For me, the greatest enjoyment as an indie author is participating in community events and having the opportunity to meet readers, book lovers, and wonderful people such as yourself.

In addition to the launch of my third book, Unburied Bones of the Broken – a collection of dark poetry and flash fiction available on Amazon and Bookshop.org – I’m delighted to share that my acclaimed, 3x-award winning book, Born of Dirt & Dust, is now available at Barnes & Noble through their online shopping.

Poetry That Haunts. Stories That Linger. Step into a world where beautiful language meets the shadows—where every poem leaves an echo and every story follows you long after the final page. This haunting collection of poetry and short fiction explores the hidden corners of memory, loss, longing, survival, and the truths we carry in silence. Atmospheric, emotionally charged, and impossible to forget, it is the perfect read for anyone drawn to dark beauty and stories that stay b

We've got the month of October loaded with spooktacular fun. Most importantly, Banned Book Week begins on Sunday, October 4. Make sure to get your hands on a banned book and protect your freedom to read.

For now, my primary focus currently remains on writing and completing my manuscript --- a psychological, twisty and haunting thriller centering around the questionable death of the main character's toddler brother. I leave you with this questionable thought --- a line straight out of my novel in progress ...

Whew! I hope you enjoyed reading the above excerpt from my current novel in progress -- a haunting thriller with the main character's toddler brother as the primary victim of a questionable death.

I gain tremendous pleasure capturing memorable moments chatting with new friends who stop by my booth, ask about my books, my writing process, and me. But most of all, the gift I receive is their friendship and hearing more about their creative spirit, the joys and challenges in their life, and their journey achieving their wildest dreams.

With one foot in the past and one foot in the future, I straddle decisions about beneficial ways to increase visibility of my recent book, Born of Dirt & Dust. Keep in mind I'm an independent author who isn't backed by a corporate publishing house. This means, I'm challenged with distribution limitations. However ...

I've always believed that Indie authors bring a special magic to the world of book publishing, especially when it comes to writing niche, unfiltered, authentic stories that shed light and truth about our humanity and the world we live in.

If we choose to listen with an open mind, an open heart, together we can be a light that never fades.

For me, storytelling is about shining a bright light on characters reflective of our humanity, life's challenges, and the decisions we're forced to make to survive brutal circumstances. Born of Dirt & Dust is a genre-bending mix of sci-fi, dark fantasy, and urban horror, with a desire for genuine love at its core.

When we join together and encourage one another, not only do we create a beneficial and embracing community, we also build a creative force that propels us forward together, infinitely. There is always space to showcase your work and always your community to appreciate all that you do.

Live events can be a surprisingly powerful lever for indie authors—not just for selling books, but for building a sustainable career.

Although the short stories in the book tend to lean towards genre-bending horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and urban tales, I want the best for my characters. I want their burning souls to rise up from the ashes of their smothering circumstances and know their existence matters.

In writing the stories for Born of Dirt & Dust, I wanted to open a lens for readers to fully experience the characters' world, how trapped they felt, how they chose to move forward, and the ripple effect of those choices.

Writing speculative fiction enables Renee Coloman to uncloak fringe characters, to remove their invisibility in our culture, our world, and shining a spotlight on their uniqueness. Their situation and characteristics that drive them to engage in choices that accepted society would label as unacceptable.

The Literary Titan Book Award bestowed upon Born of Dirt & Dust tells me that, yes --- writing these stories to widen the lens for readers to fully experience the world in which these characters, as portrayed in the book, felt trapped, how they chose to move forward, and how the ripple effect of those choices touches each of us --- there is always room in our hearts for empathy, acknowledgement, compassion and friendship.

To see my book listed in the March 2026 edition of Kirkus Reviews is an absolute thrill.

Yesterday, I met Jason Reynolds at an author event hosted by the OC Library. Yes! It was an absolute pleasure. I took notes, listening as Jason spoke about words and rhythm and the power of sound; layers of subtext as meaningful ideas that don't have to be shouted in the dialogue or paragraphs of his stories; and his passion for the heartbeat of language, his love of Shakespeare, and his fascination with all creatures living on the land or oceans of our earth.

I don't know why she says what she says but I know she's crazy and that's why she keeps a locked chain across the refrigerator door ...