Author Profiles
Ohio has a rich literary heritage as well as some wonderful contemporary authors. Learn more about them here! You can sort by various categories and see who has participated in our annual book festival by using the category search on the left, or search by keyword (including partial author names) by using the search field on the right.
- You are searching within category(ies): Young Adult
Cinda Williams Chima
Ohio-born author Cinda Williams Chima nearly failed first grade because she was always daydreaming. By junior high, she got in trouble for writing novels in class. Yet the magic of books took her from first grade failure to first generation college graduate to New York Times best-selling author of the Seven Realms, Heir Chronicles, and Shattered Realms teen fantasy series. Her newest duology, The Runestone Saga, (Balzer&Bray) launched November 2022 with Children of Ragnarok. It marries Norse mythology and witchcraft with magic, swordplay, romance and cut-throat politics. She is a winner of the Buckeye Teen Book Award and a Choose to Read Ohio author.
Nancy Christie
Nancy Christie is the award-winning author of three novels, Reinventing Rita, Finding Fran and Moving Maggie (all from BookBaby)—the first three in her Midlife Moxie Novel Series; four short story collections: The Language of Love and Other Stories, Mistletoe Magic and Other Holiday Tales, Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and Peripheral Visions and Other Stories (all from Unsolicited Press); two books for writers: Rut-Busting Book for Authors and Rut-Busting Book for Writers (both from BookBaby) and the essay collection, The Gifts of Change (Atria/Beyond Words). Her short stories and essays have appeared in numerous print and online publications, with several earning contest placement.
The host of the Living the Writing Life podcast and the founder of the annual “Midlife Moxie” Day and “Celebrate Short Fiction” Day, Nancy teaches writing workshops at conferences, libraries, and schools. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), the Florida Writers Association (FWA) and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA). Nancy is available to chat with book clubs or writing groups (virtually and in real life) about the writing process, the themes of her books and her writing life. Contact her via email for more information.
Gabrielle S. Clarke
Gabrielle S. Clarke is a high school senior, vice president of her school’s Thespian Society and a College Board National African American Recognition Awardee. She has been published in the anthology Black Girl, White School: Thriving, Surviving and No, You Can’t Touch My Hair and the Thurber House literary journal Flip the Page. Her debut full-length YA novel, Vanessa Is Not a Victim, blends razor-sharp wit and rebellious spirit to deliver a wickedly fun ride through high school halls fraught with danger and dark comedy. In this thrilling tale, the line between hunter and hunted blurs, keeping readers laughing one moment and gripping their seats the next. When Gabrielle isn’t writing, she enjoys painting, drawing, hanging out with friends, and applying for colleges where she hopes to major in film directing.
Colleen Clayton
Colleen Clayton is the critically acclaimed author of the YA novel What Happens Next, which was a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award. She grew up outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and worked as a social worker in residential treatment centers for troubled teens and as Program Supervisor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mahoning Valley. She holds an MFA in fiction writing from the Northeast Ohio Consortium (NEOMFA) and teaches fiction writing and composition at Youngstown State University. She was recently contracted by YSU’s Special Education Department to teach an online summer writing course for 4th and 5th graders. As part of the project, she wrote eight online picture books for the students and then helped them craft their own stories using the free, educational platform Storybird. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoQSxqNyJHkZdqzDo5QOXfg
Colleen can speak on a number of subjects, including date rape, bullying, eating disorders, feminist issues in young adult literature, and ADHD, and can lead an hour-long creative writing workshop for grades 3 through 12 as well as for adults. She has facilitated in-service workshops for librarians and teachers as well.
In-Service Testimonial from Jennifer Holt, Librarian at Willoughby South High School:
“Colleen’s story starting exercise was fun and inspiring! It fostered creative interplay between my original ideas and the surprising places my colleagues took them.”
For more on Colleen, go to her website at colleenclayton.com.
Liz Coley
Liz Coley has been writing short and long fiction for teens and adults for more than ten years. Her short fiction has appeared in Cosmos Magazine and several speculative fiction anthologies: The Last Man, More Scary Kisses, and Strange Worlds. In 2011, she self-published the YA novel Out of Xibalba, a story that begins when the world ends. The same week Out of Xibalba launched, Liz sold YA dark contemporary psychological thriller Pretty Girl-13 to HarperCollins for international publication. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, her teenaged daughter, a snoring dog, and a limping old cat. The two older boys have flown the nest for college. Her passions beyond reading and writing include singing, photography, and baking. She plays competitive tennis to keep herself fit and humble. Taped on her computer are her “lucky charms”—the fifteen Chinese cookie fortunes collected over the years which spoke to her writing aspirations and encouraged her along the journey. She’s LizColeyBooks on social media and at http://www.LizColey.com.
Carey Corp
CAREY CORP wrote her first book, a brilliant retelling of Star Wars, at the prodigious age of seven. Since then, her love affair of reinvention has continued to run amuck. She harbors a voracious passion (in no consistent order) for mohawks, Italy, musical theater, chocolate, and Jane Austen. Her debut novel for teens, THE HALO CHRONICLES: THE GUARDIAN, earned her national recognition. DOON, her latest young adult series from BLINK/HarperCollins, is inspired by the musical Brigadoon (used with permission from the Alan Jay Lerner Estate & the Frederick Loewe Foundation) and co-written with Lorie Langdon.
Namara L. Dafney
Namara L. Dafney is a professional Executive Business Coach who works with non-profits and the private sector to promote organizational transformation. She is the author of Habits From The Inside Out: A Holistic Perspective.
In her book, Namara uses insights from St. Augustine, Aristotle, and other sage scholars, along with the Bible’s timeless wisdom, and coaching to create a uniquely novel and relevant voice on habits. The book speaks about how to create good habits and change or let go of unhealthy ones.
With a Masters of Arts in Professional Practice in Coaching from Middlesex University in London, England, Namara authored her thesis on: The Impact of Coaching on Habit Development for Sustained Change. She has also written business blogs and delivers impactful presentations about habits for business, community, and educational settings. Namara is also a contributing writer to Leadership Narratives: Reflective Journeys of Sales Professionals (Routledge, publication date January 2024).
Namara L. Dafney is a lifelong learner and on any given day, she can be found reading an enjoyable book, autobiography is one of her favorites. Along with reading, she loves spending time with family and friends, scrapbooking, and challenging herself with new skills such as juggling.
Casey Daniels
Casey Daniels once applied for a job as a tour guide in a Cleveland cemetery. She didn’t get the job, but she did get the idea for the heroine in her popular Pepper Martin mystery series. Pepper works at a historic cemetery and solves mysteries for the ghosts there. In addition, Casey has a new series, the Button Box mysteries, written as Kylie Logan.…
Read MoreCasey Daniels once applied for a job as a tour guide in a Cleveland cemetery. She didn’t get the job, but she did get the idea for the heroine in her popular Pepper Martin mystery series. Pepper works at a historic cemetery and solves mysteries for the ghosts there. In addition, Casey has a new series, the Button Box mysteries, written as Kylie Logan. Casey has also written both historical and contemporary romances as well as books for young adults and one children’s book. She lives in the Cleveland area and teaches fiction writing classes at the Brecksville Center for the Arts. She is a frequent presenter at workshops nationwide.
Mark Darden
Mark Darden, aka Madison Square Darden, is originally from Cleveland, Ohio and is a 2012 graduate of The Ohio State University. Now residing in Columbus, Ohio, Mark is a sports and travel enthusiast who has attended many sports events and has visited cities across the world. His favorite teams are the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Some of his favorite places to visit are Washington, D.C., Chicago, Toronto, and Los Angeles. You can follow Mark on his blog, buckeyemuscle.com, as well as on social media @buckeyemuscle.