Awesome Author Interviews

Interview With Author Christopher Ewald

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The Intensity Method is my first book. I was born and raised in Southeast Michigan. I currently reside in South Lyon, MI. I am married with two amazing step-children. I have a one-year-dog Sofie, the car sick Rottweiler. I am the youngest of 5 boys.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Intensity Method was inspired by the years of studying the self-help industry and condensing the lessons to a simple page or two. I have a self-proclaimed short attention span and always have been challenged by longer books My goal was to offer the same lessons but in a concise manner.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write on Google docs so I can write anytime or anywhere I get an idea. I have the Google Docs on my phone just for those occasions. Some of my best writing comes out of a quick conversation and I try to capture at minimum the concept. I also enjoy writing at night and in coffee shops.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Mark Manson, Robert Greene, Richard Bach, John Grisham, Tony Robbins and Mel Robbins come to mind. All for different reasons.

What are you working on now?
The Intensity Method 2, the science and art of failure.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m just learning and studying the marketing side of the business. I have had the most success with Awesome Gang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
For me it was grabbing a whole bunch of random ideas and concepts and writing them down. Then identify a story, personal or otherwise, and create the writing from there.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It is one small step at a time. You can’t have great success without small failures. So start failing today.

What are you reading now?
Published by Chandler Bolt

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m currently doing a couple of podcasts and working on promoting The Intensity Method.

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?
Tom Brown’s field guide to wilderness survival
Mark Manson’s Everything is F*cked
Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power
Richard Bach’s Illusions

Author Websites and Profiles

Christopher Ewald Website

Christopher Ewald Amazon Profile

Christopher Ewald’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Interview With Author Fabian Carl

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written 5 books but stranded with Alex is the one I felt I should start publishing for worldwide view

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Stranded With Alex, I wrote this book because I felt I should have done more to get the girl I have always loved

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get creative ideas when I am drinking at a Starbucks

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jk Rowling
Stuck with you, Ali Hazelwood

What are you working on now?
Why did it have to be him
A new book on a girl that lost everything and had to Start from the bottom again

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Start writing and be creative

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To just start

What are you reading now?
For now I guess it’s falling into love

What’s next for you as a writer?
I don’t really know

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?
Stranded With Alex
Red pyramid
Love on the brain

Fabian Carl’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile

 

Interview With Author Kay Knolls

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love writing steamy, emotional romances that deliver all the “feels”. As of September 2022, I’ve written 2 books: Love Worth Having and Falling For The Nanny.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Falling For The Nanny is my latest. It’s a holiday romance and it was inspired by the season of Christmas.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write best after 10 pm at night. Not good when I hit my flow at around 1 in the morning. I usually skip sleep and keep writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been influenced by all the greats – Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Katherine Stone, and most recently Christine Feehan.

What are you working on now?
I’m busy working on my Love’s Worth series as well as a new standalone steamy romance featuring, what else, a billionaire! 🙂

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a newbie and tend to stick to Facebook. I’m only learning now how to branch out to other promo sites like Awesome Gang, AllAuthor.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t sweat about getting it perfect, just get it written. You can edit later.

What are you reading now?
Skye Warren and Amelia Wilde.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing! I’ve set a personal goal of telling all the stories running around in my head. It’s quite a lot. LOL. So, more writing for me.

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?
Hm, this is a tough one. I would be rebellious and fight to bring my kindle instead, so I could have more than 3 to 4 books. It’s tough to choose! Seriously, there are so many great books by so many awesome authors, how could I narrow it down?

Author Websites and Profiles

Kay Knolls Website

Kay Knolls Amazon Profile

Kay Knolls’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

 

Interview With Author Opal Stone

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Opal Stone is my real name. Not a pen name. Pen names have a purpose but for what I am doing right now, I decided to let my readers know, I am who I say I am. I was not born a Stone, I married a Stonestreet and when we divorced, I decided on the last name Stone. Everywhere I go my name sparks curiosity. They ask, ok, tell me how you got the name Opal Stone and I tell my story.

Enough about that, why did I decide to become an author? My sister and I started to write a children’s book in 2006, at that time self-publishing was something that we were not aware of. We presented our manuscript to a publishing company only to be turned down.
We gave up and put that dream on a flaming back burner that never died out.

In 2020 we addressed that nagging back burner by researching how we can become self-publishers. We went online and researched as much information as we could. I was working full-time as a correctional nurse in a prison and my sister is living on a very limited income, so I had to work hard to save money to set us free.
I told my sister I am writing for our lives. I needed to set myself free from this stressful prison job but I needed savings so we could afford a good book cover designer and other self-publishing expenses. We were determined to have quality books. Once I had a small savings, I resigned so I can help my sister full time.
We became authors Smith & Stone. We are blessed because we both have talents that complement one another. I cannot do this without my sister, and she tells me she cannot do this without me.
My sister was blessed with computer skills, and I was blessed with the gift to promote and reach out to people. We both are blessed with the ability to be creative by thinking outside the box.
We published our first book in July 2022 Tucson Fit Trip, which is an enormous step forward for us because we started this journey in July 2021. We are still learning, and we know that no reviews mean no revenue. But something strange is happening here and we both feel it.
We got our first $2.52 earnings notice from KDP and we rejoiced.
Some folks might think we are not doing well in the publishing business but those who might think this may know us very well.
Publishing gives us so much more than money. We have love, creativity and now a purpose. With our writing we can help others, and this gives us joy.
My sister was a very shy person and just wanted to format our books and not interact with people. I have seen what publishing did for her self-esteem and mine and you just can’t put a price on that.
Yes, right now we have just 2 reviews, but we are not giving up. We keep moving forward and when one gets discouraged the other is always there to give words of encouragement. We are Smith & Stone, and we know that one day our hard work will pay off. Is this easy? No this is not easy, and we know that most books end up in the publishing graveyard. We are determined because this is all we want to do. There is nothing that can make us give up because we have a purpose, and we have each other.
Our advice to new publishers is never give up and who knows the journey might become an interesting story that you need to write to encourage others.
Write on
Smith & Stone

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Tucson Fit Trip
Benefits of a Walk in the Park
• Walking releases endorphins that improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety
• Taking a walk outdoors in a natural environment positively affects mental health
• Walking reduces the risk of clinical depression
• Walking helps weight management
• Walking reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
• Walking reduces the risk of colon, breast, and lung cancer
• Walking strengthens your joints, bones, and reduces the risk of osteoporosis
• Walking increases good cholesterol
• Walking improves the functioning of the arteries
• Walking boosts the immune system
• Walking aids sleep
• Walking improves confidence and self-image
• Walking under a canopy of trees has positive effects on emotional health because of their scent
Source: (AgeUK London, n.d.)

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes
When Smith & Stone ends a conversation on the phone we don’t say goodbye we say …to be continued and write on ….LOL it’s just our silly thing that keeps us going.
I the Stone must have a clean house before I sit down to write. My sister writes with soft instrumental music that I can sometimes hear on the phone. It can be distracting so I kindly tell her please turn down the music, please. LOL… she does

What authors, or books have influenced you?
All authors influence us. The author of ‘Clan of the Cave Bear” is my hero!

What are you working on now?
A Tucson Arizona Dog Park Book

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Not sure but we are still learning. We will try Amazon ads

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. This is not easy so try to find a person that has a writing passion for support. We know that there are so many people that will tell you “Why are you writing that when you can look it up online” Don’t follow dream crushers and stay away from “crabs in a bucket” people that will try to pull you down when you want to be set free.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stay away from toxic people that want to crush your dreams

What are you reading now?
Lots of advice online from seasoned authors

What’s next for you as a writer?
Our next book to be published in about 3 weeks. Then our first book in series coming out in late 2022.

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?
All the books in the “Clan of the Cave Bear” Series would be a must so I can read it all over again

Author Websites and Profiles

Opal Stone Website

 

Interview With Author Julie Hoyle

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I had not planned on being a writer. However in 2007, I was on a train heading from London to Nottingham and I had nothing to read. I remembered having picked up a free magazine in ca;;ed Connections in a Mind-Body-Spirit bookstore, which I had stuffed into one of my bags. I pulled it out and began reading an article written by Barbara Brennen, a well known healer. In the article, Barbara detailed the importance of owning your creative energy and utilizing it purposefully. Something inside me clicked. I heard an inner voice say, “You can do this. You can write articles and essays that inspire people.” There was such urgency in the message I did not think twice. I had nothing to write on, so I borrowed a pencil, opened up a paper napkin and began drafting my first article. After tweaking and editing, I sent the article to the editor of Connections. A short while later, the editor wrote back saying he wanted to use the article. That was the start of my writing career. Since then I have been featured in twenty plus MBS magazines. I have also written five books, designed three guided journals, created several online courses and have been interviewed close to a hundred times on various podcasts as well as on YouTube channels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is, ‘’The Shadow Work Diaries, How the Darkness You fear Holds the Treasure You Seek.’ During the pandemic (when the Bahamas was on strict lockdown) I wrote a book dedicated to dealing with the shadow aspects of the personality (and the damage it can do if left unchecked) The title of that one is, Meeting the Shadow, Finding Your Self and and it was so well received, I decided to do a follow up. The Shadow Work Diaries has been a fantastic collaborative effort. I invited nine other writers to share their personal stories of what happened after they engaged with the energy of the shadow, especially with respect to their creative output. The results are incredible.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I keep it simple. I listen to my inner guidance and I go from there. I can write fairly quickly, which I think is a result of having written so many articles for Mind-Body-Spirit magazines. I would be given a word limit, a deadline, and a theme to work with. That was fantastic training to be able to pull an idea or an anecdote up in a rapid space of time and not languish too long in complacency or self-doubt.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Spiritual biographies are my go-to. One of my favorite books is Conscious Dreaming by Robert Moss. I also love anything that Sufi Master Llewelyn Vaughan Lee has written. Jan Frazier’s, When Fear Falls Away is beautiful too.

What are you working on now?
In the last two and a half years I have written and published three books, so I am on a bit of a writing hiatus. Instead, I am focusing more on the promotional side of things, which as a friend once said is like, “A hungry monster that always needs feeding.” Marketing usually goes on the back burner for me when I am writing a book, and it is time to meet the monster head on. After I am done with some of that (though you really can never be done) I plan to start on a short, permafree book, to help and guide creatives to tap into their intuitive guidance and utilize it!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Instagram has been useful. Facebook too, I also send out a bi-monthly newsletter to subscribers, which is well received.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Just keep writing. Also, get the right marketing help. There is a lot of rubbish out there. However, if you do your research you can hit gold. I have found Publisher Rocket has been great. Viewing their free course on how to set up AMS (Amazon Marketing Services) promotions was really valuable. I would also say, create a good book cover. Hire someone if necessary. It does make a difference.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It was not advice, it was a prompt. I have been a lucid dreamer since childhood. In November 2008, I had a lucid dream and in the dream, a Master Yogi walked up to me and asked, “When are you writing the book?” I was baffled. I asked, “What am I supposed to write about?” and she gave me a look that said, “Come on, don’t be a dummy.” Several weeks later, I started hearing the words as if they had been poured into my heart and mind, and I started writing them down. That was how the first book, “An Awakened Life, A Journey of Transformation,” came about.

What are you reading now?
I am reading articles and draft chapters of books written by friends and clients. I am often asked to review content before it goes out and I am busy with that. I also turn to, ‘The Autobiography of a Yogi,” by Paramahamsa Yogananda on a regular basis.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Recently, I have been learning a massive amount about marketing. I have subscribed to Nick Stephenson’s marketing course titled, “Your First 10K Readers,” and it has been great. It has made me realize just how much content I have already created, and how important it is to stand behind that, rather than falling into the habit of thinking I need to create something new again.

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 Face Before I Was Born, Llewelyn Vaughan Lee
Play of Consciousness by Swami Muktananda and
The Yoga of Jesus by Paramahamsa Yogananda

Author Websites and Profiles

Julie Hoyle Website

Julie Hoyle Amazon Profile

Julie Hoyle Author Profile on Smashwords

Julie Hoyle’s Social Media Links

Twitter Account

 

Interview With Author Danielle Forrest

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an autistic author who was obsessed with the paranormal at an early age. Recognizing in my teens that I could never survive the rampant rejections of being a traditionally published author, I decided to pursue a career in my second love: science.

Over time, I eventually discovered Paranormal Romance, loving the way traditionally villainous creatures were portrayed as lovable and misunderstood and (bonus) loving that I didn’t have to worry about whether characters I’d come to invest my heart and soul into would eventually find an unfortunate end. Through my love of science and Paranormal Romance, I eventually found my way to SciFi Romance, which had similarly inhuman love interests while also blending unique and fascinating world-building that (sometimes) had strong scientific leanings.

When I decided to start publishing back in 2019, I knew I would go into SciFi Romance and soon fell in love with creating the worlds, ecosystems, and species. I also loved creating unique characters with diverse identities. As of now, I am working on my 11th book. I’m a bit slow for my genre, but have managed to consistently publish a book every 4 months.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The last book I published was Shifting Tides, which is an alien romance featuring a young trans heroine who is trying (and failing) to find her place in the world. She leaves the planet she’s settled on because of a stalker, and not only ends up finding love, but also helps uncover a government conspiracy.

This is the 5th book in the series (including the prequel) and so to an extent, the book is inspired by the ones that came before it. Jessie, the heroine, has been in the books to varying degrees since Shifting Cargo (Book 1) and I’ve watched her go from an awkward teenager who has body image issues and is grossed out by her sister’s sex life, to a woman who has found a partner, a community, and a home separate from the one she had growing up.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m autistic, so probably all of my habits are unusual. I feel like sitting down to write or edit is always a bit of a struggle for me. Though I can absolutely sit down for hours, writing 10k+ words, I’m just as likely to feel like screaming and pulling my hair out after only writing a couple hundred words. It’s been quite a journey learning how to transition my “write when I feel like it” hobby into a “setting business hours” writing style. I’d done NaNoWriMo for years before publishing, and I’d always found, even with only 30 days, that I would burn out if I tried to write every day. I would often plan for writing most of the novel on weekends, where I could write 5k+ words each day, making up for my slacker periods during the week.

And I still struggle with it, often having to get up and pace to relieve extra energy or walk away to read a non-fiction book to distract my brain for a bit (always non-fiction because if it’s fiction, I’ll never come back).

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t know that I could give specifics. I’ve read so many books, thousands, and I suspect all of them have influenced me in some ways. I often notice things in books I’m reading and make note of it, loving one thing or another other authors are doing.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on editing Shifting Shadows, is a lesbian alien romance novella. The heroines, Taln and Eirse, were introduced in Shifting Paradigms, and I immediately fell in love with them and started shipping them. I knew they needed to be a couple and that I would eventually write their story. The story is shorter than most I write because the characters had known each other for years before the book started, so it was a story of how they transitions from coworkers to romantic partners, not how they came to know and love each other. They already did, they were just too hopeless to realize it.

The book also has a creature in it that was inspired by the vashta nerada from Doctor Who, though nowhere near as cool. You can’t get cooler than Doctor Who. Let’s be real here.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://linktr.ee/danielleforrest

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Connect with other authors in your genre. So many other things are personal, but that is a must no matter what.

Also, if you can’t engage with other readers in your genre, preferably in enthusiastic ways, you probably shouldn’t be writing that type of book.

My first series, which I didn’t classify as romance because I wasn’t sure it quite hit the mark (though it definitely had romantic elements and readers often said it would be satisfying to romance readers), left me trying to connect with authors and readers in science fiction, which I just couldn’t seem to connect with, resulting in a situation where each book performed worse than the last.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read in the genre you write.

What are you reading now?
Anna’s Bounty by Deysi O’Donal

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll be starting a new series in 2023, which I plan to title “Matched to the Alien.” The first book in the series is Matched to the Alien Prince, which features a heroine who signs up at an interstellar matchmaking agency to escape an abusive partner.

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?
It may be weird because I write alien romance, but it would probably be either a selection of books from Jacquelyn Frank’s several Nightwalker series or something by Lynsay Sands. Of all the books I’ve read, I’ve rereads those so many times it isn’t funny. I often will reread them when I’m in a funk. They are nostalgic for me because they were among my earliest romance reads.

Author Websites and Profiles

Danielle Forrest Website

Danielle Forrest Amazon Profile

Danielle Forrest’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

 

Interview With Author Jennifer Chichester

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Jen, but I also write under JK Chichester/That Crime Writer Chick. I am a graduate with degrees in English and Psychology. I have self-published four poetry books and am working on publishing full-length novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
sleepsong: a poetic romp is my most recent work. It was inspired by a lot of spiritual growth I was going through at the time. I was also experimenting with short poetry and different structures.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I write, I like having YouTube videos on in the background. Specifically, the Steve Wilkos Show. It has even inspired a few story ideas for me!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jane Austen and L. M. Montgomery are two of my earliest influences. Pride and Prejudice is, in fact, the greatest novel ever written. Shirley Jackson, John Kennedy Toole, and Ken Kesey were so influential that they all made their way into my Master’s thesis! I also adore many contemporary thriller and true crime writers, including Lisa Jewell, Gregg Olsen, Freida McFadden, and Jeneva Rose.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a rom-com/thriller hybrid called Knife’s Edge. It is a quirky tale of an unlikely duo who must work together to clear their names after someone is murdered inside the bar where they work (Knife’s Edge).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have had the best results on Instagram and Facebook, so you can check me out on either of those for updates and promos.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t listen to the nasty little voices in your head that tell you you’re not good enough, that nobody will like your writing. Those voices are weak; you are strong. Do what you love. As singer Tori Amos once told me at a meet-and-greet, “The world needs poets, now more than ever.” It needs all kinds of writers. So, write! And keep doing it!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
What Tori said.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Jeneva Rose’s The Perfect Marriage as well as Never Lie by Freida McFadden. Both are excellent with plenty of fun twists!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publishing my thrillers!

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?
Some really big ones so that I can find a way to write in the margins, ha ha. Although this eliminates my copy of Paradise Lost; the margins are already consumed.

Author Websites and Profiles

Jennifer Chichester Website

Jennifer Chichester Amazon Profile

Jennifer Chichester’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

 

Interview With Author Eugene Nidiry

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
1

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Pesticides: Myths and Facts

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No

What authors, or books have influenced you?
K. H. Buchel

What are you working on now?
Modified vernacular (Malayalam) version of the book ‘Pesticides: Myths and Facts

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
No

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Nothing specific

What are you reading now?
You tube talks on science, religion, philosophy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Scientist

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?
Wikipedia

 

Interview With Author OLADAPO OSUNTOKUN

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
• I am interested in identifying and narrowing the fringes between Religion and Psychology and Psychiatry and bringing them together. I am especially interested in pastoral counseling through meditation and prayer.
• It is my considered opinion that there is no reason for any Pastor to go astray from his divine call if he has access to counseling.
• My interest as a Psychiatrist, counselor, teacher of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Religion, and Pastor of a church is to help everyone attain a higher level of faith, happiness, and understanding through storytelling.
• I have a great deal of passion for refining and simplifying the processes involved so everyone can make their conclusions on how to tackle day-to-day obstacles posed by depression, PTSD, suicide, drug addiction, and other life-threatening mental health issues.
• I love storytelling. Most of my books will start with a story that will help everyone draw an independent personal conclusion on how to deal with a universal problem. Then there will be a reflection that will go deeper on how to understand the problem and expose better psychological and emotional clarity. There will also be a portion on self-help counseling to get everyone over the stumbling block.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Ordained Demon: The Story of a Young Priest

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes write at the middle of the night when its all quiet.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The first book which I feel illustrates my point of view is “Devil On the Front Row, Seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Demons in the Modern Church.” by Ron Sutton

What are you working on now?
The book-“The missing links”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://richardosuntokun.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing, remain undaunted in a very difficult industry

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Book marketing is the bane of authors, respect it

What are you reading now?
Dante’s inferno

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish my next book and go on to the next

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?
Dante’s inferno
365 Daily Devotions Kindle Edition by Alistair Begg (Author)
Jesus and the Addict: Twelve Bible Studies for People Getting Free from Drugs – by Dr. Pam Morrison

Author Websites and Profiles

OLADAPO OSUNTOKUN Website

OLADAPO OSUNTOKUN Amazon Profile

OLADAPO OSUNTOKUN’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

 

Interview With Author Kelly Winsa

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing films and then books when I had kids. My first film, Hi Honey, won some awards. It’s a comedy about a woman who can’t get what she wants until she figures out that she is waiting for somebody else to tell her it’s ok. As soon as she figures this out, bingo, she gets a dog, her passion. This taught me that I should keep going, tell my kids to keep going, and not be afraid. Sometimes life throws some real merde at you and you have to keep telling yourself, keep it up!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called The Particle and it was inspired by my travels to France, to Provence. There was a couple who owned a vineyard and I stayed with them. Leo knew a lot about black madonnas and I was traveling to see on in the Camargue. Soon it became apparent that there were messages coming from the symbolism, the history, the figures that I could hear in my subconscious. This was exciting and new. Living in Hawaii where the veil is thin, I already had an adventure where I found someone just using my own instinct. I was going to see a Kapuna, a famous healer known around the world but no one would tell me where she lived. But I found her….she lived right beside the ocean, and I was not disappointed. She said nothing to me and yet I learned so much. So the mystery of life continues…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Early in the morning I always wake with something to write. It is in my dream of early thoughts of the morning. I take this to mean that when we are allowing it to come, it does. Nearly every day there is something unusual, often something I would not have even imagined the day before. I study at continuing education and this also brings a lot of courage and backbone to my writing that otherwise would be lost.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In my early adulthood I read all of Hemingway. Now I like women writers mostly, and British writers who are funny. Like most people, or people who write anyway, I can be critical of other people’s work and that is often because I need to be writing myself!

What are you working on now?
Right now the spine of my third novel, The Great is created. For this I will travel to Ireland and see the burial mound that is like a womb in the south. When I have an idea like this I must follow it.
The Great is the third novel in The Robi’s Flying Saucer Series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like to talk to people directly, and to kids. I do this in social settings, at camps, and at schools.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Not really. An author is always a new author, every morning when you pick up the pen or open your computer.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t stop.

What are you reading now?
I am waiting for delivery of Diary of a Young Naturalist.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Will continue to write The Great in between cooking and walking and cycling.

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?
drawing books, some good illustration pens, and Forever Amber.

Author Websites and Profiles

Kelly Winsa Website

 

Kelly Winsa’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

 

Interview With Author Tiffany Kennington

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m currently writing book number three and have one published with a second one set to publish on 11/20/22.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Collateral and it was inspired by a character in the second book I wrote.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually write in multiple POVs all in the same chapter and in past tense.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
C.M. Stunich, Mitch Albom, Sheridan Anne, K. Webster, Tillie Cole, Ashley Rostek, Tate James, and many many others.

What are you working on now?
My third book, Collateral and getting my second book, Fate, published.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth and I’m still honestly learning the rest.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Self publishing is the easy part, but marketing your book takes a lot of work and money.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write it down when you think of it because you’ll ultimately forget if you don’t.

What are you reading now?
Whispers and the roars by K. Webster and Three dirty harts by Cara Dee

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just to keep writing and pouring my heart and soul into it.

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?
Tuesdays with Morrie, HAVOC at Prescott high series, Blood and Roses series, or Thirteen Reasons Why

 

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Interview With Author Patti Petrone Miller

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Where the Magic Happens

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patti is an Executive Producer for an animated made for television series based on the book ELLIOT FINDS A HOME about a special little dog no one wanted with opposable thumbs and his nonverbal boy with Autism who found him in a lonely, cold, scary shelter and formed a special bond.

She is represented by Polygon Entertainment

Patti is a prolific published author with over 7 dozen books under her belt. She writes Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Steampunk, Historical Romance, High Fantasy, YA, MG, Cozies, Thrillers, Horror and several sub genres. She has been writing books for over forty-nine years.

She roller skated with John Travolta before he was famous, attended school with David Copperfield, is related to the Vanderbuilts and one of her cousins was a famous NYC socialite.

Patti wears many hats, a teacher, mother, grandmother and furparent. She loves meeting new people and isn’t afraid of crowds. She loves her fans so please feel free to find her on social media platforms and pop in to say hello. She always loves to hear from her readers.

Patti is the Queen of Halloween and a practicing Wiccan High Priestess, most of her books are centered around spooky, supernatural and paranormal. She has a number of books releasing this year so keep an eye on her FB page for more information on new releases.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Gingerdead Men
I grew up in love with anything horror, spooky, Halloween so it was obvious when I became as teenager that writing was my calling. I loved to read and would gobble up everything I could find on the paranormal realm. Vampires, witches, werewolves, ghosts, you name it I wanted to know all about them. I watched Creature Features when I was a child and grew up on the old black and white monster films which helped to define the writer I am today.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
YES! I am retired so I write in my pajamas while watching cartoons

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anne Rice, Dean Koons, Stephen King mostly.

What are you working on now?
Many books, mostly urban fantasy

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook! But I also use marketing and promotions sites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you want. Write what makes you happy and have fun doing it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what makes your heart happy.

What are you reading now?
Several cozy mystery books by different authors.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Television here we come!

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?
Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander books

Author Websites and Profiles

Patti Petrone Miller Website

 

Patti Petrone Miller’s Social Media Links

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Interview With Author Zoe Marie Townley

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi!
I’m Zoe Marie and Reborn: As a Defective Drake is the first book I’ve finished and published. Currently, I’m working on Defective Drake 2 as well as a Kindle Vella series called Plummet that was actually designed to be serialized.
As for me- well. I graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s of science in business from Judson College in 2021. I currently work a normal office job as a business broker and office manager (I keep all the computer stuff running, basically) and write on the weekends and at night.
My identical twin, Savanah Townley, actually does all of the art for my books. She’s my sounding board, my sanity, my best friend, and my artist all in one. Later this year, she’ll hopefully be publishing her own first book called “Daughter of the King” a fantasy telling of the relationship between a daughter and father and the love within it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Reborn: As a Defective Drake is the culmination of a couple of different things, but really? My biggest motivator here would have to be spite. A friend said college students never get anything done, I said “Bet!”, and wrote the first ten thousand words for it that very night. Two years later and I’m not going to say “I told you so”, it’d be rude, but it’s done and has been published for a few weeks now.
The second factor to why Defective Drake came to be, was that I wasn’t particularly attached to the story line.
I’ve been writing for over ten years, but Defective Drake is the first story I’ve actually published. And, it’s not because I lacked the time or motivation. It’s because I wanted everything to be perfect for these perfectly crafted stories. I worked so hard in designing characters and setting up ongoing themes, that by the time it came to actually write all of my ideas out I couldn’t be satisfied with it. Nothing I wrote was ever good enough for me. So, I took a story line I wasn’t particularly invested in and told myself that I wouldn’t care if it was disliked because I didn’t care about it as much. Which, now that it’s finished and published, I can definitely say I care – but it was enough at the time to help me get through areas where I didn’t particularly like what I was writing. So yeah. Defective Drake began due to a spiteful bet and a plot line I decided not to like. Yet now, as I carefully set up the stage for the second book, I’ve found that I quite love this little story line and that it is perhaps my favorite one yet.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to go places and write. They can’t be too noisy or have too many people, but somehow going places can help me figure out what to write. I also listen to music in other languages as a kind of white noise when I’m at home, even when it’s quiet.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was younger, the first iteration of Warriors by Erin Hunter really influenced the way I saw characters. Characters don’t have to be people, they can be cats, dogs, or whatever you need them to be. This came out in my writing of Defective Drake.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on Reborn: As a Defective Drake 2 (I’ve tentatively decided to set my goal at April), Plummet (A light novel series to be serialized on Kindle Vella), and a fantasy themed color book project I started my last year of high school and never finished.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, Facebook has allowed a lot of my friends and family to clue in on my finished book, but I’ve not experienced a lot of luck with other social media networking.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you have five minutes to write then you have five minutes to write. You can’t change that. You either take the five minutes to write something freaking fantastic or you take the five minutes to laze around and never write a book. It’s your choice, but no matter what you do, there will always be a limit in what you’re doing. So, work within your limits to make the best of what you can. Best effort will give the best result. It just takes time.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If it’s worth doing, do it right the first time. My parents used that one to get me to do my chores correctly, but I’ve taken to applying it to whatever I do, regardless of whether or not I want to do it. There are a lot of things in life I’m never going to be able to change. Picking up extra work to get through college wasn’t at all enjoyable, but I did it with my best foot forward because it was worth doing and it was worth doing right.

What are you reading now?
The Great Cleric by Broccoli Lion. It’s a great light novel series. I love it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to write my next book in the Reborn series, start my Kindle Vella series Plummet, and get this coloring book done. After that – more books and more series. I have a lot of stories to share with everyone and I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s going to take a few decades to share them all.

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, wow, that’s hard. Probably the Inheritance Cycle. I got halfway through Brisingr in high school and set it down. I’ve been meaning to get back to it, but haven’t yet.

Author Websites and Profiles

Zoe Marie Townley Website

Zoe Marie Townley Amazon Profile

 

Interview With Author C. Roth

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a native Oklahoman, although I have lived in other places after graduating from the University of Oklahoma. During a three-year stint in Tampa, FL, I met Tiffany on a “friend date” set up by our parents (don’t ask), which just happened to be Tiffany’s 21st birthday. We have been sisters from another mother ever since. Though we live in different states now, we still talk daily and get together with their kids for visits and family vacations every year. We just published our first book, Karma of the Karma and Fate Duet.

I live with my kiddo, Son of Godzilla-Manilla, the guinea pig, Theodore Roosevelt-Teddy, the mini Aussiedoodle, and Jack Frost, the cat. I enjoy reading, history, and traveling with my family to make new memories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Our latest book is Karma of the Karma and Fate Duet. I have always enjoyed writing, and my collaboration for Karma and Fate grew from many years of writing fanfiction for a Vin Diesel Fan Club after the original Fast and the Furious movie came out in 2001. I am an avid reader of all genres, but I love romantic suspense with strong female characters and alpha males.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. Tiffany and I text back and forth ideas about the story and characters, and then one of us writes the scene.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Stephen King, Penelope Douglas, C.M. Stunich, Collen Hoover, K. Webster, Anna Wineheart, Wendy Webb, and Sierra Simone just to name a few.

What are you working on now?
Fate is with the formatters, and we are currently working on a book from one of the characters from the Karma and Fate Duet.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Network with social groups.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Like Nike says, “just do it.” If it is something that you love, put that pen to paper and go for it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do what makes you happy because life is too short. I have lost so many people, especially recently, that you must make it count.

What are you reading now?
I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll

What’s next for you as a writer?
Release Fate, the conclusion of the Karma and Fate Duet, on 11/20/2022, then start working on our next novel.

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 man, that is hard! There are so many good ones. The Shining is a must. I love that book! Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a definite, and the Thorn Chapel series by Sierra Simone.

Author Websites and Profiles

C. Roth Amazon Profile

C. Roth’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

 

Interview With Author Faye Hall

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an Australian author of Steamy Historical Romantic Suspense eBooks. I have had 16 books published with Venus Press, Red Sage and Beachwalk Press but due to each of these publishers closing their doors I am exploring the world of indie publishing via my family run company 4th Avenue Press.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Carnal Transgression was inspired by my own great grandfather who was an Irish policeman who immigrated to Australia in the late 1800s.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure it’s unusual but I like listening to musicals whilst I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Amanda Quick and Agatha Christie novels were what got me into writing.

What are you working on now?
I’m editing several books at the moment and working on getting my previously published titles available on my website.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook and Twitter mostly, but I also rely on blogs and I have a YouTube channel too for book trailers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s hard but if you write for yourself you will always be rewarded.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A bad first draft is better than a blank page.

What are you reading now?
I don’t read whilst I’m writing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to understand the world of indie publishing and learn more about marketting my upcoming titles.

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?
Seduction
To kill a mockingbird
Death on the Nile
Mistress

Author Websites and Profiles

Faye Hall Website

Faye Hall’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

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Interview With Author Ashley Rice

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a writer and illustrator of inspiring books for tweens and kids. I have written 11 books. I made my living for many years as a creator of these books, along with a line of greeting cards and related products. Now, I also work for a nonprofit website as a concept and character artist. I work on educational video games for elementary school-aged kids.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Believe in Yourself, Girl. Books buoyed me when I was a kid. I wanted to put something out there that might help other kids as they were growing up and facing challenges, or just inspire them to keep on dreaming and believing in their futures.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I sometimes write standing up with my laptop on top of my bookcase.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the first book I remember reading by myself. I like the simplicity and the repetition. And also the one-of-a-kind art. I liked the drawings and poems in Shel Silverstein a lot, and the stories in Judy Blume’s books. Charlotte’s Web was too sad for me, but I still liked it.

What are you working on now?
I am working on redefining my style now that everything has changed and I have gotten older.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In the past, I posted them on my own website, www.ashleyrice.net. I am learning more about promotion across different channels now. I am still figuring that out. Awesome gang seems like an excellent place to do that!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Trust your own voice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid of failure – it’s necessary to learn and grow. Keep learning.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading HTML5 for Masterminds and Waterman: the Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to write something longer.

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?
Can I bring my kindle app?
If I could bring only paper books, I might bring The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, The Little Prince, Eloise at the Plaza (for the drawings) and the biggest book on learning languages that I could find.

Author Websites and Profiles

Ashley Rice Website

Ashley Rice Amazon Profile

Ashley Rice’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

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Interview With Author Christian D. Maddison

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Colorado with lots of family, from my great-grandmother to my aunts and uncles. I am a first of everything, great-grandchild, grandchild, etc. My brother came 9 years later. During the pandemic, I had nothing else to do, so I wrote and formulated about 8 books, 2 of which have been published and 1 currently in review. I’m constantly writing, so I may have more.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
For… A collection of short romantic erotic stories was released on my birthday (8-19). I thought I’d really write a book for the people to get into and understand their “kink.” It’s a fast-paced book with 6 short stories of sexual “adventures.”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My unusual writing habits include insomnia, music (broadway music mostly), a quiet office, and tons of darkness. There’s a twist to my writing. You will never see me. I’m the writing version of “Sia.” I like the mystery because it keeps people wondering about me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Some of the authors that have inspired me are JK Rowling and Zane.

What are you working on now?
A prequel to Therapy for a broken heart entitled Stages of love. Instead of the stages of anger and grief, I flipped it to dive into what happens in, during, and after a relationship.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I post everywhere I can. For me, there’s no 1 main solution. I catch people in every way possible. Website, at the store, church, networking sites, social media, Facebook, Goodreads, Youtube, etc. In today’s society, you have to.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to learn all you can. I’m still learning about hashtags, keywords, SEO, etc. You must also research and verify book companies, editors, and scammers. Once you request information from 1, they all come. This is not an easy, I’m famous type of profession. it’s taxing on your mental health, emotions, and wallet. So be prepared.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stay positive and remember WHO and WHAT you’re writing for. “You want fame, well fame costs, and right here is where you start with pain and sweat.” Debbie Allen-Fame

What’s next for you as a writer?
More promoting, interviews, podcasts, and writing. Thinking of a possible book tour in the next few years 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?
Color Purple, Anything Disney-related, and For…

Author Websites and Profiles

Christian D. Maddison Website

Christian D. Maddison Amazon Profile

Christian D. Maddison Author Profile on Smashwords

Christian D. Maddison’s Social Media Links

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