M. J. Simms-Maddox

Indie author M. J. Simms-Maddox, Ph.D., is the creator of ‘The Priscilla Series,’ a unique novel series chronicling the coming of age and adventures of a modern-day, fiercely independent, Black American woman of diverse ancestry. She has also published handbooks on creative writing and self-publishing.

The South Carolina native grew up in the Snowbelt of western New York. Her academic credentials include a Doctor of Philosophy degree in political science from Ohio State University. She has served as a legislative aide in the Ohio Senate, operated a PR firm, and taught political science for many years. Most plots in the novel series are about politics.

The author is self-taught; she did not study creative writing in college. She began writing fiction in the late 1990s behind a recurring dream about a conversation with her father. She thought she was finished after publishing her first novel, Priscilla Engaging in the Game of Politics (2016), but who knew there was more!

Simms-Maddox enjoys traveling and interacting with other writers and book fans. As such, she has participated in the Bokmässan, the Harlem Book Fair, book clubs, and other venues.

To remain abreast, she attends writers’ conferences, including the African Literature Association, the Chanticleer Authors Conference, the North Carolina Writers’ Network, and the Surrey International Writers’ Conference.