Meet the Artist: Author Colleen Hurst
By Kelli Comer
Local author Colleen Hurst weaves tales of fantasy and triumph in The Darkhami Chronicles, a four-book series detailing the quest of Cahira and Raev to harness the Stone of Power to defeat dark magic and save the world as they know it.
“My fiction novels were inspired by various characters I’ve played in Dungeons & Dragons and Vampire: The Masquerade, both role-playing games that I’ve been playing since the late-1990s,” Colleen explains. “It was because of my Vampire: The Masquerade characters that I felt inspired to start writing. I started writing poetry for one character as a means of sending messages to that character’s friends in the game. My fiction writing began when I started to write backgrounds for my characters.”
In 2018, Colleen was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment. This experience brought her to the realization that she needed to pick up one of the many stories she started but never finished and finally bring it to life. “Much of The Darkhami Chronicles was already written but in pieces, as the ideas came to me,” Colleen notes.
She brilliantly intertwined the stories together and has published a four-book series of The Darkhami Chronicles, the fourth and final book of which was recently released in August 2022. In addition to this series, Colleen has also published collections of poetry and Broken Spiral, a short book detailing her experience living with bipolar disorder. A cause near and dear to her heart, Colleen hopes that Broken Spiral and her personal experience with treatment spreads awareness to others living with bipolar disorder.
Colleen’s talent for writing is a natural gift, something she does as a hobby in addition to her day job. “I partially attribute my gift to my mother,” she smiles. “She has always been very creative—my sister and I were encouraged to be imaginative while growing up.”
Colleen’s Upcoming Events
- October 15, book signing and sale: The Bookshop in Lakewood, 15230 Madison Avenue from 1-4 p.m.
- October 20, speaking engagement and Q&A about bipolar disorder: Roxy’s Emporium in Elyria, 604 Middle Avenue from 6-7:30 p.m.
- November 19, book signing and sale: Ben Franklin in Oberlin, 13 West College Street, 12-2 p.m.
- December 3, book signing and sale: Dairy Queen in Elyria, 641 Hilliard Road, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Colleen’s books are available on Amazon.com. Find her books locally at Crystal Era and Roxy’s Emporium in Elyria and at The Bookshop in Lakewood. To purchase directly from the author, email cmalky@hotmail.com with the subject line “Book Request.” Discounts are available on select book series when purchased directly through Colleen.