Staying in a small town can open up opportunities for Midlands authors trying to step into the national selling market.

Understanding the way children’s minds work and writing for them on a personal level is important for local author Marina Bartolec.

Looking at the challenges young kids go through inspired her to write “Squeaks,” she said. Staying in Lexington to start small is an intentional choice. Success is about having an intimate relationship with readers.

“I was a little discouraged at first, and then I remembered my book is about not giving up,” Bartolec said. “Courage has no size – realizing I’m going to be very small in a really large pond. And that’s OK, because you’ve got to start somewhere.”

Bartolec’s first book signing was at 2nd Wave Coffee and More in Lexington. The shop is excited to support Bartolec in her writing career, lead barista Tania Martinez said. 

Book talks and book signings draw local attention, with fresh coffee that is locally sourced and an outside sitting area, Martinez said. The coffee shop also has kid-friendly choices, appropriate to Bartolec’s target audience.

“We really like supporting our local community, like those with intellectual disabilities and the local businesses, so I think it’s a good place,” Martinez said.

Environmental writer and poet Cassie Premo Steele said staying local is at the heart of her writing because nature is local. Steele said has worked with publishers across the United States and said authenticity is key.

“We can buy books from anywhere, and we can publish books anywhere, but it depends on whether you want to foster a sense of community and connection to the local environment,” Steele said.

Columbia is a place with local bookstores and shops that allow local authors to get support in several different ways, Steele said.

She is working on several projects, she said, including having her book “Beaver Girl” produced as an audio book.

Finding connections and collaborating with local artists is one thing Alyssa Stewart continues to work on in Columbia. Stewart, a Columbia musician, will be the narrating voice in Steele’s audio book. She said her local roots will continue to grow with this production.

Creative people can still grow when they stay local, Stewart said.

“Limitations aren’t super bad – knowing where you’re at is good,” she said. “Research is a thing. Talking to different people is a thing. It doesn’t have to be a limitation in the negative sense. It can be just knowing who you are and going from there.”