Awesome Author Interviews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As an author, I’m a late bloomer. It wasn’t until my responsibilities eased up that I decided to put together a cookbook as a wedding gift to my oldest child. I collected old photos, wrote captions, and then started to relate family stories. My “gift” ended up as a 250 page, spiral-bound cookbook photocopied (no such thing as apps back then) 50 times to hand out to all my relatives and friends.

From that time on, I’ve done my best to pass on information intended to make life easier for others. My nautical books are loaded with practical info as well as hard facts. I’ve never stopped developing and writing down recipes, so it made sense to share them in my Empty Nest Cookbook. And, after surviving three clustered weddings, I just had to pass helpful info to other mothers. I have just contracted to write a comprehensive book on boating.

Several years ago, I joined a group of romance writers and earned my keep by venturing into fiction. My debut novel, Green Fire,came out in February 2013. I am overhauling a paranormal romance, finishing up another romantic suspense, and plotting a single title contemporary romance.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
In 2012, my non-fiction book for mothers of the bride or groom, Oh, No, They’re Engaged! After experiencing a whirlwind period of weddings in our family, I wanted to help ease the process of supporting a child’s dream while keeping tabs on the bucks.

Most recently, I bridged the gap between non-fiction how-to books and fiction with my newly released romantic suspense, GREEN FIRE. The story is set in Bogota, Colombia, the heart of the emerald trade. Miners call the lust for emerald “green fire,”.thus the title. The plot, smuggling emeralds in lilies, was devised from an article about cocaine smuggling in flowers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Right now, I’m sipping a glass of wine. Does that count? But, no, actually, I just get to it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hard to say. I read so many different kinds of books–and my writing is so varied, that I have to be pompous and say I emulate myself. No one else.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am heads down writing a non-fiction book for the Smart Guide series, due this summer. (Yikes!)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I now have two websites: www.joysmith.net covers all 5 of my books. I have recently begin a new site just for romance novels, www.joysmithromance.com. As far as marketing, I have done several blog interviews, and have a fan page on Facebook. In the past, I’ve done live booksignings, but found them unproductive. Social networking and web promos are the best way to reach a ton of people –without setting foot outside my office.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Believe in what you write, learn your trade, and be persistent.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I attended a writing conference and heard Susan Orland speak (Orchid Thief) at a time when I was frustrated my first book, a non-fiction on boating, was getting rejected. She said something to the effect of:

If you are blocked, you haven’t done the research; and, if you are still blocked, you haven’t done the thinking.

I took her comments to heart and dug in. The Perfect First Mate: A Woman’s Guide to Recreational Boating sold in 1999, and is now, in 2013, its 2nd edition and still going strong.

What are you reading now?
A romantic comedy my Kristan Higgins. Her newest book (I love all her books), The Best Man. Terrific!!!!

I read for pleasure. On my (digital) bookshelf I have a mix of paranormal romances, mysteries, and traditional romances.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As soon as I’ve met my deadline on a boating book, I’m going to dive back into the fiction pool and write more books like GREEN FIRE.

What is your favorite book of all time?
You’re going to laugh. The Raggedy Ann & Andy series. I still have the well thumbed copy I loved as a little girl, and have given copies to all 7 of my my grandchildren.

Author Websites and Profiles
Joy Smith Website
Joy Smith Amazon Profile

Joy Smith’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Who am I? I am a stay-at-home mom to my two beautiful daughters. You would think that would leave me with lots of time for writing, but it really doesn’t! I try to find a little time each day to write something, though.

I love all things fantasy and sci-fi. I tend to write the sort of story I would want to read: epic, quest-based, fantasy stories. My books are mostly character driven, as I believe most people will not bother to read anything that doesn’t have at least one compelling character in it. My books have been described as “Tolkien-Lite” by some of my readers, and it is a label I aspire to deserve. I also want to write books that families can read out loud together – so my goal is to create stories that appeal to a wide audience age-range.

I have written 6.5 books to-date. One of them is published, the other is scheduled to be published later this Spring (2013).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
King’s Warrior is the only book currently out. I was inspired by two things: a challenge from my dad to complete an adventure novel over the summer, and an old journal entry.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I write whenever I can. If I get stuck, I like to listen to Christmas music (the ultimate cure for my writer’s block) and I often like to write with pen and paper for my first draft – then move it to the computer after I’ve written 2-4 pages.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Definitely J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. Also Madeliene L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” – these were my first forays into fantasy and sci-fi and they left an indelible mark on my imagination.

What are you working on now?
Currently I am working on a new series. It is title-less for the moment, but it is about a young man who is on his way to an Academy to train as a soldier – along the way he meets a mysterious old man and a young prince, is hijacked by pirates, and swept off on an adventure he is woefully unprepared for.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still working on that one. I get a lot of traffic through my facebook page and my website. However, marketing is the bane of my existence, so I’m always looking for new ways to promote my books without becoming annoying or “pushy.”

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day.
Read every day.
Learn to take advice and negative criticism without getting defensive (doesn’t mean you have to make the suggested edits)

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“If you want to become a writer, you should be writing.”

What are you reading now?
‘A Memory of Light” by Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing to write, write, write!

I have my current series to complete, and then I have a sci-fi mystery lined up to begin working on!

What is your favorite book of all time?
He Whistles for the Cricket by Gwen Walker

Author Websites and Profiles
Jenelle Schmidt Website
Jenelle Schmidt Amazon Profile

Jenelle Schmidt’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an author of Young Adult Action/Adventure/Thriller novels who lives around St. Louis, Missouri. My debut novel was published by a small press in February 2013. Editing is almost done on a second unrelated book, and the sequel to my first published book is nearing completion.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Fugitives from Northwoods is the book that was released in February. Like everything else I tend to write, it is strongly based in the great outdoors. I take my insipiration for the settings in all my books from sunlight & moonlight, still water & running water, and magnificent forests.

Fugitives has a darker, dystopian dimension to it. It’s a future, crumbled America, but Freedom/Liberty shine through like a beacon of hope.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not particularly. I write when I have free time, mostly weeknights and weekends.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. The liberty theme shines brightly.

The Hunger Games. It’s how action/adventure/dystopian should be written. First person, personal, with deep emotions.

I also really appreciate how older Science Fiction like H.G. Wells is still relevant 100 years later.

What are you working on now?
The sequel to Fugitives from Northwoods, and another book, Game Changer, which is about a float trip gone terribly wrong. I like to think of Game Changer as Deliverance for kids.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still trying to figure that out. I’m hoping Goodreads will be key. Up to now it’s been Facebook, and I’ve recently started to Tweet.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be persisent and believe in yourself. Find an honest critique group, hone your craft, prepare to be rejected (many times)…and never give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Whatever is worth doing…is worth doing well.

What are you reading now?
Nothing commercial at the moment. I’m mostly sharing reads with my edit group – some wonderfully talented, but currently unpublished, authors.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue to learn, to improve, and ultimately to succeed. Fugitives from Northwoods has exceeded my expectations for a debut novel, and I feel like the sequel is even better.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Wow, tough one. I ‘d say Atlas Shrugged or Catching Fire. The Hunger Games as a close third. Mockingjay was a bit of a disappointment.

Author Websites and Profiles
Chris Bostic Website
Chris Bostic Amazon Profile
Chris Bostic Author Profile Other Bookseller

Chris Bostic’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Horror author, mostly Zombie fiction. I have over 70 releases currently listed on Amazon and keep adding to it. I also dabble in non-fiction books about Heavy Metal, and have written Steampunk and Thriller stories. I try to spread the ideas and not stick to one formula or subgenre if I can help it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Tool Shed” is my latest, a traditional horror novella released by Angelic Knight Press. It was inspired by my love of the great Leisure paperback book releases I collected by authors such as Brian Keene, John Everson, Douglas Clegg, Jack Ketchum, etc. I wanted to write a throwback horror story about a man who inherits his grandfather’s farm, but there is an evil living under the tool shed.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so, but what writer does? I am a creature of habit, so I have a very specific schedule I adhere to as much as possible and treat it like a job. It’s great fun, but it’s still a job and I have to take it seriously or it slips back into being a hobby again. And a hobby isn’t going to pay my bills.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think everything, good or bad, influences you as a writer. My favorite book of all time is “Watership Down,” and I grew up reading every Dean Koontz book i could find. When it came to writing about zombies, “The Rising” by Brian Keene was my first introduction to the subgenre. It was amazing.

What are you working on now?
I will be finishing the first draft of “Dying Days 3,” my zombie series. Then I have 9 other projects currently open and incomplete on my laptop. Whichever one I am in the mood to work on, I will.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
All of them. It comes and goes. Facebook used to be the top site but with all their ridiculous changes, I only use it to let people know where else I am. Twitter has been very good to me, but I’ve built a following of 33,000+ so far. My website has a nice steady traffic as well. The best promotion is still word of mouth and having fans that buy everything you release.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you are in this to get rich, go play the lottery and save time. If you are in this because you cannot even think of doing anything else but write, even if you might never make a dime on it, then pursue it and give 100% to it. At the end of the day, even if I made nothing on this journey, I’ll feel like I gave it my best shot.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write every day no matter what, and mix up what you are writing. Don’t force Story A, just go on to Story B until the first one speaks to you again.

What are you reading now?
“Big Man,” the autobiography of Clarence Clemons. I love non-fiction. It gives me so many ideas for fiction.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing. Expand my writing from mostly horror and zombie and branch out into other areas (drama, erotica, fantasy, thrillers, crime, humor, etc.) and find my niche.

What is your favorite book of all time?
“Watership Down” s easily my favorite, and I will read it every few years again. I’ve never done that with any other book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Armand Rosamilia Website
Armand Rosamilia Amazon Profile

Armand Rosamilia’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 38, I’ve been married for 15 years and my son is 9 years old.

I’m currently a cook at an upscale Cajun seafood restaurant called Pappadeaux, but writing and entertaining people are what I enjoy the most.

I wrote a short story a long time ago, was told “Lol, don’t quit your day job,” a few times and unfortunately allowed the spirit of that advice to shake my confidence.

I would be a much better writer if I’d kept at it back then.

Still, I’ve written one novel, I like it and I’m determined to keep writing now, despite my day job.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Antioch.

It is the first in a series of low fantasy/steam-punk books I’m writing called The Circle, about a small group of men who guard an extraordinary secret.

I’m inspired by the idea of the warrior-priest from role-playing adventure games, a character that balances religious ideals against the necessity of violence.

Though not a christian myself, I use a lot of christian symbolism.

I also use a lot of violence.

My older brother, never to be impressed by me, said it reads like fan-fiction of the Bible.

I thought that was pretty funny.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know.

For this book, I was a stay-at-home dad.

I’d get up at 6:30, make a pot of coffee, get my kid off to school and then sit down to write.

The next thing I knew the coffee was gone and it was time to pick my kid up from the bus stop.

I did that for two years.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
More than any other single work, Stephen King’s “On Writing.”

Reading that book feels like having someone believe in you.

I also like Tolkien for “The Hobbit,” Rowling for Harry Potter, Crichton for “Jurassic Park” and many comic book authors, like Stan Sakai for Usagi Yojimbo, Wendy and Richard Pini for Elf Quest and Matt Wagner for Mage.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m marketing Antioch and brainstorming the next book, Golgotha.

I joked in the promotion of Antioch that it was like a medieval Star Wars with zombies.

If that’s even close to true, Golgotha will be like Batman with vampires.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m very new to promotion, so right now most of my sales have come from friends, family and Facebook.

I’ve also been updating threads in each of the online communities I’m a part of, Goodreads.com, my old World of Warcraft guild (Eredar’s Scalebane -Heya! Let’s ride!), the Street Fighter IV forums on Shoryuken.com and a mixed martial arts site I like called MMAShare.

I have a podcast on my own website, www.WilliamEHarlan.com, in which I read one chapter of Antioch each week, uploaded with an illustration, and offer that as a free audiobook to generate interest.

This is my fourth week of the podcast and it’s more popular each time.

After releasing the 32nd chapter, the end of the book, I’m going to re-release Antioch with the illustrations.

The audiobook will remain free.

I figure if people like the free stuff, they’ll throw me a bone and buy my ebook from Amazon for 2.99.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The most important thing to do as an artist is to make art.

I was a sculpture major in various universities across Texas for about seven years.

That’s called being a super-senior.

Over and over again I had art professors tell me “The most important thing to do as an artist is to make art.”

For seven years I was like, “Well DUH!”

Then one day I suddenly realized that the only time I was ever sculpting anything was for a grade.

I never wanted to do it on my own.

I never wanted to make art.

I left the fine arts program shortly after that realization.

After everything I’ve gone through with this book, I know that I’m now following that advice and doing what I’m supposed to be doing.

I’m making art.

My advice for other authors – the most important thing to do as a writer is to write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think I accidentally answered this one already.

Sorry, I should have read through the questions first!

What are you reading now?
I’m reading “Dead of Eve” by Pam Godwin for the Goodreads book club Apocalypse Whenever, “Wool Omnibus” by Hugh Howie for the Goodreads book club The Sword and Laser, and Syd Field’s “Screenplay” for my own improvement as a storyteller.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Growing my name and growing my series.

I enjoy this stuff.

What is your favorite book of all time?
As a reader, Jurassic Park.

It’s horrific and consuming.

It’s the only novel I’ve ever read in one sitting.

I stayed up all night and skipped school the next day to do it too.

Take that, Katy Independent School District.

Author Websites and Profiles
William Harlan Website
William Harlan Amazon Profile
William Harlan Author Profile Other Bookseller

William Harlan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a paranormal, gothic-horror author. Most of my writing is in the YA genre, although I have only published one book. It is called The Rift and is the first in a three-book series called the Vessel of Souls. When I am not writing, I am a part time baker and a part time college student who still has yet to decide on a major.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called The Rift and it was inspired by a number of things. There were two main inspirations for it. The first was the idea of a relationship between the angel and death and a normal person or perhaps a person who seemed normal. The other was a strange sleep disorder I read about called sleep paralisis. This is a condition where someone is “awake in the dream world”, so to speak. It is essentially the colliding of two different worlds; one real and one a dream. The people who suffer from this have a hard time knowing when they are dreaming and when they are awake.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think my most unusual writing habit is to write every book first as a movie script. I like to imagine what it would look like acted out and I write down what the lines would be and what the actions would be. I have never come across anyone who wrote like that so I think it is pretty unusual.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Definately Edgar Allan Poe. He has been my favorite author for a long time. I am always reading quotes and stories by him to draw inspiration from.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the second book in the Vessel of Souls series. It is called The Deceived and has grown very dark and slightly disturbing through the course of editing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think goodreads is the best website I have come across for promoting my books. It allows the authors to connect directly to the readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up just because you feel discouraged. Every author has a place in the literary society; you just have to find yours.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As cliche as it sounds, the best advice I have ever heard is to believe in yourself. A lot of times you will be the only one to believe in yourself, but if you can do that, other people will start to believe in you.

What are you reading now?
I am reading Black Sun by Mark Carver

What’s next for you as a writer?
Next for me is to finish up a fantasy book I am collaborating on with quite a few other authors. It will be a few ebook on smashwords when it is done.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I can’t say I necessarily have a favorite book. I have a lot of favorite books. The Harry Potter series, The hunger Games, The House on Blackstone Moore, I could keep going for a long time.

Author Websites and Profiles
SKN Hammerstone Website
SKN Hammerstone Amazon Profile

SKN Hammerstone’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 academic, educated at Cambridge and have done a lot of writing, but to date only one fiction novel. I have others planned and expect to have a second release by next year.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Jack Dawkins.

It is about the further adventures of the Artful Dodger from Dickens’ Oliver Twist, when he returns to England as an adult. The demons of his past plague him as he tries to find his way in a rapidly changing Victorian England with limited training for ways in which he can make a living, which naturally leads to the familiar world of crime in which he grew up. However, maturity and experience have brought him to a place in his life where he wishes for somthing better.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Writing itself is an unusual habit, but my oddest quirk is that I like to write in the early morning hours when I am still half asleep.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Charles Dickens, Douglas Adams, Bill Hicks, T.S. Eliot, Anthony Trollope and many in the Historical Fiction field.

What are you working on now?
I have a certain fascination with Alaric I who was king of the Visigoths until the year 405. Little is known about his personal life, so I’m having to dig deeply to find out details of history before I start to fill the blanks with artistic license.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think that one’s own blog or website is the most important for promotion. All the rest are merely to drive traffic to the source of information.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Edit properly. You cannot see your own typos, so get at least one other pair of eyes to read through and red pen them.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My favourite piece of advice came from a film about Cassnova. “Be the flame, not the moth.”

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading a few books for review. I’ve just finished a charming story called The Saltwater Ghost by Shiela Jane.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be getting to work on Alaric as soon as I finish some promised reviews. I’ve sent out several review copies of Jack Dawkins and can only wait for their results, some of which are not expected until July.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. Can you tell?

Author Websites and Profiles
Charlton Daines Website
Charlton Daines Amazon Profile
Charlton Daines Author Profile Other Bookseller

Charlton Daines’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My writing journey started in Australia about 10 years ago when I enrolled in a “How to write a novel” course. 20 minutes into the course I knew I’d found my calling.

I’ve writen several books since then – fantasy and children’s.

The Windflowers Trilogy.

Book 1, Ferrasium.

Book 2, Golden Scarab.

NB: Book 3, Pyramidion due for release soon.

Witch-Hunt Series.

Book 1 : Lodestone.

NB: Book 2, Witch-Sniffer due for release soon.

Prophesy and Pirates.

Not currently scheduled for release.

Children’s Fiction.

Hieroglyph.

Selected for 1 of 5 NZSA min-mentorships. 1st in series. Publication details not yet finalized.

Tails. 1st in The Silver Wishes Series.

Due for release 2015 Copy Press

 

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Lodestone (Witch-Hunt).

The research on witches was fascinating. I love poring through reference books.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Others describe me as “prolific!”

I can multi-task on several projects at once without mixing up the characters or plotlines. I “see” my stories as mind movies.

My writing fuel consists of liberal doses of coffee (espresso stovetop – life is way too short for bad/ instant coffee), chocolate (love most flavours – not a chocolate snob), and when needed –wine!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read many different genres, but my first love is fantasy.

Standout is Juliet Marillier (Sevenwaters Series, Fox Mask etc). She has a way of placing her characters into impossible and opposing situations, creating nail-chewing dilemmas.

The first fantasy I ever encountered was The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R Donaldson. This story had a profound effect on me by opening up the world of fantasy.

What are you working on now?

Hieroglyph. Children’s novel. Did Ancient Egyptians visit Australia?

Work in progress – Masquerade. A dark romantic fantasy. Romeo and Juliet had their share of obstacles, but at least they were the same species!

Pyramidion, Book 3 of The Windflowers Trilogy.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I tend to focus more on writing than promoting in the hope readers who love one of my books will read the others.

Sites I’ve found helpful include: Awesome gang / Book Goodies / World Literary Café / Author Marketing Club.

My own site is

WendyJScott.com

Please drop by for a visit, I love hearing from readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writer’s write! Focus on writing the best book you can for your readers. Revise. Revise. Revise! Get it professionally edited. Deliver quality.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always be yourself … unless you can be a unicorn.

Dream … believe … do …

What are you reading now?
The King’s Champion by Cas Peace.

Caressed by ice by Nalini Singh.

(Lucky me. In April I get to meet this NY Times bestselling author at a world building workshop).

What’s next for you as a writer?
Transforming my Amazon ebooks into print via Createspace.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

This book has so many layers – just wonderful.

Dr Seuss – Sneetches on the Beaches.

Author Websites and Profiles
Wendy Scott Website
Wendy Scott Amazon Profile
Wendy Scott Author Profile Other Bookseller

Wendy Scott’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Helloz. I am soon to be known as The Homeless Author. nah, despite my 9th grade education and my impossible mission to find a job I have written 4 incredible books! Ok seriously…..

I am from Wisconsin (aka We’ll Hire Anyone but David State) I am a crazy basketball fan. love to read..and a bunch of other things I’m sure you don’t care to know about. I love to joke around and make jokes, so don;t take anything I say on any site serious.

I write mostly humor books. I am a christian so they each have some christian theme to it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Dozani Gang. I usually work on multiple books at once, but this was the last to publish.

What inspired it? Boredom! I’m not really sure what inspired it, I get the oddest ideas from the strangest thing. I could be looking at a frog and get inspired to write a novel about a gay president…strange.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do most of my writing between 1-5am….is that unusual?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
John Grisham’s…umm every book of his.

What are you working on now?
finding a job to pay for……oh, I’m working on a book called The Teenage Suspect. It’s about a girl who;s best friend kills the girl her boyfriend cheated on and blames her for the murder. My first legal thriller.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
begging, crying, harrassing people in streets.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Me give advice for new authors? ha why not get Tiger Woods to give relationship advice?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up….why? because it’s the only advice I’ve received that didn’t cost me money!

What are you reading now?
John Grisham’s the Last Juror. Gpoosebumps Invasion of the Body squeezers.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books. I have a somewhat controversial series coming that may have me banned from every christian religion. Should be fun!!

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Hopeless Christiantic…cheap plug.

Author Websites and Profiles
David Santos Website
David Santos Amazon Profile

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a 46 year old (birthday in 1 week!) IT Skills trainer here in Cavan Ireland which is a of the landlocked counties in the middle. I don’t surf. I can’t swim. I dream of the ocean. Maybe that’s why I wrote a novel about Hurricane Katrina and the rain and the gales and deluge it wrought, because of some subconscious hankering to get wet!

Misisipi is my first full-length novel.

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

I started off writing a book about a broken marriage. It was pretty much a two-hander with the twist that one of the two (the wife character) had long since absconded and the story was centered around her husband traveling to where he thought she might be and having an ongoing head-space conversation with her as he did.

I had written pretty much all of the inner-discussions in loose form and I was teasing out what exactly he was supposed to find at the end of journey. I guess I must have secretly suspected that the novel in its current form was going to be quite a dour, serious, literary affair because I stumbled upon a SALON article about Hurricane Katrina and specifically the events (actual and reported) inside the Superdome and BAM I had this mental image of my female character walking up to the entrance of the Superdome as the Hurricane was bearing down and she was covered in blood and demanding to be let in. I just thought, “Wow! I want to know how she arrived at this point”

From then on, the novel began to re-calibrate itself around the Katrina events. The same basic jumping off point of the husband seeking his wife remained as did the examination of their inter-personal dynamics but now it was a mystery set against a more substantial context.

It took 4 years to write from conception to completion.

And yes, I know I spelled “Mississippi” wrong. There’s a very good reason for that!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write when I feel like it. I don’t write when I don’t, even once taking a year from doing any writing or thinking about the book in the middle of the 4 years. I am very very undisciplined!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I like strong characters in well-thought through plots. Stephen King was a good tutor for both of those things when I was a teen and dreaming of being a writer.

To be honest, these days I look at books and view them through the prism of their mistakes such as sloppy climaxes, inconsistent character behaviors etc. To that end I tried to write MISISIPI such that I would not be annoyed if I was the reader. That may not have been a good move but that’s what I did.

What are you working on now?
Nothing. I have some ideas percolating but I have not put pen to paper since I finished MISISIPI. I’m a big one for head-planning and getting the story coalesced in my mind before I begin to set it down (says he AFTER only 1 book!)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Tell me, you – please! I am officially the worst person at promoting this thing!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every book like it’s your first. Write every book like it’s your last.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Every sentence has to make sense, that’s the whole point of a “sentence”.

From the Oxford dictionary: A sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense, contains a main verb, and begins with a capital letter.

There is no point writing a view of a sunset or the fury of storm or the first kiss of your lovers if the actual description you construct with your sentence uses an analogy, simile, metaphor or something else that sounds gorgeous but makes no sense whatsoever.

I was very guilty of such vagaries in the past until I got beat up by the Common Sentence Police.

What are you reading now?
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Just started it

What’s next for you as a writer?
Do whatever you tell me I should be doing for correct book promotion!

I’m still waiting….

What is your favorite book of all time?
A Simple Plan by S. Scott Smith. Brief, slight, simple and yet extremely effective as a thriller and a character study. Whatever happened that guy by the way? “The Ruins” and then – nothing.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Reilly Website
Michael Reilly Amazon Profile
Michael Reilly Author Profile Other Bookseller

Michael Reilly’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 writer out of the small town of Kingston, Washington, just west of Seattle. I currently have one short story that’s been published and one novel which I just self-published on April 1st. I volunteer at the local PAWS facility, taking care of cats looking for homes. I also enjoy movies, anime, video games and long walks in the woods or on a beach. Obviously, I’m not particularly good at telling people about myself (hence the line stolen from every generic personals ad ever written.) I have a fairly dry sense of humor, which is also fairly black. My chosen genre is horror and it tends to show as I’m likely to smirk, smile or outright laugh at things that would generally be considered inappropriate. For example, I was recently part of a discussion about medical malpractice, one person brought up what she had learned in culinary school about illnesses and the legality of responsibility if people get sick from their cooking. Another person replied to that by saying people’s lives and cooking are still two seperate issues. My response to her response was “Not if you’re talking cannibalism.”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book (which is also my debut book) “The Unknown Neighbor” was published on April 1st, 2013. What it’s about, and what inspired it, is the idea of what about the people who live next door to the guy who goes crazy, goes to his other neighbor’s house and murders the entire family? Suddenly they have to live with the thought that their lives could have ended that night instead if the murderer had just turned left instead of right when he left his house. It’s fairly psychological as the main character, Carla Carvine, tries to deal with the impacts of her friends being murdered and being a murderer, on top of her own paranoia, fears and desire to ensure the safety of her family.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t particularly have any writing habits I would consider unusual. To be honest I don’t really have any writing habits. I sit down any point during the day the mood strikes me and start writing. It can be anywhere from a 500-word scene to 4,000 words a day. I don’t get up at 8:00, write from 9:00 to noon, edit in the afternoon and then spend time with the family. I’m not a particularly structured person like that. When I’m working on a piece, though, I do like to try and make sure I get at least a little bit done every day. I do like to listen to music when I write, which is something I’ve seen debated on a few websites, but otherwise, the answer to the question posed, is no.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Whew, the list is too long to fill out. King, Koontz, Crichton, Lovecraft, and Matheson are classic authors in my chosen genre (horror, see above) and deserve to be mentioned. Most recently, through their blogs, I’ve been heavily influenced by J.A. Konrath and Robert Lee Brewer. Both are excellent sources of information about the business of writing and I probably wouldn’t be published today if not for their attempts to point fellow writers in the right direction.

Really, I almost feel like this is a trick question. A better one would be, “What author’s or books haven’t influenced you?”. The only answer to that would be writers you haven’t read or heard of, because if you really want to be a writer, and you read as a writer, you learn something or pick up something from every book you flip through. It may be a new word you didn’t know, it may be an example of how NOT to do characterization, it may be the specific way a writer uses grammar in ways that are completely wrong and yet somehow it works. So I think if you’re trying to be a writer and you have a book you’ve read which hasn’t influenced you in some way, you’re just not taking your task seriously enough.

What are you working on now?
I have two more novels I’m working on at the moment, and I’m considering a short story collection. My goal is to try and have two more books published by the end of the year. One of my works, a novel which is currently carrying the title of “Class 5” is already pretty close to having it’s first draft finished, so it may even be out by summer if I can keep a good pace on it. “Class 5” is more a typical action horror story as opposed to the psychological trauma of “The Unknown Neighbor.” It really started as a short story. A typical latch-key kid. Home alone while his parents work late, he locks up the house, turns off the lights and climbs into bed. One of his cats jumps up to join him. Then another cat. Then a third. Then he freezes in place as he remembers, he only has two cats, not three… It turned into a novel as I reached the end and found myself asking “What next? What next?”.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Really, I don’t think there is one best method or website. It’s about how much effort you put into it over the whole ordeal of promoting. Robert Lee Brewer’s blog has a month of posts from a few years ago that were all about building your platform as a writer. Every day lists a different task for you to do towards that end. (Even now, I haven’t done all of them and some I haven’t done as completely as I should, resulting in more of a soapbox than a platform, but it does seem to be working.) It ranges from signing up on Facebook or Twitter, to starting a blog, following other people’s blogs and responding to other people’s tweets. It’s about getting yourself out there as much as you can in as many different ways as you can. My own blog post from this week lists the different ways I’ve promoted myself and my book even before it was published.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be realistic. Don’t expect your book to jump from just published to best-seller overnight and don’t expect to be sitting on a beach in Aruba just because you’ve published a book. The news trumps up stories about authors who hit it big with their first book and have million dollar deals. I look at it as, when enough people play, somebody’s going to hit the lottery. That’s just one person that made it big. For every one of them, there are thousands of authors who get little to no advances on the books companies purchase and then there are probably tens of thousands who’s books were beneath the notice of the publishers. It also applies to self-published novels. Don’t expect to be buying a house with the profits of your first book after it’s only been out for a month.

Getting hyped up over ideas of becoming rich and famous doesn’t do anybody any good. The dreams distract you from the real reason people make a living as an author, and that is by sitting down and writing more. Finished your first book? Great, here’s a slap on the back, crack open a cold one, maybe go out to dinner. Tomorrow, start on your next.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Another hard question to answer. I’ve been given lots of good advice over the years, along with some bad advice. Probably the best advice I’ve ever had though, is a line out of Stephen King’s book “On Writing.”

“Put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn’t in the middle of the room. Life isn’t a support-system for art. It’s the other way around.”

What are you reading now?
I’m actually between books at the moment, been looking for another one to catch my eye. The last book I finished, though, was “Turner” by Karl Drinkwater. An excellent horror story, with a lot of nods to many of the classics and one I would recommend to just about anyone with an interest in the genre.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing. As I said I have two more novels I’m working on as well as several short stories. On top of that is the work of advertising and promoting. I’m really giving this a solid attempt in the hope that I might eventually be able to support myself off of just my writing. I have no misgivings about the effort and time that’s going to take, multiple books and probably years down the road, but I’ve started, and it’s a path I plan on walking until something better comes along or something drives me from it.

What is your favorite book of all time?
An easy last question. Jurassic Park, hands down. I’ve been a dinosaur nut ever since I was little and this book delivered beautifully. I actually read it when I was only in sixth grade, which seems to shock a lot of people and I remember, even then, telling everyone who would listen what a great movie it would make. It’s stained, faded, and held together with duct tape and is one of the few books I would probably never get rid of.

In fact, I might just go read it again…

Author Websites and Profiles
Shaun Horton Website
Shaun Horton Amazon Profile

Shaun Horton’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an author of Christian fiction, living in the St. Louis area. I’ve written four books, who of which are now out of print.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is INVASION OF THE NINJA. It’s inspired by the old 80s ninja movies that I watched when I was younger.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to work late into the night when I should really be sleeping. LOL. Seriously, I don’t write everyday, like most authors say that we should. I’ll start on a project and just work on it until it’s finished.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say that Frank Perretti and RA Salvatore have had the most individual influence on me. As of late, I’ve been reading more indie fiction, like AP Fuchs and David L. Kilpatrick.

What are you working on now?
As INVASION OF THE NINJA prepares for its “official” launch date of April 22, I am beginning to plot its sequel, Klandestine Maneuvers.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve been blogging more at http://jeffreyallendavis.wordpress.com.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep following your dreams.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
We don’t really know if we’re “good” until we have strangers reading and reviewing our work.

What are you reading now?
“Identity” by Ted Dekker.

What’s next for you as a writer?
INVASION OF THE NINJA and KLANDESTINE MANEUVERS are rewrites of previously published works from several years ago. Book Three of the series, tentatively titled GATEWAY TO THERA, will be next. I plan a series of around nine books, along with a few unrelated projects.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Bible, of course. I prefer the ESV.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jeffrey Davis Website
Jeffrey Davis Amazon Profile
Jeffrey Davis Author Profile Other Bookseller

Jeffrey Davis’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m and indie author, my first two contemporary romance, Finding Pride & Discovering Pride, books are available now. My third in this four part series, Returning Pride will be released this July. I’m currently working on book four, Lasting Pride.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Returning Pride, I love this series.

Have you ever visited a place where the people are so friendly, you just wanted to stay and not return home?

Nestled in the rolling hills on the coast of Oregon, Pride is the perfect setting for this series. The series follows the less than perfect Jordan family, Todd, Lacey and Iian, and the people they grow to love. Lasting Pride discovers the exciting adventures of family friend, Ric Derby, and the path that leads him and Roberta, the woman sworn to protect him, to the safety of Pride.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, I just sit down and type, okay I can type really fast.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think that anything I’ve ever read has influenced me at one point. But, I’ve always had a special liking for Nora Roberts.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently editing Returning Pride and writing Lasting Pride.

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

I have a great blog where I highlight other Indie Authors. I do interviews, book reviews, and promotions.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Edit, edit, and edit. Don’t be afraid to ask others to help. The more eyes, the better.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Edit, edit, and edit.

What are you reading now?
I’m helping other indie authors out with editing and reviewing. At any given time I can read up to 3 books at a time. I just finished Progress by Amy Queue. My review is up on my blog at Pride Series

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once I finish this four part series, I have a few other books (series) in mind.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Gone with the Wind.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jill Sanders Website
Jill Sanders Amazon Profile
Jill Sanders Author Profile Other Bookseller

Jill Sanders’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing fiction seriously in 2007, although I have a drawer full of early efforts. I began to enter competitions and 2008 was a wonderful year for me with the publication of my first book, A Night in the Manx Museum, lots of shortlists and a win in the Fantasy Section of the UK Authors Opening Pages competition with Manannan’s Magic. I also won an International Competition with Kilmainham Dawn, a piece of flash fiction, and was asked to read my work at the West Cork Literary Festival. Since that time I have concentrated on writing, marketing and publishing. My current works are all on Kindle. They are as follows:

A Night in the Manx Museum – a children’s adventure for ages 5-9. This is used in local schools.

Ghost Diaries 1: Gigi’s Guardian – a light hearted romp through Swinging Sixties London.

Manannan’s Magic – romance and magic set at the time of the Viking invasions in 800AD.

Five Lamps and Other Stories – a collection of 13 stories, including some prize winners.

Stories for Seven Year Olds – three children’s adventure stories including magic carpets, a robin who could not fly and a lost Chinese dragon.

I also write non-fiction, as a swimming teacher and former senior manager. These books are:

Easy Time Management – saving time at home or at work

Learn to Swim (even if you are terrified) – I specialise with beginners.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Duval and the Infernal Machine. This is historical crime fiction. I read History in university and specialised in the period of the French Revolution and the first Empire. This book, the first in a series, introduces Alain Duval starting work as a police agent, under the notorious Fouché. Heinvestigates the bomb attack on Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
What is unusual? Writing in my nightdress and dressing gown? Drinking lots of tea? If this is unusual then I’m guilty!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anne McCaffrey, Patricia Kenealley, Tom Clancy, Peter Tremayne, Annemarie Selinko and a host of classics authors such as Jane Austin.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on:

the Duval series. The next will be either Duval and the Empress’ Crown or Duval and the Windmill at Naveau.

the sequels to Manannan. Niamh of the Golden Hair and Emer’s Quest.

a tale of the First World War, Wakes Week.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Kindle Select free promos.

Goodreads Giveaways (for hard copy books)

A list of promotion sites including Awesome Gang!

I have had a lot of help from authors on the Awesome Gang Facebook page.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Enter competitions – find out if you can write. If you can- go for it!

Use a good online free editing programme.

Sell your books through Kindle Select

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As above

What are you reading now?
Anna Pitt’s 101 Ways to Live Cleaner and Greener for Free

What’s next for you as a writer?
Building my fan base, writing, writing, writing!

What is your favorite book of all time?
Either Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonsflight or Patricia Kennealey’s The Throne of Scone or Désirée by Annemarie Selinko. They are all ‘comfort reads’ for me and I return to them time after time.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michele McGrath Website
Michele McGrath Amazon Profile

Michele McGrath’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I think I am a bit of a gypsy, a nomad. British by birth, international in my heart, I am not entirely sure where I live, not permanently that’s certain.

I was living in Greece at the time when the severity of the Greek economic situation hit. I had a holiday letting business built up over the previous seven years, which dried up over night. One day income was normal, the day after the riots were shown on TV worldwide I was in trouble, no money and no future.

My primary thought was to ensure stability for my daughters GCSE years and so the decision was made to return to England and re-start the psychotherapy practice that I had left behind.

As I was packing a story came to me. “The Illegal Gardener.”

I had never written before.

In fact I am dyslexic and have incredible tactics to avoid putting pen to paper. I offered the story line to a writer friend who simply said write it yourself.

Six weeks later the book was finished and published and sales were immediately through the roof. I continued with the move back to England unsure if the level of sales of “The Illegal Gardener” was flash in the pan.

That was July of 2012 and since then I have written a series of four books all of which are receiving incredible reviews and are selling better than I could have ever imagined. The fifth is in progress. The psychotherapy practice had not be set up as, since the first book was publish, I have been writing full time.

I now have the luxury of dividing my time between England and Greece.

 

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I have just published book four in The Greek Village series, “The Gypsy’s Dream” and it has already reach number 27 in Literary Fiction on Amazon.co.uk.

Each book in the series follows a different person from the same greek village, so each time you return to a familiar setting, the warm sun, but a fresh story line, a new character to discover.

The Gypsy’s Dream see’s a young girl from England mistakenly turning up in the village having taken the wrong boat whilst trying to get to the island where she had lined up a job. She has not budgeted for a detour and she is now in the village without even enough money for food let alone to find her way to her true destination.

The inspiration was my own life, my first visit to Greece was on holiday. I returned home after the week was up only to walk through the pouring rain, from the bus to the travel agents and book a return ticket back the very next day. This time staying, finding a job, renting a flat and making Greece my home.

With no Greek and, initially, no friends it was a crazy and uncertain way to live but the Greek people reached out at every turn, there kindness made all physical hardships pale into insignificance. Their kindness is my inspiration.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I am not lost in the act of writing, the next books story line come unbidden into my head and I get so excited about what is to come I am driven every day.

I am currently writing book five of The Greek Village series, working title “The Art of Being Homeless”.

But when I am not working on this my mind is taken up with a new idea. I have just returned from Nepal and a story line has come home with me about the Gurkha’s, their families, their children. Every minute not writing book five I am researching Gurkha life at the moment.

It makes for very exciting days that do not have enough hours in them.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Being dyslexic I am not as widely read as I would like. I have tended towards the classics. As a child, living for some time in Yorkshire, I knew the moors well and I grew up reading the Bronte sisters and immersed myself in their passion.

Thomas Hardy became the next obsession, his focus was a different moor but he drew me in with his capacity to put you in the moment, see the surrounds, hooking me.

As I became more worldy I was very sad when I realised I had read all Antony Trollop had written, his humour cannot be surpassed, so British.

Now I will read any genre but I do not hesitate to put a book down unfinished if it does not grab me, there are so many authors to be discovers, books to be read, there is no point in taking time to finished something you do not love.

Books that have stood out to me in the last few years – How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran , I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. I am sure there are more but these are the ones that come to mind.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on Book five of The Greek Village series, working title “The Art of Being Homeless”, which has a plot very close to my own heart.

Michelle, just about to turn fifty, has worked in one profession all her life meets up with a boy who does not wish to see his youth pass by as he sits day after day in his first office job. They are travelling to the village together, she to meet her friend who lives there, hoping for some advice on her threatened career, he to face his father to tell him he has walked out of his job. They have much to learn from one another but a chance event creates ripples neither expected.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Apart from Amazon I have made some great friends on Facebook who seem to enjoy the series. It is not an ‘author’ page, it is a personal page that anyone who wants to become my ‘friend’ only has to ask. We talk about each others holidays, we share pictures of Greece. My ‘friends’ there are my backbone and I am grateful to know them.

If I had more time I could find more ways to promote my books, but it is catch twenty two (another good book) if I am promoting I am not writing and if I do not write I have nothing to promote.

The result is this gives me my excuse to spend very little time marketing but all my days writing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
“See it as a job”. Do not get too precious about what you have written, take the feed back seriously but not personally, use it to improve yourself but not to upset yourself.

Get yourself a good cover, it is what attracts the reader initially and always look to the next book you will write rather than hanging onto the last one as an object too precious, of which to let go. Once it is in the public domain it is no longer “your book”, it is the readers book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take the time to meditate twenty minutes a day – if you cannot find twenty minutes then you need to mediate for a hour to work out why not. (Meditate = think, reflect, ponder.)

What are you reading now?
I am reading a few books. Thurdays in the Park by Hilary Boyd, The Crimson Petal and The White by Michel Faber, One Minus One by Ruth Doan MacDougall and Nancy Pearl and Write Compelling Fiction by L.J.Martin.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am very keen to begin the first of two books about the wives of the Gurkha’s. I have just returned from Nepal where I have a friend who is a lawyer for the Gurkha’s and he introduced me to some very interesting people. Gurkhas, their families, all have a tale to tell, a life beyond our imaginations, a rural way of living that I thought was all but gone.

What happens when a retired Gurkha decides to move to England and can only take one wife? Which does he take, wife one, two or three? How do the other wives feel? What happens to the children? Will he missed Nepal, his old life?

It is going to be a passionate book about human resilience – we are extraordinary beings.

What is your favorite book of all time?
This is a tough one. The book I have read the most times is Wuthering Heights, it says so much about the complexity of human nature.

Remains of the Day blew me away and still comes to mind as a favourite. Again it is reflective and observant.

But then so too are A Picture of Dorian Grey and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

Nope, sorry, I cannot pin it down to one. Oh yes I can – it is the one I am going to write next – always!

Author Websites and Profiles
Sara Alexi Website
Sara Alexi Amazon Profile

Sara Alexi’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Linda David; I’m a single mother of 2 and have written 2 books so far, and counting.

I currently work as a college lecturer in childcare, and was born in Cyprus in 1967 to parents who both hail from the Caribbean island of Nevis. I’ve also lived in Germany as well as St Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies.

I’ve always enjoyed reading and was encouraged to do so from a very early age, and that is partly what inspired me to write. Even today, I can remember the excitement and wonder I used to experience as a child when reading fantasy and adventure stories, and I hope that through my writing, I will be able to inspire and encourage other children’s interest and pleasure in reading as well.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Hidden Realms of Firestone is actually a sequel to my first book. I’ve always enjoyed school stories, all the old Enid Blyton tales from my childhood as well as the more recent Harry Potter series.

I used to wish I could take part in all the exciting goings-on at these schools and wanted so much to be part of that world.

I love both fantasy and sci-fi stories, so I decided to combine both and write my ideal story – I even loosely based the main character on myself as a child. Having said that though, I do believe there’s still a little bit of Agathea Fulstropp in me today!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really – I just sit down and write whatever comes into my head. The story just unfolds naturally. Funnily enough, I’m not the kind of person who writes well in complete silence – I find it difficult to concentrate. I need the TV on for company and I’m learning not to let it distract me completely.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Just the ones I’ve already mentioned. I also like Stephen King’s books, though I don’t write for that genre. I love the way he sometimes incorporates characters from other books into the stories he writes. He also had a book out where he wrote himself into the story as himself and interacted with his own characters – genius!

What are you working on now?
That would be the sequel to book number 2! It’s just that the story isn’t quite finished yet. I guess I’ll stop when there’s nothing left to write. My main character hasn’t been at her new school long enough to develop and grow, so I’ll be sticking with her until I feel that has been achieved. And besides, I’m dying to know how her thoughts and feelings are going to change towards her friends as well as her current enemies! I’m also curious as to whether she’ll develop any romantic interests, so I can’t stop now!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m no expert when it comes to book promotion, so I do the usual social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. I’ve got my own website and am trying to train myself to blog more regularly. It’s hard though – half the things I start writing for my blog ends up not being published on the site at all. I much prefer blogging as one of my characters – they’re much more interesting than me, and have a lot more to say.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you know and write when you feel inspired. If you’re anything like me, that’s when you’ll produce your best work! Also, don’t give up! My first book was written, on and off, over a period of about 10 years! That’s mainly because I had young children and was studying at the same time. My second, because I was more motivated and focused, and I knew it could be done, took about 15 months.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That you can’t please everybody and that you should be aware that, no matter how brilliant you think your book is, it won’t be everybody’s cup of tea!

What are you reading now?
I’m ‘re-reading’ The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King. There are approximately 7 books and I’m enjoying it this time around as much as I did the first, second and third time I read them! I do have a lot of books on my Kindle waiting to be read, especially from other Indie authors, but every couple of years, I seem to be drawn to some of my old favourites.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just to keep on keeping on! I’ll continue to write as long as I have a story to tell and I enjoy telling it!

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Dark Tower by Stephen King (surprise, surprise!). I think it will take something very special to top that.

Author Websites and Profiles
Linda David Website
Linda David Amazon Profile

Linda David’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a mother of four, author, and blogger that is determined to make writing a career. Being an Indie Author, has given me the freedom and option to write from my heart; without being restricted by others. My writing has given me a voice and a chance to touch others. I am committed to touching just one person a day through my writing, with the desire for them to inspire others through the sharing process of my writings.

I have written two books so far, and currently working on my third book. My first book taught me self-discipline and a lot of other lessons along the way. My first book didn’t do well but I didn’t put my all into the book either. I wrote for others pleasure with any sense of direction. That book was in the fiction category. I learned that fiction writing wasn’t for me. I tried to convey too many points from various genres of writing categories in an effort to inspire others, but the book was a slump.

It took me a few months to bounce back and realize that I have control over my own writing. Having control over my writing allows me to write from the heart, which lead to a switch over to the nonfiction category. This category has served me well and look forward to putting more quality reading materials out to inspire the heart and soul others around the world.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of my latest book is entitled, The Difference From The Rich & Poor: Their Secrets To Inner Happiness.

I was inspired to write the book partly because of my educational background, but the other portion came from my commitment to inspire others. There are a lot of books some that are written well, while others are not written so well; although they attempt to sell people a hope, dream, and a prayer. I believe that too many people are reading those books praying on a miracle and are setting themselves up for bigger disappointments.

For a person to truly have what they desire, I believe that they have to find that desire within themselves. In order for that to occurs, requires them a discovery of self-exploration.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I believe that my most unusual writing habit involves me watching garbage television shows. There is something about watching reality shows that allows me to focus better on my writing, than anything else. I usually will lock myself in my room with caffeine and the remote.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t have any particular author or list of books that have inspired me. I have read a lot of different types of books and try to keep an open mind.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on another nonfiction book, which I believe will be a series from my last book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love Awesome Gang’s website right now. Not only am I allowed to promote my book on this site, but they refer you to other sites as well. I think this is a wonderful resource for new writers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new writers is to be committed to your writing, if you are serious about writing. Do a lot of research about writing techniques, marketing, and never attempt to create your own book cover.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard was writing is not for everyone. I love challenging someone else’s perceptions about something that they are not willing to try.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading, After the Storm, by Bonnie McCune, Carlene Havel, Gay N. Lewis, Penelope Marzac, Kimberly B. Jackson, & Trinity Hart

What’s next for you as a writer?
To continue writing in the nonfiction category and creating an online magazine tailored to Independent Writers & Writing

What is your favorite book of all time?
My favorite book of all times is, Animal Farms.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dominique Mahon Website
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I like to say that my debut novel, Discovering Ren, is the first book I’ll admit to. There were others, including a handwritten serial adventure featuring members of my high school clique, written and distributed around the lunch table, but I don’t count them.

Right now, I’m working on the second book of my proposed trilogy. Each novel centers on one of the main characters in the Isis/Osiris/Horus myth, in that order. The third book is already taking shape in my head.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
As I said, the inspiration for my series is an ancient Egyptian myth, one of the oldest stories known to humankind. I just wish I knew what the title was! I woke up in the middle of the night with the title for the first book in my head, so I’m waiting and praying for the same thing to happen with this one.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to write in bed. That’s where I do most of my pleasure reading and most of my creative writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are really too many to list – John Donne, Will Shakespeare, Sam Coleridge, Jane Austen, Wilkie Collins, EM Forster, and contemporary authors like Jim Butcher and Katie Macallister. I nurture a sweet spot for JK Rowling, too. My current WIP is at its structural essence a thriller, and I recently discovered Will Adams’s books. I’m enjoying them a lot.

What are you working on now?
The sequel to Discovering Ren is primarily told from Max Ambrosine’s POV. His voice came to me in first person, although the previous book was in third. In this story, he’s challenged to take up his rightful place as king of the underworld, but he doesn’t want to sacrifice his mortal life with his family, until a murderous ghost escapes into waking reality and starts killing magicals.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve found, as have countless others before me, that I have to use a variety of methods to promote. I rely on FB principally, but I also have a Twitter account and I belong to several LinkedIn writing groups. I’m a member of ACFW, and I use their email loops for certain announcements. Plus, I’m gathering a list of web sites and blogs like this one that garner readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s hard, hard work. I’m lucky in that I am not trying to make a living off of my novels. My kids and I would starve. There are lots of new ways to get your writing out in the world, but it seems like everyone is looking to squeeze more and more out of the author, on whom the whole pyramid is resting. Like the rest of society, the gap between rich and poor authors is widening, and the “middle class” (midlist authors who sell decently well but aren’t blockbusters) is disappearing entirely. SO, be honest about what you hope to get out of the writing and selling experience.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Find out what professional authors do, and then do that. Brilliant advice.

What are you reading now?
Will Adams’s The Alexander Cipher and The Exodus Quest. I’m one of those freaky people who can read more than one book at once.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After my current WIP is finished, I’ll start doing the research for a top-secret project while I write the third book in my trilogy. All I’ll say is that my new project will be unrelated to the previous three, and it will be a historical.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It’s just so brilliant, and I read it whenever I need a lift. A close second is EM Forster’s A Room With a View.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jennifer Eifrig Website
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a grandma who likes to read and write smut, otherwise known as erotic romance. But I’m also a daughter, mother, sister, aunt, friend and author. After my soul mate of seventeen years passed away I retired from Disney, and moved in with my daughter and her family. I have my own woman-cave and I share it with four cats whose main goal in life is to get as much cat hair onto everything that they can. They’re doing a fabulous job!

For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a writer. I didn’t actively pursue getting published until my family encouraged me. Just to get them off my back I submitted Cupid’s Arrow, which I wrote under my real name Debbie Wallace, to Whiskey Creek Press and that book was on the publisher’s best sellers list for two consecutive months! After that there was no looking back for me. My publishers are Ellora’s Cave, Total-E-Bound, Whiskey Creek Press Torrid, The Wild Rose Press, and Liquid Silver Books. I also have several self-published books with Smashwords. To date I have 19 published ebooks, some offered in print.

Today I spend my free time between family and writing. I enjoy traveling, especially cruising. I’ve been to places like Alaska, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Bahamas, and some day hope to make it to Ireland. I love chocolate (who doesn’t?) sweet iced tea, and good coffee.

I like hearing from readers. You can reach me at: tory.richards@yahoo.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book just came out yesterday! Surrender to Desire is the second book in a trilogy that covers the Evans brothers. A Perfect Fit was book number one. Both are stand alone romances. Inspiration came from a reader who begged me to write about the Texas brothers, who also happen to be identical triplets!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Other than sitting in my recliner with a lap top on my lap, and usually two cats crowding me for attention? No:)

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The first romance I ever read was Rosemary Rogers, Sweet Savage Love. I was about sixteen I think. Then I went on to read a ton of Barbara Cartland books. But my all time favorite author is Katheleen E. Woodiwiss. The Wolf and the Dove and The Flame and the Flower are my favorites of her books. It broke my heart when she passed away.

What are you working on now?
Several things. I just finished up a WIP that still needs a title, where the hero is a Navy SEAL. I also started the third book in the Evans brothers trilogy, Burning Hunger. I still need to do some serious edits to The Mating Ritual.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon

Smashwords

Publisher’s Websites

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. If you believe in yourself than someone else will, too. Keep writing! And expect rejections, we all get them. Just don’t take them personally. Remember, it’s just one person who didn’t like your book. It’s going to happen.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Love your editor. They can be your best friend or your worse enemy. Their job is to make your work the best it can be.

What are you reading now?
Nothing at this time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just to keep writing. I have a lot of unfinished work, some as old as forty years, that I can work on. Work that was done on a manual typewriter:) If I squint hard enough I can still make out the words.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Wolf and the Dove by Woodiwiss.

Author Websites and Profiles
Tory Richards Website
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