Join the Alliance!
Tucson Author Alliance is a group of local indie authors who know that when we work together, we prosper. With our community driven mindset, we are making the indie market more equitable.Our main mission is seeking out opportunities for indie authors to sell their work locally and sharing costs to lower the barrier of entry into community events. We are also planning some exciting opportunities for networking and developing craft.Visit our Substack to learn more!
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By purchasing our books on Bookshop.org you are not only supporting local authors, but you are also supporting local bookstores, to which the site donates 10% of each sale.
Get Tucson Author Alliance Merch!
Check out our merch on Redbubble. Need a TAA shirt, mug, stickers? We got all that swag.
Events
Book Club
Every Fourth Tuesday 5:30-6:30 PM
Seis Kitchen North | 9740 N Oracle Rd #110, Oro Valley
April 22: Luxe in Between by Cara Blaine
May 27: TBD
June 24: The Puppet Hunter by Trish Arrowsmith
July 22: Mark of the Indicative by Karlene Staves
August 26: Neon Flux by Ava Thorne
September 23: Unskilled by A. Skoda
October 28: Banshee by Maggie Critchley
November 25: A Bilagáana Boy Among the Navajo by Jay Jones
TAA Meet and Greet
July, 2025 details pending . . .
Tap and Bottle North | 7254 N Oracle Rd Tucson, AZ 85704
All authors welcome! If you're a local author, we want to meet you!
Meet Our Authors
A. Skoda
A. Skoda is a freelance writer specializing in educational writing, short stories, and poetry. Skoda graduated with a Master’s Degree in English from Arizona State University. Since her formative years, she has been wildly fascinated with the connection between psychology and literature and often found excuses to research the two throughout her schooling. This curiosity and fascination has become deeply embedded with her own work. When she’s not writing, she is usually baking or exploring Tucson’s rich food and music scene with her husband and constantly growing kids. Unskilled is her debut novel.
Trish Arrowshmith
Trish recently moved across the country where she found her forever home, enjoying the desert sunshine and wildlife all year long. She was born and raised in a small town in northern Connecticut.
Growing up, she was always fascinated by unsolved mysteries and true crimes as well as the psychological elements behind them. As an avid reader, her go to books are thrillers, suspense, and true crime.
Trish currently has six novels available: two standalones, one domestic suspense duology, and two books in a cozy mystery series.
J. B. Velasquez
J. B. Velasquez has always been an avid reader and lover of witty, satirical, and thoughtful fiction. His writing reflects upon his own inquiries and observations about life through the lens of interesting and deeply flawed characters.J. B., a psychotherapist of twenty years, lives in the American Southwest where he is raising a menagerie of lovable critters, two of which share his DNA.He's written two novels: Tourist Trapped and Every Last One: The Rise of Sylvia Boone.
Cara Blaine
Cara is a native desert dweller in southern Arizona, where she lives with her husband, two children, and their dog MacKenzie. Her biggest dream as a little girl was to be a writer. She has a degree in psychology and creative writing, and has worked with children in many different settings since high school. She is an award winning poet, and became a novelist in 2022.When she isn't writing, or working with kids, Cara loves to read, paint, travel, eat really good food, and do yoga. She also enjoys family movie and game nights at home. Her favorite coffee drink is an iced decaf brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso, despite the obnoxiously long name.
Maggie Critchley
Maggie was born and raised in Arizona, loves travel, tacos and hopes you'll tell your dog she says hello. In addition to writing, she co-hosts a mental health/comedy podcast, Which Dog Are You Today, that you should definitely listen to and is probably at the local coffee shop or, baking a Hollywood Handshake worthy pumpkin roll. Maelstrom is her debut novel
Patrick Greenwood
Patrick Greenwood, after military service, embarked on a 25-year career in the information technology field, working in various roles in sales, engineering, support, and design. His inspiration for writing came from his business travels to places like Vietnam, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Portugal. A true believer in listening to one’s passion, Patrick began writing in early 2020 based on several trips he made while cycling in various countries. In his debut award-winning novel, “Forever our Sunrise in Saigon,” Patrick draws upon several non-fictional events in Vietnam, including the war with the US, the last days of Saigon falling, and the chaos at the US embassy.
Miles Hooper
Miles Hooper is an independent author from Phoenix, Arizona. He has lived in the state for over 25 years and makes it a point to use Arizona as a location for his stories. He currently resides just outside of Redburke, Arizona.
Miles is a genre writer, greatly inspired by the pulp novel era.
Film is an essential part of his life. His favorite movie genres are film noir and horror.
His books include links to music playlists that accompany each story.
G. C. Harmon
Author of the Blazer Series, action-packed cop thrillers. GC Harmon is a 15 year Army vet, graduate of California's Peace Officers Academy, and has worked in the security industry for 23 years.
Ava Thorne
Ava is a lifelong nerd who loves reading, writing, video games, and watching TV and anime. Some of her current favorites are Final Fantasy VII (always), Jujutsu Kaisen, Baldur's Gate 3, and Foundation. She started writing when she realized it wasn't exactly normal to invent novel level, multi-character plot lines in her head just for fun. Might as well write it down.She currently lives in the southwest with her husband, two children and two cats. She loves the monsoon rains, and can be found dancing in it regularly. She is a longtime advocate for stainability and water harvesting, and will chat your ear off about that too.
Jim Maurer
My practice is centered on a small set of long-term photodocumentary projects. In these projects I use a combination of landscape, portraiture, and narrative to depict the mechanisms of community. My projects document how, with varying degrees of autonomy, communities leverage practices of sustainability and self-care to function within a polarized political and cultural environment that paralyzes larger, more formal institutions. I’m also interested in understanding the ways in which we desire to be seen.My work examines the ways place and time interact to form memory. My photodocumentary approach explores both memory and loss--a derivative of memory--asking what can be accomplished by acknowledging the memories of others.
Ashton August
Ashton August is a distinguished author, yoga and meditation instructor, and leader in the wellness space. Dedicated to promoting mindfulness and holistic wellbeing, she has built a thriving online community through her popular website YouAligned.com and app YouAligned Classes. Ashton holds her MFA in Creative NonFiction Writing and has published two previous books, A Year of Self Motivation for Women and Learn. Grow. Shift. 30 Days of Personal Growth.Her approachable and motivational style has made her a beloved figure in the wellness community, where she continues to inspire individuals to embrace a balanced, mindful lifestyle through her books, teacher trainings, workshops and retreats.
Emily Michel
Emily Michel negotiates with her three feline overlords on a daily basis for the space and time to write, edit, and eat. Occasionally, her husband drags her out of the house for her own good, and her two (mostly grown) kids are endless sources of amusement for her. Socially awkward and extremely introverted, she nevertheless participates in social media.
Griffin J. Queen
Queer, trans, neurodivergent poet unleashing a lifetime of love and longing, remorse, and realization. Semiferal desert dweller. Intense and introspective. Forming free verse and found art in Tucson, Arizona. I usually post new work at least weekly. I occasionally post photopoetry to Instagram, but my full-length poems and stories are only available to my Patrons.I have just published two books:THE BROKEN YEAR. A chronology of poetry documenting one soul's journey through a brutal divorce. Intense and introspective, The Broken Year traverses all stages of grief before settling into new wisdom and acceptance.SIGNAL. A collection of poetry for the lonely. Memories and missives— a hand extended in the darkness. From neurodiversity and feelings of isolation to experiences of identity and transformation, these poems crystallize the longings of a lonely heart. An appeal to humanity in a bleak world. A plea for compassion in a hopeless time.If you want to help me make time to write more poetry, please consider supporting me by becoming a Patron.
Karlene Staves
Karlene is originally from Snohomish, Washington. They now live in Tucson, Arizona with their partner, three kids, three dogs and three ferrets. Oddly enough, they hate the number three. They are an AuDHD gremlin, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and prefers they/them pronouns, but is okay with she/her as well. When they are not homeschooling their children or writing their books, Karlene enjoys singing karaoke, hiking, and traveling to any corner of the world they haven't explored before.
Dorothy N. Yanez
Hi I am a local Tour Guide located in Tucson, AZ. I have been in the hospitality industry 20 years. I am familiar with Southern Arizona if you ever need a local Tour Guide.
Books by Dorothy N. Yanez: A Handbook on Being a Local Tour Guide and Concierge: Including Personal Experiences
Presidio San Agustin del Tucson: A View of Tucson’s Birthplace
Tucson’s Birthplace Through Pictures
Mural and More in the Historic 4th Avenue District
Downtown Tucson Murals and Public Art
I Love My Life: Tour Guide, Concierge, & Part-Time Jobs
Jay Jones
Jay Jones is the son of two Air Force veterans, he was born in Tachikawa, Japan and lived across the United States. After a turbulent childhood Jay grew up quickly and joined the Marine Corps at 17 and served in Bermuda before receiving an honorable discharge. He has worked as a pizza and short order cook, professional photographer, security guard, fire alarm salesman, employment counselor, drugstore manager trainee, hotel front desk clerk, bar manager, restaurant manager, disk jockey, beauty pageant MC, financial advisor, investment wholesaler, volunteer, and more. While working, Jay obtained his degree in Business Management and retired after 33 years as a Chartered Financial Consultant sales executive. He lives at Dove Mountain near Tucson, and his happy place is basking by the pool in the Southern Arizona heat while reading. Jay may also be golfing, traveling, or mixing mean cocktails while cooking.
Nicole Smith
Nicole was blindsided by her mother’s post-pandemic cognitive decline. Nicole took a deep dive into dementia education after her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Nicole is sandwiched between caring for three aging parents and five children. She wrote the book she could not find in managing the legal, financial, medical, and emotional aspects of becoming a caregiver. Her book Diagnosis Dementia: Your Guide for Eldercare Planning and Crisis Management, shares her story and helpful resources in navigating the terms and turmoil of eldercare. End of life planning conversations are critical to have before a crisis occurs.
Jeanne Renee
After earning a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Arizona, Jeanne worked as a bookseller, assistant magazine editor, and elementary school reading tutor. An eclectic reader, mediocre yogi, and admirer of dairy-free lattes, Jeanne lives outside Tucson with her husband, daughters, and wily rescue mutt, Patrick.
Steven Treder
Steven Treder is a baseball historian living in Tucson, author of the Seymour Medal-winning biography Forty Years a Giant: The Life of Horace Stoneham. He wrote a weekly column on baseball history for The Hardball Times for more than 10 years, and was co-author of a long series of Hardball Times books. He has presented his work many times at the Cooperstown Symposium, the NINE conference, and the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) National Convention. In his day job, Treder is Senior Vice President for Western Management Group, a management consulting firm, and worked in Silicon Valley for four decades. He holds a Master’s Degree from Stanford University, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Santa Clara University, both in the field of Sociology.
Sara LaFontain
Sara LaFontain lives in Tucson, Arizona, where her husband lovingly supplies her with chocolate to fuel her writing habit. She is the author of the romantic women’s fiction Whispering Pines Island series, and the Corbitt Calamities pop star thrillers. She also writes dark friendship fiction under the collaborative pen name Ivy H. Booker. Prior to becoming an author, Sara held a variety of jobs ranging from the unusual (wildlife tour guide in the Brazilian Pantanal) to the emotional (domestic violence case advocate) to the respectable (attorney). In addition to her own writing, she is an Author Accelerator certified book coach, helping other authors bring their books to life.
L.L. Madrid
As a child, L.L. Madrid wasn’t allowed to watch R-rated movies. However, her library visits were unsupervised, so she spent her summers reading Anne Rice and Stephen King.
Nowadays, she lives in Tucson with her family. When she’s not pretending to be a mild-manner office worker, she writes dark, moody stories about misfits.
L.L. is a member of the Horror Writers Association and a past recipient of the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship. She is proud to be part of the Bi+ Book Gang, a Pitch Wars alum, and is an Odyssey grad. Her short stories are scattered across the internet.
My Lips, Her Voice is her debut novel.
Jade Nioma
Jade Nioma is a Korean-American debut-author from Arizona, where she lives with her husband and two boys. Jade has prior career experience in the behavioral health field before pursuing her life long dream of becoming an author.Close to Jade’s heart is domestic violence awareness and mental health representation. Jade hopes her writing will inspire others, and show those who are struggling that their story is not over.
Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson has been a resident of Pima County for 26 years, living in the rural community of Picture Rocks near Saguaro National Park. Originally from Long Island, New York, and northeastern Pennsylvania, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from East Stroudsburg University in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
With 14 years of professional experience in county government and three years on the Arizona State Board of Equalization, Brian now serves as Pima County Treasurer, focusing on promoting transparency and enhancing public service.
In his free time, Brian enjoys creative pursuits, including writing novels such as The Agave Bloomed and Imperia, as well as painting abstract interpretations of the desert landscapes surrounding his home.
Join the Alliance!
There is a $25 annual membership fee to join the Tucson Author Alliance. Benefits for paid membership include the following:
Cost sharing at local book festivals and author signing events
Featured on our website, social media, and newsletter
List your books on our online bookshop
Feature your book in local book clubs
To join, please complete the author questionnaire linked below. Once approved, you'll receive an invoice to pay the $25 annual membership fee.
Anyone may sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on local bookish happenings and connect with other Tucson authors. Subscribe for free to our Substack newsletter!
