Author, Braxton Cosby, on his award winning title Protostar

WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER AND WHY?

A calling from God. He told me to write my first novel Protostar and I stepped out on faith that what I was hearing was actually God and not some voice of my own imagination. Now, with The Sect coming back out and re-boot of Protostar becoming a huge success, I love it.

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AS A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU ASPIRE TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?

I really wanted to be an astronaut. I thought the idea of space travel was fascinating. Now, as I’ve gotten older and more cynical, the thought of traveling into space at those ridiculous speeds has become less attractive. 

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HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE?

I wanted to give people – young people in particular – the gift of learning to love people outside of circumstances. The two main protagonists of Protostar are caught up in this Star-Crossed love where it feels as though the galaxy itself is trying to tear them apart. The question or choice to love in spite of that becomes heavier as their relationship blossoms through the series and they must stand by their decisions. The ideal of accountability becomes more crucial-- something that is missing in our world today. With ‘What Will You Choose…Love or Duty?’ being the tag line. 

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TELL US SOMETHING OUR READERS MIGHT FIND INTERESTING ABOUT YOU:

I consider myself a Born-Again Christian and I value the importance of a spiritual connection with God rather than joining with religious practices. Also, my Uncle Is the legendary comedian Bill Cosby.

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WHICH AUTHOR HAS MOST GREATLY INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE?

I love Casandra Claire and Suzanne Collins. I write from both a close third person (Protostar) and first person (My Life In Story and The Sect) and I definitely look to their skill of balancing the voices of the characters throughout their stories. 

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WHAT BOOK HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

The Bible. The greatest stories have come from it and the inspiration for creating is birthed from it. 

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WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?

Finally getting my book (Protostar) transcribed into a screenplay. Now, everything else about getting it to the big screen is that much easier. 

WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED?

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The Sect: The Windgate – coming soon

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My Life In Story – Mike Clemons 

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My Life In Story – Gail Devers

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Broken Prince 

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CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF BECOMING PUBLISHED AND ANY TIPS YOU MIGHT OFFER FOR OTHER ASPIRING AUTHORS?

I tell aspiring authors all the time that they must create a story that they love first. Then, the passion for the story will flow and people who read it will fall in love with it. 

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CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?

Social media has been critical for my success and getting the word out. It is still an uphill challenge for me. Even the most popular authors still don’t get the traction they should just because they don’t have the reach or exposure. 

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IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?Please come over to my website and learn about me @ www.braxtoncosby.com. There, you will find out about me and all the projects I am working on. You’ll also find links to my book websites. 

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DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?

The School of Ministry: The Windgate, a CLC Book Award recipient (Faith-Based YA), is being rebooted as well. The new title is The Sect: The Windgate. I trimmed it down a little bit and made it a much faster and engaging read.

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Also, next year I will publish my first Hero novel in association with two other authors under Cosby Media Productions. You can also look for the Sci-fi book based on the upcoming movie, Matt Mercury with Bill Hughes (formerly the creative designer behind the Star Wars series). 

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The Sect will be out on eBook in December and the novella Evans’Heart will also be available. They will be available everywhere that eBooks can be sold.

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DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OTHER ASPIRING AUTHORS?

Yes. Find a vision, write it down. Pray on it, believe in it, and make it real. Don’t use excuses about why you never got started. Pick up the pen, keyboard, whatever and get it done. Make a story that you love first, and then shop it around.

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CAN YOU OFFER ANY TIPS ON GETTING PUBLISHED?

Don’t be afraid to pay for a professional editing service of your work. It will pay huge dividends in the end if done properly. As a writer, you just can’t catch every mistake. You need someone to look at it and tell you what parts stink and need to be taken out. Stripping that manuscript down and putting out the best product is essential.

​LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Author Spotlight - Lynne Stringer, on her award winning title, The Heir

Author, Lynne Stringer, on her award winning title,

The Heir

WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER AND WHY?: I wrote my first book when I was eight. I can also remember telling my father I wanted to be a writer when I was four, so I guess I've always had the desire in me. When I was a teenager, I used to novelise movies and episodes of TV shows I liked and that was a great training ground for my writing.

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AS A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU ASPIRE TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? At three, I decided I wanted to be an actress. At four, I decided I wanted to be a writer. Although the acting dream didn't come true on a major level, both desires have never left me. Both were based on the desire to tell stories.

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HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE?: My husband likes cheesy pick-up lines (not that he uses them on me … or anyone else, for that matter!) When we were going on holidays once, he was telling me his favourites while he was driving. I was trying to reciprocate but the only one I could think of was when the guy tells the girl, 'You are the only reason I was put on this planet.'

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As I thought about it, I imagined a guy saying that to a girl. In my mind, she replied, 'Yeah, right.'

Then he said, 'No, you are the only reason I was put on this planet.'

That made me wonder … what if a guy said that to a girl and he meant it literally? The idea for The Heir was born and I spent most of our holiday thinking about it.

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TELL US SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER: At my son's school they have a book club for the older grades and the book club read The Heir. One day, when I was walking my son to school, a girl came up to me and said, 'Excuse me, are you the author of The Heir?' When I said yes she started telling me how much she'd loved it. I felt like a celebrity!

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WHICH AUTHOR HAS MOST GREATLY INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE?: I'm not sure I've been influenced as far as style goes. I think my style is my own. Authors whose books I like include Enid Blyton, the Brontes and Stephenie Meyer.

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WHAT BOOK HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte had a huge impact on me when I first read it. Prior to that, everything I'd written was in third person, but that book woke me up to the appeal of first person. Another book was Twilight. At the time I read it, it had been years since I'd read a novel and I hadn't tried writing any fiction for a decade. That book made me realise anew how moving fiction could be and I took up my pen, novelised a couple of TV episodes (just like I'd done when I was a teenager), then wrote The Heir.

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WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?: Receiving the Literary Classics silver award for The Heir in their young adult science fiction section.

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HAVE YOU PUBLISHED ANY OTHER BOOKS?: Yes, The Crown (Verindon #2), The Reign (Verindon #3)

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DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?: I am currently working on a manuscript, tentatively titled, How Far Forgive? It is a contemporary drama about a girl who is involved in a hostage drama and has to find a way to forgive her attacker.  --It isn't available yet, as it is still in the production stage. To keep an eye on what's happening with it, follow me via my website: www.lynnestringer.com or my Facebook page, or on Twitter @TheHeirNovel.

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CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF BECOMING PUBLISHED AND ANY TIPS YOU MIGHT OFFER FOR OTHER ASPIRING AUTHORS?:

Don't give up. Keep trying. Try and get an agent, as it will help. But even if you can't do that, don't stop. And before you do anything else, get a professional edit on your work. I can't stress this enough. Don't wait for the agent or publisher to have it done for you. They may well refuse your work because it's not up to scratch. Get an edit FIRST. If you decide to self-publish I would get three edits, because if you do self-publish, the onus is on you to get it right the first time. You don't want to put off potential fans because you produce work that isn't up to scratch.

Also, be prepared to accept criticism. You will get it.

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CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK? Try and be involved in sites for other books in your genre and do this because you like those books, not just because you want to promote yourself. People will be more inclined to show an interest in your work if they are encouraged by the fact that you share a mutual love for another title. And don't 'sell' at people all the time. Nothing is more annoying than someone who does nothing but put constant sales pitches on their Facebook page or Twitter feed. Talk about your writing journey and what you're doing. Also become involved as an author on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and anywhere else you can find.

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org