Charles Fudgemuffin, author of the alien comedy 'How To Save the World' books

Charles Fudgemuffin's debut novel 'How To Save The World: An Alien Comedy' is available for Kindle from Amazon:
UK:  How To Save The World: An Alien Comedy

US:  How To Save The World: An Alien Comedy

 

How To Save The World: An Alien Comedy
is free for the next few days.

How To Save The World: An Alien Comedy
by Charles Fudgemuffin

‘Aliens from the planet Fem have decided that as compassionate citizens of the galaxy they have a duty to alleviate suffering and affliction from the rest of the galaxy.

In the majority of cases this will involve sharing their unprecedented prosperity and quality of life with those planets less fortunate than themselves. Of course, in a minority of extreme cases this will also involve eliminating life from those planets in the galaxy where the level of suffering is simply too great to alleviate.

Unfortunately for Earth, the Femlings have deemed us one such planet...’

. . . . . . . .

An interview with Charles Fudgemuffin…

What is it you love most about writing?

That moment after months or even years of work when you finally finish the final draft of your book.  It’s a powerful combination of a sense of achievement after having invested so much time and effort in the project, mixed with a feeling of freedom at being able to start focusing on your next idea.

Where did the inspiration for your first novel, ‘How To Save The World: An Alien Comedy' come from?

The book opens with Eric and his two mates bantering on while hiking up Mount Helvellyn in the Lake District and a few weeks before plotting out the first few chapters I had actually hiked up Helvellyn myself, so that was where the idea must have originated.  Like Eric, I’m also a big fan of the ‘Would You Rather?’ game and the questions he asks in the opening chapter are some of my own favourite ‘Would You Rather?’ dilemmas.  The aliens presumably came out of the alien based dilemma which Eric asks, and then from then on it was a case of a creative domino effect with one idea leading to the next until it had spiralled into a story spanning six books.

Elias Zapple, author of Duke & Michel: The Mysterious Corridor

Duke & Michel: The Mysterious Corridor by Elias Zapple is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Duke & Michel: The Mysterious Corridor by Elias Zapple
UK: Duke & Michel: The Mysterious Corridor by Elias Zapple

Duke And Michel: The Mysterious Corridor
by Elias Zapple

Duke & Michel: The Mysterious Corridor by Elias Zapple

Twelve year-old Michel's freaking out as his snotty little cousin has gone missing from the garden. He sticks his head through a hole in the fence and is sucked into a giant vortex where he ends up in an infinitely long and mysterious corridor, with doors leading to many strange worlds. He also meets a pompous, food-obsessed, talking dog called Duke who happens to be searching for his equally fat brothers. Together they go on an adventure to hunt for their missing relatives, unaware that they are also being hunted by an evil villain who has a dandruff problem.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Elias Zapple...

What's the best and worst thing about being an author?
The best thing is undoubtedly the adulation and hero worship of my adoring public. However, it does mean that the occasional worshipper tramples all over my cabbage patch, ruining cabbages I had planned to hurl at my neighbour, Dieter. This is the worse thing, if it wasn't clear.

Tara Ford, author of Calling All Services

Calling All Services by Tara Ford is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Calling All Services
UK: Calling All Services

Calling All Services by Tara Ford

Calling All Services by Tara Ford

Alex Frey, successful businesswoman, wife and mother to a busy and demanding family, doesn’t find it easy to take a break. So when she’s hospitalised with a mysterious illness, paralysed and afraid of what the future might bring, frustration meets fear and she can’t wait to escape the hospital, get back in control of things and return her family to the normality of salmon paste sandwiches.

At home, her husband Grant is determined to manage the kids, Alex’s parents, his sister and anything else life can throw at him while his wife is away recuperating. But what else can possibly go wrong while Alex is in hospital? The Frey family is about to find out. . .

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Tara Ford...

If you had to sum up your book, Calling All Services, in three words, what would they be?
Umm, to sum up my book in three words I would have to choose: humorous, emotional and believable.

What are you working on now and what projects and ideas do you have lined up next?
I am currently working on my third novel, Calling All Customers. This is the third book in the Calling All... series and there are four books altogether. The series is about the lives of the family members from the first book, in one way or another but not always directly. The second book, Calling All Dentists, is currently in the publication process and I do hope it will be released early 2014.

Clive Algar, author of Comets

Comets by Clive Algar is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US:  Comets by Clive Algar
UK:  Comets by Clive Algar

Comets by Clive Algar

Comets by Clive Algar

Set in the rich and fascinating milieu of Cape Town in the 1830s, with its shifting patterns of social awareness and the growth of scientific knowledge, Comets tells the story of James and Isabelle Forster, whose lives, and those about them, are changed irrevocably not only by the appearance of a real comet - Halley's - but by "human comets" including the aristocratic Michael Percy, the young Charles Darwin and a recently-emancipated slave couple, Adam and Catharine Cupido.  James and Isabelle's comfortable upper middle-class existence threatens to spin out of control as they confront moral crises they seem unable to resolve.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Clive Algar...

What is it you love most about writing?
I love the infinite scope for creating new worlds.  As a writer of mainly historical fiction (19th and early 20th century) I enjoy placing fictional characters among real historical characters to create events that could have happened.  I love the blank page waiting for me to fill it.

Where did the inspiration for your first novel, Journeys to the End of the World, come from?
Journeys is set in three different eras, but takes place largely during, and just after, World War 1.  I have had a fascination with the "Great War" since I was a child, as my late father fought on the Western Front, was mentioned in dispatches, was gassed in the trenches and saw things he could not bear to tell me about.  As I heard little about the war from him I read a great deal about it and, when the time came to write my first novel, I was drawn irresistibly to some aspect of the "Great War".  The aspect I chose was "shell shock", but I also related it to its unnamed equivalent a century earlier, and to post-traumatic stress disorder a century later.

Andrea R. Cooper, author of Viking Fire

Viking Fire by Andrea R. Cooper is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US:  Viking Fire (Crimson Romance)
UK:  Viking Fire (Crimson Romance)

Viking Fire by Andrea R. Cooper

Viking Fire by Andrea R. Cooper

In 856 CE, Ireland is a land of myth, magic, and blood. Viking raiders have fought the Irish for over half a century. Rival Irish clans promise only betrayal and carnage.

Kaireen, daughter of Laird Liannon, is suddenly forced into an arranged marriage with her sworn enemy, a Viking. She refuses to submit. With no mention of love, only land and the protection of her clan, she endeavors to get her betrothed banished from her country. Will love find its way around her stubborn heart?

Bram, the Viking, finds himself without future or inheritance as a younger son in his family. A marriage to the Laird’s daughter would grant him land if he swears fidelity and if his men will fight along with the Liannons against any foe—Irish or Viking. However, the Laird’s feisty daughter only holds animosity for him and his kind. Is marriage worth the battle scars of such a relentless opponent?
With the blame for a rival laird’s death treacherously set against the Liannons, Kaireen and Bram must find a way to lay aside their differences as an unforeseen darkness sends death snapping at their heels.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Andrea R. Cooper...

What is it you love most about writing?
I love meeting new characters. I am a pantser, so I discover things while writing at the same time as a character does. I do know the ending-ish, but I allow my characters to develop along with the story. It’s a thrill when a character does something I wasn’t expecting.

Peter G. Pollak, author of Last Stop on Desolation Ridge

Last Stop on Desolation Ridge by Peter G. Pollak is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Last Stop on Desolation Ridge
UK: Last Stop on Desolation Ridge

Last Stop On Desolation Ridge by Peter G. Pollak

Last Stop on Desolation Ridge by Peter G. Pollak

Can you imagine how you'd feel if you woke up with no memory but knowledge certain that someone wants you dead? That's what Logan Gifford had to deal with when rescued from a gully on a desolate road in the Adirondacks in upstate New York. You'll hang on every word as you follow his attempt to stay alive and recover his past.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Peter G. Pollak...

Tell us a bit about yourself and your work as an author.
After retiring from the company I founded, I decided to try to finish one of the dozen or so novels I'd started, but never gotten very far on. The half dozen people I sent copies to offered encouragement, so I self-published The Expendable Man, a political thriller, which is still my top-selling novel, in 2011. I followed that the next year with Making the Grade, a police procedural featuring a protagonist who has just been named the first female detective on her squad and, early in 2013, with a suspense novel, Last Stop on Desolation Ridge. I'll release another police procedural whose hero is a retired cop this fall, but I'm also working on an heroic fantasy epic which I hope to sell to a publisher when it's completed.

If you were to write a novel outside your usual genre, which genre would you like to experiment with and why?
It seems in the past that writers specialized in one genre or another, but I haven't felt confined to stick to one genre, perhaps because my reading tastes are so eclectic. As a young man, I read a lot of science fiction, and I read classics in literature courses in college and dabbled in mysteries, literary fiction and historical fiction over the years. But I found I really enjoy multi-volume fantasies, such as Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. So, while having written two suspense and two crime novels, I'm putting most of my effort into completing a fantasy series. I hope that will show my best writing and most creative story telling.

Author Quiz is taking a break...

Since I started Author Quiz just over a year ago, the number of visitors to the blog has steadily grown, with the most popular interviews having recieved over 500 page views.

However, it does require a regular commitment out of my schedule every week to upload and format the interviews and unfortunately very soon I won't be able to guarantee the necessary time, as for the next few months I'll be away backpacking around the world.  I've therefore decided that to avoid making commitments I can't keep, Author Quiz will be placed on a break while I'm away.

Things will keep running for a while yet, however, as any interviews already submitted have been scheduled to be featured over the next few weeks.  Also, to be fair to anyone who's working on an interview at the moment, any interviews which are submitted before the end of October will also be featured.

After that though, as I'll be away travelling I unfortunately won't be able to guarantee the normality to my schedule to work on the blog on a regular basis and therefore the safest decision is to place the blog on hold for a few months until I get back from my travels.

Finally, massive thanks to all the authors who have sent in interviews over the last twelve months, and also to all the readers who have visited the blog.  Author Quiz has now featured interviews from over fifty authors covering more than fifty different genres, so thanks again to everyone who has contributed interviews over the last year.

Java Davis, author of Depression Carpenter

Depression Carpenter by Java Davis is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Depression Carpenter by Java Davis
UK: Depression Carpenter by Java Davis

Depression Carpenter by Java Davis

Depression Carpenter by Java Davis

Jackson Ferry is born into a privileged New York family, losing them in a car accident at the start of The Great Depression. Young and wealthy, he needs to justify his good fortune that contrasts so starkly from most of America.  Skilled in carpentry, he drives to the Gulf of Mexico, working on building projects all around the gulf with Chin, his peculiar friend and partner from Florida.  Where Chin is happy-go-lucky, Jake is thoughtful, always searching for more, using carpentry to strengthen his self-esteem.  But together, they are a powerful team.

In Alabama, after camping in a local cemetery, they find themselves among some fresh recruits for FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  Further up the road, the pair is adopted by a Negro community, giving Jake his first real lessons in race relations.  Jake veers off to Baton Rouge and reminds himself what it’s like to be wealthy.  But he leaves Louisiana after ten weeks to continue his Gulf coast journey.

When Jake lands in Galveston, Texas, he stays for several years to help rebuild the island as it recovers from massive floods, sponsoring an inter-racial school for the island's orphans.

Ultimately, Jake learns to accept himself and makes peace with his circumstances.

This book took nine months to write.  The research to learn about the Gulf coast states during The Great Depression was fascinating, especially the horrendous history of Galveston, Texas.  The years of The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl continue to interest me, and I would love to write more historical fiction about this era.  I’m also a classic car enthusiast and researched an appropriate station wagon for the trip, a Ford “Woodie,” a photo of which is on the book’s cover.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Java Davis...

C. L. Swinney, author of Gray Ghost

Gray Ghost by C.L. Swinney is avalable for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Gray Ghost by C. L. Swinney
UK: Gray Ghost by C. L. Swinney

Gray Ghost by C. L. Swinney

Gray Ghost by C.L. Swinney

While on a fly fishing vacation to Andros Island in the Bahamas, narcotics detectives Dix and Peterson discover their fishing guides were killed when a sudden blast of gunfire fractured their speedboat, Gray Ghost. Local gossip has it that Gray Ghost went to the ocean floor with a hundred million dollars worth of cocaine in the hull. Dix and Peterson are drawn into helping their island friends, and chase down leads in Miami as well as the Bahamas until they identify the diabolical plot of the man known only as The Caller…things get much more interesting then.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews C. L. Swinney...

What is it you love most about writing?
I truly love telling stories that captivate the audience and get them to think.  My love for writing enables me to educate and entertain people about the mysterious world of narcotics.

What came first, the idea for your first book or the decision to write a book?
The idea for Gray Ghost came fourteen years prior to me actually thinking I could write it and get it published by a traditional pub.  Took quite awhile to find my niche and feel confident.

Rachel Amphlett, author of Under Fire

Under Fire by Rachel Amphlett is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Under Fire
UK: Under Fire

Under Fire by Rachel Amphlett

Under Fire by Rachel Amphlett

An explosion rocks a Qatari natural gas facility… a luxury cruise liner capsizes in the Mediterranean… and someone has stolen a submarine…

Are the events connected?

Dan Taylor doesn’t believe in coincidences – all he has to do is convince his superiors they are next in the terrorists’ line of fire.

As Britain enters its worst winter on record, Dan must elude capture to ensure the country’s energy resources are protected. At all costs.

In an action-packed adventure, from the Middle East through the Mediterranean to London, Dan and his team are on a quest which will test every choice he makes. Assisted by the exotic Antonia Almasi, Dan realises he faces an adversary far greater than he ever imagined.

And not everyone is going to survive.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Rachel Amphlett...

If you had to sum up your book, Under Fire, in three words, what would they be?
High octane action

What is it about your usual genre that appeals to you most as a writer?
I read thrillers, therefore I write ‘em!  Seriously, if I didn’t enjoy what I was writing, what would be the point?

I really like getting my protagonist into trouble and then letting his character work out a way to get away or get ahead of the bad guys. Readers have described my books as being like action movies – that’s great! If the scenes are enabling a reader to visualise what’s going on easily, then I’m happy!

Jacqueline Brockert, author of The Perils of Ophelia Jones

The Perils of Ophelia Jones by Jacqueline Brockert is avaliable for Kindle from Amazon:
US: The Perils of Ophelia Jones
UK: The Perils of Ophelia Jones

The Perils of Ophelia Jones by Jacqueline Brockert

The Perils of Ophelia Jones by Jacqueline Brockert

From the waters of the Mississippi churns a tale of a woman born in a river town. By chance, she is soon to be entwined in a group of people being led by destiny. The second book of the Karma Corn series lures you back to a bridge that spans a great river. Two cars driving slowly towards a beginning neither of them is aware of. This instant in time will change hearts and lives.

Karma Corn started with a small seed of ultimate coincidences. Now the journey speeds ahead with a colorful new character that unwittingly was there from the very beginning. As you turn the pages of the book your heart will warm as you meet Ophelia. From the colorful town of Hannibal, Missouri to places unknown, you begin both the perils and the adventure.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Jacqueline Brockert...

What is it you love most about writing?
It is the ability to take a reader and myself to places in your heart and soul that move you. The emotion you can get writing, and  when a reader connects with the same feeling..
The best is the accomplishment of being creative. The worst is waiting for a person to tell you about your work.

Are there any parts of being an author that you dislike?
I hate the editing- despise it!

Doug Ward, author of Parasite - The True Story Of The Zombie Apocalypse

Parasite - The True Story Of The Zombie Apocalypse by Doug Ward is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Parasite; The True Story of the Zombie Apocalypse
UK: Parasite; The True Story of the Zombie Apocalypse

Parasite - The True Story Of The Zombie Apocalypse
by Doug Ward

Parasite - The True Story Of The Zombie Apocalypse by Doug Ward

"Parasite - The True Story of the Zombie Apocalypse" has appeared on the iTunes Horror genre charts 41 times. It has appeared on charts in Australia, Canada, and the UK.

The zombies are rising in the sleepy town of Slippery Rock and it is up to Henry Cooper to figure out why. But first he needs to save his wife, Melissa. With the help of his neighbor Dean and some super hero clad comic book fanboys, he's off to the rescue. Join them as they race across Northwestern Pennsylvania on a quest which involves everything from undead to fire trucks. Along the way you will discover the hard science behind how the dead truly rose from the grave.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Doug Ward...

What is it you love most about writing?
I love that I can do it anywhere.  I'm a trained artist.  To do an oil painting I had to be in the studio.  When I started writing I found that I could do it anywhere, on my porch, my Dentists office, or even in a park.  It's a natural extension to painting.  Both are telling a story. 

Is there anything about you or your writing that makes you unique from other authors?
I have dyslexia.  When I was a kid I struggled just to read.  Writing was even more difficult.  It's a personal achievement for me to publish novels.

Tom Rico, author of Northern Lights

Northern Lights by Tom Rico is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Northern Lights by Tom Rico
UK: Northern Lights by Tom Rico

Northern Lights by Tom Rico

Northern Lights by Tom Rico

It was past midnight in Norway when Dante awoke to find his wife Hannah standing by the bedroom window. She was mesmerized by the red glare and high winds pouring into the bedroom from the Northern Lights. The red tornado that touched down in the small town of Fredrikstad on this particular evening, brought with it much more than just a delightful display from the Aurora Borealis. Follow the story of Hannah and Dante as they become chosen by the forerunners to save as many people as they can from the horror that awaits them. Mutations now walk the planet under the emerald colored sky as the battle between good and evil ensues, who will prevail in this story of love and disaster. 

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Tom Rico...

If you had to sum up your book, Northern Lights, in three words, what would they be?
Invasion

Armageddon

Zombies

Where did the inspiration for Northern Lights come from?
My book challenges the different cultural perceptions of God. It places the concepts of science and religion on a scale, and gives the reader an opportunity to decide which one carries more weight.

It also makes a strong statement about the corruption in today’s society, not only in politics but in the heart and soul of everyday people. And then asks the most challenging question. How pure is the love in your heart?

K. Robert Campbell, author of The Fifth Category

The Fifth Category by K. Robert Campbell is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: The Fifth Category (Cameron Scott Adventure series)
UK: The Fifth Category (Cameron Scott Adventure series)

The Fifth Category by K. Robert Campbell

The Fifth Category by K. Robert Campbell

Country lawyer Cameron Scott's week begins with a nightmare and ends in a hornet's nest of betrayal and intrigue. A small group of mid-level bureaucrats has formed a secret alliance to quietly restructure the U.S. government from within but a power-hungry cadre, intent on changing the government through violent revolution, has seized the organization and quickly eliminated its founders. Like weeds in a garden, they have spread through the government. Cameron crosses paths with the shadowy organization, and an equally shadowy FBI agent, trying to find out why his court-appointed client was murdered in the jailhouse, and suddenly finds himself in their crosshairs. When he learns that the treacherous group and a raging category five hurricane may both center their destruction on his coastal home town of Riverport, NC, he is forced to fight time and nature to seek and destroy the organization before it destroys him.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews K. Robert Campbell...

What are you working on now and what projects and ideas do you have lined up next?
Right now, I’m working on the fifth book in my Cameron Scott series, titled First Class.When main character Cameron Scott investigates the early ‘accidental’ demise of several of his law school classmates, he finds that he is next on the list. I have a few ideas rolling around in my head for the next Cameron Scott book, which will be titled "Zero Tolerance."

Kaye George, author of Eine Kleine Murder

Eine Kleine Murder by Kaye George is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Eine Kleine Murder (Cressa Carraway Musical Mysteries)
UK: Eine Kleine Murder (Cressa Carraway Musical Mysteries)

Eine Kleine Murder by Kaye George

Eine Kleine Murder by Kaye George

When aspiring conductor Cressa Carraway arrives at her grandmother's resort home, she finds Gram dead. When Gram's best friend drowns in the same place, Cressa knows something sinister is at work in this idyllic setting.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Kaye George...

What is it you love most about writing?
I love losing myself in the world I'm creating. Sometimes my imaginary places become so real to me, I can shiver from frostbite that I'm writing when it's the middle of summer. I love looking up and realizing it's daytime when my story has taken me to someplace at two am.

Why do you enjoy writing in your usual genre?  What is it about your usual genre that appeals to you most as a writer?
The short answer to this question is that I write mysteries because that's the genre I know best. It's my favorite reading. But it goes deeper than that. I really and truly do not know why a person would murder another person. It's such a strict taboo, such an awful, forbidden thing to do. I feel compelled to explore reasons why a person would get the the point where he or she thought that killing another human being was the solution to a problem. I think I'm getting close to understanding this sometimes. At other times, I'm still completely baffled.

Sydney S. Song, author of Works Out

Sydney also writes as Cynthia Meyers-Hanson when writing non-fiction/kid lit.

Works Out by Sydney S. Song is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Works Out (Life's Crazy)
UK: Works Out (Life's Crazy)

. . . . . . . .

Works Out by Sydney S. Song

Works Out by Sydney S. Song
　

When Bonnie entered college, her mentor or mother suggested an emergent, career path as a computer programmer.  That mom told her daughter that if she was thirty years younger and had known more in life that she’d have been in technology.  Eventually and naively, the young lady majored in software, computer programming.  In that technology, the guys were not totally ready for her to ‘break the ceiling.’  That gal landed in that field when society still believed that math and logic skills were born in men, only.  While the rest of the world unknowingly sat on the threshold of home computers, mobile phones, and the Internet, Bonnie helped build some of that telecommunications infrastructure while it rebuilt that young woman’s including her frame of mind. What? Was Bonnie brainwashed? Was she successful in her career? What changed in the man’s world?  What is never ending or the same old same ‘old boys network’?

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Sydney S. Song...

Is there anything about you or your writing that makes you unique from other authors?
Unlike many novelists or children’s literature authors, I started writing non-fiction rather than fiction.  Some people dream of being authors; my writing began as what could be described as a nightmare!  As my mother died, her experiences ran the gamut from going through all the grieving steps a terminal soul follows to having what would be called a Christian NDE- if she had lived.  I was in the room most of the times that she visited with God, Jesus, or multitudes of angels and souls.  Believing everything she said even during what others called babbling, I became her translator.  When most of her messages from God panned out, people in Orlando buzzed with the story of my parent’s death or Cindy’s tale.  My grief counselor listened to my version of the events requiring I write my first book: Mom’s on the Roof and I can’t Get Her Down; that was 1991.  Starting in 2000 (the new millennium), God’s prophecies through my mother as found in my first book began to materialize; my story- copyrighted in 1994- was proving itself as the truth!  How miraculous!  Do you want to know the details of the prophecy?  Buy my non-fictions including the one about my mother and My ArmOr.  It was many years later that I began dabbling with novel ideas, YA stories, and kid lit.

Jeremy Shory, author of The Orion Chronicles: The Journal Of Forgotten Secrets

The Orion Chronicles: The Journal Of Forgotten Secrets by Jeremy Shory is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: The Orion Chronicles: The Journal Of Forgotten Secrets by Jeremy Shory
UK: The Orion Chronicles: The Journal Of Forgotten Secrets by Jeremy Shory

The Orion Chronicles: The Journal Of Forgotten Secrets by Jeremy Shory

The Orion Chronicles: The Journal Of
Forgotten Secrets by Jeremy Shory

Fate guides him. Magic controls him. Evil awaits him.

When fourteen year old Orion Martins ventures deep into the forest behind his New Hampshire home, he’s quickly lured into a sadistic game of life and death where the prize is the fate of two worlds. After uncovering a hidden land ruled by enchantment and magic, wicked schemes and dark family secrets begin to expose a perilous trail of deception he’s been destined to travel. Can the mysteries trapped inside an ancient journal unlock the enigmas of his past, assuring his victory over an ancient mastermind long believed to have vanished? The board is set and the pieces are ready to be played.

Three weeks ago, Orion knew he would avenge his father’s murder. Three days ago, he knew there was nothing beyond our own unforgiving world. Three hours ago, he knew magic only existed within the depths of his imagination. Three minutes from now, he’ll discover just how wrong he’s been.

The first move has been made. Will Orion save our lives at the risk of his own?

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Jeremy Shory...

What are you working on now and what projects and ideas do you have lined up next?
I just wrapped up The Orion Chronicles: The Journal of Forgotten Secrets, which is the first installment in The Orion Chronicles series. It’s about a teenager that finds himself inadvertently lured into a sadistic plan, a game of life and death if you will, that was specifically designed for him by a mastermind thought to have vanished almost a hundred years ago. The more Orion dives into this evil scheme, the more he uncovers about his family and how everyone he’s ever known has been keeping dark secrets from him. Ultimately he decides he’s had enough and he decides he’s going to take matters into his own hands and start controlling his own fate. At least he thinks he is anyways. That story is out now, ready for people to snatch up. While working on promoting that, I’m also diligently working on trying to finish the second episode in the series called Curse of the Phantom Brotherhood. It takes Orion’s journey into the dark underworld of a magical sect supposedly eradicated some time ago. The more he discovers who he is, the more his life is thrown into peril. It’s really a great little adventure that I don’t think is a whole lot like anything else out there.

Red Haircrow, author of The Agony of Joy

The Agony of Joy by Red Haircrow is available for the Kindle app from Amazon:
US: The Agony of Joy by Red Haircrow
UK: The Agony of Joy by Red Haircrow

The Agony Of Joy by Red Haircrow

The Agony of Joy by Red Haircrow

Former model turned actor Adrian Lee can barely list age range '23-29' on his resumé anymore nor stand his life of empty social events and appearances, meaningless roles and casual partners. When he meets Alexander Skizetsky by clever arrangement of his agent, the enigmatic yet infinitely attractive Russian kindles a little light of hope in his aching heart. Yet even the beginnings of a friendship and love beyond his wildest dreams cannot assuage a life spiraling out of control.

The long estrangement from his devout Irish Catholic parents and family and the dark secrets they all share combine to drive him to the brink of despair, though Alexander is determined to stay by his side. After locking away his own memories of betrayal and loss, the Russian had decided never to love again but something in Adrian spurs the noblest intentions in his formerly jaded heart. Returning in pilgrimage to his homeland, he brings Adrian along on a journey of rebirth, revelation and redemption.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Red Haircrow...

Is there anything about you or your writing that makes you unique from other authors?
Although almost everyone, whether they are authors or not, may daily write in different ways, for different reasons, what I would consider unique about my writing and myself is that I do so in a variety of genres and topics, both fiction and non-fiction. I write about a range of topics, from personal true events or memories, to music reviews for local bands and poetry, current events dealing with Native American issues, life and traditions, as well as my fictional works.

Not as a slight to authors who prefer certain themes or areas, which can be advantageous in building an audience who are looking for just one kind of work, but there is a distinction in that I write in several genres and do not or rather cannot confine myself to one or two, nor wish to pegged in a certain genre. I have many stories, ideas and possibilities within me that I feel the need to express, and I choose to publish all of them under my name.

Sophie Schiller, author of Spy Island

Spy Island by Sophie Schiller is available for the Kindle app from Amazon:
US: Spy Island by Sophie Schiller
UK: Spy Island by Sophie Schiller

Spy Island by Sophie Schiller

Spy Island by Sophie Schiller

Abby Maduro is an adventurous island girl who saves the life of a mysterious stranger who has washed ashore on her Caribbean island. Despite the danger, Abby shelters Erich Seibold, a handsome sailor with a mysterious past, in the basement of her house. Soon, friendship and love blossom between the unlikely pair, even after Abby learns that Erich is a deserter from a German U-boat. Their cozy situation turns deadly when the island's German Consul, Lothar Langsdorff, discovers Erich's true identity and blackmails him into committing sabotage and murder. Erich is arrested and thrown into prison, forcing Abigail to risk everything to save his life, but with Langsdorff and his spy ring still on the loose, Abigail relies on her wits, bravery and a little island magic to save her tranquil island from a dangerous German spy. Spy Island is a historical spy thriller for the adventure-lover in you. Prepare to be carried away to an exotic tropical island with its potent mixture of action, suspense, romance, and delightful island characters who will cast their spell over you.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Sophie Schiller...

What's the best and worst thing about being an author?
The best thing is having the freedom to stretch your imagination, to do things that have never been done before. The worst thing is the lack of collaboration. By its very nature, writing is done by an individual in solitude. Oftentimes, we yearn for the synergy that accompanies working in teams.

What came first, the idea for your first book or the decision to write a book?
The decision to write "Spy Island" came first. It took me years to develop the plot and characters, and to mold it all into a thrilling, suspenseful story.

Judith M Kerrigan, author of Betrayal by Serpent

Betrayal by Serpent by Judith M Kerrigan is available for the Kindle app from Amazon:
US: Betrayal by Serpent by Judith M Kerrigan
UK: Betrayal by Serpent by Judith M Kerrigan

Betrayal by Serpent by Judith M Kerrigan

Betrayal by Serpent by Judith M Kerrigan

Anna Kinnealy’s life changed forever when her husband Art was killed in a plane crash in the Yucatan. Left with four children and a huge house, she had a seven-year struggle to feed, clothe and nurture them all through immense trauma. Now, just when she expects to have a normal life, a former partner in his law firm is murdered, someone stalks her children,  police open an investigation into his life, and Anna’s digging into their past reveals bitter betrayal and brings a murderer to her door.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Judith M. Kerrigan...

Is there anything about you and your writing that makes you unique from other authors?
My age, first of all. I began Betrayal by Serpent at the age of 74, and it was actually my therapy. I’m a counselor and I was experiencing secondary post-traumatic stress, a hazard of the profession. I was having nightmares and realized that my imagination was working overtime in a negative way and decided to put it to work for me and to challenge myself. After two years of part time writing. I decided I really had a book and could do something with it. I published Betrayal last year in November at the age of 76. It’s never too late!

E.K. Gillcoan, author of S.P.I. - Alien Law

R. Nevada, S.P.I. - Alien Law by E.K. Gillcoan is available for the Kindle app from Amazon:
US: R. Nevada, S.P.I. - Alien Law
UK: R. Nevada, S.P.I. - Alien Law

R. Nevada S.P.I. - Alien Law by E.K. Gillcoan

R. Nevada, S.P.I. - Alien Law by E.K. Gillcoan

Is an evil extraterrestrial corporation trying to control the minds of our elected officials and dictate legislation? And if so, would anyone notice a difference? Why does a US Senator's daughter seek out R. Nevada, Strange Phenomena Investigator, for help in finding out what's happening to her father?

Mind reading devices, alien brain scan machines, hypno-brooches, and lucid dreams all play a role in this tongue-in-cheek story of the mind-altering efforts of malevolent beings.

Join seasoned investigator R. Nevada, the senator's daughter Ms. McGill, cryptozoologist Carl Pukwudgie, and professor of anthropology Adam Douglas as they encounter one strange phenomenon after another in their search for the truth.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews E.K. Gillcoan...

If you had to sum up your book, R. Nevada, S.P.I - Alien Law, in three words, what would they be?
Are you serious?

Where did the inspiration for your first novel (in this series), R. Nevada, S.P.I. - Alien Law, come from?
The first book in this series is about an evil and powerful alien corporation applying mind control to members of the US Congress. I got the inspiration from reading and watching the news.

Olivia Hugo, author of Black and White

Black and White by Olivia Hugo is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Black and White by Olivia Hugo
UK: Black and White by Olivia Hugo

Black and White: A tale of life and love in the city.

Black and White by Olivia Hugo

Samantha has a well-paid, challenging job in London. She’s just over 30, married and lives in a lovely flat in Clapham with her husband, Steve. Things are going well for her, or so they appear, but she’s worried. Is her job coming between her and Steve? Is it just becoming monotonous? Should she leave it? As she embarks on finding ways to improve her happiness and help her single friend Claire find the perfect man things take an unexpected turn…

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Olivia Hugo...

Is there anything about you or your writing that makes you unique from other authors?
I like to think that I'm a little different from many authors. I'm currently a Management Consultant full time - a job that typically doesn't allow much time to do anything else. However, I woke up one day with the inspiration for the start of a book in my head and felt compelled to write it down. Over the next month or so the rest of the book just came to me and I spent every spare moment trying to record it!

The book itself is based around my job, which means that unlike many chick-lit books, the lead character has to live in the City and deal with a demanding career whilst sorting out her personal life. I wanted to write something that was more aligned with how I see life than a purely escapist plot line based in the countryside.

Bianca Sloane, author of Live And Let Die

Live And Let Die by Bianca Sloane is available for the Kindle app from Amazon:
US: Live and Let Die by Bianca Sloane
UK: Live and Let Die by Bianca Sloane

Live And Let Die by Bianca Sloane

Live And Let Die by Bianca Sloane

On a bitterly cold January evening, Tracy Ellis went for a jog along Chicago’s snowy lakefront and disappeared. Her body was discovered days later, her beautiful face bashed in with a rock. Police determine her brutal death to be a mugging gone wrong and drop the matter into their cold case files.

Over a year later, Tracy’s sister, Sondra, still can’t come to grips with what happened. She throws herself into her work as a documentary filmmaker to try and forget the cruelty of her sister’s death. However, a chance encounter with a man from Tracy’s past rips the wound open and sends Sondra on a desperate search for answers about the secrets from her sister’s life that may have led to her death.

As Sondra struggles to uncover what happened to Tracy, she’s launched into a tangled web of deceit and danger that put her on a collision course with life and death…

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Bianca Sloane

What is it you love most about writing?
I love the creativity of writing, the process of letting your imagination run wild and crafting a story around characters, places and situations that have been swirling around your head for weeks, months, even years. Most of all, writing is just so much fun to me; it’s hard to imagine doing anything else. 


Christine Lindsay, author of Captured by Moonlight

Captured by Moonlight by Christine Lindsay is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Captured by Moonlight (Twilight of the British Raj) by Christine Lindsay
UK: Captured by Moonlight (Twilight of the British Raj) by Christine Lindsay

Captured by Moonlight by Christine Lindsay

Captured by Moonlight by Christine Lindsay

Prisoners to their own broken dreams…

After a daring rescue goes awry, Laine Harkness and her friend Eshana flee to the tropical south of India…and headlong into their respective pasts.

Laine takes a nursing position at a plantation in the jungle, only to discover that her former fiancé is the owner…but fun-loving Laine refuses to let Adam crush her heart like he had years ago.
Eshana, captured by her traditional uncle and forced once more into the harsh Hindu customs of mourning, doubts freedom will ever be hers again, much less the forbidden love that had begun to flower.

Amid cyclones, epidemics, and clashing faiths, will the love of the True Master give hope to these searching hearts?

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Christine Lindsay...

Do you ever feel yourself becoming quite emotional when writing a particularly intense scene and is there a specific passage in particular where this was the case?
I get teary-eyed when I kill off one of my characters. This happened when I allowed one of my Indian characters to die in the infamous Jallianwalla Bagh massacre in India 1919. At the same time I really enjoyed writing her death scene.

John Scanlan, author of Of Guilt and Innocence

Of Guilt and Innocence by John Scanlan is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Of Guilt and Innocence by John Scanlan
UK: Of Guilt and Innocence by John Scanlan
 

Of Guilt and Innocence by John Scanlan

Of Guilt and Innocence by John Scanlan

A missing five year old Boca Raton girl.  An elderly murder victim in Davie connected to a long dormant serial killer.  Two frantic police investigations searching for and finding the truth.  About everyone.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews John Scanlan...

Is there anything about you or your writing that makes you unique from other authors?
Writing began for me quite out of the blue.  It was a secret hobby that I one day decided to give a shot.  I have been a police officer in Palm Beach, Florida, for the past 8 years and it goes without saying that being a police officer influences my writing.  But I feel what sets me apart from other crime writers isn't that I know proper policy and procedures police officers and detectives would follow.  It's that I know the emotions of first responders.  I know what investigators go through when they deal with difficult situations.  And as a father of two small daughters I know how that then affects your perspective on things.  I tend to portray those emotions more in my writing than others because, even though it is often overlooked, it is a major part of criminal investigations.

Michelle L. Hinton, author of The Sin-Eater's Daughter

The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Michelle L. Hinton is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Michele L. Hinton
UK: The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Michele L.Hinton
 

The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Michelle L. Hinton

The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Michelle L.Hinton

New Orleans - 1846 - Jedidiah Lucas was born under a cloud of misfortune. After the Civil War, circumstances force him to leave New Orleans and destiny leads him to Black Water Township in Louisiana. This quiet, peaceful town, nestled by the woods of Black Water Swamp, has a problem. Their Sin-Eater has died, and they desperately need another to take his place. The leadership of the town sees opportunity when Jedidiah arrives. By manipulating certain information, the young man is forced to stay, and he is taken in by Paloma Day, an old Gypsy fortune teller whom everyone calls the swamp witch.

Trouble begins with the birth of twin girls, only one of them is pronounced dead at birth. But is she? When a lie is told and a secret is kept, hatred, prejudice and the superstitious nature of the town’s people bring dire consequence to a young girl with a special ability. When things go terribly wrong in Black Water, the blame is placed on Hattie - The Sin-Eater’s Daughter.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Michelle L.Hinton...

What is it you love most about writing?
Writing is an escape from daily routines. My characters you might say are more or less an extension of both my good side and my dark side. I could never do some of the things in real life that I have my characters do.

Gina Ardito, author of Eternally Yours

Eternally Yours by Gina Ardito is available for Kindle and the Kindle app from Amazon:
US: Eternally Yours (Book 1 of the Afterlife Series) by Gina Ardito
UK: Eternally Yours (Book 1 of the Afterlife Series) by Gina Ardito

Eternally Yours by Gina Ardito

Eternally Yours by Gina Ardito

After one too many disappointments, Jodie Devlin took her own life. Too bad her suicide is only the beginning of her troubles. Until a new future can be created for her, Jodie will serve as one of Death’s bounty hunters, retrieving souls who haunt Earth. She’ll need smarts, charm, and trickery to convince these specters to give up the ghost and move on. Of course, these same skills will come in handy for verbally sparring with her bull-headed, know-it-all trainer.

It's no wonder Luc Asante is so bitter toward women. His former wife ordered him taken off life support, condemning him to employment in the Afterlife. Now he has a trainee—a female trainee who’s as soft-hearted as he is hard, as impulsive as he is methodical. In a place where perfection is the norm, she flaunts her flaws just to drive him nuts.
   
If they weren’t already dead, working together would probably kill them.

Traveling between the dead and the living, bringing peace to lost souls, Jodie and Luc will be forced to come to terms with their differences and their pasts, to discover a love that might bind them for eternity.

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Gina Ardito...

If you had to sum up your book, Eternally Yours, in three words, what would they be?
Love after death.

Would you expect yourself to be most creative as a writer shut off on a desert island or immersing yourself in a busy social life?
I'm a very social animal. I need noise around me when I write so I'd definitely need the busy social life. I find the busier I am, the more I find time to get things done. If I have too much time on my hands, I waste it.

Carrie Bailey, author of Bungle of Oz

Bungle of Oz by Carrie Bailey is available for Kindle and the Kindle app from Amazon:
US: Bungle of Oz by Carrie Bailey
UK: Bungle of Oz by Carrie Bailey

Bungle of Oz by Carrie Bailey

Bungle of Oz by Carrie Bailey

The glass cat first appeared in the Patchwork Girl of Oz by Frank L. Baum. She's vain, prideful and her brains are made from the most elegant tourmaline pink marbles imaginable.

After living luxuriously in the Palace of Oz for quite some time, glass cat has been accidentally rendered breakable by her creator, the Crooked Magician. Along with Igi, Oz's tallest munchkin she travels across the country into Ev to discover a thriving industry in a land where magic is still legal.
Then, unexpectedly, on the miles wide castle grounds of the Wizard of Ev, the gravel men involve Igi in a senseless war that begins to answer questions about his clockwork arm, his amnesia and his origins. All would be resolved swiftly if the castle weren't constructed from red glass and Bungle weren't faced with the hardest choice she'd ever been given. Does she become a real cat? Or does she live forever with the chips and scratches she's endured?

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Carrie Bailey...

Is there anything about you or your writing that makes you unique from other authors?
As arrogant as it sounds, I’ve got a medically certified IQ that opens doors into much nerdier places than Mensa. But that really isn’t too impressive if you consider that there are probably about 6 million certifiable geniuses in the US alone. Some of them are writers. There are, on the other hand, only 4 million people in Oregon where I am from. That makes me a little more unique, right? No, not quite buuuuuut… if you take into consideration that-thanks to my formerly-love-struck parents-I’m an uncommon mixture of both Ojibwe and Jewish, I can say unequivocally that I am quite unique and I have no chance of ever being paid for demographically based market research studies.

Mike Ronny, author of I Hate Cell Phones

I Hate Cell Phones by Mike Ronny is available for Kindle and the Kindle app from Amazon:
US: I Hate Cell Phones by Mike Ronny
UK: I Hate Cell Phones by Mike Ronny

 I Hate Cell Phones by Mike Ronny

I Hate Cell Phones by Mike Ronny

"I Hate Cell Phones" is a short comic thriller about Red Daley, a retired weapons expert sent to an assisted living home. Forced to play Bingo and checkers all day, Red attempts a daring escape. It’s no use. But then Red gets his hands on some wires, and a battery, and a timing device….

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Mike Ronny...

What is it you love most about writing?
It’s a hard question because I love almost everything about writing: immersing myself in another world, deliberating over word choices, deciding whether or not to put a comma in a certain place. I even like the way the keys on my laptop sound as I type!

But I think what I love most about writing is when I’m surprised by how a story ends. It makes me feel like the story has come alive, that my characters don’t need me to guide them toward a certain conclusion. For instance, and without giving anything away, one time I’d planned for everything to turn out well for a main character. But I realized as I was reaching the final scene that a happy ending would seem false. So things took a dramatically bad turn for this poor guy.

Lynne M. Smelser, author of In Our Veins

In Our Veins by Lynne M. Smelser is available for Kindle and the Kindle app from Amazon:
US: In Our Veins by Lynne M. Smelser
UK: In Our Veins by Lynne M. Smelser

In Our Veins by Lynne M. Smelser

In Our Veins by Lynne M. Smelser

With his child's life hanging in the balance, scientist WESTON  ANDERSON  races to contain the spread of a deadly flu virus accidentally unleashed on the American public. However, his efforts to contain this vicious killer are thwarted by a major U.S. drug company and government operatives hoping to use it as a tool for biological warfare.

But before he can save the world, he must first save his daughter, Reilly. 

Exposed to the virus and now in the hands of kidnappers trying to create a cover-up, Reilly’s life slips further out of Weston’s hands with every passing moment.  Can Weston save the world and his daughter? Or must he make the ultimate sacrifice?

. . . . . . . .

Author Quiz interviews Lynne M. Smelser...

Where did the inspiration for In Our Veins come from?
My novel began from stories my grandmother told me about losing both a husband and two small children during the flu epidemic of 1936.  I included a character in my novel based on my grandmother and when I was writing the chapter where this character tells the horror of losing a husband and two children, I found myself crying uncontrollably.