Tag: wild ink publishing

A Chat with A.J. Hooks

When I first sat down with AJ Hooks to talk about Eugenesis: Inception, I felt that spark you get when a writer knows exactly what world they are building and is bold enough to follow it wherever it goes. His debut sweeps you into the life of Maria Guevara, a brilliant genetic engineer who finds herself pregnant under circumstances that refuse to make sense. One moment you’re in a quiet Spanish town, and the next you feel the walls shift around you as Maria realizes she is not alone, not safe, and not entirely in charge of her own future.

Hooks writes with a confidence that caught my attention. He blends science with the unsettling tension of conspiracy. The story moves quickly, yet it lingers in your mind long after you close the book. I found myself leaning in as he described how the idea took shape. It started with a simple question about genetic engineering, and then it spiraled into a full exploration of legacy, secrecy, and how far people will go to shape the world in their image. You can purchase Eugenesis: Inception here.

**What sparked the idea for Eugenesis: Inception?**

Eugenesis: Inception grew out of my interest in what might be the dangers of bio/genetic engineering if it was used for nefarious ends and, more generally, the question of the nature of humanity in the face of accelerating technology. Also, I wanted to explore the complicated terrain of personal identity vs. family/group heritage.

How do you approach writing on days when inspiration feels thin?

When I get stuck I will first wait a day or two and take some walks in nature, as I feel it’s often the case that my unconscious is still chewing something over that’s not quite ready. If nothing comes after that, I will go to a separate table in a different room and start working on (or re-working) the outline for the next chapter or two. When I’m writing I feel more in a nonlinear flow (right brain?) state, almost letting the characters lead me on, but when outlining I’m more in a plotting/linear (left brain) state. If the writing is stuck or drifting, it helps sometimes to zoom back up to the overview and re-examine/re-arrange some skeletal plot and action points which I can use to then dive back in and guide my flow.

What part of your book changed the most during revision, and why?

The character arc of a secondary antagonist. I originally thought I would have him transform towards the end and fall in love with the main character. About a third of the way through the book that changed though, as I had developed a sympathetic supporting character and, as I was writing, it just seemed natural that he and the main character were drawn together and [SPOILER ALERT] ultimately fell in love. My lesson from that is often your characters and their emergent character development will sometimes lead you in story choices rather than the other way around.

What do you hope readers carry with them after finishing your work?

A curiosity about what it really means to be human and a realization that we will always need to be careful about how new technology is deployed and used when humans are involved. Because there will almost always be misguided, or just plain bad, people that will eventually use it in the wrong way.

Is there a scene or moment in the book that feels closest to your heart?

Probably the climactic scene where the main antagonist [SPOILER ALERT] meets his end. It’s a scene imbued with historical parallels and irony, and happens in a place that I have personally visited and where there are powerful, tragic historical echoes. It’s also a bittersweet scene because another character, one that we have been rooting for, [SPOILER ALERT] dies in the process of protecting the main character.

What book or writer shaped your voice in a way you still notice?

The narrative non-fiction of Hampton Sides (Blood & Thunder; The Wide, Wide Sea) and the novels of Stieg Larsson (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, etc.)

What are you working on now, and how is it taking shape?

I’ve recently finished the sequel to Eugenesis: Inception, and it’s with the editor and is targeted for a 2026 release. It’s called The Second Becoming. And I just started working on a collection of 3 short (~ 30 pages each) stories with a loosely unifying theme. I’m enjoying the challenge of distilling the essence of a story into a shorter format and writing in a different POV.

I wanted to send a warm thank you to A.J. for these amazing answers. THANK YOU!

Go check out A.J. Hooks here.

A Conversation with Riley Kilmore

By Emily Groff

While a wide variety of hats have topped Riley Kilmore’s head across the years, the only one you’ll see these days is that of an author. Kilmore has worked as a police officer, as an EMT and firefighter, has driven a forklift in a flooring factory, and even served as the Administrative Assistant to the president of a chemical waste management firm. Still, throughout the years and changing jobs, Kilmore was always writing.

“I don’t think there’s any kind of work that doesn’t ‘mix’ with a career as a writer,” Kilmore told me. “People driven to write will find ways to fit it into their lives no matter what else they do.” Kilmore went on to express the belief that varied employment experiences can inform an author’s writing—often in ways not always apparent on the page.

The published author of award-winning poetry, essays, and short stories in multiple genres, Kilmore also served as a regular columnist for several online publications, including The Illuminata, a Sci-fi/Fantasy webzine. These days, Kilmore is most recognized as author of our particular favorites, Shay The Brave, a middle grade fantasy, and its newly released sequel, Alexy, Strong And Silent. We want them to be your favorites too, so let’s dive into this interview to learn more about the author and these fantastical books.

When did you first know you wanted to start writing? What got you interested?

Most authors are going to tell you they knew they wanted to be writers from the moment they picked up a pencil and learned to scratch out letters on a piece of wide-ruled paper in grade school. It’s a common refrain, but it’s really not an origin story. I think perhaps there are more pointed ways to ask this question. Maybe, “What was the first story you attempted to write as a child?” and “What was the triggering incident that drove you to try to recount it as a story?”

I’m pretty sure I still have some of those earliest writings—opening chapters to books that ended up stillborn—but the lives of the lost remain with us and continue to inform our work. One early story, Sada of Onada, featured a lonely kid convinced she was an adopted alien. Another story, Shibboleth, was inspired by a biblical tale about a fortress that recognized enemies by their inability to pronounce carefully crafted passwords. My spin on it was that the “enemies” had a lisp. The story was going to be an allegory about discrimination.

Recalling these early attempts at storytelling, I’m able to draw a thread through to today and see that most of my writing throughout my life has centered on themes of not fitting in. Prevailingly, across genres, my stories feature characters who, in one way or another, couldn’t (or wouldn’t) toe the lines societies draw for their (accepted) members.

**Tell me about each of your books: Shay The Brave, Share With Shay, and Alexy, Strong And Silent.**

All three books are part of the Oldenshire Series, a set of quirky middle-grade fantasies that, while clearly not set on Earth, take place in a pre-industrialized time reflective of our own Medieval period.

Shay The Brave takes place in the village fortress of Oldenshire itself, and features a feisty protagonist animal lover (young Shay) who wants everyone to stop eating meat. Hers is a family of means, but she is against classism and ablism—her pal is Alexy, the laundress’s son, who also happens to be mute. The story is an allegory promoting animal rights, intercultural friendship, and trans dignity: a small book filled with big ideas.

The Share With Shay Workbook invites young readers to project their own ideas and creativity over the world of Oldenshire, especially as it reflects social issues at play in the real world. The workbook is a great companion to Shay The Brave, offering hundreds of prompts that encourage kids to ignite their imaginations and delve into their own origin stories—both cultural and individual.

Alexy, Strong And Silent is the second installment in the Oldenshire Series. The story follows the sidekick from Shay The Brave as he must venture afield from the only home he’s ever known and face a larger, crueler world. This second story takes place in the town of Indusdorp. Perhaps think of it as an Oldenshire take on Oliver Twist meets Jumanji. While Shay isn’t featured in the second book, she does appear, as do other beloved characters from Book One.

How did you get the idea for each of these books?

Shay was a filler book to engage my spare time during my MFA program. My thesis novel was a sweeping 400-page Sci-Fantasy family saga with anticolonial themes, so I wanted to try something different. Honestly, I didn’t know what, so I just sat down at my computer, pulled up a blank page, and decided to write whatever occurred to me. No plan. No outline. I ended up writing a chapter a day, and in three weeks Shay The Brave was born. In a way, it felt more like a channeled story than one I wrote. The workbook was the brainchild of Abby Wild, owner of Wild Ink Publishing. The idea for Alexy came from Shay. It was Abby’s idea to expand Shay The Brave into a series. How I approached that was up to me, so I decided there was more to Alexy’s story to be told, more of his character to unfold. He deserved a book of his own.

Why should readers read your book? What is your target reader for each book? Why did you choose to write for this audience?

I’ve written eleven books, yet Shay The Brave was my middle grade debut. My other works are geared more for young adult, adult, or YA-crossover readers. That said, I do market Shay The Brave as having been written for “kids from nine to ninety-nine,” because it appeals to readers of all ages, especially fans of books like Lewis Carroll’s Through The Looking Glass or Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events.

I think I eventually gravitated toward writing for younger readers by realizing how deeply influential books were in my own formative years. Authors who most influenced me include Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Marguerite Henry, Lewis Carroll, and Helen Garrett. By reaching out to younger readers, authors have an opportunity to plant seeds of better and broader thinking in the coming generations. Writing for young audiences is an act of hope, an investment in the future, and a declaration that young minds are the fertile landscape whereon our entire world’s survival hinges. Writing for young readers (and for the adults who will be reading our works to them) is a way to pass on tidbits of wisdom we’ve garnered along the way.

Do you have a specific genre that you write in? Why this genre? Do the books you read tend to influence this?

Throughout my teens and early adulthood, I did read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, so yes, the books I read definitely influenced my writing. I’d say the bulk of what I’ve written through the years could be considered one or another sub-category of fantasy. I’ve written novels in other genres as well; they simply haven’t found their way to publication yet (i.e.: romance, family drama, western). In more recent years, I’ve actually been reading fewer and fewer works of fantasy or sci-fi—probably because I feel I can simply imagine more engaging stories on my own. For instance, I’m no fan of dystopian or vampire or zombie stories, and nowadays a lot of work seems to center on those sorts of things. Frankly, my first and lasting love has always been non-fiction, especially history and biography, yet I have no driving desire to write non-fiction like I do fiction. Go figure!

You write in multiple different formats—poetry, short stories, novels, etc. Which format is your favorite and why?

I can’t claim a favorite. Each form of storytelling fills a different need, in the writer and poet as well as for the reader. One can’t replace another. Poems that are most memorable pack a strong emotional punch; they leave us feeling something. You might call them “emotional snapshots.” Short stories that stick with us the longest tend to have unexpected endings, twists that leave us thinking something. I’d categorize them as “cognitive snapshots.” But novels are entire photographic albums in word form. The most memorable ones run us all up and down an emotional flagpole while at the same time making us think—usually about things we didn’t show up prepared to think about at all.

What is your writing process like? Do you have any particular tips, methods, or writing strategies that help you?

My personal “process,” if one can call anything I do a process (Inner monologue: Is flying by the seat of your pants a process?), is to walk a lot. I used to run a lot, but now it’s mostly walking. This is my development time, the space and place where my stories and poems are seeded and begin to grow. Then, at night, that sweet twilight between lying down and falling asleep becomes the fertile ground wherein those seeds shoot up, spread out, and blossom. Finally, the following day, I sit at my computer or take pen in hand and gather the harvest, weaving it into words on a page that garden of ideas, smells, sensations, emotions, images, events, and conversations.

As for tips or strategies, my take is pretty straightforward: you do you. Do whatever works best for you as a writer. I’d suggest the way to discover that is by sampling many different approaches. Try writing at different times of the day. Write in different kinds of light. Write in different rooms and locations. Explore a variety of mediums (pen and paper; computer; audio recordings). Maybe try writing to music, then while wearing sound-cancelling headphones. Eventually, you’ll discover your personal writing sphere, which will lessen your writings fear.

Tell me a fun fact about yourself.

As a teen I was once runner-up to the Chicken Corn Soup Queen in my hometown. That’s probably a pretty small club. Also, at both my wedding and my police academy graduation—unbeknownst to me until it was all over—I had my hat on backward. That’s embarrassing (you’d have thought someone might say something, but no!). Also, I have some vision issues, so I’ve pulled a number of what I call my “Mr. Magoo” stunts. I once mistook a fellow shopper for a mannequin and began feeling up her outfit, admiring it; I nearly had a heart attack when she moved. Another time I gave an extended lecture to an up-ended mop in the corner of my kitchen till I realized it wasn’t my daughter quietly sulking there.

To learn more about Riley Kilmore visit https://rileykilmore.com/.

Meet Maria James-Thiaw, a WIP Poet

By Emily Groff

How do you decide to become a poet? For Maria James-Thiaw, it was easy. She has known she was a poet since the age of four–it only took her learning the alphabet to string words together to make beautiful lyrical pieces. By the age of seven, she had gone to share her poems on her father’s TV show, making herself and her work known. She has since become an award-winning poet, performer, and playwright.

Maria James-Thiaw performs and writes to seek justice. With her Reclaim Artist Collective, she is working hard to bring her American Griot Project programming to marginalized communities. She aims her goals high and never plans on abandoning them. Learn more about Maria James-Thiaw and her poetic journey in this interview.

When did you first know you wanted to start writing? What got you interested?

I decided to be a poet when I was 4. Of course, I didn’t know how to write, I barely knew the alphabet. I saw my father reading his poetry to others, and I decided that when I learned my letters, I would make up poems. I wrote my first collection of poems at the age of 7 and won the Seattle Pacific University Young Writers’ Conference.

Tell me about your poetry book: Count Each Breath.

A healthcare system built on bias and inequity, a system of policing that snatches our sons & daughters from our arms, and a pandemic painting a target on our backs–this is 2020 through the eyes of a black woman with chronic illness. If you’ve ever been dismissed, ignored, suspected, or accused by a healthcare provider, you will relate to these verses.

Why should readers read your book? What is your target reader for each book?

If you’ve ever been dismissed, ignored, suspected, or accused by a healthcare provider, you will relate to these verses. Women of color and mostly women but anyone dealing with autoimmune diseases can relate to this. One reviewer said this would be the most important book you’d read this year. I believe that is because people have been struggling to understand what it means to be antiracist and what other groups go through. They are trying to connect despite our differences. Books like mine help folks feel connected.

What were you most excited about with the release of Count Each Breath? What did you want your readers to get out of it?

I want them to understand that they were not alone. I also want them to be aware of healthcare disparities and some of the challenges black women faced during the pandemic and continue to face.

How do you get the idea to write these poetry collections?

Unlike a novel, you don’t necessarily decide to write a poetry book and write it from beginning to end. As we went through the shutdown, the racial uprising, the chaotic presidency, QAnon and all the idiocy on the Right, I wrote poems. I don’t think I decided that I had enough for a collection until the end of the year. Then I put it in order.

Is there a common theme that you tend to write about? Why that specific theme? What works have influenced this?

I tend to write in social justice and cultural themes. My favorite poets include Patricia Smith, Langston Hughes, Lucille Clifton, Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, and Sonia Sanchez, among others.

What is your writing process like? Do you have any particular tips, methods, or writing strategies that help you?

I teach Creative Writing, and I have a lot to offer individuals who take my classes and workshops. I think if you want to write, just do it. Don’t ask permission or wait. You don’t know how much time you have. Just do it.

When I write choreopoems, I first conduct oral history, then save that story, relisten, and write it in poetic form. I weave the poems together to make a cohesive story. I call this historiographic poetics. My first topic was women who remember the Jim Crow era. This choreopoem was called “Reclaiming My Time: An American Griot Project.”

You do a lot of public speaking. Were you ever scared to speak publicly, or did you find public speaking to be the best way to make a change and share your work?

I’ve always been comfortable on stage. My dad, Richard C James III, first put me on his TV show, “Over The Back Yard Fence” to read my poetry when I was 7 years old. In college I recited poetry during a big cultural festival we had and got a standing ovation. I was hooked. When I was 18 my dad had me read poetry from my chapbook, Windows to the Soul for the state House of Representatives. I got a standing ovation that day as well. I have learned techniques and tips along the way that make my readings and speaking better and more engaging for audiences.

Great readings sell books. When I share my book, people buy books from me. Some folks will listen to a reading even though they won’t read poetry themselves. It reaches a broader audience.

You are the president of Reclaim Arts. What does this position look like for you and why is this position important to you?

I founded Reclaim Arts LLC as a means of getting all of the artistic things I do under one umbrella. I produce plays with community partners and sponsors, I conduct the American Griot programs for groups of students, teaching them about oral communication and writing. I also promote and sell my published books. The newest part of Reclaim Arts is “The Promenade.” Through the Promenade (A nod to a poem I wrote for HairStory: Reclaiming Our Crown), I sell ancestral arts from West Africa including masks, paintings, statues, sculptures, and wearable art. I acquired much of the inventory from my late father, Richard James III who passed away in November. The Ancestors are an important piece of the plays I’ve written and so I feel like it just makes sense to bring them under the Reclaim Arts LLC umbrella. It also helps my mother as she downsizes and navigates her new reality.

You have a choreopoem titled Hair Story, which is a play written in poetic verse that got article recognition. What was it like writing that? Why did you choose to write it as a play? How did it feel to get article recognition?

We actually got a lot of media coverage. We were on the news before and after the show. We were covered by the Burg and had a review in Broadway World. That was very exciting. It helped with marketing and I felt good about the compliments given by the reviewer.

Hairstory: Reclaiming Our Crown was the second chorepoem In the American Griot Project. In this project I write poems in response to oral history interviews. The topic for HairStory was African textured hair discrimination. After gathering the stories, I translate them into poetry and then I weave the poems into a cohesive story.

Tell us more about you–give us a fun fact about yourself!

I’m a mother of two boys on the autism spectrum. They’re brilliant and they’ve taught me a lot. I am writing a choreopoem about parents of color with kids on the spectrum. I’m hoping to have it ready for the Harrisburg Fringe Festival in 2026.

To learn more about Maria James-Thiaw, visit her website, https://mariathepoet.com/.

Meet S.E. Reed

By Emily Groff

You may be wondering, “What is the best way to write a book?” The answer is simple: by doing. How do those two add up, you may ask? Inspiration. Doing is the inspiration– there is a setting, there is a plot, and there is an adventure. ‘Doing’ is the most impactful way to write a convincing story. Even if we know it’s fiction, we always live in that make-believe world, pretending it’s our own. So, do ‘it’, whatever ‘it’ is, and convince us that we are living ‘it’ too.

Doing for Reed takes multiple forms. S.E. Reed has lived in all five regions of the United States and has used her adventures to help her write, to help her craft. She does multiple jobs–cooking, teaching art, being a seamstress, being a swim coach, a healthcare administrator, and a wife and mother. Reed has lived multiple adventures in all the places and jobs she’s done. Can we say that these adventures, the truth she’s shared, are how she became a multi-award-winning author? Let’s find out in this interview with Wild Ink author Shelby (S.E.) Reed.

When did you first know you wanted to start writing? What got you interested?

I started writing stories in elementary school. I think my first “book” was about a cat. I’ve always been an avi reader and had a big imagination. So it makes sense that I use creative writing as a major outlet in my life.

**Tell me about each of your books: My Heart is Hurting, Old Palmetto Drive, and Ask Grace.**

All three books feature a young, female protagonist facing a major hurdle in her life that she has to overcome.

In My Heart is Hurting, Jinny is brilliant, lonely, and looking for friends. It’s in the school bookclub that she finds her friends and a boyfriend she never knew she needed. But when her Mama spirals out of control and threatens her entire existence, it’s Jinny’s Everglade ancestors who arrive in a mist of magic, bringing the swamp and hope with them.
In Old Palmetto Drive, Rian is fierce, spoiled, and learning how to fit into a new place. While Rian spends time in the Everglades with her cousins, Travis and Sam, and falls head over heels for vintage-loving Justine, she learns it isn’t just her mom keeping secrets. They’ve all got secrets too. Until one fateful night, the dark, murky waters of the swamp decide to tell the story about what really happened on Old Palmetto Drive.
In Ask Grace, Grace is scared, angry, and wants to understand what is happening inside her mind. Her next-door neighbor, and enemy, Gloria, goes missing, and the only clue leads back to Grace. Seth, Grace’s boyfriend, goes missing, putting an even bigger target on her, and she starts experiencing stress-induced flashbacks of a kidnapping scene right out of some campy horror flick. The kind her and her friends spoof on their weekly podcast. Armed with new clues. Grace and her friends race against time to find Gloria and Seth, before the rotten-face man from her memories turns Richmond Hill into a real life horror movie. One they can’t spoof on their podcast.

How do you find the ideas for your books?

I have teenage kids, so many of my YA novels have been inspired by my kids or things they’ve said or situations they’ve described. Usually my ideas start as a seed (someone says something or I see something and it sticks in my brain) and from there it starts growing, taking shape, developing and expanding until there’s enough that I can flesh out a plot for a book. I used to sit down at that point and start writing the MC and see what they were doing. Now I sit down and write out a high-level outline for the entire book from start to finish.

Why should readers read your book? What is your target reader for each book?

I think I write books that are highly readable with characters that you can’t help but cheer for. My novels with Wild Ink are intended for readers aged 13-18, however, I believe they can be enjoyed by adult readers as well. A great coming-of-age story generally transcends age and gender, because as humans we can all relate to those kinds of growing-up feelings.

**What are you most excited for with your release of Ask Grace?**

It’s always exciting to have a new book released–because maybe it will help me find new readers who will come back to read some of my other novels. I experimented with breaking the 4th wall in this novel, which is new for me. (That’s when the main character speaks directly to the reader). I thought it might be interesting in this book because Grace (the MC) is an unreliable narrator, so when she talks to the reader it creates a sense of trust or maybe mistrust for her. You decide!

You have won a series of awards for your books. What did this feel like for you? Do you have an award you are most proud of?

Writing and publishing can be a very solitary activity. People read my books and maybe (if I’m lucky) will leave a short little review, and that’s my only temperature gauge to know “how I’m doing” so to speak. So winning awards is exciting, because it’s a boost, it’s someone (or a group of people) saying my writing is good! Worthy! I feel seen and heard as an author. And no, I’m not sure I’m more proud of one award over any other. Each award has provided different opportunities– I’ve been invited to the Florida state capital to receive an award in front of a huge audience, I’ve been given prize money, my book has been sent on a world-wide book blog tour, and other opportunities.

You are a multi-genre author. How do you change your writing for each genre style? Do you have a favorite genre to write in?

I’m a character-driven author, so when I come up with an idea and a main character, they usually dictate the type of story I write. Whether it’s young adult contemporary or adult romance or new adult science fiction. I change my style to conform to the characters and the story they are telling or participating in. I can see it in my head and hear them, so I just tell it. No, I don’t have a favorite genre. I’m currently in my thriller era.

You have lived in all five regions of the United States. Do you have a favorite region? Does each region you have lived in have any influence on your writing or setting?

Yes, I’ve lived all over and driven all over the country. It’s so interesting to see the regional difference in things like architecture, food/restaurants, people, music and more. The south is my favorite. I’m a big fan of the weather, landscape, food, and designs. All of my Wild Ink books are set in the south, in either Florida or Georgia. So yeah, I’d definitely say that my writing has been influenced where I live.

What is your writing process like? Do you have any particular tips, methods, or writing strategies that help you?

My novel writing process starts with an idea. Over the years I’ve learned to heavily outline and draft the novel from start to finish before I start writing. My first few published books were written without an outline. Another strategy I use is word count tracking. Probably because I’m a bit of a numbers and data nerd. So I like to use a spreadsheet and track my daily word count, it is motivating to me.

Tell me a fun fact about yourself.

When I was in college I was a DJ. I had turntables, a mixer, records, the whole nine-yards. My club name was DJ Barbie, and I used to go to parties and play, and travel around the PNW to go to raves.

To learn more about Shelby (S.E.) Reed, visit her website, https://www.writingwithreed.com/ and sign up for her newsletter https://www.writingwithreed.com/subscribe.

Getting to Know D.L. Broom

By Emily Groff

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to become a debut author? D.L. Broom has always been a voracious reader and has awaited her chance to write. She held many different careers through the years, the primary one being an early elementary educator, but she is most excited for her new career as an author who touches the hearts of all who read her words.

Broom reads thrillers, light, and sci-fi, and enjoys writing historical fiction and horror. You may be wondering how she came about publishing a young adult novel, a genre out of her usual comfort zone. Look no further. I had the pleasure of interviewing Donna Broom and learning more about her debut novel, Sunflower.

Tell us about Sunflower, your Wild Ink Publishing debut novel. What is this book about, and how did you come up with this story? Why should readers read this book?

Like most people in my age group (Gen X), I read all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries. I love the cozy mystery format even though I also enjoy authors like Jo Nesbo, Preston & Child, and Freida McFadden who write much more intense stories. I’m also sensitive to my writing being authentic. Teens have access to incredibly written, hard-hitting, topical novels that aren’t my life experience. I wanted to give the YA audience a fun, cozy mystery with a bit of sweet romance that harkens back to the Nancy Drew series. This YA mystery explores what happens when a girl’s boring summer job turns into a dangerous search for answers to a tragic family secret. I’m excited to offer Sunflower to the world!

You are a debut author with Wild Ink Publishing. What was this experience like?

Working with Abby and her team at Wild Ink has been wonderful! I spent almost two years in the querying trenches, completing my MFA at SNHU in 2022, and she took a chance on me and Sunflower. I love working with fellow SNHU grads (and instructors) and the journey has been so exciting and rewarding. I can’t believe my novel is actually out!

When did you first know you wanted to start writing? What got you interested?

I’ve wanted to write since I was a child, but I didn’t have the confidence to go the distance. I wrote occasional stories through the years, but I always ripped them up and disposed of them. I will say that children these days have so much more support for their writing. Teachers have the training and resources to give children writing opportunities, and authors come in to give advice through workshops and assemblies-it’s amazing!

How did you begin writing Sunflower, and what sparked the idea?

My Sunflower project started after a compilation of opportunities. I was working at an Atlanta private school when the children’s author, Jack Gantos, came by and not only did an incredible assembly for the students, but also did a teacher workshop that I was lucky to attend. He outlined his process for writing children’s books and made it feel so attainable. I highly recommend his book, Writing Radar. The second opportunity came when my husband and I traveled to Boyne City, Michigan, to visit with great friends. I had never been to the state of Michigan, let alone any of the Great Lakes. I was blown away by the beauty of the region. When we visited the sweet town of Walloon Lake, I was just charmed, and my idea of a teen girl coming to the town, meeting a cute boy, and solving a mystery just popped into my head.

You read thrillers, light sci-fi, and enjoy writing historical fiction and horror. How did you tie in these interests to Sunflower, or is Sunflower a whole new genre for you?

A totally new genre for me. I’d never read what was considered Young Adult when I was growing up; I’d jumped right to adult novels because that’s what was on the bookshelves at home. It never occurred to me that I’d write a YA novel until I thought of Ivey’s story. I was in the middle of my MFA and working on a historical novel as my thesis project when I decided to switch to YA. SNHU has so many experienced instructors in the YA world, I felt Sunflower had a better chance of publication than my historical fiction project at the time. I’m still working on the historical novel, which centers on my Irish ancestor who was hanged for treason in 1798. I’m also working on the second book in the Sunflower series and a futuristic sci-fi.

What is your writing process like? Do you have any particular tips, methods, or writing strategies that help you?

Gosh, I feel like I’ve tried everything from outlining extensively to writing streams of consciousness. When writing Sunflower, I decided to have short chapters, so I made an outline using the chapter numbers and wrote a sentence or two about the chapter content. When I got stuck midway through the manuscript, I received great advice to go ahead and write the ending. That was a game changer! It made my writing easier when I knew where I wanted Ivey’s story to go. Being a committed reader is vital. Not only does it keep me current on genre trends, but it also shows me what types of characters and plots are in demand. Bottom line- what I love to read or write may not be what the masses want, but I need to know, so I can be successful in publishing.

Tell me a fun fact about yourself!

Most people find it interesting that I lived in Hawaii when I was a little girl. My Dad was in the Air Force, so we moved to Oahu when I was seven, and we lived there until I was ten. It was a unique experience because Hawaii is culturally very different from the “mainland”. It was a beautiful place to run around as a child, and it inspired my original fairy tale titled “Pele’s Hair”.

Oh! I also attended summer school at Punahou, from which President Obama graduated.

To learn more about Donna (D.L.) Broom, visit her website: https://dlbroomwrites.com/

Getting to Know Wild Ink Author Melissa R. Mendelson

By Emily Groff

We write because there is nothing else that touches our souls or our hearts, the way the written word does. Words of every language are printed on paper and are grasped by millions around the world. We write what we feel, and we authors can only hope it connects with others and helps them think, cry, and mend. No matter how much or how little we write–one word, one sentence– we are writers.

Author Melissa R. Mendelson writes because she loves it. She writes because she can express herself and her emotions. She writes to become the most vulnerable version of herself that she can be. Although Mendelson works as a full-time Administrative Assistant for the State of NY, she writes when she comes home from work and spends her weekends with pen and paper in hand. Working as an Administrative Assistant is tiring, forcing her writing after work to be brief, but it is on the weekends that she saves her energy and writes, entering into another world of her own.

Mendelson has had numerous stories and poems published. Our favorites, UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology; Ourania’s Orrey of Imagination; I’m Not The Villain, I’m Misunderstood; Calliope’s Collection of Mystical Mayhem. While all these publications draw us in, we are excited about Stories Written on Covid Walls, especially. Meet Melissa R. Mendelson and her new short story collection, Stories Written on Covid Walls.

(Picture of Stories Written on Covid Walls)

1. Tell us what your book, Stories Written on Covid Walls, is about.

During the pandemic, when I wasn’t writing poetry, I was writing short stories involving the pandemic that ranged from dystopian to drama, and touched on a lot of topics, including family, loss, depression, and anger.

2. What made you want to write in poetry? Do you find poetry more compelling?

Writing, for me, is how I express my emotions, how I let them out. A lot was going on in 2020 with the pandemic with my infertility, and my family. If it wasn’t for writing, I don’t know how I would express how I really feel inside.

3. How do you get the idea to write these books/poetry collections?

During the pandemic and my infertility, I needed a way to cope, so my way of coping was writing both poetry and short stories, switching back and forth and back and forth depending on how I felt and what was going on in my mind.

4. Is there a common theme or genre that you tend to write in? Why that specific theme or genre?

I’ve always leaned toward Dystopian, and it’s fitting with everything going on right now. I don’t believe in happy endings, and when I pay attention to what is going on around me, I see the dark side of it.

5. When did you first begin writing and what got you interested in writing?

I had two great seventh grade teachers that believed I was going to be this talented writer, and it took some time for me to see that. But in high school when I was dealing with family issues and bullying at school, I buried myself in my notebooks. I was writing short stories like Lizardian and Porcelain and I was writing really dark poetry. Luckily, my poetry is not that dark anymore, but some of my stories are.

6. What is your writing process like? Do you have any particular tips, methods, or writing strategies that help you?

I try to budget my time, especially in the evenings and weekends. If my energy is low, then I aim to do small projects, work on ten pages, maybe write a page or two, and get myself going.

7. Tell us more about you!

I love taking pictures. Other than being an author and poet, I am a photographer, and at some point, after I complete some projects, I would love to focus on that and try to get my pictures out there. Right now, I use a lot of them for my website and match them to my stories and poetry.

To learn more about Melissa R. Mendelson, visit her website: https://melissamendelson.com/

Getting to Know Wild Ink Author Abigail F. Taylor

By Bruce Buchanan

Abigail F. Taylor is an award-winning author who leans into her roots to craft unforgettable and spine-tingling stories. Her next two books are both signed to Wild Ink Publishing, with MARYNEAL, 1962 coming in June and currently available for pre-orders. Her subsequent novel, A HOME IN TISHOMINGO, is soon to follow.

In the following interview, Abigail shares more about her books, her approach to writing, and how her heritage shapes her work:

1. What got you interested in writing fiction? When did you first know you wanted to tell stories?

My family is full of storytellers. So, in a lot of ways it was a natural progression. I enjoyed writing ever since first grade but only began to see it seriously as an option in high school when a creative writing program was offered for seniors.

2. Much of your work falls under the horror umbrella. What is it about horror that appeals to you? And why do you think readers love scary stories?

Horror is a safe space to explore the intrusive thoughts, the grim and gory, and the unknown. I think that’s why it appeals to so many people, both writers and readers. It’s a chance to have revenge when the system fails victims and it’s an opportunity to explore different perspectives and cultures. Horror is one of those genres that has been inclusive for a long time. Its subgenres, like splatterpunk, were created as a push back and a form of rebellion against the status quo. Most of all, horror is a genre of hope. No matter how grim the outcome, the trials and tribulations of the main characters, there is always the fight for survival and to persevere through the darkest hours.

3. So tell us about MARYNEAL, 1962, your Wild Ink Publishing debut novel! What is this book about, and how did you come up with this story?

I basically came up with the story because I wanted to challenge myself to write for Young Adults. For about a decade I’d been working and querying in adult spaces with little to no traction. So, I decided to take a pivot. Then coming up with the story itself was an amalgamation of events. The setting was the hardest part to figure out. How do I write a horror without cellphones and without the crutch of ‘the no cell service’ excuse to fall back on. I also wanted to explore the reasons a thriving city would suddenly become a ghost town. I wanted a story where the protagonist was like the women I grew up with. There wasn’t a lot of representation when I was writing the first draft for tall girls with a mixed race background. I didn’t want it to be an ‘issues’ book either. I wanted my protagonist to exist in a space as a whole and complicated person without having to preach to the choir on a soapbox. This isn’t to say that Maryneal doesn’t explore these things. Throughout the book Delah is challenged by her own small town prejudices. Topics like sundown towns, interracial relationships, and the Indian Relocation Act are integrated as part of the wider narrative. Lastly, I knew I wanted to have a monster book that inverted the tropes that had been on the rise in paranormal and urban fantasy. The monster is not cute and cannot be saved by a single kiss.

A portion of pre-order sales will be donated to The Family Place, an organization that has been helping Texas families escape domestic violence since the 1970s.

4. Your first book, a horror novella titled THE NIGHT BEGINS, received a great deal of acclaim. What did you learn from that experience that you applied to writing MARYNEAL, 1962?

Actually, I wrote Maryneal first! The Night Begins came several years later. I’d shelved Maryneal and wrote A Home in Tishomingo, then had to shelve that as well. A few friends and mentors encouraged me to try short stories, which made me nervous. I hadn’t excelled at that in my college courses but in the same way I knew I could challenge myself to write YA and I knew I had to try short stories again. I thought Maryneal wasn’t getting picked up because it wasn’t ‘horror’ enough. So I took those same themes: Mixed families, small town, Indigenous and Irish folklore, and I put a real effort into exploring what frightens me. It’s not exactly a short story (I’m still working on mastering those!) but I wrote it in December and was signed in February. My first book signed and the sixth one written! It was horror and it was a success. So, I knew the time had come to dust off Maryneal, 1962 and try again.

5. Your family’s indigenous heritage and your roots in rural Texas are threads that run through your work. Tell us about that and why this is so important to you.

What it boils down to is the old adage, “write what you know”. Although, I will admit that I struggled for a long time (and still do to a lesser degree) about whether or not I had a place in talking about indigenous issues and I avoided it for a long time because I didn’t feel ‘enough’ but as I got older and more seasoned in my writing, I realized how important the discussion of ‘what is enough?’ is. Once I started putting that in my writing, I started getting seriously published. I’m white because my grandmother passed and decided to live and marry white. She didn’t see an outcome of successful living for her children and I think if there had been better representation for her when she was young, she wouldn’t have been so afraid to exist in the world as she was. That’s why it was so important for me to have characters who looked like her and the rest of my family.

Native Americans have a long and complicated relationship with the entertainment industry. The way tribes are depicted on films often had a direct correlation with what was happening with the US Government. The ‘uncultured terrorists’ of the Wild West became the ‘noble savage’ of the 1960s. In men’s adventure books, you’ll often find that one Apache guy who can see in the dark and hear hoofbeats from one hundred miles away. Nowadays, indigenous characters are treated too preciously. It is important for me to write about raw and dirty and complicated people who aren’t mystical or villainous. They’re just trying to collect their paycheck like all the other characters. In the decade since I first wrote Maryneal, there has been a golden era of indigenous stories. So many wonderful books and shows have come out into the mainstream. It’s wonderful to see!

6. You also are a prolific short story writer, including writing a story for Wild Ink’s PROM PERFECT and BANNED anthologies. Why do you enjoy short fiction, and does it help you as a novelist?

Short fiction is a challenge for sure! When I first started writing seriously, the advice often given was that a first chapter should be a strong first story. I don’t know if that’s still being taught but I think about it often. When it comes to writing shorts, it’s almost like puzzling out a math equation. The more characters and settings you have, the longer the story, and if you only have 250 words to create an entire narrative? Forget about it! As a novelist, shorts help me find characters quickly. I’m somewhat of a gardener when it comes to writing. I have a brief idea of where structure and plot should be seeded, but everything else develops as the story grows. With shorts you have to establish characterization and world building fast so that the rest of the story can breathe on its own.

7. You’ve signed a second novel with Wild Ink, A HOME IN TISHOMINGO! What is this book about? It represents a departure from horror, correct?

Maryneal, 1962 is actually my departure. I’d been writing poetry and contemporary paranormal fiction long before I decided to pivot into Young Adult. When It comes to A HOME IN TISHOMINGO, it was like coming back to an old friend. This is a book I’ve been wanting to write since I was sixteen but, as mentioned above, I didn’t know if I was the right person to do it. I also didn’t have the skillset to take on the challenge.

It is a novel heavily inspired by my paternal great-grandparents and the challenges they faced and choices they made as a mixed race, polyamorous family surviving during The Great Depression. It dips into magical realism, although some of the outcomes and situations in their lives definitely lean towards horror, it’s a horror of reality and not of genre. The book spans from 1915-1935 and centers itself around Skunk Lowery, an Irish-American sharecropper, and the magic that he uses to gain the system. He’s run out of town for being a witch and settles in Choctaw Territory where he meets his wives, re-invents himself to become a person of influence. Eventually, his past catches up to him and once again he has to use the magic he swore from doing to protect his family, even if that means killing the ones he loves.

Visit Abigail F. Taylor’s website to learn more.

Reading Through the Seasons

By Emily Groff

Do you love reading? Do you need help deciding what book to read off your long TBR list? Seasonal reading may be the right fit for you. What is more fun than reading books that fit with the season you are in? So slather on the sun block, put on your shades, and buckle in to plan your reading for the next year.

Why should you read seasonally?

Reading seasonally will add richness to your reading experience. It allows books to transport you into each new season. Feel more immersed in your reading by experiencing the reality of nature with the imagination of your books. As you look forward to each season change, you get to look forward to each new seasonal book.

Seasonal reading allows you to have variety in what you read, both in authors and in genre. Broaden your horizons and dive into each new world that the pool of literature gives.

What books should you read?

Conquest and Wild Ink Publishing offer a variety of books that are perfect for each season.

For some, Fall is about pumpkin spice, chai, sweater weather, and the dropping of autumn leaves. For others, Fall is the magic, spells, mythical creatures, death, and mystery.

If you are looking for the magic and spells that is Fall these are your perfect picks:

My Heart is Hurting by S.E Reed.

Jinny Buffett’s father is dead. She is trying to start a new life: break from the loneliness that consumes her, but her mother is spiraling out of control and threatens her entire existence. It is her ancestors who arrive in a mist of magic, bringing the swamp and hope with them that come to save Jinny Buffett.

The Subtle Art of Spellcasting and Sarcasm by Airie Avant

Callie Aigean drove thirty-six hours, carrying thirty-six extra pounds on her plus-size frame, staring down her 36th birthday- in less than thirty-six weeks. That’s the day she’s due to make her magical ascension into a full witch and take her place among the elite spellcasting community of Blue Crab Bay.

If you are looking for the death and mystery of Fall, read these books:

Ask Grace by S.E. Reed

Grace Everly is not friends with her next door neighbor Gloria Sanchez. So when Gloria goes missing, and the only clue leads back to Grace, tensions run high! Seth, Grace’s boyfriend, goes missing, putting an even bigger target on her–and she starts experiencing stress-induced flashbacks of a kidnapping scene right out of some campy horror flick. Armed with new clues, Grace and her friends race against time to find Gloria and Seth, before the rotten-faced man from her memories turns Richmond Hill into a real life horror movie.

A Murder of Crows by Mia Moon

Ember Wildes comes from a family of witches. After the death of her mother, it was the right time to start a new life and learn more about the craft that her grandmother had taught her as a child. But a dark evil has befallen the town, leaving the bodies of murdered women on its shores. After settling in town, Ember learns of these horrible murders and quickly finds herself at the center of the mystery.

If you want to read about mythical creatures, these are your perfect Fall picks:

Fury’s Fate by Shaelynn Long

Olivia Beckett has lived through thousands of lifetimes, dispatching miscreant supernatural creatures alongside her sisters as the mythological trio of Furies. Memories of her past lives begin to appear and haunt her, and she starts questioning everything she thought she knew about her life and her duty. In the midst of a brewing war between the factions of Creatures, Olivia goes against all the rules and falls in love with a human, only to realize he may be connected to her mysterious past. Can she have it all, or will she have to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to stop the war?

Vampire Metropolis by Robin Brown

Caiden is a 200 year old vampire who has been dropped into a walled-off prison city for the world’s fantasy creatures. In his time there he will work with a courageous leader of rag tag elves, an ambitious warrior vampire, street-wise goblins, a hapless halfling, and finally a young and headstrong vampire girl called Alma.

After you’ve finished these fall reads, Winter will be just around the corner. Winter is full of snow, love, and holiday adventures. Here are our Winter picks:

Pretty Unexpected by Arini Vlotman

After being roped into spending Christmas with her best friends and her alluring ex, Thando finds herself questioning her holiday spirit. For Jimmy Warner, Christmas means cold beers and comfort food, but reuniting with the captivating, yet prickly, Thando ignites memories of a fiery weekend they once shared. Pretty Unexpected is a Christmas romance novella weaved with drama, friendship, and wrapped in a touch of holiday magic.

Stuck on the Slopes by Jessica Salina

The cabin is heating up in this romantic comedy as a pro-athlete and corporate marketer dodge the tabloids and save a ski lodge. Professional athlete Juniper Hart was forced into retirement after a permanent injury. He acquired a failed Colorado ski lodge. Rachel Friedman looking for a raise begins working at the resort and begins to wonder if this was the right choice. Rachel needs to thaw Juniper’s icy heart so they can work together to save the lodge.

After the holidays, warmth seeps in and so begins Spring. Spring gives warmth of love and new beginnings. Any book can be read in Spring, but here is our choice of a Spring book:

A Touch of Love by Adrianna Schuh

Set in 1890s New York, Elijah Jameson inherits a steel fortune, a fancy townhouse, and a free pass to enter New York City high society. While he doesn’t want this, he needs the position to give his sister the best life. Isabella Marin is a pushy and stubborn socialite who wants nothing more than to be far away from the social season. Instead of finding a suitable husband, she is locked in verbal sparring matches with Elijah Jameson, the boy she left in another life. No matter how much she likes Elijah, Isabella knows they can never be together. If he knew what she’d done, he would never look at her the same. Even though Elijah has fallen for Isabella, society will never see them as equals.

Adding a little more warmth into your life, here are our Summer picks:

Sunflower by D.L. Broom

Sixteen-year-old Ivey Des Jardins knows her summer is going to suck. Rather than working with her friends at a local Florida boutique, she’s been sent to Walloon Lake, Michigan, to work at her Aunt Lauren’s summer shop where she meets her handsome coworker, Rafe Torres, and discovers a devastating family secret. Rafe has his own secrets that threaten his new romance with Ivey. With her Aunt Lauren grief-stricken, Ivey takes on the summer shop and sets out to solve her family’s mystery. But there are people who don’t want this mystery solved, and they’re on Ivey’s trail.

Getting to Know Wild Ink Author A.M. Hayden

By Emily Groff,
WIP Literary Analyst

A.M Hayden does it all. To her students at Sinclair College she is a professor. To her family she is a mother and wife. To her home community she is a farmer. To us, she is an author.

“Naps are the glue that holds my life together,” said Hayden.

Hayden has previously published a full-length collection of poems titled American Saunter: Poems of the U.S. and had begun to work on a second full-length collection depicting her travels in Europe. This collection came to a halt after a family visit to South Carolina. This is where How to Tie Tobacco began.

1. Tell us what How to Tie Tobacco is about.

During my trip to South Carolina, I was hearing all the stories told, and I just couldn’t stop thinking about them, and knew there were poems in them. I started taking notes on my phone on the drive back, and then when we got home, I wrote a draft for How to Tie Tobacco within 3 weeks. It’s the fastest I’ve ever written something. It just all felt like it fell out, just coursed right through me, in several forms of poetry and prose, all inspired by stories, photographs, and handwritten notes from my southern grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and other matriarchs of the family. Hearing all their humorous tales, life’s trials and tribulations, I was in awe of the strength the women in my family had/have.

2. What made you want to write in poetry? Do you find poetry more compelling?

I have always loved to write poetry, ever since I was a kid. I think watching Dead Poets Society at around 11 years old not only made me want to be a teacher, but also solidified my love of poetry and gave me the passion for it.

Through poetry I feel I can reach further, stretch beyond the horizon, get to those spaces in between, expressing these connections and emotions with a different kind of freedom from academic teaching and writing. The forms, style, and subject matter of my poems vary. However, they share a passionate commitment to observe, to sit still and listen, to learn, to make connections, and to express what it is to breathe, live, and engage with life in all its diverse formations, to cultivate a new, widened perspective of the natural world and the diverse people in living in it. Poetry is pure expression and allows me to create and contribute in a way nothing else quite does.

3. How do you get the idea to write these poetry collections?

I call this the “Antenna.” I think listening/paying attention for the spark/imagery/idea is such an important part of it. And for this, we’ve got to quiet some other things down sometimes, which can be difficult. So much of my poetry often comes to me while I’m driving or right before bed. I love embracing the entire process, from this “receiving” or “collecting” I sometimes call it, then the piecing together, the story building, finding the right form/format/container, the polishing/editing, and finally, the reading out loud and/or performing/publishing the piece. I feel like there’s so much sacred energy and fulfillment in both the culmination, but truly, also the magic of the process. I love how Mary Oliver says writing is two parts: 1) Magic Spirit Experience 2)The Practice/Craft. I really agree with this.

As far as content, the focus for me the last few years has been getting into writing all the traveling I’ve done. But, I also love to write about nature and my dog and pretty much everything! I love stories and getting into the marrow/authentic mojo of someone’s experience.

4. Is there a common theme or genre that you tend to write in?

Definitely the “travelogue” style so far, but I will be expanding as I’ve got a lot of books in me on a lot of different subjects. The courses I teach — Philosophy, World Religions, Environmental Ethics, and Native Studies —also significantly influence my work. I enjoy rooting in these themes when writing, engaging respectfully with different views, examining our assumptions, cultivating mindfulness of history, sacred space, ritual, ceremony, architecture, music, art, etc., ultimately understanding each other, and ourselves, better.

5. When did you first begin writing, and what got you interested in writing?

I received a diary at Christmas when I was five (from one of the southern aunts, serendipitously enough!) and that’s when I began writing…and never stopped. Also, I LOVED my little rural library. It was just a little old building with green carpet, very 70s, and had a musty, old book smell, which I loved and I remember getting so excited to pick out a few books for each weekend, sometimes reading my favorites over and over again, a lot of Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume.

6. What is your writing process like? Do you have any particular tips, methods or writing strategies that help you?

Listen for and pay attention to inspiration
Trust your instincts/intuition with what comes to you
Make room in your brain for the writing and editing
Write, send the piece out, let it go. Rinse, repeat.
Do not give up!
Be kind and open to rejection or feedback.
Don’t be afraid to write in form.
Write down your ideas all the time–even if on a napkin!
Allow for stillness and observation–don’t miss the inspiration!

7. Tell us a fun fact about you!

I have many rescues, including rescue pigs, goats, chickens, two dogs and two cats. Our two dogs are both special needs – one is completely blind (has no eyes) and only has three legs and the other is completely deaf and mostly blind. They are both amazing dogs! I also REALLY love El Caminoes and dream of having one someday.

Purchase How to Tie Tobacco here.

Epicurus On Writing

By Anthony David Vernon

Epicurus is perhaps one of the most misunderstood philosophers and writers. He was a man of simple pleasure mistaken for a hedonist, and his writing resume is usually reduced to one work, The Art of Happiness. This is partly because the vast majority of his work did not survive, but “Estimates claim that Epicurus wrote over 300 works during his lifetime.”^[1] Nonetheless, this all has led to Epicurus being an underestimated writer. But, Epicurus, in the fragments we have from him, presents quite useful pieces of writing advice.

Epicurus speaks to his writing, stating, “I write this not for the many, but for you; indeed, each of us is enough of an audience for the other.”^[2] Epicurus points out that writing is always between the writer and a single reader. Too often, writers focus on a potential mass of readers instead of focusing on the fact that is is always one reader engaging with a work of writing. Even if a work of writing is being read aloud to a crowd, each reader is having a personal engagement with a given piece. When writing, imagine that there will only be one reader of your work, this will allow your writing to be more intimate. For Epicurus, writers are too concerned with having mass appeal and so lose out on emotionality. This is not to say that writing for one person cannot appeal to the many, quite the opposite, personal works possess personality.

The above quote from Epicurus also teaches another writing lesson: a writer should be happy that they have readers at all instead of being worried that they do not have enough readers. As the proverb sometimes goes, expectation is the thief of joy, and writers often suffer from expectation. Having a quantity of readership expectations can kill the writing process because it shifts the writer away from the joyful intimacy of writing into mass expectations that can never be actualized. A writer can never fully know who their readers will be or how their writing will be interpreted. Thus, a writer at any level should write with the satisfaction of knowing that they even have the potential of having a single reader.

Epicurus also states, “Writing presents no difficulties to those who do not aim at a constantly changing standard.”^[3] What Epicurus means by this is many-fold, but for one, Epicurus is advising writers not to worry about writing trends. For Epicurus, it is more important for a writer to hone in on their style rather than the style of the day. If one writes as themselves, they will not struggle to be as themselves. Meanwhile, it is a struggle to fake a writing style that is not one’s own to wear sheep’s clothing.

In addition, for Epicurus, writing should be an act of personal ease, not an uphill battle, but instead a demonstration of a self-constant standard. This means that writers should not set shifting goals but instead aim for one simple goal. What this goal is depends on the writer. However, a writer should pick a goal that at least rarely shifts and ideally is a constant.

Likely, a great deal of writing wisdom was lost among Epicurs’ missing works. Still, what we hold from Epicurus is extremely limited, it holds depth both mentioned and not touched upon. This is part of the greatness of Epicurus; a writer can dig for inexhaustible writing advice from Epicurs with examination.

^[1] https://www.thecollector.com/epicurus-on-the-values-of-family-and-friendship/

^[2] https://marxists.architexturez.net/archive/marx/works/1839/notebook/ch05.htm

^[3] https://www.attalus.org/translate/epicurus.html

Written by Anthony David Vernon

Author’s Bio

Anthony David Vernon mainly writes poetry and philosophical articles when he is not walking trails.

Education:

Oklahoma State University MFA

Publications & Prizes

Anthology:

Faery Flying: The Art of Self Care (Fae Corps Publishing, 2023)

Book:

The Assumption Of Death (Alien Buddha Press, 2022)

Journals:

Apocalypse Confidential

Beautiful Space: A Journal of Mind, Art and Poetry

Brief Wilderness

Conceptions Southwest

Poetry Super Highway

Synchronized Chaos

The Drabble

The Literary Yard

Unlikely Stories

ZiN Daily

Prizes won:

Pushcart Prize Nominee 2022 for “Guilt is a Pleasure” nominated by Alien Buddha Press