The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #22
Celebrating amazing indie authors! Find your next indie read today!
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New Releases
The Lightning-Struck Tree (Along Time’s Edge Book 2) by Michael Scott Phillips
In this sequel to Beyond the Empyrean, Hel Brand—a genetically engineered hero and rebellion leader—fights demons, dragons, and wizards, encounters talking animals, and meets a few old friends and enemies along the way. Part fantasy, part horror, and part space opera, but with a science fiction explanation for everything, this exciting novel has something for everyone. And, of course, there are more space cats!
Hel wanders in the Alaskan wilderness during a blizzard. After nearly starving to death, he stumbles upon a small cabin and meets Hugh, who guides him out of the initial trauma of having transcended the fourth dimension. As his memories begin to settle, it turns out that he didn’t immediately arrive on Earth after falling through the Empyrean Gate and meeting the Ainar. He was sent somewhere else first, and he begins to tell his story to Hugh. In Part I, he must fight the demonic Asuri in a clockwork universe above a void, with only a mysterious talking crow as his guide. In Part II, he finds himself on a bizarre island where a mysterious disease is being spread by the frightening plague doctors. And then he runs into an old “frenemy.” In Part III, Hel seeks to understand the strange new universe in which he’s trapped and travels to a medieval fantasy world in which dragons and wizards actually exist, and, in a surprising twist, it’s all been created by someone very well-known to him. In Part IV, he takes over the body of a Luojai quantum magician and must master this new body’s powers in order to save a nearly extinct society from evil aliens known as the Cíthleeri.
Orphan Planet (Odyssey Earth Book 1) by Rex Burke
With Earth in crisis, humans are travelling deep into space. But humanity’s future just took a wrong turn.
A seventeen-year colony-ship voyage – a straight shot to a new planet. Handpicked, single-minded crew, and a thousand settlers in hypersleep. No children, no families, no fuss.
That was the plan, anyway.
Captain Juno Washington commands a ship of loners and oddballs. The teenagers of the Odyssey Earth didn’t ask to be born, and face an uncertain future. And Jordan Booth really didn’t want to be woken up early to look after a bunch of kids.
After an unexpected change of course, relationships are tested like never before. If they listen to advice, pull together and stop squabbling, they might just make it.
Yeah, right. Good luck with that.
A Tale of Two Florists (Juniper Creek Golden Years Book 1) by Brenna Bailey
The new florist in town wants to live her best life.
The hometown florist’s life is just fine as it is, thank you very much.
When the petals stop flying, will they find love, or will both their worlds come tumbling down?
Minnie Thomas wouldn’t change a thing. The septuagenarian sees her closest friend every day, she owns the most successful (and only) flower shop in Juniper Creek, and she loves her star employee, Kat, like family. But when Kat inexplicably quits and Minnie’s friend goes out of town, Minnie’s stable world tilts off-kilter—especially when Kat’s newly arrived free-spirited grandmother opens a flower shop just down the street.
Eleanor Lennox is determined to embrace life again and get to know Kat better. She promised her late wife she would open a flower shop, but she never counted on resistance from Kat’s infuriating former employer. When the mayor asks the two of them to work together on the upcoming Sunflower Festival, Eleanor tries to smooth things over for Kat’s sake—but the feisty florist only works harder to run her out of town. Well, two can play that game.
After connecting during a road trip to pick up flower barrels for the festival, Minnie and Eleanor form a budding relationship—which shrivels when Minnie’s friend announces she’s moving. Will Minnie cling to the past so tightly that she misses out on the beauty the present has to offer her—love with Eleanor?
A Tale of Two Florists is the first title in the Juniper Creek Golden Years queer contemporary romance series. If you like golden-years enemies-to-lovers romance and enchanting small towns, you’ll fall in love with this playful, lighthearted romp through Juniper Creek with Minnie and Eleanor.
The Day We Ate Grandad (Pagham-on-Sea Book 3) by C M Rosens
Three possible futures. Two versions of the apocalypse. One chance to save the world.
Wes Porter, a severely depressed insanity-inducing playboy, is detoxing from hallucinogens that have unlocked his ability to see versions of potential futures - and he's just foreseen two ways the world could end. Normally, Wes would leave the hero bullshit to somebody else, but he can't abdicate responsibility this time... not when both those apocalypses might be his fault.
With some prompting from a mythological bard-prophet who may or may not be real, and a lot of assistance from his monster-eating baby sister who desperately wants to move out of his apartment, and their soothsayer cousin who has his own demons to fight, Wes attempts to save [his] world... but have his poor decisions doomed them all?
THE DAY WE ATE GRANDAD is the third book in the Pagham-on-Sea series. It is a dysfunctional family cosmic horror novel for fans of WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES, and THE CALL OF CTHULHU, with themes of bereavement and grief, generational trauma, and a dash of Roman/Welsh mythology.
*** New indie releases and pre-orders wanted! Send in details for the opportunity to be featured! ***
Featured Promotion
Whispering Stories is a UK-based blog run by passionate book bloggers. They review many kinds of books, including indie books; run interviews with authors; help authors promote their books, and much more! Check out the Whispering Stories blog for more details!
News Round-Up
Uncanny Magazine will be reopening for sci-fi / fantasy submissions for a window in May.
Indie author Anne Mattias has now released a German edition of her new novel Kingsrise.
TheWriteReads has just completed a blog tour of They Lie Here, the second novel from N S Ford, Editor of this Newsletter.
*** News wanted! Send in your positive news about indie books & authors! ***
Book Review
Lucky Jack by S Bavey, reviewed by N S Ford
A brilliant read about a man who had an extremely interesting, colourful and lucky life - Jack Rogers, the author's grandfather. It's written as a memoir, which the author has pieced together and rewritten from a variety of sources.
Jack lived until the age of 106, managing to span the 19th and 20th centuries, right up to the year 2000! He sounds like a wonderful character, inclined to burst into music hall songs and make people laugh. The narrative includes his youth in London, his experience in the First World War (including a POW camp), being an early adopter of technology such as motor cars and TV, and how he became the world's oldest newspaper columnist. Events both sad and joyful are described with honesty, wit and warmth. The chapters are short and the style is easy to read. There are a few photographs included too. I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.
*** Book Reviews wanted! Send in a review of an indie book you enjoyed and get a FREE Featured Promotion for your books/website/services in the Newsletter! ***
Free Book
Golden Curse (The Six Kingdoms Book 1) by M Lynn
(Available for free on Amazon US and UK at the time of putting together 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.