Author Spotlight Interview: Anna Brees
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on January 8, 2019
With the rise of digital technology, smart phones and social media, you don’t have to turn on the television to catch the news any more. But has this led to an era of ‘fake news’? Or is it finally highlighting the bias of the ‘mainstream media’? That’s one of the questions raised by veteran television journalist Anna Brees, who recently published a book about how to harness the power of mobile journalism and get your voice heard. We spoke to Anna about her book, and the mission behind it. HG: Anna – you’re originally a television journalist, and now you run a business training people in ‘mobile journalism.’ What inspired this shift in your career? AB:It all started off with looking at documentaries on YouTube, about situations that were reported one way, but which the evidence suggested happened differently. I became angry with the mainstream media and my… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Rachel Ellyn
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on December 11, 2018
Writing successful children’s books is anything but child’s play – which is why we were excited to sit down with Rachel Ellyn, author of the popular Hamlet the Pig books, which have become especially popular as audio books. A self-described ‘publicists nightmare’, Rachel has written in multiple genres – from kid’s books to romance and thrillers – and continues to focus on telling stories in whatever format she feels suits them best. There are countless quotes about how everybody is several different ‘people’ throughout their lives – and that certainly seems to describe Rachel Ellyn. With degrees in finance and economics, Rachel’s first career was in the high-flying world of I.T. and financial process consulting – which took her all over the world, including an extended stint in London. Yet that life wasn’t true to what Rachel truly wanted – and the Rachel we talk to today seems the antithesis… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Luke Smitherd
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on November 20, 2018
Continuing our series of author interviews, we were delighted to sit down live with Luke Smitherd, the best-selling author of The Stone Man and many other critically-acclaimed and popular novels. One of the defining characteristics of the novels of Luke Smitherd is that they defy easy classification – which is somewhat true of himself, too. A former singer and guitarist – well-liked for his traveling homage to the likes of Michael Buble – Luke also played his hand as a professional darts play, commercial copywriter and much, much more. Today he’s a full-time writer with a loyal following who enjoy his unique and thought-provoking books; which I once described as “Stephen Kings meets Ben Elton.” Luke very kindly sat and chatted with us live, and here’s what he had to say: HG: Luke – your books aren’t easy to pin down as a specific genre, although you’ll often find them… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: C. J. Tudor
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on November 6, 2018
Hidden Gems regularly tries to sit down with some of the most exciting authors in print today, and although we (barely) missed Halloween – we still have a super-spooky writer to chat with today. C. J. Tudor is the author of The Chalk Man – a horror story so chilling that Stephen King himself recommended it. She kindly spared us some time to talk about her writing journey, inspirations, and what she’s working on next. Those who know author C.J. Tudor in real life call her ‘Caz’ – and this British-born writer had a plethora of careers before her lifetime of writing finally led to the publication of The Chalk Man in January of this year. The Chalk Man is a breathtaking horror debut and you don’t need to take our word for that (although we did recommend it back in August). The sovereign of modern horror himself, the inimitable Stephen King,… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Lilian Monroe
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on October 23, 2018
It’s been a while since we last sat down with an author, so today we’re excited to share an interview with Lilian Monroe, author of a dozen successful romance books on Amazon and a rapidly up-and-coming romance writer. While she’s not (yet) in the New York Times bestseller lists, the pace and success of her writing have earned her an increasingly loyal following and hundreds of 5-star reviews, and we’re excited to think that this blog post will be one of those ‘you saw her here first’ milestones in the future. On Lilian Monroe’s Author Page on Amazon, she jokes about living in a “luxurious jungle treehouse” but that’s not necessarily so far from the truth. Canadian-born, Lilian has used writing as the opportunity to earn a living while traveling the world, with stints in Australia and other far-flung destinations, and currently a base of operations in beautiful Thailand. Lilian’s… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Jay Crownover
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on January 30, 2017
In our second Author Spotlight interview, we have another NYT and USA Today bestseller for you. Author of the Marked Man series, the Saints of Denver series, and The Point and Breaking Point series, Jay Crownover’s latest novel begins what is surely destined to be yet another bestselling series. Retreat is book one of the Getaway Series, and it was released at the end of December 2016. And don’t worry, we kept this interview short enough to ensure we didn’t delay her next release! HG: Who inspires you to write? Jay: More like WHAT. There are a lot of writers I love and auto-buy…but none of them are why I write. I write because a lyric in a song inspires me, or because I overheard a story at a bar, or because I want words out there in the world that people like me identify with. I write because books… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Krista Lakes
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on October 30, 2016
In the first of our new Spotlight Author Interview features, Hidden Gems brings you NYT Times and USA Today bestseller Krista Lakes. Krista is known for stirring up modern fairy tale romance stories, with billionaires as Prince Charming and ladies as modern Cinderellas. Krista’s newest hit Romance, Yours Royally, is not only pulling in great reviews, but is already burning up the charts. We caught up with Krista to talk not only about this book, but a variety of topics from what she likes to read to how she juggles a hectic writing schedule with raising a family. HG: In the Billionaires and Brides series, we first had Ella and Jace sparking up a first kiss in a barn. Next came Kat and AJ having a magical first night together. You’ve just released Yours Royally: A Cinderella Love Story (Billionaires and Brides Book 3) – what made you decide to… Read More >
