Awesome Author Interviews

Here are some of the awesome authors that have submitted books for you to enjoy. Get to know them and discover their awesome books.

Elaina Davis

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My writing credits include authoring and recording paid advertisements for sponsors of the popular radio show “The Hair Show w/ Kerry Hines,” which was syndicated in New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta for many years. I have recently teamed up with the producer of that show for the premiere of the NEW Hairadio Broadcast Network. A 24hr radio talk show about hair, health, beauty and public affairs on www.hairadio.com.

I am currently writing a series of Inspirational Fiction books designed to encourage, enlighten, and inspire readers of all ages. I have completed and published 3 books, and am committed to adding a new title to my series annually. I endeavored to and am now proud to have my book series in stock at Jesus Book & Gift Stores in New Jersey, a chain I frequented when I lived there. For your convenience Clever Little Books are also available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle, among other venues.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Clever Little Book III~ The Undead. It’s the 3rd in the Clever Little Book series and continues the journey where my main characters ended the 2nd book. In each book my characters are advancing forward on a magical journey for an important and very particular reason.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write books very quickly, as my characters have taken on a life of their own. And I enjoy writing at night in the dark by the light of my computer screen. It’s when I feel most creative.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite book is “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho. That story though fiction, has influenced my life so much. Clever Little Book has even been compared to the Alchemist in that it also evokes emotion and engages the reader so passionately as you’re reading it.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on Clever Little Book IV~ Return of the Siren’s Stones. The Siren’s Stones were introduced in the 2nd book, and they’ve been brought back in the 4th book. My books contain many spiritual elements. Even encounter’s with the mystical creature the Siren, and a Watcher Angel too. Clever Little Book is really a breath taking journey.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t have a particular method. I’m just trying everything right now to get my work in front of an audience. Because I know that once someone reads the first book, they will want to continue the journey.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be confident that your work is just as good as anyone else and even better. And don’t become discouraged when you don’t see book sales right away. It takes time to build a following for your work, and also don’t be afraid to give away some books so that people become aware just how good your work is. I know for myself that, when I first read “The Alchemist,” I loved it so much that I ran out and bought the authors other 2 or 3 books. I didn’t enjoy them like the 1st, but I was intrigued to check them out. Promotional items are tax deductible so just keep receipts and claim them.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Follow your bliss, and what your passion is. Be confident about your craft and what you have to contribute to the literary world.

What are you reading now?
I just finished reading BrownShugar by Yolanda Hughes. Although it’s an urban novel unlike Clever Little Book or what I normally read, I really enjoyed it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next project will be an Instructor’s Guide so that Clever Little Book can be used in a group setting to teach on the subject of Love. Clever Little Book is the ultimate love story told over a series of 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?
I’d take my own books, I’d take the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and I’d take The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

Author Websites and Profiles
Elaina Davis Website
Elaina Davis Amazon Profile
Elaina Davis Author Profile on Smashwords

Elaina Davis’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

David Kreinberg

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in New Jersey. Most of my time was spent reading and gaming. I started seriously writing when I was 19, which was during the summer of my freshman year of college. It was only video game and graphic novel scenarios at the time, but I expanded to other mediums soon after that.

So far, I only have one book out, but I plan on writing many more.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book is called Freeze Kill, which follows the life of a serial killer with the ability to stop time.

I took inspiration from many places beyond just books. As with many of my ideas, I generally take an existing idea that I want to expand on or take in a different direction. The ability to stop time is a somewhat common power in super hero fiction, so I wanted to take that concept and turn it on its head by giving it to a purely “evil” person in a world where super powers do not exist for the most part.

This is something that was partially explored in Dean Koontz’s Dragon Tears, a book I took inspiration from. The anime/manga series Death Note was also something I had in mind as far as the supernatural killer angle went.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing I can think of. Maybe eating assorted cheeses when I write?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My influences span multiple mediums, ranging from video games to graphic novels, and obviously books.

As far as books go, Dean Koontz, Stephen King and Brandon Sanderson were pretty big influences. As I said before, Freeze Kill was partially inspired by the concepts found in Dragon Tears. Stephen King in general was a big influence on the way I create suspenseful developments and atmosphere.

A lot of Japanese media had a major influence on my writing style. I would cite writers such as Gen Urobuchi and Kotaro Uchikoshi as the more important ones on that front.

What are you working on now?
An action fantasy novel that I plan on turning it into a series. It’s quite different from Freeze Kill and will likely be much longer. The amount of ideas and plot developments I have in my head will not fit in a single book, so the plan right now is to make it a trilogy, but it may last even longer with how expansive the world is already.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook and Goodreads have helped quite a bit, as have getting honest reviews from acquaintances that find the hook interesting.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing no matter what. If it’s bad, worry about that later. Everything can be polished into something worthwhile.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take a walk if you have writer’s block. If that doesn’t work, take a run.

What are you reading now?
Finishing up the Mistborn Trilogy. Been a pretty good fantasy rush so far.

Also reading Danganronpa Zero, a prequel Light Novel based on the video game of the same name.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Working on more novels of course. I would love to expand to other mediums such as comics and movies, but for now I’m happy with where I am. Though, I do have some projects going on outside of novel writing. I currently write for Grimoire Assembly Forge, an indie game developer in the process of releasing their first game.

On the less creative side of things, I’m a video game journalist for Rpgsite, a website that, as its name suggests, posts news and reviews about games in the RPG genre. I will continue to write for them for the foreseeable 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?
Ender’s Game, Snow Crash, Dragon Tears, and Ready Player One.

Author Websites and Profiles
David Kreinberg Website
David Kreinberg Amazon Profile
David Kreinberg Author Profile on Smashwords

David Kreinberg’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Kari Aguila

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Kari Aguila, and I have recently sefl-published my first novel, WOMEN’S WORK. I was a geologist for the USGS for many years before I started having children and decided to be a stay-at-home mom. For the first six years of mom-hood, I read several books every day, but they always seemed to have little duckies, pooh-bears, or fairies in them. When all three of my kids were finally sleeping more than two-hour stretches, I took a deep breath and dove back into reading, soaking up so many great stories that I had missed during the baby years.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
When my oldest daughter started Kindergarten and the two younger kids were in pre-school one morning per week, I suddenly found I had three whole hours of freedom! Each week!! I had no idea what real people did with such vast swaths of time — I could clean the house, exercise, do laundry, or finally write that novel. Well, I certainly didn’t want to do a few of those things, so… WOMEN’S WORK is the result of those three glorious hours of freedom.

The story was inspired during a long walk through Discovery Park, along the coast of the Puget Sound. There are all these old dilapidated roads in that park, and I started thinking about a whole neighborhood struggling to survive after the infrastructure falls apart. A couple nights earlier, I had heard an interview with a female member of the U.S. Congress. She was asked why the government wasn’t able to get much done and replied, “If there were more women in Congress, we’d get more done.” The women in the audience cheered, and the man interviewing her was obviously offended. It got me thinking about that idea, and the story in WOMEN’S WORK evolved from there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tried to write at home, but was easily distracted. Instead, I started bringing my laptop to a local coffee shop and writing there. I have heard that coffee shops get mad when a person just buys one cup of tea and then sits at their laptop all morning taking up space, so I tried to sit at the bar section, and once each hour I would buy another cup of tea.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I like books with strong female leads. Unfortunately, strong women are usually overcoming terrible things — rotten childhoods, awful men, oppression — so I have to make sure not to read too many depressing stories. The Outlander was an unusual story that I enjoyed, and of course Handmaid’s Tale was a real game-changer for so many people. When I look at my bookshelf (I still read paper books, so my bookshelf takes up several walls in my house) I notice I have several Cormac McCarthy books. This is very strange, because I never like his books! Yes, they are amazing works of fiction. Yes, they absolutely transport the reader to a time and place. Yes, the characters are memorable. But, they are so bleak and dark and ‘manly’. And yet, every few years, I wind up with one of them in my hand at the check-out line of the bookstore.

What are you working on now?
WOMEN’S WORK just came out about two months ago, so I have been spending a lot of time publicizing that. I don’t have an agent, so I have been reading a lot online to figure out how to go about getting the word out about my book. I have two story ideas in my head that will need a lot of research, but the characters are beginning to take shape. Next year another one of my children will start Kindergarten, so maybe I’ll find the time to start writing again then.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve sent out dozens and dozens of emails to bloggers, but have only gotten a few responses. I think they are really inundated with book review requests these days. One blogger is highlighting WOMEN’S WORK on her blog in February when she focusses on the theme of “Smart Is Sexy”. Amazon has a list of their top 1000 reviewers, and I sent emails to some of them asking if they would write a review. Got a couple of hits there. So far the best exposure I have had is on the GoodReads site. I have sponsored two giveaways of my book, and many many people have requested it and added it to their to-read shelf. I will be hosting a Q&A there in March, and hope to hear readers questions and comments at that time.

There are several pay-for-review sites. I have sent WOMEN’S WORK to the Portland Book Review, San Francisco Book Review, Indie Review, and Publishers Weekly PW Select. Each of these cost money, but they guarantee a review in their publication, and will hopefully drum up some readers. Kirkus Review is very expensive, and I was able to get three of these other reviews for the price of one Kirkus, so decided against using them.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
There are often writing groups you can join if you live in a mid- to large-sized town. Check at your local college or university. This would be a great resource for info about writing and publishing. If you don’t have a writing group, start telling people you are writing a book — you’d be surprised how many people you meet have also written something! Bookstores try to have book signings and launch parties — go to them and meet the authors. Writing can feel lonely and it is easy to lose focus, but if you connect with other authors, you will start to feel like part of the community.

Don’t get discouraged when you get your beautiful, perfect, wonderful novel back from your first editor and find it completely ripped to shreds. Almost all of their comments are going to help you make your story even better. And you have to hire a stranger to edit for you. A friend isn’t going to be able to point out all the weak spots without hurting your feelings.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If god gives you a daisy, don’t try to make it into a rose.

Ok, that’s not necessarily about writing, but it could be. If your work is your daisy, you have to treat it with respect and kindness. Be positive and love it for what it is. Believe in your story and let it grow into what it will — the ending you thought you had when you started your book isn’t necessarily the ending you wind up with.

What are you reading now?
I have read a few great books lately — Blindness, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, Transatlantic, Tell the Wolves I’m Home. I have just started West of Here and like it because I live near the Olympic Peninsula and can relate to the setting in the book. I’m interested in learning more about the history of the Pacific Northwest, but don’t usually like non-fiction history books, so this is a compromise.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Ideally, I’d love to find an agent who can help me navigate the world of publicizing WOMEN’S WORK. It’s been like a part-time job for me during the last two months, and I’m not sure I’m spending all my time in the best ways. I really believe this book could take off once sales reach a tipping point — it’s gotten a lot of very positive reviews so far.

As for my next project, one of the story ideas in my head is set in the Philippines. My husband’s family is from there and I have visited twice, but would want to go back again with this story in mind to really do some research. My kids are still a bit young for that big trip, though, so it might take a couple years to get there. I’m also looking into some local writing groups and classes to help me hone my skills and become a better writer. One can always get better.

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?
Leaves of Grass — Walt Whitman’s best book of poems.

A Tale of Two Cities because I love it.

Anna Karenina because I’ve never read it.

A very thick empty notebook and pencils.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kari Aguila Amazon Profile

Kari Aguila’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Georgie Tyler

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a stay at home mum of three from Sydney Australia who recently finished a teaching degree and got a contract to publish my first novel, Doctors Beyond Borders with Escape Publishing, the digital arm of Harlequin in Australia. It’s been a busy 18 months! My contemporary romance novel was released on 1 January, 2014. It’s been a fantastic journey of learning and discovery. I’ve had so much support and inspiration from fellow authors and my friends and community. It’s been quite overwhelming. My husband has been my rock and when I’m feeling insecure and a bit scared he’s there to brighten me up. But whether I’ve got characters talking in my head pushing to get new stories onto my laptop, when you’re a mum it can get a bit tricky, especially when the kids are on summer holidays. For those of you that live in the northern hemisphere, it’s summer down here in Oz and we find ourselves at the beach most days.

Anyway, I won’t rabbit on. I’m so glad I found this ‘awesomegang’ and hope to get to know some of you guys as we continue on this writing journey.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest and debut book is called Doctors Beyond Borders. It is set in Sudan and my main characters are doctors who work for Medecins Sans Frontieres. I have sponsored children in Sudan over the years through a charity organisation and corresponded with them via mail. I guess my interactions with these families is what inspired me.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have about 7 note books lying around the house and in my different handbags and one in the car, and whenever something comes to me I usually have a notebook at hand so I can jot the idea down. This occurs at red lights sometimes too!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Since I’m romance writer, I’m a romance reader so authors like Nora Roberts, Laura Kaye, Caitlyn Nicholas, Kylie Scott have influenced me mostly. However, I’m a lover of anything Charles Dickens and love the Bronte sisters, and Dante!

What are you working on now?
My WIP is called Cuffs. I’m editing it at the moment. It’s a gritty story set in the inner city involving the criminal underbelly. My editor likes it and has asked me to tweak a few things before I send it back to her hopefully by the end of January.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Not sure yet. Am really new to all of this! Any advice???

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Persistence. I have received some awesome reviews from readers and a couple of ‘meh’ reviews which have knocked my confidence a bit. But, I keep telling myself that it’s all ok and I keep going.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t read reviews below 4 stars!!

What are you reading now?
Just finished reading a book my critique partner has just submitted. It’s awesome and I have no doubt we’ll be seeing it out on the virtual shelves sometime this year. I’ll let you guys know when it’s out!

What’s next for you as a writer?
A series. Cuffs, hopefully will be the first of a series I think I’m going to call ‘The Bulletproof Series’. I’ve made a start on the next book currently called Base.

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?
Hahaha! Definitely not romance if I’m going to be on my own!! Maybe something DIY to help me learn how to fish and build a shelter and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens!

Author Websites and Profiles
Georgie Tyler Website

Georgie Tyler’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Pamela M. Kelley

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Plymouth, MA and have always been a lover of all things book-related. I’ve been writing for years but only got focused about it this Summer when I moved into a new condo and met my next-door neighbor who is a published mystery writer. She invited me to join her local writers group and I’ve had a ball meeting with them twice a month. I’ve also belonged to Romance Writers of America for over ten years and recently joined Sisters-in-Crime.

I worked in journalism during and immediately after college. My part-time job for three years while in school was to spend every Sunday morning at the local Tampa Tribune offices, writing the obituaries, wedding and birth announcements. I’ve held other writing and marketing jobs since, including food blogging and writing for a local paper. But my favorite so far is writing novels.

I have two books available. Six Months in Montana, is a contemporary romance and TRUST, which just released a few days ago is a cozy mystery.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
TRUST is my latest book. It was inspired by an adult education class I took many years ago in Forensic Psychology. The class was fascinating and one of the case studies we looked at it intrigued me and I knew I wanted to use it in a book some day. It dealt with the concept of False Confession, and looked at a landmark case that changed the way police were allowed to interrogate suspects. Three teenagers were all interviewed separately and deprived breaks and even sleep. They lied to the teens and told them the others had confessed and then they wore them down until each one produced a confession and was then allowed to leave. An attorney got involved and it was determined that all three confessions were coerced, and were tossed out.

I used that in TRUST as backstory for the heroine who becomes a person of interest when one of her students goes missing. I looked at how having once confessed to murder, how would that affect the public’s perception in this case? She’s also about to get married, and never told her husband about this long ago confession, because it was tossed out. Should he have any doubts? Or should he trust in her unconditionally?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Oddly enough, I’ve always been a night-owl, but find that I write best in the early morning hours. I still work full-time, so my routine is to get up early, usually around 5 or 5:30, make a cup of dark roast coffee and then dive into the writing for a few hours. I usually reread a few pages of what I wrote the day before and then set out to write at least one scene, sometimes two.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many, especially as I write both romance and mystery. In the mystery world, it’s Dennis Lehane. His writing is just gorgeous and his stories so dark and haunting. The first line of Mystic River is amazing. He has such a unique voice. We all have our own voices though and as much as I admire Dennis, I actually tried to get into that mindset, and sat down to write a dark, atmospheric mystery and what came out was light and warm instead. 🙂

Other authors I love include John Grisham, especially his first book, A Time to Kill, and The Firm. Both are entertaining page-turners. Lisa Gardner is another favorite in mystery/suspense.

For romance, I’ve always loved Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A Woman of Substance. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read that book. I really enjoy big sagas that you can lose yourself in. Maeve Binchy was another author I really liked. For current romance authors, Debbie Macomber is a favorite. She writes sweeter, family focused romances and women’s fiction and that’s the audience I write for as well.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a sequel to my first book and it will be called Mistletoe in Montana. It’s a contemporary romance featuring two characters from the first book who will now have their own story. I have one more book in the series planned after that.

After that, I’ll be starting the second book in my cozy mystery series. This will introduce a new character and include many characters from the first book. Jane Cho is a former legal investigator who has a gift for numbers and computers. She was nearly killed in one of the law firm’s investigations and decided to quit and follow her passion for cooking. So she bought a condo in Waverly, MA, and opens Comfort Food, a small shop that sells…comfort food. Her next door neighbor is Ted Stanhope, the 91 year old retired town sheriff and she also meets Jack, the too handsome, thirty-something current assistant sheriff. Jack learns of her special abilities and tries to lure her into helping him on a puzzling case. Both Jack and the case are very tempting.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook is my favorite and most effective way to connect with readers and to promote my books. I enjoy spending time on Facebook and it’s a great way to share updates about the books. I also have a mailing list so readers who are interested can sign up and receive occasional emails about new releases, giveaways or special sales.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t just start writing a book, finish it. It took me quite a few tries to follow this advice and it’s the most beneficial thing you can do. It’s normal to have doubts at different points in the process or to get stuck, but it’s important to push on and finish because then you can always go back and fix it. Finishing a book really teaches you so much about how to write a good story. Other advice I would give is to read widely and pay attention to what readers are responding to. My goal is always to satisfy the reader, to entertain and have them wanting to read more. I’m always trying to write the kind of story that I would love to read. 🙂

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To write what you love and to finish writing the book.

What are you reading now?
I’m going to sound like such a geek, but I read a lot of books at once. Depending on my mood I might race through or put them down and start again. So, what I have going now is Agatha Christie’s Five Little Pigs, just started that last night, Elle Dawson’s The Christmas Gift, The Cowboy’s email Order Bride by Cora Seton, A Child is Torn, Innocence Lost by Dawn Kopman Whidden, Break in Two by MJ Summers, Both Sides Now by Shawn Inmon, and Wild Montana Sky by Debra Holland.

And a pile of others in my kindle that I haven’t opened yet.

What’s next for you as a writer?
There are so many stories I want to tell and genres to explore. What’s next for me is a women’s fiction novel.

I am about 100 pages in to a story called The Restaurant, which is about three sisters who inherit a restaurant that they never knew their grandmother even owned. The three sisters live in Boston, New York City and Seattle and have established lives in those cities. In order to sell the restaurant, their grandmother has a stipulation that they must spend a year working there first. The story explores how that year changes their lives.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, A Woman of Substance, by Barbara Taylor Bradford, The Firm by John Grisham, and something new.

Author Websites and Profiles
Pamela M. Kelley Website
Pamela M. Kelley Amazon Profile

Pamela M. Kelley’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Daniel Nanavati

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Cornwall and have written since I was 22 having had two agents one for my children;s books and one for my thrillers. I am bringing to publishing about fifteen children books, I have several plays and two thrillers to prepare and I have published some of my poems.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Midrak Earthshaker came out in December 2013. It was just an idea, like all my books, of someone ending up in another world and being terrified. From that initial page I went on to make it up as I explored the characters and the storyline developed.

I did enjoy Midrak as a character though and he now appears in the epic fantasy I am publishing in the autumn of 2014, Ruzniel. I wrote the first page of this story in 1988 and knew exactly how it ended but I have had an ill mother to look after and so only picked up the threads of the story in 2009, it is now finished at 880 pages and 320,000 words. Ruzniel looks at the last three days in the life of the universe and the titanic battle to ensure the new universe created from the next big bang has life that is free to make choices and not ruled by a cruel tyrant. It draws on the laws of magic hinted at in Midrak Earthshaker and expands on the whole magician / Ruzniel theme.

There are two shorter sister stories to Midrak Earthshaker the second story I ever wrote, Fulminar the Good Magician and The Mirror of Flame which explore two themes that come out in Ruzniel, that of living again and the idea of servitude.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I know. I mean writers I have read about had to have their clothes taken away in order to get them to write, so i missed that one. I don’t stand up to write, I don;t keep to a set time. I do get up tp make tea every hour but that started when I was revising for my degree.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I enjoyed CS Lewis, Tolkien and all the Treasuries of short stories from around the world. I was amazed at Peake, and always liked Dr Doolittle. I am influenced into believing that whatever you writ should be literature. Wind in the Willows transcends children’s book writing as does Alice in Wonderland, the Waterbabies, Watership Down and a few others.

What are you working on now?
Ruzniel is being beta read and then a final edit is planned for the summer. I am also talking to talented Eleanor Bennett about a cover for my first serious novel Helen’s Daughter. This is about a woman I met when I was 24 and how she had five children by different men and how society treated her from a child.

There is also a story Mr Binks illustrated by Nia Ellis about an alchemist who finds the secret to eternal life but it becomes a curse, and tells of how three modern day children help lift the curse.

There is also the fourth installment of the series Blueskin the Cat about a highwayman who is reincarnated as a cat and all the adventures he has. Of the many reviews only one has been negative and all the others have been four or five star out of five. The watercolours by Gabriela Sepulveda are wonderful.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
www.footsteps.co

The publishers who publish me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It is a hard way to try to make a living but it is the life you chose.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Life is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel

Horace Walpole.

What are you reading now?
Trying to wade through The Origins of Totalitarianism but though it is a political classic of the twentieth century I am finding it hard to get the time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A sequel to Ruzniel and more Blueskin books and lots of editing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would want a collected verse with all my favourite poems in. I would also take the complete Shänne Sands who, part from being a brilliant poet is also my mother so i am in some of them. There are very few people who can say they are in the poems of the great poets so that would be a continued honour.

I might also take a survival manual because it sounds like I would need it. And of course even in a desert I would have my pen so a notebook to write and if it came to it, to write my last words.

Author Websites and Profiles
Daniel Nanavati Website

Daniel Nanavati’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Curt Rude

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a highly decorated former police officer and graduate of the FBI National Police Academy. I have gotten to know murders, rapists and others who live according to their own edicts. I’ve written two stories, JusThis & Brand of Justice.

The Austin Daily Herald commented on me as such . . . “Take one dose of Rude’s prose. After 4 hours, call a friend and tell ’em, you can’t put his book down.”

Midwest Book Reviewer Repenski stated the following . . . “His writing turns the lights off in the darkroom. He really takes a shot in Brand of Justice.”

The Total Writer states . . . “Curt Rude captures what many run from – the truth-in this captivating story of greed, lust and ego fueled off vulnerable human emotion. Dark, yet, captivating, this fast moving book will have you on the edge of your seat.”

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

I wrote this story to highlight the fallout when officers get it all wrong. Nobody is perfect, police officers are somebody, thus they make mistakes.

The story itself is dedicated to incarcerated innocence and the loved ones they left behind.

I attended the trial of a young man, Jerimie Hicks in Great Falls Montana. His comments are on the back of my book. They read as such. “It only takes a second for things to go wrong-you can never get it back again. True character comes out in the darkest moments of struggle. Only after feeling horrific pain did I see the justice system for what it is. An evil puppet show, where prosecuting attorneys hold all the strings. They prance around, play on emotion, twist and destroy truths in their lust for convictions. Only those stained by the ‘Justice Puppet Show’ will ever understand. ‘Brand of Justice’ does happen!”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I put the shoes of my characters on. I feel their pain. The warmth of their smiles. I live, and breathe the air they breathe. Brand of Justice takes place in Casper, Wyoming. I walked the streets of Casper. I wanted to see what a sunset looks like there. I spent time on Death Row. I was belted into the Gas Chamber. I lived it. Then I wrote it. I have photographs of my efforts on my blog http://curtrude.blogspot.com/

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I studied under Roy Hazelwood, author of ‘Dark Dreams’. Another author I’ve been friends with over the years is John Campbell, who wrote, ‘Into the Minds of Madmen’. Ken Kesey has a writing style that is, in my opinion absolutely dead on. McMurtry has a method of madness that ties readers to his characters. We all got to know Gus and Captain Call as if they were our neighbors. My writing style, as in sentence structure, has been compared to Ernest Hemingway, by a reviewer. I of course took that to heart and have so far read ‘To Have and Have Not’ ‘Old Man and The Sea’ and ‘A Farewell to Arms’.

What are you working on now?
I am currently hammering out the details of an agreement to coauthor a book of short stories from the streets of America. I would write stories from a police captain’s perspective while my coauthor, a captain from a Chicagoland fire department would add stories from a fire fighters point of view.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I take the opportunity to engage my readers. To be available for them through this thing called social media. I have a website https://sites.google.com/site/curtrudewriter/home as well as a blog http://curtrude.blogspot.com/. With my stories, ‘Brand of Justice’ and ‘JusThis’, I’ve pointed out to my readers how to approach my stories. First, each chapter is subtitled with a song selection and I encourage readers to play it on their Kindle or what not, before devouring the chapter. It sets the tone. The mood.

I respond to emails or online comments. I’m honest. I’ve made guest appearances on Fox Televison, been on morning talk radio programs and been featured in newspaper articles. I am candid and point out that my stories, regard matters that ooze from the appalling side of human nature. I feel very strongly that I am writing in the direction of ‘whys’ regarding terrible headlines that haunt us almost daily.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Experience it. Write towards what you know. While putting ‘JusThis’ together I was terribly upset with having to spend so much time with a character. Chief Pullet. He disgusted me at every level. My wife, who teaches English and writing, advised me to be true to my characters. I was. That was great advice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Thomas Edison said it perfectly. One percent inspiration, Ninety-nine percent perspiration.

What are you reading now?
‘Gone Girl’ by Gillian Flynn. I raced to the end and then immediately started a second reading. I’m taking the second reading very slowly. I want to appreciate the style and form of the story. Gillian is a master of her craft. I loved the story.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m considering an opportunity to work at a university. I figure being around young minds and attitudes would be inspiring. As is the nature of authors, I also have a story that is swirling around in my head. I haven’t come up with any reason as to why it shouldn’t be told.

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?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Kesey

An Introduction to Literature by Barnet, Burto, Cain

Lonesome Dove by McMurtry

And of course . . . Outdoor Survival Skills by Olsen

Author Websites and Profiles
Curt Rude Website
Curt Rude Amazon Profile
Curt Rude Author Profile on Smashwords

Curt Rude’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

N.W. Harris

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Georgia, moved to California with the Navy and served on submarines and then went to college in California and New York. Writing was a hobby of mine from an early age, but I didn’t sit down and write a complete novel until my son was born in 2009. After my first novel was complete, I joined a critique group, the SCBWI and started numerous revisions which sharpening my craft. I began other novels as well to help further my skills as a writer and finished several which I plan to publish in the Future.

Currently, I have two novels published, “Joshua’s Tree,” and “The Father,” which are the first and second books in the “Joshua’s Tree Trilogy.”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published book is “The Father.” It is the second book in the “Joshua’s Tree Trilogy.” The trilogy was inspired by my love of science fiction, genetic engineering, and because I feel there is a need for more young adult novels that boys will enjoy as much as girls. Where “Joshua’s Tree” was a novel that followed Josh from a shy and rather wimpy geek to a young hero, “The Father” delves into some darker subject matter, involving the human desire to gain and maintain power over others.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure its unusual, but I like to write first thing in the morning until I’m drained and then write again every night before I fall asleep. Otherwise, I love my coffee while I write, and I try to do short burst of exercise periodically while writing to keep the juices flowing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Every author and every book I’ve read has some influence on me. I love the classics, “Tale of Two Cities,” “Treasure Island,” etc. I love Tolkien, JK Rowling, Dan Brown, James Dashner–too many more to list. My favorite book to date is “The Count of Monte Cristo.”

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the third and final book in the “Joshua’s Tree Trilogy” and am working on a book I’m very fond of called “The Last Orphans.” I’m hoping to have the third book in the JT Trilogy, “The Truth,” published next summer and am planing on entering “The Last Orphans” in a few contest before publishing it. A handful of awards can go a long way to help market a book. “The Last Orphans” is about kids struggling to survive in a world where all the adults have been killed, and it’s set in the south where I grew up.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t found one method or website that is the cure all for book promotion. I’m still learning the ropes, but it seems to me that a writer must do a little marketing work everyday. A blog and/or website helps, but make sure it is easy to click through and buy the book or you may lose a lot of frustrated customers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write for the love of writing, not to make money. It can take years for a writer to make enough money off their craft to live on, and many never will. If you write because you love to write, and plan on writing everyday for the rest of your life as a means of meditation, as a way to add joy to your life, then your craft will evolve and your chances of success will increase.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Join a critique group. Find one with good writers and listen to their advice. Also, read, read, read… I know it can be hard to read when you’ve been staring at the computer all day, working on your book. I like audio books because they give the eyes a break and you can listen to them while doing chores around the house or exercising.

What are you reading now?
“The Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton, “A Pirate, a Blockade Runner, and a Cat” by Beverly Stowe McClure, and “This Side of Paradise” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to continue in the practice of writing with hopes that someday I will write that novel that will rise to the top of the best sellers lists (isn’t that every writer’s dream after all?)

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?
Easy, “Count of Monte Cristo,” “Hobbit,” “Tale of Two Cities,” and “Treasure Island.” I know, they are all old books, but they are my favorites to date.

Author Websites and Profiles
N.W. Harris Website
N.W. Harris Amazon Profile

N.W. Harris’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Cynthia Vespia

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been passionate about writing and books for as long as I can remember. It started with short stories on a typewriter and now I’ve written about 8 different full length novels in various genres.

I write to entertain and my dream, like most writers, is to have my work recognized and appreciated.

In my spare time I like to stay fit with weight training and martial arts, anything outdoors, and unwinding with a movie or good book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel LUCKY SEVENS is a thriller set in Las Vegas. It is the story of Luca Luchazi, head of security for Saints and Sinners Casino, who has to find a killer on the loose when famous names start winding up dead.

I wrote LUCKY SEVENS because I grew up in Las Vegas and I was tired of all the stereotyped, fluff pieces people portrayed on TV, movies, and even in song. Yes, Vegas is a party town but there are also REAL people who live here. It was my intent to showcase that above all else.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I still prefer to write long hand on a legal tablet and then go back and put everything in the computer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dean Koontz was my first influence. It was after reading his work that I decided I wanted to be a full on author. I’ve also enjoyed Mary Higgins Clark and I like finding new voices.

What are you working on now?
I’m writing a spin off to my acclaimed Demon Hunter series. And I’m also developing two more series that I plan to get off the ground in the next few years.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook alot and it is linked to my Twitter page.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write the book first, then worry about how you’re going to publish it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Write for the wastebasket.”

It takes the pressure off of trying to deliver a perfect first draft.

What are you reading now?
Off Season by Jack Ketchum…its fabulous!

What’s next for you as a writer?
This year I’m looking to attain a traditional publishing contract with a major house. For all the benefits of self-publishing I would still like to see what happens when a larger company is behind my work.

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?
Intensity by Dean Koontz…that’s what started it all.

Lord of the Rings so I could finally finish it!

A book of blank paper to write in.

And a survival manual 🙂

Author Websites and Profiles
Cynthia Vespia Website
Cynthia Vespia Amazon Profile
Cynthia Vespia Author Profile on Smashwords

Cynthia Vespia’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Emily Rose

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but “Eyes of Ice” is my first book! It’s definitely been a learning experience from start to finish. I’m really excited about the finished product, though, and so pleased that the early readers that I’m hearing from are also enjoying what I’ve written.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My new novel is an erotic romance called “Eyes of Ice.” I’ve always been one of those readers (especially of romance and erotica) that would groan and think “I could do better than this.” I often felt like such genres alienated the reader by refusing to respect their intelligence and needs, and eventually I became so frustrated that I decided to write my take on the vampire romance genre. That writing developed into “Eyes of Ice.” Though “Eyes of Ice” was accepted by numerous publishers such as Ellora’s Cave, many took issue with the conflicted nature of the heroine. In “Eyes of Ice,” the young protagonist, Cecelia, struggles with her own sexual awakening and budding romance in contrast to the imperatives of her career. The aforementioned publishers informed me that they would love to publish the novel, if only I reworked Cecelia’s narrative to end on a formulaic “Happily Ever After.” Suddenly, I saw how so many writers did fall into the traps that I’d been reading for the past few years, and I knew that I should do all I could to avoid such repression. I discarded the opportunities offered by these publishers, refused to compromise Cecelia’s story, and published “Eyes of Ice” on Amazon myself.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t write without a mug of peppermint tea; if I run out, it throws my entire writing schedule out of whack and results in an angry trip to the grocery store.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Obviously, since “Eyes of Ice” is in the vampire novel genre, I’ve been influenced by the vampire popularity of recent years. But I remember Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” as a very important book to me at a young age, too. Like so many others, I’m constantly drawn to the dramatic tension and symbolism provided by the vampire romance novel, where the danger of sexuality is frequently written as indistinguishable from a danger of darkness and monstrosity.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the sequel to “Eyes of Ice,” and an as-yet untitled erotic romance about a medical student’s brush with the escort industry.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve been promoting all over, but I think the most helpful promotion tools have been the reviews and comments of my readers. I appreciate them so much.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep working at it and don’t get discouraged! Practically anyone you ask will say that they want to write a novel some day — but they don’t right? This demonstrates that if writing was easy, then EVERYONE would have followed through and written something substantial. So, remember that even if you enjoy it (and I do) writing will still feel like a lot of work. During these times, when writing or promoting your book feels like a slog, remember that you’ll get that enjoyment back through your readers.

I mean, this is all what I keep telling myself, anyway!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I don’t know that it’s advice, but there’s a Henri Matisse quote that I think of frequently: “Creativity takes courage.” Look at me; I’m writing within a VERY well-defined genre (erotica, vampire romance), a genre so well-defined that publishers wanted me to adhere more to its homogenizing standards. This all means that my creativity takes a very large amount of courage. I think it’s worth it!

What are you reading now?
“Lady Chatterley’s Lover”! What a classic, right?

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m still trying to promote myself, create a fan base, and reach as many discerning readers as possible. I’m hoping that as “Eyes of Ice” gains in further popularity, I that can learn even more about what it is that readers appreciate and what they would like to see more of. And, of course, I’m working on those two books that I plan to release before April!

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, of course! It’s like a Desert Island Survival DIY! All right, humor aside, I’d also bring Allende’s “The House of the Spirits,” and George Orwell’s “Down and Out in Paris and London.” I find myself able to return to Allende again and again and find different things each time, and I always feel as if I can learn from Orwell’s cleverness.

Author Websites and Profiles
Emily Rose Amazon Profile

Emily Rose’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Ron Mattos

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a native Californian living in North County San Diego. He is a graduate of Chapman University and is employed by California State University San Marcos. This is the first book I’ve published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Return To Violet was inspired by the desire to create something that is entertaining and humorous, yet contains elements of truth, beauty and goodness sprinkled throughout the story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
First, I outline the story and then I create a full bio of each character. That gives me a skeleton for the story and then I begin writing. As I write, many new ideas come to mind that fill in the flesh of the story.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Mark Twain, Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac, Shakespeare.

What are you working on now?
My sanity.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m finding that out now and don’t know the answer yet.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If possible, have someone knowledgeable read your work aloud to you. The weak parts stick out like a sore thumb when you hear that reader stumble over the wording in a sentence that needs to be reworked.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Rewrite and have it read out loud to you.

What are you reading now?
Things about marketing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
If I recover from writing this book, then hopefully another.

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?
Mark Twain, Hunter S. Thompson, and Shakespeare.

Susan Gourley

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a full time writer, living in Pennsylvania with my husband and six children. We have a large home in the country, surrounded by lots of wildlife. I have a completed epic fantasy series, The Futhark Chronicles, available to readers. First Dragon is the first book in my next fantasy series, The Morbunda Saga. I also write romance and science fiction using the pen name, Susan Kelley. I work with two different publishers as Susan Kelley and have eight books published, including the best selling science fiction novel, The Marine’s Queen.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
First Dragon is set in the classical medieval setting of high fantasy. Kerik, the main character in this series, was actually inspired by Superman. When I think of Superman, what I think of is how alone he is. There’s no one else like him and no one else who carries the responsibilities of his great powers. Kerik is the only dragon in existence in his land of Morbunda. Though he fights by the side of his human friends, none of them really understand his thoughts or motives. He’s the only one of his kind and his dragon nature adds a lot of internal conflict to all his actions.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My family laughs at me, but I must have a movie or TV show playing while I write. Perhaps because I grew up in a family of seven children and had six of my own, I need some noise in the background at all times. Usually I have Netflix or Amazon Prime playing on my Kindle Fire while I’m writing in my office. My next favorite place to write is in a busy coffee shop with lots of chaos to help me concentrate on the keyboard in front of me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Like most fantasy lovers, I started out by reading Tolkien. My ninth grade English teacher introduced me to his books. My current bookshelves hold Brandon Sanderson, John Marco, Michael J. Sullivan and Miles Cameron.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second draft of The Recon Marines science fiction series I write as Susan Kelley. The first book, The Marine’s Queen, was a bestseller on Kindle and the second book, The Marine’s Heiress, will be out early in 2014. I also have edits to complete on War Dragon, the follow up novel to First Dragon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Oh, if I only knew what would work best. I do some promotional posts on Facebook and Twitter and have a very active blog. For my next release, I’ll be running a contest on Goodreads and use that to promote. I’m not sure there is a ‘best’ way.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t do this alone. Find a group of writers to network with, either in person or online. They will keep you going when your feel frustrated or rejections get you down.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’m not sure who told me this first but I’ve heard it from lots of editors and agents. After you submit a piece of work, don’t wait around to hear back about it. Start work on your next project. When and if the rejections come in, you’ll feel better if you’re enthused about another project. Always have more than one thing going.

What are you reading now?
I’m starting in on Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings in anticipation of the next book in the series being released in March.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m outlining my next science fiction series, creating a world and the science involved in the futuristic setting. I like my science to make sense even if it’s fictional.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Lord of the Rings, my big book of Jane Austen and The Count of Monte Cristo. I covered lots of genres with those three.

Author Websites and Profiles
Susan Gourley Website
Susan Gourley Amazon Profile
Susan Gourley Author Profile on Smashwords

Susan Gourley’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Kristen Lester

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I’m your typical small town girl trying to do something different. I basically was that girl you’d see with her head buried in a Harry Potter book in the back of the classroom. I go to college, I listen to hardrock/heavy metal, and you will usually see me taking evening walks around campus with my iPod. So far I’ve only written one book, but I plan on writing many MANY more. I’ve written poems before and short stories, but only one of those were ever published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, also my first book, is called Locked Within. As far as inspiration goes I wanted to write a series that really spoke to readers. I didn’t want the characters to be characters, I wanted a series that made the readers feel like they were real. I wanted to write something real. I’ve always loved dark fantasy and I figured writing something in that genre would be the best step to make.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Haha yes actually. I stare at celebrities on google images who look like my characters. It helps me picture them.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.K. Rowling has been a HUGE influence on me. Honestly if it were not for Harry Potter I probably wouldn’t be a writer today. Reading those books made me want to be a writer. It made me want to create worlds just like she did. Another influence of mine would be Stephen King. I’ve been a fan of his for years.

What are you working on now?
Currently I’m working on the second book for The Doubled Gate, Blood Is Thicker.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I don’t care what ANYONE tells you NEVER stop writing, and always believe in what you create.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Probably don’t use too many adverbs

What are you reading now?
For now I’m re-reading The Shinning.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish the series and hopefully appear on the best seller list.

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 Lord that’s a hard one. Probably the first and last Harry Potter books, Pet Semetary, and Dracula

Author Websites and Profiles
Kristen Lester Website
Kristen Lester Amazon Profile

Kristen Lester’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Christina Martine

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hey, I’m Christina and I have two books published: Cat the Vamp and Wake Me.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My new novel is called “Wake Me” and it was inspired by various spiritual and philosophical ideologies. The main ones I’ve referenced include enlightenment, pantheism, Buddhism and solipsism.

“Wake Me” is a self-published novel. You can support me fully by ordering a copy off my Createspace page: https://www.createspace.com/4526910

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t always write at a desk. I love writing on my bed, with all my notes sprawled out around me. I even wrote a section of “Wake Me” in a bathtub because I needed peace and quiet!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
“Wake Me” was inspired by these novels: “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac, “Tropic of Cancer” by Henry Miller and “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently taking a break from writing another novel to work on my art. You can check out my paintings here: http://www.facebook.com/ChristinaMartineArt and they are also on my website: http://www.christinamartine.com.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve submitted my novel to a few Youtubers to review. I think the first thing everyone does when they want information on anything… is go to Youtube to find a video about it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. Don’t give up because of criticism. Follow your heart. Everyone has a story to tell.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You create your reality.

What are you reading now?
I just finished the extended edition of “The Stand” by Stephen King. It was the longest book I’ve ever read. It was amazing but I’m glad to be done with it finally. I’m going to read something a bit lighter next: “Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to travel the world and write a book about my experiences. A non-fiction book.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, anything by Deepak Chopra, maybe a survival book of some kind… Probably more Stephen King.

Author Websites and Profiles
Christina Martine Website
Christina Martine Amazon Profile
Christina Martine Author Profile on Smashwords

Christina Martine’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

EM Kaplan

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a Girl Scout, trombonist, toilet-cleaner, beginner ninja, and subversive marketeer. I have an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. My ancestry is Chinese and Russian, so you’d think I would have been a gymnast, but no, I’m not, although I’m more flexible than the average joe.

I currently live in northern Illinois with my husband, two kids, and our dog. And it’s really cold today. Like, really cold. I hear the surface of Mars is not much colder. I miss Arizona today. I also miss feeling my toes.

I’ve written three books, including a mystery, a collection of literary short stories, and also a semi-autobiographical novel that will stay on the top shelf of my closet as long as I’m able to draw breath. I’m currently working on three other novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
THE BRIDE WORE DEAD, A JOSIE TUCKER MYSTERY just came out about a month ago. The main character, Josie Tucker, is a tiny woman with a lot of attitude. She’s a loner at heart, but she’s a people-magnet. Ethnically, she’s half-Thai, but she’s also 100% American. She’s a food critic who can’t eat. She’s a character of many contrasts.

The story centers around a bride who dies under suspicious circumstances on her honeymoon—anaphylaxis, actually, from a bee sting. Josie, who was a fill-in bridesmaid at the wedding, goes to Arizona to find out what happened.

The inspiration for this book came from a tale I heard through a friend of a friend. It involved the Arizona desert. And a shovel. That’s all I can tell you without legal counsel.

I’m kidding.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a big fan of looping a single song continuously on my iPod while I write. I pick out a song for a scene, and every time I play the song, it gets me back into the right mode, the right perspective for what I was working on. Of course, I have to use earbuds or I’d drive everyone around me totally crazy. I’ve been known to listen to the same song for a month. Is that nuts?

Otherwise, I’m not married to any medium. I have moleskin notebooks, a laptop, sticky notes, college-ruled notebook paper, and bargain-bought school supplies. Although, I’m not a fan of wide-ruled notebook paper. That stuff bugs me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My short list of favorite books or authors:

— Interface by Stephen Bury (Neil Stephenson)

— Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo

— Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie

— Pride & Prejudice by . . . well, you know . . . Jane Austen

For me, these book are all about characters, dialog, and situations made humorous, not through slap-stick, but by how the characters, as they’ve been drawn, react to them. I love that.

What are you working on now?
A friend of mine, who’s also a skilled reader, just gave me review comments back on a draft of a fantasy novel, the working title of which is UPRISING: MEL OF THE MASK. I’m hoping to get it out this spring.

UPRISING paints an interesting, slightly historical world that’s pre-industrial, but on the cusp of great discoveries. The main character, Mel, is part of a race of people who have been trained to be impartial observers, arbitrators for other societies. In their capacity as judges and mediators, they are required to disguise their identities. She has to give up her personality and don a mask and a cowl. A chance encounter with a hunter changes the course of her future.

As an aside, I think the first draft might have been a little too explicit. One of my reader’s main comments was “more foreplay, less copulation,” which sounds funny. It’s no Slammerkin, for pete’s sake. She asked if I’d been watching Game of Thrones while writing it, which I hadn’t. I have read the first couple books in that series, but I stopped after getting a little queasy and heartbroken over the slaughter.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, word of mouth has been really helpful. I’ve also used sites like Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter. I’m still in the beginning stages of promotion, so I gather as much info as I can on almost a daily basis. The experience of other writers is invaluable.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My husband, author JD Kaplan, used to have a series of self-hypnosis podcasts that cracked me up. They were specifically created for writers, and one of the key phrases or mantras you were supposed to internalize was to “WRITE. NOW. RIGHT. NOW.” I’m sorry to say I can’t remember who created the recordings–it was several years ago that we listened to them–but even after all this time, I still remember them, and darn it, it seems to have worked.

The point is, to write well, you have to write often. And now. Write now. Right now.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I get is the kind that makes me cranky. It makes me pissed off. It makes me want to put away my project–whatever I’m working on at the moment–and take a break. Because part of me knows that it’s good advice. If criticism makes me emotional, there’s a grain of truth to it.

Usually, I put the project away for a little while so I can stew about it and internalize it. Then later, when the emotion is gone, I take the advice and apply the parts that I know are legitimate.

What are you reading now?
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. Although it’s partly a comic book, it’s not funny. It’s actually a little painful to read. I’ve been following her online for a little while. And, like Heather Armstrong (Dooce from dooce.com), she struggles with emotional issues like Depression and anxiety. These are real women with real problems. The immediacy of access to them online through social media is creepy and addictive and wonderful all at the same time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m hoping 2014 is the year I start cranking out the books. I spend my daylight hours working for Motorola (now owned by Google) as a technical writing. I write user guides for their phones, sometimes on pretty tight deadlines. This year, I want to focus on writing for me and for my readers. I want to do the kind of writing that feeds the soul.

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?
Maybe Fifty Shades of Gray because those are the only circumstances under which I might be desperate enough to read that book. Not that I have anything against an indie writer winning the lottery like that.

Otherwise,

–The Green Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (a childhood favorite)

–The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

— and a blank notebook, as long as I had something to write with. Otherwise it would be like that Twilight episode where the guy survives the destruction of the world in his library only to break his glasses.

Author Websites and Profiles
EM Kaplan Website
EM Kaplan Amazon Profile

EM Kaplan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Shelley Streit

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a passionate speaker, author and mentor whose mission is to inspire and empower individuals to be resilient and turn obstacles into opportunities; to face adversity with optimism. Known for her sincerity and candid, but non-judgmental style, Shelley has helped thousands from all walks of life to live each day to its fullest potential by giving them tools to build their resiliency and step into their own strength. Experience drawn from a difficult life as a youth taught her the value of learning, making tough but intelligent choices, and hard work.

To date I have written one book and been a contributor to several books compiled by other authors.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book I have written is called Beyond the Rear View Mirror – Navigating the detours on the Road of life.

It was inspired because I wanted to write a business book however each time I attempted to write I felt the need to explain why I thought the way I did and how I was set apart from my peers. It was at this time that someone had said to me this is not the right book. your story is what is wanting to be told. once I began writing it flowed from me and I had no idea in the beginning what was to happen but the story was on paper and the process evolved.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am not sure that they are unusual but I write in spurts. sometimes taking a whole weekend to write and then not again for quite sometimes.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Brene Brown, Charmaine Hammond, Robin Sharma, Carolynn Jessop

What are you working on now?
I am currently speaking and spreading the message of resiliency to inspire others to defy the odds and design their own rich life.

There is a book in the works however I am taking my time to write it and allowing the process of transformation for myself to unfold along the way.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have found speaking to be the best method. it allows people to get to know me as the author and an opportunity to get a physical copy of the book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do not get caught up in the small details. Pour your heart out and let the professionals take care of the details such as the editing, formatting and design process.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just Write! They will always be naysayers and those who are intimidated or jealous of your work however you must tell the story. one story can change a persons life.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Gifts of imperfection by Brene Brown

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to publish another book in 2015-2016.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would take the books I have started and not finished.

The gifts of imperfection by Brene brown

The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma

Return to love by Marianne Williamson

Author Websites and Profiles
Shelley Streit Website
Shelley Streit Amazon Profile

Shelley Streit’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Becky Monson

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I’m a stay at home mom of three kids. I’ve written one book and am in the process of writing two more. My life is complete chaos and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book out is Thirty-Two Going on Spinster. It was inspired by many things. Different jobs I’ve had, different people I’ve met in life, and of course there is definitely aspects of myself in the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to pile up pillows and sit on my bed and write. If I’m having a hard time concentrating or having a little writer’s block, sometimes just switching places (like to the kitchen table) helps.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Sophie Kinsella. She is definitely one of my favorites. I love her wit and comedic timing. I really adore British authors, especially chick lit authors. Books with humor are always my favorite. I like an escape when I read. Life has too much “real” in it as it is.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on two books. A sequel to spinster and another book with a completely different cast called Speak Now, Or Forever Hold Your Peace. It’s a book about a girl who tries to stop a wedding. I’m having fun bouncing back between the two books. It helps when I am at a stand still with one book, I can move on to the other.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a big fan of Bookbub. They catapulted my writing career into full speed. Fabulous website and wonderful people to work with. I also like ENT (Enews Reader Today) and Pixle of Ink.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well, first you have to have a book. A good one. Secondly, you must spend money on a quality editor and a fantastic cover. Those two things will make or break you. The next thing is that you can’t just put your book out there and expect people to buy it, you have to market yourself. Be present on social media. Do blog tours, spend time on Twitter and Facebook, get your name out there. Always be looking for ways to promote yourself. And then don’t forget to keep writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’ve gotten a lot of advice along this short publishing journey of mine. But I think the best piece of advice came a long time ago, from my dad. He always told me that if I put my mind to it, I could do anything I wanted to do. And I’ve always believed that about myself.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Zoey & The Moment of Zen by Cat Lavoie. It was fabulous Chick Lit. Now I’m on to After Wimbledon by Jennifer Gilby Roberts.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing. I want to finish the two books I’m working on during this first quarter. Then I have a YA Trilogy that I can’t wait to start. I am also going to attend a few conferences this year. I went to my first one in Vegas last year and I can’t believe how much I learned. It was definitely worth the time and money. I’m looking forward to more this year.

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 love to say something deep like War and Peace or something. But I am going to have to go with all chick lit:

Can You Keep A Secret – Sophie Kinsella

I’ve Got Your Number – Sophie Kinsella

Twenty’s Girl – Sophie Kinsella

Jemima J – Jane Green

Yeah, that’s a lot of Sophie Kinsella, but she makes me laugh. And if I was going to be stranded on and island, I would need to laugh.

Author Websites and Profiles
Becky Monson Website
Becky Monson Amazon Profile

Becky Monson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Marty Essen

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the author of the the six-time award-winning book “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents.” I am also the creator of “Around the World in 90 Minutes,” which is the live/theatrical version of my book. For the past six years I have been presenting “Around the World in 90 Minutes at colleges from coast-to-coast. It has become the second most popular slide-show of all-time, behind Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Prior to the above, I was a talent agent/manager in the music business.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
At the present time “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents” is my only published book. The book was inspired by feedback from readers who enjoyed newspaper stories I had written about my adventures to the Amazon Rainforest and Australia. After writing those two articles, I did some research and found out that no one had written a book on “travel to all seven continents, looking for rare and interesting wildlife,” so I made that my theme. I visited all seven continents during a three-and-a-half-year period, with each adventure becoming a chapter.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I write, I do so non-stop—frequently writing sixteen-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. Sometimes I’ll spend an entire day getting a single paragraph just the way I want it. I am definitely not a speed-writer!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Joe Kane (author of “Running the Amazon”) and Bill Bryson were the biggest inspirations for my first book.

What are you working on now?
I have just finished two children’s books, which have wildlife conservation themes, and I will soon start work on another adult travel/nature book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think it’s important to use as many promotion methods as possible. For me, I sell the most books at my live shows. But in reality, it’s my live show (based on my book) that is the most profitable. I have been able to make an excellent living for six years and counting, performing “Around the World in 90 Minutes” at colleges. A show which, of course, wouldn’t exist without my book.

I also teach a college workshop, “Cool Writing Careers,” that generates book sales.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t get cocky and think you can write a book without help from others. Work with a professional editor. Listen to that editor’s advice, but if you and the editor disagree on something important, don’t give in. After all, it’s your book!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From my editor: Don’t just tell the reader what’s happening. Help the reader experience what is happening, using all of his or her senses!

What are you reading now?
Last night I finished an independently published book that was just okay. The story was good, but the author should have done a better job of proof-reading and/or worked with a professional editor. Since I have a policy of not publicly dissing other authors, I’m going to keep name of the author and the book confidential.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Since I have many years of experience as a talent agent/manager, I represent myself as a literary agent. I am currently shopping my two completed children’s books to publishers as well as querying different publishers about my idea for a new adult travel/nature book.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I seldom read books more than once, so that’s a tough question. My favorite non-fiction book is “Running the Amazon” by Joe Kane, and my favorite fiction book is “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger. That being said, I’m really getting a kick out of Rick Gualtieri’s hilarious “Bill the Vampire” series. So I’d probably want to bring a few of the yet-to-be-written “Bill the Vampire” books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Marty Essen Website
Marty Essen Amazon Profile

Marty Essen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Alex Laybourne

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
A horror writer born and raised in the United Kingdom, I moved to Holland (the Netherlands) 7 and a half years ago.

Married with four children, a husky puppy called Zombie, and a busy day job, writing is my passion and something I am constantly working on.

I get up early, go to bed late and use all of my free time to write, edit or promote myself and my writing.

I have currently got 4 titles published, with another short story collection (The Musings of a Hideous Mind: Volume III) due to come out this coming Friday (January 10th).

I have 3 other novels planned for release this year and if time allows two more that I would like to get edited and published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is one that I have only just started, in fact, I have not actually written a single word on it yet, but it has been part of my life for the last five or six years.

My debut novel was Highway to Hell, the first in a trilogy of novels, and the current novel is to be the third installment thereof.

This is a book I have been simultaneously looking forward to writing and also putting off for as long as I can. The scope of the story as it stands is immense. There are so many different directions that I could take it, and I want to make sure that I follow the correct ones, and not rush into something.

The first two books have been very well received, and I want to wrap up the series not just in style, but in a manner that is befitting of the characters and the journey they had taken.

There will be a bit of theology in there, some psychology, quite a few of the -ologies, and of course lots of horror.

The book is, as of yet, untitled. Most of my work is, until I reach the half way point in the first draft. Usually the name just comes to me, out of the blue, and so I do not make too much of an effort to nail it first off.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I have any unusual habits per se. With four young children, my writing habits have been formed around the philosophy of ‘grab whatever free time you can.’

I will grab just a couple of minutes here and there, jot down a few sentences or a line of dialogue. Whenever opportunity arises, I seize it.

That being said I do have certain times of day that I am better suited to certain types of writing. Early morning is when I write my best Horror, yet midday and early afternoon is when I do my best editing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I couldn’t really be a horror writer without mentioning Stephen King, but it almost comes as a given that the man has inspired me (and the rest of my generation) no end. He has not only written so many great novels, but he has done so covering a great many settings, story lines and scopes. From short powerful fiction to epic tomes that deserve their place on any bookshelf. He is the master of his craft and certainly influenced my early writing style.

The Shining, IT and The Stand are some of my favorite King novels, while for short fiction his story Survivor Type will always haunt me.

Another author that really helped to shape my understanding of horror, and the great ways in which it can be tweaked and distorted is Clive Barker. In specific his Books of Blood short story collections. I have read them multiple times and each time find some new thing to love about his words.

Not only are they some of the best horror stories I have ever read, but they are easy to read, the words flowing like poetry, pulling you into a complex world where there are no limits, no taboos. You never know what he is going to do.

I am now starting to read Poe and Lovecraft, there can be little doubt that their skill and ability to terrorize helped shape the genre, but, especially with Lovecraft, his wordiness now, may struggle to hold the attention of a modern age reader.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on three different projects, including the aforementioned third installment of the Highway to Hell trilogy.

I have a new release coming this Friday (10th January) and this will be the third short story collection in a series ‘The Musings of a Hideous Mind: Volumes I, II, and III’ and these will also be combined into one paperback volume.

I am also going through the final edits on my zombie novel Diaries of the Damned, which is scheduled for release on February 22nd.

I have several more novels planned out for the year, and numerous sort stories that I would like to get written and hopefully submitted to some anthologies too.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
When it comes to self promotion I suck big time. I made a promise to myself that this year would be the year I start taking promotion seriously, investing in myself and my writing. It is only early days, but I have booked some blog tours, some release day events and also some advertising spots.

There can be no deny that the power of Facebook for the indie author is equivalent to the draw of the one ring, but at the same time, I always find myself looking at social media as a giant market stall. Everybody is just shouting as hard as they can about their books that after a while, you can no longer see the wood through the trees.

I have heard of a really cool sounding site called Awesomegang.com and they seem to really have a good package put together. I am hopeful that my promo with them goes well.

I tend to stay away from Twitter, see the Market place comment above. I used to use it a lot, but just got fed up with the lack of any real conversation on it. I am sure I will go back to it, I mean, we need to use all of the tools at our disposal after all, but it would be begrudgingly.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is nothing special, it is nothing profound, it is simple. If you want to write, and I mean make a career out of writing, then you have to make it a full time thing. You need to sit down and write every chance you get. With that comes editing, researching, proof reading. Get yourself in a good group of people. Swap work, edit for one another help out, and above all, get yourself a good… no, a great editor. No matter how well you think you can write, never publish something without having had an editor look at it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard came from my grandfather as an offhand comment. We saw a man out running in the rain one stormy afternoon and he said to me.

That right there is the difference between a champion, and the next guy. The champion doesn’t care if it is raining, too hot, or too cold. The champion gets up, gets ready, and goes out to do what needs to be done.

These words stuck with me, and I often find myself repeating them. Especially when it is 4.20 am, I’ve had three hours of broken sleep because they kids were up in the night, and my alarm is going telling me it is time to get up and write.

Never snooze, never roll over for five more minutes. Just get up, and get is done!

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Dr Sleep from Stephen King. It is the first King novel I have read for a while, having spent a lot of last year reading indie titles. So far it is a great book, and really shows that the man is still a master of the genre. Even if, and I say this not as a criticism, as it is not his style, it does not push many boundaries. It is not shocking, overly harsh of edgy. It is just a damned good read.

What’s next for you as a writer?
World Domination… I mean the best sellers list. Hell, I’d be happy with a few more sales and the chance to keep doing what I am doing.

As I mentioned above, I have two releases coming out in the first two months of the year and want to have at least three more before the year end.

Promotion is the key thing for me at the moment too, keep building the name, the ‘brand’ as people call it. Invest in myself, invest in my writing and (hopefully) see a continued progress.

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 Stand – Stephen King

The Books of Blood – Clive Barker

I am Legend – Richard Matheson

Highway to Hell – Me (Alex Laybourne) – because that way I can at least try to sell my book to the cannibals that I later find on the island, or to bribe my way onto a pirate ship as it stops off to pick up its hidden supply of Rum.

Author Websites and Profiles
Alex Laybourne Website
Alex Laybourne Amazon Profile

Alex Laybourne’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Adam Gillrie

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Adam Gillrie had the unique experience of being home schooled and turning out socially acceptable. His home schooling gave him eight hours a day to write but left him horribly behind in math. Do not buy a book by Adam Gillrie for his math skills.

After nine years of home schooling, Adam Gillrie was thrust into the public school system in his senior year of High School. Sadly, his socially acceptable skills were not able to save him as the only senior who rode the bus.

High School ended and Adam majored in Creative Writing at the prestigious University of South Florida. It was here that he gained a distinct hatred for Edgar Allen Poe (Sorry Poe fans). After a year, Adam served a full-time mission for 2 years for his church and upon returning to college he became a respectable Business Major.

Upon graduating Adam did many of the “respectable” things a talented, socially acceptable person does with their life. He started a family, had four wonderful children and became astute at consulting.

Unfortunately, Adam’s mid-life crises came early and he found himself leafing through the no less than 600 book outlines and short stories that had he’d written during his home schooled upbringing. Realizing that he had made a terrible mistake being “respectable”, Adam quit his job as a famous consultant and locked himself away to rewrite his book Silent Intrusion.

Three years later (and many many editors later), Silent Intrusion was complete. Remarkably, it rose to the top of its category in Amazon at its release (which, of course, has gone straight to Adam’s head). Adam is currently working on the sequel as he slowly makes his way through the 600 books he would like to publish before he dies.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Silent Intrusion. It was not inspired by Independence Day or Men In Black. Those movies came out after I had written two successive versions of Silent Intrusion.

The focus of Silent Intrusion morphed from a general alien invasion story after Independence Day came out to a greater focus on the men in black. Unfortunately that movie came out soon after my second major rewrite. So the next version of Silent Intrusion focused on a more personal level and tried to give better definition to the bad guys. Why would people waste their time with a back water society like us? I’ve never been satisfied with Hollywoods answer to this question which usually is: they are like a Hive/stupid or really really bad.

So in a nutshell terrible writing inspires me to not be as terrible.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes. I am okay writing in a crowded room as long as I have my head phones on. I write in all places but I usually have a huge mechanical keyboard that I type on.

What are you working on now?

Book 2 of Silent Intrusion and I’d like to apologize now for not writing the whole series simultaneously. I am working as fast as I can to get it done. I would also like to point out the death threats have not been helpful (I’m just kidding they were merely bodily harm related).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth is still king. Most of my sales come from people telling others about my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The usual advice. Get a good editor. I had written 11 books before I got a good editor and I learned far more writing one with a good editor in tow.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do what you love.

What are you reading now?
Mary Poppins. Okay don’t judge I just saw the new movie about it and it drew me in. I read all kinds of things.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am exploring a book tour to High Schools but I haven’t ruled out world domination.

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?
Enders Game. The Bible. The Book of Mormon. And Building a Satellite phone from coconuts for Dummies.

Author Websites and Profiles
Adam Gillrie Website
Adam Gillrie Amazon Profile
Adam Gillrie Author Profile on Smashwords

Adam Gillrie’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account