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Monsters Among Us

4/21/2016

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​What does it take to scare you?

Vampires, from Dracula and Nosferatu through Lestat, have long been the staple villain of the horror genre.  Psychopaths, from Tom Ripley and Hannibal Lector to Amy Elliot Dunn, are the go-to baddies of the contemporary take on horror – the thriller genre.  Both are predators who survive by depleting their victims.  Vampires drain their prey of blood. Psychopaths feed on their victims’ self-esteem.  Vampires are the stuff of legend.  Psychopaths walk among us. 

Be afraid.

As a reader I’ve devoured (sorry!) vampire lore all of my life.  Happily, I’ve never met one (that I know of).  On the other hand, I’ve met a least one psychopath, which felt like being blown through a wind tunnel.  For anyone needing clarification, psychopaths are people with anti-social personalities.  Beneath their frequently charming exteriors, they are devoid of empathy and remorse.  Their behavior is manipulative, sometimes violent, often criminal.

Be very afraid.

As a psychologist I studied the assessment of psychopathy, using the gold standard tool developed by Dr. Robert Hare.  The reigning guru of psychopathy, Hare is to psychopaths what Van Helsing is to vampires – their nemesis.  As a thriller writer, I pondered the possible parallels between vampires and psychopaths.  As writer/editor Shawn Coyne has observed:  “The villain in a thriller is a human monster.” 

So I conducted an informal factor analysis.  I compared the Characteristics of the Vampire (see Dracula’s Homepage at www.ucs.mun.ca/emiller/traits.html) with Hare’s Checklist of Psychopathy Symptoms.  And bingo, mortals!  We have a match.
  • The vampire survives on the blood of others.  The psychopath pursues a parasitic lifestyle, an intentional, manipulative, selfish and exploitative dependence on others.  Meeting either one is a highly draining experience.
  • The vampire is a shape-shifter, who can assume the form of a wolf or bat, mist or dust.  The psychopath exhibits what’s called “criminal versatility.”  He often has a resume of many and varied offenses, taking pride in getting away with them.  Both are tough to recognize, usually before it’s too late. 
  • The vampire has hypnotic power over victims.  The psychopath is glib and superficially charming, slick, smooth, never tongue-tied.  He is a master manipulator.  They both know how to get into your head and under your skin.
  • The vampire casts no reflection in the mirror.  The psychopath has what’s known as “shallow affect.”  Behind his superficial warmth lies emotional poverty, a limited range and depth of feeling.  In both cases, there’s no “there” there.
  • The vampire casts no shadow.  The psychopath lacks realistic, long-term goals.  He lives a nomadic existence, aimless and without direction.  Rolling stones, the two of them.

So what are we to make of all this?  Perhaps the vampire is a powerful metaphor for the psychopaths who have always walked among us.  At least, let’s hope so.  The psychopaths are trouble enough.
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Cover Reveal - Shadows By Christi J. Whitney

4/21/2016

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Shadow (The Romany Outcasts, Book 2)
By Christi J. Whitney
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy / Urban Fantasy
Publisher: HarperCollinsUK
 
The second volume in this incredible YA trilogy. When stone hearts break they shatter.
Sebastian Grey used to be a normal teenager. Now he’s a creature whose sole purpose is to be a guardian for secretive gypsy clans.
When the Romany gypsies need his help, Sebastian is given a second chance to protect Josephine Romany – the girl he loves. But this is no easy task when some of them think he’s as bad as the shadow creatures attacking their camp.
Yet to keep Josephine safe, Sebastian might have to embrace his darker side. Even if that means choosing between his humanity and becoming the monster everyone believes him to be.
 
https://twitter.com/christiwhitney
https://www.facebook.com/Christi-J-Whitney-220577227350/
http://christijwhitney.com
 
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ThDHAK 

On Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1XHj16z
On B&N: http://bit.ly/20URPDc
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Interview with author Sandra Bullock Smith

4/18/2016

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Tell us about your genre.  How did you come to choose it?  Why does it appeal to you? 

Trading Places: Becoming My Mother’s Mother is a memoir. It’s my first book. After spending several years caring for my aging mother, I realized how much I wanted to read about other caregivers’ experiences, hoping they would help me deal with the challenges I faced caring for my mother.  There was very little to choose from.  So I decided to share my experiences, hoping that others could learn and benefit from them.

What do you find most challenging about the writing process, and how do you deal with it?

The most challenging aspect I encountered while writing this book was portraying the depth of the emotions in the various vignettes included in the book. You want to capture the angst, the joy, etc., without being melodramatic or flip.

When and where do you do your writing?

I seem to write more effectively if I am somewhere where I can see the outside world. If it wasn’t so hard to see my screen when I am outside I would probably write outside.

What have you learned about promoting your books?

Be focused and determined. It’s a full time job for a while, whether you are trying to get reviews or determining how best to promote your book via the many websites, blogs, and advertising opportunities.  One of the best outcomes I had when searching for affordable advertising space in regional city-based magazines was that several were willing to feature my book in a book review. It’s basically free advertising, plus it is gratifying to know that a magazine editor thinks your book is good enough to use as a feature. Don’t be afraid to ask for alternatives to paid advertising.

What are you most proud of as a writer?

The fact that many of the reviews the book has received, as well as all of the emails I’ve received from readers reflect my goal to help others by sharing my stories.

If you could have dinner with any writer, living or dead, who would it be and what would you talk about?

Hands down, Tim Cahill.  Tin Cahill was a founding editor of Outside Magazine. His books are focused on travel adventures and journalistic adventures. Back when I only bought paper books, I passed on books after I read them to friends.  Not my Tim Cahill books.  They are priceless.  I think he can say “been there, done that” to almost any adventure you can come up with.  And his writing makes you feel like you are sitting there with him, enjoying a nice cold beer while he’s telling you the story. I would love to hear about his favorite travel destinations and scariest travel incidents.
 
​Author Bio
 
Sandra Bullock Smith is a retired human resources executive who currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her husband, Mike, and their mongrel pups. She grew up in Florida, and then spent 20+ years in the colorful gumbo of south Louisiana.  A world traveler, angler, adventure junkie, and storyteller, she also works as a crew chief for several endurance running and cycling athletes.
 
One of her greatest challenges in life was the ten-year period during which she and her siblings cared for their aging mother. This experience led her to pen her first book, Trading Places: Becoming My Mother's Mother. She hopes it offers insight and encouragement to anyone involved in a similar labor of love.
 
Twitter: @SBSmithauthor

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/250L6eg  
 
Website: www.sandrabullocksmith.com
 
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1U2evl7  

On Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1V7Cj5X  
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Interview with Steve Lawson

4/15/2016

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Tell us about your genre.  How did you come to choose it?  Why does it appeal to you?

Honestly, I didn’t think much about the genre that my book would be in. Of course I knew I was writing a Christian book, but my writing is driven by the things I’m passionate about, so that has determined the genre. I’m currently working on a marriage book, but it will still be in the Christian genre, and I imagine a marriage subcategory. I have a couple of others in the works that will most likely land back in the Christian/Personal Growth genre.
 
What do you find most challenging about the writing process, and how do you deal with it?

The first difficulty in writing any book is simply the discipline of writing. For some writers they may find it easy to find time to sit down and write, and the words flow easily onto the page. For others, and I am definitely in this category, writing is a discipline just as much as it is an inspirational or creative process. This means hours staring at a computer screen and feeling like you have nothing to say. Or it may mean writing for hours, only to highlight all of it and hit ‘delete.’ But I found that I still have to sit down in front of my computer every day and ‘work’ at my writing.

What I found most difficult in writing Giant Killers was the transition from an academic document to a book that people would actually want to read. I didn’t want to simply produce information, I wanted to produce a book that people would want to read. I also wanted my book to be one that would be easy to understand and relate to. So with my doctoral project as foundation, I began the re-writing and revising process to turn an academic project into a book.

But I didn’t want to just change the language and the use less syllables in my words, I wanted my writing to have a certain feel. When someone reads one of my books I want them to experience it. As they read each paragraph, each page, each chapter, I want them to do so with a sense that they are sitting in a coffee shop with me talking. I spent an extensive amount of time editing, sometimes down to words and phrases, with that single thought in mind. I want people to read my books and feel as if they are talking with me. I want them to feel as if they know me, who I am as a regular, normal, everyday person, rather than an impersonal collection of opinions and information.

It’s important to me as a speaker and as a writer that I connect with my audience. Even as I just wrote that sentence I really don’t like the word ‘audience.’ It’s too impersonal. I never want come across that way. I had a saying as a pastor that I wanted to do everything within my power to “decrease the distance between the platform and the chairs.” Too many times there’s a disconnect between the speaker or author in those with whom they are attempting to communicate. And one of my main goals has always been to present myself in such a way that people can identify with me as a person and connect with me as a regular, normal everyday guy, rather than some expert who has said or written something that they need to hear.
 
When and where do you do your writing?

I am definitely a morning person. I haven’t always been that way, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve really grown to love still and the quiet of early mornings. When my kids were younger (I have three girls), early in the morning was the only time my house was a quiet. So really I became a morning person out of necessity.
Now that my kids are grown, I still find mornings most productive. Don’t get me wrong, I have learned to sleep in; but there are still several mornings a week that I will wake up really early and get excited about having several hours when my wife is still asleep that I can grab a cup of coffee and either just sit and read, or catch up on some writing. When I force myself out of the recliner and into my office, I am usually extremely productive during those early hours.

I should probably do that every morning, but, having been married to the hottest, most beautiful, most amazing woman in the world for 27 years, I still have a hard time tearing myself away from her. Besides, if I play my cards right, I might just get…umm, next question…
 
What have you learned about promoting your books?

Because I really had no idea what I was doing in terms of promotion and marketing. I had a Facebook page and I even developed an author Facebook page, but I wasn’t sure how to use it. I had a twitter account that was dormant. And I had started two different blogs that were eventually abandoned. So while I set up a new website with the intention of blogging once again, I didn’t have a plan. And I didn’t have a clue what was available in terms of pre-promotional advertising. So at this point it seems like I’m still playing catch-up. But I’m starting to figure some things out and have finally hired a virtual assistant with experience in social media marketing, design, and business development.
 
What are you most proud of as a writer?

I’m very passionate about the message of Giant Killers and its ability to be transformational in someone’s life. All of us face obstacles. All of us deal with struggles that we can’t seem to overcome. And all of us, at one time or another, have had opportunities pass us by because we weren’t prepared or confident enough to take them on.

I believe that can change. I believe that we can develop the skills and character qualities necessary to take on both obstacles and opportunities with confidence. And I believe with all my heart that God’s grace has tremendous power that we have yet to understand. And I am convinced that He is not only willing and able, he wants us to experience that power more than we ever will. And I believe that the combination of the skills and character qualities found in emotional intelligence combined with the power of God’s grace have the potential to make us an unstoppable force.
Author Bio
 
A former small-business owner and church planter, Steve Lawson recently stepped down as the senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Greenville, Texas, to focus on his writing, speaking, and leadership training activities.
 
He holds a doctor of strategic leadership degree from Regent University, a master of divinity degree from The King’s University, an MBA from Amberton University, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Texas.
 
Lawson owns Leadership Transformation Inc., providing emotional intelligence training and consulting to organizations of all sizes. More information on his consulting services is available at www.leadershiptransformation.net. An avid blogger and writer, Lawson is available for speaking engagements in churches, seminars, and conferences. You can contact him at www.stevelawson.us.
 
He and his wife, Karen, live in Greenville, Texas. They are the parents of three grown daughters.
 
https://www.facebook.com/dr.steve.lawson

https://twitter.com/steveatgrace
www.stevelawson.us
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1q0EPPs
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13806275.Steve_Lawson
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Four Things a Year in the Lowcountry Taught Me

4/14/2016

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It’s been a full year since Dan and I migrated from New Jersey to the South Carolina Lowcountry in Bluffton – an apt moment to reflect on what I’ve learned from the change.  Here are four things I’ve come to appreciate.

1.Tuning into nature every day.  Being outdoors (and the screened porch counts!)  has become a way of life, rather than a byproduct of going from one place to another.  I’ve begun learning the names of some trees and plants (in our yard, we have three kinds of palms – sego, windmill and coco).  I’ve watched egrets fish in concert with cormorants.  The cormorants dive and stir up fish; the egrets patrol the edge of the lagoon and snatch them up (the fish, that is, not the cormorants).  Dragonflies used to make me nervous.  Now I see their beauty.  Alligators are mostly shy, ducking underwater when Dan rushes out with his binoculars.  But during mating season, the alpha male makes a noise like a Harley revving up, to warn other males to get out of his territory. 
 
2.Recreating is more than exercising.  Although I’ve worked out faithfully for over thirty years, it took Pickleball and Trixie the tricycle to transform exercise into fun.  Some days I may have to push myself to get out on the bike trail, but I’m never sorry once I’m there, watching the sunlight dapple through the Spanish moss, listening to bird calls.  And Pickleball?  It’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on, people.  It’s running, sweating, laughing, playing and being a kid again, only with less cooperative tendons and joints.
 
3.A sense of community.  People here wave and say hello when they pass.  Neighbors take you in on the holidays if you don’t have other plans.  People hang out and chat and, yes, gossip about each other.  I not only know the names of my neighbors, I know the names of their dogs.  I have a best friend who lives down the block and we bike back from Pickleball together.  I feel connected to others.  Our social calendar is fuller.  What a wonderful time of life to be a part of things!

4.A different kind of diversity, sort of.  Everybody here is from somewhere else and most are new to the area.  All my life I’ve lived in the tristate corridor of NY, NJ, and PA, largely in cohorts of people with similar backgrounds and viewpoints.  More ethnic and racial diversity, yes, but insular in other ways.  Well, Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in New York City anymore.  Many of our neighbors are Midwesterners, mostly Christian, mostly religious, mostly not left-leaning in their politics.  And guess what?  They are good people.  Although living in an “active adult” community constrains the age demographic, there’s great comfort in being around folks who get your cultural references (like knowing the Odd Couple or Henny Youngman, or when they were when Kennedy was shot). 
 
As our first year in SC comes to a close, I’m grateful for what we have, excited by the changes I’ve experienced and mindful that further changes are inevitable.  All things must pass.  But I’ll savor health, prosperity, happiness and sanity while they last, y’all.
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Cover Reveal for Come, Bitter Poison! 

4/13/2016

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Come, Bitter Poison
By Monica Knightley
Genre: Cozy Mystery
 
Book Description
 
Sexy film star. Long-held secrets. Murder by poison.
 
When international stage and film star Miles Elliot comes to Stratford Upon Avondale to play MacBeth, Maggie O’Flynn is thrilled. He’s been her actor crush for years. But when Miles ends up at the center of a murder investigation Maggie finds herself slipping back into the role of amateur sleuth. Before long many of her friends become suspects in not just one murder, but two. Maggie must discover who’s poisoning people associated with the Shakespeare Festival before one of her friends gets slapped with a murder charge. And she must do so while dodging paparazzi that are stalking her due to a supposed love affair she’s having with Miles Elliot.
 
With a bit of Shakespeare, copious amounts of tea, and a faux-English setting to rival anything the real England has to offer, COME, BITTER POISON is the second book in THE STRATFORD UPON AVONDALE mystery series. Though part of a series, COME, BITTER POISON can be read and enjoyed as a standalone. Lovers of cozy mysteries will find a cozy home in Stratford Upon Avondale.
 
 
https://twitter.com/monicaknightley

https://www.facebook.com/monicaknightleyauthor/
 
http://www.monicaknightley.com/
 
The author is hosting a GREAT giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Book Spotlight: Killer Pursuit

4/11/2016

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Killer Pursuit
By Jeff Gunhus
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Seven Guns Press
 
When a secret webcam is found in the Georgetown bedroom of a murdered high-society call girl, everyone in Washington, DC wants the recording...especially the killer.  
 
After a high-society call girl is brutally murdered in her Georgetown home, investigators find two cameras hidden in the walls of her bedroom. One has its memory erased, presumably by the murderer. The second is a webcam with an encrypted connection...and no-one knows who's on the other end. Whoever has the recordings has embarrassing leverage against some of the most powerful men in DC, not to mention a video of the murder showing the identity of the killer. 
 
FBI Special Agent Allison McNeil is asked by beleaguered FBI Director Clarence Mason to run an off-the-record investigation of the murder because of the murder's similarity to a case she worked a year earlier. Allison knows the most direct path to apprehending the killer is to find the videos, but rumors that the victim's client list may include some of Washington's most powerful men makes her doubt the director's motives. As she starts her investigation, she quickly discovers that she's not the only one pursuing the recording...but that the most aggressive person racing against her might be the murderer himself.
 
 
Author Bio
 
Jeff Gunhus is the author thriller and horror novels for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 100 on Amazon and have been Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists.
After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active lifestyle in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffgunhusauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffgunhus
Website: http://jeffgunhus.com/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Mk7x8x

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1099616597

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/killer-pursuit

B&N: http://bit.ly/1Vdq0Gb
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Cover Reveal for Chasing Eva

4/11/2016

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Chasing Eva
By Camellia Hart
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
 
Author Camellia Hart’s debut contemporary romance novel about a man and a woman whose lives are about to get sizzling hot…
After living through her share of disloyal relationships, Evangeline Avery will be damned if she lets another man cheat her. A beautiful and confident woman, Eva is the owner of an interior design firm at the brink of collapse. She swears to bring her company back to its past glory, even if it involves sweet talking the one man who caused this turmoil in the first place – Clive Stanton.
Notorious playboy Clive Stanton is a powerful businessman and a formidable enemy of many. He doesn’t do love, or at least not until he meets her again, fifteen years after he saw her last. Eva, his crush from teenage years, the one that got away, is back in his world and he is determined to do anything to make her his.
Will passion and lust bring them together or conflict and the unforgettable scars from their pasts forever tear them apart?

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camelliahartbooks
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/HartCamellia
Website: http://www.camelliahart.com
AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1V9xav6
AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/1ROAxBZ

KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/chasing-eva

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/camelliahartbooks
IBOOKS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/chasing-eva/id1097559228?ls=1&mt=11

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Interview with author Michael R. French

4/4/2016

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Tell us about your genre.  How did you come to choose it?  Why does it appeal to you? 

Something in me resists easy or rigid classifications, which is what “genre” connotes to me.  I prefer to write an interesting story with relatable, conflicted characters.  My novel might contain various genre elements—mystery, thriller, tragedy, comedy, coming of age, romance, history…as long as it can be woven into a tapestry that reflect real life.   
 
What do you find most challenging about the writing process, and how do you deal with it?
 
The biggest challenge is coming up with an original story and characters.  Then:  bringing urgency or mystery so a reader wants to turn the page; creating insights that evolve organically from the story; building well-crafted sentences and paragraphs that don’t waste words and, if possible, are memorable.  Finally, working, reworking and reworking again every aspect of the book.  Writing, for me, is never fun, but it’s the most emotionally and intellectually satisfying thing I can do for the majority of my day.  And before you type a word, don't underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep or something with extra shots of espresso.  One other caveat: drinking doesn’t go with either driving or writing.  
 
When and where do you do your writing?

I can write almost anywhere, anytime (if my mind is fresh), including on airplanes, at Starbucks, in a car .or in bed.  Background noise doesn’t faze.  Most of the time, however, I sit behind a desk.

What have you learned about promoting your books?

Still learning. It’s more difficult, and almost as important, as writing the book itself.  Getting good professionals to help is essential. In the end, however, you hope an anonymous reader has enough enthusiasm in his voice to influence other readers.  

What are you most proud of as a writer?  

Getting reviewed (favorably) a couple of times in The New York Times, and having a couple of best sellers, is high on my list.  But so is, with any writing endeavor, matching the pre-glow of conception with the after-glow of completion. 
 
If you could have dinner with any writer, living or dead, who would it be and what would you talk about?
 
I had drinks with Stephen King years ago—he’s an amazing guy and a genius.  I’d jump in a time machine  to spend an evening with Proust, Camus, Dostoyevsky, Conrad  or  Twain…..talking anything  and everything. 
Author Bio
 
Michael R. French graduated from Stanford University where he was an English major, focusing on creative writing, and studied under Wallace Stegner.  He received a Master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.  He later served in the United States Army before marrying Patricia Goodkind, an educator and entrepreneur, and starting a family.  In addition to publishing over twenty titles, including award-winning young adult fiction, adult fiction, biographies ad self-help books, he has written or co-written a half-dozen screenplays, including Intersection, which has won awards in over twenty film festivals.  He has also had a long business career in real estate, living in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  His passions include travel, collecting rare books, and hanging with friends and family.   He describes his worst traits as impatience and saying "no" too quickly; his best are curiosity, taking risks, and learning from failure.
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelRFrenchAuthor

Twitter: twitter.com/mfrenchauthor
Website: http://www.michaelrfrench.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-French/e/B001ITYVES

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27181442-once-upon-a-lie
 
Connect with the novels two main characters online
 
Alex Baten
Facebook: http://bit.ly/Alexbaten
Twitter: http://bit.ly/AlexBatenTW
 
Jaleel Robeson
Facebook: http://bit.ly/JaleelRobeson
Twitter: http://bit.ly/JaleelRobesonTW
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Interview with author J. Zachary Pike

4/4/2016

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​Tell us about your genre.  How did you come to choose it?  Why does it appeal to you? 
 
I love fantasy. I’ve been reading about wizards and dragons and stuff for almost as long as I’ve been reading books. I started with the Hobbit back in elementary school, moved through the rest of the Lord of the Rings, scooped up Anne McCaffrey’s Pern novels, and then got into the Dragonlance trilogy, R.A. Salvatore, etc. Those old TSR books got me interested in Dungeons & Dragons, and that got me started on video games like Wizardry and Ultima, and of course those games drove me to read more fantasy.  By that point, the neurons in my brain responsible for fun were essentially stuck in a giant feedback loop, and I’ve been stuck here ever since.
 
I write fantasy humor because I love it, and because I think both fantasy and humor give an author a inconspicuous route to talk about serious issues; they’re back doors that let us get past the political and cultural walls people put up. A book tackling issues like socioeconomic disparity in America head on sounds preachy (or at least it would if I wrote it). A book about the socioeconomic disparity caused by the professional heroics industry and its institutional prejudices against Orcs and Goblins seems like much more fun.
 
What do you find most challenging about the writing process, and how do you deal with it?
 
Time management. I find that motivation to write and free time rarely coincide these days, so in order to be productive I have to be strict with myself. I get up ridiculously early every morning and have a fairly rigid writing routine. Even then, when a scene is challenging or just not coming together, things can go slow.
 
When and where do you do your writing?
 
I have a three-season porch, but as this is New England it winds up being more of a one-and-a-half season porch. I like to write out there in the morning with a mug of coffee and watch rabbits slowly defoliate my ornamental tree. In the winter (and most of fall, and three quarters of spring), I have an easy chair in a side room. Wherever I’m sitting, my writing starts at 4AM and ends when the kids wake up. Toddlers have very little patience for Daddy’s writing routine.
 
What have you learned about promoting your books?
 
That the battle is won one reader at a time. Everyone who picks up your book, reads it, and likes it is a victory. Everyone who writes you a review is a triumph. The big authors with giant publishing houses can count readers by the hundred thousands and judge success at that scale, but as a new indie author, you can’t. You have to fight for every reader.

What are you most proud of as a writer?
 
When I walk into our local bookstore and see copies of my book on the shelf, I get a little surge of pride. Even better is walking in and seeing that they’re down to one copy.
 
If you could have dinner with any writer, living or dead, who would it be and what would you talk about?
 
It’d certainly be Sir Terry Pratchett, who is my biggest influence. I’d like to tell him all he ways his writing has shaped my life, and ask him about the experiences that led him to write his books. But I get nervous and tongue-tied when I’m around famous people, so I’d probably just end up quietly eating my soup and mumbling awkward compliments.
 
Author Bio
​
J. Zachary Pike was once a basement-dwelling fantasy gamer, but over time he metamorphosed into a basement-dwelling fantasy writer. He has written and directed several award-winning shorts, including Zelig Award winner "The Toll" and "Endurance Challenge: Mordred's Isle" starring Billy West.
 
https://twitter.com/jzacharypike
https://www.facebook.com/jzacharypike
www.jzacharypike.com
http://www.amazon.com/Orconomics-Satire-Dark-Profit-Saga-ebook/dp/B00O2NDJ2M 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/orconomics-j-zachary-pike/1120495306?ean=2940046216356

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25326486-orconomics
 
The author is hosting an AWESOME giveaway during his tour:
Win A Kindle Paperwhite with a digital copy of Orconomics: A Satire –
http://www.jzacharypike.com/contest/

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    Author

    Freda Hansburg is a psychologist and co-author of two 
    self-help books, PeopleSmart - which h​as sold more than 75,000 copies and has been translated into ten languages - and 
    Working PeopleSmart, 
    as well as numerous professional publications.  Her first novel Shrink Rapt, 
    is a psychological thriller with a dash of romance. She lives in the South Carolina Low Country.

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