Tell us about yourself.:
In 8th grade, I started a myspace-official religion (thank you to our 121 dedicated followers). I picked up trombone after my ska/punk band broke-up in high school. Florida sucked me back in and I became depressed after blowing-out my knee on a 52-day backpacking trip in Colorado because I thought I blew my only chance at realizing my dream by just trying to chase after it. Someone planted the idea in my head to pick-up skydiving as a hobby in college. 8 years later, I jumped out of an airplane solo after watching a man break his leg on landing right before it was my turn to fly. I’m terrible at cooking. After 3 & 1/2 years as a wilderness therapy field guide, my roommate and I woke up one morning and decided to start a high-end catering company. Life is good & I’m satisfied with myself.

All that aside, I like tea. I’m a homebody and a space/tech nerd. I’m becoming increasingly attracted to Daoism. I’m working on letting go of fixed plans and surrendering to the current of life. For the rest and whatnot in between, you’ll have to check out the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My journals are open and public. I write in them the same as anyone else would, except I invite and encourage family, friends and strangers to write in them as well. I enjoy capturing life’s raw moments and I see life as a collaboration of relationships, not an individually-informed perspective.

I often write and work on writing projects for days at a time. Eating, drinking, and sleeping very little. It’s somewhat manic, but its a choice and I enjoy it.

For “Collateral Intentions,” I spent a year transcribing 10 journals’-worth of poetry, letters, wrinkled cocktail napkins in a shoebox, milestone journal entries, and phone notes to a google doc (don’t do that), then transferred it over to Mac Pages (don’t do that either), then submitted my eBook to Amazon late (definitely don’t do that), and wrestled with a DOCX for over a year until I finally gave up on the last 5 errors in the printed version.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It took me just as long or longer to self-publish. I didn’t think I’d be good enough and didn’t have the patience to find the publisher that was looking for my book and submit it. Self-publishing does come with this cool DIY badge of honor, but I plan to find a legitimized press I’m excited to partner with for my future projects.

They have all the resources, they know the biz. While you still have to do most (or all) of the work, I imagine it would be a hell of a lot easier to have that publishing team to call when you’re looking for some help. In fact, I’m still hoping to find a legit publisher for “Collateral Intentions”.

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Constantine Dhonau

Tell us about yourself.:
I am a writer, digital marketeer and transformational leader who recently completed a circle of lessons around artificial intelligence. My first book back in 2004 was entitled “Mathematical Models”. I have been thinking of literature since I existed in the army. I still remember the first script I wrote back then and I would feel delightful to bring it to life at its original dimensions, perhaps it can work as a screenplay! I am passionate with books and my library, reading all sorts of things. I have self-published 2 projects, a romantic drama entitled ‘The Words of Emily Logan’ and a fairytale fantasy entitled ‘When Magic Truly Happens’. The Words of Emily Logan is a screenplay. I have also completed the first draft of a second screenplay entitled ‘Krista’s Instinct’. Though I believe I can have lots of alter egos in art, I also believe in homogenizing all these multiple identities including my education in one, that is the belief in the world of letters.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in a city of Athens, Byron, in Greece. If it is to search deep in my childhood to answer this question, I would say that our country is our childhood years. Nevertheless, here I will put emphasis on the family and private school aspects. As a result of both of my parents working, I spent a lot of time with my grandmothers and aunts. Exciting years that I still remember very often nowadays, full of love, adventures, protection and religious experiences. In terms of my parents the atmosphere and love were partly the same. There was joy, safety, plenty of excursions and wonderful Christmas experiences at home and in hotel occasions where I still remember the discussions with Santa Clauses. At home, my dad used to ring the bell at the balcony when the gifts were under the tree to make me believe Santa Claus came for Christmas. The beloved atmosphere was accompanied with the fact that during my first 6 years at school, I had been given the role of one of the best students that is actually one of the main themes of this question’s answer. The themes of love, Christmas, school performance, religious messages and feeling powerful as a child are present in both of my published books. Having been given the role of the best and getting accustomed to different data have been motifs for both of my books where the characters not only achieve goals while children and teens, but prove the difference that growing up in the real world outside the home experiences requires resilience and durability when they actually realize how tough the world is and that they may not be always the best. Where data start to differ… Conclusively all the above elements took me 42 years to even dare to reimagine but have been present in my writing in terms of portraying the beautiful side of the world and not themes that may be dark, metaphysical, purifying and often revolutionary!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Things that you own end up owning you… As a web creator dealing with time management, I should focus on being less intellectual and more kinesthetic, meaning to deal with the entire, social, organic sense of being a writer, acting or even better predicting and not just trying to understand everything before by studying it…

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in a city of Athens, Byron, in Greece. If it is to search deep in my childhood to answer this question, I would say that our country is our childhood years. Nevertheless, here I will put emphasis on the family and private school aspects. As a result of both of my parents working, I spent a lot of time with my grandmothers and aunts. Exciting years that I still remember very often nowadays, full of love, adventures, protection and religious experiences. In terms of my parents the atmosphere and love were partly the same. There was joy, safety, plenty of excursions and wonderful Christmas experiences at home and in hotel occasions where I still remember the discussions with Santa Clauses. At home, my dad used to ring the bell at the balcony when the gifts were under the tree to make me believe Santa Claus came for Christmas. The beloved atmosphere was accompanied with the fact that during my first 6 years at school, I had been given the role of one of the best students that is actually one of the main themes of this question’s answer. The themes of love, Christmas, school performance, religious messages and feeling powerful as a child are present in both of my published books. Having been given the role of the best and getting accustomed to different data have been motifs for both of my books where the characters not only achieve goals while children and teens, but prove the difference that growing up in the real world outside the home experiences requires resilience and durability when they actually realize how tough the world is and that they may not be always the best. Where data start to differ… Conclusively all the above elements took me 42 years to even dare to reimagine but have been present in my writing in terms of portraying the beautiful side of the world and not themes that may be dark, metaphysical, purifying and often revolutionary!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I can drill this advice from what I am doing this period. The case, my artistic debut, my first project in other words, has been submitted to the best Hollywood office, to provide script coverage and foresee in the long run its movie potential… The advice, if you writers believe that creative success comes without hard work, without torturous advices and plenty of sweat, pressure, notes, tones and lots of transformations, you are completely mistaken, even if we’re talking about the first or your sixth work. Writing is all about rewriting!

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Menelaos Gkikas

Tell us about yourself.:
I am a K-8 teacher with a passion for special education. One of my greatest joys is helping every child recognize their own abilities.
Though currently working on my second master’s degree, with a focus on middle school social studies, my primary focus continues to be my three daughters: Abigail, Anna, and Charlotte.
Abigail is 2 and my twins, Anna and Charlotte, are 1. As a mom of 3 under 3 life can definitely get chaotic. To all the parents out there, you're superheroes!

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in Colorado just outside of Denver. I love Colorado and although it's getting a bit crowded I'm not sure I'd want to live anywhere else. The mountains have certainly influenced my writing and the type of characters I write about. In the mountains you can find peace, adventure, and magnificent beauty. I am also blessed to live around the majority of my family, another theme that often shows up in my writing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I honestly don't have any writing habits. My writing tends to be sporadic and I'll whip out an entire children's book in one sitting. If it comes to me then I write it. In fact, I wrote one children's book on a break from work while I was watching my oldest daughter play with some toys.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in Colorado just outside of Denver. I love Colorado and although it's getting a bit crowded I'm not sure I'd want to live anywhere else. The mountains have certainly influenced my writing and the type of characters I write about. In the mountains you can find peace, adventure, and magnificent beauty. I am also blessed to live around the majority of my family, another theme that often shows up in my writing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have fun and don't stress too much. Writing and publishing is a learning process. Don't be afraid to ask questions and grow. You'll make mistakes but you'll also have a lot of wins. Celebrate those wins!

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Allison Romero

Tell us about yourself.:
Hello dear readers! :3 My name is Ririchi [リリ血]. I am an Asian lady in her late 20s who lives in USA. My favorite animals are cats. I love the colors green, black and red. My zodiac sign is Capricorn. In my daily life, I suffer from several medical conditions and I have physical disabilities. Nonetheless, I try my best to live a good life and do enjoyable things. c: As for my interests, I am a huge nerd who loves anime, manga, and video games! I also love to cook, sew, and do arts & craft projects. I am a henna artist too. Furthermore, I have a passion for astrology, divination, occultism, and spiritualism.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in Florida. My writing was mainly influenced by my upbringing, which was a very poor and abusive household. I often wrote stories to escape the painful reality and deal with stressful situation caused by my abusive father.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can't type without typing my hair in a bun. I get super distracted! xD

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in Florida. My writing was mainly influenced by my upbringing, which was a very poor and abusive household. I often wrote stories to escape the painful reality and deal with stressful situation caused by my abusive father.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Studying grammar, punctuation, and basic English language and hire an editor or BECOME an editor before publishing books. Nothing is worse than a book that is unreadable.

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Riri Sensei

Tell us about yourself.:
Shawna James is an award-winning author & writer. Her debut novel “Despite the Devil,” released in November of 2020, as part of her “They Loved Collection” book series. Shawna has received 5-Star awarded book reviews, including Readers Favorite, and is a winner of the Canada Book Awards, as she quickly began gaining reader fans from around the world.

Shawna has book two of this series as a special pre-order price, titled “As It Should Be,” which releases July 2021 for all her reader fans on Amazon Kindle, Kobo, iBooks. Both books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and many fine online bookstores.

James, a Canadian Author, earned her Masters degree in Education and works as a university instructor, fueling the bright minds of her students. When she is not writing in her favorite coffee shop or instructing, she enjoys the great outdoors and loves hiking with her puppies. Shawna also travels abroad, is an avid reader, and enjoys watching her favorite football games on Sunday afternoons. She continues to reside in the Vancouver, Canada, area.

The Author welcomes readers, publishers, and agents to visit her Official Author Website for her author news, updates, new releases and is open to interviews at https://ShawnaJames.com.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
Growing up in Canada has influenced both novels in the 'They Loved Collection' as the setting of each 'Despite the Devil' and 'As It Should Be' is primarily in Canada.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Coffee and apples fuel my writing hours.

What authors have influenced you?
Growing up in Canada has influenced both novels in the 'They Loved Collection' as the setting of each 'Despite the Devil' and 'As It Should Be' is primarily in Canada.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love … and, keep the readers' attention.

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Shawna James

Tell us about yourself.:
I am a Best Selling Author, Blogger, and Entrepreneur. I have written 9 books that have landed on 21 different Amazon Best Seller lists on the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
I have 43K followers across all my social media pages and have attended 31 book signings and 4 Book Tours. My events have been promoted in various newspapers, newsletters and magazines
including The Florida Times-Union, The Orlando Weekly, live interviews on podcasts and radio and local literary magazines. I love being a Full-Time Author and pursuing this crazy dream!

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in Virginia and there was a total of 4 kids (I am the second oldest). There was always craziness in the house with our 2 dogs, our very loud parrot and various birds and hamsters. Even as a kid, I loved reading and my favorite book series was "Animorphs" by K.A. Applegate. I excelled in my English classes and would even help my siblings with their reading homework. I started a journal when I was 9-years old and I never stopped writing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always write my fiction stories from a first-person narrative. I took theater classes in high school and really learned how to "fully become the character" I was playing on the stage. So, now I fully embrace the main character on the pages.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in Virginia and there was a total of 4 kids (I am the second oldest). There was always craziness in the house with our 2 dogs, our very loud parrot and various birds and hamsters. Even as a kid, I loved reading and my favorite book series was "Animorphs" by K.A. Applegate. I excelled in my English classes and would even help my siblings with their reading homework. I started a journal when I was 9-years old and I never stopped writing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am an Author Representative to my current publisher, RWG Publishing, so I talk to aspiring authors all the time about the literary industry. The advice I give most often is…to have realistic expectations. The first book you write may not get you fame, money or notoriety. But keep writing. You are a no-name author and you may not make a lot of sales for a while. But keep writing. You may be discouraged with the process and even the bad reviews written about your books. But if you love what you do, and if it's worth it to you…then keep writing!

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Sunshine Rodgers

Tell us about yourself.:
I am a retired pharmacist having practiced for 42 years. Graduated from the University of Texas College of Pharmacy in Austin, TX. My wife and I have served as short missionaries to Thailand and Columbia, and I taught Bible lessons in the Tom Green County Jail for two years. We have traveled to London, France, and Tokyo, Japan as well as numerous states in the US.
I grew up in Texas, but my wife and our family moved to Virginia in 1994 and lived there for sixteen years before returning to Texas.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in Corpus Christi, TX, and spent summers in Luling, TX with my grandparents. I learned to hunt and fish from my dad and granddad. Spending time in the out of doors provided me with a memory of the landscapes of TX, especially San Antonio and Austin, which I include in my books. Hearing stories about the Alamo and Texas Rangers provided me with images of heroes and justice.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
This doesn't seem unusual to me, but I write in a flow until that dries up. I come back later to edit and rewrite everything if necessary.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in Corpus Christi, TX, and spent summers in Luling, TX with my grandparents. I learned to hunt and fish from my dad and granddad. Spending time in the out of doors provided me with a memory of the landscapes of TX, especially San Antonio and Austin, which I include in my books. Hearing stories about the Alamo and Texas Rangers provided me with images of heroes and justice.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you can write, then read it as if you didn't write it. Be honest about your opinion about it. Don't listen to opinions about what you write, such as, "Don't write what you know."

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Ron Clark

Tell us about yourself.:
I’m Dr. Stuart Knott, a PhD graduate from the United Kingdom. I’m 35, a lifelong fan of horror, comic books, and videogames, and currently live in Bedfordshire.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in a small village in Northamptonshire where nothing much of anything happened. This actually did influence me a bit as I came to want to inject some extraordinary or horrific elements into normal, everyday life just to kind of spice things up a bit.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not especially, though I do keep a spreadsheet of all my characters, locations, and stories so I know exactly how and when they all take place. Generally, I start with the germ of an idea and then develop it into an outline and a series of character breakdowns before plotting out each chapter and the vague idea of where the story will go before letting the writing guide me. I like to emphasis realistic dialogue and a decent amount of descriptions, as well as keeping things as logical and grounded as possible.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in a small village in Northamptonshire where nothing much of anything happened. This actually did influence me a bit as I came to want to inject some extraordinary or horrific elements into normal, everyday life just to kind of spice things up a bit.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be prepared. Work hard. Have thick skin. Nothing’s beyond you if you try hard enough. If you don’t get responses to your enquiries or submissions, don’t be discouraged; keep trying or go into self-publishing. Most of all, do the work. Even if you’re having a bad day, write something down anyway and see what you can work with when you’re feeling more motivated. Oh, and make sure you’re supporting and willing to communicate with others.

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Dr. Stuart Knott

Tell us about yourself.:
Hey there, I'm Amy! A Brazilian born and Irish-based author of feminist Romance! I love all romance tropes of subgenres, but new adult enemies to lovers are definitely my jam!

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in a small town in Brazil before moving to Ireland.
Having a diverse background drives me to write about diverse characters. People who are in my life, who I would see every day.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure if unusual, but I always buy a different notebook when I start plotting. And my small-town series is named after a bus stop close to my husband's childhood home, so every book was dedicated to him.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in a small town in Brazil before moving to Ireland.
Having a diverse background drives me to write about diverse characters. People who are in my life, who I would see every day.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write every day day and keep focus.

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Amy Oliveira

Tell us about yourself.:
was born in São Paulo, Brazil. I had a nice childhood, surrounded by toys and the affection that every child needs. As a teenager I had my fun, but I've always been a fan of the motto, "health and judgment." I've also always liked to write. …
• I also always loved it as a child scribbling drawings and later in my teens I started painting some paintings and even recorded a new character in comics that I have kept.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I am a traditional Paulistano born in Grajaú, an eclectic neighborhood that I am very proud of, a very lively and fun neighborhood. It used to be more wood and mud, but it still has a lot of nature and wood and I hope it stays that way, as well as a beautiful reservoir, and I hope it stays that way because it's still a neighborhood where you wake up with butterflies, birds singing and at night a nice cold breeze. Here is very wooded.
Now in my family reading has also always been a habit. I started reading Paul Sandroni's First Steps Collection with 10 years, What is Recession, What is Capitalism, What is Anarchy, cookbook.
I always liked to scribble, when child at 8 years after writing, drawing and we live in one of the most cultured cities is Brazil then read and a duty. I studied in the fifth series of a college called Albert Einstein and there had a legal book called Redacao, school: analysis, synthesis and extrapolation of Elias Joseph and Illustrated Grammar of Hildebrando A.De André.A fun book illustrated to learn the Portuguese Linguisty.I read The Little Prince of Saint Exuperi.A somewhat puzzling book but that must have its meaning there as well as mine.
My writing really began when, in search of something new, I saw the following ad, which was very common back in the 90.
Penclub,
Hello!
These are the addresses of your new friends.
If you want to receive one more letter with a new friend's addresses, send a letter to the club's address. All your information is kept in a computer until 31.12.1994, which is why you could receive the letters from other boys and girls. If you don't want to participate in this club, please send this letter back, so that another person can join in and nobody will be disappointed. So get at it and get those postcards moving…thanks…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I used to carry paper and pen and on the street and at home always had a visible one and on the bed head. As soon as I came up with an idea not to lose I would write it down. Now a lot of running I already put on paper I don't do much.

What authors have influenced you?
I am a traditional Paulistano born in Grajaú, an eclectic neighborhood that I am very proud of, a very lively and fun neighborhood. It used to be more wood and mud, but it still has a lot of nature and wood and I hope it stays that way, as well as a beautiful reservoir, and I hope it stays that way because it's still a neighborhood where you wake up with butterflies, birds singing and at night a nice cold breeze. Here is very wooded.
Now in my family reading has also always been a habit. I started reading Paul Sandroni's First Steps Collection with 10 years, What is Recession, What is Capitalism, What is Anarchy, cookbook.
I always liked to scribble, when child at 8 years after writing, drawing and we live in one of the most cultured cities is Brazil then read and a duty. I studied in the fifth series of a college called Albert Einstein and there had a legal book called Redacao, school: analysis, synthesis and extrapolation of Elias Joseph and Illustrated Grammar of Hildebrando A.De André.A fun book illustrated to learn the Portuguese Linguisty.I read The Little Prince of Saint Exuperi.A somewhat puzzling book but that must have its meaning there as well as mine.
My writing really began when, in search of something new, I saw the following ad, which was very common back in the 90.
Penclub,
Hello!
These are the addresses of your new friends.
If you want to receive one more letter with a new friend's addresses, send a letter to the club's address. All your information is kept in a computer until 31.12.1994, which is why you could receive the letters from other boys and girls. If you don't want to participate in this club, please send this letter back, so that another person can join in and nobody will be disappointed. So get at it and get those postcards moving…thanks…

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To put the heart in what does, above all to read very much because sight chick does not manage to have been will not read very mainly newspapers articles on history, politics, geography, arts, music, finally absolutely everything. Oh you do a bunch of what interests him and the rest you discard and up to hearing a shepherd preaching in the church are worth because there they say many truths. More or less equal it happens in the school.
In all the environments it is so that it works. Not to think in cash that this if it will come is a consequence, I do not live on that, but yes recognition there has no price. The inspiration can come across so much from the joys like disappointments, and never forget of and load paper and pen that the people write down the things is in the ancient way that in it is not lost it is not even put out. In paper and pen does not happen any Big of the millennium. It is forever.

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Louis Maurice Young

Tell us about yourself.:
I am a divorce attorney and coach. I have a healthy appreciation for designer clothes, sports cars, and a good bourbon.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in a small marina town called Winthrop Harbor, Illinois. My family owned businesses and I acquired a strong work ethic at an early age. I believe growing up in a public setting and conversing with people many years my senior made me more of a free-thinker and comfortable expressing myself.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not particularly other than I generally write when most people are asleep. I am most alert and creative after midnight.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in a small marina town called Winthrop Harbor, Illinois. My family owned businesses and I acquired a strong work ethic at an early age. I believe growing up in a public setting and conversing with people many years my senior made me more of a free-thinker and comfortable expressing myself.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Wait.. Now you are making me contradict myself. My advice would be.. don't rush the process. Take the time to develop a work that you are proud of. It is tempting to want to make your book public as soon as possible, but you are best served by enlisting professionals to help you along the way. Quality takes time.

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Marie Sarantakis