Please give a warm welcome to author S.A. Michelle
Have you always wanted to become an author?
Yes, I have enjoyed writing since I was a child. Math and English were my favorite subjects in school. Although I just finished college recently and received a degree in culinary arts, which I use in my writing. Vixen, my main character, is a chef by day.
What was your inspiration for your current series?
My current series will be a duet. I have been dreaming about Vixen for a while now and I finally found the courage to write her story. It has a lot of traumas that some will find triggering.
What are you working on now?
I am currently trying to finish my Vigilante Vixen duet, and then I have a paranormal reverse harem that I am researching for. It’s about a voodoo princess from New Orleans.
Do you have any quirks while working?
I can’t listen to music while I am writing. I found that if I do, I will write the words of the song into my story randomly. Which is making it difficult to make a Spotify playlist for the book.
What are your hopes for the future?
I hope to finish my current duet, start my next series, and continue to write. I hope everyone enjoys the books as much as I enjoy writing them.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Take any and all advice you get and listen to it. I have met a bunch of amazing Indie authors and they are all amazing and so supportive. I appreciate all the advice and any help, whether or not I succeed.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
I love all of my followers. I can’t thank them enough for supporting me on my journey. I love you all and thank you. I hope I make you proud
Well, I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I have always had a great imagination, which fuels my love of writing. I am also an introvert, so I live in my head, which is also why I love writing so much. I’m a simple person and a homebody, so I just love writing and when I’m not doing that I’m watching TV, surfing the net, or researching. I grew up loving mysteries and suspense. Hitchcock and Edgar Allan Poe are my biggest creative idols. I write interracial books (black women and white men coupling) among different genres. I write romance, romantic suspense, thrillers, women’s fiction, historical, erotica, erotic romance, and paranormal (just starting with this one). I also write books of all lengths, but mainly novellas and shorts. I am a USA Today Featured Author and have been interviewed by USA Today many times as well as have had several books reviewed by them. They also made my book The Seventh District a Recommended Read. I am also the nominee of two African-American Literary Awards.
Have you always wanted to be an author?
No. I never thought about writing professionally until I was 19 and that’s when I started. I always enjoyed reading and always had a talent for writing as a child, but I never thought of it as an avenue to make money. Back then, I was just happy to write and wasn’t thinking about sharing my work. Then, when I turned 19, the dream of being an author hit me and I got into it. I started back in 1998 and back then you didn’t have the options you have now. You had to be trade published or you’d have to sell books out of the trunk of your cars. There was a huge stigma against self-publishing, so it wasn’t a valid way to be published then. Also, there wasn’t even KDP, so you didn’t have the option to publish through Amazon and ebooks hadn’t become popular yet. You had to be with a publisher and have books in stores to get anywhere. So after years of struggling to be noticed, I finally got a two-book deal from Simon and Schuster in 2007 and 2008. Unfortunately, right before the first book was released, my mother passed away. So needless to say, the experience of first being published wasn’t the happy time I thought it would be.
What was your inspiration for your current book or series?
Me. LOL! I just write the stories I want to write and whatever idea that pops into my head. I get more ideas from movies and current events than anything, but most times the idea just comes from me. I’ve always had a powerful imagination. I also get ideas while exercising and riding in a car, too.
What are you working on now?
Working on billionaire romantic thriller serial. As well as reworking some previously published standalones I’d published under a now defunct pen name.
Do you have quirks while working?
Nah. For me, I don’t mess around. I just turn the TV on mute and get to writing. I don’t do any special rituals outside of outlining my work. I just get out the laptop and get rolling and try to be as productive as possible for each session.
What are your hopes for the future?
Even though I’ve been in this game, for a long time, I just want to keep growing. Growth is constant. I also just want to be healthy and to remain in a position where I can keep writing and meeting my creative and financial needs.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
The most important is to research. Don’t expect anyone to spoon feed you every bit of advice. You’re gonna have to take the initiative yourself. Course, it’s fine to ask for help, but you also need patience and to be realistic about expectations. This is not something to get into if you expect to be rich or leave your day job. Only a tiny percentage of authors are living off their book income. Most are not. So make sure you know what the real publishing life is like and don’t fall for the facade you see on TV. Being a writer in real life is nothing like it looks on TV. It’s hard work and I suggest not even trying unless you love writing. If you don’t love it to your core, then you won’t last.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
Of course! Thanks so much for always buying my work and supporting. I appreciate all the love and you can be sure that I’ll never cheat you and with every book I give 100% because I know you guys deserve nothing less! I always got something new for you, so continue to keep up with me!
Please give a warm welcome to author Sinclair Kelly
Tell us a bit about yourself…
My name is Sinclair Kelly. I’m a paranormal & contemporary romance author who writes to give all of the feral characters in my head a voice. I’m fluent in sarcasm and dry humor. We currently call sunny Arizona home – we being me, my loving husband, three adorably exhausting kids, a cranky old chihuahua named Sam (aka SamBurger) and a feisty Australian shepherd puppy named Havoc. I love reading, writing, coffee, vodka, tattoos, wine, donuts, broody asshole book boyfriends, badass FMCs, sangria, and all of the friendships I’ve made since beginning my writing journey.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
I’ve dreamed of writing since I was in my early twenties. I took classes to fine tune my work – one by best selling Harlequin author Leigh Michaels – but life got in the way, like it tends to do. It’s taken me almost twenty years to realize my dream, but I’m here now and loving every second of sharing my characters with readers.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
I just finished up my menage novella series which literally started off with a writing prompt: An ogre, a troll, and a witch walk into a bar…and from there this quirky fairy tale was born.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on my solo project, Just My Luck, Book four in the Some Kind of Luck shared world series. Book one, The Trouble With Luck, was co-written with Elizabeth Knight, Ali D Jensen, and Letty Frame, and follows four best friends as they experience spring break and St Patrick’s Day in Chicago. It’s got intrigue, hot mafia / mob men, lots of steamy scenes and four friends that are inseparable. Books two, Tough Luck by Ali D Jensen, and three, Stroke of Luck, by Elizabeth Knight, are available now.
Do you have any quirks while working?
When I’m thinking or plotting out a scene in my head, I tend to play with my hair…a lot. My husband thinks it’s weird.
What are your hopes for the future?
Honestly, I’m just excited I get to share my worlds with readers. Would it be awesome to “hit it big”? Of course it would…but that’s not the goal. I just want to tell my stories and hopefully have people enjoy them 🙂
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Don’t give up. Dreams can happen at any age, so get those ideas and words onto metaphorical paper (or literal paper if that’s your thing). It will happen eventually – whether it’s days/months/years down the line – and you’ll want to be ready 😉
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to each and every person that’s crossed my path in the last year. It’s been a wild ride and I couldn’t have done it without you.
My name is Lyn Forester and I write a number of romantic genres under various pen names. Under Lyn Forester, I write New Adult/Adult sci-fi (both m/f and RH), as well as PNR (mmf and RH). Under Sophie O’Dare, I write light PNR MM romance, and under my co-author pen name, Lili Black, I write YA/NA PNR.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
Yes, for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be an artist and an author. After working as a graphic designer for a number of years, I dove into my author dream and now do both full time.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
Hahaha, which one?
What are you working on now?
I have a number of series in progress. At this very moment, I’m working on the next Lili Black book while plotting out the fourth book in my Poison World series.
Do you have any quirks while working?
No.
What are your hopes for the future?
To keep writing. I never plan to stop.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
It’s scary, and success (usually) takes time and dedication, so be brave and keep pushing.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
I’m working on it, I promise!
Everywhere I can be found on social media can be found here:
My name is Sandra Kaye. I am the oldest of three children and the only girl. I’m a proud mother of adult children and Gee Gee to four awesome grandchildren. My day job is as a registered nurse.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
Honestly no. I have always loved to write. When I was younger it was mostly just poetry, thought, musings. Nothing I ever wanted to show anyone. Just a way to get out of my own head. But reading was my true love. The more I read, the more I found myself finishing a book and thinking, “That was good, but it would have been better if this had happened or if they did this.”
One day my fiancé said, “well then why don’t you write it the way you want?” So, I did. I started researching and found a couple YouTube videos by Jaymin Eve about her journey and started talking to other indie authors. I went to my first signing and met this amazing group of people and made some great friends that have been so very kind and helpful.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
I’m a Libra an October girl all the way so my love of Witches has always been there. My first series is a PNR featuring sister witches and last year I was working with a couple of fabulous PA’s and we got to talking about my future works and I mentioned I wanted to try my hand at a Reverse Harem book and they told me we needed one about witches so the idea was born.
What are you working on now?
Well, Witch (Hemlock Hollow, book 1) my witchy reverse harem just released on May 1st, 2021 so I’m working on book two. I plan for this to be a trilogy. I’m also working on book 3 of my debut series, The Ravenwood series and thinking about adding a second children’s book to go with the chapter book I wrote for my granddaughter called Isabella and her magical adventure.
Quirks while I write?
I have to have the series Bones playing or I can’t concentrate. I’ve tried music I just sing or end up typing the words to the song and if something I haven’t already memorized every episode of is on I listen to that and can’t put decent words to the page.
What are your hopes for the future?
I’m still very young in the author game so I guess my hopes are to continue to write and publish. Maybe in a few more years it will transition into something I do fulltime but I’m not really sure. Right now, writing is my escape from the day to day. It’s fun. Well except for the negative reviews. Those are never fun. But if I had to write to pay the bills, I’m not sure yet how that might look.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Don’t try to do absolutely everything every person you talk to says. Everyone’s journey is different. This in no way means ignore the advice but, in the end, it is your journey, and it needs to be what you want. Plus, everyone has different opinions and if you try to do everything you will go crazy and likely lose your own vision for what you want.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
First, I want to say thank you for giving my book babies a chance. I hope you get as much joy reading them as I had writing them. Hopefully there will be many more to come. Also, I enjoy hearing all your thought both good and bad. Though I am human and no matter what our mothers might have told us, words do hurt. So, please keep in mind, not just with my works but with all art, written and otherwise, constructive criticism would be greatly prefer as opposed to negative or rude comments that are just mean. We are only human after all.
Hi! I’m Stacy Jones. Ok, talking about myself… umm, basics! I’m 32, I live in the beautiful state of Arkansas with my middle school sweetheart and our rambunctious handful of a son, and I spend my days creating fantastical worlds and hanging out with my imaginary friends. Ha, that makes me sound crazy. I’m a romance author, which doesn’t mean I’m not crazy, it just means I’m productively so 😉
What has happened work wise since our last interview?
What’s happened work wise? Books, of course. Secret projects. 2020. Writing during the stress of a pandemic and the horrors that were virtual schooling was… interesting. Ha. I’m attempting to be diplomatic, but it was terrible. Being able to escape into my stories saved my sanity. I genuinely hope my books helped others cope with that dumpster fire of a year.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
I’m working on the fourth book in the Chosen Series, Native. It was, as all the Chosen books have been, inspired by a dream. Lily, the FMC, surprised me in the epilogue of Tribe Protector (Chosen #3) by snagging herself a new love interest. I hadn’t planned to write more in this series… and then I had a dream about Lily and Atuk. So, here I am, writing their book! Which releases soon!
Do you have any quirks while working?
Oh, yes. I still have many quirks while writing. I’ve upgraded from writing at my local coffee shop to a writing shed which is absolutely amazing and I recommend all my author friends get one. I still listen to music while writing and have amassed so, so many playlists, some specific to books some for particular types of scenes. I need one leg pulled up at all times. I have an unapologetic addiction to sticky notes. And I collect notebooks, some of which are just too pretty to ever be written in.
What are your hopes for the future?
My hopes for the future are, and always will be, to continue writing books people love, and supporting my family by following this crazy dream.
What have you learned about publishing since our first interview?
What I’ve learned about publishing since our last interview… it’s always nerve wracking. I genuinely thought it would become easier or less stressful at a certain point. I’m still waiting for that. Maybe someday! And, yet, that feeling of pride, accomplishment, and elation when I publish a new book is worth all the stress of release. Every time.
To my readers, whether you’re just discovering my books or whether you’re an avid fan, I couldn’t do this without you. The love y’all have shown and continue to show my books has been just… mind blowing. I’m so, so grateful. I hope you keep loving my stories. I hope you keep devouring my books so I can keep writing more. This has been one hell of an incredible journey so far, and I’m beyond excited to see what the future brings.
Please give a warm welcome to author Scarlett Philips
Tell us a bit about yourself…
Let’s see… I’m a 33 y/o mother of 4. Three girls, ages 12, 7, & 5, and a boy also 5. Yes, I have twins. Lol The youngest 3 all have autism, so I spend my days driving them back and forth to therapy. About 4 years ago, I decided I needed a hobby. Other than mindlessly watching tv. So, I started reading, and haven’t stopped, also haven’t really watched tv since. lol My longest weekly streak on Kindle was 122 weeks. Sadly, I broke my streak when I started writing and took a break from reading. I know some of you will understand the heartbreak. I write books that combine the real world with fantasy, currently, that’s in the form of a magical small-town reverse harem.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
No. I have wanted to be many things in my life: a singer, an actor, a model… a marine biologist, a lawyer. That one I actually started going to school for. I have a BS in legal studies. It’s completely useless to me lol but I had planned on continuing to law school when I graduated. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, kids and life got in the way so, after a couple of years, I decided to turn my love for books into a career. Or that’s the goal at least. Let’s see how everyone likes my writing first 😉
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
Hmmm, I don’t know that anything specific really inspired me to write. I was minding my own business reading a book, as is normal for me lol, and I just all of a sudden thought “hey I should do this. I should write a book.” So I put my book down and started writing about a magical town named Everton and a single mom who decided to move back home to her long-lost friends after her husband died. That was this past November. My first book is set to release Feb 26th and I’m currently writing book 2 in the series.
What are you working on now?
Oooops I kinda already answered that lol. I’m working on book 2 of my Everton Ever After series, Surviving in Everton. Book 1 was SUPPOSED to be a standalone, but the characters didn’t listen to me, so it ended on a cliffhanger. Book 2 will answer some unanswered questions from book 1 and will… hopefully lol end in a hfn. I plan on having this series be a continuation series. So, while it’s not going to be several cliffhanger books followed by one hea as the last book, future books will follow the same characters as they deal with different things.
Do you have any quirks while working?
Hahaha I was literally just talking about this to my BFF last night! Sooo yes. Lol I tend to talk out loud when I write. Sometimes, that’s literally just saying what I’m writing out loud, and sometimes it’s spelling the words as I type them. It’s supposed to help me not make typos, but I have been known to say the correct letter then STILL write the wrong one.
What are your hopes for the future?
Oh God, my hopes? I dream small lol my hope is just that other people like my books and read them. That’s really it. I mean I think that’s what all authors want right? For people to like their books?
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Don’t be shy. Make friends with other authors, PAs, and readers. If you don’t know something or don’t understand something, ASK FOR HELP. This community is amazing and most people would gladly help new authors. I’ve been lucky enough to come into this community with an amazing PA and through her met some awesome authors and other PAs that truly want me to succeed. So just don’t be afraid to take that step and find your people.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
Thankyou! To everyone that’s read my book or plans to, it really just means the world to me. I can write as much as I want, but without readers like you, it wouldn’t mean near as much. So, thank you again. I truly appreciate your support.
I live outside of Nashville, Tennessee with my husband and my 13 year old golden retriever, Bailey. My husband got tired of me telling him I wanted to write a book ‘someday’ and challenged me to sit down and write a paragraph. Just one paragraph. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. First, I wrote a serial fan fiction, then jumped into my first book, My Salvation. I learned a ton writing that book!
Have you always wanted to become an author?
For a long time, no. I was a voracious reader and I worked in marketing. But for the last few years, I kept thinking “this is something I want to do…someday”.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
Music often inspires a kernel of an idea. For my newest book, The Rowan, I heard the song Youngblood by 5 Seconds of Summer on the radio and all I could think about were vampires dancing on the dance floor, paying homage to a master vampire. That jump started my new series.
What are you working on now?
Book 2 in the Killian Blade Series, an urban fantasy reverse harem.
Do you have any quirks while working?
I like to write one chapter at a time. When I sit down at my laptop, I will only write one chapter. I may come back later and write another chapter, but not in one sitting. It helps me focus.
What are your hopes for the future?
To tell a lot more stories, cross genres and make a living. (Got to feed my dog!)
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Just do it, publish. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You will learn a ton and that will set up your second book for more success.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
Thank you, my heart is so full of gratitude for everyone who reads my books.
My name is S.C. Winters. I am 31 and from a small town in Arkansas. I am a lover off all things anime, critical roll and flowers. I love hanging out with my nieces and enjoying the sunshine.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
I always wanted to do something creative. I have always been good at stories and entertaining my siblings, cousins and friends. My father and sister are the artists and I tried but I am only good at stick figures!! lol. So I started writing down what I thought would be entertaining and once my family read it, they encouraged me to move forward.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
As a young adult I went through something traumatic and it is a situation that doesn’t have a voice. I want to bring that voice to life in my books. I know that it wont be the same, but if my one story shows someone out there in the world that it is okay to express yourself and what happened then I will feel accomplished.
What are you working on now?
I have a couple of series that I am currently working on. They are theraputic for me and I am in LOVE with these characters. They are a bit twisted and full of trigger warnings, but will end up with a happyish ending.
Do you have any quirks while working?
I always have music going, chips, dip and cantelaope. I know its a totally strange combo, but it helps me focus. Plus my PA and Dream Team are always a message away if I need help.
What are your hopes for the future?
I want to write books that help people. Whether they know they need it or not. I want my books to show that not all stories are the same and some are there to help you heal. Even if the characters aren’t real.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Write it and go for it. You will never know what you can do until you try. If you need help, ask. There are a TON of PA’s, Authors and readers that will help you.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
Thank you. Without you I would not be able to keep writing and making beautiful worlds for you to enjoy.
I’m S.A. Mackenzie, the S is for Sara. I am a mom to a one year old little rascal and a furbaby mom to a silly rabbit. I’m married to a big ol’ bearded man who likes to act tough but is really a huge softy. I was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. I love to meet people but I also would rather curl up in my room reading a book by myself. I’ve always had an imagination that was far bigger than anyone else I knew. I would lay in bed and just day dream different worlds and lives that I wanted to live.
Saintly Virtues is on Amazon for preorder for $2.99! On March 9th at release the price will go up to $3.99
Have you always wanted to become an author?
Not really. I had thought about it from time to time since my imagination is always getting away from me but I always had an excuse about why I couldn’t or shouldn’t do it. It took having a baby and losing myself in being a mom before I looked up one day and realized that it was something I needed to do. I needed to write my stories and give myself an identity outside of being a mom. My excuses no longer seemed relevant when I realized that nothing was holding me back but myself.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
The Seven Sins and Saints series was first inspired by the song Hallelujah. I became obsessed with the story in the lyrics and listened to every version I could find. The song always made me think of Lucifer and his fall from grace, especially the part with the broken throne, the cut hair and being forced to say Hallelujah. It made Lilith a villain in my head and the story blossomed from there. I dreamed about it for weeks and then it came to life on my computer.
What are you working on now?
I have book two to Saintly Virtues in the works, so Belle and her Saints are getting ready for more steamy sex and world saving. I also have a dark contemporary RH about finding love after deep loss and building yourself up when the world is out to make you a victim that is in the works. I’m also playing around with a novella about Lucifer for a prequel to Saintly Virtues but it’s been put on the back burner for now.
Do you have any quirks while working?
I’m very musically driven so depending on the scene, book or character I’m working on I have specific music I will listen to. It gets me in the right mood and the words flow easier.
What are your hopes for the future?
I really just hope to get my stories out there and have people find the same love and enjoyment from these worlds that I do. I don’t necessarily need to be an international bestseller or anything like that. If I can touch or move even one person with my writing then I’m happy. Books have always meant so much to me, they brought me out of depression or anxiety attacks and if I can even make someone laugh when they’re down or give them a world they want to disappear into then I’m winning. That’s what I want to do.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Write your story how you want it. If it sucks well at least you have something, you can work with it. Look into formatting steps before you write the manuscript so that you can get the basics like specific indenting and line spacing done ahead of time. Changing your entire manuscript formatting sucks hard. It’s also never too early to start building a name for yourself. You don’t have to wait to have a book released, do it early so that you have someone to release your book to. Last, it’s okay to ask for help, whether that’s a PA, some Alpha Readers, whoever. You don’t need to struggle by yourself.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
I appreciate every single one of you. I celebrate every time someone joins my group or follows my Instagram. It means more to me than you can imagine just knowing that someone is out there and I’m not just talking to myself, haha. I love when you guys chat with me and I love hearing everything you have to say. Without you guys, authors would be weirdos writing stories because the voices tell them to and then hanging them on our walls as art. The readers are the ones who make us seem not so crazy.
Helle Gade 