Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

I've recently become very interested in indie authors so I am trying to read at least one new indie author each month, though I may read more than one if time allows.

If you would like to try this challenge and find some new authors, just add your list to this thread - any genre is welcome.

Don't know where to find Indie authors? Smashwords is a great place to start and provides many different file formats to download. Amazon Kindle store also has self-pubbed authors now. These ebooks are often priced quite low and those are the books I usually seek out (you can even find quite a few that are free). Not sure if you want to take a chance on an unknown author? No problem because you can download a sample first for free to see if you like their writing style.

Give it a shot and find some new great reads!

Since I read primarily paranormal romance and urban fantasy, this is what my list will probably consist of, but I may throw in a different genre occasionally.

My list for the remainder of 2010:

June 2010:
- Zoe Winters - Blood Lust series. Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy. I enjoyed these three novellas to varying degrees but all worth reading:
» Kept - cat shifter seeks protection from grumpy sorcerer
» Claimed - vampire in fit of blood lust accidentally wipes memory of human he cares about
» Mated - wolf shifter saves human (who can sense vampires) from her abusive vampire boyfriend.
Look forward to more books from Zoe. Note: the first novella, Kept, is a free PDF download on author's website!



July 2010:
- H.P. Mallory - Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble. Light Paranormal Romance. A newbie witch learns the ropes while trying to prevent an Underworld coup and maneuvering around the affections of a warlock, vampire, werewolf and fairy king. Great debut and a fun read. Love the cover art :)
- Tina Folsom - Samson's Lovely Mortal. Paranormal Erotic Romance. Samson the vampire can't get it up until he meets the human, Delilah. Loved it! Can't wait to read the next one in this series, Amaury's Hellion.
- Kait Nolan - Forsaken By Shadow. Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy. I found this novella confusing to read, but others seem to like it based on the number of good reviews. I'm interested enough to try the next book.



August 2010:
- Tina Folsom - Amaury's Hellion. Paranormal Erotic Romance. This is the sequel to Samson's Lovely Mortal. Amaury the vampire must have sex to relieve the debilitating pain he gets from sensing the emotions of those around him, except for Nina. He cannot sense her and is intrigued and hopeful of a cure... if he can just keep her from killing him. Another winner from Tina Folsom!
- Stacey Wallace Benefiel - Glimpse. Young Adult Fantasy Romance. Wasn't sure what to expect but turned out to be a very enjoyable read. Author has a great "teenage voice" and story has unexpected surprises.



September 2010:
- Luna Lindsey - Make Willing the Prey. Dark Fantasy/Horror novella. A little too much on the horror side for me. Writing could use a little more polish.
- Mary E. Lowd - The Necromouser. Short Story - Disgruntled cat learns to create mice zombies. Funny and quirky story that cat lovers should appreciate. Free download from smashwords.
- Sarah Barnard - The Portal Between. Fantasy/alternate world. Nothing interesting really happens for first half of book (e.g. portal related) except one short scene. I needed more action. Good if you like domestic-lit. Some f/f scenes but closed door - not explicit.
- Monique Martin - Out of Time - Time Travel Romance with a paranormal twist - enjoyed this one. Paranormal aspect is light (only one vampire) but great romance. Enjoyed the writing style.
- Susan Bischoff - Hush Money. YA Fantasy/Supernatural Powers - Wonderful debut. Loved the voice and writing style. Great story, great characters, great dialogue. If you like YA and superhero type stories give this one a try!



October 2010:
- Helen Montgomery - Sissy the Vampire Hummingbird Slayer. Short Story - Vampire. Hummingbirds. Need I say more? Fun and quirky with dry humor. I'd love to see more Sissy adventures. Free download from Smashwords.
- Daniel Arenson - Flaming Dove. Dark Epic Fantasy with Angels vs. Demons smackdown, a decent read though sometimes a little overdramatic.
- Laurie Bowler - Moon Rising. I couldn't finish this one. Flat characters, poorly edited, awkward writing style.
- Stacey Wallace Benefiel - Day of Sacrifice: The Prophecy. Novella - Interesting story concept. Flora has three days to live before she is sacrificed to the gods. The gods are in for a surprise. Cliffhanger! Looking forward to next novella in this series. Really enjoy Stacey's writing style.
- Melissa Swaim - Dividing Dark. YA Paranormal Romance - Reptilian shapeshifter, caving, and eating disorders, sweet YA romance. Dialogue a bit choppy but decent read overall.



November 2010:
- Edie Ramer - Cattitude. Light fantasy romance with a "Freaky Friday" feline twist. Cute, funny and sweet. Cat lovers should enjoy it.
- L.K. Rigel - Space Junque. Novella Prequel - Paranormal Space Opera Romance. Goddesses, shapeshifters, chosen ones, spacey stuff, romance, and some futuristic swearing all wrapped up in an action-packed paranormal space opera adventure.
- Tina Folsom - A Touch of Greek. Paranormal Erotic Romance. Triton, son of Poseidon, is banished to Earth for his philandering ways and taught a lesson in love. You can count on Tina Folsom for a hot paranormal romance that has a good balance between sex and story.
- Lori Brighton - The Ghost Hunter. Paranormal Romance. Classic PNR elements and good story. In the end I have to say that I liked it. Excessive typos, inconsistencies, and some annoying character traits distracted me a bit.



December 2010:
- S.A. Hunter - Scary Mary. Novella - YA/Teen Paranormal - Immediately liked Mary's character and snarkitude. Good dialogue, high school angst, playful ghost dogs, and a budding romance/friendship (not sure which) wrapped up in a not really scary ghost story. (Currently a free read from Smashwords.)
- Toni LoTempio - NO REST FOR THE WICCA - Urban Fantasy Romance. Smart-mouthed, ghostbusting, half-Wiccan helps sexy, arrogant vampire hunt down a witch killer. Liked story, characters, dialogue, but needs more editing/proofing. Worth the read and would try next book.
- Penelope Marzec - The Fiend of White Buck Hall. Historical Paranormal Romance (small press) - Albino wizard first rejects then helps on-the-run secretary escape her pursuers and prove her innocence in 1890s New Jersey. Typical historical romance with a magical twist in the form of a white buck. Some minor flaws but a decent read. (Side note: print copy had terrible font character spacing).
- J.L. Bryan - Jenny Pox. Paranormal/Supernatural Powers - This book sucked me in. Three teens, three supernatural powers: plague, healing, and love. Note: has casual drug use, some brief sex scenes and some gore; recommend for older teens or adults.

If you are looking for Indie authors, you should check out my blog: A. F. Stewart's Blog. I review books from Indie Authors on a regular basis. I devoted March of this year to book reviews, so that would be a good place to start.

As a Goodreads' author, I encourage you to support your site's own indie writers!

I spent one career as a television producer, writer, director - and wilderness adventurer, both on land and underwater. I've moved around so much, I feel the internet was made for me (or vice versa)! I invite you to "friend" me here. I am the author of Teeth - The Epic Novel with Bite - 3 puny men versus a force of nature - the 4,000 lb. man-eating crocodile, worshiped as a deity by the natives of the Big River.

I'd love to have you read TEETH! You can pick up a Limited 1st Edition (soon running out!) on amazon (see link below). I'll let you in on a secret - only for Goodreaders! Look for the "used-like-new" option from my publisher, Readr Books, for a mere $5.99. Drop me a note here - or put it in the 'comments to seller' on amazon (that you're from Goodreads) and I'll make sure you get a brand new book, signed by me to you, for that price (which is about cost of printing!).

Of if you have Kindle or a Kindle app on your reader, get it for the bargain basement price of $2.99! (Follow the same link).

I want to thank you in advance for supporting your indie author! The reviews here an on amazon will reassure you that you're an erudite reader!

http://www.amazon.com/Teeth-Epic-Nove...

I see my Portal Between mentioned there! Thank you.
Sarah

In case anyone is interested I have an ebook giveaway running on my blog for Susan Bischoff's book Hush Money



Deadline for entry is this Friday, October 1st by 10:00pm EST. See blog for details.

http://indieparanormalbooksreviews.bl...

Thanks Michelle :)

Thank you for the mention, Michelle!

Stacey

If anyone has been interested in trying some of the books in my list, I just realized that many of them are on sale for the holiday season. I looked them up and listed them in a post on my blog. Most are only $0.99 so a great time to give some of them a try.
http://indieparanormalbooksreviews.bl...

I also have a sneak peek and giveaway running for Spiderwork, which is the sequel to Space Junque (one of the books currently on sale!)
http://indieparanormalbooksreviews.bl...



Happy Holidays!

Michelle wrote: "Susan Bischoff - Hush Money. YA Fantasy/Supernatural Powers - Wonderful debut. Loved the voice and writing style. Great story, great characters, great dialogue. If you like YA and superhero type stories give this one a try!
..."

I really didn't know what to expect going into this book; I think I downloaded it for my Kindle because it was only 99 cents. It ended up being a great read, and I'm looking forward to following this author's other books in the future!

Hi Erika, yes - I was actually planning to start the thread this weekend. I should go do that now before I forget. I'm glad you would like to join in. I hope others will too. I agree about the cover, it's fantastic! I'll add you to my blog roll for indie-friendly blogs the next time I update :)

Hi Galla, Me too! It just shows you can't judge a book by it's price, lol! I'm so jonesing to dig into the next book. It's titled Heroes 'Til Curfew and should be out early 2011 (I hope!). I'm also hoping Susan will let me do a Sneak Peek of it on the blog. Another cover that I love too!

Michelle wrote: "It's titled Heroes 'Til Curfew and should be out early 2011 (I hope!). I'm also hoping Susan will let me do a Sneak Peak of it on the blog..."

Please let us know in the thread if the author lets you post a sneak peek! Teasers are better than cookies sometimes. :P

That Spiderwork cover art is so gorgeous that it makes me want to look at everything else that artist has done, ever.

Galla wrote: "Teasers are better than cookies sometimes. :P"

...and less calories! :D

Your wish is my command! The Spiderwork cover was actually done by the same person who did the Hush Money cover... here is a gallery of her work.
http://intensewhisp.deviantart.com/ga...

And her website:
http://www.rldprint.com/portfolio/boo...

And this is a post from LKs site that shows a larger adaptation of the art used for the cover:
http://www.lkrigel.com/2010/10/last-d...
(scroll down a bit to see it)

Here is a link to the 2011 challenge. I hope some you will join me this year. All genres are welcome!

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/4...

Wow, thanks so much for the links to that artist's work! She's amazing; I especially love the covers she did for Kitty Thomas's books.

Plus, I got another addition to the TBR pile after I got curious about some of the images, lol!

Looking forward to the 2011 challenge.