Because I’ve seen these done a hundred times, I thought it might be fun to do my own holiday book list – so below I’ve included a few books from Indie authors you might want to check out this holiday season, and a couple of ‘traditionally published’ books I’ve read as well.

Most of the books here are by authors I’ve interviewed on my Lunatics & Monsters Podcast, so the date you see next to the book is the date and episode of the show. If you haven’t listened to my podcast yet – how dare you? After you’re done reading this, go and listen to these authors talk about their books. The links are everywhere – click one.

Missing Persons by Rex Crossley [image error]

Episode 2 – July 2

No, not the 1980s band (Although their ‘Spring Session-M’ album was in a pretty steady rotation in my cassette deck for a while there in the mid-80s I’m not ashamed to admit. …ok, I’m a ‘little’ ashamed.)

Missing Persons is a horror story, but not a blood and guts story. It’s also a vampire story, but not the sickly sweet teenage angst vampire story. It’s got a little grit and integrity behind it. Rex (who writes despite suffering from Parkinson’s) has made it his aim to not only put some horror back into the genre, but also to put a different take on an old stand-by. Set in modern day, Mitchell Kershaw is looking into the disappearance of more than 50,000 people and uncovers the existence of a vampire-like race who are harvesting human blood. Likeable characters and a quick pace. There are currently 6 books in the series.

Terror on the Trail: A Hike Gone Wrong by Rob Ward [image error]

Episode 2 – July 19

Rob takes his love of hiking and penchant for murdery mysteries and combines them into a suspenseful cat and mouse between a serial killer claiming victims along one of the nation’s most storied hiking trails, and a man and his dog. Those who like hiking will appreciate the realism from a fellow hiker, and the craft of a good vs. evil story in the woods.

The Clockwork Detective by R.A. McCandless

Episode 3 – Aug 4 [image error]

Winner of 2014’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Preditors and Editors Reader’s Poll, and a finalist in 2015s EPIC ebook awards, R.A. has also appeared in In Shambles with Kevin Anderson. In 2019 he launched the Constable of Aqualinne series – a steampunk tour de force with the instantly intriguing and captivating heroine Aubrey Hartmann, a Veteran of the wars with medals, attitude, and a clockwork leg. Hartmann is investigating the murder of a druwyd – and if she can’t find the killer, she may become involved in another war – this one with the Fae. McCandless is at his best here. If you’ve never read Steampunk, this is a great introduction. If you’re a long-time fan of the genre, you’ll fall in love with Hartmann as a character, and McCandless as an author.

A Slow Parade in Penderyn by David Hopkins

Episode 8 – Oct. 8 [image error]

Now, to be entirely honest, I haven’t read all of this book yet – in fact, it’s not even available until Dec. 8, but if you look at David’s work, and listen to the podcast, you’ll realize right away he’s not some Johnny-come-lately – he’s been doing this a while, including a 3-book series called Wear Chainmail to the Apocalypse (read the reviews!). David also writes Dungeons & Dragons modules (which catapults him into a nerd nirvana stratosphere on its own). He’s been a contributor to D Magazine, Smart Pop Books, and Fanboy Radio. He also writes op-eds for the Chicago Tribune and Dallas Morning News, and he writes comic books and graphic novels. David is planning on the Penderyn series to be multiple books so get in on the ground floor of this series.

Office Pool: Orientation by DL Blackburne [image error]

Episode 10 – Nov 5

An artist – a real artist with paint and drawing and stuff – DL Blackburne has turned his talents toward the written word, and come up big with Office Pool – a story about … pens. Yes, you read that right, pens. Blackburne has used the humble writing utensil to tell a story about learning who you are and what you can become. It’s charming, witty, and there’s a sequel – Office Pool II: Extraction.

A Ladder of Panties by Sandeep Jayaram [image error]

Episode 11 – Nov. 19

All the way from Mumbai, India Sandeep Jayaram unleashes his debut novel on the world and it’s so much more than you might think. First, it should be noted, it’s not erotica, but satire and Jayaram does not hold back, looking at the life of Sri from boyhood to middle age showing off the social norms, constraints, and struggles to succeed. Listen to the podcast and you’ll come away wanting to hear more from Jayaram.

 

Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles [image error]

I got this book for Christmas last year and was a little suspicious, but for a book where the action is minimal, the bad guys are subtle, and the pace relaxed, I could hardly put this down. The main character is a Russian aristocrat under house arrest in a hotel that he can’t leave lest he be arrested and sent away. The hotel becomes a character all it’s own; a living, breathing thing and you can’t help but be caught up in the world Towles has created. More importantly, you can’t help but be caught up by the characters Towles has created. It is a lovely surprise, a book like this, that you’ll want to share with others.

 

Ok, that’s my book list for this year – there are others of course, but they’re all mine so feel free to check those out as well of course. You can get them from a link on this site and I’ll be happy to sign them and send them to you.

And one last thing, congratulations to P. Morgan who won a copy of one of my books of his choice. Morgan was the winner of my October contest!