Vol. #34: Showcasing (3) More Awesome Gang Authors!!

Photo Credit: https://awesomegang.com/leslie-jasper/ Hello Everyone! Let's get through this Friday afternoon so we can start our weekend. Did anyone say TGIF!?! The weather is currently chilly yet decent here on the streets of New York City. I shall take it! How are you doing today?! My illustrator Anastasia and I, from Tad_Art on Fiverr, are almost finished with Not All Girls Play With Dolls!!! I'm trying to figure out the free way to set the book up for free since Createspace tools are now gone!!! I'm so annoyed with that!! I have to hunt down some YouTube videos in order to figure this out real soon. The goal is to have my children's book released and live on Amazon by April 2022! :) Are you a budding author who just launched your book/podcast!? It's important to have all of the social media platforms and build your brand via networking with others. I find great power in the hashtag as well. My hashtags are #LeslieMJasper, #ConstructionTales, and #VerballyDisastrous. Share with me your hashtag and connect with me on social media. If you could also network with my 16-year-old son John's "Call To Action Marketing" business (hashtag #CTAMarketing), that would be helpful and highly appreciated. 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 on Twitter. 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. I've even submitted #ConstructionTales to both Awesome Gang and Book Reader Magazine recently. I shall also submit my children's book real soon to Awesome Gang and other avenues once it goes live. I'm actually getting excited for the release of this project!! My first children's book #NotAllGirlsPlayWithDolls is intended to empower young kids to pursue their passions even if it is not normally the tradition in their society.

Photo Credit: Front Cover Of Not All Girls Play With Dolls- illustrated By Tad_Art 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.) Sonya Lawson Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written. Hi! I’m Sonya Lawson and I like to write stories about magic with a bit of mayhem, struggle, and sass thrown in for good measure. I’ve written a lot in my life, both as an academic for many years and as a fantasy author. As of today I have two novels completed. They are a contemporary fae fantasy duology. What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it? My first novel, Sabrina and The Lady, was released in February 2022. It was inspired by (and also references) an old John Milton play from 1634 titled Comus. Hence the name of the duology – The Comus Duology. It follows the struggles of two women who are best friends. Sabrina is a human academic thrown into the fighting of the Fae court while Nin is a Fae princess doing her best to survive in and outside of that court. Do you have any unusual writing habits? Not really. I think my writing habits are pretty average. Other habits, however… What authors, or books have influenced you? So many! Milton, of course, was a big influence on this duology in particular. I also love the classics in general. In terms of contemporary fantasy, Pratchett, Moning, Gaiman, Maas, and Hamilton are big influences on my writing. I also read widely in lots of genres, so I like to take inspiration and influence from all over, not only in fantasy. What are you working on now? The Comus Duology will be completed with the publication of The Queen and The Scholar in May of 2022. I’m also currently finishing up a long (30k+word) high fantasy novella featuring dragons and magic. What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books? I’m new to book promotion, so I’m doing so much to get the word out to readers it all feels a bit of a blur. Anywhere authors can directly relate/speak to readers (like here, social media, interview sites or podcasts) really seems like the best way forward for promotion. My author website, sonyalawson.com, is also really useful because it has the best, most up-to-date info about me and what I’m working on at the moment. To get freebies and additional tidbits to my readers, my monthly newsletter is a huge help (and you can sign up for that on my website). Do you have any advice for new authors? Write, read, and share/talk about both. That’s the best advice. The more you talk writing (your own or others) the more you learn about craft. The more you share your writing, and read what others have written, the better you become at recognizing what works for you as a writer and a reader. What is the best advice you have ever heard? A direct quote from an old grad school professor: “Sometimes good is good enough.” We try for perfection too much and realistically can never reach it. But we can get good results even if they are not perfect. I try to tell myself this often and keep it in mind, especially when I’m writing. Getting a good story out is the end goal for me. I don’t need perfection. Good is good enough. What are you reading now? I’m reading In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado and All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman What’s next for you as a writer? My next series project is a urban fantasy quartet based in Columbus, OH that pulls on the Lovecraft mythos. 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? Such a hard question, so I’m going to cheat just a little bit! 1. Terry Prachett – Lords and Ladies (one of the all time best books about evil elves) 2. Angela Carter – Burning Your Boats (collected short stories) 3. Laurell K Hamilton – Club Vampyre (collection of the first 3 Anita Blake novels) 4. Mary Shelley – Frankenstein (because it’s my absolute favorite novel of all time) Author Websites and Profiles Sonya Lawson Website: https://sonyalawson.com/ Sonya Lawson Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/Sonya-Lawson/e/B09P2NT6M3 Showcased Author- 2.) T.O. Paine Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written. I love reading as much as I love writing psychological suspense thrillers. Harlan Coben, Taylor Adams, Theresa Driscoll, Riley Sager, C.J. Tudor, and J.D. Barker are just a few of my favorite authors. I fell in love with books at an early age, but I was drawn in by the internet and subsequently achieved bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer information systems. When I’m not reading, writing, or programming, I’m on the road, running or cycling. I am fortunate to live next to the great Colorado Rockies where I have road cycled hundreds of miles and can fly anywhere in the USA in less than four hours. This is important because it decreases the travel needed to achieve my goal of running a marathon in each of the fifty states. As of 2022, I have eighteen more to go. Wish me luck. Also, as of 2022, I have written three novels, all set for publication this year. My wife, two children, and a Boston Terrier Ogre mix named Fiona tolerate my excessive behavior, and I love them for it. What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it? In the mid-2000s, my family and I lived in a cult on the edge of a protected forest for roughly three years. My latest novel, The Teaching, is a thriller mystery based on my experience there. Do you have any unusual writing habits? I do much of my writing without a computer or a pen. I write in my head and type it up later. Inspiration often comes in the moments immediately after waking up or on long runs through my neighborhood. What authors, or books have influenced you? A.J. Finn’s “Woman in a Window,” Theresa Driscoll’s “I am Watching You,” Alex Michaelides “The Silent Patient,” and Rachel Caine’s “Stillhouse Lake” immediately come to mind. Less contemporary influences include Alfred Hitchcock, Shirley Jackson, and Edgar Allan Poe. What are you working on now? I’m finishing my third novel, The Excursion. In this “Rainman meets The Most Dangerous Game” thriller, a neurodivergent twenty-something disappears in the mountains of Colorado, and a madman goes on a hunting trip. What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books? My newsletter goes directly to the people I care about most. There is no better promotion than honest, word-of-mouth exchanges between those who have enjoyed my writing. Do you have any advice for new authors? Authors who truly love to write don’t need advice. They need time, persistence, humility, and encouragement. With that, everything will fall into place. What is the best advice you have ever heard? When you get knocked down, get back up again. What are you reading now? Every Last Secret by Alessandra Torre. What’s next for you as a writer? I’ll be publishing three psychological thriller novels this year, and I plan to keep this cadence for the foreseeable future. Each of my novels explore mental concerns ranging from brainwashing to addiction to autism to narcissism to . . . stay tuned for more. 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? Different Seasons by Stephen King, Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, and Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Author Websites and Profiles T.O. Paine Website: https://topaine.com/ T.O. Paine Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/T-O-Paine/e/B09HHP9FX6 Showcased Author- 3.) Alexandra Bradley Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written. I am a 24 year old Admin Assistant living in the UK with my family. I’ve written one book which is my debut novel, which took three years to write. What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it? Two Worlds Collide is my debut novel. The idea came about on one of our family holidays to Cornwall which we take every year. With my headphones in I remember we were driving along a road which overlooked a beach and I saw a lifeguard riding on a quad bike which sparked an idea in my head. For the rest of the trip I was scribbling down all my thoughts which gradually became a plot for a story – this became a three year project and my first ever book to be published. Do you have any unusual writing habits? I wouldn’t say unusual but I love to put my earphones in with a coffee shop ambiance and soft jazz music playing in the background. If I can’t get to a coffee shop, there’s a specific YouTube video which is set in a cafe, it plays for about 4 hours and it’s so great. I think I actually prefer it to listening to music as it eases my mind and there aren’t any distracting lyrics so I can enter my creative headspace. What authors, or books have influenced you? Jodi Ellen Malpas is an author who really got me into reading again, I remember my mum raving about her ‘This Man’ series so I gave them a go and fell in love. Another author is Estelle Maskame – she is 24 years old and an international best selling author. I think the fact that she’s the same age as me, having achieved what she has, is a real inspiration and motivation for me. What are you working on now? I am currently working on the second book to my Two Worlds series – hopefully this one won’t be three years in the making. What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books? Influencers, influencers, influencers. I think Instagram is a great place to find book reviewers and influencers with a decent amount of followers who are willing to help promote your book. Youtube is also a good method of finding people with a following who review books. Approaching them and offering to gift them your book is always a good way of getting your name out there. Do you have any advice for new authors? Don’t give up. It’s possibly one of the most amazing things to have written and finished a novel, now you’re an author and want people to read your hard work – approach as many people as you can, research as many promotional websites/companies as you can and don’t give up! Oh, and write your second book! Once people get a piece of your writing they’re going to want more and that’s a huuuuge compliment… give them what they want! What is the best advice you have ever heard? There’s no such word as ‘can’t’. What are you reading now? My Policeman by Bethan Roberts – it’s eye opening. What’s next for you as a writer? Write more! I’m currently working on my second novel so that’s the priority at the minute, but I have so many ideas which I’m itching to get started on. 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? Never Give Up: A Life of Adventure by Bear Grylls Scavengers by Darren Simpson The Forbidden by Jodi Ellen Malpas Alexandra Bradley’s Social Media Links Goodreads Profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22191516.Alexandra_Bradley Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/Alexx_Bradleyy Thanks for offering your time to this post in order to check out all of this great author content that I have shared with you today. Hopefully, you enjoy learning 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. It is low key at work today so I'm able to share with you my blog posts. Enjoy your Friday and be safe now that we are super close to launching another amazing weekend. 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. #CTAMarketing, #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