Charlie Bray's Blog, page 20

Two More Great Reasons to join INDIETRIBE GOLD

As if INDIETRIBE GOLD members did not enjoy enough privileges by way of book reviews, website reviews, interviews, guest posts etc, we have just launched two more superb services especially for them.

1. INDIETRIBE GOLD Book Store

This is a newly designed page where all your books can be displayed. A large image of each book is accompanied by a substantial blurb and a click direct through to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Visit the page now by clicking on the image above and take a look.

2. NEWSFLASH page

This gives every INDIETRIBE GOLD member the opportunity to spread good news swiftly. Whenever you’ve got any exciting news relating to you or your books, send it in to Charlie and he’ll immediately create a ‘News Flash’.

Check this new page out by clicking on the  screen shot above.

So come on gang. If you’ve not yet upgraded to INDIETRIBE GOLD, Go for Gold now.

NEWSFLASH – Dreaming Dark goes FREE

INDIETRIBE GOLD member Barbara Villemez is pleased to announce that her book, Dreaming Dark is available free of charge at Smashwords

Dreaming Dark is a tale of reincarnation, lost love and a twisted serial killer. The story of Kyra and Panos and their tragic end in Minoan Crete is played out again in present day Dallas. Cate O’Connor, Dallas psychologist has clairvoyant dreams that can foretell the future. She hides this ability as she believes no one will understand. She begins having flashbacks to an ancient time. Mitch Stafford, paranormal investigator meets Cate at his book signing and the attraction is instant. In the meantime Cate is stalked and a patient, her maid and then her ex-boyfriend are murdered in a bizarre cult like killing. Mike O’Meara, homicide detective believes that Cate will be next. Mitch decides to take Cate out of town to protect her, but before he can do that he is assaulted and Cate kidnapped. Cate awakes, naked tied to a table in the basement of a church. How Cate escapes is the stunning conclusion to this edge of the seat tale. In the epilogue everything becomes clear as Cate explains to O’Meara this bizarre senario and the intricate relationships involved.

Barbara Griffin Villemez, psychotherapist, clinical hypnotherapist and university instructor lived and worked in the Dallas, Texas area for over twenty years. She remarried a love from her past and moved to Laramie, Wyoming, where she returned to her first love, writing. When her husband retired from the University of Wyoming they moved to New Mexico where they now live with their four cats. Barbara’s love of writing has now resulted in the first book of her paranormal, romantic thriller series, Dreaming Dark.

This is a great book to pick up for nothing, so please don’t hesitate to add it to your library.

Showcase – Seven Indie Books by Seven Indie Authors

Welcome to another fabulous showcase, featuring seven more exciting books for you to add to your Indie bookshelves. Any Indie authors who would like to see their book showcased, should  join INDIETRIBE and we’ll arrange it. There is no joining fee and no fee for your Showcase entry.

The White Aura by Felicia Tatum

Born and raised in Tennessee, Felicia has always had a passion for books and writing. At age twelve, she began writing short stories and poetry. At age 25 she began her first full length novel, and from it The White Aura, her debut, was born.

How do you live with the gut clenching truth that the one your love will die if you meet them? Twenty year old sorcerer Scott Tabors is learning how. After seeing seventeen year old Olivia Whitehead outside of a coffee shop, his heart will never be the same. He longs for her, he wants her, and he knows she will be his. They are heart mates. …but due to a curse on his family, he can’t meet her. Not yet. So for now, he visits her in her dreams. Her dreams where he can tell her everything but his name.

Buy The White Aura now from Amazon.co.uk by clicking on the image above or from Amazon.com

Steel, Magick and Faith by T.P.Grish

T.P. Grish devoured fantasy books since he was a kid. Although he also loved fantasy movies and hobby gaming, his dream to write his own fantasy novels was always at the forefront. Today, he is a PhD doctoral student and part-time business writer who can’t help but daydream about writing novels for you to read.

In the ancient and wild world of Glenryth, Fey creatures and a nascent humanity have come into conflict, the motives of each other mutually unfathomable and alien.

Technological cults and Monotheistic religions are worshipped, any suspicion of pagan or Fey magickal taint is reviled. Prophets spread far and wide, offering hope and comfort to the beleaguered masses. Mankind is not totally separate from the energies that suffuse Glenryth, as an unfortunate few are born as Touched.

When local dwarves put a curse upon the town of High Peaks, Remus, the aloof and irritable woodcutter and sage, must try and ebb the tide of xenophobic anger that could engulf himself and any other folk that are labelled as outcasts. But when a caravan of technocrat pilgrims fails to arrive, and the body of a local child is found in the woodlands, Remus, along with the capricious Touched Elaina, must try to understand the nature of morality in a world cloaked in suspicion and fear, and, ultimately, to prevent a brewing war that could send the region spiraling into chaos and destruction.

Buy Steel, Magick and Faith now from Amazon.co.uk by clicking on the image above or from Amazon.com

The Dark Horde by Brewin’

Brewin’ is the pseudonym of Andrew Drage. He graduated in 1998 with a first-class degree from La Trobe University, majoring in zoology, philosophy and statistics. He has worked as a Senior Research Scientist at the Insectarium of Victoria in his native Australia, publishing on ant behaviour and sampling methodologies.

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…

* Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards – Honorable Mention *

BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZl2uZNvj5c

Buy The Dark Horde now from Amazon.co.uk now by clicking on the image above, or from Amazon.com

As Luck Would Have It by Mark Goldstein

Mark Goldstein was born in Detroit, Michigan and has lived in the Baltimore area since 1988.  He had a successful career in the insurance industry spanning 34 years.  He is currently working on his second novel and spends much of his time with his partner in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

In this, his first novel, meet Clifford Andrews, a sometimes confused, sometimes cynical, and always entertaining middle aging baby boomer, whose amazing streak of good luck began when a slightly effeminate but very likable Joseph moved in just down the block, right before they were about to enter their dreaded three-year prison term called middle school. If having a best friend who was gay would have rattled the typical heterosexual boy in 1973, you are about to learn that Clifford was anything but typical.

Narrated entirely from the first person, Clifford will speak to you directly, using both sarcasm and humor to draw you in and then surround you in his remarkable world of luck, tragedy and redemption.

Buy As Luck Would Have It now from Amazon.co.uk by clicking on the image above, or from Amazon.com

Up From Down and Out by Alice Dinizo

 Alice DiNizo was born outside New York City many more years ago than she cares to share with readers. Alice grew up inArlington, Vermont, and was privileged to know Norman Rockwell who spoke at her high school graduation. Trained as a children’s librarian, she spent years in the field of books, young patrons and libraries and loved every minute of her work. Now she writes stories when not taking care of her family or substituting as a librarian, a teacher or a worker with the developmentally disabled. Says Alice, “Life is what you make of it, and bad moments can be turned into wonderful ones, it just takes patience and faith.”

In ‘Up From Down and Out’, young kindergarten teacher Mary Beth Morrissey meets her future husband as they stand in the rubble of a horrific attack on an urban elementary school. However, handsome politician Richard Alden tires of Mary Beth after years of marriage but he doesn’t just divorce her, he tries to kill her.

Will this innocent woman survive and put her life back together?

Buy Up From Down and Out now from Amazon.com by clicking on the image above.

Head First, No Helmet by Robert P. Winkler

Robert P. Winkler is the author of the recently published book, Head First, No Helmet. First and foremost, he is a family man; his wife and five children are the highlights of his life.

He loves to read and write, strum on the ol’ guitar, and play video and board games long into the night.

The last few months have been a chaotic whirlwind of change for Robert and his family: they recently moved out east from the west coast after a 5 day long road trip with the kids and their belongings bouncing haphazardly on the pavement (not literally).

‘Head First, No Helmet’ is guaranteed to cause giggles as soon as you start reading. The goal is two-fold: to bring you into entertaining and hilarious world of Robert P. Winkler and then make you wish you never had to leave.

The book follows the author’s trek from tardy high school student dependent on his parents, to husband and father of his own clan of five children to look after. From his questionable decisions at attempting to be more manly, to the sorrow-filled farewell and subsequent cross-country road trip to a new home, you’ll be equally entertained and moved the entire time. Possibly even a little disturbed.

Buy Head First, No Helmet now from Amazon.co.uk by clicking on the image above or from Amazon.com

Freelance Writing Guide by Christine Rice 

Christine Rice is a freelance writer, editor, formatter, and author. She has been publishing her writing since 2007. She is the author of four books: Poetry for the Heart, Essays for the Soul, My Not-So-Ordinary Life, and Freelance Writing Guide. She has been a freelance writer since 2011. When she’s not writing or editing she enjoys reading, computers, the Internet, family, exercising, animals, shopping, and dining out. She resides in Worcester, MA USA with her husband and cat.

Freelance Writing Guide is a helpful career guide that informs readers of the experiences the author had, and what she learned, during her first year as a freelance writer. The purpose of the book is to educate writers who are considering becoming freelance writers, on what they can expect in the beginning of their freelance writing career, so that there are no questions or fear of the unknown. It covers ghostwriting, article writing, book reviewing, book writing, self-publishing, traditional publishing, business and finance topics, the lifestyle of a writer, income and types of pay, and many other topics. This is a resourceful book from an experienced freelance writer, written for writers who wish to start a freelance writing career.

Buy Freelance Writing Guide from Amazon.co.uk now by clicking the image above, or from Amazon.com

I’m sure you’ll agree that this edition of Showcase features seven varied and very interesting books, which should tempt many of you to dig deep into your pockets and support our growing band of Indie authors. The next edition will include books by Mark Lingane, Crystal Smith-Connelly, L. Sengul, Jen Flynn-Shon, Paulette Mahurin, Kaitlyn Price and Valerie Stasik. Until then … Happy Reading, Charlie

INDIETRIBE Newsletter, Spring 2013

A WARM HELLO TO ALL OUR MEMBERS OLD AND NEW

I’ve been completely taken aback by the number of writers and readers joining our ranks daily, and excited to realise that there are now enough of us to make a real impact in the marketplace in which we operate.

Not only will each member continue to benefit from all the promotion that INDIETRIBE affords them, we are now strong enough to help each other. But before we can do that, we have to identify each other.

 

 

LET’S ALL HASHTAG EVERY TWEET WE SEND WITH #indietribe 

If every one of us does this, we can all watch out for the hashtag when on twitter and then retweet, like, mention and favouirite like fury. You’ll be doing it for others, they’ll be doing it for you.

Also, make sure that you all follow INDIETRIBE on Twitter. We are @TheIndieTribeUK Obviously we’ll follow back immediately.

So come on – let’s harness the power! All for One, One for All!

 

 

NO MORE PROBLEMS ACCESSING INDIETRIBE AND SWITCHING PAGES WHEN YOU’RE THERE

I’m quite sure some of you have noticed a few blips when accessing and linking the INDIETRIBE blog. I’m delighted to report that all these teething problems have now been solved and the site is now operating very robustly indeed.

 

 

STILL NOT SUBMITTED YOUR BOOK FOR OUR SHOWCASE?

Can I remind any writer member who has not yet submitted their book to the INDIETRIBE Showcase to do so.

You can’t win it if you’re not in it – win readers that is.

We get a great response to each Showcase and many of the books featured cause quite a stir.

All I need is a short bio of you and your book blurb. I do the rest.

Whilst on the subject of Showcases, it would really help our authors if every member clicked the ‘Like’ button at the bottom of each Showcase. This would encourage more and more readers to buy their books. Every little action helps!

 

 

FOLLOW INDIETRIBE BY EMAIL

Make sure you don’t miss a single post by clicking the Follow Blog By Email button on any page.

This will ensure that you catch everything that happens and save me a lot of valuable time by not having to email members separately who have not elected to do this.

The time this will save will free INDIETRIBE to spend more time promoting you and your books

 

 

UPGRADE TO INDIETRIBE GOLD WHILE YOU CAN

Any member with more than one book to promote should think seriously about up-grading to INDIETRIBE GOLD. The value you get for a minimum outlay does beggar belief. I’m going to have to impose a membership limit before long or I’ll collapse with exhaustion – so get in before that happens! The membership limit that is – not me collapsing.

 

 

 

JOIN OUR BOOK REVIEW PANEL

I would be very interested to hear from any member who is an established author with a love of reading, and experience in positively reviewing a variety of books. It is my intention to set up a small panel of voluntary reviewers to help in the task of reviewing books on behalf of our members. Please contact me directly on c_bray1@sky.com

 

 

 

 

FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW

The more people that follow INDIETRIBE on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Linkedin, Google+ and everything that moves, the better for all of us.

More and more exposure is what we all need and united we can set the world alight.

Strength in numbers! That’s always been the case and always will be. Encourage every one you know to join INDIETRIBE and wave the flag for Indie authors.

That’s what we do!

Thanks for taking the time to read our first Newsletter and I look forward to continually waving the Indie flag with you and enjoying more and more success.

Very Best regards,

Charlie

Another Seven Terrific Indie Books Showcased – Enjoy!

Welcome to our latest showcase of self-published books. Today we cover a wide range and I’m sure you’ll find something to tug at your purse strings. Go on treat yourself, and at the same time show your support for our great Indie authors.

The Compassionate Rebel Revolution by Burt Berlowe

A compassionate rebel lives in all of us. It combines our ability to care with our capacity to act against the odds for the change we believe in.

In this compassionate rebel sequel, we look at how millions of individual citizen actions have collectively become a massive social change movement that offers every person a chance to make a difference in the world. We feature the inspiring true stories of some 60 of these everyday heroes who have turned adversity into triumph, compassion into commitment and anger into activism, and whose extraordinary acts of caring and courage are transforming society from the bottom-up. Their personal lives and bold accomplishments are constant reminders that the potential to change our culture dwells within everyone, that we are all part of the compassionate rebel revolution.

Burt Berlowe is an award-winning author and journalist who specializes in writing and publishing the stories of ordinary people involved in social change. This is is second book in the Compassionate Rebel series.

Buy The Compassionate Rebel Revolution now from  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1936400081/?tag=funboo04-21 or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936400081/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

Hardship and Devotion by McKaylin L. Felton

Hardship & Devotion is a story filled with lust, passion, and love; while also showing the pain, angst, and loss that comes from losing those we love. It’s a story that provokes the readers’ own memories of their hardships, while reminding them that with true love and honest devotion, hardships can be overcome.

In the story, Cara Edwards and David Bryington find themselves finding their way back to the comfort of their childhood town, Evergreen, Colorado. In their journeys, they search for peace of mind and a way to end their suffering after having their hearts broken by those they’d loved. The intensity of their attraction for one another is alarming to the both of them, and they soon find themselves unable to ignore it.

McKaylin Felton’s love for the written word, started with her joy in reading the creativity of those accomplished authors whom she greatly admires; however, reading soon was not enough for her. As she began working toward a Bachelors Degree in Creative Writing, the ideas and characters that had once only been in her mind, were finally able to be written down for all to enjoy.

Buy Hardship and Devotion now from http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMNRYJA/?tag=funboo04-21 or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMNRYJA/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

 

Beyond Billicombe by Sherry Chiger

Suzanne has come to Billicombe, a faded English resort town on the Bristol Channel, for one simple reason: to find her adored older brother. A recovering addict, Jax had moved to Billicombe after completing rehab, but it’s been six months since Suzanne last heard from him. Her search, however, turns out to be anything but simple. For one thing, Suzanne is a former child actress, well known for her role on a long-running TV series, and she needs to avoid being recognized while exploring Billicombe’s seamy underside. For another, Richard, a local man Suzanne turns to for help, has problems of his own stemming from a car accident that cost him much of his memory.

Sherry Chiger lived for three years in North Devon, the area of England where Beyond Billicombe takes place. A writer and editor, she’s worked for and had articles published in magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. She’s also the author of two nonfiction children’s books published by Scholastic.

Buy Beyond Billicombe now from  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009FE6WN6/?tag=funboo04-21 or http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009FE6WN6/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

Chinese Laundries – Tickets to Survival on Gold Mountain by John Jung

Chinese Laundries is a social history of the role of the Chinese laundry on the survival of early Chinese immigrants in the U.S and Canada. Why and how Chinese got into the laundry business and how they had to fight discriminatory laws and competition from white-owned laundries to survive. Chinese Laundries describes their lives, work demands, and living conditions and includes first-hand observations from a sample of children who grew up working and living in their laundries to help their parents that provide vivid glimpses of the difficult lives of Chinese laundrymen and their families.

John Jung’s four books share the common goal of exploring how Chinese immigrants, starting from the late 1800s until beyond the middle of the past century, managed to overcome the hostile societal prejudices against Chinese and other “Orientals” to succeed in opening family businesses such as laundries, grocery stores, and restaurants that enabled their children to gain education and move from these humble origins to careers in many fields.

Buy Chinese Laundries now from  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004BDOVUC/?tag=funboo04-21  or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004BDOVUC/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

   

Xeno Oaks by Marjorie B. Hill

Molly, the second of four children loves her siblings and dad and enjoys picking on older sister, Penny. But she especially loves her mama.

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. Her problem?  Her siblings are going to live elsewhere. Even more alone, she finds solace in new friends—from her grandfather to a pet raccoon to a friend named Melody.

Storytelling has always been a vital part of Marjorie’s life. Her parents and grandparents were storytellers. It was many years before she realized that everyone didn’t create stories in their heads.

She has four children and seven grandchildren. She has been published in Moody Monthly, Pee Dee Magazine, Mustard Seed Ministries as well as numerous newspapers. XENO OAKS is her first novel.

Buy Xeno Oaks now from  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1618627163/?tag=funboo04-21 or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1618627163/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

The Ancient Knowledge, a trilogy by Laura Hart -  Book One – The Toy Sorcerer

Trapped as a mortal in a dimension where human dreams become reality, Alice Towers endures a journey of unmerciful persecution and excruciating self-discovery. Guided by an extraordinary realm creature named Shammerwack, she must find Magog; a boy imprisoned for over three centuries who holds the key to her release.

Unaware that her incarceration heralds the dawn of the Final Prophecy; Armageddon, Alice is pursued by an ancient being that plagues humanity with relentless nightmares, until the world hovers on the brink of insanity and self-annihilation.

Alice’s only earthbound ally, Leona, is also an antediluvian soul who has lived and reincarnated as a human for thousands of years. As one of the Ancient Coven and practitioner of the Ancient Knowledge, Leona summons shadows to protect Alice’s slumbering body and Magog’s timeworn effigy. But Leona’s maleficent sister, Lillian, another of the ancients, is equally as determined to capture Alice; the vessel by which the Demon Lord of the Realms intends to escape the confines of his nebulous world.

A bloody battle ensues on Earth as Lillian’s underworld demons and Leona’s defensive forces tear lives apart, whilst an increasingly insane world creeps inexorably closer to the Final Prophecy.

Buy The Toy Sorcerer now from  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006I2RY6W/?tag=funboo04-21  or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006I2RY6W/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

The Lightness of Dust by M.L.Weaver

We mortals take solace in knowing that our cares will someday scatter with the dust of our bones.  For the gods who walk among us no such hope exists…especially for the goddess who must witness our deaths.

The Lightness of Dust threads a young woman’s search for belonging through the lives of Telamon, an ancient Anatolian fisherman who risks everything to take her from her cruel father; Samuel Freeman, caretaker of the Persephone Music Hall in 1940 Seattle, who finds his religion in the music of a beautiful violinist; and Jacob Morgan, a university professor in modern-day Northern California, whose life is thrown into chaos by an eager graduate student.

M.L. Weaver lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and son and the strangest dog.  M.L. is a Ph.D. chemist who applies his training to formulating for the agricultural industry by day and writing novels for his series The Meronymy by night.

Buy The Lightness of Dust now from  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0091A5SAC/?tag=funboo04-21  or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0091A5SAC/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

So that’s it for another Showcase. But don’t worry, another seven great books follow in a week or so, written by Christine Rice, Felicia Tatum, T.PGrish, Brewin, Mark Goldstein, Alice Dinizo and Robert P. Winkler.

Happy reading, Charlie

meganBLOGS blows Charlie Bray’s trumpet

meganBLOGS is a very successful blog run by Megan Broutian in sunny California. It is a wonderful blog to visit for musings, books, photos and more. Click through now and you’ll see exactly what I mean http://www.meganblogs.com/about/

Within her blog Megan operates a book review page titled Storytime Thursday and it is an entry in this section that has prompted my post.

Megan appears to love my novel, Open House, and, naturally I want to share that with the world.

Having spent every waking moment waving the flag for Indie authors, I thought you’d forgive this little indulgence and allow me to fleetingly bask in the sunshine.

The quote from Megan that I love most relates to the potential consequence of a liaison between one of Britain’s best loved comedians and the inhabitants of another stately home:

“If Ricky Gervais and Downton Abbey had a baby , and it was a book, this would be it.”  PRICELESS!

Other quotes include:

“Open House is the story of how one family comes together to save their inheritance from absolute ruin.”

“Cove Castle hosts a cast of eccentric nobles, a businessman or two, a potential art forger, a TV crew renting the premises for an insane shoot, and some ghosts in the caves. Oh and a random shooter bent on exploding , killing or maiming a judge.”

“And chicanery there is a-plenty in this hilarious depiction of a high-society , high-nobility family, down on its luck.”

It’s great to know that English humour transports well across ‘the pond’, as evidenced by Megan’s observation that

“There’s something about British wit and dry humour that I absolutely love, and Charlie Bray nails them both in this book.”

I sincerely hope a discerning television executive browses Storytime Thursday and picks up Megan’s observation that,

“His cast of mischievous, rebellious, and downright odd characters are made for a TV sitcom.”

Needless to say I loved Megan’s review of Open House, and hope that you do too. Please click here to view the full review:

http://www.meganblogs.com/open-house-charlie-bray/

If Megan has whetted your appetite and you’d like to buy my book, you can do so at

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008XX6LIG/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20 or

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008XX6LIG/?tag=funboo04-21

Happy reading and thanks for allowing me to promote myself briefly. Back to promoting everyone else, starting with the next post, in a few days .

Winter Showcase – Seven books to delight

Seven great books in this latest showcase illustrate the diverse talent which exists amongst INDIETRIBE members. I hope you find books here to whet your appetite and encourage you to buy. Let’s not forget that our main aim at INDIETRIBE is to support Indie authors. Happy browsing!

Demons in the Big Easy by Jamie Marchant

The first one showcased is actually FREE on 18th and 19th January, so download it from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com any time during that two day slot, for absolutely nothing.

Jamie Marchant lives in Auburn, Alabama, with her husband, son, and four cats. She teaches writing and literature at Auburn University. Her first novel The Goddess’s Choice was released in April 2012 from Reliquary Press. She is hard at work on the sequel, tentatively titled The Soul Stone. She also has published a novella, showcased here, entitled Demons in the Big Easy.

Adventurous in her youth, Cassandra built gateways between Domhan and its parallel realm of Earth. Now she’s too old for that kind of thing. But something is making it easier for demons to pass into Domhan. Not only that, but their behavior becomes inexplicable: whenever Cassandra banishes one, it laughs at her rather than resists, and it promises it will soon devour her essence and that of every resident of her small village. Cassandra is certain such a thing is impossible, for strong wards protect her village.

But then Cassandra’s granddaughter Aine falls through an unstable gateway. Cassandra is the only one within a hundred miles capable of creating a gateway and bringing Aine back. Despite her aching joints, Cassandra goes after her, and the gateway lands her in New Orleans. But something goes wrong with her tracking spell, which indicates Aine exists in four different places at once. As Cassandra struggles to find the true location of her granddaughter in the Big Easy, she discovers the source of the demons’ confidence.  Now, with an unlikely pair of allies—her timid granddaughter and a homeless man who may or may not be crazy—she has to not only save her granddaughter but also prevent both Domhan and Earth from being overrun by demons.

Buy Demons in the Big Easy now from amazon.co.uk by clicking on the image,  or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWWD44K/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

5 Pillars of the Gypsy by Lesley Fletcher

Lesley Fletcher is a Montreal artist and a writer, dividing her time between the two crafts while juggling the complexities involved with marketing and promotion for both her books and multiple art pieces.

All contact details may be found through her website at http://www.lesleyfletcher.com

“5 Pillars of the Gypsy” is a collection of poetry, prose and art that will awaken your spirituality and heighten your senses. Exciting artwork leaps from each page stirring emotional response while providing a perfect backdrop to her provocative verse. Each pillar is a representation of a facet of life each person has faced in their own. Relatable, accessible and emotionally binding thoughts become embedded in your heart as you turn the pages, joining the gypsy’s soul with yours.

Buy 5 Pillars if the Gypsy now from amazon.co.uk by clicking on the image  or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008ZOLJGW/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

Culloo by Murielle Cyr

Murielle Cyr has been writing poetry and short stories for as long as she can remember, and has been published in a few literary magazines through the years. She has recently discovered the freedom and accessibility of the digital format and has released Culloo, a novella for 8-12 year olds about the importance of family roots.

TALA and her brother DASON are often left on their own. Tala can’t wait to be thirteen; then no one better tell her what to do. Her nosey neighbor is always checking up on her, and now the Welfare Officer is knocking on her door again and her father isn’t home to answer. She only has a few hours to find her missing father before she and her brother get placed in a foster home.

Their quest brings them to secluded woods where they discover that a group of bear poachers are responsible for their father’s disappearance. Their adventures bring them in contact with the legendary woodland characters: the pipe-smoking frog-like people and the giant ferocious black bird. Can they survive the night alone in woods alive with hungry bears and angry hunters? Will she be able to find her father before the hunters do?

She must learn to trust the wisdom of her ancestors if she wants to succeed in her quest to reunite her family.

Buy Culloo now at

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/CULLOO/book-TmxI2tZs-0GXYVEM4R7bkQ/page1.html

Weird Missouri by James Strait

James Strait’s professional career began as a Special Forces soldier, where he demonstrated youthful tenacity and versatility by becoming the youngest recruit to graduate Special Forces Training Group.

He began his professional writing career with the release of Weird Missouri.

Missouri is the 25th State to join the Union, it’s the Show Me State, in Missouri “see’n is believe’n”, and it’s a bellwether for Presidential elections, and it’s the Methamphetamine capital of the United States. Basically, Missouri has multitudes, many of which are down right weird.

Weird Missouri is a travel guide to Missouri’s local legends and best-kept secrets. Easy to read, filled with hundreds of pictures of the wide spread weirdness, Weird Missouri is a great conversation starter and looks great on any coffee table.

The book’s website is www.weirdmissouri.com

Buy Weird Missouri now at http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1402745559/?tag=funboo04-21 or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1402745559/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

Of Good and Evil by Gerald G Griffin

Gerald G. Griffin was born in Flint, Michigan (USA), and after receiving his MA and Ph.D in psychology from Michigan State University, Gerald moved to Atlanta, Georgia.

Easing out of private practice, Gerald eventually moved to Gainesville, Georgia and into writing full-time, at first concentrating on screenplays and ghost-writing, producing two published ghost-written non-fiction books. Then he returned to his love, novels, writing the published thriller OF GOOD AND EVIL.  Presently he is putting the polishing touches to its sequel, A TIME OF RECKONING

The para suspense thriller OF GOOD AND EVIL, addressing the Al Qaeda terrorist threat, is such a breathtaking read that it is to be made into a movie! Daring action, uncanny love and a cliff-hanging ending, with vibrant characters  resonating perfectly with a spellbinding plot.

Buy Of Good and Evil now from amazon.co.uk by clicking on the image or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H4XQJC/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

Collateral Murder by David Bernans

Dr. David Bernans spent most of his youth in Ontario (Canada) but is now a Québec-based writer and translator.

David’s first novel, North of 9/11 (Cumulus Press, 2006), made international headlines (with a little help from Concordia University whose security team spied on the author and whose “risk assessment committee” banned a reading planned for the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks).

With Collateral Murder (Kindle edition, 2012), David continues to raise questions about the US-led war on terror and the role it has played in perpetuating the violence it is supposedly combating. As a mystery novel, Collateral Murder is not as overtly political. However, the murder mystery genre allows the unlikely sleuth, the Filipina domestic Marifel Landas, to ask important questions about crime and punishment in the post-9/11 moral universe.

Buy Collateral Murder now from amazon.co.uk by clicking on the image or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJD052G/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

Doctor’s Choice by Gaynor Baker

Gaynor Baker was born in Cardiff Wales. She and her family moved to Canada in 1966. She has two grown daughters from a previous marriage and currently lives with her husband on the prairies where she dog-sits Buddy the shitzu who keeps her company while she writes. She has studied voice at the Royal Conservatory of Music and came in 5th out of 30 in an open vocal competition.

Doctor’s Choice is set in Victorian London. Editha Ramsay is thinking of leaving her position as a nurse at St. Angela’s Hospital to marry the man of her father’s choosing. Will the new doctor be able to change her mind and win her heart? Doctor Isamu Itoyama is taken with nurse Editha Ramsay and wants the best for her. One thing he does not want is for her to be forced to marry the wrong man. Will he be able to convince her father to change his mind?

Buy Doctor’s Choice now from amazon.co.uk by clicking on the image  or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007KDAU5K/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

 

I hope you enjoyed this latest showcase. The next one will be published in a week or so and will include the work of Burt Berlowe, McKaylin L. Felton, Sherry Chiger, John Jung, Marjorie B. Hill, Laura Hart and M.L. Weaver.

 

Guest Blog – Bublish, a new way for authors to be found

Indietribe is pleased to guest a post from Kathy Meis, who explains the benefits of her company, Bublish to Indie writers:

Bublish Writer meet Reader by Founder, Kathy Meis

There is no bigger issue facing authors today than discovery. You pour your heart and soul into your manuscript, publish it either traditionally or independently, and enter into a digital marketplace that is absolutely saturated with content. Unless written by a bestselling author, even the highest quality work struggles to rise above the noise. In addition, abundance has pushed the price of content down. Authors now need to write and sell more books over time to make up for this lost income. This requires establishing a long-term relationship with readers who can advocate for you and your work throughout your writing career. In short, today’s transformed book marketplace requires a completely different approach to book promotion, and an innovative new set of tools to be successful.

In response to these new realities, we introduce Bublish, the award-winning book discovery and social commerce platform. Created by two writers, our live beta was launched last June at Book Expo America. We’ve been growing quickly ever since, and now have writers and readers bublishing from every corner of the globe. The platform is free to writers and readers. We make money (affiliate fees) from online retailers if we sell your books. Our goal at Bublish is to revolutionize the way authors share their stories and readers discover new writers and books. We’re here to empower authors and help them succeed in the Age of Content Abundance.

At the heart of the Bublish platform is the book bubble. Here’s what one looks like:

Book bubbles can be created in seconds and shared across multiple social channels. The marketing principles behind Bublish and the book bubble are simple, but powerful. We aim to provide the following:

an online experience that mimics bookstore browsing – Plenty of data confirms that readers are still drawn toward real-world book browsing (even if they ultimately buy their books online). There just isn’t a satisfying online browsing experience available yet. We wanted to change that with Bublish, so we studied every aspect of the bookstore browsing experience in creating the book bubble. We designed them to offer readers the same, quiet, enjoyable exploration of an author’s writing that is experienced in bookstores.

beautiful visual design to assist with discovery – The future of the web is visual. Think Pinterest. As humans, we naturally absorb information quickly from visual cues. In a world of content abundance, visual aids become even more important. They help us sort through the clutter. That’s why the book bubble includes images of the cover and author. The trick was to make bubbles visual while keeping the emphasis on the written word. We think the book bubble achieves that balance. The other requirement was to make this visual content easy to share across multiple social networks where discovery can occur. That’s why the share buttons travel with the bubbles. Bublish allows authors to break their books up into hundreds of small stories and spread them across the social web. When a reader encounters a bubble, they can easily explore more of the author’s work through the embedded links, share the bubble with their connections, or purchase the book right from the bubble. Think of bubbles as a social funnel to draw new readers toward your larger body of work.

a humanized sharing experience through storytelling – How many times have you unfollowed an author who constantly says, “Buy my book”? There’s no added value in this type of “share.” It’s just a command. In order to help authors stand out in a crowded marketplace without feeling like salespeople, we needed to provide a storytelling tool, a way to connect with potential new readers in the true spirit of sharing. That’s what the Author Insight section of the book bubble is meant to do. It’s the bubble’s “secret sauce,” where authors tell the story behind their story. Here, authors get to share what inspired a character or scene, or explain what challenges were overcome to write a chapter. It’s a way for authors to share their creation story. Not only does the Author Insight turn an excerpt into an original piece of content, but it allows the author to be a storyteller instead of a salesperson…and storytelling is a highly effective marketing tool employed by some of the most powerful brands in the world.

a simplified discovery process for both writers and readers – It was also important that Bublish delight not just readers, but writers. Book promotion can be drudgery, and time consuming. We wanted to lighten the promotional load for authors, who sometimes struggle to keep up with today’s content hungry, hyper-connected, 24/7, social marketplace. With Bublish, authors simply create a social profile, upload an ePub version of up to 30 of their books for free, and start bublishing. The author alone has access to their books; readers get to see only the shared book bubbles. But because the book is there in its entirety, authors can go to any chapter, highlight an excerpt, add their Author Insight, and share their bubble via Facebook or Twitter. Bublish handles all the design elements and also posts the bubble to the bubble stream on Bublish.com. It’s quick and easy to bublish.

a Pandora-like recommendation system that provides “contextual serendipity” – The book bubble is a great way for readers to sample new work not only because it is visual and concise, but also because of the strong recommendation engine we’re building. Our vision is to create “contextual serendipity” for readers – that is, introduce them to bubbles from many unknown authors within the context of the genres and topics they like. It’s a much more “democratic” process than writers are currently offered at big online retailers. Because bubbles make it possible for readers to sample lots of new writing quickly, every writer will have his or her shot…but the writing will have to shine. The actions readers take upon each bubble (saving them, sharing them, asking for more or fewer bubbles from a particular author) will guide the next wave of bubbles introduced to that reader. And because each bubble is encoded with information like the book’s genre and specific topic keywords, Bublish can begin to make recommendations at a very granular level. Imagine readers being able to find your book based on a type of food they like, a place they’ve travelled, or a period in history they’ve studied.

a social shopping experience like no other – As mentioned at the start of this article, the new economics of the content marketplace require authors to cultivate long-term relationships with their audience well beyond the sale of a book. As the Bublish platform evolves, we will introduce many new features where writers and readers can engage in conversations and events around the book. In addition, we plan to create an innovative marketing tool kit so authors can stay in touch with readers in a personal, but manageable way. For example, imagine your readers receiving a personal thank you from you every time they buy one of your books. The author can update the contents of the letter while Bublish automate delivery and management.

The time is ripe for true innovation in publishing. Authors today sit at the center of a transformed book marketplace. Yes, they face new challenges, but there has never been a time in history where authors have had more control over the success of their own careers. There has never been a better time to connect directly with readers and build a loyal following. Hopefully, we’ve given you a sense of how Bublish can help.

To find out more about the Bublish platform, please visit our blog (http://bublish.com/blog/) or email questions to info@bublish.com. If you’re all ready to open your free Bublish writer or reader account, you can do so here: http://www.bublish.com/. We can also be found promoting our Bublish authors on Twitter @BublishMe and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bublishme. We hope you’ll check us out.

I hope all our INDIETRIBE members and guests find this Guest Blog useful. It has been our pleasure to introduce you to yet another way of promoting yourself and your books.

 

Go for Gold and Sell More Books

Since I launched INDIETRIBE a few months ago, the tribe has grown and grown.

More and more Indie writers join our ranks daily, and all are taking advantage of the promotional push we are able to give them to help them sell more books.

More and more Indie readers are responding to our promotion and marketing, and browsing and buying our members’ books. but we need to shout louder, to take it to another level.

And that’s where INDIETRIBE GOLD comes in. We want to make sure that potential readers are tripping over your books, coming across them time and time again, inspired to take notice and encouraged to buy more and more of them.

I am confident that INDIETRIBE GOLD will achieve this.

Imagine this scenario:  What if we were to independently review each of your books and publish our reviews not only to the INDIETRIBE pages, but also to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Goodreads, Linkedin and Facebook. What if we were to review your website or blog each quarter and make sure that review was published on the same social media sites? What if we were to offer you a guest blog post on INDIETRIBE once a quarter so you could promote whatever was important to you at the time? Again this would also be covered on Goodreads, Linkedin and Facebook. What if we were to offer you the chance to be interviewed on the INDIETRIBE pages, so that you could get any point across that you liked? All of this is designed to push you to the forefront of readers’ minds and move your books dramatically up their wish lists.

Well we can offer you all this and much more through our new INDIETRIBE GOLD membership. The annual subscription of £30 (approx $48 US Dollars) won’t break too many budgets and you should recoup far more than that during the course of your twelve months subscription.

So think about signing up now so I can start all these benefits rolling for you. Simply click on this link and you’re on the way to becoming an INDIETRIBE GOLD MEMBER

New Year Showcase of Indie Books

A very HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our members, and what better way to kick off 2013 than with a showcase of five fabulous Indie books, each one written by an INDIETRIBE member. I hope you follow the link to Amazon for each one and treat yourself to some great reading material

The Luck of the Weissensteiners by Christoph Fischer

Christoph Fischer was born in Germany in 1970 as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria. He moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few years he moved on to the UK where he is still resident today. ‘The Luck of The Weissensteiners’ is his first published work. He has written several other novels which are in the later stages of editing and finalisation.

In the sleepy town of Bratislava in 1933 a romantic young woman falls for a bookseller from Berlin. Greta Weissensteiner, daughter of a Jewish weaver, slowly adapts to life with the Winkelmeiers, the German family of her bilbiophile husband, just as Hitler begins his campaign that will bring chaos, turmoil and tragedy to Europe and its people. The political climate in town is a complex set up with citizens from all parts and walks of life of the former Habsburg Empire remaining. This makes the country a multifaceted jigsaw puzzle of a slowly  disintegrating society and a potential minefield. The inevitable changes affect relations between the couple and their families and test loyalties and family ties.

The story follows the dramatic journey of my characters through the war with its predictable twists and also its unexpected turns and the equally challenging times long after the fighting has ended.

This book is part of “The Three Nations Trilogy”. The novels all deal with similar themes of home, family and identity in three central European countries affected by war and political intrigue.

Beside it being a Holocaust story this is also a book about how we define ourselves and what each individual is made of.

Christoph Fischer’s The Luck of the Weissensteiners , was an epic and impressive read. The amount of research the author must have put into writing this story was evident by the well thought out and described times in time when geography was redirected by reigns of terror in Germany, in Russia, in the hearts of others that could watch nations of peoples, families torn apart and displaced. What starts out as a love story, a metaphor beginning in the spring of a young couple lives moves into the dark themes of our human shadow, where love turns to distrust and betrayal.

This is a story of intolerance at its worst, but is also a story of the strength of the human spirit to help and do good at great risk. While parts were too overly narrative for my taste the story and oppression of the time were never lost on the read, which kept me involved in this story, that by the time I was half way into the story I wanted to take time off to sit and finish it, to find out what happened to all the characters in their struggle to escape and survive. Sadly, like all of life there is much sorrow and loss, reality, but there is also survival and hope. I will not forget this read for a while to come.

A reviewer states: The Luck of the Weissensteiners by Christoph Fischer is a book I’d been anxious to read for some time now, and it actually took me a few days after I’d finished to get this review up.  The book is about Greta, a romantically minded daughter of a Jewish weaver living in Bratislava 1933.  From the date, city and religion alone you can immediately guess that this book isn’t going to be your typical curl up with a blanket on a rainy day romance.

Greta falls in love with a bookseller, and from there the story takes off in into what many of us have read about as an achingly painful history.  Truthfully I don’t want to give any of the book away, so I’m keeping the description of the events short.  It’s worth reading on so many levels, and I can only hope to impress that upon future readers of this work.

The depth of the characters is amazing, the writing tight and beautiful, the emotion behind the words makes you feel like you’re right there along with them, which is a testament to Fischer’s absolute skill with the written word.

I’m giving this book an amazing five of five stars, and I highly recommend that you pick this book up and give it a read.  I expect we’re going to be seeing great things out of Fischer in the coming years, if this book is anything to go by.  I can’t wait to see more of his works!

Buy The Luck of the Weissensteiners now at http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AFQC4QC/?tag=funboo04-21 or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AFQC4QC/?tag=wwwtheindietr-20

One Major Mistake by Starr  Gardinier  Reina

A paralegal by day, she’s an author by night. Apart from being an award winning author for her short story “Cut”, Reina has appeared in a blaze and made her mark on the literary world with her Ivanovich Series. The first is “In the Name of Revenge”, the second, “Deadly Decisions” and the third, “One Major Mistake” was released July 10, 2012. Having studied and obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Literature/Creative Writing, she has found her unique style and is known for her works’ distinctive voice, making every character stand out.

Reina is the artistic creator of the Ivanovich series featuring Pavel Ivanovich. Flanking Ivanovich’s side in “Deadly Decisions” is Teresa Mancini, who vies with Ivanovich for readers’ attention. According to J.M. LeDuc, who was “raised in an Italian family”, Teresa “is perfect…like all your characters”. Reina is also the author of young adult novella “Cruel Whispers” and its sequel novel “Cruel Past”.

Reina is an executive editor for Suspense Magazine. She has been interviewed in the newspaper and on the radio with relation to her fiction work. She has been a co-host on Suspense Radio.

She has won three Best Speaker awards as well as Best Evaluator at the Voice Ambassadors chapter of Toastmasters. Reina is a member of Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles Chapter and nationally. She has always been active in events. As co-chair and main coordinator for the West Coast Author Premiere, she arranged the weekend-long event to help authors from all over network, learn and share their work with the public. Reina has also been instrumental in compiling authors and planning a local author event at Barnes and Noble in Ventura, California along with the store’s event manager.

One Major Mistake is the third and final novel in the Ivanovich series.

Despite having brought down two major crime families, Pavel’s life is still filled with problems. The two bright things in his world: Teresa Mancini, his fiancée, who, on a good day, has the ability to bring him to his knees and his daughter Rita Grace, a result of a whirlwind affair before he fell in love with Teresa.

Once again, murder is the prime evil propelling Pavel into his latest case. After the murder of his partner and friend Nick Haxton’s ex-wife Brenda, Pavel leads a team to dethrone Guillermo Diaz, the leader of a drug gang believed to be responsible for Brenda’s death. Detective Danni Stone joins the local agency. Stone knows Diaz on the most intimate of levels, and wants to be present at his demise.

During the investigations, not only does the team grieve with Nick over Brenda’s death, they also deal with the loss of their long-time Assistant Director in Charge Steven Lazlo, who was gunned down in their own backyard. Pavel has a particularly hard time dealing with Lazlo’s death and is determined to hold everyone involved responsible.

As if Pavel can take anymore, Teresa receives a substantially large check from an anonymous benefactor, and insists that Pavel deal with it while she decides how to spend it. But not before she uses her iron-willed determination to find out who the benefactor is even if it means breaking into her attorney’s office looking for answers. Being thrown in jail would stop any ordinary woman, but apparently not Teresa.

Join Pavel as he wades through harrowing situations, suspects aplenty and suspense in this third and final thrilling installment of the Ivanovich Series.

Buy One Major Mistake now at http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008J7MQQC/?tag=funboo04-21 or

One Major Mistake (Ivanovich Series)