Our Origin Story

JW McAteer has a storied past (or at least, he likes to think so), beginning with his first real-job working part-time for a textbook publisher (mind you, in the shipping department), while slogging through undergraduate school, eventually getting an MA in Geography and Environmental Planning.  His careers have been varied, including insurance, urban planning, transportation planning, mass transit, and now, publishing. In 2014, JW started his own consulting business and, more importantly, began writing his first novel. This is where Onyx Publications becomes relevant.

After writing, learning, and delving into the publishing and self-publishing world, JW realized there’s a need for helping writers — who mostly just want to write — get their works into the world. McAteer has experience running a successful business, producing a podcast, and managing web resources. After self-publishing his own children’s book (nothing  fantastic — just as a way to learn the process) he understood that while not difficult, the self-publishing world is also not easy. Thus, he reached out to his writing group comrades who dreamed of creating an alternative path to traditional publishing and straight-up self-publishing, where writers can have a middle ground — working cooperatively with a nano-publisher to get their creations in front of a broader audience. Enter Onyx Publications, our effort to meet this need while continuing to grow as writers ourselves, through the shared-approach process.

 JW’s poetry has been published in The Pointed Circle literary magazine and his epistolary short story, Abrasion, was a finalist in Reedsy’s Prompts contest.

Becky Hinshaw began writing at the age of nine, and her first piece was a 3-line mystery poem involving a spy and an old lady. She lives in East Nashville but spent 28 years in Oklahoma as a professional dancer and choreographer and a college Composition teacher. After convincing several journals to publish her stories, (New Plains Review, Fifth Wednesday, Blood Lotus, Etched Onyx, and Tulsa Review) she decided to write novels and poetry (one most recently published in the Sand Hills Literary Review). She’s also been a professional editor for other writers for many years, and it’s her favorite thing to do, besides gardening and rock climbing. The mystery between the spy and the old lady remains unsolved.

Melissa Collings provides that sumptuous narration for many of the pieces on the Story Discovery Podcast and co-hosts the show with JW. She steps-in wherever resources are needed. She is also a fiction author, represented by the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc. She’s active in the Nashville writing community, enjoys a good critique, and loves to help writers improve their craft. You can learn more about Melissa and her own publishing endeavors at www.melissacollings.com. She offers a weekly newsletter and when you sign-up, you’ll get a free bonus short story: A heartwarming tale of betrayal, doubt, and chocolate cake. (Really it’s a novelette, but hopefully you’ll be so entertained you won’t notice.)  She comes to Onyx Publications with a love of all genres and a passion to read. You can find her on Instagram, Youtube, Goodreads, as well as Facebook and Twitter (see buttons below.)

TJ Seator lives in Queensland, Australia, and is currently studying Creative Writing and Publishing at Sunshine Coast University. They are passionate about the creative process and love all things writing. TJ’s other great joys include narration, creative writing, editing, cooking, and long walks on the beach.