Charlie Bray's Blog, page 15

TOP TEN INDIE BOOKS: May 24th

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, 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   SEBASTIAN  by Christoph Fischer

Up from 3

 

2   LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS  by Christoph Fischer

Up from 4

3  CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOL DROPOUT  by Patti Lavell

Up from 6

4   THE PERSECUTION OF MILDRED DUNLAP  by Paulette Mahurin

Up from 5

5   WHITE JADE by Alex Lukeman

Up from 8

 

6  SAFE AND SOUND  by Danielle Singleton

Down from 1

7   RANI OF RAMPUR  by Suneeta Misra

Second Week at 7

 

8   DEATH OF CARTHAGE by Robin E. Levin

Re-entry

 

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

New Entry

10  JAZZ BABY by Beem Weeks  

Down from 9

 

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: May 11th

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, 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   SAFE AND SOUND  by Danielle Singleton

Up from 8

2   DELAYED DEATH by Beate Boeker

New Entry

3  SEBASTIAN by Christoph Fischer

New Entry

4   LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS  by Christoph Fischer

Down from 2

5   THE PERSECUTION OF MILDRED DUNLAP  by Paulette Mahurin

Down from 1

6  CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOL DROPOUT  by Patti Lavell

Down from 5

7   RANI OF RAMPUR  by Suneeta Misra

Down from 3

8   WHITE JADE by Alex Lukeman

Up from 9

9  JAZZ BABY by Beem Weeks  

Down from 4

10  THE WARRIOR  by Ty Patterson

Down from 7

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

Happy reading and writing until the next Top 10

SHOWCASE 20: Ten Indie Books for Summer

Welcome to the twentieth 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

 

THICKER THAN WATER (Brands Crossing Series)  by Sharon K Owen

Thicker Than Water (Brands Crossing Series) is the first in a series of novels set in Brands Crossing, Texas. It chronicles the lives of the Kincaids, a prominent family in this mythical town, and focuses on a mystery that extends back to the mid-eighteenth century and the young Texas Republic.

As a child, KATE O’DONNELL spends summers at her grandparents’ estate in Brands Crossing, Texas where she  battles make-believe monsters, rescues endangered victims and a saves a mythical kingdom.

At twenty-five Kate is a singer/songwriter living in Nashville and pursuing a promising relationship with computer game designer PHILLIP NORWOOD. There, her only battles are fought in Aidenne’s Revenge, Phillip’s online fantasy game based on her childhood adventures.

When her grandfather is critically injured in a suspicious car crash, Kate  abandons career and romance to return home to solve the mystery.There, she  searches for incriminating documents, investigates a centuries-old family feud and confronts an anonymous rose-bearing admirer who stalks Kate in both real and virtual universes.

Sharon is a fiction writer, a university professor, and an online creative writing teacher. Her short stories and poetry have been published in Descant, Concho River Review, Iron Horse, American Literary Review, Trinity Writer’s Workshop newsletter and collections of Christmas stories.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

 

THE KING  by R S Sutherland

Scotland, 1306.  William Wallace- ‘Braveheart’- has been dead for over a year.  After a last disastrous battle against the English tyrant, the new Scottish king has been manoeuvred into a corner.  Robert Bruce has many enemies amongst his own countryman and now open warfare against Edward Longshanks is impossible. He must take to the wild mountains of Scotland to survive, thus becoming one of the earliest named guerrillas in history. The women in the royal entourage must be sent to safety in the north. But what in fact awaits these five women is a life of danger and, ultimately, extreme hardship. One of them goes mad; two of them endure years caged like beasts. His twelve year old daughter will never shake the scars of her childhood and Bruce’s queen herself experiences a humiliating imprisonment for which a sheltered, privileged upbringing has never prepared her.  This is the story of The Bruce through the eyes of the women dearest to him, and their astonishing, inspiring stories of survival are true.

R S Sutherland is an Edinburgh University  graduate in History of Art, now retired, and has been writing and painting since an early age.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk 

SHORTS AND OTHER LAUNDRY  by Ethan Holmes

A collection of eight intriguing, slightly askew short stories from the mind of Ethan Holmes, author of Earth’s Blood, The Keystone and Live Your Life In A Crap Free Zone.

The Box; A man gets a strange box and a bit more than he wished for.

Spooked To Death; Two women decide to find out once and for all who is trashing their back yards.

A Very Small Town; Life in a small town can seem quite desirable but it’s not always what it seems to be.

Two Paragraphs: A depressed writer meets a ragamuffin street urchin who claims her name is Death.

Who’s In Charge Here?; Norman Wright is having a difficult time maintaining control of his life after meeting Sarah.

The Man Who Ate Popcorn; George is lonely, angry and addicted to popcorn.

Have Some Cookies and Milk: Three boys who get bullied on a daily basis by Jake decide it’s time for this to end.

Make and Model; Jeff and Marta are looking forward to the birth of their little girl but get a bit more than they were expecting.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE TESLA SECRET  by Alex Lukeman

  Winner of the Best Indie Book Award 2013
                                                Action/Adventure.                                                                         


Book Five in the PROJECT Series

Plans for a devastating weapon invented by Nikola Tesla fall into the hands of
a centuries-old conspiracy bent on world domination. Powerful men will stop at
nothing to use the weapon to achieve their goal, even at the risk of nuclear war.

Nick Carter works for the Project, the shadow hand of the US President.
Selena Connor is his teammate and lover. Their relationship will be tested
to the breaking point as they are forced to question their commitment to the
other and to the violent life they have chosen.

From the streets of Prague to the jungles of Mexico, from the hills of Tuscany

to the plains of Eastern Russia, the story moves with relentless pace toward a
final, explosive confrontation.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE VASE WITH MANY COLOURED MARBLES  by Jacob Singer

The Passionate Rebellion Against Apartheid

The name of Nelson Mandela is familiar to many, as a warrior against the injustices of apartheid. But many South Africans worked to break the power of the Verwoerd regime: the Black ANC and PAC, but also English and Afrikaans-speaking whites. In The Vase with the Many Coloured Marbles, Jacob Singer draws on his personal knowledge and experience to reach out to all South Africans, especially those who left the country because of violence; who live in exile all over the world. Jacob tells the stories of men and women who were harassed and discriminated against, and of politicians in the government who surreptitiously worked against the very regime that had employed them. You’ll read about unsung heroes such as Emily Kleintjies, who crossed the apartheid barrier and established a life for herself as a white woman. You don’t have to be South African or a student of history to learn from this remarkable book, which shares a wealth of unique experience. Everyone who is concerned with justice and the human condition will be fascinated and enlightened by the tragedies and triumphs shared in Jacob Singer’s words.

JACOB ASHER SINGER was born in 1935 in a small town west of Johannesburg, in South Africa.

 ”There are so many stories to tell about South Africa” he says. “South Africa is a beautiful country, with a fascinating although controversial history. Unfortunately with the increase in criminal activity and tardiness in controlling violence it is rapidly falling into the ‘Africa trap.’

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

WHERE IS SHE NOW?  by Frances Gilbert

Rosemary wants only to recapture the calm promised in remembered fragments of hymns from her childhood, but something is wrong, something happened to her baby, Where Is She Now?  Rosemary can’t quite remember, and the bossy and competent Anna, a shade from the past and Brian, her supportive (or is he?) husband  emesh her confusion.

A satisfying read, rich in detail and description with a surprise ending.

Frances Gilbert has been called a master writer (Ina Chadwick in Connecticut Muse – Winter 2009 )

and Nina Sankovitch (readallday.org 2010) put this book in her favorite mysteries category and said it is a stunning psychological thriller, a wonderful novel that left her “gasping and roiling, breathless and blown away”

Frances would like to expand her UK audience since this book takes place in UK.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

WHEN WE WERE MARRIED 1  The Long Fall  by Daniel Quentin Steele

The first volume of four, “The Long Fall” introduces Bill Maitland, a short, fat, balding Assistant in the Florida State Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville, Florida in 2005. He is married to Debbie Maitland-Bascomb, a tall, gorgeous, blonde Associate Professor of Economics at the University of North Florida (UNF) in Jacksonville.

Over the past five years Maitland has lost touch with his wife and two children as the demands of his job have swallowed up his personal life.

He is, despite the demands of the job, an ignorantly happy man until the night his wife utters four fatal words. That Freudian slip unleashes his pit-bull instincts upon his wife and results in a discovery that changes both their lives forever.

In the courtroom, Maitland will face baby killers and stone cold drug lords, mercy killers and deadly grannies, killer cops and drug cartels.

Against these and all odds, Maitland is armed only with a superb legal mind, the powers of the prosecutor’s office, bulldog stubbornness and a compulsion to do the right thing no matter what the cost. And a basic decency that gives him surprising allies from the Florida underworld to a Colombian crime cartel.

And in the wake of a bitter divorce, Debbie Maitland-Bascomb will dump Maitland for a gorgeous young stud, but will find that beauty is not a shield against pain and loneliness, and that it is harder to walk away from Maitland than she expected it to be.

Daniel Quentin Steele is a long time reporter and editor for several major Florida newspapers. Steele now writes full time fiction which allows him to tell stories that are more true than the facts.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

JAZZ BABY  by Beem Weeks

While all Mississippi bakes in the scorching summer of 1925, a sudden orphanhood casts its icy shadow across Emily Ann “Baby” Teegarten, a pretty young teen.

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 brings church ladies to righteous tears and makes angels take notice. “I’m gonna sing jazz up in New York City,” she brags to anybody who’ll listen. ’Cept that Big Apple—well, it’s an awful long way from that dry patch of earth she used to call home.

Jazz Baby just wants to sing—not fight to stay alive.

Beem Weeks is the 46-year-old indie author of several short stories, poems, essays, and the historical fiction/coming-of-age novel Jazz Baby. A divorced father of two grown children, Beem has lived in Florida and Georgia, and is currently calling Michigan home.  He is currently hard at work on his second novel—though that’s a slow-go at times.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

 

BLOOD ON THE WHITE WHICKER  by Peggy Holloway

Fleeing an abusive foster father, Vicky ends up in New Orleans and begins to uncover clues about her past, who she is, where she came from and what happened to her 13 years ago. When she is given a unique necklace she recognizes from a repeating dream, her life is in danger.

The necklace also triggers her dreams to become more detailed giving her more clues. She will eventually learn the truth about what happened to her 13 years ago, but at what cost?

A note from Peggy Holloway - After fighting the main character and losing sleep over her, I decided to let her have her way.  It was then that the book wrote itself and I began to relax and let it happen, although I didn’t appreciate her waking me up in the middle of the night to write. This book will always have a special place in my heart because of the struggle and the many emotions I experienced writing it.  I learned many things about myself while writing this book and when it was finished the characters kept calling to me and I had to continue with them through four more books, so far.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

CHILDREN OF DREAMS  by Lorilyn Roberts

A one-of-a-kind inspirational adoption story–in fact, two stories. “Children of Dreams” is borne out of Lorilyn Roberts’ shattered world. The inspiring story of turning broken dreams into reality will bring hope that the reader’s adoption dream can come true. The timeless theme of God’s faithfulness will make this a favorite adoption story for years to come.

Despair transformed into heavenly joy and evil overcome by God’s redemptive love will inspire even the most skeptical to believe in miracles. In September 2010, Manisha’s medical mystery, as told in “Children of Dreams” was featured on Animal Planet’s “Monsters Inside Me.”

Lorilyn Roberts is a Christian author who writes children’s picture books, adult nonfiction, memoirs, and a young adult Christian fantasy series, Seventh Dimension.

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 Peggy Holloway, Robbi Summer Bright, Ethan Holmes, Alex Lukeman, Julia Underwood, Peter Ubtrent, Robin E Levin, Joyce Shaughnessy and Irene Helenowski.

WEBWATCH 1: Your Blogs and Websites Under the Spotlight

Welcome to a brand new series of Webwatch, where we visit your website or blog  

and find out  what’s live and happening

If you would like your website featuring, join INDIETRIBE GOLD, where you will also be entitled to a book review, guest post and author interview.

I hope you enjoy the seven sites that we’re visiting today

http://podcast.ethanholmes.com

Read this small extract as an indication of the gems you’re likely to unearth on Ethan’s Podcast/Blog:

Social Networking means you should ‘like’ me, ‘friend’ me, ‘pin’ me, ‘connect’ with me, ‘follow’ me and then let’s ‘twitter’ about it.

I want you to go to my Facebook page right now and ‘Like’ me dammit! Or better yet, ‘Friend’ me. Do this in spite of the fact that we don’t know each other, we’ve never met, probably will never meet and the second you do it, you’ll forget all about me.

Two weeks later you’ll be scratching your head and saying, “Ethan who?”

After you’re finished doing that I want you to go to my Twitter, (I don’t twitter), and ‘Follow’ me. Just keep your distance when I go to the restroom or I’m out on a date. (Yeah, that’s going to happen.)

I’m not sure why you’re supposed to ‘follow’ me or how closely; I just know that the more people there are ‘following’ me, the better off I am and the more successful I am. Hey, at least I won’t be lonely anymore if I have 356, 945 stalkers…, I mean, followers.

 

http://www.daniellesingleton.com

A newcomer to the writing scene, Danielle’s first novel has received rave reviews for its compelling storyline and strong character development. Hailed as a “must read!”, Safe & Sound was written while Danielle was still attending Harvard Law School. Her second book, Do No Harm, was released in March 2013. 



When not writing, Danielle enjoys reading the works of other authors, watching sports, and playing with her nephew and her dog. She is also a licensed attorney and assistant coach for a high school girls’ lacrosse team.

http://authorpeggyholloway.webs.com

Welcome to my website.  Since I retired, I have been writing books and now have eleven published.  I am having the time of my life.  Since I also love to read, I have been reviewing the books I have read since meeting so many fresh, new, wonderful self-pub. authors on twitter, facebook, and  goodreads.   I am trying to do my part in helping other self-pub. authors like myself by reading and reviewing as many self-pub books as I can.  I have reviewed over 80 since I became an author myself.  I’ve read a lot more than that but some I didn’t review. 

     If there is any other way I can help the self-pub. authors just starting out, just let me know.  I’m not a computer whiz but I have learned quite a bit about self-publishing by trial and error.

 http://mark-mywords.co

A great site featuring Mark Lingane and his books. If you’ve not read him yet – now’s the time
ACTION / ADVENTURE

Edge of your seat entertainment from the author who brought you  Beyond Belief and Chasing Heart. Dramatic action pieces set against magnificent and exotic locations with an abundance of the dry, trademark humour thrown on top.

SCIENCE FICTION

SF is has always been about ideas. I was lured into the genre by the immortal Douglas Adams. As such my SF efforts have been heavily influenced by the great man. Heavy topics are put under the microscope and made fun of.

ROMANCE

“You can’t do romance,” she said.

“I can and I will,” I replied.

It seemed so easy before actually doing anything. But after struggling for a few years, the disaster that is Ellen Martin and her world adventures was born.

 

http://ashleyfarley.net

Ashley Farley has successfully completed phase one of Chronicles’s renovation project. He has transferred his blog from WordPress.com to a self-hosted site using WordPress.org. For those of you who have been contemplating the move, the process is not nearly as intimidating as it may seem. However, self-hosting is not for everyone as it requires a certain amount of technical savvy. Be certain to do your homework, to review the pluses and minuses. A good place to start is this WordPress.com article on the basic differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. If you decide to make the move, be sure to give yourself plenty of time, days even, in case something goes wrong.

Ashley has laid out four basic steps to follow and these can be found on the website. Do check it out.

 

http://www.alexlukeman.com

Welcome to the world of the Project. It’s a world where things aren’t always what they seem. Here you will meet men and women who fight in the shadows, confronting America’s hidden enemies.

The Project is a covert counter-terrorism and black ops team that reports only to the President of the United States. It’s small. It’s effective. And it never gives up.

Take a look at the pages on this web site. You will find links to dossiers of the Project team members and excerpts from declassified missions. Some information has been redacted in the interests of National Security.

It is the members of the Project and others like them that keep America safe against the faceless enemies set on our destruction.

I can’t tell you any more about this site, or I’d have to kill you!

 

http://xenooaks.tateauthor.com

Meet Molly, the second of four children. Molly loves her siblings and dad and enjoys picking on older sister, Penny. But she especially loves her mama.
But when her mother dies of pregnancy complications, Molly is extremely sad and lost. Her kind dad is manipulated by her evil aunt, who decides to send Molly to live with her grandfather at Xeno Oaks, a lovely plantation in South Carolina. But the problem is: her siblings are going to live somewhere else. Even more alone, she finds solace in new friends—from her grandfather to a pet raccoon to a friend named Melody.
But will Molly ever get over her mother’s death? Will she and her aunt ever see eye to eye? Find out as Molly moves to Xeno Oaks in search of healing and happiness.

So that’s it for this edition. I hope you enjoyed visiting these websites, blogs and podcasts and I’ll be off on my travels visiting more soon.

Very best, as always,

Charlie

 

CHARLIE BRAY’S BOOK REVIEWS – Five Indie Books Under the Spotlight

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

 

THE GIRL WHO COULD CHANGE COLOUR  by Linda Dent Mitchell

There must be many, many occasions when a teenager would love to instantly disappear. The toes curl up with embarrassment, you’d love a big hole to appear so you can disappear into it, you’d give anything for the current, unwanted attention to be deflected elsewhere. We’ve all been there. And Lizzarda Lexx reminds us exactly what it’s like. She also shows us how to deal with it in a fashion unique to her. She changes colour and blends into the background. Wow, priceless! That must be a wicked weapon for a ‘shrinking violet’ to possess. She could simply jump into the nearest flower bed and blend in with similar ‘shrinkers’.

But Lizzarda is no shrinking violet. She is a vulnerable, complex girl, who is easily bored with the banalities of life. She prefers to sail close to the wind. But the trouble with seeking out excitement is that you can quickly lose the protection of a well-ordered mundane existence, and there are times when Lizzzarda’s unique weapon becomes essential. But is it always enough?

Brought up in a series of foster homes, the girl is quite a hardened nut, but is also a vulnerable character who the reader feels the need to watch out for. Linda Dent Mitchell skilfully plays the reader and has ensured that the character is strong enough, rounded enough and complex enough to satisfy the requirements of a trilogy.

So do not, as I did, feel disappointed when you have finished this book. There is more of Lizzarda to come, and even though the books are primarily aimed at young adults, this rather older adult really enjoyed reading it.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

STRICTLY BUSINESS  by Lisa Eugene

The effect that one person can have on another can be far reaching, and this is fully explored in Lisa Eugene’s contemporary romance story.

Nina Hendley has a calling. A calling to tend the sick and wounded. She’s studied it, she’s good at it, and as Emergence Room Physician she performs an admirable job. It’s all she wants out of life. It’s what she was born to do. She is not interested in the distractions that most young women of her age encounter. She is strong enough to shut them out.

Really? Is she?

Enter Wade Connolly, New York’s sexiest bachelor, who also happens to be employed in the same industry, albeit legal not medicinal.

It’s not a good start when Nina begins to dissolve upon the first sighting. One minuter splints and blood soaked bandages, the next violin music, the scent of roses and moisture in the lower regions. What happened to the calling? It’s been drowned out by a much louder summons.

Passion and lust take over and Lisa Eugene beautifully portrays the intense pleasures of getting lost in the moment. Nina is sucked in as effectively as ice cold cola through a straw. What? Now you can see why I’ve shelved my writing in favour of critiquing.

But why not? She has no problem with this new interest. Why keep the lid on something as exciting as this? Surely she can do both. Well, yes she can, but…it’s not as simple as that. Problems lurk, heartbreak and betrayal beckon and Nina finds herself at risk of losing everything dear to her. Even her life!

A really enjoyable book that will make you feel alive.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

LIVE YOUR LIFE IN A CRAP FREE ZONE  by Ethan Holmes

Ethan Holmes has come up with a very humorous self-help book that offers a way out if you feel you’re susceptible to making the wrong choices in life. Because choices are there all the time. We’re confronted with an interminable array of them. We’re pressured, we’re cajoled, we’re led, we’re dictated to. Stop it, stop it, stop it!

Over to our salvation, Ethan…

Choices leading to crap can occur in many different guises. Ethan has used thirteen chapters to categorise them: Finances & Possessions, Advertising, Family, Friends, Work, Religion, Sex, Personal Health, Education, Parenting, Fear, Death and Addiction.

Striving to have less crap in your life is a lifetime choice. Ethan has made that choice. It may not surprise you that he is not an aficionado of the advertising world. He sums up its entire purpose as follows:

You don’t have enough crap in your life; you need more crap. If you don’t go out and get more crap, the latest and greatest crap, you’re just not cool, not with it, not keeping up with the Jones’s. (For the record; I never met the Jones’s, don’t know who they are. If you know them, please send me their address so I can write to them and tell them to quit buying all that crap so none of us have to ‘keep up’ with them.) The more crap you have, the better off you are and if you don’t keep buying new crap, larger crap, faster crap, more efficient crap to replace your old crap, well then, you are just not doing your part to support the economy.

That extract perfectly captures the theme of this book. It is very funny, but there is also quite a serious side to it. If you sit quietly and reflect upon the many points Ethan makes, you begin to realise that he really does have a point.

It’s all to do with priorities, perspective and reasonable values. This is one of life’s jungles that Ethan will help you to sort out.

You could even go and grab the latest iPad to ensure you read it more effectively. Oh no, I’ve regressed already!

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

MUMMA SHANA by Dana Wolf

Rich with ethnic humor and heart-wrenching emotion, this story will fill your heart with laughter and your soul with tears, and will leave you PONDERING the depths and endurance of the human spirit.

That is the claim made in the book’s description on Amazon, and my first reaction was, ‘Wow, that’s a bold claim.’  So I read the book to see if it was a fair claim.

We follow Dorie from early childhood to adulthood, and it is not a comfortable journey. At first weak and vulnerable, the girl appears ill-equipped to cope with life’s undoubted cruelty. As a reader, I wanted to get in there and help, to pick her up and place her on the right track, to advise her, even to admonish her when necessary. But of course you can’t. You just have to watch her life story unfold and witness her sometimes futile attempts to deal with it. Frustrating, but just as it should be.

Very cleverly engineered by Dana Wolf, the reader hates just being a bystander. Brilliant writing.

Throughout her journey, Dorie had her grandmother’s spirit guiding her and she followed it unstintingly. It says a lot about Dorie’s life that, when alive, her grandmother was not always the devoted guardian that the girl craved. I was left feeling that she clung on to her grandma’s spirit because she was the best of a bad lot. And that really is sad.

Physical and emotional abuse, teenage pregnancy, abortion, alcoholism, infidelity and alzheimers are all dealt with in this heart wrenching, and yet, heartwarming book, and I believe that the claim made at the top of this review was entirely justified.

Buy it, but buy a king-size box of tissues and a bar of your favourite chocolate to go with it.

Alas available from Amazon.co.uk

THE GUILTY by Gabriel Boutros

As a successful professional of many years’ standing, one of the most effective ways of watching yourself in action is to study a protege performing all the tricks that you have taught him. That can bring immense pride or immense shame.

Lawyer, Robert Bratt finds himself in that predicament. After twenty years of defending hardened criminals, using every trick in the book to prove the guilty not guilty, he takes a back seat at the trial of a man charged with the rape of his daughter’s friend. He watches closely as his protege conducts the defence, using all the tricks of the trade that Bratt has taught him. For the first time the hardened lawyer experiences conscience, and that is something not designed to be of use to a successful criminal defence lawyer. His daughter, being no fool, begins to realise what her father’s career success has been base upon. Her burning resentment begins to cause upheaval in Bratt’s family life

Robert Bratt now has to carry these two new pieces of baggage with him as he continues his quest to win cases.

The obnoxious Marlon Small and his devoted mother present Bratt with his biggest challenge yet, as he has to fight to save the obviously guilty Small from a double murder charge, whilst battling his own recently acquired demons.

This book represents a brilliant court room drama and is 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.

The main trial is loosely based on a multiple-murder that shocked Montreal in the 1990s.

I highly recommend this book as it not only successfully  enacts a tense courtroom battle but also brings into play the hidden emotions of the main defence lawyer.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

 

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

 

10 One-liners from 10 Novels – Collection Four

Welcome to the fourth in our series that examines the strength of single lines in a complete novel.

Whether it be sad, caring, funny or downright cruel, a single line from a book can stick in one’s memory and be passed around for eternity.

If you enjoy the line, you may well be tempted to read the book. Why not download now from Amazon.com by clicking the image, or from Amazon.co.uk by clicking the Title.

IF YOU DO DECIDE TO BUY BOOKS, PLEASE HELP US TO HELP YOU BY BUYING THEM WHILST YOU’RE LINKED THROUGH TO AMAZON FROM INDIETRIBE

So, here we go, in no particular order, with this week’s gems:

“I felt up my first girl at camp, or maybe it was a fat boy; I couldn’t tell it was dark.”

TRAVEL TO THE G-SPOT by Steve Cohen

“We had an appointment at two o’clock and when you didn’t show up, I naturally assumed you had stepped under a bus and died. So why aren’t you dead?”

THE ZAP IMBROGLIO by Jos Van Brussel

 ”Stop wasting your time in the classroom piss-farting about with computers; there’s no future in them.”

THE CLOUDS STILL HANG by Patrick C. Notchtree

“Today, his death is inconvenient – very inconvenient – but tomorrow, he can die as much as he wants.”

DELAYED DEATH by Beate Boeker

 

“I’m scareder than the last carrot in a field full of half-starved hares.”

THE GIRL WHO PUT OUT THE FIRE by D.K.Janotta 

“The head waiter was still pretending I hadn’t shot him, the couple behind him were pretending all they were thinking of was dinner — oh, and my hair was on fire.”

JACK SHADOW by Graeme Smith

 

 ”She said she usually tells Americans what it is after they have taken a few bites.”

TOMORROW THE TRAIN: JOURNEY TO THE WORLD RECORD by Mona Macdonald Tippins

 ”Sometimes in life you have to compromise and realise that something that is good enough is good and enough; keep reaching for the stars and see what it will get you.”

SEBASTIAN by Christoph Fischer

 ”Your fists need licensing, Jimmy, and that’s a fact.”

COLOUR OF LEMON by Geoff Howe

“Nowadays, the bullfight was often a circus show—with dwarves, ten-year-old boys, clowns, kooks, and occasionally a few female matadoras.”

THE SEVENTH BULL by Gordon Rothwell

 

 

Congratulations to all the authors that made our fourth collection. Those that didn’t – you could well be in Collection Five.

I hope you agree that featuring one line is a great way to promote your book, and hopefully it will tempt more than a few readers to reach for their credit cards.

Keep ‘em coming and send me lots more One-liners There is no limit to the number of lines from each book.

SHOWCASE 19: Another Ten Indie Books on Parade

Welcome to the nineteenth 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

 

SEBASTIAN by Christoph Fischer

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.

Sebastian Schreiber, his extended family, their friends and the store employees experience the ‘golden days’ of pre-war Vienna and the timed of the war and the end of the Monarchy while trying to make a living and to preserve what they hold dear.

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.

As in the first part of the trilogy, “The Luck of The Weissensteiners” we are confronted again with themes of identity, Nationality and borders. The step back in time made from Book 1 and the change of location from Slovakia to Austria enables the reader to see the parallels and the differences deliberately out of the sequential order. This helps to see one not as the consequence of the other, but to experience them as the momentary reality as it must have felt for the people at the time.

Christoph Fischer was brought up near the Austrian border in Bavaria and has since lived in Hamburg, London, Brighton and Bath.  “Sebastian” is his second book and is part of the “Three Nations Trilogy”.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

WHITE JADE  by Alex Lukeman

Book One in the PROJECT Series


WHITE JADE spins a web of deceit and murder across the globe, against the backdrop of a deadly international power game. Nick Carter is a man with a dark history of emotional and physical scars. He works for the PROJECT, a covert intelligence unit reporting to the President.
Selena Connor is an expert in ancient languages. When her wealthy uncle is murdered by someone looking for a 2000 year old book about the elixir of immortality, she’s thrown into Nick’s dangerous world. Nick is assigned to protect Selena and help her recover the missing text. It’s the beginning of a life and death adventure reaching from San Francisco to Beijing, from Washington to the high mountains of Tibet. Someone is determined to take over China and attack America–and Nick and Selena are right in the line of fire.Alex has been writing since he was twelve. He’s done a lot of traveling and been in a lot of strange situations. He was in the Marines and spent years on the road as a professional folk singer. You could say that he brings a varied life experience to his writing.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk



TERROR ON THE BEACH by Peggy Holloway




Someone is terrorizing the beach. They’re calling him the Beach Front Stabber. Sarah lives on the beach and but isn’t worried since her boyfriend is the sheriff. But then she discovers someone is trying to frame her for the murders and trying to make her think she is going crazy. No one believes her. What can she do?

Besides writing mysteries, Peggy likes to read (anything she can get her hands on), paint landscapes in oil and in enamel on glass. She enjoys swimming and walking on the beach.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk



SHADOWS OF TOCKLAND by Jeffrey Aaron Miller

A post-apocalyptic adventure set in plague-ridden mid-America. A troupe of traveling performers face an escalating series of troubles as they journey closer to the border of the Empire of Tockland. This is a harrowing tale, full of brutal fights, desperate escapes and quirky characters.

Jeffrey Aaron Miller is a 1997 graduate of the Creative Writing program at the University of Arkansas. He has held a wide variety of jobs over the years, from social worker to bus driver, from postal carrier to pastor, but through it all, he has remained a storyteller. He is the author of numerous novels, both print and e-books, in the genres of science fiction, fantasy and YA.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk



NO COMMITMENTS by Val Sharp

Set in the era of the Vietnam War, this is a love story of a young man and woman caught up in the throes of that time. CLAY STONER: Annapolis graduate, navy pilot, born and raised in the Ozarks, he’s a fun loving, carefree jet jockey…until he learns he is actually going to have to bomb real people. MARIANNA HAIZET: Daughter from a renowned Swiss banking family, sheltered in boarding schools while pursuing a career in music, has known little joy in life…until she meets Clay.  OUR COUPLE meet by chance in Nice during a Bastille Day weekend and when they part neither imagines their lives will ever cross again.

Val Sharp was a navy pilot during the era of this novel.  Afterwards he obtained a Columbia MBA and enjoyed a second career as a Wall Street investment banker and finance company president.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk



IN CHAINS by Michelle Abbott

Savannah, fleeing a turbulent relationship, seeks solace at her brother’s country farmhouse. It’s there that she meets Kayden; he’s her brother’s slave and considered less than human. These two damaged souls form an unbreakable bond, one that’s about to be tested, because Kayden is her brother’s property and he will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

Michelle grew up in south-east London. She now lives in the Kent countryside with her two grown-up sons.

She published her first book, ‘In Chains’ in April 2013.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk



ETHAN JUSTICE: ORIGINS  by Simon Jenner

Waking up beside the gorgeous Savannah Jones, John is shocked to learn she was for hire, and he can’t pay the price – a thousand pounds or broken legs.  In desperation, he turns to best friend, Mark, for the money.  Only one problem – Mark has a dagger in his back.

John and Savannah are plunged into a dangerous world where wits and adrenaline are their only weapons and trust in each other their only certainty.   As the body count mounts, they discover Mark wasn’t the person John thought, and his terrifying invention may well end up killing thousands, John and Savannah included.

A race to recover the missing invention pits the unlikely pairing against ex-SAS psychopath, Gregory Fisher, a man who will stop at nothing and kill anyone in his way to wreak revenge against the Government who stole his livelihood.

Simon Jenner is a man whose goal in life is to discover his goal in life.  He lives with his wife, who keeps his dream alive and his stomach tight against his trousers; his son, a dreamer just like his dad; and a dog who receives fuss like he’s the one doing the favour.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

A PLACE TO LAY MY HEAD by Joe A. Moreland

In the early days of my youth, my family lived a nomadic life style–taking possession of unattended shelter wherever we could find it. We lived in tents, crumbling log cabins, abandoned houses, a barn, a school bus, and even a chicken coop. This is the tale of my life during those years as my mother and father slowly (but somewhat reluctantly) lifted themselves out of the post-Depression era into contemporary society.

Although the author published more than 35 scientific and technical reports during his career, this book is his first serious attempt at Creative Nonfiction writing.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

EARTH’S BLOOD by Ethan Holmes

Captain Ben Vorghees doesn’t know why his massive cruise liner is being tossed around like a toy in a bathtub. Ito Isaki becomes a hero for just a moment by rescuing much of the staff and guests at a Japanese resort hotel only to look up and see an unstoppable black monstrosity looming in front of him.

For those of us who survived and exist in this rapidly changing, re-forming post-apocalyptic world it has become a matter of basic survival. We are certain there are survivors, individuals and small groups, yet we do not know how they will make it. There are no public utilities, no grocery stores and almost no modern forms of communication.

Ethan Holmes is a rural Pennsylvania-bred author currently residing in Northern Arizona. Ethan realized in his mid-teens that people enjoyed his writing enough for him to see poetry and songs published. This graduated into short story writing, advertising production, article writing and later magazine features. Approximately ten years ago Ethan took on the challenge of his first novel, Earth’s Blood.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

A BLOODY BLOODY MESS IN THE WILD WEST by Justin Bienvenue

This is a gritty and gripping tale about the fictional town of Toomswood in 1870,  five years after the Civil War a small withering town fighting in another war against a slick corrupt Mexican business tycoon and his army of undead Civil War soldiers. It focuses on the struggles people suffered after the war, western tale and themes, triumph and tragedy and an epic battle against the undead. While the first two chapters do cover some hints of real-life aspects during the Civil War, the book itself is entirely fiction.

What happens when a wanted man in Mexico flees the country to take on an oil purchase in a small town on the border of Mississippi and Alabama? The same thing that happens when the son of a recently departed sheriff of the small town along with the rest of the town tries to stop him, They battle in an all out bloody war. When Javier “Bones” Jones acquires abilities from a mysterious stranger one night he then decides to take the town for everything it’s worth. It is up to a young man by the name of Emerson Shaw along with the rest of the town to put a stop to Jones and his sinister agenda, from wreaking havoc and turning their home into a desolate ghost town.

Justin Bienvenue lives in Massachusetts. He is a poet and author. His first book was a book of horror poetry entitled “The Macabre Masterpiece: Poems of Horror and Gore” published in 2010. While he mainly enjoys writing poetry, he has recently expanded his horizons and started writing stories, narratives and short stories.

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 Sharon Owen, Morag Macallum, Ethan Holmes, Alex Lukeman, Jacob Singer, Frances Gilbert, Daniel Quentin Steele, Beem Weeks and Peggy Holloway.

TOP TEN INDIE BOOKS: May 4th

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, 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 3

2   LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS  by Christoph Fischer

Stays at 2

3   RANI OF RAMPUR  by Suneeta Misra

Up from 6

4  JAZZ BABY by Beem Weeks  

Up from 9

5  CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOL DROPOUT  by Patti Lavell

Down from 1

 

6  TRAILS IN THE SAND by P.C.Zick

Down from 4

7  THE WARRIOR  by Ty Patterson

Down from 5

8   SAFE AND SOUND  by Danielle Singleton

Down from 7

9   WHITE JADE by Alex Lukeman

New entry

 

10   DEATH OF CARTHAGE by Robin E. Levin

New entry

 

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

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

Happy reading and writing until the next Top 10

NEWSFLASH: Repeat Book Showcase

Many members who have had their book showcased on Indietribe were that pleased with the effect the promotion gave it, in the way of Amazon sales and click-throughs, Top 10 presence etc, that they have asked if they can repeat it.

It’s great receiving feedback from members because , quite often, it provides me with ideas I had never thought of. And that was the case this time.

So I did think about it.

And I thought, why not? I’m always banging on about the need for readers to keep tripping over your books, the need for you to keep banging the drum, so why not indeed?

Although our historic Showcase Pages are visited regularly, ensuring your Showcase entry does not wither on the vine, there’s no reason on earth why you shouldn’t refresh it and publish it again. Then it would be there brand new again, and not only that, there are then ultimately two archive entries for readers to keep visiting. In fact, astute authors might well repeat their book as often as once a quarter.

So yes, why not. I’ll offer it – starting today.

For a one-off fee of £10  ($15  U.S.Dollats) you can repeat any showcase entry and keep it fresh in readers’ minds.

You can either repeat the existing blurb and bio, or refresh that as well. It’s your call.

So, from right now, this service is available to you. ENROL NOW and we’ll schedule in an early date.

Guest Blog: Let GAPS Enhance your writing skills

Reasons to Improve Your Writing and Literacy Skills.

Having the confidence to write for public eyes is a learned skill that even the best writers must master. But when you feel that you lack the skill of writing, it is easy for that to get in the way of job prospects and any type of life progression that involves a flair for the written word. It can even impair your ability to achieve fair outcomes in such situations as customer dissatisfaction and undeserved fines. Being able to write persuasively can mean the different between that raise and remaining in your current position, or paying that exorbitant fine that you feel has been unfairly applied.

It is an advantage for you as  writer to appeal to the emotions of your reader. This is the roll of the persuasive writer, to be able to persuade your reader by providing arguments that support your case.

It can also increase your understanding of different texts when you understand how you are being written to. Many newspaper articles apply persuasive writing, particularly in commentaries and letters, and without the ability to read these pieces within their proper context, it can be difficult to understand their meaning. In fact, all writing and literacy skills aid in the reading of texts, from newspapers to business briefs, you can improve your communication skills through improving your writing. There are many different ways you can go about this. You could do an extended course, or simply read more books. A popular option is to undertake a short course, online or in class, and there a bunch of organisations to choose from, like GAPS, among others. Just by taking these steps towards improving your literacy and/or writing skills, you will be taking steps forward in your life and career. Communication is a very powerful tool.

Check out GAPS at their website