Sunday, February 21, 2016

Spotlight Sunday with Andrew Hess

Welcome to Spotlight Sunday! 


 Spotlight Sunday is where we spread the word about authors we love.

This weeks author is Andrew Hess. Andrew is apart of our awesome Review Team.

Andrew has a new book releasing on February 29th, titled, #1 Fan. I got the chance to to read and review this book.

Let's just say I was left with one hell of a book hangover.

So, lets learn a little about Andrew  and his new book #1 Fan

About Andrew



Andrew Hess is a resident of Long Island, New York and a Lindenhurst High School Alumni (graduating class of 2001) Having been a fan of writing creative writing and journalism, Andrew found himself with the desire to become an author while studying Psychology at SUNY New Paltz. His first book, Chamber of Souls, debuted in 2011 where he depicted the life of a broken man wallowing in self-pity. Using free verse poetry, he brought this character to life while he journeyed to find himself.

Hess also found himself immersed in the world of mystery and thriller novels. His first Series, The Phoenix Blade, showcased a group of vigilante 20 year olds hired by the government to rid the country of those that have evaded justice. This fictional government conspiracy series currently has three books available and was awarded the Best Series of 2014 by Indie Author Books.

Despite spending most of his life Lindenhurst, Andrew also spent five years living in the New Paltz and Poughkeepsie areas. His return trips helped inspire his second series, The Detective Ryan Series. Currently, there are two books in the action packed series that depicts the life of Detective Ali Ryan as she investigates a series of murders while struggling to keep her family together.

Andrew won Indie Author Books: Best Mystery Thriller Author of 2015
Nominated for Best Male Author, Best Mystery Suspense Author of 2015
(By Wickedly Devine Divas, The Three Bookateers, & SNSBAH Promotions)

He was also nominated for Book of the year, and Best Mystery Book of 2015 for Campus Killer
(By Wickedly Divine Divas, The Three Bookateers, SNSBAH Promotions, & Indie Author Books)

Hess is also an avid blogger at The Writers Revolution (http://thewritersrevolution13.blogspot.com) and Between the Coverz (https://www.facebook.com/betweenthecoverz) where he promotes and interviews other authors, as well as reviewing books of all genres.


Interview With Andrew

1. Tell us a little about how you started writing.
                
The shorter version of this story is that I started writing when I was in 5th grade because of the creative writing club. Since then I kept writing on and off (including creating my own newspaper, joining the Young Writer’s Society in school, and the school newspaper) until I was a junior in college. I had an idea for my first novel (The Phoenix Blade) which was a fictional government conspiracy. From there the ideas kept rolling in and I was more than happy to write them down until I was ready to use them.

2. #1 Fan is your newest book. How did you come up with the idea behind the book?
                
With #1 Fan, I originally wanted to write it as a screenplay where it was an aspiring author who didn’t know how to handle the success of his first book. I quickly realized there was no way I could write this in a hundred and twenty pages. So I started to write it as a book and the whole thing took on a life of its own.

3. Who or what motivates you to write.
               
 I write for the love and passion I have for writing. My wife became an additional motivating factor. But my recent motivation has been my readers. They have given me more motivation to put out better books and to push myself to come up with something I can really shock them with.

4. Do you ever have writers block? If so, how do you over come it.
                
Absolutely. I go through it every week. Most of the time I push through it and write anything down or skip to the next chapter with the intent of fixing the issue during the editing process. When I have the chance to, I’ll sit with my headphones in and listen to music to break-up the clutter, blockage or confusion in my head so I can get back to writing.

5. In #1 Fan no one really believed in Evan when it came to him being an author. What are 3 tips you can give to inspiring authors?
                
1. Networking is key. Use social media to connect with authors, PA’s, editors, bloggers, etc. These are the people that can help you find your way through the hectic journey you’re about to embark on. They give useful advice, help you shape your writing, and will become some of your best friends.
                2. Get and editor. I don’t care if you’ve gone over your book or manuscript 50 times and think it’s perfect. Trust me; it’s not (it’s a mistake I have made along with many other authors). Beta Readers and editors can help you pick out the spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes. They’re also great people to test out your story on to make sure your character development and plot are on point.
                3. Have fun. This is going to be a long journey. It’s important to have fun and enjoy every moment of it. You’ll look back at moments later on and understand everything brought you to where you are.


About Andrew's New Release


Blurb
Living the life of an aspiring author is tough. Nothing written is ever  good enough, everyone’s a critic, and no one believes the dream will  work. Evan Taylor takes on all of it as he struggles to make himself  known. He’s on the verge of being the next big thing when he meets Sara  Reed, his biggest fan. Her love took him by surprise, making life on the  road more difficult. With books being Evan’s life, will they cost him  the love of his life?

Release Date: February 29, 2016.

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