First Steps Publishing

Oregon Coast Publishing : For Authors Seeking a Solid Foundation

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Meet our Team

Suzanne Parrott, Author, Illustrator, Graphic Designer
Suzanne Parrott, Author, Illustrator, Graphic Designer

LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER, AUTHOR, EDITOR, SPEAKER
Suzanne Fyhrie Parrott | Website | Facebook

Suzanne Fyhrie Parrott (publisher) has an extensive background in graphic design and marketing. Receiving her B.A. degree from the University of Washington (1981) she went on to launch OneWay Advertising and Design in 1988 working with such notable clientele as Yellowstone Park, Winston Fly Rod Company and Montana Power Company. In 2009 Parrott founded UnrulyGuides.com to communicate her knowledge of marketing, design and formatting directly to the self-publishing market.

Suzanne is the author of the bestselling books the Ebook Formatting the Publishing Guide and The Lost Sigil Ebook Guide, both of which hit #1 spots on Amazon. The guides, which include step-by-step written and corresponding video tutorials were created in order to help the self-publishing author understand the process of moving from raw manuscript to a finished published work.

Her passion is writing primarily mysteries for the MG, YA, NA and children’s market. Her releases under the pen name Sumi Fyhrie, include Pandas on Parade, which she wrote and illustrated, as well as Hunting for Bear, Let’s Play Hide and Seek, Two Ghostly Tails, Billy Beetle Bug and his Beetle Bug Board, The Mysterious Flyer and Lisa Lady Bug’s Garden, illustrated by May Sofyan (Kabita Studios).

RJ McRoberts
RJ McRoberts, Submissions

 

SUBMISSIONS,
MARKETING ASSISTANT

RJ McRoberts is one of those geniuses that work behind the scenes. He enjoys rock climbing, camping and privacy. You may never meet RJ, but he is always around, keeping everything running smoothly.

Andy Richards, Marketing
Andy Richards, Marketing

MARKETING

Andy (Andrea) Richards weaves words into captivating campaigns, spreading literary magic far and wide. When not crafting campaigns, you’ll find her immersed in a novel, sipping coffee, and exploring the world one page at a time.

David Aretha, award winning author, editor
David Aretha, award winning author, editor

EDITOR
David Aretha | Website | LinkedIn | Facebook   

David Aretha has written more than 70 books and edited more than 300 books for 20 publishers, including Random House, HarperCollins, St. Martin’s Press, and Scholastic. He authored Malala Yousafzai and the Girls of Pakistan, which in 2014 was voted a Top 10 Young Adult biography by Booklist and earned a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award—one of two Moonbeam awards he won that year. For Malala, David was one of four authors, including Mitch Albom, to earn a Wilbur Award. David’s The Murder of Emmett Till was assigned reading for journalism students at New York University because of its exemplary journalistic prose. Books that he has edited have appeared on the Today show, CBS Early Show, NPR, and MSNBC. He has edited books with forewords penned by Walter Cronkite, John Eisenhower, Margaret Truman, Maureen O’Hara, and two U.S. senators.

Dawn Kinzer, Editor
Dawn Kinzer, Editor

EDITOR
Dawn Kinzer | Website

Dawn Kinzer is a member of the Christian Editor Connection, a nationwide, professional network of editors and proofreaders, and The Christian PEN, a nationwide, professional support organization for Christians who provide proofreading and various editing services for writers and publishers.

As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Dawn has been editing writers’ work for ten years through online and local critique groups. She currently meets with two other published authors who gather weekly to edit each other’s work, as well as discuss the craft of writing and the publishing business.

Dawn has edited numerous manuscripts for First Steps authors and currently resides in Seattle, Washington.

Aimée Marie Bejarano, Book Trailers, Video
Aimée Marie Bejarano, Book Trailers, Video

BOOK TRAILERS | VIDEO
Aimée Marie Bejarano | Facebook

Aimée Marie Bejarano is a Christian Author of inspirational, historical fiction, paranormal, science fiction, horror and urban fantasy novels. She’s a country girl living in the great state of Texas.

Aimée’s a musician and has worked with the youth for years. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and playing with her four-legged kids or caring for her small fowl flock. Her inspiration and passion comes from the Lord. She delves into good books, movies and things of the supernatural and paranormal. She enlightens people to what God’s word (The Bible) says regarding the controversial subjects. On cool evenings, she loves taking leisure walks and adores thunderstorms. Aimee suffers from several diseases yet continues pressing on. Writing is not only a calling, but a means to fly away into the world of her imagination.