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Horror Writers Association President, Awards Finalists, And More: ALLi Member Milestones December 2024

Horror Writers Association President, Awards Finalists, and More: ALLi Member Milestones December 2024

This regular post from the Alliance of Independent Authors celebrates ALLi member successes to inspire our indie author community. Our ALLi Member Milestones for December 2024 celebrates the successes of author members Amy Safford, Jenny Heselden, LoLo Paige, Kevin G. Chapman, Angela Yuriko Smith, X. Ho Yen, SJ Banham, and Carran Waterfield. Congratulations to all those featured in this month’s roundup and to everyone in our community who has hit a milestone!

Do you have a member milestone to share? 

We are always looking to hear from our members about your achievements; from those of you who are just setting out, to our most experienced Authorpreneurs. Whatever your achievement, if you are a member of ALLi, please tell us about your success stories using this form. We will share a selection each month with our members and our wider indie author network.

Angela Yuriko Smith

Angela Yuriko Smith

Angela Yuriko Smith

Angela Yuriko Smith is a third-generation Ryukyuan-American poet, authortunist, and publisher of Space and Time magazine. A two-time Bram Stoker Awards® Winner and HWA Mentor of the Year, she serves as the HWA President, coaches authors and shares the Authortunities Hub, an online community for aspiring authors at authortunitieshub.com.

Member Milestone

As of November 1, 2024 I am the new president of the Horror Writers Association. I joined the HWA in 2015. In 2019 I was awarded my first Bram Stoker Award finalist. It was the only self-published book that year, and later I found out probably the first in that category (long fiction) and one of a handful in the history of the awards. In less than a decade I am leading the organization into a new era of prestige and profitability for our members, or at least doing my best. Not bad for an indie author 🙂

What have you learned?

That we all feel like imposters, even as we stand on a stage with a coveted award. The best path to success is over the top of your imposter syndrome.

Amy Safford

Amy Safford

Amy Safford

Goode Vibrations of the Wresting Place is Amy's debut novel. She is the former executive director of the Maine Psychological Association and lives in Southern Maine. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Member Milestone

My debut novel, Goode Vibrations of the Wresting Place, was named a 2024 Best Book Awards Finalist in the Category: Visionary. I decided to publish under my own imprint by hiring editors and fine-tuning the manuscript using all the resources available to me. I'm very proud of the finished novel, not only because it is my debut, but also because it includes the important history of Malaga Island, a story about expulsion in Maine over a century ago that continues to resonate today.

What have you learned?

Listening to your intuition and overcoming fear can lead to a path of discovery.

Jenny Heselden

Jenny Heselden

Jenny Heselden

Jenny Heselden is a fantasy author and her debut book is due to be self published in December 24. She is aided in her escapism from the real world by her two cats. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Member Milestone

My debut book Soul Release is a category finalist in the 2024 American Writing Awards (submitted under Fantasy). This was the first book award I've ever entered, both in my author journey and for this book, so I was astonished to have been given any level of recognition/validation of my work.

What have you learned?

It's given me more faith in my craft and helped rekindle my connection with my book having poured so much energy and time into it's creation to the point of having doubts in its potential. It will help me to listen less my inner demons! You don't know what you can achieve until you go out there and give it your best shot.

LoLo Paige

LoLo Paige

LoLo Paige

LoLo Paige is an award-winning author of romantic comedy and romantic suspense. As a former wildland firefighter, she’s been honored with several awards with her firefighter romances, and her books have topped Amazon Bestseller Lists in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. You can find her on Facebook.

Member Milestone

Since I first interviewed with Howard Lovy back in 2021, I now have a dozen titles published in two series. My firefighter romances finally have traction because I started running ads. Now I have steady sales, growing incrementally higher with each book I release. I also translated my firefighter series into German, which are outselling my U.S. books. I wanted to give up along the way when I hit burnout and became overwhelmed. Instead, I persisted, and so glad I did because now I have a healthy readership.

What have you learned?

I decluttered my overwhelm. If my daily and weekly tasks don't fit on a sticky note, I let them go. I stick to five key things: writing, author swaps/promos, ads, newsletter, and social media posts.

Kevin G. Chapman

Kevin G. Chapman

Kevin G. Chapman

Kevin G. Chapman is the author of ten novels including the award-winning Mike Stoneman Thriller series. You can find him Facebook, Instagram, X, and Bluesky.

Member Milestone

After years of trying, I was finally selected for a review published in Foreword Reviews magazine! It will be published in the Jan./Feb. edition of the magazine both physical copies and digital version. Getting selected for this free published review is difficult and requires planning beyond what I knew was possible at the beginning of my indie author journey (including needing to send the book in four months in advance of publication). I finally nabbed one.

What have you learned?

Creating a marketing plan and not being in a rush to publish can have significant longer-term advantages for my books.

X. Ho Yen

X. Ho Yen

X. Ho Yen

X. Ho Yen is an autistic, mixed genetics aerospace engineer who writes inclusive, irreverent, hopepunk sci-fi. You can find him on YouTube and Substack.

Member Milestone

This month I released my first book for tweens (~10-12+), an immersive, educational brain tasks book promoting emotional health an critical thinking. It was well-received by its evaluators (teachers, parents, and a 5th grader). Also, my second novel was a finalist in American Writing Awards 2024, science fiction category. I wrote Space Autistic Author's Puzzling Innerverse as a gift to my inner ten-year-old, who would've loved it. So its positive reception goes deep into my psyche. And both of my novels are award finalists now, which is especially gratifying since they're stylistic polar opposites.

What have you learned?

Being genuine is starting to feel like its own reward. 🙂 Also, keep flyin'!

SJ Banham

SJ Banham

SJ Banham

SJ Banham is an Author, Writing Coach, Editor, Proofreader, and Ghost Writer. You can find her on Instagram.

Member Milestone

Passed the audition process at the Womens' Institute so I'm now on the WI speaker Circuit. It will empower me, increasing my confidence speaking and getting my books better known through my talks.

What have you learned?

I learned that I have an inspiring story which can be used to motivate others towards achieving their own goals.

Carran Waterfield

Carran Waterfield

Carran Waterfield

Carran Waterfield is a fledgling author and experienced theatre and performance maker. Since 2022, she has been joining up her physical creative practice with her writing; they feed each other. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Member Milestone

I have created and am about to release a companion The Brinepoint Colouring Book to my children's chapter book Redhair and Daffodil Friend. And I have a prequel to the chapter book in production. I have the three works almost there I feel confident now to call myself an author and may be taken more seriously in this endeavour. From my research you have to go beyond one book.

What have you learned?

How to work with an illustrator. How to be patient with myself and the self-publishing process. How there are similarities being an independent author and publisher to being an independent theatre maker and producer. How, even though I was a trained experience English teacher in a former life, I have much to learn about writing and the intricacies of editing. How to work with an editor. How to use Alli for help. How to be gracious with advice and never give up.

Hands in the air for Member MilestonesNot yet an ALLi member?

The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) is a global membership association for self-publishing authors. A non-profit, our mission is ethics and excellence in self-publishing.

Everyone on our team is a working indie author and we offer advice and advocacy for self-publishing authors within the literary, publishing, and creative industries around the world. All the membership options and benefits, including free access to our collection of self-publishing advice ebooks, are on our website. Take a look and join us today.

Thoughts or further questions on this post or any self-publishing issue?

Question mark in light bulbsIf you’re an ALLi member, head over to the SelfPubConnect forum for support from our experienced community of indie authors, advisors, and our own ALLi team. Simply create an account (if you haven’t already) to request to join the forum and get going.

Non-members looking for more information can search our extensive archive of blog posts and podcast episodes packed with tips and advice at ALLi's Self-Publishing Advice Center.

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