Members

Meet the members of the Just-Us League

AuthorBio
Mae Baum
Mae Baum grew up among the snow and birch trees of upstate New York, but now makes her home in the urban jungle of Atlanta with her husband, daughter, and two cats. Always to be found with her nose in a book, she enjoyed exploring fantastical worlds and now loves making up her own. She’s currently working on her Imogene Payne urban fantasy series.

Follow Mae: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Published works: JL Anthology Vol. 2, Seven Deadly Sins, A YA Anthology: Avarice, JL Anthology Vol. 5, Monsters of Winter (Fantasy Short)
J. L. Bernard
A father, a husband, a self-published author and a gamer all wrapped into one super nerdy guy who's constantly daydreaming about seeing one of his novels in print. Writing isn't always easy for him, but he's always loved telling stories.

Follow J. L. Bernard: Twitter, Patreon, Website
Published works: JL Anthology Vol. 1, JL Anthology Vol. 2
Hanna Day
Hanna Day is a writer from Southern California with an interest in history, fantasy and the deep, dark existential horrors of the unknown. When not contemplating the vastness of space, reading or writing, she works as a digital marketer. Other publications include contributions to local newspapers and magazines.

Follow Hanna: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Published works:JL Anthology Vol. 3, JL Anthology Vol. 6
Matthew Dewar
Matthew is a Western Australian local who somehow manages to find time to write between working as a physiotherapist, teaching group fitness classes, and getting distracted with his dog's incessant demands for attention. Matthew enjoys reading and writing a wide variety of genres, but there will always be a special place in his heart for anything magical.

Follow Matthew: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Published works: Nightmare Stories (YA Horror Shorts), JL Anthology Vol. 1, JL Anthology Vol. 2, JL Anthology Vol. 3, JL Anthology Vol. 4, JL Anthology Vol. 6, JL Anthology Vol. 7

Elise Edmonds
Elise lives in a quiet South Gloucestershire village, where she spends her free time with her husband and two cats, and enjoys attending local fitness classes, watching movies, and playing the piano. Pursuing writing in her spare time as a creative outlet is a way to bring the magic back into her everyday life.

Follow Elise: Medium, Twitter, Website, Facebook, Pinterest
Published works: Where Carpets Fly (YA Fantasy), Where Secrets Lie (YA Fantasy), Like Trains That Pass (Paranormal Flash Fiction), JL Anthology Vol. 4
Kelsie Engen
Kelsie Engen is a part-time editor and author but a full-time wife and mom. She grew up in North Pole, Alaska, where the harsh but beautiful winters are offset by Santa Claus living only five minutes away. She now lives with her husband, two children, border collie, and two cats—but she still visits Santa from time to time.

Though she has written several women's fiction pieces, she's currently working on her fantasy, fairy-tale inspired novel series, the Canens Chronicles, and has written several short stories for JL. You can find her stories on Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, and Kobo or her website.

Follow Kelsie: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Website
Published works: Fog & Mist (Fairy Tale Retelling), Spurn the Moon (Women's Fiction), Bernadette & the Stranger (Women's Fiction Short), Finding Home (Women's Fiction Short), JL Anthology Vol. 1, JL Anthology Vol. 4, JL Anthology Vol. 5
Renee Frey
Renee has been published in two anthologies and is currently working on two standalone novels with two series in pre-development. She enjoys reading and writing fantasy for both adults and young adults. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Mike, and their two dogs: a puggle named Ziggy and a chihuahua named Megatron. When she is not writing, she makes her living in instructional design, technical writing, and teaching dance.

Renee Frey is Chief Operating Officer at Authors 4 Authors Publishing - a publishing company run by authors, for authors, blending the best of traditional and independent publishing.

Follow Renee: Facebook, Twitter
Published works: JL Anthology Vol. 2, JL Anthology Vol. 4, JL Anthology Vol. 5
Renée Harvey
Renée Harvey is a wife and mother, historian, and writer in Iowa, USA. She graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho with a Bachelor’s degree in history in 2013, filled with a love of genealogy and pre-1400 a.d. history. Combining those passions, she now primarily tells the stories of little-known people who lived long before. It is her hope that readers will see for themselves that individuals matter and that every person has the ability to choose for themselves the good they will contribute to their world.

Follow Renée: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Published works: JL Anthology Vol. 1, JL Anthology Vol. 2, JL Anthology Vol. 3, JL Anthology Vol. 5
Heather Hayden
Though a part-time editor by day, Heather Hayden’s not-so-secret identity is that of a writer—at night she pours heart and soul into her stories. Her favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy; as a bookwyrm, she has an ever-growing hoard. Heather is currently working on Upgrade (the sequel to Augment, her first published novel) and an as-yet-untitled series of fairy tale novelizations.

Follow Heather: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Published works: Augment (YA Sci-Fi), JL Anthology Vol. 1, JL Anthology Vol. 2, JL Anthology Vol. 3, JL Anthology Vol. 4, JL Anthology Vol. 5, JL Anthology Vol. 6, JL Anthology Vol. 7
Natalie Kelda
Natalie is a Scandinavian native but has called a variety of countries 'home' for the past five years. Although she has been creating stories since before she could read or write, she only recently decided to pursue the life-long dream of becoming a part-time author. When not working on her fantasy and historical fiction novels, Natalie studies wildlife biology in hopes of filling that other half of the part-time occupation with science, nature and animals.

Follow Natalie: Twitter
J. E. Klimov
J.E. Klimov grew up in a small suburb in Massachusetts. After graduating from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, she obtained her PharmD and became a pharmacist; however, her true passion was writing and illustration.

Ever since Klimov was little, she dreamed of sharing her stories with the world. From scribbling plotlines instead of taking notes in school, to bringing her characters to life through sketches, Klimov's ideas ranged from fantasy to thriller fiction. The Aeonians is her debut novel with Silver Leaf Books.

Follow J. E. Klimov: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Published works: The Aeonians (Fantasy), JL Anthology Vol. 1, JL Anthology Vol. 2, JL Anthology Vol. 4, JL Anthology Vol. 6
Kristen Kooistra
Kristen Kooistra fell in love with reading at a young age and never resurfaced. She loved solving mysteries, riding across the prairie, and sailing on the open sea. But her favorite books were those that held the fantastical. So when the time came for her to seriously approach publishing a book, it had to be fantasy!

Living in Michigan (her own winterland) with her husband, three kids, and two cats, she has lots of free time . . . Okay, so more like she squeezes in writing time late at night when only the cats are awake to pester her.

Follow Kristen: Facebook, Blog, Website
Published works: Heart of the Winterland (Fantasy)
Mari LaRoche
While her novels are still unpublished, the quality of Mari’s writing has been widely recognized: she was a finalist in James Patterson’s co-author competition hosted by Masterclass in 2017 with her thriller, “Windows to the Soul,” and in 2014, she made it to the to the quarter-final round of Amazon’s Breakthrough Novelist contest with her fantasy, “End of Order.” She is committed to the craft, having ‘won’ NaNoWriMo several years in a row. When not found with a book or laptop in her hands, she loves to read, cuddle with her two cats, watch movies, and collect tattoos.

Follow Mari: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Published works: Seven Deadly Sins, A YA Anthology: Avarice, Seven Deadly Sins, A YA Anthology: Lust, JL Anthology Vol. 6, Beyond the Veil: An Anthology
P.K. Lasky
P.K. Lasky, author of the upcoming historical action/adventure series The Stone Eagle, writes "clean grit" for YA readers of any age.

A military wife and mother, when she's not immersed in Goth clan warfare and the crumbling Late Roman Empire, you can find her at a café fumbling through German with her Stuttgart friends or traveling the world with her husband and daughter.

Follow P.K. Lasky: Twitter, Website
Published works: Discovering Raine (YA Fiction Short), The Stone Eagle: Episode 1 (YA Historical)
B.C. Marine
B. C. Marine’s Ballads of Carum Sound are heavily influenced by the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband and two sons. The scenic views of Puget Sound and the Cascades provide plenty of inspiration for her superpowered romantic fantasies. A Western Washington University alumna and former cosmetologist turned work-at-home mom, she writes in between family life and work for A4A Publishing. She loves knitting and spends far too much time researching for her stories.

B.C.Marine is Chief Administration Officer at Authors 4 Authors Publishing - a publishing company run by authors, for authors, blending the best of traditional and independent publishing.

Follow B.C. Marine: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Published works: A Seer's Daughter (Fantasy), I Loved You Tomorrow (Fantasy Short), JL Anthology Vol. 1, JL Anthology Vol. 4, JL Anthology Vol. 5
Allie May
Allie May is a dog lover, mom, and Dr. Pepper addict who turns her caffeine-fueled dreams into believable fiction. She fell in love with the impossible at a young age and has been telling stories (some fiction, some mostly non-fiction) ever since. She married her high school sweetheart because he takes her to Disneyland (oh, and because she loves him). Together they have a dog child and a human child. On the weekends, you might catch a glimpse of her in the shadows as a lightsaber-wielding superhero.

Follow Allie: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Published works: JL Anthology Vol. 1, JL Anthology Vol. 4, JL Anthology Vol. 5, JL Anthology Vol. 7
Rebecca Mikkelson
Rebecca Mikkelson has been writing fantasy stories since her early teens for fun and is thrilled to turn her dream into a reality. She currently lives in Hawaii with her husband of six years where they enjoy not going outside and avoiding the scare ball in the sky. In her spare time, she likes to cross stitch to relax.

Rebecca Mikkelson is Chief of Business Development at Authors 4 Authors Publishing - a publishing company run by authors, for authors, blending the best of traditional and independent publishing.

Follow Rebecca: Facebook, Twitter
Published works: JL Anthology Vol. 5
Kristy Perkins
Kristy Perkins is a New Jersey native who loved to write even before anyone told her it was a possible career choice. Fueled by a childhood of fairy tales, fantasy, superheroes, and science fiction, she now creates her own crazy worlds. On those rare occasions she’s not writing or fulfilling the requirements of her day job, she bakes, dances, and knits. She is currently working on a novel based on the classic fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea.”

Follow Kristy: Twitter, Pinterest, Website
Published works: JL Anthology Vol. 2, JL Anthology Vol. 5, JL Anthology Vol. 6, JL Anthology Vol. 7
Louise Ross
Louise Ross writes fantasy from the comfort of her own brain, which can sometimes be a very disturbed and/or a very quirky place.

Follow Louise: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Published works: JL Anthology Vol. 5
M.H. Thaung
M.H. Thaung works in a biomedical science research institute in London, England. She loves her job and academic writing. But over the last couple of years, she's been wondering what might happen if the universe worked a little differently... She's currently working on a low steampunk trilogy to follow her speculations to their logical conclusions.

Follow M.H. Thaung: Website, Twitter
Published works: A Quiet Rebellion: Guilt (Steampunk), A Quiet Rebellion: Restitution (Steampunk), A Quiet Rebellion: Posterity (Steampunk)
Melion Traverse
Melion lives with two dogs, one spouse and a fluctuating amount of chaos. When not writing, Melion practices historical fencing and other martial arts, studies medieval history, lifts weights, consumes energy drinks, and wages the Battle of Dog Fur. Melion has had works appear in, or be forthcoming in, Deep Magic, Cast of Wonders, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, Havok, and other publications. Melion's works have also been published under pseudonyms in Cicada and Electric Spec.

Follow Melion: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub
Published works: JL Anthology Vol. 3, On the Wings of Doves (T. Gene Davis's Speculative Blog), Transition (Tall Tale TV), JL Anthology Vol. 6, Valiance: A Collection of Short Stories of Courageous Women, Exile
M.T. Wilson
M. T. Wilson recently graduated from university, where she studied English Literature with Creative Writing, and now works in marketing. It has been her dream for many years to see her writing published, and she intends to never lose sight of that goal. Although she has branched out into science fiction and experimental literary fiction, her first love was fantasy. Her current main project is a young adult science fiction trilogy, which she hopes to publish in the next few years.

Follow M.T. Wilson: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Published works: JL Anthology Vol. 4