Felix Timothy's Blog

Helloooo everyone,

Today I promise to be brief. It is with great delight to inform you that Ionshaker Desperate is out and is now available on Amazon for only $0.99. Please download it and tell a friend. Below is the blurb, enjoy:











Trey's wife, his wife's shrink and his attorney are shot dead. His ex-girlfriend narrowly escapes death, gets admitted in ICU in critical condition, but mysteriously disappears from the hospital just a few hours after being admitted. The four of them are connected to Trey. 

Brett (the lead FBI detective) pursues Trey (now the sole murder suspect), finds himself framed for two new other murders, becomes a wanted man and starts running like Trey, after learning that its not Trey but Al Fakir (an Al Qaeda splinter group) that is killing anyone with the knowledge that Al Fakir has stolen Ionshaker (a cutting edge universal nuclear management device). 

Al Fakir's intention with Ionshaker are not very clear but it is obvious that the country that possesses Ionshaker possesses all world nuclear power on its finger tips because the device can control any nuke on earth. It is suspected that either Iran, Germany, China, Russia or Pakistan could be behind Ionshaker's disappearance and in the event that Ionshaker actually leaves American soil, then the U.S automatically loses its dominance, security and stability. Worse still, if Al Fakir's imagination is to detonate American nukes, then their best imagination will be Americas worst nightmare. 

In response, the President sanctions a covert mission led by the only two people that can stop Al Fakir: Trey (an ex CIA) and Brett (now ex FBI) to repossess Ionshaker from Al Fakir before the device leaves the country. Before things get better, they will first get worse as people will die, scandals will be exposed, and America will be desperate. The mission is called Ionshaker Desperate.

Heeelloooo everyone,

I know its been a
while, but I'm back. I've been up and down trying to promote my action-packed
nuclear thriller: Ionshaker
Desperate published on Amazon 24th September 2013 (please tell a friend). But this post isn't about me.
Its a about friend of mine who is on a journey to complete four books. Today she’ll
tell us how it all started, and how she is able to go to work, be a wife, a
mother and last but not least…BE A WRITER!!!!

Please introduce
yourself and say something about your writing.




Hello there! My name is Tara
Ford, author of the women’s fiction/humour book, Calling All Services. This is the first of four novels about the
different lives of one family. The members of the family reign throughout the
series either directly or indirectly and therefore all four books have a common
beginning to their titles – The Calling
All…series. I have just completed the second book, Calling All Dentists, which is currently with my publishers –
awaiting ‘the verdict’! The third, Calling
All Customers, is a work in progress, which I hope to complete late in
2014. My aim is to then write, Calling
All Neighbours, in 2015.

Wow Tara, I should emulate your determination and
focus on your story. Tell us something, do you also write with other pen names?

I don’t use a pen name…yet. I do
however, have a ridiculous idea for a children’s book and may well write down
my idea at some point and see where it takes me. If the idea does evolve in to
anything, then I have made up a pen name already by using my first name and
maiden name and twisting them around a bit. How does Tessie Hara sound?

Tessie Hara sounds great!!! And now that you
mentioned children…tell us about your childhood, what was it like?

Memories of my childhood are
quite sad ones as my parents divorced when I was about 9 years old. I struggled
to come to terms with it and this affected my schooling for some time.

…Oh sorry to hear that…

However, I also had the best of
both worlds as I grew up – everything was doubled! Two lots of Christmas
presents and birthday presents, double the amount of holidays that my friends
had and a beautiful new brother that I may have never had if my parents hadn’t
split up. All in all, my childhood was filled with books, reading, an over
exaggerated imagination and lots of creativity as I made my own little story
books with bits of paper.

Interesting, so does it mean as a child you knew
you’d be a writer?

Umm…I always knew I wanted to
write but I never imagined for one minute that I would actually be classed as a
writer – but I suppose I am now.

Yes you ARE…and how long have you been writing?

Like I said earlier, I used to
make up little story book with lots of pictures, when I was very young but my
first real experience of writing something creative came when I was 15. I wrote
a long story for my English homework – which was subsequently removed from my
English book and deemed as inappropriate material for school and for my age – Oops,
maybe not quite along the lines of Fifty
Shades of Grey though.

After that, I didn't bother
anymore but I always had a deep-set desire to write something – I just didn't know what.

And what are some of the challenges you had to
overcome when writing your first book?

I think the most obvious
challenge is the decision on how to publish. There have so many different
options out there and it can all be quite confusing and over-bearing to a new
writer. I spent almost about 6 months just researching the different options.
The other challenge for me was believing in myself and having the courage to
put my writing out there for all to see.

Aha…and how do you juggle being a mom, work writing?

I really have no idea how I do
it! I have a family, a full-time job and a naughty Husky to look after.
Luckily, I work in a school so the school holidays come in very handy, when it
comes to writing. My four children are grown up now, so I suppose they take
slightly less of my time to rear and nurture – although I don’t think you ever
stop rearing or nurturing them. We still have two children/young people living
at home and I am relieved that they are still there otherwise I think my dear
husband would go stir-crazy when there’s no one left to talk to. I try hard to
incorporate my marketing efforts into watching the TV with the family, in the
living room, whilst my laptop is on my lap.

I hear you on that. Now, tell us about your latest
book in one or two sentences?

Calling
All Services is a peep into the lives of one family, over the
course of one unusually, eventful week. A rollercoaster of emotions could have
you laughing, crying and cringing as the week unfolds to reveal one disaster
after another. The members of the Frey family may never be the same again.

Now that you’re already published, in your opinion
how can indie authors stand a chance in this competitive writing industry?

 I think you must have a strong
desire to succeed and be very determined to put in a lot of hard work. I
remember reading somewhere that writing the book was the easy part and I now
quite agree with that statement. You need to create an internet presence in
order to gain new readers and potential fans.

Very true indeed. How do you spend your free time,
what do you do for fun?

Umm…what’s that? Free time? Fun?
Oh yes, I do remember those times. No, seriously and sadly, the thing that I
like to do for fun (and it’s very sad as far as my family are concerned) is
write! In my free time – I write! I see a clearing in the distant future where
I will have my time for fun and free-time but for now, I love to write. I’ve
got quite a few years of catching up to do, as far as I’m concerned.

You really love writing. Do you have any favorite quote
you’d like to share with us?

‘If life throws you a lemon, make
lemonade’ Joan Collins.

A very positive way of looking at things right? Now I wanna ask you some goofy stuff. Who’s your
favorite actor, actress, book and writer?

My favourite actress would have
been Marilyn Monroe but if you mean one that is still with us, I would choose
Jodie Foster. Favourite actor – Anthony Hopkins.

Favourite book – The Curious
Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time by Mark Haddon (very thought provoking)

Favourite writer – Sophie
Kinsella, Bernadette Strachan and Marian Keyes (sorry I just couldn’t make my
mind up which one to choose)

So I take it you've watched Elysium, (though I liked Matt Demon better than Joddie) Anyways, back to your book. What do you do to promote your books?



Everything I can possibly do! I
like to help to promote other authors and I feel that this, in turn, will help
to promote me. I also love to do interviews like this. I search constantly for
possible book reviews and try to keep my blog up to date and interesting (if
that’s possible). I also use Facebook and Twitter on a daily basis to ensure
that I am networking as much as possible. All in all, it’s very time-consuming
and a lot of hard work but I’m prepared to do it – even if I only gain a couple
(sometimes one – maybe none) of new readers each month.

Okay, lets now shift gears a bit. Have you ever
lived out of U.K?

No, I’ve always lived in the UK but
I did go through a spell where I wanted to move away to somewhere like Spain.
That momentary blip has gone now and I’m quite happy to stay put in the UK for
the rest of my life.

I see. Are there any
New Authors you are interested in for us to watch out for? and Why should we
watch out for them?

I think there are so many good,
new authors out there. It’s hard to say, who to watch out for because I think
it depends on who puts in the most effort to promote themselves.

How about – watch out for me! J

Yes we will
watchout for you. If there is an upcoming write that you’re speaking to, what
would be your advice?

Just keep marketing your product
in any way you can. Design some posters, make some business cards, network on
as many social networking sites as you can handle. Carry a spare copy of your
book around with you – you never know when you might bump in to someone who
might be interested. Get as many reviews as you can.

It has been a pleasure speaking to you Tara, hopefully
we will do this again in the future. Thank you for your time.




Contact details:

Website & Blog:  http://taraford.weebly.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/Tara.Ford.Author

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/rata2e

Goodreads:   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7125535.Tara_Ford

Pinterest:  https://pinterest.com/rata2e2/

Google+:  http://bit.ly/1bg9SdO 

Linkedin:  http://www.linkedin.com/profile/edit?trk=tab_pro

Book Links

Calling All Services UK: http://amzn.to/11zjwVi  16 – 5* Reviews

Calling All Services US: http://amzn.to/196dCAp

Tara Ford lives in Hampshire, UK with her husband,
children and a naughty husky called Meika. In between writing she enjoys taking
care of her numerous Koi fish but occasionally she also has to live with a
frustrated heron that frequents the garden fence and peers longingly into the
well protected pond.

Tara’s writing career began at the tender age of 15
when she wrote a beautiful love story as part of her English literature
homework...

Her writing career came to an abrupt end at the
tender age of 15 when the teacher tore up her story, exclaiming that the
content of the essay was highly unsuitable material for school. Although it had
not been in the realms of 50 Shades of
Grey, Tara’s first attempt at a short story had been shunned.

Over 3 decades of child-rearing, fish-fostering and
dog walking later, Tara has realised her dream of writing. Her first book, Calling All Services, a women's
fiction/humour story, was released in July 2013. She has always wanted to write
in this genre but until a couple of years ago, she could never quite think of a
good storyline. Then a sudden and frightening illness and some time spent in
hospital gave her the beginnings of a novel which would eventually turn out to
be the first book of four in the Calling
All... series.

Tara has completed the second book in the series, Calling All Dentists, which she hopes to
publish, early 2014. Her third novel, Calling
All Customers is currently an early stage, work in progress and her plans
are to release this in 2015. Tara has ideas for a further series, again in the
women’s fiction/humour genre, to be written in the future. Her ultimate dream
would be to write a new book each and every year.




Tara’s debut novel, Calling All Services is a peep into the lives of one family, over the course of one
unusually, eventful week. A rollercoaster of emotions will have you laughing,
crying and cringing as the week unfolds to reveal one disaster after another.
Will the members of the Frey family ever be the same again?




Blurb
– Calling All Services

Alex Frey,
successful businesswoman, wife and mother to a busy and demanding family,
doesn't find it easy to take a break. So when she’s hospitalised with a
mysterious illness, paralysed and afraid of what the future might bring,
frustration meets fear and she can’t wait to escape the hospital, get back in
control of things and return her family to the normality of salmon paste
sandwiches.



At home, her
husband Grant is determined to manage the kids, Alex’s parents, his sister and
anything else life can throw at him while his wife is away recuperating. But
what else can possibly go wrong while Alex is in hospital? The Frey family is
about to find out. . .

Heeeelloh everyone,

Finally IONSHAKER DESPERATE TRAILER is out. It took a little bit long to create it but I can proudly say it was worth the wait! Friends, I just have one request: Please please please like, share and comment on it on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and any other social media that you're on to give it momentum. It will really go a long way in building its momentum. And also talk to me here, on Facebook or twitter. Feedback is always great. Thanks. Remember the release date is September 6th 2013.


                         Ionshaker Desperate Book Trailer

Helloo everyone,

I know I've been quiet for sometime now...but its because I've been working hard behind the scenes. And here's the evidence of that - the IONSHAKER DESPERATE COVER. 





And as you take a look, please read the latest review by Jessica Samuels below:



IONSHAKER DESPERATE REVIEW by JESSICA SAMUELS



Blurb: "It is a well written book that made me want to see what happens next. The chemistry between the characters is unbelievable. There are multiple twists thrown in that I was not expecting, and with car chases, murder, and terrorism it just hit the ground running without stopping."



Review: 5 out of 5





"I enjoyed the book especially since it was a believable thriller that made me want to read more and more to find out what happens next. I loved the fact that it was in multiple viewpoints, and you can see the overall events unfold in the story. There are car chases, and people getting framed left and right all because of a program the FBI invented. 
The many twists thrown in were pretty clever, and the dialogue was realistic and funny between the detective and his partner. I loved the manhunt going on since the guy the detectives were hunting is really smart in evading the FBI. As you get more involved in the world you start to see the bigger picture, and why the characters do the things they do. 
I had fun reading the novel because of the intricate character relationships involved, and it made me want to read thrillers more too since this is the first thriller I have read all the way through. I loved the cliffhanger at the end, and I look forward to seeing more of Felix Timothy’s work. I cannot wait for the next book." -- JESSICA SAMUELS, AUTHOR OF KILLER CONTRACT AGENCY

Finally the edit and the rewrite for Ionshaker is over. Now, I'm seeking BETA readers/reviewers for the fast-paced techno-mystery suspense thriller - IONSHAKER DESPERATE. As a token of my appreciation, I promise to publish the names of all reviewers and links to their (blogs & websites) in the PREFACE of the book. But as a condition, you must write a review first (whether positive or negative) you must write your opinion, for me to officially appreciate and publish your name in my book when it comes out. So anyone interested? Please email me on fel_tim@yahoo.com. Oh, I almost forgot...and please tell a friend.






Praise For Ionshaker

Nuclear-Powered Thriller - “IONSHAKER DESPERATE by Timothy Felix is a tense thriller from the start. I really enjoyed this read and have to say that it's a page turner throughout with characters that effortlessly pull you deeper into the web of IONSHAKER. If you love a fast paced thriller then this is one to buy. Hats of to Timothy Felix! Can't give too much away to potential readers.....it wouldn't be fair.” – Annie Frame, author of IMPRINT

A heart-Stopping, Action-Packed Thrill Ride! – “I felt the author has a great premise for the storyline and one can imagine how the device can be used to gain control over any country if they have it…I feel overall the author did an exceptional job with his novel.” – Kat

A worthwhile thriller – “Brimming with memorable characters, thrilling action shots, theories, titles, murder and more, Ionshaker is a quick-paced, heart thumping rollercoaster. Felix Timothy takes you on a ride from scene to scene, giving the reader glimpses to pull the clues from to determine who is responsible. If you enjoy reading mystery thrillers with a lot of chases, action and good detective work, give Ionshaker Desperate a try.” - Wendy Hines



Ionshaker Desperate Synopsis



Trey's wife, his wife's shrink and his attorney are shot dead as his ex-girlfriend Robin who narrowly escapes death and gets admitted in ICU in critical condition, soon disappears from the hospital. The four of them knew about Ionshaker - a cutting edge interstate Nuclear arming/disarming software.

Brett - the lead FBI detective pursuing Trey (the sole murder suspect) is soon framed for two new murders and becomes a fugitive just like Trey, when he learns about Al Fakir - a suspected Al Qaeda off shoot that has stolen Ionshaker.



No One knows what Al Fakir intends to use Ionshaker for, but every one knows, the country that possesses Ionshaker will control all nuclear warheads worldwide at the click of a button.

It is feared that Ionshaker has already reached Germany, with China, Russia and Pakistan  already bidding for Ionshaker for trillions of dollars. Now, the president needs Trey (an ex CIA) and Brett (an ex FBI) to steal Ionshaker back from Al Fakir before its sold or duplicated.

She is a single mom who started out as a child actress appearing in several TV programs and commercials.  And now she the author of seven Novels. Listen to her talk about herself, her writing and her son. Don't miss this one...ITS A GOOD ONE!

Please tell us your name. 

Chantal Bellehumeur.

 And do you also write with other pen names? 

No

Tell us about your childhood, what was it like?  

I guess I had a pretty normal childhood, although my family moved often when I was really young.  I was born in Mississauga, Ontario.  My parents and I moved to Kitimat British Columbia when I was still a baby and eventually moved to Timmins Ontario. My sister Karyne was born there when I was three-and-and-a-half years old.  My parents gave me a battery operated doll to (take care of), which I named Nathalie.  She cried and moved her arms and legs when you took the pacifier out of her mouth.  Apparently I had an imaginary friend named Snoopy...

Before or after your baby sister was born?

 ...I am not sure if that was before or after my sister came along.  Our family moved to Toronto Ontario right before I was about to start Kindergarten.  Most of my early childhood memories start there.  I went to a French school because my family is French.  I learned how to speak English mostly by playing with my next-door neighbor Alison, who did not speak a word of French. We used to play make-belief all the time, and I once told my mother that I had changed my name to Meagan during a My Little Pony phase.  I would not respond to my own name.  I also used to pretend that I was Rainbow Bright.  I would go to school with a star shaped sticker beside one of my eyes every day.    I took regular swimming lessons, some gymnastics classes and ballet.  We ended up moving to Ottawa a few days before a production of The Nut Cracker so I was not able to be in the show. 

And how did that make you feel?

I remember being really upset about that and deciding not to take ballet again because of it, even if I had passed my class with honors.  Anyways, soon after the move I became friends with my neighbor Sarah and we have been best friends ever since.  We used to do a lot of crafts together and organized a fun club one summer.  Every winter we would build a snow fort in the front yard and try to convince our parents to let us sleep in it.  They never said yes.  But, they did let us build a kind of indoor tent by using a table, some chairs, and a long blanket.  We had sleepovers and slept inside our tent.  We also played Barbies a lot. My sister and I would invent stories before playing and Sarah, among others, thought we were weird.  Karyne and I would name our games for future reference. When I got too old to want to play dolls, my sister would bribe me by letting me chose what game-story I wanted if I played with her.  We had fun recording ourselves reading stories with sound effects and even started writing a script once.  We were pretty creative.     

Wow Chantall, those are profound memories you've got. Now let me ask have you ever lived out of Canada? 

No, but I traveled a lot. My first big trip outside of Canada was to Cuba.  My in laws at the time took us (myself, my son and his father) as a Christmas gift.  I visited my best friend in London, about a year after I became a single parent.  The year after I took my son to Disney in Florida. We have traveled to the Caribbean and several European countries since.   

Okay. Let's turn to writing. Did you always know you’d be a writer? If not when did you know that you had it in you? 



LOL! I am still getting used to people calling me a writer.  I actually used to write a lot as a child and would make books my stapling pieces of paper together.  I tried writing novels when I was a teenager but never finished them.  I never really thought about publishing anything until a friend of mine told me I should.  I continued as a hobby.  I am currently in the process of publishing short stories in The Suburban`s Online Magazine.  

From what you've already told us, you started out as a child actress, what drew you into acting?  

I originally took acting classes to overcome my shyness and ended up loving it so much that I continued performing in amateur productions, joined a Youth Run Theatre company and then moved on to trying camera acting for fun.  I was an extra in a few movies, TV shows and commercials, but realized that I MUCH preferred the stage. 

 And did you encounter any challenges in the acting field?  

It is a hard field to get into in general.    

Does your past experience in acting help you with your writing today?  

Yes because I have to put myself into the shoes of my characters to be able to portray them properly.

So how long have you been writing?  

Since I was a child, but I published my fist novel in 2009.

 How many books have you written so far? 

Seven.

And are you working on something at the moment?  

Yes.  A short story called A Father's Promise, which should be published in the Father's Day issue of The Suburban's Online Magazine.  A Mother's Love will be published in the Mother's Day issue. People can view the stories by going to www.thesuburban.com and clicking on the magazine tab.

Now that you've mentioned it, please tell us about your work for the online magazine? 





The Suburban is actually a community newspaper and they have an online magazine as an addition.  I recently started working for the newspaper as a sales assistant and word got out that I published some novels.  My manager read my Veronica’s Soap Opera Life in one sitting and told me she loved it.  My boss ended up reading Just.Another.Common.Killer and now sees me in a whole new different way.  She found that I was a very good writer and encouraged me to continue.  The Suburban does not usually publish fiction, but she told me they could put my short stories in the magazine.


 Having started out in acting…do you try to market your books to movie producers?  

I looked into it once, but it is complicated.

You mentioned your son several times before.Tell us about your son?  

Aidan is the best thing that had ever happened to me.  He is a great kid who brightens up my days and makes me smile.  He is a well-behaved boy who does well in school and takes care of me the best way he can when I am sick . I was diagnosed with Colitis 31/2 years ago and was hospitalized a couple of times.  He is very artistic like me (and his father).  He actually did the cover for my horror novel Just.Another.Common.Killer, although I won’t let him read the book just yet!



 How do you juggle mommying, work and being a single mom?  

I sometimes wonder that myself.  Lol!

Fair enough. Tell us about your latest book and when it was released? 

I wrote the fantasy novel Sdrawkcab for my son, who was eleven at the time.  We kind of worked on the story together actually.  It started off with me waking up from a weird dream and needing to write it down.  I ended up coming up with a basic outline for a novel.  Every time I would finish writing the draft of a chapter I would read it to my son and he would give me his opinion, from a child’s perspective.  The book was released in 2012.

Son turned critique! You two must really fit well. So do you encourage your son to write?  

Absolutely!

Of course, why was I even asking that! Now, what type of genre do you like and why? 

 I usually like to read horror-mystery-suspense, although I will sometimes pick up a girly book.  I write a bit of everything, but horror is more me.  That is what people who know me well expect me to write.  I am a Halloween freak!

Chantal, do indie authors stand a chance in this competitive writing industry?  

It is very hard because we have to market our books ourselves.  I find that I am spending a lot of time doing promo stuff and marketing even myself as an author more than writing.  But, it is fun and that is why I do it.  I was never in it for the money.

And so when its not Halloween, how do you spend your free time, what do you do for fun?  

Aside from writing, I love watching movies.  I read when I find the time.  I like to go sit on a park bench with a good book when it is nice out, but I often start to daydream.  I enjoy the sun and need to be outside during the summer.  I love walking in the rain, especially during a thunderstorm.  My Octobers are spent morphing my apartment into a haunted home.  During the winter I would love to hibernate.  I like sitting in front of the TV under a warm blanket and drink something hot.  I try to spend as much quality time with my son as I can. We try to do fun activities together. I wish he would play more board games because I like them, but he prefers his video games.  Sometimes I play Wii games with him.  I am not very good at most of his games though.  I like my dance games better.  

Well answered. Whose your favorite actor, actress, book and writer?  

There are so many talented people out there!  My favorite actors are Johnny Depp and Colm Feore.  I know this is not part of your question, but my favorite director is Tim Burton.  As for actresses, it is hard to pick.  The one that comes to mind right away is Helena Bonham Carter.  As for the books - Steven King. 

 Where can people find you and your books online?

For my US Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Chantal-Bellehumeur/e/B008YX5YGK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

For  my Canada Amazon page, where you can also buy my books.http://www.amazon.ca/Books/s?ie=UTF8&field-author=Chantal%20Bellehumeur&page=1&rh=n%3A916520%2Cp_27%3AChantal%20Bellehumeur

For my UK Amazon Author page:.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chantal-Bellehumeur/e/B008YX5YGK

My books are also available at www.rosedogbookstore.com (but are cheaper on Amazon)






What a pleasure it has been hosting you Chantall. We wish you all the best and hope to talk to you again in the future.  

Thank YOU too for hosting me.

What a Tuesday we have today, our guest wanted to be a writer
since when she was seven, she's been an English teacher and now she has
collaborated with 16 other writers to release their first book. Let me not say
me. Here's the interview:

Lets
starts with your name, what is your name?

My name is Sylvia Stein.

Tell us about your
childhood, where were you born, schooled and that kind of stuff.

 I was born and raised in Brownsville Texas.   I
lived with my mother and my grandparents the oldest of five children. I attended Public School then went on to pursue my Bachelor of Arts with a
major in Spanish and a Minor in English. I became a teacher and taught English,
and then I moved to Raleigh North Carolina and got my Teaching License where I taught
Spanish from 2003 until 2008.

And where do you live now?

I live in The city of Raleigh NC, in the town of
Fuquay Varina.

What about your writing, did
you ever know you’d be a writer?

Yes I always wanted to be a
writer since when I was about seven years of age. However, I grew up around
some family that would say that was not a career but a hobby and sadly that
self doubt took over me.  I always created stories in my head as a way to
travel into different places and also play other characters.

 
    So then tell us about: Giant tales: Beyond the Mystic doors.

Giant
Tales: Beyond The Mystic Doors is a book written by sixteen very talented new
writers who share their different three-minute short stories and each story
creates a new adventure and character. 

Okay, that's creative. And who’s
your favorite author.

Well,
that's a hard question because there are many... but if I had to choose one I
would pick Jodi Picoult, because of
the way she writes her books and her unique way of story telling.

Sylvia, how do you define author success?

The
way I define author success is by paving it forward to yourself and others when
you write.  It is important that you write your stories and also give
others a chance to always do so.

And what do you think of author
groups?  

I love them.   I especially love The
World Literary Cafe which was started by Best Selling author Melissa Foster.
She is not only a best selling author but a great mentor for other
authors.  Her along with other authors help in their #ShareThe Love4Authors
and also  Melissa’s Awesome Support Team which helps with tweeting out any
type of promotions you may have going for your books.

I'm totally with
you there...Melissa Foster is great help to indie authors. Talking about
authors...when
did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?

I first considered myself a writer when I met Melissa
Foster  through Facebook and she inspired me to pursue my writing and not
to give up.

So now that you stopped
teaching in 2008 what do you do for work?

Yes I work Customer Service
to pay my bills for now.  However I am also taking online classes through
the Southern New Hampshire University for a Master’s in Creative Writing.

How many books have you
written so far? What is the name of your latest/ upcoming book, and if you had
to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?

I have written many stories.  However the only
book I have so far is my Anthology with my Writer’s Group on linked in which is
the Giant Tales Beyond The Mystic Doors.  However, our second Anthology is
due out in May and I am also working on my first Psychological
Thriller.   If I had to describe my upcoming book in less than 20
words it would be “ Things are not always as they appear to be when a young
woman is on trial for the murder of her husband.”

And who is your publisher? or
do you self publish?

Right now I do not have a
publisher.  I plan to self publish through CreateSpace.

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original
idea to finishing writing it?

For me it has taken about a year to write my upcoming
Thriller.



What genre would you place
your books into?

My books Genre differ... from Fantasy, Mystery,
Spiritual and thrillers and right now I am loving our first Anthology because it carries 4
of my own stories.  I am really proud of all of the stories and I love the
4 of mine that were chosen.

Keep that fire Sylvia, and
now that you've spoken so pationatelly about your books - do you have a
favourite character from your books? and why are they your favourite?

The favorite character of my books will be Sadie which
is from my upcoming Thriller Battered mind.  She is very misunderstood and
she will take us on a very emotional and profound journey which will tell us
more about her.

And as you write these
stories, what inspires you?

I guess I get inspired by my characters... they drive me
into their world and I get carried away by the story they are wanting to tell.

Do you have anybody read your
stories and give you reviews before you officially release them?

Right now I have people in my Writer’s group and
family and friends read my work. However I am trying to also get Beta Readers.

Now this is one of my favourite questions to
authors: How do you market/promote your books?  

I promote the books through Social media also through
my blogs.  I mainly Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn. 

Almost every
writer's dream is for their book to be a bestseller. In your opinion what makes a bestseller
? 

I think what makes a book a
good best seller is when a story is able to capture your attention from
beginning to end and you can feel all that the character is going
through.   

I feel if the story is able
to carry you in with it then its on the right path to being a
bestseller.

Let's personal again: What do
you do to unwind and relax?  

I like to unwind and relax
with my family.  My husband and kids.  I love being with them. 
I also unwind with a good book or when I have time to write for a few hours at
a time. 

And
as we wind up Sylvia,where can readers follow you?

Readers
can follow me:

On
my blog: http://ssteinwriting.wordpress.com

On Facebook page:
 http://www.facebook.com/SylWriter07

On
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6198225-sylvia-stein

Your
Twitter details: @sylvia_stein07

Amazon
: Giant Tales: Beyond The MysticDoors. 

 It has been a pleasure having you here Sylvia, we definatelty wish all the best and hope to talk to you again soon.

He joined the Navy at age 17 he has worked on F18 fighter jets and has been on the flight deck of several
aircraft carriers In his other life, he's also a song writer, a father, a
husband, a Rock fan and now a writer...let me not say more, read for yourself...

Please tell us your name?

Drew Avera.

Pseudonyms?

None. I use my real name
because it isn't that common especially Avera.

You're right, which makes us curious about your childhood. 





Tell us about
your formative years Drew... 

Well, I was born and raised in Mississippi. I moved around a little, in
the process attending several schools. Then I went to high school at West
Lauderdale High so that’s the one I claim, considering they gave me a diploma
when I was done.

Funny! And so where do you live now?

I am in the Navy and live in Virginia.

Now this is getting exciting! Tell us
about the Navy, when did you enlist, where have you served...you know the juicy
stuff...

Okay, I joined the Navy when I was 17 years old. My rating (job) is Aviation
Electrician Mate. I’ve spent my entire career stationed at NAS Oceana since
2001. I have worked on F18’s and now I teach other sailors how to maintain
aircrafts as a Navy Instructor for the Super Hornet. I’ve been on three combat 
deployments in the past 12 years and I've seen the flight deck of
several aircraft carriers.

Man! That's an impressive resume you've got. And is there something phenomenal you've experienced as a
Navy?

I’ve seen and heard a lot of things, I don’t know about phenomenal, I will
say that seeing other countries will open your eyes to the world. In America
there is a stigma regarding Middle Eastern countries, but my time spent in the
Middle East has been very pleasant. Also, if you look up at the night sky when
you’re in the middle of the ocean you see stars that you never knew existed,
it’s very beautiful. I once stood around and watched some balls of light flying
around in the sky with a group of friends, none of us knew what they were so we
called them UFO’s (I don’t have an opinion about the existence of aliens
though).

Ha ha ha you were very quick to clarify that Drew...but I bet it could be
a good story line for a novel right? How about family?
I'm married, actually I've been married for ten years. And my wife and I have two daughters. 
Lovely. Okay back to book
stuff, did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you wanna be?

A rock star!

No kidding!

True, I wanted to be a rock star, then I wanted to be a comic book artist,
then I just wanted to be rich. I’ve considered writing since I was a teenager,
but I was 30 before I legitimately took a step in that direction. Now it’s a
part of me that I want to pursue.

And when did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?

When I finished the first draft of Dead Planet: Exodus.

Your novel Dead Planet: Exodus tell us what is it about and what
inspired you to write it? I hope its not the UFO's you mentioned earlier!!!!

It’s about a future where the elite have populated Mars. There is no god,
government, religion or anything that ties humanity to anything. The Syndicate
controls  every facet of life, they control the population, education, and
the economy. If god existed then it would be in the form of the Syndicate
according to their rule. They control the Agency which is a police force, they
are essentially political assassins who kill on demand. The story follows a man
named Serus who is a policeman who discovers that his sister is on the hit
list. The book follows his attempt to keep her alive as the world is crashing
down around him. And NO - It's not because of the UFO's. I wrote the story
because I needed to come up with a plot for NaNoWriMo 2012. I wrote the first
draft in twenty days on my I-Phone.

Everyone did you hear that. He wrote his first draft on his I-Phone...and
hey I'm not telling you which phone to buy but its something to think about
right? Anyways I'm just messing with you people. Back to you Drew,did it take a long time to get it published?

 From starting the plot to hitting the “publish” button was around
five months.




And who is your publisher? or do you self publish? 

I am self published using the Kindle Direct Publishing.

 Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

Yes, I am working on book two in the Dead Planet series. There will be a
main trilogy and a few novellas in the series.

 Which means you believe in your first book, right? So what genre would you
place your books into? 


Primarily it is science fiction, but there are so many themes that finding
a specific genre is difficult to nail down.

In your own personal experience how is it for a new writer?

It is confusing. I didn't know anything about formatting or promotion or
networking at all. I’m learning along the way though.

When writing Dead Planet: Exodus, did you ever suffered from a "writer's block"? What did you do to get
past the "block"?

To be honest I don’t suffer from writer’s block, but I have written myself
into a corner and had trouble getting out of it. I have an overly active
imagination so that helps a lot.

What do you do to unwind and relax?

I play guitar and write music. I also like to read and watch science
fiction stuff.

Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on
things that have happened to you?

Yes and no. I take traits from people but I don’t base a character on
anyone. I will say that there is a part of me in each character that I write
though.

Is there a certain Author that influenced you in writing?

I have been on a huge indie author kick lately. I feel like I’ve walked
into the front door of one of the coolest club houses I’ve ever seen. I would
say that the advice I receive from these other authors has done more to inspire
me as a person than it has my writing. Authors like Hugh Howey, Richard
Stephenson, and Tony Ruggiero have helped me a lot with advice.

What is your favorite book and Why?  

I really don’t. I tend to have a hard time finding a favorite, but
Batman is my favorite super hero if that helps…

Sure, you said you love comics so it makes sense. Are there
any New Authors you are interested in for us to watch out for? and Why should
we watch out for them?

Absolutely, you should check out Richard Stephenson and Tony
Ruggiero. I've read some of their stuff and it’s good stories
supported by a great plot.

 What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?

If you want to write then you will make the time to write,
the excuses are not acceptable if you expect to achieve anything. That goes for
life too.

If your book would be made into a movie what type of movie...it would be
like which movie?

A friend of mine said my book reminded him of Total Recall, I don’t get
where he drew that conclusion from. I would think my story more closely
resembles the Hunger Games meets the Matrix. I honestly can’t say that I have a
clue about classifying it though.

Personally I loved Total recall and the first two Matrix movies...I found
the third a bit flat...So as we wind up where can readers find you and your
book?

 My Facebook
page: www.facebook.com/authordrewavera

My Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7021546.Drew_Avera

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DrewAveraGet my book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C1KP6SS

Drew, it has been a pleasure talking to you. We wish you all the best with your new book and hopefully you'll come back again to talk to us about your success!

From a little known African village in Ghana, he pursued his dreams despite all odds and now apart from working a dental Surgeon In the U.K he's also an author of not one but two books. 


Let's start with your name, what is your name?

James Amoateng.

 ...and do you use any pseudonyms?

 No, no pseudonyms.

  Okay, anything you can
tell us about your childhood, place of birth, your schooling etcetera. 

Oh that! Well I was born in a mountainous town of Agogo, in Ghana in 1957, 8th of May to be exact. As regards my schooling, I
attended a local Presbyterian primary school, then proceeded on to join Achimota High School in
Accra, the capital of Ghana. 

I bet it was pretty exciting to move to the city right?

Very true.

Ah huh, go on...

After my high school education I joined The Ghana Medical School in Accra and afterwards furthered my education at the Turner Dental School in Manchester U.K.

And what did you major in? 

Dental surgery.



Now, back to writing, when did you first
consider yourself as a "writer"? 

Well, my writing started at an early age
of about 12. Not much really, I was just trying to compose rhymes, writing articles and essays.

And when you decided to be serious about writing, how long
did it take to get your first book published?

A long time I guess, I only published in 2012.

And who is your
publisher? 

 Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency, located in Houston, Texas.



So James, what genre would you
place your books into? 

The first Poetry, the second, Adventure/Thriller.

 And how
do you market or promote your books? 

I do that mainly through Social media and Book signings.

What do you think
makes a book a really good/bestseller?

 I guess the style it is written in and
the book cover.

  I see. How do you use your 'me-time'? 

I use my fun time reading, writing, playing soccer at weekends and having a beer at the end of a
hard working day.

Any particular team you follow?

Tottenham Hotspurs since 1981.

1981? Interesting...I see you've lots of fun-stuff goin' on. Myself I'm but I don't want to talk about Arsene Wenger right now. Now book to your books, the characters in your books are they based events on things that have happened to
you? 



Yes some of my poems are based on personal experiences and those of acquaintances.

You mentioned that one of your hobbies is reading, is there a certain
Author that influenced you in writing?

Charles Dickens. I love his book Tale of two cities, Charles Dickens. 

And what did you love about Tale of two cities?

Just the historical facts about the French Revolution.

As writer there a particular format of books do you prefer?

 All - eBook,hardback, or paperback.

 What piece of advice
would you give to a new writer?

 If you want to write just write and don’t
procrastinate. Get yourself a small note pad and make notes of things happening
around you.

Lastly as we finish up, where can your fans get you and your books?

Website http://sbpra.com/jamesamoateng/
 Facebook page?http://t.co/iFRMjGY7
 Goodreads author page?
www.goodreads.com/18322706-james-amoateng




It has been a pleasure talking to you James and we wish you the best!