Charlie Bray's Blog, page 14

TOP Fiction Books This Week on The Indietribe – as at 15th June

The Top Fiction Books is based on the number of sales and click-throughs from INDIETRIBE to Amazon in the last week. 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.

I suppose the best way of aiming for the Top Fiction Books is to make sure readers keep tripping over your book in our Book Store, Showcase, Book Reviews, Guest Blogs, Author Interviews, News Flashes, One-liners and Blogroll. Give your book the best chance you can.

To buy these books now, either click on the FRONT COVER to buy from Amazon.com or the TITLE 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 WILL HELP US TO ACCURATELY COMPILE THIS WEEKLY LIST.

Anyway, with no further ado, please welcome this week’s Top 10:

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

Up from 5

2   SEBASTIAN  by Christoph Fischer

Up from 4

 

3   THE PERSECUTION OF MILDRED DUNLAP  by Paulette Mahurin

Stays at 3

 

4   LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS  by Christoph Fischer

Up from 6

 

5  CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOL DROPOUT  by Patti Lavell

Down from 2

 

6   RANI OF RAMPUR  by Suneeta Misra

Up from 7

 

7  JAZZ BABY by Beem Weeks  

Up from 8

 

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

Up from 10

 

9   DARK HORDE by Brewin

New Entry

10   DEATH OF CARTHAGE by Robin E. Levin

Re-entry

So congratulations to the books and authors in The Top Fiction Books This Week

Happy reading and writing until the next Top 10

Author Interview: Gabriel Boutros

GABRIEL BOUTROS

 

Welcome to a new 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, post a guest blog and see your website and blog showcased,

sign up now to INDIETRIBE GOLD

 

At the end of last month I was fortunate enough to review Gabriel Boutros’s novel, The Guilty, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The book represented a brilliant court room drama and was brought alive by the creative skill of a formidable new author, and glued by the fact that Gabriel Boutros actually practiced criminal law for twenty four years.

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

Gabriel, tell us a bit about yourself.

I have lived most of my life in Montreal, where I practiced criminal law for 24 years. I’m married and have two sons. During our long, cold winters when I’m not working or writing I will be obsessing over the fate of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. That’s pretty much obligatory if you live in this city.

When did you first start writing?

Before studying law my educational background was in journalism and creative writing, so I guess telling stories of some sort has always been in my blood. I’ve even been told that my passion for story-telling came in handy during my years as a defence attorney. During the time I was practicing law I occasionally wrote short stories. At first it was just for fun, in order to entertain myself. But, as time went on my interest, and my willingness to put in the time to improve what little writing skill I had, grew. I began getting a little more serious about my writing, and eventually managed to get two short stories published. I wrote several early drafts of my novel, The Guilty, a few years ago, and last year I decided to dust off the manuscript, give it a good revision and much–needed rewrite, before self-publishing it through CreateSpace at the beginning of 2013.

Tell us a bit about your novel, The Guilty.

The Guilty is the story of Robert Bratt; a very successful criminal lawyer in Montreal. He’s the kind of lawyer for whom the only thing that matters is victory in court, and he is quite happy to ignore the truth in order to succeed. Bratt’s cynical attitude is shaken up when his daughter’s best friend is raped by one of his former clients. He watches the man’s trial and sees how the defense lawyer manipulates the facts to put the blame on the victim, making her look like the aggressor, and he recognizes that this is a tactic he has used many times. His daughter hates him for the kind of work he does, and cuts off all ties with him, causing him to question his ethics. While he tries to deal with his misgivings about how he does his work, and attempts to reconcile with his daughter, he also has to prepare for a murder trial where he has serious doubts about his client’s alibi defense. He’s torn between his need to win at all costs and his own nagging conscience.

I’ve tried to use my years of professional experience to bring a certain amount of detail and realism to the depiction of the trial. But I also tried to write a story that was fast moving and entertaining. I know the last thing I would enjoy reading is something preachy, so I tried to avoid that, while giving the readers some realistic characters they could root for or against, in an exciting story. I hope I’ve succeeded, but that will be for others to decide.

Where did the story idea come from?

As an attorney I had the opportunity to observe human nature at its best and its worst, and it was just natural that I should put some of my observations into an interesting story.  I’ve always wanted to write a courtroom drama, but I wanted the stakes to be about more than whether the accused was convicted or acquitted. I think that a conflicted lawyer, who may or may not be acting in his client’s best interest, ups the ante for the reader. This book was also an opportunity for me to have my characters argue issues of ethics and morality that lawyers often have to deal with, but don’t often talk about. Finally, I decided to base the facts surrounding the murder, as well as parts of the trial, on a case I was involved in earlier in my career. I think this helped me keep the courtroom scenes as realistic as possible; at least I hope I was successful in doing that.

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

I love telling stories. The writing part actually takes more patience and discipline than I normally have, but there is nothing more satisfying than having someone read and enjoy something that I wrote. What I like least is the solitude. Writing is not a social activity. To do it with any degree of success I have to shut myself in my little office and ignore friends and family, as well as the rare warm days we get in Montreal. Every minute a writer spends enjoying his life with his friends and family is a minute he isn’t writing, which is when guilt and self-doubt begin to creep in. In that way, writing can become a sort of addiction that won’t leave you alone until you satisfy your needs.

Do you plan out your book beforehand, or just fly by the seat of your pants?

When writing a short story, I tend to let the words flow, with only the vaguest idea where the story is going to take me. For The Guilty, as well as the novel I’m presently working on, I do spend a lot more time on plotting and planning. That’s pretty much inevitable when you have certain plot points you have to take your story through and you’re going to be working on it for many, many months. Inevitably, though, the characters will still take the story in unexpected directions. At times like that, I trust that they will find a more interesting tale to tell.

And what are you working on now?

I’m presently suffering through a long period of writer’s block on my second novel, which is tentatively titled “A Crooked Little Man.” It will also tell the story of a defence attorney but, where my protagonist in The Guilty was a high-powered and successful lawyer, in my new novel the main character is barely scraping by, struggling to make his rent payments, without the competence to defend his few clients against even the simplest charges. He will get in over his head when he is hired by a homeless man who is accused of murder. What happens next remains to be seen. I wrote a little more than two hundred pages of the story and then had to step back to figure out where I want it to go.

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Although I’ve been writing, off and on, for close to two decades, I still consider myself a new writer, so I don’t know if I’m in any position to give advice. However I will repeat something I read somewhere: if you want to be a writer, you have to first read a lot, and then you have to write a lot. I don’t think it matters whether what you read or write is any good, as long as you learn from the bad and use it to improve your work.

Where can we find the Guilty?

It is available on Amazon, in Kindle and in paperback format, and is listed on many other book sites (including Indietribe, of course). I also have my own site where people can find out a bit more about me and read some of my other writing: http://storiesbygabrielboutros.weebly.com/. There is also a The Guilty Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/the.guilty.gabriel.boutros

The Guilty can be bought here, right now from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

I hope you enjoyed reading Gabriel’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

 

 

 

The Aristocracy Should Leave Downton Abbey and Enjoy Life in a Castle

It’s official. The Aristocrats and servants at Downton Abbey are not comfortable ambling along in the 1920s. And they’re not happy being miserable. The bright lights and humour of the 21st Century are beckoning and no-one is immune, whether they live upstairs or downstairs.

Amazingly, they’ve reinvented themselves as the Simpsons in a forthcoming episode of the cartoon legend, disguising themselves cleverly as Simpton Abbey.

Under-butler Thomas Barrow has morphed into a Tom Cruise lookalike, sporting a shaved head and designer stubble.

 

Lord Crawley is about to star as the patriarch of the family that adopts Paddington Bear.

 

 

And to really set it on its way from the doom and gloom that is Downton, The Rolling Stones and P. Diddy are tipped to be joining the cast in preparation for Series 4

They’re all obviously desperate for a laugh, and that’s born out by Billy Connolly whilst describing the Dowager Countess, “ She’s hilarious, so funny in between takes.”

And the Big Yin is even considering joining the cast.

“It would be a laugh I guess.”

So, lets get this straight.

The aristocrats and servants are a bit miserable at Downton Abbey and aren’t keen on the humorless time between the wars.

 

 

They’re running around in a frenzy pretending to be cartoon characters, cuddly toys, rock bands and stand-up comedians.

 

 

To be honest, they’re missing a trick here,  because they’d definitely have a better life in a castle. All they need to do is move into Cove Castle, the fictitious home to my novel, Open House: Aristocrats, Squatters and Ghosts Share a Castle.

They can still be aristocrats, they can still be servants, but they’ll be living a hilarious life of fun in the present day.

They’ll be skint because the castle is falling apart at the seams. But they’ll be happy.

Visit Life in a Castle and join the farce.

TOP Fiction Books This Week on The Indietribe – as at 8th June

The Top Fiction Books is based on the number of sales and click-throughs from INDIETRIBE to Amazon in the last week. 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.

I suppose the best way of aiming for the Top Fiction Books is to make sure readers keep tripping over your book in our Book Store, Showcase, News Flashes, One-liners and Blogroll. Give your book the best chance you can.

To buy these books now, either click on the FRONT COVER to buy from Amazon.com or the TITLE 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 WILL HELP US TO ACCURATELY COMPILE THIS WEEKLY LIST.

Anyway, with no further ado, please welcome this week’s Top 10:

1  FINDING MY ESCAPE by Fran Veal

New Entry

2  CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOL DROPOUT  by Patti Lavell

Up from 3

 

3   THE PERSECUTION OF MILDRED DUNLAP  by Paulette Mahurin

Down from 1

4   SEBASTIAN  by Christoph Fischer

Down from 2

 

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

Stays at 5

6   LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS  by Christoph Fischer

Down from 4

7   RANI OF RAMPUR  by Suneeta Misra

Down from 6

8  JAZZ BABY by Beem Weeks  

Down from 7

9   SUN, SEA and SAVOIR-FAIR by Kim Defforge

New Entry

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

Down from 9

So congratulations to the books and authors in The Top Fiction Books This Week

Happy reading and writing until the next Top 10

NEWSFLASH: Breaking Book News From Four Indietribe Members

DARK HORDE by Brewin GOES FREE

1989, rural Victoria, Australia. Something is preying upon the township of Howqua Hills. Brian Derwent, head of the local Police Station, must simultaneously grapple with the investigation, his disintegrating personal life and unseen forces that are not of this world.

Part thriller, part crime-fiction, all supernatural horror, The Dark Horde tells of the return of an ancient evil that is neither stoppable nor comprehensible…

* Indie Excellence Awards 2013 – Finalist (Horror) *

* Indie Excellence Awards 2013 – Finalist (Thriller) *

* Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards 2012 – Honorable Mention (Genre Fiction) *

* Coffin Hop Flash Fiction Contest 2012 – First Place *

The Dark Horde (ebook version) is available FREE through Amazon from the 10th to the 14th of June 2013

Get your free copy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

 

THE GIRL WHO COULD CHANGE COLOUR by  Linda Dent Mitchell ON FREE DOWNLOAD PROMOTION

 

Take this opportunity to download this great book for Young Adults and not so young adults. It is offered as a free download from the 10th until the 14th June

Available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

 

TWO NEW E-COLLECTIONS OF STORIES BY AUTHOR CATHY SPENCER 

 Tall Tales Twin-Pack, Mysteries contains two mysterious short stories.

 In “The House on Cliffside,” Colonel Booth fears that his doctor is spending too much time with Booth’s wife.  When her body is found at the foot of a cliff, he knows it isn’t an accident, but he can’t prove it.

“In the Playground,” 2nd place winner in Suspense Magazine’s 2011 writing contest, is a thriller about a suspicious stranger watching children in a playground one evening.  Just what is he up to?

Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

 Tall Tales Twin-Pack, Science Fiction and Fantasy contains two short stories. 

“Your Daughter is Marrying an Alien” (originally published by Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, November 2011) is set in the year 2080.  Simple farmer Lloyd Hodgkin suddenly learns from his wife, Dorothy, that their only child is engaged, and not to the boy-next-door.

“Willimede’s Quest” is the story of a young female guard on a quest to find an elixir that will keep her queen alive.  Pursued by hunters, she seeks sanctuary at a castle where she must convince a king that she is who she says she is.  But the mystical object she possesses may be enough to buy her safety.

Available at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

A VERY CHARITABLE CAUSE

In honor of the 15 years spent with her beloved companion Tazzie, as well as her desire to support no-kill animal shelters, proceeds from the sales of ”The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap” benefit the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center.

Paulette Mahurin uses the trials of Oscar Wilde in 1895 as a backdrop for a Patience & Sarah-like tale of the Old West in The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap (Blue Palm Press), a fun imagining of life for lesbians on the range. As the promo for the book noted: “The year 1895 was filled with memorable historical events: the Dreyfus Affair divided France; Booker T. Washington gave his Atlanta address; Richard Olney, United States Secretary of State, expanded the effects of the Monroe Doctrine in settling a boundary dispute between the United Kingdom and Venezuela; and Oscar Wilde was tried and convicted for gross indecency under Britain’s recently passed law that made sex between males a criminal offense. When news of Wilde’s conviction went out over telegraphs worldwide, it threw a small Nevada town into chaos. This is the story of what happened when the lives of its citizens were impacted by the news of Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment. It is a chronicle of hatred and prejudice with all its unintended and devastating consequences, and how love and friendship bring strength and healing.” I enjoyed the connections between closeted lesbians in Nevada and Wilde’s own trials, and Mahurin does a nice job of creating these characters just from the inspiration of photograph.

Available from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

 

SHOWCASE 22: Ten Indie Books to add to your eReader

Showcase is becoming so popular that more and more authors are seeing the results of having their book featured this way. Make sure you get your book on display.

Take your pick from the options below:

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

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 22nd Showcase:

A MULTI PACK OF BRAIN-FLAKES by Ethan Holmes

A Multi-Pack of Brain Flakes is a collection of short stories from Ethan Holmes, the same author that brought you Earth’s Blood and The Keystone. Each story has an intriguing and rather unexpected twist.

Short Story I- Anger Management: Harry Houghton is a frustrated writer on a quest to a writer’s conference in Florida from his home in Oregon to find out once and for all why he is not a world famous novelist.

Short Story II- The Man Who Ate Popcorn: George is a professor of Social Studies at a college where his students spend more time on their cell phones rather than paying attention in class. George is overweight, unattractive, angry and lonely and he has a really strange obsession for popcorn.

Short Story III- Fifteen Feet: Written from the perspective of a fifteen year old boy living in a violently abusive home that he is desperate to escape.

Short Story IV- Lost and Unfound: A man shows up at the Lost and Found to report his girlfriend and her friend missing after a really bad day at the theme park.

Short Story V- From Bagels to Bars: This morning all he wanted was a bagel. By evening he finds himself staring at prison bars.

Short Story VI- Don’t Forget Your Change: Jack is a cashier at a big box grocery store and he is not having a good day.

Short Story VII- Have Some Cookies and Milk: Billy, Dennis and Frankie are best friends in fifth grade who are continually menaced by a bully named Jake. Billy finally decides they have to find a way to end it once and for all.

Ethan Holmes is a rural Pennsylvania-bred author currently residing in Northern Arizona.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE SEVENTH PILLAR by Alex Lukeman

A fanatical terrorist has visions of the Islamic Mahdi commanding him to begin the Apocalypse and bring about the End of Days. An ancient brotherhood of assassins hidden for centuries reappears to murder and ignite the fires of war. A truck carrying a terrible weapon leaves Sudan for the lawless mountains of Algeria and an unknown destination.

Director Elizabeth Harker of the Project sends Nick Carter and Selena Connor
to the burning wastelands of Western Africa, the back streets of San Diego and the
bitter mountains of the Hindu Kush, before a final confrontation that will decide the
future of Western civilization.

Alex Lukeman was in the Marines and spent years on the road as a professional folk singer. He likes riding old, fast motorcycles, sipping Barbados rum and playing guitar, usually not at the same time. You can email him at alex@alexlukeman.com. He loves hearing from readers and promises he will get back to you.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

OPEN HOUSE: ARISTOCRATS, ACTIVISTS and GHOSTS SHARE A CASTLE by Charlie Bray

Barnes the butler sees that Cove Castle is falling apart at the seams. He sees creditors visiting daily, and he sees Lord Cove, the affable, nice but dim, patriarch handing out Constables and Picassos like confetti to pay them. No wonder they are smiling as they scuttle away. He sees his lordship order a Thai bride and use the watch tower to conduct a clandestine relationship with the mother of his son-in-law. Barnes also sees activists, led by his lordship’s wayward granddaughter, laying claim to the adjoining woods, his other granddaughter cavorting naked in the moat with her friends, and a sinister man in black flitting around weirdly. He sees his great grandson, the unlikely named, Che Guevara unfurling banners from the turrets and running around the castle like a ninja warrior. Used to a more conventional upstairs, downstairs existence, the butler decides he has to intervene.He summons the cavalry, in the form of Lord Cove’s exiled daughter, Caroline. Like most aristocrats, her instinct is to protect the country house life that she was born into. She returns from her hideaway in France, fists swinging, determined to save this sinking ship.Scale the castle walls and come along for the ride. Enjoy this side-splitting farce from the moment feisty aristocrat, Lady Caroline enters Cove Castle airspace, right up to the final scene when…Well, you’ll just have to read it to find out.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

SEED OF POWER by Peter Ubtrent

“Seed of Power” by R Peter Ubtrent is the second book in the exciting ‘Dark Pilgrim science fiction series’. Ailanthus, Tethys and their rather unlikely band of friends, having escaped from the horrific penal colony of K’ar Krack’a, begin to attempt to build new lives. But the world they find themselves in isn’t really much different, full of criminals and liars all trying to steal credits and simply survive. There is conflict and tension everywhere – between The Church of the Blessed Prophets and the struggling Imperium, between some of the various alien species, and within the Imperium itself. Too many people are after personal power or revenge. Rohini becomes a key figure in keeping the Imperium’s collapse at bay since the new Emperor is neither popular nor diplomatic. And he needs Ailanthus’ help. The dystopian view of humanity so evident in ‘Dark Pilgrim Rising’ continues in this novel, so when loyalty, courage and honesty do appear they shine like beacons. Familiar characters are further developed and new ones are also introduced. Unresolved issues and hints that surfaced in the previous book are dealt with, but new ones emerge to intrigue us. Themes and subplots weave through the story, carrying us towards the exciting conclusion that leaves us wanting to continue following this imaginative and epic science fiction adventure.

R Peter Ubtrent is an extremely talented author and plunges the reader into a rich, persuasive and fascinating alternate universe. He packs more into a page in terms of linguistic ability and sheer entertainment than many authors do in an entire book.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

SUN, SEA and SAVOIR-FAIRE by Kim Defforge

A comprehensive, travel information book that focuses on the heart of the French Riviera. Includes concise transportation information, itinerary suggestion, website links, cultural tips, my personal recommendations, a recipe from my French family, and much more – even a visit to a village house. Information at your fingertips, to easily access what you need to know and the savoir-faire for how to navigate the Côte d’Azur!

Kim Defforge is a lifelong Francophile and former French teacher, with a passion for all things French. Having moved from the U.S. to the French Riviera, she now enjoys writing about French culture, food, wine, events, and the simple beauty of a Mediterranean sunset – proving that dreams really can come true!

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

 

PORTRAIT ON WICKER by Peggy Holloway

Judith is eleven years older in this sequel to Blood on White Wicker.

She has returned to New Orleans where her sister is missing.

As she searches for her she is once again forced to face her terrifying past.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

FINDING MY ESCAPE by Fran Veal

My life was shattered when I walked in to find my parents being murdered. He almost got me, too. The killer, I mean. The police say it was a home invasion, but I don’t believe it. I just wish the nightmares would stop. The same thing every night, reliving it. Tripping over my dad’s body…hearing my mother scream. I can’t take this any more!

So I run. I run to forget. I run to get away. And then I meet Josh. He helps me forget, for a while, anyway.

He’s absolutely perfect. Or is he…

Finding My Escape is a young adult novel mixing romance with suspense and a twist of the paranormal.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

SILENT TRAUMA by Judith Barrow

Silent Trauma is the result of years of research, and the need to tell the story in a way that readers will engage with the truth behind the drug Stilboestrol. So I had the idea of intertwining this main theme around and through the lives of four fictional characters, four women, all affected throughout their lives by the damage the drug has done to them. Their stories underpin all the harm the drug has done to so many women all over the world. The story is fictional, the facts are real.

Judith Barrow,originally from Saddleworth, near Oldham,has lived in Pembrokeshire, Wales, for thirty four years.

She has BA (Hons) in Literature with the Open University, a Diploma in Drama from Swansea University and a MA in Creative Writing with Trinity College, Carmarthen. She has had short stories, plays, reviews and articles, published throughout the British Isles and has won several poetry competitions. She has completed three children’s books.

She is also a Creative Writing tutor.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

HOSTILE WITNESS by Rebecca Forster

When sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton is arrested for the murder of her stepgrandfather, the chief justice of the California Supreme court, her distraught mother turns to her old college roommate, Josie Baylor-Bates, for help. Josie, once a hot-shot criminal defense attorney, left the fast track behind for a small practice in Hermosa Beach, California. But Hannah Sheraton intrigues her and, when the girl is charged as an adult, Josie cannot turn her back. But the deeper she digs the more Josie realizes that politics, the law and family relationships create a combustible and dangerous situation. When the horrible truth is uncovered it can save Hannah Sheraton or destroy them both.

Rebecca Forster 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


 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Showcase, and I look forward to publishing another one soon, with books from Howard Gleichenhaus, Julia Rose Grey, Doris Meredith, Rebecca Forster, Alex Lukeman, Peter Ubtrent, Kim Defforge and Peggy Holloway.

 

Top Fiction Books This Week on The Indietribe – as at 1st June

Two new entries in this week’s chart, a hair raising aviation tale, ONE CHANCE FOR GLORY from the Heikell Brothers and OPEN HOUSE: ARISTOCRATS, SQUATTERS & GHOSTS SHARE A CASTLE  by the Indietribe’s very own Charlie Bray (deep blushes of embarrassment).

The Top 10 is based on the number of sales and click-throughs from INDIETRIBE to Amazon in the last week. 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. We monitor click-throughs and do not count multiple click-throughs from one computer.

I suppose the best way of aiming for this Top 10 list is to make sure readers keep tripping over your book in our Book Store, Showcase, Book Reviews, Author Interviews, Guest Blogs, Web Showcases, News Flashes, One-liners and Blogroll. Give your book the best chance you can.

To buy these books now, either click on the FRONT COVER to buy from Amazon.com or the TITLE 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 WILL HELP US TO ACCURATELY COMPILE THIS WEEKLY LIST.

Anyway, with no further ado, please welcome this week’s Top 10:

1   THE PERSECUTION OF MILDRED DUNLAP  by Paulette Mahurin

Up from 4

 

 

2   SEBASTIAN  by Christoph Fischer

Down from 1

 

3  CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOL DROPOUT  by Patti Lavell

Stays at 3

4   LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS  by Christoph Fischer

Down from 2

 

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

New Entry

6   RANI OF RAMPUR  by Suneeta Misra

Up from 7

 

7  JAZZ BABY by Beem Weeks  

Up from 10

 

8   DEATH OF CARTHAGE by Robin E. Levin

Stays at 8

 

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

Stays at 9

 

10  ONE CHANCE FOR GLORY BY Robert L Heikell and Edward T Heikell

New Entry

So congratulations to the books and authors in this week’s Top 10.

Happy reading and writing until the next Top 10

TOP TEN INDIE BOOKS: June 1st

Two new entries in this week’s chart, a hair raising aviation tale, ONE CHANCE FOR GLORY from the Heikell Brothers and OPEN HOUSE: ARISTOCRATS, SQUATTERS & GHOSTS SHARE A CASTLE  by the Indietribe’s very own Charlie Bray (deep blushes of embarrassment).

The Top 10 is based on the number of sales and click-throughs from INDIETRIBE to Amazon in the last week. 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. We monitor click-throughs and do not count multiple click-throughs from one computer.

I suppose the best way of aiming for this Top 10 list is to make sure readers keep tripping over your book in our Book Store, Showcase, Book Reviews, Author Interviews, Guest Blogs, Web Showcases, News Flashes, One-liners and Blogroll. Give your book the best chance you can.

To buy these books now, either click on the FRONT COVER to buy from Amazon.com or the TITLE 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 WILL HELP US TO ACCURATELY COMPILE THIS WEEKLY LIST.

Anyway, with no further ado, please welcome this week’s Top 10:

1   THE PERSECUTION OF MILDRED DUNLAP  by Paulette Mahurin

Up from 4

 

 

2   SEBASTIAN  by Christoph Fischer

Down from 1

 

3  CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOL DROPOUT  by Patti Lavell

Stays at 3

4   LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS  by Christoph Fischer

Down from 2

 

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

New Entry

6   RANI OF RAMPUR  by Suneeta Misra

Up from 7

 

7  JAZZ BABY by Beem Weeks  

Up from 10

 

8   DEATH OF CARTHAGE by Robin E. Levin

Stays at 8

 

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

Stays at 9

 

10  ONE CHANCE FOR GLORY BY Robert L Heikell and Edward T Heikell

New Entry

So congratulations to the books and authors in this week’s Top 10.

Happy reading and writing until the next Top 10

SHOWCASE 21: Eight Indie Books on Show

Welcome to the twenty first Showcase.

If you would like to buy any of these books, 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.

If you’d like to see your book featured, take your pick from the options below:

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

 

DOUBLE SHOCK by Peggy Holloway

When Ramona decides the only way to escape her abusive husband is to kill him and make it look like an accident, she feels she has solved her problem. When she begins to overhear conversations from some of the people of Addison, Georgia, she realizes everyone knows it was murder but are covering it up.

At first she is glad but when she begins getting clues about what’s happening in the small Georgia town, she is faced with a choice between keeping herself out of jail and saving her country.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

DREAM by RobbiBryant

Veronica Armatti, a hairdresser and infatuation addict, has managed to strike the perfect balance between her daily existence and her overpowering desires. Veronica’s husband, Joe, tolerates her addiction as long as he doesn’t know the details. Veronica decides to get her latest fix with Andrew, an artist she meets at a grocery store. Andrew inducts Veronica into a mysterious and hypnotic dream world, where the powerful Devan entices her into his tribe of shape shifters, and where dreams and reality mingle in a deadly, intricate dance of survival.

Bestselling author Robbi Sommers Bryant has written 1 novella, 4 novels, five short story collections, and one book of poetry. Her work has been published in magazines both in the United States and internationally.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE KEYSTONE by Ethan Holmes

My name is Titus Kofi and it’s not pronounced like the drink. I took this gig working at The Keystone Hotel. What can I say? It pays the bills.

The owners, a greedy bunch of locals who are all part of one not-so-happy family and just so happen to make up the board of directors, are fairly certain that someone is stealing their precious cash from the hotel.

Their kingpin, Violetta Carbona, one of the strangest looking women you’ll ever meet, wants me to find out who so they can hang the poor bastard from the nearest leafless, half-dead tree. Well, that and she wants to keep the money flowing at The Keystone.

There’s just one problem; there’s no money missing from the cash drawer of The Keystone. There are some missing residents though and it’s not just because they didn’t take their medicine and forgot where they lived. No, someone’s playing some deadly games here; games like bird-caging, riding the gargoyle, and one-way elevator rides.To make matters worse the idiots I used to work with are zooming in on all the wrong people trying to make the pieces fit the puzzle so they can go home with a beer and a smile. That’s why they arrested Mike. That’s where I get more involved than I planned.

Suddenly I find myself caught up in this little ball of fun and I don’t like it one bit. I don’t much care for being Ms. Carbona’s pawn or anyone else’s for that matter. I’m going to get to the bottom of this one way or another, or end up on the bottom of something.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE LANCE by Alex Lukeman

In the frozen wastes of Antarctica the Lance, an ancient weapon of unthinkable power–
once lost and legendary–has been recovered. In the terrorized streets of Jerusalem,
devastation is unleashed upon the eve of  international peace.

In the halls of power of Washington, D.C. a desperate plot set in motion during the
final days of World War II has begun to unfold. Now Nick Carter and his team of
deep black operatives from the PROJECT must race against time to prevent the next
World War…but first they must first stop those who already wield the Lance…

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

 

DARK PILGRIM RISING by R. Peter Ubtrent

“Dark Pilgrim Rising” R. Peter Ubtrent is a whole universe within a book. It is the first in the ‘Dark Pilgrim’ series, so there is of necessity a lot of scene-setting since this promises to be an epic science-fiction series. It is a complex rather than complicated novel with many subplots and layers, and calls for concentration. It is a story of survival. Ailanthus and Tethys, human friends currently on a savage penal colony, are bent on surviving in a place where few last more than five years. The Imperium, the presiding body, is also trying to survive, now that its Emperor has been assassinated. It faces uprisings from the Church of the Blessed Prophets and also from the Noble Houses, which had all previously been powerful rulers. To complicate matters further, an ancient enemy returns to the fray. Any book that opens with the sentence ‘The existence of earth is a myth’ is one that needs reading! It quickly becomes engrossing. This is a dystopian novel of corruption, brutality and despair, but ultimately of hope. The cast of alien species, including the Dwad-Mehstiv, Kroor, Druzni, Drek and H’chalks, is an intricately created and plausible one. Through their unique eyes we are given a satirical view of the human race with its faults and foolishness. But good qualities shine at times in Ailanthus and his fellow convicts.  This book an impressive achievement and one that is rewarding and fascinating to read.

R. Peter Ubtrent was born in New York but raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has a BS in Astrophysics and a Master’s in Military History. He is currently working on his PhD.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

DEATH OF CARTHAGE by Robin E. Levin

“The Death of Carthage tells the story of the Second and third Punic wars that took place between ancient Rome and Carthage in three parts. The first book, Carthage Must Be Destroyed, covering the second Punic war, is told in the first person by Lucius Tullius Varro, a young Roman of equestrian status who is recruited into the Roman cavalry at the beginning of the war in 218 BC. Lucius serves in Spain under the Consul Publius Cornelius Scipio and his brother, the Proconsul Cneius Cornelius Scipio.

Captivus, the second book, is narrated by Lucius’s first cousin Enneus, who is recruited to the Roman cavalry under Gaius Flaminius and taken prisoner by Hannibal’s general Maharbal after the disastrous Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene in 217 BC. Enneus is transported to Greece and sold as a slave, where he is put to work as a shepherd on a large estate and establishes his life there.

The third and final book, The Death of Carthage, is narrated by Enneus’s son, Ectorius. As a rare bilingual, Ectorius becomes a translator and serves in the Roman army during the war and witnesses the total destruction of Carthage in the year 146 BC.

This historical saga, full of minute details on day-to-day life in ancient times, depicts two great civilizations on the cusp of influencing the world for centuries to come.”

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE UNSURRENDER by Joyce Shaughnessy

The voices in this book are those of the 260,000 Filipino and American men and women who made up the partisan group called The Unsurrendered in the Philippines during WWII. This historical romantic novel revolves around guerrillas who fight to bring the American Army to victory in 1945.

Jacob, an American secret agent, and Carla, a Filipina, join other partisans in 1941 to fight behind Japanese lines.

The American forces capture the Philippine Islands after the Japanese destruction of Manila. In Manila’s sprawling ruins lay the bodies of more than 100,000 Filipinos who were massacred at the hands of Japanese soldiers. It is estimated that one out of twenty Filipino citizens died during the Japanese occupation.

The Unsurrendered is the last book in a trilogy called The Pearl of the Orient. The first is A Healing Place, and the second is Blessed Are the Merciful, Our Forgotten Soldiers.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk


ORDER OF THE DIMENSIONS by Irene Helenowski



When Jane Kremowski first began her graduate studies in physics at Madison State University in Wisconsin, little did she know where her work would take her. Now, she is embroiled in a multitude of dimensions all leading to different outcomes. She and her colleagues therefore must act wisely in order to take and keep away the Order of Dimension from falling into the wrong hands for the sake of her loved ones.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Showcase, and I look forward to publishing another one soon, with books from Ethan Holmes, Alex Lukeman, Peter Ubtrent, Kim Defforge, Peggy Holloway, Fran Veal, Molly Campbell and Judith Barrow.

CHARLIE BRAY’S BOOK REVIEWS – Five Indie Books to Enjoy

A very warm welcome to Indie Book Reviews. If you wish to buy any of these books, click on the front cover to buy from Amazon.com or the link following the 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.

If you would like your book reviewed and published on these pages, click here now and join INDIETRIBE GOLD. You will then be entitled to a book review, author interview, guest blog and your Blog/Website showcased.

 

SEBASTIAN by Christoph Fischer

Sebastian is the second book in Christoph Fischer’s Three Nations Trilogy and follows The Luck of the Weissensteiners, which I reviewed back in February. This second offering does not follow on from the Weissensteiners, but does totally reflect the author’s style. The time period and location are different, and without doubt the reader’s perspective is widened as a result.

The heroes of the book again enjoy a relatively passive existence and the reader’s knowledge of the important world events of the time is fed, not by a fly on the wall experience, but through the eyes of characters removed from the action.

And yet, as with the Weissensteiners, the book is very much character based.

Sebastian is the story of a young man who has his leg amputated before World War I. When his father is drafted to the war it falls on to him to run the family grocery store in Vienna, to grow into his responsibilities, bear loss and uncertainty and hopefully find love.

He, his extended family, their friends and the store employees experience the ‘golden days’ of pre-war Vienna and then Fischer convincingly describes life in Vienna during the war, how it affected the people in an otherwise safe and prosperous location, the beginning of the end for the Monarchy, the arrival of modern thoughts and trends, the Viennese class system and the end of an era. This is a fabulous piece of fictional history, beautifully told. The characters reveal flaws consistent with the human race, and yet there are no flaws in this author’s descriptive powers. You’re there with him every step of the way on location. You experience the era as if you’ve just stepped out of a time machine and are left to wonder at the sights around you.

A wonderful read which I cannot recommend strongly enough. Two down and one to go. I can’t wait for the final part of the Three Nations Trilogy

Also available from Amazon.co.uk 

THE UNSURRENDERED by Joyce Shaughnessy

This is the last book in the trilogy, Pearl of the Orient.

Joyce Shaughnessy’s story focuses on the Japanese invasion of the Phillipine Islands during the Second World War and reflects the amazing amount of accurate research that Joyce must have committed to. And yet committed is the wrong word to use as she very much regards it as a labour of love.

The research proved to be time well spent as this is an amazing piece of military history, where events are real and the characters are brought to life. Both the pain and the love are tangible as the main characters Carla,a Filipino and Jacob , an American weave there way through this remarkable story.

After the surrender to the Japanese they join forces with other Filipino-American guerrillas to wage a continued war against the occupying Japanese.

The author successfully blends a fictional love story into the quite horrific realities of this period of World War 2. Fact and fiction merge beautifully and make this a must read for followers of military history and romance.

Readers are treated to a whole spectrum of emotions and there will be times when you need a handkerchief to wipe your tears and times when you need it to hide behind.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

ONE CHANCE FOR GLORY  by Edward T. Heikell and Robert L. Heikell

 

A very good mix of historical fact and fiction, created by the Heikell brothers.

Most people are well aware of Charles Lindbergh and his well-known 3600-mile solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927 while few have even heard of the incredible feat accomplished by Clyde Pangborn.  He played the key role in making a nonstop 5500-mile Pacific Ocean crossing four years later, in 1931.   During the crossing, Pangborn had to slip outside in the frigid night to make repairs at 17,000 feet, jettison the landing gear to reduce weight and drag and put the airplane into a terrifying high-speed dive to 1400 feet to restart the engine somewhere over the Bering Sea.

During an action-packed 41-hour flight, he eventually belly-landed in an airfield carved out of the sagebrush near Wenatchee, Washington.

Although the flight was nearly twice a long as the famous ‘Lindbergh crossing’ and the expertise required was considerably more taxing, Pangborn received insignificantly less fan fare.

An incredible story, extremely well told. It literally grabs you by the seat of your pants

Edward (Ted) Heikell and Robert (Bob) Heikell are brothers born in Yakima, Washington, and raised in Wapato, Washington

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

 

CHASING HEART by Mark Lingane

To all intents and purposes this book is a bumper bundle. It strays successfully into so many genres that, whilst being difficult to categorise, it is an absolute joy to read.

Action and adventure, romance, humour, thriller. You get the lot in one glorious package.

Basically it is a story of a lawyer, Ellen Martin who is dispatched by her dodgy employer to a remote part of South America to undertake a charitable case, which is in reality everything but.

She becomes embroiled in a revolution and is rescued more than once by the man who will doubtless one day become the love of her life – Alex Heart.

This couple are meant to be together. A modern day Burton and Taylor. But each one fights the attraction and the relationship seems doomed from the start. And yet they are continually thrown together, both in this story and in the sequel that is soon to be released.

Mark Lingane excels at characterisation, dialogue and fast paced action. But he is just as good at tender romance and volcanic passion. No wonder the book strays in and out of so many genres. This guy is master of them all. He somehow creates a tangible bond between his characters and readers and more than once I’ve been caught by my wife shouting out advice to them in the middle of a hectic scene.

An absolute page-turner that hooks you in from the beginning. Once you pick it up, you will not put it down until, sadly, it is all over. The real good news is that the sequel is on its way and you will soon be able to join the intrepid couple on a new set of adventures.

Also available on Amazon.co.uk

And finally a Guest Review by Christoph Fischer:

OPEN HOUSE by Charlie Bray

 

“Open House” by Charlie Bray is the first in his Cove Castle Comedy Series and it is off to a promising start. An aristocratic family runs into financial difficulties and has to open their house to the public, at least for certain people and projects, such as a hunting party, a film crew and ghost tourists.

Charlie Bray portrays the British class system and its difficulties to stay intact in modern society extremely well. The family concerned struggle in hilarious situations with the outside / real world and with the decay of the conservative values amongst their own ranks. Catalogue brides, tree hugging activists outside their premises and rebellious family members provide an excellent mix of adventures for the reader and the author tells it with great wit and talent. A must read for any fan of the genre and anyone in need of a good laugh.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed reading my reviews as much as I enjoyed writing them. I look forward to publishing more reviews soon. Meanwhile… Happy reading, Charlie.