Erin from Hook of a Book

I am a professional journalist, writer, editor, publicist and marketing and public relations professional, with bachelor's degrees in Journalism, English, and History. I have thirty years of experience in a wide variety of areas in my fields and I’ve currently operated Hook of a Book for fourteen years. I’m also an author and a poet! I'm the author of Breathe. Breathe., a dark poetry and short fiction collection published by Unnerving 2017, which debuted at #2 on the Amazon best-selling paid charts right behind NYT best-selling poet Rupi Kaur's newest release and in the Amazon paid top five of horror short stories. This was the extended edition, following a sold-out print chapbook special edition. My poems and stories have been in multiple anthologies and print and e-zines. In addition to publishing Breathe. Breathe., I also have a short story in the anthology Hardened Hearts, called "The Heart of the Orchard." My short story from Breathe. Breathe., "Dandelion Yellow," has also been re-printed in Project Entertainment Network's anthology My Favorite Story, a collection of stories from podcasters on that former network. My poem "Chained by Love," was featured in the February 2018 issue of Enchanted Conversation: a fairy tale magazine. In the anthology Dark Voices, an all-female TOC published in 2018 with proceeds going to breast cancer awareness, I have a poem called "Wrapped in Battle." In 2018, I also spent time as a co-editor on a Gothic anthology of poetry and short stories called Haunted Are These Houses, featuring some of the biggest names in poetry. 2019 saw several poems published in The Siren's Call Magazine, a short story called "Mia" in the print magazine Outpost 28 which published on Halloween 2019, and a long fiction story of mine published alongside six other author stories in the anthology 7 Deadly Sins of the Apocalypse (which debuted at #1 paid on Amazon best-seller list for horror anthologies at the end of Sept. 2019). In late 2020, I had a short story in the anthology We Are Wolves published by Burial Day, which is an anthology raising funds for women of sexual assault. In 2022, I had a short story about Aphrodite in the anthology Musings of the Muses from Brigid's Gate Press. I have several books, collections, and poems in various genres in writing process, too, and hope to get a lot more of my own writing completed within the next year. I’m looking for publishers and representation. With Hook of a Book Media, I have specialized in public relations (PR) and marketing for authors in many forms, and as well I work as a writing coach and editor. I’ve been an editor in some form for thirty years, but almost fourteen in fiction. For three years, I was an editor at an indie horror press, where I also performed marketing and publishing duties. I also recently spent five and a half years with Raw Dog Screaming Press doing PR/publicity. I’ve also frequently done work for several other presses and I am a freelance editor for many authors in various genres (kept that afloat while working for publishers). I have worked with hundreds of authors, many award nominees and winners, with both PR and editing work. I also have always volunteered in my community, spending fifteen continuous years on many various board of directors and trustees, the most recent spentding two years as President of the Board of Directors for a growing mental health center and rape crisis domestic violence safe haven. I've won a Woman of Achievement Award from my community, been featured with my PR business in Success Magazine, and was the Young Careerist of the Year Representative for the State of Ohio to the Business and Professional Women National Conference. Besides once being a judge for my past town of residence’s holiday parade, more recently I have judged several literary awards. I have been a screener and final fiction judge for three years for the Ohioana Awards, now the Ohio Book Awards, one of the most prestigious state awards for literature in the nation. I also was a guest judge of the Halloween fiction contest for Olive Branch Review online writing community in 2024. I have three children - ages 25, 21, and 17 - who I love to spend time with, and a menagerie of rescue cats that we care for to try to give them better lives. I love books, reading, writing, art, photography, hiking, travel, and Lake Erie. I really enjoy the outdoors and escape to it whenever I can. I live in rural Ohio nestled in the forest, but am close enough to spend many hours every week enjoying all the wonder the Cleveland area has to offer.