Featured Authors

Our nine ShoreIndie Featured Authors, who are at various points in their indie careers, have agreed to share their experiences and field questions about writing, self-publishing, and the business of indie authorship via #ShoreIndie #AskAuthor chats on Twitter during the Editing Round, June 12-July 30. So read up on these authors, check out their author platforms, and get your questions ready!

Scott Burtness Urban fantasy and sci-fi author

Scott Burtness lives in the Midwest with his wonderful wife, Liz. He enjoys reading horror, sci-fi, thrillers, and comedic takes on all three genres. For Scott, reading is a fun escape, a chance to live vicariously through someone else's adventures. He decided to start writing with the hope of entertaining readers like himself.

Connect with Scott: Amazon   BookBub  Twitter   Facebook  Goodreads 

Editor's Note: Scott published his first (hilarious!) book, Wisconsin Vamp, in January 2014 and has experimented with a wide range of marketing strategies in the last three years. He also spearheaded VampireBooks4Blood, an online fundraising event for The American Red Cross and Canadian Blood Services that held in October 2014, 2015, and 2016 and is a ShoreIndie sponsor. Scott's latest book, UNDEAD CHEESEHEAD, was released in March 2017.

Ben Galley Dark fantasy author

Ben Galley is an award-winning purveyor of dark fantasy from the UK. He is the author behind the gritty and epic Emaneska Series, a western fantasy series, The Scarlet Star Trilogy, and the new standalone The Heart of Stone.

Aside from writing and dreaming up lies to tell his readers, Ben works as a self-publishing consultant and tutor, helping fellow authors from all over the world to publish and sell books. His website www.shelfhelp.info will tell you all you need to know about DIY self-publishing.

Ben can be found being loquacious and attempting to be witty on various social media sites.

Connect with Ben: Website   Twitter   Facebook   Instagram   YouTube

Editor's Note: In addition to being the author of 11 books (including a graphic novel), Ben is the author of work published in Lone Wolf Anthology: A Dark Fantasy Story Collection and How to Choose a Self-Publishing Service 2016: A Writer's Guide from the Alliance of Independent Authors. His ShelfHelp site includes myriad resources for self-publishing authors, including online courses about self-publishing and book marketing. Ben's latest book, THE HEART OF STONE, was released in March 2017. Check it out on on Amazon UK or US, Kobo, Google Play, and iBooks.

Laura Hughes Dark fantasy author

Laura M. Hughes self-published her fiction debut – a horror/fantasy novella titled DANSE MACABRE – in October 2015. Since then, she’s written for Fantasy-Faction and Tor.com; during this time she’s also helped judge and promote the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off, and in March 2017 was appointed as Fantasy-Faction’s assistant editor.

In the ‘real’ world, Laura lives with her husband and three cats under the grey, pigeon-filled skies of northern England. When she isn’t absorbed in playing Dragon Age or working on her current novel, you’re most likely to find her trying to convince unsuspecting bystanders to read The Malazan Book of the Fallen.

If you've any queries, or just want to talk fantasy, Laura always encourages like-minded folk to seek her out.

Connect with Laura: Website  Twitter  Facebook  Instagram

Editor's Note: As a participant in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO), a competition designed to circumnavigate the tricky waters of self-promotion, and as an active blogger, Laura is a great example of how authors can form community to support each other in ways that aren't sales-y. An emerging indie herself, Laura self-published her novelette, DANSE MACABRE, in October 2015.

Caitlin Jones YA Gothic horror author

Caitlin E. Jones is an author, freelance editor, and lover of all things dark and fantastic. A homeschooled student through most of her young life, she was raised in South Louisiana, where the myths still roam wild, and colorful characters roam wilder still. She chose writing as her profession shortly after realizing that joining the circus and being a princess were not viable options. Now, having been indie published and worked alongside publishers in Berlin for two years, she works to highlight everything that makes indie writing great.

She is the project founder behind Academia: Discussions and Blog and currently in pursuit of an English BA with a concentration in folklore. Her hobbies include film editing, procrastination baking, and cosplay.

Connect with Caitlin: Website   Twitter   Facebook   Tumblr

Editor's Note: When I reached out to Caitlin, she had recently publisher her first book, THE SPECTRE AND THE GOVERNESS (March 2017), and I was impressed with the rave reviews and the book's high rankings at that early stage. Caitlin also blogs about writing on her website; this post about the relationship between anxiety and writing particularly caught my eye.

Rob Nugent Fantasy author

Rob Nugent is a medieval low-fantasy author from the American Midwest. Inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien as a child, Rob set a course that would take him from countless fantasy universes to delving deep into medieval studies. It is Rob’s firm belief that a medieval fantasy work is not only defined by its story, but by the immersive world in which it takes place.

Rob’s first self-published release was in 2015 with The Fallen Banner: Part I of the Chronicles of Aerothos. It is Rob’s goal to create various series within the world of Aerothos, bringing to life its bloody, intrigue-fueled history and countless tales.

Aside from writing, Rob is an avid musician, medieval reenactor, and live-action role-playing enthusiast.

Connect with Rob: Website   Twitter   Facebook   Instagram

Editor's Note: Rob is another emerging indie author I invited to join ShoreIndie because I was impressed with the sales ranking and rave reviews of his first book, THE FALLEN BANNER (December 2015). He's currently working on his next two books. Rob has a lot to say about the self-publishing experience and is excited to talk with authors who are asking themselves the same questions he asked when he was making his decision to self-publish.

Ruthanne Reid Sci-fi and fantasy author

When Ruthanne Reid was a child, her friends were imaginary. Being an adult meant writing them down and introducing them to other people.

Proudly self-published since 2014, she's led convention panels on world-building and taught writing classes on finding the writer's voice. Her blog posts are shared by real live people, and her Twitter following is a pretty darned fun one.

Ruthanne has lived on both US coasts but currently dwells somewhere in the middle, loathing the hot summers and avoiding cholla cactuses. In the meantime, she writes a lot while dealing with Potential Multiple Sclerosis (or fibromyalgia or something) and looking way cute in cotton hospital duds. She's happily married, is owned by two cats, and has little else to say in a third-person format.

To learn more (and begin an ordinary conversation), subscribe to her free email newsletter or send her an email.

Connect with Ruthanne:  Website   Twitter   Facebook

Editor's Note: I fell in love with Ruthanne's eerie scifi novel The Sundered a few years ago and asked her to write a guest post on her definition of success as a writer. So when I started thinking about indie authors I wanted to invite to join ShoreIndie, hers was one of the first names that came to mind. Five days after the official launch of her latest book, HALF-SHELL PROPHECIES (March 2017), it already had 26 reviews (and a 4.8-star overall rating).

Kellie Sheridan YA author

Kellie Sheridan is a Canadian based author of YA books ranging from the zombie apocalypse to contemporary romance—while also "secretly" writing books for adults under various pen names. She has been self-publishing her work since early 2013 while also working with authors through small publishing houses or offering author services to the indie community.

When not directly surrounding herself with books, Kellie can be found on the YA WordNerds YouTube channel, talking about books. Her favorite authors include Patricia Briggs, Anne Bishop and Rachel Vincent.

Connect with Kellie: Website   Twitter   Facebook   Instagram

Editor's Note: Not only is Kellie is the author of several books (including one nonfiction book on writing) and anthologized stories, she is a co-founder of Patchwork Press, the NetGalley Co-Op, and Weapenry; a blogger and book vlogger; a book manager; and a proud ShoreIndie sponsor. Her latest book, Two's Company (April 2017) is the second book in the Four of a Kind series. Check out the first in the series, FOUR OF A KIND, on Amazon.

Kristen Strassel Romance author

Kristen's writing career started one Fourth of July after a night full of hair metal and too many blueberry drinks. She had a dream about a girl trying to find her way in Las Vegas that was so vivid, she moved there so she could write her story. Later, Kristen realized that Showgirls was probably on in the background when she’d fallen asleep that night, but Because the Night was born.

She loves mythical creatures like shifters, vampires, and musicians. Now back in the Boston area, Kristen works as a makeup artist for film and television. When she's not working, she's watching football, trying to make her house look like a Pinterest board, or planning her next adventure.

Connect with Kristen: Website   Twitter   Facebook 

Editor's Note: I met Kristen in 2012 - before she published her first book - when she was co-running a kind of writer's collective, and it has been absolutely amazing to watch her career develop. A prolific indie author since 2014, Kristen has published over a dozen paranormal romance and contemporary romance books (No Strings Attached is one of my favorites) and has had her work included in anthologies. Her next release is planned for June 2017. Check out NO STRINGS ATTACHED on Amazon, Nook, iBooks, and Kobo, and be sure to join her #AskAuthor chat on Sunday, July 16th at 7pm ET under the #ShoreIndie hashtag on Twitter.

Rebecca Syme Romance and cozy mystery author
AskAuthor Chat: Sunday, June 11th, 8pm ET

Rebecca Syme writes small town romance as Becca Boyd and cozy mystery as R.L. Syme. She is a long-time foodie and loves fancy cheese. Becca calls the mountains of Montana her home and draws inspiration from the beautiful vistas and heartwarming people. She is the USA Today bestselling author of the Line of Fire series of sweet romances and part of the Chick Tales continuity series set in Somewhere, TX. Her newest series, The Matchbaker Mysteries, falls into cozy culinary mystery and releases on July 1st. You can find her on Twitter talking #fancycheese or #Chopped, and on Facebook with her fans in Becca Nation. She is represented by Lane Heymont of the Tobias Literary Agency.

Connect with Rebecca: Website   Twitter   Facebook

Editor's Note: Not only is Rebecca is the author or co-author of over a dozen published books, but she also co-hosts the Smarty Pants Book Marketing Podcast and teaches courses on craft and indie authorship through the Margie Lawson Writer's Academy - including the excellent Indie Insider course, from which I learned everything I wish I'd known about indie authorship when I was starting out - and is a ShoreIndie sponsor. Be sure to check out her latest book, VANGIE VALE AND THE MURDERED MACARON, when it comes out August 1st!