Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion
I. Author Interviews!
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HOSTING INTERVIEWS WITH AUTHORS
Kim Smith is the author of YA novel An Unexpected Performance. She is a master of short stories. Let’s hear from our next guest more about her writings.
KIM SMITH: AN UNEXPECTED PERFORMANCE IS TIMELESS STORY
Locks: Rapunzel Unhinged was published in late June by Sarah J. Pepper. It was another novel by the master of paranormal romance that received very good feedback from readers (av. 4.5 stars in Amazon from 13 reviews). It’s time for our next round of Q&A.
http://ogigeorgiev.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/sarah-j-pepper-i-live-in-a-fantasy-realm-that-is-my-imagination/#more-882
J.S. Collyer’s first published novel is on the marker since August. She is a sci-fi author, who loves Star Wars. The readers valuated very high Zero: An Orbit Novel (av. 4.8 stars from 6 reviews in Amazon). Let’s hear from our next gust more about the book.
J. S. COLLYER: I WRITE FOR FUN
Tinsley Collins is a British author with two published books Séance and The Guru Game. Both novels received very nice feedback. Our next guest has interesting adventures with publishers and was kind to share them with us.
TINSLEY COLLINS: I HAVE CHURNED OUT SOME OF MY BEST WORK WRAPPED IN A BLANKET
Darren Hobson’s Poetry Tails were published in September. Our next feature author is very interesting person as you will see during the interview. He;s got very strong personal opinion, which heavy influenced his writings.
DARREN HOBSON: I WRITE POETRY ABOUT CATS WHO HAVE TAILS
Natalie Vellacott released her first novel They’re Rugby Boys, Don’t You Know? in August. It’s a non-fiction story, which is taking place in Philippines. Don’t you know much about this part of the planet and how the life is rolling? Let’s get some clues in our next feature author interview.
NATALIE VELLACOTT: I COULDN’T LIVE BACK IN THE WEST
KP Merriweather is a fantasy, sci-fi and paranormal writer. She re-released Dangerous Methods (The Agency Book 2) in March. Let’s take a closer look into our next feature indie writer, who is a very interesting person.
KP MERRIWEATHER: I SUFFER FROM CHRONIC INSOMNIA
Our next guest is USA Today bestselling author Samantha LaFantasie. She is writing fantasy novels. The last one Echoes of Memories was published at the end of July. It’s time for our next portion of Q&A.
SAMANTHA LAFANTASIE: I FIND INSPIRATION IN DREAMS
Alexi Lawless’s latest novel Complicated Creatures Part Two was published few days ago. The book already received astonishing 16 out of 16 5-stars Amazon reviews. Our next featured author had another very interesting story how became a full time writer. Do you want to hear it? Sit on your chair and read the Q&A.
ALEXI LAWLESS: PASSION IS A LIFE CALLING
Lori Schafer’s memoir On Hearing of My Mother’s Death Six Years After It Happened is a very deep and brutal book. When I read the answers in the interview it was like something scary passed through my body. The author earned my respect for the bravery to tell such a personal things. Are you ready for some real deal life story?
LORI SCHAFER: DEALING WITH EMOTIONS IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
It’s always a pleasure to have debuting authors as guests on our blog. Donald Wilson II released in August his book Cross Roads. Let’s her from the writer himself more about his book.
DONALD WILSON II: I’M WORKING ON THE CROSS ROADS SEQUEL
Interview with AuthorInterview for local Newsletter June 2012
We recently interviewed local author, May Panayi.
When did you start writing?
I have always been writing ever since I was a little kid. In fact I had my first poem published in the local Gazette at age five, back in 1967. It was a pretty simple little ditty called In a Rage, about a kid who had a tantrum because they didn't get what they wanted for tea, but apparently the paper thought it was good.
Then throughout the school years, I wrote poems and short stories, and entered competitions for writing whenever I came across them. I even hand published a little magazine for the kids in my street for a few years. When I stopped doing that, a few of the parents asked me why I had stopped as they had enjoyed reading it. I suppose my readership was different from the target audience I had intended.
In the eighties I published a few issues of a fanzine called Mad and Bloody. It interviewed local bands, and covered various political and underground issues. Underground zines were a really big movement back then, it was a lot of fun to do.
After that I just kept plugging away at it for quite a lot of years. I entered poetry and short stories into competitions, winning or placing now and again. I was published in a few anthologies. I also wrote articles and fillers and sent around to various magazines. The best and highest paid one was a travel article I wrote on the Gambia, that was published with about eight of my photographs to illustrate it.
So you are a photographer too?
Yes, I got into photography a bit later than writing though. I got my first instant camera by saving up Bazooka Joe bubblegum cartoons, I think I needed about two hundred and fifty of the things. Later on I worked in a publishing house as a collator in the school summer holidays for six weeks and saved enough money to buy myself a proper Zenith camera. I never got involved in the developing side of things, although I did have an uncle who did all that. I entered some winter scenes into a competition run by the local library, and one of those won a prize. It has always been a rather casual hobby, but since the digital camera came along accompanied by all the home editing software, I have got into it a bit more. In fact one of my books is a collection of photographs of Woodvale cemetery throughout the different seasons of the year. People tell me it is a beautiful collection.
Two of your books are about very different religious paths. How did that come about?
I was a Pagan and a Witch from 1982 to 2008, which in itself is quite a long story that I won't go into now but have covered in some of my books. But I ran a teaching Coven here in Brighton for nearly ten years, some of the local kids might remember the frights they used to get at our house on Halloween when different Coven members would dress up and give them a shock when they flung open our front door. One year a member even brought a smoke machine along.
Anyway, my first book was a summary of that experience; looking at what it meant to be a Witch, what sort of things we did, and some spells, pathworkings and so forth. It was called A 21st Century Coven.
At the end of 2008, I had a health problem and a Road to Damascus type experience and it changed my life and I converted to Christianity. I'm now Greek Orthodox. Anyway another of my passions is cookery, and I combined the two to produce a cookery book called Christian Celebrations Cookery, which examines the different Christian festivals of the year and provides a selection of my favourite recipes to accompany them.
You have written some other books too?
Yes, I wrote a collection of poetry over the years, which is a journey in itself, called Pain, Poems, Prayer and Passion. I also wrote a collection of essays on all kinds of subjects from philosophy to comedy called Muses and Meanderings. Most recently I have produced a collection of short stories called Oddscapes and Quirkitudes. That's it for the collections now, I think.
So what is coming next?
I'm currently working on a novel. It's a psychological drama. I don't want to discuss the plot and give the game away, but there are definitely life experiences in it that everyone will be able to relate to, in some measure. It's called Four to Dawn and I hope to have it completed and ready for publication before September this year.
Postscript: Four To Dawn was completed, and followed by Sun Sea and Secrets, a novel set in Greece- the first in the series 'Sun,' and it is selling very well on Kindle. I currently have six more books in the pipeline, but the one I am actually working on is a horror novel about a haunted block of flats. Others include two sequels to Sun, Sea and Secrets- to complete the 'Sun' series. Another is a novel about a rather strange girl. Another is a sci-fi comedy, and there is also a novel about climate disaster.
Ryan Quinn’s second book End of Secrets became a big hit three weeks before its official release. The novel made a Top 10 move to Kindle Amazon Bestselling list and even spent some moments as number 1. Our next guest will be a real nice guest for every journalistic article. We’ve got a chance to speak with one future star in writing.
RYAN QUINN: I TREAT WRITING THE SAME WAY I TREAT RUNNING
Kathy Shuker’s debut book Deep Water, Thin Ice was published earlier this year. The novel received very high feedback with average 4.5 stars reviews in Amazon. Our next guest is a promising indie author. Let’s hear from her more about the book.
KATHY SHUKER: MY HUSBAND ENCOURAGES ME, HE DESERVES A MEDAL
Brian Yansky’s new book Utopia, Iowa is set to be released in February. We’ve got a chance to take a brief look into the novel. It’s time for our next interview.
BRIAN YANSKY: THE WRITING ENRICHES MY LIFE
Dina Silver’s The Unimaginable is part of Kindle First book program. The novel appeared in Top 20 rankings of Amazon Bestselling novels before the official release set for December 1. The readers showed great interest and rated pretty high the story (4,3 stars from 215 reviews). We’ve got a chance to make quick Q&A with our next featured author.
DINA SILVER: THE UNIMAGINABLE WAS INSPIRED BY SOME FRIENDS OF MINE
Michael Kroft is a master of short stories. He already published two full novels – On Herring Cove Road: Mr. Jew And The Goy Boy and Still On Herring Cove Road. We’ve got a chance to speak with our next feature author about his latest book.
MICHAEL KROFT: I ENJOY SHORT STORIES FOR THEIR QUICKNESS AND SIMPLICITY
FC Etier had published two novels. The last one is The Presidents Club. Few years ago he began freelance writing on music and book reviews. Our next guest is a very good photographer. Let’s hear from him more about his books.
FC ETIER: MY THIRD NOVEL “A YEAR WITHOUT KILLING” IS COMING IN 2015
Franicis Yamoah is our next guest. His first novelette A Good Day was published at the beginning of the year. It’s always interesting to hear from young authors what is their opinion on the writing in general. Are you ready for our next Q&A?
FRANCIS YAMOAH: MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS THE LACK OF PATIENCE
USA Today Best Selling author Marc Cameron is the creator of Jericho Quinn series. Our next guest is a formal US Marshal. He is very interesting character, who used his life experience to put so much reality in his four published novels. The first one of Jericho Quinn series National Security was released in 2011, but this week the book once again was part of Kindle Amazon Top 20.
MARC CAMERON: DAY ZERO WILL BE RELEASED IN FEBRUARY
Penny White, aka Pen, is a very active self-publishing author. She was bitten by the writing bug at the age of ten (copyright of the sentence belongs to Pen). Her latest novel Nero’s Fiddle was published a month ago. Let’s go to our next Q&A guest, who has interesting things to share.
PEN (PENNY WHITE): IF I DIDN’T WRITE, I WOULD SIMPLY IMPLODE
Sara Hathaway’s debut novel Day After Disaster was published in the Summer. The book was received very well with average 4.5 stars from 26 reviews. We’ve got a chance to speak with the author about the story and her next projects.
(SARA F. HATHAWAY: MY BOOK REFLECTS UPON THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY
Elizabeth Davies released her latest novel The Spirit Guide in August. The readers’ feedback was very nice (av. 4.5 stars from 23 reviews in Amazon). We’ve got a chance to speak with Elizabeth about her books and next projects. Let’s say welcome to our next featured author.
ELIZABETH DAVIES: THE MAIN THING IS THAT PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING MY BOOKS
Three months before the official release of The Assembler of Parts the book received huge positive feedback (av. 4.9 stars from 57 reviews). The Raoul Wientzen’s novel is available now on kindle. Let’s hear more from the author about him and his novel
RAOUL WIENTZEN: I WANTED TO BE A WRITER SINCE EIGHTH GRADE
Every journalist enjoys when he receives interesting answers to his question. I guaranty that! My Q&A with authors are very common, because the main idea is to present the writer and his works. I always add 3-4 questions, which are specially prepared for the individual, who must answer them. Often the answers are short or type of “10 minutes must done job”. This is why my interview introduction is quite compact.I will not explain why Joe Evener deserved better presentation before you start to read his interview. You will see by yourself. Our theme will be his first book The Heart of Seras: Journey to Seras. The novel was very well received with only five stars reviews in Amazon!
JOE EVENER: I FOLLOWED MY DREAM OF BECOMING A TEACHER
Erik Ammon released earlier this year his book The Rabbit Who Wished He Could Fly. The readers loved the story and gave it an average 4.8 stars from 18 Amazon’s reviews. Our next featured author describes himself as father, teacher, runner and writer. Do you want to know more about him and his works?
ERIK AMMON: I AM A MILLION DIFFERENT THINGS
Stephen Christiansen is the author of epic fantasy series Orbbelgguren. If you are fans of dark elves, you will enjoy for sure the books. It’s time now for our next interview. Please welcome Mr. Stephen Christiansen.
(STEPHEN CHRISTIANSEN: ORBBELGGUREN MEANS SPIDER KILLERS
Andrew Milner’s last novel Card School was released two weeks ago. He is our next guest, who will put some light on his new book. It’s time for another fresh interview.
ANDREW MILNER: WRITING SONGS IS AS MUCH CREATIVE PROCESS AS WRITING A BOOK
Fay Risner is a veteran among the self-publishing authors. She started to use CreateSpace in 2008. Our next featured guest wrote 38 books. The last one was Doubting Thomas: Nurse Hal Among The Amish.
FAY RISNER: USA IS BLESSED WITH GOOD HEALTH CASEWORKERS
Andy Weir is a role model for every self-publishing author on the planet. His novel The Martian was published on paper by Crown in February 2014. The book have already been a huge hit.Few days ago Andy received another acknowledgement by the readers. He won Goodreads Choice Awards in sci-fi genre for 2014. Our next guest is a very kind and modest person and you will be convinced by yourself with the following interview.
ANDY WEIR: RESIST THE URGE TO TELL FRIENDS AND FAMILY YOUR STORY
Mike Bove released in April his last book Stinger Maguire. The Crime novel received very good response from the readers with currently averaging 4.3 stars from 9 Amazon reviews. Our next featured author wrote a total of two books, all of them with the same main character Bruce DelReno. The third part is on process of production.
MIKE BOVE: I NEVER USE FRIENDS’ SUGGESTIONS IN MY BOOKS
Celia Conrad is a family law specialist who became author. Her Alicia Allen Investigates series are receiving great feedback from the readers. Our next feature writer has a very special Christmas gift for all the fans of legal/mystery crime books. You may learn about it in the following interview.
CELIA CONRAD: NO EXPERIENCE IS WASTED IF YOU LEARN FROM IT
Alan Russel’s next book Guardians of The Night will be officially released on January 1 2015. The novel is available for download as e-book. The story headed Amazon bestselling list few days ago and still is staying as #1. We’ve got a great chance to speak about the book with the author himself. Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s time for our next guest – Mr. Alan Russell.
ALAN RUSSELL: PICKING OUT A FAVORITE BOOK IS LIKE PICKING OUT A FAVORITE CHILD
J.H. Sked is a fantasy author with several books already published. Her last novel Blood Moon Dance is the second part of her best recognized series Tales from the Crescent. We’ve got a chance to speak with our next featured guest about the books, next shortcoming releases and London, the city where she lives.
J.H SKED: I WROTE BLOOD MOON DANCE IN ABOUT FIVE DAYS
Penny de Byl is the author of Disciples of Cassini Trilogy. It’s a sci-fi story with elements of crime and mystery. The third part of the series White Clay Gods was released on October 28. Let’s here more about it directly from the author in our next interview.
PENNY DE BYL: MATTHEW REILLY’S DOCUMENTARY INSPIRED ME
Conceiving Evil is the last book of Jenna Fox. She already made a lot of fans with her books. Adding to that our guest is an avid reader and reviewer.Now we’ve got a chance to present the next feature author in the following interview.
JENNA FOX: MY NICHE IS DARK EROTICA
Dawn Marie Hamilton is master of tales. Her last novel Just in Time for a Highland Christmas was published few weeks ago. The feedback is very good (av. 4,7 stars from 6 reviews). Our guest is giving very nice insight on the book in the next interview. Enjoy!
DAWN MARIE HAMILTON: I BELIEVE IN MAGIC
Gary Haynes is a practicing lawyer who published his first novel State of Honour last year. The book won very fast a nice number supporters among political thrillers fans. We’ve got a chance to discus the story with the writer in our next interview.
GARY HAYNES: I HAVE SEEN THE WORST IN HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
The second part of Karma series Jinxed was published on November 10 by the master of dark fantasy Donna Augustine. The novel followed the success of the opening book Karma. Our next guest is another pro writer, who shared some of her time to pass by our blog.
DONNA AUGUSTINE: PASSION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
A.L. wrote: "I've left a message"Well received!
I'll try and get to it over the weekend:)
S.S. Lange made her debut in the writing world with Charlotte Hayes series. The first book Long Lost scored a nice impact among the readers. It’s a very rare case when a debuting novel receives full 5 stars average valuation in Amazon. Blood is Thicker is the second part of the series, while the third one Almost Found was released few days ago. Are you ready for our next interview with another promising indie author?
S.S. LANGE: IF I DIDN”T WRITE, I’D BE CRAZY
Beneath Him by Komal Kant is the current #1 romance bestseller in Amazon. The book is featured in Top 20 of the most popular novels. The author of the new hit is just 24-year-old but already wrote some amazing stories. We’ve got a great chance to speak with the rising literary star Komal Kant in our next interview.
KOMAL KANT: I AM BLOWN AWAY BY THE SUCCESS OF BENEATH HIM
I never liked titles of my articles or interviews with many words. An exception is a must for our next guest – New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor. She wrote the amazing story of Maggie, one of Titanic survivors. The Girl Who Came Home became one of the best books for 2014. The novel was republished by HarperCollins in April and received great positive feedback (4.4 out of 5 stars from almost 1800 Amazon reviews).One other thing that I rarely do in the introduction section is to comment something about the following interview. Hazel Gaynor earned my respect with the way she speaks about her books and the entire process of research. I recommend you to check her great blog Carry on Writing. Inside you may find a lot of shared personal experience.
To conclude we also have great news about lady Gaynor’s next novel A Memory of Violets. Are you curious to know more? Well, it’s time for our next interview, which became one of my favorite in the blog.
HAZEL GAYNOR: HAVING A BEST SELLER DOES NOT MAKE IT ANY EASIER TO WRITE THE NEXT BOOK
T.K. Chapin’s first Book of The Chronicles of Kilix debuted two months ago. The third part Solex is scheduled for release on January 12. Our next guest is developing a special rating system for the book’s content, something like motion picture rating system that doesn’t allow kids to watch adult, abusive or ultra-violent movies. We’ve got a chance to hear more about such a great idea. Are you ready for our next interview?
T.K. CHAPIN: THE FIRST SENTENCE IS ALWAYS THE MOST DIFFICULT
Claudia Connor’s debut novel Worth The Fall gained huge positive criticism by readers. The book was released in September and received a well deserved praise. Currently, the first part of The McKinney Brothers series is averaging 4.7 stars rating in Amazon (430+ revaiews) and 4.3 stars at Goodreads (780 reviews). Apart from the writing Claudia is a professional children educator. For me, as a father of 2-year-old daughter, it was very interesting to hear some useful advices about communicating with kids.
CLAUDIA CONNOR: I NEVER CONSIDERED MYSELF A WRITER
Gabriel Boutros is a practicing criminal lawyer who started to write few years ago. Sounds familiar? Yeah, there are many attorneys turned to become very successful novelists.Our next guest released his third book Face/Mask few days ago. We will learn exclusively from the author about the story in the following interview.
ABRIEL BOUTROS: I WRITE TO GET AWAY FROM THE WORLD
A month ago Vince Guaglione published his latest big work The Narratives: Anthology (Volume 5). It’s a special peace of writing art based on essay form. If you are curious to learn more, don’t waste any time – read the following lines. 
VINCE GUAGLIONE: I ENJOY THE BEAUTY THAT LIFE HAS TO OFFER
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RICHARD FARR: I’M WRITING THE SEQUEL TO THE FIRE SEEKERS