Author & Editor Erin Al-Mehairi

Contact Me –

First of all, my e-mail is hookofabook(at)hotmail(dot)com. If that’s all you needed, hope to hear from you there. If you’d like to know about me, then keep reading!

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About –

I’m Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi and I’m a published author, writer, author, journalist, editor, marketer, public relations professional, and photographer. I have Bachelor of Arts degrees in Journalism, English, and History from Ashland University.  I was born in England where I lived for a few years in a quaint cottage as a toddler before heading to the United States, where I currently live. I am both a British and American citizen.

As an Author

My debut collection, BREATHE. BREATHE., is a mix of dark poetry and short stories and was published by Unnerving Magazine for their book line in October 2017. Upon its debut, it reached #2 on the Amazon paid Hot New Release Best-seller list in women’s poetry, right behind New York Times Best-seller Rupi Kaur’s second book that came out at around the same time, and it stayed there for bit, and then, hit it again several more times. It also hit the top five Amazon best-selling in the horror short stories category. It consistently stayed in the top 100 best-selling charts in both for three months. I’m also featured in Unnerving’s anthology, HARDENED HEARTS, with my story, “The Heart of the Orchard,” which published in December of 2017. As well, one of my stories from BREATHE. BREATHE., “Dandelion Yellow,” is re-printed in the anthology called MY FAVORITE STORY. This anthology is made up of authors and podcast hosts of the Project Entertainment Network, for which I used to co-host on a podcast with marketing tips, and includes work by Christopher Golden, Brian Keene, Jonathan Maberry, Mary SanGiovanni, and more. My poem about the medieval mermaid Melusine, “Chained by Love,” was featured in the February 2018 issue of Enchanted Conversation: a fairy tale magazine. In July 2018, I had a poem anchor the anthology Dark Voices, an anthology of female dark fiction writers, published with proceeds to go to breast cancer research by Lycan Valley Press. Since then, I’ve had work publish in Spillword Press, Siren’s Call Magazine, and others. Late September 2019, the anthology I was invited to be a part of, 7 Deadly Sins of the Apocalypse, released and hit #1 on the Amazon Best-Seller new releases horror anthologies list. My story is on Pride and called “The Cuyahogan Mysteries.” Also in October 2019, my story “Mia” was published in Outpost 28 magazine. In the past two years, I’ve also had a short story in the We Are Wolves anthology from Burial Day Press, with proceeds to organizations that help sexual assault victims, edited by Gemma Amor, Laurel Hightower, and Cina Pelayo as well as Musings of the Muse, a greek anthology, from Brigids Gate Press.

Beyond Writing

I’m an award-winning professional with over 30 years experience in the PR, Marketing, Advertising, Media, Writing, Journalism, Editing, and Communications fields, working in publicizing and marketing authors, people, healthcare services, tourism and travel, awareness issues, non-profit organizations, books, clothing, entertainment, events, festivals, and more over this time. I’ve written and edited numerous articles on a wide variety of subjects, for business clients, magazines, websites, as well as fiction.  I written content for marketing materials, advertising: ads, billboards, radio and TV ads,  websites, social media, and blogs.  And…..I’ve been writing my whole life, ever since winning my local newspaper’s essay contest when I was a teen.

Other notables:

*Ashland County Woman of Achievement 2009
*Ohio Young Careerist of the Year (2008) representing Ohio’s Business and Professional Women
*Mayoral Proclamation naming Oct. 08, 2008 Erin Al-Mehairi day in Ashland, Ohio
*Who’s Who Among Students at American Universities

I’ve owned Addison’s Compass Public Relations now for eleven years and Hook of a Book Media and Publicity in some form for nine! I’ve had this site for just a bit longer than the nine, which I started as a way to talk about my writing and reading. I am also working on several manuscripts in various genres: children, historical, and horror/suspense.

Hook of a Book Media Services: http://wp.me/P1heHH-1eT

See me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erinalmehairi/

As a Reviewer/Critic –

I started this site reviewing book and working on my writing in the off-hours of my PR business. Things have veered this way and that of course. Through it all, I was still a mom/am still a mom. And I still review books sometimes. I review horror (several sub-genres, not all), historical fiction, fantasy, sci-fiction (some), and literary. Also poetry. I’ve also been a reading judge for the M.M. Bennetts Independent Historical Fiction Award.

I’m a very hands-on mother of three children (22, 18, 15), all who are early and avid readers who love books and writing as much as I do.  My son now attends George Washington University in Washington D.C. and my daughter University of Maine.

I am diverse in my interests and publicize many types of book on this site (this doesn’t include for work) and sometimes over the past ten years my children have helped review.

More on My Writing –

As I noted, I am a writer myself.  I’ve been writing articles, press releases, news pieces, website copy, material and ad copy, and blogging for years.  I also have written a lot of poetry.  In 2011, I finally started sketching and journaling about a children’s book series I’ve been dying to write! It’s a magical adventure series and in chapter book form.

I’ve now started a horror/suspense adult fiction and it’s got some major revenge tones mixed with the paranormal. Taking place in Amherst, Mass., Emily Dickinson makes an appearance.

In poetry, I’m writing poems and compiling them around a water theme.

I’m additionally compiling research for an historical fiction based on my first family member to come to the United States in the 1600s when it became New Amsterdam….an English aristocracy, who was also Dutch for awhile, who was gifted land here that eventually became Manhattan.

I also have all these other ideas floating around my head that haunt me at night and tell my fingers to type.

Work at Hook of a Book Media –

I’m a content/developmental editor and line editor for books in many genres for publishers and authors (both looking for publishers, with and for publishers, and for self-published authors). See more under Editing tab.

I’m also a PR Professional and publicist and write articles, blog, edit, manage social media, work with media, write press releases, bios, advertise, publicize, copy edit and consult, and perform marketing duties, create marketing materials, coordinate reviews and guest interviews/articles, and more.  I love working with authors on learning PR too and am open for consultations.

Books and Things I Like –

I love history, historical fiction, fairy tales, fantasy, dark fiction, Egyptology, Paris, Victorian, paranormal, psychological horror, mythology, ancient cultures, food and baking, writing, reading, yoga, and art. I like hikes outdoors with my camera and family, baking, and browsing old and new bookstores, vintage thrift stores, music, art galleries and museums.

My favorite writers are Stephen King, Ted Dekker, Edgar Allan Poe, Brian Moreland, Ronald Malfi, Deborah Harkness, Madeline L’Engle, C.W. Gortner, Dandi Mackall, Kate Mosse, Sue Harrison, Kathleen and Michael Gear, Eva Stachniak, Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Kostova.  I like historical fiction, especially on ancient Egypt, Rome, Tudor-era England, or Native American; horror-paranormal, psychological; thriller/suspense; YA and children’s books.

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Links

Here I am talking about my writing on BlogTalkRadio when I started writing again in 2011: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio/2011/02/14/dellanis-tea

Read My Interview with Pittsburgh Examiner about My Historical Fiction Consumption: http://www.examiner.com/article/10-questions-with-historical-fiction-blogger-erin-al-mehairi