HAGERSTOWN, Md. – Regional authors Molly Kendall, Brian Potter and Michael Allen visited 2^nd & Charles (17636 Garland Groh Blvd.) on Sept. 16 to meet fans and sign copies of their works. The genres represented by the three writers included fantasy, modern mythology, and young adult romance, making it pretty safe to say there was something for everyone.

From Wattpad to Google Docs, the three also represented some of the diverse paths contemporary authors can take throughout the writing and publishing process as well as how technology continues to close the gap between writers and readers.

Molly Kendall

Molly Kendall describes her writing process as “kind of chaotic.” Borrowing a model from digital content creators, she uploaded chapters of her work-in-progress to Wattpad on a weekly basis. According to their website, Wattpad “connects a global community of 85 million readers and writers through the power of story.” It’s a form of “live writing” where the audience can read the story as Kendall is writing it.

“I started on [Wattpad], and I was able to keep myself on a schedule,” said the McConnellsburg-based writer, “and I was able to pump out more chapters that way. And then, once I actually went through the publishing process, I went back and edited everything.”

The finished project became her young adult romance “The Secret Ingredient to Falling Love” that follows two teenagers who meet and encounter a variety of obstacles including bullying and social image issues.

“At first they really hate each other, and so they get to know one another and develop through their issues with one another,” said Kendall. “They end up falling in love towards the end there.”

The writing process for her second outing, a novel titled “Saving Ariel,” was a bit more structured from the start because she knew what she wanted to accomplish from the outset.

“Saving Ariel” is about a woman who goes through a very traumatic experience when she’s younger, and it shows how she’s growing past that trauma and dealing with PTSD.

“She’s falling in love again and learning to trust others,” said Kendall. “So there’s some mystery and some romance in there.”

Kendall is no stranger to signing events like this one. In fact, this was her second author appearance at this 2^nd & Charles location. When she’s not writing, she is trying to figure out how she can organize a large author signing event in the Franklin County area that could be held as early as the end of this year. Interested authors should consider reaching out to her.

Brian Potter

For Chambersburger Brian Potter, the event celebrated the launch of his debut novel “Bought with Blood,” which he described as a supernatural thriller involving werewolves and vampires and the mortals who get caught in between.

The plot follows Simon as he searches for his sister, who was last seen running away with a dark stranger, and reconnects with his own past in order to protect a survivor of a vampire attack that he takes under his wing.  

Potter drew much of the inspiration for “Bought with Blood” from his role playing game sessions with his friends. This was evident during the signing where attendees could roll 20-sided dice to determine which pre-written inscription they received in their book.

“The story’s been on the table for a while,” said Potter. “It started with a game with my friends. We had nine players, and it dwindled down to two. The characters that made it in the game made it into the book.”

He had always known that he wanted to develop his gaming campaigns into narrative forms, but while the game was in progress it was hard to identify which parts were worth writing.

“So you wait and see what the players do and their reactions to it,” he said. “When they hold their breath and can’t breathe, I know that’s a good moment. When they’re excited and can’t sit still, I know that’s the moment.”

He began the four-month drafting process in January, and despite all of the preparatory work and a classic three-act structure, there were still organizational challenges to overcome.

“That makes it difficult sometimes because transitioning isn’t my strong suit,” he said. “When I get to the end of a good scene, and I don’t know how to start the next scene, it can get rough.”

His solution: “I let the feeling of it take me through each scene and organize it later.”

Coincidentally, Potter pointed out that his novel culminates on the night of a new moon, and the night before the signing was also a night of a new moon – both signs heralding his new beginning in the world of fiction writing.

“I felt that there was a kismet to it,” he said. He declined to say any more for fear of accidentally spoiling the story.

He added that because he is still new to novel writing, he encourages readers to post reviews and to be “absolutely honest because I’m learning, too.”

Michael Allen

Michael Allen is an author in his own right, and he was more than happy to sign copies of his novel “The Forgotten God” at the event.  However, as the owner of SthenoType – the publisher of Potter’s “Bought with Blood” – his primary goal was to support the new writer in his first public appearance.

Allen is originally from Chambersburg but now calls New Jersey his home.

The creation of SthenoType was initially a round-about way of getting himself published. He had been doing writing prompts on Reddit, and there was one prompt that stuck in his head.

“I’d think about it in the shower, and I’d get the scenes, and there was probably a good six months of me saying, ‘Eventually I’ll write this, eventually I’ll put this down,’” said Allen. “Then one day I decided to just write it.”

The result was “The Forgotten God” a “look at Norse myth, the nature of gods, social media impact, and a little politics” that “follows the young girl, her unknown god, and a would-be influencer as they each navigate worlds unfamiliar to them and learn to thrive.”

As he neared the ending of the writing process, he began to consider ways to get the work into readers’ hands. Ultimately, he decided to self-publish it.

Allen said, “But then I started thinking about other people that I knew that had creative talent. Brian is the first person I thought of, honestly.”

His industry research revealed that there weren’t very many barriers to entry in the publishing industry – just enough that most people hesitate to do it. So he launched SthenoType to publish his own work while providing a vehicle for publishing other talented writers he discovered.

“If I could provide a service to help them get through that mental hurdle,” said Allen, “because that’s all it is at this point, a mental hurdle, maybe we can do something with this.”

While Sthenotype has published mostly fantasy works so far, it isn’t genre-specific. Their roster also includes poetry, a children’s book, a coloring book, and there is a writer currently working on a horror novel.

“Basically any story, any creativity that people want to get out,” said Allen. “If someone has something that they would like to get into the hands of the people, we’re here for them.”

The conversation usually starts with a direct message through Instagram or an email. If the writer is passionate, Allen is usually game. He’ll figure out the details and overcome the obstacles as they arise. In one instance, he even bought a laptop for a prospective writer.

“I think a lot of authors hesitate because they’re not sure how to go about outlining or they think they need all of this fancy software,” said Allen. “We use Google Docs. It’s not very difficult.”

Allen makes his money on the royalties split. While he doesn’t have the funds to offer advances at this point, he ensures that authors begin making money from their first sale.

“If we don’t make our money back or we don’t sell enough, I see that as my problem,” he said, adding, “If your book sells zero copies, that’s my fault [as the publisher].”

“I feel I’ve been extremely fortunate in life,” said Allen, “and if I can use that to help my friends and other people who are of the same mindset – let’s do it.”

Potter explained that he was actually approached by Allen.

“Starting with Mike as a publisher floored me,” said Potter. “I was very surprised. To be honest, at first, I thought it was too good to be true because what publisher calls a writer and says, ‘Hey, do you have an idea?’”

He didn’t know exactly what he was going to write, and Allen gave him the freedom to explore creatively while making himself available to help guide the process.

“Mike is very available,” said Potter. “He’s quick to give advice. He asks a lot of questions, which I didn’t think of, which helps you in the process so much.”

Molly Kendall’s books – as well as candles and apparel – can be ordered through her website, which also includes an events calendar of her upcoming author appearances.

Works from SthenoType’s roster – including those by Brian Potter and Michael Allen – can be ordered through Sthenotype’s website.