Please tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in a working class family in north London. I didn't distinguish myself at school and was considered a dunce, if not retarded. Needless to say I left school without any qualifications. My first love was Art and I found a job in a commercial art studio. I loved it and it was the only job I've ever enjoyed. After a couple of years my second passion kicked in. The urge to travel reared its ugly head, so I left my job and off I went. I didn't go too far, but I stayed away for over a year and loved it! I was hooked, but found that when I returned to England I couldn't break back into the art game again. That started a pattern that lasted for years. Find any kind of work, save up money and leave again. This was years before personal computers and the internet, so there wasn't any hope of working and travelling at the same time like nowadays. Also, only speaking one language didn't help either. Because of that I've done a variety of horrible jobs, from pearl diving(dishwashing) to English teacher. Each time I came back it became more and more difficult to find work, so I had the brilliant idea of getting myself a qualification that I could take with me. I decided on social work and to cut a long story short, I unintentionally ended up studying for a degree in social science as a mature student. Of course, I loved the student life, but when I graduated(1990) England was still in the grip of recession and I couldn't find a decent job. I finally found a crap job in a warehouse, saved my money and returned to Guatemala. It was my third trip to Guatemala, the first as a traveler and the second as a exchange student on my university gap year. The second time I met and fell in love with the woman who is now my wife. Anyway, the only work I get there was teaching English and so I did that for the next 15 years. First working for someone else, then privately and finally employing other people. When that collapsed due to the bad economy I returned to England with my wife. Although I had intended on staying only a couple of years circumstances led us to stay for five. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy being in England again and neither did my wife. With relief, we returned to Guatemala about three years ago. since then we have bought a house and opened and closed two businesses. It has been a very busy three years. Now I am hoping to concentrate on promoting and selling the books that I have written.

Tell us about your latest book.
My book, The Adventures of Jojo Smith came about more as an experiment than as an attempt at serious writing. I wanted to see if I was really capable of writing a decent story. Although an avid reader since my teens I've never had the compulsion to write myself, but after I got back into education I was encouraged by several tutors to try my hand at it. I didn't bother until after I had graduated and one day sat down and wrote the first six pages. Unfortunately, I caught a severe case of writer's block and couldn't touch it for the next two years. Fortunately, I took those six pages with me when I returned to Guatemala and was able to finish it there. As I was surprisingly pleased with the end result, I continued to write. One of the pieces of advice about writing you may hear is write about what you know and that's what I did. I wrote fantasy because I like to read it and it gave me scope to use my imagination. The medieval setting came about because I love the Arthurian Legend and other types of sword and sorcery tales. The main character of Jojo was based on ordinary blokes like myself and those that I grew up with. I was fed up with reading stories where the main character or hero has special qualities or abilities to deal with the situations they find themselves in. I wanted to see how a normal bloke would feel and react to being transported to another world in another age. I know the thoughts and reactions of an ordinary bloke. My main character came first and all I did was find a setting in which I could have some fun with him. The story is written with a dash of humour because I don't take myself too seriously and I wasn't about to take my first attempt at writing too seriously either. I had a concrete idea how to start the story and knew that there would be a happy ending, but the bit in between was very vague. It developed without a set plan, as ideas hit me.

What do you have coming out in the future?
The next book that I wish to publish is another fantasy which is also set in a medieval world, but the hero is part of that world. It is about a shape-shifter. A jester that is host to two other human spirits. The host is unaware of the other two and they are also unaware of each other. All live fragmented lives until the barriers separating them begin to break down.

What genre do you enjoy writing the most and why?
I write fantasy because that is what I like to read and it also lets me use my imagination. Some characters are pure figments of my imagination, others are based on real people, but in general, not in particular. I think that there are many authors that have influenced my writing as I have read very many books over the years. Most of those books were not by famous authors and I can´t even remember the titles now. You can usually find some little gem in whatever you read. Probably the most impressive for me was Tolkien, as he created a whole world for his characters and it was the first of that kind work that I had ever read.

How have your real life experiences influenced your writing?
One day I realized that there was one thread that ran through all my works and that was the idea of change. My main characters always go through some sort of change during the course of the story. That probably reflects my own life. I have changed the expected course of my life and it´s a lot different from what it was supposed to be. Some of the changes have been deliberate and some seem to have come about randomly.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?

What was your road to publishing like? Tell us about it.
My road to publishing has been a bloody nightmare. For many years I just wrote and wrote without any great ambition to publish. It was a vague idea floating around in my head. Although I was quite pleased with the stories that I produced I wasn't sure that anybody would be. On the other hand I'd read some really dreadful books in my time and have wondered to myself if this crap can be published 'why can't someone publish my crap?’ Anyway, at some point I decided to try. This was a long time before I had a computer and didn't really understand how the internet worked. To cut a long story short I found a list of agents and publishers and started sending off query letters by post from Guatemala. It was a long drawn out process. Most agents and publishers didn't reply and those that did were rejection letters. This took place over several years. Some letters took as long as nine months to reach me. I had just about given up when one of the publishers I had sent a letter to finally replied and told me that they thought my book was wonderful and they would love to publish it. Apparently, during the time my query was sent the company had been taken over and there were lots of changes, so that accounted for the delay in getting back to me. What I didn't know was that it was an online publisher. I was looking for a traditional publisher and hadn't considered online publishing before, but by this time I was desperate as I had put in a lot of time and effort. They sent all the literature about their company and pointed out how easy it was. They were all very friendly and so I signed a contract. As soon as I signed the contract they turned into a right nasty bunch. What I didn't understand until it was too late was that they would only print the book on demand and I had to market and sell it myself. Also, I had to buy the copies of my book from them to sell it. I was ill equipped to do that, so the book stagnated with them for many years. Finally, they released it back to me. Sometime later I stumbled across Amazon and have put my book there. I was so excited to find some place where I could publish my book without the consent of anybody else that I rushed into it and of course, made some mistakes. Now I have corrected the mistakes and realized that I have to promote the book myself. Before I didn't have much time or ideas how to do that, but I am beginning to learn.

Is your book a stand alone or a series?
This was written as a stand alone book as I thought at the time that I probably only had imagination enough to write one book, but it seems I was wrong, seeing as I have gone on to write other books. I was so happy with my story that I wanted to invent other characters and situations, but if there was a demand for it I would be quite happy to feature Jojo Smith in other stories.

Have you joined any writer’s groups?
I have joined a group on Goodreads and Bookblogs.

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
The hardest part of writing seems to change as I go along. At first it was about screwing up my courage enough to actually sit down and try to write. The first few pages that I wrote were agonizing and then I came down with writer's block. After I had got over that hurdle and found that I could write if I wanted to, the words generally flowed. It isn't always as easy as I make it sound here, but I know that I can write when I’m in the mood. Then came revisions. After I have come to the end of a story, I've had enough and don't want to touch it again. Unfortunately, you have to, but I find that I have to force myself to sit down and go through it all over again. Now I'm on the promoting and marketing stage, which I’m not too happy with either.

Today's guest author on Interviews with Dante is Angel Chadwick. Enjoy learning a bit about this wonderful author.

Please tell us a little about yourself.
Hi, I'm Angel Chadwick. I have been writing since I was 13 years old. I was traditionally published in my early teens and twenties. Then decided to go indie. I am a mom, I have an eight year old son who is autistic/nonverbal. I write all genres. I have published my poetry book "Corridors of My Mind," which has been published since September 14, 2014 on Amazon, B&N, Booksamillion, Kindle, Indiebounds, etc.  

Tell us about your latest book.
My poetry book "Corridors of My Mind," is a nonfiction-memoir written in the form of poetry about my life. It took me twenty years to write. I write about the dark places in my life from my adulthood to my teen years, addressing motherhood, domestic violence, marriage, etc.

What do you have coming out in the future?
I have a YA novel, which is a mystery/psychological thriller/historical fiction/dark romance coming out this Spring 2015.

What genre do you enjoy writing the most and why?
There is no genre I like writing the most. I'm hoping with my unique style of writing which doesn't exactly fit any genre, (if people read my work) is I have already created my own genre which one day I will come up with a name for, which is the genre/style I like writing in the most. So far no one has every been able to correctly categorize my writing style or what genre it fits in.

From where do you draw your inspiration?
I use life, reality is my inspiration. And yes I do have an imagination which is beyond comprehension at times.
 
Do you ever base your characters on real people in your life?
Yes and in my community.

What authors inspire your writing?
Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Tennessee Williams, Toni Morrison, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sylvia Plath, Mar Twain, William Faulkner, Bret Harte, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne to name a few.

What kind of books do you like to read?
Classic literature and a few modern works. But, only classic literature inspires my work.
 
How have your real life experiences influenced your writing?
Real life experiences have made my writing authentic and natural.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Spend time with my son when he's not at school.

What was your road to publishing like? Tell us about it.
My road to publishing was bitter and very hard work.

How did you come up with the title of your book?
Off the top of my head, "Corridors of My Mind," is a metaphor for all I have been through, how I learned from it, the wisdom, how it changed me forever, like walking through one corridor after another and finally finding the door. My titles always come from metaphors because I like metaphors. I think in metaphors sometimes and the always have several meanings at least when I use them.
 
Is your book a stand alone or a series?
It's a stand alone book. Although, my third book will be a series and next one after that too.

Do you read the genre you write for or do you prefer other genres?
I read all genres.

What celebrity would you chose to play the main character(s) in the movie rendition of your book?
In my novel that is coming in the Spring 2015, I'd say Simon Wood, Molly Quinn, Julianne Moore, Anthony Hopkins, Kellan Lutz, Michael Fassbender.

Have you joined any writer’s groups?
Just the ones on Goodreads.

Have you won any awards for your writing?
Yes, Poet Laureate, Medallion, two certificates for my writing, Homer trophy.

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Time, promoting.

What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?
Everything else, editing, writing, etc.

Which of your characters is your favorite and why?
Every character I write is my favorite. I love and hate them equally.

Who or what are your inspirations/influences?
Anger, love, hate, injustice, justice, life, reality, obsession, family, community, whatever I wanted to protest or bring attention to.

What is your preferred writing environment?
In a room, with no interruptions, deafening silence.
 
How would you describe your writing style?
A true event.

Do you have a careful plan when plotting your stories or do you just go with the flow?
Both.

With many publishing routes available today, which felt the most reliable to you when it came to the many choices?
Indie.

When did you know you truly wanted to give writing a shot?
When I was thirteen, and my teacher gave me an A+ on my first short story and bragged about me to the rest of the class and told me I have a gift of it and should pursue it. It was the first time I had written anything. It was the first time I knew I could write.

Please tell us a little about yourself.
I'm an author of Paranormal Romance with Christian elements.  I'm also a journalist for my local newspaper, and I am married to a man I consider an angel.  I have three kids (a shih tzu and two cats - But don't tell them they're not human ;)  )

Tell us about your latest book.
I have three books that just released in a series.  Immortal Memory:  Book One, Immortal Memory:  A Cursed Affair (Book Two), and Immortal Memory:  Her Darkest Hour (Book Three).  Book One is about Simra Reece, owner of Reece Alzheimer's Care Facility, is determined to prolong her grandmother's life at the home and find a cure for the horrendous illness.  Nothing will stop her from taking care of her precious grandmother, who is the only family she has left.  But Simra's world comes crashing down when her ex-fiance', Tristan Azazel, returns with a deadly obsession on forcing her into marriage.  Tristan is a danger to Simra and her grandmother, but he isn't just any normal man.  He is dark and powerful.   The only chance Simra has of survival is placing her trust in  his tall and handsome twin brother, Zach Hanley, who seems to have a hidden, dark past with her grandmother.  Together, she and Zach must release their guilt of the past, learn to forgive, and place all their trust in Christ for their protection against the evil forces surrounding them...

What do you have coming out in the future?
My next book, Immortal Illusions, will release in March 2016.  The characters were introduced in Book Three.  Ramiel and Kyrie.

What genre do you enjoy writing the most and why?
Paranormal Romance with Christian elements because the history of angels and demons fascinate me.  I've always enjoyed watching horror movies since I was younger.  And I add the Christian elements because God has gotten me through so much, and it is my purpose to tell his message through my stories.

From where do you draw your inspiration?
God inspires me every day in everything.

Do you ever base your characters on real people in your life?
I based Lucinda's character on my grandmother and great-grandmother.  She has both of their characteristics, which are mostly the same.  I drew Melton's character from my grandpa.  He has quite a temper, but he is so funny.

What authors inspire your writing?
Erin Healy and Cythia Hand.

What kind of books do you like to read?
I like to read Christian supernatural suspense and YA Paranormal Romance.

How have your real life experiences influenced your writing?
Spiritual experiences have influenced my writing.  Some of the ways God can strengthen a person's faith gives me ideas.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I love reading, and I love spending time with family. 

What was your road to publishing like? Tell us about it.
It took years and a ton of rejections, but I never gave up.  I couldn't, because writing is a part of me.

How did you come up with the title of your book?
I came up with Immortal because God is Immortal, and Memory because of a lot of reasons.  Simra is haunted by memories of the past.  Lucinda is cursed with memory loss.  But most importantly, a tragic and painful memory of the past that strengthened your faith to something very powerful in the present should never be forgotten.  That memory can be what drew you to God in the present and makes you who you are today.

Is your book a stand alone or a series?
A series.

Do you read the genre you write for or do you prefer other genres?
I don't know any other books in my genre.

What celebrity would you chose to play the main character(s) in the movie rendition of your book?
Ben Affleck and Amanda Noelle.

Have you joined any writer’s groups?
Yes, I'm president of the Jackson Parish Author's Association.

Have you won any awards for your writing?
No.

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Writing THE END.

What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?
Thinking up the story.

Which of your characters is your favorite and why?
I think Melton is my favorite character.  Probably because he reminds me so much of my grandpa.  He is so funny.

Who or what are your inspirations/influences?
God, my husband, and my family.  They are my number one support.

What is your preferred writing environment?
My office.

How would you describe your writing style?
Plotter.

Do you have a careful plan when plotting your stories or do you just go with the flow?  Very careful. 
I plan everything out.

With many publishing routes available today, which felt the most reliable to you when it came to the many choices?
I chose to self-publish because I've heard that there are more good things about it than traditional publishing.

When did you know you truly wanted to give writing a shot?
Since I was fourteen and read one of my mom's romance novels.  I knew then that I wanted to be a published author.

Today's guest author on Interviews with Dante is Daniel Haight. Enjoy learning a bit about this wonderful author.

Please tell us a little about yourself.
Sure!  So, I’m Dan Haight.  I’m making a big change in my life:  When my son was born in 2006, I decided it was time to start being the father my son deserved to have.  It’s been a scary process to change my life like this but it’s also been very rewarding.  Along the way I’ve learned a lot about the writing and publishing businesses.  I’ve also learned a lot about myself.
 
Tell us about your latest book:
My latest book is Iron Mountain – it’s the second book in the Jim Westfield series, a story about a kid in the near-future that lives on a floating community.  His family is missing, pirates are after him and the world is ending.  Lots of hard science fiction, lots of action and lots of heart – hearing people’s good reviews about it has been very rewarding.

What do you have coming out in the future?
I’m going to be updating both editions of my books – they’re coming out in September.  I’m doing this because I want to streamline both books and their associated material to prep them for being part of the larger series I am writing.

What genre do you enjoy writing the most and why?
I enjoy writing science fiction the most.  It lets me play with new ideas, forces me to learn new things – it’s the best place to grow, if you’re a geek.

From where do you draw your inspiration?
I draw my inspiration from daily life – I like to take real situations and say “Now how would you handle this if you were living on a floating community, for example?”  Even simple things like getting food or doing your laundry can take on an interesting meaning if you have to do it in outer space.  J

Do you ever base your characters on real people in your life?
I never base my characters on real people – that’d be unfair to them as well as to my readers.  Characters will have attributes of real people I’ve met in life but I always try to make my characters as close to real people as possible.  That means they have unique mannerisms, opinions and actions. 

What authors inspire your writing?
I draw my inspiration from several places: old sci-fi like Heinlein and Bradbury.  Western stories like L’Amour and Elmore Leonard.  Fiction like Pahalniuk and Hunter S Thompson.

What kind of books do you like to read?
I like to read books in the sci-fi, thriller or Western genre.  I also love modern fiction, stuff like To Kill a Mockingbird or The Caine Mutiny

How have your real life experiences influenced your writing?
Absolutely!  Real life experiences, like the ones I write about in my Evil Plan (www.flotillaonline.com/evil-plan) definitely shape the kind of storytelling I like to do.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I have a day job and a family, so my time is centered around both of those things.  My wife and I share a lot of interests so we travel, build things and experiment with our cooking.

What was your road to publishing like? Tell us about it.
Getting published is like being a parent – everyone wants the same thing but their story is always different.  I’d say that after trying to sell Flotilla to a number of agents, I decided to go into the self-publishing world.  It’s been a difficult process but very rewarding and I’ve had a ton of cool experiences along the way.  I tell those stories during a panel @ Comic Con called “You Better Hope I Don’t Get Famous.”

Flotilla – When 15-year-old Jim joins his father on Colony D, he thinks it’s a free pass out of rehab to spend the summer on a man-made island in the Pacific while his troubles are marooned on the mainland. When things stop adding up and Jim becomes suspicious, he discovers a horrifying secret.

Unfortunately, Jim’s discovery is now the least of his problems: the United States has suddenly come under attack from an unknown enemy and his father is taken away.  Jim must race to protect the ones he loves from drug runners and pirates that will kill to keep their secrets.

How did you come up with the title of your book?
Excellent question – I have no idea how I came up with the title of Flotilla. J  I just remember writing the first draft and the name was just there.  It wasn’t like I named the book, it’s like I discovered what it always was supposed to be.

Is your book a stand alone or a series?
Part of a series – but I also write other non-series stories – you can get them for free at flotillaonline.com

Do you read the genre you write for or do you prefer other genres?
Absolutely – sci-fi is my favorite genre to read.  I also like non-fiction crime, Westerns and thrillers

What celebrity would you chose to play the main character(s) in the movie rendition of your book?
Someone suggested a teenage Leonardo DiCaprio to play Jim in the movie and I can’t argue with that logic!  I’m sure that’ll be a part of our discussion whenever we get to that stage. J

Have you joined any writer’s groups?
Sure – some online groups at Goodreads and Reddit – I find it’s easier to look online to find authors at the same stage I am 

Have you won any awards for your writing?
I’ve won a lot of praise for being the hardest working author that many other authors know – hasn’t translated into an award but it’s nice to know that people like David Brin like what I do.

What is your preferred writing environment?
Hammering at the keyboard with some trance or jazz. J  I can work pretty much anywhere but I need an ergo keyboard because otherwise my wrists start to hurt (all those years of bad posture are taking their toll).

How would you describe your writing style?
I try to keep my writing style fluid and interesting.  I want the story to flow organically, giving you enough detail to imagine the scene well but paced to keep your attention.  It takes some skill to know when to stop and when to start sometimes.

Do you have a careful plan when plotting your stories or do you just go with the flow?
I find that having a plan is necessary but following a plan isn’t.  I use a plot outline where I write out a simple paragraph of what happens in that chapter.  Then, as I’m writing the draft, I may or may not hold to the plan.  It’s valuable to know how much you should be covering and it’s cut down on my writing time substantially.

With many publishing routes available today, which felt the most reliable to you when it came to the many choices? 
I think the most reliable publishing route right now is self-publishing.  Even established authors are going that route and even if I were to land a deal tomorrow, there’s no guarantee that the book will sell because I as the author am still on the hook to promote it.  If the publishing house doesn’t promote it, as it does for about 98% of its titles, then I’m the bad guy because my book didn’t sell.  Writing is a very arbitrary business but fortunately for authors, it’s really changed in the past 5 years.  Anyone can write and become a best-seller now.  You’re only bound by your own talent and ability.

When did you know you truly wanted to give writing a shot?
I’ve *always* wanted to be a writer.  I started scribbling in 6th grade and I never really stopped.  I took a long break from writing until I was in my 20s and then, with the birth of my son, I knew I had to give it a shot.  Even if I don’t achieve a huge amount of success, I still feel rewarded because I’m doing what I know I should be doing with my life.

Today's guest author on Interviews with Dante is W. E. Lawrence. Enjoy learning a bit about this wonderful author.

Please tell us a little about yourself.
I graduated in 1978 from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill with a BS in business administration. Despite wishing I had taken more courses in journalism and communications, I have been running my own successful home health care supplies distributorship for the past twenty-three years.

Passionate about God, writing, reading, family, sports, politics, and America, I currently live in Davidson, North Carolina, with my lovely wife and our two wonderful children.

Tell us about your latest book.
“Guardian of Paradise” is a historical adventure romance about a beautiful but quite capable young woman, Kira Wall, who was living a challenging and enjoyable life in a relatively isolated culture. However, her world gets turned upside down when she meets Trevor Marshall, a handsome doctor/botanist from England, who has come by merchant ship seeking to make a name for himself by developing disease curing drugs. He represents everything she was taught to stand firm against, but for an innocent soul like Kira, he is intoxicating. It is the one temptation that will test her will to the limit.

After she reluctantly agrees to be Trevor’s guide, things become unraveled when she suspects he is distracting her from the ship’s renegade captain who has his own ulterior, “get rich”, motives for being there. Her situation becomes desperate when no one will listen. The evil captain has a devilishly charming manner, plenty of "modern" goods with which to woo the islanders, and a clever ability to lie his way out of suspicion. He has also brought a new invention, dynamite.

What do you have coming out in the future?
I am working on another historical adventure romance in the pre-World War II time period.  It is loosely based on an Indiana Jones type character but the lead is another strong woman.

What genre do you enjoy writing the most and why?
My writing may be unique in that it is a cross between historical fiction and romance. As a man, I've always enjoyed action adventure stories but wished the love scenes were a lot hotter. I'm curious to learn how many others out there, male and female, who might share my tastes.

From where do you draw your inspiration?
Ultimately my inspiration comes from God, then communicated through reading, writing, movies, conversation, dreams, and imagination.

Do you ever base your characters on real people in your life?
Sometimes I will use names of people I know for my characters but none of them are anything like the people in my books.

What authors inspire your writing?
There have been many but here I’ll just mention Ernest Hemingway, Vince Flynn, and Clive Cussler.

What kind of books do you like to read?
Suspense, Mystery, Adventure, and Romance

What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Work, read, pray, eat, sleep, spend time with family and friends

How did you come up with the title of your book?
The title “Guardian of Paradise” seemed to be the proper description of the heroine’s goal.

Is your book a stand-alone or a series?
“Guardian of Paradise” is a stand-alone although some have suggested I write a sequel. 

Do you read the genre you write for or do you prefer other genres?
I will read in any fictional genre as long as it’s a good story.

Have you joined any writer’s groups?
Romance Writers of America

How would you describe your writing style?
Easy, free flowing, and descriptive.  

Do you have a careful plan when plotting your stories or do you just go with the flow?
In just my first two books, I’ve done it both ways.  The first, “Guardian of Paradise,” I outlined the entire book before I started writing.  In the second, I put together some general ideas and then started flying by the seat of my pants.

When did you know you truly wanted to give writing a shot?
I’m not sure when it actually happened, but it was a long time ago, and I put it off for far too long.