Who’s That Indie Author? Michelle Burke and Lilamani de Silva

Author names:  Michelle Burke & Lilamani de Silva

Genre:  Non Fiction – Motivational, Self Help

Book:  15 Minute Pause, A Radical Reboot for Busy People

Bios:  Michelle Burke is a sought-after leadership and team coach, consultant and speaker. She is Founder of Energy Catalyst Group, devoting her 20-year career to helping organizations becoming thriving energized workplaces. A few clients include Sony PlayStation, Microsoft, Disney, HTC and Snap Inc. Lilamani de Silva and Michelle have created card games and educational products for over 17yrs. Lilamani’s eclectic career has included publicist at London Zoo, Assistant producer of natural history documentaries for Discovery and Animal Planet.

Favorite thing about being writers:  Inspiring people to have more joy and share insights

Biggest challenge as indie authors:  Spreading the word – promoting the book’s message

Favorite books:
Lilamani: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Signature of All Things Elizabeth Gilbert
Michelle: Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Contact Information:  15minutepause.com, energycatalystgroup.com

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Who’s That Indie Author? Janice Spina

Author name:  Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Genre:  Children’s, Middle-grade, 18+, Mysteries, Thrillers, Paranormal

Books:  21 at present, including these four recently published: Mariah’s Revenge, Abby and Holly – School Dance, Lucy the Talented Toy Terrier and Clarence Henry the Hermit Crab.

      

Click here for a full listing of Janice Spina’s books.

Bio:  Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina is an award-winning author who has been writing since the age of nine in the form of poetry. She became an author at the age of 65 after she had retired from an administrative school secretarial position. She loves to create fun and adventurous stories for children of all ages and intriguing novels for 18+. Her goal is to encourage children of all ages to read and hopefully cultivate a love of reading in them that will carry throughout their lives. Her motto is Reading Gives You Wings to Fly!

Favorite thing about being a writer:  I love to share my stories with others and see the joy in children’s faces when they read them.

Biggest challenge as an indie author:  Learning how to promote myself and bare my soul in order to do it has been the biggest challenge to me as an indie author.

Favorite books:  The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, anything by Agatha Christie or Jeffrey Archer, so many other authors too. I read both indie and traditional authors.

Contact Information:
Blog: Jemsbooks.blog
Website: jemsbooks.com
Facebook: @janicespina7;  @jespina77;  @janice.spina.9
Twitter: @janicespina
Email:  jjspina@myfairpoint.net

Awards/special recognition:
Mom’s Choice Award: Lamby the Lonely Lamb
Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards: Jerry the Crabby Crayfish, Broose the Moose on the Loose, Colby the Courageous Cat, Davey & Derek Junior Detectives Books 1, 2, 3, 5, Reader’s Favorite Book Awards – Honorable Mention & Silver Medal : Davey & Derek Book 1, 3, Authorsdb Cover Contest: Davey & Derek Book 5, Authorsdb First Lines Contest – Finalist: Hunting Mariah

Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author!

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From the indie author archives – Fall 2015

I started Who’s That Indie Author nearly three years ago and, since then, I have posted profiles of nearly one hundred writers. That’s a lot of people to remember, so I thought it would be great to re-introduce these hard-working writers and give them the recognition they deserve. So let’s say hi to the next group!

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Gwen Miller

Genre:  Adoption/Addiction/Memoirs
Books:  Echoes of Silence: Letters to a Drug Addicted Mother from the Woman Who Took Her Place ; Apples for Secrets: Former Child Abuse Victims Tell Their Stories for the First Time  (2016)
Favorite Book:  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontё
Biggest Challenge:  Marketing & PR without a doubt

Contact Information: Visit Gwen Miller’s website and blog at GwenMiller.co. You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

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Heather Walsh

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Books:  Dented Cans and The Drake Equation
Favorite Book:  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Biggest Challenge:  Attracting new readers as more and more novels are published every year!

Contact Information: Connect with Heather on Twitter and learn more about her books on Amazon and Goodreads.

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Evan Asher

Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Books:  The Profiteer , Sweeter for the Pain, A Dangerous Tune by Evan Asher & Rosemary Carr, Untrusting Hearts by Evan Asher & Madison Hartt
Favorite Book:  The Mothers by Vardis Fisher
Biggest Challenge:  Making time to write

Contact Information: Website: evanasher.weebly.com ; Twitter: @EvanAsher555 ; Goodreads Author

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Susan Kotch

Genre:  Young Adult
Books:  Casey of Cranberry Cove ; Casey Whitman, High Flyer (2016)
Favorite Book:  Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Biggest Challenge:  The marketing, for sure!

Contact Information:   Come visit me on Twitter @susankotch, or via my website, susankotch.com.

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N.D. Richman

Genre:  Upper Middle Grade
Books:  Brothers, Bullies and Bad Guys – First in the Boulton Quest Series; Sinners, Survivors and Saints – Second in the Boulton Quest Series
Favorite Book:  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Biggest Challenge:  I can never find enough time to write.

Contact Information: ndrichman.com and Twitter.

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Click below for more!

Who Are Those Indie Authors? Let’s meet them again! – 7/23/18

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author!

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Who’s That Indie Author? Martha Miller

Author name:  Martha Miller

Genre:  Travel Memoir

Books:  Times New Roman: How We Quit Our Jobs, Gave Away Our Stuff & Moved to Italy

Bio:  Martha Miller is a former retail executive who had been downsized twice, and decided to take life into her own hands. She and her husband quit their “secure” jobs to move overseas, complete an education, experience another culture, and change the course of their lives. Martha began writing about the new life she was living in Italy, eventually becoming a frequent contributor to Wanted in Rome, an English-language magazine. Her work has also appeared in GoNOMAD.com, Transitions Abroad, Go World Travel, International Living, LifeinItaly.com, Family Circle, Parents, The Christian Science Monitor and The Writer.

Favorite thing about being a writer:  There is no better feeling in the world than a reader telling me my writing has inspired or entertained them. I love when they say they didn’t want “Times New Roman” to end.

Biggest challenge as an indie author:  At first it was distribution. I didn’t understand the need for my book to be available from large book wholesalers. Bookstores and libraries have contracts with certain wholesalers like Ingram and Baker & Taylor. If your book is not available here, they cannot order it no matter how interested they are. After I got my book into Ingram, Barnes & Noble, indie bookstores and libraries started ordering.

Favorite books:  Heartburn by Nora Ephron. Authors who make me laugh out loud have a special place in my heart. I’ve always got a memoir going, and am trying to read more classics. I read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde last year and loved it, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury this summer. It was not at all what I expected.

Contact Information:  timesnewromanbook.com, marthamillerwrites.com, email: martha@marthamillerwrites.com

Awards/special recognition:  Media: Times New Roman has been featured on The Good Life Radio Show, with Mike the Wine Guy, Simple Living, LifeinItaly.com, and Transitions Abroad.

Reviews: Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards, Martha’s Italy  (a different Martha), Lola et La Vie – Book Blogger Reviewer (Holland)

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author!

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Thanks for visiting – come back soon!

Who Are Those Indie Authors? Let’s meet them again!

I started Who’s That Indie Author nearly three years ago and, since then, I have posted profiles of nearly one hundred writers. That’s a lot of people to remember, so I thought it would be great to re-introduce these hard-working writers and give them the recognition they deserve. So let’s say hi to the first group!

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Michelle Eastman

Genre:  Children’s Picture Books
Books:  The Legend of Dust Bunnies, a Fairy’s Tale & Dust Fairy Tales: Absolutely Aggie
Favorite Book:  The Giving Tree  by Shel Silverstein
Biggest Challenge:  Marketing and promotion

Contact Information: Be sure to check out Michelle’s website at Michelle Eastman Books. You can also find her on WordPress, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

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Tracy Ewens

Genre:  Romance
Books:  It all started with Catalina Kiss. Now Tracy has published 11 smart romances. Her latest? Tap, Smooth and Brew
Favorite Book:  Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Biggest Challenge:  Finding the right support and promotion

Contact Information: Website: tracyewens.com; Blog: fromthelaundryroom.com

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A.E. Hellstorm

Genre:  Mixed (Horror/Relationship/Crime)
Books:  In the Hands of the Unknown & Lost
Favorite Books:  The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Gut Symmetries by Jeannette Winterson
Biggest Challenge:  To be seen

Contact Information: Hellhagproductions.com, Goodreads Author, @Noarenne on Twitter

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JR Rogers

Genre:  Historical fiction, intrigue & espionage
Books: The Counterfeit Consul; Leopold’s Assassin; Doomed Spy; Mission to Morocco; The Cypriot Agent; The Way Things Were (Anthology); Nazilager (Summer 2016)
Favorite Book:  The Sheltering Sky  by Paul Bowles
Biggest Challenge:  Self-promotion and securing reviews from readers

Contact Information: Be sure to visit JR Rogers’ website at authorjrrogers.com. Follow him on Twitter at @authorjrrogers.

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Elizabeth Hein

Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Books:  How To Climb The Eiffel Tower, Overlook, Escape Plan (2016)
Favorite Book:  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontё
Biggest Challenge:  Explaining how independent publishing works

Contact Information: Connect with Elizabeth through her blog, Scribbling in the Storage Room, her website, elizabethhein.com, Facebook, her Facebook author page, and Twitter.

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author!

Email bvitelli2009@gmail.com for a bio template and other details.

Thanks for visiting – come back soon!

 

The many hats of an indie author

Image: Pixabay

Indie authors have to wear a lot of hats. Many authors have day jobs and family responsibilities. Writing happens in the early mornings or late at night. Then there’s editing, proofreading, formatting, choosing a publisher, a cover, and all the details that go along with these tasks. And next…there’s book promotion, getting reviews, tweeting, Facebooking, blogging, talking about your book nonstop, every day and doing it in a different way each time so that people notice. Online and in person. Here’s how you may react:

Wait…what? You mean, after everything else, now I have to actually market my book? But I’m busy writing my next one. I’m a writer, not a book promoter!

One way to get the word out is to be part of Who’s That Indie Author, a regular feature here at Book Club Mom. Many indie authors have already been introduced and you can be too! Email bvitelli2009@gmail.com for a template and instructions.

And in the meantime, meet these talented indie authors who are busy writing their next books!

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M. Barlean –mainstream fiction, suspense, cozy mystery and short fiction

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Brysen Mann – psychological thriller, mystery, suspense and science fiction

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Annika Perry – contemporary fiction and short fiction

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Diana Tarant Schmidt – speculative fiction

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Connie Lacy – young adult, historical fiction,
magical realism and climate fiction

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K.C. Tansley – young adult time travel mystery

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Geoffrey M. Cooper – medical thriller

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Click here for more indie author information!

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Who’s That Indie Author? Geoffrey M. Cooper

Author name:  Geoffrey M. Cooper

Genre:  Medical Thriller

Book:  The Prize

Bio:  Geoffrey M. Cooper is an experienced cancer researcher and scientific administrator, having held positions as a Professor, Department Chair and Associate Dean at Harvard Medical School and Boston University. He is the author of a leading cell biology text, The Cell, as well as several books on cancer. The Prize is his first novel, in which he brings his background in medical research to life in a tale of fraud, deceit and murder. His second novel, dealing with sexual harassment in science, is in the works.

Favorite thing about being a writer:  Immersing myself in a story and developing characters that take off on their own.

Biggest challenge as an indie author:  Promotion and marketing! Much harder than writing.

Favorite book:  All of Robert Parker’s work, especially his Spenser and Jesse Stone novels. I also love Robin Cook’s and John Grisham’s books.

Contact Information:
Website: geofcooper.com
Twitter: @GeofCooper
Facebook
Amazon

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author!

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Thanks for visiting – come back soon!

 

Who’s That Indie Author? K.C. Tansley

Author name:  K.C. Tansley

Genre:  YA Time Travel Mysteries

Books:  The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts, The Girl Who Saved Ghosts

    

Bio:  K.C Tansley lives with her warrior lapdog, Emerson, and two quirky golden retrievers on a hill somewhere in Connecticut. She tends to believe in the unbelievables–spells, ghosts, time travel–and writes about them.

Never one to say no to a road trip, she’s climbed the Great Wall twice, hopped on the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, and danced the night away in the dunes of Cape Hatteras. She loves the ocean and hates the sun, which makes for interesting beach days.

As Kourtney Heintz, she also writes award winning cross-genre fiction for adults.

Favorite thing about being a writer:  Nailing an emotional beat. After struggling with a scene for weeks, there’s usually a moment when it all comes together and I feel like I’ll hit the readers with just the right mix of visceral reactions, internal thoughts, and body language for them to experience what my character feels.

Biggest challenge as an indie author:  Selling books remains the hardest part of being an indie author.

Favorite books:  City of Glass by Cassandra Clare, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead, Splintered by A.G. Howard, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Contact Information:  Website: kourtneyheintz.com
Blog: blog.kourtneyheintz.com
Facebook: @kourtneyheintzwriter
Twitter: @KourHei

Awards/special recognition:   The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts (Book 1 of The Unbelievables)

• 2017 EPIC’s Ariana Cover Design Awards Finalist
• 2017 EPIC’s Ebook Award Finalist
• 2016 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards Gold Winner
• 2016 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Judges’ Choice Awards Winner
• 2016 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist
• 2016 International Book Awards Finalist
• 2015 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards Finalist

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author!

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Who’s That Indie Author? Connie Lacy

Author name: Connie Lacy

Genre:  Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism and Climate Fiction

Books: A Daffodil for Angie, The Time Telephone, VisionSight: a Novel,  and from The Shade Ring trilogy: The Shade Ring, Albedo Effect, and Aerosol Sky

Bio:  Connie Lacy writes about young women finding their strength as they face tough obstacles. Her passion for human rights led her to pen her latest novel, A Daffodil for Angie, which is set in the 1960s as the Vietnam War rages and schools are being integrated. She’s a former radio reporter and news anchor who lives in Atlanta.

Favorite thing about being a writer:  I enjoy creating the worlds that my fictional characters inhabit, and, of course, the characters themselves. And I get a kick every time a reader says she loved one of my books.

Biggest challenge as an indie author:  Reaching new readers

Favorite books:  Recent favorites: The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte and Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Contact Information: website: connielacy.com
Facebook: @ConnieLacyBooks

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author!

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Who’s That Indie Author? Diana Tarant Schmidt

Author name:  Diana Tarant Schmidt

Genre:  Speculative Fiction

Book:  Remember For Me (Book 1 of the Remember series)

Bio:  I have been teaching junior high for sixteen years. Through all I have learned from my diverse student population, to being a mother of two incredible young children, I think often about life’s most important lessons. Writing became a way to best learn about those lessons.

Favorite thing about being a writer:  Nothing compares to reading a review when someone found comfort in your words. Nothing.

Biggest challenge as an indie author:  So many challenges…but, I simply wish I could get more people to read it. The fact that it has given strangers a sense of comfort makes me want to share more of it.

Favorite books:  The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein; Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling; Rock Chick series by Kristen Ashley; whatever I read this morning.

Contact Information: Author info:  Open Books – Diana Tarant Schmidt
Facebook: @dianatarantschmidt

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author!

Email bvitelli2009@gmail.com for a bio template and other details.

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