Author Interviews

Ek Alfaz

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a fantasy and romantasy author passionate about crafting high-stakes worlds filled with ancient dragon magic, fierce family loyalty, and slow-burn royal court romance. The Ashbound Crown is my debut romantasy release, launching The Ashbound Crown Series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Ashbound Crown: A Romantasy Novel of Dragons, Oaths, and Stolen Magic. It was inspired by the image of a survivor who steals glowing embers from funeral pyres to keep her sick sister alive—and what happens when she is forced into a fake betrothal with a cursed Crown Prince whose crown imprisons the last living flame of a dragon god.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love writing late at night when everything is quiet, mapping out court betrayals and dialogue scenes first so the emotional tension between Kaela and Prince Ash feels electric on every page.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always been inspired by epic and romantic fantasy worlds with high stakes, dragon lore, morally complex heroines, and enemies-to-lovers tension where characters are forced to rely on the very person they were sent to betray.

What are you working on now?
I am currently expanding the world of Cindral and outlining the next installment in The Ashbound Crown Series, diving deeper into the rebellion and the ancient dragon god’s flame.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Connecting directly with fantasy and romantasy readers through book communities like Awesome Gang, Pretty Hot, Discount Book Man, and Kindle Unlimited.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write the story that sets your own imagination on fire first, focus on high-stakes character choices, and never be afraid to put your characters in impossible situations.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You cannot edit a blank page—trust the spark of your story and keep writing until the final ember.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading dark court romantasy and dragon-rider fantasy novels.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing The Ashbound Crown Series and bringing more high-stakes romantic fantasy stories set in Cindral to readers worldwide.

What is your favorite book of all time?
A collection of epic dragon fantasies, classic mythology, and dark royal court romances that you can reread endlessly.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ek Alfaz Amazon Profile

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Kerim Tapkan

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a naval architect and senior project manager based in Istanbul, with more than twenty-five years in custom yacht construction and refit. Alongside that career I have developed P.X as essentially a one-person project. My published books in this universe include P.X: No Man’s Space, the opening novel of the P.X Trilogy; The Abstention, the first P.X Untold companion story; and The Snorvix Codex, Vol. I, an in-universe archival companion.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The book I am introducing here is P.X: No Man’s Space. It follows naval architect Kai Carson into a first-contact mystery that draws Earth into an older interstellar conflict. My engineering background shapes how its spacecraft and technologies work, but the story is driven by people, families and the consequences of their choices.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wrote No Man’s Space over roughly two years while maintaining a full-time career. Much of the writing happened in the early hours, before the working day began. I also build character and civilization profiles, ship concepts and technology records alongside the fiction, so the world has a consistent foundation beyond any one scene.

What authors, or books have influenced you?

What are you working on now?
I am writing the second novel of the P.X Trilogy and preparing another P.X Untold story focused on the Vynar. I am also developing the wider universe through its website and companion archives. The Snorvix Codex presents that background through histories, intelligence records, species and technology files, and an archivist’s commentary.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My main hub is px-universe.com. It brings together the books, character and civilization profiles, spacecraft, artwork, short films and interactive experiences. I want readers to have a place to explore the universe between books and discover the stories that interest them.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My immediate focus is the second P.X novel and the next companion story. The longer-term aim is to complete the trilogy while continuing to develop the connected world around it.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kerim Tapkan Website

Louis Delano

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an independent author and the founder/editor-in-chief of LD Global Media. I write adult queer psychological fiction, dark romance, and narrative non-fiction. My published catalog includes Grey VS Pink: The First Descent (available in English, French, Italian, and Spanish), our forthcoming sequel Pink VS Red, and narrative non-fiction.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Grey VS Pink: The First Descent, Book One of The Shades Trilogy. It was inspired by the sensory and psychological architecture of Berlin’s underground counterculture, examining what happens when desire collides with power, secrecy, and self-reinvention.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write across formats simultaneously. The Shades Trilogy originated as a 950,000-word screen universe before being distilled into novels and an original musical score for the stage.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Writers and thinkers who refuse to sanitize human complexity. I am drawn to fiction that treats queer desire and psychological tension with seriousness and sensory precision.

What are you working on now?
Book Two of The Shades Trilogy, titled Pink VS Red, which arrives on December 1, 2026, alongside stage production developments for our musical adaptation.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Simultaneous international publication in four languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish) and direct community connection through our independent publishing platform LD Global Media.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Retain 100% ownership of your copyrights, ISBNs, and store accounts. Independent publishing allows you to reach a global readership on your own terms.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
"Some journeys begin with a suitcase. Others begin with a door you were never meant to open."

What are you reading now?
International translated fiction and investigative patient-led narratives.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Releasing Pink VS Red on December 1, 2026, and expanding LD Global Media’s Founding Authors Programme to support authors across six languages.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Stories that linger in the shadows of the human psyche and explore the price of transformation.

Author Websites and Profiles
Louis Delano Website
Louis Delano Amazon Profile
Louis Delano Author Profile Other Bookseller

Olai Basile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I made a living first as a physicist, then gradually shifted to machine learning. At different times throughout my life, I tried to write, only to give it up and later go through the same cycle again. I’m still not sure how my daughter, the youngest of my kids, managed to pull me into actually finishing a novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is also my first: Fellows of the Snake. I have an accumulated pile of observations and questions, some of them not easy for me… I don’t want to give away any spoilers for the novel. But the push, the motivation, came from my daughter.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. If I know that I won’t be interrupted for some time, that’s enough for me. Standing or sitting at a table both work for me. At night, I keep paper and a pen within reach.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m not sure. Maybe Graham Greene, Nikolai Gogol, Orwell, Salinger, and a whole range of classical and speculative fiction. But my favorite daily reading is history nonfiction, and that probably has an influence too.

What are you working on now?
I’m trying one new thing, completely different from Fellows…
And I’m also working on a second book, continuing the Fellows adventures—though I guess I’ll finish it only if I see that there is enough interest from readers.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Painful question. I am new to this. Shortly before publishing Fellows…, I created my website, opened several social media accounts, and that’s it. I was blocked from TikTok after unsuccessfully trying for too long to subscribe to it. 🙂

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I don’t know whether I myself am a writer readers want to read. But as a reader with a great appreciation for the written word, I would assume that being extremely honest in revealing your observations and thoughts should be a big part of the deal. I want to read an author who isn’t bending their vision toward existing patterns, the expectations of literary agents, or even the expectations of readers.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I can’t recall the specific words, but my grandfather’s general skepticism toward the symbolic, slogan-like, and label-like aspects of life and society was very helpful.

What are you reading now?
n history nonfiction, I’m finishing Goliath’s Curse by Luke Kemp and beginning Stealing America by Linford Fisher. In speculative fiction, I’m enjoying Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books and sometimes rereading very old speculative fiction. I’m looking forward to the next books by Robert Jackson Bennett, James Islington, Rebecca F. Kuang, and Naomi Novik.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have to see the reaction of the readers.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I could never select just one. Leaving out nonfiction and influential literary essays, I’d pick at random one of Gogol’s short stories, The Old Man and the Sea, The Catcher in the Rye, or Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene.

Author Websites and Profiles
Olai Basile Website
Olai Basile Amazon Profile

Olai Basile’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

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Trish Caragan

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write YA books about Filipinos falling in love, chasing after their dreams, and finding their voices. As a child, I made books out of paper and drew the covers but didn’t write any words. Eventually, I stopped drawing but made books out of my words instead. I earned my BA in Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside and my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at The New School. I’m passionate about books, romance, and music, especially K-pop, boy bands, and 2000s emo/pop punk. A proud Filipina American and fangirl, I reside in my dream city Los Angeles where you can find me eating something that’s probably cookies and cream. Smile for the Camera is my debut novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Smile for the Camera was inspired by a song called “Our Summer” by one of my favorite K-pop groups Tomorrow X Together (TXT). It’s such a cute, sweet song that feels like eating ice cream while walking underneath the summer sun. As I was listening to it, I thought, “What if a girl had a summer so magical and fun that she’d want to hold onto it forever?” Growing up, my favorite books were usually YA romances that took place over the summer. It’s a season of warmth and excitement. “Our Summer” captures that warmth and excitement, and I wanted to write a book that would do the same.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have to listen to one song on loop while writing a chapter. It makes it easier for me to capture the character’s mood and emotions, and I feel even more inspired and excited. I also think it helps me focus better because eventually, when I hear the lyrics so many times, I tune them out. Also, if I listen to a different song midway through a chapter, I can’t capture the emotion and tone that I want to capture.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han are major influences in me becoming a YA Romance author. I remember seeing a commercial for a couple of Sarah Dessen books and thinking that the covers were pretty. One day, at Barnes and Noble, I was browsing through Sarah Dessen books because the covers captivated me. After reading a few pages of This Lullaby, I begged my mom to buy it for me. Once we returned home, I read the whole book in five hours. And I read the rest of Sarah Dessen’s books within two months. Her characters always had such good chemistry, and they felt so real, like they could be my best friends. Jenny Han also made a major impact on me as an Asian American author writing YA Romance. When I saw To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before on shelves, I remember seeing the girl on the cover and thinking, “I can do that? I can write YA Romances about girls who share the same identity as me?” Jenny Han showed me that I can write love stories about a girl who looks like me. Both authors write books that feel like warm hugs. The characters are so lovable, and the stories are so real and sweet. And they got me through high school, undergrad, and grad school. I want to do the same for my readers. I want my books to help them get through any tough time and to always be an escape to happiness.

What are you working on now?
I’ve been rotating between projects. One book is a grumpy/sunshine romcom with an all-Filipino cast. Another is a fake dating romcom that takes place in the Philippines. And I just came up with a new book idea that’s my love letter to LA, and the FMC is a nepo baby! I worked on Smile for the Camera for so long that I can’t help but juggle book ideas! Believe it or not, these are only a few of the many ideas I have.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love posting on Instagram because it gives me more freedom to be creative with my graphics. Usually, I create something in Canva. Since I’m more of an image girly than a video girly, I like to make graphics that relate to my book. For example, I enjoy making playlists, so I like to play around with how the songs are structured based off each character. I had so much fun making Emilyn and Jase’s individual playlists since they’re so different but consist of songs I grew up loving. Emilyn is really into K-pop and pop songs while Jase is more into rock before the 2010s. I even made an Instagram post of their combined playlists that are love songs from artists they each love, so there are K-pop and rock songs. I’ve made other graphics inspired by my book like “If you smiled for these comps, you’ll smile for Smile for the Camera.” Promoting books should be fun, so I love that Instagram gives me a space to have fun creating graphics. Threads is also very helpful in promoting my book. My algorithm usually consists of people asking questions like “Who has a book releasing in October?” or “Who has a romance book coming out? Self-recs are welcomed!” It’s always the perfect opportunity to provide my cover with the tropes, the blurb, and the purchase links. Collaborating with fellow 2026 authors is also very helpful and fun. We create graphics together on Canva, and the creator posts and tags all the contributors on Instagram. It’s a fantastic way of working together and supporting my fellow debuts. Shoutout to you, Debut Class of 2026!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love! Write a book you’re so passionate about you just want to tell the whole world about it. Write characters you love so much you get excited talking about them. This is something I learned when I wrote Smile for the Camera. Prior to getting the idea for my debut book, I’d take writing workshops, many of which prohibited genre fiction. Because YA and romance are often stigmatized genres, I felt I had to write darker books just to win respect. But the summer before my final year of grad school, I realized I was hiding my true self. I looked at all the YA Summer Romance books filling (many!) shelves and remembered how much joy they brought me. They shaped who I am and inspired me to become an author. I wrote Smile for the Camera as the book teenage Trish would’ve loved. If I hadn’t made it obvious enough, I absolutely love summer. In all my favorite YA books, summer was a time when the main characters would get out of their comfort zones and find who they truly are. I also love shy characters and MMCs who seem like bad boys but they’re actually softies. I’m also a sucker for slow burns. Combine all of this and you get Smile for the Camera. This book has everything I love, and I believed in it so much that I’ve stuck with it through querying, sub, and now my debut year. I’ve always been shy, and marketing terrified me. But I’ve had so much fun promoting this book and telling people all about it. That’s why it’s important to write a book that you love. A book with your authentic self. The whole journey, while at many times painful, is much more exciting and worth it for a book dear to your heart.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I had this amazing and very sweet professor for Introduction to Creative Writing, and her words will always stick with me: “Every story’s been told, but it hasn’t been told by you.” In this industry, it’s so easy to compare yourself to others. We’re our own toughest critic. But I always remind myself of these wonderful words from my professor. It’s true, we’ve seen so many of the same plots and characters. But we each have our own unique voice that makes our stories special. And that should make writing fun! There’s someone out there who needs my book, and I want to be there for that reader by writing books with my voice, my craft, and my art.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Merry Ex-Mas by the incredibly talented C.C. Dador and absolutely loved it! It’s the perfect holiday romance. Sweet, swoony, and lots of fun. Reading this book is like drinking hot chocolate during a snowy day. It’s absolutely hilarious seeing the FMC relive Christmas Eve (a whole year later!) with a different ex, and the romance between her and the MMC is so heartwarming to read. A book that needs to be in everyone’s hands!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Since I’m a debut author, I’m definitely working on promoting Smile for the Camera. It’s been a seven-year journey with this book, and I want that whole journey to be worth it. And I want to continue telling the whole world about Emilyn and Jase’s story! I’m also writing the aforementioned books and will send the first one I finish to my incredible agent.

What is your favorite book of all time?
This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen has been my favorite book since I was seventeen-years-old. This book inspired me to become an author. Growing up as an emo kid, I’ve always had a thing for musicians. It was only natural for me to start reading the first few pages of This Lullaby since the love interest was the lead singer of a band. I giggled reading the banter between Remy and Dexter, so much so that I kept reading while I sat with my family at the café. As I mentioned earlier, I read the book within five hours. This Lullaby gave me this special joy that I’d never felt before, and I wanted to give that same joy in my books. It’ll always be my favorite because of its impact on me. It continues to get through the day even now as an adult. No matter what stage in life someone is going through, I want my books to be there for them like This Lullaby and all my other favorite books have been there for me.

Author Websites and Profiles
Trish Caragan Website
Trish Caragan Amazon Profile

Trish Caragan’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

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Zane Sampson

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Zane Sampson is the writer behind Zane369, a trust-first wellness brand reaching more than 10,000 monthly readers. He spent over ten years in natural health retail, including two years managing a Natural Grocers store (Jan 2020 to Jan 2022), where he watched shoppers read labels and put products back on the shelf. He writes about food labels, supplements, and product claims for readers who are tired of being sold fear. He lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He has written one book, SOLD ON FEAR.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is SOLD ON FEAR: How the Wellness Industry Turned Fear Into a Business Model, and How to Take Your Mind Back. It is a 125-page audit of how wellness marketing turns fear into a business model, in three parts: THE SALE, THE FINE PRINT, THE REFUND. It was inspired by a decade behind the counter, watching shoppers get sold fear instead of answers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write the claim first, then chase the evidence. A decade behind a natural health counter gave me the material; my habit is drafting from real shopper moments before I ever touch an outline.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read more labels than books. The influences here are the shoppers I served for a decade, the ones who read the panel and put the product back on the shelf.

What are you working on now?
Continuing the Zane369 Substack and getting SOLD ON FEAR into the hands of health-curious readers who feel confused or oversold.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My Linktree at linktr.ee/zane369sampson as the central hub, plus the Zane369 Substack, which reaches more than 10,000 monthly readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you have actually watched happen. Ten years behind a natural health counter gave me more material than any outline ever could.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Question the claim, not the product. Discernment is worth more than another purchase.

What are you reading now?
Mostly food labels, supplement panels, and reader mail. My research shelf is the grocery aisle.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing to write the Zane369 Substack and helping readers take their minds back, one claim at a time.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I don’t have a single favorite. The books that shaped me are the ones that taught me to read a label critically.

Author Websites and Profiles
Zane Sampson Website

Zane Sampson’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to discover. They are just waiting for you to discover them.

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Jacob Westbrook

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write as Jacob Westbrook. One published adult memoir so far: The Luckiest Dog on the Porch. Life path: 1950s Detroit, music and theater, U.S. Air Force training, Vietnam-era combat missions, then coming home through education and creative work.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Luckiest Dog on the Porch. Inspired by the need to tell an honest arc from Detroit roots through Air Force aviation and Vietnam-era service to coming home. Free Ch1: https://youtu.be/0H0I9owW_vw Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F36LGDKG

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I draft in long stretches when memory opens, then cut hard. Porch quiet and music help more than elaborate rituals.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Clear-eyed war and homecoming writers—Tim OBrien among them—plus aviation history and literary nonfiction.

What are you working on now?
Sharing free narrated chapters on YouTube and preparing readers for the Kindle Countdown ($0.99 Sep 29–Oct 3, 2026

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Direct reader access: free Chapter 1 video, a clean landing page, and Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Tell the truth of the whole arc, not only the combat hours. Let readers sample first if you can.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity—and homecoming is its own kind of mission.

What are you reading now?
Aviation history and adult memoirs that treat service and return with care.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue the free chapter series and reach libraries and veteran readers.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Things They Carried—for how it holds war and after without cheap answers.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jacob Westbrook Website
Jacob Westbrook Amazon Profile

Jacob Westbrook’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to discover. They are just waiting for you to discover them.

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Awais Hashmi

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Awais Hashmi, I’m a Brand Strategist, entrepreneur, and author from Pakistan. I began my professional journey back in 2005 and founded my design studio Evocative Technologies in 2014.

I have written two books, Brand & Beyond and Nothing Sells But Perception. Both explore how branding, design and strategy shape perception that ultimately influences trust, value, and business growth.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Nothing Sells But Perception, published in September 2026. The idea grew from years of seeing how businesses with strong products or services can still struggle when the market does not recognize their true value. The book looks at how perception is built, where that gap comes from, and why it has such a direct impact on trust and business growth.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing process is probably less structured than people might expect. I tend to spend long stretches thinking through an idea, drafting, revisiting it, and refining it until the message feels clear and natural. For me, writing is less about routine and more about giving an idea enough time to take its proper shape.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve read books by Mark Manson, Ichiro Kishimi, Dale Carnegie, and James Clear, and each has influenced the way I think about behavior, communication, discipline, and personal growth. I also admire authors such as Robert Greene and Simon Sinek for the way they turn complex ideas about people, leadership, and motivation into clear, practical thinking.

What are you working on now?
I’ve just finished Nothing Sells But Perception, so at the moment I’m focused on the work around it, sharing the ideas behind the book, writing more on branding and perception, and continuing my work in brand strategy and creative direction.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I prefer promoting my books by sharing the ideas behind them rather than repeatedly selling the book itself. Platforms like LinkedIn and Medium work best for that because they let me build context around the thinking, then let the book become a natural extension of the conversation.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice would be to write about something you genuinely care about and understand well. Give yourself time to develop your own point of view, and do not worry too much about sounding perfect. Clear, honest writing usually connects more naturally with people.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My father gave me an advice that I have never forgotten, he says, make truth your first responsibility, no matter how small the lie might seem. Say only what you know for certain, and never take the easy way out. And if you genuinely don’t have the answer, admitting it does more justice than pretending you know.

What are you reading now?
Not really reading anything at the moment. After spending so much time researching, writing, and refining my book, I felt it was important to step away for a while and come back to reading with a fresh mind.

What’s next for you as a writer?
There are a few ideas I keep coming back to. One is how AI is influencing the creative industry, and I think we are going to see some very interesting shifts in the near future, especially in how creative work is valued and how brands are built around it.

Another idea is more personal, writing about Millennials, the generation I belong to, and the major changes we have lived through in technology, culture, work, and everyday life.

I am not rushing into the next book, but there are several ideas that may naturally grow into one.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Atomic Habits by James Clear is one of my favorite books. I like the way it explains that meaningful change usually does not come from one big decision, but from small actions repeated over time. The idea that habits gradually shape who we become is simple, but very powerful.

Author Websites and Profiles
Awais Hashmi Website
Awais Hashmi Amazon Profile

Awais Hashmi’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to discover. They are just waiting for you to discover them.

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Adam Rost

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a content creator who decided to sit down and turn a small idea in my head into a book. Beneath a Sapphire Sky: The Story of Us is my first and only book so far, but there’s a second book in the works.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Beneath a Sapphire Sky is inspired by one simple thought. When you’re knocked down at every turn, kicked while you’re down, and can’t find your way, what do you do when no one is coming to help? Adam’s story is about perseverance. Despite every hardship he’s had to deal with in such a short period of time, he continues to get up and stand. Almost everyone he knew left him behind, and yet he’s still fighting for his future. When everything feels lost and he feels like he has nothing left, he builds his own way forward, literally.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I would say I have a few. I tend to do most of my writing, among other things, late at night. That’s when my ideas are flowing and it tends to be the best time for me to work.
I also have aphantasia and have a lot of trouble picturing any of my ideas. When I wrote Beneath a Sapphire Sky, I had to think a lot more conceptually and deeply research every little detail for every crumb of inspiration I could find. For example, there are multiple scenes where my protagonists are both walking through real-world places on Earth. Because I have no sense of scale, I had to sit there and physically walk with them on Google Maps so I could properly visualize and explain the things they were seeing.
Because of my aphantasia, I tend to put the story together backwards. Usually I start with the beginning and the end, and I build everything between them like a sandwich layer by layer until I have the full meal (or rather, book). Sometimes I decide one layer doesn’t work, or maybe there’s an extra “condiment” that could be added to one layer that makes it better, and I’m constantly swapping out parts of the story to make it all coherent. It’s very difficult to build a sandwich that you can’t actually see.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells was my biggest literary influence, but most of my inspiration comes from movies and television. Beneath a Sapphire Sky is actually largely inspired by The Time Machine, Avatar, and Doctor Who.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m slowly working on Beneath a Sapphire Sky’s sequel, tentatively titled A Sky Forgotten. It picks up with Adam and Riala a few months after the ending of the first book as they begin uncovering the forgotten history of the ancient civilization of Riala’s ancestors.
The pair explores ancient ruins, learns more about the ancient race that lived there, and slowly discovers that the worlds they thought they knew are far more complicated than they ever could have imagined. They also learn that their worlds aren’t as far apart as they thought.
I intentionally left a lot of open doors in the first book to be able to explore them here.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that one out. I’ve been mostly sharing it on social media in the hopes that some people might see it and think it’s worth giving me a little of their time to read it. As a new author, I’m still experimenting with a lot of ways to reach readers, as my existing social media presence is in the gaming space rather than reading/writing spaces.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My honest advice is to just do it. It doesn’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to have everything figured out. I definitely don’t. I just had a story to tell and decided to write it. I learn as I go, improve it, and keep working to write better. If you want to write, the best way to learn is to try.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I would say it’s when no one has your back, you have to have your own. You are the only person who can get you moving, and you can’t control when other people will be there for you. If you hold yourself back, you won’t ever move forward.

What are you reading now?
Honestly, I’m not a big reader. As an aphantasic person, I don’t get as much out of reading as I do from visual media.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Beneath a Sapphire Sky is the first book in a series. First, I want to finish A Sky Forgotten. Then, I plan to write a third book, but I haven’t figured out every detail about where that one is going yet.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Probably The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

Author Websites and Profiles
Adam Rost Amazon Profile

Adam Rost’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

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Rowena DeLorian

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write as Rowena DeLorian — adult dark fantasy and dark romance about attention, bargains, memory, and the cost of being useful. My latest release is The Unnamed: The Complete Four-Book Saga, an omnibus collecting four linked books (The Hush, Crown of Ash, The Thread, and Seven Stars). I publish under this pen name only.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Unnamed: The Complete Four-Book Saga. It started with a simple image: a moth slipping through a shutter seam with a black-paper invitation and a brass token, and twelve words offering a woman complete attention if she will risk forgetting the night. I wanted to explore what happens when someone who has made herself indispensable and invisible finally gets seen — and what that gift costs across hush, ash, thread, and stars.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in quiet late-night sessions, the same sleepless window the books are about. I outline the emotional arc first, then the plot beats that force each choice. Drafts stay close to the characters’ voices; revision is where I tighten heat, continuity, and pacing across the omnibus.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read widely in dark fantasy and dark romance. I am drawn to morally gray bargains, found-family crews, and slow-burn tension that still hits hard. Atmospheric adult fantasy that treats desire and power as serious stakes influences me more than bright epic quests.

What are you working on now?
I am focused on getting The Unnamed in front of readers who already browse dark fantasy and paranormal romance — free discovery listings, pen-name pages, and honest interviews like this one — while keeping the complete saga available on Kindle at a reader-friendly omnibus price.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Putting the book where readers already browse beats inventing a new funnel. I use a universal book link (Books2Read) so people can reach the Amazon Kindle edition cleanly, and I submit to free directories and author-interview sites that accept full-price books without requiring a free-day promo.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Finish the draft before you polish forever. Protect your pen name boundaries. Put the finished book where readers already look before you chase another tool or another almost-identical product.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Show up consistently in places readers already trust, and let the work speak without promising outcomes you cannot control.

What are you reading now?
I am rereading atmospheric dark fantasy and dark romance that balance intimacy with uncanny stakes — stories that leave you a little haunted without sanding off the edges.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep The Unnamed discoverable under the Rowena DeLorian name, listen to what readers respond to, and write the next story only when the emotional question is clear enough to carry another book.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I do not have a single forever favorite, but I keep returning to dark fantasy and romance that treat being witnessed as both gift and danger — the mood The Unnamed tries to live inside.

Author Websites and Profiles
Rowena DeLorian Website
Rowena DeLorian Amazon Profile
Rowena DeLorian Author Profile Other Bookseller

If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to discover. They are just waiting for you to discover them.

If you are an author feel free to submit your own Author Interview. It is free and we love sharing authors with our readers.