Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a creative writing tutor, photographer, and published author. I trained as a photojournalist many years ago and have an Honours Degree in Drama and English Literature. I used to be an actor/director and scriptwriter, but gave it all up when I moved to Suffolk and fell in love with the scenery. I live in a 17thCentury timber-framed cottage in Suffolk UK with my husband and many feral/rescued cats.

After gaining a Creative Writing Diploma, I entered and won the Suffolk Book League’s Short Story Competition 2011, with Glimmer. The next year I was short-listed for the Escalator Genre Fiction Competition with an extract from my book Echoes from the Lost Ones, the first in the series The Song of Forgetfulness. Echoes was published by Fable Press in July 2013 and is receiving excellent reviews.

I have written two books in the series The Song of Forgetfulness and I have just self published a collection of short stories entitled, Glimmer.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Echoes from the Lost Ones is my latest book, apart from my short story collection Glimmer.

‘Echoes’ came about due to a challenge from some pupils that attend a creative writing group I teach at my local High School. They asked me to write something for their age group that included subject matters that they were concerned about, such as global warming, disease, and cloning. Also the fact that characters never seem to go to the toilet. After discussing what they liked to read and what they felt was lacking in most YA books, I came up with the idea for The Song of Forgetfulness. After researching about technological advances such as 3D printing, super strong-lightweight materials, and ‘invisible cloth’, I came up with several ideas for inclusion in the book. Adara’s invisible super lightweight Synthbag and self replicating Sterichoc, to name a few.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to get ideas at the oddest of moments, so I keep a sticky pad and pen in every room of the house, in the car, in the greenhouse and in the pocket of my coat, and I write down my thoughts. I then stick these pieces of paper on th ewall of my room, which looks a bit like a crime scene wall in a police station.

I also have to have a bottle of water and some kind of fruit to nibble on when I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ursula Le Guin – The Wizard of Earthsea

Sylvia Plath – The Bell Jar

Gunter Grass – The Tin Drum

Theodore Sturgeon – More than Human

Ray Bradbury – The Martian Chronicles

Joh Kennedy Toole – A Confederacy of Dunces

Alun Garner – The Owl Service

Flann O’Brian – The Third Policeman

Annie Proulx – Any of her short stories

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the third book in the series, The Song of Forgetfulness, and a children’s book, Marauders of the Missing Mummies.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook and Twitter a lot, but find KBoards really good for promoting eBooks. I also have a website and blog site too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up, even if publishers or agents reject you.

Write what you want to write and not what you think would sell.

Don’t self-proof read. Get someone you trust to it for you. It is too easy to miss mistakes when

reviewing your own work.

Consider self- publishing. These days there is a lot of support and free marketing out here to resource.

Use online media platforms to promote yourself.

Converse with other authors, share books, and reviews and get yourself noticed. Do book readings and

signings if you can. It’s a great way to actually meet readers who might enjoy your work.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you want to write, not what others think you should.

What are you reading now?
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am going to collaborate on a book with a young writer. It is something I’ve never done before and I find it really exciting. It is also a genre I’m not used to – Chick Lit – so it will be quite a challenge for me. I enjoy trying to write in different genre’s. I believe it helps you grow as a writer.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A Christmas Carol by charles Dickens

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake

Author Websites and Profiles
Nicola McDonagh Website
Nicola McDonagh Amazon Profile

Nicola McDonagh’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am wrapping up my 3rd book, I truly enjoy writing despite it being like having multiple bi-polar personalities. I enjoy hearing back from so many people that have been helped from my books, from young teens to adult soldiers and to other cancer patients.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I started with “Glass Screams” a book about a young teen girl whom had to learn to overcome having been molested as well as face down her attacker in court while struggling to thrive through physical rehab post car accident. I followed up with “3rd Hand Ranch” which deals with teen bullying and follows a group of girls and their own individual challenges. I am finalizing my third novel called “As the Rains Break” which follows a family and one mans challenges to get his family through the Dust bowl coupled with the Great Depression.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I often don a hoodie, hide under my headphones as retire to my office in my basement, I fend off most forms of distraction possible. My office is a disaster, with several hundred book plots and related notes, the desk ,the walls and even the bed are strewn with things, from packets of paper for each book to a roll of butcher paper to map out whole towns, if I didn’t have such a mass of intel in my mind and know exaclty where everything was, I might get lost myself.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The successful ones, honestly I dealt with dyslexia growing up so reading was painful, yet I can write for sixteen to twenty hours before realizing the time has gone by. I truly enjoy writing and it’s flattering that I’m seeing so many interested readers.

What are you working on now?
I am wrapping up “As The Rains Break” and am aiming for a release date towards the end of January, once I submit all of my work and finish with my graphic designer than I immediately head into another novel. I am aiming to hve my 8th novel out my xmas 2014, as a single parent I take my summers off from writing and I don’t write in the afternoons.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have been navigating many of the promo sites and abilities on my own, I have a small team that helps with so much of the smaller details but alot of the promo stuff boils down to being my responsibility for now still. I have a graphic designer to help with covers, a part time editior I added to my staff and a media person, the rest is still on me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Editing is the bane of my existence, writing isn’t about making money, it’s about getting out whatever it is that you need to get out.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write drunk, Edit sober -Hemmingway

What are you reading now?
I am to busy writing to read, but someday maybe

What’s next for you as a writer?
more and more books, I love starting a new novel, the potential, the characters ,making everything work and fit. I also love wrapping up a book even though I feel sad to let it go and hope that others find the enjoyment within the pages that I did while writing.

I have hundreds of story lines, plots and makings of novels, I can only hope to continue to enjoy writing my 300th novel as much as I’ve enjoyed my first, second and now third.

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?
wouldn’t even know where to begin

Author Websites and Profiles
L.R. Claude Amazon Profile

L.R. Claude’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Breaking TWIG is my first published novel to date.

Born and raised in the Deep South, I grew up during the era of the Civil Rights Movement, integration, and Vietnam. I received a BS degree in biology and English in Texas, and later moved to Atlanta to work and pursue post graduate work. After working in the scientific field for twenty years, I turned to writing fiction and nonfiction. My nonfiction and poetry have been published in newspapers and magazines locally and nationally.

I like to tackle issues most people, especially Southerners, can identify with and like me, may have struggled to understand. I enjoy writing stories and characters steeped in the lyrical traditions and mystical surroundings of the Deep South.

A transplanted Texan, I have lived the last twenty years in Montana with my family. When not working on my next novel or article, I enjoy doing pet therapy work with my golden retriever and volunteering in animal rescue.

 

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of the book is Breaking TWIG.

In college, I majored in biology and English and have always been interested in the issue of heredity verses environment in child development. Which one has the most influence on a child? At times, Becky (Twig) worries that she has inherited her mother’s “picker” ways and her gene for chicanery, but she also thinks having one person who loves and believes in you is all a person needs to keep hope alive.

Growing up, both Becky and Henry had one parent who berated and abused them, and one parent who gave them unconditional love and support. Helen had no such love or support system when she was a child. I wanted readers to think about how important the roles of love and a supportive environment—or the lack of these two influences—are in helping to shape a child’s development into an adult.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
As a scientist, you learn to lay out your experiments and make sure each step builds on the last step. This process helps me in laying out my storyline. I usually make a timeline first, especially if the story will cover several years, such as Breaking TWIG does. I do a loose outline. I know where I want to start the story, where it should end, and have several major scenes already percolating in my head. They are not set in stone. I want to give the characters time and space to develop as I get to know them better.

A lot of writers I know need music or some noise in the background when they write. I need silence, total silence. That’s the reason I like to write while everyone else is asleep. So, I usually write between midnight and 5 am.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is my favorite book. Being a southern fiction writer, it comes as no surprise that the women writers whose works have most influenced my own are a mixed bag of Southern ladies. From Dorothy Allison’s novel, Bastard Out of Carolina, to contemporary New York Times bestselling author, Deborah Smith, to Fannie Flagg, the Alabama lass that can tickle your funny bone with her words, the list is a long one indeed.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a romance-suspense called Caddo Girl. It is set in Louisiana in early 1970’s. After it is completed, I’m writing a sequel to Breaking TWIG because so many readers have asked me to continue Becky’s story. They have actually called me to ask about what happens next for Johnny and Becky.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Twitter and Facebook a lot. I really appreciate sites like Awesomegang that help indie authors get the word out about their books. I also belong to two writer groups and we cross promote each other’s books. Most writers are generous people. Help others promote their books, paintings, art, and they will help you in return. Donate copies of your book to libraries, book drives, and/or charity fund raisers. Offer your expertise to help judge al writing contest or talk to a high school English class. Let the people you meet know you’re a writer. When someone gives you their business card, give them one of your own, one that includes a link to your website or book.

Also, study what is going on in the marketplace. Rules change, agents move to new agencies, and so forth. What worked last year or even last month, might not work today. Be ready to spend a lot of time researching trends and learn to filter the facts from the hype. Remember your book may be your baby, but it is also your business.

The best promotions come from readers. I answer every email I receive from readers and answer any question they might have. I’ve become friends with several of my readers, even though we have never met except via FB and email. Word-of mouth may seem old fashion in this day of flash internet, but it is still the best and most trusted form of promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t expect others to do all the marketing for you. Learn how to use social marketing sites like Facebook and Twitter (ask a teenager for advice). I belong to a great local writers’ group. We share our resources, pool our knowledge, and celebrate each other’s success. I urge every writer I meet to join a supportive authors’ group, but beware of toxic groups that view everyone as their competitor rather than their colleague. And when you don’t know something—ASK! And keep asking until you find someone who has the answers.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Two things:

The first is from William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet. I like this so much that I put it on page 1 in the paperback version of Breaking TWIG.

“This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

The second is from my late mother. She told me life is about the choices you make. When you get knocked down, choose to get up.

What are you reading now?

“Your Heart: Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease in Women, Men & Children” by Dr. Betty Kuffel (nonfiction)

“Death Al Dente” a mystery by Agatha-award winning author, Leslie Budewitz.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My husband is retiring soon, so I’m going to take the next couple of weeks off. Then I will start edits for Caddo Girl and hopefully get it out by summer. While doing that, I will begin working on ideas for the sequel of Breaking TWIG.

I plan on getting a lot of writing done this winter because I have a long “honey-do” list come summer.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A first aid/ survival in the wilderness book

A picture book about dogs

The Bible

A thick journal of empty pages (with pencil) to write in.

Author Websites and Profiles
Deborah Epperson Website
Deborah Epperson Amazon Profile

Deborah Epperson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a comedy writer based in Devon, UK. I graduated from university in 2009 with a 1st class HONS in scriptwriting and performance. I have gone on to write plays, screenplays and most recently comedy novels, featuring a madcap amateur gas and electricity meter reader named Walton Cumberfield. The first novel in the series is entitled ‘Dinosaurs and Prime Numbers’ and was released in December 2012.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A few months after ‘Dinosaurs and Prime Numbers’ was published, I was approached by a fan in Denmark who was putting together a collection of short stories by emerging writers. I contributed a Walton Cumberfield novella to this collection entitled ‘The Trojan Hearse’. It was a fantastic opportunity to revisit the character and has served as a fantastic warm-up exercise in preparation for the second full-length novel, as well as drawing new readers to my series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always dress as a monk during my writing sessions, but it’s just the usual plain tunic and hood combination.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Elements of my work have been compared to Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Robert Rankin, though I never set out to emulate those authors. In fact, as a reader I am not drawn to comedy fiction at all, but moreover to serious science fiction like Stephen King and Michael Crichton. My comedy writing has its foundations on the stage, in plays, sketches and stand-up comedy. Indeed, the character of Walton Cumberfield began as a one-off character in a radio sketch back in 2006.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the second novel in the Walton Cumberfield series, entitled ‘A Debt to the Universe’. I have the entire thread for the second and third novels planned out on scraps of paper in my desk drawers, so now I just need to sit down and turn them into literary comedy gold (fingers crossed).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth is the most natural way to spread the reach of a book, and I am always overjoyed to hear from a fan that they have recommended my book to others. I have only just started dabbling in paid promotion and free listing sites, so I cannot pass comment on that side of things at present.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
When you’re at a party and people ask you what you do, don’t say ‘author’ or ‘writer’. They won’t be nearly as interested as you hoped, and the whole situation will become slightly awkward. I like to tell people that I’m an astronaut, and then excuse myself before they ask any more questions.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never try to make your own baked beans. They’ll never be as nice as the ones out of the tin.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading A Clash of Kings – the second book in George RR Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series. My wife and I have recently become obsessed with Game of Thrones on TV, so I’ve been getting into the books as well. They are exceptional.

I’m also reading The Mystery of Edwin Drood. It’s Dickens at his best, and I can’t wait to find out how it ends.

What’s next for you as a writer?
God only knows. I hope I’ll be able to carry on this series and continue to reach more readers around the world. I’d like to get back into theatre soon as well, and am currently resurrecting an old project for the stage.

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?
Outdoor Survival Handbook by Ray Mears (for obvious reasons)

The Complete Works of Shakespeare (because this counts as one book, so it’s really the best value I’m going to get in this deal)

50 Shades of Grey (because I’ve never read it, and could indulge my curiosity without anyone seeing)

War and Peace (mainly for kindling)

Author Websites and Profiles
Tom Moran Amazon Profile

Tom Moran’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The Distracted Yogi is my first book & has morphed into a trilogy-of-a-kind! I’ve felt compelled to tell the true story of becoming brain-injured and the subsequent Trauma-to-Dram-to-Transformation which soon followed. While I’m new to the writing arena somehow this book just flowed out & onto the keyboard, almost effortlessly. In less than 6 weeks the book was done but then the editing, cover design & formatting took more twice that time! It was a grueling process reliving & re-experiencing the trauma of my brain injury but more difficult was the pain of loss on so many levels: career, health, self-esteem, social circles, physical fitness & relationships to name a few. My story appeals to not only brain injury survivors or their care-givers but to a broader audience of persons who may be struggling through trauma of all kinds & also those who love them.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first & only published work is called The Distracted Yogi: How I reclaimed My BLISS After Brain Injury & Trauma. The sub title covers the journey after the fact & the Title refers to a description of my former & new selves-integrated. Yoga & Meditation were a huge part of my day-to-day life prior to me being hit by a car while riding my bike. I was a calm, centered & stable person before my accident but afterwards, well, distracted was probably the least of my troubles yet it was also the most persistent symptom post accident. I knew early on that I needed to write this book. It was apparent to me that very few people really grasped what had happened to me & what life was like for someone with a closed-head injury. Those people who were often referred to in some circles as ‘The Walking Wounded.’ I also discovered my own ignorance about head injury & concussion syndrome in the process of recovering from a brain injury & from the long, painful journey of reinventing myself.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know. I wake up at around 4-5 am & write until noon usually 1800-2200 words per day. I generally go for a short hike afterwards to refresh myself then leisurely hang out with my cat Martin or run errands & catch up with friends, is that weird?! I stay off the internet & ignore emails during my writing hours. I write seven days a week until the story is finished & there’s nothing more to be expressed. I don’t know how or why this routine came into being but I think participating inan online contest called The TransformationContest.com was pivotal in helping me establish good writing habits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
F Scott Fitzgerald. His passion but also too the way he captured what sometimes seemed like a brutal bleakness of his inner world. Marianne Williamson, all of her books but especially A Return To Love. I met her a few years back & she even let me hug her! Wayne Dyer, Sol Mongerman, Louise Hay. I’m currently reading a few books by Martha Stout: The Myth of Sanity & The Psychopath Next Door, and probably one of the most influential books I’ve ever read, A General Theory of Love. Also, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

What are you working on now?
I have 2 projects on the go. I don’t think I imagined I’d be writing 2 books simultaneously but it just seems to roll out that way! The prequel to The Distracted Yogi-The Reluctant Lesbian: The Closet Revealed, which chronicles my life prior to my accident & a subject that I believe is rarely told especially in mainstream literature, that is the inner world of Gays & Lesbians. A story told from the perspective of someone like myself who left a husband & the ‘Straight’ life but never really felt like I belonged anywhere & ultimately became just a caricature of the Gay Community in order to fit in.

The other book is my story post-Distracted Yogi & is titled ‘The Handbook of Harmony: How to survive & thrive in an Insane World!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’d say it has to be a multifaceted approach. Facebook fan pages are a great way to honor your readers interest in you & your work. People sometimes want & need to connect with the author so give your audience something in return for their interest. I post pictures related to my book which give that little extra to those who want to know more.

Put the time in on websites which promote free downloadable ebooks. There are dozens of them most are free & they want to display your works. Engage people with a blog…I know many people say that blogs are dead & on their own there is little chance of anyone ever landing on your page but link your blog by way of partnering with others. Form alliances & friendships & promote others as well. Their success is your success too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get involved in a structured group of some kind such as Writer’s Groups on Facebook, Meetups etc. Become Social Media savvy & get comfortable with self-promoting. Start promoting your book Before it’s completed, as early as 3-4 months before. Some people recommend 6 months! Join a Toastmasters or other speaker-training group. Probably the most important step is the structured group because out of this connection your discipline will become established enough for you to actually complete your work. The most influential action I took was entering the transformation contest.com, I believe there is another one about to start. It runs for 90 days & provides free resources & a closed community of contestants, all online, for those committed to making a radical change(s) in their life in the next 90 days. It was critical for me because the structure of the contest meant my commitment to write my first book was completely accountable to all the other contestants, all 47,000 plus of them! Highly, highly recommended & it’s free to enter plus there are thousands of $$ in prizes.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get a plan & stick to it. I purchased a very inexpensive eBook titled ‘How to Write a Book in 21 Days or less: That Readers will love!’ by Steve Scott. This little book gave me a simple map to follow which combined with a supportive community proved to be a winning strategy. Don’t go in alone…it doesn’t have to be that brutal! Also, about a month into my process I wrote something called ‘Ode to Newbie Writers’…here it is:
Learning to Write your first book is just like Military Basic Training & We are all running the same Obstacle Course!

You start out enthusiastic but once you’ve glimpsed the course ahead your feelings rapidly change into those of dread and insecurity. “I can’t do this, Can I?!”

Then, you start, looking around for a cue some clue from others; you slowly begin to move through the course laid out in front of you.

Then before you know it, you’re down on your hands and knees crawling around in the muck that is your thoughts, “What am I doing here I’m not even a Writer et al-am I?!”

Then, you’re on your feet again, dodging doubt, running ahead but then once again the path becomes confusing. “Do I jump or wade across the watery chasm that is my story?!”

You eventually take a leap, now you’re feeling fantastic because you know you belong, but then, an enormous wall looms just ahead, “Oh God, now what?!”

You grab onto the dangling rope-ladder and struggle and struggle to climb up the steep wall that is your nemesis, Doubt and Despair. You continually fall and slip-back several notches on the ropes but you keep going because you know the top of the wall is near. You look-up thinking you must be there but it continues to rise high above you and you feel frustrated and for a moment you consider quitting; packing it in completely. You ask yourself “Why am I even doing this?!,“Who would even notice if I didn’t finish?!”

Then it occurs to you-YOU Would Notice. Now you want to get over the wall just for you, because you must. This was exactly what you needed; a little burst of energy to get you up and over the top, the final obstacle-YOU DID IT!!

YOU ARE DOING IT, JUST KEEP GOING!

What are you reading now?
Martha Stout The Myth of Sanity, The Holographic Universe, The Stand, Stephen King.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on my speaking skills because that’s something I absolutely love to do-Talk! When someone asks to to describe my book(s) is a huge pleasure & opportunity to engage a reader. My first official speaking engagement is in a few months & I’m really stoked about it!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A Return to Love, Marianne Williamson, Songs of Kabir, A General Theory of Love & War & Peace.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michelle Desgagne Website
Michelle Desgagne Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, and the Art Institute of York, I have studied the fine arts, design, and writing for over 20 years. I concentrate in the areas of portraiture and wildlife, have been commissioned by numerous collectors within the community, and have won several awards in various shows and fairs throughout the state.

I attribute my success to the Lord, and the strength God gives me in order to persist and grow as a more patient and thorough artist and writer. Despite a 50% vision cut in both eyes from a failed brain surgery, with the Lord’s help, I continue to see more and more detail, and hope to improve with time.

I encourage you to explore and exercise your creative side, and enjoy what the Lord can do through it.

I have completed two novels, Grand Mal and Memory Lapse, and am working on my third book, Seizure.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest novel is Seizure. Its inspired by my life as a person with Epilepsy, and my ongoing effort to help readers better understand people with my condition.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I would say my style is clipped yet fluid. I try to switch up the style from scene to scene. You might see the clipped style when I am describing the seizures, and the latter style in other unrelated areas.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
To attribute influence to any specific author or book wouldn’t be fair. Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve read thousands of genre novels and academic classics. In one form or another, it all has worked to my benefit. I would like to think I’m a mix of them all.

What are you working on now?
The name of the novel I’m currently writing is Seizure. Its inspired by my life as a person with Epilepsy, and my ongoing effort to help readers better understand people with my condition. It is a continuation of Grand Mal, my first novel about life with Epilepsy.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t think you can do enough to self promote, however a mix of web and print advertising, banners, bookmarks, and postcards, act as ample reminders for my products, and I’ve had satisfying sales.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t stop reading!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stay focused

What are you reading now?
Soooooooo many 🙂

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to remain focused and continue to work on finishing current work and prepare for future manuscripts.

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, Shadow of the Wind, Best Kept Secret

Author Websites and Profiles
Joshua Holmes Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m old enough to know better, and share a home with two young adults, and three dogs. Outside there’s a parcel of eccentric neighbours and a large and loving family.

My Books:

THE CELTIC COUSINS’ ADVENTURE SERIES:

“A Raucous Time” – perma free on Amazon.com. Book 1 in the CCA. The boys discover an ancient diary, leading to a legendary treasure trove.

“A Ripple in Time” Book 2 in the CCA. The Cousins must turn back time and ensure the Titanic meets her fate, in order to restore our world’s history.

“An Explosive Time” Book 3 in the CCA. DI Crombie of the Metropolitan police is hot on the trial of a disappearing elephant. No surprise that his investigations lead him to the door of the Celtic Cousins, who to his mind, are intent on making a career of being the bane of his life.

“The Griffin Cryer”. Book 1 in The Griffin Rider Chronicles. A teenager discovers she has a most unusual talent when she accidentally summons a griffin, and his rider from another dimension.

“The Griffin’s Boy”. Book 2 in The Griffin Rider Chronicles. In an alternative universe Britain remains an island of mists, populated by Celtic tribes and governed by feudal hierarchy. Evolution has taken a different path and mythical beasts exist. Only noblemen’s sons are recruited into an elite troop known as the Griffin Riders. The best a nameless nobody like Neb can hope for is to become the equivalent of a stable lad.

Various short stories, including Crombie’s Christmas, currently free to download on Smashwords: DI Crombie finds himself spending Christmas in the Italian equivalent of the House of Usher.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Griffin’s Boy”, inspired by – “The Griffin Cryer”. Surprisingly, the mysterious rider from TGC acquired a fan base, in spite of his superior attitude. Readers wanted to know more about him, and how his fate became entwined with the mischievous Balkind. “The Griffin’s Boy” is his story, and is published this Sunday, 15th December.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write the first draft on lavender scented paper. This ensures the story is sweet as from the get-go. My favourite gizmo is my phone. When walking, an idea will suddenly hit, or a particular character’s appearance or dialogue will come together. I snap the voice recorder, and dictate as I’m walking the dogs – so long as no-one else is in ear-shot.

Can you imagine coming across someone seeming to have a phone conversation and saying something like ‘Yes, he killed Benny, chucked the body into the meat grinder, then fed it to the pigs.’

What authors, or books have influenced you?
C S Lewis.

Madeleine L’Engle,

Tennyson

Arthur Quiller Couch

Harper Lee

Dennis Lehane

Stephen Spencer

Kate Atkinson

Diana Norman

Simon Singh

J Heller

What are you working on now?
Book 3, Griffin Riders’ Chronicles.

There’s another DI Crombie in the pipeline too – the fat old copper hasn’t finished having adventures yet.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The Awesome Gang of course:)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, read, read. Write, write, write.

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

What are you reading now?
Cleaver Square, by Dan and Sean Campbell.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The release of “The Griffin’s Boy” in ebook format. Publication of “An Explosive Time” in paperback.

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?
Definitely Bill Bryson’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything”

Simon Singh’s “The Code Book” – both these guys have a gift for explaining complicated ideas simply.

Diana Norman’s “The Morning Gift”

T S Eliot’s “Book of Cats”.

Author Websites and Profiles
Julia Hughes Website

Julia Hughes’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Although I am better known as the author of the Cassie and Chloe series of Children’s Adventure fantasy books, I recently had two cookbooks published which are geared towards adults.

I was born in the United States of America, but I have been fortunate to have been able to travel to quite a few countries and experience many wonderful sights, many of which I write about in my books.

I have lived on both the East and West coasts of the United States with my beloved canine “children”.I have a great love for film, television and stage productions, and enormous respect, admiration, and appreciation of actors and actresses.

I simply adore amusement parks, ghost stories, adventure activities, traveling, dogs,the paranormal, and of course, the theatre.

I have enjoyed white water rafting, surfing, para-sailing, mountain climbing,and sky-diving. I even studied piloting a single engine plane for awhile back in New York.

I enjoy conversations about my favorite films , books, movie stars and television series, as well as any travel destination I have had the pleasure of visiting. Oh, I also get a kick out of horror movies -especially the older ones, and psychological thrillers.

{So, if you ever meet me in person, these are sure fire conversation starters!}

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first vacation as a child was to a resort on the lovely island of Sanibel in Florida. Many real life events often inspire me to run with the basics, and then go wild embellishing bizarre but hopefully creative situations out of actual events. Dreams are also fascinating to me, and I often incorporate elements of my nocturnal dreams into my stories. My children’s book : “Cassie and Chloe’s Captiva Cutlass Criminal Caper ” makes full use of my affinity for dreams, and incorporates dreams right into the storyline via Carlita; the girls’ Mother.

I encourage you all to spend more time reading and discovering the many fascinating and incredible worlds inside the imaginations of my fellow dreamers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am hopelessly old-fashioned and I still enjoy the quaint ( some may perceive it as archaic) concept of writing my stories out longhand for the first draft. I am also a nocturnal writer. Most of the fiction I have created has been thought out, put to paper, and then transposed into the computer between the hours of Midnight and 7 AM.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always loved mystery books. I have read all the older -but oh so wonderful -Agatha Christie, and Ellery Queen books, and {Australian goddess} Kerry Greenwood is a personal favorite. I do hope one day to achieve even a fraction of the poetry which Ms. Ann Rice so vividly paints with her words. Still, so many things influence me in addition to books and other authors. A crucial chapter in my first book actually came into being through a bizarre idea I flashed upon while watching the Alfred Hitchcock classic film”Strangers on a Train”. People have influenced me a great deal as well. The setting for “Cassie and Chloe’s Captivating Crystal Crawlspace Chronicles” actually evolved out of sad circumstances. A family member, and then a friend both experienced unthinkable tragedies, and in my mind to try and justify how such unbearable things could be allowed to happen, I had to reason upon the slightest justification of events, and out of that logic was born the locale of ‘Serendipity Springs’. I also once had a student, a little girl who clearly missed her sister enormously, and she was having difficulty dealing with her loss, and so, I thought my book might help other children like Kaitlyn, who were facing similar heartbreaking situations.

What are you working on now?
At present, I am actually immersed in composing two screenplays for grownup people. One is a suspense/mystery/horror type script , and the other is a romantic adventure – with FOOD playing a starring role.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have yet to find a perfect method. I have tried book fairs, advertising, press releases, giveaways, building websites, frequenting numerous assorted theme websites, and many other marketing type suggestions, but apart from resigning yourself to spending a lot of time doing these things, I couldn’t honestly say with 100 per cent certainty that one method works better than another.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up, and believe in yourself. So many people will try and discourage you -for their own personal reasons, or agendas. IF YOU K NOW YOUR STORY HAS WORTH, then don’t allow any one to take that away from you. Just keep trying until you have realized your dream!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Reach for the moon, because even if you miss, you will still land there up among the stars!

What are you reading now?
I like to read 2 or 3 books at a time. I enjoy reading the books by Heather Graham, and I had the pleasure of meeting her last June at the NY book fair. I just started her book about New Orleans tour guides which lead groups to go on “Ghostwalk” “s around that great city. I am also reading a non fiction book which teaches you how to read Egyptian hieroglyphics, and I am 177 pages into an adventure story written for young persons.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More Cassie and Chloe books, and {most likely} at least one additional cook 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 Memoirs of Cleopatra” by Margaret George. I think it is fair to say that it is the single most extraordinary book I have ever read. At almost a thousand pages -it definitely leaves one feeling as though you have quite literally tagged along with the Great Queen of Egypt, as she lived her entire life. Ms.George must have channeled Cleopatra, or was in fact Cleopatra herself -reincarnated this century as a great writer. I would bring along one of the Phryne Fisher mysteries by Miss Greenwood – “Murder in the Dark” or “Ruddy Gore”. I would want “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. I love the atmospheric tone and the fascinating way he crafted the story through diary entries/ Finally I would have a tough time deciding on my fourth and final book – it would be a toss up between an Ellery Queen book or an Anne Rice book or a horror story like “The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer”by Ridley Pearson, or “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson. However, if I were less of a book lover, and more of a survivalist, I should hope someone pens an “ESCAPING FROM A DESERT ISLAND FOR DUMMIES” book – before I embark on my 3 hour Gilligan’s cruise.

Author Websites and Profiles
Trinisse Chanel Website
Trinisse Chanel Amazon Profile
Trinisse Chanel Author Profile on Smashwords

Trinisse Chanel’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my first book. (Chews).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called the Father Christmas Freak Out!

It was inspired by the true story of a Father Christmas I caught sneaking into a house and taking presents back…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write best early in the morning.

Once I’ve had some cheese that tends to be me gone for the day…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Of Mice and Men, King Rat, My life with Mickey, The Sewer Less Travelled.

What are you working on now?
I take Christmas off.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I tend to find biting people works.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Eat well. Write. Avoid large cats.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Look out!

What are you reading now?
The Cat of Monte Cristo.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on my second children’s novel.

It’s about a tree who climbs up a boy.

I’m serious.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Is this a trick question? If I was stranded on a desert island, wouldn’t Tom Hanks and that volleyball with the face drawn on it be there??

I would take these three books: (serious)

Slaughterhouse Five

Bad Jelly the Witch

Meditations by Mickey Mouselius

Author Websites and Profiles
Rat Johnson Website
Rat Johnson Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am actually an editor, not an author, although I write a little. Much of my working life was spent as an editor in an academic institution, where I assisted in publishing several books in the humanities field.

My first effort in actually publishing a book by myself came after I launched a website called The Writer’s Drawer, www.thewritersdrawer.net. My original intention was to attract, literally, drawer writers, those who are shy about displaying their work and/or have faced numerous publisher rejections. Since I offer free editing support for submissions, the scope has expanded to include non-native English speakers from many countries, who appreciate my editing help.

I therefore cannot say I have “written” any books, but the anthology A Certain Kind of Freedom: Stories and Poems from The Writer’s Drawer is very much “my” book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Certain Kind of Freedom: Stories and Poems from The Writer’s Drawer (November 2013) is the only book I have published myself (i.e., out of a work context). It was inspired by some of the submissions to The Writer’s Drawer, which I thought deserved wider exposure. I therefore set to work, compiling and editing the anthology, which was not a simple task. I decided to divide the book into three sections, short fiction, stories from life, and poetry. The overriding theme, of course, is their origin in the website. The stories reflect not only literary merit but the multicultural nature of the website. There is a story, essay or poem there to suit all tastes and all moods!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing particularly unusual, other than I have to feel warm and cozy, even if it’s the middle of summer, and have a glass of water beside me!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a sucker for historical fiction, particularly novels set in Asia. I am therefore a great fan of Amitav Ghosh (Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke) and good period romance (think Jane Austen).

What are you working on now?
I am continually thinking of ways to improve The Writers Drawer and looking for new writers to submit some of their creative work. I am also thinking ahead to publishing a new anthology at the end of 2014, so that we will have, in effect, The Writer’s Drawer Book Series. However, as I paid for publishing the first anthology myself, I would like to find a sponsor or donors for the next one.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am new to self-publishing so I’m very much in the trial and error stage. Obviously, I have used the mailing list of The Writer’s Drawer, as well as the website itself. I also use various social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, etc. Reviews and guest interviews are also on my lift. However, I am also trying to avoid further expenses.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you want it, just do it

What are you reading now?
I am reading a quaint contemporary English novel called The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce. It is about an elderly man who decides, on the spur of the moment, to walk from the south of England to the north in the hope that a former lady colleague of his, who is extremely ill, will remain alive until he arrives. The book is all about his journey, the people he meets, and his contemplations about his life and his failures.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The next Writer’s Drawer anthology.

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?
Probably Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, one of the few books I could read numerous times; I would also like to read the sequel to Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy, and the third book in Ghosh’s Ibis Trilogy, if they are ever published.

Author Websites and Profiles
Beryl Belsky Website
Beryl Belsky Amazon Profile

Beryl Belsky’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My bio highlights the major events in my life journey and so, not wanting to duplicate the information, I will use this space instead to describe how I came to write my memoir because I never set out to do that – it just happened as a matter of course.

Friends loved the finished work, ‘renamed “Awakening in the Northwest Territories,” and urged me to publish it so that others could share this unusual journey and be inspired by it.

 

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
When I came out of retirement and went to live with a small First Nations band in a remote location in Canada’s NWT, my daughter, sensing that something exciting was going to happen, gave me a fancy journal to record my experiences. I did, and when that journal was full, I continued to write nightly in note books, on scrap pads and on whatever I could find to write on.

‘Awakening in the Northwest Territories”

When I came out of the north two years later I went to Costa Rica for a month to put the journals into Microsoft Word. I called the finished manuscript “White Man On The Land” and intended it as legacy, purely for my children and grandchildren.

Other people read it, enjoyed it, and all made the same comment – “readers will want to know who this guy was, what he did before he went there, and what he did when he left” This got me thinking, and as I began to re-write the ms I realized, for the first time, how much I had changed over that two year period – I went in as a hard core businessman, focused on maximizing profits, and left as an advocate for helping others less fortunate than myself.

I continued writing and re-writing, spanning sixty years of my life, and the process was cathartic: I gained a deeper sense of who I was , who I’d been and why, and was able to summarize as “Awakenings” what I had learned from the First Nations people.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have been writing and re-writing for the last seven years, in countries other than Canada. Most of these years I was an International Volunteer working with local NGOs in Bangladesh, Nigeria, Jamaica and Guyana, and the rest of the time I spent back-packing Central America and S.E. Asia. I got a guest house on a beach usually and after a walk on the sand and a swim I began writing at six or seven and went at it until noon. Then I’d break and do something else for the day.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I enjoy reading, anything and everything, but Tolle’s “New Earth” and “The Power of Now’ particularly resonated with me

What are you working on now?
I love the writing process and now, after eight years of re-writing and possibly ten thousand hours of practice, I feel comfortable and am working on two new books for primarily the Boomer crowd: one on International Volunteering and the other is Budget Back-Packing

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am a recently self-published author and just embarking on the book promotion journey.

I have many lists of web sites to check out, such as this one, which I will get to in time, but at the moment my major activity is doing book readings for Seniors Centers, Seniors Residences, Public Libraries and coffee shops. I live it for I get to meet many interesting and inspiring people

Do you have any advice for new authors?
For me, writing was easy because I was bubbling over with what I wanted to say and was not content until it was down in print. I could then let go of those ideas and let the Universe bring me new thoughts, which it always did.

I’m sure writing a memoir is a totally different animal than writing fiction, and so, for those authors, I don’t really have any specific advice, except for being single minded and committed to finishing your writing. Many times I thought about abandoning my writing project and I’m so glad I persevered.

Author Websites and Profiles

Alastair Henry Website
Alastair Henry Amazon Profile

Alastair Henry’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an avid writer, and I perpetually have a notebook on the go! I also have three kids, so my work is often interrupted by soccer, softball, field trips…You name it, I’m driving for it.

I have 3 published books, and 1 pending in the summer of 2014.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Tattoos and Tangles, and I was inspired to write it by a friend. She made a joke about the literary world needing a few more tattooed bad boys, so I obliged.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write everything on paper first, and type it up later. I like doing it this way because my notebook doesn’t have a delete key.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favourite writer is Jane Austen, and my favourite book is Pride and Prejudice. I like clean romance with a meaty story and funny characters.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a few things. One is another romantic suspense. The working title is Rory’s House, and it is a story about a woman who returns to her childhood home, where she encounters a man digging into the seaside town’s dark history. She soon discovers that she, the man, and the past are all connected.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a facebook junkie.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write because you love it, and you’ll never give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From my Nana – Everything happens for a reason, even if you can’t see what it is yet.

What are you reading now?
A Game of Thrones.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I recently signed a deal with Harlequin. I’m super excited about it!

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?
Pride and Prejudice. (No contest.)

The Kite Runner.

Goodbye Pink Pig. (My fave as a kid.)

And…Hmm. I can’t bring my ereader can I?

Author Websites and Profiles
Melinda Di Lorenzo Website
Melinda Di Lorenzo Amazon Profile

Melinda Di Lorenzo’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing as a hobby just like most published authors I read about today. Then one day I woke up and my children had grown. I had more time on my hands and definitely more time to think about what I wanted out of life for me.

The day my youngest son left for the Air Force, the empty nest syndrome hit me hard. After crying for hours, I locked myself up in my bedroom and went through my hope chest filled with the children’s memorabilia. At the bottom of the chest, I found an old manuscript and decided to give the writing thing a shot. It took me four years to revise and (eh hum) edit it while working long, crazy hours at a retail job. I didn’t have a clue of what I was doing, but I enjoyed the challenge.

Last year, I finally self published my first book, “Attached” as an experiment. I wanted to see if readers liked it and most of them who reviewed the book, did. Of course, other readers did not. I also wanted to see if I still had the ambition to become a practicing writer and an author, and if I could keep the inspiration for new ideas to write.

In June of this year, my sister and I went on a day trip to an old abandoned town and that’s when the ideas for my new release, “The Butterfly Curtain” filled me with yet another yearning to write.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, “The Butterfly Curtain” was released December 2, 2013.

Last Spring, my oldest son talked me and my sister into attending a fundraising ghost hunt by The Peninsula Ghost Hunters Society at a 19th century abandoned furnace town. It was extremely fun as well as scary and the group was able to catch loads of evidence. I actually had a church pew shake with me in it and nobody was around to do that. Come to find out, I was sitting in the men’s section of the church so I assume the specter that shook the pew was a male.

A month later, my sister and I packed a picnic and decided to pay the same town a visit during the day. The first dwelling I went into was the infamous haunted church. I walked onto the pulpit, looked around, and that’s when the inspiration of a new story came to me. We toured the rest of the town and I took pictures of all the dwellings, the furnace stack, and the area so that I could have the images for the story.

A few days later, I uploaded the pictures from my camera to my computer and was shocked at what I had caught on film. You can see those images on my blog, “The Writing Closet”.

I was truly inspired to write about this old town, although I really didn’t want another ghost story. I didn’t feel a paranormal romance even after discovering the ghostly images. There was a love story somewhere within that town and I opted for a time travel romance.

When I visited the town a third time with my husband, we took a dirt road behind it. At the end of that road were hundreds of butterflies flitting through the air and around our vehicle. It was magical and that is how, “The Butterfly Curtain” came to be.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have many quirky writing habits, but I’ll keep it short and simple.

~ My coffee cup has to be placed exactly at my right arm’s length.

~ Since my desk is in my walk-in closet, (hence the name of my blog, The Writing Closet) I can’t write unless my bed is made up and the floors are vacuumed.

~ I have to be dressed and hair done before I write – as if I was going to any other job.

~ My oldest son gave me a mug with a picture of all four children on it for Mother’s Day and that mug has to be facing me while I write. It gives me special purpose.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are many authors who have influenced me throughout the years. I have to say Nora Roberts is the main one since we live in the same state and she started writing when her children were young. I love ALL of her books! Then there’s Karen Moning, Barbara Michaels, Amanda Ashley, Lynn Kurland, and so many more. I also fell in love with “The Outlander” series by Diana Gabaldon.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m wearing the marketing hat and trying to get “The Butterfly Curtain” out there in the reader’s world. There are a few ideas for another novel rolling around inside my head, but I’m not quite sure where it’s taking me just yet. I’m also working with my daughter on co-writing some fan fiction and revamping “Attached” with everything I’ve learned so far about the craft of writing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
With my first book, I didn’t do much marketing. I used social media and my blog as the main marketing channels and within a month, managed over 300 eBook downloads and print purchases. This time, I’m utilizing every avenue to market, but I can’t really say what works best.

The only advice I can give on promoting is to keep learning and plugging, and don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write from your heart and soul. Don’t take any advice from other writers until you finish the second draft. After that second draft, find a few critique partners by joining some writing communities that offer it. Then start on your third draft. During this time you should be studying the writing craft by people who have the credentials such as, Donald Maas and James Scott Bell, etc.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The more you write, read, and study the craft of writing, the better you become at writing.

What are you reading now?
I like reading books from debut authors and right now I’m reading, “A Clandestine Affair” by Ashlee Hart and “Still Life” by Jodi LaPalm.

What’s next for you as a writer?
That’s a good question.

To begin with, I’d like to be able to hire an editor for the next story and put the petal to the metal in order to make it longer. I’d also like to challenge my brain with a non-fiction piece sometime in the future even if it’s not published.

Other than that, I will keep studying everything I can on writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Well, it would be wise to pick out books that would help me survive on the island, but I assume that isn’t what this question is for. So, I would have to go with something I’d be happy to read over and over again.

1) The Bible, for many reasons.

2) An Encyclopedia, to keep my brain working. (You lose what you don’t use)

3) The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis because it’s my all time favorite since I was a child.

4) Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe in order to make the best of the situation.

Author Websites and Profiles
Audrey King Website
Audrey King Author Profile on Smashwords

Audrey King’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Two books “in print” and now in e book form. “Sammy Goes North” and “Sammy’s New Adventure”.

Both written in the 1990’s and self published then. Now as e books and shortly as live feed audio with sound effects and music!

These are books for children, based on my 25 years working with horses of all sizes and shapes 24 hours every day!

In process are my diary stories in book form. About 400 incidents of my “strange” life.

“Doesn’t everyone live this way” is the subtitle to these stories which have been prompted by comments from the thousands of visitors to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre over the last 20 years or so!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s a Rum Life!

or

“Doesn’t everyone live this way”, book two, “Boston 1960 to 1970”.

Inspired by my original diary stories, depicting daily life with the horses; written for my last newspaper employers eight years or so after I had left them.

These were published monthly together with a cartoon in the Horncastle News Series published at that time by The Mortons Group. The actual newspapers are now owned by the Johnson Group.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I just write whenever the mood takes me which can be anytime day or night!

Much to the annoyance of my long suffering wife!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
None;

What are you working on now?
“It’s a Rum Life” book three, “New Bolingbroke and the lorries” and then book four, “the horses”!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
They are all different and serve a different purpose and different clients.

They all need attention.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write what you know best.

I’m sure I would be hopeless at fiction!!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
John Wesley’s Rules for Christian Living.

What are you reading now?
King of Kings by Malcolm Saville, a book for younger readers!

What’s next for you as a writer?
To put ALL my books into audio form, the 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?
Harry Potter

Author Websites and Profiles
Richard Keith Sanders Website
Richard Keith Sanders Amazon Profile
Richard Keith Sanders Author Profile on Smashwords

Richard Keith Sanders’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a 40-something 18 year old living in Kentucky within spitting distance of Fort Knox. I live with my wife , my two children, and our dog “Elvis”.

To date, I’ve authored three novels. The most recent, “Sway”, is a psychological horror/thriller about a man who’s battling his childhood demons through the re-emergence of a recurring nightmare from his childhood. It is violent, unsettling, and unlike anything you’ll ever read. I guarantee it. One reviewer described it as “If the People Under the Stairs and Shutter Island got together and had a love child on Elm Street, it would be this book.” I can’t disagree.

My other two books are the first two in of a trilogy, “Watchers of the Night”. The opening novel won 5th place in the annual writing contest at www.critiquemynovel.com, where it competed against close to 100 other stories. They are a story about a young man who can walk the night in his dreams who is recruited by an agency that collects information for the United Nations. The third and final book in the trilogy is due for release in the spring of 2014.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Sway” is the name of my latest book.

It is the story of man attempted to reconcile some very bad things that happened to him as a child through the re-emergence of a recurring nightmare he had when he was young.

The foundation for “Sway” comes from a recurring nightmare I had as a child. In it, I was standing in the hallway of a very old house, a haunted house. How I knew it was haunted didn’t matter–you know how it is with dreams, you just … know things in them. In this dream, I stood in a hallway where arms reached out from floor-level barred windows, trying to grasp my ankles and pull me down. I had that dream for years, and it scared the hell out of me every time.

You’ll find that scene in “Sway”.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Actually, yes.

My “paying gig” requires that I travel a lot. My most frequent drive, one that I take at least twice a month, is roughly a 7-hour drive. During that drive, you will never -ever- catch me driving without a yellow legal pad propped on the arm-rest and my knee.

Don’t worry, I don’t spend any time looking down at the page. I keep my hand poised over the page and let me mind go, dropping myself deep into whatever story I’m working on. I spend the entire 7 hours free-writing and usually by the time I get where I’m going I can barely read what I’ve written down. But… it’s my process and the way I find the time to fully delve into my story without interruption.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, boy. Really? That’s a lot like asking who your favorite band is. Can anyone ever really say one or the other? There are so many greats.

Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas showed me what character development could be while still keeping it fun. Stephen King showed me what the term ‘epic horror’ really means. Clive Barker and Brian Lumley are tied for the two guys who most inspired me to let my freak flag fly–those guys are INSANE. In a good way. Piers Anthony for making me a reader at all. As a child, I devoured his Xanth series. James Alexander Thom–holy cow! The guy writes historical fiction and I *love* it. Not historical fiction–generally I don’t like that genre at all, but his? Amazing. Who knew? Oh and John Jakes, he’s amazing too. John–you can thank James for my even giving you a shot.

I could go on and on with authors. Which have influenced me? Every single one I’ve ever read.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on Book Three of the Watchers series, the final installment of the trilogy titled “The Fall of Astralis”. It’s about half way finished and I’m confident it is absolutely the best of the series, an explosive ending to an explosive series.

For fans of the Watchers series, I can promise you will NOT be disappointed.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far my best success has come from promoting with EReaderNewsToday. I’m told the greatest success will always come from BookBub, and I tend to believe it, but I have a hard time paying such a high price for something with no guarantee. I’ve used quite a few other sites to advertise my work, but aside from ENT, my greatest success has always come from social media like Facebook and Twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t expect to get rich from the first book. Don’t expect to get published with your first book. Don’t get discouraged when those things don’t happen. If you don’t find a lot of readers or if you get rejected over and over and… over, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. The market is INUNDATED with new authors and because of that fact, agents have to be very picky about who they represent because their ability to create the kind of money they used to see has been chopped off at the knees.

Write, write, and write some more. Enter contests. Submit to magazines. Get your name out there.

Most of all, write memorable stories with memorable characters.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write another book.

What are you reading now?
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After finishing the Watchers trilogy?

I plan to write more horror. I have a number of works already planned and outlined, and I’ve found a way to link them all to the “world” I’ve created in all my novels. Anne Rice does that with some of her books–she use an organization like the Talamasca in two very separate series. I love those kinds of nuggets in the books I read. It’s like catching up with an old friend.

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?
Ugh.

“From Sea to Shining Sea” by James Alexander Thom.

“Odd Thomas” by Dean Koontz.

“It” or “The Stand” by Stephen King.

The Bible.

Author Websites and Profiles
Matthew Keith Website

Matthew Keith’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a young novelist. Nineteen years old. Published one book in India. My first book is an international spy fiction thriller titled Dead Underground. It’s part of a series following my titular protagonist Alec Mercer.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Dead Underground. You know, when I was about seventeen, so about two-three years back I met with this terrible road accident and my arm was broken and after an year long conundrum operated which finally fixed the issue. During the time of recovery, I don’t know whether if it was due to the cocktail of drugs that were given to me but I used to get very vivid dreams -still do! I remember one such dream I had when I retired after watching a late night news piece on how the oil prices were rising at an accelerated rate in India in those days. I was in a dark tunnel blaring the emergency lights and sirens, people were coming at me from both sides, shooting at me, and I back at them and there was this blonde woman in a cover behind me and one thought which ran in my mind, “I have to save her, because she is the key… to something!” And then I woke up when I got shot. But this idea stayed in my mind. I kept thinking about it day and night until one late night I realized that I had to write it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, as such I don’t have any unusual writing habits. Although, I am a student in college so my time gets divided by various demanding responsibilities. This is why I tend to write in my vacations. During my vacations, I dedicate my entire day to writing, day and night, even as I lie on the bed, I think how to move it forward, writing late night, rushing to the manuscript at the break of light. If I remember correctly, I think I was inspired by Paulo Coelho’s method’s of writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As of now, since I have only published on only one novel, I ‘ll stick to that. For Dead Underground, I really relied on The Lost Symbol and The Bourne Identity. Since I had no prior experience in writing professionally, I basically emulated the writing styles of these two books mainly, but I believe many other authors who I have been reading as a child have also made a considerable impact on my writing style like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was after so many edits and re-writes that my own style took form.

What are you working on now?
I am actively working on many ideas at the moment. I am absolutely torn between some of the brilliant ideas which I can work with and most of all I’m teeming with ideas in completely different genres. But I owe it to my fans that my publisher is giving me the creative liberties to write and my main focus is to write the sequel to the novel Dead Underground. Apart from that I may soon begin work on speculative religious fiction, fantasy adventure romance, horror, murder mystery detective, dystopian, etc. What can I say, I fell in writing from the moment I started. I am also looking forward to inking a non-fiction books of different genres quite soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve done nothing extra-ordinary here. I mean I have my Facebook, twitter, what-have-you. Although I do not get the pleasure of being able to constantly monitor the activities on them, thankfully my publishers keep a watchful eye but I make a point to always connect personally whenever I have the chance. I owe it to my fans who promote my novel for me. I have been using Goodreads for a very long time now, much before I was an author, but as an author, it probably is the best tool available.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Having very recently crossed that mark, I think I can say something on that topic. If you are a new author, you may have been hit by a story you want to write and you wrote it, excellent! You can follow the advice of many people who have already written about the issue. What I want to say is that every industry at every instant has a particular niche which is prospering. If you find that correct niche at the correct time, your chances of becoming a published author can be tremendous. Where as if it is not part of that royal genre, your work as good as it may be might not be published or published after a lot of time or effort or even cost. So my advice to authors is too keep yourself apprised with this cut-throat industry, know the publishers, the editors, the assistants, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, their blog. Know the industry like the back of your hand, and I can guarantee, to an extent, that your work would have a much better chance of publishing and even after publishing, a much better chance of success. This I tell from personal experience.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep at it! Don’t give up! Send your work to anyone and everyone you possibly can!

What are you reading now?
I’ve got too many books on my to-read list, I really don’t know where to begin. Honestly, its too many.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I believe emotional growth is very important for me as a writer. Right now I am too young in the industry. I need to become more mature, rational and understanding to grow as a writer. My work needs to be more mature, I believe. Apart from writing, now as a part of the industry also I believe I need to become more mature as there is no other choice and nothing can be worse than being not taken seriously.

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 is a must right now! And one of mine too, to keep me comfort and happiness. Then I think a Harry Potter as many childhood memories are attached to it and a copy of “How to survive and escape from a desert island for dummies” if such a book exists.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jaideep Bhoosreddy Website
Jaideep Bhoosreddy Author Profile on Smashwords

Jaideep Bhoosreddy’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m a pretty new author but I’m proud to say that I have 6 books for sale on Amazon. Four of my books are in the Express Yourself in Rhyme series. This series is designed to help people find the right words to express their feelings for greeting cards, emails, notes and toasts. Some of the topics covered are birthdays, anniversaries, births, engagements, office memos, and travel, but there are lots more. The other series that I wrote is The Bible in Rhyme. So far I have written the books of Genesis and Exodus in rhyming couplets. This series is especially important to me as I really hope that it will help get many people acquainted with the Bible in a non-threatening way.

My background is in informal education. Besides writing and speaking about self-publishing I am a mother and a grandmother. I love spending time with my grandchildren!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Enjoying Exodus: The Bible in Rhyme. I already had written Enjoying Genesis: The Bible in Rhyme so it was an obvious choice to carry on with the second book of the Bible. I’m glad that I did because I really learned a lot and I think it came out very well. The stories are really amazing. It is too bad that today so many people don’t pick up a Bible because it really has so many great stories.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a lot of tabs open on my computer when I work. I use Word, a rhyming dictionary, a site with many translations of the Bible and often I refer to a dictionary.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Obviously the Bible has influenced me. Besides being an important book that has influenced civilization it is also a great work of literature.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on writing Enjoying The Book of Esther: The Bible in Rhyme. At some point I hope to return to the beginning of the Bible, but right now I am going to write some of the more popular books of the Bible in rhyme.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best website for promoting my books is this one because someone is reading about me right now.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you really want to write a book than do! With self-publishing you really can fulfill your dream, but know that it is hard work. You must not only write your book, but edit it and market it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Life is not a dress rehearsal!

What are you reading now?
A friend just gave me a book so I’m going to read it now. It is called The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a number of books from the Bible that I want to put in rhyme. I definitely want to finish the books of Esther and Samuel from the Bible. After that I’m not sure. But I also have to work on my marketing.

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?
Definitely I would take the Bible. I might take some commentaries. I would also probably take the Complete Works of Shakespeare, some sort of Encyclopedia, and a survival guide.

Author Websites and Profiles
Marcia Goldlist Website
Marcia Goldlist Amazon Profile

Marcia Goldlist’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I lead a double life. During the day I’m training young women (and occasionally young men) to become speech therapists. I have spent the past several years working as a university instructor. My students are young adult females so I’m constantly running plot lines and book covers by them. They make a great beta team!

St. Martin Family Saga

1. Score

2. Shameless

3. Shatter

4. Suited

5. Smolder

Follow the St. Martin brothers as they wreak havoc on the hearts of women in Whiskey Cove.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Ultimately I began writing to give life to the beautiful characters that wanted to exist in a place other than my mind. It’s nice when I finally get them on paper and they have a home. The answer to this question would not be complete without mentioning fan fiction. I was very active across a few platforms and a marvelous thing happened . . . I acquired hundreds of dedicated followers. Fans are everything. They motivate and drive more stories. It was because of the strong positive responses I received writing on fan fiction that I was inspired to move foreword and write series books and have them published. My latest book series started as fan fiction and morphed into a fictional small town world of Whiskey Cove outside of New Orleans. Each book tells the story of another sibling.

St. Martin Family Saga consists of five books.

1. Score

2. Shameless

3. Shatter

4. Suited

5. Smolder

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
This is going to sound extremely crazy so get ready. I have periods where I write en masse. What does that mean? Basically, I sit down for let’s say two weeks and write the entire series. I’m writing upwards of 4000 words per day when I do that. Average is around 5000 but I have been known to crank out 8000. It’s crazy I know but that process doesn’t take me long. I sit and focus to just get it on paper. The real work comes with the editing process. It’s long and tedious. I couldn’t do what I do without an awesome editor.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
1. His lady mistress by Elizabeth Rolls – my goodness when I read this book she pulled my heart out of my chest and stomped all over it before putting it back in place.

2. This man trilogy by Jodi Ellen Malpas – well who doesn’t love a Lord. Jessie Ward is hot as frack and is just yummy and his arrogance and intensity made me want to eat him with a spoon!

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte – she was a master at using everything at her disposal in her writing. I read this book every winter and the first pages that detail the landscape and the blizzard chill me to the bone. The way she uses the landscape to provide insight into the characters is genius.

4. Twilight – I know, I know, but to say I was obsessed would be the understatement of the decade. No, it wasn’t scholarly prose, but the intensity evoked between the characters made up for it in spades!

5. Sweet Valley High: Alone in the Crowd – this is my favorite of the Sweet Valley gang. Probably because in high school I wore glasses and never wore my hair in a popular style. As a preadolescent teen I swooned over Guy Chesney.

What are you working on now?
Since I live in the gulf region and have had the luxury of riding out three hurricanes in the past eight years, I was inspired to write a little series I’m calling the Emergency Responders. There will be a sexy fireman, a hunky sheriff, and a sweet talking paramedic. The fireman is the eldest St. Martin brother and let me just say that, Clara, the only female St. Martin sibling, may have a strong lead in the paramedic’s book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think it is important to have a home for your brand (i.e. author name and creations). I have a website with a webmaster who manages email lists and promotions. The giveaways help build the email list. I’ve been told the people that join your mailing list are guaranteed buyers. Word of mouth has worked for me. I think I have a unique situation because I teach at a university. My students are all females aged 18 to 22 (it is a graduate program). Since I write contemporary romance most of them buy my books and post about them on various social media.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
NEVER STOP WRITING! I waited until I had five completed and edited manuscripts before I even thought about publishing. In an ideal world, one would release something every month, even if it is just a box set of existing works. Be creative!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing! Spend money on a professional looking book cover. Get an editor. Make sure your book doesn’t look homemade.

What are you reading now?
After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am a speech therapist by trade. I have written a series about an eccentric man who has autism. He finds love and there are of course various ups and downs. Since I work with this population it is close to my heart. I would love to publish it.

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 Easter Parade by Richard Yates

The Collected Works of John Cheever

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Show and Tell by Jim Daniels

Sam the Cat: and Other Stories by Matthew Klam

Author Websites and Profiles
Gina Watson Website
Gina Watson Amazon Profile
Gina Watson Author Profile on Smashwords

Gina Watson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Longmont, Colorado and raised in Camanche, Iowa. I graduated from Camanche High School in 1985. Upon graduating, I joined the United States Marine Corps and became a helicopter mechanic eventually assigned to HMX-1, the Presidential Support Squadron. Earning an Honorable Discharge, I was released from active duty in 1992.

I was involved in the sport of bodybuilding at a very early age receiving my first weight set in third grade! I began to compete as a teenager finally winning my division at the Mr. Teenage Iowa in 1985. I went on to compete for the Marine Corps winning my division at the Armed Forces Championships in 1991. I continued to compete after being release from active duty earning the title of two-time nationally qualified, but I was forced into early retirement after back to back knee surgeries.

I began my aviation career outside of the military as a mechanic for a major airline based in Washington D.C. I soon realized that that wasn’t the career I wanted so in 1999, I obtained my private pilot license and began the long road to becoming a commercial airline pilot. I have piloted some of the world’s most notable celebrities from Paris Hilton and Dave Chappelle to Condoleeza Rice and Danny Devito. I currently live in Wisconsin and work for a major airline based out of Chicago, Illinois. I am working on my fourth novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book is titled Psychiatryst. It was inspired by nothing more than the question…what if?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual? No. I am a mad snacker, but finding out that this is fairly common. I prefer to write in the middle of the night.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Though I no longer read, when I did, I was a Joe Finder fan. I no longer read because of a great piece of advice from a wonderful book titled “Making a Literary Life.” Carolyn See, the author, said if you’re going to write, don’t read. You’ll only take other author’s ideas and styles and put them into your writing. It won’t be your own. Of course, I’m paraphrasing, but you get the point.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on Caretaker, Memoirs of A Not So Good Killer…it’s a bit of a dark comedy that follows the life of a young boy who, while trekking through the woods, stumbles upon a serial killer who is in the middle of burying his latest victim. The boy is in awe of the man he now calls the Caretaker and wants to be just like him. The only problem? He’s just not that good.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Persistence persistence persistence…word of mouth is an incredible source of advertisement for a book. Websites are great, but you have to get the public to those places in order for them to buy. The web is a great tool to help you, but it can also be a great deterrent. Ever tried to convince an online shopaholic that your book is better than what she’s looking at on QVC?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t ever let someone convince you that you need a big publisher or an agent to get your book out there. Write a good book and they will come.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t use a fifty cent word when a five cent one will do.

What are you reading now?
nothing

What’s next for you as a writer?
Going to try my hand at screen writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Robinson Caruso, anything by Tolkien, Count of Monte Cristo.

Author Websites and Profiles
B. Michael Fett Amazon Profile
B. Michael Fett Author Profile on Smashwords

B. Michael Fett’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

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