You may have noticed the links…
Take a look on the right, and you’ll likely notice that I have a series of links along the side. A lot of them are local blogs, information and minutiae, as a goal of mine has been to have a local focus in my commentary. And now I’ve added yet another category, local(ish) authors, to start getting the word out about people that I’ve brushed elbows with that are venturing into the world of writing fiction as a profession. With the exception of one, these are people that I’ve met during National Novel Writing Month, that borderline insane writing exercise that occurs every November, and have continued to talk with every three weeks as we meet to talk about writing fiction as work and fun.
Moira Rogers – We’ll get the “ish” part of “local(ish)” out of the way with the most successful thus far of the authors on my list of links. Moira Rogers is actually two people, Bree and Donna, a duo living a wee bit south of Minnesota that has just recently gotten enough ground to start looking at writing as their only career instead of something on the side. It’s no wonder, as they have quite the following for their multitude of series of gritty, urban fantasy romance. It’s something that I picked up simply because I know Bree, but it’s something I’ve enjoyed because it’s good. Most of their stuff is in eBook format only, so you’ll have to tie yourself to your computer to read it if you don’t have a Nook or Kindle, but their publisher seems to have a system of pushing their authors into print if they’re successful enough. That they are, and I do have a copy of Crux on my shelf (signed, even!). Oh, and how do I actually know Bree if she isn’t actually local anymore? Lest I give away too much of her secret identity (they do tout their crime fighting credentials in their author bio), I think I can safely say that Bree was a fairly enthusiastic swing dancer in high school.
Devin Harnois – Ms. Harnois just released her first novella in eBook format, an urban fantasy romance like Moira Rogers (Devin, incidentally, also knows Bree through other means… small world) and I couldn’t be more excited for her. I’m not going to lie, I haven’t actually read it yet… But I did buy a copy and as soon as I have the time to camp out at the computer I promise that I will read it. She has a fair number of works in progress listed on her site, so I think it’s safe to say that this first release is just the start.
Andy – On the Frizz – Honestly, I’m not sure if Andy will be publishing under a pen name or not, so I’ll just stick with the fact that he has just put his first name out there on his blog. He has his first book, another romance (why is it that I only seem to be able to associate with romance authors?) coming out in eBook format through Aspen Mountain Press. He’s just starting to get a presence online and in the business, so I can’t really say much more than keep an eye out for his stuff.
Jen Steffen – Jen is taking a multi-faceted route to publication, as she has self-published her book The Other Side while also pursuing more traditional avenues onto peoples’ bookshelves. She must be doing something right, as she’s been able to make some sales in her go-it-alone process, and she has been able to just get her fantasy novel out to the public now as she works on other projects as well. That is one of the bonuses of self-publishing, the ability to get your work out there on your own terms instead of jumping through a publisher’s hoops, even though it lacks the support and promotion system provided by a house. It’s all a matter of how you want to build a career, I guess. To my relief, she is not a romance author. Just, you know, to prove that I do have some variety in the genres of writers that I canoodle with.
Thorin N. Tatge – Thorin is the other self-published author in our little group of regulars. He has copies of What Is Best? available for purchase through CreateSpace, a company that provides print-on-demand services. It’s an interactive novel, its format inspired by the Choose Your Own Adventure books and other similar series, so it gives the reader at least some say in the outcome of the story.
So, while I may not have a circle of big-name authors here, I do know people that are on their way to making a living off their creativity. Go buy a book, won’t you? And, like I always encourage, buy local.
[...] isn’t just self-published anymore. Jen Steffen, whose The Other Side I had written about in a previous post, is now published in a British horror anthology called Stitched Up. You can purchase her story, [...]