Charlie Bray's Blog, page 10

3 or More Books on Amazon? You need Indietribe’s Multi Book Promotion

Let Us Showcase Every One of Your Books – and Future Ones – for a one-off fee of only £45 (US$71) for the lot!

Give every one of your books a fighting chance by featuring them in our popular Showcase series. There have been over 30 Indietribe Showcases so far and they attract more and more readers every issue. Once your books are in there, they are in there forever. The archives are never removed from our site and the older issues are visited just as often as the current ones.

Check out the latest showcase and imagine your books in there

Bring your books out of the shadows and into our Multi Book Showcase.  Sign up now!

And don’t feel left out if you have less than three books to promote. You can showcase them for only £15 each by clicking here

And don’t feel left out if you’ve already showcased your book. You can showcase it again for only £10 

THESE DEALS ARE AVAILABLE TO INDIE BOOKS AND CONVENTIONALLY PUBLISHED BOOKS THAT THE AUTHOR MARKETS

Author Interview: Frances Gilbert

Welcome to our series of Author Interviews, where Charlie Bray chats to a variety of Indie writers about their lives and their books.

If you would like to be interviewed, have your book reviewed, and post a guest blog, sign up now to INDIETRIBE GOLD

Today I am delighted to interview author, Frances Gilbert.

Frances, tell us about yourself

I was born in the UK and emigrated to the US with my husband and family.  Although I have a degree in economics I am really a right brained person living a great deal in my imagination. Stories, family stories, old favorites from children’s literature have always sustained me. Sharing books with my children and grandchildren has been a continuing joy.

How many books have you published so far?

I have published eight children’s books, two adult novellas and a CD of children’s stories.

How long have you been writing?

I didn’t start writing until a certain sign post birthday when my daughter said, “If you don’t do it now you never will.” Before that I had always written scraps and told stories, to entertain myself mostly!

Tell us a bit about the novels

In my novels I try to juxtapose ordinary daily life with uncertainties and insecurities in the characters that result in a boiling up of emotions with tragic consequences.  They usually have a great deal of domestic detail and are set in quintessential English villages and towns.

What inspired you to write them?

I really don’t know, sometimes a dream or an idea just appears in my mind and won’t be silenced. Sometimes when I am without a good mystery to read I entertain myself by trying to write one, then I can have it all play out exactly as I want, which is very satisfying.

She Should Have Come for Me. What is the relevance of the title?

The dog is feeling guilt at having engineered such a tragic outcome, so she feels that the woman ‘She’ in the story should have punished her. I am intrigued to know how others interpreted the title. It is always so interesting to know what readers see in a story, often themes or interpretations that I didn’t think of myself.

Do you plan out your book or does it find its own direction?

I never plan the books. I start with an image which runs in my head like a movie and then I just type.

The story takes its own path. In Where is She Now? the character Anna just inserted herself into the story, I had not planned to have an alter ego and I don’t really like that kind of story but she just appeared, I found my fingers typing her name – it was quite creepy. A psychic read that book and said I had tapped into a past, true event , which was even more creepy!

What is the main message of your books?

Most of my stories deal with relationships, and the enduring mystery of married relationships!  Maybe the message is that life is a struggle sometimes and our actions can have dramatic and unexpected outcomes.

What are some of your creative influences?  Were there any specific ones that inspired a particular book?

Story telling has always been a part of my life from stories told in bomb shelters to shared reading in the family. My father was a great story teller and my mother had a fund of poems that she could produce to fit any occasion, that’s how you kept kids quiet in the ‘olden days’.  Houses have always inspired me; they are characters in their own right. I love old houses with histories and secrets, they speak to me.

There are not specific prompts for a particular story, rather a generalized feeling for history, houses and tangled relationships.

What do you enjoy most and least about writing?

I love creating place and time, I love how the slip of time backwards and forwards can be used to understand a character or strengthen a plot.  I like being able to manipulate characters, and I love creating a setting that takes me back to my childhood, the scents and smells, creosote and privet, warm brick walls, the smell of ironing and fires, my grandmother’s house.

For very young readers I write to be read aloud.  The flow and rhythm of language that pulls little listeners in is probably what I enjoy most in all of my writing.

I hate proofing and trying to organize the computer stuff. I have a huge dread of writing the naughty bits, without which they tell me no book will sell!

Any advice for aspiring authors?

Write for you, not what you think the market wants. Write and then put the stories away for a while. If you still like them when you revisit them put them out there. I am so grateful for the opportunity to put my book  out there on IndieTribe

Do you have any future projects in the works?

I am writing another psychological mystery, Murder at Beckets, and am trying a Scottish mystery for young readers, which is fun but I need to brush up on Scottish history since it goes back in time. I am also writing ‘short shorts’ two page stories for a short story collection. That was a writing group challenge and I am really enjoying it.

Thank you so much, Frances, it’s been an absolute pleasure to talk to you and I know our readers will find your comments very helpful.

 

I reviewed Frances’s book She Should Have Come For Me recently and just could not put it down.

I heartily recommend you to give it a read:

It is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

 

 

I am also reviewing Frances’s book Where is She Now? soon.

Why don’t you grab a copy and then you can compare your thoughts with mine.

It is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

NEWS FLASH: New Addiction Survival Kit for Addicts

 

 

ASK Addiction Survival Kit: Powerful New Book
Empowers Addiction Suffers to Take Vital ‘First Steps’
Back to a Better Life.

Written by Counsellor, Therapist, Teacher and 26-year addiction survivor, David Chaloner, ‘ASK Addiction Survival Kit’ calls on the author’s experience with hundreds of clients to help readers trigger positive action and take their first steps to recovery. With many addicts and their families suffering in silence, the life-changing book is poised to bring solace and hope to thousands.

Many experts believe addiction and the addictive process to be one of life’s harshest vicious circles, often robbing sufferers of their money, families and even their lives. However, a potentially life-changing new book by a renowned UK therapist and survivor of addiction has the power to act as a catalyst and inspire its readers to take the first steps to a brighter, cleaner future.

‘ASK Addiction Survival Kit’ is the work of David Chaloner, whose twenty-six-year recovery from addiction has seen him change the lives of hundreds of people through his work as a Counsellor, Therapist, Teacher and Facilitator.

ASK Addiction Survival Kit is an introductory guide based on over 22 years of experience working with addicts, their families and friends. If this is your first exploration of how to get help, what to think about and what to do next, this is the book for you.

Every word, every way has been analysed and synthesized and simplified to make what can be a difficult, frightening and complex journey as easy as possible. It is a book based on the distilled knowledge of the many hundreds of people: clients, students and friends who have shared their experience, strength and fears with me on their journeys.

It has been written as a catalyst, a trigger to action; not as a text book. May it prove to be the catalyst you need to take the next step.

As the author explains, his book is unlike anything currently on the market.

“Most books try to be a one-size-fits-all total solution to addiction recovery. Not only is this unrealistic, but it falsely convinces those suffering addiction that they don’t need well matched  one-on-one help. You simply can’t cure someone’s illness with two hundred pages of text,” says Chaloner, who helps clients struggling with everything from gambling addiction and eating disorders to wider family issues and life systems.

He continues, “Every person needs specialised and tailored help for their individual needs and situation. Therefore, my book simply acts as a prod and inspiration to help those suffering recognise their problem, acknowledge that they need help and then seek it out in a pro-active and timely manner. Look at is a powerful first step; that’s what I intended it to be. It presents perspectives and ways of exploring that don’t make you feel as if you need an academic background to participate.”

Since its release, the book has garnered many rave reviews. For example, one reader commented, “This is an awesome book for both the addict and people like myself that look on at one of my family and don’t know what to do or how to support and handle each incident. Needs to be read again and again.”

Critics praise the author for his diligent efforts to help change the lives of thousands in need. With the book’s popularity growing, interested readers are urged to purchase their copies of the book as soon as possible. Everyone knows someone who needs this.

‘ASK Addiction Survival Kit’ is available now: http://amzn.to/1aS9tAA

For more information, visit the author’s website: http://davidchaloner.com/

David specialises in addictions and addictive processes, from attempting to control them to staying stopped. From the practical challenges of maintaining ‘recovery’, to the deeper questions of life purpose, meaning and motivation that form part of the process. Much of his learning and experience in the field comes from working in New Zealand.

 

 

Author Interview: Julia Rose Grey

Welcome to our series of Author Interviews, where Charlie Bray chats to a variety of Indie writers about their lives and their books.

If you would like to be interviewed, have your book reviewed, and post a guest blog, sign up now to INDIETRIBE GOLD

Today I am delighted to interview author, Julia Rose Grey

Julia, tell us a little about yourself.

I’ve had a full career that included a great deal of writing — research papers, marketing materials, statements of work for contracts, and work proposals.  I am now retired and going back to the fiction I always loved to write.  I live with my husband of thirty years in Chester County, west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

How many books have you published so far?

I have two books.  Cry Before Supper is the first, full-length novel.  My second publication is a holiday novella entitled The Dream Catcher.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I was a child.  Short stories, poems, skits.  Writing has always been my friend.

Tell us a bit about your novels.

Cry Before Supper is about a family who experiences a tragedy and how the the middle child, the one with the least confidence yet the most endurance and willingness to care for others, makes all the difference.  The Dream Catcher is a whimsical tale about the importance of dreams.

What inspired you to write them?

Charlie, in all honesty, I write what comes into my head.  That’s the easy part.  When I write I have all these pieces of paper on my desk, with bits of a story jotted on them, and then, I sort those bits into a story.

Do you plan out your book beforehand, or does it find its own direction?

My stories seem to find their own direction.  I try not to orchestrate the plot too much because I’ll miss something intriguing.

What would you say is the main message of your books?

Resilience.  Hanging in there.  Keep going.  That’s a theme that seems to come up in anything I write.

What are some of your creative influences? Were there any specific ones that inspired a particular book of yours?

My grandmother once told me that, “A woman can do anything she wants!”  As corny as it sounds, she is a definite influence because she was a woman of the early 1900s and she dealt with some difficult circumstances in her life.  As far as writers who influence me, there’s Stephen King, Janet Fitch, Mark Helprin, Philippa Gregory, and a host of other current writers, as well as a range of earlier writers, including Charles Dickens, Alexander Dumas, Tolstoy, and others too numerous to list here.

What do you enjoy the most, and the least, about writing?

Let me start with what I don’t like – the formatting for publication.  It’s a tedious task.  I allot a day for formatting, put on some music, and stay at my desk until it’s done.  On the coin’s other side, I enjoy people’s reactions and comments the most.  The more input, the better, because I can always improve.

Any advice for other indie authors?

Keep writing.  You only learn by doing.

Do you have any future projects in the works?

Yes, another full-length novel which is a classic good and evil struggle and another holiday novella that spins off Dorothea Dougherty, a character in The Dream Catcher.

Julie, thank you for taking the time to talk to us today and good luck with all your writing.

I will be reviewing Julia’s book, Cry Before Supper early next month.It is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

I hope you enjoyed reading Julie’s interview as much as I enjoyed doing it.

I look forward to interviewing more Indie authors soon.

In the meanwhile, very happy reading, Charlie

MONTHLY TOP 10 INDIE BOOKS – August 2013

MONTHLY TOP TEN INDIE BOOKS is based on the number of sales and click-throughs from INDIETRIBE to Amazon in the past month. Whilst every click through does not lead to a sale, it is certainly evidence of a high level of interest, so the 10 authors should be justly proud that their books are being noticed and look forward to them being best selling books. We monitor click-throughs and do not count multiple click-throughs from one computer.

To buy or browse any of these top 10 books, click on the book cover for Amazon.com or the title for Amazon.co.uk. If you do decide to buy books, please do so whilst you’re clicked through to Amazon from Indietribe, as this help us compile more accurate information for our monthly top ten

One great way to get in to the Top 10 and stay there is to make sure that you feature regularly in our brand new e-Book monthly Spotlight

 

 

 

 

So here we go with the latest top 10:

1.  SHE SHOULD HAVE COME FOR ME by Frances Gilbert

 

2  THE YEAR OF THE CICADAS by Catie Hartsfield

3  OPEN HOUSE: ARISTOCRATS, SQUATTERS & GHOSTS SHARE A CASTLE by Charlie Bray

4  CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOL DROPOUT  by Patti Lavell

 

5   THE PERSECUTION OF MILDRED DUNLAP  by Paulette Mahurin

 

6   POEMS OF LIVING, LOVING & LORE  by J C Edwards

 

7   WHITE JADE by Alex Lukeman

 

8  DEATH OF CARTHAGE by Robin E. Levin

 

9   LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS  by Christoph Fischer

 

10  ROARING ZEROS by Nate McIntyre

So congratulations to the books and authors in The Top Fiction Books This Week, particularly Frances Gilbert’s She Should Have Come For Me, which has shot straight in at NUMBER ONE and The Year f the Cicados and Roaring Zeros, which are also first time entries.

It’s not just coincidence that the books that reach the Top 10 are usually to be seen in our Showcase and Spotlight features and get a lot of exposure.

Why not showcase your book on Indietribe and let our members find another gem to read?

If you have one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase

If you have more than one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase.

If you would like to repeat one of your previous showcase entries, click here to showcase

Happy reading and writing until the next Top 10

Showcase 31: Five Indie Books Showcased For You

Here are five eBooks for your kindle, reviewed for your pleasure by the authors. Eight top fiction books, all self published, vie for your attention, hopefully all on the way to becoming best selling books.

Why not review your own book and let our members find another gem to read?

If you have one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase

If you have more than one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase.

If you would like to repeat one of your previous showcase entries, click here to showcase

Buying books from Showcase is really easy. Click on the image to buy from Amazon.com, or the link in each book’s description to buy from Amazon.co.uk

IF YOU DO DECIDE TO BUY BOOKS, PLEASE BUY THEM WHILST YOU’RE LINKED THROUGH TO AMAZON FROM INDIETRIBE. This helps us to compile an accurate Top 10 Indie Books each week.

So here we go with our 31st Showcase:

 Southern Wicker by Peggy Holloway

This is the first two books from Peggy Holloway, Blood on White Wicker, and Portrait on Wicker condensed into one book in large print.

After writing my first book, Blood on White Wicker, I decided to write a sequel.  I named the second book Portrait on Wicker.  Someone suggested that I condense these into one book and here it is, Southern Fried Chicken.  I didn’t realize at the time that there would be more Judith McCain thrillers but she kept intruding on my thoughts while writing other books.  Thus came the Judith McCain thrillers.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

 MURDER BY REFERENCE by D.R. Meredith

In a variation of the classic locked room mystery, Attorney John Lloyd Branson and his beautiful, trusted, but often impetuous legal assistant, Lydia Fairchild scare up ghosts from the past and rattle family skeletons as they try to discover who murdered the young museum curator. It’s no Halloween trick when Brad Hemphill materializes in a locked museum at midnight, the main feature in a prhistoric display. Who among the museum staff would kill the harmless, mild-mannered young curator, and why? What deadly secret did Hemphill know that made him a target for murder?

A fan of mysteries since a childhood obsession with Agatha Christie and Rex Stout, D. R. Meredith has written three mystery series set in the Texas Panhandle, a little-known area of the state even to other Texans. Two titles, MURDER BY IMPULSE and MURDER BY DECEPTION, in the John Lloyd Branson series were finalists for the Anthony Award. An equal obsession with the American West inspired her to create two historical sagas, A TIME TOO LATE and THE RECKONING, which she describes as “two hanky books for readers who want their hearts tugged while satisfying their curiosity about the Old West.” The book review editor for ROUNDUP MAGAZINE for more than twenty years, Meredith owns a private library of more than 5,000 books on the American West.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

SURVIVAL TIPS FOR THE SUDDENLY SINGLE by Cindy Vine

Do you need help after a break-up?

Survival Tips for the Suddenly Single offers easy-to-read practical advice on how to cope and get your life back on track again after a nasty break-up.

Cindy has stuck to her light-hearted style which cuts out the psycho-babble and written a book giving survival tips and strategies to use when you find yourself suddenly single. Being single after an intense relationship is a daunting prospect for many. Cindy shows how to overcome the grief experienced when a relationship ends, how to get your life back in order again and avoid making the same mistakes next time round, how to sort out your finances, how to become happy, how to avoid common mistakes made during sex and ten uses for an old photo of your ex, as well as many other useful tips.

Cindy Vine was born in Cape Town South Africa, but has lived and worked as a teacher in many different countries around the world.  While working and traveling she managed to raise three children on her own and is a self-confessed life observer and people watcher.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

 

THE WHITE VIXEN by David Tindell

November 1981. Captain Jo Ann Geary, USAF Special Operations, is on a Chinese island, sent there to rescue a captured British secret agent. An expert linguist and martial artist, the Korean-American officer has volunteered to assist UK Royal Marines in the operation, a decision that will lead to the most dangerous mission of her career.

April 1982. A shadow government in Argentina is pushing the country to capture the Falkland Islands, in order to lure the British fleet into a trap. Once again, MI6 calls upon Geary for help. She is to go undercover deep inside Argentina, to find the man behind the plot, confront a terror thought long dead, and prevent an attack that could touch off World War III.

Born in Germany and raised in Wisconsin, David Tindell works for the US Government by day; by night, he trains in the martial arts, studies languages and writes thriller novels. He lives on a lake in northwest Wisconsin with his wife Sue, a Yorkie and two cats.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

SOL by Matthew Carvalho

Sol, short for Soleil, is a happy child from a loving Brisbane family, whose biggest dream is to go to Disneyland. Instead, his parents take him to Afghanistan, to help build a school for girls. For eight year old Sol, bad things happen. An orphaned refugee wakes to a world no longer as bright as the day before, becoming an invisible cog in a messy system that spans hemispheres and national boundaries. Set in the near future of the twenty-second century, Sol joins the ranks of those who struggle and learns how cruel and remarkable the world around him can be. Sol is ultimately about the strength of the human spirit, brought to light through a child’s eyes — leaving only one question unanswered at the end: “So I heard you liek mudkips?

“What is done to children, they will do the world.

“SOL follows OLD HOPE ROAD, but it is not a sequel.”

Matthew Carvalho self-published author and OLD HOPE ROAD and SOL are his two full length novels through the CreateSpace. His primary influences include Frank Herbert, Iaian Banks, Joseph Campbell, Greg Bear, and Neal Stephenson. He has a BA in International Relations from San Francisco State University and a Masters in Diplomacy/Global Commerce from Norwich University. He has been, in turn, a children’s counselor for emotionally disturbed children, a US Peace Corps Volunteer, and currently works as a manager for a Silicon Valley medical equipment manufacturer. He lives with his wife Norma (to whom OLD HOPE ROAD is dedicated) and their three dogs, Elsa, Arni and Figaro in the city of Gilroy, California. His primary hobby, after his wife and dogs, is, oddly enough, writing; although Facebook and Twitter probably come in a close second – just ask his wife!

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

So that’s it for another Showcase. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and decide to spend a few pennies to support these wonderful Indie authors.

SEPTEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Great Indie Books on Display

Welcome to the launch issue of our new Monthly Spotlight

To browse or buy a book, click on its front cover to view it on Amazon.com or its title to view it on Amazon.co.uk.

If your book is not yet booked in for the OCTOBER SPOTLIGHT, book it in now

SO HERE WE GO WITH THIS MONTH’S SPOTLIGHT:

ACTION

Honorable Assassin: Book 1 of the MacMaster Chronicles by Jason Lord Case 

‘Honorable Assassin is a high-speed adventure thrusting the reader into the explosive world of smuggling, sex, drugs and perversion in the Sydney Underworld’

 

COOKING

Food for Thought: Quick and Easy Recipes for Homeschooling Families by Lorilyn Roberts

‘Food for Thought: Quick and Easy Recipes for Homeschooling Families contains delicious recipes, famous quotes, and homeschooling activities that will create warm memories for YOU AND YOUR FAMILY for years to come’

CRIME

Dangerous Times by Phillip Frey

‘Once in a while an eBook comes along that you could swear was the e-version of a best-seller. Dangerous Times is one of those books. Definitely a good read’

TRUE CRIME

Eyes of a Pedophile by Betty Kuffell

‘Peer inside the mind of a violent child molester and learn how to protect your children’

GAY

The Clouds Still Hang by Patrick C. Notchtree

‘This trilogy is based on his own life, telling the story of a gay man’s life of denial, to rise above the lagacy of a traumatic childhood that almost destroyed him to emerge at last true to himself’

HISTORICAL FICTION

A Time Too Late by D.R. Meredith

‘Determined to build a ranching empire on the the desolate plains, Mattie Jo Hunter went her own way and asked no quarter from nature or man–including her weakling husband’

Crossing the River by Harold Titus

‘His misfortune had been that he had chosen to be a redcoat soldier; if he wanted to change that, what in fact would he gain and how might he suffer if he tried?’

Jazz Baby by Beem Weeks

‘Taken in by an aunt bent on ridding herself of this unexpected burden, “Baby” Teegarten plots her escape using the only means at her disposal: a voice that makes church ladies cry and angels take notice’

L’Immortalite: Madame Lalaurie and the Voodoo Queen by T.R. Heinan 

‘NOLA’s most haunting legend comes to life’

One Chance for Glory by Edward T and Robert L Heikell

‘Edward T. Heikell and Robert L. Heikell mix history with some fiction to create a well-rounded view of lesser known pilot Clyde Pangborn’

HORROR

The Dark Horde by Brewin

‘The return of an ancient evil that is neither stoppable nor comprehensible…’

HUMOUR

Bring Me The Head of El Monte Slim by D.M.Ryan

‘Tired of corrupt politicians and big business running the show? So is El Monte Slim and he’s doing something about it’

LITERARY FICTION

Bridge Ices Before Road by Sienna Rose

‘Family secrets and lies are like the invisible black ice on a bridge: if you don’t watch out for the signs, it can be deadly’

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION

Seafoam Wavefollower and the Mysterious Ghost by Doc Briley

‘SEAFOAM is an exciting, fast-paced adventure filled with thrills, chills, mysticism and friendship’

MYSTERY

Dear Crossing by Marjorie Swift Doering

‘A grisly murder leads Ray Schiller on a case with a rising body count and the potential to derail his personal and professional life’

Shadow Tag by Marjorie Swift Doering

‘Detective Ray Schiller is out to finish what he started, unless it finishes him first’

Whisper in the Pines (Secrets of the Heart) by Howard Gleichenhaus

‘Whisper’s characters come alive. Compelling from start to finish you will read it in a single sitting.’

NON-FICTION

Justice in America: How it Works, How it Fails by Russell F. Moran

‘In this frank and compelling book, attorney and journalist Russell Moran leads the reader on an exciting tour of the system that delivers our rights, and he doesn’t pull any punches’

Your Heart: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease in Women, Men and Children by Betty Kufell, M.D.

‘Reduce your risk for the leading cause of death in women and men with information in this guide to heart health for all ages’

PARANORMAL DETECTIVE

Maggie Rising by Susan Aylworth

‘Claim your power even when only the dead believe’

PRE-HISTORIC FANTASY

Troll by Richard Sutton

‘A thought provoking, sensitively told and believable story of a series of events that could have happened in the distant, prehistoric past, when two species of Homo Sapiens discovered each other in the far north of Scandinavia’

ROMANCE

A Customary Obsession by Jane Creelman Graiko

‘To the casual observer, Laura and Steve have it all: To those who know them well, though, Laura and Steve seem to be missing something significant’

SCI-FI

A Face on Cydonia by Ian J Miller

‘Seek and ye shall find. However, with a mix of greedy corporate executives prepared to murder and passionate independents and Martians determined to stop such corporations, an expedition to determine why a battered butte on Mars winked would not like what they found, if they lived to find out’

God Bless the Dead by Evan Geller

‘The truth will not set you free.  The truth will get you killed’

The Gray Ship by Russell F Moran

‘While steaming toward Charleston, South Carolina in April 2013, a ship encounters a time warp or wormhole. Suddenly, Captain Patterson and her 930 crewmembers find themselves in the year 1861′

SELF-HELP

Fifty, Female & Fabulous by Barbara Villemez

‘One doesn’t have to be at a mature age to benefit from the concepts that enhance and empower the Divine Feminine in all women’

THRILLER

Haunted by Maria Savva

‘Nigel Price has MURDER on his mind’

Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster

‘Blending complex psychological character portraits with spot-on courtroom drama, Forster’s riveting legal thriller keeps the plot twists coming until the last, satisfying page’

The Nano Experiment by Richard Brawer

‘A fast paced thriller, Authentic Dialogue, A strong female Protagonist, A Damn Good Story’

White Jade by Alex Lukeman

WHITE JADE spins a web of deceit and murder across the globe, against the backdrop of a deadly international power game.

TRAVEL ESSAY

Solitary Desire by Kim Defforge

‘The author takes us along on her journey as she narrates the life events that weave an emotional tapestry, from adolescent imagination to adult life situations’

YOUNG ADULT

The Wolves of Lambs Bane by Chris Parker

‘In the tiny Welsh village of Lambs Bane, is it really the wolves Hazel needs to be afraid of?’


I hope you enjoyed our first ever Monthly Spotlight and that you are tempted to part with a few of your pennies to enjoy the delights of some remarkable indie books.

Indie Authors – if you’re not yet booked into our October issue, reserve your space now, we’re filling up fast!

 

We’ll proofread and market your book for less than the cost of a proofread

£5 per 1000 words will ensure that your manuscript is free of any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or typos.You will then be able to publish with confidence. You’d be hard pushed to find a professional proofreading service you can trust for less than that.

But we don’t stop there. When your book has been published we will market it free of charge, using the following tried and tested promotional features on Indietribe:

Your book featured for 12 months in our regular Monthly Spotlight. (Normally £45)

Your book featured in our regular Showcase series. (Normally £15)

You will be enrolled in Indietribe Gold and your book will be reviewed, you will be interviewed and your blog post will be guested on Indietribe. (Normally £45)

So not only will you get your book proofread for only £5 per 1000 words, far less than most proofreaders, it will also benefit from £105 of free advertising.

Not yet ready for a proofread? Reserve your space now in Charlie Bray’s diary by paying a £50 deposit. Click here.

Ready for a fully fledged proofread now? Click here.

Just look what Penny Springthorpe, Senior Editor of Book Cover Cafe said to our mutual client about our proofreading service:

Great work! Your proofreader is excellent. I haven’t added every comma he suggested, but I’m grateful he picked up everything he did pick up. I live in the hope that every author will care as much as you do to make sure we get it right.

Would you have any objection to passing on your proofreader’s details to me?

And Mark Lingane seems happy too:

Well done, Charlie, you seem to have picked everything up. We’re now ready to go!

Showcase 30: Eight more Indie books for your Kindle

Here are eight eBooks for your kindle, reviewed for your pleasure by the authors. Eight top fiction books, all self published, vie for your attention, hopefully all on the way to becoming best selling books.

Why not review your own book and let our members find another gem to read?

If you have one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase

If you have more than one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase.

If you would like to repeat one of your previous showcase entries, click here to showcase

Buying books from Showcase is really easy. Click on the image to buy from Amazon.com, or the link in each book’s description to buy from Amazon.co.uk

IF YOU DO DECIDE TO BUY BOOKS, PLEASE BUY THEM WHILST YOU’RE LINKED THROUGH TO AMAZON FROM INDIETRIBE. This helps us to compile an accurate Top 10 Indie Books each week.

So here we go with our 29th Showcase:

 

MURDER BY MASQUERADE by D.R.Meredith

Someone is killing prostitutes on Amarillo Boulevard after sending each a cryptic invitation to “cleanse your soul in the blood of the lamb.” One victim mails a letter to John Lloyd Branson, the Panhandle’s most famous lawyer, begging for his help. When she is murdered before she can talk to him, and her appointment is kept by her pimp and his stable of girls, John Lloyd declines any involvement in the case. His legal assistant, Lydia Fairchild is so incensed that she goes undercover on the Boulevard to search out the killer without John Lloyd’s knowledge. Lydia’s bumbling attempt to masquerade as a prostitute causes chaos on the Boulevard, and catches the attention of the Butcher. The killer’s taunting phone call to John Lloyd, promising that Lydia will be his next victim, brings the attorney roaring onto the Boulevard to protect Lydia and bring posthumous justice to the Butcher’s prey.

A fan of mysteries since a childhood obsession with Agatha Christie and Rex Stout, D. R. Meredith is now a prolific writer. Her two titles, MURDER BY IMPULSE and MURDER BY DECEPTION, in the John Lloyd Branson series, were finalists for the Anthony Award.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

OLD HOPE ROAD by Matthew J Carvalho

Dominic Mercy, an orphan of humble beginnings, lives in a world where anonymity is anomaly and the network is ubiquitous. Defense Attaché to the Office of the President, he juggles eco-terrorism, blackmail and conspiracy, and revenge, as a backdrop to his search not simply for acceptance, but for kin, and recognition. In the end, Dominic asks why it is so easy for us to accept our selves and the world as fundamentally flawed. In unguarded moments, he dares to restate this assumption. He does not quite answer his own question, but remembers that a wise man once told him: “You are who you are and you are the only person you can be absolutely right about”

Matthew Carvalho self-published author and OLD HOPE ROAD and SOL are his two full length novels through the CreateSpace. His primary influences include Frank Herbert, Iaian Banks, Joseph Campbell, Greg Bear, and Neal Stephenson. He has a BA in International Relations from San Francisco State University and a Masters in Diplomacy/Global Commerce from Norwich University. He has been, in turn, a children’s counselor for emotionally disturbed children, a US Peace Corps Volunteer, and currently works as a manager for a Silicon Valley medical equipment manufacturer. He lives with his wife Norma (to whom OLD HOPE ROAD is dedicated) and their three dogs, Elsa, Arni and Figaro in the city of Gilroy, California. His primary hobby, after his wife and dogs, is, oddly enough, writing; although Facebook and Twitter probably come in a close second – just ask his wife!

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE MENTOR by Rebecca Forster

Determined to prove to her mentor, Judge Wilson, that she is up to the challenge, feisty federal prosecutor Lauren Kingsley takes on a case of a militia terrorist, and when Judge Wilson is murdered, Laura is plunged into a deadly world of corruption and betrayal leading all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

She marketed a world-class spa when it was still called a gym, did business in China before there were western toilettes at the Great Wall and mucked around with the sheep to find out exactly how her client’s fine wool clothing was manufactured.   Then Rebecca wrote her first book and found her passion.

Now, over twenty-five books later, she is a USA Today and Amazon best selling author and writes full time, penning thrillers that explore the emotional impact of the justice system.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE YEAR OF THE CICADOS by Catie Hartsfield

This is an inspirational true story of the struggles facing a family when the twenty-one year old son falls 180 feet and suffers a Traumatic Brain Injury.   The dramatic search and rescue by his younger brother, a friend and lost boy scouts is riveting. With an uncertain future, the ripple effects are felt throughout the entire family, forcing everyone to take a look at what they are made of.  Keeping a twenty-four hour vigil over their son, Catie and her husband Steve, kept journals to stay in contact with each other throughout their son Bryant’s ordeal. It is up close and personal, centered around Bryant’s struggles, but it is the story of personal growth as Catie questions herself as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, and her struggling spirituality and marriage.  She slowly discovers power within herself and from above.  This story shines a light on what it is like to suffer a TBI, to be a caregiver, and society’s view of a TBI. It is a story of awesome courage and motivation to “never give up.”

Catie loves being a wife, mother and grandmother.  She is an avid gardener and makes delicious cookies and is an advocate for families dealing with traumatic brain injuries.  You can learn more about Catie by visiting her web site: www.theyearofthecicadas.com or like us on Facebook at The Year of the Cicadas.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

CU @ 8 by Cindy Vine

Do your kids ever really leave?

Fenella Fisher and Suki Rabinowitz are middle-aged single mothers whose children have left home and started on their own lives and careers. But Suki’s son Josh is a cocaine-addict who supposedly fathered a baby on a visit to the UK; and Fenella’s daughter Kirsty has just been dumped and is feeling miserable. Fenella and Suki decide they need to step in to help their children and hatch a plan to sort out Josh’s mess and find Kirsty a suitable man, with some hilarious consequences. After interviewing prospective husbands for Kirsty at Waves Restaurant and Bar, they discover that a good man is hard to find. A fun, light-hearted read.

Cindy Vine was born in Cape Town South Africa, but has lived and worked as a teacher in many different countries around the world.  While working and traveling she managed to raise three children on her own and is a self-confessed life observer and people watcher.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE CHRISTMAS TREE INHERITANCE by Peggy Holloway

Joanie, a struggling college student, inherits a Christmas tree from her great-aunt, who was very wealthy. Joanie would have preferred money to pay for tuition and books.

The tree is ratty and ugly. Joanie and her mama decide to put the tree up for Christmas this year, and then throw it away.

The tree will not let Joanie, her mama, or her mama’s boyfriend string new lights on it. Every time they try, the lights explode. Ornaments sit in the same box the tree was in. When they decorate the tree with these ornaments, it lights up and becomes beautiful. Joanie discovers that if she focuses on an ornament, she is taken to another time and place.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

BRIDGE ICES BEFORE ROAD by Sienna Rose

This is an extract from Christoph Fischer’s review on this book.

“Bridge Ices Before Road” by Sienna Rose was given to me by the author for an honest review. It is a lovely and heartwarming book, telling the story of two twelve-year-old girls in a suburb of Boston as they grow into adulthood in the 1970s.

Frances is an only child, adopted by an Irish-Italian (Catholic) couple. The book is told from her perspective, showing brilliantly her manifold thoughts and feelings as she moves from one episode of her life to the next: Her ambiguous feelings towards her dead grandmother, teenage anxiety and her lack of confidence, most of which come from the harsh Catholic upbringing she is exposed to. Threatened by her mother to be returned to the orphanage, bullied at school and told to do as she is expected without being explained why, Frances is struggling her angst and confusion with life in general. In almost humorous and empathetic ways the author describes how Frances is influenced by her upbringing, her peers and the changing society in the 1970s and makes up her own mind about the issues of the time: Racial segregation, equal rights for women and homosexuality to name a few. Her struggle to form her own identity, particularly as a child of a mixed marriage and being adopted, the double standards in her family and the fear of God are alleviated when she becomes closer to her cousin Maddy and finally has an ally.

Sienna Rose is a Massachusetts native, born in 1959 and residing in Florida since 2002. In 1996, she earned a BA in psychology from UMASS Boston, and in 2001, an M.Ed. in school counseling from Cambridge College, Cambridge, MA. Because she has always been concerned with those who are different and vulnerable to bullying or abuse, Ms. Rose wrote her master’s thesis on the needs of gay/lesbian/bi/trans youth in school. She works as an independent educational consultant and advocate for children with disabilities. Bridge Ices Before Road is her first novel.

Bridge Ices Before Road is also available from Amazon.co.uk

HYM AND HUR  by Phillip Frey

In this fantasy-comedy Hym and Hur are a young couple who never age and have been in love for more than a century. They also possess an array of magical abilities, two of which are either to play pranks on humankind or to perform good deeds. Enacting both at the same time is now what gets them into trouble, especially since it’s the character of Death they must deal with to bring their plans to fruition.

The prank Hym and Hur have come up with must first be agreed upon by Death, who happens to be a rambunctious, difficult character. Once agreed upon, the prank is set in motion. But then Hym and Hur soon discover that Death had tricked them into a contract with dire consequences for all of us.

During their attempt to break the contract, Hym and Hur try to save the relationship of an earthbound couple, knowing they are truly meant for each other. A good deed that will bring Hym and Hur even more trouble.

Phillip Frey grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where he performed as a child actor at The Cleveland Playhouse. The day after he graduated high school he moved to Los Angeles and performed in local theater. He then moved to New York, where he performed with The New York Shakespeare Festival, followed by The Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center. With a change of interest Phillip wrote, directed, and edited 3 short films, all of which had international showings, including The New York Film Festival. With yet another change of interest he returned to Los Angeles to become a produced screenwriter. And now more recently, “DANGEROUS TIMES” and “HYM and HUR” are Phillip Frey’s first two works of fiction.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

So that’s it for another Showcase. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and decide to spend a few pennies to support these wonderful Indie authors.

 

Another great way to ensure that your book is regularly seen and bought by the thousands of Indietribe readers is to enrol it in our brand new e-Book monthly Spotlight which starts 1st September. 

WE ARE TAKING ORDERS NOW AND IT IS FILLING UP FAST.  DON’T MISS OUT!

 

Author Interview: Nate McIntyre

Welcome to our series of Author Interviews, where Charlie Bray chats to a variety of Indie writers about their lives and their books.

If you would like to be interviewed, have your book reviewed, and post a guest blog, sign up now to INDIETRIBE GOLD

 

Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to review Nate McIntyre’s novel, Roaring Zeros, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The book revolves around a revolution, and as with all revolutions, violence and brutality vie for authority with thought and reason and Nate McIntyre paints a very vivid picture of what could well face us all in the not too distant future.

Having read the book, I jumped at the chance to interview the author:

 

 

 

Nate, Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m twenty-eight and currently live in San Diego, California. I have a degree in political science and international relations and am debating grad school in order to improve my career prospects (unless I suddenly become a famous author). I was also enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve for six years ending in 2009.

In my free time, I follow baseball, listen to tons of punk rock, and enjoy reading, brewing, PC gaming, following politics, and getting lost in the rabbit hole that is Wikipedia.

How long have you been writing?

Roaring Zeros is my first and only attempt (so far) at creative writing, and it took about 3-3.5 years to complete and self-publish. I’ve taken a break from writing in 2013 in order to focus on other things, but am hoping to pick it up again soon.

What inspired you to write Roaring Zeros?

In a nutshell: The global financial crisis that started in 2008.

I graduated right in the middle of the Wall Street collapse and the subsequent bailouts and “Great Recession.” This was also in the thick of the 2008 US election season and Barack Obama’s subsequent inauguration. There was widespread fear that we were heading for a second Great Depression and as someone who has always been really interested in history, that sort of sparked my imagination. The final catalyst in my decision to write came one morning in January 2009 when I saw a breaking news segment on TV about the bank my family and I had our accounts with going under. I had been looking for jobs on my laptop the whole morning wondering how I was going to start paying for my loans and suddenly it felt like I was re-living things my grandparents had told me about from 1929. That’s when it really seemed like we might be in for a rough ride.

Politically, we saw a sharp increase in populism of all sorts. It started with various groups under the Tea Party label and then had a second wave with the Occupy movement in 2011 when I was much further along in writing the story. Europe and the Middle East have had unrest since then too. All of this really did resemble a lot of what I had learned about the Great Depression, and I wanted to explore what a modern repeat might look like for people like my friends and I if the crisis got significantly worse.

What would you say is the main message of your book?

I wanted to show the power of ordinary people and the importance of exercising it when needed. As we’ve seen in recent years, we live in a world where those with power and privilege play by a different set of rules than most of us on the street. People are kind of expected to just accept this as “the way things are,” but under certain conditions, it could easily lead to unrest. I also wanted to explain how people’s own personal frustrations and grievances are often what lead them to act on a greater scale.

Additionally, I wanted to illustrate the dangers of extremism born out of populism and desperation, which you can see in history. The Great Depression played a major role in the rise of fascism in Europe by providing an unstable environment where people were desperate for alternative solutions, whether good or bad. While I think a great deal of today’s populist sentiment is justified, there is always the danger that it could go down the wrong path. Some very recent developments in Europe and elsewhere have made this clear, which you can read more about in my guest blog here on Indietribe.

What are some of your creative influences? Were there any specific ones that inspired Roaring Zeros?

As far as writers, George Orwell is my favorite. Out of his work, I really like Homage to Catalonia and have read it three or four times. In the past, I read a lot of military thrillers by guys like Tom Clancy, and also mixed in some sci-fi and fantasy from time to time. When I was a kid, I read just about every book in Brian Jacques’ Redwall series. These days I read a lot of non-fiction related to history or current events.

I get a lot of inspiration from punk rock music as well and would nominate Greg Graffin of Bad Religion as one of the greatest songwriters of the last century. Some of my ideas for the events in the story were inspired by experiences I’ve had at shows and elsewhere, and by the style of movies like Boondock Saints, SLC Punk, and Fight Club (which was a book first, of course). I like that sort of grittiness and raw emotion and felt it would work well for the type of story I was writing.

In the story, Jason and his friends can be described as antiheros, whose actions some might find questionable. Is there a reason for that?

I wanted the characters to seem real and relatable. So many stories out there have heroes and protagonists that don’t seem like real people. They never make a selfish decision, rarely if ever get angry, and always seem to be totally under control. Most people are not like that and even people historically regarded as heroes had major flaws, you just rarely hear about them. I wanted to show that you don’t have to be a saint to make a difference. Jason and his friends are frustrated young men. Like most their age, they sometimes make rash decisions out of anger and perhaps enjoy a few too many drinks. However, it’s their personal feelings of outrage that lead them to go out and right the wrongs they see in the world around them during a chaotic time. Revolutions are filled with shades of grey by people acting for different reasons, even if their outcomes are generally good. Today would be no different, and for evidence we just need to look at current events in other parts of the world.

Any advice for other indie authors?

Keep at it. Writing a book is a long road, but the sense of personal accomplishment is worth it.  Don’t blow your life savings, but be willing to spend a decent amount on things like editing and cover design. If you can find friends with these talents, that’s even better. It’s a great conversation starter once you’re done, too!

Do you have any future projects in the works?

I’ve been contemplating another novel for several months. I have some basic notes and will hopefully expand on those and start drafting soon. To stay updated, you can like my fan page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RoaringZeros) and follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/Commander_Nate).

Having read and reviewed Roaring Zeros I urge you to buy it. It really is a great book. It can be bought here, right now from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

 

I hope you enjoyed reading Nate’s interview as much as I enjoyed doing it.

I look forward to interviewing more Indie authors soon.

In the meanwhile, very happy reading, Charlie