Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a stay at home mother wannabe writer who just took it into my own hands less than a year ago. I’ve had the idea for this one novel for years actually though. It spent a lot of time just percolating in my head when finally I decided I was going to give it a shot. I took a couple of online courses and went for it. Now I am self-published and fining some early success with my first novel Tent City. It’s no best-seller, but I am getting lots of great reviews and just had my first book signing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Tent City. I was watching the news a few years back and they had an aerial shot of a Tent City that developed after a world disaster. It’s strange to me that the image is burned into my head and the idea that all of these homeless people had essentially formed their own community, but I couldn’t actually tell you which major disaster it was.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I ALWAYS write to music. I use alternative music to inspire me. I am always trolling around on itunes in search of my next “muse-ic.”

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, John Greene, and Suzanne Collins.

What are you working on now?
The sequel to Tent City. I don’t know how many times I have been asked when the next one is coming out. It’s safe to say that I left my readers hanging, but it a good way.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon is really where it’s at for now. I have a personal website. Kellyvanhull.com I have used Facebook promotions that run for $5 a day or something like that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, read, and then read some more. Study your craft. Make it better. And then make it better again. There’s no such thing as final copy.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
READ READ READ by Stephen King in his book “On Writing.” It’s just so true.

What are you reading now?
Park Service and Imaginary Girls

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully, I can continue to grow and actually make a living at writing. I’ve been hearing a lot of “not many writers can actually make a living doing it.” I want to be one of them.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Looking for Alaska or the Hunger Games

Author Websites and Profiles
Kelly Van Hull Website
Kelly Van Hull Amazon Profile

Kelly Van Hull ‘s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a licensed psychologist with a private practice in Western Michigan. For over twenty years, I have been counseling individuals, families, and couples. My areas of specialty include mood disorders, anxiety-related issues, relationship difficulties, and perinatal mood disorders.

I am fascinated by how people change. Through the course of my work, I have discovered that interpersonal safety and acceptance which exist in the context of the therapeutic relationship are instrumental in creating the necessary environment for clients to explore their psychological conflicts, unmet emotional needs, and dissatisfying relationship patterns. It was this insight that gave me the inspiration for my two devotionals, Jesus, The Ultimate Therapist: Bringing Hope and Healing and Jesus, The Ultimate Therapist: Healing Without Limits.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
This is a hard question since I originally wrote both books as one book. I started writing in 2006 after waking up one morning with inspiration for a rough outline. After finishing the manuscript, I discovered I had done things backwards. I learned from publishing editors and agents that the book was too long (since it was a Bible study) and didn’t include enough of my professional expertise.

I found a professional editor, split the book into two separate works, and re-wrote them. I self-published both of them at the same time: in paperback (2010) and ebook (2012) formats.

At first I marketed them as (two) 6-week long Bible studies, but realized they are more accurately categorized as devotionals. So, I made a few more changes and re-released them both as devotionals earlier this year.

The inspiration for them came from my work as a psychologist. People seek counseling because they are experiencing some form of psychological, emotional, or relational pain. They are looking for answers.

However, if just getting the right answer to one’s problem worked, then mental health professionals would be out of work. Research, however, consistently demonstrates that it is the unique qualities of the therapeutic relationship that create the right environment for personal change. Since therapists have a reasonable success rate at helping clients find psychological relief, how much more successful will Jesus be at helping us achieve psychological and interpersonal healing? This insight inspired both books.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am a logical, sequential person, so I tend to work from an outline and write each chapter in order. This works pretty well since I write nonfiction. I am not sure if it is the best method, however, for writing fiction.

I love having a detailed outline. Once it’s finished, I feel inspired to think creatively about each chapter’s subject. I often have spontaneous ideas and insights all times of the day and night. It is very important to record each one right away or I will forget them. I have kicked myself many times for not being more disciplined about this. My new smartphone has been a life-saver since it has the capacity to record voice notes.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t think one can write without all the fabulously talented authors who have come before us. Their ideas and inspirations have helped to give birth to my books. However, the greatest influence on my work was an elective graduate-level class and the professor who taught the class. Dr. Petersen, a psychiatrist and adjunct professor, encouraged me to think critically. His challenge set my thinking free. I learned to play with concepts by looking at them from different angles. I don’t think I would be writing today if it wasn’t for him.

What are you working on now?
I am back to work on a new nonfictional book. It will also be Christian literature. I am not for sure if it will be another devotional. Right now I am still at the research phase. It will focus on the impact our spiritual relationship with God has on the development of our personal identity. As with the previous books, it will approach the topic from an integrated psychological and biblical perspective.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That is a very tough question and I haven’t completely figured out the answer.

After releasing both books I became very overwhelmed by the task of marketing and stopped all efforts. For about two years, I didn’t promote my work at all, outside of a few local speaking engagements. Not surprisingly, my sales suffered.

Last year, however, I met another author and developed a friendship. Her efforts inspired me. My 2013 New Year’s resolution was to do all that I could to market the best I knew how. I joined various social media outlets, such as Twitter and Google Plus, and created a Facebook Page. I became involved with several online forums and groups. I intentionally meet and network with fellow authors for tips and support, and interact with the public as much as I can. All of this has been helpful and seems to have positively affected sales.

I have also been taking advantage of GoodReads and LibraryThing’s opportunity to host book giveaways. These promotions have been a great way to get my work in front of the reading public who utilize those sites. It also has had the extra bonus of generating some reviews of my work. I believe the giveaways have been very instrumental in making sales.

I have an upcoming Amazon KDP Select giveaway scheduled for a five-day period from May 1 – 5, 2013. I have signed up for promotions on various websites for those days. I have my fingers and toes crossed that this giveaway will go well.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Today’s author is no longer limited to the role of being a writer. This person will have to wear many hats, including publisher, salesman, and public relations representative. It is important to do all of these roles throughout the entire project. I learned this the hard way. Don’t be afraid to appear foolish. And, be sure to find others who are farther ahead in this process, and get their input and help. Join local writing groups and internet author forums. Share and talk with others in this field so that we can collectively help each other.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Probably the best advice I ever heard was more of an observation than a piece of advice. It was “we learn more from failing than succeeding.” I have found this to be true. If I want to succeed, I must get comfortable with feeling foolish and failing a lot.

What are you reading now?
I am always reading and often several books at one time. Right now I am enjoying a post-apocalyptic book by a new indie author, reading and taking notes from a theoretical book about the formation of the “self,” and listening to a fantasy book on my iphone.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hopefully will publish my next Christian nonfiction work sometime next year and will possible publish a couple more after that. However, I plan to shift gears at some point and write a science fiction novel.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Hmmm…. that is a hard one. I don’t really have favorites. Probably the most influential work was Ray Bradbury’s “Dandelion Wine.” I read that story my freshman year of high school, and it opened my eyes to the wonders of fantasy and science fiction genres. My passion for reading exploded after reading that literary work. Thank you, Ray Bradbury!

Author Websites and Profiles
Kerry McAvoy Website
Kerry McAvoy Amazon Profile
Kerry McAvoy Author Profile Other Bookseller

Kerry McAvoy’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I spent my formative years in Southwest Philadelphia where I played every inner-city baseball game imaginable to youngsters. I fell in love with the game.

I moved to Cherry Hill NJ. and later attended Rutgers College.I followed that up with a masters degree in teaching. I taught high school in Glen Ridge(the alma mater of Tom Cruise) and subsequently Cherry Hill East(alma mater of Orel Hersheiser). I created a course called Human behavioral patterns which combined social psychology, sociology, and psychology. For 1969, it was a bit ahead of its time.

I left teaching and went to law school and developed a love for criminal law.I was a prosecuting attorney for 30 years in Camden County N.J.where I handled literally thousands of cases including 25 murder trials. Upon retirement from public service, I worked in criminal defense for six years in the firm of Helmer, Conley, and Kasselman in Haddon Heights.

Now I am currently semi-retired. I know both sides of the criminal system and respect the roles both play.

This is my first novel and it combines my love of baseball and my passion for the criminal legal process.

The impetus for the novel was the increasing violence in sports and specifically retaliation in baseball. I was fascinated by the psychological dynamics of the unwritten code of baseball. I began to wonder whether there would ever be an incident so tragic in its consequences that it would lead to a criminal charge. In my book I examine how that process would occur, whether it would be warranted, and whether it would effect the game of baseball.

I never thought I was capable of writing a novel, but I did it on the suggestion of one of my daughters. This is one of my greatest personal accomplishments. For a self-published book, the reviews have been very good and I am so grateful to those who shelled out the three bucks and spent their time reading it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my book is A PITCH FOR JUSTICE.

What inspired me to write it was the increasing violence in sports.

I watched a Phillies and Mets game in 2010 and saw the Mets reaction to a take-out slide by Chase Utley of the Phillies towards Rueben Tejada the Mets shorstop. There had been bad blood between the two teams since 2007. I began to fear for Utley and the genesis for my novel soon followed.

What would happen in today’s society if a manager ordered his pitcher to intentionally try to disable an opposing batter with a pitch? What if the pitch turned into a lethal bean ball? Could a hardball be considered a deadly weapon under the criminal law?

Would the victim’s family or the press demand a criminal investigation? If so, what would be the appropriate charge?

If there were criminal charges, what impact would that have for the way the game of baseball is played?

Would pitchers be fearful of throwing high and inside pitches? Would they fear that a prosecutor would be watching over their shoulder? Would baseball fans believe it was just part of the game or would the public see the bean ball as retaliation and no different from the motive in any criminal case?These questions are debated and vetted in my novel A Pitch for Justice which I suggest is a thought provoking look into the psyche of major league baseball.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Since this is my first attempt at writing novels, as oppose to legal briefs, it’s hard to say what is unusual. I know that as a reader, I like short chapters so that I can put the book down after reading a chapter. I write the same way.

I tend to write without too much emphasis on style. Rather I let my thoughts flow and then return after a few chapters to make initial corrections.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I can’t say anyone influenced my style of writing because it isn’t literary prose. I am a story teller . I’m not one who presents beautifully written paragraphs. I don’t like to read endless descriptive writing so I don’t write in that fashion. I was influenced by Mike Sowell and Paul Dickson who write about baseball. The legal suspense comes from nearly 40 years of actual legal practice.

What are you working on now?
I’m still working on marketing my book. It took four months to write it and endless amount of months and hours to market it. That is hellish. I had an offer from a publisher, but I declined when I found out that I would still be the primary marketer.

I am trying to decide whether to have a sequel with my protagonist or try another approach.That is yet to be determined.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon and Authorden.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a novice, my advice may be unhelpful because I am still learning the ropes, but I would tell them to get books about how to market on Kindle etc. They should join forums on Goodreads and Amazon, blog if they have something to say, offer your book as gifts to bloggers or writers to get reviews, and keep marketing. With almost 500,000 new titles a year, you can’t just sit back and rely on your writing skills.

What are you reading now?
Camelot’s Cousin: An Espionage Thriller by David Stokes. I got it as a Kindle freebee. It has a very interesting and intriguing take on the Kennedy?Soviet confrontation during the Cuban missile crisis. I enjoy historical novels especially when they are free. Next up is a baseball book that I bought called A Talk in the Park by Curt Smith a former broadcaster.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I may be an unemployed writer if sales don’t improve. Nonetheless, I am gratified that I wrote a book that I loved writing, and that has gotten very good reviews on Amazon and goodreads. When I get inspired, I’ll start writing a synopsis and go from there.

What is your favorite book of all time?
That’s like asking what is your favorite Beatles or Frank Sinatra song? (yes I know I am aging myself.)

Foriegn: Crime and Punishment

Baseball:Ball Four

American nonfiction: Helter Skelter

American fiction: Fountainhead

Author Websites and Profiles
Harold Kasselman Website
Harold Kasselman Amazon Profile

Harold Kasselman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Kenna McKinnon is a freelance writer since 2010 and self-employed home based medical transcriptionist (1999), occasional runner and boxer, and frequent walker. She lives alone in a high rise studio suite in the quaint neighborhood of Oliver in the City of Edmonton. Her most memorable years were spent at the University of Alberta, where she somehow managed to graduate with a degree in Anthropology despite the beginning signs of paranoid schizophrenia, at which time she self-exploded in public.

She has lived successfully with schizophrenia for many years and is now a senior woman, member of the Writer’s Guild of Alberta, the Children’s Book Insider, and the Canadian Author’s Association. She had three wonderful children and three grandsons.

I have written SpaceHive, DISCOVERY – An Anthology of Poetry, The Insanity Machine, Benjamin and Rumblechum (unpublished), Den of Dark Angels (unpublished), a short story collection soon to come out on eBook in honor of my son, Steve, who loved Science Fiction, and my unedited mystery novel Red Herrings. 7 books to look for in the future later this year.

Kenna is the author of SpaceHive, a young adult sci-fi/fantasy novel; The Insanity Machine, a memoir with the latest research available at the time of writing; and DISCOVERY – An Anthology of Poetry, all released in 2012. All are available in eBook and paperback on Amazon worldwide.

Her author’s blog: http://kennamckinnon.blogspot.com

Twitter: @KennaMcKinnon

Facebook: KennaMcKinnonAuthor

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
SpaceHive is the name of my latest traditionally published book, and it was inspired by a summer in my friend’s garden when I was stung on the ankle repeatedly by a wasp, then later she was also stung and went into anaphylactic shock. I thought at the time, what if giant alien wasps and bees attacked earth and threatened to eliminate humanity? Thus the idea was born. It ended up as a young adult sci-fi novel, much shorter than the original adult novel I had planned, thanks to the careful advice and guidance of my eventual publisher, Imajin Books.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I often write at night and eat jam sandwiches at 3 o’clock in the morning, and nap during the day or stay up for 24 hours. I often edit as I go along. I don’t like the radio playing while I’m writing. I find it distracting. I sometimes don’t answer the phone while I’m writing. I don’t know if that’s unusual. I write sober. I don’t know if that’ s unusual, either.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The old masters like Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov, as well as Greg Bear’s Eon, Margaret Atwood’s ascerbic wit and wordcraft, Margaret Laurence’s character development and gentle international spirit, motivational books and Writer’s Markets, which give advice as well as sites to find publishers and agents. I haven’t found a publisher or agent through writer’s markets, though. An author named Alison Bruce referred me to my first traditional publisher, Cheryl Tardif of Imajin Books, and I’m grateful to her for that. Another author named Eileen Schuch has been very encouraging in regard to promotion and encouragement. Many more too numerous to mention.

What are you working on now?
A mystery novel starring a schizophrenic female private eye who lives on a float house on an island in British Columbia, Canada. I’m finished the first draft and it’s with Beta readers, also needs editing and a publisher.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My blog/website http://kennamckinnon.blogspot.com then I tweet the blogs and put them on FB. I’m slowly growing my blog by using keywords but not focusing exclusively on SEO, and I try to provide quality content.

SpaceHive will be 99 cents on Amazon from May 3 – 10, 2013 inclusive. Look for it there, I’m promoting it on my blog and on FB, with prizes to be won and a launch on FB on May 3. I’m also running some guest blogs that week. BIG SALE.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read a lot in your genre and other genres, listen to advice (you’re not Stephen King), edit, edit, edit, if you’re self published hire a graphic designer for your book cover, a proofreader to catch typos and grammatical errors, and an editor to make it the best possible book you can. Join social media groups and create networks rather than shout BUY MY BOOK. That doesn’t go over well. You must develop relationships first.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Life is an adventure and if it isn’t an adventure then it’s nothing.

What are you reading now?
The Leopard Tree, Flat-Out Love, various motivational books, and Cinder, a book I must finish for a Goodreads reading club I belong to.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More workshops and writer’s conferences as I hone my new found skills with other authors. I’m going to a writer’s conference the end of May 2013 which will be attended by editors, publishers, and agents, and hope to learn a lot. I belong to the Canadian Authors Association and will be attending meetings once a month beginning in September again. I also find the Writer’s Guild of Alberta a valuable organization, and I belong to that as well. I’m keeping an eye on Access Copyright.

I hope to learn more about publishing and marketing and promoting. I’m working on my next novel, a mystery called “Red Herrings” and will be editing it, as well, have a book of short stories to work on in memory of my son Steve, who passed away in September 2012 from esophageal/stomach cancer. Also have a couple of other novels I need to find publishers for.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Brain That Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge

Author Websites and Profiles
Kenna McKinnon Website
Kenna McKinnon Amazon Profile
Kenna McKinnon Barnes and Noble Profile

Kenna McKinnon’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My childhood dream was to become a fighter pilot and a bestselling author. Somewhere along the line, I allowed myself to be persuaded to go to school, get good grades and get a well paying job with benefits and a good retirement package, so that is exactly what I did. I studied Mechanical Engineering and had a career spanning more than 20 years in the oil and Gas industry in Nigeria. In my mid thirties, I decided to return to my dreams. Though it was too late to train to become a fighter pilot, I still dream of flying one day. I wrote my first two books in high school, but Practical Steps to Financial Freedom and Independence is my first book to get published. I am also a public speaker.

Having gotten lost 15 years in the financial wilderness, I felt rather than write fiction, I will reach out to folks still trying to find their way home.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Practical Steps to Financial Freedom and Independence

The decision to write the book was inspired by my experience i writing my blog www.financialfreedominspiration.com, my interaction with my readers, the awareness that there was a huge gap in financial education and literacy, and of course my personal experience in my journey to financial freedom which I shared in the book as an illustration.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not exactly. I tend to be lazy as a writer, couple with the fact that I have so many things in my plate, including giving attention to my spouse and growing kids. Deadlines seem to bring out the best in me.

I have learned to set goals and work towards them. I am getting better at disciplining myself to set down and just do it

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Brian Tracy, John Maxwell, Robert Kiyosaki etc. The book that influenced me the most is Rich Dad Poor Dad by Richard Kiyosaki. Reading it was a massive wake up call that made me commence my journey to financial freedom. In my ongoing journey in personal growth and development, Brian and John have been indispensable companions.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a book on Financial Freedom focused on employees. Having spent most of my working life as an employee, that would be my gift to my constituency.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For me, it has been speaking so far. The jury is still out of website methods, but I have a team working on that and I expect to see good results.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
They should be very good readers. They should be ready to promote their books no matter the route they take to getting published. Unless you are a known name, you cannot afford to leave the promotion of your books entirely to others. What makes a bestseller is not how good your writing is, but how well in sells, and the author has a huge role to play after the last chapter is in.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take your eyes off the sales and focus on the following. If you have the following, the sales will follow

What are you reading now?
The Magic of Thinking BIG by David Schwartz

What’s next for you as a writer?
Go on the road, speaking and holding seminars

What is your favorite book of all time?
That would be Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. Close behind would be the Success Principles by Jack Canfield

Author Websites and Profiles
Usiere Uko Website
Usiere Uko Amazon Profile

Usiere Uko’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in the Bronx, graduated the US Military Academy at West Point, served in the Infantry and Special Forces (Green Berets), and am a NY Times Bestselling author of over 50 books.

I’ve lived in a lot of places, and now am settled at Write on the River above the TN River with my wife, my two snoring yellow labs, and my writing.

Here’s the more stuff:

Born in the Bronx, Bob attended West Point and earned a BA in psychology with honors and then served as an Infantry platoon leader, a battalion scout platoon leader, and a brigade recon platoon leader in the 1st Cavalry Division. He joined Special Forces and commanded a Green Beret A Team. He served as the operations officer for 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and with Special Operations Command (Special Projects) in Hawaii. Later he taught at the Special Forces Qualification Course at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, the course which trains new Green Berets. He lived in Korea where he earned a Black Belt in Martial Arts. He’s earned a Masters Degree in Education.
Bob draws on all of these experiences to write his novels and his nonfiction books, including WHO DARES WINS: The Green Beret Way to Conquer Fear & Succeed; The Novel Writer’s Toolkit: A Guide To Writing Great Fiction; and Write It Forward: From Writer to Successful Author. His novels include the bestselling Area 51 books and collaborations with Jennifer Crusie. His books have hit the NY Times, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and numerous other bestseller lists. His last title, The Jefferson Allegiance, was released independently and reached #2 overall in sales on Nook.
Bob has presented for over 1,000 organizations both in the United States and internationally, including keynote presentations, all day workshops, and multi-day seminars. He has taught organizations ranging from Maui, to Whidbey Island, to San Diego State University, to the University of Georgia, to the Romance Writers of America National Convention, to Boston SWAT, the CIA, Fortune-500, Microsoft, the Royal Danish Navy Frogman Corps, Microsoft, Rotary, IT Teams in Silicon Valley and many others. He has also served as a Visiting Writer for NILA MFA program in Creative Writing. He has done interviews for the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, PBS, NPR, the Discovery Channel, the SyFy channel and local cable shows. For more information see www.bobmayer.org.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Green Berets: Chasing The Lost. I had a six book Green Beret series featuring Dave Riley. He retired and has been retired for over ten years in my fiction. But I’m bringing Horace Chase, the protagonist from Chasing The Ghost, into Riley’s world and he’s unretiring. I’m launching a new hybrid series the Green Beret/Chase series, set in the low country around Hilton Head, SC with a unique team of misfits taking on bad guys. Think Burn Notice in the Low Country.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I use excel spreadsheets to keep track of my story, timeline, locales, etc. I’m terrible with details so I fill one out as I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dennis Lehane; Kate Atkinson; Larry McMurtry; Tolkein; Richard Russo

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a serial called Burners. It’s about a society where classes are determined by date of death, which is determined on Dealing Day Burners are those who will die at a median of 25. Thus they burn the candle at both ends. Living hard.

But, of course, there’s a flaw in the system.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Writing good books. But now, I’m also focusing on building a core group of readers, a “street team”. I give them free advance reading copies and other things. Word of mouth is the best way to promote a book and the best way to do that is to get readers to do it for you.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Don’t worry about marketing and promotion. The best promotion is a good book, better promotion is more good books.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Until you let go of anger, you will never be successful. Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, told me that one year when we were teaching together in Maui.

What are you reading now?
Just finished Kate Atkinson’s Life after Life. I will have to read it again, because there is so much to it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After Burners, I have to write Nightstalkers 3. The third book in my series for 47North, Amazon’s scifi imprint. Basically it’s The Unit Meets Warehouse 13.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I love LOTR naturally. But Lonesome Dove also consumed me with its characters and scope.

Author Websites and Profiles
Bob Mayer Website
Bob Mayer Amazon Profile

Bob Mayer’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 organizing and cleaning expert and bestselling author of 11 books – eight traditionally published and three self-published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Secrets of Professional Organizers, and it is being released as three volumes. Volume 1 launched March 19; volume 2 launched April 11; and volume 3 will launch in early May. I was inspired to write this book years ago when I happened to see a book called Conversations with Bloggers. Right away, I thought it would be a great idea to interview professional organizers and ask them to share some of their proven strategies, tips, and insights into getting organized.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wish I could write a book on a beach or in a coffee shop, but I need to be at MY desk with access to the Internet – not just for research, but also for Facebook breaks.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a huge fan of the classics and literary greats including Dickens, O. Henry, Dostoevsky, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Alexandre Dumas. I’ve been an avid reader all my life. I devoured books as a kid, and continue to devour books. Now, though, I’m more inclined to read contemporary fiction. My favorite author is E. Annie Proulx and I was very excited to learn that she wrote non-fiction books for my publisher before going on to publish novels.

What are you working on now?
Once I get the first three volumes of Secrets of Professional Organizers published in Kindle format, I will combine all three volumes in one big Kindle book, which I will print. I’m also planning to create a small “Best of” Kindle book that will include snippets from the three volumes. Then I am going to take a vacation!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have had good success with promotion on Facebook, particularly in Facebook groups and with Goodreads authors. I have been very pleased with the results from listing my free promotion with E-Reader News Today. (They require at least 10 4-star reviews.)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Please don’t publish junk! Put forth your best effort with the content and hire an editor to review your work. If you can’t afford an editor, ask your high school English teacher or family member or friend with a good understanding of the English language. Offer to teach them how THEY can become a published author too!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“You can have anything you want if you help enough other people to get what they want.” Zig Ziglar

What are you reading now?
I just finished A Million Tears by Paul Heinke (indie author) and I am starting Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to keep writing books that help people to declutter, organize, and simplify their lives.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Seriously? I don’t have one favorite, but I found E. Annie Proulx’s Accordion Crimes fascinating.

Author Websites and Profiles
Donna Smallin Kuper Website

Donna Smallin Kuper’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m orginally from Queens, NYC. About six years ago I moved to a suburb of Raleigh and decided to do the stay-at-home mom thing. Being home most of the day gave me the time to write the Vistira Trilogy. Although I love NC, New York City features heavily in my books. My characters bounce between the mythical land of Vistira and New York.

I’m the mother of two human children and one canine child, and the wife of an insurance agent.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I actually wrote and published all three of my books (Remembered, Reclaimed, Returned) at the same time. I had an idea of where the story was heading, so waited until I was finished the last to publish the three together.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Is drinking red wine and listening to classic rock considered unusual? If not, then no. Other than that, I really just let my fingers go where they please on the keyboards. Sometimes I go back over something I’ve just written and can’t remember even having the thought to write it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a geek at heart. I feel in love with C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia at the age of nine, and since have read and loved all the classic fantasy books. I suppose it’s a bit cliche, but Tolkien is my all time favorite.

What are you working on now?
I’m rolling around an idea for a YA series that will incorporate a little bit of early American history.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not really sure what works yet, to be honest.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I just put this on my facebook page today.

The best way to avoid criticism:

Do Nothing

Say Nothing

And be Nothing. – Aristotle

Just write the book. If you believe in it, don’t listen to what others might say.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Grow a thick skin quickly. Bad reviews will come, but if you let them get you down, your lost.

What are you reading now?
A Novel Obsession by Jeff Joseph

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep writing and promoting.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Lord of the Rings.

Author Websites and Profiles
E. D. Brady Website
E. D. Brady Amazon Profile

E. D. Brady’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a homeschooling mother of eight kids and I began writing and publishing because my kids loved The Lord of the Rings books so much and I wanted to connect their interest to their faith. I began with The Road Goes Ever On – A Christian Journey Through the Lord of the Rings. Then I felt I wanted to write my own fictional story so I created ARAM. The characters didn’t seem done with me so I ended up writing a sequel, Ishtar’s Redemption – Trial by Fire, and a pre-qell, Neb the Great. I am still writing but carrying on the family tree down several generations leaving the misty past for the ancient past. It is a great deal of fun to see what characters and their relations can do…

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My lastest soon-to-be-pubished book is Neb the Great and it is a look back to the generations leading up to ARAM…kind of like looking at a mystery backwards and seeing how things came to be. I wrote it because my kids kept asking me questions about the ARAM charaters as if they were real people so I just kept on making up reasons and history…and eventually it was another whole book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like a cup of tea when I write…not unusual perhaps but very helpful!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I like J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton…do you see a pattern here? All authors who love to reveal reality through fiction.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a 4th-5th century mystery on the island of Briton involving the descendants of my last book…

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I speak on the radio, at conferences, and give inspirational talks. I also send out newspaper articles, write my own blog and write a blog for the Christian Post.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Try to give yourself the permission you need to write regularly. Life, like laundry will try to get in the way, but remember that while laundry will stay put…a good story, never written, might just fade away.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just write what you are really trying to say…

What are you reading now?
I am reading Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton and the Old Testament.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll keep following this multi-generational family down through history and see where they lead me.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Probabaly The Lord of the Rings though I enjoy so many different books I hate to narrow it down.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ann Frailey Website
Ann Frailey Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I planned to become a foreign correspondent. I received a Master’s in Journalism from U.C. Berkeley, lived in Japan and traveled throughout Asia to earn my journalistic “creds.” When life, love, marriage, and kids made that line of work difficult—actually, impossible–I discovered it was much more fun to write my own stories with endings that satisfied rather than being stuck writing “just the facts.” My first books were romantic suspense, and one of the stories quickly evolved into a long-running mystery series (the Angie Amalfi mysteries). But I’ve always loved thrillers as well as romance, historicals, and romantic fantasy—in other words, any book that elicits emotions—and that is my goal in my writing. Now, with my sons grown and my husband retired, I have time to write the books I’ve always wanted.

A few years ago, we left the San Francisco Bay Area where I was born, and now live on several acres in the foothills above Boise, Idaho. I love it here—it’s very different from anything I’ve known before. I write at home, surrounded by nature, with beautiful views overlooking a valley and mountains far beyond. My favorite music ranges from classical and opera to Mo-town and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I also love the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, spicy ethnic food of all types, Dr. Who, and just about every crime show on TV, particularly Castle and Person of Interest.

To date, I’ve written 22 books, of which 21 have been published, and one will probably never see the light of day unless I figure out why it simply doesn’t “work.” I’ve also got a closet filled with “half-way” projects that I may go back to at some point. Most of the books (15 of them) are part of the Angie Amalfi mystery series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
ANCIENT ECHOES, my latest novel, is a paranormal thriller. I was inspired to write a book set in Idaho ever since moving here over ten years ago and being intrigued by the emptiness and beauty of this state (there are more people living in and around San Francisco than in the entire state!). Working on the book gave me an opportunity to do a lot of research—to learn, for example, that when some railroad engineers explored the area along the Salmon River in order to lay railroad tracks, it took them months and they declared it to be the most dangerous and difficult terrain in the entire country. No train goes through the area to this day.

Then, a weird thing happened to me. I was in a dusty old bookstore in a small town near Boise, and a very thin, but oversized (about 10”x13”) book practically leaped off the shelf at me. I have no idea what made me open it, but it was a reprint of a book from 1624 reputed to be a true translation of a manuscript by the alchemist, Nicolas Flamel (whose name may be familiar to Harry Potter fans). The book was written in a weird Germanic looking font, and filled with strange pictures. It told the story of Flamel finding The Book of Abraham the Jew, and after several decades learning to understand it sufficiently that he was able to create gold. Needless to say, I bought the book, and as I learned about alchemy, I realized I could interweave Idaho history and alchemy, and turn the story into a thriller.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’ve been seriously writing ever since high school when I was on the school newspaper and wrote a school gossip column (how’s that for a way to make yourself unpopular in high school?). If I have any unusual writing habits, they now seem normal to me! But then, all writers are a bit crazy or we wouldn’t spend so many hours alone writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
For ANCIENT ECHOES, I was very much influenced by the paranormal thrillers of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs. They are able to take normal American settings and make them seem creepily paranormal. I love that! Also, I adored Elizabeth Kostova’s THE HISTORIAN, both because of the size and depth of the book, and also by the way she interwove old writings, letters, and history, with what her modern day characters were experiencing. I tried to do much of that in ANCIENT ECHOES.

What are you working on now?
I’m actually planning three books. The first, and farthest along, is a sequel to ANCIENT ECHOES. It doesn’t have a title yet, but it follows Michael Rempart, the archeologist, to new and equally dangerous experiences. I also write a long running mystery series, the Angie Amalfi mysteries. The fifteen book, COOKING SPIRITS, was just released and I’m already hearing from Angie’s fans asking about the NEXT book. There will be one. The third book I’m planning comes as a complete surprise to me. With the e-book revolution, I put out a simple story I had written years ago, a romantic fantasy called THE GHOST OF SQUIRE HOUSE. It was not anything that interested my agent or publisher who said things like, “You’re a mystery writer, to publish a little romantic fantasy would confuse readers.” I guess readers aren’t as easily confused as they feared, or the book has found a lot of new readers, but I’ve gotten many requests for a sequel to it. In fact, one reviewer on Amazon challenged me to write such a sequel. Of course, I can’t back down from a challenge!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method I’ve found is to post on sites such as Awesome Gang to tell people about new books, free books, or bargain books. It’s necessary to get the book into the hands of readers, even if it means reducing the price to zero for short periods of time. Readers need to learn about the book before anything else can happen, then read it, and if they like it, they will post good reviews that will encourage others to give the book a try.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, rewrite, and then put the manuscript down for a while so you can read it with a “fresh” take. And then rewrite again. Too often, the author knows what the words “should” be saying…even when they don’t actually say that. The words on the page, not the vision that’s in the author’s head, are all that the reader sees. Make sure the page is complete before the work is published. Listen to that little voice in your head that says, “This section is kind of dull/confusing/awkward (whatever), but I’m sure the reader will love it.” No…they won’t. Listen to that voice and correct the problem.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“You can correct what you’ve written to make it better, but you can’t correct a blank page.” In other words, don’t try to write perfectly…just write. Get words down on the page, and you can always go back later and make them as close to perfect as you’re able. But get the words on the page. Writing is a craft, which means the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it.

What are you reading now?
I have such a gargantuan “to be read” pile…including on my Kindle…it isn’t even funny. At the moment I’m reading a book about social media, another on marketing, and for fun, an old story I somehow missed by romance author and friend, Patti Berg, called BORN TO BE WILD.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m one of the founders and current board member of the Idaho Writers Guild here in Boise, Idaho, and organizing conferences and programs for new writers as well as creating marketing and networking opportunities for professional writers takes up a lot of my time, but it’s fun, and gets me away from my computer and provides opportunities to meet people. As for myself as a writer, I’ve got three books (see above) just waiting to find a life! It’s always an adventure to see how each new book will turn out—some are docile and pretty much do what the author wants, and others simply have a mind of their own.

What is your favorite book of all time?
LITTLE WOMEN is the first book I ever read that so completely absorbed me that I sobbed when the young sister died. I never before realized how a person could become lost in a book, and I loved that feeling. That book opened the door to a lifetime of reading pleasure.

Author Websites and Profiles
Joanne Pence Website
Joanne Pence Amazon Profile

Joanne Pence’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a mother of two living in rural Ohio with my fiance. I read, I write and spend time with my family. I love nature, libraries, bookstores and horror. So far there’s only Eyes Like Blue Fire in print but I have several others in progress. One of them being the sequel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Eyes Like Blue fire started life as one of the longest pieces I’d ever written as a teen all of 10-15 pages. I was not a happy kid (I know not many are in the teen years) and I spent a lot of my time dreaming about finding someone who could understand me on some level. At first a lot of it was about getting that feeling out of my system and sort of having a conversation with myself on that but over time it grew into something more.

I’d been reading a lot of books on writing at that point and I made myself start over. I knew it needed to be longer and that I would have to write everyday to keep myself focused. I wanted to be a writer and if I was going to do that I needed to learn how to do it well. In many ways ELBF was my learning novel but it was also a labor of love. Most importantly a companion when I needed it most. While at first it was about all those teenage emotions and early writer’s ideas eventually with time and sporadic edits it grew into something better, a sort of life lesson for myself.

I was in the habit of dwelling on that sadness, that feeling of being separate and alone. It persisted into my adulthood and even the relationship that would prove to be the one that was going to be the closest that reality gets to true love. I was very like Katja thinking only of the things that hurt me and not moving on. Well eventually Katja is faced with her future in the guise of Raven, her instincts are to run no matter how much he makes her feel but eventually she had to come back. Raven was in danger because of that past she dwelled on and because she ran. Well I had been doing the same thing. I dwelled and I ran and I hid from my chances at happiness in life even when Todd came to pull me out of that darkness I hid there because it was what I knew, what I expected. It was always going to be me that had to pull myself away from that sort of thinking and I was the only one that could make me stand up and fight for the future I deserved. It took me years to stop procrastinating about finishing ELBF and that was because it took me years to believe I was worth the effort. I had to learn the lesson to complete the novel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I just put on some music that seems to set the tone and then I type away. I don’t want to convey that I can do that every time but that’s how it’s done when I have the ideal setting and time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A lot of the authors are going to be obvious like Anne Rice, Stephen King and Clive Barker but there are a lot of others too. I love Alice Borchardt her voice was so-I don’t know-clear and enchanting I guess would be the best way to put it. I also like Jennifer Weiner for the same reason, she has a gift for writing something that doesn’t seem like it takes any effort. Not because it’s light but because she does all the work for you, makes it so real you just eat it up. Gary Braunbeck would be the writer who taught me about giving your characters soul, his books are as much about the hearts of his characters as all of the strange things that happen to them. He gets tragedy and what it does.

What are you working on now?
For the moment my focus is on self-promotion mostly, but I’ll be getting back to my other books soon. Out of the five books I have in progress I think focusing on the apocalypse novel and/or the sequel to Eyes Like Blue Fire would make the most sense. The sequel will go to self pub since it’s predecessor has but I’m going to give Other Dangers (the apocalypse novel) a shot at being published through the usual means. It doesn’t have the crazy market difficulties that ELBF did being romantically influenced but largely horror ELBF had a hard time finding a home. Other Dangers is more clearly defined as horror. It has fantasy elements but I don’t think that will hurt it. The premise is that an author ends the world and then she tries to save it. There’s more to it than that but I don’t want to reveal too much. It’s about 3/4 done at the moment I think. As for Cool Green Waters (the ELBF sequel) it’s about half completed and focuses more on Zero and Michael as they try to help Katja resolve some of Anton’s unresolved past. There’s a lot of dark stuff in it, it’s a much darker book than ELBF which was (while dark) more about loneliness. I can’t say too much more without risking spoilers for those who haven’t gotten to read ELBF yet.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m honestly just starting on promotion but I find that Goodreads is one of the better sites to use for a lot of reasons. There are tons of resources in one place: giveaways (haven’t tried this yet but maybe down the road), groups, blogs, quotes, lists and best of all a real community of readers and authors who can communicate with each other. Without author groups I don’t think I’d have have found even half as many sources of promotion and ways to get your book reviewed. It’s also very satisfying to be able to see who added your book to their To Be Read shelf or better yet Currently Reading. You also have your reviews in one easy to navigate location.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be Polite and Appreciate What You Get: Never behave rudely with readers or other authors or you’ll make a bad name for yourself just when you need a good reputation the most. This is doubly true of advice and offers of promotion. It’s fine to say no but do it kindly and make it clear you appreciate the offer. If an established author offers some help take them up! They’ve been where you are a thousand times and many of them are still fighting the same battles. When you get that advice show them you appreciate it and thank them as often as you can.
Read!: Please don’t be a writer who doesn’t read. It’s a thousand times harder to write when you don’t have tons of examples to draw from and no writer ever stops learning how to improve unless they stop reading. When you stop learning how to do something the skill begins to degrade. Your imagination and your mind need the tune up just like your car.

 

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t Give Up: Try and try until you get some criticism you can improve your work with and then when you’ve fixed it up, try again.

Writing takes trial and error, courage, integrity and spirit. If you think a great imagination and an idea are all you need think again! You have to be able to get kicked in the gut and get right back up again.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading What Hides Within by Jason Parent. It’s an unusual novel and I’m just starting to get into the meat of the book. It’s horror and it goes a lot of places that you wouldn’t expect. Several character paths travel in parallel patterns and then crash into each other from times to time. It’s fun.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well I hope Eyes Like Blue Fire will be selling well soon. Beyond that I think it’ll be about getting all of these novels finished up and either submitted or self-published over the next couple of years. I try not to plan so far ahead that I can’t keep up with the pace I’m setting so I’m taking it one step at a time.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I have quite a few favorites. Off the top of my head I’ll go with Stephen King’s The Stand.

Author Websites and Profiles
Amanda Lyons Website
Amanda Lyons Amazon Profile

Amanda Lyons’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an “Ancient Geek” — been working with computer technology since… well, since before there was such a thing as a “personal computer.” I’ve also been writing Science Fiction for almost as long, mostly for my own enjoyment; but with encouragement from friends, I am now publishing. I’ve got one book out — entitled “The Moon and Beyond” (published November 2012) and a sequel entitled “Someday the Stars” being published now (due on Amazon, B&N, etc. May 16th) The third book is more than half written now and will probably be out early next year.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Someday the Stars” is a sequel to my first book, “The Moon and Beyond”; and I actually wrote both of these many years ago (and kept rewriting them and rewriting them and… well, they are near future SF, and have to be updated to reflect recent history). I finally told myself enough… time to publish, and here they are.

How would I categorize these two books? Well, to start with, I guess you could call them “Space Opera” (since they deal with human space exploration), but they are also “Military SF” since they involve space warfare (though that isn’t the primary story line). Political / Social? Yes, some of that, too, and some Action / Adventure in the mix.

I write what I like to read, and right now some of my favorite current authors include David Weber, John Ringo, and Elizabeth Moon. If you like their work, I hope you’ll like mine.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Hmmm… define “unusual.”

A Web Talk Radio host told me he was intrigued by an occasional habit I fall into: a significant event happens, and you see it from several different points of view (via several different characters) — just a little paragraph or two of what this person was doing and how he/she reacted to the event, then switch to another character experiencing the same event from another point of view.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I go WAY back in SF, grew up reading the works of Heinlein, Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke. One of my all-time favorites is Heinlein’s “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” (1966), so much so than the protagonists in my first book name their new nation on the Moon the Lunar Free State (the name chosen by Heinlein’s protagonists after their rebellion against the hated Authority. My characters get to the Moon under very different circumstances (Heinlein’s characters were living there as inhabitants of a penal colony); but they probably share something of a kindred spirit with Heinlein’s “Loonies.”

More recent influences… well, I’d have to tip my hat to David Weber, particularly his Honor Harrington series. I certainly admire Weber’s attention to the science of his “universe” and I’ve tried to make mine equally consistent and plausible. Despite what Hollywood movie producers might think, real SF writers are not allowed to violate the laws of physics.

What are you working on now?
While I’ve got a couple of other projects in mind, right now I’m sticking with the Lunar Free State series — just because I like the universe I’ve created there, and the characters that populate it. I don’t like serial “cliffhangers” so I am trying to make each story a worthy read unto itself; but it is definitely a series — same world, same characters (or their children — book three moves on to a new generation), but a new and different story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve been pretty active on Goodreads — mostly because I enjoy getting involved in the discussions there. I’ve also done a Goodreads book giveaway for my first book, and will soon be doing one for the second book as well.

I also have my own website at http://www.lunarfreestate.com, where prospective readers can read excerpts from the books and follow my blog — and can also buy the books (in hardcover, softcover, or any of the common ebook formats) at a discount through a link to MyBookOrders.com.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just WRITE!!! Write for yourself, write what you would like to read. You can never please everyone, but there will be readers out there who will like it, and if you publish it, they will come. The world of publishing has changed, and anyone with a will to do so can get a book published; but first, you still have to write it, so get busy and DO it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

What are you reading now?
David Weber’s “Shadow of Freedom”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Lots more books in this series, and maybe a few others. Who knows what the future holds.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Robert Heinlein’s “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress”

Author Websites and Profiles
John Siers Website
John Siers Amazon Profile

John Siers’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Northern California. I did some acting in Los Angeles for a time. After that I lived and traveled abroad for over 6 years. During my time abroad I fell in love with Design and Architecture. That brought me back to San Francisco where I got my degree in Interior Design. Now, I work by day as an Interior/Set Designer and by night a writer. During those years I never stopped writing. It took me until recently to really realize that is was what I want to do with my life. It’s my true passion. When I’m not writing I’m with friends, hiking, going to concerts, and just enjoying San Francisco.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My Book is called Darkness Of Light, it is a NA/mature YA paranormal romance. Fantasy has always been my preferred genre. I was reading three to four fantasy books a week for a while. I was completely addicted. In between the ones that left me empty and lacking to the ones that had me in tears (because their next book wouldn’t be out for another year), my own characters and story kept popping up. I’ve always loved to write and did a lot on my own, but this was different. They started “haunting” me. Finally I just had to get them out so they’d shut up!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Besides an IV of caffeine hooked up to my vein? I don’t have any particular unusal writing habit. The only thing, if I need to be serious about writing, is I need to leave the house and go to a café. As much as I love staying in my flannel pj bottoms, there are too many distractions at home. I tend to find “sparkly” things everywhere but in what I should be concentrating on.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I like so many for different reasons. I would have to say I really enjoy Karen Marie Moning, Ilona Andrews, Richelle Mead, Kelley Armstrong . . . The list could go on.

What are you working on now?
I just finished Book Two of the Darkness Series, Fire in the Darkness. It is being edited right now. Until it comes back to me for changes, I have started working on Book Three. There will be four in the series as of right now. If people really respond to them and want more. Who knows?

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Seek therapy it’s quicker and cheaper…

Kidding! My advice is, if you enjoy doing it for fun or want to do it as your job, don’t give up. It is a LONG, grueling process. There is a lot of rejection and times you want to give up, but push through and keep writing. You also have to learn that not every word you write is worth keeping. You have to get thick skin and know people’s critiques are to better your book and you as a writer.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Write drunk: edit sober.” Ernest Hemingway.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing the Darkness Series. Have a few ideas for my next series, but concentrating on this first.

Author Websites and Profiles
Stacey Brown Website
Stacey Brown Amazon Profile
Stacey Brown Author Profile Other Bookseller

Stacey Brown’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 really big fantasy and science fiction reader. I mean BIG. I am six foot nine and bigger around than I really care to be.

I have only recently begun writing fantasy…but even then I can say I am a really big author, right? At least I can write about ogres and barbarians with a unique perspective. Seriously though, my writing stems from close to thirty years of fantasy role playing games (can you say D&D? I knew you could) and a lifetime of reading voraciously.

My first three books constitute a trilogy called The Gifts of Vorallon. The first book is called The Final Warden and it kicks off our hero’s journey and the world of magic called Vorallon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Lord of Vengeance (Gifts of Vorallon 3). This is the conclusion of the trilogy and it was heavily inspired by my need to know!

When I read fantasy I need to know the answers to questions that typically are never answered. Such as where is this magic all coming from anyhow? If there are gods, and I can talk to them, how does that change who I am? Who and what are the gods? If I stand on a fantasy world of magic, dragons, elves, and dwarves, looking up — what stars do I see and is there anything happening out there?

I wanted to create a world that answered these questions and more, at least answered them to my own satisfaction — what I ended up with was a multiverse, a system of universes, creators, and magic that worked for me. I sincerely hope it provides a fun and exciting reading experience for the everyone… even if they don’t need to know the answers as much as I did.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t write a scene before my artist brain fully pictures it in my head. I may not describe EVERY detail in the scene but it’s all alive in my head while I am writing.

I then read every chapter I write out loud to my wife (she HATED my writing when I first began). When she likes it, I know I am on the right track. This also helps me spot my most common writing faux pas of leaving out words, the ghost typo.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the fantasy novels of Dennis L. Mckiernan, either in Mithgar or Faerie. He was the first author I have read to make the fantasy tropes of elves and dwarves, and even dragons, fully fleshed beings with their own cultures and ways of thinking that make them so much more than just long eared tree huggers or short men that like to dig for gold and gems.

Another hugely influencial writer to me is Stephen R. Donaldson whose Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever changed everything for me. He made me care for a mess of a man. He made me fear for his very life — never ever promising me that the protagonist was going to still be alive on the next page. And I LOVED it!

Finally there is the man I grew up reading, the Master of Adventure, Edgar Rice Burroughs. The man defined what a hero was for me… without John Carter, the Warlord of Barsoom, would we have Superman?

What are you working on now?
I am working on a book set hundreds of generations in the future of the events that occurred in The Gifts of Vorallon trilogy — the working title right now is The Return of King Levant, or for those WOW fans out there “Hey, the King’s back!”

It is a hero’s journey in reverse… a journey through the underworld of Nefryt – this is where the spirits of the corrupt and foul go when their lives upon Vorallon (and other worlds in the same universe) have come to an end. There they are cleansed of their corruption that they may be reborn as purified soulds. The truly foul, the extremely wicked, are given another option–to be given the flesh of demons and join the ranks of the deadliest army in all existence. King Levant was a wicked man in life, a conqueror and a tyrant, but he holds a spark of something else burning deep within, the passion of a man who knows love. Love for a wife who has been missing for many years and love for a daughter who is in terrible danger.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love Goodreads, both for the community of readers and writers and for the exposure I get to works I would never otherwise have discovered.

I gently promote my work in the groups where such promotion is encouraged, and I support my fellow authors with reviews and recommendations of their works to my growing circle of friends and readers.

My blog at Thomascardin.blogspot.com doesn’t get a lot of traffic yet, but I maintain it with artwork inspired by my story and essays I write about magic and worldbuilding. It’s one of the best places to find out what I am up to.

I also have a great circle of friends on Facebook who are among my first readers, some of whom are my beta readers and friends who are editors.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Sit. Write. Don’t stop. There has never been a better time to be an author. The tools are there, many of them are free. All you need is dedication and the ability to learn – learn something new every day.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Well I will repeat it here. My father told this to me when I was a much shorter human being:

“Learn something new every day. Start your day off by telling yourself you are going to explore someplace new, or learn a fact of science, or math, or art.”

It’s such a simple thing, but I have lived with that thought every day and I grew up big and strong!

What are you reading now?
Awesome! An opportunity to promote another author! I am reading Stage Five by Robert Brumm Jr. It is five short stories and I picked it up during a free promotion on the Kindle!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Growth! I know, I am big enough already… I want my stories read and I want to engage with more readers. Currently I write on the side. Though I really enjoy my job, I could see myself as a full time author.

What is your favorite book of all time?
No! You can’t do this to me… So many wonderful books out there, but there is one I have read more than any other… one book I have recommended to people more than any other. And the best part? It’s free. You can pick it up in ebook form from project gutenberg or directly from amazon or B&N:

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It’s a short book, a little thing really, but to me it’s a masterpiece that is trashed as pulp by critics.

Author Websites and Profiles
Thomas Cardin Website
Thomas Cardin Amazon Profile

Thomas Cardin’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello, I’m a 34 year old writer who lives and works in London. By day, I publish a magazine for a membership organisation, and in the evenings I act in charity theatre productions and write. I’ve mostly written short stories and non-fiction articles for a variety of publishers. In terms of books, I self-published my MPhil thesis on Jean-Luc Godard back in 2004, and last year released a collection of short stories called “Something Nice”. My stories are also available in a number of anthologies, including The Cat That Walked Through Time (2000), Shelf Life (2008) and A Splendid Salmagundi (2012), with a story in Grimm & Grimmer Volume 4 to be released in August 2013.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Something Nice – 10 Stories” was inspired by my mother. My Mum has always been very supportive of my writing, but she hates the dark and sometimes twisted subject matter of my short stories. She’ll ask what I’m working on and I’ll tell her about serial killer auditors, haunted photocopiers or people growing a cow’s bum on their forehead after eating too many burgers. At which point she always says: “Oh Andrew, why don’t you write something NICE?” So now I have!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think it’s that unusual, but I do most of my first draft writing in the pub, with several pints of beer. I used to write in cafes when I was a student, but in the UK cafes tend to close in the early evening, leaving me with little choice. I like writing in pubs, people leave you to get on with it, and the relaxing properties of alcohol help the words flow. After three pints the writing needs more and more editing when I come to type it up later, but it works for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve read very widely in English and French, and I think most of my reading has influenced my writing to some extent. My short fiction has definitely been inspired by Guy de Maupassant, Philip K Dick, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Robert Shearman, though not necessarily in that order. Marguerite Duras, Jean-Paul Sartre, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and Paul Magrs have also been big influences at various points in my development as a writer. One of my stories is a direct response to some fairly impenetrable Foucault philosophy, but I wrote it so long ago that I can’t remember which philosophical point I was addressing, or even whether I agreed with it.

What are you working on now?
I’m always working on a variety of projects. Like just about everyone else I know, I’m working on some zombie fiction. But I’ve also got a few thousand words of an urban fantasy novel on the hard drive, and am pitching to write a YA novella. I also continue to write short fiction in various genres and on various themes, which I then pitch to professional anthologies. If they’re accepted, great, if not they go into a potential sequel to Something Nice. I also translated Casanova’s Histoire de ma Fuite a couple of years ago, and am dabbling with the idea of self-publishing that.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t tend to promote my writing very aggressively, I think people are fed up of being bombarded with offers of free e-books, etc. I’ve found that engaging in genuine conversation on sites like Goodreads has helped raise awareness of my work, but even if I hadn’t self-published, I’d still be on the internet talking about books. The only really active promotion I’ve done was setting up my Facebook author page, which has occasionally driven a few sales.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
A long time ago, I submitted a proposal for a Doctor Who New Adventure. I think I was 13. One of the New Adventures authors added a reader’s note to the inevitable rejection letter, and it was the best advice I ever received:

“Read a lot, write a lot, live a lot.”

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Other than the above, I’m with Hemingway. “Write drunk, edit sober.”

What are you reading now?
I’m reading “The Critic” by Richard Brinsley Sheridan and “The Real Inspector Hound” by Tom Stoppard, as I’m rehearsing large parts in both plays for a charity show in early June.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next challenge is to get a novel length work completed and published. I have a few works in progress which might fit the bill, and it’s going to be a case of talking to publishers and agents and seeing what has the best chance of succeeding.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I just don’t know. Probably Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, or Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett. Both great books which are occasionally under-rated due to their humour. But I’ve read so many awesome books over the years that I always find it a bit heartbreaking to pick out just one as a favourite.

Author Websites and Profiles
Andrew Lawston Website
Andrew Lawston Amazon Profile

Andrew Lawston’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m mostly human, but part-sloth and part-writing desk. I think that’s because I’ve spent so much time sitting here. Mostly waiting for stuff to happen.

In the process, some book emerged, mostly guidebooks, but there was also a bit of journalism and a lot of rants about stuff (Government education policy, Southwark Council’s repairs team, misuse of ‘less’ and ‘fewer’, etc).

Once upon a time, a novel happened. And – about a dozen years after I wrote it – it’s just been published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘The Human Script’ is a work of literary fiction, dealing will all sorts of deep stuff like determinism and free will, grief, sexuality, philosophy, art, celebrity and the nature of fiction.

But there’s some jokes in it too. Not many though. Don’t read it for laughs – you’ll be disappointed.

Instead read it because you want a strong storyline that makes you think and feel. It’s about a young guy working in a junior lab job on the Human Genome Project, but that is underselling it. There’s a love story involved, some tragedy, some sex and drugs. Quite a few anagrams too.

I’d like to thing it’s a good read if you like really intelligent material that you don’t have to work at. It comes to you.

Like all the best books, it was inspired by a small monkey with nipple tassels.

I wrote the first draft more than a decade ago while studying the world-famous masters course in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. Once I had a manuscript, literary agents were competing to represent me, but at the time publishing was in a woeful state and they weren’t prepared to take a risk on literary fiction by an unknown author.

The book went under the bed, but the monsters that have lived there since I was a child kicked it out again when they heard about a small indie publisher called Red Button, who have been nice enough to let the world have a look.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Apart from hanging from the ceiling and wearing a maid’s outfit? Not really.

I research a lot.

Partly because I like to understand what I’m writing about (or to think that I do).

And partly because I used to be a great procrastinator. I’m not so good at it any more – I keep putting it off.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Hungry Caterpillar was extremely powerful for me. The sense of a quest, an inner aching that could never be filled and ultimately, the transformation representing a redemption from the quotidian woes of the flesh. An apotheosis, if you will.

Beyond that, trying to identify your influences is like trying to mend a favourite shattered mug. You’ll never find all the bits and working out what goes where is impossible. Even if you could, it’ll probably still leak. And your coffee will taste of glue. Stop me if I’m over-extending the metaphor.

In The Human Script, I write quite a lot about influences, the factors that make things happen. Everything happens for a reason, or, more accurately, for many reasons. But those reasons are not in the future. Things don’t happen because they are directed towards an inevitable outcome. Things happen for reasons that are now in the past, unchangeable. Except in stories – where they’re hurtling towards the end and writers create the past to fit the future.

My influences creep into the book in very transparent ways. My literary inheritance – like the genetic code we all inherit – is quoted, referenced and alluded to symbolically, thematically and cryptically. There’s plenty of the Bible and Shakespeare, but also Joyce, Dickens and Woolf. Throw in some Vonnegut, Umberto Eco, Nabokov, Kafka, Borges, Martin Amis, Rushdie, Brett Easton Ellis, Nicholson Baker and just keep adding. You’ll never put that mug back together.

What are you working on now?
Answering your questions. Then I might have some coffee.

I’ve got an idea for a book about a robot called Fluffy who falls in love with a droid who becomes a woman. It’s called ‘Transister’. What do you think?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, your website. Obviously. Remind me which it is again?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Before you speak, ask yourself whether what you’re about to say is kind, true, necessary… and well modulated. If not, don’t say it.

Oh, and never eat anything bigger than your head.

What are you reading now?
This sentence. There. Finished.

Before now and after now, I am reading Tom McCarthy’s brilliant ‘C’.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More coffee.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I can’t tell you that. The others will get jealous. And besides, maybe I haven’t read it yet.

Author Websites and Profiles
Johnny Rich Website
Johnny Rich Amazon Profile

Johnny Rich’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have currently written around 24 books, but have only published one of them so far, and am working on many others.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published book is, Mortal Realm Witch: Learning About Magic and it was inspired by a drawing that I did.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can only write while I have either a TV show or a movie playing. The TV show or movie also has to be something I have never seen before, as well as something that I am liking but not into enough to give it my full attention.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Over time, book series such as, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and The Worst Witch have influenced me in writing my first series. For other books authors and series such as, Erin Hunters Warriors, Seekers, and Survivors, Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson, and Heroes of Olympus, David Clement Davies The Sight, and Ben M. Baglio aka, Lucy Daniels Animal Ark series.

What are you working on now?
Currently I am working on writing Book Five in the Mortal Realm Witch series, The Second Mortal Realm Witch Series Companion, a few eBook exclusives, a book of Adventure stories, a book of Superhero stories, a comic book/graphic novel, a couple of nonfiction books, and a compilation story with a group of authors called: The Battle of Ebulon.

For other things having to do with my books, I am currently working on turning Book One in the Mortal Realm Witch series, Mortal Realm Witch: Learning About Magic, into an eBook, Book Two in the series, The Magic Continues, is getting reviews. For Book Three, Realms Unite?, I am currently designing it’s cover as well as putting it into book format. Book Four has yet to be edited by my editor so I am waiting on that. The First Series Companion Book, Tales of Familiars, is completed with everything except beta readers and reviews which will happen very soon.

In other book news I am working on creating two new websites for my books. The Mortal Realm Witch series website will soon be exclusive to the series and all other book information and everything not related to the series will be moving to these new sites.

Other than this I am just working on writing my other books, doing artwork for them, naming them, and doing my best to promote them.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t really discovered a best method yet. So far when I have sold books online, I don’t know what it was the result of. I have found some vendor fairs to be a good place to sell books, or at least I sell some so I call it good, as well as library book sales, which the library in the next city over (not my own), let’s me sell during their sales. Because this is free and I usually sell a few books during that weekend, although it doesn’t hold the record for most books I have sold at one time, it is my most profitable method.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Right now, no. I don’t think I have been in the world of publishing or book marketing long enough to have any good advice yet.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Probably to keep writing and publishing, because as people find your books and like them, if they like them enough they will want to buy the next ones and continue to do so as long as the books are well written and edited.

What are you reading now?
I am actually reading a lot of books right now. This is my currently reading list:

Ripple by: Tui Allen

The Remarkables by: A.D. Elliott

A Supremely Bad Idea by: Luke Dempsey

Following Atticus by: Tom Ryan

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Book Six, Ghost Hunter by: Michelle Paver

Time Riders: Day of the Predator, and Time Riders: The Doomsday Code by: Alex Scarrow

The Telling Pool by: David Clement Davies

Secrets of the Wolves (Book Two in The Wolf Chronicles) by: Dorothy Hearst

Green Lantern Sector 2814 Volume 1 by: Len Wein and Dave Gibbons

Tsubasa Those With Wings 1 by: Natsuki Takaya

The Last Days of Krypton by: Kevin J. Anderson

Batman: Inferno by: Alex Irvine

Eureka: Road Less Traveled by: Cris Ramsay

What’s next for you as a writer?
Refer back to the previous question of, What are you working on?, for the answer. You can also, until my new sites are up, always find what I am currently working on throughout the Mortal Realm Witch website: http://www.mortalrealmwitch.com.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I just have had and read too many books that I really like to choose one out of them all. One of my favorites that I read when I was younger and still read today (and I don’t really like to reread books so this is saying something) is not one book, rather a series or several series to be more accurate. For me it is the Wishbone series made up of: Wishbone: Tales of a Pup, Wishbone: The Early Years, Wishbone: Classics, The Adventures of Wishbone, The Super Adventures of Wishbone, Wishbone Mysteries, and Wishbone Super Mysteries. If I had to choose just one of these series I would choose the Wishbone Mysteries as my favorite, but that is as far as I can narrow down.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jennifer Priester Website
Jennifer Priester Amazon Profile
Jennifer Priester Author Profile Other Bookseller

Jennifer Priester’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account