On Wednesday, February 25, 6 authors will gather at Indy Reads Books as part of The Downtown Writers Jam, Vol. 3: Jam & Juice fundraiser hosted by The Geeky Press + Indy Literary Pub Crawl. Join us for the Jam at Indy Reads Books (free) and then stop by the Juice at Indy Fringe Theater ($15 tickets). All proceeds go to Indy Reads.

Meanwhile, we wanted to introduce you to our fourth author and our first graphic novelist: Kari McElroy.


Self LogoI’ve always loved writing and I’ve always loved creating visual art.

When I realized I could combine the two in a single piece of work (i.e. comic books), I knew I’d found my niche. I love the interplay of text and image.

You can find her on Twitter or Facebook.


At The Downtown Writers Jam

What’s the name of the piece from which your DWJ story comes? Regarding Dandelions

What was the question or idea that sparked that original piece? I’m not sure exactly what sparked the idea for Regarding Dandelions. I recently found the notebook in which I’d jotted out the general storyline. It was two to three lines at most, very brief. I’d share it here, but there are unfortunately some spoilers. The story’s changed quite a bit since the initial idea, but it’s close enough to keep guarded. The notebook it was written in was one of my bedside notebooks (a must for any creator), so I imagine the idea popped into my head while I was trying to sleep and over time, transformed into the series it is today.

Where can people find or buy your work? You can find Kari’s work here.

What should the audience expect from your storytelling at the Downtown Writers Jam? The audience should expect lots of nervousness, maybe some sweating, almost certainly some stammering. They can also expect an introduction to Regarding Dandelions through some first person narration and hopefully find a new story to love.


Get to Reading

Best book or long-form writing we should read, but probably haven’t? And why? I’m absolutely in love with Locke & Key written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez. The art is beautiful, the story is smart, funny, frightening and magical. It’s a great combination of elements.

I’d also hesitantly recommend House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I’m hesitant only because I’m in the middle of reading it so, although I love it now, the whole thing could take a terrible turn and I may ultimately hate it. But I can say with confidence the first half of the book is outstanding and haunting. It’s the kind of book about which I cannot give any details because I don’t want to ruin any part of the readers’ journey.

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