Awesome Author Interviews

Interview With Author Iliyana Stareva

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I've lived in 5 countries across Europe for the last 13 years and I've worked in various fields, spending most of my career in the tech industry. I started my journey in PR and discovered my passion for writing early on. First, I started with a blog over 10 years ago and discovered that I get energised by writing what I learn and sharing my experiences with the world. That's how my two books came about – Inbound PR and now my new book Money Mastering. Both very different topics but they've been aligned to my current interests which always change as my motto is never stop learning.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called "Money Mastering: The Simplest, Yet Most Important Money Management Tips You Should Have Been Taught at School". It was inspired by my journey to better money management with my husband and us uncovering how so many people struggle with money and are not aware of very basic money management techniques because no one has taught them. So we set on a mission to change that and wrote this book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write at 5.30am when I am most productive.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I'm a big fan of Simon Sinek and I always try to start with why.

What are you working on now?
Currently working on promoting the new Money Mastering book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon and my own website: https://www.iliyanastareva.com/ but it needs more work for the new book. I do this in my free time so it's not yet where I want it to be.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it – write, write, write. I'm not a professional writer but anyone can share a story and then there's a ton of support how to make it out there as a book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do what you're passionate about

What are you reading now?
I'm a big fan of DCI novels so it's the latest of the Lottie Parker series

What’s next for you as a writer?
You never know, my first book was about PR, the second now about Personal Finances so we will see what the future holds.

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?
My entire kindle, I can't pick just 3-4.

Author Websites and Profiles

Iliyana Stareva Website

Iliyana Stareva Amazon Profile

Iliyana Stareva’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Twitter Account

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Author Interview Series

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Interview With Author Ruby Scott

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Lesfic author who publishes on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. I started writing during Covid and absolutely loved it. I am just finishing my 14th and 15th books which will be out late Sept 2022. These are:
Inside Fighter
Seconds Out
On The Ropes
Evergreen
The Stranger within me
Strangely Familiar
Hot Response
Love Diagnosis
Love Trauma
Open Heart
Trails of The Heart
Healing of The Heart
May I Call you Mistress
Darkness of Desires
Rescuing Hearts

I have also written 3 lesfic romcom books under the pen name Frankie Duncan too
First Comes Love
Love in Action
Her Christmas Escape

And now this is where I have to do that awful cringey bit where I tell you about myself. Let’s start with the interesting stuff.

The love of my life is Bailey. With four paws and a love of duck chews as well as tennis balls, she is a quirky character who loves cuddles. Other than Bailey, I love women, trail running, good films, travelling lots,reading as well as watching women’s soccer aka football and hockey.

I’m a wedding celebrant (it’s an amazing job), and content writer to pay my bills although that isn’t as exciting as writing stories about women loving women. Like many lesfic authors, I’m working towards the day when this will be my main gig so I can get lost in my writing and happy ever afters all day and every day.

Essential things you need to know about me might include:
I don’t function without coffee
I’m a Taurean
I might be a little bit stubborn
I love women’s hockey
I love women
I love people that can make me laugh. It’s such an attractive quality
I smile. Lots.
My best quality is kindness
My worst quality is stubbornness
And I can roll my tongue (I bet you are trying to roll yours now!)
And I love chocolate brownies

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Strangely Familiar was my last book out and I really enjoyed writing it. A sequel to The Stranger within me , they are both a murder mystery sci fi thriller. Basically strap yourself in and be prepared for a rollercoaster of a ride. These 2 books were a totally different genre for me and I loved getting into the gritty murders scenes and making this book an action packed thriller with lots of twist and turns you just won't expect. It received lots of 5 stars reviews and my fans are still asking when there will be a 3rd book in the series!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn't say unusual writing habits, but when it comes to the steamy romance scenes I have to get my wife to pretend act out what is going on in my head lol… all legitimate and for research purposes only, her face at times is a picture……

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Sarah Waters obviously but do like Anna Stone and Jae.

What are you working on now?
I'm working on Rescuing Hearts and also Darkness of Desires which will be out late Sept 2022.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do Amazon Ads and have recently just started to look into promotional sites too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read alot, write alot and have your own voice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don't ever stop learning and growing as a person.

What are you reading now?
I'm actually reading On Writing by Stephen King

What’s next for you as a writer?
I'm just going to continue to do what I love doing and write and see where the next year takes 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?
How to stay alive: The ultimate survival guide for any situation by Bear Grylls
The SAS survival handbook by John Lofty Wiseman
The utimate survival medicine guide by Joseph and Amy Alton

I'm a very practical woman!

Author Websites and Profiles

Ruby Scott Website

Ruby Scott Amazon Profile

Ruby Scott’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

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Author Interview Series

To discover a new author, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors around. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring!

If you are an author and want to be interviewed just fill out out Author Interview page. After submitting we will send it out in our newsletters and social media channels that are filled with readers looking to discover new books to read.

If you are looking for a new book to read check out our Featured Books Page.

Interview With Author Shevy Castle

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I'm a new author. 'Rise of the New Crown' if my first published piece. I've always loved creative writing. Once upon a time when I was in grade school, I thought I was a terrible writer, but I always loved making up stories. Turns out I didn't read enough books. By the time I started high school, I started writing fanfictions. A friend introduced me to a dragon fantasy book, and after that, I started reading more. That improved my writing tremendously! I've always dreamed of publishing my own work one day, and at first it seemed daunting, especially because I was busy with my daytime job after finishing my Master's. I finally got over that hump and pursued my passion in writing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Well, my first book is my latest book. What inspired me? Well, since I was in grad school, I was seriously thinking of writing my own novel. I kept seeing images of knights and kingdoms, and I would try to write a story, but I would only be inspired to write a couple of paragraphs before the inspiration died. Then one Sunday night in early February, the first night I moved out of my parents' house into my own apartment, I was sitting in my new room, browsing through some fanart on DeviantArt to help me adjust. Then I saw one picture that inspired me, and BOOM! The rest was history

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I can think of… unless you want to call sitting on the couch unusual? I can't write while sitting at a desk!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many of them, actually. Michael R. Miller is one of them. Cornelia Funk is another. There's Christopher Poalini, and even Angie Sage.

What are you working on now?
Book 2 of the Kingdoms' Oath Trilogy (the one right after 'Rise of the New Crown.' As of now, book 2 is dubbed 'To Be Named')

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Using promo sites help. I'm pretty new, so I'm finding what works best for me. So far right, word of mouth has been pretty successful.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I'm a new author so anyone have advice for me?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be yourself

What are you reading now?
Harry Potter Book 3 (After twenty years, I finally started reading that series)

What’s next for you as a writer?
Creating my author newsletter and further promoting 'Rise of the New Crown'

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?
1. A book that would teach me how to survive on a stranded island
2. My book, of course
3. Recipes using coconuts and bananas with limited kitchen supplies
4. How to talk to animals

Author Websites and Profiles

Shevy Castle Website

Shevy Castle Amazon Profile

Interview With Author Dan Le Fever

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I'm a big nerd. I play video games, watch movies, read, and practice American Kenpo. I've a degree in history from Salem State College where I focused on Byzantine/Ottoman history, most notably the border culture that developed between the two empires. I'm fascinated by linguistics and orthography and have been studying Norwegian for a while now. I'm not fluent, but I can get by in a pinch. My writing career began a few years back when I was decided to write a short story for my friend's independent publishing house, Fundead Publications, and I've had the bug ever since.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first full-length novel comes out on 9/27/22 and is titled The Ashen War. It was inspired by a long drive home from work and listening to the song The Book of Sand by At The Gates. I had been reading a lot of post-apocalyptic stories recently, and I had begun to wonder what would it have been like if an apocalyptic event happened during a major conflict in the world and chose the American Civil War. It was a time before the internet and most of our modern conveniences, so the only thing holding the world together were the governments and beliefs. I took what I knew about the fall of great societies, such as the Roman Empire, and added new cultures and even languages based on what was going on at that time in history. The most important being the Industrial Revolution. If I were forced to sum it up quickly, I'd say The Ashen War is Mad Max meets Gangs of New York.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don't think it's that unusual, but I listen to extreme metal while I write. A lot of melodic death metal like At The Gates and Dark Tranquility. For the stories that have to be emotional, I might put on neo-pagan folk groups like Wardruna and Heilung.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I'd say I'm influenced by the works of Frank Herbert, Chuck Palahniuk, Richard Kadrey, and R.A. Salvatore.

What are you working on now?
Right now? I'm promoting my new novel, The Ashen War, I think I mentioned that before…

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I'm new to having to self-promote, so I'm learning as I go. Mostly I've been using Facebook and Twitter as well as Goodreads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Listen to the advice of other authors. Follow them on Twitter. Ask them questions, even if you think they're too famous to answer you, sometimes they will and it's magical.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you get paid enough to buy yourself a burrito, you can call yourself a professional author.

What are you reading now?
Sands of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien, and The Complete Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson(It's over 11,000 pages..oh boy.)

What’s next for you as a writer?
After The Ashen War, I'll be working on the next book in that trilogy. So, hopefully it'll do 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?
Well, one would be The Complete Malazan Book of the Fallen(Because, seriously, that might take me forever to read), Dune, and Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk.

Author Websites and Profiles

Dan Le Fever Website

Dan Le Fever Amazon Profile

Dan Le Fever’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

Interview With Author Dr. Britney Caruso

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a mom, doctor and author. I wrote the book Beyond Carrots in an attempt to help as many people as possible maintain healthy eyes.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My morning routine for writing is pretty regimented. I wake up at 5 and work out for thirty minutes. After my workout, I journal, meditate, and make a cup of coffee. By 6:00 am, I am in front of my computer typing away. I rarely write for over an hour at a time to avoid burnout.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I absolutely LOVE the 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma. I have adopted most of his protocols in my life.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am great at a lot of things and social media marketing is not one of them. I defer the promotion of my books to the experts.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always write from the heart and the words will flow. When you try to be something other than yourself, you have to work harder and it is far from genuine. The reader can pick up on this from a mile away.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My dad is a very smart man and has a number of one liners for his advice. In fact, he used to own a real estate company and was often quoted in the newspaper as “Caruso says…” I would have to steal one of his one liners and say, “When you love your work, you will never work a day in your life.”

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 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma, The Message by Eugebe H. Peterson, Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, & The Bible

Author Websites and Profiles

Dr. Britney Caruso Amazon Profile

Dr. Britney Caruso’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

Pinterest Account

Interview With Author David Fraser

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an English born author and artist who now lives in the United States.
My high school years were spent at Sidcot School, a Quaker boarding school located in the beautiful Somerset hills. From there I progressed to Exeter University, also in England’s southwest, where I studied science, before moving on to Oxford University to earn an MA in theology.
My early career was as a church pastor in rural England and then in the busy city of Coventry. Experience of helping people deal with life’s challenges helps me create realistic characters creates in my novels.
After ten years in the ministry I made a career switch and joined a management consultancy in Manchester, where I developed an aptitude for business, helping clients to plan and finance the growth of their companies. My success in this field was profiled in major national newspapers and led to the creation of my own company. Before long I was traveling repeatedly between the UK and the USA, helping American companies to do business in Europe.
Eventually, I tired of constant travel and settle down in Houston, Texas, where I am now retired and living with my artist wife, Sara. I divide my time between writing novels, creating unusual works of photographic art (see www.SceneByOz.com) and traveling to Europe.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Portrait Painter, a fictional tale about an artist.
I am fascinated by the idea of predestination, that life is a sequence of cause-and-effect events, which means we all travel unavoidable fates. If we had unlimited intelligence we would be able to see the myriad patterns of human behavior, and predict the outcomes.
To explore this theme, I have created a principal character who, by studying the faces of his subjects, sometimes has glimpses into their future lives, seeing events and outcomes of which they are not yet aware. Through a series of encounters and adventures, I explore the effect that having this gift has on his life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do not start with an outline. I find that my characters self-develop and take over. I allow the story to go where they, and their events, direct.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Nevil Shute, James Michener, Laurie Lee, and a host of thriller and mystery writers from Agatha Christie to John Grisham.

What are you working on now?
A sequel to The Portrait Painter

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am new to the game. My website is fraseroz.com.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Enjoy the creative process or quit! Don't count on making money.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Faulkner on Hemingway: “He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.” Hemingway:
My goal is to write prose which can be read aloud easily.

What are you reading now?
The Return by

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?
Laurie Lee: When I walked out one midsummer morning.
Walter Isaacson: Benjamin Franlin (biography)
National Geographic: Becoming America

Interview With Author Mahwish Khan

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born and brought up in rajasthan currently pursuing master’s . Though from a completely different line of career the love for literature remained intact .

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Mi-carazon it means my heart .
The book was actually written in lockdown and nothing in particular was considered to be an inspiration except for the fact that boredom got the best out of me .

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yeah I do. I mean I write not according to proper schedule but from my mood.so it all depend on my mood .

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jane Austen. My all time favourite and pride and prejudice is something I have learnt by heart.

What are you working on now?
Currently writing a suspense thriller. Let’s see how it comes out.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Instagram. I think the reach there is so large and you are active there all the time all thanks to the never-ending reel games.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write from your heart. There’s no actual logics ready when you write a fiction. It’s a story it’s meant to be extraordinary.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never stop chasing your interests. No matter what you are doing your hobbies and interests should go on side by side.

What are you reading now?
Forty rules of love by elef sherek. It’s a gem.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I don’t know. I haven’t given it a thought yet.

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?
Pride and prejudice
Forty rules of love
Dear stranger I know how you feel
These arnt just books it has there own world to live in.

Interview With Author LORRAINE NILON

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The best way to describe myself is busy. I love what I do, and never have enough hours in the day to do it. However, I do consciously value my down time catching up with family and friends. I believe life has to have balance. My children have grown and left the nest, and I am embracing the next stage of my life.

Life is like a book and you experience different chapters. Some chapters are a reconnaissance phase building awareness, others have great upheaval and there are some chapter that move you to the next section, opening up to new chapters that allow the tapestry of wisdom gathered, to shine. I live knowing life is an ever-evolving event.

Human connection is important to me and I love to engage in honest conversations. I am passionate about philosophy, personal growth and awakening to our authentic selves. I value being self-reflective and I enjoy participating in the exploration of the reality of life on all levels, from the exquisiteness of our soul truth and to the depths of our emotional baggage.

I find people intriguing, and respect our lives as soul journeys. This is evident in the 3 books I have written.

Spirituality, Evolution and Awakened Consciousness – Getting real about soul maturity and spiritual growth.
Hidden within ourselves are answers to our own questions! It is a book that assists you to tap into our own wisdom. This book is an experience, you’ll laugh, cry, get frustrated, feel relieved and celebrate your Aha moments. This inspiring book arms you with the essential tools needed to develop emotional maturity and spiritual growth.

Packed with wisdom, stories and questions that lead you on a journey of self-discovery, encouraging you to step off the merry-go-round of harsh self-judgement and awaken to your significance.

Your insight & Awareness Book – Your life is an expedition to discover the truth of yourself.
Designed to be a concept finder so you can delve deep into the issues surrounding your self-awareness and assists you to acknowledge what gets in the way of self-acceptance. You randomly flip open the book and where ever your eyes land, read as little or as much as you like and then contemplate what has been highlighted for you.

Breaking Free from the Chains of Silence – A respectful exploration into the ramifications of abuse hidden behind closed doors.
This book resulted from a twelve-year exploration into the true ramifications of childhood sexual abuse. In my Soul Intuitive®-Life Coaching sessions I started to work with countless childhood abuse victims who endeavored to become emotionally healthy survivors and thrivers.

This type of abuse is not my history and I was educated by victims of abuse. Their honesty allowed me the privilege to document the stored energy, beliefs, fears and misconceptions that keep many victims struggling with life.

It is a difficult book to read because it is a difficult subject. However, recovery doesn't occur without an honest and respectful exploration into what needs to be healed to feel whole. An invaluable resource for victims of any type of abuse or child protection advocates.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Spirituality, Evolution and Awakened Consciousness – Getting real about soul maturity and spiritual growth. I am inspired to write roadmaps that assist the reader to be self-reflective. I endeavor to make it easy to know what to explore that enhances their self-discovery journey.

I am a Soul Intuitive® meaning I can read the energy of souls and I trust my inner knowing and use it to be self-inspired. I value my relationship with source and respect that we each have a relationship with the source of our existence. I know I was born to dedicate my life to the exploration of life, it is fundamentally part of who I am. It is the desire to be in and engaged with the exploration of life that inspires me to write my books!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am known to perch myself up in bed first thing in the morning with a laptop cushioned tray, only to emerge late afternoon, wondering how the day went so quickly.
I also enjoy proofreading in a bath. I have recently moved to a renovators delight and there is no bath so it is on my list of renovation plans.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I recently finished Conversations with God series, the audio edition by Neale Donald Walsch. I hadn't listened to an audiobook before, although I had narrated my Spirituality, Evolution and Awakened Consciousness. I found the series encouraging and love that it was and still is so popular. It was reaffirming and brought home the significance of sharing experiences, supporting others and being open to listen to our intuitiveness.

Sometimes when I'm writing or in the production stage of my book, I think about someone sitting alone looking for answers to their inner questions or yearning to feel connected to a bigger picture, who mightn’t have a support network. I know I’m privilege because there are many in-depth and supportive conversations at my place with friends and family who are open to explore, and not everyone has this. I always hope my work soothes their soul, excites them to be aware of their own evolutionary journey and helps them reconnect to or reaffirm their awareness of their beautiful flow of consciousness within.

Conversations with God has done that for me as I listened to it in a turbulent time in my life. It had been on my reading bucket list and it soothed my soul.

What are you working on now?
I've finished developing my online course – 7 Essential Keys for Honest Self-Reflection. I am passionate about valuing the skill of being self-reflective, knowing it is a human evolutionary skill.
I've launched Soulful Wall Art online store, which has been a two year project; very exciting! The artwork in my books adds to their uniqueness and "a picture is worth a thousand words" when dealing with the complexities of life and human emotions. They were so popular that the artist Katherine Close and I decided to add colour and create beautiful soulful prints and canvas.

My next plan is to finish going through the edited version of my upcoming book that has been patiently waiting for my attention, get the final proofreads done and then publish – Energy of Souls – Understanding your soul system to expand your emotional and spiritual maturity.
Busy – LOL

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am a novice at book promoting! I have tried a few things that have been costly with little results and I do amazon ads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Trust your passion and don't rate your success on book sales. Writing is a personal journey you share, value the journey you have experienced.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It is your life so make sure you choose how to live it. Don't pretend to be a passenger when you are holding the driving wheel.

What are you reading now?
Energy of Souls By Lorraine Nilon so that I can get it published.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My plan is to publish the next book but also have another edited book waiting in the wings and one I want to finish writing. Plus I'm looking forward to developing more online courses and finishing my house renos and have a bath. LOL

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 Shack by William Paul Young
Conversations with God series, by Neale Donald Walsch.
Some sort of Survivor's Guide that included a raft building section because I would need it.

Author Websites and Profiles

LORRAINE NILON Website

LORRAINE NILON Amazon Profile

LORRAINE NILON’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Pinterest Account

Interview With Author Anders Aaslund

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So I sent my first manuscript to a publisher here in Sweden when I was 16. Thankfully, they didn't accept it, but they did leave me a very kind review. Since then, I've written numerous books, but none that will ever see daylight again. I only seriously started writing in English a few years back, and "The Challenger" is my debut in any language.

As for me personally, I'm 47, married w/o children, and except for writing and reading, I spend (waste) my time on a full-time job as a communications officer with a university. I also travel whenever I can (Mexico is next) and enjoy good food and drink.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
"The Challenger" was inspired by world events of the past decade, but is set a thousand years into the future. Sort of a humanity-will-never-learn trope, I guess. The thing is, I feel as if we haven't learned anything from the horrors of the 20th century. It went in one ear and out the other, and here we are, once again applauding proto-fascists. When we openly support and admire people who would strip you of your freedoms and act like pigs with impunity, we're in trouble. I wanted to write something that speaks to a younger generation about the dangers of complacency and apathy, and how easy it is to allow democracy to fail.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I doubt I'm very unusual in any aspects of my writing. I do take time at least once a year to rent a cabin somewhere for a weekend and just… write. Dress in comfy, indoor clothing, drink buckets of tea, make a fire in the fireplace (there's gotta be a fireplace), and write like a motherf****r. Last time I did this, I churned out some 25,000 words in three days.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to count, and across many genres. If I were to list three authors that are more responsible than others, I'd say Arthur C. Clarke, Becky Chambers, and possibly Neal Stephenson. Ask me tomorrow, I'll mention three others.

What are you working on now?
I'm currently writing the sequel to "The Challenger". Yep, it's to be a trilogy. Terrible, I know. But the idea for it came to as a trilogy, and so here we are. I have a pretty tight schedule for the two sequels, as I'm planning on getting them out there within a year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Being new to the indie publishing scene, I scurry about the net like a neurotic rabbit, making it difficult to be forthcoming. Ask me again in a year.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Three things.
1. Being a planner or a pantser is not an either-or choice. It's a sliding scale, and you need to find your place on that scale. I'm an intuitive planner, which means I plan first, then abuse that plan badly as I write.
2. Writing is work. I'm not going to say there's no such thing as inspiration, but inspiration is not a tool or a necessary condition for writing. It's a nice-to-have that, at best, starts you off thinking about writing when you didn't expect it. Never wait for inspiration. Just write (work).
3. Don't get stuck researching how others write. I don't even want to know how many thousand hours of writing time that are wasted listening to some Booktuber explain the basic tenets of writing. 1 and 2 on this list is all you really need.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Well, in keeping with what I just said, I'm going to go with "Find out what kind of writer you are". It took me years to do, and it was, ironically, a Youtube video by novel editor Ellen Brock that set me straight. This has nothing to do with creating great characters or plotting a book, it's about balancing your ideas and abilities, which, in the end, is a far better way to achieve writing stamina and determination.

What are you reading now?
I've finally picked up James S.A. Corey's Expanse books, which I find delightfully easy and exciting to read, while also being fairly believable as far as science goes.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, the rest of the trilogy awaits. I have a couple more ideas for books in English, but I'm actually planning a return to writing in Swedish again. Should be interesting. It'll be a contemporary drama without any kind of sci-fi stuff.

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?
Bear Gryll's "How to Stay Alive", I guess. And three other books on survival. Sorry, I'm far too pragmatic to romanticize not dying…

Author Websites and Profiles

Anders Aaslund Website

Anders Aaslund Amazon Profile

Anders Aaslund’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

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Interview With Author Robert Kono

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born in 1932, I grew up in LA and its environs and was dumped into America’s concentration camps during WWII and repatriated to wartorn Japan in 1946 where I grew up in lonely exile until 1959 when I was able to return to the United States to get married and finish my college education. I have written ten books, six of which have been published by me.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title is Westward Lies The Sun. I’ve written a Christian-themed novel about a Japanese American attorney’s search for God.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I used to spend four to six hours writing years ago but now I limit myself to about three hours at a time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ernest Hemingway and Fydor Dostoevsky and their works greatly influenced me and determined the direction that my writing was to take.

What are you working on now?
I’m at work on yet another novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is rhkohno.com.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stick to your guns, keep the faith and fight the good fight, come hell or high water…and be bold.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do what is right for yourself and for those that love you.

What are you reading now?
Dark Night of the Soul

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m at work on yet another novel under my pen name. R. H. Kohno. I’ve set aside the third book of a trilogy I’ve been working on under my regular name to let it gestate.

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?
Farewell to Arms, Red Badge of Courage, Moby Dick and The Brothers Karamazov

Author Websites and Profiles

Robert Kono Website

Robert Kono Amazon Profile

Robert Kono’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

 

Interview With Author Scott Allen Benkie

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Scott Allen Benkie is a graduate of the Indiana University McKinney School of Law and a practicing trial lawyer (Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, martindale.com) for 35 years in Indianapolis, where he lives with his daughter and fiance. He has coached high school basketball (Bishop Chatard State Champions 2003) and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is a frequent speaker for lawyers in litigation seminars and has written several articles and manuals to assist lawyers in their cases. This is my first book, and I am halfway through the second book in the series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of my book is The Lawyer’s Angel. Many of the characters share personality traits of people I know or knew. The Lawyer’s Angel took me over 10 years to write because of my law practice. I tried to write a book that would resonate with readers and give them a reason not to give up if they were facing their own trial of some sort.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I read my book aloud to one critique partner reader. One local book club read it and provided feedback. Award-winning Crime writer Charles Salzberg(Canary in the Coal Mine) read and gave his feedback and positive recommendations. I think reading the book aloud to someone helps with edits. I also had my book professionally edited by Robbie Tucker, in NYC with experience in the movie industry.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Earnest Hemingway, J.R. Tolkein, William Faulkner, James Joyce.

What are you working on now?
I have started a sequel with Crosson as the protagonist and with a continuation of some aspects of the first book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My Author Website really is a great tool https://scottallenbenkiebooks.com/.
Social media is a great tool you can follow me on my different platforms
Social media
Facebook = https://www.facebook.com/scottallenbenkie/
Twitter = https://twitter.com/ScottABenkie
Pinterest = https://www.pinterest.com/scottallenbenkie/
Linkedin = https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottallenbenkie/
Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/scottallenbenkie/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do your research and due diligence, use a professional editor and read your manuscript aloud. Write what you know and think about your writing like a movie, show the action, don’t just tell it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Hemingway said what was necessary to be a good writer was to sit before a typewriter and bleed. I paraphrased this but I think it’s true. You have to put into words visceral emotion and action.

What are you reading now?
Michael Connelly, The Dark Hours.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on a second book with the same protagonist attorney, James Crossen, and I am about one-third of the way through that 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?
Bible, The Old Man and the Sea, A Tale of Two Cities, The Good Earth.

Author Websites and Profiles

Scott Allen Benkie Website

Scott Allen Benkie Amazon Profile

Scott Allen Benkie’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile

Twitter Account

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Interview With Author Mark Sheehan

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Firstly, thank you to the Awesome Gang for the opportunity to share with you a little about me. I’ve written two books but published only one. The book I’ve published was the second book I wrote, with the first still languishing on my computer.

My previous occupations include electrician and lawyer, but writing is my alarm clock. I live in Perth, Australia, which, as we know, is the coolest city in the World. When I’m not writing, I’m reading, cycling, or Netflixing (it’s a thing).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first, latest, and only book is The Smallest War. It was inspired by a fascination in all things Cold War and a love for the action genre.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
If having noise cancelling headphones blasting music while I write is unusual, then yes. I favour rock but will listen to anything.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King has influenced me greatly. I read his book “On Writing” three times. Animal Farm is my favourite read. If only I could write as beautifully as George Orwell!

What are you working on now?
I’m resuscitating my unpublished novel. The re-drafting process has started but is a long way off finished.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning the skills of self-promotion. If only it was as easy as writing. I’m Twittering whenever I feel the need to. There’s a huge writing community on there. I’ve just commenced my first promotion using (drum roll) Awesome Gang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Start small: short stories. Win a couple of competitions in your favoured genre before writing that novel, and don’t be like me. Start marketing when you start writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t eat yellow snow.

What are you reading now?
A collection of short stories. “Without Expiration” by William R Hincy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d settle for moderate success as an indie writer.

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’m a sucker for facts, so there would have to be an encyclopaedia of some kind in the library. A book on how to survive on a desert island would be in the stack as well. And, of course, Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Author Websites and Profiles

Mark Sheehan Amazon Profile

Mark Sheehan’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Twitter Account

Interview With Author Charles K. Jordan

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This question is a bit loaded for me because I have written eight books thus far. The six books for my series are finished, along with two novellas in the same universe, but as of today, only two books have been fully edited and published. But later this year, 2022, book 3 of the Five Kingdoms of Cordizal series will be available. So be on the lookout for it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book in my ongoing series is Dogma of the Five Kingdoms. The series deals with themes like various religions and deities in Cordizal and how they affect the world. I thought the title was very fitting and unique.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write exclusively on an iPad, which means I am super productive anywhere but in my living room. Writing started as a way to take back the time I lost during my commute to work, and I learned how to work standing up or sitting on a packed train. I view the train as my away office.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
After Deborah and James Howe introduced me to the world of literature, the biggest single influence in my writing life was Robert Jordan. The Wheel of Time helped me deal with many hard times and showed me that you could become fully invested in a fantasy world. Other writers who have influenced me include George R.R. Martin, Robin Hobb, Glen Cook, and Joe Abercrombie.

What are you working on now?
I am currently putting the finishing touches on book 3, Heretics of the Five Kingdoms, and two novellas, Fragments of the Wildlands and Bone, Sweat, and Tears. Heretics and Fragments will be released in 2022 while Bone, Sweat and Tears is looking like early 2023. I still have books 4, Folly of the Five Kingdoms, 5, False Idols of the Five Kingdoms, and 6, Rise of an Empire to gussy up for release, I have also been starting to plot out the following series to the Five Kingdoms Cordizal tentatively called the Old Moons. Also, I have a sci-fi series in the pipeline that I can hopefully start talking about soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I try to use all methods available, such as KCP, online ads, and amazing sites like Awesome Gang, Twitter, and Reddit. Obviously, word of mouth is the most effective promotion tool, and as for the rest, your mileage may vary,

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep working. I know it sounds cliché, and it is, but when you start, 300 words seems like a daunting task, but after a while, it starts to become easier to accomplish your goals.

Also, keep striving to better yourself. Keep learning and expanding, don’t rely on editors to fix your writing when you can learn and better your craft.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To temper my expectations.

I know from experience that when an author, especially an independent author, releases a book, they believe it is a great product, and it might be. But there is so much entertainment these days, and just because you did sell thousands of copies your first month does not mean you have failed as an author. Keep plugging away, and results will come.

What are you reading now?
I feel guilty if I read too much fiction instead of writing, so how I get by that mental block is by reading history books. Now I am reading The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land by Thomas Asbridge.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Besides finishing the Five Kingdoms of Cordizal series, I plan on writing another six-book series in the same world and sci-fi that I hope to be able to give more details about soon.

I am also planning on being involved with some other projects in other facets of entertainment, but until things become more solid, I really cannot go into the details.

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 Great Hunt by Robert Jordan.
Emperor of Japan: Meiji and his world by Donald Keene.
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
And
A Dummies Guide to Surviving on a Desert Island

Author Websites and Profiles

Charles K. Jordan Website

Charles K. Jordan Author Profile on Smashwords

Charles K. Jordan’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Twitter Account

 

Interview With Author JB McDonald

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in the Southern California desert (not somewhere cool like San Diego or LA), moved to Toronto for college, moved back to SoCal to get out of the snow, and then hopped slightly north to the San Francisco Bay Area, where I now live.

I started creating stories when I was knee high to a grasshopper, long before I could actually read fluently. (That didn’t happen until my mom bought me a slew of comic books for my 13th birthday.) Now I’m in my 40s, and totally excited to be writing full time.

I wrote and published two m/f romance novels through Samhain before switching to m/m romances. By 2013 I had 6 novels, 1 novella, and 10 short stories (8 of them all in the same series) published, all but two initial books in the m/m romance genre. Then writing came to a screeching halt for crazy life reasons.

Happily, in the beginning of 2022 I started life as a full time author amid much personal fanfare! The publishers I’d been with before had gone under or been absorbed, so I started editing and re-publishing my older works while working on new things. I also wrote and published my first fantasy novella, Warded. It’s been great.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book was my dark fantasy, Warded. Honestly, I heard about a writing contest; does that count as inspiration? *laughs*

I have this incredibly detailed world for another fantasy novel I’ve been working on, and decided to explore a little of the history and how some of the demon hybrids came to be. See, I had this crazy idea of how demons (nearly immortal predators who live in isolation) could procreate with other species. It needed to be proven. 😉

Warded was born, although the story is less about demons procreating and more about saving people while killing off a demon. But the central character is this great, mostly amoral woman. Trying to figure out how inhuman I could make her without losing my audience’s support was a blast. Luckily, there are two other main characters, so that as readers realize that the warder’s Just Not Right In The Head, they have someone else to cheer for. *laughs* Heck, they have someone else to realize it right along with them!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
*laughs* Well, they’re all mine, so they don’t seem too unusual to me! I’ve been told that the way I write is unusual. Some scene (or feeling or scenario or banter) pops into my head, and I really want to write it down. But before I can (because, in the way of the world, I’m never at my computer), I start wondering why that scene happened or what could have created that emotion. I work backward from there without quite meaning to (“But what caused that? Okay, why would they react that way? But…”), until I get to the beginning.

By then I’m in love with the characters, so I go back to the initial scene (in my head) and imagine forward until the end of the book.

I’ve never actually told anyone that, so I don’t know if it’s unusual. This next bit, that’s the part where I get some squinty looks.

I sit down to write, usually still with big chunks missing, but that’s okay, I know they’ll come. The big trick is not writing ANYTHING out of order. I learned long ago that if I write that scene in the middle that I first imagined, then I’ll never get around to writing the rest of it! Everything has to go linearly no matter how badly I want to write something that happens later. It’s the prod that keeps me going. 😉

Once started, it usually takes me a few weeks to write a novel. I get a little manic. And obsessed. *grins sheepishly*

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ha! Probably lots that I’m totally unaware of!

I can’t say that there’s any author that I read and think, “I want to try and emulate that,” although there are plenty that make me think, “I wish I wrote like that,” or, “I need to remember this awesome creative description/world building/timeline skipping/etc.”

Although… comic books influenced me, A LOT. (I named the two male characters in my first m/m romance after a couple of my favorites!) They’re the reason I started writing with any kind of real effort. I spent a lot of time after reading my comics thinking, “How would it feel to have no memory of your past but to be certain it wasn’t good?” or, “If you have super strength you must have some level of invulnerability, because otherwise your joints would tear and your bones would shatter when you lifted a car in the air with one hand or punched a hole in the cement wall. OMG I want to write that story! Mwahahaha, that’s HORRIBLE,” or, “If you had color vision but then had to wear a ruby visor all the time, would that screw with your brain? Would things seem more violent, since red is a violent color? Would your depth perception be flattened?”

In fact, the first shorty story I ever published came from wondering about a villain’s parents. Here was a character who liked hurting people, with razor-sharp claws and a healing factor that makes him basically unkillable. I got to thinking, what would it be like to be his parents? To have a kid you could see getting more and more unhinged, starting to be nasty to their classmates, maybe family members, and watch it get worse? Maybe even know he had these weird abilities? It was a great little horror story. Mwahahahaa.

BACK to the topic. Bad writer. Ahem. My dad introduced me to Anne McCaffery’s Dragon Rider books when I was a teenager, so I’m sure those went hand in hand with my comics in influencing me. Those and Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series which was, at heart, a series about adventure and growing up and embracing who you are. (…I kind of want to go re-read them now.)

Martha Wells is one of my favorite authors for her broken-not-angsty characters and amazing world building. Greg Bear and Ben Bova were my go-to for sci-fi early on. Well, them and Star Wars movies. 😀

This funny little book of fairy tales, Fractured Fairy Tales, maybe? There were a bunch of them that came into my life at the same time. Jane Yolen’s Sleeping Ugly was one. The musical “Into the Woods” was another. They helped me look at things we think we know in a new way.

Kim Robison’s Sword Dancer series and Carol Berg’s everything are delightful for mental and emotional anguish. I think that’s what I like about Anne Bishop, too!

The Dies The Fire series made my brain start noting and focusing on odd little details that can make something real, with the whole bit about big cats escaping the zoos and sanctuaries when civilization fails. (I actually fact checked that, and there are more big cats in the US than in most of their native countries. So, if civilization falls, we might have to worry about being eaten by tigers!) Tanya Huff’s earlier works ranged from slightly dark to very twisted, and I still love them.

More recently, Rebecca Roanhorse re-ignited my fascination for myths, religions, cultures and stories that didn’t come out of western Europe and/or Christianity.

I’m always being influenced, even if I’m unaware of it. I think we all are, for good or ill.

What are you working on now?
I’M SO GLAD YOU ASKED! Most immediate (but less exciting) (don’t worry, it’s only less exciting to me because I already wrote it and editing is UGH) I’m revising my newest m/m romance, an urban fantasy titled “Incubus.” It should be out late this year, unless my editor or marketer tell me to wait until next year, and then it’ll be out early next year. I’m a child of instant gratification, so I won’t wait longer than that. *laughs*

What I’m REALLY excited about is re-writing that fantasy book I mentioned, the one set in the same world as Warded! I wrote it over those ten years when I was MIA from publishing and… well, it shows that it took ten years. Not in a good way. >.> I looked at it with an eye for revising, and after doing that for a couple of months (with limited success; even the stuff I revised wasn’t entirely working, and I only got through the first 9000 words or so) I realized that it would be SO MUCH FASTER (and a lot more fun) to just re-write it, now that I’m writing full time. So that’s my project for the end of this year, and I’m completely over the moon! I’ve been working on this world and some of these characters for 15 years, fine tuning and adding complexity in the back of my head. This story is so over-ready to come out. Heck, I have ideas for a series! I’ve been posting sketches and things to my blog. 😀

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Ohhh, way to take the wind out of my sails. *laughs* I’m still figuring that out. When I published before I let the publishers handle it. Now things have changed, and the small press (including the m/m romance) publishers let their authors mostly handle it. Since I have a private editor of awesomeness and a cover artist of amazingness and those are really the only other reasons I would publish with a publisher, I decided to self pub.

So I’m getting a crash course in marketing. (Oh god, someone help.)

I’m finding that my best method is, like bathing my dog or cleaning the house, hiring out. (Too bad I can’t hire my stepkids for marketing, like I do for everything else!) I found a woman who does marketing for novels, someone I can afford, and she’s been amazing. She takes care of a lot of it, and sends me links with a, “Here, go do this” message.

I’m practically a hermit, even online. I don’t tend to read reviews or blogs or participate in FB or Good Reads groups, so I’m very clueless as to where I might find, say, people to review my books. Consequently, my marketer has opened up my world and now I’m aware of sites, well, like this one. 😀 I’m even FOLLOWING them and COMMENTING. I know, it shocked me, too.

(My marketer of fantasticability, even if you do most of your own marketing, can be found on fiverr.com under the handle akerr8787)
(My cover artist of amazingness, who branched from romance into fantasy and dark fantasy when I asked, is LC Chase, and can be found at LCChase.com)
(My editor of awesomeness is mine to keep, as she mostly retired but kept me on. Mwahahaha!)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you’re so new that you haven’t started writing original stuff yet, write fanfic. It doesn’t matter what your favorite thing is; just write. Find some fan groups and ask where to post it (or post it there). Put it up on An Archive of Our Own (aka Ao3). Cut your teeth, get some feedback, try different things, get more feedback. Build a little fanfic clique.

One of the most common things I hear from other authors is that it’s incredibly difficult to write in a void (and a good editor will mostly just critique you). I haven’t ever felt like I was writing in a void. I think the years of fanfic, the feedback from fellow comic book lovers and the glee with which we’d throw around ideas, created a buffer for me.

AM I writing in a void? Oh, yeah. I spend months on something, posting about it on my blog (which, at best, gets some likes) but with no one to actually read it, then I send it to my editor or a publisher. My editor sends it back saying, “I like this!” and that’s the last positive thing I hear. By the time I’ve read through the comments I’m moaning, “I’m a hack and this is a piece of crap!” If I’ve sent it to a publisher, I’m probably going to collect rejection letters before someone likes it.

I amend my statement. Writing in a void might be better. *laughs*

But the thing is, I never FEEL like I’m writing in a void. I feel like my fans are just outside my reach, giggling and chortling and bouncing, waiting for me to hand over the next thing. I’m certain that has to do with fandom.

Fandom might also gently point out some spots where your story could be even better amid the squealing, which is also good!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Wow, I have two! I thought I didn’t have any. Ha!

1. The advice from my Dad: When you get those rejection letters, remember that it’s just one person’s opinion. It isn’t the whole publishing house, it isn’t that your work is terrible, it might just be that that one person who read it wasn’t in the mood for your epic steampunk m/m noir novel set among Russian politics circa 1706.

…Okay, that last bit is mine. My dad stuck with the first sentence. *grins*

2. I have this quote up by Thomas Edison: “I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

It’s not about writing, but when I see it, I smile. Or I gird my loins and get back to work. Or I nod and know I’ll come back tomorrow to find another way that might work. It reminds me that writers can collect hundreds of rejection letters before getting… a rejection letter with a personal one liner attached.

3. (I know I said 2. This one isn’t mine.) The usual advice is good: don’t stop, find a community of like-minded people to support and be supported by, keep going.

There’s a lot of advice I’ve bucked: “remember you’re writing for yourself.” (I’m NOT writing for myself, let’s be real. Yes, I write the stories I want to tell, but I want to TELL them. I’m writing to get a reaction from my audience, because that brings me glee.) “Write x words every day, even if they suck.” (Sometimes this helps. Sometimes it backfires.) “Write for x amount of time every day, even if writing means “staring at your computer.””(Again, it can help or backfire.) “Don’t get discouraged.” (HA! Everyone gets discouraged sometimes. It’s okay. It’s life, it’s human. If you decide to keep writing, give yourself some discouraged wallowing time, as much as you need. Then get up and start again when you’re ready.) Oh, my most hated advice: MAKE THE TIME. I’m sorry, but there are only so many hours in the day, and staying mentally healthy is more important. That may or may not include writing.

Maybe I’m the black sheep, though. I do look at things from a vantage point of ADHD, clinical (but managed!) depression, anxiety, and a panic disorder. So maybe for people who are more neurotypical, the above advice is good.

But let me tell you, that Edison quote? It helps me every time.

What are you reading now?
Ooh! I started a new book last night and I’m in love with it. Gideon The Ninth, a science fantasy novel by Tamsyn Muir. She’s a new author for me, and I’m totally hooked.

What’s next for you as a writer?
…Writing is next? Yeah. Writing. *grins* Seriously, my goal is to be paying my bills via writing by 2027. Not romantic, I know, but important. Some of those books will be my re-releases, but most of them will be new. Now that I’m learning about marketing, I think I have a solid shot at succeeding. 😀

My other “next” is to find an agent for my fantasy novels. I’ll probably keep self-publishing my m/m romances, but for the other stuff… definitely an agent!

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… that’s just mean. Can I assume I’ll only be stranded for a little while?
No?
Damn.

Nobody’s Son by Sean Stewart, for the days I want to think.

The first 2/3s of Dangerously Happy by Varian Krylov, for when I need some romantic escapism (or fuzzy feelings… or smut…) (Sure, the last 1/3 is the climactic end of a major plotline, but now I know how it ends, so I just want the character and relationship building parts.) (And the smut.)

The First Days by Rhiannon Frater, to get me fired up.

and

How To Escape A Desert Island For Dummies. I don’t know who it’s by, but I’m sure it exists!

Author Websites and Profiles

JB McDonald Website

JB McDonald Amazon Profile

JB McDonald’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile

Facebook Profile

 

Interview With Author Deb Cushman

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As an author of fantasy adventure tales for children and teens, living in the Pacific Northwest means that the formidable forests, majestic mountains, and blustery beaches provide ample inspiration for fantasy settings. I’ve written several “practice” novels, but my debut middle-grade novel is about to be published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Frigg’s Journey to Anasgar is the first book of an exciting new middle-grade fantasy series Chronicles of Nadavir. I hadn’t read many fantasy novels about the lives of female dwarves. Frigg popped into my mind and refused to leave until I told her story of finding adventure and saving her world. I also wanted to write a book about friendship, so a budding friendship between characters with varied backgrounds was natural for this story. What could be more fun than a dwarf, a faery, an elf, and a unicorn sharing a quest?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The general rule of writing is to write every day. I don’t do that. Over the years, I’ve tried to sit down to write daily, but until I have a clear idea of where I’m headed, I just sit there. I tend to write in binge sessions with great enthusiasm. I have to know how the story ends before I can begin. Then I write a very rough outline. I don’t always know how the character will manage to get to that end, but I plunge in and see what happens.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My first insight into the fact that real people wrote books was reading Beverly Cleary’s Henry Huggins books. Agatha Christie’s mysteries have always fascinated me. But it was when I discovered Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series that I became totally immersed in science fiction and fantasy. Those books combine the two genres with amazing settings and adventurous characters. I knew I wanted to write like her someday.

What are you working on now?
I’m revising the second book in the Nadavir series. Each book in the series will follow a different character on an adventure of discovery with the other characters supporting the quest. The next book explores Ping’s challenge. We learn a lot about Ping in the first book, but we don’t know much about her background. She’s a mystery, even to herself. As the only faery in the dwarf colony of Nadavir, she has no memories of where she came from. We’ll find out in book two with a mysterious plot involving large black birds and a missing pixie queen.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My author website https://debcushman.com is filled with information about me and my books. I have a lot of fun developing the Nadavir Kids Club, filled with games, puzzles, activities, stories, etc. related to my Chronicles of Nadavir fantasy series. Readers can sign up for the Kids Club for free by subscribing to my newsletter on my website.

I’m also sharing a lot of information about my writing and talking with readers on my Facebook Author Page https://www.facebook.com/debcushmanwriter

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, read, read, write, write, write. Be curious.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you want to read. I love this advice because I’ve tried writing a lot of things that just didn’t interest me. While it’s great practice to write in varying styles and on different subjects, you won’t feel that inner enthusiasm and love of story, that fire that ignites your passion, until you’re writing what you enjoy.

What are you reading now?
Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. I love reading a long series so that when I finish one book, I know I have more books to explore. I’m enjoying the complexity of the plot and the uniqueness of the characters.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m revising the second book in the Nadavir series. Each book in the series will follow a different character on an adventure of discovery with the other characters supporting the quest. The next book explores Ping’s challenge. We learn a lot about Ping in the first book, but we don’t know much about her background. She’s a mystery, even to herself. As the only faery in the dwarf colony of Nadavir, she has no memories of where she came from. We’ll find that out in book two with a mysterious plot involving large black birds and a missing pixie queen.

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 Complete Works of William Shakespeare, a large dictionary, The Dragonriders of Pern (containing 1st 3 books of the series), and The Hobbit.

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Deb Cushman Website

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Interview With Author J.J. Matthews

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a British writer of numerous genres but mainly horror and fantasy. Though I’m more partial to dark fantasy, the best blend of fantasy and horror in one genre. So far, my published work only consists of one horror short story collection, one poetry collection and my debut novel. So, technically, I’ve only written one book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is the first instalment of my aspiring dark/high fantasy series, Maleos: Rise of the Old Gods. It is a gory, suspenseful and sometimes creepy fantasy set in a completely fictional world that only slightly acknowledges the existence of our Earth. The beginning of the book came to me in the form of a dream. I dreamt I was in a giant stone arena, holding a staff with a giant purple jewel on it, with smaller jewels rotating around it. In front of me was this fascinating but grotesque creature, like a devil but minus the goat legs. I didn’t know exactly what I was doing but I knew I needed to use magic. I put my hand on the jewel and it glowed, making me feel a brilliant yet excruciating surge of energy through my body and into my free hand, allowing me to cast a giant ball of fire from my hand. I woke up immediately after and that scene soon became the basis of my entire book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think there’s anything I do that I haven’t seen or heard other people doing as well. One thing I know I do to keep my mood going whilst writing is to play music that matches the overall mood of the chapter I’m writing or the scene I’m on. If the music mood fits, I can write the scene in a much more immersive manner.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think much of my style is influenced from the Artemis Fowl books I read as a child as well as the Fighting Fantasy books I “played” at a young age as well. My father always supplied me with a new RPG book on my birthday or at Christmas and supplied me with plenty of Artemis Fowl once he found out I really liked those. I remember that my love of horror stems from constantly reading the Goosebumps books at the same young age, perhaps younger even.

What are you working on now?
Currently I am working on the sequel to Rise of the Old Gods and the second instalment in the Maleos series. This book will continue the adventures of Mortius Maleos and his friends, this time tackling all the angst and drama of a young adult novel, all the gore, terror and nightmare fuel of a horror novel and all the wonder, excitement and magic of a high fantasy book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve always found TikTok to be the best tool for advertising. There is an enormous audience there that is being regularly added to and is by far the most accessible without expending money. Second to TikTok, I use Twitter, Goodreads and Instagram for promotion of my material.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be consistent, don’t be afraid to put your books in people’s faces (but don’t be too obnoxious with it), use every platform at your disposal and don’t expect wild success on the first go. My first book only sold around 20 copies and I know exactly who purchased them, all friends and family. Since then, it has been quiet and nobody outside my social circle has read it. Still, that doesn’t mean you should give up. At the very least, you are writing for yourself and for your enjoyment first and foremost.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Listen to the critics. Even the really harsh ones. Granted, there’s always going to be people that are just out to get you and many times, it’ll feel like any negative or critical reviewer is doing so. Despite how the criticism may feel, there is almost always truth within the words, so make sure to self-evaluate on all the points they touch upon in the review. You may just make yourself a better author for it.

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m in the middle of reading Stuart MacBride’s Dying Light. I bought a load of MacBride on sale at a small bookstore in England and I have been really taken in by the crime thriller genre, especially since finishing a load of Kathy Reichs novels.

What’s next for you as a writer?
For now, I’ll continue on my Maleos series, hopefully reaching the four book mark that I have in mind. After that, perhaps I’ll dip back into a historical fiction novel I started writing a few years ago.

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?
As many of my fighting fantasy books as I could. I would choose The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, Citadel of Chaos, House of Hell and Creature of Havoc.

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Interview With Author Nobel Publishing

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Are you looking for an aesthetic and cute composition notebook?

Welcome to Nobel Publishing, where you will get beautiful composition notebooks of all sizes and for everyone. We create wide ruled, marble, primary, k-2, school and college composition notebooks in all colors such as red, yellow, pink, golden and black, etc.

We are proud to serve you with our stylish notebooks and journals, valid from kindergarten to college and the office.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
From Strength to Strength

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am very hardworking and yes I am workaholic so I do publish so much.

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Interview With Author MaryAnn Clarke

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
USA Today Bestselling author MaryAnn Clarke is a Chatelaine Grand Prize winner and Next Generation Indie Book Award finalist for The Art of Enchantment, first in the Life is a Journey series about young women on journeys abroad who discover themselves and fall in love while getting embroiled in someone else’s problems. Her Having it All series is about professional women struggling to balance the challenge and fulfillment of their careers with their search for identity, love, family and home. Her newest series, the Most UNLIKELY To series, centres on a group of close high school friends ten years later, beginning with their ten year reunion.

As of September, 2022 MaryAnn Clarke has nine published titles. She’s also planning travel research for the next three books in her Life is a Journey series. Books one and two are out soon in a box set.

Always eager to fill blank pages and empty canvases with ideas swirling in her head, MaryAnn set out to write emotionally engaging stories that walk a tight rope between intelligent Women’s Fiction and heart-warming Romance.

A socially awkward polymath with ASD who studied Fine Arts, Urbanism, Architecture and Gerontology at university on both coasts of Canada, she turned to her first love, writing stories, when she realized she could have more fun with fewer rules to follow. When not writing, she meditates while hiking wooded mountain trails, does yoga and Pilates to fend off decrepitude, reads eclectically, contemplates wormholes, experiments with painting abstract expressionism, kills plants and tries not to burn dinner while solving her next plot problem. Now that her chick has flown the coop, Clarke lives on beautiful Vancouver Island, Canada with her husband and cats. Although she knows she lives in Paradise, she still loves traveling the world in search of romance, art, good food and new story ideas.

Get MaryAnn’s newsletter and never miss a new release! Receive Single Dad in Studio 7D FREE by signing up at www.maryannclarkescott.com. Download today! Stay in touch to hear about special deals and her next release. https://www.subscribepage.com/MAClarkeScottAuthor

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The newest release is The Phoenix’s UNLIKELY Prodigy and is book 2 in the UNLIKELY series. This was once planned as book one but the prior book, the high school reunion, was a better way to introduce this new ensemble cast of friends. Several popular tv shows about groups of friends were the inspiration behind writing this series, along with the challenge of including as many popular romance tropes and diverse characters as possible. This series is designed to be inclusive and varied in every possible way while still providing the warmth, comfort and familiarity of a supportive group of friends and a small home town setting – all the best romance experiences that readers seek in these troubling and stressful times.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m what has been called a “bread machine” writer, though I also love high level series and story planning. Character is my favourite part of stories and figuring out what happened to them and motivates them is my candy. But despite my best plans, a good deal of the story is worked out in my subconscious brain while I’m doing things that, on the surface, might look like procrastination. I have an insatiable appetite for ingesting content, so love to read, binge watch great shows, and fall down deep research rabbit holes.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Different authors at different stages of my reading and writing life. I have literary authors whom I greatly admire, such as Ann Patchet, Lisa See, E. Annie Proulx, Barbara Gowdy and many others. I also deeply admire authors of complex speculative fiction such as William Gibson and Neil Stevenson. But I still always gravitate to my favourite romance authors, such as Christina Lauren, Sarina Bowen, Penny Reid, Chloe Liese, Mhairi Macfarlane, Lindsey Kelk, Portia MacIntosh and a few other British writers I’ve been discovering.

What are you working on now?
Once The Phoenix’s UNLIKELY Prodigy is released, I’ll be working on a new novella in the shared world Cataluma California small town main street motorcycle club series, book two in her Off The Grid Christmas trilogy, and the next book in the UNLIKELY series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s too complex a question to answer concisely. But I follow an approach that involves newsletters, book swaps, stacked promotion sites, price drops and targeted advertising. I also try to ensure my titles are listed and up to date on as many reader sites as possible, such as Goodreads, Bookbub, AllAuthor, Bublish, LibraryThing, and others.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get ready for a long haul. If you think you want to publish independently, you must be prepared to immerse yourself in the publishing industry and get ready to promote yourself as well as your books for a long time. It’s a business, and maybe not what you though you were getting into when you sat down to write your first story.

What are you reading now?
I have a few titles on the go or lined up. Wilder by CL. Something by Claire Kingsley and Lucy Score. And I’m in the middle of It Happened One Summer on audio by Tessa Baily.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to catch up with my ideas. I always have more ideas than time, energy or brainpower to write the books. My focus for the next while will be to add to and complete the series that I have started, with the UNLIKELY series as my top priority.

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?
Pride and Prejudice
My Favorite Half-Night Stand
Mariana
The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe

Author Websites and Profiles

MaryAnn Clarke Website

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