Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have always loved story telling and aspired to be an author in high school. Unfortunately I listened to the naysayers around me that convinced me it was a far fetched ambition and I chose to study accounting instead leaving my creative outlet solely resting on running table top games for my friends. My teen daughter, Emma, called me out after I gave her a speech one night about following her dreams and doing what made her happy. After that I self-published my first book in 2020. I just published my second full length novel and true to my word I am now chasing what makes me happy.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dirge of the Dead is my latest book and it is the second in the Baku series. I wrote the bulk of it during COVID lockdowns feeling the weight of the isolation. My main character, while coping with her actions in the first book, finds herself alone and isolated from her friends and allies as she attempts to pull off a resurrection.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure if it’s unusual, but I like to write to music. It has to be instrumental and I tend to choose the genre based on the scene I am working on. This leaves me jumping from Celtic to dark gothic instrumental pieces. Lyrics seem to distract my train of thought. I share what I am listening to while writing on my facebook page regularly.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My first favorite author was Dennis Mckiernan. I found his Eye of the Hunter book in my local library and it was my first foray into fantasy books. I was hooked instantly by the cover and the book did not disappoint me. I love R.A. Salvatore and I think he writes some of the best combat scenes of all the books I have read. I aspire for my combat scenes to be as fluid and vivid as his one day.
What are you working on now?
I am working on the next book in the Baku series with the working title Beyond the Mist. It will bring the first trilogy to a close. I have a few irons in the fire for when I finish the first trilogy, but am leaning heavily due to request from my readers of doing a prequel series based on the cannibal necromancer Oxivius Soulforge.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method I have found so far is word of mouth. Facebook and Amazon ads get clicks but nothing beats when some one truly enjoys what you have written and shares it with friends.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I have been following along many fan groups and even best selling authors have people that can’t stand their work. There is a whole world out there and you have an audience. You just need to find them.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
End each day by telling someone you love them.
What are you reading now?
I am reading the new R.A. Salvatore novel Starlight Enclave
What’s next for you as a writer?
Next? I would love to keep exploring more of the world I have created with the Baku 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?
I would take The Companions by R.A. Salvatore to remind me of the good times with my friends, I would take Dirge of the Dead to remind my of what I can accomplish, and I would take a survival book of some kind because without some help I wouldn’t make it on my own for more than a couple days.
Author Websites and Profiles
Reed Westgate Website
Reed Westgate Amazon Profile
Reed Westgate’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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