Awesome Author Interviews

Julie Mannino Amazon Profile

Julie Mannino

Interview With Author Julie Mannino

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Currently, I live in New England with my partner and two cats that are always trying to get to my earbud cords.

I’ve written over forty books so far, and I’ve published 7 this year. I’ve still got a lot to put out, and many more to write!

My books are set in the same world and follow a few particular families over the centuries, plus extra side people. This allows me to write in a large array of genres and subjects. Paranormal romance, M/M romance, coming of age, and dark fantasy are some. More specific subjects vary: cracked faith, wars, homosexuality, asexuality, depression, anorexia, outlaws, etc. My characters all differ, and past choices have real consequences.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Thrall A Novel of Alternate Earth.

I enjoy stories set in the middle ages, and when Vikings were still pillaging, they often took slaves. The term they used was thrall. Today, the word means to be in someone’s in power. Since the young kingdom of Gredoria in my fantasy world is loosely based on Canada, Greenland is currently inhabited by descendants of Vikings. They still use the term Thrall for slaves.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can hyper focus for long periods of time if something greatly interests me. It’s not unusual for me to spend 14 hours working on whatever book is the latest project.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I loved Ken Follett’s Kingsbridge series based in the Middle ages. Ariana Nash is another favorite who writes M/M romance, and they inspired me to write my own.

What are you working on now?
I’ll soon be publishing Finley’s Way, a short story of a boy trying to survive on his own in the 1400s when homosexuals aren’t widely accepted. I have four novels left for Jack’s Reign that I intend to put out by the end of the year. I also hope to start the Comfort Series on Amazon. The first is the Comfort of Perfection.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Romance.io helped with Thrall and my reads skyrocketed.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write several books. Revise and perfect until your head spins, and then do it again. Turn off the TV and write. If you have large backlog of novels, you’ll find it much easier when you first start publishing. You’ll have a better chance of success if you can get several works out in the first several months. It’s unfortunate, but most people aren’t always willing to wait a year for book two or whatever. Don’t let your readers forget you.
And don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Even if seems terrible right now, keep writing it because you can go back and fix it later. Nobody has to know that the first or second draft looked like a train wreck.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently rereading The Cottage by Ariana Nash.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Even after The Comfort Series is out, I have more. I’m also working on a novel with a Muslim hero set in 17th century Gredoria.

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 Prince’s Assassin Trilogy

Author Websites and Profiles

Julie Mannino’s Social Media Links

Elton Gahr Amazon Profile

Elton Gahr

Interview With Author Elton Gahr

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Elton and I’ve published 12 books with two more coming out this year. I also have many short stories and more coming out every week.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recently released book is The Thirteen Gates: The Oracle of Baltimore. It’s the fourth book in the Thirteen Gates series.
I was inspired by my frustration with the many fantasy series that introduce magic to our world and then never actually explored what would happen as people found out. So I wrote a series where magic returns to our world and actually changes thing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It’s been my experience that many people, including some authors, find actually writing unusual. Beyond sitting down every day and putting words on paper my most interesting habit is probably the use of the pomodoro technique. For me that means writing as much as I can as fast as I can for twenty minutes and then taking a break. On a good day I might do that eight or ten times and get five or six thousand words of a first draft written.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many, but the biggest influences are probably the big names in science fiction and fantasy. I grew up reading Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Orson Scott Card and Douglas Adams.

I try to bring some of the best lessons I learned from each of them to my writings.

What are you working on now?
I am currently writing the fourth and fifth books of the Spaceship Vision series. They continue to explore the ramifications of the discovery of faster than light travel and the many possibilities and dangers that it leads to.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My newsletter works the best for me. It’s allowed me to share free short stories every week and connect with my audience in a more direct way.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never compare the first draft of your novel to the final draft of a professional author’s best work. Their first draft was bad too.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you don’t have time to read you don’t have time to write.

What are you reading now?
I’m working my way through the Diskworld novels. They’re a major oversite in my fantasy reading. I’m two books in and still not sure what order I should be reading them in, but other than that I’m enjoying myself.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am beginning to work on the beginnings of a new epic fantasy series. It’s still in the beginnings but I have a few characters, a couple of locations and a conflict that I think can be melded into something.

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 Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Lord of the Rings and Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. The first two because I can reread them and enjoy them many times and Grit because I’m going to need the reminder.

Author Websites and Profiles

Elton Gahr Website

Elton Gahr’s Social Media Links

David Culp Amazon Profile

Linda Pullman

Interview With Author Linda Pullman

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired teacher. I run a small author group called ‘Aylesbury Writers’ in Buckinghamshire, England. I have just published my first collection of poems.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Roses in December. I’ve been writing poems all my life but this is my first published collection – completed 2022. I had a brush with cancer in 2020. That and the COVID lockdowns inspired me to get my work over many years, published.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t write every day, just when the mood takes me. I don’t need silence to write; in fact, I find it easier with low-level background noise.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced by Sylvia Plath, Carol Ann Duffy and also Robert Frost.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a novel, a who-dun-it psychological story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use social media, particularly Facebook, word-of-mouth and thirdly, my own website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Finish that novel or non-fiction book you started years ago. Retrieve it from the bottom drawer and get writing!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be willing to listen to advice given on your writing-in-progress. You don’t need to take it necessarily but bear it in mind.

What are you reading now?
The Creative Writing Handbook by Singleton and Luckhurst

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep adding to my poetry stash, perhaps publishing a second collection. Oh and finishing the 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?
Skellig by D. Almond
Any poetry collection by Sylvia Plath or Robert Frost
Middlemarch by Thomas Hardy

Author Websites and Profiles

Linda Pullman Website

David Culp

Interview With Author David Culp

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I used to have a day job in Washington, D.C. where I wrote a lot about reality, in the nebulous intersection of government, public policy, and corporate consulting.

I grew up in suburban Long Island. My wife and I raised two daughters in Northern Virginia. I attended schools in Ohio and North Carolina, and have travelled as far Southwest as the Galapagos and as far Northeast as Katmandu. And Further. These days, when I’m not writing, I spend my time playing the cello, enjoying jazz and blues, fighting climate change, and filling the numerous bird feeders in our back yard.

My first published book is “The Book of Mathew L.” But it won’t be my last.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first published book, “The Book of Mathew L.” grew out my experiences attending college and university in Ohio and North Carolina, and my friendships with many past and present grad students who often stumbled (and usually got back up) on the long path to a degree. I’ve also built on the many challenges of living a responsible, rewarding life while seeking family contentment and professional success, while being true to hopes for social justice and a fair and equitable society.
In the writing I’m doing these days, I really enjoy building upon the idea of strong people emerging out of small towns and facing the social and cultural changes in America over the last half-Century, many of which I was an active participant in.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
John Updike, for sure. Anne Tyler, for her many unique characters who have trouble finding their place in their families and communities. Pat Conroy, for his ability to give a rich narrative to the people in the part of America he knew best. E.L.Doctorow, Mark Twain, Aldous Huxley, Vladimir Nabokov, and many others.

What are you working on now?
The Book of Mathew L. features a young man who grew up in a large family in small-town Ohio in the 1950s. I’m working on several other books that focus on his siblings, and members of his extended family, and the different directions they head. My next planned book, Carrie: An American Classic, explores what happens to his youngest sister after she spends several years exploring the great American West in the mid-1960s and comes back to town when she needs a break. The Larsen family will be a rich source of some interesting writing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, and rewrite, and don’t be impatient if you rewrite again. Read it out loud, to find out where the prose gets awkward. Share your work, and ask for advice, and be humble in taking the advice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take things patiently. When you think you’re there, double check.

What are you reading now?
At the moment, I’m re-reading Philip Roth’s “The Ghost Writer.” I’m planning to take Colson Whitehead’s latest novel, “Harlem Shuffle,” as a beach read in a few weeks. I re-read “Lolita” recently.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Besides working through the in-process stories about Mathew L’s family, I would like to plot out a book about a struggling musician — probably a jazz musician. A common undertheme in my books about the Larsen family is how they were affected by their mother’s training as a classical pianist, and the piano lessons they took as children. Music is a large part of my psychological makeup.

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?
John Updike: The Early Stories: 103 stories he wrote 1954 – 1975. Something to give me a better appreciation of Greek Mythology — Maybe Bullfinch? Some Nabokov that I haven’t read before. I’ve never read any Jane Austen. I’m definitely open to suggestions.

Author Websites and Profiles

Anthony Ordille

Interview With Author Anthony Ordille

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in southern New Jersey, surrounded by agricultural farms in the beautiful town of Hammonton. There are many cultures with a good number of people and different types of fruit, berries, and vegetables. Hammonton has the largest single-grower blueberry farm, where I spent many summers working and even worked full-time after graduating high school. They also have Jersey tomatoes, which are the best I have tasted.

As I grew up, I had difficulty coping with the lack of friends and the emptiness I felt inside, which led me on the wrong path of drugs and a destructive lifestyle that almost cost me my life. Because I found hope through my relationship with Jesus after a sixteen-year battle, I have been given the opportunity to share my story through my writings and speaker platform.

My story as a writer is unique because I did not do so well in English class back in school. If I were standing in front of you, you would see a massive smile on my face. I never imagined myself as a writer, so to be an author of now four books, I am blown away with what one can do when God calls. In 2010, I woke up from a dream that I was to write a book telling my story. I dismissed it, thinking that there was no way that was for me. Then a few nights later, I woke up again with the same impression, but this time I believed it was from God telling me to write. I picked up a pen and a pad and started writing the chapters’ titles. After working on the manuscript for three years, it made it to print in the spring of 2013. That work changed my life forever and has given me a whole new outlook on life.

To date, I have five published books and plan on rewriting my autobiography.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Over the twenty-some-odd years of being a Christian, I have heard many say they did not know how to read the Bible entirely in a year. That got me wondering if there were a way to rectify the problem. I started researching and planning to develop something that would give folks a step-by-step, book-by-book way to read the Bible cover-to-cover in 365 days. Sitting with the Bible, I started calculating the number of books, chapters, and verses to break them down into a daily reading plan.

I took the Book of Psalms as a daily song and the Book of Proverbs as daily wisdom from the Old Testament to include each as part of the reading plan. Then I took the remaining books of the Old Testament (will be seen as OT}) and divided them into 365 days. Lastly, I took the New Testament (will be seen as NT}) and divided it into 365 days. Some of the chapters will be read whole, and some will be read over multiple days. You will see scriptures on each day starting from January 1 to December 31 in four parts: Old Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, and New Testament.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Because I am a Christian I have to put the Bible at the top of the list. There are a number of authors over the years that have influenced me as a writer so it is hard to name them. I will say Robert Morris has the most books on my shelve.

What are you working on now?
I am just finishing up an eBook to introduce the 12-step program called Addictive Free Life, AFL for short. It lists the types of addictions in three areas: Substance, Impulse Control Disorders, and Behavioral. It answers some of the questions about addiction and some of the myths about addiction and recovery. I also give a comparison between the 12-steps that are found in most of the programs and the Bible. In short, it helps guide someone struggling with any addiction to a life of freedom. I have followed the same plan for over twenty-three years with great success. Outside of the drugs and alcohol, I no longer smoke or desire caffeine.

After completing this with the marketing and all that comes with it, I will rewrite my autobiography to have a complete story of my life, not just about addiction. Over the years, I have received responses to An Injection of Faith that I should expand on some of the stories found in the book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
When it comes to writing, the main thing that I have learned is to never give up. It is hard to be an author today with the type of marketing that is required, and if you throw your hands up too early it can affect the outcome of the writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep going, my friend!

Author Websites and Profiles

Anthony Ordille Website

Anthony Ordille Amazon Profile

Anthony Ordille Author Profile on Smashwords

Anthony Ordille’s Social Media Links

Carl Mainwaring Amazon Profile

Carl Mainwaring

Interview With Author Carl Mainwaring

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Carl Mainwaring; is the husband of a rock star primary school teacher and the dedicated father of two beautiful young children. Born in 1966, Stoke-on-Trent, England, just after the historic 4-2 England world cup win! “Yes, he is still hanging onto past glory.” Carl is now a British/New Zealander living in the spectacular city of sails, Auckland.

Carl has always had a thirst for knowledge, so it was no surprise that Carl became a dedicated high school teacher of twenty-plus years; as a lifelong learner, Carl aims to guide, nurture, and facilitate a sense of self-awareness, challenge all to explore and grow, and see problems as opportunities, to these ends it was a natural next step for Carl to put pen to paper.

Carl loves the solitude of New Zealand’s bush (forest) in his downtime, where he can be at one with nature, but his most precious times are spent with his whanau (family) on his sunny north Aukland property surrounded by ancient forest.

Carl has made his online home at www.carlmainwaring.com, or you can connect with Carl at Facebook www.facebook.com/carlmainwaringauthor, see you there 🙂

Thank you for visiting my author’s page.

Peace, Love

Carl 🙂

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

Biohacker decodes scientific jargon to bring you the facts in plain English. It removes the western medical concept of placing the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. It follows the science, allowing you to identify and understand the upstream issues, thus fixing them before they reach the vastness of the ocean; you will not only understand the reasons behind the science but will be able to actively intervene, giving you the know-how to change your life, regain your healthspan, and put many more years on your clock, empowering you to know yourself, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Biohacker gives evidence-based guidance for living longer and better, preventing and even reversing disease; you’ll see rapid results in overall healthspan and maybe even age backward.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a part-time author, full-time teacher, and overtime dad and husband, so it’s pretty chaotic; however, I am hoping in the not to distance future go part-time teaching, giving more time for my writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love a large variety of fiction to non-fiction; it depends on my mood and my need, that is, whether I’m cleansing my body or mind. Authors, everyone from Lewis Carroll to David Sinclair P.hD.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on BIOHACKER, which I am incredibly excited about, due to be released Dec 2022.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome Gang naturally.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would love to say follow your dreams, and you should, but know that the writing counts for less than half of the workload; the rest is spent on admin, promotion, and lots of other stuff; it’s like any other job, the other gets in the way of what you actually love doing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From one of my favorite authors, “It’s no use going back to yesterday because I was a different person then” -Lewis Carroll.

What are you reading now?
The Cancer Code – Jason Fung

What’s next for you as a writer?
My goal “Dream” is to be a full-time writer; I have so many future books in my head.

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?
Childhood dreams, let’s be young again: Alice In Wonderland, Stig of the Dump and The Thirty-Nine Step.

Author Websites and Profiles

Carl Mainwaring Website

Carl Mainwaring’s Social Media Links

Sammie Marsalli Amazon Profile

Sammie Marsalli

Interview With Author Sammie Marsalli

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As an author this is my first attempt to write. I am not an expert or an authority on Alzheimer’s. I never pretended to be. I am simply an ordinary “John Doe” caregiver, husband sharing my experiences living and caring for my wife with Alzheimer’s. We have been married 43 years and I am trying to not let go and avoid her shutdown.

Preventing Her Shutdown is my desperate effort to keep my wife with Alzheimer’s “connected”. In Real Time there are very personal unloaded feelings, emotions and reactions expressed, never confided to anyone while slowly losing my wife.

There are really no fixed “do this” and “do that” rules, as there are no two profile behavioral changes alike. Consequently, no one has the “key” as to how to respond to a family member with Alzheimer’s radical behavioral changes . I describe these dramatic changes with my wife who is in the beginning of the advanced stages. My reactions have always been intuitive in my desperate attempts to keep her “connected” with me, family and her surroundings. Real time experiences and actions “racing against the Alzheimer’s clock” to keep her communicating and interacting every day, even though she no longer speaks are detailed in my never-ending battle to prevent her shutdown.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Preventing Her Shutdown started out as a daily diary of events, emotions, and decisions made in real time to keep my wife interacting with me and responding. I realized that perhaps this could be a book to help others living this very tortuous journey.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes my emotions take over my writing and I just let it all hangout.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Mary Moller, Alzheimer’s Through the Stages: A Caregiver’s Guide

What are you working on now?
My diary is continuing, perhaps this will turn into a second book. I can´t be sure as I hope this diary never ends.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am new in this field so I don´t fell qualified to give an opinion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
In non fiction write from your heart, from your gut, relax, be honest and let go.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
none yet.

What are you reading now?
I have several books on my following list but as a 24/ 7 caregiver for my wife and writing I haven´t been able to read very much.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue with my daily diary.

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?
Probably if it is the current situation I am living with my wife I would bring the following:
Caregiver Overwhelmed, When Only Love Remains, When reasoning No Longer Works

Author Websites and Profiles

Sammie Marsalli’s Social Media Links

Angie Bailey Amazon Profile

Angie Bailey

Interview With Author Angie Bailey

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Angie and I am a British, forty-something mother of three. I have been writing in some form or another for most of my life. Starting out with poetry and funny odes and then, in later life, I turned to books.
I started my book writing journey during lockdown, where I penned and self-published the series, The Secret Diary of a Lockdown Mum. This is a very candid, unedited version of my life during the COVID pandemic. Written to make people laugh and show how imperfect it is ok to be. All the royalties from the sales of these books are split between the mental health charity MIND and the UK’s NHS service.
I then decided to try my hand at writing a novel and Believe was born.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Believe, was inspired by two things, my very best friend’s belief I could do and a crazy dream. A strange concoction, I know.
After I had written my first Secret Diary, my friend said to me, ‘Have you ever thought about writing a novel?’
In truth, I hadn’t. I mean, what would I even write about?
I remember sitting at my computer thinking and desperately trying to think of an idea for a story… and nothing, nada, nothing came to me. I was just about ready to give up.
Then, one night, I had the most amazing dream about a crazy holographic professor who ate sticky, sparkly-green, Christmas tree marshmallows! And before I knew it my fingers were on fire with the story of Believe.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure it’s unusual in the writing world, but I always have a pad and pencil in my bag for when random inspiration hits. And, I have at least three pads by my bed to note down all my crazy dreams.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Funnily enough, I don’t actually read the genre I write. I’m a big James Patterson fan and love Martina Cole, whose crimes cover the area where I am from. I hope I have been able to take how beautifully these authors lead you on a journey through the plot twists and turns and replicated it within a Middle-Grade novel.
I am a massive Disney fan also and loved JM Barrie’s Peter Pan, which is why you will see links to my favourite Disney films within, Believe. I am also a hopeless romantic and love Danielle Steel, so I love to add a little unrequited love into my stories.
When I was younger, I read almost all the Virginia Andrews books I could I find. I don’t think you can beat the Flowers in the Attic series.

What are you working on now?
I have just finished the second book in the Believe series, which is just going through the rigors of editing. I am yet to settle on a title yet, I am torn between two ideas. These two titles fill my thoughts all day long.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m fairly new to book promotion. I’ve found the obvious social media sites, Twitter, Insta, and Facebook great platforms. But this takes up so much time in your day, that it sometimes leaves you no time for your writing.
Word of mouth is the best promotion, but this takes time. As does building up your reviews, but whenever I get a new review, I make sure I share it far and wide.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t trust friends to edit your book! While they mean well, and they are great sounding boards for plot and story, they tend to think they are being kind when they don’t point out mistakes or typos. This has been very costly for me and a massive learning curve. Save up and get a professional.
Oh, and never stop learning, learn everything you can from all the authors out there, it will always make you better.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always treat people how you wish to be treated yourself.

What are you reading now?
James Patterson & James O.Born’s The Russian

What’s next for you as a writer?
Published the next book in the Believe series and explore an idea I’ve had for an adult thriller whilst I think about whether to write the next in the Believe series or do the prequel.

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?
Martina Cole’s, The Lady Killer.
Virginia Andrews, Flowers in the Attic
Danielle Steels, The Ring.

Author Websites and Profiles

Angie Bailey Website

Angie Bailey’s Social Media Links

Smita Talukdar Amazon Profile

Smita Talukdar

Interview With Author Smita Talukdar

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born with a dream of becoming an advocate, I accidentally fell in love with writing. It was in 2008 when I first tried to scribble some poetic words on the bare sheets of her academy workbook.
With her first printed poem in 2010, I went on to write occasional articles for an infotainment magazine. Succeeding that, she was appointed as a content developer. I was later promoted to the position of a junior journalist for a pan-India techno-commercial magazine in 2016. I have a short film script, a few news articles, and now a book appended to my work portfolio.
Presently, working as a professional digital marketer these days, I help companies achieve success in the online space. I have so far written one novel and working on two more that are yet to be published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Stop. No!
When I began writing, I had a simple concept in my mind — revealing the varied injustice that a woman undergoes even within the safe confines of their homes while being surrounded by their loved ones. As I began understanding my characters, they told me their stories. The stories that never got the ears they deserved, stories that needed a voice, tales that demanded attention.

Throughout my writing of the book, I endeavoured to stay true to the story. I gave my best to portray each character in a light that justified their existence of these characters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write when I’m emotionally charged or inspired by something that occurred on one of my regular days.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen and To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf must have been the books that influenced me greatly when I even thought of actually writing a book someday.

What are you working on now?
I’m presently working on two novels. One of the two is about a personal topic whereas the other one is intended to be a political novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For me, the best method is to promote it on social media platforms and list it on sites like Awesome gang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read as much as you can and stay true to the story rather than falling prey to the embellishments and technicalities that look attractive but might take the life out of your central story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read like this is the end of the world and write like you are responsible for creating a world.

What are you reading now?
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publishing more books but traditionally now!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
God of Small Things, To the lighthouse, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility.

Author Websites and Profiles

Smita Talukdar Website

Smita Talukdar’s Social Media Links

Larry Bonorato Amazon Profile

Pinterest Account

Larry Bonorato

Interview With Author Larry Bonorato

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

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“WORK WITH ME NOT FOR ME” “Your Guide for Leadership & Team Building Skills to Generate the Exceptional Leader in You”
My mission is to share the most effective, long-term strategies and templates that have guided my success for 50+ years. The last 8-10 years it seems that quality people are promoted into leadership but not given the tools and training they need to succeed. This book was written to be a success guide for current and future leaders!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
1) My best writing times are 4am – 9am. No interruptions from spouse, phone, media, etc.
2) I write down all the general topics related to the subject, do the research, create an outline and/or mindmap to organize my work…then write without editing until I am finished.
3) I will read what I have written out loud to someone else to ensure that the thought or subject is clear in meaning and verbiage.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dale Carnegie, Jim Rohn, Dave Anderson, Dr. Charles Stanley, Grant Cardone, Jackie B. Cooper, Warren Greshes, Jeffrey Gitomer, Zig Ziglar, Frank Bettger, Mark Levin, Newt Gingrich, Ann Coulter, Donald Trump, and Rush Limbaugh.
Biographies and/or autobiographies on George Patton, Ronald Reagan, Ike Eisenhower, Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman, Conrad Hilton, Napoleon Bonaparte, Robert E. Lee, Douglas MacArthur, Etc.

What are you working on now?
1) Complete and release the AudioBook for WORK WITH ME NOT FOR ME
2) Translating WORK WITH ME NOT FOR ME into Spanish for release later this year

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use my email list for referrals, my launch team to jump start sales, social media sites Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, DealerElite, and any site that will promote my book at a reasonable cost.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1) Read your book or blog out loud with another person listening. If it doesn’t convey the message when you say it…it won’t when someone reads it.
2) Writing your book is hard. But even the best content is useless if no one finds and reads it. Promote the book everywhere like your success depends on it…because it does!
3) Don’t edit as you write. Editing as you write will break your train of thought and your concentration.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never stop learning…when you’re green you grow…when you’re ripe you rot!

What are you reading now?
FORMED by R. Kent Smith
HOLY BIBLE NIV version

What’s next for you as a writer?
1) Launching LarryonLearning training courses and blog
2) Forming a LarryonLearning Leadership Facebook group
3) My next book will be on Salesmanship…projected launch in Q1, 2023.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1) a survival guide suited for the adventure
2) the Bible
3) a great story like “HAWAII” by James Michener

Author Websites and Profiles

Larry Bonorato’s Social Media Links

Kalavathi Raj Amazon Profile

Pinterest Account

Kalavathi Raj

Interview With Author Kalavathi Raj

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello everyone. I am Kalavathi Raj. Born in Calcutta, I have had the privilege of traversing across the Indian landscape. Since my first book is a non-fiction project, as in a memoir, I am very aware of the fact that my story may stand the chance of being seen or remain invisible forever. I would still say that my story is unique to my journey of 30 tough years battling with my crazy parents, imaginary friends and getting into compromising situations in the office. Actually I am working on my second book already, which is a kind of sequel to ’30 YEARS IN THE SEARING SUN’.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Thanks to the omnipotent to get asked this very niche ‘celeb’ type question. My first book is a non-fiction novel. A romance memoir is what it is ultimately. The reason I wrote this book is to make women believe in their inner child and break free from repressive societies. I especially intend to get my story to reach women from conservative communities. Am I saying that being conservative is wrong? Absolutely not. My argument is that clothes do not determine a woman’s value. She wears them hence they have value. What I’m essentially saying is getting to a point of freedom is absolutely necessary for us. Freedom from being told what is acceptable and what is not, freedom to pursue your dreams and the freedom to think and decide for yourself.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Very interesting question. I actually haven’t really observed my writing process. So obviously this question is a bit too early for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Okay. Here we go. ‘THE PORTTRAIT OF A LADY’ by Henry James, ‘MILK AND HONEY’ by Rupi Kaur, ‘THE SOULFUL SEEKER’ by Punam Chadha Joseph are just a few to begin with. English Classic novels is what I really love referring to like ‘Anne of the green gables’.

What are you working on now?
I am writing a sequel to my memoir which is based on my unique struggles in marriage in my community, India.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be honest, every portal that offers access to writers like me to promote our books is great. I don’ rally have a favorite per say. But I’d recommend AMAZON to anybody who is out there wanting to reach out their book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To new authors, I’d say nothing. According to me, the decision to sit down and write in the first place comes from a rare place within us that encourages us to explore the unknown. I’d like to imagine authors as new sailors who would venture into the sea back in the day. They had no sure path or plan, as they anchored where they found it good. I think we authors are pretty much the same. Its the act of incredible bravery to explore new territory with writing a new book to see what it tells about us as individuals. Vow! That’s great!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Look no further, just keep moving.

What are you reading now?
‘A RADICAL AWAKENING’ by Dr. Shefali.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Poetry is one of my skills I wanna explore. I really want to see what the process will do to me as a creative person.

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?
‘A RADICAL AWAKENING’ by Dr. Shefali, a FEW good old english classic novels. Something written by female writers at least.

Author Websites and Profiles

Robert Bordas

Interview With Author Robert Bordas

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Just retired businessman now full time pursuing his dream of younger years: writing. I published a non-fiction book in 2012 about my experience as a corporate manager (Corporate Mission Possible) and in August 2022 I’ll publish my debut (historical) novel (The Hand We Are Dealt).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘The Hand We Are Dealt’ is a WW2 era historical novel about a woman of courage. It is based on my own mother’s memoirs and reminds us all those who have lost their identity, homeland, language or more due to the war eighty years ago, or the war happening in front of our own eyes, today.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to work early in the morning when my mind is fresh. I also systematically plan my story, make a detailed outline and then try to follow it – however, the story and the characters sometimes start to live their own life.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ken Follet’s and Edward Rutherfurd’s historical novels, Jodi Picoult’s books, and of course the classics, from Dickens to Twain and Balzac to Steinback.

What are you working on now?
This year I started a three-book novel series that follows the fate of European immigrants to the US in the late 19th century, connected to my own genealogical research.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Featured book promotions on well known book sites, like Awesome Gang and regular promotion from my own FB, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write for the joy of writing. Readers will find you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up.

What are you reading now?
Jodi Picoult: A spark of light

What’s next for you as a writer?
Improving my writing skills through learning and writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
James Clavell: Noble House (long enough for a long time pleasure)
Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe (trivial reason)
My new novel in work in progress (so that I can work on it)

Author Websites and Profiles

Robert Bordas Website

Robert Bordas Amazon Profile

Robert Bordas’s Social Media Links

Laura Knapke Amazon Profile

Laura Knapke

Interview With Author Laura Knapke

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Indianapolis, Indiana, with my husband, a Shih Tzu-Pomeranian mix dog named Chumly, a cat named Missy the Menace, and a brand new kitten, named Chloe. We have 6 kids and 14 grandkids. I have been writing from age 12. I write horror and erotica romance, and sometimes non-fiction. I draw inspiration for my stories from everyday life, the past, news, movies and music, and from my twisted since of humor. My latest book is Crossing The Dark Side 9 Twisted Tales. It is a compilation of 9 twisted stories that will sendmchills down your spine.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Crossing The Dark Side 9 Twisted Tales. I have always been a fan of horror. I love to write twisted tales that usually have a surprise in the end.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write with music playing. The music I listen too depends on what I am writing at the moment.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King

What are you working on now?
I have an erotic romance, Dominating Kayla, that will be coming out very soon. It will be a series of 6 stand alone books. I am also working on a paranormal horror. I’m hoping it will be out in mid August.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being an author is a hard road to travel. Keep writing, publishing, and promoting… don’t give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up on your dreams.

What are you reading now?
Finishing School, an erotic adventure, by Arabella Maghri

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to continue writing and publishing my books.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible and any of Stephen Kings books.

Author Websites and Profiles

Laura Knapke Website

Laura Knapke’s Social Media Links

Alvin Hayes

Interview With Author Alvin Hayes

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired sales and marketing executive who enjoys
the challenge of writing Historical Fiction novels about the
African American “while-black” experience.
I have self published two novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “If The Elders Call.”
I wanted to tell a story about the whileBlack
experience beginning on the plantation because
that’s where most African Americans started. But it is not a book about slavery. It’s a story about heroes, villain’s and heroines.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a story in mind and simply start it and it kind of just flows. I don’t know if its unusual but it works for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Walter Mosley

What are you working on now?
The third novel in the whileBlack Series is about the
next generation of the same family and their pursuit of a better life in the North.
The story of the great migration when 6 million African
Americans left the South. But before my family can leave
New Orleans they have to overcome some situations they were not expecting,

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Networking and handing out business cards. Promoting books is hard. Try different methods and see which works best for you.What are you reading now?
The Warmth of Other Suns

Author Websites and Profiles

Alvin Hayes Website

Alvin Hayes Amazon Profile

Patrick McNulty

Interview With Author Patrick McNulty

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Patrick McNulty was born in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada. He married his high school sweetheart straight out of high school and then went on to university where he studied Neuroscience. After finding that he would rather write about strange behaviours of the brain than study them he left Ontario for British Columbia where he studied screenwriting and ended up working with the production company called the Zanuck Co.on an original screenplay he wrote called Dark Season. In the end Dark Season was not filmed so McNulty turned that screenplay into his first novel, Sleepers Awake.
After leaving British Columbia, McNulty joined the Canadian Armed Forces where he was trained as a medical technician and was stationed in Petawawa, Ontario. Currently he is a police officer in Ontario living with his high school sweetheart, their three beautiful children and their dog, Charlie.
I’ve written 11 books in total.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of the latest book is called FOLLOW THE DEVIL and the story comes from a screenplay that I was working on. I always enjoyed stories that were claustrophobic and set in remote places so I tried to recreate that with a story set in the Wyoming mountains during a deadly blizzard and only a few characters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I used to write in notebooks and I still find them kicking around the house, and sometimes I dig one out and see what I can mine from me ten or twenty years ago, but now I mostly write on my phone. The screen is big enough that I don’t have to squint and I carry it with me all the time – so when an idea strikes, I’m ready.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Beyond a doubt authors such as Blake Banner, Lee Child, John Connolly (the Charlie Parker series) and Mike McCrary (the REMO COBB SERIES) They all really opened my eyes as to what a novel could be. Fast and brutal and exciting on the page.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m finishing the second book in the Danny Devlin series. FOLLOW THE DEVIL is book one and RATTLER ROAD is book 2. It follows Danny as he makes his way to a town where everything is not what it seems.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve written screenplays for a long time and was lucky enough to have my manager promote me and my work, but now I’m learning as I go. So far promotional websites like AWESOME GANG and the like have driven new readers to my books so right now I would say those work the best.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
For new writers my advice would be to keep writing and reading. I know it’s boring, but it’s true. You only get better by doing and that means writing everyday and reading those writers who have been doing it longer. I learn new things everyday from rending the greats and then I use those methods and tips to make my writing better.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard was allow yourself to suck. Don’t wait to craft the perfect sentence or the best comeback. Just write. Get the words down on the page and come back later and do a polish. You can’t edit a blank page. Just do it and get it done – you will usually surprise yourself.

What are you reading now?
I like to read several books at a time so right now I’m reading: Mark Dawson – NINE DRAGONS and Mike McCrary’s – SOMEONE SAVAGE

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, right now I’m writing the Danny Devlin series. The next book after RATTLER ROAD which comes out in August, is BLOOD DEBT which is scheduled to be released in September.

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 THIEF OF ALWAYS – CLIVE BARKER
THE REMO COBB SERIES – MIKE MCRARY
HEART SHAPED BOX – JOE HILL
THE CHARLIE PARKER SERIES – JOHN CONNOLLY

Author Websites and Profiles

Patrick McNulty Website

Patrick McNulty Amazon Profile

Patrick McNulty’s Social Media Links

Emma Smith Amazon Profile

Emma Smith

Interview With Author Emma Smith

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written seven books (I’m eighteen now) of novel-length, but I’ve only published one! I’ve been writing my whole life, but have been seriously writing for the last two or three years.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My debut is called ‘Guided’ and is inspired by my time in school. I’m passionate about ending bullying and the pressure to fit in, so decided it was important to include this in my book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can only write in the morning! I physically can’t seem to write after lunch, most days.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love British young adult fiction, but growing up, authors like Jacqueline Wilson had a huge impact on me and my writing.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a few other books and short stories, and will hopefully self-publish again over the next year!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Probably Facebook so far!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up on your dreams!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Probably to just keep going, no matter what. You have nothing to lose!

What are you reading now?
Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier

What’s next for you as a writer?
Oooo, probably to continue promotion and write more!

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?
Anything by Cat Clarke or Sara Barnard

Author Websites and Profiles

Emma Smith Website

Emma Smith’s Social Media Links

John Barnes Amazon Profile

John Barnes

Interview With Author John Barnes

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is John Barnes. While I’ve written many things–websites, brochures, ads, etc–this is the first book I’ve written.

It’s called THE END. It was a concept I thought of during high school in the Midwest.

The love of my life is my wife Allison and we live in Las Vegas. We have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. I enjoys the outdoors, sports, art and travel–especially football and paddle boarding (but not at the same time).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called THE END. I’ve wanted to write it since high school. The inspiration behind it was a combination of things.

First, I wanted a story that would be entertaining and real. While it’s fiction, it could very easily be non-fiction.

Second and most important was the messages it would deliver. THE END encourages people to be kind to everyone, regardless of differences. It invites people to step out of their comfort zone and do things for people in need. It is very focused on becoming a better person. Many readers have told me it has made them rethink their life and how they can improve on it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Funny question. But I think the most unusual habit I have is that I would write 1 day a week.
I would think about elements of my story all week, and then write them on Sunday afternoons. That gave me time to play out different scenarios in my mind all week and see where those plot elements would take the story. After thinking about it all week, it became easier to write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the John Grisham stories. I love that the suspense sucks me into the story.

What are you working on now?
In addition to promoting THE END and doing a number of book signings, Allison and I are working on a YouTube channel called Paddleboard Places with Allison & John. We love paddle boarding together, so we started this channel to give other people ideas on where to go.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m too early into the process to make a decision on that yet. My book started shipping late June. There are a lot of websites with different services and promotional methods. Ask again in 6 months…

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stay with it. There are a lot of distractions out there that keep you from writing. I’d suggest writing even when you don’t feel like it. Then you can go back later and edit it.

Also, I’d have a lot of people read your manuscript before you publish it. I had 8 – 10 friends read it and then hired a professional editor too. Even with all that, I found a spelling error last week. :(.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My dad used to say “the only person who doesn’t have an excuse is the one who got the job done.” He taught me to work and stay with it. He taught me to never give up. Don’t quit. Keep going. Believe in yourself!

What are you reading now?
Honestly, I’ve been reading the Old Testament right now. I’m not looking there for my next idea, but rather to learn about those people and activities from long ago. It’s also interesting to see how they wrote back then–very different from today.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I feel very strongly that THE END is a message for the masses. So what’s next for me is to promote this book throughout the country to deliver its message to as many people as I can through book signings, social media, publicity and more.

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?
First would be the Bible. That’s a must.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
And then whatever the latest adventure novel is at the time.

Author Websites and Profiles

John Barnes Website

John Barnes’s Social Media Links

Chris Smith Amazon Profile

Chris Smith

Interview With Author Chris Smith

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an author of 12 western novels and one fantasy adventure. Book 14 is on the way and I’m hoping to write a book per month for the foreseeable future.

I grew up reading the amazing stories of Louis L’Amour, Agatha Christie, Dick Francis, and Robert Ludlum, and always wanted to write my own stories. In my spare time I fish, hunt, swim at the beach, and barbecue with friends and family. I love connecting with fans on social media and my writing goal is to break into the Top 100 on Amazon and stay there.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Steve Savage, Bounty Hunter: Bounty in Brimstone.

It’s book 6 in the Steve Savage, Bounty Hunter series and I was inspired by recently watching Oceans 13 again. I love a good heist movie and wanted to challenge my characters by putting them up against a gang of smart, but ruthless bank robbers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to act out the scenes sometimes, especially fight scenes where there’s hand-to-hand combat.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert Ludlum, Agatha Christie, Lee Child, Robert Ludlum.

I try to pack a lot of action into my books along with a good plot and a bit of humor and mystery. Every now and then I throw in a plot twist or a bit of mystery to keep things interesting.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently busy with Jim Taylor, Mountain Man: Escape to the Mountain. It’s book 5 in the Jim Taylor series and a crossover between my Jim Taylor, Mountain Man and Steve Savage, Bounty Hunter series.

Jim meets up with a young man who is on the run after falling afoul of an arrogant young rancher and his friends. Soon Jim and the youngster are trapped in the mountains, fighting against both the harsh elements and the vengeful ranch hands. Steve, who is Jim’s cousin, hears of their plight and come riding along to lend a hand, along with his friends Chen Lee and Xavier Colebright

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think that the best way to promote my books is via social media. I have a lot of support from folks on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook and they’re kind enough to share my posts out and recommend me to their networks.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get as many different kinds of people as possible to edit your book for you WHILE you’re writing. I have my chapters edited for me by 4 different readers as they chapter is finished.

That way I eliminate plot errors and continuity issues. It also allows me to publish faster upon completion as a lot of errors have been eliminated.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up. Not everybody is going to like your work so don’t try to please everyone. Write a book that you would enjoy reading. Some will love it, a few might hate it, but focus on the many positive reviews and don’t dwell on the two or three negative comments. At the end of the day, celebrate that you’ve managed to write an entire book. Not everybody can do that.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading The Tenderfoot, by Robert Vaughan. I had a reader write to me and compare my book to The Tenderfoot, so I just had to get myself a copy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve set myself a goal of writing a book of between 35 000 and 43 000 words each month for the foreseeable future. It’s tough, but doable.

I also have a dream of seeing my movies on screen as a movie franchise or tv series.

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 Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
The Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling
The Dwarves by Markus Heitz
The Bible because there’s always something new to read there

Author Websites and Profiles

Chris Smith’s Social Media Links