Writers often struggle to portray neurodivergent characters authentically. Too often, characters are reduced to stereotypes—the “mad genius,” the socially awkward sidekick, or the quirky token whose only role is to support the protagonist. These shortcuts are easy, but they don’t reflect real people.
Lisa Riddoch lives in Liverpool, UK with her husband, two teenagers and her doggy writing companion, Dex. She works full time as a programmer manager for a large retail company, but her passion is reading and writing.
A.B. Taylore is an imaginative storyteller and high school biology teacher who believes that the natural world is the greatest source of wonder. By day, she guides students in Grades 9 to 12 through the intricate beauty of cells, ecosystems, evolution, and the delicate systems that sustain life. By night – and in every spare creative moment – she transforms that same sense of awe into fantastical tales born from boundless curiosity.
Mari, pronounced Mary, Miller is a retired oral communication educator of thirty-three years, having taught at private and public high schools and at the collegiate level. She has been a speech coach and drama director and presented at communication, education, and technology conferences across the country. She now divides her time between Iowa and South Dakota.
Freeman Smith, aka Dan Freeman, is an artist and writer born in the United States. He has lived in various cities including Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, and New York City. Over the years, he has published novels under different pseudonyms and has discreetly placed many of his stories in various books at numerous libraries nationwide.
Dr Mel Baker is an author, speaker, and storyteller whose work explores resilience, identity, and the courage to rebuild. Drawing on her own lived experience, from early childhood trauma to frontline chaplaincy and military service, Mel writes with clarity, compassion, and unflinching honesty.
Peter Oloche David is an entrepreneur, researcher, and author whose work examines the powerful intersection of science, history, technology, and global health systems. His intellectual pursuits are driven by a central conviction: that understanding humanity’s greatest challenges requires both historical depth and forward-looking innovation.
Eliezer Sobel, 73, is the author of The Silver Lining of Alzheimer’s: One Son’s Journey Into The Mystery, a joyful memoir of caring for his mother, Manya, whose ordeal with Alzheimer’s lasted twenty years, until she finally passed away at 95. His story shines an unusual light on what has become an epidemic of dementia around the world, which most accounts largely tend to depict as purely tragic. Instead, Eliezer discovered that as his mother’s memories as a Holocaust survivor began to vanish, what emerged was the innocent, radiant, and loving young girl she had once been.
I was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1944. I hold degrees from the University of Chicago, Stanford University, and Yale Divinity School, and was the recipient of an NEA grant. My novel Skywater was named an American Library Association notable book, and my memoir Grace Period was a Next Generation Indie Book Award finalist. After fifty-plus years of writing and raising a family in Los Angeles, I now reside in my hometown.
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Lawrence Bub immigrated to the US as a child. His family settled in Denver, Colorado, where he still resides. Despite stints as an undergraduate at Harvard University and as a radiology resident and fellow at the University of Washington, he remains a Colorado kid at heart. An avid skier, hiker, and mountain biker, the mountains are his happy place. Returning to his love of writing later in life, Lawrence discovered that our stories, like old friends, pick up right where we left off.
My name is Tanner Kinsley. I grew up in Utah, and growing up I have always wanted to be a writer. From short stories, to screenplays, and now my full-length book The Love of an Enemy. I have had the opportunity to travel the country as a truck driver, and I’ve seen so many incredible things and met so many amazing people. As my journey over the road has come to a close, I am closer to home with my biggest inspirations, my four wonderful kids.
Whether you’re a full-time novelist, a freelance writer, or a self-published creator, understanding what the IRS considers writing income is essential. Mistakes can lead to penalties, missed deductions, or unnecessary stress.
A light novel isn’t just a short novel. It’s a distinct storytelling format with its own tone, pacing, and reader expectations. They are written in accessible language and often paired with illustrations, which helps blend the depth of fiction with the immediacy of manga and anime. They’re especially popular in genres like fantasy, slice-of-life, romance, sci-fi. Perhaps most popular in recent years are isekai light novels: a fantasy subgenre where the main character has been transported to a fantastical world.
Industry standards for book formatting are the shared conventions publishers use to ensure readability, visual consistency, and print compatibility. These standards aren’t arbitrary rules, and they have withstood the test of time because they support how books are manufactured, distributed, and experienced by readers.
For many authors, the publicity stage of publishing is one of the most exciting—and sometimes most daunting—parts of the process. Once your book is written, edited, designed, and produced, the next step is getting it into the hands of readers.
My primary roles at Atmosphere Press are as an Acquisitions Editor and a Developmental Editor. As an Acquisitions Editor, I love discovering new voices and compelling stories that truly resonate and then having the privilege of bringing those authors into the Atmosphere Press family. As a Developmental Editor, what’s most rewarding is working closely with authors to help them shape their manuscripts, refine their ideas, and truly elevate their storytelling. There’s something truly special about helping to bring someone’s creative vision to life and seeing a project evolve.
Rick Mendes spent thirty-five years in the technology sector before retiring early to pursue writing full-time. Rick Mendes’ debut novel, Growing Future Operators, draws on his extensive professional experience and explores the intersection of technology, education, and innovation. Set in a fictional city, the novel follows public and Catholic schools competing to become the first to teach DevOps, informed by Rick’s background in software engineering, systems engineering, and cybersecurity.
Helen Montague Foster, MD, is a poet, novelist, and Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Before her retirement, she was a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. For thirty years she worked in private practice as a psychiatrist in Richmond, Virginia, specializing in the psychotherapy of adults, often writing in literary fiction in her spare time.
Holly M. Jenkins is a storyteller at heart and a caffeine enthusiast by necessity. A lifelong reader of fantasy, mystery, thrillers, sci-fi, and every shade of romance, she spends her days dreaming up new worlds – and her nights making endless to-do lists she’ll never quite finish. Based in Austin, Texas, she shares her life with her husband, two mischievous cats, and an outrageously photogenic corgi who often steals the spotlight.
I am a retired teacher and school librarian but have had a varied career. I love to be challenged, so explored different careers. I’ve been a development director in a nonprofit, a freelance journalist, a financial advisor, and for twelve years published and edited the first women’s magazine along the Lake Michigan shores. The most meaningful career was teaching and being a librarian, with owning a monthly magazine second.