The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #4
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Editor’s Note
Welcome to the 4th edition of the Newsletter. This edition includes some appropriately 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
The Holiday Match (A Holi-FATE Novel) by Tori Samuels
After a bad breakup with his ex, Richard has no choice but to return to his hometown Bolton. Being home for the holidays should be comforting, but when Richard runs into his middle school crush, Allison, he can’t decipher how he feels about his return. Caught in a battle of emotions trying to get over the traumas of his past relationship and what’s transpiring between him and Allison, things aren’t as simple as he’d like. His Ex's parting wasn’t mutual and she left him with a holiday present, a fake application for the town’s Secret Santa dating service. Forced to go through blind dating seems like agony but what’s worse is Allison runs the matchmaking service and the Mystery Girl and him are actually hitting it off.
Who will steal Richard’s heart for the Holidays?
A Christmas Wish: A collection of heart-warming and festive short stories by Suzanne Rogerson
A heart-warming collection of feel-good stories showing snippets of family life and friendship during the festive period.
Secret Santa Society by S R Kramer
Santa and his elves are real. That’s the discovery Ethan and Aubrey Wilson make when they follow an elf through the magical door painted on the graffiti-filled wall across their street. The two siblings meet the special operations elves of Outpost Jingle Jangle. These elves don’t make toys, but Christmas miracles. They are inducted into the Secret Santa Society, and told to protect the tree-topper, the idea that Santa and his elves must remain a secret. They’re asked to help plan The Star, the year’s biggest miracle, meant to transform their Florida hometown in ways they couldn’t imagine before. They must do it all while avoiding the notice of their parents, teachers, classmates, and a secret organization obsessed with proving the existence of Santa Claus. Will a little Christmas magic and a lot of planning allow them to succeed?
The Shambles by Chloe Openshaw
It’s winter-time in Yorkshire and snow off the moors is falling in torrents over the historic city, but can three lost souls who are struggling beneath its mercy look beyond the seasonal hardships, ready to forge a brighter future?
In a narrative that entwines the private lives of multiple characters, The Shambles is a poignant tale which explores themes of betrayal, hope and self-discovery, shining a light on the beauty that can be found when love prevails.
A perfect book for the cosy read season.
Double Cross by Bruce A Hanson
Glistening, snow-covered forest trails may look like a winter wonderland, but a forest can also hide secrets from the past.
Matt, a fun loving high school student, joins his twin sister, Ashley, and their best friend, Saadia, for a week of snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. Their first outing takes them to the site of a recent explosion where Matt stumbles upon a small gold cross emblazoned with a fleur-de-lis.
A retired curator identifies the origin and true value of the cross. That night, the cross is stolen. The three teens have their suspicions about who the culprits are, but when they go back to the explosion site to look for clues, they set off a chain of events that puts all their lives in danger.
Bunky and the Walms: The Christmas Story by Aleksandra Tryniecka
What will happen if one slightly grumpy and complaining Bunky suddenly has to become a brave Christmas Hero, repair Santa Claus' sleigh, and deliver gifts all over the world? And what will happen if the literary world about which Bunky is dreaming while writing his novel enters his reality? Decidedly, this year's Christmas will be Bunky's greatest adventure, yet on this adventure he will not be alone: there will be his best friends, cousin Rodney and a little Wolf Plum, as well as the entire family of Walms, the Elves, the Reindeer, and even Santa Claus himself! From the magical Walmland, through the charming Faroe Islands, and to the very heart of the fantasy world of Bunkyland, Bunky's quest to save Christmas will take him on a memorable journey through different places, but also a journey into his own heart!
*** Indie authors! Have you just released a new book or made one available to pre-order? Send in a link! Note: The Editor is unable to individually notify everyone / tag them on social media when their new books are included in the Newsletter. ***
Featured Promotions
Bloodflower (The Hidden Flames Artifact 1) by K J Harrowick
Check out the author’s website here.
Born into a world of futuristic technology, ecologist Jàden Ravenscraft wields starship fuel like magic but she’s losing control of her power. Marked as a dangerous weapon, she’s trapped in hypersleep for 4000 years and wakes in the backwoods of a terraformed moon. Now she’s determined to find her reincarnated lover and escape back to the stars before her power takes control... or she is found. Because one life is not the end. The man she loves has lived more than twenty lives without her, and Jàden’s alone in a world of swords and sorcery. When exiled prison guard Captain Jon Ayers shields her from an attack, Jàden seizes the chance for safety and human connection. Using her magic, she ties her energy to Jon, forging a bond to keep him close to her side. But Jon is hunted by mercenaries for the pendant he carries, a key to the gateway between worlds, and their bond stirs a desire neither can ignore. Jàden is faced with the hardest choice of her life: between Jon and her reincarnated ex. Saving one lover will destroy the other, and the wrong choice will land her in chains she can never escape.
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News Round-Up
Ian Hornett has a written a free Christmas short story about octogenarian spy, Maggie Matheson. You can read it here (click on the 1st link).
BÜK, a bookshop in Arnold, Nottingham (UK) owned by indie author Tim Beeden, now does book subscriptions and ‘mystery’ book selections.
The current blog tour at The WriteReads is Fracture by Elyse Hoffman and the previous tour was The Urban Boys by K N Smith.
*** News wanted! Awards, interviews, sales milestones, blog tours, giveaways, etc. If you have indie book related news, send it in! ***
Book Review
The Butterfly Christmas by William McDonald, reviewed by N S Ford
A beautifully-written novel about grief, hope and miracles. Set in the town of Erie, Pennsylvania, the story is about a family - appropriately their surname is Worthy - and how the real Santa Claus decides to help them. It all started when a little girl wrote letters to Santa about her sister, who had a disease which made her skin as fragile as butterfly wings. Santa felt guilty that he wasn't able to prevent the sister's death, so, after a conversation with God, Santa becomes an ordinary guy on Earth for a while. He ends up at a homeless shelter, makes friends and even gets arrested. I found this a very absorbing read, with a strong sense of place, the tone sad and yet warm-hearted.
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