When events, destinations, and sports companies shut down, it can be a strain for everyone. Fans don’t have anything to do. Players and stars have empty schedules. Concession workers, parking attendants, and cashiers have no jobs. While some of those who might suffer from a lack of paycheck won’t be getting paid during the country’s response to Covid-19 (aka novel coronavirus), Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, said he would take care of the people that normally worked the arena during his basketball team’s games. However, there are some events who don’t have big money backers, and those events are often attended by independent authors, artists, and craftspeople who depend on the sales from the event to make ends meet.

Author Case Study

When Emerald City Comic Con 2020 canceled its event, Russell Nohelty said it would blow a $3000 hole in his budget for the year. Nohelty is a relatively successful entrepreneur with best-selling books, a sales acumen that rivals the best in marketing, and a fanbase that is just as rabid as any out there.

However, if coronavirus continues to shut down comic conventions, it could affect his income dramatically, and as an entrepreneur, he has no employer to bail him out. He has no one to heed the Attorney General’s call for businesses to offer their employees paid sick leave to deal with the threat of Covid-19. He’ll have to trust to his own savings, his health insurance (if he has it), and the kindness of creditors (if he has them). And he’s one of the lucky ones because he is a financially adept artist, who has had the income to put away for a rainy day. Smaller artists, authors, and crafts people may not be so lucky. In this post, I am going to focus on authors.

Why We Need Authors

Authors write the stories you love. Sometimes, movie or TV companies transform the books they write into shows you love, like the Harry Potter Franchise, the Hunger Games, Warm Bodies, Jaws, and the list goes on, . Sometimes, the stories never make it to the screen, but they capture your heart and/or mind just the same. If you want more stories and you want different stories, it’s important to seek out independent and new authors to help them move forward in their careers. Now, it is more important than ever.

Check out These Authors

Below, you will find links to authors that I have enjoyed reading or that I know. None of these authors asked me to include them on this list. This is just something I wanted to do to help people who may need of a quick injection of funds to tie them over until the coronavirus pandemic is over.

If you order their books through the Amazon links I have provided, I will get a little money. You will not be charged extra, and the artist won’t lose any money from Amazon. However, if I can find the author’s website, I will link to that as well, and you can choose where you get the book from. The most important parts of the process are to buy the book, enjoy the story, leave feedback at Amazon, and find a new author that you love. (Of course, I am always happy to have people purchase my books on this website or on Amazon or my wife’s penguins, on this website or at Etsy.) Thank you, and if you know an author that should be included on this list, leave a comment.

Meet the Authors

Drue M. Scott’s books include a biographical look at a man who discovers more about himself during a journey down the Al-Can and a series that explores the afterlife and the balance of good and evil in graphic ways. The series contains graphic violence and sex. I met Drue in Alaska. Check out his author page on Amazon, or get “Found on the Alcan” here.

Seen at Salt Lake FanX

Darren Lamb is a former Marine, current Buddhist Monk, and martial arts enthusiast. His fictional stories include great characters, great action scenes, and just a touch of life philosophy. If you want to know how reincarnation would fit into a zombie apocalypse, I suggest “Rebirth: a Zombie Tale.” What happens when the world finds something strange inside a person for the first time? Check out “The Book of Benjamin.” Prefer a series? “The Sea of Sin” is amazing; it’s also written for an adult audience. It starts with “Transubstantiation.” I met Darren during World Comic Book Day in Salt Lake City ad later at Salt Lake FanX when it had a different name.

Rachel E. Kelly’s Colorworld books are a great series that follows the adventures of a girl whose superpowers are scary, strange, and amazing. You can get the the series on Amazon or at her website.

Seen at Lilac City Comicon

Brian C. Baer’s “How He-Man Mastered the Universe” is a glorious celebration of He-Man and how the cartoon and toys changed the world of children’s television. If you want something a little more daring, “Bad Publicity” is a noir detective story featuring a ghost and a celebrity gossip monger. Check them out at Amazon or at his website.

Junior Braves of the Apocalypse is described as “Goonies meets the Zombie Apocalypse.” It lives up to its name. This series consists of two graphic novels. You can get them at Amazon or at their website.

Raven Oak’s “Amaskan’s Blood” has a country with my name! It is also a great fantasy story. For something in sci-fi, “M-Class Exile” is surprising. Check out her books on Amazon and at her website.

“The Stars Were Right” by K. M. Alexander is a run through a Cthulhu type world. It is written with a sense of mystery and fear. Get it at Amazon or at his website.

Manny Trembley writes the kind of stories that are gentle and kind. These are the stories we need now. If you like Winnie the Pooh but you want something a little offbeat or with more monsters, Trembley’s got the material that will suit you just fine. Check out Martin Monsterman at Amazon. Victoria Jr. is also a great series if you can find it.

Kaye Thornbrugh’s “Flicker” fairy series is different from other fairy series I have read. I stole my neice’s copies. I m,m,eant to give them back, but she bought new ones. Check Thornbrugh books out at Amazon and on her website.

If you like old time pulp fiction, Ron Randall’s “Trekker” is all that and more. Taking the idea of serialized science fiction from the 1950s and ’60sRandall has updated the genre with Mercy St. Clair. A fun read with beautiful art (and he has one of our penguins!) Find “Trekker” and other work at Amazon or at his website.

Disney Books

The Sweep Spot is a podcast featuring Lynn Barron and Ken Pellman. (They even interviewed me!) They have authored two books about “Cleaning the Kingdom.” If you’ve ever wanted the inside scoop on how Disneyland stays so clean, even with tens of thousands of visitors every day; these guys deliver. Get “Cleaning the Kingdom” on Amazon. You can also find hard copies (along with “The Haunted Mansion Is Creativity”) at the Candy Cane Inn in Anaheim.

“Thinking Fan’s Guide to the Magic Kingdom” and “The Thinking Fan’s Guide to Epcot” put a spin on the usually park guides. They add to the experience of the parks by taking a more critical and educational view of the attractions. With the parks being closed due to novel coronavirus, these are a good way to experience them without leaving your home. Get them on Amazon or at Aaron Wallace’s website. His book on “Hocus Pocus” the movie is also a must read if you want to get more out of the movie.

Other Helpful Authors

Russell Nohelty is the go-to guy for authors looking to improve their marketing skills. He also has several fiction books. If you want straight facts, check out his “How to Build Your Creative Career” series. Otherwise, Katrina Hates the dead seems to be popular! You can find his work at Amazon and on his website.

If you’re looking for something different, Claire Youmans puts her experience in Japan into cool stories featuring magic and culture. I just picked up one of her short stories from her website, and they looked interesting. She’s also on Amazon.

Mike Shelton also has two prequel novels available for download at his website. He writes fantasy and lives in the Salem, Oregon area. Check out his stuff on Amazon, too.

Ryan P. Freeman helped gather a community of independent authors together and has given me some tips on a future endeavor. Check his stuff out on Amazon or at his website. Barbara Lieberman has also been helping me with a future project. She’s on Amazon.