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 comrads 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.

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.)

Meredith Lyons brings her Chicago stage experience to the Story Discovery Podcast with her unique narration skills and proclivity for international accents. Her debut novel, Ghost Tamer will be published in the fall of 2023 by CamCat Books. Meredith publishes a weekly blog and occasional Book Reviews by Kittens at www.meredithraelyons.com. In a past life, she was a writer for SBC Local Chicago and got her start in the publishing world at More magazine and Ladies Home Journal. You can also find her on her husband’s podcast, Opening Stage VGH. Stop by if you’re at all interested in video games, or in learning how much Meredith does not know about video games. If you like pictures of kittens and sunsets, and the occasional writing reel, visit her on Instagram, Youtube, Goodreads, as well as Facebook and Twitter for sassy comments regarding just about anything (see buttons below.)