Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a lifelong Dallas/Fort Worth resident. Back in the 90s a high school buddy (Greg Neeley) and I were budding songwriters with dreams of making it in Nashville. Life, as it is wont to do, had other plans. Instead of Nashville, we each became husbands and fathers and that became the priority. Enter the dog days of Covid, with the children now young adults. Our creative juices again began flowing. Soon we had a really cool (or so we believe) twist on time travel, and work began on our debut novel, Then the Night Got Weird. We are happy to share it with the masses.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Then the Night Got Weird is an 80s sci-fi romp, filled with both heart and humor. Greg and I are both 80s kids, and we loved the adventures of that era. The Goonies was a clear inspiration for Weird, though ours has accidental time travel instead of treasure hunts.

Weird is also targeted more toward adults. There is a, shall we say, a healthy amount of salty language. Though I think high school readers would enjoy the story, some parents might object to the language.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Since writing duos are still anomalies, that probably qualifies as unusual. I have also read that many of my favorite writers—Stephen King, John Sandford, Michael Connelly, etc—like to write by the seat of their pants. Meaning they know the beginning and end of the story, but let everything in between work itself out as they go along. Other writers do a full outline.

Greg and I have a hybrid approach. We storyboard ahead several chapters at a time. So we know the bones of those chapters, but you really never know the guts of those chapters until you sit down and start typing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
See the above. Stephen King is the Man. Even when he doesn’t hit a home run, there are always things to admire in his stories. And he still has his fastball. In recent years, I have loved The Institute and The Outsider. He is an influence for sure. Connelly and Sandford are also favorites of mine. The pacing and dialogue in Sandford books are always a delight.

I should also give a shout out to Dean Koontz. I was a voracious reader as a child. However, that changed in high school and I thought I would be content to never read another book. At 20, out of town for a funeral and with nothing to do, I picked up a copy of Watchers by Dean Koontz. I finished the book the book two days later and have been reading every since.

What are you working on now?
We are about halfway finished with book 2 now. It is a psychological horror story called The Tunnel. It will require a trigger warning because it deals with the parents of a teenage boy, that are left to pick up the pieces after his suicide at the age of 15. Hounded by guilt, grief, and desperation, the parents attend a session at a local spiritual church. Things seemingly go great, leading them to having a number of one of one sessions. Eventually the lies and manipulation orchestrated by this “pyschic mafia” are found out, and unspeakable violence follows. The Tunnel is loosely based on my own personal experience with a devastating family loss.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
www.rtgnbooks.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write. Then write some more. I promise you, if you are the creative sort, you will get better as you go. Don’t be afraid to use software like Grammarly or ProWriting Aid. No matter how smart you are, those programs will catch things that you might not notice for months, or even years.

Be mindful of empty words. Words like really, just, some, etc, are often used as a crutch. Both in real life and on the page. It’s not that these words can’t serve a purpose, because they absolutely can. But oftentimes they are a crutch.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
At a class at DFW Con a couple of years ago, an instructor told us to be mindful of overusing adverbs in dialogue tags. The reason being, it is better to “show” the emotion rather than tell the reader.

What are you reading now?
Those We Do Not See by Angie Gallion

What’s next for you as a writer?
After we finish The Tunnel, we will move on to an untitled YA horror about a lonely high school girl who comes across a mystical object at her part-time job and it changes her life in ways she never could have imagined.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I really loved S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders as a kid. Then as mentioned earlier, Watchers played a very important role early on as well.

As an adult, I have loved many. I’m not sure I actually have a favorite. I will cheat and name two that resonated with me in a big way. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, and The Bone Tree by Greg Iles.

Author Websites and Profiles
Reggie Tennison Website
Reggie Tennison Amazon Profile

Reggie Tennison’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Three books written in the Clinton Lovell Stone series. The Trojan Treasure conspiracy. The Shakespeare conspiracy. And The Romanoff conspiracy. Each Clayton level stone adventure requires stone to solve an actual historic mystery in order to solve the current crime murder mystery. And then beyond, the Clinton Lovell Stone series, there’s The queen and the Playwright, the story of the actual author of the Shakespeare plays and his sensual relationship with Queen Elizabeth 1st, “the virgin queen.”
About Myself. After years as a practicing clinical psychologist, I have recently turned my attention to a fantasy life of writing novels. Clayton Lovell Stone, my action-hero alter-ego, stands over my shoulder and dictates as I scribe his adventures. When someone asked me what I do to keep busy, I said I write thriller novels. I spend a lot of time figuring out different ways to kill people. “Isn’t that nice, she said.”
In my real work life, I am a clinical psychologist who practiced in Delaware, Maryland, and New Mexico. For many years, I was the Chief Psychologist at the Upper Shore Mental Health Center in Chestertown, Maryland, and had a private practice in Easton. I taught therapy and psychopathology courses in Washington College’s Graduate Psychology Program. I was employed as a consultant for adult and adolescent rehabilitation programs, geriatric centers, and law enforcement. I testified as an expert witness in psychological profiling for both the prosecution and the defense and was a member of the State of Maryland’s Forensic Evaluation Team. I supervised psychologists for the Maryland Prison System and served in the Mental Health Section to the 24th Infantry Division of the United States Army in Munich, Germany. I graduated from Stanford University in California and earned a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Maryland. I live and write on Long Island, New York.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Heinrich Schliemann’s Discovery of what he thought was the original Troy in Homer’s Iliad. I need a backstory for a current Clayton Lovell Stone Adventure since all the adventures in the series require stoned to solve a actual historic mystery in order to serve the current crime or mystery. Schliemann’s actual story – his adventure – fit that well. As the son of a poor Lutheran preacher who quit school at 14, Schliemann had no way to live a life of exploration and adventure. But the dream remained. But he was bright and took to languages easily, working his way up from a cabin boy on a ship to an office assistant at a shipping company, and later to a bookkeeper. And then, at age 22, he took a new position with B. H. Schröder & Co., an import/export firm, where he worked his way up to management.
And then at age 27, Schliemann’s brother Ludwig, a wealthy California gold speculator, died, leaving his fortune to Schliemann. Schliemann immediately set up a bank in Sacramento and sold off close to a million dollars in gold bullion in less than six months. Now he was wealthy. Now he could pursue his dreams of exploration and adventure. Now he could search for that “face that launched a thousand ships.”
Not quite yet, though. He had even more money to make. It was not until 1858, at the age of 36, that he retired from business and, as he later wrote in his memoirs, “Set out to dedicate myself to the pursuit of Troy.”
All this is the backstory in the first chapters as stone sets off on his current adventure defined the loss Trojan treasure.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing unusual. When Ernest Hemingway was asked how he writes, he said, “I put the points of a pencil on the left side of a blank sheet of paper and then move it from left to right.” By which he meant, he just writes. He says he didn’t wait for inspiration, He just wrote. So that’s pretty much what I do after my coffee in the morning. I sit at my desk, put my fingers on the keyboard and wait to see what surprises me, as it often does.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My action hero, Clayton Lovell Stone, was inspired by John D. McDonald’s Travis McGee. Travis is a “salvage consultant” who lives on a houseboat in Fort Lauderdale and works as a recovery specialist, taking half the value of the property he recovers as his fee. He is characterized by his rugged charm, philosophical insights, and a moral compass that guides him through adventures involving crime and corruption.
My character, Clayton Lovell Stone, lives in a converted water tower house on a single-line railroad track 14 miles south of Annapolis. A former investigator in the FBI’s art antiquities recovery division, fired for going into Syria to rescue his friend Ezzy against orders, he takes some private cases of lost or stolen order treasure. He drives a 1957 turquoise Chevrolet Bel Air convertible named Martha. He works the toughest New York Times crossword puzzles and plays chess with himself to keep his mind active when he’s otherwise inactive. To his chagrin and confusion, he easily attracts women who don’t seem to hang around too long.

What are you working on now?
The next in the Clayton Lovell Stone Adventure series. I have three done and online in Amazon, a forth one started and two others in the back of my mind. That should keep me going for a while.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My own website. https://readbrucebooks.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Set a schedule and write every day.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When I ask how we wrote, Ernest Hemingway said he “puts a point of a pencil on the left side of a blank sheet of paper and move it from left or right.” By which he meant, just do it. Just right. So that’s what I do. I write. I just do it.

What are you reading now?
Rereading all the John D. McDonald Travis McGee novels. They keep teaching me something else about how to write a good action-adventure story with a thoughtful, intellectual character.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The next in the Clayton Lovell Stone Adventure series. I have three done and online in Amazon, a forth one started and two others in the back of my mind. That should keep me going for a while.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, published in 1812. It contains all the elements of an exciting, dangerous, action-adventure novel. Just change the characters to adults and make it for grown-ups.

Author Websites and Profiles
Bruce Hutchison Website
Bruce Hutchison Amazon Profile

Bruce Hutchison’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Gwen McDowell, and I’m a 20 year old mother.

I’m very creative, whether it’s with music, knitting or crotchet, sewing, painting- I’m always up to something! Am I good at everything I try? Not necessarily, but that won’t stop me.

I began writing a year ago, I’ve always loved reading and I would find myself rewriting the story in my head as if I was a character. Those stories would branch off until eventually I had an original story running through my mind, and when I was 19, I decided to act on it. I currently have two books published, and I plan to keep writing in the future.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called When the Voice Spoke. It’s a book written about survival, bringing attention to the fact survival isn’t only about the physical, but the emotional as well. My life has been hard and I’ve been through a lot of trauma myself, and that tends to influence the characters I write.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
None that I consider unusual! I typically write whenever a new storyline pops in my head, then I decide whether to add it to the current book I’m writing or save it for later.

My big sit downs of writing usually take place late at night when the family is asleep, I have something to drink and maybe a snack, listening to music on my earbuds while typing on my laptop.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dickens has long been a favorite for his portrayal of a melancholy hero in Sydney Carton. Someone who thinks ill of themselves yet still rises to the occasion to protect those they care about.

I’m also a fan of Stephen King, though I admit I’ve seen more movies based off his stories than I’ve read the books themselves.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would be my top favorite author for his Sherlock Holmes series. I’m a bit of a nerd and judge any new television version of the books!

What are you working on now?
Right now I’ve switched from my typical apocalyptic fiction and I’m working on sort of an autobiography, retold in a fictional way.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Not sure that I’ve really figured out the “best method” yet. I primarily promote my books on my social media profiles Ashline Press, and through independent websites like Pretty-Hot and AwesomeGang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I still consider myself a new author, but if I were to be asked by someone who hasn’t published yet, I would tell them not to hesitate. Write the kind of story you want to read, and publish it regardless of how well you think you wrote it. It’s better to take the chance than wonder where the dream could’ve gone.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“You’ve survived all of your worst days so far, there’s no reason not to believe you won’t survive today.”

Believe it or not, when I was working at a rather large bowling and theater venue, my manager told me that as I sat in his office crying. I had a lot going on in my life and was tired of holding it together, when Tony reminded me I’ve pulled myself through before and I’m stronger than I believe.

What are you reading now?
I’m not really actively reading anything right now, but I have a copy of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities on my headboard waiting for me to pick it up!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would love to finish my fictional version of my autobiography, then get back to writing my full fiction books. I may write a sequel to When the Voice Spoke and turn it into a series, or start on an entirely new adventure.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Of all time….believe it or not, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I used to have a hard time reading through classics, but when I picked it up I literally couldn’t put it down until I finished it.

Author Websites and Profiles
Gwen McDowell Amazon Profile

Gwen McDowell’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written three books, all focused on helping people simplify complex financial concepts and apply them to real life. My career began as a financial planner working with high-net-worth clients, and over time I realized that the same principles that help the wealthy succeed can transform anyone’s life when presented clearly and practically.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Billionaire CAB DRIVER: Timeless Lessons for Financial Success.
The book was inspired by a desire to turn the often-dry topic of personal financial management into a compelling, story-driven experience. I created a fictional billionaire who, after achieving extraordinary wealth, chooses to become a cab driver to share timeless lessons about money, mindset, and freedom in everyday terms anyone can relate to.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I prefer conversational, story-based writing that makes complex subjects easy to absorb. I often visualize my readers sitting beside me, as if I’m explaining ideas during a cab ride—clear, direct, and free of jargon.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
George S. Clason’s The Richest Man in Babylon, Ben Sweetland’s I Can, Og Mandino’s The Greatest Salesman in the World, and Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich all deeply influenced my perspective on mindset and personal responsibility in achieving financial freedom

What are you working on now?
I’m focused on expanding distribution for Billionaire Cab Driver and launching a companion online financial-planning tool that helps readers apply the same principles to their own lives.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use a combination of Amazon advertising, book-promotion directories like Awesome Gang, and social-media engagement—particularly LinkedIn and Facebook—to connect with readers interested in financial independence and self-development.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing the book is only the first step. The real work is helping readers discover it. Keep promoting, keep engaging, and treat your book as a living message that continues to grow as you do.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Success leaves clues—study what works, model it, and make it your own.” That mindset has guided me not only in writing but in every area of life.

What are you reading now?
I’m revisiting The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel and Atomic Habits by James Clear—both powerful reminders of how small choices and mindset shifts shape long-term results.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing to build the Billionaire Cab Driver brand through new media, including podcasts, a blog series, and an educational platform that teaches practical financial planning through stories and interactive tools.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Bible for wisdom and grounding, The Richest Man in Babylon for timeless financial insight, Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl for perspective, and Walden by Thoreau to appreciate simplicity and self-reliance.

Author Websites and Profiles
Joseph Tallal Website
Joseph Tallal Amazon Profile

Joseph Tallal’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
To prepare for my dream of writing for children and young adults, I took a Writing course at Indiana University NW. I also took two correspondence courses from The Institute of Children’s Literature. My first book, A Dog and His Boy, was published by Lighthouse Christian Publishing. I also have a YA book, The Hidden Truth, published by Soulmate Publishing. In addition, several of my self-published children’s books are listed on Amazon. Recently two of my adult books, A VISIT HOME and LOVED AND LOST were published by Winged Publications.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The idea for “A Visit Home” came from the real-life experiences of a family in our church when I was growing up. I took the seed from that story and developed a much different plot with a completely different ending, with the focus being on redemption of repentant sinners.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can write while my husband watches sports.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the books by William Kent and Charles Martin. My all-time favorite book is JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte. I’ve read it several times.

What are you working on now?
I’m writing THE MEMOIR THAT WASN’T. It’s based on my life growing up in a small town but I’m adding lots of stories that I’ve heard that didn’t actually happen to me so it’s going to be a fiction account.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon and Facebook

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t expect to get rich, but if you love to write, keep writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” Madeleleine L’Engle

What are you reading now?
The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going back to writing another children’s book. I’ll use the parables of Jesus to write fables for children

What is your favorite book of all time?
Jane Eyre and of course the Bible.

Author Websites and Profiles
Janeen Swart Website
Janeen Swart Amazon Profile

Janeen Swart’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
2 books: HOW TO SURVIVE & LIVE A PEACEFUL LIFE IN THE AI AGE : A Simple Guide to Balance, Resilience, and Hope in a Changing World; and:
STARTUP ESSENTIALS IN PRACTICE: A Practical Mini Book for First-Time Founders and Small Business Owners

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
STARTUP ESSENTIALS IN PRACTICE: A Practical Mini Book for First-Time Founders and Small Business Owners; it is inspired by my 8 years of startup experience and 2 years of startup mentoring for university students

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No,

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Not anyone, anybook

What are you working on now?
Van Thang Hoang is a founder, SME director and independent researcher focusing on cross-border agricultural e-commerce and SME digitalization. His current work examines export barriers, platform strategies, and digital marketing for small agricultural sellers in Vietnam. His research interests include e-commerce, international trade, entrepreneurship, and digital marketing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://pretty-hot.com/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
No, I am a new author

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep knocking and the door will open,

What are you reading now?
Internation news and business news, I do not have much time,

What’s next for you as a writer?
Not sure, hope people read my current books,

What is your favorite book of all time?
Many books are great for me so I will not pick just one,

Author Websites and Profiles
Van Thang Hoang Website
Van Thang Hoang Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written 6 fiction (comedy/mystery) books, one self-help book, Act-It-Out, one short story anthology and have been featured in Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine and other journals.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Doc’s Christmas Miracle is my newest contemporary female fiction and it will be out December 1st from The Wild Rose Press. It was inspired by all the docs and medical situations I’ve found myself in over the years as a forensic psychologist.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to sit propped up with three pillows on my bed and I can write for hours like that. The way Dalton Trumbo used to sit in a tub until he was as wrinkled as a raisin, I sit up on the bed in my PJs and just write as long as I can.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert B. Parker, Robert B. Parker, and did I mention, Robert B. Parker. I just love his work, the dialogue, the page-turning excitement he offers. He showed me through his work how important it is to have fun and hope that the reader is having fun, too. I also love James Ellroy, Hemingway, E. L. Doctorow, Stephen King, and of course, John Grisham.

What are you working on now?
I am currently finishing up the second book to The Doc’s Christmas Miracle, called The Doc’s Secret Agent. All my books are about redemption and hope during trying times and the different and unique ways people overcome trauma.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use whatever I hear is good for my type of book. I love Amazon, but I’ll use any and all sites that promote books, authors, ideas, themes.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, write, write, write, then read. Then repeat: write, write, write and read. It’s what I do, but I got the idea of keeping at it from Stephen King who was the first author to come to one of my book signings. I can’t tell you how much I appreciated that.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To never let age slow you down. It doesn’t matter how old you are or what situation you find yourself in. If you want to do something, find out how feasible it is and go for it. Don’t think because you’re older you can’t do it. Of course, you can.

What are you reading now?
I’m just finishing up The Enchanters by James Ellroy, it’s a challenge with all the characters and situations. I must admit I enjoyed L.A. Confidential and The Black Dahlia a little more because I could follow the story better.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to Paris for Christmas and when I come back, I’m going to finish another novel I’ve started entitled The House of Blake, a story about redemption when the protagonist has her work stolen. I think readers of Danielle Steel will really like this one, too.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I can’t really say because I’ve loved The Wizard of Oz, all 25 books when I was a child, the story of Anna Pavlova when I was a teen, and certainly many of the mystery, thriller and comedy writers I read today. The best STORY I ever saw was The Counterfeit Traitor. It changed my life and I’ve never seen (this was a movie based on a book) or read anything like it in my life.

Author Websites and Profiles
Stefanie Stolinsky Website
Stefanie Stolinsky Amazon Profile
Stefanie Stolinsky Author Profile Other Bookseller

Stefanie Stolinsky’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Frank Torn—a Brisbane-based writer with a dangerous imagination and a taste for the uncanny. For the past decade I’ve written everything from twisted memoirs to short horror fiction, usually with a dark laugh hiding somewhere between the lines. The Outlands is my debut full-length novel, though I’ve filled countless notebooks with half-feral worlds that may yet see daylight.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Outlands, releasing Halloween 2025. It grew out of a fascination with post-trauma landscapes—how people rebuild after everything familiar burns away. I wanted to blend the awe of dystopian survival with the intimacy of love, guilt, and madness. Australia’s vastness felt like the perfect mirror for that emotional desolation—endless, beautiful, and quietly haunted.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write late at night with every light off except one, because I like to feel the story breathing in the dark. I also keep a “scrapbook of nightmares”—a digital file of overheard lines, dreams, and strange newspaper clippings that often morph into scenes. My dogs tend to fall asleep beside me just as things start to get unsettling, which I take as a good omen.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My compass points spin between Cormac McCarthy, Shirley Jackson, Jeff VanderMeer, and Kazuo Ishiguro. I love how they balance dread with beauty—how horror and tenderness can occupy the same breath. I’m also drawn to the world-building of Margaret Atwood and the existential chill of J.G. Ballard. Each reminds me that even in ruin, there’s poetry.

What are you working on now?
I’m drafting a loose follow-up to The Outlands—not a direct sequel, but another story set in the same fractured universe. It explores memory as both refuge and trap, with a mystery element that bends time. I’m also compiling a collection of interconnected short stories under the working title Ash and Other Inheritances.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like combining authenticity with atmosphere—so I use Instagram and Threads to post snippets, concept art, and glimpses of the writing process. I also engage on Reedsy Discovery and Goodreads, where readers who love dystopian and horror hybrids tend to gather. For me, connection beats algorithms every time.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write the book only you could write. Don’t chase trends; chase truth. Let your obsessions lead you into strange places—they’re breadcrumbs, not distractions. And finish the draft even when it feels ugly; clarity lives in revision.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Make it hurt, then make it mean something.” Someone told me that early on, and it stuck. Good stories wound you a little—but the healing happens in the telling.

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel for its haunting serenity, and The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig because it reminds me that horror can still feel tender. I like alternating between beauty and brutality.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once The Outlands launches, I’ll be touring local indie bookstores and building toward the next novel. I want to expand the universe—exploring how love survives in ruined worlds—and eventually branch into screenwriting. The goal is to make readers feel awe, unease, and a strange kind of hope all at once.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It’s equal parts nightmare and prayer—a love story disguised as apocalypse. Every reread reminds me why I write: to find the light that still flickers in the dark.

Author Websites and Profiles
Brendon Luke Amazon Profile

Brendon Luke’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile