Folklore stories provide a framework that reflects human experiences, allowing writers to explore profound truths about life, morality, and community. Understanding and incorporating these tales can offer depth to your characters and plots while helping you craft narratives that are both engaging and meaningful.
Recognizing Atmosphere Press’ 2025 Book of the Year See the Winner and Finalists Atmosphere Press is proud to recognize our authors through the annual Book of the Year Prize. Each
In my book I share with you the good, the bad, and the ugly of infertility, as well as the physical, financial, and emotional impact this journey had on me and those closest to me. I tackle subjects such as mental health, emotional and physical struggles, relationship dynamics (partner, friends and family), blended families, work, finances, fertility, and IVF.
Featured Star Author William Guest Books by William Guest William Guest is the author of Who Are We, Places You Want to Go, and What I Cannot Abandon. Guest graduated
There’s trouble, and then there’s Big Lake Troubles.
Coal might be killing the planet, but former judge Jason Erickson is reluctant to get involved in a case involving a massive coal shipper on Lake Superior. He’d prefer drinking wine and walking the California beaches rather than winter in a Wisconsin courtroom. Jason’s girlfriend, Grace Clarkson, represents the opponents and is pressuring him to join her. However, committing to the case means different things to each of them, and their relationship might be at stake.
Hotshot Chicago attorney Courtney Sharpe represents the coal shipping company. She will crush the opposition if she can only get former mentor and lover Earl Franks—recently out of prison—to help her. But can she get to him before the other side does?
As this drama unfolds, alliances shift, and some of these respected attorneys become convinced they must engage in shady ethical practices involving small boats and large dogs to catch the coal facility in bad faith. But when they put someone’s life in danger, can they still consider themselves the good guys?
Big Lake Troubles picks up where Boldt’s acclaimed first novel Blue Lake left off. It’s an elegant exploration of the ethics of tackling the climate crisis in a flawed system and an inspiring journey of personal growth, connection, and truths beyond courtroom walls.
“One of the best legal thrillers of the year.”
Kirkus Reviews Big Lake Troubles (Starred Review)
“Thought-provoking scenarios that book clubs will want to discuss and debate as the thriller steeps its readers in unexpected outcomes.”
Midwest Book Review, Review by D. Donovan, Dec. 2024
Taxonomic Vignettes offers vibrant life stories intertwined with a deep exploration of friendship’s nature and evolution. With felicitous phrases and a comforting musical rhythm, the collection brims with serendipities and ironies.
Comprising primarily longer poems with shorter, lighter ones sprinkled throughout, this collection delves into crucial life conflicts and trajectories. Readers will find themselves reading and rereading, drawn into the vivid lives, worlds, and language on the page; setting the book aside, only to be lured back a few hours later.
Ultimately, readers will return to the world invigorated and with a sharper eye for truth, possibility, and change.
In the heart of the Caribbean, under the canopy of swaying palms and against the rhythm of the ocean waves, a young girl named Leila listened to her grandmother’s tales. These stories, rich with folklore and history, were more than just bedtime entertainment—they were a window into the vibrant culture and resilient spirit of the Caribbean people. For authors and writers seeking to capture this essence in their work, crafting a book with a Caribbean theme is both a rewarding and intricate endeavor.
They say you should write what you know. As a lifelong naturist, it seemed logical to write a mystery novel set in a fictional naturist enclave. With my background as a PI and FRA, I felt qualified to write a mystery novel.
Andrea Corwin is a Washington State adventure novelist and scary-story writer. In years past, her free verse poetry was published in the Christian Science Monitor Home Forum, small press literary magazines, and local newspapers. She has written human resource blogs and local opinion pieces and has been published in Bereavement Magazine. After a small break, she now has short fiction stories, non-fiction, and poetry, as well as “first chapter” contest entries online with Vocal Media.com and reedsyprompts.
Harker Jones is the author of the best-selling love story Until September and nine screenplays, revealing truths through humor and horror. His short thrillers Cole & Colette and One-Hit Wonder have been accepted into more than 60 film festivals combined, garnering several awards. Managing editor of Out magazine for seven years, he is a member of both the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and Mensa.
Elizabeth Conte is a women’s fiction writer bringing what she loves about 19th-century literature to the 21st-century reader. She writes poetry, short stories, and novels, with her award-winning debut novel, Finding Jane, released in Spring 2022, and Chosen Mistress in Fall 2023. Other published work includes anthologies, The Truths That Can’t be Told, The Truth That Can’t Be Told 2, Love Is In The Air, Let’s Begin Again, Summer Fireflies, and I Have A Dream. Her writing is featured in The Pangolin Review, Sad Girls, Platos Cave, Lost Coast Review, Lake Forest Writers Roundtable, and PennWriters.
Colleen Golafshan is a carer and writer who first worked as a physiotherapist for 13 years. From 1996 she home-educated children for over 15 years. After studying massage therapy to update her skills, Colleen began writing a parenting memoir during COVID, while seeking best management of a low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Since chemo in 2021 and improved health in 2022, Colleen has cared for her mother with vascular dementia.
In the realm of young adult fantasy, writers hold the power to transport readers to fantastical realms where anything is possible. From the towering spires of enchanted castles to the depths of uncharted oceans teeming with mythical creatures, the canvas upon which these tales are painted knows no bounds. But crafting a compelling young adult fantasy novel requires more than just a vivid imagination; it demands careful planning, skillful world-building, and an understanding of the unique elements that resonate with readers in this genre.
As merchant ships from Pelland continue to go missing, Annabelle and her friends find themselves on a quest to unravel the mystery. On their journey, they encounter a stranger who holds a truth that could change Annabelle’s future. The crew stumbles upon a sanctuary island with secrets untold, meet enchanting magical creatures, and form unexpected alliances.
Join Annabelle as she works to overcome her fears. Will she be the leader her group needs to confront the mysterious darkness that holds the ocean in its grip? Or will she let fear stand in the way of her destiny?
In this thrilling sequel to The Traveler, The Voyage takes readers on an unforgettable adventure where Annabelle’s courage is tested against the looming shadows that threaten to overtake her kingdom.
Mariella Saavedra Carquin has practiced as a licensed mental health counselor in New York City in clinical, higher education, and middle school settings and now works as a clinician in integrated pediatric primary care. She is a graduate of Middlebury College, holds an EdM and an MA in psychological counseling from Columbia University, and recently earned an MA from Middlebury’s Bread Loaf School of English. She was the first-place winner of the Robert Haiduke Poetry Prize in 2020 and the third-place winner in 2022.
Nancy Brashear lives in Southern California with her husband, Patrick, where her grown children and seven grandgirls support her writing. She began her teaching career as a credentialed k-12 teacher and reading specialist and ended as a university professor. She has published short stories, poems, academic articles, textbook chapters, and educational website content. Gunnysack Hell, her debut thriller, was inspired by a true-crime event. And, yes, she did live off-grid with her family in a homestead cabin in the Mojave Desert when she was a child.
Becky Houston is a former social worker turned poet who has been scribbling angsty musings in corners with night lights since she was a little girl. Her poetry explores themes of mental health, desire, sexuality, relationships, motherhood, feminism, and social justice. Her poem “Cold Floors and Blueberry Bread” was published in the anthology Song of Ourself: Voices in Unison, which was awarded the Bronze Medal for General Fiction/Literature in the 2020 Living Now Book Awards.
Jodi Lawaich is a freelance copywriter living in Burlington. Jodi’s greatest production ever is her daughter, a freshly-minted, twenty-one-year-old college student majoring in Economics and Global Studies.
J.E. Boydston is a retired Professor Emeritus, has an extensive background in education, technology, and publishing. He authored a popular annual reference guide for school personnel in the U.S. while serving as the Technical Manager and Consultant in a central Florida school district. For fifteen years, he served as a professor of Networking Technologies at a Florida State College. A Vietnam Veteran, he earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for valor during his tour. With three loving adult children and a new granddaughter, he’s a very happy writer! Boydston is currently working on book two of the Kyle McNally detective series, Cigar City Crimes.
As a kid, Elizabeth Carroll always loved stories and spent as much time daydreaming as she did playing Barbie with her sister. Because her imaginary friends hung around even when there was nothing more to say, she decided to try her hand at writing and has found great delight and purpose for all the little people in her head. She has published a young adult fantasy series, a historical women’s fiction novel, and several short stories. Currently, she has a children’s novel in the works as well as a historical mystery series.