Feathered Quill's History

Feathered Quill Book Reviews was established by Ellen Feld in 2008. Ellen had authored several books that she self-published, but when she tried to get her books reviewed, she quickly learned that the majority of review companies refused to consider self-published books. Frustrated, she decided that she would open a review business to help other self-published and indie authors get the recognition they deserved. In 2015, an annual award program was added to give authors an additional means of promotion. Throughout the years, Feathered Quill saw steady growth and has now become one of the leading online review sites. In 2024, Ellen made the difficult decision to step down, and handed the "Quill" to Katie Specht, a longtime reviewer at Feathered Quill. Katie brings great enthusiasm to Feathered Quill, and as both an author and reviewer, she thoroughly understands all aspects of the reviewing process.

Katie Specht

Katie Specht has been the editor of Feathered Quill since 2024, after working as a reviewer for Ellen Feld for three years. Katie is an author of four children’s books and mother of four amazing, energetic kids, including a set of twins. Her books are based on experiences that have happened to her own children, which she hopes other kids will find relatable. When she is not driving her kids to their endless activities, promoting her books, or writing, she enjoys baking, traveling with her family, boating, and reading a good mystery.

Diane Lunsford

Diane is currently working on the prequel to her debut novel, Echo Ranch. An avid reader and passionate writer, she never turns down the opportunity to review the wealth of talent in the writing world. She's traveled (and lived) throughout the country; from Maine to Florida and Colorado to California. If asked where her favorite place has been; hands down, she will tell you Colorado. Thanks to the many people she's met in her travels, she believes they are the souls '...who inspire and encourage me to keep my pen flowing...' She currently lives in Northern Virginia and when she isn’t writing, she enjoys family time and is typically sailing or enjoying the company of a horse (or two).

Barbara Bamberger Scott

Barbara Bamberger Scott grew up in North Carolina where she now makes her home in the semi-fictional town of Mayberry. She has lived and worked in Botswana, Kenya, the Dominican Republic, England, Sweden and Spain. She continues to roam whenever possible, taking long US back-road trips with her husband, Donnie "Dobro" Scott, with whom she also makes beautiful traditional music. She has written two books about the teachings of Indian spiritual master Meher Baba and co-authored Two Lane Traveling with Donnie. Her most recent book is Generous Fruits – A History of American Homesteading. She writes articles about simple living for Homestead.org. In 2005 Barbara created and still runs A Woman’s Write, an international novel-writing competition website. A Woman's Write has made it possible for her to communicate with and assist creative women all over the world.

Trix Lee-Rainwater

Trix is a chemical engineer by background and a commercial contracts and deals advisor by profession. To her, traveling is lovely in and of itself but it's actually residing in a new country and learning the culture firsthand that has always held the more interesting charm. She speaks 3 languages, is currently learning her 4th, and she has lived, studied, and worked in various countries in Asia, South America, and Europe. Trix has always loved stories, in all forms, and she would argue that reading is definitely also a form of traveling.

Tripti Kandari

As someone who was always drawn to English novels at school, Tripti could not have predicted that JK Rowling's Harry Potter Franchise (the first non-academic novel she read) would turn her path from opting for science in college to English Literature. That was her first encounter with the magic that words could create. Presently, she is a freelance writer from India studying English Literature for her Masters. She enjoys writing short stories based on her daily observations and listening to 90's Indian music in her spare time.

Lily Andrews

Lily Andrews is an ardent bibliophile and has worked in the book industry for several years. While she enjoys looking around bookstores for a good book, you will also find her reviewing fiction and nonfiction books, writing articles, and reading book blogs. Her hobbies also include music, gardening, and doing volunteer work. With a good education at hand, Lily endeavors to help readers digest the voluminous literature in an abridged form while also giving back to authors. She believes that literature is an edifying way to share with the world the beauty of equality and harmony.

Carolyn Haley

Carolyn is a “book nerd” who has been reading stories since childhood, writing them since her teens, and then built a career around editing and reviewing other people’s stories. She is the author of three novels in mixed genres, each about individualist women forging their own destinies and finding love: Wild Heart, an equestrian romance set on Cape Cod in 1975; The Aurora Affair, a paranormal romance set in Vermont in at the millennium turn; and Killer Heart, an uncozy mystery­-also set in Vermont-­in 2015. When not at her desk, Carolyn enjoys gardening, paddling, riding, and birdwatching, along with autosports and aviation, and spectating the arts.

Rebecca Jane Johnson

Rebecca Jane Johnson, a.k.a. Rebecca Jane, is the author of She Bleeds Sestinas, a collection of poetry that celebrates the sestina form, solitary yoga practice, reincarnation, Eastern philosophy, mysticism, the female body, the Rainbow Body, language study, and queer identity. She pursued graduate studies in East Asian Languages and Cultures and received an M.A. from Columbia University in 2002. She has over 1,000 hours of yoga teacher training and has taught many subjects to diverse groups of students from all over the world. Her classroom experiences include teaching Composition, ESL, basic Chinese language, and yoga. She writes poetry, essays, and fiction and lives with her family in San Diego.

Kathy Stickles

As the daughter of a career librarian and the sister of an author, there is nothing I like better than to have a good book to read. My idea of a perfect day is to have a book in my hand, a cup of coffee next to me, and to sit outside for the entire day just in a different world while reading. I am especially partial to mysteries and fantasy books but, that being said, I will read any genre at all and still be content. I enjoy seeing what the author can do to gain and keep my attention and I love being able to express my opinion when I am finished with the book.

Douglas C. MacLeod, Jr.

Dr. Douglas C. MacLeod, Jr. is an Associate Professor of Composition and Communication at SUNY Cobleskill. He has written book reviews both academically and independently for over 15 years. He lives in Upstate New York with his wife Patricia, and his dog Cocoa.

Diana Coyle

Diana Coyle is an aspiring children’s writer who lives in Long Island, NY, and who has two passions – reading and writing. Currently, she is a Book Reviewer for a few groups in which she reviews a wide variety of book genres, including books entered into their book competitions. She has been a judge for many state and local writing competitions in both creative and screenplay writing. She also has even been an exclusive Beta Reader for a popular NY Times Bestselling Romance author, and has done a little copyediting work throughout the years. She loves the diversity of these jobs – all doing a different writing aspect to help an author achieve their goal of creating a successful book or screenplay. It is her dream to one day write a children’s book. Besides reading and writing, she loves spending time with her dog, playing video games, crafting, and listening to a variety of music genres.

Nellie Calanni

Nellie is a senior copywriter in the marketing industry currently living in Cleveland, Ohio. With a B.A. in marketing and an M.A. in mass communication and journalism, Nellie has always had an affinity for creative, strategic, and investigative writing, and a lifelong passion for reading fiction. When she's not reading and writing, you'll find Nellie cooking, watching her beloved Cleveland sports teams, and spending time with her family.

Anne Hubbard

Anne Hubbard is a teacher by day and proud momma of two girls who holds firmly to the belief that reading a good book can transport you to another world without ever leaving your couch. She has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember and in her spare time, you will find her perusing independent bookstores searching for her next great read. She makes her home in the Midwest with her husband, daughters, two dogs, and two cats.

Ephantus Muriuki