The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #39
New releases, book review, news round-up, link to a free book, and more!
Editor’s Note
New content is always welcome! Please click here for submissions via Google Forms. Read the T&Cs before you submit. New releases, pre-orders, reviews, news and free books are all wanted. Authors, remember to state the title of your book and/or share a link to it on the form :)
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New Releases
Lorelei by Kit Derrick
Trent has been haunted by the accidental death of his beloved girlfriend for almost two years, unable to escape the nightmare world his memories slip into when he sleeps. Each night he's tormented and blamed by a seductive spirit, who offers disturbing promises of future happiness. To cope, Trent takes to drinking and self-medication, but the voices and hallucinations reach into his waking hours, and he starts to lose his grip on reality.
With his mental and emotional stability on the brink of collapse, the voices suggest that salvation could lie in his own hands, if he was just willing to take one more life... One more?
In this gripping psychological thriller, Trent must navigate a treacherous path between his own sanity and the secrets of his past.
The Bloodline Curse (Dark Magic series 1) by Jamie Lee Fry
Magic. Witches. Curses. They Aren't Real. . . Right?
Izzy Beswick is a typical high school senior. Well, except for the incident with Sondra and the fact that Izzy doesn’t remember exactly what happened. Luckily, Izzy and her dad inherit a house from Izzy's Gran-gran in East Gate, Connecticut. The timing seems perfect. Plus, her childhood crush lives in East Gate, so how bad could it be?
Soon after moving, strange things happen, and Izzy learns of rumors surrounding her late relative. Nearly everyone in town believes Gran-gran was a cursed witch, including her new friends: Jessa, Tahlia, and Margo. Eager to find out more about these tales, the three girls insert themselves into Izzy's life, controlling her every move. To make matters worse, her crush is ghosting her. Does he simply not remember her, or does he believe the rumors?
After the girls discover a spellbook, they become mixed up with dangerous forces, proving Izzy is not only a witch, but a witch with a three-century old curse. Willingly, they perform a magical spell that comes with a heavy warning, hoping to undo the curse.
When the spell goes awry and enemies intervene, Izzy must save the people she cares about—including her crush—before it’s too late.
A Woman Like That by Mary Lay
When fourteen-year-old Laura Curtly announces that she wants to become a policewoman, her parents dismiss the idea as an unsuitable occupation for a young middle-class woman in 1930s England. At best, Laura could hope for a short period of employment as a secretary before marriage and children to a promising young man. But Laura is interested in people and eventually comes up with a new plan.
Under the pretence of creative writing studies, Laura embarks on a correspondence course to become a journalist. Her final project, a social realism piece, leads her to conduct a series of interviews with an acquaintance of a friend of her mother's, a Mrs Harriet Hawkins. These interviews prompt Laura to question not only the attitudes of her parents' generation, but also her own, and her potential future happiness.
This intriguing novella chronicles the changing attitudes and industrial progress over the course of the early twentieth century from the perspective of two very different women and their families.
Fireborn (Book 3) by Vanessa Ricci-Thode
Spark tries not to think too much about dragons. Those unlucky enough to be seen within the city are captive beasts chained to industry, and her family’s continued support of what dragons remain in the wild has left them as outcasts on the edge of society. Spark’s only concern is to keep her family safe in the bubble of their farm.
When her unparalleled fireborn power draws the attention of her city’s brutal magistrate, he sends his dragons to kill Spark’s entire family. She narrowly escapes and must take refuge in the human settlement beneath the dragon city. She sets up shop as a blacksmith and tries to build a new life. After learning the shocking truth of her mother’s fate and why the magistrate wants Spark dead, she must grapple with the effects of her mother’s legacy before her untamed power proves as much threat to her friends as the magistrate does.
Because the magistrate has not forgotten about Spark or her power. If she hopes to avenge her family and protect her new friends, she must win over the persecuted dragon population. But winning a dragon’s trust is no small feat.
Pre-Order Now
Three Sisters (Book 1) by Kathryn Barnett
Charlotte, Violet and Rose. Three sisters growing up amidst the rumblings of World War One and each of them fighting for their own personal freedom. Charlotte, the eldest and a teacher, engaged to marry Richard, the Curate, and struggling to accept her passionate nature and sexuality, embroiled into the world of Conservative activism through the Primrose League. Violet, a nurse and a suffragette, fighting not just for female emancipation, but also her own as she battles with her feelings for her best friend, Maeve. Rose, the youngest, and diagnosed an epileptic, fights to be recognised as a person in her own right and in the process falls in love with John, of lower class and station.
When Charlotte takes the decision, along with her mother, to institutionalise Rose because of her epilepsy, the family is split as Violet opposes Charlotte's high handed decision, but is devastated to find she cannot protect Rose, as personal and political boundaries are pushed to the limits and each girl struggles with impending womanhood.
Three Sisters is author Kathryn Barnett's first novel with Provoco Publishing and is a delightful, beautifully written social statement, detailing the battle of three girls to become women in their own right. Will Charlotte's passionate nature and conservatism affect her forthcoming marriage to the Curate? Does Violet find her freedom in her suffragette activities or will she be entrapped by her nursing duties and family responsibilities? And what of Rose, the youngest, fighting to follow her true self and be accepted despite her epilepsy and not ostracised because of it?
A heart-warming tale of three sisters, fighting for freedom in this, the first of five novels making up the Three Sisters Story.
News Round-Up
Tales From Between are accepting submissions of strange stories until 27th September. You can find free copies of issues 1 and 2 here also.
The list of contenders for the 3rd SPSFC (Self-Published Science Fiction Competition) has been released.
Indie author J Taylor recently reached an astounding 19 million Kindle Unlimited page reads.
Book Review
Homebound by Hayley Anderton, reviewed by N S Ford
This emotionally engaging YA novel is a celebration of families, kindness and self-care. It’s told by Lori, who was adopted and whose mental health is fragile. When a tragedy takes her foster mum, the family – consisting of their other foster mum, two sisters and an aunt – try to find their own ways of coping with grief and with moving house. Lori finds herself unable to leave the house and has some very low times, but her growing friendship – or is it more than a friendship? – with an outgoing girl in the neighbourhood may help Lori out of her shell. The story is very suitable for teenagers as it addresses issues they might encounter in real life, in a contemporary setting, with age-appropriate content. There is some discussion of trauma and abuse, but only when relevant and is not gratuitous. The characters are relatable and well-developed. In summary, a good read which leaves you with a feeling of hope.
Free Book
Love, Lies and Lavender (Blueberry Point Romance Book 1) by D E Malone
Free on Amazon US and UK at the time of composing this edition of the Newsletter.
The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter is compiled and edited by N S Ford, indie author and book blogger.
Oooh love the covers of Lorelei and The Bloodline Curse!
I agree, they're great covers!