The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #5
Festive edition, part 2! Subscribe and share to spread the word about amazing indie authors!
Editor’s Note
Welcome to the 5th edition of the Newsletter. This edition includes some more seasonal reads! Would you like to support the Newsletter and get your books/website/services into the Featured Promotions? Then please consider the (low-cost) paid subscription option. For more information, check out the About and T&Cs sections. For all enquiries and submissions, please contact the Editor.
Festive / Winter Indie Releases
Marshmallows by Louise Willingham
Will came out to his friends.
Dan walked away from Matthew for the last time.
Although the first week of January has been intense, they're ready to relax together and focus on the next challenges: Will's second-year medicine exams, Dan's attempts to quit smoking, and the uncertain future which awaits them in the summer.
Summer is a long time away. For now, it's Christmas.
And Will wants to spend Christmas with his boyfriend.
Marshmallows is the sequel novella to Louise Willingham's debut novel, Not Quite Out.
The Memory Tree by Ellie Lieberman
"The Memory Tree reminds us that it is okay, and sometimes necessary, to remember the not so good during the holiday season... It almost feels like we are given permission to feel bittersweet, which is something I personally find comforting the older I get."- Roadside Reader. A collection of old ornaments come alive to aid a grandmother, on her last Christmas Eve night, in telling family stories and imparting her final wisdom to her granddaughter.
Winter Chills: Ghostly Tales for Cold Nights by D B Carter, Derek R King, S J Lomas and Natalie Reeves-Billing
In the spirit of seasonal ghost stories, this wintry collection will send a tingle down your spine, but may also warm your heart.
Six short stories range from waiting for a mysterious midnight train, attending a party with an unexpected guest, a life-changing reunion for a miserable family, receiving a holiday greeting unlike any other, a visit from an unusual group of carolers, and a journey through a blizzard with a twist.
Grab a blanket, your favorite hot drink, and settle in for some Winter Chills.
A Taste of Christmas by Rachel Bowdler
Assertive executive chef, Erin Levine, is proud of the business she’s built from the ground up. Her restaurant, Spuds ‘n’ Puds, keeps growing steadily in popularity, and the fact that it lies in the heart of Manchester and its beloved annual Christmas markets only bolsters its success. However, things head south when a face from her past reappears — and when he turns out to be the person renting out the space beside the restaurant with his dessert truck, there’s no avoiding Rory Peterson. Her intention is to keep things professional despite the guilt festering from a mistake she never had the chance to rectify, but when she finds out that Rory is broke and sleeping in the food truck as well as working in it, she offers him her couch until he can get back on his feet.
With their new proximity as roommates as well as co-workers, Erin has to find a way to heal old wounds with Rory, but between a controlling boyfriend and a sudden reappearance from her estranged father, it’s not easy. With Rory’s support and forgiveness and their growing bond, will she be able to leave behind a pain she’s held onto for fifteen years and make this a Christmas to remember, or will the festive season always remain a lonely one for Erin?
The Chasm (Finding Humanity, Book 2) by Branwen OShea
They thought the biggest problem they faced was each other.
After Bleu, Rana, and their new friends narrowly prevent war between the star beings and humans, they hope the upcoming negotiation will secure the peace. Newly emerged from their subterranean haven, the Northern Haven humans are clearly not suited to Earth’s ice age, and require assistance from the enlightened star beings to survive long term on the Surface. But Commander Savas doesn’t trust the suspiciously kind star beings and their unexplainable abilities. When both sides reluctantly negotiate a joint mission to find the other Havens, Bleu must somehow cooperate with the manipulative commander to keep his friends safe.
As their team confronts unexpected dangers, Bleu and his teammates begin to suspect the star beings don’t know as much about the Surface as they claimed, while Rana is torn between remaining true to her nonviolent ways or becoming more human to survive. When an unnatural predator attacks, even the nearly all-knowing Kalakanya can’t explain it. Now the team must pull together or their new discovery will pull them apart, limb by limb.
Igloo by Jennifer Burkinshaw
A surprise Christmas holiday in the French Alps should be a dream come true, but not for sixteen-year-old Nirvana. She has important plans to complete at home, and tensions are high with her parents. In desperation, Niv skips ski school and heads off-piste towards the forest, where she discovers a hidden igloo. Better still, it’s empty.
When its builder, Jean-Louis, finds her trespassing, he suggests they share the igloo, and as the pair find common ground in their struggles to be themselves, they realise they are each other’s perfect Christmas gift.
Too soon, Niv must return home to Lancashire. Now in two different countries, each faces new problems, alone, and their battle to be together becomes infinitely harder.
Is it a battle they can win? Or will their sweet, fledgling romance be lost to the seasons, like the igloo where it began?
A Merry Christmas at the Castle by Elizabeth Holland
Christmas is fast approaching when Eve Merry loses her job and her boyfriend on the same day. She needs a miracle to put her life back on track. When her best friend sees an advert for a chef in the Scottish Highlands, she exaggerates Eve’s experience.
With nothing to lose, Eve jumps on the train to Scotland. However, she soon realises cooking in a castle is demanding - especially when the chef has lied on her CV! With a brooding Scotsman to contend with and a guest intent on ruining any chance of romance, this Christmas seems like it’s going to be one to forget.
A Scottish castle, a sprinkle of snow, a generous helping of drama, and lots of yummy food!
Beneath the Bloody Aurora by Beka Westrup
Clio Farren is a bride in pursuit of the perfect venue for her wedding. More than that, she's searching for answers concerning her best friend's sudden death a year ago. She believes Raðljóst Manor holds the key to figuring it out. When Clio shuts herself in with the owner during an Arctic freeze, she unravels more secrets than she expected to in both Nikolai's manor and mind.
Nikolai Trousseau is an unlucky soul, bound to Earth for eternity after drinking a noxious tea millennia ago. He runs a hotel in the Arctic, where polar night liberates him three months each year. With his stash of demon blood running out and a beautiful, uniquely-scented woman poking around his manor, he may discover more thrumming through her veins than he bargained for.
News Round-Up and Book Reviews will be back in the New Year!
If you’d like to contribute to future editions of the Newsletter, please send your submissions to the Editor. The following are wanted:
New Indie Releases. Published a book in the last 3 months? Launching it tomorrow? Got one available for pre-order? Send in the link!
Book Reviews. Enjoyed an indie book? Send in a short review and get a FREE Featured Promotion for your books/website/service (or nominate someone else’s) in the next Newsletter!
News Updates. Awards, achievements, blog tours, bestsellers, interviews, giveaways, send in anything that celebrates and promotes indie authors!