Indie Author Alley

Cliff Anthony teaches journalism and freelances for Cleveland publications. He has worked as a journalist for twenty-five years for publications in Cleveland, New York, Oman, and Mumbai. He is a member of the Ohio Writers’ Association, Cleveland Literary, and Northern Ohio Writers Guild. He has a master’s in journalism from Kent State and another in English from Bombay University. 

Kalynn Applewhite is a writer at heart, a work-at-home mom and the lead creator for Applewhite Games. Through her books she pursues her passion for exploring feminist themes through fantasy. Kalynn loves playing games, taking hikes, and eating super dark chocolate. She lives in Ohio with her husband and their menagerie of children, cats, chickens, and houseplants.

Brett Armstrong has been exploring other worlds as a writer since age nine. Years later, he still writes, but now invites others along on his excursions. Every story is a journey of discovery and an attempt to be a brush in the Master Artist’s hand. Always busy with a new story, he also enjoys drawing, gardening, and spending time with his wife and son.

Zariah Banks, contemporary romance author, explores emotional intimacy through #messymaincharacters seeking a forever love journey while focusing on personal growth. She lives in Ohio.

Matt Betts is an Ohio native and currently resides in Columbus. He writes weird and fantastic stuff, mashing together all kinds of strange ideas.

Daniel Boyd writes fast-paced Westerns, action/adventure, mystery and crime stories with memorable characters. He retired as Chief of Police after 25 years service in Central Ohio. 

Tonya Ulynn Brown is an educator and author of historical fiction. She lives in southeastern Ohio with her husband, sons, and a naughty French Bulldog. 

Eliza R. Browning is an Ohio native who studied wildlife and animal science at Hocking College, often writing her inclusive, dark fantasy novels in between classes. Her newest book, The Heir of Blood and Bone is out May 2024.

Amabel Daniels lives in Northwest Ohio with her patient husband, three adventurous girls, and a collection of too many cats and dogs. Although she holds a Master’s degree in Ecology, her true love is finding a good book. When she isn’t spending time outdoors, or wondering how to negotiate with her mightily independent daughters, she’s busy brewing up her next novel, usually as she lets her mind run off with the addictive words of “what if”.

Scott Donnelly writes in a variety of genres to keep his ideas fresh and entertaining, but mostly resides in the realms of horror and science-fiction.

Sarah Emmer is a romantic fantasy author and audiobook narrator. She loves to weave reality within imagined worlds and explore deep emotion in her characters.

Scott Geisel is the author of the Jackson Flint mystery series, the Appalachian noir suspense novel Miller Knew, and short stories.

Evan Graham is a science fiction author from northeast Ohio who specializes in the intersection of fascination and dread.

R.S. Hamilton is the author of The Stories of Evergreen trilogy. A carpentry instructor by day, he is a student of literature in the evening.

Eileen Curley Hammond is an author who retired from a successful marketing career in the insurance industry. She writes cozy mysteries.

Colette Harrell is the author of six books. She is an expert in penning engaging stories that create relatable ‘Happily Ever Afters’ that entertain and enthrall.

A.L. Hatcher has enjoyed writing since childhood. She now uses her bachelors in forensics and her love of all things dark to write crime thrillers.

E.B. Hauk has written novels to stave off existential dread. Blazing Ambition, published in Feb. 2024, offers middle-grade whimsical fairy tales, dark surrealist character studies, and escapist weird westerns.

Ciree Hawthorn is a former resident of Columbus, currently residing in the Pacific Northwest. She writes New Adult Romance novels and enjoys pub trivia.

Sherri Hayes discovered her passion for romance novels at twelve. Now she crafts stories with swoon-worthy heroes who’ll do anything for the women they love.

Elm Jed is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who spends most of their time reading novellas, going to Renaissance festivals and drinking coffee.

Jordan King earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Miami University. White Oaks is his debut novel. His other work can be found in Adelaide Literary Magazine.

Mercedes King is an Ohio native and a founding member of Buckeye Crime Writers. When she’s not elbow-deep in research and writing her next Modern Historical, she’s enjoying her family, her dogs, and probably longing for a piece of cheesecake.

Bharat Krishnan always strives to make a political statement with his writing because he knows politics seep into every aspect of society.

Belinda Kroll writes cozy Victorian fantasy with Jane Austen vocabulary and modern sass, featuring sweet, slow burn romance, heavy banter, and paranormal elements.

Debbie Lynn is an urban fantasy author from central Indiana.

Mary Mars is the author of The Melody Winters Saga, 13 romantic crime thrillers with colors for titles, starting with Black & White. All book proceeds go to her inner-city piano program. She offers classes and seminars on writing and publishing.

Josef Matulich is a writer, artist, and costumer who specializes in horror/comedy and steampunk.

Darin Miller is a Grove City resident and the author of the Ohio-based Dwayne Morrow Mystery series, as well as a standalone collection of short stories.

Tonya Mitchell writes books (The Arsenic Eater’s Wife, A Feigned Madness) that center around bold, historical heroines and their dark stories.

Mike Mollman is the author of four fantasy books with a science fiction book upcoming. He lives in Virginia with his misbehaving dog and the many voices in his head.

Daphne Moore is a USA Today bestselling author who crafts unique tales influenced by folklore, and seasoned with romance, humor and darkness. 

Charles O’Donnell retired from engineering to write high-tech thrillers and dystopian sci-fi. His short stories have appeared online and in various print journals and anthologies.

Petra Palerno writes kitschy otherworldly romance, and loves including plus-size and neurodivergent characters in her books. 

Grant Piercy is the author of The Erased, I Am Mercury, and Galahad. Originally from northern Illinois, he currently resides in Columbus.

Toni Reeb is an emerging author writing about powerful women falling in love with each other. Born and raised in Columbus, she enjoys crying over fictional characters, becoming fast friends with café baristas, and living vicariously through gardeners on #GardenTok.

Dianna Rhyan is a mythologist who studies ancient nature goddesses, forgotten voices, and the spirituality of sacred landscapes. She has a PhD in Greek and Latin.

Nikki Robb is a fantasy, paranormal romance author who believes the greatest gift of all is the ability to tell stories.

Edward Rollins has been a sailor, a soldier, an engineer and a professor, and writes contemporary fantasy. Mostly, he hopes to know what he wants to be when he grows up.

Matthew Salinas is an Apache Native American author from Illinois. He is known mostly for horror but loves any and all genres.

Patricia Sargeant is a best-selling author who writes romance as Patricia Sargeant and Regina Hart, and mysteries as Olivia Matthews.

Jen Shaffer loves writing a good romance as much as she loves reading one. You know what else she loves? A happily ever after. 

Autumn Shah writes in the suburbs of Columbus. Her fiction has won local awards, and her creative nonfiction has been published in literary journals.

Tasha Sheipline is an Ohio author and an avid reader. She is passionate about infusing her characters’ lives with real historical events. Dark Palace: The Whispers is her debut novel.

Lucy A. Snyder is the author 100+ published short stories and 15 books. Her most recent is the apocalyptic horror novel Sister, Maiden, Monster. 

Evelyn Sola is obsessed with assertive and confident men who stop at nothing to get their woman. Her romance stories are filled with love, passion and humor. 

Robert Allen Stowe paints verbal images what he has lived, and he’s lived a lot. His characters come to life, like in his newest mystery, The Fires of Rubicon.

Amy Tackett was raised in the heart of Appalachia before later relocating to the Midwest. She writes stories to thrill and heal readers.

Alexander Thomas is an author, game designer, dog lover, karaoke enthusiast and all-around nerd known for superhero and fantasy noir tales of adventure.

L. Thorsrud was trained at a young age to explore different brainwave states. She uses her experiences to inspire richly imagined concepts in fiction, including her 2023 sci-fi novel, Quantum Seed.

Tamara Whitlow is a mother of two who works full time as well as writes full time. She is a multi-genre, self-published romance author from Columbus. The Lies You Tell is romance, spice and everything nice. Her books bring intrigue, love, suspense and growth.

Jay S. Willis is a fantasy author whose goal is to create an engaging and fun body of work to sustain a generation through their life as readers of fantasy.

Beth Armstrong spent decades working with gorillas. She believes their individual stories matter and those that work with them have an abiding responsibility to share them. 

Kat Artemis is a mindset coach. She teaches you how to think thoughts that are for you instead of against you through her self-help book, Directed Thoughts.

Matthew Caracciolo is a travel and tour writer for Shaka Guide, and the author of Moon Ohio and The Waygook Book: A Foreigner’s Guide to South Korea.

Signe Damron is a Columbus publisher and author. Her book of poetry and prose, French Door to Foyer, helped her find adventure in unexpected places.

Robert Gerard Hunt is a writer and musical artist based in Columbus, Ohio. You’ll Probbaly Need Stiches is a collection of humorous, thoughtful nonfiction essays about growing up in the 70s and 80s, plus an assortment of wide-ranging, short nonfiction.

Laura Meyer is an educator, designer, and independently published author. Her books look at the creative process itself, filled with time-saving secrets across a wide range of intermediate sewing techniques. The Victorian Collection: Advanced Costuming Techniques is a book of beautiful photographs, useful costuming/sewing tips and strategies, and the stories behind the making of 15 steampunk/Victorian costumes. The Halloween Collection: Costume and Cosplay Techniques features more character costumes and cosplays, and costuming skills less based in sewing!

Anu Morris is a creative soul who channels her creativity through technology, bollywood dance classes, and writing both fiction and non-fiction. Her other life habits include Vipassana meditation, Ashtanga yoga and cooking vegan recipes. A nomad at heart she has lived and traveled extensively in India, UK, and the US. Her goal is to increase the level of consciousness in this world.

Amanda Irene Rush is a writer and psychiatric nurse practitioner. She lives in Champaign County and wrote The Gathering Girl, a memoir in which she searches for the artifacts of her own life to help unravel the mystery that was her family.

Shanna Ward, a fifth-generation descendant of John T. Ward, found herself drawn to the family archives that whispered of his extraordinary deeds. What began as a simple biography project soon transformed into a mission to share the heroic legacy of John T. Ward and other hidden figures in Black history during the slavery era.

Helen H. Yee’s book I Belong Here follows her journey from a cloistered Chinese childhood into mainstream 1960’s midwestern America. Optimistic and uplifting, I Belong Here encourages all readers to find their inner strength, identity, and the fullness of their destiny.

Leslie Anne Alexander is a single mother of two, a paralegal by day, and a lead vocalist on the weekends. Her book, White Lantern, is a paranormal thriller.

Scott Bachmann has more stories in him than any one format can hold. He writes graphic novels, novels, plays, and illustrated books. His goal is a book a year and he exceeds that every year.

Bob Corby runs Small Press & Alternative Comics Expo in Columbus. He is a retired structural engineer who has been a part-time cartoonist publishing his own work and the work of others since 1986. He also publishes Oh,Comics! an annual anthology comic  since 1988. His other publications include Amazing Tales of Entropy, Leaves,  Test!,  Big Ears & Flat Feet and numerous minicomics.

M.C. Jeter is the author of The Gems, a new-adult contemporary fantasy romance novel. She is set to graduate from OSU in May 2024.

Jason R. Lady is the author of the humorous and imaginative Magic Pen Adventure series for young readers: Monster Problems, Super Problems, and Time Problems.

Leigh Mascolino is a first-time author, career services director, and a mom of two girls in Columbus. Her YA fantasy thriller is a mesmerizing tale of The Djinn Entrapment.

Vonnetta Mayo loves God and attributes her inspiration for writing to God. Vonnetta is the author of a two-book series for ages 12 and up, Joy in Sorrow, Hope for Tomorrow: Homecoming and a memoir, Charlene Marshall: My Extraordinary Odyssey. Her books are encouraging, entertaining and educating.

Patricia Miller, award-winning author of 6 mystery & Sci-Fi books, is best known for relatable characters, clever twists & turns, intricate plots, and feel-good endings.

Elle Nolan is a graduate of The Ohio State University who has been writing since she was a little girl. She went from writing stories in her diaries, then her school notebooks, and then her college laptop. Her goal is to share stories that make an impact on others the way her favorite novels have impacted her.

Teri Polen reads and watches horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. Her first novel, Sarah, was a horror finalist in the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

David Rickert is a Columbus comic creator and author who loves creating humor comics for kids, including Pizza, Pickles, and Apple Pie: The Stories Behind the Foods We Love.

S.A. Schneider has a wolf, so of course he writes middle grade fantasy. Wouldn’t you? Since his LEGO and action figure days, he’s crafted worlds and stories within those worlds. This pursuit continues to his books today.

Montrez Smith is a fantasy author & co-Editor-In-Chief of Konkret Comics. Inspired by superheroes, anime & various forms of literature, she writes to recharge readers for their own adventures.

Brieanna Wilkoff (she/her) is an award-winning author of contemporary young adult stories about friendship, romance, and family that tug at the heartstrings.

Danica Barreau is an award-winning photographer, author and PPA Master Artist who specializes in animal paintings.

Tracy Blom is a best-selling author with over 30 published titles in bookstores, museums, zoos, airports, and major retailers across the United States. Every book she has ever created first began as a dream, written and recorded in one of many dream journals. Her books cultivate empathy, inclusivity, love for the planet and encourage young readers to believe in themselves.

Nancy Churnin, author of The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game, is an award-winning author of picture books, chapter books, and board books who writes stories about people who persevered to achieve their dreams and make the world a better place.

Justyna Coppus is a Chicago-based writer who entertains her child-like spirit to be curious, creative, and imaginative through her storytelling. Her children’s picture book, Eleven From Heaven, unfolds a magical take of Mama and Tata Lark preparing their nest for an extrodinary surprise.

Christina Dixon is a native Ohioan author who published her first children’s book in 2023. Her whimsical science-based story encourages readers to dream big.

Michael Fehskens is an author and self-publisher of comics and colorful picture books with animals. The Travels of Tabby Timbuck, is a search-and-find book where the titular character transverses the world, giving the readers a glimpse of (cat)people from all around the world.

Barbara Gibbon earned a BFA in painting from the Columbus College of Art & Design. She used her artistic talents and knowledge of early literacy to illustrate an out-of-order alphabet book, Animal Homes ZXA: an Out of Order Alphabet Book.

Tradara McLaurine is a certified motivational speaker, published author, and STEAM education entrepreneur, fostering leadership and innovation. I Want a Nickname is a picture book about empowerment, self-esteem and loving the meaning behind your name.

Joe Moore is a new-to-Columbus author with two published books. Joe’s Maxwell the Raindrop books encourage young readers to accept themselves and celebrate growth and change.

Paula Johnson Neal is based in Columbus where she draws inspiration from her vibrant community.  Her impressive body of work includes two award-winning children’s books, I’m Gonna Have A Good Day and Breathe, Gabby, Breathe, both of which are dedicated to fostering social-emotional learning in young readers. 

Whitney Parnell-Williams is an author and mother from Akron, Ohio. She is a lifelong educator with a background in English literature and education. Her picture book lets a sleepy baby know it’s okay to be sleepy through a special lullaby.

D.G. Thomas, author of The Magic Chest book series and Norris and Twig, takes you on a journey through time with a charming chapter book series where siblings Jessie and Ethan uncover heartwarming ancestral tales. Great for family storytelling.

Michael G. Williams, has over 25 years of experience as an educator and professional development leader in social & emotional learning skills. His picture book, The Brown Crayon, uses crayons as an analogy for children to see beauty in all colors.