Please join us for an exciting Part 2 episode of “Launch Pad: The Countdown To Writing Your Book” with authors and contributors Susanne Dunlap, Stacy Juba, and Meredith Stoddard.
“Launch Pad: The Countdown To Writing Your Book” by authors Emma Dhesi and Grace Sammon – Looking for just the right balance of inspiration, skill building, and a toolbox of writing craft tips? Join us here for LAUNCH PAD: The Countdown to Writing Your Book! From the inspiring words of The Story Summit’s Amy Ferris to the practical suggestions of award-winning authors, this book, the first in a series of three on writing, publishing, and marketing your book, will help you get it right! If you’re intimidated by the thought of outlining your novel or creating rich and complex characters, LAUNCH PAD has you covered. If you want to learn the secret to writing a great scene, not only does LAUNCH PAD show you how to structure it like a pro, but it explains how to add the right amount of conflict or suspense, so your readers keep reading. Each focused chapter brings authors and would-be-authors closer to the creation of a story well told and ready for publication. The brainchild of entrepreneur, author, and speaker, Grace Sammon, this book series builds on the wildly popular radio show LAUNCH PAD – celebrating book releases and the authors who create them. With countdown tips, ways to connect directly to the authors, and bonus downloadable planning sheets, LAUNCH PAD delivers a craft book that speaks right to you. Led by Emma Dhesi, the internationally recognized author, book coach, and podcaster with a lifetime of experience in helping writers like you improve their craft, and Grace Sammon, LAUNCH PAD helps you navigate through the emotional rollercoaster of finishing your novel.
Susanne Dunlap, author of “The Courtesan’s Daughter” – Susanne Dunlap is a historical novelist and Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach. Her love of history began in academia with a Ph.D. in music history from Yale. She soon decided it was much more fun to spin stories based on the remarkable figures and times she discovered than to write peer-reviewed articles, and published her first historical novel with Touchstone Books of Simon and Schuster in 2005. She made the move into young adult fiction in 2010 and published four YA historical novels with Bloomsbury Children’s. In 2019, Susanne stumbled into the orbit of Jennie Nash, CEO of Author Accelerator, took both the fiction and the nonfiction courses and became certified in both. It turned out that helping writers write the best books they’re capable of and realize their cherished dream of becoming an author was a role made for Susanne, as the many testimonials from her clients in both fiction and nonfiction attest. Today, Susanne continues to write and has a thriving business as a book coach in Biddeford, Maine, and considers herself the most fortunate of people to have a life completely immersed in books and writing.
Stacy Juba, author of “Fooling Around With Cinderella” – Stacy Juba, the founder of Shortcuts for Writers, helps fiction and creative nonfiction writers of all levels who want to simplify the writing and editing process so they can save time and money. She published her first novel at age eighteen, and over the years has written sweet and sassy chick lit novels, mysteries about determined women sleuths, and entertaining books for young adults and children. Her novels have been ranked as #5 and #11 in the Nook Store and #30 on the Amazon Kindle Paid List. Stacy is also a freelance developmental editor and line editor, a creator of online courses for writers, and an award-winning journalist who has published more than 3,000 articles.
Meredith Stoddard, author of “The River Maiden: Once & Future Book 1“ – Meredith R. Stoddard writes folklore-inspired fiction from her writing shed in Virginia. She studied literature and folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before working as a corporate trainer and instructional designer. Her love of storytelling is inspired by years spent listening to stories at her grandmother’s kitchen table. She also helps authors create repeatable processes for productive writing.
Carol Van Den Hende, author of “Orchid Blooming” – 
Janyre Tromp, author of “Shadows in the Mind’s Eye” – Janyre Tromp is an in-house book editor by day and writer of historical novels with a healthy dose of lyrical intrigue at night. She’s the best-selling author of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye and co-author of both O Little Town and It’s a Wonderful Christmas. And that all happens from her unfinished basement when she’s not hanging out with her family, two troublesome cats, and slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog.
Michael Vecchione, author of “Fallen Angel” – 
C.M. Alongi, author of “To Kill a Necromancer” – In a world of greed, gods, and monsters, paladins are chosen to do what no mortal human can. Granted divine attributes of their chosen deity, they protect the broken fragments of human civilization from any and all threats, often from necromancers, those born with the ability to speak with and raise the dead. Such a power inevitably corrupts and turns each and every necromancer evil. Right? Jinua has just received her first assignment as a paladin: to execute a necromancer terrorizing a small town with an undead army. But what should be a straightforward mission turns complicated when another necromancer reveals himself as an ally, flying in the face of everything Jinua’s ever heard about his kind. Can she trust him to help her on her quest, or is he an even greater threat?
J.W. Webb, author of “Dreamslayers: A Legends of Ansu Fantasy” – 
William J. Rostron, author of “The Other Side of the Wind” – In 1968 she went in search of America … America didn’t want to be found. After personal disaster ends all her hopes and dreams in New York, Maria Romano sets out alone in search of a new life. Her quest for meaning takes her through numerous adventures and misadventures that create a lifetime of both beautiful and haunting memories. It is a journey that takes her from the blues clubs and political turmoil of 1968 Chicago to the music scene of San Francisco, and the madness of Las Vegas. Now in her later years, she must reconcile what it all meant in order to move on. Her past has finally caught up with her…with a vengeance. By the best-selling author of the Band in the Wind trilogy. (
J.R. Konkol, author of “Citadel of the Fallen” – 
Rick Bobrick, author of “Bears Don’t Share!” – 
Amanda Montoni, author of “Bella The Buck-Toothed Ballerina” – 
Hannah-Louise Smith, author of “Awakening: Mythics and Mortals Book 1” – Christina Jones had always thought that she was normal, just your typical unlucky woman. But this all changes on her twenty-first birthday when she falls, quite literally, headfirst into a world that was thought only to exist in Ancient Greek mythology. With her new friends, Sophie Romain and Lucas Teravin, by her side, Christina has to fight, not only to control her developing powers and remember who she is, but also to fight the demon that hunts her for a mysterious figure called The Master.
Linda Trott-Dickman, author of “Catching the Light” – 
Steve Heiman, author of “Greetings, Planet Earth!” – 
Wayne Turmel, author of “Johnny Lycan & The Vegas Berserker” – America’s favorite werewolf P.I. is off to Las Vegas. What could go wrong? Life’s good for Johnny Lupul. He has a steady gig and a growing reputation as a guy who gets things done. He’s even learning to keep his Lycan side under control—most. But when he’s sent to Sin City on a simple retrieval job, things go sideways. He bumps up against a coven of unconventional witches, a psychic pawn broker, and a mysterious enemy with a secret darker and more violent than his own. Take a bite out of the exciting second book in this gritty urban fantasy noir series.
Matthew Bonvento, author of “From the Galley: Stories and Recipes from American Mariners” – 
Alex Grass, author of “A Boy’s Hammer” – 20 years ago, Alan and his mother disappeared in a plane crash off the coast of Helsinki. 20 years later, a giant man with his whole body covered in tattoos appears amidst the rubble of an explosion at a Philadelphia oil refinery. He says that he’s Alan coming back from the dead. Alan’s genius billionaire Aunt Mimi agrees. And the first thing the reappeared giant has to do? Return to Helsinki, Finland. All the while, strange happenings are underway in Philly: A resurrected serial killer. Hidden (oc)cult conspiracies. Bizarre murders that defy the laws of space and time. Aunt Mimi in a miraculous trance state that grants her unseen visions of prophecy, and telekinetic powers. The only person capable of unraveling this mystery? Detective Jefferson O’Brady, a dissolute alcoholic with a photographic memory…and absolutely no friends on the force. Something’s going down in the City of Brotherly Love.
Felice Zaslow, author of “From Here: Lessons in Love and Loss from 9/11” – Felice and Ira Zaslow’s love story spanned almost four decades, from the beaches of Far Rockaway to a comfortable suburban existence on the south shore of Long Island. She taught sixth grade at the local middle school while he commuted daily to Lehman Brothers in the World Trade Center. As their sons grew up, they appreciated each day, looking forward to more time as a couple. Then came the morning of September 11, 2001. Through the days, weeks and months that followed, Felice had to find her way through unfathomable trauma, on a path she had to forge herself, seeking guidance and role models along the way. This remarkable and inspiring memoir puts a very personal face on a national tragedy, facing down the darkness by looking for the light that is always present.
Dr. Christopher Salute, author of “The College Admission: Life Hacks for the Process from Application to Graduation” – Thinking about going to college? Think again… Think more… Now, think one more time. College isn’t just four years of work and fun. It’s four years to mold the next 40. *Eye Roll* I know I know… I sound like one of those “boomers.” But, check this out… You’ll wake up one day and BOOM… you’ll be 50, wondering if you made the best choices about… partners, kids, work, and yes… even the college you chose. Is a four-year traditional higher education even right for you? If it is… what else should you consider? From finances to first internships… I’ll walk you through success stories and failures (mostly from my own life) of students, colleagues, and mentors. This book is meant to guide you from application to graduation and beyond. It’s one of many you should read as you transition into adulthood and begin a long journey of growth, failure, and fun. This is… the beginning of your journey. It’s the beginning of your path to “getting your shoes dirty.” This is a book to make you rethink what you know about going to school for another four years. This is… The College Admission.
Anthony Cephas, author of “Jupiter’s Adventures: My New Glasses” – Anthony Cephas’s Jupiter’s Adventures: My New Glasses wants to show you all the big feelings that 4-year-old Jupiter experiences in this funny and heartwarming book. Whether he’s worried, nervous, happy, or anxious, both parents and children alike will relate to this beloved story. A perfect way to teach children about differences and the fear of the unknown.
Margaret “Ms. Sam” Sansom, author of “George the Alligator Finds a Home” – 
Eva Zimmerman, author of “Little Critters: Beyond the Pond” –