The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #13
The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #13
Celebrating and promoting amazing indie authors! Find your next indie read!
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New Releases
Dandelion by Kayla Hicks
When Dandelion blooms in a beautiful, colorful garden, she is excited to meet everyone around her.
But when flowers start getting picked from the garden, Pansy tells Dandelion that she is a weed and no one will ever pick her from the garden.
Dandelion has petals just like any of the other flowers. Why wouldn't anyone choose her?
Will Dandelion ever be picked from the garden?
"We picked this book for its title. It's a story of hope and inclusion, leading to a cheerful ending for the beautiful Dandelion. The illustrations are simple and work well for the storyline." - Nothing But Picture Books Book Blog
A House of Shattered Mirrors by Sean Mooney
A short story collection about trauma, phobias, conditions, and illnesses of the mind. The mind is an indomitable force. It can process and perceive vast amounts of information. It can push and pull you towards your goals or away from dangers. The mind is who we are as a person. But, what happens when it isn't working properly? What happens when it's damaged? What happens when we're no longer the person we thought we were?
The First Rule (The Blind Age Book 1) by Steven William Hannah
Venalia is going to die.
When the newly ordained Priestess of the Mind's Eye returns home to bury her mentor, she meets the seer, Temple. In his dreams of the near future, Temple sees her go to certain death facing a horror from the world below, a choir of the dead whose song enslaves the living.
Venalia's failure to protect the village is foretold, the village that has shunned her since childhood - but Venalia is sworn to an oath, bound by the first rule of the Priesthood to stand her ground against even the most hopeless of odds. Beset by corrupt leadership and an ungrateful flock, Venalia must decide what her life is really worth.
Perhaps it is better to die for something than to live for nothing.
The First Rule is a fantasy novel with elements of mystery, detective, progression and horror. It tells a story about redemption, forgiveness and duty in the face of overwhelming odds.
Snow Moon Rising (a Chimera novella) by Anca Antoci
When Blake’s younger brother Aidan vanishes without a trace, he and Rae embark on a perilous journey into the Alaskan wilderness to rescue him.
They soon discover that Aidan has been kidnapped by the Beast Hunters, a human organization that preys on supernatural creatures. With the help of friends and allies, they navigate the treacherous world of the Beast Hunters, fighting for Aidan's life and their own.
Will they be able to rescue Aidan before it's too late, or will they fall victim to the Beast Hunters' deadly game?
Believe in Tomorrow by Kelly the Poet
A supportive poetry book that will guide you to a better day.
Kelly has a way of writing poetry that resonates and helps you feel less alone.
Don't read this book from cover to cover, it wasn't created to be read in this way. Instead you need to close your eyes and allow the poem to find you.
These poems are yours, draw in this book, rip out the pages, write the poems in books, on mirrors, anywhere that you need them to be. Use it in any way that you need to give you comfort and support.
About the writer: Kelly writes her poetry from her little home in South Wales. She lives there with her husband and their two children. She is a full time carer of her autistic son and writes around his care. Kelly started writing poetry after struggling with her mental health. Writing allowed her to express herself and also help others going through similar dark periods. She hopes to show others that there is always a way out, no matter how lost and alone you may feel. There is always a light waiting for you to find.
Pre-Order Now
A Tale of Two Florists (Juniper Creek Golden Years Book 1) by Brenna Bailey, publication date 9th March
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?
Featured Promotion
The Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award 2023
BBNYA is an annual Indie book award hosted and judged completely by book bloggers from all over the world!
Sponsored by the Folio Society, the maker of beautiful illustrated collectible editions of the world’s great works of fiction and non-fiction.
Our goal is to give under appreciated, lesser known Indie authors a chance to make themselves known without being overshadowed by the big names, but also show the world the power of book bloggers!
News Round-Up
The Self-Publishing Conference, an annual conference in the UK with speakers from across the self-publishing industry, will be held in Leicester on 22nd April.
Author Emma Lombard launched a Kickstarter campaign for a collector’s edition of her White Sails series and more than matched her goal in just over 2 weeks!
The BBNYA Awards 2023 are now open for indie book submissions. Top prizes include cash, blog tours, gift cards and more. Panellists are also required to help read and score the entries. Sign-ups for both of these close in May.
Book Reviews
Stolen by Sophie Bowns, reviewed by N S Ford
A narrative poem which retells the story of Rapunzel, this is a charming read which makes some interesting departures from the tale we all know. It begins with George and Alice, a couple whose baby is stolen by a witch. They split up over it and George wanders for many years looking for his daughter Elisa, who is living with the witch whom she calls mother. But will George find Elisa, how will they escape and will the family reunite? There is some very skilful rhyming and half-rhyming, although occasionally quite a lot of syllables are packed into the lines. If you enjoy rhyming verse and are a fan of fairytale retellings, Stolen should be on your reading list. It’s a refreshing change to replace the usual romance with the emotional bond between father and daughter. Never a prince in sight!
No Heart for a Thief (Malitu #1) by James Lloyd Dulin, reviewed by Tommye Rozee at The Fantasy Review
From the beginning, this was not what I was expecting from either the cover or description. No Heart for a Thief is an engaging, character driven fantasy story told in two parts: the present-day and flashbacks. Like The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, we have a main character, Kaylo, who is a well-known figure - known as the Hero of Anilace and Ennea’s Thief. He tells his story to Tayen, a girl he saved from occupying soldiers in their country, through flashback chapters.
I think I preferred the present-day story a little more, but both parts interweave well and are thoroughly engaging. The writing style is just fantastic too! Here is a quote that really stuck with me: “You see, little Shade, a story is a peculiar thing. Change a word - the emphasis of a word - and it can become something it was never meant to be. A hero can become a tyrant. A tyrant can become a great uniter. And a boy who makes a lot of stupid decisions can become a myth.”
Kaylo is such an interesting main character. Initially there is a lot of mystery surrounding him, but through his telling of the past 18 years of his life, we get to know him much better. He is a complex person, initially withdrawn and reluctant, but as the book progresses, he comes out of his shell.
The final point I want to make about the characters is that there is a lot of humour here, especially in their interactions. I was not expecting this! But several times I found myself chuckling. This did not bring me out of the story, but instead solidified my love of the characters.
Very little is given away about the magic system at the beginning, and we are drip fed information throughout the book. However, what I will say is that it’s intriguing, mystical, and fun to read! The magic system incorporates spirits and gemstones, giving individuals certain powers. That’s as specific as I can be! But trust me, it’s cool and you’ll definitely love it.
Despite being quite an intimate, character-driven story, the worldbuilding is fantastic. We are in Ennea, a country occupied by an intolerant Gousht Empire. The Gousht take slaves, force the local population to speak their language, and generally attempt to destroy the Ennean culture. There are obviously dark themes throughout, and the incredibly difficult and demoralising lives of the natives is harrowing to read. James Lloyd Dulin treats this theme with care throughout the book, making for quite a philosophical and engaging read - like I said earlier in my review, this was not what I was expecting!
A fantastic debut fantasy novel and I am eagerly awaiting the next two installments in this series (called Malitu). Definitely check this book out if you enjoy complex interesting characters and thought-provoking themes.
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