Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Reunion in Stringtown: Finding Faith, Family, and Healing is actually my third non-fiction book. I began writing fiction stories secretly in the middle of the night around the age of 8 or 9. By the time I was a sophomore in high school I knew I wanted to be a journalist. I worked on my high school paper and, at 16, started working at the Whittier Daily News as a junior reporter. I got my degree in Journalism from San Jose State University and after graduating found work in the defense industry as a technical editor and writer. I later became editor of a technology magazine. From there, I moved into marketing writing and public relations. For over 20 years I supported myself as a freelance marketing communications writer and strategist. During that time I co-wrote my first book, a non-fiction technology guide called Bar Code and the IBM PC with Russ Adams as my co-author. Later I wrote one of a series of short histories on the 20th Century, published by David S. Lake. I have also written countless articles for various business and technology magazines and represented many technology companies to the media. In 2004 my husband and I relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth area where we acquired an organic garden center called Marshall Grain Company. As Vice President of Marketing, I spend most of my time writing blog articles, newsletters, and promotional copy for the business. I have been honored by many civic organizations, including the Daughters of the American Revolution, for my advocacy of land resource conservation and sustainable, organic landscaping, as well as for my support for animal welfare causes. My husband and I have 3 cats at home. Three more that live in our retail store and are often featured in our advertising and on our social media pages.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Reunion in Stringtown: Finding Faith, Family, and Healing” is the summation of more than 25 years of searching for my birth family and a lifetime of wondering who gave me up and why. I hope my story will help shatter the myths about adoption that it is somehow a “blessing” that you were unwanted and that your adopters are heroic saviors. In truth most adoptees are traumatized once by their original abandonment and abused again by the parents who supposedly “saved” them. My work attempts to show how we can become whole only by first acknowledging the truth and then by walking through the fire of recovery.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t have writer’s block and I love working with a good editor, which I am told makes me unique among authors.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always considered myself to be a journalist and have been most inspired by my first editor, Betty Schaumbacher of the Whittier Daily News, along with investigative reporting by the likes of Woodward and Bernstein (All the President’s Men). Most of what I read is non-fiction: history, archaeology, and other sciences. I also love American classics such as Huckleberry Finn and the works of Edgar Allen Poe.

What are you working on now?
At the moment I am occupied full time as Vice President of Marketing for our garden center and in promoting my new book. However, I have an idea for another non-fiction book about organic gardening and sustainable landscape practices.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Is there one? I’d like to know.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write! Let your thoughts flow. Don’t expect yourself to produce a masterpiece with the first draft. Most of the joy in writing comes with reorganizing, rewriting and editing your ideas. Remember, good writing is hard work.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Start at the beginning, write until you get to the end and then stop.”

What are you reading now?
non-fiction: The Good Money Revolution by Derrick Kinney and Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods by Andrew Collins.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As I mentioned above, I have an idea for an organic gardening book.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Huckleberry Finn

Author Websites and Profiles
Joyce A. Connelley Website
Joyce A. Connelley Amazon Profile

Joyce A. Connelley’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As a retired painting contractor, I have continued my passion for writing Christian themed books. I have authored over 10 booklets and books. I have always been a follower of good writings. Just the idea of picking up a book is absolute sheer ecstasy. I can hardly wait to write the next one.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The lastest book is A Song For Zipporah. The thought that behind every successful man is a good woman was the inspiration behind it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
In this modern day of computers, laptops and tablets, I still have this “strange and unusual” habit of writing a whole manuscript in longhand with paper and pen before transferring it to a computerize version. It’s old as the dinosaurs but l suppose I’m still a caveman at heart. Lol.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Old Testament kings David and Solomon had a tremendous influence on me. Their books: The Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes have a hold on me even until this day.

What are you working on now?
The sequel: “Moses and Zipporah, a love story” is what I am currently working on. It is scheduled to be available in the not so distant future.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method for promoting my website, goodbooklets.com is to target readers on social media, passing out free book markers with my website on them and driving around town with a bumper sticker that reads: “AMEN ANYHOW! Goodbooklets.com”

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Advice for new authors is to take your time writing. Let others view and critique your work. Look for those in your outer circle to preview and scrutinize your work. They will be more honest than family and friends.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard was to remember this phrase: “Winners never quit and quitters never win.’

What are you reading now?
The 2nd book of Chronicles in the Bible.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Getting my book turned into a 75-80 minute animated movie is my next goal as a writer.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The KJV 1611 Bible

Author Websites and Profiles
David Harris Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Saskatchewan native and Ontario immigrant. Some would call me a reverse snowbird, who feels most comfortable surrounded by snowcapped mountains.
Nomadic by nature, I am multifaceted and have mastered many skills. I dub myself a jack of many trades and master of some. However, because I have acquired a plethora of diplomas spanning the educational spectrum, my mother (May she be at peace) on the contrary would call me a professional student.
I accredit my adaptability to the training I received as a Canadian Forces medic, and My artistic ability to my family. Both attributes have aided me along my journey from points of homelessness and despair to place of stability and optimism I have arrived at today.
In 2018, I was diagnosed with service-related PTSD, and within the same breath of time became a widow.
Unresolved trauma, and the loss of my husband caused me to skirt the edges of insanity. Faced with losing complete touch with reality, I returned to writing and art.
In a sense writing and art saved my life, at least that’s my claim. Fortunately, for the world, my choice to embrace creation has led me to captain a new life as a publisher, illustrator, writer and artist.
I am the author of 20 years of Winter and currently run the publication organization, aptly named, I Ain’t Your Marionette. My book is an autobiographical collection of poetry and art. I published it in hopes to make a way for others who have suffered similar traumas to feel safe knowing that they are not alone nor are they to blame for their experiences. 20 Years of Winter is Marie’s source of empowerment offered to those victims to stand up to their perpetrators and to speak out against victim shaming.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“20 Years of Winter” is my latest creation, it is a powerful collection of autobiographical poetry and that delves into the dark and challenging aspects of my life as a soldier. I published it in hopes to make a way for others who have suffered similar traumas to feel safe knowing that they are not alone nor are they to blame for their experiences. 20 Years of Winter is my source of empowerment offered to those victims to stand up to their perpetrators and to speak out against victim shaming.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
In the mystical realm of my writing, where pens duel with keyboards and metaphors dance with similes, there exists a peculiar creature: The Unfocused Scribe. This elusive aspect of myself, much like a caffeinated squirrel, flits from idea to idea, leaving a trail of half-finished sentences and forgotten plot twists. My inner author is forever galloping after my hyperactive monkey mind with a lasso. If James Earl Jones were to narrate my process with a comical spin, it might sound something like this:
The Multitasking Maestro:
Our protagonist, armed with a laptop and a paper mâché pulp, embarks on a literary adventure. As the words flow, so does the plaster, flour, and glue. Why? Because nothing says “creative genius” like an upcycled monster holding a bookmark.
“Ah,” they muse, “this poem needs more depth. Let’s add complicated layers. Make it a poem within a poem. Maybe even art.” And just like that, their poetry collection becomes a string map on a profiler’s board.
The Attention-Deficit Alchemist:
Concentration is overrated. Our writer flits between tasks like a bunny on an espresso binge. Mid-sentence, they see a dog hair highlighted by the midafternoon sun. So, they pause, grab the vacuum to ward off the impending dust bunny infestation.
“Write what you know,” they shout over the wild growls of the Hoover Vacuum. “Yes, yes, write what you know,” the voice of their father chimes in from the internal family peanut gallery.
The Permission Slip Enthusiast:
“Dear Self,” they write, “I hereby grant you permission to be gloriously weird during the creative process. Feel free to wear mismatched socks, build giant paper mache monsters holding bookmarks, and consult your inner family for plot twists.”

Cut to: the writer losing track of thought and chasing a butterfly that fluttered in from a nearby window.
Smash Cut to: A tale wagging dog that one could swear was part cow barking at its owner to get back on track.
Cut to: the chaotic author’s inner thought dialogue…….
“Certainly, the inner squirls answer! Let’s back on task and polish up the remaining part of your whimsical narrative:”

Dissolve to: The remaining narrative on the author’s weird habits—hopefully.
The Coffee-Stained Oracle:
Coffee fuels their imagination. It also drenches manuscripts, but who needs pristine pages when you can have caffeinated epiphanies and coffee-stained pages to use for multimedia art? Each spill becomes a Rorschach test:
“Ah, yes, that blot looks like a puppy going through a midlife crisis.”
“And this one? Clearly a plot twist involving time-traveling marionettes set on rescuing the child version of themselves.”
The Concentration fairies:
In the quiet hours of midnight, our writer hears them—the elusive concentration fairies. They nibble at their brain cells, leaving behind fragments of ideas.

And so, dear reader, if you ever encounter a writer surrounded by paper mâché pulp, stringing a sculpture’s armature with garbage, and wearing different-colored socks, fear not. For they are simply channeling the spirit of creativity—one oddity at a time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In the worn chambers of my beating heart, where hope whispers and ink nourishes my soul, I secretly shelter a love for words. As a child, I spun my imagination with the golden threads of prose, lost in the dark fairytale realm of Rumpelstiltskin, or the horrors of John Grisham. For me books were my secret doorways, portals to secret gardens and realms of mystery.
But now, I find myself a Ferryman of voices—the guide of narratives, the oarsman of reality. For I publish the words of others, those brave marionettes who bare their heart on the paper.
Michael Falls: His sentences are like symphonies, each a masterpiece of harmony.
Alycia Hodge: She grills emotions with metaphor — her lines sometimes medium rare and other times raw enough to stake a vampire.
Emma Hilson-Gregory: Her rhymes free the soul from darkness.
Joe Mykut: writes with child-like wonder.
Marten Hoyle: He gives voice to the lost souls of imagination.
Together, they form a constellation of inspiration—a celestial library where honesty and creativity dance, where ink-stained hearts find solace. And so, dear interlocutor, let us turn these pages together, for within them lies the magic of countless worlds.

What are you working on now?
Oddly, a children’s book titled “Miss Sally Anne.” It’s loosely based on my childhood And the title is a nickname I was given because I wore hand-me downs and unbranded clothing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://www.iaintyourmarionette.com/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Ignore the Naysayers:
o Don’t give up! Your story is like that elusive sock that everyone swears was snatched by some supernatural beast in the dryer—eventually, the sock resurfaces. Trust your inner storyteller; it’s got better fashion sense than Steve Urkel.
2. Write What Makes You Excited:
o In my world, creativity is like a cosmic ketchup—sticky, unpredictable, yummy on a cheese burger but occasionally messy Let yourself get messy, and water down or wash away any of your writings perceived errors with vinegar. Research what you don’t know and remember: patience is the secret ingredient. Just keep shaking that ketchup bottle, success with splatter eventually. And if it doesn’t, flip it upside down and let gravity take over. Eventually, you will get a squirt of inspiration.
3. Make Art That Is Meaningful to You:
o Write what resonates with you. We’re all on our own literary road trips, and sometimes the GPS takes us leads us to what seems like a dead end.
So, dear new authors, pack your metaphors, embrace your weird, and remember that your story matters—even if it involves parking your car at the dead end and going for a walk.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard was in 1992, when my dad threw my fantasy novel in the burning barrel and told me to write what I know. The burnt manuscript was tragic but the advice was golden.

What are you reading now?
The brilliant works of many authors who contributed to I Ain’t Your Marionette Press’s upcoming anthology “Gods, Goddesses, Atheist’s and Such.”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Maybe sci-fi fantasy? That is if I were to grant my daughter, Sammy, her wish to have me publish one in the latter mentioned genre. Or maybe, the ramblings of my minds untethered squirrel.

What is your favorite book of all time?
There’s A Me Under My Bed by Joseph Mykut.

Author Websites and Profiles
Marie Dawn Moldovan Website
Marie Dawn Moldovan Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Saskatchewan native and Ontario immigrant. Some would call me a reverse snowbird, who feels most comfortable surrounded by snowcapped mountains.

Nomadic by nature, I am multifaceted and have mastered many skills. I dub myself a jack of many trades and master of some. However, because I have acquired a plethora of diplomas spanning the educational spectrum, my mother (May she be at peace) on the contrary would call me a professional student.

I accredit my adaptability to the training I received as a Canadian Forces medic, and My artistic ability to my family. Both attributes have aided me along my journey from points of homelessness and despair to place of stability and optimism I have arrived at today.

In 2018, I was diagnosed with service-related PTSD, and within the same breath of time became a widow.

Unresolved trauma, and the loss of my husband caused me to skirt the edges of insanity. Faced with losing complete touch with reality, I returned to writing and art.

In a sense writing and art saved my life, at least that’s my claim. Fortunately, for the world, my choice to embrace creation has led me to captain a new life as a publisher, illustrator, writer and artist.

I am the author of 20 years of Winter and currently run the publication organization, aptly named, I Ain’t Your Marionette. My book is an autobiographical collection of poetry and art. I published it in hopes to make a way for others who have suffered similar traumas to feel safe knowing that they are not alone nor are they to blame for their experiences. 20 Years of Winter is Marie’s source of empowerment offered to those victims to stand up to their perpetrators and to speak out against victim shaming.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“20 Years of Winter” is my latest creation, it is a powerful collection of autobiographical poetry and that delves into the dark and challenging aspects of my life as a soldier. I published it in hopes to make a way for others who have suffered similar traumas to feel safe knowing that they are not alone nor are they to blame for their experiences. 20 Years of Winter is My source of empowerment offered to those victims to stand up to their perpetrators and to speak out against victim shaming.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
In the mystical realm of my writing, where pens duel with keyboards and metaphors dance with similes, there exists a peculiar creature: The Unfocused Scribe. This elusive aspect of myself, much like a caffeinated squirrel, flits from idea to idea, leaving a trail of half-finished sentences and forgotten plot twists. My inner author is forever galloping after my hyperactive monkey mind with a lasso. If James Earl Jones were to narrate my process with a comical spin, it might sound something like this:
1. The Multitasking Maestro:
o Our protagonist, armed with a laptop and a paper mâché pulp, embarks on a literary adventure. As the words flow, so does the plaster, flour, and glue. Why? Because nothing says “creative genius” like an upcycled monster holding a bookmark.
o “Ah,” they muse, “this poem needs more depth. Let’s add complicated layers. Make it a poem within a poem. Maybe even art.” And just like that, their poetry collection becomes a string map on a profiler’s board.
2. The Attention-Deficit Alchemist:
o Concentration is overrated. Our writer flits between tasks like a bunny on an espresso binge. Mid-sentence, they see a dog hair highlighted by the midafternoon sun. So, they pause, grab the vacuum to ward off the impending dust bunny infestation.
o “Write what you know,” they shout over the wild growls of the Hoover Vacuum. “Yes, yes, write what you know,” the voice of their father chimes in from the internal family peanut gallery.
3. The Permission Slip Enthusiast:
o “Dear Self,” they write, “I hereby grant you permission to be gloriously weird during the creative process. Feel free to wear mismatched socks, build giant paper mache monsters holding bookmarks, and consult your inner family for plot twists.”
Certainly! Let’s polish up the remaining part of your whimsical narrative:

4. The Coffee-Stained Oracle:
o Coffee fuels their imagination. It also drenches manuscripts, but who needs pristine pages when you can have caffeinated epiphanies and coffee-stained pages to use for multimedia art? Each spill becomes a Rorschach test:
 “Ah, yes, that blot looks like a puppy going through a midlife crisis.”
 “And this one? Clearly a plot twist involving time-traveling marionettes set on rescuing the child version of themselves.”
5. The Concentration fairies:
o In the quiet hours of midnight, our writer hears them—the elusive concentration fairies. They nibble at their brain cells, leaving behind fragments of ideas.
And so, dear reader, if you ever encounter a writer surrounded by paper mâché pulp, stringing a sculpture’s armature with garbage, and wearing different-colored socks, fear not. For they are simply channeling the spirit of creativity—one oddity at a time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love to read. As a child I would spend hours reading books by John Grisham, Jim Thompson, charlotte Armstrong. Now, I say I’m influenced by the writer I publish. Their honesty and creativity is inspiring. Such writers as Michael Falls, Alycia Hodge, Emma Hilson-Gregory, Joe Mykut and Marten Hoyle.

What are you working on now?
Oddly, a children’s book titled “Miss Sally Anne.” It’s loosely based on my childhood and the title is a nickname I was given because I wore hand-me downs and unbranded clothing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a few websites, but the best is https://iaintyourmarionettepress.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Ignore the Naysayers:
o Don’t give up! Your story is like that elusive sock that everyone swears was snatched by some supernatural beast in the dryer—eventually, the sock resurfaces. Trust your inner storyteller; it’s got better fashion sense than Steve Urkel.
2. Write What Makes You Excited:
o In my world, creativity is like a cosmic ketchup—sticky, unpredictable, yummy on a cheese burger but occasionally messy Let yourself get messy, and water down or wash away any of your writings perceived errors with vinegar. Research what you don’t know and remember: patience is the secret ingredient. Just keep shaking that ketchup bottle, success with splatter eventually. And if it doesn’t, flip it upside down and let gravity take over. Eventually, you will get a squirt of inspiration.
3. Make Art That Is Meaningful to You:
o Write what resonates with you. We’re all on our own literary road trips, and sometimes the GPS takes us leads us to what seems like a dead end.
So, dear new authors, pack your metaphors, embrace your weird, and remember that your story matters—even if it involves parking your car at the dead end and going for a walk.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard was in 1992, when my dad threw my fantasy novel in the burning barrel and told me to write what I know. The burnt manuscript was tragic but the advice was golden.

What are you reading now?
The brilliant works of many authors who contributed to I Ain’t Your Marionette Press’s upcoming anthology “Gods, Goddesses, Atheist’s and Such.”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Maybe sci-fi fantasy? That is if I were to grant my daughter, Sammy, her wish to have me publish one in the latter mentioned genre.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Maybe sci-fi fantasy? That is if I were to grant my daughter, Sammy, her wish to have me publish one in the latter mentioned genre.

Author Websites and Profiles
Marie Moldovan Website
Marie Moldovan Amazon Profile
Marie Moldovan Author Profile Other Bookseller

Marie Moldovan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a native Texan and currently live here with my husband, daughter, two cats and a dog. I have one book published now, but have about 20 years of projects piled up and collecting dust that I have finally mustered the courage to edit and put out in the world.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest (and first) book is a dark fantasy titled Don’t Fear the Reaper. While the name was indeed inspired by the Blue Oyster Cult song, the theme of it was inspired by dealing with the death of my maternal grandfather of which I was very close to.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I actually do not draft my books in chronological order. I make a general outline of my story and write whatever scenes I’m most inspired by at the moment, then piece them all together at the end.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Neil Gaiman, C.S. Lewis, and Ernest Hemingway have probably inspired me the most stylistically. As for general storytelling and genres, I have been inspired by Laura Thalassa and writers of manga such as Sui Ishida, Hajime Isayama, and Tite Kubo (just to name a few).

What are you working on now?
Currently I am wrapping up a novella in the Don’t Fear Death series titled Dorianne Grey, which is a dark fantasy romance with steampunk elements.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do a lot of promotion on Instagram (@j.c.murphey) and TikTok (@j_c_murphey) which is where I am most active and interactive with readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would say work hard to build your “brand” as an author in social media and newsletter building. I can only speak as an indie author, but a lot of my sales are driven by direct contact with readers on social media.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I’ve heard is to not make writing my day job. While it’s a tough pill to swallow, there is a lot of stress that gets put on an author when writing becomes their only source of income.

What are you reading now?
Currently I’m re-reading the Monstrous series by Lily Mayne (love her)!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have my first conference coming up in Waco, Texas this fall I’m super excited about, and some other podcasts I’ve been invited to speak on. Really I’m just hoping to make some waves as an indie author.

What is your favorite book of all time?
This is such a cruel question to ask an author! I would say The Hobbit, and mainly because it took me so long to read at seven years old. I was so proud of myself for finishing that huge book!

Author Websites and Profiles
J.C. Murphey Website
J.C. Murphey Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Ukrainian writer and the author of WAR IN UKRAINE: The Trap in Kherson City. Other my books: “WAR IN UKRAINE: Underwater”, “Chronicles of the Ukrainian Dam Disaster”, “The Silent Witnesses of the Catastrophe”.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“WAR IN UKRAINE: The Trap in Kherson City”. This book is my real story, which depicts the real stories of other people who found themselves in Russian occupation after February 24, 2022.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
no

What authors, or books have influenced you?
no

What are you working on now?
no

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
facebook

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write about what you know well

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write about what you know well

What are you reading now?
nothing

What’s next for you as a writer?
nothing at all

What is your favorite book of all time?
no

Author Websites and Profiles
Alex Kolis Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Joseph Mykut is a native of Alabama. They are an author, artist, illustrator, editor, photographer, and agent. Their artwork and photography are on display internationally in Ontario, Canada and can be found in the anthologies, “3 Amigos Ink and Splatter Lonely Soul in the Darkness” and “Shattered Psyche”. Both anthologies are I Ain’t Your Marionette publications out of Canada. They also authored and illustrated the children’s books, “Beautiful Boy” and “There’s A Me Under My Bed” of the same publishing house.
Joseph is the literary agent of the author Marten Hoyle, whose book, “Voces Animarum” was published November 22nd, 2023, with I Ain’t Your Marionette publishing house.
Joseph’s art and photography uniquely focuses on the random, seemingly unimportant aspects of the everyday environment surrounding us. They hope this draws attention to the deeper details that express the magic and beauty in the otherwise mundane.
As a member of the LGBTQ2+ community as well as walking the path of Shamanism, they hope to create and represent a more tangible bridge between the physical life experience and the world beyond our physical senses.
Joseph was born and raised in the deep south of the United Sates in what’s known as the bible belt. His influences have developed over time to be more of the universe and of spirituality rather than religion. However, Joseph is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church as it aligns with his perspective that there is truth found in all religious beliefs as they are all smaller pieces to a greater picture.
They identify as a two spirited being or even multi spirited being and identify with all ideas of the gender spectrum. They believe in the existence of both light and dark or positive and negative energies leaving the truth of who we are to be found in the balance of those energies.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Beautiful Boy” was written based on the author’s childhood experience. They wanted the story to be told in a general way so that the reader can place their personal experiences within the book. There is an LGBTQ+ undertone and the book touches on bullying and domestic abuse. The author hopes to encourage people who have experienced similar traumas to know they are not alone. The author would also like to encourage people who are the abusers to heal and recognize the impact their actions have on others.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
As someone who believes in the world beyond our senses, a shaman, I “partner” with the universe when writing or creating something artistically. I believe my works are a collaboration between myself and the universe. It is a meditative state I enter where the results seem to be a combination of my own conscious ideas with the energy around me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Shel Silverstein, Maya Angelou, Edgar Allan Poe, Dr. Seuss, Susanna Kaysen, Marie Moldovan, Alycia Hodge

What are you working on now?
My other published children’s book, “There’s A Me Under My Bed” is in its newest stages. I am attempting to promote it and get it into circulation.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still working that out for myself. It is a very difficult process that falls on the author, their agent, and their publisher. The best avenue I’ve found so far is to maximize the use of any of your own personal social media platforms and begin promoting to your inner circle. Then there is just as much if not more support to be found beyond that circle, with strangers and other artists. Reach out to podcasts, magazines, and other artists looking to promote as well. I have found one of the most successful approaches to be in networking and cross promoting. When I promote others or offer platforms for their work to be seen, they are more likely to offer me the same exposure in return.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am still working that out for myself. It is a very difficult process that falls on the author, their agent, and their publisher. The best avenue I’ve found so far is to maximize the use of any of your own personal social media platforms and begin promoting to your inner circle. Then there is just as much if not more support to be found beyond that circle, with strangers and other artists. Reach out to podcasts, magazines, and other artists looking to promote as well. I have found one of the most successful approaches to be in networking and cross promoting. When I promote others or offer platforms for their work to be seen, they are more likely to offer me the same exposure in return.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That most advice is not one size fits all, it can be a guide of suggestions but you must find your own way and format it to your personal experience.

What are you reading now?
Part of being a literary agent is getting the opportunity to read prepublication the works of my talented authors. I am currently doing just that in the editing process for about 6 of my clients.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Fame and Fortune along with notoriety and having had a positive impact on the shared reality of this world we call home

What is your favorite book of all time?
I can’t nail that down to one but here’s a few: Girl Interrupted, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Where the Wild Things Are, anything by Dr. Suess, Edgar Allan Poe, and Maya Angelou and 20 Years of Winter

Author Websites and Profiles
Joseph Mykut Website
Joseph Mykut Amazon Profile

Joseph Mykut’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I studied to be a lawyer, but have been fascinated by books and writing ever since I can remember. I started to write fiction as soon as I knew how to write at all (the quality of my works has improved by then). The passion for history came a few years later and so the ground was set for writing historical fiction after I had first focused on non-fiction books for expats to Germany (“Coming to and Living in Germany”, “Cross-cultural musings about Germany”).
My family extends across many countries, mainly Germany, and when I heard the stories of my grandparents and my great-aunt, I often thought that it was novel material. First, though, my passion for the US and American history led me to write a trilogy about an American family. I lived and studied in Philly and love that city dearly, so that was one of the locations in the trilogy (currently only available in German).
I have written ten historical novels so far and am currently working on the eleventh. Two of them are now available in English. They are inspired by my (German) family history, especially by my great-aunt’s life.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My two books about the family Schönau are not my latest books as such, but my latest books available in English. The name of the first is “A Citizen of All Times”.
The story spans some of the most uprooting decades in recent German history. Hence the title. When the German writer Friedrich Schiller held his opening lecture as a history professor at the university of Jena, he said “that man transforms and fades away while history alone remains on the scene perpetually” and called her (in German history is female) a citizen of all nations and times. I often thought that the generation of my grandparents probably felt like a citizen of many times – born in a stable Imperial Germany, then experiencing World War I at a young age, followed by hunger and the dangerous instability of the Weimar Republic. Their first steps into adult life – university, courting, marrying, having children – were overshadowed by the Nazi dictatorship, then the Nazis let the world erupt into flames and everything went into shatters. Those who survived found themselves in two Germanys, one of which, the so-called German Democratic Republic, still being a country where people were arrested, harassed and destroyed if they didn’t conform to state doctrine. 1989 and 1990 then brought what most Germans would not have considered possible: reunification.

The name of the second Schönau book, “Life’s Labyrinthine Course” is taken from a Goethe’s “Faust”. Just like one of the main character in the books, I’m an avid Goethe admirer and the quote just embodies the events of the second book, which takes place during Germany’s darkest years, perfectly.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No. But I do my plotting mainly while hiking. Nothing more inspiring than deep woods, the quietness of nature and peaceful solitude.
I can get absolutely engrossed in the time period I’m covering in the book I’m writing. There are times when I’m more at home in 18th century Germany or 19th century Philadelphia than in the present. It’s a total immersion that is not planned but just happens because I’m so passionate about my topics and the accompanying historical period. It’s very amusing for my friends when I have to wonder what actual year we have or when I don’t talk about current events but about a battle that took place in 1759 or Frankfurt losing its independence to Prussia in 1866 …

What authors, or books have influenced you?
“Gone With the Wind” awakened my interest in history and awakened my passion for historical novel. It hasn’t inspired my writing but it got me to writing so it’s definitely an important influence.
The German writer Theodor Fontane inspired me with his vivid pictures of daily life, social class distinctions and the feeling of the 19th century.
Poe inspired me with his glumness – my books are not happy-go-lucky but rather “doom and gloom”. Simply because I aim for realism but also because I have a tendency for gloom.

What are you working on now?
The third book of my series on a fictional Prussian estate and village. I accompany this village through the main stages of Prussian history.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I mainly rely on word of mouth. This works well in Germany – readers value my thorough research and realistic characters. As for websites I use book deal websites to promote deals occasionally, as well as my own website where I write blog entries about the historical topics that are covered in my books.

What are you reading now?
1. Jonathan Franzen’s “Crossroads”
2. A book about literature and authors in 19th century Prussia
3. A book about nobility in East Germany – families who were disowned, prosecuted and chased away after WWII and have returned to the area after the German reunification.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Goethe’s “Faust”.

Author Websites and Profiles
Heike Wolf Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am 60 years old and as a child growing up in Sault Ste Marie Ontario I often found myself adrift on an endless sea of imagination while my friends would be engaged in more typical childhood pursuit’s. This continued into adulthood and I began to carve my abstract thoughts into poetic musings. To date I have one published book, with another to be released shortly. I also penned the lyrics for a just released album by a band from Brazil.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book is called Leaving Eden , a collection of poems inspired by life events and my often dim view of the world around me . I try to model my writing after my favorite singer /composer Mark Lanegan. Due out soon is Walking through the ruins , another poetic stroll through the darker side of society. The just released album is called Falls Circusand can be found on Spotify .

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
By no means do I follow the traditional lines of conventional poetry .i keep my lines short , pay close attention to syllable counts so that each poem can be sung should anyone’s interest be peaked and view them as lyrics , which is always my intent .

What authors, or books have influenced you?
For novels I have always loved the mater of imagery Stephen King, followed closely by Dean Kuntz , both have an inate talent for making the reader see their worlds in vivid detail , as if walking in it . More in my vein it would definitely be the afore mentioned Mark Lanegan, Curt Cobain and Jim Morrison.

What are you working on now?
In truth I never stop , I can’t , the thoughts run through my mind demanding they be written. I write poetry /lyrics every day , choosing various topics depending on my mood. Recent life events have slowed me down somewhat but at any given time I am either writing or mulling over the next piece.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have traditionally used Facebook , its there I crossed paths with the brilliant artist Alycia Hodges who creates the perfect picture for the mood of each piece, and of course the lady and amazing poet in her own right , Marie Muldovan who believed in me enough to become the publisher of my material , and without whom none of this would be possible

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never quit creating , never stop believing in your dream

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t get hung up on traditional lines of what’s considered poetic norms , just do you and let others do themselves

What are you reading now?
In my case it would be listening to , that would be Gary Numan with the Shaparis Orchestra , pure brilliance both lyrically and musically . And of course my all time favorite song since I was 15 years old , beautiful sad lyrics with melancholy strains of musical bliss to match, All mixed up by the cars .

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to continue to reach people , make them feel , think and escape their reality while walking though mine . My goal is to find more musicians to collaborate with and create more music .

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Stand Stephen King , close but not quite , Lord Of The Rings

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Falls Website