Katherine Forrister, another 2021 Debuts author, just released Lodestone, a novel Cari Dubiel describes as “an impressive fantasy that leaves the reader both satisfied and wanting more.” Others who have endorsed the book mention the incredible setting, the complex characters, and the magic. What more could a debut novelist ask for? While Katherine might make…

Sarah Lawton is a fellow member of the 2021 Debut Group, a group of authors publishing their debut novels this year. Sarah’s bio there tells us, “After leaving a career in the charity sector she spent several years blogging and raising a small person to school age, at which point she decided enough was enough…

Lee Barber is no stranger to persistence. She began her debut novel, Getting to Grace, in 1998, and wrote, rewrote, wrote again, landed an agent, and then a publisher, finally releasing it this past December. She also blogs and writes short stories. I first met Lee in a workshopping class where I was blown away…

Sue Rovens is a huge supporter of authors. I first stumbled across her name when she offered to introduce authors via her interviews. As any author knows, getting your name out there can be difficult; extra help is always appreciated. But Sue is an author in her own right, having written several novels and short…

In high school, I visited the Outer Banks a few times with my family, and each time we went, I didn’t want to go back home. As author Heather Frese knows and mentions, it really is “a magical place,” one she captures well in her debut novel The Baddest Girl on the Planet. The book…

Elissa Grossell Dickey is a fellow author in the 2021 Debut Group. She describes herself as “a mother, writer, and multiple sclerosis warrior who believes in the power of strong coffee and captivating stories,” which means she and I would get along just fine should we ever meet in person. The Speed of Light was…

Twitter’s not my favorite form of social media, but it introduced me to fellow Michigander Rick Bailey, so I guess I should be happy with it. Rick is the author of three collections of essays, all published by University of Nebraska Press. His latest, Get Thee to a Bakery, is out today, and I encourage…

Sherri Leimkuhler calls herself “a multitasker extraordinaire,” which means if we met in person, we’d have a lot to chat about. Maybe we’d even exchange tips on how to juggle as much as we do! Sherri comes to novel writing organically, as she’s written professionally for over twenty years, but What’s Left Untold is her…

Meg Weber is another author on my radar thanks to the 2021 Debuts group. We read and reviewed each other’s work, and now, I’d actually love to meet her in person sometime. While her life, as evidenced by her sexy debut memoir, A Year of Mr. Lucky, may be different from my own, her outlook…

Jacob Paul Patchen falls into the category (like many other authors) of people I’ve “met” on social media but have never seen in person. But it’s pretty safe to say that he and I would have a lot to chat about if our paths actually crossed. One case in point: he writes across multiple genres.…