Four Valley authors featured during book signing event in Boardman
BOARDMAN Four writers from around the Mahoning Valley were featured as part of an author event at Barnes and Noble, located at 381 Boardman Poland Road in Boardman.
According to a release outlining the event, the event aimed to feature local authors and promote their successes as independent authors, or "indie authors."
All four authors were present during the event on Saturday, November 8, from noon to 2 p.m.
Four authors were featured, including:
- Samantha Jo, who has two published novels under the dark fantasy and alt-Applachian fantasy genres
- Kara Zone, who has published two novels and two novellas under the romantic fantasy and dark fantasy genres
- Ciara Hartford, who has three published novels under the romantic fantasy and dark fantasy genres
- ZL Johnson, who released his debut horror novel on October 14, 2025
Samantha Jo, one of the indie authors featured as part of the event, spoke to 21 News about the rewards and challenges of being an indie author.
"The biggest opportunities are that we get to maintain control over the creative process, over the timeline, over our finances... One of the biggest challenges - which events like today really help to counteract that - is reach," said Jo.
Jo shared that indie authors may have a harder time reaching their audiences. Often, Jo says indie authors will participate in book signings and book shows to get their work recognized.
Additionally, Jo shared more on the opportunity for indie authors like herself to partner with Barnes and Noble for the day.
"Working with Barnes and Noble is a really big deal, they're one of the biggest book distributors in the country. And of course, that kind of recognition goes a really long way in showing that indie authors can put out really incredible stories," said Jo.
Jo later went on to explain more about why community members might want to support their local independent author.
"I think supporting local authors is like supporting any other local artisan or business. It's because we live here in your community. We have similar experiences, we're your neighbors, we're your friends..." said Jo.
The first 25 people who purchased a book from any of the authors were able to take home a "swag bag" with merchandise items from all four of the authors.
