Vol. #15: Showcasing (3) More Awesome Gang Authors!!

Photo Credit: https://awesomegang.com/ Hello Everyone! Are you braving the bitter cold and wind on this blistery Monday morning!? OMG! With the 19 MPH winds, the air is so painful on my exposed skin! Be sure to wear a hat and bundle up if you are in a cold climate. If you are in a warmer climate, then just imagine the cold and snow drifting around in your path as you walk. May your Monday be both uneventful and efficient as possible. It was a good game last night! I enjoyed meeting new people and socializing with my pal for the Super Bowl. Hey, check out my 16-year-old son John's "Call To Action Marketing" business; it will also be known on social media by the hashtag #CTAMarketing. If you could find him under his name and business name and connect with him, that would be highly appreciated. Now, this post is intended to share even more work of some independent authors, such as myself, and earn some good karma in the process. Why not offer you a taste of a variety of authors with different content? Let me know if you have discovered a new author during this "Showcased Author Series"? My objective is to pick out different authors that offer a variety of media content. For the record, I know nothing about the author other than what is showcased in the author article that was shared, via Awesome Gang. Feel free to copy and paste and share this content on your blog, if you like. As an author, if you want to add more information, drop it down in the comment section below and I will edit and add at my earliest convenience. For now, I'm connecting with the authors in an effort to build my author network. Hopefully, they will follow me back on social media. I'm game to cross promote each other on social media as well. Just let me know or re-tweet one of my posts and I will automatically return the favor. I'm totally cool with many ways to help each other market each other. When you are a small content creator, it is important to help others out. Do you have any requests for a specific author or style of content? Let me know your various suggestions down the in the comment section below. Here are (3) showcased authors down below: Showcased Author- 1.) Lucille J. Knight Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written. I was raised in the state of Alaska and lived there for almost 20 years. I currently live in Missouri with my husband and our two Australian Shepherds, Ham and Bean. I just released my first novel! What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it? Hexen Blood: Damnation is my debut novel. I took some inspiration from Beauty and the Beast. Especially when creating my main character, Eve. Eve is basically Belle, longing for something more, not quite fitting in with “normal” people, and Alucard is her Beast, surly, angsty, and struggling with his humanity. This wasn’t intentional at first, but once I realized I had that dynamic going I just embraced it! Do you have any unusual writing habits? I like to write in the dark… I think that might be unusual? What authors, or books have influenced you? Reading Star Wars novels as a kid was incredibly influential to my writing throughout the years. As I matured, I turned to other sources as well. Namely J.R.R. Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey. What are you working on now? I’m swept up in a couple projects right now. Namely, a sword and sorcery meets dark fantasy series with some inspiration from Avatar: The Last Airbender and Rurouni Kenshin. With dragons. You can’t forget the dragons or they get cranky! What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books? As I’m a new author I’m still working these things out and finding my groove. I’m expecting it to be a trial and error process for a little while until I find the strategies that work best for me. Do you have any advice for new authors? Find an editor (or two!) that you trust and listen to what they have to say. My editors have been invaluable to me. Also, stock plenty of chocolate and coffee! What is the best advice you have ever heard? Anything from Joanna Penn at the Creative Penn. She is a wealth of knowledge and advice for authors at various levels of their careers. What are you reading now? I just started reading the first Witcher book, Blood of Elves! What’s next for you as a writer? More writing! I have several trilogies and series planned that I’m very excited to finish and share with the world. If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring? Definitely Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion, Kenobi by John Jackson Miller, and I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole. Author Websites and Profiles Lucille J. Knight Website: https://www.lucillejknight.com/ Lucille J. Knight Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/Knight-Lucille-J./e/B09RN8JL7P Showcased Author- 2.) B. Frohby Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written. Describing oneself is always the hardest question: How to walk that fine line between self-praise and self-effacing, especially when you’re promoting a self-published book? For my attempt I will begin and end with my loves. What else is important, or what better way to help my readers relate to myself and my characters? I love to travel abroad, but I haven’t been everywhere. I love to read widely, but my habit is to stick to the classics. I love to cook, and am getting some serious chops as a pizza baker. Who doesn’t love pizza? I can relate. What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it? Death to Janus, inspired by the general sentiment surrounding the titular villain who becomes a despotic, seemingly divine figure to the ancients in the spirit of Joseph Conrad’s enigmatic Mr. Kurtz in Heart of Darkness, or even the “Naziesque” alien dictator who subverts a world culture in an original Star Trek episode. The type of charismatic leader who upends the natural order, violates the Prime Directive and makes playthings of humanity. Without fail such petty tyrants are better off…removed from power. Do you have any unusual writing habits? For years I would have said it was my singular obsession with spinning this yarn morning, day and night, but somehow I doubt that sets me apart. Nowadays it’s a different story: I’ve taken to editing my work during my morning Peloton rides, and this despite the intense workout, profuse sweating, blaring soundtrack and frankly gorgeous spin-class instructor that might otherwise distract me from reading the novel at hand. Whatever the case it’s become the perfect recipe for concentrating on my work while staying in shape at the same time, and it goes without saying I can’t ignore the instructor’s charms completely. A double victory. What authors, or books have influenced you? Above all my attraction to irreverent sci-fi authors like Alfred Bester, Kurt Vonnegut, Roger Zelazny, the list goes on. Too many books have influenced me personally to take stab at listing them here, but when it comes to my own work I’ve drawn inspiration from classic books set in the ancient Mediterranean world (as an aside, Spartacus by Howard Fast was an unexpectedly powerful and poignant work, and it is easy to see why Ben Hur was immensely popular in its day); several of the “classical” works themselves, some of which I thankfully held on to after college (break out the Plutarch!); and lastly the obscure 1939 alternate history novel Lest Darkness Fall by L. Sprague de Camp, about a history professor unexpectedly teleported to the ancient Byzantine Empire, of all places. And while I can’t blame old L. Sprague for eschewing the Roman Empire as the setting for that already ambitious novel, I can and should object to the deplorable anti-Islamic sentiments he inks in a bizarre afterword to the story. Give it a read if you’re more than passably interested in an experimental 1930s alternate history novel, and by all means ignore the addendum if you don’t want ruin an otherwise decent adventure story. If it were me, I would suggest skipping his book entirely and immediately burying your nose in Death to Janus. What are you working on now? These days I’m hard at work self-promoting self-published books, which means enduring all the lingering doubt that entails while nursing the unyielding hope that when I find my audience I can resume writing in earnest and as a full-time novelist, the starry-eyed fiction author’s dream since time immemorial. Optimism is my life’s blood in this venture, plus an engaging writing style and a heartfelt, genre-blending sci-fi adventure story of friendship and self-sacrifice that teases an epic, if I had to describe it myself, and keep in mind I know how it ends. What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books? Perseverance perseverance perseverance, also an author’s profile on twitter (one among millions), a free book promotion every now and again (as enticing as any free literature from dubious sources), and this very interview, truly my first moment to shine if ever there was one. I am grateful for the opportunity, Awesome Gang! Do you have any advice for new authors? Never forget that as artists we have to be perfectionists. And we are artists of a sort, where the page is a medium and the best authors can practically paint with words. Also they use the entire canvas, they know how to convey big ideas obliquely, where to avoid the pitfalls…the whole bit, plus an absolute economy of materials, in our case words. A thousand artist metaphors can spring to mind now that I’ve invoked a few, and surely it is better to roll with that technique than to risk miring the plot and discouraging the reader. Keep the story moving and let their mind’s eye fill in the details wherever you can get away with it. We’re not actually painting, after all. What is the best advice you have ever heard? “Never take a job you can’t quit.” That was a professor’s reply when I once requested an extension on a paper due to my National Guard obligations, and jokingly asked if he knew of any special tricks to get out of the army early. He didn’t laugh, either, but that was his immediate response and you could tell it was an old axiom, doubtless passed down to him at some point. I like to think so. It’s certainly one for the ages, and true. What are you reading now? Always a handful of books at once: I’ve just finished rereading the Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin for probably the fourth time, and of course that story lingers. I’m finishing Alone in the Light by Benjamin W. Bass, a friend from college and the army and a fellow self-publisher, with his wife A.J. Bass’s debut novel Paige’s Story to follow. Meanwhile I’m halfway through Jacques Vallée’s Passport to Magonia, for some unique insight into what in the hell UFOs might be, and still putting off cracking open The Tale of Genji, a Christmas gift from my wife, who knows my love of giant tomes. What’s next for you as a writer? It is up to the readers to decide! I could write all day, but what is supply without demand? If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring? 1. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester – It’s hilarious, it’s eccentric, it’s creative, it’s meaningful and heartfelt, and of course it’s classic sci-fi. 2. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire – Gigantic, endlessly fascinating and Gibbon is a master storyteller. I might as well bring the unabridged addition, which probably hasn’t been read cover-to-cover in a long, long time. 3. Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny – I had no idea that sci-fi could be this cool. And I’m talking about sci-fi, for God’s sake. So cool. Author Websites and Profiles B. Frohby Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/B.-Frohby/e/B09FYFV42H Showcased Author- 3.) Angela Lam Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written. I am a writing instructor at Gotham Writers’ Workshop and the author of ten published books. Love Again, the first book in the Women of the Crush series, debuts February 28, 2022. In addition to writing and teaching, I am a landscape artist and an avid reader. What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it? Love Again was inspired by my love of senior softball. My husband belongs to a tournament league, and the women in the stands always nagged me to write about the sport and include the love lives of the wives and girlfriends for a soap opera-like drama. After several years, I succumbed to the peer pressure and the Women of the Crush series was born. Do you have any unusual writing habits? I get up at 5 AM to write. I used to listen to music, but now I babysit a geriatric dog who needs constant attention. What authors, or books have influenced you? Sophie Kinsella introduced me to chick-lit. Amy Tan inspired me to dive deep into my culture. Michael Chabon gave me permission to write outside my comfort zone. And Ernest Hemingway reminds me to write succinctly. My books tend to be shorter. What are you working on now? I just submitted the final book in the Women of the Crush series to my publisher, The Wild Rose Press. I am currently querying my midlife memoir, The Fool and the Magician. What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books? I’m still exploring the best methods. Before the pandemic, I had the most success with in-person events, including book signings and book festivals. My contemporary sweetheart romance, Friends First, debuted in the midst of the pandemic, and I feel I didn’t give that book the launch it deserved. Do you have any advice for new authors? Make writing a priority. You might have to sacrifice time, sleep, or other hobbies, but you need to make that investment to see results. Consistency is important, whether you write every day or once a week. Find a community of writers. Take a class to improve your craft skills. And, most importantly, respect the need to lay fallow between big projects. Even the fields need a season to replenish the soil. Give yourself permission to just be. Don’t worry. The words will return when they are ready. What is the best advice you have ever heard? Do not be tossed away. Too often we have ideas of what a successful writing career looks like, and if we don’t achieve that goal, we fall into despair. A healthier approach is to put in the effort and let go of any expected results. What are you reading now? I just finished Dear Memory by Victoria Chang, a lovely meditation on family history, personal memories, and the sense of self. What’s next for you as a writer? I don’t know. I am open to the universe. If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring? The Bible, Emily’s Quest by L.M. Montgomery, and whatever two books I have purchased but haven’t read yet. Today those books would be What Happens in Chicago by Liz Crowe, a hot contemporary romance, and The Energy Codes by Dr. Sue Morter, a mind-body-spiritual healing instruction manual. Author Websites and Profiles Angela Lam Website: https://angelalamturpin.com/ Angela Lam Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/Angela-Lam-Turpin/e/B009WPJQSQ?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000 Thanks for stopping by my blog to help me earn some karma by checking out this content today. Additionally, you get to learn about some new authors on the market. Perhaps we have found a future best seller? Let me know, in the comment section below, if you either like or dislike the author showcase content? I'm also sharing my latest (8) podcast episodes that are listed down below from The Verbally Disastrous Podcast, via links for Spotify & YouTube down below. If you are into reading on a Kindle, check out my newest short story release that belongs to my Construction Tales-Told By A Woman Kindle Vella Library short story series on Amazon down below. This new short story #11 is entitled, "Juggling Motherhood & Working With The Tools". This short story covers my life as a widowed, single mother in the era when I juggled both motherhood and my career as a journeywoman electrician. The previous short story is #10 is entitled, "Early Life Lessons & Characters To Meet As An Apprentice". If anyone has read any of my other previous short stories, by all means, let me know what you think? Check out the links for my book #ConstructionTales down below. I need to go get some paperwork done and go check on my crews working outside. Enjoy your Monday now that we are right back at the beginning of the work week again. I wish you a great morning/afternoon/evening on your side of the globe and a restful or productive day!

Photo Credit: Call To Action Marketing Logo- John Collazo, CEO

Photo Credit: Call To Action Marketing- John Collazo, CEO Link To Construction Tales: Volume I: A Woman's Journey To Become An Electrician (Paperback & Kindle) On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Construction-Tales-Womans-Journey-Electrician/dp/1467960160 Link To Construction Tales: A Young Person's Guide To Accomplish Anything In Life (Paperback & Kindle) On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Construction-Tales-Persons-Accomplish-Anything/dp/1497593115 U.S.A.: Use This Link For The Audio Version Of My Book #ConstructionTales On Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/B07P5PNCS7/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-144253&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_144253_rh_us United Kingdom: Use This Link For The Audio Version Of My Book #ConstructionTales On Audible: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B07P5PP7RW/?source_code=AUKFrDlWS02231890H6-BK-ACX0-144253&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_144253_rh_uk France, Belgium, Switzerland: Use This Link For The Audio Version Of My Book #ConstructionTales On Audible: https://www.audible.fr/pd/B07P7RYP4G/?source_code=FRAORWS022318903B-BK-ACX0-144253&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_144253_rh_fr Germany, Austria, Switzerland: Use This Link For The Audio Version Of My Book #ConstructionTales On Audible: https://www.audible.de/pd/B07P8W3MVY/?source_code=EKAORWS0223189009-BK-ACX0-144253&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_144253_rh_de VERBALLY DISASTROUS PODCAST EPISODE LINKS: Here is the link to the Verbally Disastrous Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2dFYgX4dUiHaMfJ4gigLY0?si=KcR-D8RyRnKGk1wuPOqa1Q&dl_branch=1 Verbally Disastrous Season #1, Ep. #41: Part A- Working On The Railroad With The Tools As A Chick! on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Q1G4Y14pAiw Verbally Disastrous Season #1, Ep. #42: Part B- Working On The Railroad With The Tools As A Chick! on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Nsbehf3Fbh0 Verbally Disastrous! Season #1, Episode #43: Part A- Tramping In Cali! on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6XzVL9ybKHA Verbally Disastrous! Season #1, Episode #44: Part B- Tramping In Cali! on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TFDLB5talUo Verbally Disastrous! Season #1, Episode #45: Part C- Tramping In Cali! on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nYRVJNya0lU Verbally Disastrous! Season #2, Episode #46:Early Life Lessons & Characters To Meet As An Apprentice On YouTube: https://youtu.be/IcQ4-uGankA Verbally Disastrous Podcast! S#2, Ep. #47: Part A- Juggling Motherhood & Working With The Tools on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qWhf4lGmcXo Verbally Disastrous Podcast! S#2, Ep. #48: Part B- Juggling Motherhood & Working With The Tools on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wO8nXSRw7sU I recently shared my latest short story that has been loaded up to my Construction Tales-Told By A Woman Kindle Vella Library on Amazon. This is short story #11 entitled, "Juggling Motherhood & Working With The Tools". This short story covers my life as a widowed, single mother in the era when I juggled both motherhood and my career as a journeywoman electrician. I share the various challenges I faced and lessons learned along the way. The previous short story is entitled: #10: "Early Life Lessons & Characters To Meet As An Apprentice". I decided to write about some life lessons such as guarding your personal information, managing nasty rumors, combating sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and racism. Overall, the construction culture has improved dramatically over the past 25-years. Developing both a thick skin and a sharp tongue are key tools needed to survive various jobsite antics. I hope you learn something from this short story. There are more to come. These short stories are now also available as Verbally Disastrous podcast episodes. Construction Tales- Told By A Woman: (11) Kindle Vella Short Stories On Amazon!! https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/product/B096N8NSGM The Verbally Disastrous Store On Tee-Spring:

https://my-store-c1f946.creator-spring.com Cheers! Leslie M. Jasper -Author And Host of the #VerballyDisastrous podcast now alive on many platforms that include: Acast, Amazon Music, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Castbox, Deezer, Google Podcasts, I Heart Radio, Listen Notes, Overcast, Pandora Podcasts, Player FM, Pocket Casts, Pod Bean, Podchaser, Podcast Addict, Podcast Gang, Radio Public, Reason, Soundcloud, Soundtrap, Spotify, Stitcher, Tune In, and YouTube. -The Audio Blog: Verbally Disastrous Podcast And Construction Tales Blog. Now available on: Acast, Amazon Music, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Castbox, Deezer, Google Podcasts, I Heart Radio, Listen Notes, Overcast, Pandora Podcasts, Player FM, Pocket Casts, Pod Bean, Podchaser, Podcast Addict, Podcast Gang, Radio Public, Reason, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, and Tune In. #PhotacularImagery, #KindleVella, #FreeBritney, #AmazonMusic, #AnastasiaTaranenko, #Fiverr, #Tad_Art, #PandoraPodcasts, #Soundtrap, #ConstructionTales, #audio, #intro, #fun, #hot, #mess, #creations, #Connecticut, #NewYork, #family, #foolery, #podcast, #Spotify, #VerballyDisastrous, #new, #topics, #howto, #secrets, #women, #powerful, #strong, #shorts, #men, #teen, #trynottolaugh, #edgy, #realistic, #explicit, #mature, #shocking, #thoughtprovoking, #fresh, #dark, #mustwatch, #Soundcloud, #YouTube, #Johnny, #creative, #IABX, #Reddit, #community, #Leslie@VerbDisastrous, #strongwomen, #womaninconstruction, #empower, #gender, #ICanDOIT, #femalerenovator, #renovation, #project, #womanconstructionproject, #strong, #slideshow, #2013Project, #learnbywatching, #girlpower, #sheetrock, #tape, #electrical, #plumbing, #tile, #dust, #dirt, #debris, #basement, #paint, #renovate, #insulation, #hihats, #wiring, #metalstuds, #screws, #workout, #Johnny, #promo, #videos, #creative, #sons, #discusswithmom, #topics, #Tom, #openconversation, #Johnny, episodes, #LotLizard, #AmazonPrime, #video, #documentary, #Netflix, #gorillaglue, #gorilla, #glue, #spray, #gorillagluewoman, #hair, #hairsurgery, #LosAngeles, #DrObeng, #plasticsurgeon, #alcoholic, #drinks, #testing, #episodes, #release, #soon, #alcoholic #samples, #RevelStoke, #NewAmsterdam, #PinkWhitney, #WickedPickle, #BirdDog, #blackberry, #whiskey, #vodka, #99Bananas, #OleSmokey, #Tswoooh23_, #videogaming, #streaming, #OSHA502, #renewal, #trainthetrainer, #RIT, #Anchor, #Breaker, #GooglePodcasts, #PocketCasts, #RadioPublic, #article, #life, #apprentice, #ComedyCentral, #skit, #JessaReid, #ApplePodcasts, #Deezer, #Podchaser, #PodBean, #TuneIn, #Castbox, #PlayerFM, #iHeartRadio, #Stitcher, #Acast, #PodcastGang, #PodcastAddict, #ziplining, #AdventurePark, #presskit, #SayNoToRapists, #JusticeForUwa, #NotAllGirlsPlayWithDolls #Scholastic #nonfiction #bookstagram #DropEverythingAndRead #SpringBookFair2021 #LoveOfReading #Reading #ConstructionTales #books #funny #NYC #podcast #Spotify #VerballyDisastrous #bookfair #bookjoy #ReadAnywhere #LoveToRead #AllForBooks #Adult #FBF21 #LBF21 #BEA21 #IKBF21 #KLF21 #HKTDC21 #GBF21 #IIBF21 #LATFOB21 #SIBF21 #FILBO21 #EIBF21 #BAIBF21 #MIBF21 #BIDLDSP21 #BS21 #BBF21 #HIBF21 #IBTAF21 #IBBF21 #ITEF21 #JLF21 #JIBF21 #LBF21 #NDWBF21 #TiBE21 #TIBF21 #BCBF21 #LIVREPARIS21 #SDLDM21 #HBF21 #FIL21 #IIBF21 #SBF21 #BuchWein21 #VIBF21 #ADIBF21 #AIPF21 #bookstagram #book #bukuislami #b #bukumurah #islamicbookfair #buku #booklover #bukusejarah #buchberlin #booklove #cher #bookshelf #internationalbookfair #bookholic #jualbuku #jualbukumurah #reading #obralbuku #bukuindie #bukujogja #tokobukumurah #buchmesse #langka #pasarbuku #bukulangka #bhfyp #jualbelibukuonline #onlineshop #jualanonline #booklovers #anresbooks #readingbooks #booksofinstagram #boekuitstalling #buch #bookish #buchberlinkids #tokobukuonline #boimela #lesen #bookworm #poetry #gontor #fbm #bazarbuku #bookreview #berlin #read #writer #berlinerbuchmesse #buchmesseberlin #author #instabooks #boekverkoping #virtualbookfair #bookaddict