Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing stories since I was eight years old. I have thirty four completed novels but I never tried to get anything published. In spring of 2017 I had a near death experience and afterwards I decided if I was ever going to publish, now would be a good time to get started. I published my first, Murder in Venice, in the fall of 2018 and did well so I decided to try it again. Deja Vu came out almost a month, ago and I’ve been very pleased by the response to it, as well. I’m planning on publishing one a month for the next year in an attempt to build a brand for myself as a romantic suspense novelist. My third book, One Night in London will be out in January. All of these are available on Amazon.com
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is Deja Vu. It’s a romantic suspense novel. I’m not sure what inspires any of my books. I just get an idea and go with it.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No really, in regard to writing, but I have noticed that my characters seem to have a commonality….most are musicians….in one form of the other. Deja Vu is different in that it doesn’t have a musician in it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I loved Jacqueline Susann’s novels when I was younger. I like John Grisham, Nora Roberts, F.Scott Fitzgerald. Not sure any of them have influenced my style. But those are the ones I like to read.
What are you working on now?
Well, One Night in London is going to be out in January so I am working on the final details there. Plus, I’m working on a wonderful new story, a trilogy, regarding diamond mines and wine producers in South Africa. Eugenia Morrison(a musician with the New England Symphony) is called to Houston, Texas where her father, a world-famous conductor, has been savagely murdered. She returns from his funeral to a ransacked hotel room and she soon learns that her father may have been a famous conductor, but he had a lucrative side line as a diamond smuggler. As Eugenia, known as Genie to her friends, tries to unravel the mystery surrounded by her death, she encounters not one, not two, but three dazzlingly handsome men who each vy for her affections….but which one of them is actually more interested in what Daddy left behind than her.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now I’m using facebook, pinterest, and twitter. I haven’t done any large-scale paid promotions, yet. I was advised, since I have so many books, to get about half a dozen online before I start promoting. I’m beginning to question that, though.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Publish!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write, Publish, Repeat!
What are you reading now?
Everything I can get my hands on regarding Johannesburg which is the setting of my next book.
What’s next for you as a writer?
One Night in London publishes in January. And, I hope to have The Great Diamond Caper out sometime in February.
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 Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Norton’s Anthology of Poetry.
Author Websites and Profiles
RJ Simpson Amazon Profile
RJ Simpson’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account