” You are an expert with what you know. It is hard to make something you know nothing about seem real to readers.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After I finish the Spirit Warriors series I would like to publish a series of children’s books based on the bedtime stories I told my daughter when she was a little girl.

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?
Lonesome Dove, To Kill a Mockingbird, and as hokey as it sounds I would bring my own books. It would give me peace to read my own books and hope that I make it off the island!

Author Websites and Profiles
D.E.L. Connor Website
D.E.L. Connor Amazon Profile

D.E.L. Connor’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Brendan Clark and i’m 18 and i grew up on the west side in Chicago,IL. I have been writing short stories, poetry etc..since the 8 Th grade. Even when I was in the 8 grade I didn’t know if I like writing at all. But ever since that day in the 8th grade English,I started writing poetry like pro. I have been writing and together a poetry book of his own and just publish it on amazon.com, which he title it ” words from an unknown poet”. For many years now I has been trying to figure what to do with my life. As of today I am is a freshman college student at Northeastern Illinois University on Chicago’s North Side where he plan to communications as his major.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“words from an unknown poet” and the reason i wrote this book is because i wanted a way to express myself to the world, family and even friends. I wrote this book because i couldn’t find a way to express my emotions before. In chicago is hard sometimes with all the shootings and gangs, i wanted to share my story in my poems in this book..

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
well one time, i had much writer block i started walking around the house thinking aloud and my mom would look at me funny and just laugh at me include me too.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would have to say jk rowling because she can take anything and turn it into a great story like the harry potter book series.

What are you working on now?
Well i’m working on my second book and a few other project like a youtube channel where i will be post my poetry videos and updates.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Goodreads,Facebook groups, twitter, online radio shows.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors is to never give up and follow your heart and create a great story and promote yourself to people.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Success is not define by your worth, but rather success is how much hard work you put in”

What are you reading now?
Kid Lawyer by Theodore Boone

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well i want to keeping writing poetry but i want to try to produce a web series with some friends of mine on youtube.

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?
Kid Lawyer, harry potter, steve jobs

Author Websites and Profiles
Brendan Clark Amazon Profile

Brendan Clark’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a graduate of the Steven Forrest Evolutionary Astrology Apprenticeship Program. I love ice-skating, hiking, my family, my dog and cookies. I’ve written six books in the Zodiacts series. The books were written as a way to make astrology more approachable and fun. Astrology is the study of human nature as well as an acceptance of and delight in the eccentricities of behavior. By creating colorful characters whose personalities embody the characteristics of the zodiac signs, I hope to facilitate the study of astrology.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Zodiacts: Leo Limelight Lunacy: Dance of the Dueling Divas was inspired by the leonine spirit of grandeur. Although Leo’s are generous, creative, and loyal, they also want to be the center of attention. Starrkitty, the heroine, feels like she may get passed over for her nemesis, Lola Leo, and this incites quite a rivalry. The book goes on to detail the lengths Kit will go to to reign supreme.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write for 2 hours, then leap out of the chair and run around the block like a crazed madwoman. Then I do another hour or so and attack the chocolate chips. Is that weird? I don’t know.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Big Dr. Suess fan. Also Roald Dahl. I loved Brothers Grimm and Aesop’s Fables.

What are you working on now?
Aside from promoting any of my books, the next one, Zodiacts: Vinny d’Virgo and His Venison Stew*

*working title

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m terrible at promoting, but feel I’ve turned a corner with twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make friends with the idea of marketing. It’s a jungle out there. There’s so much going on and it’s so easy to get distracted. Stay focused and make an outline!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
ABC- Apply Butt to Chair

What are you reading now?
I was trying to read Wolf Hall, but just couldn’t get through it. Always reading how-to-manuals! Last book I really liked was Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m overjoyed with the IPad versions of my books and would like to work on making the others interactive. Plus, finishing the Virgo book I’m working on, and getting the word out on all the 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?
Stones from the River

Water Music

Aspects in Astrology

War and Peace (I haven’t read it)

Author Websites and Profiles
Donna McGarry Website
Donna McGarry Amazon Profile

Donna McGarry’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Lisa Fantino is an award-winning journalist and attorney. During 20+ years in NYC, she worked as a writer, reporter & anchor at WINS-AM, WCBS-AM & the NBC Radio Networks, as well as hosting her own celebrity chat show on Cablevision. She has interviewed everyone from Walter Cronkite & Yogi Berra to Robert Plant, Mick Jagger and several world leaders, along the way.

Lisa has a true wanderlust spirit. She released the best-selling travel memoir, “Amalfi Blue-lost & found in the south of Italy,” in 2013 and will release her first novel, “Shrouded in Pompei,” this spring.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Shrouded in Pompei” is the first in the Mickey Malone Mystery series. For more than two decades, as a news reporter/anchor, I have seen a lot of life and learned about the dark side of humanity. It served as perfect fodder for a new view of crime with legs to die for.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My travel memoir, “Amalfi Blue,” was written basking in the glow of the Mediterranean sun in my apartment in Italy. This was not the case with “Shrouded in Pompei” and I had to learn to focus during the gloomy New York winter. I reverted back to an old law school trick, Siberian Eleuthero. I swear it gives me laser beam focus when I need it most.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Prior to law school I sued to read a mystery or thriller a month. Then law books replaced the luxury and I began to rad less. My favorite writers have always been: Mary Higgins Clark, whom I was honored to have interviewed on my TV show, as well as Anne Perry, Dick Francis and Sue Grafton just to name a few. The romantic side of me turns to Nora Roberts and Jude Deveraux because they always add the esoteric, other-worldly element which allows me to truly escape.

What are you working on now?
“Shrouded in Pompei” has taken up the last year of my life. I began outlining it during the promo tour for “Amalfi Blue” and hope to release it by late spring 2014.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t think any one way works for every situation. In this age of social media, our attention is misdirected in so many directions that you need to throw everything against the cyber cloud and see what floats.

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

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It was from Mary Higgins Clark. She told me that I eed to grab the reader’s attention from the first paragraph and invite them into your story. If they are not hooked by the first paragraph, then you’ve lost them. It has served me well when cutting and pasting “Shrouded in Pompei.”

What are you reading now?
Don’t laugh. “Moonlight Become You” by Mary Higgins Clark. Are you seeing a pattern here?

What’s next for you as a writer?
Waiting with baited breath as the manuscript is now in the hands of my editor, having survived the first go-round with my excellent team of beta readers.

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 classic “Tristan and Isolde”

The Whitechapel Conspiracy – Anne Perry

I’ll Be Seeing You – Mary Higgins Clark

Blood Washes Blood – Frank Viviano (a true Sicilian murder mystery)

The Wedding Officer – Anthony Cappella

Author Websites and Profiles
Lisa Fantino Website
Lisa Fantino Amazon Profile

Lisa Fantino’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 34 year old father of an awesome 10 year old son and Husband to My beautiful wife Tina. I was born and raised in Florida, I live in Ohio and I work in West Virgina. I am often asked about my accent and can only explain it as “Southern Hillbilly” (please insert LOL here). I have always had a wild imagination and enjoyed writing, however only recently started to think about sharing my works with others. While I am good at math and science, grammar and spelling has never been my strong point. This I believe is why I write children’s books (Once again, Please insert LOL here). I currently have one title (Jeffrey Gue,Dreams Of The Zoo”) published and am currently working on several others, soon to be released.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I just published my first book “Jeffrey Gue Dreams Of The Zoo” it is an illustrated bedtime story. I began doodling and drew a grasshopper (a very poorly drawn grasshopper) and gave it a name. After that the rhyme began to form and it took off from there. I played around with the illustrations and before i knew it I had a book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I Have started two more books and as I begin to write i start getting sidetracked. Because of this I keep both books opened in separate windows and toggle back and forth. I also keep several windows open and will work on the illustrations at the same time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, john Gresham, Carolyn McCray, Dr Seuss. (what a combination)

What are you working on now?
I never write and tell, however i will say I am working on a follow up to Jeffery Gue and another story. Both Children’s story’s.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a large support group on Facebook. They have all been very good to me. I also use Twitter. I am very grateful for all the support I have gotten.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
First and foremost Keep your desk organized and backup your files. Secondly, Read Read Read!!!!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Don’t Lick That” (Thanks Mom)

What are you reading now?
I have not had much time to read lately. But my most recent read was “The Betrayed Series” by Carolyn McCray.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I enjoy doing what I’m doing. I will continue writing and illustrating as the ideas come in. I’m not big on making plans. I just go with the flow.

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?
Robinson Crusoe, The Stand (Stephen King), The Client (John Gresham), And a US Army Survival Manual.

Author Websites and Profiles
Douglas Crabtree Website
Douglas Crabtree Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After decades of writing for the corporate world, I turned to fiction and have now written and published two novels and one novella. The novella and one novel are part of the New Vampire series and focus on the challenges facing vampires living in today’s digital world.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
New Vampire Online, the second in the New Vampire Series, was recently published. I have loved vampire novels–well, some of them–since reading Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire. The approach I took when writing the New Vampire series was inspired by the narrative of Louis the vampire simply telling the tale of his life. Of course, I loved the Vampire Lestat, too.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
After spending an entire career writing five days a week, when it comes time to write, I just do it. I confess to drinking more coffee when I am writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Interview with a Vampire was definitely an inspiration. I was afraid to go outside at night for weeks after I read it!

What are you working on now?
I am taking a short break between books right now.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method of promotion is getting the book into the hands of as many readers as possible.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Every author advises new authors to write every day. I would second that, but add that originality is equally important. Too many new writers today seem to slump into clichés or weak and tired re-working of old material.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write every day.

What are you reading now?
I just completed reading two books by Jennifer Clement: ‘A True Story Based on Lies’ and her newest book, ‘Prayers for the Stolen’. Both are brilliantly written tales of troubling situations in Mexico. I also recently read Brenna Aubrey’s original take on the erotic novel, ‘At Any Price’ and Russell Blake’s very clever noir detective series, ‘Black’.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am not sure yet.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Difficult question. I think I’d bring a Kindle and hope that I could have hundreds of books fly through the air to it!

Author Websites and Profiles
Annie Carroll Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Deng Zichao is, obviously, entirely fictional.

My first book, People Like Us, is set in Brittany, where I still spend quite a lot of time, and it isn’t entirely complimentary about the locals. In order to avoid being tarred and feathered by my neighbours next time I visit, I invented D.Z.C.

Like my main character I am a specialist in oriental art. When I’m not in Brittany, I’m usually in Paris or Vientiane.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is called Bright, Still – a book of ghost stories that’s permafree on Smashwords. I had a stack of ghost stories sitting around gathering dust, so I decided to put them together into a book and offer it as a free taster.

I haven’t done much publicity for it, but it seems to be doing ok without me. Hopefully some people who read it will be tempted to try my novels.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really – I do most of my writing in spare minutes at the office. If I indulged any unusual habits there I’d risk getting the boot.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
People Like Us and Xanadu were isnpired more by old radio comedies than books – things like The Goon Show and Round the Horne. I love the idea of using one set of stock characters and sticking them in various situations – Keszthelyi and Estrade are basically a mixture of Major Bloodnok, Gryttepype-Thynne and Moriarty, but updated to the 21st century.

There are a million novels out there about dodgy antiques dealers – it’s practically a sub-genre of its own – so I can’t really claim much originality for the concept. My favourites are Kyril Bonfiglioli’s, which deserve to be far better known. Caroline Graham’s Midsomer Murders books were also hovering in my mind. The books are far better than the tv series. She writes amazing characters – they’re instantly recognisable types that you’ll find in any English village, but they also have depth. They’re more than just caricatures. I think her Sergeant Troy is my favourite character in the whole of literature.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m doing another ghost story – about a Thai cat ghost – for an anthology that’s being prepared. Northeast Thailand is a very odd place, and packed with ghosts.

I’ve also begun a People Like Us prequel, which is my first novel written in the third person. It’s an odd feeling no longer being able to hide behind my narrator: Nicolas Keszthelyi is a pretty nasty individual, but I can get away with a lot as long as I say “Oh, that’s him – it’s not me talking.” When I’m the narrator myself, I’m a lot more circumspect.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I hate Goodreads for various reasons, but I can’t deny that it does its job. Right now I’m really only beginning my marketing operations, so I’m a novice. My opinion will probably be completely different in six months’ time.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Adjectives are the enemy.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
About writing or life? Er…

Writing: “You’re going to shift most copies on the first day of any KDP Select promo.”

Life: “Delete your cookies before booking an airline ticket.”

What are you reading now?
The Dark Box: A Secret History of Confession by John Cornwell.

I’ve only just started, so I can’t give a review or anything, but I’ve always had a prurient fascination with the confessional. I live in a Catholic country, an have plenty of hardcore Catholic friends, but I find it impossible to imagine buying into anything so medieval myself. I’m hoping for plenty of lurid anecdotes.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Marketing, marketing, marketing… It’s no fun at all, but it has to be done. So many great books sell barely any copies because the authors are amazing writers but lousy marketers.

I’m shooting for a Book Bub promo.

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?
At one point I did actually find myself out in the Northeast of China with only one book for two and a half months. I took Herodotus’ Histories, and read it from cover to cover three or four times. I think it’s one of those books where the quality of the translation makes a huge difference. You’ll get some translations that are horribly weighty and verbose, whereas in fact he was gossipy and inquisitive and wrote very economically.

If I had more than one… Hmm… Probably The Hound of the Baskervilles and a collection of Saki’s Short Stories. I must have read THOTB about a dozen times, and I never seem to grow tired of it, and Saki’s subversion always makes me smile – especially the stories about children. They’ve got everything against them and they manage to undermine it using intelligence and bloody-mindedness alone.

Author Websites and Profiles
Zichao Deng Website
Zichao Deng Amazon Profile
Zichao Deng Author Profile on Smashwords

Zichao Deng’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Scorpio witch born in Independence, Missouri, on Halloween during the Great Depression. I’ve written more books than I’ve published, but some were for practice. I have both trade paperbacks and ebooks currently published and available all over the planet … or so it seems … about thirteen of them at last count.

My first published book (for children 8-12) was The Haunted Igloo (1991, Houghton Mifflin, Boston). I wrote the sequel to that, but it was rejected for sliding from middle-grade to young adult. I wasn’t about to change any of it, so I ended up self-publishing it. This title is Spirit Lights (ages 12 & up). Next came another middle grade/young adult (12 & up), Down the Memory Hole, a story about a 12-year-old boy forced to share his room and personal space with his ailing grandpa, who has Alzheimer’s.

Next was a book for 8-12 readers, Footprints in Time: A Walk in Sacajawea’s Moccasins. Then came yet another Arctic novel — not a sequel, but a companion book to my first two books, Drum Dance. Drum Dance is young-adult through Adult. Ideally, one would read the first two books first, since there’s an unintended surprise in Drum Dance that links back to Spirit Lights. People who have read both have enjoyed finding that surprise.

After Drum Dance came my Great Depression historical novel, in which I jumped from children’s books to adult in Face the Winter Naked.

So this old lady has been busy through the years. In between the books I’ve mentioned were some odds and ends of published works for younger children, plus a collection of short plays (satire/humor), There’s a Snake in My Apple.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Ghost of Calico Acres, a Romantic Suspense/Mystery for adults, set in SW Wisconsin. I wrote this one about twenty years ago but never submitted it anywhere due to my family being on the move so often for my late hubby’s work. At one point, we ended up living down by Milwaukee, and I came across some folklore about hauntings in the area of my novel. Not sure how it happened, but soon there was a ghost story rattling around in my head trying to get out. After it collected dust in a drawer all those years, I finally read it again and saw possibilities for publishing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have the normal writers blocks others freak out over, but which don’t bother me that much. I just leave my computer for a while and work out the problems in long hand on a pad of paper.

I also make full use of my creative right mind, which is actually the subconscious. I’ve learned to switch from left- to right-brain mode quite easily, and then I’m on auto-pilot. When I’m in this mode, I get lost in the story and don’t even realize I’m writing. At times, I’ve read something back later and not even recognized it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many old classics have influenced my writing, from the famed Dick and Jane readers in first grade, to Jack London, Edgar Allen Poe, poet Robert Service, James Michener, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, O.E. Rolvaag, Mark Twain, Frances Parkinson Keyes, Thomas Tryon, and so many others I can’t name them all.

Books such as Chesapeake, Steamboat Gothic, Harvest Home, Giants in the Earth, and The Odyssey of Homer are just a start of a very long list.

What are you working on now?
I’m getting ready to work on a novel set in the Flapper Era: Jazzbaby, and if I can find time from all this marketing and promoting, I want to do a small book about my experiments and experiences with ESP and astral projection.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook and Twitter a lot to promote my work. And I also have a personal web page with my writing listed on that; however, not having a domain name, I don’t get many hits on the page. I also have a blog at Goodreads. but I’m usually too busy to keep that up. I also belong to a large online writers group, Backspace, which is authors helping authors. And of course, listing blogs and sites such as Awesome Gang are vital to promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice I can offer new authors is to finish a rough draft before showing the story to others. I’ve seen too many writers who have talked out their work in progress only to give up on it entirely and never finish it. Many professional writers say they never share their work until the first draft is done, and the reason should be obvious: When you talk out your story, there’s no longer a burning desire to finish it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard was from my dad: “Bonnie, you can do anything you put your mind to.”

And that’s been my philosophy all my life.

What are you reading now?
I’m not reading anything right now, but have recently finished a couple of novels I thought were awesome: Flowers in a Window, by Mary McPhee. Chicago’s Headmistress, by Loretta Giacoletto, and Racing on a Wire, by Inge Moore.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing Jazzbaby is my next big project, which will take a lot of research.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
If I were stranded on a desert island, I would want The Complete Works of Robert Service. I would also want a couple of my own books that I think are awesome–and an author isn’t worth her salt unless she thinks her own writing is awesome, right? Drum Dance, Face the Winter Naked, and The Ghost of Calico Acres are my favorites. I could never part with them after getting so acquainted with the various characters.

Author Websites and Profiles
Bonnie Turner Website
Bonnie Turner Amazon Profile
Bonnie Turner Author Profile on Smashwords

Bonnie Turner’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I currently reside in Iowa City, Iowa—one of only 7 places in the world the UNESCO has certified as a “City of Literature.” Like most authors, I have been writing for years but only recently found myself in print. MORTOM is my first published work, but the fourth novel I have completed.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
MORTOM is loosely based on the town of Farmington, Iowa, where my father grew up. I’ve always been intrigued by small towns: It has to be incredibly difficult to hide anything within a tiny population, but at the same time, small towns seem to hold the most secrets. It’s a fascinating dynamic.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Mountain Dew, a dark room, and loud music are a necessity. Outside of that, inspiration is always welcome, but not always present…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I often comment I learned to write by “reading Stephen King,” which is ironic, because none of my novels are horror. MORTOM has “elements” of horror, but for the most part, it’s a straightforward mystery. Outside of King, two of my current favorite authors are Alden Bell (The Reapers are the Angels) and Daniel Woodrell (Winter’s Bone). I wish I could write half as well as those gentleman.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently going back and forth between two projects—both YA. Many people have asked for a sequel to MORTOM, so I’ve been toying with that idea as well.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook and word-of-mouth have been a huge help. I’ve done everything from hang flyers to advertise on craigslist. A key component has been availability: In addition to Amazon.com, MORTOM is also available at local bookstores, multiple libraries, and a sample is downloadable on Goodreads. Advertising on writing websites has also worked well, but it can get pricey at times.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. Anything can happen one day to the next. A few months ago I had an agent tell me to write more like Gillian Flynn, and two weeks later Gillian Flynn’s agency requested the entire manuscript. The world of publishing is a crazy, subjective creature.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Writing is 90% rewriting. If you’re not prepared to live with your story for years, a ‘life of writing’ is probably not a good fit.

What are you reading now?
I just finished THIS IS MINE: MY STORY, MY LIFE (Malinda Phillips) which is an eye-opening account of foster care in America today. Highly recommend. I am currently reading Stephen King’s DOCTOR SLEEP and loving it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue to promote MORTOM and focus on the next book, whatever it may be. I’m also putting the finishing touches on www.eriktherme.com and look forward to feedback from fans and friends.

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?
Catcher in the Rye

The Stand (uncut)

A Simple Plan

I Am Legend

Author Websites and Profiles
Erik Therme Website
Erik Therme Amazon Profile
Erik Therme Author Profile on Smashwords

Erik Therme’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
For the last 24 or so years I’ve been a computer programmer. It’s not a passion of mine but it does pay the bills 🙂 I was born in Michigan but at the age of two moved to Texas when my father’s job transferred him. I’ve been here ever since though the place I’d love to retire to is Colorado.

I’ve completed four non-fiction books, two of which are on Amazon.com, and one collection of sci-fi/fantasy short stories with a friend that’s also on Amazon.com. I’ve also had computer nine articles published in “FoxTalk” magazine, “Foxpro Advisor” magazine, “SQL Server Magazine” and two chapters were included in the book “Exploring FoxPro – Volume II”.

I have ideas for a few fiction books but right now I’m concentrating on the non-fiction books I have in development.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Chainmail Made Easy: 8 Wicked Weaves with 8 Practical Projects” is my latest book published on Amazon a couple weeks ago. It’s the second volume in a series of chainmail books. Chainmail being the art based upon a type of medieval armor and not the kind of chain mail via the good old post office.

It builds off the first in the series published in 2012, “Chainmail Made Easy: Beginner’s Guide in 7 Easy Steps!”. The first volume takes a beginner through how to learn chainmail from the history to parts of a ring, where to buy rings, how to weave 7 easy weaves, and a few projects to get one started.

The second volume just published gives a refresher on some of the basics of chainmail but mostly concentrates on learning 8 new weaves along with 8 cool projects plus a ninth bonus project making a red dragon inlay pouch.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, not really. I mostly work on my non-fiction books in the evening after my day job or at lunch. 99% is typed on my PC or laptop. I really only use paper and pen when I’m not near a computer or if I need to draw something out or figure out some calculations.

Some authors love to write out long hand and then transcribe. That’s a colossal waste of time at least for me. There are few enough hours in my day to write let alone have to duplicate my work. If I can write something once it frees up other time for editing and such.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I can’t think of any in the non-fiction realm but I used to read a lot of science fiction/fantasy and there are a lot of authors who I think influence what I write when writing fiction. Some of them include Julian May, Larry Niven, Stephen R. Donaldson, Simon R. Green, Dan Simmons, Ian Banks, James P. Hogan, Kevin J. Anderson, and a whole lot more!

As for specific books, I’d have to say Dan Simmon’s Hyperion series along with Julian May’s The Many Colored Land series. Both have outstanding characters that you care deeply about along with great plotting.

What are you working on now?
I’m just getting started on volume 3 in my Chainmail Made Easy series. This one will focus on methods for winding and cutting your own rings. For the serious chainmailler, it’s much, much cheaper to make your own rings than to buy them.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly I’m still figuring that out. What has worked for my chainmail books, which are currently exclusively sold through Amazon so I can take advantage of their KDP Select features (allows 5 days every 90 days you’re enrolled to do a free promotion in which you give you book away).

This then allows me to submit my book to 20 or 30 or more sites that accept either free or paid submissions of books about to be free on Amazon. Then I also post my book on the same number of Facebook “freebie” Groups or Pages on the first day it’s free. Then over the 3-5 day promotion period, even for a niche book like my books are, I can get between 3000 and 6000 people to download it.

Free, you might be asking? But I want sales! 🙂 Trust me, this is THE most inexpensive way to go to get your book out there and then push sales after the free promotion ends. Those who download your book for free still count as a “purchase” from the standpoint of Amazons ranking. And the lower your book ranks, the more sales you make.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes but it’s probably nothing they haven’t heard before. Write. Every. Day.

That’s it. Having great ideas is nice but unless you can execute on a regular basis, you’ll never publish anything. That means you must write every day even if you don’t feel like it. But if you do that, over time you WILL complete whatever project you’re working on.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Again, probably nothing new but you’ve got to write because you have a passion to write. Without a driving passion, you might as well just be going to a job you hate every day. Do something because you love it, not because you think you should be doing it.

What are you reading now?
I’m in-between books at the moment as I’ve been concentrating on getting my most recent chainmail book published and marketed but the last books I read were by A.G. Riddle in his Atlantis series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I often dream of writing one of the many fiction novels I have ideas for but I think my concentration for the next year or so will continue to be in the area of non-fiction books. I love fiction but man is it hard to make a living at it. You really have to write fiction because you love it with no expectations about monetary returns.

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 have to bring The Many Colored Land series by Julian May. I probably re-read the whole series at least once a year.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jeff Baker Website
Jeff Baker Amazon Profile

Jeff Baker’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Phyllis Burton and I have lived among the beautiful south-west Surrey Hills in southern England for many years and I feel they have given me the inspiration to write. Not only that, but I love choral and opera singing, walking and water-colour painting. I am married with three children and seven grandchildren. I love to write about my thoughts and those of my characters. I’m also an avid reader and often panic if I can’t find a book to read. After attending a Creative Writing Course, I soon started writing short stories, (two short-listed in competitions and one broadcast by a local radio station), poetry and one-act plays. I was also an enthusiastic member of the Haslemere Writers’ Circle and was on the Committee of The Grayshott Literary Festival.

I have written two full-length books: A PASSING STORM and PAPER DREAMS (published by Matador, an Imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd. of Leicester, England) and in May I self-published a book of short stories…”FIFTEEN BRUSHES WITH LOVE”, through Kindle KDP and Smashwords.

I spent years treading the boards with my local Drama group, performing plays and pantomime (including the role of Cinderella, in Cinderella, and the Vegetable Fairy in Jack and the Beanstalk – much to the amusement of my children). I have produced a full-length play and two of my own one-act plays. I was Auditions Secretary for Opera Omnibus. I am a trained Soprano and sang solo roles with two Opera Societies. I painted the picture on the cover of A PASSING STORM.

I also love to BLOG and these can be found on my website: www.phyllisburton.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I published my latest book – FIFTEEN BRUSHES WITH LOVE” as an ebook through Kindle and Smashwords in May 2013.

What inspired me to write this book?

My answer has to be the word “LOVE” This book contains fifteen short stories about LOVE. I have always enjoyed writing short stories and suddenly I had a pile of tales all with a love theme, but I would add that they are all quite different and unique. I love to explore the way people think and be able to put these thoughts down on to paper. After all, love in all its meanings, makes the world go round.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
People say that authors can be eccentric, so I suppose we all are to a certain extent. Sitting alone in front of an old typewriter or even the most modern computers or laptops would not be everyone’s idea of spending several hours each day. I often think of things to write about in the middle of the night and have to stop myself from getting up and rushing into the study to turn on my computer, so that I don’t forget some brilliant ideas. How frustrating it is when, just like a dream, that hoped for moment of brilliance is quickly forgotten.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always loved reading books of all kinds, so I suppose no individual author has influenced my writing. But I suppose it has to be the combined thoughts and styles of every book I have ever read that has shaped my writing style. Having said that, dear reader, I must admit to an unshakable regard for Jane Austen

What are you working on now?
Apart from constantly looking for new short story ideas, I have two current writing projects underway. I am mid-way through writing my third novel (romantic/thriller THE ICE MELTS). The main character, solicitor (lawyer) Sarah Wenham has to give permission for the machine that is keeping her husband Tom alive, to be switched off. Tom had been in a coma ever since the small aircraft in which he was travelling crashed into the side of a Swiss mountain.

Sarah cannot forget what she has done and despite the best efforts of John, her husband’s replacement in her firm of solicitors/lawyers, she spurns his advances. Several more problems ensue and have to be overcome before Sarah’s icy demeanour falters…and just as Sarah and John are beginning to get to know one another, more heartbreak suddenly looms on the horizon.

My second project is a future book with a title of ‘LITTLE PIDDLEWICK’. Earlier this year I wrote a short story entitled ‘EVIDENCE FOR BURNING’. The action takes place in the very English village of LITTLE PIDDLEWICK. Most villages are peppered with interesting characters and as an author friend pointed out, a collection of chapters/stories about the inhabitants of this fictional village could be great fun to write and hopefully great fun to read. I have some really intriguing ideas.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t consider myself as being an expert on marketing and I spend a lot of time (when I know I should be writing), on Facebook, Twitter, Google etc. None of these sites seem ideal, but I have joined one or two sites like The Independent Author Network, AskDavid and only this week, I pinned my hopes firmly to The Author Marketing Club. And of course, sites like AWESOMEGANG!’ will also hopefully prove to be important in the long run.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing is a solitary occupation, but at some time, authors must come out of their shells to find a qualified editor to read their beloved manuscripts. Assuming of course, that they have already edited it, edited it and edited it again. Nothing puts off a reader more than finding errors that take their minds away from the story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The Internet and social media in particular, are absolute mines of information for authors, but to obtain an excellent grounding in all aspects of writing interesting and well-formed stories, budding writers should consider joining a Creative Writing Course. There is also the added advantage of having your writing examined and critiqued by other members. But you still cannot get away from the most useful and best advice, and that is to always make sure your writing is as accurate as you can possible make it. So,edit, edit and edit… But don’t let your family and friends read it for you, unless like me, your daughter is a copy-editor…she is very strict.

What are you reading now?
At present, I am reading a non-fiction book – I mostly read fiction – Miranda Hart’s book “IS IT JUST ME?” gives me a laugh a minute. Miranda has a wonderful self-deprecating style, which can be summed up in one sentence. “…It was a sad moment in my life to discover that a six-foot fifteen year old was no longer welcome in the ballet class.”

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me as a writer? I have to finish off my book ‘WHEN THE ICE MELTS’ in between trying to market my three other published books. My second project – LITTLE PIDDLEWICK – a quintessentially English book, the action of which takes place in the small village of Little Piddlewick. Most English villages are peppered with interesting characters, so it should be great fun. I have some really intriguing ideas.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
If I was stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with me, one of them would have to be “Pride and Prejudice”, by Jane Austen. I think I would probably take Miranda Hart’s book “IS IT JUST ME?”, because I would need cheering up, my own book “PAPER DREAMS”, because poor Katie Nicholson goes through some terrible times, but it all works out in the end. Finally (a bit of a cop out!) I would take any book that would tell me how to build a shelter, so that I could read when it is raining!.

Author Websites and Profiles
Phyllis Burton Website
Phyllis Burton Amazon Profile
Phyllis Burton Author Profile on Smashwords

Phyllis Burton’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Ever since I won two Young Author Awards (1994 and 1997), I knew that I wanted to be a writer. I love sharing stories and personal experiences with others. Perhaps, what I love most is connecting with the readers. I went on to earn my Associates in Arts degree at Southwestern Illinois College in 2005 and earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications: Print Journalism in 2007 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. While attending SIUE, I won the Outstanding Journalism Student Award in 2006.

I have written two books. My first book is a collection of poetry entitled “More Than Words.” In this book, I explore what I like to call the three stages of love: Love Granted, Love Denied and Love Relinquished. Each poem is based off of my personal experiences with love. I feel that using these experiences helps me to better connect with the reader.

I have just completed my first children’s book entitled “Priceless Penny.” This book chronicles the incredible adoption journey of my three-legged dog, Penny.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I have just completed writing my first children’s book entitled “Priceless Penny.” This book was inspired by my amazing three-legged dog, Penny. She has a deformed front paw that looks like a short “stump” with two toes. Penny also has a severe overbite. Sadly, she was abandoned by her previous owners and was found as a stray on the streets of California.

2nd Chance Animal Rescue in Springfield, IL answered an e-mail from a friend about rescuing Penny and she was soon transported to Springfield where her journey to find a loving forever home began. I hope that Penny’s story will shed light on special needs dogs and empower those living with disabilities to reach for goals that they never thought were possible.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if this would be considered “unusual” but, when I am suffering from a case of writer’s block, I simply stop writing. I then will grab my iPod and listen to one of my favorite songs. I find that music helps to clear my mind and puts me back in the writing mood.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would have to say that my top three writing influences are: Dr. Seuss, Brian Jacques and Judy Schachner. Dr. Seuss was able to make learning fun through rhyme. He also kept his illustrations simple, yet, I can still recall the characters from “Green Eggs and Ham” quite vividly. Plus, his writing style is timeless. I can recite many of his books by heart to this day.

Brian Jacques was such an amazing writer. He was able to pain such vivid scenes with only words. I remember as I was reading his famous Redwall series that I could close my eyes and actually picture the grand banquet hall and the quaint country charm of Redwall Abby. And the characters that he created were very memorable as well as unique. “Martin the Warrior” is still my favorite book of all time.

Judy Sachner is a more recent author. She is the creator of the Skippyjon Jones book series. I simply love these books! Perhaps, this is due to the fact that I own five Chihuahuas and a cat… The Skippyjon Jones books comes alive with beautiful pictures and catchy songs. And I love how Skippyjon always uses his imagination to explore the world around him.

What are you working on now?
I just wrapped up writing “Priceless Penny.” I am thinking about turning Penny’s book into a series. Each book will showcase how Penny is discovering the world around her. My next possible book may be “Penny Meets Miracle,” in which Penny learns how to accept Miracle, a kitten that my husband and I rescued from the middle of main street in Freeburg, IL.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love to use social media! I am on Facebook, twitter, Pintrest, Tumblr, Instagram, Blogspot, you name it! I also created my own website so that I can update the site as often as I like.

Penny’s official website is: www.pricelesspennyp.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up! My advice may sound corny, but, it is so true. If you feel in your heart that you have a story to tell and you are passionate about that story, pursue it! Do not let anyone else derail you from your dreams.

Also, network, network, network! LinkedIn is an amazing resource.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Don’t be afraid to fail.” -Jillian Michaels

So many times, we give up on our dreams because we are afraid to fail. We care too much about what other people think. But, failure provides us with a chance to grow. We learn something valuable from each mistake that we make. Instead of fearing “what could be,” we need to keep our focus on our passions and pursue them at full speed.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading “Arch Enemy” by Frank Beddor. This is the final book in the Looking Glass Wars series. I just can’t put it down! There is action and suspense at every turn. And I need to find out if Alyss can save Wonderland once and for all…

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would love to be able to write a series of children’s books about my other adopted dogs.

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?
What a tough decision to make! I would have to take: The Bible, “Martin the Warrior”, the Winnie-the-Pooh treasury and any book from the Clique series. Those books are amazing!

Author Websites and Profiles
Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf Website
Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf Amazon Profile

Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

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

I live in the beautiful state of Alaska with my family where the spirits of animals and men roam free.

I am married to a wonderful man and we have three children and for a while we fostered girls which brought us joy.

I am currently a full-time college student and I write inspirational poetry. I have published two books so far.

Titles are:

1 Godly Inspirations for the Troubled Soul

2 Inspirations from Heaven’s Gate

Both are books of poetry with bible verses sprinkled within.

They can be found on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

I am able through the help of The Holy Spirit to write about the beauty and simplicity of life. Through words I want to reveal the beauty of Christ to the broken and lost spirits of humanity. Through pouring out my heart and tears and trying to be transparent I want to encourage people to see we are in this together.

I enjoy reading, writing, blogging, walking, family, social networking, scrap booking and photography.

I started out in a military family my dad joined the Air Force when i was little so the world has been my playground. It is where I learned to get along with other people and accept myself.

I am very comfortable with books and pens and paper. I sometimes feel like I was born with a pencil in my hand and I started writing at six years old and it has just expanded from there. I have never passed a library or used bookstore that I haven’t liked. As you can tell I am very chatty about my life, books and writing.

I am a Christian lady who comes from a Christian background and family. I came to know the Lord on a personal level when I was 17 years old. Since then I have been on a quest to learn more about Him and myself. On my journey I have come to realize my purpose in life is to write what is on God’s heart and encourage the broken and lost souls of humanity with it.

Here are two quotes I think sum up my writing life:

“I am a little pencil in the hand of writing God who is sending out a love letter to the world.”

Mother Teresa

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”

William Wordsworth

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is “Inspirations from Heaven’s Gate”

The Lord gave me the title.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes.

1. I do not sit down and force myself to write. I do not work that way.

2. God wakes me up in the middle of the night to talk to me and I write down what He gives me.

3. I listen for the Lord’s direction and follow His lead.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Julia Cameron

Joyce Meyer

Billy Graham

Natalie Goldberg

What are you working on now?
I am working on my third book of poetry. It is a work in progress.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I mainly use Facebook, Twitter, and my blog.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what is impressed upon your heart.

It has worked for me. If something will not leave me alone it has something to say and apparently I am the best one to say it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t treat your readers like idiots show what you are trying to tell them don’t tell everything.

What are you reading now?
1. The First Judment The Chronicles of Brothers Book Two by Wendy Alec

2. Satan You Can’t Have My Miracle by Iris Delgado

3. Still Writing by Dani Shapiro

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on a book about how Asperger’s has affected my family.

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 Bible

Author Websites and Profiles
Lisa Miller Website
Lisa Miller Amazon Profile

Lisa Miller’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account