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.
A great many of the stories we write are either history or fiction, and James Gilbert has dedicated himself to both forms of expression. He began as a historian of modern American Culture, at the University of Maryland. During his tenure there, he also lived and taught in nine different countries. He has now become the author of eight novels. His published works include collections of short stories, legal dramas, social satire, and this, the most recent – Murder on the Set, the fourth book in the Amanda Pennyworth Mystery Series, located in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta.
Debora Masterson is a writer, producer, musician and Francophone. A Los Angeles native, she currently resides in Chicago’s vibrant Far North. After a successful career in musical theater, she opened Working Artists Agency, representing post-production and developed programs for film and television. Fluent in French, she has a master’s degree in French literature and continues to play bass and sing in various musical groups.
I’m a writer who enjoys exploring emotions and how they shape our everyday lives. I’ve spent the last decade working in health and social care, alongside my writing. My long-term goal is to dedicate more time to it and eventually write full-time, continuing to develop my voice and connect with readers through honest, emotion-led projects. My work has also been featured on the radio.
The publishing world has changed dramatically in recent years. Gone are the days when authors had to choose between going fully traditional or completely solo. Now there’s an exciting middle ground: hybrid publishing! For authors seeking their path forward in 2025, researching the best hybrid publishers is a crucial first step in the publishing journey.
Lisa Dawn was brought up in New Jersey, where she fell in love with fairy tales and animated movies. She studied screenwriting at Ramapo College in the hopes that she could one day write the next great animated princess movie. After attending the DAVE School in Florida to learn computer animation, she moved to Los Angeles to work on 3D movies as a rotoscope artist. She lives in Texas with her husband, where she reviews princess content through The Princess Blog and composes original princess songs on the piano.
From high atop a mountain in Western North Carolina, Mark Charles Powers shares glimpses of grace revealed in ordinary lives. Go to MarkCharlesPowers.com to be uplifted and inspired by his weekly blog Glimpses of Grace and his book Going Full Circle: Worship That Moves Us to Discipleship and Missions.
A. Elizabeth Shaughnessy is a North American artist with a passion for Gothic horror. While most of her works are painted on canvas, she took a venture into the unknown and rekindled a hobby for writing. Sourced from both imagination and nightmares, with a paranormal nod to her New England roots, she penned a novel deeply woven by folklore and the essence of human survival.
Scotland-based historical fiction author, shortlisted as part of Penguin’s WriteNow program 2023 and invited to read at the Edinburgh International Book Festival as part of their On the Road event in 2022.
S.K. Fields was born in Yorkshire and has lived a life shaped by contrasts – from bustling cities to quaint villages and a rural community deep in the countryside.
Robert Callaway was born in Hollywood, California, and moved with his parents and sister to Utah when he was six. He grew up in the Orem-Provo area.