Indie Author Spotlight, Episode 12

Hello! It's me (again). S.E. Reed, your favorite multi-genre Indie Author and volunteer at The Writer's Workout. Okay, so maybe I'm not your favorite, but I am an Indie Author who has made it her mission to help you find out more about others like me. Each of these episodes features a Q&A-style interview with an Indie Author so you can get to know more about them and their writing. In addition, some of the authors have chosen to participate in a 2nd interview on my website, Writing With Reed, which I'll link at the end.

Today's episode is with someone I have a personal connection to... we are in a writing group together (virtually). But we knew one another before that, however, I'm literally wracking my brain and I can't remember exactly when or how we met. BUT we've known one another for years and let me tell you, Mariah is absolutely delightful!! She is funny, kind, caring, and a talented author. I hope you enjoy getting to know her!!

Mariah, hey friend! Can you tell us about yourself?

I’m Mariah Stillbrook. I’m 44, a mom, a fur mom, a wife, and a pansexual witch. I grew up in Iowa but moved to Colorado a few years after I graduated high school. I spent some time in the desert as well, but Colorado has always felt like my home. Also I write fantasy and horror... for now. There may be some speculative literary fiction happening in the future. Writing has always been part of my life, but I didn’t start taking it seriously until my late twenties, early thirties. My style needed time to evolve and find where it lived. Not to mention, it wasn’t until I came out of all my closets that my stories began to really come together. 

I got picked up a couple of years ago by a small press called Creative James Media. I have three books out with them right now: In the Pines, The Lost Erwain, and Hall of Shadows. Books 2 and three from my Erwain Trilogy will be releasing this year. Book two is called The Pool of Aeslin and the third is The Crone of Light’s End. Keep your eyes peeled for those if you’re interested in a quirky, angsty, YA urban fantasy series that’s like Throne of Glass meets Narnia.

Tell us about your writing style!

I write fantasy and horror in both YA and adult. My characters come to be like ghosts; they hang around my shoulders until I find a story for them to haunt. 

Tell us about a project you’re proud of.

I’m currently with a small press but have decided to take my next two projects back into the query trenches. One of them is a 90s LGBTQ horror/fantasy about a possessed mannequin called Betsy. I’m so stoked about this book, not only because I had so much fun writing it, but because it’s the first book I’ve based off of the small Iowa town I was raised in. I even gave Roxy, the MC, my old role from one of the plays I used to act in at the old repertoire theatre. There are witches, demons, curses, and my most favorite—no cell phones.

Spill the tea, what are you currently working on?

Interestingly enough, I’ve come full circle. I recently discovered an old gem, a book I wrote twenty thousand years ago and shelved. It’s pretty rough but I love a challenge so I’m currently rewriting it in a fresh, more mature voice. It’s a literary fiction but I think I can manage to at least make it speculative... but I wouldn’t be surprised if some fantastic elements find themselves entangled into the prose before it’s finished. Oh, and did I mention that it’s sapphic?

What is your biggest/best piece of advice for other Indie Authors?

Make writer friends! I’m a total introvert and didn’t engage a whole lot in social media before I got picked up; it was a mistake. I don’t know if I would’ve gotten picked up any sooner if I’d branched out more, but I for sure would’ve had more people to cry with, laugh alongside, and bounce ideas off of. This is a seriously crunchy industry, and we need to have one another’s backs. Also, get out there and do some writing workshops. If you can’t afford to do the big ones then check in with your local library. There are usually workshops available.

Who is your favorite Indie Author? 

Gawd, I have to pick just one? Fine. Diane Billas. She’s a good friend, a fellow pansexual, and an excellent author. She writes the books I would’ve loved to have read in high school.

Where can someone find your work, social presence, etc. drop some links. 

Everything is in my linktree: https://linktr.ee/mariahstillbrook

If you want to know more about Mariah, check out her 2nd interview over on my website - https://www.writingwithreed.com/post/bonus-episode-with-mariah-stillbrook