Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written seven books, but only the latest was published. I’m now working on two more, one of which is due to the editor by the end of this year.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Ultimate Justice A Trey Fontaine Mystery was inspired by my love of mysteries, both books and movies, and about the relationships between dads and daughters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to do most of my writing in bed, on the laptop.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Greg Iles–love his in depth characterization. James Patterson–love his short chapters that make a read really seem fast. Iris Johansen–love her sense of pace. Linda Howard–love her ability to hold back just enough. and Lee Child–love her ability to mirror and echo. Oh, and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child–who are able to keep the story going without putting the main character in every scene. And they also have a away of giving you the creeps.

What are you working on now?
Ultimate Game, A Trey Fontaine Mystery about human trafficking and the cocaine drug trade in the U.S. and Columbia.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a blog: ryderislington.wordpress.com, and I love to talk to the readers here at Goodreads.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Tons. In fact, I would love to mentor someone who is very new and wants to get published. Most important for new writers? Read. Read. Read. Read what you want to write. Read how-to books. Read blogs of writers in the genre you’re interested in.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Polish your work to perfection before submitting it, but don’t edit it to death.

What are you reading now?
Murdock Tackles Taos by Robert Ray and The Lone Wolf Agenda by Joseph Badal.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Can’t wait to get busy on a literary piece about two retired doctors, married to each other for many years, who both become ill and can’t take care of each other. The wife is a retired geriatric doc whose husband gets Alzheimer’s and the husband is a retired oncologist whose wife gets cancer. Written in alternating points of view.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Jane Eyre. Read it every December.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ryder Islington Website

Ryder Islington’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Zimbabwe, when it was still Rhodesia. My father was in the construction business so we lived in the bushveld for most of my childhood and teen years. My experience with Africa has inspired me to write as much as I can about the places I have lived. I have also lived in India and Indonesia and traveled extensively to many places around the world.

I now live in Virginia, USA with my husband Charles.

I enjoy painting in watercolor, reading and writing.

I have written one fiction book so far but I plan on writing many more.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Talk to the Moon” is my debut book; a fictional account of a young girl’s experience on a Christian Hospital Mission in Rhodesia during the 1940’s. It was inspired by my mother, who, before she married my father, actually worked on a Hospital Mission. The mission in the book, however, is entirely fictional. My mother did leave diaries after her death and kept detailed journals for most of her life. They were found by my sister and myself and she had always told me to read them and had in fact given me some of them to read before her death. The journal about her days on the mission were rather bland–not a secret in sight– so I thought it would be fun to write something that sounded more interesting, and “Talk to the Moon” was born.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write by the seat of my pants. My characters determine what is going to happen and the plot forms as I write. It is all rather spooky. I need to be completely alone when I write; no distractions and no noise. I don’t think that is unusual for a writer, though.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I enjoy and admire African writers such as Nadine Gordimer and Alexander McCall Smith. These books and writers have probably influenced me quite a lot but I do a lot of reading and it’s hard to say just who has most influenced me. I can’t not mention “Out of Africa”; quite the classic!

What are you working on now?
I am working on the sequel to “Talk to the Moon”. It is called “Place of the Elephants” and while “Talk to the Moon” was mostly about personal relationships between people, the sequel will focus more on African wildlife and conservation, especially the problem of poaching elephant and rhino.

This book is narrated by my “Talk to the Moon” protagonist, Holly, who is now married and lives in the bushveld. I drew heavily on my own family’s experiences of living in the bushveld. The setting actually exists although I have changed the name, and we did live in this place for several years during the 1950’s. The characters in the book are most definitely fictional but are inspired by actual events and the poaching epidemic in southern Africa.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love Amazon’s KDP Select free Kindle book promotion. I was amazed at the enthusiastic response I got from the reading public. For a novice writer with only one book, this is a very valuable way to get out there.

I am finding many websites such as this one that are happy to help feature a new writer and that is a refreshing change from the conventional publishing route where it is difficult to break through.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To get oneself out there as much as possible. Books do not sell themselves and it doesn’t matter how good a writer one is, one needs to promote oneself and work tirelessly at it. I find this to be a full time job and consider it my job to promote my book every day, even if it does well.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That writing is the easy part. It was disappointing to me to hear that because like all writers I hate the marketing aspect of authorship, and wish I could do nothing but write all day. I must say that it is true and the best advice I’ve ever received: to work hard at promoting and marketing my book(s) and not just spend all my time writing. I have learned to budget my time and allot a certain amount to the fun stuff but I am finding that promotion and marketing isn’t so bad after all!

What are you reading now?
I am now reading “Orange is the New Black” by Piper Kerman.

I love non-fiction and have been focusing on true World War 2 stories written by survivors of the Jewish Holocaust, and those who survived plane crashes. I find this fascinating. Often truth is stranger than fiction and it’s amazing what hardships and terrible ordeals people survive. I also enjoy true crime because it gives me insight into why people are motivated to do unthinkable things to others. Psychology is another one of my interests.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To complete “Place of the Elephants” and write yet another sequel in the saga of Holly Morgan. I still have a lot of material left on Africa. I have been doing a lot of genealogy research into my own family roots, and plan on writing at least one book on my slave ancestors who were brought to South Africa by the Dutch from India and West Africa. This too shall be a fictional account based on true stories that are well-documented.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien. I can read these books, including The Hobbit, over and over.

These books are so vastly different to anything I write and I can’t explain my fascination with them. It just is.

Author Websites and Profiles
Katlynn Brooke Amazon Profile

Katlynn Brooke’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a 34 year old writer and painter. I split my time between the two and find that each one inspires the other. I have written two novels and am working on a book of poetry.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book is entitled “Glazed City Eyes”, which I co-wrote with my good friend Jacob McKinley. It was inspired by a period where we each felt lost and where struggling to find our place in the world as individual artists. There seemed to be this imposing societal, and self-induced pressure to succeed and achieve recognition at the time. The book is about learning to relax and enjoy the moments. It is the process of writing that brings the most joy. Only when this happens, does the main character stop his cycle of self-destruction.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I warm up with a poem. I like to plop down quickly in my chair and just set the fingers in motion. It is amazing how the ideas begin to flow when you don’t allow yourself to think too much.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say that my primary influences are Charles Bukowski, Ernest Hemingway, and the Beats.

What are you working on now?
I am working on compiling a book of poetry. I also am setting my sights on writing and illustrating a children’s book. I like the idea of combining my joy of writing and painting/fine art in the same project!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I try to use my websites (http://www.glazedcityeyes.com and http://www.pmsartwork.com) but I also love Goodreads, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just take it a day and page at a time.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you want to succeed in life (whatever this means to you), raise your standards.

What are you reading now?
I am on a bit of a James Joyce kick. I recently finished “The Dubliners” and am just now getting into “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just hoping to continue to work and progress with each day. Momentum.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I have many, but would have to say “Sometimes a Great Notion” by Ken Kesey.

Author Websites and Profiles
Preston M. Smith Website
Preston M. Smith Amazon Profile
Preston M. Smith Author Profile on Smashwords

Preston M. Smith’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Shannon Donnelly is the author of fourteen novels, four novellas, and several short stories,a nd computer games. Her writing has won numerous awards, including a RITA nomination for Best Regency, the Grand Prize in the “Minute Maid Sensational Romance Writer” contest, judged by Nora Roberts, RWA’s Golden Heart, and others. Her writing has repeatedly earned 4½ Star Top Pick reviews from Romantic Times magazine, as well as praise from Booklist and other reviewers, who note: “simply superb”…”wonderfully uplifting”….and “beautifully written.”

Her Regency romances can be found as ebooks on all formats, and with Cool Gus Publishing, and include a series of four novellas.

She also has out the Mackenzie Solomon, Demon/Warders Urban Fantasy series, Burn Baby Burn and Riding in on a Burning Tire, and the Urban Fantasy, Edge Walkers. Her work has been on the top seller list of Amazon.com and includes Paths of Desire, a Historical Regency romance.

She is the author of several young adult horror stories, and computer games. She lives in New Mexico with two horses, two donkeys, two dogs, and only one love of her life. Shannon can be found online at sd-writer.com, facebook.com/sdwriter, and twitter/sdwriter.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Lady Scandal is set in 1803, when the peace broke down between England and France, and the English were forced to flee Paris or be imprisoned by Emperor Bonaparte. The idea came from thinking about a different setting for the “usual” Regency romance–something that would lend a dash of adventure to the story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’ll write whenever I can–even five minutes is better than no minutes writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Numerous authors including, of course, Georgette Heyer, and other greats such as Dorothy Sayers, Jo Beverley, Mary Balogh, Ray Bradbury, and a few more less well known, too.

What are you working on now?
The sequel to Lady Scandal–Lady Chance (Diana’s story).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Nothing beats word of mouth—getting one reader to recommend the book to other readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn your craft so you can forget about the technical stuff and concentrate on great characters in a great story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From Neil Gaiman: When someone tells you something is wrong with a story, they are almost always right; when someone tells you how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

What are you reading now?
A few non-fiction books on Paris and history, and some mysteries–I love Anne Charles’ Deadwood series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After Diana’s story, I have an Urban Fantasy to get done (the next in the Burn series).

What is your favorite book of all time?
That is the toughest question–there are books I adore and read over and over, and then there are books that hit me at certain moments. But I always think of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 where people chose to memorize one book to keep that book alive–if I had to memorize one book, I think it might be Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles. It’s really connected short stories, but they are so beautiful, so poetic, so perfect–like gems set in an amazing necklace.

Author Websites and Profiles
Shannon Donnelly Website
Shannon Donnelly Amazon Profile
Shannon Donnelly Author Profile on Smashwords

Shannon Donnelly’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a 31 year old Theology major (who is going to school for a degree in Juvenile Corrections). I hail from Southern Oregon, along with my husband and three daughters. I’m still not sure what keeps me busier: school, the girls, or the two ferrets who have developed military precision when it comes to escaping their cage.

I have written two published books so far, as well as several that will never see the light of day due to copyright issues that have arisen since I began writing. I am working on a trilogy currently, and then planning to work on an ongoing series after I finish.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Memory’s Illusion”, which is the final book in the Memories Trilogy. The first two are “Memory of Prophecy” and “Memory’s Darkness”.

My inspiration came from a combination of a key word, “memory”, and a random title generator. I wish it was more elaborate and fascinating than that.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a tendency to fill notebooks with information I never use, and I am VERY picky on the notebooks. I probably have dozens of partially filled notebooks because of the simple fact that I don’t like cutting myself off when writing, and have been known to go out and buy a new notebook just to prevent myself from that.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I honestly don’t think there is enough room to put all of the authors and books that have influenced me. For authors, a few of them would be Kenyon, Moning, Tolkien, and Pratchett. As far as books go, all of my books on mythology and religion, and a massive collection of books.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on “Memory’s Illusion”, which is the final book in The Memories Trilogy. I am also working on a book for a different series, if only to make the characters in that series be quiet for a bit.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth, and trying to get my books up on as many websites as possible. Promos are my major weak point.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t force yourself to write. If it’s not coming along, step back…take a break, and try again later. If it’s still not flowing, jump around and come back to your block later.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never pet a burning dog. (Old Warcraft II “Tip of the Day” if you clicked through enough of them)

What are you reading now?
The Beautiful Mess series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing my trilogy, and then continuing on with my writing. While I can hope for getting a large rise in sales, it’s doubtful, so instead I just continue to write and hope people enjoy my work.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I plead the 5th on this one.

Author Websites and Profiles
Megan Earley Website
Megan Earley Amazon Profile

Megan Earley’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My introduction to murder came from Agatha Christie. Her inquisitive Miss Marple, of St Mary Mead, and very Belgian Poirot, with his ‘little grey cells’, captured my imagination from a young age.

With a passion for the crime genre, my writing includes cosy crime novelettes and short stories. I am currently working on the Blake Hetherington mystery series, the first of which, ‘Hats Off To Murder’ is now available on Kindle.

I have also published a short story anthology entitled ‘Under The Patio’. The anthology includes five grisly tales: four short stories and a flash fiction that can only end one way. ‘Under The Patio ‘, is also currently available as an e-book through Kindle.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Hats Off To Murder was inspired by great British detectives, cosy crime writers and a bit of family history.

Whilst researching my family tree I found that my great grandparents were milliners. The more I read the more I was intrigued by the world of hat making and I loved the idea of hats being a window to the wearers soul.

So Blake Hetherington was born, a shrewd and sometimes intolerant widower, but he has a big heart, a true sense of justice and weakness for the damsel in distress. To him hats are a serious busines, he is fascinated by human nature and not content with simply selling hats; he must know his customer.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I was younger I had any number of notebooks full of stories and facts about nature, science and the world around me and that’s continued throughout my life. I love a random fact.

I carry various noteooks with me everywhere and will often stop a convesation mid-sentence to write something down that’s just inspired me.

More than anything I love people and they often inspire me to write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, Arthur Conan Doyle, Peter Robinson, Terry Pratchett (Vimes series of the Discworld books) and Christopher Fowler to name a few.

What are you working on now?
One For The Rook – The second novelette in the Blake Hetherington series.

Blake is growing pumpkins on his beloved allotment when he discovers a body in amongst the vegetables. With a prisoner on the loose and the allotments under threat from protesting ramblers, are any of the plots safe? With the help of Delilah Delibes will he discover the perpetrator before another death occurs? And more importantly, who will win the first prize at the Tuesbury Autumn Show?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth and social networking; it’s the best way for me. I use Facebook and Twitter to network with other writers and readers. These sites/pages also redirect them to my blog and website where I can tell people more about my writing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Talk to people about your writing, be enthusiastic. Don’t go in for the hard sell, but if you’re excited about what you do then other people can’t help but be interested.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always try to do better, don’t try to be perfect.

What are you reading now?
Thud – Terry Pratchett

The Crime Writer’s Guide to Police Practice and Procedure – Michael O’Bryne

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have plans for several more Blake Heherington mysteries. Eventually I intend to publish the Blake Hetherington mysteries as a print anthology.

I also have the first draft of a novel I wrote some time ago which needs a lot of work, but I hope, will one day be at a stage when I can publish it.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – Agatha Christie

Author Websites and Profiles
D S Nelson Website
D S Nelson Amazon Profile

D S Nelson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Harmony Stalter. I have been a freelance writer since 2005. In the beginning, I just dabbled in it, but by the end of 2006 I was a full time writer. I released my first book in 2008. It was a poetry book. I have since re-released it. Since that first release in 2008 I have released 5 more books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest release is titled Two Romantic, Two Suspenseful: A Short Story Compilation. It a book of four very different short stories that I have written over the past few years. The only commonality between the stories is the relationship dynamic and how it is tested throughout the stories.

The inspiration for the stories all came from different points in my life. The first story’s inspiration came from something I saw in a movie. Sometimes, that takes place it will only take one scene for me to become inspired to write a story. The second story’s inspiration came from a news story. The third story’s inspiration came from my own life. The final story’s inspiration came from a place I used to go.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do not think my writing habits are unusual. I just like to write with the music on full blast. It has to be wither through the headphones or speakers. I do like to had write a lot of things and edit them as I type.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are many authors that have influenced me. For instance, I love reading Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, and Robert E. Bailey.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am working on a crime/thriller/suspense novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think any type of social media is the best way to promote books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you know. You are not going to please every reader. There are those that will not like your writing and there are those that will love it. Take your time and write the best thing you can.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard is to write what you know.

What are you reading now?
I am reading “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be working on my novel for quite some time. After that, I am sure there will be more books written.

What is your favorite book of all time?
“To Kill a Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee

Author Websites and Profiles
Harmony Stalter Website
Harmony Stalter Amazon Profile

Harmony Stalter’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Dave Folsom is retired construction project manager and a practicing writer, blogger and photography enthusiast who spends winters in Arizona and summers in South Dakota and Montana. He is married, the father of three grown daughters with a granddaughter and a grandson. Born and raised in Montana, Dave graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Forestry and spent the first decade of his career working in and around the logging industry. This experience led to his first published short story entitled “Scaling Rexford.” which won honorable mention in the 1992 Edition of the University of Oregon’s West Wind Review. This work eventually led to his first novel, “Scaling Tall Timber.” Dave’s published works include “Sonoran Justice,” “Finding Jennifer,” “Scaling Tall Timber,” “The Dynameos Conspiracy,” as well as “The Zeitgeist Project,” and “Running with Moose,” a collection of short stories and essays. He is currently working on a third suspense thriller titled “Big Sky Dead” planned for late 2013 release. More information on Dave’s books can be found on his websites: http://www.davefolsombooks.com http://www.davefolsom.net

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled Big Sky Dead. Inspired by growing up in a small town in Montana and flavored by living in Arizona close to the Border Wars on the southern border this novel looks at a fictional account of the drug and human trafficking problems that plague the country. This book is part of a series of adventures featuring Charlie Draper, a fictional character with plenty of flaws who has a hard view of right and wrong.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write early in the morning with copious amounts of coffee.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I grew up on science fiction, and adventure thrillers by a wide variety of authors.

What are you working on now?
My current work is a fourth Charlie Draper novel, back on the Arizona border and making trouble for drug dealers and human traffickers.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use twitter, facebook, and my website http://www.davefolsombooks.com daily, along with many other sites. I also blog on http://www.davefolsom.net

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day or as often as possible, edit, edit, edit, then edit more. Learn better writing skills with every book and make each one a clean and error-free as you can.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I had a author friend who suggested writing is a lifetime craft only learned by studying the work of other authors, finding your own voice, and then perfecting your style over at least one million words. I believe he was right; I learn more with every book.

What are you reading now?
I have several dozen on my nook and recently finished A DIFFERENCE OF PURPOSE: A Novel Of The American Civil War by Terry Soileau

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to try another SiFi novel now that I have a few books under my belt. It is my favorite genre.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

Author Websites and Profiles
Dave Folsom Website
Dave Folsom Amazon Profile
Dave Folsom Author Profile on Smashwords

Dave Folsom’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I don’t think your line of questioning is appropriate. You are going to have to talk to my attorney if you want the answer to that.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The House That Smelled Like Urine and other short stories.”

It’s a collection of super-shorts written over the course of nearly 2 decades. I found them all in my files in December of 2012 and crafted an interluding tale that takes you through them and hopefully through yourself. I feel like it should be listed as a self-help book.

As for inspiration… What inspires a madman to murder? I don’t fucking know. I’m terrible at being a madman. I couldn’t tell you what inspires my writing. It just happens. It is organic. I don’t even really think I am writing them. As with all things on this plane of who-gives-a-fuck, I am just a vessel and this is one of said vessel’s many purposes… I guess.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to wear the skin of a chicken on my unmentionable areas and put Vaseline on my fingertips when writing. It’s a great way to get those around me accustomed to my behavior, that way when I get caught doing weird things in the dark I can just tell them I am writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors who suck influence me. In fact they are my inspiration if you will, to answer the question above. I read shit. I watch garbage on TV. I see these things and wonder, why the fuck am I failing myself so profoundly? The only reason these dirt-squirming, filth merchants have products on the market are because they put it there. It sells because they sell it. They do their jobs and work hard at it and for that reason alone, no matter how great I may think my content is, no matter how high I view my art, these jerkoffs are 50 thousand times better than me. Because they fucking do it! They listened to Nike. So, those are the authors who “influence” me. The hacks. Hats off to the lot of you.

Beyond that, I love the work of Douglas Adams, Franz Kafka & Stephen King. Those are probably my three favorite authors, maybe Lovecraft is in that mix. I read a slew of Elmore Leonard books over the last year or so and found myself loving his style and stories. I was a huge fan of Poe as a kid. Read his entire life’s work about a dozen times over. Haven’t read a word of his in at least a decade and a half.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a six volume series of Novellas called “Meet the Moseleys.” It’s a horror series. My first time sticking with one genre for an entire story. The first volume is due out next month with a new volume following bi-monthly or better for the next year or so. Just look for it on amazon or goodreads or wherever you do your book looking stuffs.

I’ve also been editing and now proofreading a book since 2012. I wrote it during the 2012 National Novel Writers Month. “They Call Me Jesus” It is a victorian/western epic retelling of the life and times of Jesus Christ. It is due out Christmas 2013 through Rotting Horse Publishing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
www.RottingHorse.com or my author page on Goodreads. You can also reach me on Twitter @SteamPoweredMan

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yeah. Just do it. Get over yourself and commit to getting your dreams done. When you finish your first book… IT’S NOT DONE! Do not publish it. EDIT. EDIT.EDIT. PROOF. PROOF. PROOF. A few errors are acceptable and almost expected even in the biggest of publications but publishing first drafts is not only stupid but dangerous. For you and the entire industry.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Someone once told me to go fuck myself. I did and it was AWESOME!

What are you reading now?
I am reading an Alien Nation book written back when people still knew what the hell that was. It’s pretty good. I’ve always been a fan and this is a nice backstory to the slaveships etc.

I’ve been reading alot of indie ebooks lately as part of review exchanges in order to increase my visibility and maybe even spark some word of mouth action. The results have been mixed as expected.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Probably going to take a shower while talking to my lawyer about filing a harassment suit against you guys for barging into my house like this while I am on the toilet with all of your fucking questions.

What is your favorite book of all time?
That’s a hard one.

Unless you agree to stop wiping me like a baby, this conversation is over.

Author Websites and Profiles
Giovanni Russano Website

Giovanni Russano’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
“Goldie Alexander’s 70 books are published both here and overseas. Her novels for adults include “The Grevillea Murder Mystery Trilogy” plus many prize winning short stories and articles.

For children she is best known for, “My Australian Story: Surviving Sydney Cove”, is now in its 10th edition and about to be released as an ebook.

Amongst her latest work are three collections of short stories: ‘Killer Virus’, ‘My Horrible Cousins’ and ‘Space Footy”.

Newly released for Young Adults is ‘Dessi’s Romance’; and ‘The Youngest Cameleer’, for middle grade readers: ‘eSide: A Journey into Cyberspace’. Coming shortly are ‘Gallipoli Medals’, ‘Cybertrix: Back from the Future’, and ‘Cassie’s Big Swim’. She authored the how-to-write ‘Mentoring Your Memoir’ and ‘The Business of Writing for Young People’, this with Hazel Edwards. She facilitates creative writing workshops and mentors emerging authors. Her website is www.goldiealexander.com.”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘Dessi’s Romance’ aimed at young adults was a sequel to an earlier YA set in 1939. Though the protagonists live in different eras they are asked to consider similar issues, those of freindship, emerging sexuality and attitudes towards ‘foreigners’.

End of school is a crucial time for life -making decisions.Eighteen year old best friends Dessi Cowan, Lilbet’s grandniece, and her best friend Emma Simpson have planned a celebratory trip to the Gold Coast. Emma is an artist, Dessi a poet; their mothers long term ‘best friends’. In the past the girls have always been there for each other and this relationship is central to their lives. However, when Emma meets charming Adbul Malouf and Dessi is forced to stay in Melbourne to recover from a car accident, Emma asks her friend to look after Abdul while she is away.

On the Gold Coast Emma meets up with her father and participates in some of the Schoolies activities. Her closest male friend Sasha, convinced he might be ‘gay’, takes her to a ‘gay’ club and then realises he is really ‘straight’.

In Melbourne Dessi is totally infatuated with Abdul who takes her home twice. Though his parents are openly appalled at his taking up with a non-Moslem girl, for Dessi his ‘stop-start’ behaviour only makes him more desirable.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Only that I suspect I am unusually persistent. Even when ill I still work. I try to avoid going to the fridge to keep myself going. I tend to work most mornings and will keep at it until I feel quite ill from staring at a screen too long.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My childhood’s obsessive reading in every way. I suppose the ‘classics’ were my primary influence. as a teen I read Dickens, Austen, Zola, Tolstoy etc. I possibly didn’t understand everything I read, but they remained a strong influence.

What are you working on now?
I have just had published my YA novel ‘Dessi’s Romance’ as an ebook and a middle grade fantasy ‘eSide: A journey into cyberspace’. I am also completing the first draft of an adult romance ‘Penelope’s Ghost’.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use my website www.goldiealexander.com and my blog www.goldiealesander.com/blog

I also use facebook and have a card which I hand out to anyone interested which displays my latest books and a list of current publications.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, one word: PERSISTENCE.

Also, read as much as you can. And try to write what is currently popular because it will be old hat by the time it is published. I use my blog to run ongoing advice for emerging authors and strongly recommend that anyone interested log into www.goldiealexander.com/blog

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The above! It’s too easy to give up. I don’t believe in ‘writer’s block’ only ‘writer’s despair’. The market is so fierce and so competitive I can certainly understand why some major talents no longer write. It’s a solace to remind oneself that most of what is currently being published probably won’t last the distance.

What are you reading now?
I have just completed Andrea Goldsworthy’s The memory trap, and am halfway through Questions of Travel by Michelle De Kretsner and the Glass Room by Simon Mawer. I have just downloaded ‘Gone Girl’ by Gillian Flynn to find out what all the fuss is about.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I intend starting book 2 of eSide. I will call it eSide 2. I like my characters and their impossible and unlikely adventures leave me heaps of room for imaginative scenarios

What is your favorite book of all time?
Can’t answer that. Pride and Prejudice maybe because it is the most perfectly structured of all novels… and the funniest.

Author Websites and Profiles
Goldie Alexander Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have a fantasy/ paranormal romance book published and a historical romance which will be released this Monday, July 29, 2013. I have written and completed eight novels and have five more in various stages of completion.

I have always been a storyteller. When I was younger, kids would come up to me asking what we were going to play that day. I set the characters and the plot. Once, I had us all pretend to be fighting Space Vampires. Of course, so the ‘vampires’ wouldn’t bite us, I had their fangs be their first two fingers.

I am a wife, and a mom to three kids.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Viking Fire. It was inspired by my great-grandfather’s name of McLaughlin and I read that some historians say that it is derived from Lochlann which is the Gaelic word for Viking. And that this Viking married an Irish princess.

I changed the princess to a spoiled Laird’s daughter and the characters did the rest.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write whenever I can. Being a mom to three kids, I have little writing time. The good thing is, I never get writer’s block, because I’m frantically trying to squeeze in time during the day (or night) and it lets my mind think up stories.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series, Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels series, and Kim Harrisons’ The Hollows series have been a great influence on me. There are many more, but these are my top three.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the revisions of the 2nd book in my Garnet Dagger trilogy. It is called Son of Dragons and carries on where Brock and Celeste left off in the last book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My method is my website: http://www.andreaRcooper.com, Facebook, Twitter, Reviews, Blogs, and occasional PR.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, everything. Good, bad – and know why you like it and why you don’t. Take writing classes, join a critique group. And keep trying! If someone turns you down, move on. Read inspirational stories of writers (many famous ones) who were rejected multiple times.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Start with the action. Fill in the backstory little by little.

What are you reading now?
JR Ward’s Dark Lover

What’s next for you as a writer?
Since I have many people asking, to get Son of Dragons published before the end of 2013. I also want to finish some of my incomplete manuscripts.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind. Why? Because this book introduced me to the world of fantasy fiction and I have never turned away.

Author Websites and Profiles
Andrea Cooper Website
Andrea Cooper Amazon Profile

Andrea Cooper’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started out in the newspaper business right after college and spent the next 25 years covering everything from local school boards to the return of the hostages from Iran. That last statement probably gives a pretty good clue to my age. But then, when I started in the newspaper business I wrote on a real typewriter. On that you didn’t plug in.

I started writing novels and got really lucky and sold my first one. I figure, hey that was easy. Ooops. Well, I’ve written six books, not counting the ones that are still in the desk drawer. After the first one sold to Walker Published I sold the next two to Harper Collins. Everything was going great except i didn’t sell many books. That’s a bit of a problem for a publisher. So the next three have been self-published.

I was writing mystery/thrillers and, while I thought they were good, they too languished. Despite good reviews, I didn’t sell many. Finally I decided just to entertain myself and write something I really enjoyed.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my my latest is Free Booze Tonight. I was at a concert at the Hollywood Bowl one night and the first line popped into my head. The next night I started writing the book, no knowing where it was going. But by the time I was finished with the first chapter I knew the name.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’ve found that for me the most productive way to write is to go to a coffee shop near my house on a Sunday afternoon when there are a bunch of people coming and going and sit and write for a few hours. Then I spent the rest of the week rewriting what I wrote on SUnday.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Wow, where to start? Michael Connelly, Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, Ross Thomas, Lee Child, John Steinbeck, Daniel Woodrell, Kent Haruf. The list just keeps on going and going.

What are you working on now?
I’m just starting another book in the vein of Free Booze Tonight. It’s called Born Every Minute. My goal again is to entertain myself and make myself laugh. If I can do that, I think the reader will enjoy it, too.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve tried a lot of things but so far the best method seems to be going to friends, family and acquaintances and asking them to help spread the word. I’ve had good reviews from independent reviews and that helps too. To tell the truth, though, I’m still looking for the silver bullet on this one.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
First, I’d say don’t give up. Second, try to set your ego aside and look at your work objectively or listen to those who offer advice. Weigh it and either take it or reject it. Always remember, it’s about the reader it’s not about you. Third, read everything you can in a wide range of books. Make sure you’re engaged. If the material doesn’t grab you, or keep you engaged, odds are the reader won’t care much either. Finally, remember that as frustrating and hard as writing can be, it should be fun. If you’re not enjoying this, perhaps you should step back for a week or two.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Start each scene as late as possible.

What are you reading now?
I just finished In The Garden of Beasts and am now reading “The Survivor” by Gregg Hurwitz.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to try to master the art of blending humor and suspense. Right now my books are one or the other. I’d like to try to blend them.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Great Gatsby

Author Websites and Profiles
Chuck Freadhoff Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written two books. The first, The Little Book of Muses, is a collection of original inspirational phrases.

This eBook is an inspiring read to influence daily writings and enriching one’s work — a good-feel guide to make a writer feel passionate and motivated about their craft.

Some of the phrases will tickle your funny bone while others offer nuggets of wisdom condensed into a few lines.

The second, Smokescreen, is a fast-paced thriller that is due next year. It was acquired by a publisher. The novel ushers us into a world of global intrigue and sinister, far-reaching alliances between the US, Israel, and Singapore.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Little Book of Muses. I have a habit of day dreaming, and one day, I decided to tweet some of it. I started getting more followers and someone suggested that I compiled them into a book, which I did. Readers will find them quirky, funny, clever and inspirational.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to travel and explore places, and soak in the moment. If there’s something that appeals to me, like a place, I try to work it into a scene. I don’t have a particular time when I write. I just write whenever I feel like.

I am not one who writes based on a number of words in a day. After all, it’s going to get edited, and you’ll lose chunks of what you’ve written. I try to visualize the scene in my mind thoroughly and then produced what I am thinking.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, so many, as a kid, I enjoyed reading Enid Blyton and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Three Investigators, and Franklin. W Dixon’s Hardy Boys series. As an adult, I would read cross-genres from literature to thrillers. I also like reading foreign books.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the second volume of my book of phrases. At the same time, I am also working on my second thriller novel, which is set in Europe.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still exploring. This social media thing is new to me, so I’ll take it one day at a time.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t quit.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Good writing is rewriting.

What are you reading now?
Snow Escape by Roberta Goodman.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll follow where life takes me.

What is your favorite book of all time?
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I must have read it at least 15 times.

Author Websites and Profiles
Khaled Talib Amazon Profile

Khaled Talib’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As an editor and literary consultant, I help hundreds of writers complete their manuscripts each year. My book ’52 Dates for Writers’ is designed to help writers overcome common sticking points whilst writing or revising their manuscript. Each of the 52 writing challenges or ‘dates’ take the writer away from their desk in order to shake up their ideas and replenish their creativity. Each writing date is accompanied by an essay on the writers’ craft, plus examples from well-known novels – such as the plot of ‘Atonement’ laid out as a maze, in order to help the reader think about the different potential endings for their novel, and pushing their plotline in new and unexpected directions.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name is really inspired by my son. Having been immersed in the written world of others, once I had my son, I felt an itch to get writing myself. I had slowed down enough from my day job of working with writers to have this thought, but being a new parent I needed an idea I could fit into my new schedule. It had to be something I could write in the pockets of time I had available – it wasn’t as if I was going to have the luxury of 4 hour writing stints for a few years! So I hit on the idea of 52 mini writing masterclasses. And then I thought of what was working already – the writing ‘dates’ I set the writers I mentored over longer periods, to help keep them motivated and passionate about their work, whilst focussing in on the aspects of the writers’ craft we needed to discuss that week or month. And so ’52 Dates for Writers’ was born slightly after my son, and the longer subtitle ‘Ride and Tandem, Assume an Alias and 52 Other Ways to Improve Your Novel Draft’ came as we were about to publish.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Before I had my son, I would likely have awoken in the night with any ideas, but these days I value my sleep too much! I do tend to get ideas at the theatre. Something about being in a sealed creative space, perhaps.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many! All the writers I have worked with, wherever they are on their journey. I feel lucky to enter the creative world of writers at such an early stage. But my English degree too, and even the books I studied at school – those are the ones I read many times, and I feel are always with me. F Scott Fitzgerald was an early passion.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing a second book in the same series – ’52 Missions for Children’s Writers – Learn a Circus Skill, Go out in Disguise, and 50 Other Ways to Inspire your Children’s Novel.’ Children’s writers face unique challenges – in appealing to the right target readership, in writing for today’s young reader rather than the young reader they themselves once were, in replenishing their sense of play. Both of my books are based on encouraging the writer to play – but it becomes even more vital in writing for an audience for whom play is natural and essential.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ll get back to you on that! There are so many different forums and opportunities the task can become dizzying. I think it’s important to take it all at your own pace, to set as many of the right things in motion as you can, and then get on with writing the next book! SEO is vital, though. Trying to make sure your book is visible by understanding how people search for books and blending that knowledge into writing your book descrition and other marketing material. If this sounds daunting, there are some step-by-step guides out there to help.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Know your market well. What’s already out there, and where do your books fit it? Goodreads is great for this, of course. While you are writing, have a realistic writing schedule, write key dates in your diary, and make sure you stick to them – or at least have a good reason when they slip. Take care of yourself. It’s hard to be creative when you are feeling burnt out. The same for promoting your work. Have a realistic schedule – one that lets you get back to writing within a few months if possible – and here, make sure you are genuine in your actions. Just like the writing part, try to enjoy the process of promoting your work and connecting with readers. Don’t fake it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t try to do it all. Follow what you are passionate about. You have all the time in the world. (This is from Sol Stein’s ‘Solutions for Novelists’ and I always think of it when I meet writers in too much of a rush with their work.) Enjoy the process.

What are you reading now?
For my work, I am reading a promising novel draft for a mentorship I am about to begin, as well as an unusual non-fiction manuscript. Much of my reading for pleasure at the moment is the reading I do with my son. I love discovering new books for him – and they have to be good, as we read them so many times. A new favourite is Otto the Book Bear by Katie Cleminson. In a way, it’s actually a very early introduction to the idea of authorship.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll finish ’52 Missions for Children’s Writers’ and then I expect I’ll start working in earnest on the novel I’ve been carrying in my head for several years.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Probably my tattered old copy of ‘The Complete Poems and Plays of TS Eliot’, which was given to me the summer I left school and was full of anticipation for my first term at university.

Author Websites and Profiles
Claire Wingfield Website
Claire Wingfield Amazon Profile

Claire Wingfield’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After 23 romance novels (published by Harlequin and Dell), I was ready for a change. I spent a few years banging my head against the wall, trying to break into the Hollywood world of insanity as a screenwriter and taught media writing courses for advance level college classes. I realized that most of the books I enjoyed most were YA, so my husband and I decided to join forces and created a YA time travel mystery series. Having the freedom to choose the era, the place and the plot is so much fun. And we love our characters. They are the kind of people I’d like to hang out with every day. I still use Kathy Clark for my romantic suspense novels (“After Midnight” and “Cries in the Night”-release date fall, 2013), but we’ve chosen the pen name of Bob Kat for our YA and New Adult books which is a combination of our names.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“BION” (Believe It Or Not) was just released on August 31st. It’s the third book of our CUL8R (See You Later) series. When we created the series, we wanted something current and relevant, so we went with the text lingo that teenagers use every day. The first book “OMG” (Oh My God) introduced the characters and set them off on the path of their first mystery after they discover a little-known, but very real invention of Thomas Edison called “The Telephone to the Dead”. Voices from beyond the grave call out for help, and our teenagers must come up with a way to get back to the past to help them. Luckily, there’s an app for that. In “OMG”, they go back to 1966 to keep a popular cheerleader from committing suicide, but find out she was actually the victim of a serial killer. Book #2 “BRB” (Be Right Back) takes them back to 1980 when they rescue a Cuban family who are living on an island off the Florida Keys. They all barely escape with their lives. “BION” was a change of pace as they go back to 1927 and join a circus to solve the mystery of the disappearance of a farm boy. An unexpected romance complicates matters.

We’ve been lucky enough to receive several awards for this series, including Best Indie Book of the Year 2013, finalist in the Beverly Hills Book Awards and finalist in the Reader’s Favorite Awards with the winner to be announced in September.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am definitely a creature of the night. No, not a vampire, just a person whose creative juices don’t start to flow until after dark. I believe in the whole right brain/left brain theory of creativity, and my creative right brain works at night while my critical, detail-oriented left brain works during the day on edits and re-writes.

But I think the most unusual element of our YA series is that my husband and I write it together. He and I develop the plot, make a detailed chapter-by-chapter synopsis. Then he writes the first draft. It’s an incredible bonus not to have to start off with that dreaded blank first page. He says he is providing the bones. Then I go in and add the flesh and blood. It might not work for everyone, but it works great for us. He’s also doing this with our next big project, a New Adult series called Scandals.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was younger, I read almost every book in my school library that centered around horses and dogs and have become a collector of “Misty of Chincoteague” memorabilia. I was even lucky enough to actually go to a Pony Penning Day a few years ago. If I ever hit the lottery, I want to buy a pair of Misty-heritage ponies and keep the line alive. When I started writing romances, I admired Janet Dailey because her characters weren’t wimpy and her plots were interesting, unlike most romances of that era. Currently, my favorite authors are Karen Robards, Linda Castillo, Amanda Hocking, Stephanie Meyer and Sandra Brown.

What are you working on now?
My husband and I, again under the pen name of Bob Kat, are working on Book #4 of the CUL8R series titled RIP (Rest in Peace) that takes place in 1912 at the Stanley Hotel. And we’re also working on Book #1 of the Scandals series for New Adults. This one, of course, will be a lot wilder, crazier and hotter than our YA series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
www.NightWriter93.com for all of our work and www.CUL8Rseries.com for our YA series. We’d love to hear from our fans, especially about places they’d like our time travelers to visit. Our email address is REW7616@gmail.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find your best creative time and work your schedule around so that’s when you write. Books are so much better when they don’t feel forced. And don’t manipulate your characters. If you’ve done your job well and created multi-dimensional characters, then they should be able to tell you, the author, what they’re going to do. Listen to your characters. Don’t make them do something they wouldn’t do.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t try to follow the trends; create them. There is no way you can ever catch up to a trend, so try to figure out what’s next and get there first.

What are you reading now?
I’ve jumped into the New Adult market, so I’m checking out several of the more popular authors. I’m really kind of tired of vampires, witches and zombies, so I’m looking for something fresh and character-driven. No more CG!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on my next romantic suspense “Cries in the Night” which is the second book of the Denver After Dark series. It should be released in the late fall. My husband and I are working on the first book of the Scandals New Adult series. It’s called “Baby Daddy” and should be released in early fall. “RIP” the fourth book of the CUL8R series should be ready in December or January.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Wow! Tough choice. I never pass up a Carl Hiaasen book, but that’s sort of like cheese between wine tastings because his style is so different from mine. Everyone should take a look at his books to see how to truly create memorable characters. Then dial it back about half.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kathy Clark aka Bob Kat Website
Kathy Clark aka Bob Kat Amazon Profile

Kathy Clark aka Bob Kat’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account