Vol. #22: Showcasing (3) More Awesome Gang Authors!!

Photo Credit: https://awesomegang.com/ Hello Everyone! Wow! It's a rather warm day today (65 degrees F) here on this fine Wednesday afternoon. Too bad that I know 20 degree Fahrenheit weather is coming later on during the week. It appears that there is no rain on the menu for today. How is your week going for you so far? Daylight Savings is coming up on March 13th! Hooray for the end of another long winter! Sorry that I speak on the weather so much. As I have said a few times, I thank you for checking out my 16-year-old son John's "Call To Action Marketing" business (hashtag #CTAMarketing). 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. The funny thing is that I'm sharing author content that was posted to Awesome Gang and Book Reader Magazine and I didn't take the time to fill out and submit myself. Therefore, I have opted to share my book #ConstructionTales content and submit! When I'm ready to release my children's book Not All Girls Play With Dolls on Amazon, I shall submit again at that time. 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. For now, here are (3) showcased authors down below: Showcased Author- 1.) Leonard Clifton Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written. My name is Leonard Clifton I’m honored to have been named after Mr. Leonard Nimoy aka Spock from Star Trek. I live in Los Angeles, CA. I have written 4 books, I am a former actor. I worked with Steven Spielberg, Peyton Reed, (Ant-Man director) and Kirsten Dunst on the cult classic Bring It On. My book series The Last Prince of Atlantis Chronicles has taken me around the world doing extensive research. The book series is part of a curriculum at California State University, Northridge and will soon be in middle schools in Los Angeles and the first book is part of a STEAM program in Tanzania, Africa. I am a Comic-Con junkie. I recently filmed a promo video for The Last Prince of Atlantis in San Diego, CA. The mecca of all Comic-Cons and I am developing the first book into a movie and I have a documentary as well that will not coming out until after a movie is made. What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it? My latest book is the 3rd book to The Last Prince of Atlantis Chronicles series. What inspired me was to simply to inspire the world to dream bigger and to inspire Black kids and Latino kids especially to see themselves represented in a positive way in the young adult Sci-Fi fantasy world. The book is a multiverse of characters from all backgrounds. Do you have any unusual writing habits? Not really I think each author who writes have unique styles when it comes to writing books or scripts. I can say that traveling the world was an unusual habit to write from my worldwide adventures including cage diving with great white sharks in South Africa in the same location the Discovery Channel shoots Shark Week. What authors, or books have influenced you? JRR Tolkien, Alex Dumas, JK Rowling are my favorite authors. What are you working on now? I am working on the screenplay for The Last Prince of Atlantis movie. What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books? My websitehttps://www.leonardclifton.com/ Do you have any advice for new authors? Just write and look back at your work several months later to see how far you’ve gone creating your world only you will understand at the time before you have a great editor to help smooth out the grammar issues and formatting. What is the best advice you have ever heard? Enjoy life you only live once and be nice to people. You’ll be surprised how much you can make a stranger or a love feel by just giving a smile and a warm word to someone. What are you reading now? I am reading several books. Greg Hurwitz Orphan X, Zulu Shaman by Credo Mutwa and Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, my good friend former rocker Freddy Moore’s It’s Not A Rumour. What’s next for you as a writer? Hopefully a successful screenplay adaptation from The Last Prince of Atlantis Chronicles Book I and creating my charity foundation for foster kids and continue to be an advocate for climate change. I dived in the Great Barrier Reef with a marine biologist. Seeing the effects of the coral reef really educated me on how important it is to save our oceans and Mother Earth from the effects of a changing climate. 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 Hobbit, The Hero with A Thousand Faces, The Count of Monte Cristo ,and Sidney Poitier’s The Measure of A Man. Author Websites and Profiles Leonard Clifton Website: https://www.leonardclifton.com/ Leonard Clifton Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Clifton/e/B00CA7673A/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1 Showcased Author- 2.) Jessica Butler Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written. Hand me a “strong pour” glass of Pinot Noir, throw a Sherpa blanket over me and give me a good book and I’m a happy girl. I live in Pennsylvania with my mechanic husband, Andrew, my sassy toddler daughter, Mila and my even sassier cat, Barnaby. I love to escape with indulgent, guilty pleasure reads which is funny considering that’s exactly the type of book Iw wrote. Sweet Pear is my first novel I’ve written. What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it? My book is Sweet Pear and it was actually inspired by a quote I wrote. The quote is, “Is the grass really greener on the other side, or is it simply artificial?” Months after posting that quote it popped into my head again. I thought of, “Who would wonder this? What would they look to see on the other side?” That’s when my main character Elle popped in. During the second month of the pandemic while I was home with my infant daughter 24/7 I started to write everything that was flooding my brain while she would take her 3 hour glorious naps each day. The rest is history. Do you have any unusual writing habits? I like to “set the scene.” Meaning, if my main characters are drinking glasses of wine, I too may pour myself a glass. There was one scene I wrote where Elle was at a Christmas market so while writing that scene (in August) I put on a Christmas playlist and dug out my Christmas frasier fir candles and brought Christmas into my house. What authors, or books have influenced you? I love Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, Sally Thorne, Liane Moriarty, etc. I absolutely adored “Big Little Lies” way before it was turned into a TV show (which I equally loved). I love the back n forth banter between the main characters in The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. One of my most favorite books however that pops into my mind right now is, “The Art of Racing in the Rain.” It’s been a long time since I’ve read it but that book had me crying from the first page! What are you working on now? I’m currently working on the sequel to Sweet Pear! In between books I also have on my website a blog that’s from the main character, Elle. One of the things that has always been bittersweet to me is when you finish a good book and you feel like you’re mourning them until the next book comes. I wanted to give my readers something to hold onto, something that they can check in with while they wait for the next book to drop. What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books? I love creating posts and book trailer videos and I post them on my Instagram and Author Facebook page! Do you have any advice for new authors? Yes, my advice is to just write. Just get your words down. You don’t need to worry or overwhelm yourself about the next step. Many times we can get ahead of ourselves and worry about how something will turn into fruition that we end up scaring ourselves and stopping. Don’t stop. Just keep writing (unedited) and get to those future steps when it’s time. Everyone has a story in them, you just have to listen to yourself closely to hear it. What is the best advice you have ever heard? The best advice I’ve ever heard is to listen to your body when you need to rest. Even if you have an internal clock telling you that you need to get something done to be productive or successful. Your body is telling you something and rest isn’t selfish, sometimes it’s needed for a sense of your self. What are you reading now? I’m currently reading “A Slice of Heaven”, the second book from the Sweet Magnolia series. I love the TV show so I decided to go back and read the books. What’s next for you as a writer? What’s next for me is to continue promoting Sweet Pear while also working on and publishing the sequel. After that, I’m going to continue writing many more books (maybe even some different genres if it speaks to me!) 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? Hmm… this is hard. I suppose one of the books would be a survivalist type of book, maybe what foods you can look for and also see what types of things are poisonous. Then, I’d pick a good mystery book to keep my mind in a creative state and not to sound a certain way, but I would bring Sweet Pear. It would be to remind myself of all I accomplished at a time when things were uncertain and unstable. The 4th book would be a blank one ( I mean, cmon there’s gotta be a good story to write down being on a stranded island!) 🙂 Author Websites and Profiles Jessica Butler Website: https://www.jessicambutler.com/ Jessica Butler Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/Jessica-Butler/e/B09JCNMSN1?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000 Showcased Author- 3.) Edward Tick Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written. I am a poet, author, transformational psychotherapist, pilgrimage guide to Viet Nam and Greece, and peace activist. I have been writing for over 55 years, since I was a teenager, I am recognized as a “thought leader” in healing military Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Moral Injury, and in restoring ancient holistic healing methods for modern use. I have specialized in the holistic treatment of violent traumatic wounds for over 40 years. I have written seven books on these subjects, 4 books of nonfiction, including the award-winning War and the Soul and on the Greek tradition The Practice of Dream Healing. I have also written 3 books of poetry, including my latest. What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it? Coming Home In Viet Nam is a newly published 20-year poetry collection documenting the healing and reconciliation journeys I have led to Viet Nam annually since 2000. These journeys bring extraordinary dimensions of healing to American veterans and others who travel there with me, and we contribute to Vietnamese recovery and healing from the war through philanthropic works, friendship, learning their culture, exchanging forgiveness. My poetry tells stories of encounters and healings from participants in every faction of the war – Americans and Vietnamese. These stories are unknown but deeply needed in this country. Poetry is the language of the heart and soul. I told these stories through poetry instead of nonfiction because that is how I have written my way through decades of journeys and because I wanted to appeal to the heart, the soul, the whole person, and not just the intellect. Do you have any unusual writing habits? I journal fiercely in both poetry and prose as I travel and lead the pilgrimage. For most of my life, I stayed up very late and preferred to write during the dark hours when the world is sleeping and will not disturb my creative process. Since I have a busy psychotherapy practice, I also rely on deadlines and tight scheduling of my writing tasks. Now as an elder I take the first week of every month off as a writing retreat. What authors, or books have influenced you? The classical Greek writers and thinkers, the Bible, the poetry of George Seferis, the works of Nikos Kazantzakis, Melville, Poe, Peter Matthiessen, Mary Renault, Elie Wiesel, the Japanese haiku masters, especially Issa, the novels of my early mentor William Herrick, in psychology Jung, James Hillman, R.D. Laing, Joseph Campbell. What are you working on now? A major book chapter, “The American Way of War” for an anthology on The American Psyche and Its Shadow. My next nonfiction book on the Greek tradition, Passage to Poros: Finding Spiritual Sanctuary on a Small Greek Island. What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books? https://www.edwardtick.com/ Do you have any advice for new authors? Believe in yourself and your vision. Keep writing until you find your unique voice. Try not to worry too much about being published. Have faith in your vision and purpose and that you will find outlets for your work at the right time. Grow callouses against rejections and misunderstandings of your work. Do not take rejections personally. Seek your tribe among readers and other writers. Understand and embrace the long hard journey of being a writer and that your deepest satisfaction must come from within and from your creative process. Know that somehow every good poem, every well-crafted sentence, contributes to the unfolding of consciousness, supports the human heart, and helps grow the universe. What is the best advice you have ever heard? From my mentor, the novelist William Herrick, “Don’t worry about publishing. Just write your first million words and you will.” What are you reading now? At present, I am concentrating on rereading classics that can shed light and give support for the global crises we are in – C.G. Jung, Arthur Miller, Jean-Paul Sartre. Among contemporary American writers, I am rereading all the poetry books of Richard Behm and the new and previous books by Mark Nepo. What’s next for you as a writer? My next book is on the healing traditions of ancient Greece and how to use them today. Dream Incubation and Soul Medicine, the working title, will be published in fall-winter 2022. 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 Odyssey by Homer Moby Dick by Melville Zorba the Greek by Kazantzakis Author Websites and Profiles Edward Tick Website: https://www.edwardtick.com/ Edward Tick Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/Edward-Tick/e/B001JS6JUM?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1645211833&sr=8-3 Thanks for swinging by to check out all of this great author content that I have shared with you today. There is a bonus with getting to learn about some new authors that are out 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'm multi-tasking being at work while sharing with you my blog posts. Enjoy your Wednesday now that you and I are in the middle of the work week. 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 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