Indie Author Fair promoting independent authors
November 7, 2022
Faint conversation flows through guests’ ears as they are greeted with warm smiles, picturesque displays and the smell of freshly printed books at Cozby Library Community and Commons on a bright Saturday afternoon For the Indie Author Fair.
At the Indie Author Fair, local indie came together to celebrate Indie Author Day. More than a dozen authors gathered together to share stories and connect with readers in a supportive atmosphere.
Librarian Jennifer Franz described the motivation behind the fair and what it strived to accomplish.
“The purpose is to highlight local authors in our community and help them get publicity,” Franz said. “They can sell copies of their books and get some recognition. [But it is] also for people who are aspiring authors, they can meet authors [who] managed to write a book. The third sort of benefit is that the authors themselves get to meet and talk to each other.”
Phillip Wray, the author of the historical mystery book, The Pontcourt Murders: A Charles de la Forêt Mystery, spoke about how his love for mystery and The Three Musketeers inspired him to write this book.
“I had done a lot of research to try to put together a tour of itinerary sites that are mentioned in The Three Musketeers, but with COVID-19, everything got shut down,” Wray said. “ I had a lot of research and a lot of free time, [so] I decided to turn it into a writing project.”
Wray published his book in September and is working on the sequel to the novel, which will come out in December of this year. He also expressed his delight at attending the fair, which was his first-ever event as an author.
“It was really just to meet some other authors and learn about the process a little bit,” Wray said. “This first book [has] only been out a couple of months. This is my first author fair to say.”
Additionally, the fair provided a place for authors to interact and discuss their works and writing processes.
“I really liked seeing the authors connect with each other because I would imagine it can be, possibly, a lonely project,” Franz said. “You see them talking about different publishers or different writing communities.”
Hannarich Asiedu, a mother of three wrote Decoding the In-Law Code, a self-help book about marriage and fostering better in-law relationships.
“I never wanted to be an author. I went through this period [where] I felt the Lord leading me to write a book based on what I had experienced with my in-laws,” Asiedu said. “[It] was just the passion to help other people overcome that challenge.”
Asiedu also discussed interacting with other writers.
“Connection with others [is] really important to me. Especially with other local authors in the area. I’m the only nonfiction writer here, others are mostly children’s books and mysteries,” Asiedu said. “I love sharing stories. I’ve met a few readers, so I’m looking forward to meeting more.”
Christina Dooley, author of He Was There – A Novel of Danger and Destiny, which is a historical fiction novel based on true events in the island of Crete in Greece, talked about her mission to motivate young authors to write and read.
“Every time young people come by, I encourage them to write because if I can do it, anybody can do it,” Dooley said. “I’m trying to encourage young authors because [writing] isn’t that hard, especially if you self-publish. The hard part is actually what you do after you’ve written it.”
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