Featured Interview With Tammy Ruggles

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I just finished my last book (Starsky and Hutch Next Gen), since I’m a newly retired writer, artist, and photographer. Spending my time now promoting the writing I’ve done and giving interviews when asked. I wrote fiction and non-fiction: Books, short stories, and articles, a lot of Kindle books in the YA and children’s and self-help genres.

I grew up both in the city and country, and like both.

I don’t have pets, but would like to.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing at about 12 or 13. I wrote short stories, passed them around in class, and my classmates told me to write more. I started writing angsty stories then, and continued to do so ever since.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Authors with a sparse, descriptive style, like Peter Benchley (Jaws), Harold Robbins (Goodbye, Janette), and Cormac McCarthy (The Road).

I like reading suspense or drama, but read more non-fiction to be honest.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
It’s a big what-if concept based on the TV show Starsky and Hutch.: What if the characters had sons that were detectives and worked cases too? What if they were brothers who shared the same mother but different dads? What would their cases and lives be like? What kind of life-and-death situations would they face?

The new detectives are Davis Starsky and Kent Hutchinson, and I approached the book as if it were a TV series with 8 episodes. They deal with some pretty intense subject matter, from school shootings, to dangerous cults, to drug addiction, to snuff films.

Davis and Kent are detectives, and their last names are Starsky and Hutch, but they aren’t copies of their fathers. They have their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and dreams.

Davis and Kent aren’t the only characters. They have a reluctant psychic/snitch friend named Mo who runs a gym and helps them out on cases. Then there is Huggy Bear Brown’s daughter, Tasha, who grew up with the brothers and is now an RN. Then there is Lucky, their hooker/snitch friend trying to get off the streets.

Since this is a transformative work under the fair use concept, and has been created without the approval of the rights holders, the original characters of Starsky and Hutch aren’t mentioned in this book and don’t appear anywhere in the stories.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Tammy Ruggles’s Website

Featured Interview With Dan Henk

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Dan’s early career included a year and a half stint drawing political cartoons for Madcap Magazine and illustrating underground projects such as Maximum Rock and Roll. In 1997, after struggling through a violent car crash and a knife fight with a crackhead that severed the tendon on his left thumb, he attended art school. Receiving some commercial and local gallery acclaim for his artwork, he moved to New York City in an attempt to kick start an art career. Heavily immersing himself in the local hardcore scene, he produced artwork for the bands Shai Hulud, Indecision, Coalesce, Locked in a Vacancy, Beyond Reason, Zombie Apocalypse , not to mention various local record labels and venues.

In 2000, he started tattooing, initially working on many musician friends. A year later, in September 2001, he was stricken with brain cancer and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Three months after the surgery, he married fellow tattoo artist Monica Castillo.

After a brief trip down south, that included owning a short lived tattoo shop with the infamous Joe Truck , in a venture that ended in disaster, he returned to Manhattan. His work started appearing in both a growing number of tattoo magazines and more fine art influenced outlets such as Aphrodesia, and The Tarot Project. Tattoo related books such as No Regrets: The Best, Worst, & Most #$%*ing Ridiculous Tattoos Ever and Inside the Tattoo Circus: A Journey Through the Modern World of Tattoos also took notice and included features.

Tragedy struck again in 2007, as his wife of 6 years, Monica Henk, was killed in a motorcycle accident by a hit and run driver. Despite extensive coverage in the local media and vigorous campaigns by both the tattoo and motorcycle community, the culprit was never found.

Sick of New York, he moved to Austin, Texas for three years, and started doing a regular comic strip entitled “Rollo & Me” for Tattoo Artist Magazine. Illustrations for Black Static Magazine, and This is Horror followed suit.

His first novel, The Black Seas of Infinity, was published by Anarchy Books in 2011, and he started an illustrated calendar featuring a variety of artists. A limited edition chapbook entitled “Christmas Is Cancelled” came out courtesy of Splatterpunk in 2013. In 2014 he started columns for Tattoo Revue and Skin Art magazines. That lasted 3 years. A reissue of his debut novel was put out by Permuted Press in April 2015. A collection of his short stories entitled “Down Highways In The Dark…By Demons Driven” was released by the same publisher in August. He continued his work for independent magazines, doing art for Red Door Magazine, The Horror Zine, Litro Magazine, a slew of books by the imprint Out Of Step, and every issue so far of the British horror zine Splatterpunk. Books started to feature his artwork on their covers. “The Sopaths” by Piers Anthony, “Splatterpunks Not Dead”, and “Splatterpunk Fighting Back” among them. His third novel “The End of the World” debuted this year, and his seventh book cover on the novel “Insatiable” should be out any day now.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I grew up on isolated army bases without a TV. Every week I’d make a trip to the library and check out a stack of books, and all of them would be read by the time I went back a week later.
As a teenager, I became connived I would be an artist an writer. By that point I lived in Gainseville, Florida, would work on storyboards all week, and take them on weekends to the local indie comic artists at book stores in town for review. Being kicked out of my house and homeless at 18 didn’t derail my plans, I eventually attended art school on my own dime, and moved to NYC to pursue a career.
Interviews with Marvel and DC convinced me I would need illustrated novels to bring my stories to life, and I started the core of what would become my first book. Brain Cancer and the hit and run death of my wife slowed my plans, but I finally saw the publication of my first book in 2011. I’m on my third now, and just getting started.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
HP Lovecraft and John Steinbeck most influenced my writing style, with the wild imagination of one and the attention to detail of the other. That said, I read constantly. Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Frank Herbert, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Philip K. Dick, Richard Matheson, and Anne Rice were some of my favorites, with newer writer’s like John Scalzi and Caitlin R Kiernan constantly grabbing my interest. I like anything with a darker, more realistic tone, especially sci-fi and horror.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
In a not-too-distant future, the US has fallen into near social and economic ruin. As the fringe elements of society and ordinary citizens alike struggle to deal with the terrifying new reality, a maelstrom of governmental deceit and malevolence churns just beneath the surface.

Against this chaotic backdrop, strange new beings have risen out of the rubble. A former government worker, who in a fit of obsession and delusion steals and inhabits alien technology during a violent raid… A teenager whose reality contorts, making him privy to the cries of the dead as he stumbles in and out of worlds in a surreal game of musical chairs… Soon things take a dark turn for the newly emerged pariahs.

A long-running conspiracy involving a highly proficient military-industrial complex is attempting to resurrect an ancient horror, and the very outsiders laboring to cope with the dangerously altered state of the world might be the only ones who can do anything about it.

The End of the World is my latest book, a loose sequel to my first The Black Seas of Infinity, with some of the characters in my second book Down Highways In The Dark…By Demons Driven making appearances. Inspired by comics and novel series, I like to keep everything in roughly the same universe.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Dan Henk’s Website

Dan Henk Facebook Page

Dan Henk Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Cheri Vause

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My childhood was spent climbing trees and reading. I can’t tell you which one I preferred because I loved both equally. Sometimes I’d take a book up into tree. Southern California was where I grew up, although I wasn’t born there. I knew every back road and path to all my favorite haunts. I searched for more picturesque, quieter ways to stay off the freeways, if I could help it. Even though I was experienced driving every freeway across Los Angeles, down to San Diego, up to Central California, and up to San Francisco, I preferred to drive the small streets. It was easy to set my first mystery novel in LA and the sixties, because that’s where I grew up. I remember the radio, the fame of certain jazz greats at the time.

My hubby and I cater to three ducks: Krycek, Mr. Fowley, and Samantha. We also have a Great Pyrenees, Mulder, who occupies a large portion of our hearts. Recently, we lost our Coydog, Miss Scully. I can’t stop crying over her grave. It still hurts too much. Maybe at some later date I can go into who she was to us, and the fourteen years she spent beside us, traveling with us.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve had a book in my hand since I learned to read. Writing poetry was my first foray into the world of words. After that I wrote several plays, and lots of editorials and theology white papers. That was before I sat down and pounded out a real novel. I had to retire from teaching and volunteering to find the time to write a 120,000 words that made up my first book, and that didn’t come until I was of retirement age.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Collette and Somerset Maughham are at the top of my list, along with Daphne du Maurier, but I’m partial to Graham Greene, Agatha Christie, Michael Connelly, Craig Johnson, and many of the great classic authors like: Dostoevsky, Faulkner, Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, etc. The list is too long. I like to alternate reading classic authors, old detective story tellers like Hammett and Chandler and Goodis, and dozens of greats from the twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties. I adore science fiction, although I’m more partial to spy thrillers and detective mysteries.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
No Trace is an anthology with many authors in it. The premise is about missing persons and many of the authors are newbies, but I’m one of the old hands. My story is called, “Sacred Harp.” A family who live in the Glades of Florida approach an attorney to help find their missing daughter, known as, The Sacred Harp. He’s reluctant because he almost died the last time he went in search of an Indian boy stolen by baby traffickers.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Cheri Vause Twitter Account

If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to learn about. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring! If you are an author and want to get exposure to new readers submit your book to our book promotion service.

Featured Interview With Scott Oury

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised on an Illinois farm and now live and write in the hills outside Santa Fe, NM. I’ve been a text book editor and an English teacher, rehabbed old houses, fathered two boys, climbed mountains, authored a guide to experiential writing, took a tumble off a dam—all of which has informed my writing in one form or another.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
About age 6, when I got fascinated with dog and horse stories, having grown up on a farm where we had several dogs, and horses-to-ride.

I began writing with a newspaper editorial on why teenagers from New Jersey went to Long Island to drink.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
How about just the poets who I love to read and have learned from: Sappho, Emily Dickinson, Edgar Lee Masters, Robert Frost, W. H. Auden, Wislawa Szymborska, Howard Nemerov, John Nims, CK Williams, John Nims, Raymond Carver, Carl Shapiro, Li Young Lee—and a hundred or so more.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The latest is a book of poems, “New Moon by Half,” written over 50 years, and with the discovery that poetic forms were perfect to express my own experience and thoughts. As Frost has written, a poem comes out of a feeling that proceeds with “a series of lucky events,” that may result in wisdom. Frost says that this first feeling directs and contains the poem to come.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Scott Oury Facebook Page

Scott Oury Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Scott Oury

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised on an Illinois farm and now live and write in the hills outside Santa Fe, NM. I’ve been a text book editor and an English teacher, rehabbed old houses, fathered two boys, climbed mountains, authored a guide to experiential writing, took a tumble off a dam—all of which has informed my writing in one form or another.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
About age 6, when I got fascinated with dog and horse stories, having grown up on a farm where we had several dogs, and horses-to-ride.

I began writing with a newspaper editorial on why teenagers from New Jersey went to Long Island to drink.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
How about just the poets who I love to read and have learned from: Sappho, Emily Dickinson, Edgar Lee Masters, Robert Frost, W. H. Auden, Wislawa Szymborska, Howard Nemerov, John Nims, CK Williams, John Nims, Raymond Carver, Carl Shapiro, Li Young Lee—and a hundred or so more.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The latest is a book of poems, “New Moon by Half,” written over 50 years, and with the discovery that poetic forms were perfect to express my own experience and thoughts. As Frost has written, a poem comes out of a feeling that proceeds with “a series of lucky events,” that may result in wisdom. Frost says that this first feeling directs and contains the poem to come.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Scott Oury’s Website

Scott Oury Facebook Page

Scott Oury Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Michael J Moore

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up an hour north of Seattle, in a small town called Mount Vernon, Washington. As far back as I can remember, though, I’ve always had an infatuation with bigger cities. My aunt used to take me to Seattle for my birthday and Christmas presents every year. Needless to say, as soon as I was old enough, I moved to the city. It was convenient, since I was working as a personal trainer and there don’t tend to be many gyms, (or people who care about fitness) in smaller towns in the Pacific Northwest. No pets at this time, though I really like dogs. I’ve never met a more loyal creature than a dog.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I don’t think I have a particular fascination with books. I have a fascination with good stories. It just so happens that books are one of the most effective ways to tell them. I knew as soon as I learned to read that I enjoyed them, though. In fact, I still read the same type of material and many of the same authors I liked back then. I always knew I was a writer, I just never knew how important it would be to me until I started doing it seriously a few years ago. I couldn’t really imagine being happy in any other career now.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’m a huge fan of Stephen King. So my favourite book is one of his called “Joyland”. As soon as I learned to read, I tore through the Goosebumps series. Then, in the third grade, I found a box of dusty Stephen King and V.C. Andrew novels in a closet in my Mom’s bedroom. I read The Shining in three days when I was eight. I think I chose that one first because I liked the reflective cover. I used to read every Christopher Pike book I could get my hands on. The entire young adult and horror genres have been major influences on me from early on, and they’re what I still prefer to read. Mixing them in my own writing comes so natural that I tend to do it without meaning to sometimes.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
A few years ago, I wrote a short story titled, “Highway Nine.” Though I liked the way it came out, the protagonists never got an explanation as to what the monsters were, and where they came from. I wanted closure on the matter. Even if my heroes never got answers, I needed them, so I wrote Highway Twenty to learn more. I just started shopping it around this week actually.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Michael J Moore’s Website

Michael J Moore Facebook Page

Michael J Moore Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Dave Matthes

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Dave Matthes and I’m a South Jersey native currently living in Pennsylvania just south of Philly with my fiance and our cat Hank. I was born in Woodbury, NJ in 1986 and raised in Swedesboro. As of now, I live in a real hole of a town, but have come to be quite comfortable here.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was pretty young, I’m talkin’ before first grade. The elementary school I went to had this summer program thing for kids, kind of like a camp. There were different activities to choose from but I decided to do the creative writing one. Ever since then, I’ve been writing. I can’t say exactly how old I was but I do remember my first short story. It was about a boy who found and adopted a pet dinosaur and it was pretty horribly written, haha. Since then, things have obviously changed.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Anything by Bukowski, Kerouac, Cormac McCarthy, John Fante, Jim Morrison, etc. Everything those guys and others have ever written keep me going, they keep the “faith” I have in myself to keep writing every single day. My favorite genres are pretty much anything having to do with real life, the grittier the better.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My most recent book is a collection of poetry and stories titled “On the Verge of Burning Down the Church”. Most of the poetry I write is directly connected with my everyday life, past, present, and whatever else goes on in my head. It is essentially the non-fiction of my literary arsenal. I’ve also just finished the first draft of a new novel, titled “No Old Souls at Fury Tavern”, which details the life and intimacies of a handful of lowlife denizens who spend their days and nights at a dive bar.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Dave Matthes Facebook Page

Dave Matthes Twitter Account

If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to learn about. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring! If you are an author and want to get exposure to new readers submit your book to our book promotion service.

Featured Interview With I.G. Orozco

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Mexico but grew up in the United States. My dream was to help my parents from financial issues and especially to show people my imagination for their entertainment. Even though I have some mental disabilities, I didn’t let those problems stop me from writing a novel about my first character that I imagined since I was eight.

I also love to draw out my imagination characters and play video games. I love hanging out with my parents, my little brother and friends. I also love my three, adorable pups! Rico, Pepe and Suki! Interesting and fun names don’t you think? 😀

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
When I was seven years old, I realized that I had many stories in my head that I wanted to share to the world. All I knew is that I can draw and write it out! At eight I wrote my first novel from one of the first creations I’ve imagined. Since then, my fascination on writing hasn’t gone away.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
An author who has inspired me was C.S Lewis. How he was able to write beautiful stories and still convey a strong lesson from them, made me look at the art of writing differently in an amazing way!
In general, I really like fiction, fantasy, sci-fi and adventure books.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My novel is called “The Golden-Syph (Life With A Price).” It’s about three immortals created two kids; one from mud and the other from water. Everything was great until the kid went to the forbidden place and got kidnapped by their greatest enemy, Ethipius, king of Darkness. Ethipius used the kids’ powers to conquer many galaxies and made all worlds have darkness and no sign of life, but only man and very few animals survived. Now it’s up to one immortal to save all of mankind, by doing the impossible, to bring back nature once again. He will face weird, metal giants, demons who are servants of Ethipius and even face the Prince of Assassins.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

I.G. Orozco’s Website

Featured Interview With Gareth Howells

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Portsmouth, on the south coast of England. I’ve always lived here, and love the beach and the sound of the seagulls around me. There is always a great cultural scene in Portsmouth, and opportunities to perform your work, or showcase it somehow. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
I have always had pets; at the moment I have two dogs and a cat. Rowlf, Chico and Rosie the cat keep us busy in the house when we’re chilling out.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been reading books since I was a boy. By the time I got to my teenage years I had developed a love of science fiction and fantasy. I dived right into big epic fantasies like The Lord of the Rings and The Belgariad, while also reading a lot of science fiction with books like the Stainless Steel Rat series, Ray Bradbury’s stories and humorous approaches to science fiction like the classic Hitch Hikers books by Douglas Adams.
With regards to my writing, I have been a songwriter for most of my life, which was a development from my poetry writing. In the last couple of years I have devoted more time to the story ideas i’ve had, and published two books from those ideas.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read books with wit running through them. They don’t have to be outright funny all of the time, but a hint of sarcasm, wry observation or humorous irony goes a long way for me. I mostly stick to science fiction and fantasy books, but obviously deviate from that occasionally when something comes up on my radar.
I am probably mostly inspired by stories that use an otherworldly setting to make some kind of social commentary. The TV series, The Twilight Zone was good for that, and many other storytellers, in short story and novel form, have taken a similar method to make comments on humanity and on our social misgivings.
Authors such as Harry Harrison, Robert Sheckley, Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury, Philip K Dick, John Scalzi, Becky Chambers and Jodi Taylor inspire me to write, and continue to be a beacon of what I hope to achieve one day with my stories.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is a novel titled, “Out among the ice beacons” and is set in the present day, beginning with a school scene in a post-16 class where our protagonist is being bullied. Through his ambition to complete his late father’s work, Julian, our main character, and two of the other students in his class end up travelling to another planet. Here they find indigenous people there; some who are friendly, but many who are not. The climate and the wildlife are hostile, and their presence on the planet puts them in great danger.
What follows is how they cope with that, and how the various “people” from that planet help or hinder them in their attempt to get home.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Gareth Howells Facebook Page

Gareth Howells Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Leslie Hachtel

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I have lived all over the country and now have settled in Florida. The weather is amazing! As for pets…well, there is Jakita, my terrier mix, but I think she has me.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I loved reading always and devoured books from the very beginning. When I was in first grade, I would come home and read to my dog.
I started writing years ago, but I didn’t concentrate on romance novels until about six years ago. I find writing books very satisfying,

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors include Kathleen Woodiwiss, Stephen King, Nora Roberts and too many more to name. Every book offers some inspiration, every story that makes it hard to put the book down is exciting.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Texas Summer” started out as a screenplay that was optioned. When it wasn’t produced, I turned it into a novel. It’s the story of a writer whose car breaks down outside a very small town in Texas. And his life is changed forever. This quiet little place hides corruption, lust, greed and murder. And the woman of his dreams. Can they survive in a town that wants to bring them down? Can their love?

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Leslie Hachtel’s Website

Leslie Hachtel Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Roxanne San Jose

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am born in the Philippines but I resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
In my late teens. I started writing in 2015 when I self-published my first book, Annagram.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Mitch Albom and my favorite genre is Romance.

What inspires me from my writings are books

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My second book, Time Travel, a Young Adult Science Fiction Romance Novel will be released on April 15 in www.avid-publishing.com. Pre-order goes live now.

Angelie Thompson, a time machine inventor in 2015 faced a problem when her boyfriend, John Salvador, accidentally traveled back in 1970. She searched for him and met new characters. Twist happened along the way which led to her to change the world.

The story highlights love, dedication and friendship.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Roxanne San Jose’s Website

Roxanne San Jose Facebook Page

Roxanne San Jose Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Julie-Anne England

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in the Blue Mountains in Sydney, Australia as a young child and moved to the suburbs when I was 5 where I spent the remainder of my childhood in our two storey family home. I am one of 6 kids (3 boys and three girls) and the second youngest.
I love to travel and I love souvenirs to remind me of my journey. My all time best souvenir was a 6 foot 2″ American man I met in the desert of California. He couldn’t resist me and we have now been married 11 years and have three half-American kids.
As a family we love to spend time together and do as much travelling as we can afford.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I always loved to read and in school I learned to speed read which gave me the tools to read more in less time. The lady who taught us to read used to buy a packet of chips from the school canteen for the child who could read the fastest (that was almost always me!).
I started writing in primary school and would always come up with stories and creative writing activities. After the birth of my second daughter I started a free parenting magazine which published every month and it went great. After that I started my first blog and just kept writing.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read a lot! I have a few favourite authors such as Max Lucado and Dr Caroline Leaf but mostly I just read as many books as I can. I love self help and inspirational books, love curling up with a good thriller and love learning as much as I can from how to’s and business growth books.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
One morning on the way to work as an 18 year old, I was driving in my car when I was suddenly hit head on by a car coming in the opposite direction. We collided at a combined speed of 180km per hour. My car didn’t make it. Fortunately I did, although I was very badly injured.
Amidst the long process of healing after this trauma, I found I was hit badly with self esteem issues and complete insecurity from the scarring that now lay claim to my face and body.
My book shares the full effects this accident had on me and my story of growth and how others can use life’s accidents to become the confident strong people they were created to be.
I wrote the book around my three kids by getting up every morning at 5.30am to use the peace of the early morning. Since the book has been written I have had so many testimonials from people who say how much they identified with the book and have made changes in their lives because of what I wrote. This is why I write! I love feeling like I have made a difference to another persons life because of my writing.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Julie-Anne England’s Website

Julie-Anne England Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Johnny Littlejohn Jr.

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Videogame instrumental music has enthralled me for years. My favorite series are Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. I admired Super Mario since childhood.

I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. I currently do not have any pets.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
21 years of age was when I started to write and perfect my craft.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My ideas are my own.

Moreover, most genres intrigue me. However, if I want a magical world filled with eccentric creatures, then sci-fi, or fantasy are my go-to genres. However, a combination of realism in the fantasy setting will definitely sell and enthrall me. Always be consistent and concrete, even in strange worlds.

My very first source of inspiration was from the Super Mario series. Mario is my all-time favorite hero.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Those fascinated with mythology, astrology, mysticism, romance, sci-fi, etc., should find this story intriguing. However, I have an amalgamation of ideas, concepts, philosophies and such that this is not just a one genre story; this series will be diverse, yet still remain within its respective genre.

Basically, an extremely powerful Sacred Star named Courage is destined for greatness. He lands on planet Venusia, yet does not know what his purpose entails.

However, he has a fascination for the arts such as music and fighting, which the latter causes him to seek worthy foes at or above his skill level.

Tauran’creima, the Celestial Bull and Courage’s constellation, divulges to him of his purpose. Tauran’creima and Courage are one and the same, yet act entirely different from each other; Tauran’creima is calm while Courage sometimes has the mouth of a salty sailor.

Yet, as Courage meets different people of his race that mean well by him, he slows his quest to find the one worthy of a thrilling fight.

Unfortunately, he eventually encounters a diabolical being that matches his power. Yet, with all that he experienced, especially in regards to the marvelous Star Beings, he refrains from allowing his ego to reign him.

Overall, Courage can be very blunt in language, and brutal on the battlefield. However, he is very humble and only says and does what he believes is best not just for himself, but for all of those worthy of his protection.

He also respects and considers Star Beings the best throughout the cosmos. Those of very exceptional nature could match Star Beings. Anything otherwise is unacceptable.

Moreover, Courage does not consider himself a hero. Though others see him as such, he refuses to accept that label. He believes everyone has the power to control their destiny. This is one of many reasons why he is very skeptical of becoming the ruler of his people.

Regardless, the Star Beings will await the day Courage fully realizes his potential and accepts their proposition to be the spokesperson of the Star Beings.

Overall, it took me roughly the entire year to make this story. And to those sensitive to heavy violence, explicit sexual encounters, profanity, as well as graphic and detailed material should refrain from this series. I am one of those people who do not pull punches. I give people “everything”, and have them experience as such throughout the story.

I might occasionally leave things to the imagination, but 99.99% of the time, I’m “very” detailed about certain scenarios.

Also, in Courage’s universe, nothing is as it seems. Their universe is not like the solar system you all are familiar with. As such, eccentric words and their meaning will appear throughout the story. Feel free to abbreviate them. Trust me. It will be as if you are speaking another language.

Good luck!

Featured Interview With Mette Barfelt

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a Scandinavian author, living in Norway. I’m married and have two teenagers. Before I started writing books, I worked for travels agencies and airlines for many years. So I’ve traveled a lot around the world, which I love. I enjoy learning about other cultures and taste their amazing food.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I loved reading when I was a teenager, and I’ve continued to read several books a week since then. I started by publishing a non-fiction cruise guide several years before I began writing contemporary romance 3,5 years ago. I release the books in Norwegian first, then in English.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love sweet romance! I have many favorite authors – Debbie Macomber, Nancy Naigle, Jenny Hale, Mary Campisi, RaeAnne Thayne, Andrea Hurst and many more. The authors inspire me by posting beautiful pictures on Facebook!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
All books in the Solvik series are standalone novels. Book #6 is a little different from the others. It’s about an Indian beauty visiting her ex-boyfriend in Norway when she’s discovering she’s pregnant by him. The two cultures are very different, and it’s difficult to find the right solution for all of them. Especially since there is another woman in love with the same guy, and they have feelings for each other.
It usually takes me six months to write each book, and then several months to get the book translated from Norwegian. And one to two months for the editor and proofreader to finish before it’s ready for publishing.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Mette Barfelt Facebook Page

Mette Barfelt Twitter Account

Featured Interview With P.C. Darkcliff

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was alternately raised in the Czech Republic and Canada, and I also lived in Bulgaria, Portugal, and Turkey. I’ve currently settled in Southwestern Spain.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been reading and writing fiction ever since I learned my letters. My first literary attempt was a short story about a talking dog. After a brief flirtation with sci-fi and adventure, I discovered the world of dark fiction, and there was no turning back.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite author is H.P. Lovecraft, who’s also my greatest inspiration. But I also love writers like E.M. Remarque and Ken Follet. My favorite genre is fantasy and horror, but I also enjoy historical fiction, thrillers, and mystery.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I started writing Deception of the Damned while living in Bulgaria, so five years ago. As I got sidetracked with other projects, I didn’t finish it until last week. It takes place not only across Europe but also across different periods of time. It’s a dark, modern fairy tale retelling where Sleeping Beauty meets Faust.
The story starts with Hrot, an absent-minded dreamer who feels so miserable in his primitive times that he sells his soul in exchange for a decade in Renaissance Prague. There he dabs in occult studies in a desperate attempt to sneak out of the deal.
Four centuries later, young reporter Jasmin Bierce leaves Alaska for Europe to avenge the death of her husband. Facing more enemies than she expected, her quest for revenge turns into a flight for her life. As she stumbles into the ruins of a medieval castle, she meets an immortal specter who calls himself…Hrot.
Although he saves her skin, Hrot unwillingly drags her soul into a pact with the fiend who cursed him. The fiend makes her husband’s killers look like a flock of doves—but Jasmin’s heart is awakening to Hrot’s devotion, and she travels in time and skirts infernal dominions to save him.
If she ever wants to break their curse, however, she must succeed where Hrot failed: she has to outwit the Emissary of the Otherworld.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

P.C. Darkcliff’s Website

P.C. Darkcliff Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Mara Malins

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My life is typically but reassuringly boring. I live in Manchester, Uk–the same place that I grew up. In fact, I live about five streets away from my childhood house, and my siblings (three of them) all live within a five minute drive. Even my yoga class is a two minute walk away.

Maybe I should branch out?

I own a house with my long term partner (who also lived locally), three cats (who terrorise me daily) and two turtles (who, whilst looking exotic are actually quite boring and fit neatly into my life). I work a regular 9-5 with a long commute into the city center. In fact, the only irregular thing about me is my sense of humor (so twisted) and that I have double-jointed toes.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was one of the fortunate people that was brought up around books. My parents and siblings always had a book nearby–dogeared and overread by the time they made their way to me–so it was natural that I’d do the same. Our living room had one entire wall dedicated to books and, thankfully, nothing was off limits.
By age ten, I’d read all the Nancy Drew’s, Goosebumps, Point Horror’s, and Christopher Pike’s I could get my hands on, and was soon pinching the more adult themed books off the shelf, under my jumper, and squirreling them away to my bedroom to read with a flashlight after bedtime. I thought I was being sneaky. It turns out my parents knew and approved all along.

Luckily, my parents were big believers in the protection of imagination. They believed that it didn’t matter how scary or adult the book was; your mind will only imagine exactly what it can handle. Unlike films where you’re shown in graphic and often unforgettable detail. So, I started reading Pratchett, King, Feist, Herbert, and other adult authors pretty early on.

As it often does, reading led to writing. I knew by the age of fifteen that I wanted a career in writing so I took some work experience at the local newspaper. I wrote several articles–including the main front page story!–in that two week stint, but it wasn’t for me. It made me realise that the words I wanted to write were the fiction kind.

I took English Literature and English Language A levels in college, and went on to study Creative writing and English Literature in University.

Surprisingly, after all that writing training, I ended up working in fashion! By day I manage budgets and clothing ranges, and by night I still scribble down words where I can. I’ve had some small successes in short story anthologies and I’m currently writing a novel about my experience in the fashion industry.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I don’t think there is anything that I wouldn’t read but I’m definitely a sci-fi and fantasy nerd at heart! My favourite novels of all time are the Dune Series by Herbert, although the Empire Series by Feist and the Song of Ice and Fire series come a very close second. I’ve also recently discovered Phillipa Gregory, who absolutely sings to my inner history nerd. Jane Fallon is also a new find. I love her take on women’s fiction; it has a mature, adult feel to the narration that really appeals to me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Strangely enough, I like to read fantasy but I LOVE writing romance. When I started dabbling in writing steamy romances, my first port of call was to get the true definition of “romance.” I knew what romance was, of course; everybody over the age of ten does. But maybe there was another aspect I was missing. Google proved me right. The Oxford dictionary defines romance as “a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.”
That definition doesn’t sit right with me. At all. Not only is it seriously lacking in…well, romance, but mystery? Really?

Now, I’m one of those lucky people who found true love at a young age. I was sixteen when I first met my long-term partner and almost sixteen years later we’re still together and still very much in love. After all this time, I think it’s safe to say that there’s very little mystery left surrounding the wonderful man I live with. I probably know more about him than his own mother does, but does that necessarily mean there can be no romance for me?
Absolutely not.
Let me tell you, we’re a romantic pair. It’s true that our romance is closer to running each other baths after a long day, or relinquishing a piece of treasured cheese on toast to the other instead of the more clichéd dozen long-stemmed red roses, but does that mean it’s any less romantic? Nuh-uh. Not in my eyes.

So, when I started to write INKarnate—and the series of short stories set in that world (coming out later this year!)—I knew it had to be my kind of romance and not the kind that dominates the bestsellers. My world wouldn’t have the controlling billionaire or the uber-interested (but sometimes stalker-ish) love interest to sweep my hero/heroine off his/her feet. That was the stuff of fantasies.
I wanted truth.
I wanted relatability.
I wanted real aspirational partnerships with everyday problems.
I wanted to explore romance at every stage of life and how it changes as we mature.

With that in mind, I started from the beginning and wrote INKarnate. The obstacle standing between my two protagonists, Matt and Emily, was the rather mundane issue around communication; neither communicates their feelings—or even admits them—in an honest way. I felt this was a good place to start in my exploration of “true” romance.

After that, I wanted to tackle the next stage of life; parenthood. INKapable came next. Joe and Nathan’s obstacle was a little weightier—how do you build a trusting relationship when you’ve been hurt badly before? How do you let your guard down when you have children relying on you?

Then I wanted to write about something that’s in the post for all of us; the deterioration of health. In INKurable, the third story of the INKomplete series, Phee has cancer. It was a toughie to write, but I feel the relationship between Phee and her surgeon, Pete, comes together naturally. They struggle as a team.

Finally, I rounded off the series exploring the theme of grief; Blakey is a widow and his story in INKonsolable deals with him overcoming his guilt in moving on and initiating a mature, late-blossoming romance.

Each of these stories, I feel, is relatable, truthful, and—perhaps most importantly—full of romance. Not the glamourous kind, or even the “mysterious” kind, but the kind of romance that leaves you feeling hopeful. Not everybody needs, or even wants, a billionaire or a man so overwhelmed with love that he stops being his own person. Sometimes, you just want to read about something real.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Mara Malins Twitter Account

If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to learn about. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring! If you are an author and want to get exposure to new readers submit your book to our book promotion service.

Featured Interview With Michael Smorenburg

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m African.
I was born in 1964 at the tip of Africa, Cape Town, South Africa.
Quite why,I have no idea, but I was drawn to be an entrepreneur straight out of college. I’ve consequently never had a salary in my life.
In 1995 Michael I moved to Southern California where I founded a business consultancy and online media and marketing engine in the burgeoning internet space.
But once Africa has a hold of you, it is impossible to resist, and back to South Africa I returned in 2003 where I launched a security company.
In 2015 I semi-retired and divested of the business to write full time.
My greatest love is the ocean, reading history, keeping up with the latest breakthroughs in science, understanding the cosmos and sharing all learn as best I can.
I consequently “dress facts up as fiction”–I find interesting historical, anthropological or other scientific facts I think would fascinate people, and I weave them into stories that give them context.
I live in paradise – in the suburb of Clifton (look it up) in Cape Town where I have a wife, two young adult daughters, a lazy dog and 6 glorious cats who are my best mates.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Aged 31 – on vacation on a beach in Spain. It struck me out of the blue and destroyed our holiday as I spent 10 days furiously getting the 400 page story of “LifeGames Corporation” down.
My father always said I had a fertile imagination – “Full of bulldust”, is actually what he said.
I’m a dreamer, I guess – and a dreamer is just a visionary without money. So, since I can’t finance my inventions, I write about them.
If you wanted to bump off my now aging school teachers, you’d tell them I write novels – they’d fall over stone dead with shock, as I showed no such intellectual persuasion at school.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Frankly I get bored with most stories unless I’m getting something out of them.
I’m a facts guy. I read a lot of non-fiction to understand how things and people and cultures and history works.
To me, reality is more exciting than any fantasy I’ve ever encountered.
So, fairly limited fiction:
James Clavell, Leon Uris, James Michener, Wilbur Smith
Just about ever science, history and anthropology popular textbook out there.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I’m simultaneously working on two books right now – both are sequels:
1) A sequel to Ragnarok — one of the planes that went missing in the aurora that almost took Tegan’s plane crash lands onto the Hudson — and a decade later the now-retired captain is starting to remember where… or ‘when’… they went (hint…. He and his plane of passengers caught in a high energy military experiment were pushed back through time and landed in the Hudson a thousand years ago – his ‘second’ crash into the Hudson a decade ago returned him to our epoch and the authorities scrubbed his and the passengers’ memories. But those memories are starting to return.)

2) A sequel to my “Slave Ship Saga” – the third in the trilogy. In the 1980s (fact) I found a shipwreck off our coast… in 2015 the Smithsonian of Washington identified it as the 1794 São José Paquete Africa, the first and only slave ship in history ever to have wrecked (with 400 chained aboard) and be discovered. “The Praying Nun” told the story of our discovery and then takes the reader aboard the fated ship where we meet one of the slaves. The actual ship in history had 200 survivors who were ‘saved’ and then sold the next day to recover costs. “The Reckoning” follows one of those slaves and his experiences of 1794. The book I’m working on, tentatively called “The Accord”, follows the same surviving slave but now in an overlap of his story through the eyes of our protagonist, Jayne Alphen, wife of the newly arrived governor of the colony at Africa’s tip. Jayne, an heiress, is in an miserable arranged marriage with her much older husband who she has come to despise for his meanness, cowardice, and perversions. He only has power through his marriage into wealth. Horrified by encountering a slave culture for the first time, Jayne is terrified that she is falling in love (or at least is infatuated) with a most unusual slave she encounters. His freedom promises to become a vicarious emaciation of her own imprisoned heart… but her husband has seen her obsession and she must tread carefully.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Michael Smorenburg Facebook Page

Michael Smorenburg Twitter Account

If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to learn about. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring! If you are an author and want to get exposure to new readers submit your book to our book promotion service.