The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #18
Celebrating amazing indie authors! Find your next indie read today!
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New Releases
After the Burning: Dystopian Stories by N S Ford
“Things did not vanish. They were cleansed away.”
Five spine-chillingly plausible tales for our times. In a society without books, a labourer makes a shocking discovery. An artist starts an underground club for art made by humans instead of artificial intelligence. Parents who refuse to have their baby implanted with a communications chip must fight for their rights. A child goes on a school trip to the extinct natural world. Just before a general election, everyone becomes addicted to a new superfood.
A must-read collection of dystopian stories. They are works of fiction but, unless we act now, will soon be a reality.
Hell Hath No Fury by Geoff Major
They changed her life forever. Did they really think they could get away with it?
Evie Perry was a high-class escort whose way of life was abruptly and cruelly shattered by two drunken men. Stella Kendrick's husband committed suicide and left her with a legal battle and a debt of £6m, but he leaves her a message with the names of three men on it. Daniella Maddox is a world-class barrister, assigned to an indefensible case for a corrupt client, but one she must win to save her own life. Unbeknownst to them, fate has woven their lives into a twisted web.
Detective Sergeant Alan Armitage is mystified when he attends the scene of a triple murder, but he is very quickly joined in his hunt for the killer by Detective Sergeant Steve Denton from The Met, and Detective Sergeant Bob Williams from North Yorkshire CID. Along with Detective Constable Rachael Jones, they have to uncover who the murderer is and why they are killing people across the country. Their task is made even more difficult because a criminal known to most simply as The Broker gets closer to banking millions every time his team commits another murder.
Light in the Shadows (Shadows and Light Book 1) by Georgia C Leigh
Sheltered from the world since birth, eighteen-year-old Haven arrives at the Academy eager to learn what it means to be seraphim. Her excitement quickly fades as she struggles to master her gifts, to befriend and trust others, and above all, to understand herself.
But when she discovers an ancient magic within, she loses the glimpse of friendship she longs for and is thrown back into isolation. Her magic unknowingly awakens a dark shadow in her world and catalyzes those who seek to control her, to bind her and use her for her power. And if she can’t be bound, they will ensure she is dead.
Ryker, a world walker and a demon hunter, is the only one powerful enough to contain her magic and knows what it is like to be wanted for someone else’s gains. Ryker’s brutal methods may give her the chance to understand her gift and control it, but they are running out of time. Haven must fight for a life she desperately wants, one where she can follow her own path, and her heart. And, maybe, finally find love before her life is chosen for her.
The Secret Life of Spinsters (Desiring the Dexingtons Book 2) by Renee Dahlia
Confirmed spinster ELSPETH DEXINGTON works in the Dexington family linen manufacturing business dealing with logistics. She believes that machinery will make clothing cheaper for the people, and therefore everyone can afford new clothes, not hand-me-downs and turned cuffs. But when her father declares they will stop manufacturing linen and shift to cotton, she has a new fight on her hands. Producing affordable clothing shouldn’t come at such a great human cost. Help comes in an unexpected form.
FLORENCIA WAULKER is the daughter of one of the Luddite organisers. She does all her blind father’s correspondence, but when he orders an attack on the Dexington factory, she realises his belief in the need to rid factories of machines have gone too far. She sneaks out to warn the daughter of the factory owner, only to find herself caught up in a conspiracy.
Can two spinsters work together to prevent a disaster, or two? Or is falling in love the real problem?
*** New indie releases and pre-orders wanted! Send in details for the opportunity to be featured! ***
Featured Promotion
Lee Hall - bestselling author and supporter of creatives
Lee Hall has spent many years reading, writing, blogging and performing. The fruits of such are multiple indie published books crossing several genres and of course a loyal following. From occult thrillers with monsters, witches and vampires that eventually became known as the ‘Order of the Following Series’ to paranormal romance and even the tale of a drunken superhero looking for justice. All of his works carry a deeper meaning that tribute the events from real life, just with the names, places and details changed enough to avoid libel.
After spending many years on stage Lee is also resident playwright for his local drama club and has written five full length pantomime adaptations – his fresh take on the British stage tradition has been seen by hundreds of happy audience members and has even been performed by other drama societies.
Over the years thousands of readers have downloaded Lee’s works which you’ll find being promoted through an active social media presence but he prefers to talk about fellow authors’ works through reviews on his Hall of Information blog. You’ll also find an abundance of guides and tutorials from book marketing to blogging advice that is regularly viewed by many followers. Helping others has become a calling in recent times for Lee and he has even started a Patreon where many more future guides will be published.
His writing draws influence from Michael Crichton, Stephen King and Arthur Conan Doyle along with the many immersive television shows he’s a fan of from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and Stranger Things.
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News Round-Up
This month, book bloggers have been taking part in #marchofthesequels - reading and reviewing sequels! Blogger Jamedi has gathered the posts together here.
The Fantasy Review is launching a podcast! Join reviewer Nathan Klembara and author James Dulin as they tackle some of the biggest issues in science fiction and fantasy publishing, movies, television, and games, talk to some of your favorite authors, and more.
K R R Lockhaven is seeking backers for his cozy fantasy novel and also urgently wants ARC readers.
*** News wanted! Send in your positive news about indie books & authors! ***
Book Review
Chrysalis by Harrison Murphy, reviewed by N S Ford
A sophisticated dystopian / conspiracy thriller which was horribly plausible. Some of it is set only a decade in the future, in which covid was followed by a haemophilia pandemic. But it's not really about the pandemics. The focus is more on the politics and economics, as blood donations have become the currency. It's not as graphic and gruesome as the cover suggests. However, the issues of social inequality and political corruption are starkly presented and really are no different to now. For concepts and structure, this book scores ten out of ten. I was very impressed and hadn't read anything like it before. The writing style was, I felt, convoluted at times and there was a lot of telling, rather than showing. The characters are emotionally compelling, their relationships and struggles astutely portrayed. Some of the chapters are set in further in the future, with different characters and locations. I couldn't guess at all how these were linked to the other chapters. The twist was excellent! Read this book if you want something different and don't mind a lot of political content.
*** Book Reviews wanted! Send in a review of an indie book you enjoyed and get a FREE promotional ad for your books/website/services in an edition of the Newsletter! ***
Free Book
Doyle’s Law by Sam Roberts
(Available for free on Amazon US and UK at the time of this Newsletter issue)
*** If you are an indie author with a free book promotion coming up in the next few weeks, or have a book available perma-free, send details to the Editor for the opportunity for inclusion in the Newsletter. ***
The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter is compiled and edited by N S Ford, indie author and book blogger.