Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Authors, storytellers, and adventurers. We have traveled together to 70 countries, all 50 US states and all 10 Canadian provinces. Traveling together is our favorite pastime.

We are diehard fans of the millennium generation, and have traveled with college students to 22 countries witnessing their transformation to global citizens.

Together we have published four books: A Leader’s Guide to Knowledge Management, Social Knowledge, Business Goes Virtual plus our most recent book, Tips for Two: Tales of a Globetrotting Couple. In addition John published a fifth book called Building Organization Memories.

John is a professor of management at Minot State University, North Dakota and JoAnn is the managing director of Sagology, a consulting firm (www.sagology.com).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
We are very excited about Tips for Two: Tales of Globetrotting Couples. We love to travel together and wanted to share some of the tricks we have learned along the way. Tips for Two is not guide book per se, but rather a collection of our stories that we hope will help other couples enjoy traveling together. After two decades of traveling as a couple, we had an epiphany; as much as we love travel, we really only enjoy it when we can share the adventure.

We see some many couples who are traveling together but not as couple. We realized that we work hard to make our travel enjoyable. Travel can be very stressful at the best of times. Traveling as a couple can significantly increase the anxiety, but only if you allow it. If you are in any doubt about this, just tune in to an episode of Amazing Race and watch how the strongest couples completely melt down, often over what appears to be a very minor issue. We have learned, largely through trial and error, that there are many little things we do to reduce the stress of travel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
We love to write in Hawaii in January! If you live in a cold climate that will make much more sense.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Great storytellers from around the world, but our favorite is Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

What are you working on now?
We are working on a book that tells the story of us sailing around the world with about 600 university students. Most of the students were juniors or seniors, which meant that almost every day there was a 21st birthday. Just imagine.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Tips for Two is a new project and we are developing the brand using social media, primarily Facebook and Twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it! I know that is more used but it is the best advice.

What’s next for you as a writer?
We are hoping to make Tips for Two into a series.

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

Author Websites and Profiles
John and JoAnn Girard Website
John and JoAnn Girard Amazon Profile

John and JoAnn Girard’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
David-Michael Harding is a life-long writer whose novel, How Angels Die, continues to receive critical acclaim. A former semi-professional football player, his writing is hard hitting and passionate. He holds a master’s degree in education and is an adjunct professor of writing. His latest work is his fourth full-length book and there are innumerable shorts, plays, and novellas. Most of his days are spent writing from the cockpit of his sailboat, Pegasus, somewhere off the Nature Coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Cats of Savone – 8 Short Novels for Busy People. Cats is the first installment in The Completely Abridged Series. The release of Completely Abridged grew out of David-Michael Harding’s teaching and letters on The Art & Science of Writing. This collection contains examples of what he refers to as newborn novels. “Most novels begin their lives as short stories. Consider Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea, or John Steinbeck’s The Red Pony. Though in their entirety these classics are short in comparison to other works of the masters, each began life as a true short story. Writing, much like any gift, skill, habit, or hope, is strengthened through practice, training, and exercise. The short story is the stretching and dedication to a running regime long before the marathon. It is the repetition of scales on the piano, years before the recital.”

Writers should learn with each exercise and compiling this collection was no exception. The myriad of topics – from baseball (My Boo Radley) to war (Forever Beneath the Celtic Sea) to music (The Jazz Bridge) – and genres – fantasy (St. Alden’s), contemporary (My Boo Radley and The Junket), and historical (Black Men in Bright Blue and The History of West Texas) – exposes the reader to an assortment of writing techniques. The commingling of topics and genres also proves highly entertaining for the reader as they weave through the far flung reaches of stories.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t write from an outline. I know the destination, but little of the journey. I spend a great deal of time internalizing the characters and their strengths and weaknesses. Then I set them loose to explore and react to the situations and circumstances that develop in the storyline. My writing style is best classified as eavesdropping. I don’t so much write dialogue as I set my characters in the story and listen and watch what they do. As they work through the piece and make decisions, I write down what happens and what they say.

If I am not at work on a novel, I pen short stories to stay in tune and crisp. It is in the practice – the honing of the craft – that skill is developed. If I have a habit it is that by design I am always looking and listening for seeds of stories. Seeds are blown in on many types of breezes. Stories may come from the remnants of a dream. Or a snippet, a line, a scene in a film. Perhaps the dangling prose in another novel or a hint of the story beneath the words of a song. Often it is the thoughts of the forgotten people who lived at the center or through a historic event. It is the wish to show the perspective they had. The key is to have prepared the soil – practice – and have a fertile imagination to accept and nourish the seed.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Steinbeck and Hemingway. I always come back to the simplicity in which they practiced the craft. They do not tell a story so much as they allow a story to be revealed. They show, not tell. Their works are about the growth of the characters based on the decisions they make on the page. The story is their journey. The writing is straightforward and they don’t waste words and lines. The intent of each page is to drive the story forward.

What are you working on now?
The next scheduled release will be the much anticipated sequel to Cherokee Talisman (2012), Losing St. Christopher. The novel continues the saga of the Cherokee Indian Nation through the lives of the shaman Totsuhwa and his son Chancellor. The impact of the murder of their wife and mother from Book 1 is reflected in their choices as the infamous Trail of Tears approaches. Losing St. Christopher is in its final stages of editing and is scheduled for release in the spring of 2014.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Informed, experienced, knowledgeable reviewers. They have existing fan bases who place great stock in their judgment. People use social media to track reviewers who have similar tastes as themselves. Readers can then use reviewers to filter out material they would not enjoy. One of my greatest rewards is to have a reviewer say, “This isn’t my standard fare, but I couldn’t stop turning the pages!” They will convey that sense of discovery to their readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write write write! As I mentioned earlier, authors need to exercise – and the short story and novella is the training necessary in preparation of the elusive next Great American novel!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From Hemmingway – never empty the well. I end my writing day with a very good notion of what the next line, paragraph, or scene will be. He wrote that he seldom experienced writers block by using this very simple ploy. As with so many things, he was correct. I seldom am at a loss for the next words. This augmented by the fact that I cheat – my books are full of my character’s voice, not mine. I am merely the scribe holding the pen.

What are you reading now?
Thomas Steinbeck’s short story collection, Down to a Soundless Sea. Wonderful visual writing. You can feel and smell the sea breezes of the coast. When the protagonist is cold, you shiver. That is good writing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Following Losing St. Christopher, I will be stepping away from historical fiction in the purest sense by completing a much more contemporary piece. It is in the early stages, but I am very pleased with the story’s progress. The characters are whispering in my ear to get back to them and get their dialogue down on the page!

There has also been tremendous interest in How Angels Die as a film. The novel is very visual and would translate very well to the big screen. I hope to craft the screenplay following the publication of the contemporary novel I referenced. Several years ago I wrote teleplays for public television so I’m excited to stretch myself back into that field.

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 – for the religious connotations, but also because it is full of fascinating stories which are often overshadowed by the tremendous message.

The Complete Oxford Dictionary – I have read most of it and though I can’t explain how, wonderful words pop up in my writing from it that I have utilized nowhere else.

Steinbeck’s Short Stories – pure entertainment

Any incomplete novel of my own. On the island I would have time to do a masterful re-write!

Author Websites and Profiles
David-Michael Harding Website
David-Michael Harding Amazon Profile
David-Michael Harding Author Profile on Smashwords

David-Michael Harding’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an English teacher and a writer, meaning I keep very busy. My hobbies include writing, reading, web design, roleplaying (tabletop), and watching movies. I have always been a huge nerd, a Hermione Granger who locks on to hobbies with dedications, enthusiasm, and a little bit of obsession.

I have published five novels, but numbers six and seven are in various stages for publication by summer of 2014. My first novel, Olympia Heights: The Pantheon, is part of a four-book series that I will be finishing this winter.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Rescue OR, Royer Goldhawk’s Remarkable Journal, is an American steampunk fantasy adventure. For over a decade I had this idea for a story about what happens when someone tries to harness magic for themselves. The hero was an intellectual, but over time he evolved in my head until that was his handicap; Royer is so firmly rooted in logic that he has a hard time with magic and emotions.

Eventually, as steampunk started to rise and become something I was learning about, I shifted the idea of my story to a new setting and plotted it out. Royer’s saga is incomplete, however. The second novel (which should complete the journey) will be out in 2014.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think my habits are unusual, though I have always been trying to find ways to incorporate technology into my organization. I write my plot points on cards and arrange them and then I outlined. When I write, I do not let myself quit because I feel uninspired. I force myself through it. When I do this, I find some of my better writing comes out because it is unclouded by the delusions of grandeur that sometimes “inspiration” makes us feel. Lately I have worked with a few cloud softwares (Google Drive and Evernote) to be able to write in different settings. I bought a notecard app for my iPad so I could do my notecard plot arrangements without wasting paper and covering my floor in cards for my dogs to walk on.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
JK Rowling and Harry Potter will always be credited for my love of fantasy. I try to take inspiration from Rowling and Tolkein with my incorporation of mythology into my magical worlds. Neil Gaiman is a huge influence of mine, too. He has some wonderful things to say about memory and childhood, and he’s delightfully creepy and witty when he wants to be.

What are you working on now?
I am finishing the last Olympia Heights novel. The book is in the later stages of revisions, so hopefully, soon, I’ll be able to move into proofreading. It’s the end of an era for me, but recently I decided that I want to do a comic alternate-universe reboot with some slight changes to character and big changes to plot. More titans, more monsters, more fun. I have an artist already working on character designs, so Olympia Heights will live on.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I find that reviews are the best tool for selling books. Amazon reviews. Getting people to actually write those reviews takes a little more effort, and I’m still fine-tuning that process, but I generally sell more books when my reviews grow.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You will need to give a lot of books away to get reviews and sell more books. Don’t be so caught up in “but what if my book gets pirated” that you don’t send out eARCs.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be real on social media. I can’t tell you how many talented authors I have unfollowed on Twitter because they were doing nothing but posting the same promotional tweet for their book multiple times a day. Interact, post content, and when you’ve earned the attention of your followers, post self-promotion sparingly.

What are you reading now?
I am in the middle of a closer re-read of Romeo and Juliet so that I can teach it next week.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After I finish the second Royer Goldhawk, I’ll be working on a comic adaptation of Olympia Heights.

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 Ocean at the End of the Lane, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, and Metamorphosis

Author Websites and Profiles
Amy Leigh Strickland Website
Amy Leigh Strickland Amazon Profile

Amy Leigh Strickland’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
S.C. Ellington is an up and coming author who enjoys expressing her creativity through frequently writing adult, contemporary romance novels that readers can relate to, but more importantly, enjoy.

Aside from writing, Ellington enjoys curling up with her e-reader and absorbing herself in novels loaded with emotion, desire, and passion. She also likes to spend sunny, wistful afternoons, in her hammock thinking up new ideas for great stories.

Ellington currently resides on the west coast with her beautiful family and loving friends.

So far I have only written one novel, Unsettled: A Novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my novel is Unsettled: A Novel. I decided to write Unsettled as a way to express some of my internal thoughts. In life we all go through trying experiences and sometimes they are hard to move past. In Brooklyn and Logan’s case, they are both plagued by secrets. Every person has to be willing to take chances, and make changes. If you can’t do that, then what do you have? You’re just left Unsettled.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I often times come up with different ideas while running errands. I then voice record my thoughts right then and there into my cellphone. It is unusual because I stop mid stride to voice record my thoughts and I get really strange stares.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
This is a hard question. So many people have inspired me that it is simply unfair to list just a few.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am preparing for the release of Unsettled. It is set to release on December 10, 2013. The official cover reveal is also set for November 21, 2013. In addition, I am preparing to write the second installation to the Unsettled Series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I would have to say that Facebook and Goodreads are two of the best websites I’ve used thus far to promote my novels. Both have provided a nice amount of traffic and publicity for my novel.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To all the new authors out there, I would say the author world is something you will not fully understand until about a year into your journey.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Well as a budding author myself, I can’t stress enough the importance of networking. When I first approached the idea of writing a novel, I was mortified by the idea of social networking and meeting people face to face. Luckily I was able to meet a few great people early on who showed me the ropes of the author world. I think my exposure to them has made my author experience richer.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Ring Formula: How to Be the Only One He Ever Needs

by Alduan Tartt.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep your eyes peeled for the second and third installments of the Unsettled series novels in the spring and summer of 2014!

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 couldn’t possibly pick just three or four books. That is an impossible decision.

Author Websites and Profiles
S.C. Ellington Website

S.C. Ellington’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 former newspaper reporter/columnist for The Newark Star-Ledger, with 19 years experience covering the New York City and New Jersey scene. I currently write for HBO’s website. I have written and published five books: “Stinger,” “The Zukovka Experiment,” “The Hurting Game,” “The Punishing Game,” and “The Killer Sex Game.” My Frank Boff Mystery series is based on the adventures of a friend who was a legendary DEA Agent and is currently a high profile private investigator. My books contain complex mystery and suspense, a hard edge, and plenty of humor.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Killer Sex Game.” It is based on the former scandal involving New York Governor Elliot Spitzer and the elite escort service he was using, paying $4,000 an hour. Spitzer was exposed, and the once hot candidate for President resigned from office.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I often open my eyes in the middle of the night in bed and a scene or an idea, or dialogue comes to me out of nowhere and I have to get up out of bed to write notes. Otherwise, I write 7 days a week, roughly five hours a day, and do massive rewrites.

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

What are you working on now?
The fourth book in my Frank Boff Mystery Series, “The Dead End Game.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
use websites that advertise free Kindle book days, and Facebook

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Write. Write. The simplest definition of a writer is, Someone who writes

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you know

What are you reading now?
“A Wanted Man,” by Lee Child

What’s next for you as a writer?
A fifth book in my Frank Boff Mystery Series

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

Author Websites and Profiles
Nathan Gottlieb Website
Nathan Gottlieb Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I would describe myself in two ways; I am a late starter and I am living my life backwards. By that I mean that I am doing things now that people normally do when they are in their early 20’s and that was 45 years ago!

I started writing in the mid 1980’s. I was running a Bureau de Change at the time and had planty of free time on my hands waiting for customers. I therefore knew the world of foreign currency and Travelers Cheques intimately and let my imagination run riot in a ‘What if’ sort of way. That book, my first novel is That Will Do Nicely was written at a time of great change in the computer industry and the press industry. The PC was born about then and color was introduced to the world of newspapers and the whole of the print industry became computerised.

I had learnt how to print with a manual press at school and in one of the photographic studios I had worked in early in my photographic career and having learned how to do it the hard way I was in a unique position to appreciate the new methods that entered the industry then. The first book is a pure piece of confidence trickery and fits into the Crime Fiction niche. However, the protagonists of the book end up in south-west France where my first interest lies; near the mysterious village of Rennes-le-Château, the subject of many authors including Dan Brown’s ‘DaVinci Code’. My second book, Pentagon Five is a sequel to the first but lies in the Adventure/thriller niche.

Due to my interest into the mysteries of Rennes-le-Château, I tracked down the author of one of its seminal works, Genisis – The First Book of Revelations’ and was later asked to collaborate on my third book (non-fiction) of Geneset – Target Earth which was published in 1994. After that came a book on teaching Math (I am a retired math teacher) and a couple of books of short stories called Vendange – stories about my grape picking days in the Haut Médoc in France.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Vendange – tales of the grape vine. Inspired by my quest to learn about wine.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The only thing other writers might find strange is that I have always written through the computer. I am not a pen and ink author.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the early works of John le Carré. His books like ‘A Murder of Quality’, ‘The Spy Who Came In From the Cold’ and ‘A Small Town in Germany’ were great works of fiction… concise; neat and not too long.

What are you working on now?
I am bringing out a serialized set of 8 volumes of Geneset – Target Earth. It was a very weighty and expensive tome when it was first published in 1994 and contains a lot of knowledge which I want the public to have access to. My co-author, no longer with us; was a genius.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is a difficult question because the goalposts keep shifting. Promotion sites like Awesome Gang in conjunction with Amazon’s KDP Select is the current flavor of the month but amazon is ringing the changes.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Definition of a writer is ‘someone who writes.’ It is that simple. Don’t talk about doing it. Do it.

What are you reading now?
I am part way through le Carré’s ‘The Perfect Spy’.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have one or two great novels stacked up. One will be a political thriller based on true but secret events.

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 Lost Light’ by Alvyn Boyd Kuhn.

‘Cosmos’ by Carl Sagan.

‘ASnacalypsis – The Saitic Isis’ by Godfrey Higgins.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ian Campbell Website
Ian Campbell Amazon Profile

Ian Campbell’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an ex-Playboy croupier and Cambridge post-graduate, who has ended up writing books full-time in south-west France. In between, I’ve taught English in Crete, Seychelles and numerous pubs and cafes around the world. The most boring job I did was working for a firm of solicitors as a legal secretary – my boss paid me the minimum wage, took away my Tippex and used words I didn’t know the shorthand for, so I left to work for the data centre manager at British Leyland, at a time when more cars were being smuggled out of the gates in bits than sold to the public and the salary for secretaries was three times that of a legal secretary. Imparting this final, crushing information to my Lamborghini-driving boss was a sweet moment. He had called me into his office, smugly offered me a generous pay-rise (10%) and fallen off his swivel chair. The strangest job I ever had, and the most manic, was working for a bin-liner company in New Bond Street. There’s not much I don’t know about high-tensile, medium gauge refuse sacks. The office was tiny and the sales staff were on the phone all day long, chatting up potential customers and making me wish that MP3 players had been invented. The atmosphere oozed. If that’s what you had to do to sell a plastic bag, I wanted out.

So, books. Two humorous memoirs and three mysteries (on the psychological side), all available on (where else?) Amazon. Should I put them on other distributing sites? Answers on a postcard, please. I think I’ve read them all about ten times. Must be someone else’s turn by now, surely.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’ve just released ‘An Accidental Killing’. Like most of my books, the characters drive the plot. I like to build characters who are flawed, who have different personas – as people do in real life. I’m not interested in one-dimensional creations, or masses of characters who all seem the same and whose names you can’t be bothered to remember.

This particular book is set in France, in an imaginary village, with fictional characters – I had to be very careful about that! Don’t want my friends and neighbours galloping down the Impasse, shoving legal papers through my letter-box. I know the region well, so the setting, although fictional, is authentic, with lots of detail you will recognise if you know anything about French life.

I normally like to include a baddie and I really loved writing Claude’s character – he is evil, but not entirely. He has redeeming qualities and has squandered his chances in life largely as a result of circumstance. That’s not to say you will like him any better.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Good question. I jump around a lot. Not physically, but mentally. At the moment, I am working on four books, various genres, various stages. Today I finished the second draft of ‘Stranded in the Seychelles’ which is a sequel to ‘Bunny on a Bike’, then I put some towels in the tumble drier, said hello to my son, made a cup of tea, watched him watch Junior Master Chef (watching your kids is probably a mother thing), then wrote a couple of chapters of my newest idea for a sci-fi, and I don’t really even like sci-fi, apart from ‘Oryx and Crake’ by Margaret Atwood, and ‘The Martian Chronicles’ by Isac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’, and … well, maybe I do like sci-fi.

Back to habits. I like my online dictionary open at all times (terrible speller), but tend to steer clear of the thesaurus (too many adjectives is a schoolgirl error in writing – I am still looking for the cure). I get side-tracked – researching stuff, cross-referencing information, emailing friends for their opinions and finally coming up with an essential sentence or two for my book. I drink water, tea and more water while writing. I occasionally lie down on the bed and fall asleep whilst thinking about plot or character development. No minimum daily word-counts. Don’t like them.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been told that some of my writing is reminiscent of Margaret Atwood’s style, but that was by a close friend who loves me a lot. (Cat’s Eye is one of my favourite books ever – so far). I’ve read every book by Ms Atwood and I even asked her to have I look at one of mine years ago. As far as I know, she was out of the office at the time, which was probably a good job for both of us. My first attempts at writing were painfully introspective. More influences – I could read David Mitchell till the cows come home (dialogue and voice). Love ‘Fingersmith’ by Sarah Waters (elegant, intricate plot), but didn’t like ‘The Night Watch’ (took against a couple of the characters). I read lots of books at the same time, including French authors – just finished Hubert Haddad’s ‘Le Peintre d’Eventail’ – breathtaking. He’s on YouTube – ignore the madness and listen. Just started ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ (admiring technique, loving ‘fuckwittage’, coveting diary genre), and about to start ‘The Thirteenth Tale’ by Diane Setterfield – recommended by a friend as being similar in style to one of my books, so I thought I’d check it out before tuning up my trumpet.

Every time I read something brilliant (all books have at least some brilliance) I am influenced. It’s impossible not to be. A great read often sets me off on a new idea for a storyline or a character and I have to get writing. I’m convince that I draw on all the books I’ve ever read, all the films I’ve ever watched that have moved me or changed the world just a little

What are you working on now?
Ah. I think I already answered that one. Oops. In case you missed it – ‘Stranded in the Seychelles’ is a memoir, humorous, fast-moving and gently satirical. Third in the series of Bev and Carol adventures, (‘One Summer in France’, ‘Bunny on a Bike’).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The million dollar question! Obviously, yours… Honestly? No idea. I’m still trying to work it out. There are free sites, ridiculously expensive sites and everything in between. But who knows where the sales come from? Certainly not me. I don’t promote often – probably five times in almost 18 months. Got one coming up, though. ‘One Summer in France’ on 20th and 21st November – you’ve got it on your schedule, for which I thank you!

Promoting is a difficult job – I don’t like to bully my friends, so I’ve got a separate author page, just created. I tweet a bit, too much sometimes, or not for days on end, and I like to put posts on my blog when I have a good idea, hoping to attract new readers and link up with like-minded authors. I am always surprised by how helpful other writers are and I like to reciprocate when I can, with honesty and integrity, ideally. There is no doubt that having a network of friends on Twitter, Facebook, personal blogs etc. is an immeasurable help to promoting your books. The danger is, however, that you end up promoting mainly to each other! The best method would definitely be to get your Awesome Gang to do it all for me. How much?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Ready to cringe? ‘Don’t run before you can walk!’ Ready for another? ‘There’s no such thing as good writing. Only good rewriting.’ Robert Graves.

If I had to give my own personal advice, it would be ‘Listen to the experts, who have written successful books. Books that a lot of people have read and enjoyed.’ That’s not to say that, if you are not earning a good living writing, your writing is not successful. What I mean is that, taking advice from experienced writers who have achieved some degree of notoriety, is a great place to start.

This is what Margaret Atwood advises:

“I never give advice to writers of the rule kind because as soon as you make some rules for writing, another writer is going to come along who breaks all of those rules and produces a brilliant piece of work. The only advice I give to writers is as follows, number one: read a lot. Number two: make judgments about what you read. I like this, I don’t like that, this I feels succeeds; that I feel doesn’t. Question yourself as to why. And third, I recommend that they read a book called The Gift, it’s by Louis Hyde. It’s not about how to write, it’s about the gift aspect of writing, which is why they will not necessarily make lots of money doing it. Why there is no pension plan.”

She has some other equally useful ideas here on: http://www.thewritingcode.com/pages/transcripts/atwood.html#atwood8

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
‘Don’t do it, if you don’t enjoy it.’

What are you reading now?
Oh, dear! Already answered that one, too.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Who knows? If you’d told me I’d be writing science fiction a couple of months ago, I would have laughed. I’ll do anything that inspires me. On a more practical note, I’ll be formatting another of my books for paperback soon, as I am gradually working out how bookshops operate and now have copies available in HyperU in Saintes, where there is an almost imperceptible level of interest from the expat circle. As my mortgage advisor told me once, ‘Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey.’ Don’t you just love him?

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Caught me, just as I was about to leave! Impossible to answer. Let’s see. Collected works of Shakespeare (no apologies for this one), Robert Frost’s poetry (soul food), can I have the Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton (unless someone has made them illegal)? And one more… umm…I know, a hardback copy of ‘The Children’s Bible’ I had in 1964 (for the pictures and the nostalgia of my grandparents’ quiet lounge with its large table and the all-pervading smell of polish, Brasso and woodsmoke).

Author Websites and Profiles
Bev Spicer Website
Bev Spicer Amazon Profile

Bev Spicer’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
In 2012 I published my first fantasy series, Dark Waters. This was released as one huge book, but a year later I decided to release it in three installments and you can now get Harvest, Traitors Day and Flames and Blood from most ebook retailers.

Writing the Dark Waters series took many years and by 2013 I needed a break so I started experimenting with more modern styles and eventually came up with The Running Game, which is a paranormal thriller and will be the first book in a new series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Running Game came from a variety of ideas and inspirations. Usually when I write I start with the characters and in this instance I started with my two main characters and a plot started to fall around them.

My characters are usually built of so many fragments of thought it is hard to really source them, but I always have a inclination to write strong, realistic women and The Running Game is no exception with the female lead, Rachel Aaron.

The setting around The Running Game has been strongly influenced by my interest in Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany – the idea that one driving force can control and oppress so many people in such a horrific way really fascinates me. Living in Britain we really don’t understand how something like the Holocaust or the Gulags could happen and I started thinking what would prompt a modern country to go to such drastic and unpleasant measures to control society and how the British people would cope under such a monstrous regime.

I’ve explored some of these ideas with The Running Game, where terrorism and poverty have become staples in Britain and a right wing, despotic government are in control. They are intent on eradicating Reachers, a group of people with psychic abilities. Being a Reacher, Rachel is in constant fear of being discovered and the story is really about her survival and what the world is like to her.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a chair in my lounge that I almost exclusively writing in. The only thing that is slightly out of the ordinary is I have to have either the TV or radio on. I can’t sit in silence and write. I hate to write manually and have to type if I’m going to produce anything better than notes for my work.

I very rarely sit a plan out my notes, although with The Running Game, given it is an espionage thriller, I did get to a point where my characters were sat around ready to reveal their master plan and I realised that maybe having one written down first would be a help!

Mostly when I write I struggle with timing so my computer is saved with timetables of character events rather than notes so I can make sure I am on time with everything and running consistently.

Otherwise I just write extra chapters – additional extras to the book to cover the filler that I need to get straight in my head, but that the reader could do without.

Oh and usually there’s a one eyed diabetic cat sat on my shoulder while I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a massive verging on obsessive fan of John Connolly, I swallow up every book he publishes and this year is a very bad one for me given he is not releasing a Charlie Parker book. I love his empathetic style. He writes horror, but from the perspective of someone who really is horrified by the scenes he has created. Rather than using shock tactics like a lot of authors, he just breaks down in words at the woes of the world and I find his work really amazing.

I’m also a big fan of Scott Lynch and the late David Gemmel who were very influential when writing my Dark Waters series.

I read a lot of work for indie writers as well and it’s always inspiring to be among so many talented artists.

What are you working on now?
I am commencing work on the sequel to The Running Game. At the moment I am in the planning stages, which means I am writing some historical chapters and a few pieces that cover the gap between the two books. I have a plot in place and I am itching to start the second book as soon as I can.

I do have a few ideas for progressing the Dark Waters series as well, in fact I did start it back in 2012, but at the moment my attention is firmly fixed on the Reacher series and I am really enjoying expanding this.

I also do lots of beta reading and proofreading work for other authors, so if I’m not writing I’m usually reading.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love Goodreads to promote books, but also to meet book enthusiasts.

There are so many do’s and don’t’s in the promotion world sometimes I find it is just easier to be a presence and write wisely.

Facebook is starting to be a useful tool for me, I am signed in to lots of book groups and I get a lot of attention that way, and it’s the same with Google+.

However the thing that brings me the most attention is my blog. I advertise a lot of authors through it and because of this I usually get about 800 hits a month. Here I can post my work, thoughts and also other people, which is building my network and allowing my work to spread far and wide.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Meet as many authors and readers as you can and listen to their opinions carefully. When it comes to marketing, presenting yourself and promotion always listen to other authors, they will have a wealth of knowledge and usually they are very happy to share. When it comes to your work get it beta read by enthusiastic but honest readers. And above all treat everyone you meet as you would want to be treated. If you want help try helping other people first.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t poke that wasps nest!…. oh did you mean the best writing advice. Okay – Write because you love writing, forget about being a successful author. This was given to me by my boyfriend when promotional work was starting to get me down and it felt that all this self-publishing was more effort than it was worth. This was just before I started writing The Running Game and I probably wouldn’t have started it without that push.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Scott Lynch’s Republic of Thieves. I am a very slow reader, mainly because I don’t get time to read a lot outside of beta reading and proofreading. But I always have a book on the go and if I enjoy a book I tend to drag it out for as long as I can.

The Republic of Thieves is the third installment of Scott Lynch’s Locke Lamora series and I have been waiting for it for about five years, so I intend to enjoy it for as long as possible, but not too long because I have the third book in the Glass Book of the Dream Eaters series by G W Dahlquist also waiting in the wings – which has been about a four year wait!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to be expanding the Reacher world for a while yet. The series will be at least five books and I will probably do some side stories and short stories to accompany the overall plot. There is a lot to this series and world and I am really enjoying myself writing it.

At some point as well I’d like to try my hand at a children’s book and me and my son are batting around ideas at the moment – unfortunately I think Stormtroopers Vs Dinosaurs is going to have all kinds of copyright issues, so we’ll have to go back to the drawing board.

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 first book I would take would be Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clark and possibly the short stories she did as well.

I’d also take American Gods, Neil Gaiman, because I’ve been itching to re-read it.

I’ve got a book on Rasputin which I borrowed about two years ago and I haven’t finished yet so I’d take that.

And probably John Connolly’s Black Angel – although I’d try to sneak a few more of his books too.

Author Websites and Profiles
L E Fitzpatrick Website
L E Fitzpatrick Amazon Profile
L E Fitzpatrick Author Profile on Smashwords

L E Fitzpatrick’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I wanted to be a published author from around 8 years of age. My early teachers encouraged me but my high school teachers told me my writing was terrible. Nine years ago I finally went after my dream and enrolled in a writing course. So far I have two books published, but I’m working on several more and hope to release my next novel in January.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Spiralling Out of Control was inspired after reading a book about girls who ended up in halfway houses where they found healing – I wanted to write the story of how a girl might end up in a halfway house.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month – 50000 words in November) every year and then spend the other 11 months fixing up my mess of crazy speed writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach inspired me to become a writer.

What are you working on now?
I’m writing a story about April. It’s the 4th book my my Spiralling Trilogy

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far it has been Twitter

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never, never, never, never give up. Always read and always be learning something new or how to grow in your craft

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Use track changes when editing.

What are you reading now?
The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman by Carole Brown

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m hoping to become a Hybrid Author. Indie is great but I’m sure Hybrid would be 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?
The Bible, A notebook, my phone book and Pollyanna … to remind me to be glad 😀

Author Websites and Profiles
Michelle Dennis Evans Website
Michelle Dennis Evans Amazon Profile

Michelle Dennis Evans’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
John David Lionel Brooke, an 80 year old, expat Canadian lives beside the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. He used to write a form of fiction as an advertising copywriter. Beginning in 2006 he started writing poems, stories and books. His poems and flash fiction have been published in many countries, Switzerland, Nepal United States, England and Canada. Books published 3 chapbooks; 2 poetry, 1 flash fiction and his first novel in a trilogy. He reads, therefore he writes.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Mother Lode, the first novel in my Mother Lode Trilogy. I was unwanted and voicless from birth, Abused and victumized by the tyranny of family politics. My story illustrates the vital importance of mother in the thoughts and subsequent actions of a boy growing into adulthood. We all only have one mother. My inspiration to tell this story was all the mothers and potential mothers of their forever impact on the lives on their children.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Tequila allows me to write wonderful stories in my mind.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Space does not permit them all. John Rachel, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Elizabeth Barret Browning, Shakespeare, Rabulias, Baracco, Golding, Anatole France, Bradbury, Stevenson, Bellock, Kinglsley, Twain, Poe, Cervantes, Dr. Suess, Dickens, Nash, Gabriel Garcia Márquez, Orwell, Lewis Caroll, Douglas Adams, Huxley, Asimov, Khaled Hosseini, Herodotus, Wilde, H.G. Wells, Octavio Paz, Hemingway, Voltaire, Wyndham Lewis, Arthur Koestler, H.E. Bates, Homer, Swift, and on and on … Hell there seems to a lot more space, Damn.

What are you working on now?
Completing my 10th year successfully writing background stuff on NaNoWriMo. Finishing my 7th draft of Shut Up Mother© ready for Beta readers end of November. Completing my first draft of My Mad Mother©, the final novel in the Mother Lode Trilogy. Second draft of Escapers Capers©, and working on 2 other novels, the first a Young Adult romance and the second an introspection of navel gazing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In the process of implementation, Awesomegang is my first step in sharing and finding readers.

My web/blog sites are an historic tragedy, thanks for reminding me to clean up these important communications platforms.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write and write then write somemore. Passing on this advice given me from a writer who knows, “Become who you are and write what you most want to say.”

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Become who you are and write what you most want to say.

What are you reading now?
Extaordinay Dreams of an Ireland Tarveller, by Rosemary Adkins

The Road to Serfdom, by E.A. Hayek

What’s next for you as a writer?
Setting up my sound recording area, I want to produce my own digital short flash fiction, poetry and excerpts of my stories for use on their mobile devices. This is the market for readers who can listen hands free, when they have no time or way to read.

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?
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Translated by His Holiness The Dalai Lama

An Island to Oneself: The Story of Six Years on a Desert Island by Tom Neale

Author Websites and Profiles
John David Lionel Brooke Website
John David Lionel Brooke Amazon Profile

John David Lionel Brooke’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I now reside in New Jersey with my wife and our 10-year-old boxer dog, River. River is my writing buddy, who rests quietly on the writing room carpet until biscuit-break time.

I enjoy appearing at MOTH-type story-telling events around NYC; most notably, Stoop-to-Nuts at the Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village, and Silver Tongue Devils, at the Identity Lounge, in the East Village.

I’ve won awards for both my short stories and non-fiction.

A Fashion To Kill is my debut novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Fashion to Kill.

My protagonist, Jack Centaur, came up with the title. There’s a point in the book where he uses the phrase, “…dressed in a fashion to kill.” Up until he said those words I hadn’t a title in mind. This is what writers call having the character speak to you. We live for this moment!, when the characters take over. That’s when you’re really into the thrill of the writing experience. Until you reach that point, its all uphill, very hard work.

The book itself was inspired while I was hanging around a Fashion Photo Shoot one day. Neither the model nor the photographer were famous. Actually, they were both starting out helping each other, doing the work pro-bono, to use the photos for what is called their “Look-Book” which is the portfolio they take around to show ad agencies, etc.

The inspiration came in one quick flash when the stylist (the one who does the model’s make-up and hair) asked me what I write about.

I replied something like, “I think I’ll write a novel about a serial killer who poses models bodies out as if on the cover of Vogue.

Then I forgot about the whole thing until about four years later when I was stuck for an idea to write my first novel. I said to myself, Hey, what about… And 60,000 words later A Fashion to Kill was born.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

I’m a morning writer. I’m pretty much up with sun. I do a series of stretching exercises, followed by a brisk 1-mile walk. Then a first cup of tea and a light breakfast, while I read something that is writing related. Sometimes it’s a novel; sometimes it’s a book review.

The most important thing I do is disconnect my iMac from the internet, turn the ringer off all my house phones. I put my cell phone on Do Not Disturb, except for calls from my family members, who know only to call me in case of an emergency. Then my writing buddy, River, a 10-year-old boxer dog, and I settle down to write until around noontime.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m an avid reader of various genres and have been inspired by many books. So I’ll mention the books that have influenced the writing of A Fashion to Kill

The Mike Hammer novels by Mickey Spillane, I The Jury and Vengeance Is Mine.

Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins novels.

Lee Child’s Jack Reacher.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing a 2nd Jack Centaur novel. Once again, Centaur will be searching for the killer of a young woman. Only, it’s not the Fashion World he’ll be entering, but the world of a Reality TV show. Hint: there may be a ghost involved!

Then I’m onto a stand-alone mystery set in 1928 New York City.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It’s an ever changing experiment to see what works in this ever changing Indie environment.

Promote your book(s) on sites like AwesomeGang!

BookBub.

Book Review Blogs.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

Don’t be afraid to Indie Publish. You’ll be in total control of your writing business. The most important thing is to believe you can do it. And work at it. So write your butt off. Immerse yourself in learning the craft of writing. Take classes. Read books on writing. This one is my favorite: Write Away, by Elizabeth George.

Follow Indie Author related blogs!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be Yourself!! Given to me when I was a teenager and has proven to be correct ever since.

What are you reading now?
Lush Life, by Richard Price.

Its set on the streets of the Lower Eastside of New York City. Price has a great feel for street dialogue.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Working on my next novel.

I’m also sorting through my short stories to put together a few into an ebook.

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?
Foremost, I’d bring a blank note book (Am I allowed to bring a pencil or two?) so I can finally write where there are no distractions. 🙂

Then I’d bring:

You Can’t Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe

Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind by Roger Walsh (foreword by The Dalai Lama)

The Oxford English Dictionary, all 2o hard covered volumes

Author Websites and Profiles
Mickey Wyte Website
Mickey Wyte Amazon Profile

Mickey Wyte’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live just outside of Grand Blanc, Mi. I write erotic romance, and have 8 books to date on amazon between two series. I’m starting a 3rd series I’m thinking of calling “The Contract”.

What folks don’t know about me, is I’m a small scale/urban farmer and work at a stall at the Farmer’s Market.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Contract”

Heather is a young, brilliant lawyer, a stunning beauty with money, so why does her husband cheat on her?

Sick of her husband’s infidelities, Suzanne makes her husband sign a contract to save their marriage. David reluctantly agrees, and finds the fine print surprising. Not only does he have to join a health club, he has to cater to his wife’s every whim or he will lose everything.

The chain of events Suzanne sets in motion will challenge Brian’s own thoughts of his sexuality.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My best hours to write are while Paw Patrol are on Nick!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Penelope Syn, Stephen King, Joe Nobody, Russel Blake, SM Reine

What are you working on now?
The Contract

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still trying to figure this one out. Since it’s erotic romance between 10-15k worth of words, I am exploring options.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep reading and writing! It’s as simple as that, and if you get stuck, there are several prominent Indie Authors on kboards.com that have threads spelling out how they achieved success.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
keep writing

What are you reading now?
The Amorous Adventures of Lucy Jenkins by Stephanie K Johnson

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Stand by Stephen King, Light’s Out, Break in Two by MJ Summers & anything by Clive Cussler so I can escape 🙂

Author Websites and Profiles
Lee Moore Website
Lee Moore Amazon Profile

Lee Moore’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in the south and later moved to Idaho where I now live with my family and a very motherly Sphynx cat named Kisses, aka Nurse Kisses. I love soul food, key lime pie, peach rings, and the sound of bagpipes. When I’m not writing, I’ve been known to dabble in graphite portraiture, graphic design, and soap making.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called The Santa Society. The original notion to write this story began while driving cross-country on a road trip in the middle of December with my family. From state to state, the beautiful countryside reminded me of a living movie, magnificent and ever-changing. The beauty of winter and the continuous starry night inspired me, romanced me, and thrilled me again and again. It made me remember back to a time when the miracle of Christmas bubbled up like a spring in my soul. I wanted to write a story that captured the magic of that feeling. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My only unusual habit is that I write my first draft on an iPad and do so in a relatively short period of time….usually.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite authors through the years have been Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and most recently, Tosca Lee.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on a novel about twins, lots of money, and possibly homelessness.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have found Facebook groups, advertising, and twitter to be most effective.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors is to find a critique group to join. I am generally a very reclusive person. A good friend helped me get out of my comfort zone and into a group. It has turned out to be the best thing I have ever done for my dreams of writing. As a group, we brainstorm, sharpen each other’s writing, and share support, successes, and friendship. I’m afraid to think of where I’d be as a writer if I hadn’t met these wonderful friends of mine 🙂

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Join a critique group. They were SO right.

What are you reading now?
My friend, Lisa Phillips, newest novel 🙂 due out in 2014.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I just want to keep writing books that people like. Maybe I will amp up my schedule and publish four a 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?
The Bible, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Havah by Tosca Lee, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and No Man is an Island by Thomas Merton.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kristine McCord Website

Kristine McCord’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I’m a bit of a workaholic so I work 9-5, write in my down times and try to maintain my primary role of wife and mother. It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it! I’ve been writing since I was a child and when I started college, I began my performance career (spoken word poetry, mostly). Then I fell in love with a creative writing class that was a part of the curriculum at the time and waaa-laaa…I was a budding novelist! My debut novel, Breaking Mobius, is a coming of age story of three students who choose different paths in life. All three have decisions they must make that affect their future, their friendships and ultimately, each other. It’s a rollercoaster ride told from their perspective so you will laugh, be mad at a few characters, blush at sex scenes and think a little. I’m on my second novel, an action/suspense, called Girl Soldier which should release in the late part of 2014. I have an erotic e-book currently rated 4 stars as well. So I write multi-genre to keep me interested and on my toes…and hopefully you too!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Breaking Mobius was inspired by my friend’s crazy stories about love and relationships and my college years. I took all the different stories and tried to breath life into them through this book and the characters. I want to show the complexity of each character. A girl from an abusive home tries to shed the mental abuse and realize her potential. A man struggles to realize that he doesn’t have it all even though he has a flourishing, high paying career. He is missing a vital piece of his life. Then lastly, a wayward woman who thinks she knows it all and can do it all meets her match, in the bedroom and in business, in an unlikely person. She has to make a choice to break her destructive cycle and ultimately change the course of her life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to snack and write. I know, you’d expect me to be 300lbs. since the length of my novel is about 310 pages…but I’m not. I could stand to run a few miles but I’m not far gone enough to fall into depression. (laughs) But I usually eat Twizzlers and Jack Link’s Peppered Beef Jerky. Sweet and spicy….kind of like me!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a huge James Patterson, Iris Johansen, Eric Jerome Dickey and now…indie authors. I’ve found some real diamonds in the rough through Goodreads and find that the unexpected makes me more anxious and excited to read. Sometimes with well known authors I know what to expect, the style of writing, their nuances but with indie writers, especially debuts, it makes you feel like you found something special. Now, instead of having my bookshelf filled with well known, traditionally published authors, I am trying to purchase books that written from new authors with fresh appeal.

What are you working on now?
I am working on an action suspense novel called Girl Soldier. It’s a story of a young girl, Rain Wilson, who is trying to find the mother who left her as a child and became embedded in a top secret world full of politics, terrorism and betrayal. She hopes that in finding her mother, she’ll find the answer to her own identity. Her father knows more than he lets on and hides a past destined to come back to haunt him. He is protecting both Rain and her mother from a vicious political figure hell bent on covering up a national security threat he orchestrated under the nose of the government. He has countless reasons to hide the truth from the public and silence her mother, an undercover agent, before she gets too close to the truth. It should be an intense read with lots of suspenseful twists and turns that the reader should enjoy. You’ll find yourself questioning who you are really rooting for…

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method of promoting books is social media, in my opinion. The more you socialize and become known, the more people want to help you, know you and buy from you. I also think Goodreads is a strong contender in promotions with their giveaways and review boards.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
New authors should never skimp on editing. We can likely do everything ourselves in the making of our book but editing is not a one pony show. You need many eyes to look at it multiple times (and this is after you’ve exhausted yourself for weeks on end, wondering whether you should delete a sentence or re-word it). Pay the money, get a good editor if you really want your book to be taken seriously. Oh…and covers. Get a book cover that doesn’t look homemade. I’ve purchased indie books online solely on their covers many times. I’m sure I’m not the only one either…lol. So get that extra sales point…invest in a good cover design.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice or quote I’ve heard is, “Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” You only have one time to make a good impression and that lingers in people’s minds for a very long time and is sometimes impossible to change. So be nice, be professional and be open to criticism as a writer (I actually think someone on Goodreads said something to that effect).

What are you reading now?
I’m jumping between books. I’ve started a book by indie author, J. Libby, called All That and Love. It is not exactly what I thought it would be from the cover design and the title but I’m enjoying the story. I’m also starting Designer Genes by Jacqueline Diamond and Subfrenzy by Kimberlee Jane. I try to review authors that have the least amount of ratings first then work my way on up. It’s my way of giving back to the indie community. I’d like someone to do the same for me to help my sales when they struggle, you know?

What’s next for you as a writer?
As a writer, I am going to finish my second novel, Girl Soldier. Then I am going to start on a few short stories/novellas. I really like writing flash fiction because I like the instant gratification. That’s why I wrote Crazy Dirty Love for Amazon. It’s like getting to ride with a Nascar driver…160 miles an hour and you’ve had the best time of your life in 20 minutes. (laughs)

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?
Wow. I’d have to do it in categories. I’d have an erotica book so that I could, you know, help myself out every now and again. So I’d pick Zane’s Afterburn. Don’t judge me, a girl has needs too. Next, I’d need something to help me on the island…so a survival guide would be my next choice. Maybe Survival for Dummies. (laughs) Then I’d need a book that was long enough to keep me interested and I’d probably go for my favorite, Coldest Winter Ever by Sistah Souljah. That book had me almost in tears and then rooting for all the wrong people. I could get lost in that story again. Lastly, I’d bring a random choice. Just grab something with a cool cover and take my chances…I think that gives me more excitement than choosing a book sometimes!

Author Websites and Profiles
T.R. Horne Website
T.R. Horne Amazon Profile

T.R. Horne’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a design student and an author. I have only write one book this far, but in all honesty, I have a list of twelve more books I would like to write.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Soul Seed and the premise that inspired me is, “What if the industrial revolution never happened?” I ended up creating a whole world based on the idea.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, though I have written enough to give myself carpel tunnel -in both wrists!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I owe J.K. Rowling a lot. I honestly would not even be able to read (well) if it weren’t for her. Books could not hold my interest till I read her series, after that I read everything I could get my hands on. I am a huge fan of Tamora Pierce, I have read all of her books save for her latest (which is sitting in my kindle library waiting for me to read it.) The list goes on, but those two are my favorites.

What are you working on now?
The second book in the Soul Seed series and two other books that fall in science fiction which is quite different from the Soul Seed universe as Soul Seed is fantasy.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do a lot on good reads and I try to blog regularly, but honestly I find that word of mouth has the greatest effect.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write (Duh!) and don’t over think it, I’ve talked to so many would-be authors that never finish because they always second guess everything! You honestly don’t have to worry about that till the edit.

Editing and writing are two separate processes as they are two different mindsets, keep it that way and you will make mush faster progress.

I find that when I have “writer’s block” I’m really just afraid of something, most of the time its, “I don’t know where I am going.” I only write with a very loose outline, If I think of a kick-ass moment it sticks with me so I do not write it down till I’m to the point of writing it.

Watch your pace, the reader wants moments to SLOOOWWWW DOOOWWWNNN! Give the moments you want to slow down by giving them more detail, if it’s all one pace you may lose your reader.

Your characters and your narrator (unless they are one and the same) should sound different. I have a “that” problem where all my characters like to say that. I realize that’s one of my own speech problems. When I was going through my edits (I edited my manuscript 15 different times completely) I dedicated one of them just to removing unnecessary thats. I managed to delete over 1,00o times where I had written “that”!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep writing!

What are you reading now?
“Allegiant” by Veronica Roth

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing “Soul Fall” the second book in the Soul Seed series. (You are the first to know the name of the second 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?
Oooh, this is tough. I would have to take at least one Harry Potter book, then I would take a book from the Bekka Cooper series (Tamora Pierce). Pride and Prejudice is on the list, even though I’ve read it nine times. After that, I really don’t know, I guess it should be a survival book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Rachael Horsma Website
Rachael Horsma Amazon Profile

Rachael Horsma’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have two epic fantasy novels completed so far. They are both part of an ongoing series called “The Storm-bringer Saga”. The first book Maerlin’s Storm was written ten years ago but only published in eBook format at the end of January 2013. Since then, it’s been re-edited and added to, whilst I was working on book two, “The Gathering of the Clans”. The second book is due for release any day now. I’ve already started writing book three and hope to have it completed by next summer.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Gathering of the Clans- The Storm-bringer Saga book 2. Inspiration comes from many sources but certainly celtic mythology has always been an inspiration for me. As well as this, there is my children, who are now teenagers. As the two main characters are a teenage boy and girl, I’m sure there is inspiration there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure what is usual. I have little or no premade concepts when i start to write, I just write and let it all flow. I like writing this way as it leaves for some great surprises. If i don’t know how it is going to end or what is supposed to happen, then the reader won’t either. This leaves for lots of twists and turns and surprises in the storyline. I have some basic idea of things I want to include and perhaps an outcome I want to acheive, but it’s very unstructured. I wondered if I was ever going to finish book two as it was like a beanstalk, it just kept growing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
David Eddings, Douglas Adams, Michael Scott, and Terry Pratchett to name but a few.

What are you working on now?
Book three of the Storm-bringer Saga

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning when it comes to promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up and never stop learning

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can’t do that! Naturally, I ignored it everytime.

What are you reading now?
Maureen and the Big One by Jonathan Hill. I’ve just finished Auto by David Wailing

What’s next for you as a writer?
Waiting for final beta reading results for book two before sorting out a launch date.

What is your favorite book of all time?
mmmm tough one. I read many different types of books. Lets give you a list instead. Walden by Henry David Thoreau is full of snippets of wisdom, Agriculture by Rudolf Steiner is a tough read but very worthwhile. For scifi, The Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy. For Fantasy, The Belgariad series by David Eddings. For horror, Ash by James Herbert was a good book. I’d better stop now!

Author Websites and Profiles
Nav Logan Website
Nav Logan Amazon Profile
Nav Logan Author Profile on Smashwords

Nav Logan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an author, techie, and mother. I got my start writing fanfiction–and I’m not ashamed. Much. My fans told me I should write professionally. Being a coward, I ignored them. It was actually my husband’s nagging, “Stop writing for free! I want to retire. You could be the next 50 Shades of Gray,” that finally wore me down.

Sigh. If only. I can’t write smut.

I’ve written one short sci-fi story called “Murphy’s Star.” I’ve also written three books and one novella in my “I Bring the Fire” series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a short novella called “In the Balance.” I’m a fan of Loki and the mischief and chaos he embodies; however, all good things are only good in moderation. The novella was about that–but wrapped up in a (hopefully) thrilling adventure-romance that spanned three different universes.

(All things are good in moderation except chocolate and tea. They should be enjoyed immoderately).

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Is fueling writing with tea and chocolate unusual?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lloyd Alexander is a big influence on me; I’m a big fan of “deep” themes wrapped up in adventure, humor, and magic. A lot of my influences are also non-fiction. I loved “How to Teach Physics to Your Dog,” “An Evil Cradling,” “The Wisdom of Crowds,” and most recently, “Jane Austen: Game Theorist.”

What are you working on now?
“Fates,” part IV of I Bring the Fire.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My fanfiction fans on fanfiction.net have actually helped me a lot. They’ve been a terrific supportive base for my original fiction. Lately, I’ve been communicating with them more and more via Facebook and Tumblr.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write! And don’t be afraid to seek out criticism.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
90% of life is showing up.

What are you reading now?
I recently tossed a book aside (I’m horribly picky), but I did read a great book last month called “American Ghoul” by Walt Morton. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long, long, time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have three more installments of “I Bring the Fire” in mind, and maybe a novella here and there. I try not to think too much about after that.

What is your favorite book of all time?
My favorite fiction book is “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” My favorite series is “The Prydain Chronicles,” and my favorite non-fiction book is “The Mystery of Capital.”

Author Websites and Profiles
C. Gockel Website
C. Gockel Amazon Profile
C. Gockel Author Profile on Smashwords

C. Gockel’s Social Media Links
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