Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

This is a list of our featured author interviews. These authors take a few minutes out of their busy schedule to sit down and answer a few questions. Get to know what they are working on next and what types of books they like to read.

Featured Author Winnifred Tataw

Featured Interview With Winnifred Tataw

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi, my name is Winnifred or Winnie. I reside in South Carolina and am an undergraduate at the College of Charleston. I was born in the U.S. and my parents are from Cameroon, Africa. As a military child, I have traveled extensively around the US East Coast and Germany, learning about the history, lore, and culture of each region. I love to spread positivity and joy to those around me and look at the world through a glittery pink lens.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Since elementary school (about age 7), I’ve always had a passion for reading and storytelling. As I got older, around 10-11, I began to put my stories onto paper.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Definitely Marissa Meyer and Lois Lowry. Those two women can write some books! Their stories always captivate me and expand my imagination. And to work with Marissa Meyer on a book one day, would be magical!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is the third book in my The Gods’ Scion YA fantasy series, The Lone Star Child. It takes on more of a sci-fi theme, but I love it so much. I cried so much writing some of the scenes too, goddess! My books are heavily charactered oriented. And the plot just goes hand in hand with the character’s motives, decisions, and pain. They are a beautiful fantasy world set in modern times with real-world problems and issues.

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Winnifred Tataw’s Website

Winnifred Tataw Facebook Page

Winnifred Tataw Twitter Account

Featured Author Fred Rutter

Featured Interview With Fred Rutter

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Born, raised, and still live in central Ohio, and have lived in a small rural village southeast of Columbus for a number of decades. I enjoy living in a funky little old house, in an old town, on the edge of the Appalachian foothills. It is where my roots have grasped familiar and comfortable soil, and given me a strong sense of home. Though I do, and have often traveled a lot, having a place to call home is important.

For just about my whole life I have lived in the company of cats. They make life interesting, and my wife, who used to be a dog person, now is a convert to the feline style of living. I also have many hobbies, but the main ones are history, photography, and collecting old imprinted paving bricks. All those pursuits provide ample excuses to get out of the house and do things.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Books have been an integral part of my life since childhood. My parents were avid readers. My grandfather was both a reader and the author of a number of respected books on history.

Some feeble attempts at creative writing were made in high school, but the seed did not germinate until I was in my early twenties. At that point I began to write non-fiction narratives, and honed my skills crafting articles for a small historical publication. Writing continues to be a passion, and provides me with much satisfaction, even though much of it has never been published.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
What can I say? I am a reading pig! Cereal boxes, newspapers, magazines, books – I read them all! Primarily, I enjoy well crafted sentences, intriguing word and thought combinations, and imagination. Lately I have been reading a lot of Michael Connelly, because I like the conciseness of his sentences and chapter structure. So that is realistic fiction. However, I also like non-fiction, and the last book in that genre, that I recently finished reading, was an incredible book titled “Zeitoun” by Dave Eggers, published in 2009. Currently, I am reading a novel titled “Ohio” by Stephen Markley, and am enjoying it thoroughly. So I cannot say any one author, or any specific genre inspires my writing – good writing inspires my writing.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Hitting the Road Without a Map” did not start out as a book. I was lucky to have been offered the opportunity to take a long trip. Events leading up to it forced me to take a deeper look into myself and deal with some hidden fears. The trip itself was transformative, as my partner and I learned to let go of a lot of preconceived notions and live in the moment. My wife could see that something deep had happened to me upon my return, and she had wrestled with a few of her own demons while I was away, so she encouraged me to write about what happened. What started as a short story, just for the personal pleasure of recounting the tale, evolved into something much bigger, and she pressed me to turn it into a book. I blanched at the idea, since I had never attempted anything approaching book length. Three months later, I had produced something resembling a book, and eight re-writes and edits later, there actually was a book. A publisher agreed, and took a chance on me, and on the book.

At its heart, the book is a road trip story, from the vantage point of two guys who do not know each other very well. They seize the opportunity to transport a large RV from Ohio to Oregon, even though neither one of them has actually driven a vehicle like this. So along the way the author learns a bit more about himself, how his fears have controlled his life, and what it is like to live day to day without much of a plan and literally no schedule. His partner proves himself to be up to the task as well. So the personal development is set upon the backdrop of two Midwesterners experiencing the grandeur of the West, up close and personal, for the very first time.

This is not a travelogue of what to see, or how to do it. The story is more about the richness of life and how to enjoy every minute of it, and for the reader to understand that process, the participants thoughts and background are necessary in order to provide context for the spiritual awakening experienced by the two men on the road, and the author’s wife at home. It makes for a richer story, and it is real.

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Fred Rutter’s Website

Fred Rutter Facebook Page

Featured Author Michele Olson

Featured Interview With Michele Olson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’ve lived most of my adult life in Green Bay, WI in the shadow of Lambeau field. Before that I moved around from Ohio, to Pennsylvania, to several places in Wisconsin. I spent the 70s as a DJ that spun records which led to professional voice work. I’ve had a 40 plus career as an advertising/corporate writer, specializing in health writing. It’s only in the last few years I’ve ventured into novels.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
It started with Nancy Drew and the Box Car kids. I couldn’t wait to get to the library every week to check out a new book. I wrote professionally since I was 17 in TV, radio and marketing, but novels I didn’t tackle until I hit my 60s!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read far more non-fiction that fiction, yet fiction is what I like to write. I do enjoy the classics like Agatha Christy. I love the work of Anne Lamott, fiction and non fiction. She picks the perfect words, every time. I also love Susan Branch who writes about her life and incorporates her watercolor…I am a watercolor/mixed media artist too, so I enjoy her work.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Being Dorothy (In a world longing for home) is the sequel to my first book- Being Ethel (In a world that loves Lucy). The story begins in 1979 with Piper Penn who unexpectedly lands on Mackinac Island and mystery, romance, friendship, and faith follow. In Being Dorothy, the story continues in 1980 when Piper Penn meets a mysterious couple on the porch of the Grand Hotel, but they aren’t who they seem to be. Think James Bond! It takes me about a year to write each book, and right now I’m working on book three, Being Alice (In a world lost in the looking glass)- set in 1981 on Mackinac Island.

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Michele Olson’s Website

Michele Olson Facebook Page

Michele Olson Twitter Account

Featured Author Samuel Crowe

Featured Interview With Samuel Crowe

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in and around Birmingham, England, the youngest child of six. I now live in Worcestershire with my beautiful (and very supportive partner) and daughter.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
We didn’t have much money growing up, and reading and learning wasn’t encouraged, but there was a library next to our parish church. I think I nagged my mom to take me in and get me a library card. I remember they had lots of Dr Who, Star Trek and Tarzan books. I spent hours browsing the fiction section. When things weren’t good at home, I’d just take myself off to the library. (Where I live now, we have a fantastic library, one of the first university-public library initiatives in Europe. Their fiction portfolio is fantastic.)

When I was 14 I had a paper round, and the money earned would often go on books. I would take the pilgrimage into town on a saturday and spend time browsing the horror and crime section. I remember the day I bought The Shining. When I got to the register, I didn’t quite have enough so I had to use my bus fare to buy the book as it was more money than I had spare. I think I read the first chapters walking the three or four miles home. I remember how warm it was and how the time went by. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading in the garden. I loved those days.

My writing began quite early on. I had a much older brother who’d published short stories in women’s magazines, and my mom painted quite a lot. There was a lot of artistic endeavour, but it was insulated and raw and not shouted about or celebrated. I think art is a healthy response to adversity, and so in my troubles I started to imagine and express myself with a pen. I wrote a lot of stories about knights and wizards and creatures that dwelleth under the sea. That sort of thing. Boys own stuff. What I loved the most, though, was poetry. I read and devoured poetry. I wrote oodles of it.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
When I hit late-teens I heard about a cult novel called Crime & Punishment by a guy called Dostoevksy. (Blue collar kids weren’t supposed to read classics, let alone the Russians.) That book had a huge effect on me as both an adolescent and a reader. It was the first time I read a book and heard an authentic literary voice that filled me. That set me on a journey that changed everything. I couldn’t say I knew I wanted to be a writer as a result, only that I felt it. It would be years before I referred to myself in a real sense as a writer, but Fyodor D was the writer who lit my flame.

Another writer who knocked me sideways is Cormac McCarthy. Blood Meridian is a benchmark for me as a writer, of what is possible in fiction. Toni Morrison and James Baldwin also bowled me over. Go Tell It On The Mountain is an incredible novel. So full of force and humanity. I can’t say enough about James Baldwin. Owning a Bladwin book is like possessing a great work of art. What a wonderful, incredible writer.

My own writing is inspired by many many silent voices. I like to give space to the forgotten and the disparate. Which means challenging myself and going to uncomfortable places in order to tell those stories. I take great enjoyment in writing rich, engaging dialogue, life-like characters and setting powerful scenes. My agent describes me as a cinematic writer. She says, I draw the dark beautifully. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for those lighter, popcorn Hollywood moments. After all, I want to draw the reader into something that grips them, a story that entertains but says real things, while giving them value for their buck.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I’m currently writing a murder mstery spread over a thirty year period. I’ve often opted for the vast stateside panorama in storytelling but I wanted to write something more claustrophobic and closer to home. It’s quite a slow and meticulous process, and the act of writing the story is changing the narrative, which is one of the most fascinating aspects of prose writing. I’m also re-editing some early works for release. The Darkest Ice is one such book. It’s a short, hard hitting book but one I absolutely had to write.

Thank you all for your time and support and thank you to all the readers. I hope you enjoy my work and I look forward to speaking to you all soon.

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Samuel Crowe’s Website

Samuel Crowe Twitter Account

Featured Author Ben Krieger

Featured Interview With Ben Krieger

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a third generation Washingtonian. I’ve moved away a few times, but never for more than a year and I always came back. I lost my one true love, a 100lb swamp mutt named Morrison to cancer a few years ago. Now I love vicariously through my best human friend’s pupper Pierogi.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always loved to read sci-fi, but I let learning disabilities including dyslexia convince me that I couldn’t write until recently. Three years ago I started drafting Under the Shadow of the Plateau, and even thought that is just coming out now, the sequel, Blood Beneath Water, and the graphic novel prequel, Regenesis, will also be out this year.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Frank Herbert, easy question. His ability to weave social issues into his worldbuilding and characters elevated science fiction to a whole new level for me. Until then I’d really loved B paperbacks and didn’t know what science fiction was capable of.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The whole Frontier Forever series is about marginalized communities. Most of it is focused on how people interact with governance and technological dependence, but there are also core bits about gender and neurodiversity, and what it means to be human. With no modesty, I’ll say that it’s very well worked into a fast paced adventure through a terrifying prediction of what the future might look like.

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Ben Krieger’s Website

Ben Krieger Facebook Page

Ben Krieger Twitter Account

Featured Author Stephanie Williams

Featured Interview With Stephanie Williams

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Delaware in the United States, and I currently reside there as well. I have two pets (two pugs), but neither of them get along with each other. One is part Boston terrier, the other is part Jack Russell terrier.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved to read from the time I was little, maybe around four years old. I’ve always loved to write ever since first grade.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
J.R.R. Tolkien is my favorite inspiration (stylistically). His writing is descriptive, laden with imagery, and is also very poetic at times. My favorite genres are poetry and fantasy, but sometimes I like to read classical and philosophy. I also like to read Christian literature (mainly nonfiction).

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I wrote it awhile ago (in 2015). It hasn’t received much recognition, but only because I haven’t publicized it much. It’s filled with my deepest thoughts and I loved putting it together. It was inspired largely by my faith and my spirituality.

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Featured Author Abdiel LeRoy

Featured Interview With Abdiel LeRoy

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi. I grew up in England and find myself here again after years of living and house-sitting on four continents. The lockdowns have thrown a spanner in the house-sitting, and alas I am facing imminent homelessness again.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
The local bookstore owner knew me as the boy “who spends hours looking at the books.” Fascinated with wild animals, I read a weekly magazine called World of Wildlife and ordered every Animal Adventure book in the series by Willard Price.

I later became fascinated with Dracula movies starring Christopher Lee, which I got to watch when my parents were away and Grandma was looking after us. I wrote my own vampire stories too, which my classmates insisted I read out to them. Same goes for history classes where the teacher would have us imagine being a soldier at the Battle of Hastings or some such. Meanwhile, my poem about failing a maths exam was featured in the school magazine!

In my author life now, I’ve kept the poetry and historical fiction going, along with environmental protest, though not the horror.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
When I lived in New York City, an actress friend introduced me to a Shakespeare Workout group, where I became captivated by the joys of dramatic verse. I memorized everything I loved, so that I can now come up with Shakespeare lines for pretty much any situation, even as a party trick! This led to fascination with mythology and epic poetry, none more so than Milton’s Paradise Lost, which inspired me to write my own epic poems, ELIJAH and OBAMA’S DREAM. Like all my fiction and non-fiction books, these are also deeply rooted in the Bible.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The fraudulent installation of George W. Bush in the White House in 2001 goaded me into writing political poetry, and I have kept up the practice ever since, encompassing several hundred poems, along with essays and short stories, throughout the three imperial presidencies of Bush, Obama, and Trump. This 20-year VERSES VERSUS EMPIRE collection is my latest release and, at a thousand pages or so, certainly the biggest!

I have also separately released THE COVID PROPHECIES, extracted from the collection, where I ascribe to Covid the role of an abolitionist revolutionary in the manner of Moses’ plagues that would free his fellow Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. (Plague also has an abolitionist role at the outset of Homer’s The Iliad.) Today’s vaccines are akin to the snakes conjured by Pharaoh’s magicians in an act of mimicry after Moses’ brother Aaron turned his staff into a snake at Pharaoh’s court. Aaron’s snake ate their snakes! You do the math!

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Abdiel LeRoy’s Website

Abdiel LeRoy Facebook Page

Abdiel LeRoy Twitter Account

Featured Author Jane Powell

Featured Interview With Jane Powell

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi! Born in Sweden to Irish parents and raised in Montreal, I’ve always had a lust for new adventures. I lived in Australia, New Zealand and Norway (where my hubby is from) for several years and am currently living out my latest adventure (along with my family) in Golden, British Columbia. Along with being a mum and a special needs support worker, I’m a creative writer who has self-published two novels (YA/Contemporary fiction ), a children’s book, some short stories, and opinion pieces. My passion for creative writing started as soon as I could read. I’ve always been fascinated with books that tell stories about life, society, and people. I model my writing off authors such as Bryce Courtenay, Miriam Toews, Paulo Coelho, and Audrey Niffenegger.

For me, life is a riveting research project. Possibilities for learning are everywhere, in every interaction and experience (whether good or not so good). My “life toolbox” includes living and working in several countries, degrees in Anthropology, World Religions, and Education, as well as surviving the youth protection system (of which inspired my second novel “Butterflies in the System”), becoming a teen parent, and overcoming trauma associated with sexual assault (which inspired my first novel “Sky-bound Misfit”).

I am currently working on my third novel.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My passion for creative writing started as soon as I could read and I wrote several short stories and poems for friends in high school (just for fun). I began to write my first novel, “Sky-bound Misfit”, when my youngest son was a few months old. He was a great sleeper and would take long afternoon naps. I’d always wanted to write a book, so I decided to do just that. When I was about 3 chapters in, my son stopped napping so soundly. I put my writing project aside for 10 years and finally completed it in 2018. Since then, I’ve written a children’s book, short stories, opinion pieces, a second novel, and I’m currently working on my third novel.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Bryce Courtenay, Miriam Toews, Paulo Coelho, and Audrey Niffenegger – along with so many others!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Butterflies in the System” is a story inspired by my experience as a ward in Montreal’s youth protection system. The story brings readers on a journey through a year in the life of five teens (as well as a childcare worker and social worker) as they navigate their way through group-homes, detention centres, and street life. Full of both adventure and sorrow, I wrote this book to highlight ethical violations in Montreal’s youth protection system and to help bring awareness to the importance of mental health resources for youth and the need for systemic change in the system. For details, see my blog post “The Story that Inspired Butterflies in the System”: https://www.janepowell.org/post/the-story-that-inspired-butterflies-in-the-system

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Jane Powell’s Website

Jane Powell Facebook Page

Jane Powell Twitter Account

Featured Author Renee Yancy

Featured Interview With Renee Yancy

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up Catholic and for many years I wanted to be a nun. When all my mom’s white towels went missing from the linen closet, my parents knew I had taken them to create a nun’s habit. For years, I begged my Dad to let me go into the convent after 8th grade. Wisely, he said if I still wanted to be a nun after I graduated high school, I could go then. In high school I discovered boys, and that was the end of my “vocation.”

I also wanted to be an archaeologist. (I don’t remember how I thought a nun and an archaeologist could be combined!) In the 60s, my Dad brought home a full-color coffee table book about the discovery of Tutankhamun’s gold-filled tomb and I was an Egyptophile from then on. Mummies fascinated me, and my love of archaeology was born. This is reflected in some of my blog posts.

As a young, rather naïve woman, I thought God was calling me to be a missionary. So I went to India for three months with another young lady who thought the same thing. We had wildly varying experiences while there, from staying at the Intercontinental Hotel in New Delhi, living in a houseboat in Srinagar for two weeks, and visiting remote missionary outposts and sleeping on charpoy beds.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was a voracious reader from a young age, regularly coming home with more books than I could carry. I’ve always loved historical fiction. I didn’t start writing until 2004. Wish I’d started twenty years sooner!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Favorite authors: James Clavell, Anya Seton, Diana Gabaldon, Oilive Ann Burns, James Golden. Historical ficion all the way!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The true story of Consuelo Vanderbilt inspired my new historical romance, The Test of Gold. Consuelo was a “Dollar Princess,” the nickname coined for heiresses in the late 20th century who possessed multi-million dollar dowries and married cash-poor British and French aristocrats.

The Gilded Age occurred after the American Civil War, from 1870 to the early 1900s, a turbulent time of rapid economic growth in America. Captains of industry such as Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller amassed huge fortunes, but were considered nouveau riche by the patrician bluebloods of New York City. The exclusive list of people who could comfortably fit into the ballroom of the queen of high society, Caroline Astor, was called the famous “400.”

Social climber Alva Vanderbilt craved entrance into the 400, and schemed exactly how to achieve it. First, she built an extravagant “chateau” with one hundred and fifty rooms at 660 Fifth Avenue. Nothing like this had ever been seen before. Then she planned a huge costume ball, the cost of which by today’s standard was $6,000,000!

When young Carrie Astor, Caroline’s daughter, didn’t receive an invitation to the ball, Mrs. Astor was forced to “call” on Alva to receive an invitation, and Alva was in.

During the Gilded Age, European aristocrats flooded New York City to find a wealthy bride whose dowries could shore up their crumbling ancestral estates, trading titles for dowries. Have cash, will marry! Consuelo’s mother, our infamous Alva Vanderbilt, forced her daughter at the tender age of eighteen to marry the Duke of Marlborough to obtain a royal title for the Vanderbilt name.

It was a loveless marriage, and in time, Consuelo escaped it and achieved personal happiness with Jacques Balsan, a French aviator and industrialist.

For my research, I explored some amazing estates of the rich and famous, read books about the etiquette of that time, and studied the fabulous gowns of Charles Worth, who was the premier Paris designer of the Gilded Age. I searched out the jewelry designs of Tiffany, Cartier, and Marcus & Co. Such fun and so beautiful to look at!

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Renee Yancy’s Website

Renee Yancy Facebook Page

Renee Yancy Twitter Account

Featured Author Lillian and Dave Brummet

Featured Interview With Lillian and Dave Brummet

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Lillian: I’m so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to appear on this wonderful website for a second time! We were here talking about our 2 books of poetry, green living book series and a book promotion guide we wrote… but now we are thrilled to come back to talk about our new cookbook: From One Small Garden. Dave and I have been married for 30 years and run the Brummet Media Group where we have written 6 published books, run 2 blogs, and a drum teaching studio.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Dave: I was inspired by various sci-fi writers at first and felt I would go the fiction route but haven’t yet found the time to develop anything of my own in that genre. I definitely have some story ideas rattling around in my head. Some day…
I was also inspired by Neil Peart, the drummer/lyricist from the rock band Rush. He inspired me as a drummer to get myself song writing credits when involved with original music. Oddly enough as a drummer there are no credits for your performance as compared to a guitarist, keyboard player or song writer. So I started by writing song lyrics and most of my “poetry” is penned in that style.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Lillian: I’m in awe of fiction writers like Stewart Woods, Linda Shuler, David Brin and Nancy Farmer. How do they do it?!! The first writer I ever knew was my mother, who dabbled at the craft for a short time. Later, teachers would comment about my writing, truly moved by what I wrote. These were the earliest influences, slowly pointing me in this direction. Some of my poetry was published, then I won some writing awards… later I took some career evaluation tests and writing kept coming up as a career option. Dave’s emotional support and strategic skills have been of great value; having that strength, someone to mull over challenges with, split the work with, and just share the experience in general.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Lillian: I’m very excited about this latest release: From One Small Garden – Over 300 Delicious, Nutritious Recipes. This collection of recipes is the ultimate guide to utilizing fresh fruits and vegetables from backyard gardens to farmer’s markets – the freshest, purest source of food we can draw from.

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Lillian and Dave Brummet’s Website

Lillian and Dave Brummet Facebook Page

Lillian and Dave Brummet Twitter Account

Featured Author Art Norman Jr.

Featured Interview With Art Norman Jr.

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Well I was raised in Landover, Md! And as a little younster I migrated to stay with my Grandmother in a small town in North Carolina! I made the basketball team there & played for the local high school all the way up to college! I went off to HBCU – North Carolina A&T State University & got a B.A. in Psychology in 1993! I pursued that field down in Florida for a while then up in Chicago where my father lives he was a news anchor there at WMAQ NBC 5 & the next thing I knew I was in HOLLYWOOD, CA!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Early on when I was in Maryland at private school I would go to the library & check out ‘The Hardy Boys’ & ‘Nancy Drew’ & read them all! I was good in English & Spanish & wrote very well!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
John Grisham I’ve been reading his books for close to 30 years! My 1st cousin who was at Stanford University would come home for Christmas break & suggested him as well as various business books & the rest is history! I absorbed the stock market & love reading mystery suspense thrillers!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Well I’ve written a ‘Hollywood: Hollyweird’ 3 book series! I’m working on Part 3 now! (A Mystery!) Its based in HOLLYWOOD, CA! And branches out throughout the world! It stars 2 detectives one is ‘The Champ!’ he is dead serious & his partner is ‘Art Munee’ (Money) a long thick dreadlock brotha that is the ladies man! They solve situations in Tinseltown & somewhat dodge trouble every which way but loose! Also Check out my first 2 books on this website: ‘Hollywood: Hollyweird’ Part 1 & 2!

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Art Norman Jr. Twitter Account

Featured Author Warren Tuttle

Featured Interview With Warren Tuttle

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in the U.S., but moved to Zurich, Switzerland at age 5, but attended Prep School and College in the U.S. I also lived in Africa through a school program, so I’ve been around the world. Today, I live in Connecticut.
For many years, our family had Springer Spaniels; however, they have since passed away.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
At a very young age, I loved books. My mother used to read to us. My early memory is going to the town library. Today, I’ve been a member of a book club for over 35 years where we have read over 150 books. In addition, I read between book club events. Inventor Confidential is my first book as an author.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Joseph Heller, Mark Twain, Isabella Wilkerson, Michael Connolly and so many others. I enjoy many different genres of both fiction and non-fiction.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Inventor Confidential: The Honest Guide to Profitable Innovating” covers a wide range of topics –– all dedicated to independent product development, going to market, and promoting grass roots innovation in America.
Inventor Confidential is dedicated to promoting grass roots innovation in America. The first half of the book describes what a successful corporate Open Innovation program looks like and why it is important for companies to search outside their four walls for disruptive and profitable innovation. I spend a fair amount of time describing proven mechanics, explaining why the outside contractor model works best, and recapping my own extensive experience of how I got into the innovation arena, both personally and professionally. Of equal importance, I explain to independent innovators (inventors, product developers, designers and makers) how to develop new products the proper way and license them for profit. The second half of the book focuses on the myriad challenges today’s inventors fall prey to, including invention industry marketers taking their money without supplying profitable results, big tech companies diluting the patent system, challenges at the US Patent and Trademark Office, as well as Washington DC lobbyists and politics. I end the book with a section on the importance of organic innovation, why it’s critical in digging out of economic recession, and what everyone in our society, from the supreme court to board rooms, can do to improve the current state of US innovation, otherwise we may soon lose our historic place as the world’s leading innovator.

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Warren Tuttle’s Website

Warren Tuttle Facebook Page

Warren Tuttle Twitter Account

Featured Author S. P. Jordans

Featured Interview With S. P. Jordans

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a 21 year old fantasy/young adult writer. I was born and raised in the sea capital of Bulgaria but I’m currently finishing my education at the University of Southern Denmark. Due to Covid-19, I have moved back with my parents in Germany and enjoying my time with them and my cat.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I first discovered my love of writing when I was around the age of 13 and since then I haven’t put down my pen.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’m an interesting specimen. I don’t read the genre I write. I enjoy historical romance and occasionally crime fiction, however; I write neither of them. Since way back, my go-to authors have been Amanda Quick, Julie Garwood, and Caroline Linden.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, The Frozen Abyss, will be coming out on March 14th 2021, is the second book in The Sunless Kingdom trilogy.
In the first book, The Crossing Pit, we are introduced to Aleksandra, the rightful Queen of the Kingdom of Lunarem who was taken to our work when she was still an infant. Around two decades later she is brought back only to learn that her family was slaughtered and her people enslaved. She has to make a decision if she wants to fight for a land she never knew and free the people her father fought to keep free.
There is a lot of action, magic, romance, and dragons. You’ve got to have dragons!

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S. P. Jordans’s Website

Featured Author Madhushree Das

Featured Interview With Madhushree Das

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
The Author is an intuitive versifier and artistical idealist. Empowering people through the magic of words is her superpower. She loves the euphony of nature in the dusk and dawn. Drop by her Instagram at @ mystic_mithi25 or email her at mystic.mithi25@gmail.com. The Author was raised in India and currently living in India. When the Mystic meets a Starfish her debut collection of Poetry.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was a logophile for a long time but the writing was never in the picture until one day, it happened like a clap of thunder in a clear blue sky.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Rumi and his mystical poems influenced me a great deal to become a poet; what I am now. My Favourite genre to read is Poetry. Sometimes I do read fiction. My favourites Authors are Rumi, Pablo Neruda, John Green, Ruth ware, Nicholas Sparks and so on.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The collection of poetry “When the mystic meets a Starfish” illustrated the stirring and enchanting poems. In this world where we all have lost to feel the magic of true love in life, my poems aim to be a perfect panacea for all the aching hearts who lost their hope in divinity. It will inspire people to traverse through the infinite darkness and feel the mystical light till eternity. I only wanted to convey and share “The Deepness” with readers. I encourage everyone to know about the deepness as a way of life for getting a pearl you have to dive into the deep ocean.

Featured Author Clinton Bezan

Featured Interview With Clinton Bezan

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised on a farm in western Manitoba and currently live in central Alberta. I have farmed all of my life and have always been surrounded by cattle, horses, pigs, poultry, cats and dogs. I have a special place in my heart for all animals and have been truly blessed to have had many unique experiences and relationships with them.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I never aspired to be a writer. In late 2018 I felt the Holy Spirit gently nudge me to write and I resisted at first but finally capitulated to his relentless yet tender pressure. Early in January 2019 I began the most exhilarating journey of my life. Not knowing how to write or what to say, I sat down at my computer and as fast as I could type, the words flowed out from my fingers onto the page. This continued in 15 to 20 minute spurts each day and I wrote my first book Truth Cries Out in six weeks. A year later I had completed my first three books.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite author is the Apostle Paul who is responsible for nearly half of the New Testament. My favorite book is the Holy Bible and God is who inspires me to write. I have had profound encounters with him and he has richly blessed me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, which will be published in the spring of 2021 is entitled Revelation of Truth. It explores the covert power structure of the deep state and the nefarious dark spiritual forces at play in the progression to a new world order and one world government. The book illustrates how the phenomenon of the COVID 19 pandemic, increased draconian controls over humanity, increased socialism and the collapse of the world financial system will ultimately culminate in the tyrannical rule of the antichrist during the Great Tribulation predicted in the Bible.

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Clinton Bezan’s Website

Clinton Bezan Facebook Page

Featured Author Jasmine Young

Featured Interview With Jasmine Young

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a 27 year-old half Taiwanese, half-Caucasian American from NorCal. I’ve lived and travelled all over the world, from Taiwan to Belarus, to now, my permanent home of Florida. It was only after I obtained my MA in Teaching at Columbia University that I realized that traditional education was standardizing kids and not teaching them to live up to their full potential – and so, I embarked on my own hero’s journey to publish YA fantasy and inspire teens to rise up to become the inner legends they already are. Today, I’m fighting life’s giants and gaining new victories with my sidekick, Mau the overweight tabby!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing when I was eleven, but it wasn’t until I read Christopher Paolini’s Eragon as a fourteen-year-old that I began writing my own full-length novels. My first one was a total ripoff of the Inheritance Cycle, lol! (But that’s how the writing journey starts for some of us, right?)

Crazy enough, my current series – including my #1 Amazon bestselling debut, Stormfire – is a family descendant of that original Eragon-inspired series I wrote as a middle schooler!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Now, in my late twenties, YA fantasy remains my favorite genre and escape. Paolini will forever be my favorite because of how he’s inspired me. As I get older, I am hunting for the next Paolini in my life. So far, some favorite authors have been Suzanne Collins, Marie Lu, Sabaa Tahir, and Holly Black.

Every day challenges and victories continue to inspire my writing. As an author, I think it’s so important to not just master the craft, but human psychology as well. The more you understand yourself and other people, the more you’ll be able to write really compelling characters (and plots).

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Four teens may be the only hope of stopping the world’s end, beginning with one boy. Can fourteen-year-old Jaime rise to liberate his kingdom—even if he must burn with the rest of his family?

Phew. Believe it or not, it never gets any easier for an author to describe what her book is about in a few sentences.

But would you believe that when Stormfire, my YA fantasy debut, came out, my first review was two stars on Goodreads? I was really devastated. Talk about a fresh aspiring author turned published author who felt her dreams had been crushed. What’s even crazier is that a year later, Stormfire is now a two-time #1 Bestseller on Amazon.

This book is really about how the youngest people can make the biggest impact… AND achieve their dreams. If you’re an aspiring author, or an aspiring anything, look at Stormfire and believe that YOU can make it.

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Jasmine Young’s Website

Jasmine Young Twitter Account

Featured Author Fre’Derick “Ziggy” Redd III

Featured Interview With Fre’Derick “Ziggy” Redd III

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Ziggy was originally born and raised in Greenville, MS, and later moved to Houston TX in 2014 were he underwent cancer treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He later transitioned (passed away) from his 7 year battle with cancer at the age of 10 in June 2018.
He didn’t have any real pets, but he did have a stuffed animal (dog) named Waffles.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
He always had a passion for school and learning from his toddler years till his passing in 2018.
Ziggy would write all the time with his younger sister Zai who helped illustrate the book after his passing. Writing and creativity was a apart of their bonding.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
There are no particular authors just those books and genres that interested him. His mother (Author Philandis Stovall) inspired him to write along with his grandmother Doris Stovall.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
As a cancer patient, attending school and learning to read was challenging for Ziggy. However, his strong determination pushed him to succeed.Ziggy was excited to be among his peers daily and looked forward to the social interaction. School gave Ziggy more knowledge and confidence in putting words that he could verbalize onto paper. Words became sentences, sentences became paragraphs, and paragraphs became stories. Ziggy would dramatically act out his stories as he and his sister Zai would play together. Often, Zai would follow Ziggy’s lead as he would give her the details of the story word for word, instructing her on what he needed her to say. He would also draw pictures to help her understand.He was the writer, director, and lead in every story he wrote!This story highlights Ziggy’s strength, a gift for entertainment, and was published as encouragement for other children and adults who are on a cancer journey. In spite of his health condition, Ziggy never lost focus on the things he wanted to do during his lifetime.”The Mystery of the Missing Ring” is a continuation of Ziggy and Zai’s beautiful sibling bond that we, his family, hope will be shared with others and thereby allowing Ziggy to live on in the hearts and minds of others for eternity.

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Fre’Derick “Ziggy” Redd III’s Website

Featured Author Chiara Talluto

Featured Interview With Chiara Talluto

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hello, my name is Chiara Talluto. I’m a wife, busy mom, author, and a woman after God’s heart. As I ponder this declaration, I find it more appropriate to claim that I am a woman after God’s heart first. He has given me a gift of writing, and I honor Him through my written works. So, pull up a chair and stay awhile.

People often ask what kind of writing I do. I tell them… I write Inspirational/Christian drama empowering women to discover their faith, use perseverance to overcome adversity, and become heroes of their own destinies. I also write middle-grade fantasy-fairy tales to encourage girls in developing strong morals and values, and to always stand up for what is right.

I am a first generation American in my Italian family and the middle-child with an older and younger sister. My parents immigrated to this country from Italy in 1965. They learned to speak the language, learned how to drive American-made cars, and became US citizens. My parents are retired now, spending more than fifty-years working in their trade. My mother was a seamstress and my father was a tailor. Growing up, I never worried about whether my jeans were too long or my tops weren’t fitted right, it was expected that having both parents who sewed, we never had holes in our socks, missing buttons on the blouses, and broken pant zippers. Unfortunately, their amazing talents didn’t transfer down to me or my sisters.

If anything I’ve learned growing up Italian in America, is to work hard in everything because language would be my mom and dad’s challenge. While learning English was the toughest thing for my parents, their strong work ethic prevailed and hard work did pay off. They spent many years working two jobs supporting the family and striving for the American Dream.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was a latch-key kid and often took care of my younger sister. I was never the smart student, I didn’t have a lot of friends, but I loved riding my bike and playing tennis against the brick wall of the apartment building where we lived.

To escape my childhood responsibilities, I began reading. I loved the Nancy Drew series and Hardy Boys books. The library was a couple miles away and I rode my bike to and from almost every day, I couldn’t get enough of the stories. I began keeping a journal at the age of eleven. Soon, I began writing poems. My love for the written word was sparked by all that reading. It wasn’t until my late teens that I discovered Danielle Steele novels and began to pen stories of my own. I continued writing longer prose as much as I could during a prosperous career as a Human Resources Recruiter, and then as an Instructional Designer. I received many awards and accolades for my accomplishments, and my work responsibilities grew, but there was something missing. I began to devote less and less time to my joy of writing. And soon, my creativity began to suffer. It wasn’t until after much soul-searching and some tough decision-making that I finally left the corporate world to start writing full-time. That was fifteen years ago. You could say I had a “premature midlife crisis”.

Today, I am the CEO of my home, practicing wife to my husband, mommy to our two daughters, and writer of all things that need to be put on paper. My family often tells me that I am the Master Storyteller in our household because I have a passion for writing about people who struggle with decisions and conflicts that arise in their lives.

All of my writings contain an element of Christianity and faith. I never set out to be a writer, or a Christian writer for that matter, it just happened. It’s who I am and who I was meant to be. Writing is my outlet, a spilling of emotions, random thoughts, and imaginary characters that consume my mind twenty-four hours a day. I need to write, just like I need to eat, exercise, and breathe. And so folks, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it…

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I enjoy stories about human complexities. I like real-life stories, and have been drawn to writings that have a biblical theme, are motivational, and encouraging. I admire writers like…

Eric Wilson – October Baby and Fireproof
Judy Blume
Karen Kingsbury
Richard Paul Evans
Mitch Albom
Billy Coffey
Rachel Hauck
C.S. Lewis – Chronicles of Narnia
Hans Christian Andersen
Tim Lahaye – Left Behind
Adriana Trigiani – Big Stone Gap
David Baldacci – The Christmas Train
Travis Thrasher – Marvelous and American Omen
Ernest Hemingway
Jack Keroerac
Charles Bukowski

Each of these remarkable authors are able to write believable characters, digging deep into their sub-conscience, and exploring and unraveling their tragedies and triumphs.

I often tell people I have two addictions: reading and writing. I feel restless and empty when I can’t read fiction, write my deepest thoughts in my journal, or even write down story ideas. Writing calms me, centers me, and provides a healthy outlet for my communication with imaginary friends.

I write for the euphoric desire and need to transfer spiraling thoughts into words that move people emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I love taking everyday life situations and circumstances that people encounter, struggle and conquer, and turn it into creative storylines.

I balance my writing by doing one project at a time. That is, completing that “one” particular project. I can be writing, reading, editing many things at the same time, but once I know what I’m going to do with a writing project, I set a goal to complete it to the end.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Straight from my Press Release:

From the three-time Five Star Readers’ Favorite REVIEW RECIPIENT, Chiara Talluto, author of Love’s Perfect Surrender, Petrella, the Gillian Princess, and A Tribute To Tulipia, comes the highly anticipated release of She Made It Matter, an inspirational drama.

She Made It Matter is a compelling tale of one woman’s fight to regain sobriety, find salvation, and earn forgiveness after years of guilt from being abandoned by her mother and then losing her brother to cancer, a struggle to vanquish the demons of her past and make her life right again.

This story tackles the difficult subjects of family abandonment, alcohol abuse, and food dependencies; compulsions and addictions caused by the trauma of one’s past.

Amanda Reynolds is vulnerable. Like most humans we err and make mistakes, and harbor grudges and secrets that can create huge reservoirs of pain if not addressed. Amanda is stuck in the past, and stuck in the pain, and the only way to cope with it is alcohol.

WHILE WRITING the story, Chiara thought about her own idols and addictions and how she could break them. She thought about how a person with a perfect life is able to throw it all away over something that consumes their mind and body. She thought about a person who cannot move forward because of horrible past experiences. She pondered the ongoing domestic abuse and abandonment of children in our society. Most importantly, Ms. Talluto thought about the human condition, and the temptations that can lure one in the wrong direction.

Ms. Reynolds has to face her fears and QUASH the demons of her past so that she can live again. It is a daring attempt to confront things head on. But, we are encouraged to know that tough situations don’t last long; BUT tough people do.

… The work ABOUT addiction is heart-breakingly accurate, delivering a realistic emotional quality which both endears Amanda to us as a character and also teaches important real life lessons about the judgments we often place on people who are alcohol dependent… (K.C. Finn from Readers’ Favorite)

… Author Chiara Talluto gives the reader a realistic tale of someone searching for a purpose, for validation that they mean something, that they are worth more than just being left or abandoned… (Michelle Randall from Readers’ Favorite)

She Made It Matter is available in print and electronic editions everywhere books are sold. More information on the author and all her writings can be found at www.chiaratalluto.com.

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Chiara Talluto’s Website

Chiara Talluto Facebook Page

Chiara Talluto Twitter Account

Featured Author Blue Spruell

Featured Interview With Blue Spruell

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Blue Spruell lived and worked in Japan for several years before returning to Atlanta. A trial lawyer and certified mediator, he runs his own firm, The Outlaw Firm, specializing in family law and civil litigation. An internationally recognized black belt instructor, he also owns Peachtree Aikikai, a dojo for Japanese martial arts.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
From the moment I heard Treasure Island as a bedtime story, I was hooked on stories, and I was writing my own stories by the time I was 8.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
J.R.R. Tolkien truly inspired me, but many authors inspire me, and I love history and historical fiction.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Tarō is the quintessential hero of three timeless Japanese folktales: Kintarō (Golden Boy), Urashima Tarō (Island Boy), and Momotarō (Peach Boy). Each legend stands alone, bearing no relation to the others except in name. Some years ago, I saw a parallel between the personalities of Japan’s three Great Unifiers and Momotarō’s animal companions, the pheasant, monkey, and dog. I thought it might be amusing to write a short story drawing on this comparison. What began as a little excursion became a grand adventure. While the rest may not be history per se, I hope the reader will enjoy this new yarn as much as I enjoyed spinning it.

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Blue Spruell’s Website

Blue Spruell Facebook Page

Blue Spruell Twitter Account

Featured Author Thoughts of Expression

Featured Interview With Thoughts of Expression

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Dan,
originally from Philadelphia, has been a musician for over 40 years, playing in various bands throughout his musical career. He is currently a solo guitarist, who performs in the tri state area, with a passion for poetry. He decided to use his talent for poetry in his book titled Thoughts of Expression; a book full of love, gained and lost, of emotion, held and cherished, and of thoughts, expressed and implied.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
around 55 I had a deep feeing for poetry and started writing it

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
John Grisham, Thomas Goodfellow, Virginia Wright

Tell us a little about your latest book?
A book full of love, gained and lost, of emotion, held and cherished, and of thoughts, expressed and implied.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Thoughts of Expression’s Website

Thoughts of Expression Facebook Page

Thoughts of Expression Twitter Account

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