Charlie Bray's Blog, page 9

LIMITED OFFER: Get Your Book Reviewed in November. Be 1 of only 10!

Ten books will be reviewed on Indietribe by Charlie Bray in November for a specially reduced fee of £25 ($40)

MAKE SURE YOUR BOOK IS ONE OF THE TEN, AS THIS NUMBER CANNOT BE INCREASED

Click on the image below and check out our latest Book Reviews. They are exceptionally popular with readers!

Only Indietribe Gold Members are normally entitled to a Book Review, but we are delighted to extend it to any member as a LIMITED SPECIAL OFFER FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER ONLY

But please don’t hesitate. When the ten reviews have gone, they’ve gone. We will be allocating them on  a

First Come – First Served basis

If you would like your book to be one of the ten books reviewed during the month of November, please apply now by emailing your request. If you are successful we will send you a Paypal invoice for £25 (approx $40U.S.). Upon receipt, we will request a copy of your book and the review will be published on Indietribe in November.

CHARLIE BRAY’S BOOK REVIEWS – Five Indie Books Reviewed

A very warm welcome to Charlie Bray’s 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. This will help us accurately compile our regular Top 10 Feature

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, and guest blog.

 

WHERE IS SHE NOW? by Frances Gilbert

This is the second of Frances Gilbert’s books that I have had the privilege of reviewing and I set out to do so with trepidation, as I was so captivated by the first one, She Should Have Come for Me. I doubted this one would measure up, but I need not have worried. If I was rationed for space, I could sum up Where is She Now in one word – Brilliant!

Frances’s characters are so real, with real vulnerability, real flaws, real guile. As with many people in real life, you never really know where you stand with them, or what to believe.

Rosemary gains the reader’s empathy by the delicate path she treads through life, often seeking assurance from inanimate every day objects. This in itself speaks volumes of her mind set. Undoubtedly she carries baggage and is surrounded in mystery – all the more enticing for the reader. There are effectively two Rosemarys, which makes the reader’s task of understanding her even more complex.

She clearly understands more than the reader gives her credit for, and this is evidenced in a scene towards the end of the book – Rosemary looked at Brian, but he had turned away, he was looking out of the window. Rosemary knew he wanted to get back into that ordinary world, the courtyard swept clean by the rain and the busy street at the end with coffee shops and supermarkets and busy ordinary people 

She is constantly open to comparison with her husband, Brian and inner self, Anna, but the author never allows you to settle into comfort with any of them.

The wonderfully crafted setting is created from an amalgam of two English towns and plays an integral part in the story.

The superb ending is probably not one you were expecting.

So, in my eyes, a 100% sucess rate for Frances Gilbert. Two books reviewed, two winners.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

PURE TRASH by Bette Stevens

Pure Trash is a wonderful new short story aimed at Middle Grade and Young Adults, but likely to be enjoyed by adults in general.

It’s a cruel world we live in and any child who is in any way different is prone to bullying and mistreatment. Regrettably, being different also extends to lack of material comforts.

Although set in the fifties, the problems portrayed in this lovely short story are no less prevalent today and the reader can easily associate with them.

The subject matter is dealt with deftly by the author. It lends itself to an array of emotions and Bette Stevens captures each and every one beautifully. She is an extremely skilled wordsmith and the book is a delight.

Shawn and Willie are brought up in the fifties, with precious little creature comforts and an alcoholic father. They’re happy with their own situation, never having known any better, and seek fun and happiness wherever it’s available. It’s ‘them’ others who have a problem, a problem they continually inflict upon the boys.

The clever title stems from the boys’ aspiration to turn trash into ‘gold’ and thereby improve their lot. An aspiration that has no doubt spawned a goodly number of successful entrepreneurs. But their efforts are thwarted by those around them and they are not exactly enjoying the advantage of a ‘level playing field’.

A very sensitively told short story, which is a prequel to a forthcoming novel.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

CRY BEFORE SUPPER by Julia Rose Grey

Almost the flip side of the previous review (above), Cry Before Supper portrays a family moving onwards and upwards to give itself a better chance in life. Happiness does ensue as the five children, their parents and grandmother up-sticks and  begin to enjoy their new upgraded lifestyle.

Julia Rose Grey uses a very effective vehicle to tell this emotive tale. Annie, one of the children, narrates the family’s life story, partly in the form of a memoir and partly in the form of letters to and from a sister who is away at Harvard.

Annie is in fact the glue that prevents the total disintegration of the family, following a cruel and callous blow dealt to the family by a town local.The light is extinguished and the plot becomes a quest to slowly restore it.

The characters react like real people would react, and from start to finish the story never comes across as a work of fiction. The family and its life appear very real. In the face of adversity, and with the assistance of Annie, they show great resilience and simply get on with life.

The author excels at descriptions and dialogue, and skilfully draws the reader into the characters. It really does feel as if you’re in there with them.

A heart-warming tale which comes to a very satisfactory conclusion. It was worth the family – and the reader – hanging in there.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

DESERT HEAT by Mark Lingane

Having edited, proof-read and read this book for fun, I can guarantee that it will enjoy a substantial base of readers. Why? Because it excels in so many genres, and will attract enthusiasts in so many areas.

Action and adventure, mystery, humour and romance – occasionally verging on erotica, Mark Lingane excels in every genre. He is, without doubt, an exceptionally talented wordsmith, and it’s only a matter of time before he hits the Best Sellers lists.

Desert Heart is a very satisfying sequel to Chasing Heart, and once more revolves around the main characters Alex, the rugged hero, his tom-boy, adventure-seeking sister Jessie, and Ellen Martin, the girl who things happen to and who quite enjoys the things that happen. Alex will, undoubtedly, one day, end up with Ellen. It is written in the stars, but I suspect the reader, who wants this to happen more than anyone, will be frustrated for a good few sequels yet.

Anyway the plot…Ellen Martin is off to the Middle East. On the eve of her impromptu wedding – to someone who nowhere near measures up to the aforementioned Alex – and her rapidly approaching 40th birthday, Ellen is sent to Qatar on an urgent assignment, contract in hand, to save her company, Cowley & Tate. Plans and alliances are formed to thwart the agreement between the state of Qatar and the company, and destabilize the upper echelons of power. Extremists kidnap Ellen for a planned execution. Time ticks down. Who will save Ellen this time? Well I won’t give it away, but it couldn’t be that man again, could it?

Grab a copy of this book. It would be quite silly not to. The author is a genius in so many fields!

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE VILLAGE IDIOTS EBAY CLUB by Charlie Bray

Please allow me to publish this independent review of my new book by Christoph Fischer, an Amazon Top 1000 reviewer:

Amazon.co.uk

“The Village Idiots EBAY CLUB” by Charlie Bray is the first in his new Laugh Out Loud at Life series and concerns a bunch of very odd and idiotic e-bay users. Their inventive and original silly names are most likely their handles for their interactions on e-bay and their `club’ has the nature of an AA meeting. Having read Bray’s “Open House” I am amazed at his versatility to change the tone of his humour so easily.

I am probably not experienced enough with e-bay myself to get all of the clever, sarcastic, ironic and laugh out loud jokes but from what I gather the items traded, the prices paid, the uselessness of some of them, the addiction, the bidding wars and the clever traders taking advantage of the `idiots’ are all themes found in one way or another in this often hilarious and wonderfully absurd story. I found many parallels to other internet groups and forums that I use, so even if you like myself are not too familiar with e-bay, the principles and characters are very similar everywhere.

In this regard the book is a great reflection on modern society as well. Our village idiots, avoided in public and ridiculed by their peers have now found a new forum on the internet where their extravagant, eccentric and weird qualities, habits and characteristics find a new and sometimes rather unsuspecting audience. Everyone can be someone on the internet, Bray gets them to meet in their club and you can see what can happen when they do.

Bray has taken a great idea and with original imagination and sadly probably with quite a lot of material based on real experiences and characters has made this a very entertaining farce.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

 

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

 

 

NEWSFLASH:Mary Rowan Launches Publush Campaign for GRUNGE

Mary Rowen Launches Pubslush Campaign for GRUNGE, a Dark Story of Love, Guilt, Bulimia and Rock & Roll

 

 

When writer Mary Rowen published her first novel, LIVING BY EAR, she learned how hard—and expensive—it can be for a new indie author to publicize a book. That’s why she’s trying to garner some advance publicity and may be even some funds by running a Pubslush campaign for her new novel, GRUNGE.

“GRUNGE is a story I’ve been working on—in my head and on paper—since 1994,” says Rowen. “And although it’s not autobiographical in any way, it’s a very personal project for me, as I was bulimic for about fifteen years, and I really wanted to write an honest story about a character with that disease. I haven’t read any novels in which an actively bulimic character struggles with life and desperately tries to fall in love.”

To see more images, read an excerpt, and see a video about GRUNGE, please visit http://grunge.pubslush.com

Mary Rowen lives in the New England area with her husband, children, cats, and dog.  She grew up in the Merrimack Valley, graduated from Providence College, and is a member of Grub Street.

GRUNGE was a semifinalist in the 2013 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition.

 

I’m delighted to publish this Press Release from Indietribe Member, Mary Rowen, and I hope you will give her project your full support.

I am told by Mary that 10% of all funds raised on this project will be donated to the Pubslush fund, which gives books to children who don’t have access to literature.

Just a reminder that Mary’s book will feature in our forthcoming Christmas Showcase. You can publish your book in the same issue for free. Find out how

 

NEWSFLASH: Happy Birthday Indietribe – Showcase your book for free!

Wow, Indietribe made it for a whole year – and it hasn’t just made it – it’s gone from strength to strength.

So please join me in wishing Indietribe

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

To celebrate I’ve written an eBook, The Village Idiots Ebay Club by Charlie Bray, and  I’m including it in a special

CHRISTMAS SHOWCASE

WHY DON’T YOU INCLUDE YOUR BOOK IN THE CHRISTMAS SHOWCASE FOR FREE? 

The CHRISTMAS SHOWCASE is sure to be a very special issue and you can make sure that your book is showcased in it

FOR FREE!

Simply download The Village Idiots Ebay Club (77p UK, $1.23 USA), attach a copy of the Amazon receipt, and indicate the title and author of the book you’d like including in the CHRISTMAS SHOWCASE using our Contact page

I’ll then lift the front cover and blurb from your Amazon Detail page and feature your book prominently in

THE CHRISTMAS SHOWCASE

I’m working on this very special edition now and it’s sure to be a Bumper Issue.

It will be promoted very heavily on social media and sure to be read by thousands of readers.

So buy The Village Idiots Ebay Club now. The sooner you respond,

the nearer the front of THE CHRISTMAS SHOWCASE you’ll be.

Click on the links below to buy now:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Please share this with other self-published authors, as I’m sure they’d like to be involved

Showcase 32: Eight top Indie Books Revealed

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

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

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

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

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

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

IF YOU DO DECIDE TO BUY BOOKS, PLEASE BUY THEM WHILST YOU’RE LINKED THROUGH TO AMAZON FROM INDIETRIBE.

 

So here we go with our 31st Showcase:

MURDER BY SACRILEGE by D.R.Meredith

The preacher’s bride is a truck stop waitress half his age with a reputation that horrifies his congregation, and a free and easy way with the male membership. Still, no one expects Reverend David Hailey to stone his wife to death. But that isn’t the worst of Hailey’s acts. Substituting his wife’s body for the Virgin Mary in the Nativity Scene is a worse act of sacrilege than murder. With feelings at a fever pitch in the little Texas town of Canadian, John Lloyd Branson steps in to defend the reverend. But first he must learn why the preacher killed his wife, then he must persuade his legal clerk, Lydia Fairchild, that he is not deliberately throwing the case by his seemingly inept courtroom strategy.

A fan of mysteries since a childhood obsession with Agatha Christie and Rex Stout, D. R. Meredith has written three mystery series set in the Texas Panhandle, a little-known area of the state even to other Texans. Two titles, MURDER BY IMPULSE and MURDER BY DECEPTION, in the John Lloyd Branson series were finalists for the Anthony Award.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

PURE TRASH by Bette Stevens

The year is 1955. If you grew up in the 1950s and the 1960s, you may be among those who like to recall those good old “Happy Days” of television fame. Even younger generations enjoy watching the old TV reruns to get a peek into what life was like back then. In this short story, Shawn and Willie Daniels are off on a Saturday adventure in search of trash to turn into treasure. It is going to be a great day. Shawn is sure of it. No school and no bullies to remind him that he’s not one of the crowd. This is a story about bullies and what it’s like to be bullied. It may redefine your definition of bullying. If you were a child who was thought of as “different” in some way, you know what bullying is about: torment, persecution, intimidation, to name a few of its synonyms. For Shawn and Willie, their difference was based upon the social status of a dysfunctional family and the alcoholism and abject poverty in which they grew up.

Bette A. Stevens is the author of two children’s books: A children’s activity book, The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too! and the award-winning picture book, AMAZING MATILDA: A Monarch’s Tale. PURE TRASH, The Story is her first book for the Middle-grade/YA/Adult audience.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

JUSTICE IN AMERICA by Russell Moran

The world envies, and in some cases despises, the American system of justice. In this frank and compelling book, attorney and journalist Russell Moran leads the reader on an exciting tour of the system that delivers our rights, and he doesn’t pull any punches. Whether you’re a lawyer, a judge, or a layman, Moran takes you on a journey through the system in a candid, colorful, and occasionally humorous examination of the country’s most critical institution.

From the schoolyard to the prison yard, Justice in America brims with recent cases, historical antecedents, and engaging anecdotes that make our complex system crystal clear. This indispensable resource has been designed to guide the inquisitive layman, as well as the seasoned attorney or judge, through today’s legal process, from the role of judges to the wild world of torts. It’s a must-read for anyone considering whether or not to sue, settle, claim, or retain.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

LEON’S LAIR by The Phoenix

The adventure starts with The Jakarta, an elegant cruise ship sailing the exotic seas in Indonesia with a passenger list of ninety, unsuspecting people. Jane and her best friend, Remy, are just getting know the rest of the small group of young twenty-somethings when the ship is attacked by pirates. However, Leon and his band are not your usual pirates – they want something else.

Jane and two male companions escape the horror, fleeing in a lifeboat. In their flight to escape Leon and his men, they become lost at sea for weeks, are out of water, and have nearly lost hope of ever finding rescue when they finally catch sight of land, a dangerous rain-forested island that seems deserted. However, their fight for survival has only just begun.

We are Lee and Gary Jordan and we are THE PHOENIX, a multi-genre author team. Because we are passionate readers of many genres, we don’t intend stick with one as writers. We have several novels in the works.

We enjoy getting to know readers and other authors via the Internet, love movies, and sitting outside to soak up the Southern California sun. We live in Hollywood with our crabby tomcat, Snickers.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE COLOR OF SNOW by Brenda Stanley

When a beautiful 16-year-old girl named Sophie is found sequestered in a cage-like room in a rundown house in the desolate hills of Arbon Valley, Idaho, the entire community is shocked to learn she is the legendary Callidora–a baby girl who was kidnapped from her crib almost seventeen years ago and canonized in missing posters with portraits of what the fabled girl might resemble. Authorities soon learn that the cage was there to protect people from Sophie, because her biological father believes she is cursed.

Sophie is discovered after the man she knows as Papa, shoots and injures Damien, a young man who is trying to rescue her. Now, unsocialized and thrust into the world, and into a family she has never met, Sophie must decide whether she should accept her Papa’s claims that she is cursed and he was only trying to protect others, or trust the new people in her life who have their own agendas. Guided by a wise cousin, Sophie realizes that her most heartbreaking challenge is to decide if her love for Damien will destroy him like her Papa claims, or free her from past demons that haunt her mind.

Brenda Stanley is a former television news anchor and investigative reporter for the NBC affiliate in Eastern Idaho. She has been recognized for her writing by the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Hearst Journalism Awards, The Idaho Press Club and the Society for Professional Journalists. She is a graduate of Dixie College in St. George, Utah and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She is the mother of 5 children, including two sets of twins. Brenda and her husband Dave, a veterinarian, live on a small ranch near the Snake River with their horses and dogs.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

 

THE SAMARITAN by Brian Grant

An eight year old boy, unknown to anyone, witnesses the assassination of his beloved father – a scientist studying space travel. The boy carries this mental misery for many months until he describes what he has seen to an ex-police inspector. Amazingly, through his tearful story, this small boy lifts the veil on a horrendous conspiracy; and so it is that the tears of a child prove to be the saviour of the United Kingdom!

“A gripping tale of terrorist conspiracy, nuclear weapons

and the courage and inspirational actions of ordinary people

in foiling the evil plans of enemies of the state…”

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

FOR THE LOVE OF THE HORSE III by Ann Jamieson

Volume III: Everyone knows Teddy (Theodore O’Connor), the diminutive pony who showed

the big horses how it was done. But no one knows his amazing story. Read it here. How many

horses went from slaughterhouse rescue to Horse of the Year? Two of them, Monday Morning

and Jamaica, are in this volume. And did you know the first schoolbus was . . . a horse? Read

about him here. If you saw Blu Horse Matine’s stunning performance in the World Equestrian

Games, you have to check out her story here.

Ann’sbooks, all true collections of stories about horses, have received rave reviews from readers and reviewers. Not just for horse lovers, the books appeal to all animal lovers, as they explore the bonds that connect human and animal.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

THE VILLAGE IDIOTS EBAY CLUB by Charlie Bray

Quirky people buy quirky things – and Ebay is full of quirky things. DANGER ALERT! What if they can’t stop bidding? What if their lives become quirkier and quirkier as a result? TIME TO JOIN THE EBAY CLUB!

Every week a dozen or so Ebay idiots rock up to the Village Hall carrying an assorted array of nonsense, show it off to their peers and admit, often reluctantly, that they may, just may, have a problem. Here’s your chance to gatecrash a meeting and see if you agree.

You’ll meet a wonderful bunch of misfits. From the upper echelons – Lord Marmite, who bids on antique commodes… to society’s underbelly – Micky Finn, who bids on various disguises to go thieving in.

Daft Donald, a tiny fellow who loves uniforms… an irate individual named Mr Angry, who bids on lots he can shout at… a vicar who collects bones…David Attenborough, who buys Toys-R-Us cast-offs…Cyril Fox, a barrow boy who deals from a suitcase bigger than Dr Who’s tardis…a 90 year old thug who inflicts terror on her sheltered accommodation… two close ‘friends’, Lamb and lettuce who prance around in mankinis feeding their toes to fish… a robot with a mind of its own…and a lookalikee who employs her own Mr Paparazzi.

So come on…take the plunge and dive into this mad world of laugh out loud comedy…they’re all there waiting for you.

Also available from Amazon.co.uk

***

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

DON’T FORGET INDIETRIBE PROOFREADING INCLUDES FREE BOOK PROMOTION

Please bear us in mind when you’re ready for your next proofread.

For every book we proofread, we will market it thoroughly for you, free of charge, by using our Monthly Spotlight, Indietribe Gold facilities and Showcase feature.

OCTOBER SPOTLIGHT: Top Indie Books All In One Place

Welcome to the October issue of our new Monthly Spotlight

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

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

SO HERE WE GO WITH THIS MONTH’S SPOTLIGHT:

ACTION

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

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

 

CREATIVE NON-FICTION

The Compassionate Rebel Revolution: Ordinary People Changing the World 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’

 

TRUE CRIME

Eyes of a Pedophile by Betty Kuffel

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

 

HISTORICAL FICTION

A Time Too Late by D.R. Meredith

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

 

Jazz Baby by Beem Weeks

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

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

‘NOLA’s most haunting legend comes to life’

One Chance for Glory by Edward T and Robert L Heikell

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

HOLIDAY TALE

The Dream Catcher by Julia Rose Grey

‘A holiday tale of whimsey as Rupert Rumple discovers the importance of dreams’

HORROR

The Dark Horde by Brewin

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

HUMOUR

 The Village Idiots Ebay Club by Charlie Bray

‘Quirky people buy quirky things – and Ebay is full of quirky things. DANGER ALERT! What if they can’t stop bidding? What if their lives become quirkier and quirkier as a result? TIME TO JOIN THE EBAY CLUB!’ 

Open House by Charlie Bray

‘Aristocrats, Ghosts and Squatters Share a Castle’

LITERARY FICTION

Bridge Ices Before Road by Sienna Rose

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

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION

Seafoam Wavefollower and the Mysterious Ghost by Doc Briley

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

MYSTERY

Dear Crossing by Marjorie Swift Doering

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

Shadow Tag by Marjorie Swift Doering

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

 

 

NON-FICTION

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

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

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

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

PARANORMAL DETECTIVE

Maggie Rising by Susan Aylworth

‘Claim your power even when only the dead believe’

 

ROMANCE

A Customary Obsession by Jane Creelman Graiko

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

ROMANCE / CHICK LIT

What the Heck, Dec by Elizabeth Dudak

‘Marti Karnawski is exhausted from falling head over heels in crush with the droolicious Declan Reed with his bad boy looks and cocky attitude…but in a good way’

ROMANCE / MYSTERY

Dangerous Waters by Anne Allen

‘Tragedy seems to follows Jeanne Le Page around . . . Can she really go through it again and survive?’

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Forewarning by Kate Wyland

‘Healing was her life; would it be her death?’

SCI-FI

God Bless the Dead by Evan Geller

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

The Gray Ship by Russell F Moran

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

Daimones by Massimo Marino

‘Even with the best of intentions, cruelty is just around the corner’

SELF-HELP

Fifty, Female & Fabulous by Barbara Villemez

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

THRILLER

Haunted by Maria Savva

‘Nigel Price has MURDER on his mind’

Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster

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

 

  White Jade by Alex Lukeman

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

Still Waters by Sara Warner

‘GRAND PRIZE WINNER FOR FICTION and a FINALIST in SUSPENSE/THRILLER in the 2013 NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARDS’

TRAVEL ESSAY

Solitary Desire by Kim Defforge

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

YOUNG ADULT

The Wolves of Lambs Bane by Chris Parker

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


Shadow Embraced by Cheree Smith



‘Scar thinks the creature that terrorises her while asleep isn’t real, but when she’s abducted and taken to a reform school meant to contain creatures too dangerous to function in society, she starts to wonder whether she isn’t some monster’


YOUNG ADULT PARANORMAL FICTION

Dream Weaver by Su Williams



‘Dream Weaver, an atmospheric and dark YA Paranormal Fiction read…Do you Dare to DREAM?’


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

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

 

NEWS FLASH: Charlie Bray Publishes New e-Book

Hi All, I’m so excited.

My brand new funny book has hit the Amazon kindle shelves this week.

I’m an Ebay idiot that gets so carried away whilst bidding, that I’m slowly filling by house up with the weirdest things, that are of little use, and certainly no ornament. Mrs Bray is not best pleased. Mainly because she’s let the lead slip.

I need help – Mrs Bray’s told me that many times –  so I’ve created a club.

A fictitous club, obviously, ‘cos that’s what I do.

The new book tells the story of a dozen idiots who are as daft as I am when battling with the Online Giant. So here it is…the great unveiling…

The Village Idiots EBAY CLUB – Laugh Out Loud at life

 

Let me introduce you to the characters, just to whet your appetite:

Mr. ANGRY

 

I sometimes get so angry I could throw the phone down.

But if you do that, there’s nobody there to get angry at.

So I always regret doing that.

I suppose it’s a bit like cutting off your nose – although I’ve never tried that.

BIG DICK

Just got back from the loo, again, to see that nasty little bugger had finished his speech.

Did I tell you he had a go at me for peeing up his alley once.

I doused him for that.

Best pee I’ve had for a long time.

Laughed that much I peed myself – again.

LAMB & LETTUCE

Before I could say, ‘You’re barred’, both Lamb and Lettuce stripped off to their undies, which happened to be matching lime green mankinis , and jumped in with the fish.

“Come and join us Darling Ebayers,” shouted Crispin.

“Come and get your twinkies chewed.”

DAFT DONALD

As I stand to attention, I probably present a rather sorry sight.

Sleeves rolled up, trousers rolled up, tunic actually touching my boots and completely hiding the trousers, my piece de resistance with their beautiful red stripe.

The huge bearskin continually falls down over my eyes, and the ceremonial sword is gouging enormous ruts into the highly polished village hall floor.

THE CLOTH & BONE MAN

I am Percival Pringle and I am the vicar of St John’s in the village.

I  have a penchant for buying bones.

The human skeleton intrigues me, although obviously not as much as the soul. ”Phew, think I got away with that one.

I held up a brand new skull that I had taken delivery of today. Well not brand new, obviously.

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

Hello and many pleasant greetings to you please.

My name is indeed David Attenborough and I am highly pleased for the opportunity to be in your company at this time.

A thousand times thank you to you all.

I am what you see, sir, and so is my iguana, my shy reptile from a black bin liner, which I had provided him with as a temporary home. Actually many people live in worse homes than this where I come from. Indeed, my brother Dickie is only one step up from this in Mumbai.

 

NORMA GREEN

When Lettuce tapped three times on the side, I popped slowly out of the cake, singing, “Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, Mr. President, happy birthday to you.”

I’m what is known as a lookalikee , and I buy things off Ebay to help me in my profession.

You know, giant birthday cakes, blond wigs, bright red lipsticks, candles in the wind, that sort of stuff.

 

MICKY FINN

I’m a bit like Robin Hood.

I relieve the rich of their ill gotten gains and make them my ill-gotten gains.

I redistribute to them who ain’t got no ill gotten wotsits, starting wiv meself.

LORD MARMITE

I could tell I had everyone’s attention, bless them.

I think it’s the accent.

I can’t help it. It’s just there.

Confounded nuisance really. I don’t bally well want it to set me apart.

Love people you see. All types, all colours. Just love ‘em.

SLY FOXY

I opened my case and pulled out a rather rusty old ladder that I had stumbled across in a skip just outside the village hall.

Could be that some painter and decorator had topped himself because there was also one of those furry paint rollers and an old painting dust-sheet.

Just what Micky Finn didn’t realize he needed.

OLD AGGIE

Twenty-four eyes stared at up at me in complete and utter admiration.

Bleedin’ suckers! I bought it so I could ring their doorbells and nick stuff off their washing lines and pour rat poison into their bird baths, before making a quick getaway. By the time those old geriatrics make it to their doors, I’m long gone. Nifty piece of kit this.

Even Big Dick was taken in. Makes a change, he’s normally taken short.

THE MAD PROFESSOR

I’m Professor Dawson and I’m an inventor.

I have built a rather special little person from bits and pieces.

I shall now unleash Sparky.

I open up his home, a huge cardboard carton, and ease him out. He now stands there in all his glory looking like an extremely intelligent Henry vacuum cleaner.

 

So, that’s it Folks. You’ve met the gang.

I’d love you to get to know them better.

You can download to your kindle or tablet now from  Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

Best wishes, as always, and I look forward to continuing to promote you all,

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Blog: My ebay triumphs sit in corners gathering dust

Hi everyone, I’d like to welcome you to our latest Guest Blog, and today the guest blogger is none other than …me…your very own Charlie Bray, le patron of the Indietribe.

You see, as far back as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed by humour and funny books. Whilst I love every minute I spend working on the Indietribe website, I also miss my daily dose of rib-tickling, side-splitting, laugh out loud, coffee-spluttering mirth.

So I’ve set up a second blog, Village Idiot Club, to provide a regular dose of hearty laughter. We can all use a daily chuckle, and I really hope you’ll check my blog out, and even follow it, so that you never miss a giggle. And I promise you there’ll be lots of ‘em.

So please sit back and enjoy my first Village Idiot Club post:

 

 

I’ve got a bit of a problem with ebay. I don’t know what I want until I’ve got it – and when I’ve got it, I find I don’t really want it

Does this ring any bells with anyone out there? Don’t tell me I’m the only idiot on the planet who bids with tunnel-vision,  intent on grinding other bidders into the dust. When the red mist descends it becomes less about procuring the desired item, and more about winning – at all costs!

And some of the costs have been formidable.

I once paid a fortune for a macro lens for my S.L.R. camera, the desire for one being born whilst watching David Attenborough capturing an array of mini-beasts on film. Duly set-up, in more ways than one, I trekked around nearby woods, lugging an old tripod, various reference books, and my newly acquired lens. I spent the day tripping over, dropping my camera and capturing blurry shots of butterflies, caterpillars and slugs.

Ever since, the lens has sat on a shelf staring back at me, defying me to take it out again. Well, no way – stare all you like.

I only have to listen to Motown on the radio, and I’m there, bidding away for a scratched first pressing of a Diana Ross classic. Problem there is that vinyl is not much use without a record player. But then again, I’m sure to be able to bid over the odds for one on ebay.

Given that there are idiots like me prepared to buy anything, it’s hardly surprising that ebay has spawned a plethora of salesmen, offering the most bizarre items for sale. I know some-one who rips celebrity interviews from Sunday supplements and offers them at a starting price of £2.50! Reduces his paper bill nicely.

Did you know you can even buy a jet fighter plane on ebay. You could save a fortune on holiday flights, are unlikely to lose your luggage and you could always buzz a slow-flying, petrol-saving Ryanair plane en route. Mind you, they’d probably charge you a supplement to do that.

Someone should really write a book about idiots and ebay. Oh, hang on, I just did.

Available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

You never know, it might improve your online auction skills.

Talk again soon, Happy Bidding.

I really hope you enjoyed the first post from my new blog. Please pop across now and follow it. It will really help me to make it work and spread a bit of laughter across what can be quite a dismal world. Let’s all LAUGH OUT LOUD AT LIFE!

 

Downton Abbey is Trending. I’m going to jump aboard.You can too!

Now and again, something really catches the public’s eye and goes viral. Downton Abbey fits perfectly into that category and I rub my hands with glee? Why? Because I’ve written a novel about a stately home and I’m going to do my best to harness the Downton trend.

Now, when I’ve written my piece on why my book, Open House, should be trending like Downton Abbey, you can do one of three things. You can laugh your head off, you can wish me well, or you can really make my day and buy it. Hands up which will please me most.

But one thing’s for sure, whichever course of action that you choose, you will be aware that Open House by Charlie Bray exists!

And isn’t that what book marketing is all about.

So here I go. I’m having first dibbs at this – cos it’s my idea. But when I’ve done, I’m going to throw the opportunity open to everyone, so read on – right to the end.

 DOWNTON ABBEY BOUNCES BACK ON TO U.K. SCREENS

Downton Abbey returned to the U.K small screen this week on the crest of a wave, and is sure to follow in the U.S soon. The fourth season of this blockbuster will be a huge success – just like the three that preceded it. And why? Because I and millions of other people love it. People from the upper middle classes downwards have always harboured a morbid fascination for  the British Aristocracy and the media have kept up a supply of period dramas to satisfy them.

But I think there is just as huge a fascination with the present day aristocracy and that’s where my new novel Open House comes in. When compared with Downton Abbey, there is strong evidence that things in the upper echelon never really change. If anything, it’s more mysterious now because no-one really knows how the aristocracy is surviving. I guess they’ve got similar problems to their ancestors. Set in a different timeframe, but just as interesting

For instance, the patriarch of Downton, Lord Grantham, is skint again, following the early demise of his heir, Matthew. And so is Lord Cove, the bumbling patriach of Cove Castle in Open House. In fact, he makes light of it, glibly handing Renoirs and Picassos out to pay the utility bills.

The Dowager Countess of Downton is an endearing old battleaxe who takes no prisoners. The Marchioness in Cove Castle is perhaps even worse, terrorising family and staff alike.

Lord Grantham’s daughters are very feisty indeed, albeit grief-stricken. Lord Cove’s off-spring are even feistier, but much less morbid. You see, Open House is a comedy. One of his grand-daughters copulates for Britain, one is an extremely determined tree-hugging activist.

Whilst the children in Downton Abbey currently do little more than get pushed around in vintage prams, young Che Guevara, yes honestly, runs around Cove Castle’s turrets unfurling banners and launching gargoyles at unsuspecting Supreme Court Judges below.

The chauffeur at Downton Abbey has climbed the class ladder and is now part of the aristocracy, whilst the one in Open House is enjoying a gay liaison with one of the aristocrats and shooing away a Thai lady boy who he perceives as competition.

And there is more, much more in Downton Abbey and Open House worth comparing. All you have to do is keep watching Downton and buy Open House for the pittance that is £2.04 on Amazon.co.uk and $3.04 on Amazon.com

Happy Stately Home reading!

**

So there you are, I’ve had my go. Now it’s time for you to have yours:

Welcome to Indietribe’s brand new feature, in which you can link your book to something that is currently TRENDING – a very Cool word, eh? – and piggy-back on the trend-setter’s present-day fame. Don’t be distracted by all the hyphens – this is worth reading!

I’m inviting you to send in a piece of text, including pictures, to link your book to something that is currently hot and happening. No fee whatsoever, and consequently minimum input from me. And no promise of publication. I’ll only publish it and promote it if it catches my eye, and you’ve done all the work. Copying and pasting it will be my only involvement.

This new feature will be published fortnightly  and is open to all Indietribe Members. Send your copy and images in as soon as it’s ready to me, Charlie Bray at theindietribe@gmail.com

So what do you link your book to. Well this is where you have to use your imagination. You’re an author anyway so that should be no great hardship. Look around you at what is hot and trending. Visit the likes of Facebook and Twitter. They’ll be only too pleased to show you what’s trending with them.Study the news.What’s currently breaking. Somewhere out there there will be a major force that matches your book.

Find it, harness it, and build a little story around it, highlighting your book within the process.

Look back at what I did above. That really is all there is to it. Come on, get cracking. Regard it as Charlie’s Challenge. It’s a great way to attract publicity and link to something that’s already going viral. Even if it doesn’t reach the heady heights of appearing free of charge on Indietribe – and some definitely will – just think of all the other places you can send it to gain publicity.

So there you are. Find and follow that trend!

But before you do, buy Open House as a little thank you to me for the idea. It’s only £2.04  from Amazon.co.uk and $3.04  from Amazon.com

See how cheeky and pushy you have to be to succeed?

Catch up with you all soon,

Very best regards,

Charlie

 

NEWS FLASH: 10 Days to our October Spotlight. MAKE SURE YOUR BOOK IS IN!

THAT’S RIGHT – ONLY TEN DAYS TO OUR OCTOBER ISSUE

BUT IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO SEE YOUR BOOK IN LIGHTS

October’s Spotlight will be promoted avidly on Indietribe, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Goodreads for the entire  month. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to get your book under the spotlight of thousands of readers for a whole month:

This is what your entry will look like:

And this is what it will cost:

£6 (approx $9US) per book for one month,

£15 (approx $23US) per book for three months

£25 (approx $39US) per book for six months

£45 (approx $69US) per book for twelve months

We are now taking orders for the October edition. If you would like your book including, PLEASE CLICK HERE