In 2021, I ran a series of Author Spotlight posts. Every month, I showcased an indie author and interviewed them to find out more about their writing life. In case you missed any of them, here's a list of all the authors I interviewed!
Read the full interviews for some stellar writing advice and funny anecdotes.
Mary Ann Tippett
Mary Ann Tippett is a writer who moved from Indiana to Ottawa, thereby rendering her law degree useless. She worked ten years pursuing fraudsters, listening to complaints and mastering the art of unspecialized legal specialties before settling into twenty years of chasing after children, ignoring their complaints and mastering the art of nudging them toward adulthood with minimal scarring.
Presently unencumbered by a useful degree and helpless offspring, she devotes her energy toward corralling the stories in her head into readable novels. Tippett has published four novels, including Pairs With Pinot, a romantic comedy shortlisted for the International 3-Day Novel award. Her works in progress include Murder at the Penny Lane Book Club, Sarah’s Secret (What Really Happened on the Ghost Ship), and How To Write a Novel in Three Days.
Madeline Nixon
Madeline Nixon is the author of a collection of paranormal short stories (Feathers), an educational children’s series on different types of sharks, and a historical article about the Halifax Explosion. She is also the co-author of four books in Beech Street Books’ Heathy Kids Canada series. Madeline graduated from the University of Toronto, where she double majored in Professional Writing and Communication (PWC) and English, in 2018. She works in educational publishing, doing jobs from research, to writing, to editing. Writing consumes her spare hours and she longs for the day she can call herself a fulltime author. She is currently working on her second novel. When she’s not writing her novel, she’s writing and hosting murder mystery parties for friends, baking all the cakes and cookies, or creating multiple Halloween costumes. She lives near Toronto, Ontario.
Jacquelynn Lyon
Jacquelynn Lyon is an emerging author in fiction and poetry. She was born in Boulder CO and spent several years as an undomesticated child in the Rocky Mountains. She writes fantasy, science fiction, gay romance, and about anything that fills her with wonder. When not writing she spends her time jogging, reading, and watching her cat do a delightful number of cat-things.
Linda Keith
Linda Keith lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She is an indie author and graphic designer with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Alberta, as well as a diploma in Design Studies from MacEwan University. She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. Her debut novel, Black Iris, is the first in the Black Iris trilogy.
In her spare time, Linda is an avid photographer, painter, and creator of spectacular birthday cakes. When she isn’t creating, she can be found enjoying the outdoors, listening to live music, learning to play guitar, or spending time with her amazing group of friends.
Lane Northcutt
Originally from Kentucky, Lane Northcutt currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. He is the author of the YA Dystopian novel The Delivery Co., which is the first in a trilogy, its sequel set to release late 2021. Lane is also the host of Indie Know, a podcast that focuses on writing, publishing, and the overall indie author journey. If you'd like to find out more about Lane, his books, or the podcast, you can follow him on social media or check out his website. While not writing, Lane enjoys performing on stage, indoor rock climbing, playing video games, and spending time with his wife, Shannon.
Elle Beaumont
Elle Beaumont is a creative who loves building and writing vivid fantasy and science fiction worlds. She lives in southeastern Massachusetts with her husband and two children. When not writing or chasing her children around, Elle crawls into her dungeon to craft candles. Sometimes, when the sun isn’t shining too brightly, she ventures into her gardens too. More than once Elle has proclaimed that coffee is life blood and it is how she refrains from becoming a zombie. In July 2020, Elle founded Midnight Tide Publishing, which is an author collective platform focusing on fantasy and science fiction. The publishing house was created to help self-published authors not only navigate, but flourish in the independent book world and still feel like they have the support of a traditional platform.
Brianne Wik
Discovered outside of a wardrobe when she was young, Brianne Wik was born in Narnia and raised by the Princesses in Disneyland before her house fell on a witch in North Carolina, where she got some awesome shoes and then settled down with her Rebel Prince Charming… you know the rest.
When not writing, Brianne can be found curled up on the couch reading all things fantasy and/or romance, watching Disney+ or Hallmark Movies, or snuggling her cat and husband.
Mallory McCartney
Mallory McCartney currently lives in Sarnia, Ontario with her husband, their three dachshunds Link, Lola, and Leonard, and two Sphynx cats, Luna and Legolas. When she isn’t working on her next novel or reading, she can be found daydreaming about fantasy worlds and hiking. Other favorite pastimes involve reorganizing perpetually overflowing bookshelves and seeking out new coffee and dessert shops.
Jenny Hickman
Jenny grew up in Oakland, Maryland and currently lives in County Tipperary, Ireland with her husband & two tyrannical children. Her love of reading blossomed the summer after graduating high school, when she borrowed a paperback romance from her mother during the annual family beach vacation.
From that sunny day forward, she has been a lover of stories with Happily-Ever-Afters. Jenny is the author of The PAN Trilogy, a YA-scifi romance with a Peter Pan twist. The first book in her new series, A Cursed Kiss, is set to release in November 2021.
T. C. Emerys
T. C. Emerys is an author, ghostwriter, editor and publisher from the UK. She released her first short story collection The Weight of Rain last year and is planning to release the first book in her fantasy series in the latter half of 2022. She also has a podcast about writing and self-publishing called The Midnight Quill Podcast which she co-hosts with poet and scriptwriter Maisy Osbon and poet and writer Aimee Smith.
Jessica Anne Renwick
Jessica Renwick is an award-winning author of fiction about friendship, courage, and being true to yourself. The Book of Chaos was her first novel and the start of her fantasy series for middle-grade readers. Since then, she has written and published the second and third books in the series, a paranormal mystery for middle-grade readers, a short story in the Mythical Girls Anthology by CelticFrog Press, and a sweet romance series for adults. She always enjoys a hot cup of tea, gardening, animals, consuming an entire novel in one sitting, nerding out with cute video games (like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing), and outdoor mountain adventures. She resides in Alberta, Canada on a cozy urban homestead with her loving partner, fluffy backyard farm dogs, a flock of chickens, and an enchanted garden.
Stay tuned in 2022 for more author interviews!
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