Awesome Author Interviews

Suman Siwach Amazon Profile

Suman Siwach

Interview With Author Suman Siwach

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Ph.D. in English literature & a university goldmedalist in post Grad. I am a certified soft skills and IELTS Trainer. I have been into editorial team of The Owl, and have been rated Quoa Top Writer 2018. Currently, I am working as soft skills trainer in India. I am a creative person with passion for writing, reading, nature walks & chocolates.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of book is GAZALA: A HOPEFUL TALE FROM A WAR-TORN WORLD published on Amazon. This is the book set in post war scenario in the youngest nation of the world, Kosovo. The search for an Indian woman for her daughter is a tale of inner vs outer conflicts alongside some sould searching. This was inspired by a story that lived inside me for a long time until I read about the setting, Kosovo.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Pictures and nature walks inspire me to write. Writer’s block is taken care by chocolate and coffee!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tagore’s Geetanjali verses made me delve into soul searching very early in life, and Bacon Essays made me pragmatic and sharp me in life situations. Viktor Frankyl’s Man’ Search For Meaning has been the book that touched every corner of my heart and soul.

What are you working on now?
Another fiction and a book of poems!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still pretty naive in that. I am just trying my bit with insta and Facebook posts and author pages on fb and Amazon central.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write first. Edit later.
Research first. Write later.
Mixing the above sequence makes the content confusing for the reader, and the book can never be completed in time.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write everyday! Authors taking breaks often get writer’s block.

What are you reading now?
Quiet by Susan Cain as my daughter is an introvert and the book just caught my sight with the title.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A lot of writing…. books and more books! I am planning a book on parenting as well.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Man’s Search for Meaning
And the Mountains Echoed
Rashmirathi (hindi poem collection)
The Choice

Author Websites and Profiles

Suman Siwach Website

Suman Siwach’s Social Media Links

Praise Utomudo Amazon Profile

Praise Utomudo

Interview With Author Praise Utomudo

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m A passionate writer, with creativity Skil.

I discovered my writing talent at age 15.

I love writing about Personal development, Heathy relationships, creativity and self-improvement.

I am a student In college.

I love studying books related to person development and more.

My favorite read books are; think and grow rich, the four hour work week, the art of war and others.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Strategy principles for a better relationship.

After conducting research on the reasons why most relationship failed, starting with that of my parents. I was able to pinpoint reasons why relationships fail and the inevitable strategies to prevent them from failing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Napoleon Hills, Robert kiyosoki

What are you working on now?
A self-improvement book titled,
Reinventing yourself.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I just discovered Awesome Gang. I don’t have any other.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, as coming authors:
– be focused
– hone your passion into your writing
– learn the art of determination
– set SMART Goals and keep to them
– model great authors
– never Give up
– always be ready to start small.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“when you’re about to give up, always remember, that great success only comes after a temporary defeat.”

Focus on one cause, to produce uncommon results.

What are you reading now?
The four hour work week.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To write a book that can help educate young people about discovering their purpose.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Think and grow rich
Rich dad poor dad
A brief history of almost Everything
The Art of war

Author Websites and Profiles

Praise Utomudo’s Social Media Links

D.J. Maughan Amazon Profile

D.J. Maughan

Interview With Author D.J. Maughan

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Vanished From Budapest is my first. However, it’s book one in a series of five books. Book two, Pursuit Of Demons is written and being edited now. I plan to publish book three by the end of 2023.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Vanished From Budapest. I was driving home from work one day about five years ago and had the idea. I had always dreamed of writing a book and could never seem to find the time. When the world shut down in 2020, I found time. I enjoyed the process far more than I would have ever guessed.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to sit in my massage chair with air pod pros in my ears. It’s my sanctuary in a house full of teenage boys.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love to read the suspense/thriller genre. My favorites are Gillian Flynn, Scott Turow, Laura Dave, Karin Slaughter, and Michael Connelly. Gone Girl had a big influence on me. I also read outside the suspense/thriller genre and love Malcolm Gladwell and Amor Towles.

What are you working on now?
I’m about to start plotting book three in my series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Good question. I’m still trying to figure that out.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take criticism as an opportunity to grow. Even if it hurts it can do you good.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Focus on the characters and make them unique and individual.

What are you reading now?
Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The audio version of Vanished From Budapest is being recorded now. I plan to have it released in February 2023.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Gone Girl, The Lincoln Highway, The Hobbit, and Dune.

Author Websites and Profiles

D.J. Maughan Website

D.J. Maughan’s Social Media Links

Carla Coles

Interview With Author Carla Coles

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am Carla Coles, I am an author, artist and entrepreneur. I have written 5 books.
I am a member of Stratford’s Art in the Park and I am one of the owners of The little Prince.. we are recognized by Guinness as the world’s smallest cinema.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
In to the Rhubarb. It’s an expression for heading into trouble. And the last couple of years I was walloped with a separation,
A sudden move .. business troubles and a pandemic.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I journal and from that I pull out and polish the good bits that become something more. I am very particular about writing spaces. And tend to stick to the same ones . My work talks about the seat in the window of my favourite cafe and how I love its social adjacentness.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Neil Gaiman, Bill Bryson, Douglas Adams,
Charles Bukowski, Amanda Palmer, Judy Blume, Janet Evanovich,

What are you working on now?
Another book and finishing off a children’s book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Storey Line Press and Facebook

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep it up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid to suck at something new it’s how you get better at it.
– Jake the dog from Adventure Time

What are you reading now?
The Little Prince

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing, and perhaps more coffee.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Bukowski
Journals and sketch books
And probably one on how to survive on a deserted island

Carla Coles’s Social Media Links

Otescia Johnson Amazon Profile

K.Q. Edwards

Interview With Author K.Q. Edwards

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have only written one book so far, but I am currently working on another book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is named What Binds Us and can be found on Kobo, Apple Books, and Barnes and Nobles. I wanted to write a Gilmore Girl- esque book. I wanted to write a book about mother and daughter relationships, and about navigating the challenges of growing up and moving on in life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love writing in the middle of the night. Sometimes I just wake up with a story idea and grab my laptop to write it down.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love authors like Emily Henry, Jojo Moyes, Jennifer Weiner, Elin Hilderbrand, Kristin Hannah and more. Judy Bloom is also one of my favorite authors from when I was young.

What are you working on now?
I already started on my second novel! I am writing a family drama about three siblings who come home to visit their mother and family secrets unravel during their time there.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Using book promotion sites, using social media, getting involved in BookTok, and talking about book to family and friends.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have a consistent schedule! I love writing, but some days you have to just write even if you are going slow or only have 200 words in you. Keep up the momentum even when you are in the weeds of your book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Make sure you always celebrate your achievements, no matter how big or small. Your accomplishments matter and it is always good to acknowledge the time it took and the effort you put into them.

What are you reading now?
I am reading The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen at the moment.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep creating books and maybe start a newsletter!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Hmm. This is a hard one! Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan. Every Summer After by Carley Fortune.

Latoshia Fisher

Interview With Author Latoshia Fisher

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Growing up, I was always able to express myself most through my writing. But, it wasn’t until 2000 that I finally listened to my inner voice and challenged myself to become a published writer. Thank goodness I did. These days, I’m fortunate to have translated this ability into a successful career. I always strive to learn and develop my literary style and voice, approaching every challenge I come across as an experience to grow and develop as a writer. To find out more or to discuss a potential project, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Love, Lust, and Forbidden Secrets https://a.co/d/fFabzUK

Endure devotion, desire, and prohibited coitus clandestine. Don’t get caught in a web of sexual deceit. What is it like to be stuck in a relationship you can’t get out of. A relationship built on lies and deceit. When you have a partner that is not honest. They are deceptive; misleading. What you thought was love was lust. The men and women in this book have a sensible seduction for their partners and its so strong they’ll do anything for them and accept anything from them. Their desire for them is sensational. They get caught a web of lies and sex scandals. They are involved in the act of disloyalty and trust.
I’ve written two books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Love Lust and Forbidden Secrets

Inspired by real life events.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
N/A

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Danielle Steel, Stephen King, Nora Roberts, James Patterson

What are you working on now?
Children’s book

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To never give up

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To keep pushing and never give up.

What are you reading now?
Stephen King’s Dr. Sleep

What’s next for you as a writer?
To write and Illustrate a children’s book.

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

Otescia Johnson

Interview With Author Otescia Johnson

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an avid reader and author of 15 published books. I write across four different genres and love keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is “Married by Christmas” and it was inspired by a single thought, how far will social comparison drive a person? I wanted to explore the lengths a person can be driven to when they consistently compare themselves to others.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if this is weird or not, but I love to write when I am not feeling the best emotionally. Writing is such a cathartic activity for me. It pulls me out of negative thought patterns and helps expand my mind to the possibility of better days.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced by so many fantastic authors, I am afraid I am going to leave some off of this list. Therefore, my disclaimer is, here are a few authors who come to mind at the moment. E. Lynn Harris, Bebe Moore Campbell, Nicholas Sparks, Scott Pratt, Kimberla Lawson Roby, John Grisham, Shonda Rhimes, and Brian W. Smith.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on 3 novels; “Illegal Justice”, “Lies of the Father”, and “Jamie’s Revenge”.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I enjoy promoting my books on social media and via my mailing list. I’ve built my entire following by connecting with strangers online.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice I can give to a new author is to write the story of your heart. There will be many differing opinions from people with varying levels of expertise, most of which will make perfect sense when spoken. The problem is, listening to other people can become overwhelming and confusing. Instead, get in tune with your characters and honor their story. Write from your heart and seek the guidance of an experienced editor to help make a good story a timeless classic.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard was to create muscle memory for writing. This means getting up every day and writing. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t judge the quality of your writing, simply write. You can’t be a writer if you never write because the thing about a writer is, a writer writes.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading, “Finding Me” by Viola Davis.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to spend the next few years finishing all of the stories I’ve put on the back burner while building my publishing imprint.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
If I were stranded, I’d bring; “An Innocent Client” by Scott Pratt, “Bamboozled by Jesus” by Yvonne Orji, “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, and “72 Hour Hold” by Bebe Moore Campbell.

Author Websites and Profiles

Otescia Johnson Website

Otescia Johnson’s Social Media Links

Hilary Collins Amazon Profile

Hilary Collins

Interview With Author Hilary Collins

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
“A Charge to Keep” is my first book. I’ve been writing devotional type articles for about two years. An online publication, onepeterfive.com, gave me my first start publishing my articles. After wanting to expand beyond that venue, I started publishing the devotional articles from Substack.com (with the same title as the book). Friends urged me to convert the articles into a book, and here we are today with “A Charge to Keep”!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
As I pondered a name for my Substack publication, I flipped through a hymn devotional. “A Charge to Keep I Have,” by Charles Wesley, jumped off the page. It reminded me of a passage in Psalm 145: “One generation shall commend God’s works to another.” Using the same name for my book seemed a perfect next step.

The hymn and the Bible verse serve as guides as I write about Christian heroes who demonstrated faithful fortitude. Their stories encourage us along life’s journey as we strive to “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes! But, other writers will probably identify with these habits. I tend to write late at night and sometimes into the wee hours of the morning. It’s when I can get the most interrupted time, and I actually look forward to these late night sessions writing!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Billy Graham and Pope John Paul II. Though one was Protestant and the other Catholic, their wisdom is timeless and practical. I always learn from their writing.

What are you working on now?
For the past months, I’ve taken a pause from writing devotional articles. But, now that the book is published, I need to get back to the devotional articles. My hope is to write enough articles to generate a second book in about a year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I really appreciate being able to use Substack.com as a website or place to house my devotional articles. As I promote my book, I try to also point people back to https://achargetokeep.substack.com. The platform also gives me the ability to provide free material (mostly found in my book), so I can leverage both the book and my Substack newsletter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Ask lots of questions of other self-publishers, especially what worked and/or didn’t work!!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Use Atticus to professionalize my book. The recommendation occurred in a quick conversation with another self-publisher, and it was excellent advice.

What are you reading now?
Oh my goodness, I need to be reading more 🙂

What’s next for you as a writer?
Get back to a rhythm of writing devotional articles for my Substack platform, “A Charge to Keep.”

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
This is a fun question! I’d bring my Bible and Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”!

Author Websites and Profiles

Hilary Collins Website

Hilary Collins’s Social Media Links

Rebecca Maye Holiday Website

Rebecca Maye Holiday

Interview With Author Rebecca Maye Holiday

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Nova Scotian university student, certified as a library technician but now completing my undergraduate degree at Dalhousie University and the University of King’s College, studying law and the occult. Writing was initially a hobby and an attempt to earn extra income for school. I’ve written roughly 6 books, and a great deal of short stories, many of which appear in different anthologies.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled “The Creeping Charlies”, and it’s a gothic Canadian short story inspired by the generation growing up during the COVID-19 Pandemic, as well as Canada’s increasingly limiting economy. The book itself, in terms of plot, is actually about a teenage girl living in a small French-Canadian town where a factory accident has poisoned most of the residents, causing them to behave very strangely, and her struggle to flee with her family to their grandmother’s house in Ontario.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I suppose so… I write very late at night, and I drink classic liqueurs if I’m writing… Limoncello, blue curaçao, mixed up with Coke Zero. I’m too busy with school to write during the day, and at night, nobody pesters me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
L.M. Montgomery has influenced me a lot, both because she’s a female author who attended the same university as I do, and because Montgomery often wrote about subjects that were considered taboo or secretive, such as life as an unmarried woman, life as a mother, and aspects of death, war and grief. A book titled The Satanic Mill by Otfried Preußler, and Valerie and Her Week of Wonders by Vítězslav Nezval, have also greatly influenced me as a writer.

What are you working on now?
At the moment, I am working on an untitled sequel to my book “Necromancy Cottage, Or, The Black Art Of Gnawing On Bones”. Some short stories, as well.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I generally don’t put any active work into promoting my own books. I keep a blog, but I use that blog to review other authors’ books, not my own. What seems to sell my books, or drive attention towards them, is that they have bizarre titles and cover artwork that catch the interest of readers. My book “The Beaches” has a generic title, and it rarely gets discovered as a result. The weirder my book’s title is, the more that people notice it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would advise that new authors file their works for copyright registration, and hire an editor. These things can both be expensive and time-consuming, but from personal experience, it’s worth it. Too many authors seem to believe that skipping these steps is a good idea simply because it saves money, but then they wonder why they get 1-star reviews or accusations of bad grammar and typos from critics. Plagiarism and counterfeit books are also alive and well on the internet. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) currently protects corporations that sell and print these illegal books, so don’t let this happen to you! The more legal protection that you establish for your book, the safer it will be if anybody tries to steal it. Don’t be afraid to stand up to Big Tech when it comes to protecting your book, either. Google and Amazon are houses of cards and nothing more.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice that I’ve ever heard is from Sophia Petrillo on that wonderful sitcom “The Golden Girls”: “People waste their time pondering whether a glass is half empty or half full. Me? I just drink whatever’s in the glass!”

What are you reading now?
Right now? I’m reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I don’t know. I’m finishing my undergraduate degree this week, and after that, I’ll be looking for a full-time career. Being a student is fun, but having your own money and knowing that your bank account won’t go into withdraw if you try to buy a bottle of iced tea from the gas station, that’s even better. I’m a part-time vintage goods dealer, which pays alright I guess, but I’ll need to be thinking long-term. I wish that I could write full-time. If the Government of Canada ever gives me a grant, maybe this will happen.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh, this question… the impossible question. Being a person who owns over 10,000 books, I don’t think that I could answer this without feeling guilty for leaving my other books behind! I know that I would bring The Golden Compass, among others… but only 4!?

Author Websites and Profiles

Rebecca Maye Holiday’s Social Media Links

Tshiamo Mphahlele Website

Tshiamo Mphahlele

Interview With Author Tshiamo Mphahlele

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a university student studying accounting sciences (CA stream) and I’ve been writing since I was 16. So far, I’ve written two books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called The Pains of Guilt and it’s book 2 of Winning the Alpha’s Heart. It’s inspired by single mothers. And it’ll be released on the 1st of Jan 2023

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Whenever I have an idea I can use later in the story, I go to OneNote or PureWriter and write a short heading and type the idea under it. When I’m working on a chapter and I don’t know what to write next, I type or write INSERT in a new line and then carry on with the rest of the chapter and it usually takes days or even weeks for me to come with good ideas to replace the INSERT. I alternate between writing notes in a notebook and on my laptop or phone. Whenever I have an idea and can’t immediately access my notebook or laptop, I type it on my phone. With regard to notebooks, ideas come easier when I’m using spiral-bound notebooks. I have a dictionary app on my phone for the sole purpose of my writing (I mainly use the thesaurus feature) but I switched to installing it on my laptop. I prefer using dark mode on whatever writing tool I’m using. I like working on multiple stories at once (I’ll have two or three windows open on my PC)

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on Deceitful Relations.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I believe TikTok has been the most effective platform so far. I get more engagement on it compared to other methods or platforms.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s ok to take your time in finishing a book (it took me two years to finish my second book). Writer’s block is normal and it’ll go away (at some point). If you have an idea, write it down somewhere because there’s a huge chance you’ll forget about it. Sometimes, one like or good review is enough to make your day and whenever you feel inadequate, just remember that one like or good review is proof that you are good enough.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A fellow author on TikTok told me to just go for it. You never know what might happen 🙂

What are you reading now?
It’s between my kindle and me 😉

What’s next for you as a writer?
After finishing Deceitful Relations, I have book 3 of Winning the Alpha’s Heart to work on.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I doubt I’d even make it to the island because of my indecisiveness. This year alone, I have over 100 books added to my kindle library and I highly doubt I’d be able to choose just 3 or 4.

Author Websites and Profiles

Tshiamo Mphahlele Amazon Profile

Tshiamo Mphahlele Author Profile on Smashwords

Tshiamo Mphahlele’s Social Media Links

Stephen Melkanos Amazon Profile

Stephen Melkanos

Interview With Author Stephen Melkanos

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a motorcycle enthusiast and pagan idolator. I spend most of my time learning new ways to create things–my skills range into the musical and visual arts as well as the wordy kind. In fact I designed the covers for my books (two published to date), and I’m working on making a video package to promote the latest one on YouTube.
The rest of my time I divide between sharpening my skills, watching pro wrestling, philosophizing about pro wrestling, and having the occasional lunch with a married woman.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is named “Steep Dangerhill: Spy For Hire.” The story was inspired by my ex-girlfriend, who posted one of those “Describe how we met, but lie your face off” things. I came up with a yarn that involved a KGB agent and a portable helicopter in my bow tie.
The character name was inspired by a warning sign the local DPW put up in my area; the sign is intended to say “Danger, steep hill,” but for some reason they put the “Danger” smack in the middle. To me, “Steep Dangerhill” sounds like a British spy.
I put the two things together and they just sort of grew.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Does sitting cross-legged like a Himalayan yogi while typing on a laptop nestled in an antique rolltop desk count as “unusual?”

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The earliest influence on my literary style was Arthur Conan Doyle. By the time I was in the third grade I had read almost all of the Sherlock Holmes stories. After that came Stephen King. Threaded in there are people like Douglas Adams and Charles Schulz.
Lately I’ve become a huge fan of late 19th Century adventure novels, like those of Conan Doyle and H. Rider Haggard, and I intend to start incorporating elements from them to keep the style alive.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m violating a major rule of writing: I’m working on two novels at once. One is a full-blown over the top adventure story like the ones that were popular in the late 1800s, and the other is an erotic fantasy which will allow me to celebrate my two loves, sex and violence.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best place to see what I’m working on at any moment is actually Instagram. My own website is something I use for more finished works, essays, sermons and the like.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Figure out what works for you. Some will insist that you treat your stories as products and churn them out like you’re a factory worker with word quotas and things like that. For some people that might work, so I won’t knock it. I’ll just say that there’s nothing wrong with you if you’re not “some people.” Find the way that lets you craft something good, and take the time to craft it. There’s no one way to do anything.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“In a race between a rock and a duck, don’t varnish your clams.”

What are you reading now?
“The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett. I love me a good old-fashioned punch-em-up.

What’s next for you as a writer?
International fame and fortune, of course. My ultimate goal is to retire to a school bus somewhere in the desert. So if you want me to go away, buying my books makes it happen faster.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
In this day and age? Ha, I’d bring a sketchbook, my Kindle, my portable solar panel (which looks like a book so it counts) and my hundred year old copy of “The Egyptian Book of the Dead” by E.A. Wallis Budge.

Author Websites and Profiles

Stephen Melkanos Website

Stephen Melkanos’s Social Media Links

Nathan Ritzo Amazon Profile

Nathan Ritzo

Interview With Author Nathan Ritzo

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an Army combat veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2007. I joined the Army when 27 because I needed to pay off my student loans. I’ve always been interested in how people interact. Hence I got a Communications B.A. and wanted to work in the media, but writing screenplays was always my passion. I was a writer who had no real-life experience to draw from. Working in radio and television post-college wasn’t cutting it bills-wise, so I joined the Army Signal Corps to round out my “personal education.” During my two deployments, I gained a wealth of knowledge that lent itself to my writing in that it gave my stories teeth that sink into a reader and don’t let go. I published a novel a few years ago on Hellgate Press entitled “Tower 13” and have many scripts I’m writing and turning into novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest is entitled “Jeff the Incubus.” It was inspired by no one in particular, as I’ve never known an incubus, especially one who was recalled to Limbo. I was watching a lot of classic car chase movies at the time, such as “Race with the Devil,” “Cannonball Run,” and “Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry,” so that factored a lot into the pulp of my book. Adrenaline is a major component of this work, and also the will to be a beautiful human with a love for life as opposed to being chained to either a desk or the lower realms. The beauty of being human and love of his sons is what inspires my main character to beat Lucifer in the quest to stay mortal with his newfound lover.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I employ a lot of dark humor to round out scenes that otherwise would be harder to swallow. Tarantino is an influence there. I like looking at an everyday scenario, like someone accidentally scratching a car with a door or shopping cart, and building a storyline. Maybe that car belonged to someone who could ruin them, but they will forgive them if they do someone a favor. Good stories can be built from anything with a creative outlook.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read Jack London and Stephen King a lot as a kid. Scenes from “The Talisman” still resonate in my head today (Wolf!), and the natural world’s beauty is always to be appreciated in any literary work. My favorite form of literature is Contemporary History and World Events. I read very little fiction, to be honest. The truth is always more exciting and can inspire far more than a fictional idea. Every fiction writer should read one non-fiction book a week. Anyone who has seen a movie that was “Based On True Events” knows this is true. “Alone At Dawn” is a book about an Air Force Combat Controller who was left behind at the battle of Takur Gar in Afghanistan shortly after 9/11/01. I would do a backflip if I got the nod to write that script.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a romance novel about two people at four different stages of life through four short stories. Short story writing has become a passion of mine. It’s called “Seasons.” The guy loves her at all four stages of their lives, but he can never ask her to interrupt her passion in life to be with him. I’ve given away too much, but I love the concept of a man who waits in vain, like the old Bob Marley son.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Getting it out there is the best way to promote your books! Anything works if it works. Social media, sites like this, media appearances (I’ve done podcasts and radio interviews to promote my works in the past.), or anything else you can think of. Starting from zero, you have nothing to lose, but you must grow leather skin. Don’t expect too much; it’s a snowball effect that increases larger and larger. Think of an algorithm you must hack in the exact, correct way, and once you learn how to hack that algorithm, push it to the limit! But don’t quit until you can do it, and then, learn how to do it better. That’s when it gets fun. (I’m still learning.)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
What I said about growing leather skin is essential. Learn to handle rejection. Learn to accept that you haven’t sold anything and make it better instead of quitting. These stories are like Hera, and you are Zeus. These tales will bash inside your skull until they break out of you and onto your computer monitor. Don’t deny them, and learn to market them. The internet is chock full of ways to do that; this site is an example. When I was your age, we didn’t have any of this.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Don’t take it too seriously.” – my dad before I left for Basic Training

What are you reading now?
“My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla” by himself. He’s always fascinated me as one of the most tragic and heroic figures of Western Civilization.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As I mentioned, I plan to write “Seasons” for my next piece, but I have an idea for a series involving a werewolf. I also have a bunch of other ideas that I’m developing, but my main focus is building a self-marketing strategy that works.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“Dune,” “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “Democracy in America,” and “The Autobiography of Miles Davis.”

Author Websites and Profiles

Nathan Ritzo Author Profile on Smashwords

Nathan Ritzo’s Social Media Links

ashmita chakraborty Website

ashmita chakraborty

Interview With Author ashmita chakraborty

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Ashmita Chakraborty . I belongs from a middle class family . I begins my writing career at the age of 14th .
I have written 2 books .

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
People’s thoughts , its inspired that “you can do, whatever you want . Do hardwork and keep patience ” The book is about a child who faces demotivation just in 12 years . She dreamt to became a Doctor but she loses its due to De-motivation , she stops to see dreamt but still didn’t give up . she follows her passion and makes her passion the aim of her life. And she did it !

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yeah ,soo many .

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many , I can’t choose the particular ones . But especially , I chooses treasuring and adventures types books .

What are you working on now?
I’m studying now and haven’t planned for futures .

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t have any ideas but for me its the social medias platform like twitter,Facebook and Instagram .

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would advice that Practice More and more ,Read or explores books and Write as much as you can .

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep patience and do hardwork . and someone told me “Karm karte jaa,phal ki chinta na Kar ” . This one is Geeta Saar.

What are you reading now?
The treasure hunt – one of my favorite book .

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m writing for the next book “If I Was Died” .

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Yeah , obviously because I Get bored easily and books will helps me to make my mood .

Author Websites and Profiles

Laura Castro

Interview With Author Laura Castro

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I already put quite a bit about myself in my author bio, but at present I’ve only published one book. I’ve written and scrapped many fanfictions, and I’ve started a few dozen of my own fantasy stories, but only one of them is out there. I’m also working on a prequel and sequel for my title, The Mirror, but those are very much still in the works. I dream to be a known writer, though, so having published one book is already extremely exciting for me.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is entitled The Mirror, and was inspired by a mixture of things. One of them was the mirror portal in My Little Pony, Equestria girls. I know, it’s silly, but that mirror was an incredible concept to me as a child. It gave me the idea of a whole world of mirrors that could take you to other worlds. The characters, though, came from one of the first novels I tried to write. I only got maybe a chapter written before giving up. As for Alura’s home realm, well I don’t know where I got that from. It just felt right to me, really. The places I’ve made feel like places I could visit if I got on a plane right now.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t plan. I throw some words down and I follow them and I write anything that comes to mind. I write as though I’m talking. And then I edit edit edit. Then, I edit some more. Then I write more. You get the jist?
My writing pace is irregular. I’ll write a dozen chapters in a week then not touch it for three months. It’s problematic.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have a whole list of that in the acknowledgements of The Mirror.

What are you working on now?
The Past, my prequel to The Mirror, currently being updated on Wattpad.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do not use any social media, for personal reasons, so at present I am devoting myself to Wattpad.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Not particularly, as I am a new author myself. My only advice would be to write. Like, actually write. I think that’s the thing that aspiring writers most struggle with is putting their dreams on paper.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I have absolutely no idea. Maybe “The worst thing an aspiring author can do is aspire.” It hit me a little too personally.

What are you reading now?
Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy. It’s incredible and definitely worth the read!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Write. I am going to write, write, then write some more. My plan is to expand the Mirror universe as far as I can, and incorporate it into every other story I write. I have a few general plot ideas for stories set in other Realms, but for now I am exploring the Three Kingdoms’ world to my best extent. The prequel and sequel are only short steps. Once I finish the sequel, there will be a third that is parallel to it, highlighting the journey of one of Alura’s friends who has gone to another Realm. The Mirror is my lifeblood and I will write about it until it is more real than this world.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That is a very cruel question to ask me, considering I can only survive by reading series and not individual books. That being said, the Shadow and Bone trilogy is probably one of my favorite ones, and I absolutely devoured it when I first read it. I mean, I read all three in less than two days.

Author Websites and Profiles

Laura Castro Website

Laura Castro Amazon Profile

Hasan Syed Jafri

Interview With Author Hasan Syed Jafri

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Besides being a co-author on a book on Cancer, I have written another book called God
and god of Science, ISBN 1927930197. This book explores big questions about life from the
perspective of Monotheism and Science. We also have a 2 hours documentary on the book,
with the same name available on my YouTube channel, GodScience1.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
40 Spiritual Rules for the Journey of Life (From Al-Quran). This book was born out of conversation with a colleague, Dr. Adan Rios, who has also written
the Foreword of the book. We were discussing various aspects of Life and why things happen at
a spiritual level. This conversation inspired me to write this book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am not sure, what the usual writing habits are, but I tend to write early morning, or late
evening, interspersed between all other activities of daily life.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have read a lot of books on a variety of subjects, I prefer books that are succinct, but full
of meaning. I prefer non-fiction books.

What are you working on now?
No new project right now.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think social media, like facebook, though not well versed it marketing books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I will say, write, don’t worry about all the other aspect of book publishing. Write first but
have a plan once I finish the book, how will I get it into the market. Will I self-publish or
approach a conventional publisher.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be honest and disciplined.

What are you reading now?
Sapiens and just ordered, The Spiritual Universe.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Don’t know yet, but may focus on Science and Spirituality or Social Sciences.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Al-Quran, it’s a great book to understand Life. May be spiritual poetry by Rumi

Author Websites and Profiles

Hasan Syed Jafri Website

Hasan Syed Jafri Amazon Profile

Fred Snyder

Interview With Author Fred Snyder

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was a frequent contributor to business journals and trade magazines while working as a business consultant. I eventually assumed positions as a senior executive with large corporations, but I continued to write. Then I wrote my first novel which was launched by a traditional publisher. And I now am in the position having launched my first self-published novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
There is a lot of misinformation regarding the Middle East conflict, which, in some cases, has fueled an increase in anti-Semitism around the world. That motivated me to write a novel that shared some perspective about how and why certain events took place. My new novel, OF LESSONS LOST, was also inspired by people I’ve known, places I’ve visited, and seasoned with my creative tastings.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I take my time writing. So it probably takes me longer than anyone to complete a novel. I keep trying to improve it and rely on critics to tell me the truth.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hemingway influenced me. I’m referring to his great novels with his original style. I also read some of his books that were not so good. I noticed he had some copy-cats but they were never as good or original as he was.

What are you working on now?
I’m focused on how I might contribute to the marketing effort for my novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website (oflessonslost.com) was created by a recommended firm. And I hired a prominent marketing firm.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Young aspiring writers should understand the challenges facing them. And if they still want to go ahead, it would be helpful to align themselves with other writers, author classes, books about writing, etc.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you have to do it, don’t hesitate to get the right advice in how to proceed

What are you reading now?
I’m focused on marketing now.

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

Author Websites and Profiles

Fred Snyder Website

Fred Snyder Amazon Profile

Diego Antolini

Interview With Author Diego Antolini

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an entrepreneur, researcher, artist, and trainer.
I love nature and all its manifestations.
Exploring life is my sole purpose for coming on this planet.
I have written and published three books so far. Memory Island is the first in the English language.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Memory Island, inspired by life lived in between dimensional realms.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not particularly. I like to dream sentences and situations.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to list here. Greek classics, contemporary Americans, Oriental tomes
Authors, I go from Plato to King, from Osho to Lobsang, Konrad, Dostoevsky, Koonz, Crichton, Wells, Lovecraft, Dunsany, Howard, and the list goes to infinity

What are you working on now?
A collection of Short Stories exploring the power of the mind, and its nightmares.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Put it out there. Then keep on putting out there.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write. No questions asked.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Life is a game. Play it through.

What are you reading now?
About 5 books, History, Science, Spirituality, and comics

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

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Lord of the Flies
Rig Veda
Memory Island

Author Websites and Profiles

Diego Antolini Website

Diego Antolini Amazon Profile

Diego Antolini Author Profile on Smashwords

Diego Antolini’s Social Media Links

Adam Parker Amazon Profile

Adam Parker

Interview With Author Adam Parker

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a husband, father, author, entrepreneur, programmer, musician, and most importantly a follower of Jesus. My wife and I wrote our first novel together called “Left Alive” which released December 1, 2022.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of the book is “Left Alive” and it was inspired by a desire to see people prepared for what is about to come upon the earth. The world seems to be spiraling out of control, but there is a light that shines in the darkness that is bringing peace amidst so much turmoil and we wanted to share that with the world through a novel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ted Dekker, Frank Peretti, Francine Rivers

What are you working on now?
Book 2 of the Left Alive series. Also working on a couple of spin-offs of the Left Alive series based on some of the main characters.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://www.parkercreations.net. Either that or Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Don’t think about it, just write. Outlines help to get you started.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Treat others the way you want to be treated.

What are you reading now?
The Circle Series by Ted Dekker

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

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, A Survivalist book for how to survive on a desert island, and then probably a Ted Dekker or Frank Peretti book.

Author Websites and Profiles

Adam Parker Website

Adam Parker’s Social Media Links