Today, I am with Amanda Hayden from Ohio. She is the current Poet Laureate for Sinclair College and award-winning Professor of Humanities, Philosophy, and World Religions. She lives on a windy little farm with her partner, daughters, and many furry rescue babies including two goats, seven pigs, and an incredibly special, blind, three-legged “angel in a dog suit” Vinny Valentine.  

Today, I am with Erica Duarte from Tennessee. In 2001, Erica graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in Psychology. After working numerous jobs, she joined the Peace Corps where she taught English and traveled for a time. Erica is married with two rambunctious girls. At home, she loves having lots of pets, reading lots of books, and writing lots of stories, especially those that embrace shades of gray. 

Today I am with Rebecca Linam from Alabama. She has also studied in Germany. Over 50 of her short stories for children, teens, and young adults have been published in magazines and literary journals.

Today, I am with Amy Nielsen from Florida. She spent twenty years as a youth librarian sharing her love of books with young readers. Daily immersion in story took root and she penned her YA debut, WORTH IT, behind her circulation desk. Amy is the proud parent to four humans, one pup, and has more grand pups than she can count. When she’s not reading or writing, Amy, her family, and at least two canine co-captains in mermaid life vests can be found boating the waters of Tampa Bay.

I wrote this book while many places were closed due to the pandemic (and before I had a baby), so I had a bit more time on my hands. I wrote after work most days and on weekends. It took me a few months to write Fiona’s story. Now, I have to be more purposeful about making time to write. Luckily, I’ve stretched my writing muscles so I can write a bit faster these days. I no longer have to google things like “how to interrupt a character mid-sentence.”

Today I am with Demi Michelle Schwartz from Pittsburgh, PA. Represented by Michelle Jackson at LCS Literary. She holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, along with BAs in Creative Writing and Music. Currently, she is a publicist at Wild Ink Publishing, the host of Literary Blend: A Publishing Podcast, and a freelance fiction editor through her independently-run services, Amethyst Ink Editorial. When Demi isn’t busy in the publishing industry, she’s chasing her music dreams as an award-winning songwriter and recording artist.

Today I am with Nicole Smith from just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is an advocate for mental health and body acceptance. Recently she was published in the Pennsylvania Bards Western PA Poetry Review 2023. If Nicole isn’t writing poetry, you can find her with her nose in a book.

Ian Tan here, lead editor and project coordinator of UnCensored Ink: a banned book anthology, set to release this October 29. https://wild-ink-publishing.com/uncensored-ink/