Margaret A. Daly - An Author Interview at the HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Author Margaret A. Daly. She writes Romance and Suspense novels. Margaret is the author of The Awakening Series.

Author: Margaret A. Daly

Author Genre: Romance, Suspense, Fiction

Website: Margaret A. Daly
FACEBOOK: Margaret Daly Designs
Twitter: @mdaly_margaret
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Amazon Author Profile



Author Description:
Having written her first paranormal fantasy book at the age of forty-three, Margaret Daly has started a wonderful trilogy. Margaret took her life's encounters and crossed a bridge to a different world with them, a world filled with untamed power and endless possibilities. Being raised in the hills of West Sparta, New York, Margaret lost her home and everything in it to fire at a young age. She dove into the dark world as a teenager and from there on spent most of her life wrapped up in unfortunate situations from bad choices. Margaret learned some things aren't what you expect; some things end up being more.

Now, with her loving husband and four children, a family full of support and love, she has managed to overcome all the oddities thrown at her. Becoming the published author she once dreamed of being as a child but lost track of during this journey we call life.


SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

Congratulations on your book: Dusgadh: Essence of Life coming in October, 2018. What do you have on the drawing board next? Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

Up next is my story that will be featured in another boxed set releasing in 2019. I'm not sure how much I can divulge, but I can say it has something to do with the Zodiac signs.

You have a great following on twitter. How important have your social media relationships been? How did you build your following in your niche? Do you see a carry over to your writing success?

I love social media! I've met some terrific people online over the last few years and they have all helped me in one way or another. Whether it be through writing or through my marketing or web building, I've gained almost all my followers organically. I've used some giveaways for followers but the majority are "free followers".

Selling on social media can be tough. Especially if you aren't vigilant about it. When I say vigilant, I mean every single day to multiple platforms. Facebook sells the most for me, with Linkedin and Pinterest coming in second in a tie. Twitter, not so much in sales but it is great exposure for free stuff and giveaways!

Do you do any book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

I am not one you will find at book signings. My plate is full with what I do already. I am sure I could sell more books if I put myself out there in the public eye more, but really, I prefer what I do behind the scenes. The best place to find me is on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMargaretADaly/
https://www.facebook.com/MargaretDalyDesigns/


How does your book cover creation process work? Do you have hands-on approach and create them yourself? Do you get your readers involved in its development?

I do all of my book covers. That is part of my lively hood, both representing my books as well as my clients. Anytime I make a cover for a client, I have them propose it to their fans. Then we work through what we like and or don't like. Honestly, most times I try to get to know what the book is about and develop the cover as I see it. The cover has to tell a story too.

You have written a short story called Sapphire & Me with your daughter. What a great experience for both of you. Are shorty’s going to be one of your styles of writing? Will you continue to write in the children’s genre?

This project was a lot of fun. I involved all the kiddos as well as their cousins. I had them do the art work for it. My daughter Alex is Ten years old now, and she has already written 5 more books. They are all in the rough draft stage but we will get them edited and out to the public as soon as we can.

I also write clean romance novellas under a pen name, Sybil Shae. I have the third book in the series of Whisper Bay almost completed. It is a great series!

Can you supply us a book blurb for Monsters in my Closet? Most authors require a large time commitment just in writing and editing a new book. Was this your first book set a new book was required with a deadline? When will you publish Monsters in my Closet outside the Love Under Fire book set?

I have actually been in another book set so no, this isn't my first deadline new story. I still haven't published the story from that set yet.

The Love Under Fire Story will go up as soon as it is out of the set. It's a great story! Not that the other story form the other set(how vague can I be?) isn't a great story, but it was written under my Pen name and right now I am concentrating on writing under my real name.

Blurb:
A new place, a new start on a life, that’s all Becky wants. A place she can feel safe and free herself from her past. No one knows her secrets, not even her best friend.

She wasn’t ready for love, not just yet. At least that’s what she kept telling herself. Deep down she yearned for it, even burned for it. But every time she lets herself fall, it fails miserably. She isn’t going to let that happen, not this time. She will find herself first.

All of her plans are thrown out the window the day she runs into Stephen. His smile captures her and no matter how much she fights it, she can’t deny the pull in her heart. Can Stephen help her chase away the past? Can she keep her secrets and her monsters at bay long enough to give love a chance again?

What is your primary genre? What has been your best marketing approach to this group?

My primary genre is horror, fantasy, romance.??? I write a little bit of everything into my stories.

Marketing is crazy! I cannot pick just one approach. You have to keep changing it up. What works one day, might not work the next.

With your busy schedule, how do you have time to keep up with your followers? Between your book writing, social media activity, work, family and all the other things that can get in your way, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set schedule or do you sort of play it by ear?

I have a schedule, but honestly most days it gets thrown to the wind. I get one thing checked off my list and two more get added on. All I can do is my best.

I like the idea of Author bundles. You are a part of a novel collection called Love Under Fire with twenty other authors. What a great group of outstanding people. (Many have been interviewed on this blog). What was your main objective in bundling your works with other authors? What blogging, newsletter and social media promotions have you done to promote LUF?



Working with the Love Under Fire authors has been a wonderful experience. I first joined up just for that, experience. But now that I have a taste for the "letters", I'll have more of them please. Every day, I get up and once my kiddos are off to school I am off to work. The first thing I do is check the rankings on the set. Then I get to work pushing it! Either by posting, tweeting(not so much twitter these days), swapping newsletters, blogging or simply engaging with readers. Now we even have a sampler book for the stories contained in Love Under Fire. It is free to download! Here is the link to get a copy of it!



Author's Book List
Dusgadh: Essence of Life - The Awakening Series Book One
COMING IN OCTOBER

Ember Malloch has always felt like the odd one in the bunch, but there's a reason for that. You see, she can see the dead.

She's tried to live an ordinary life, to just be a teenager and have fun like every one else. But that's not in the cards for her.

Rather quickly Ember learns that her life is not what she thought it was, nor are the people in her life.

Follow Ember as she recalls who she is. Fight along side her as she battles for her life and the lives of those she loves. Experience her life first hand as she does-- learning that what she sees is her past, her present and her future.


Book Trailer: Dusgadh: Essence of Life

Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble


Sapphire & Me - A Beautiful Friendship
A fun story for children. A little girl meets her new best friend, Sapphire the snake. They spend the day together, learning about each other and planning a grand adventure.


Order the Book From:
Amazon


Monsters in my Closet
Can Becky keep her secrets?

MARGARET A. DALY Excerpt for Monsters in my Closet

CHAPTER ONE

I pushed the door open with my foot and walked into the apartment, the smell of bleach still heavy in the air. The box in my arms obstructed my view so I attempted to remember the layout of the place, stumbling against the counter a moment later. My arms sighed in relief as I set the box on the counter and leaned back, stretching my back.

No doubt I would feel this tomorrow.

“Good God Becky. I believe these boxes get heavier and heavier each time.”

I smirked as I turned to see my best friend, Lilah walking through the door, balancing two boxes in her arms. “It’s because you know the faster you can get them up here, the faster you can go.”

Lilah set the boxes on the floor, brushing her hair off her forehead. “Now Becky, I love helping you move.”

I laughed. “No, you don’t.”

“You’re right,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “I don’t. I’m logging all these moves you know, for the time that I start moving all over the place. Do you think this will be it?”

I shrugged, opening the box marked kitchen supplies. Truthfully, I had moved, a lot, over the last two years, but I kind of hoped this was my last move well. I felt like all I did was live out of a box. “Maybe I should buy a sailboat and sail around the world.”

Lilah laughed as she flopped into the chair that the movers had brought up earlier. “Yeah right. Then you would miss me, and I can’t live on a boat. I get sea sick.”

I chuckled. Lilah did get violently sea sick even on the smallest bodies of water. That and I would miss her. Lilah had been my best friend for five years, having met while I was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas. We were both involved in a running group off base. Even though she wasn’t in the army like me, we clicked instantly and from there she had been my rock, the person by my side when I needed her the most.

I couldn’t imagine not having her around. “Alright, I guess I will stay on dry land then.”

“Good,” Lilah said, crossing her long legs. “Because you wouldn’t know what to do without me.”

I threw a kitchen towel at her and turned back to my box, a smile on my face. I was really excited about this apartment. The realtor had called it cozy and full of natural light, which in turn meant tiny and lots of windows. All of which were true.

But I didn’t care. With it just being me, one bedroom was fine and as long as I had a place to write, it was going to be just fine. Plus, it was near a park, where I could do my daily runs.

A new start. That’s what I needed.

“I will move you all day long if it means that you won’t ever go back to Jack. I have never been so happy in my life the day you told me you were through with him.”

Turning back to Lilah, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ears, my chest seizing as I thought about my ex, or more like my most recent ex. It seemed that my luck with guys was non-existent and I was really, really good at picking out losers. Jack in that line of losers unfortunately and while I thought he was going to turn my luck around, he hadn’t.

In fact, I had spent more time babysitting him and his friends than I had attempting to build a relationship with him. Jack had enjoyed playing video games and had been pretty upfront with me on our first date. I had just thought it was a hobby.



Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
Indie Author’s Corner and
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Matthew Peters - An Author Interview at the HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Author Matthew Peters. He is the author of the Nicholas Branson series. He was given the 5-star seal of approval by Reader's Favorites for The Brothers' Keepers.

Author: Matthew Peters

Author Genre: Classics, Contemporary, Thriller

Website: Matthew Peters
Author's Blog: Matthew Peters
Twitter: @MatthewPeters65
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest

Amazon Author Profile



Author Description:
Matthew Peters is a writer living in North Carolina. He is the author of CONVERSATIONS AMONG RUINS, the award-winning thriller THE BROTHERS' KEEPERS: A NICHOLAS BRANSON NOVEL--BOOK 1, and the newly released KILLING JOHN THE BAPTIST: A NICHOLAS BRANSON NOVEL--BOOK 2. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers. You can learn more about Matthew and his books by visiting his website(see contact information).


SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

Congratulations on your book: Killing John the Baptist. Rumor has it that you have another Nicholas Branson novel on the horizon. Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

Thank you so much for the warm welcome and for taking the time to interview me. Word travels fast through the grapevine! Yes, the third Nicholas Branson novel is in the works and should be released in the Fall of 2018 by Melange Books. Of course if I tell you too much about the next book, I’ll have to kill you ? So, let’s just say that the mysterious and ancient land of Egypt and its peoples will play a large role in the third book. And I should add that it promises to be just as controversial as the first two books in the series…and possibly even more so.

Do you do any book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

I haven’t been doing too many signings recently, mostly because I’ve been heavily engaged in researching and writing the next novel, but I hope to do some more this coming year. I invite readers to subscribe to my newsletter by going to my website at www.matthewpetersbooks.com.
That’s the best way to keep abreast of all the current news. Also, I’m on Facebook quite a bit (probably more than I should be), and I enjoy connecting with people there.

Besides the International Thriller Writers and #ASMSG, what other writer support groups do you belong to? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?

Currently I don’t belong to any writing support groups, though I have in the past. My girlfriend is a huge support in the writing and publishing process. She helps shape ideas and patiently reads through and edits early drafts of the novels. My publisher, Melange Books, has been a tremendous help in the publishing process.

Between your book writing, blogging, marketing, family and all the other things that can get in your way, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set schedule or do you sort of play it by ear?

Time management is crucial when it comes to meeting my professional obligations. I spend several months researching a novel and then several more months writing it. I write in the early mornings and research in the afternoons. When it comes to my loved ones, I try to treat writing like any other job, and not do it on weekends if I can help it, though of course there are exceptions. I want to blog more, and keep in touch with my readers through my newsletter. When it comes to marketing, I’ve really come to place heavy emphasis on promotional services such as Bookbub and others like it.

What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?

I have done giveaways on Goodreads, Amazon, and my Facebook page in the past. I have yet to give away copies of my novels through one of the promotional services I use, but that’s not to say I won’t in the future. The purpose is to gain new readers.

What is your primary genre? What has been your best marketing approach to this group?

My primary genre is Thriller. My best marketing approach to this group has been through Bookbub. I had a very successful campaign in October for the first book in the series, THE BROTHERS’ KEEPERS. In the near future I will be using BookSends and Book Gorilla as well.

How do you manage your plots, characters and timelines to keep your stories going? Do you use any software to keep track of your books?

I manage my plots, characters, and timelines the old fashioned way: I map out the plot on a boatload of index cards and a huge piece of butcher’s paper and/or a dry erase board. An enormous amount of research goes into each book. I read somewhere that Ken Follett reads about fifty books for research purposes before he writes a novel and that’s about what I find myself doing. Too many books these days are just slapped together. I want my readers to experience the most realistic fiction they can and that means a great deal of research. Other than Word, the only software I use is an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my characters.

Do you maintain a reader list? What are the methods you use to find your readers and create the list and the relationship? Do you use social media, forums, newsletters and/or support groups to build your list?

I have a newsletter, which will go out soon in the New Year, and I’m active on Facebook and Twitter. I love hearing from my readers, be it through book reviews or personal correspondence. I make it a point to respond to each inquiry, because I firmly believe that it’s all about the readers.

After all, it is they who are kind enough to put forth their hard earned dollars for my books. That’s a sacred trust to me, and not one I take lightly.

You have a great blog. You do a great job keeping readers informed, marketing your books and providing useful information to other writers. What is your primary goal? And where in the world do you find the time to create great novels, take care of the social media and maintain your blog?

Thank you! The primary goal of my blog is to provide readers with interesting and useful content, be they writers or not. I’m also very interested in increasing awareness of dual diagnosis—individuals who are diagnosed with a mood disorder (e.g., depression) and chemical dependency (e.g., alcohol reliance).

What is your method of getting reviews for your novels? Do you seek professional reviews, use social media or do you rely on your reading audience to supply them?

That’s a great question. You know, when I first started out, it was really hard to get anyone to read/review my books. As a writer friend of mine is fond of saying, it’s a little like trying to hand someone a snake. I think as you go along, though, you make friends who are writers and readers and you slowly grow an audience. It takes time, but anything worthwhile does. I can certainly say it’s worth it.



Author's Book List
Killing John the Baptist - A Nicholas Branson Novel
The gruesome murder of a U.S. presidential aide.

A secret so terrible it will change the world.

Can ex-Jesuit Nicholas Branson and modern-day Cathar Jessica Jones discover the awful truth in time to save a persecuted religious group from extinction? Or will they be thwarted by a megalomaniacal pope and an ultra-secretive U.S. governmental force?


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO Store


The Brothers' Keepers - A Nicholas Branson Novel
Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, and Jesus’ purported spouse, Mary Magdalene. But what about Jesus’ siblings? What role did they play in early Christianity?

Contemporary Jesuit and renowned religious historian Nicholas Branson is about to find out...and the answer will shake the foundations of the Judeo-Christian world.

It all starts with the murder of a United States Senator in a confessional, and the discovery of a strange religious document among his possessions. At the urging of his FBI friend, Branson joins the investigation. His effort to uncover the truth behind the murder draws him into the search for an eight-hundred-year-old treasure and into a web of ecclesiastical and political intrigue.

Accompanied by a beautiful, sharp-tongued research librarian, Jessica Jones, Branson follows a trail of clues, from the peaks of the awe inspiring French Pyrenees to the caves of war-torn Afghanistan. Along the way, shadowy powerful forces trail the pair, determined to keep safe a secret buried for centuries.


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO Store


Conversations Among Ruins
Conversations Among Ruins is a portrait of a descent into madness, and the potential of finding salvation there.

While in detox, Daniel Stavros, a young professor, meets and falls in love with the cryptic Mimi Dexter. But Mimi has secrets ... and, strangely, a tattoo identical to the pendant Daniel's mother gave him right before she died.

Drawn together by broken pasts, they pursue a twisted, tempestuous romance. When it ends, a deteriorating Stavros seeks refuge at a mountain cabin where a series of surreal experiences bring him face to face with something he's avoided all his life: himself.

Miles away, Mimi's actions run oddly parallel to Daniel's.

Will either be redeemed, or will both careen toward self-destruction?


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Audible


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Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
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Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.

Inge-Lise Goss - An Author Interview at the HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Author Inge-Lise Goss. She writes Paranormal, Romance and Mystery novels.

Author Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Mystery

Website: Inge-Lise Goss, Author
Twitter: @IngeGoss
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Amazon Author Profile



Author Description:
Inge-Lise Goss was born in Denmark, raised in Utah and graduated from the University of Utah, magna cum laude. She is a certified public accountant and worked in that field for over twenty years. Goss lives in the foothills of Red Rock Canyon with her husband and their dog, Bran. She spends most of her time in her den writing stories. There, with her muse by her side, her imagination has no boundaries, and her dreams come alive. When she's not pounding away on the keyboard, she can be found reading, rowing, or trying to perfect her golf game, which she fears is a lost cause.


SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

Congratulations on your book: Tegen Justice. What do you have on the drawing board next? Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

Right now I’m working with an editor and putting some final touches on Compelled. That novel will be released sometime this summer. It’s about a hard-wired, no-nonsense New York police detective being forced by a dead woman’s spirit to find evidence that will free her wrongfully imprisoned husband for her murder in San Diego.

Excerpt:

A door opened behind the transparent panel. An officer escorted a tall man with jet-black hair through the doorway. He wore an orange jumpsuit, and his head was bent down as if he were watching his feet shuffling across the linoleum. As the man came closer to the partition, he raised his chin, and then his eyes locked on Sidney. With a sad, droopy face, he sank down in the chair facing her and continued staring.

Sidney’s lips slightly parted, her breathing became uneven, and her pulse quickened. A tingling sensation swam through her body. The panel between them was the only thing that prevented her from leaping out of her seat and running into his arms. Why do I have this yearning for this stranger? I love Chas. Yet there was something so familiar about this man. She knew his touch. The way he felt when he made love. His smell, his walk, and the size of clothing he wore—everything about him flashed into her mind. Even the birthmark on his upper thigh wasn’t hidden from her. Beyond any doubt, she knew Aden hadn’t killed Mara, the woman he loved. How is it possible that I know intimate details about him? What’s wrong with me?

Neither one of them spoke while they studied each other’s features. Finally, Aden broke the silence. “Have we ever met?”

Sidney cleared her throat and tried to shake the desire running through her body for the stranger sitting on the other side of the partition. “No.”

“You remind me of my wife. You have her same hazel eyes, her lips. I know all her relatives, and you look more like her than any of them. Who are you?”

Sidney adjusted herself in her seat and held her hands firmly in her lap as she forced herself to maintain a professional demeanor in front of this man whom she knew intimately, though they had never touched. “Sidney Langston. I’m a detective with the Nassau County Police Department.”

Aden squinted, lightly shook his head, and sighed. “Don’t tell me someone thinks I’m guilty of something there, too?”

She gave him a warm smile as the urge to comfort him darted through her mind. “No. I’m not here in an official capacity. I’m here to help you.”

Aden arched an eyebrow. “Who sent you?”

“Someone close to you. That’s all I can tell you,” Sidney said, fearing if she told the truth he might think she was a nut case.

His dark eyes focused on her face. “Ms. Langston, I certainly could use your help. If you’ve read about my case, you know things do not look good for me, but I’m afraid I can’t accept your assistance if I don’t know who has employed you.”

“No one has employed me.”

Aden furrowed his brow, and his jaw became rigid while he continued staring at Sidney. “Let me make sure I have this straight.” He rubbed his chin with his knuckles. “Because someone asked you to help me, you traveled here from New York on your own time without anticipating any form of compensation. Have I got that right?”

Sidney nodded.

He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Don’t tell me…you’re a friend of Kate. One night—that was it. Tell her I don’t want her help.”

While Sidney continued hiding the feelings that were churning inside her, she swallowed hard and said, “Aden. Is it okay if I call you Aden?”

He nodded.

“I don’t know Kate.” Sidney frowned and pushed her hair behind her ears, realizing she’d have to tell him the truth if she expected any cooperation from him. And without that, she was dead in the water. “Okay, I’ll tell you who sent me, but I doubt you’ll believe it.”

“Try me.”

“Mara.”

“Mara?” He rolled his eyes, tented his hands, and tapped his fingertips together. “How is that possible?”

You have a good following on twitter. How important have your social media relationships been? How did you build your following in your niche? Do you see a carry over to your writing success?

I’ve found social media is a valuable tool for promoting my books and obtaining new readers. Readers send me private messages through both Twitter and Facebook, which I’m always happy to receive. Without social media and my website, I wouldn’t be able to get the word out about my books.

Do you do any book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

When my first book, The Tegen Cave, was published, I had a launch party in both Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. The parties were a lot of fun, and I sold quite a few autographed books. Since I wanted to expand the number of people who could attend, my subsequent book launches have been scheduled through online promoters. The parties have been events on Facebook. Currently, I don’t have any book signings, personal appearances, or online parties scheduled. When I do, I’ll put the information on my website and my author’s Facebook page. I’ll also tweet about it.

You have great covers. They carry a theme and your brand with them. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?

With the exception of The Cost of Crude book cover, my book covers have been designed by eBookLaunch.com. After I give them a basic theme, they designed it and send me drafts until I’m satisfied. EBookLaunch.com does a great, professional job, and I plan on continuing to use their book cover design service for future books.

I like the idea of Author bundles. You are a part of a short story collection (PLANTED SEED ) called Undiscovered Gems, An Anthology of Fiction Talent by Mithra Publishing. What was the impact on your other sales? What was the main objective of bundling your works with other romance authors? How did you put something like that together?

The publisher of Undiscovered Gems, An Anthology of Fiction Talent, sent out a request for submission. Since I was anxious to have a publication under my belt, I submitted a short story, “Planted Seed”—a dark tale. I was ecstatic when they selected it to be part of the anthology. Having a short story published helped spruce up my query letter. Shortly thereafter, my manuscript, The Tegen Cave, was picked up by a small publisher.

Besides The Las Vegas Writers, what other writer support groups do you belong too? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?

The Las Vegas Writers group has a speaker each month, and I gain some valuable information from those presentations. I’m also a member of The Rainbow Critique Group. I am grateful to the members of that group for all of the knowledge I have gained through their critiques

Between your book writing, marketing, your dog Bran, family and all the other things that can get in your way, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set schedule or do you sort of play it by ear?

I haven’t been able to conquer the time management problem yet. I don’t multi-task well. So I’ve found I’m more productive when I have a set schedule. When I’m in the editing phase on a project, I can juggle between social media, my family, and the editing process. But if I’m working on a new project it’s tough to break away from it.

When I’m not working on a new project, my normal day consists of spending around three hours on email and social media sites. After that I work on improving and editing a manuscript. Right now, I have two that need a lot of work. My muse is driving me crazy and wants me to get busy writing Tegen Punishment, book three in the Tegen series.

If I’m going to start a new project, I begin my day by drinking coffee in my office while I wait for my muse to show up. Her name is Annabelle, and she pouts if I haven’t written anything for a while. When that happens, she shows up in such a grouchy mood that she has to go outside to smoke a cigar before she’s ready to get to work. If I’ve neglected her for several months, she might pout around for a day or so. But once she gets going, I have a hard time keeping up with her on the keyboard, and I have a hard time quitting for the day.

What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?

Within a few months of a new release, I provide five books for a Goodreads Giveaway. I have found that to be a very helpful way in getting the word out about my novels. Also, it generates more reviews on Goodreads, which drives more sales. During Facebook events, I have sometimes given books away as prizes. Some of the recipients write a review when they finish reading it. I love getting more reviews! So, giving away books through those events has been well worth the cost.

Do you maintain a reader list? What are the methods you use to find your readers and create the list and the relationship? Do you use social media, forums, newsletters and/or support groups to build your list?

I do not have a reader list, but now that you bring it up, having a list would be a good idea. Now I’m using social media, paid promotions, and acquaintances to help me find new readers. It would be wonderful if I could acquire more through word-of-mouth.

What is your method of getting reviews for your novels? Do you seek professional reviews, use social media or do you rely on your reading audience to supply them?

I do seek professional reviews since they are highly regarded in the publishing industry, and some promotion sites won’t accept your book without a professional review. In addition to those reviews and the two methods I mentioned in #8 above, I rely on my readers for reviews. The more opportunities I have to spread the word about my books, like through this blog, more sales might be generated, which might garner more reviews…and more reviews lead to more sales!



Author's Book List
Tegen Justice - Tegens Book 2
After embracing her new Tegen existence, Sara Jones is determined to destroy her ex-lover’s organized crime empire, one link at a time. Along with her newly acquired skills of spider-climbing agility, self-healing powers, and the ability to eject poisonous needles came the haunting need to consume blood and flesh tainted by Tegen deadly spiders.

Armed with her skills and using the alias Sally Jablon, Sara has tracked some nefarious associates of her ex-lover to Baton Rouge. But before she can fully execute her plan to wipe out that criminal element, she is faced with her former lover, an out of control Tegen, and the repercussions of disobeying Tegen rules. Death and mayhem ensue as Sara tries to outrun and outsmart an enemy she knows all too well.


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Cisco Bandits - A Gwynn Reznick Novel
Newly trained and ready to rock her first assignment, Gwynn Reznick is about to go undercover for the first time. She will investigate one of the highly private companies who call on Ruben Dordi’s Investigation Group. Ruben is the boss—and he also happens to be Gwynn’s boyfriend.

When Ruben gives Gwynn her assignment—to pose as an accountant for the Prudell Energy Company—Gwynn resists asking exactly what she’s supposed to be investigating. She knows Ruben has his reasons—she’s just not sure why they require her to go two months without even a hint as to why she’s there.

But things change quickly when Gwynn witnesses the death of a Prudell employee. It’s made to look like an accident, but when Gwynn learns that another employee died just before she arrived, it seems like a little too much of a coincidence.

When the CFO tells Gwynn about missing project files and data that just doesn’t add up, Gwynn finds herself suddenly in over her head. Will she be able to maintain her cover, follow Ruben’s orders, and get to the bottom of the mystery? Or will the killers get to Gwynn before she cracks the case?


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The Cost of Crude
Gwynn Reznick's life is shattered when her best friend and co-worker at Wilton Oil & Gas Company dies in a car crash. She doubts it was an accident. Her suspicion is confirmed when a private investigator, Ruben Dordi, shows up at her door. His team has discovered a trail of unusual deaths and disappearances among Wilton employees. To make matters worse, Gwynn is under constant surveillance by those responsible for her friend's death. But that doesn't deter her from getting involved in the investigation. Danger lurks in every corner of the Wilton Tower. One false move could turn a risky situation into a death trap. As the investigation team digs deeper, they begin to unravel a sinister plot that threatens a catastrophic pipeline disaster. Will they solve the crime before it is too late?


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The Tegen Cave
After running from her boyfriend's powerful organized crime family, Sara Jones starts a new life in a new town. But when people around her start dying from poisonous spider bites after she receives a mysterious package with a spider concealed inside, she worries that the family has found her. Life takes an even more bizarre turn when she seems to be not only immune to the spider venom, but also surrounded by a sinister group of people using spiders to incapacitate their prey. Even her new boyfriend starts acting suspiciously. Just who can she trust?

Then to make matters worse Sara's twenty-fifth birthday approaches, and her dark heritage begins to emerge. She is forced to make a life-or-death decision. And somehow, she must find a way to deal with the crime family.


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