OMG, I have a Dragon Award Nominee on my blog! This is amazeballs! His hair is bigger and more awesome than mine. And what better interviewee for Winter Writers than a guy who has just released book one in a series called The Books of Winter? No better, that's what! Okay, so here's a bit about Mr. Virdi for those who don't already know. 

​R.R. Virdi is the Dragon Award—Nominated author of The Grave Report, a paranormal investigator series set in the great state of New York. He has worked in the automotive industry as a mechanic, retail, and in the custom gaming computer world. He's an avid car nut with a special love for American classics. 

There are rumors that he wanders the streets of his neighborhood in the dead of night dressed in a Jedi robe and teal fuzzy slippers, no one knows why. Other such rumors mention how he is a professional hair whisperer in his spare time. We don’t know what that is either.

You can sign up as a minion and read stories at R.R. Virdi's website, and follow him on Twitter.

D.P- ​What's your favorite song for writing?
R.V.- I don’t listen to songs per say while writing. I listen to music without lyrics.

D.P- ​Do you have a writing routine?
R.V.- I used, I need it back again. My life has been abhorrently disruptive of late. I used to write 2k a day without a break.

D.P- ​Beach or woods?
R.V.- Beach

D.P- ​Coffee or tea or something else?
R.V.- Tea

D.P- ​Share a guilty pleasure with us.
R.V.- I like lying down to day dream a lot. 

D.P- ​Cake or pie? 
R.V.- Yes

D.P- ​Breakfast, brunch, or lunch? 
R.V.- Yes.

D.P- ​Who is your favorite TV or movie character and why?
R.V.- TV, animated batman, or, John Constantine. Movie, I honestly don’t know. And, why? Because animated batman...nuff said.

D.P- ​Who is your favorite character of all time and why?
R.V.- Batman. He’s a normal man who’s pushed himself to be the absolute best. Speaks dozens of languages, mastered so many martial arts, is a genius level person and a polymath having studied nearly every discipline known to man.

D.P- ​What's the scariest thing your villain of choice has done?
R.V.- Clichéd, but, trying to end the world. Think about that for a second and what it entails. It’s comical because of how much it’s been done...but trying to end all life on the Earth!? That’s terrifying and cold.

D.P- ​What's the funniest book you've read and why?
R.V.- Spiderman comics.

D.P- ​What's the food or drink you always tell other people to try?
R.V.- Bubble tea, taro slush with bobba

D.P- ​What book do you recommend the most?
R.V.- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

D.P- ​Where is the one place you think everyone should go?
R.V.- To bed ;)

D.P- ​Who is one person you'd like to meet from any point in history and why?
R.V.- Tesla, honestly, I don’t know why, I just do.

D.P- ​Which genres do you write and what's your favorite one?
R.V.- I write most genre fiction, but urban fantasy is my favorite.

D.P- ​What do you do if you see your idea has already been done?
R.V.- Do it anyways. No one can do it like you can.

D.P- ​What's the best advice you've gotten about writing?
R.V.- Write anyways.

D.P- ​Tell us about your plans or ideas for a new-to-you genre in the future.
R.V.- ​Finish my current novel. At the moment my life’s so stressing I can’t think past that. 

R.R. Virdi has a YouTube channel where he talks about writing, does what we like to call "the motivates." and plays video games. Here he is unboxing the hardcover version of Dangerous Ways! 

Today we have another Winter Writer, Daniela! She has a lovely Instagram, an excellent blog, and a book, of course! Here's a bit about her. 

"Fiction and well-being writer. Author of Loveandpizza.it, Founder of "The Writing Shed", the "go to" online magazine for women searching for wellbeing, empowerment, and to regain their self-esteem and confidence. Avid reader of chick lit, crime and historical novels. Amateur photographer. Believes that writing can help heal broken hearts, build up self-esteem, and empower people."

D.P.- What's your favorite song for writing?
D.P-A.- It depends on the part of the story I’m writing. When I wrote “Loveandpizza.it”, I created a playlist with Italian songs that would put myself back in Napoli, and set the mood to the love stories, and mishaps, and also the tense parts. When I am writing my courses or articles for The Writing Shed Magazine, I like to listen to classical music or country music ballads.

D.P.- Do you have a writing routine?
D.P-A.- Not really, as I work full time and only have evenings and weekends to write. But when I sit down to write, I forget about the world. My husband usually says that “I’m in the zone”, and that the world could fall apart around me and I wouldn’t notice.

D.P.- Dancing or singing?
D.P-A.- I love both, but I guess I sing more than I dance. I love music and I’ll sing along (and loud!) to the ones I like, even if I get all the lyrics wrong.

D.P.- Beach or woods?
D.P-A.- Definitely the beach. I am an ocean lover! Everything about beaches fascinates me. When it’s sunny, when there’s a storm, rough or calm sea. I just love it. The sound of the waves breaking at the shore, the salty smells. That’s why a house at the beach, where my writing space would have a panoramic view of the ocean, with a golden retriever by my feet while I write, is my ideal place to live!

D.P.- Coffee or tea or something else?
D.P-A.- Coffee. Always. Although I won’t say no to a gingerbread latte, or a glass or two (or three, or four) of Baileys!

D.P.- Share a guilty pleasure with us.
D.P-A.- I’ve recently finished a Gilmore Girls Netflix marathon!

D.P.- Who is your favorite TV or movie character and why?
D.P-A.- Alicia Florrick (The Good Wife). She’s an amazing character, and I believe has so much to offer in terms of the “model” of a chick lit heroine. She has so much to teach women about resilience, and focusing on her goals and keeping to her values, all while being a good mum and a good professional.

D.P.- What book do you recommend the most?
“D.P-A.- Tuesdays with Morrie”, by Mitch Albom. This book was the first book I read as “self-development“ material. My father recommended the film, and I found out about the book later on. Morrie’s lessons touched me deeply and made me aware of things about myself I never knew existed. Feelings, fears, love for some people that had gone way too long unshown. This is a book I usually buy people as a gift. :)

D.P.- How do you get ideas for stories?
D.P-A.- I tend to get ideas from my surroundings. People I meet, situations I am a spectator of. Sometimes things in my own life. I don’t write as if it were me, because that would be too tacky, but I find a character straight away that could relate, and react and develop even the tiny situation into a funny short story or a novel. My next novel, which I’m writing at the moment, was inspired on the fact that one day, tired of feeling down, I went and bought a sewing machine by impulse, so I could make pretty things. I guess I went as far as four cushions and a pair of curtains for our bathroom!

D.P.- What's the best advice you've gotten about writing?
D.P-A.- I can’t remember where I read it, but it stuck with me: keep writing, no matter what. While writing my first novel, there was a long period when I just couldn’t think about what to write. I literally put the half-finished thing aside. It wasn’t until I did NaNoWriMo, in 2015, that I brought it back to life. I guess that the “pressure” of writing 50,000 words in a month gave me that emergency of finishing in a way that I’d be happy to call it a “complete first draft”. From then on, you became much easier. I edited it myself, and sent it to my beta readers. It was a lot of hard work, but the novel was finally published on 13th February 2016, exactly three years after my mother passed away, as I had wanted to pay a homage to her with my first published novel.

This week's Winter Writer is Andrew D. Michaels! We're going to get some bonus questions and answers from Andrew this week, but here's a bit about him in his own words.

I write mostly horror/fantasy stories but I dabble into most other genres. My main project at the moment is the Black Bridge series and the Whispers of Dragons series.

Andrew also invited you all to ask him questions in the comments below his interview. Awesome! Oh, and he just got a shiny new cover. Check it out!

D.P.- What's your favorite song for writing? 
ADM- Just about anything by Nox Arcana or Midnight Syndicate. After years of listening to them when I was writing for campaign stories for various Dungeons and Dragons games, it's stuck with me and helps me think without getting distracted or lost in the music. 

D.P.- What's your favorite song for editing?
ADM- Lindsey Stirling or Peter Hollens. I have a youtube playlist and I swear by it. 

D.P.- What's your favorite song for reading? 
ADM- This is where music is distracting for me so I tend not to play anything while reading. I get absorbed and immersed in reading and it's like watching a movie happen in my mind and music can take away from that. 

D.P.- Do you have a writing routine?
ADM- Yes, but 90 percent of it is procrastination and whining about my procrastination. It's a miracle I get anything done to be honest haha!

D.P.- Dancing or singing?
ADM- Singing. Singing along to songs is a lot easier for me to do rather than dancing to them.

D.P.- Beach or woods?
ADM- Oh, definitely the woods. Especially if there's a little cabin and a lake involved. Total. Paradise.

D.P.- Coffee or tea or something else?
ADM- Depends on what time it is, what I'm doing, and how recently I've been to the store. Haha! My go-to is milk or those fizzy clear fruit drinks at Walmart.

D.P.- Share a guilty pleasure with us. 
ADM- I have to admit that I'm a total sucker for spaghettios. I will never be tired of them for as long as I live.

D.P.- Cake or pie?
ADM- Does cheesecake count? Because totally cheesecake.  

D.P.- Breakfast, brunch, or lunch? 
ADM- All, and add dinner and desert. I'll even cook. ;)

D.P.- Who is your favorite TV or movie character and why?
ADM- I would have to say Christopher Eccleston playing the Ninth Doctor. Just his attitude, sarcasm, and general shenanigans really speak to me on another level. Plus I tend to be a sarcastic ass as much as he does. Haha!

D.P.- Who is your favorite animated character and why?
ADM- You would ask the hard questions. There are so many to choose from for a plethora of reasons. Although, there are a few shows that I go back to over and over again. Like Rurouni Kenshin, Tactics, and Gunslinger Girl. 

D.P.- Who is your favorite character of all time and why?
ADM- Doctor Who. His many regenerations each can be related to the many sides of my mind, and I think that a lot of people can relate to that. Because whether it's rainy, sunny, or the end of the world, there's always a reason to smile and hug your friend.   

D.P.- What's the scariest thing your villain of choice has done?
ADM- Now that would be spoiling things.... 

D.P.- What's the funniest book you've read and why?
ADM- I do love me some Captain Underpants or Calvin and Hobbes

D.P.- What's the food or drink you always tell other people to try?
ADM- Whatever I've cooked at the time. My favorite things to make are the three meat spaghetti and my mom's empanadas. (Argentine meat pies)

D.P.- What book do you recommend the most?
ADM- Demons don't dream by Piers Anthony. That man is the very reason that I got into roleplay gaming and writing in the first place.

D.P.- Where is the one place you think everyone should go?
ADM- Bed. There is no more glorious a place after a long day than a warm and comfy bed. Especially if you have someone to cuddle with. Cuddles just make things that much better.

D.P.- Who is one person you'd like to meet from any point in history and why?
ADM- I'd really love to meet Zora Arkus-Duntov, and talk with him about his work with Chevrolet in developing the Corvette into the amazing legend that it has become today. 

D.P.- How do you get ideas for stories?
ADM- Mostly random thought process. I'll entertain tangent ideas and some of them develop into concepts so I'll make notes, and if it takes off from there, then I'm off to work haha!

D.P.- Which genres do you write and what's your favorite one?
ADM- I write along the lines of Horror/Fantasy because of how the stories feel when I write them. They feel comfy and confident to me, so that tends to be my usual. However I have dabbled into others such as Romance, Sci-Fi, and Mystery, just to have a little variety. 

D.P.- What do you do if you see your idea has already been done?
ADM- I take the concept down to the bare bones and see if there's a way to make it mine. There isn't much that completely original anymore, so it's hard. But that doesn't mean it never happens. 

D.P.- What's the most unexpected thing that's ever inspired you?
ADM- Ever heard a random conversation that's completely out of context? Yeah. Those can be writing GOLD when you are trying for new ideas. (This does not mean I participate or condone eavesdropping for the record)

D.P.- What's your best writer's block buster?
ADM- Procrastination. Sometimes leaving something and taking a break can give you a chance to reload and tackle the story with a fresh start.  

D.P.- What's the best advice you've gotten about writing?
ADM- There are three kinds of hard for a writer:
1. Starting a story
2. editing said story
3. FINISHING said story

D.P.- Tell me about the biggest surprise your own character, story, or setting has given you.
ADM- I'm surprised every day with all of them. The development is so strong the story is carrying on with a life of it's own. I just hope to keep up well enough that I can get it on paper for people o enjoy the ride along with me. 

D.P.- Tell us about your plans or ideas for a new-to-you genre in the future.
ADM- Well mostly I just want to see how the Black Bridge turns out, but I'm also looking at another story that may or may not develop into a series. Either way I'll not be out of work as far as stories go. Haha!

Thank you so much to D. R. Perry for this wonderful opportunity to answer some questions and feel free to ask your own as well! I love hearing from readers!

Today, we have photographer and visual designer, Krys Maiorca! She takes author photos, and has done cover design in the past. Here's a bit about her in her own words.

​My name is Kristian Maiorca and I was a reader before I was a photographer.  I started writing in middle school and have been writing on and off since then. I actually used to get in trouble during high school for staying up too late writing.  When I graduated high school I turned my interests into other things, like graphic design and photography.  It was very natural for me to turn my interests for reading, writing, and NaNo into wanting to help others, be it my fellow classmates for my degree, or authors.  Korca Designs has been a while in the making, just getting its name in December. 

D.R.- Coffee or tea?
K.M.- Definitely both.  I’m such a coffee person though, my day job is at a college cafeteria where I mostly run food or coffee.

D.R.- What is your favorite color?
K.M.- Serious answer is purple.  The joke answer, also known as the real answer, is middle gray because that’s what the light meter for a camera reads.  

D.R.- Why do you love winter?
K.M.- I love winter.  I love snow, I don’t mind the cold as long as it’s not 5:30 am and I’m walking to work.  There’s just something about the snow that makes me happy.  I started dreaming about snow in July.  And when I woke up on my birthday, in august, I was very disappointed to find no snow.  So, yes, I love snow.

D.R.- Where’d you get the idea for your business?
K.M.- This has been about 4 years in the making, it originally started as just book covers since at the time I was a graphic designer and I thought I just wanted to design book covers for the rest of my life.  Then I switched over to photography and got really busy and had to stop with the book covers.  The idea of doing this was always in the back of my mind though.  So, when I started my portfolio class I had the genius idea of starting up a design author stop business again.  I’ve expanded it to be character shoots (those are my favorite), to book shoots, to marketing materials, and book covers.  

D.R.- What genres do you feel comfortable supporting?
K.M.- I feel comfortable supporting any genre.  There are some subject matters that I would not be keen on taking on but there’s nothing that I would not flat out not support.  For me personally, if I wasn’t willing to support all genres then it wouldn’t feel right to me. What do you have to offer authors? I have a large variety of services to offer since my goal is to be able to support them art wise whatever way that they need.  Whether that be with a character shoot or product shoot for their book, marketing materials, a personal logo, etc, I hope to be able to provide.  I have a background in design and photography and I love combining the two, and I hope to really be able to offer that combination.

D.R.- Do you have any services that might benefit readers or other artists? 
K.M.- Not yet, but one of the things that I really hope to be able to do with Korca Designs is to offer some classes for things like a crash course in design basics to help you better talk with designers, how to take a decent product shoot with natural light, and other things like that.  I also hope to be able to really start delving into the stock area of photography and offering my photography services for book cover art.  Finding the right stocks, especially if they’re models, is one of the crucial steps to getting a good cover, and if I can take the photography for it and find the models than that would take out a lot of the stress of getting the cover right and not breaking copyright.

D.R.- Where can we find your services on the internet?
K.M.- My photography business will be at K Maiorca Photography. The design business already lives here at Korka.  Any design or author related photography can be found at Korca.

D.R.- Do you do live events?
K.M.- At this moment, no.  If this takes off than I may consider it.  I do also have to think about time considerations because I want to also work as an automotive photographer, so I may not be able to do live events because of that.  We’re really going to just have to play this by ear and see what happens.  I’m not opposed to doing live events and I think that could be really cool.

D.R.- Tell us about your assistant.
K.M.- ​I have three assistants actually, the main one is my black and white cat Bella who likes to help my set up my lights.  She also loves helping people put on makeup.  I also have my best friend who has made appearances in my photography before.  She’s been my bestfriend since high school and is one of the reasons I got into photography actually.  She helps me out from time to time.  And the last assistant is my boyfriend, who has also made appearances in my photography.  We’ve been together 4 years and he encourages me every day to grow and learn. 

Take a look through the slideshow to see more examples of Krys's photography and some book covers. 

It's the first snow here in Rhode Island and also the first in the series of Winter Writers here on my blog! I'm starting the cozy season off with Katrina LaFond, whose books are definitely something to warm you up on cold nights or days. And, they are also available on Nook and iBooks! Here's a bit about her in her own words.

Over the years, my characters and stories have matured with me. At first, the only characters I met were vampires, but eventually, other characters came to me, and I discovered I had a thing for tall, dark and handsome aliens as well. I spend so much time with my characters that they become real to me, and all my friends and family have gotten used to me talking about them that way. Thankfully, if they think I’m crazy, they keep it to themselves. I’ve also been very lucky in love. For 20 years, I’ve been with the same wonderful man who is very tolerant of the fact that I fall in love with the leading men in my books.

D.R.- What's your favorite song for writing?
K.L.- I don’t have just one song, but the genre I usually prefer to write to is metal – I wrote a lot of The Lockwood Chronicles Episode 1 while listening to the soundtrack of Queen of the Damned. I also love Evanescence and Within Temptation.

D.R.- What's your favorite song for editing?
K.L.- I pretty much listen to the same stuff I listen to when I’m writing.

D.R.- Which genres do you write and what's your favorite one?
K.L.- I write romance, usually of the paranormal or fantasy subgenre. I just like the whole departure from reality and getting away from the problems I’m dealing with in my life. I find that writing is kind of like therapy in that sense.

D.R.- Tell me about the biggest surprise your own character, story, or setting has given you.
K.L.- The biggest surprise was Lucian Davignon in the Lockwood Chronicles – he was supposed to just be a one time character, brought in to fix a problem, but he just wouldn’t go away. And then he became one of the main characters of the series.

D.R.- Do you have a writing routine?
K.L.- I just make sure I’m as comfortable as possible, get a big glass of water ready, and start writing. I wear headphones so that I don’t hear stuff that’s going on around me, and just try to lose myself in the story.

D.R.- Dancing or singing?
K.L.- Both – when I’m alone (lol)

D.R.- Beach or woods?
K.L.- Beach – but I prefer it on a cooler day, slightly overcast. I don’t do well with heat – plus, on days like that, there aren’t as many people around.

D.R.- Coffee or tea or something else?
K.L.- Probably coffee – with chocolate in it.

D.R.- Share a guilty pleasure with us.
K.L.- I don’t think of anything as a guilty pleasure – if I enjoy something, I’m not ashamed of it.

D.R.- Cake or pie?
K.L.- Cake – I’ve never been a big fan of pie crust, but I love frosting.

D.R.- Tell us about your plans or ideas for a new-to-you genre in the future.
K.L.- I’ve considered trying to write a mystery novel, which would be a big departure for me, because a story like that needs planning ahead of time. I generally don’t do much planning beyond having a general idea of where my books are going. Still – I’ll bet it’d end up being a paranormal mystery with a generous dose of romance – I can’t leave it all behind

The Amazon links are in the slideshow, so here are links for Katrina's books at other retailers:
​Caress of Magic on iBooks
​​Caress of Magic on Nook

The Lockwood Chronicles Volume 1 on iBooks
The Lockwood Chronicles Volume 1 on Nook

The Lockwood Chronicles Volume 2 on iBooks
The Lockwood Chronicles Volume 2 on Nook

The Lockwood Chronicles Episode 8 on iBooks
The Lockwood Chronicles Episode 8 on Nook

Kiss of the Dhampir on iBooks
Kiss of the Dhampir on Nook

​And, if Amazon is totally your thing, here is Katrina's Author Central Page.

Hello everyone! I'll be at the RI Author Expo being exposed. Oh! Well, that didn't come out the way I thought it'd sound... Hmm. Anyway, I'll have copies of all my books with me and a pen for signing. Books make great gifts. You can even chat about geekness, or ask me questions about characters and stories. 

If you're not anywhere near Rhode Island, or just want to stay at home in your pajamas all day, you're in luck because I'm making a Facebook appearance as well. Writer's Colony Press, the folks who format and publish all those awesome charity anthologies, have me on at 9PM EST. Other authors will be there, too. If you click the link below, there's a whole list. 

The Expo has a raffle and the WCP event has prizes. I have swag for both events, too. Hope to see you either in person or on the web!

And, if you can't make to either of those but still want great books, check out the sales below. You'll find paperbacks with free ebooks through Amazon Matchbook, ebooks that are just plain free this weekend, and ebooks at sale prices from three great groups of authors by following the links.