Indie April Suggestions - Part 9

 This is the last day of April and the last day of Indie April for 2021. However, I have 2 more authors I want to leave with you before the month is out. And while they may be last, they are certainly not least. They’ll help us depart April with a bang.

Alexander Pain

I’ll confess up front, I don’t like the zombie apocalypse craze. That said, I do like the writing of Alexander Pain and he writes about the zombie apocalypse. So that should tell you something right there.

Pain has one novel and several short stories in his oeuvre, and they are worthy additions to your entertainment library. What I admire about Pain’s writing is his ability to take a thoroughly impossible idea — the zombie apocalypse — and make it real.

For example, when reading Zombie Complex: The Battle for Chattahoochee Run I was drawn into the story because of the realistic characters he peoples it with. The same can be said for Neither Seen, Nor Heard. He puts real people into an unrealistic setting and by doing so enables me to suspend my sense of disbelief.

Using humor, pathos, and suspense, he makes the reader accept the implausibility of his world, and that is quite a feat. And he draws our attention to the question, How do I survive in such a world? Or any world for that matter.

Good post-apocalyptic fiction is, at base, philosophical in nature. Everything I value has been stripped away from me. Now what? Who am I? What is my purpose? What is of real importance in life? And Pain subtly poses those questions for us to ponder in the backs of our minds.

If you’re looking for action, adventure, and a good survival story, as well as food for thought, head on over to Amazon and check out the books of Alexander Pain. You won’t be sorry.

Ernestine Marsh

I love a good laugh and the older I get the more I value laughter. Because laughter puts everything into perspective and lightens any and all loads. I hope I die laughing.

When reading one of the things I look for is humor. If  it’s present, the author gets a plus.

Ernestine Marsh writes humor, and that is a tough job for the best of writes. In Agonising: The Problem Page Letters of Jean Price and Raine Vincent and In Agony Again, Marsh has created two of the most delightful characters I’ve come across.

Price and Vincent are competing agony aunts, or advice columnists for us Americans. The plots of both books chronicle their battle of oneupmanship, and along the way we are treated to the most ridiculous and hilarious advice to the most incredible and incredulous problems.

The humor is often a mask for satirical commentary on our times. And the satire can be bitingly wicked. Satire and humor that is in league with Voltaire, Twain, and Wilde. Marsh doesn’t pull any punches.

So, if you’re looking for a good laugh with a hefty helping of hilarious social satire, head on over to Amazon and pickup Ernestine Marsh’s books. And prepare to be incapacitated by your funny bone.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

Indie April Suggestions - Part 8

 Indie April will be over in a few days. Nevertheless, I’ve 4 more authors I want to introduce you to before the month is out.

Today, you’ll meet Jack Tyler and Joe Congel. So let’s get to it!

Jack Tyler

I’ve known Jack Tyler for just about as long as I’ve been an independent author-publisher. We met on a now defunct steampunk forum.

Jack taught himself how to write stories. He learned the ins and outs, and honed his craft to an art. He not only knows how to write, he knows how to write well. He’s mastered the art of storytelling.

To date, he’s published the 3 book Beyond the Rails series, which is steampunk high adventure; and the epic fantasy novel The Stone Seekers, which breaks refreshing new ground in that genre.

He has lots more stuff in the wings, and I hope he let’s those books take center stage. Because Jack is far and away one of the better indie writers I’ve read. 

He has the ability to create a world and people it with characters who draw you in, and make you a part of their world. His stories have an air of the classic about them. Which puts them head and shoulders above much of the contemporary drivel being put up on Amazon today.

So if high adventure and lots of action is what you’re looking for, head on over to Amazon and pick up Jack’s books. You won’t be sorry.

Joe Congel

Joe Congel has created a fabulous private detective in Tony Razzolito, aka the Razzman.

And at the same time, he’s managed to bring the essence of the hardboiled detective into a contemporary setting. Which is very refreshing. 

I love private eye mysteries. And Congel does them right. He follows the formula and pacing of the masters, while eschewing the modern penchant for constant mind-numbing action. 

Not that there isn’t any action in the Razzman series — because there’s plenty of it. But it’s action done right, action that heightens the mystery, threatens the sleuth’s ability to gather the clues. 

Congel, like his mystery writer forebears, gives us a mystery that focuses on solving the crime. It is the classic literary puzzle. The action is the spice that makes the experience all the more delightful.

Joe Congel does mystery right. If you love the tales of Marlowe, Spade, and Mike Hammer, then head on over to Amazon and pick up the Razzman books. You won’t be sorry.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

Indie April Suggestions - Part 7

 For today’s Indie April showcase, I want to throw the spotlight onto 3 authors who write some of the spookiest stuff out there. So, without further ado, let’s meet these gentlemen.

John F Leonard

John F Leonard is one of many highly talented writers I’ve found on Twitter. He writes cosmic horror (one of my favorite genres), as well as wonderfully spooky stories.

The Bledbrooke Works and Congeal are suspense filled tales of terror. Bledbrooke is something of a prequel to Congeal, so you might want to read it first.

Congeal is a post-apocalyptic tale that is downright chilling. It’s the kind of slowburn horror that stays with you, that continues to haunt you long after you’ve finished the book.

Next on my reading list is his The Dead Boxes Archive, and I’ll be reading it during the daylight hours.

Here are John’s Amazon pages:

US

UK

Canada

Australia

Germany

Check him out. He’s really top drawer, and fast becoming one of my favorite authors.

Andy Graham

Andy Graham writes masterful tales of chilling terror. I hate reading his stories at night, because, quite honestly, they give me bad dreams.

He has the dystopian Misrule series, The Risen World Supernatural thrillers, and I Died Yesterday, a collection of dark fiction tales.

Graham is an accomplished wordsmith. Begin one of his books and you’ll be biting your nails and saying, “What was that noise?”

I’m currently reading A Demon Risen. But only while the sun is up.

Here is where you can find Andy Graham on Amazon:

US

UK

Canada

Australia

Germany

Ray Zacek

Ray Zacek can scare your socks off, or make you laugh with his macabre dark humor. And when he turns to satire, it’s funny, biting, and somewhat chilling all at the same time.

Want a scary story? Try Cosecha and Daguerreotype. Satire? Try Fresh Catch: Fiction Sushi. Dark humor? Give The Sisters a read. I love his books and you will too.

Take a look at Ray’s Amazon pages:

US

UK

Canada

Australia

Germany

He’s a superb storyteller who you will fall in love with. I guarantee it.

John F Leonard, Andy Graham, and Ray Zacek are masters of the art of telling us a good story. They are producing some of the best fiction being written today. Give them a try. You won’t be sorry.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

Indie April Suggestions - Part 6

 James Vincett

A few years ago, I read that 3,000 new books appeared on Amazon every day. That is quite a number, and I bet it has only gone up.

The other week, someone wrote that there are 8 million books available on the Zon. Eight Million. That is absolutely incredible.

If you’re a writer, the question you’re probably asking is: how do I get people to find my books? And that is a very good question, but one I hope to address in a different post.

If you are a reader, you’re probably asking: how do I find my next good read? And that is a very good question, especially since Amazon has started polluting our search results with sponsored ads.

Nearly half of our search results aren’t search results — they’re advertising.

It is getting to the point where I don’t like searching for books on Amazon anymore. There are just too darn many ads. In fact, I’ve started searching for books on Google. And then I see where they are being sold, and often end up buying the book someplace other than Amazon. The Zon might want to take a new look at their over zealous ad pollution of book pages.

I am both a reader and a writer. And since becoming an independent author-publisher, I’ve consistently sought out those excellent books that aren’t in the top 300,000 on Amazon. And I’ve found quite a few, which I then go on to promote. Hoping they get a wider audience.

One of those serendipitous finds was James Vincett’s highly imaginative Hominin Universe.

Vincett has set three series in his future the universe. I would broadly class his books as space opera, with hefty side servings of military SF and action & adventure. And they will all wet your whistle for more.

Hominin Union

The first series is his Hominin Union trilogy, of which volumes 1 and 2 are out. They are top drawer, first class reading. He combines, space opera, military SF, political intrigue, with lots of action and adventure. Having just finished book 2, The Borrega Test, I’m champing at the bit for book 3.

This series is every bit as good as The Foundation, Star Wars, or Battlestar Galactica. Loads of characters to love and hate, and a tense storyline that has you biting your nails. I’m all in on this one.

You can find The Anuvi Incident and The Borrega Test on Amazon.

The Far Frontier

Two books are out in the episodic Far Frontier series. These are classic SF novellas of space exploration. They are very imaginative and highly inventive. Filled with curious humans, strange aliens, and fantastic worlds.

You can get Hope’s Surprise and The Dreaming Oceans of San Miguel (man, do I love that title) on Amazon.

The Independencies

This series is brand new. Slalom, Inc was just published in March. It’s a longish novelette, or shortish novella, that is the perfect vehicle for telling an ongoing story in easily digestible nuggets.

Slalom, Inc reminded me a lot of Firefly. So if you’re a Browncoat fan, I think you’ll like this first tale of The Independencies in Vincett’s Hominin Universe. And you can get Slalom, Inc at Amazon!

What I like most about James Vincett’s books, and I’ve read them all, is that they are set in a universe that pulls me in. I want to know more about it. I’m intrigued by it. A major plus is that Vincett knows how to people his universe with believable humans, near humans, and aliens.

The science incorporates classic SF tropes that are informed with current day understanding. So you get the best of both worlds: classic and modern SF. All wrapped up in a masterfully told story.

I’d love to see Vincett’s books on the big or small screen. And I’m not much of a movie or TV person!

If you read science fiction, James Vincett is an indie author you just have to meet.

Get his books, read them, and review them. Support this super indie writer. You won’t be sorry.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

Indie April Suggestions - Part 5

 Caleb Pirtle III

When I was growing up, if you wanted to become a fiction author, you wrote books and submitted them to book publishers. You could write short stories, but the magazine market had dwindled to such a point that the paying markets were just about impossible to break into. Which left you with a variety of fanzines that paid in contributor copies. If you were lucky.

Back in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s things were pretty tough for those wanting to be a published author — especially an author of fiction. The Indie Movement is a tsunami of fresh air.

Caleb Pirtle III entered the world of writing, back in that pre-internet era, through the nonfiction side. He was a journalist, authored a variety of nonfiction books, was travel editor for Southern Living magazine, and editorial director for a custom book and magazine publishing company.

Moving into the fiction, he wrote screenplays, and today focuses on historical fiction, with a side of spy and psychological thrillers.

I’ve only read a smidgen of his 70+ published books. But that smidgen has been a gold mine. A literary El Dorado.

I’m very pleased to have discovered the many worlds Caleb Pirtle — and look forward to discovering many more!

The Quiet Assassin

Roland Sand is The Quiet Assassin and is the main character in three longish spy thriller novellas.

I suggest getting the one volume edition and read the stories one after the other, because the collection reads like a novel when read that way.

Sand was my introduction to Mr. Pirtle’s fiction, and I fell in love immediately. The writing is pictorially evocative. Pirtle wields words and sentences like an artist does a paintbrush. The characters are well-drawn, and you find yourself wondering where you’ve met them before. They are that real.

When I finished Lonely Night To Die, quite honestly I was sad. Sad because there were no more stories to read.

Pick up a copy of Lonely Night To Die at Amazon. You won’t be sorry.

The Boom Town Saga

Caleb has a time machine. I just know he does, because when I read the three books in The Boom Town Saga I was transported back to East Texas in the 1930s.

I could taste the dust, feel the sweat-producing humidity. I could reach out and touch the people of Ashland. I fell in love with Eudora Durant. And con artist though he is, I felt I could be friends with Doc Bannister.

The three books in The Boom Town Saga are three must reads. They will give you an understanding of Depression Era Texas that no text book will give you. And I think that’s because they are time machines. They’re also doggone good entertainment.

Get The Boom Town Saga at Amazon. You won’t be sorry. It’s some of the best reading I’ve experienced.

Last Deadly Lie

I am going to cheat, and quote my review from Amazon:

Last Deadly Lie is a powerful novel of greed, the lust for power, the desperate grasp for meaning and purpose, and of human depravity. The book is a starkly realistic portrayal of church people, small town people, all people. We all have our secrets. Secrets we will do anything to keep secret, and that is what gives this novel its power.

Caleb Pirtle’s strength as a fiction writer lies in his ability to put realistic characters on the page, and his ability to vividly paint a scene so that you can see, touch, and experience it right along with the characters. And to top it off, his prose sings.

Last Deadly Lie just might be the best novel I’ll read all year. Highly recommended.

What can I say? Stop what you’re doing and get this book right now! :)

Caleb Pirtle III is one of the very best writers to join the Indie Movement from traditional publishing. He is a fabulous craftsman, and I am looking forward to reading more of his wonderfully satisfying stories. Do give him a try, if you haven’t already. He’s magnificent.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

Indie April Suggestions - Part 4

 RH Hale

Today, I’m showcasing my fourth author for Indie April: the incomparable and supremely talented RH Hale.

Twitter has been a good source for finding talented writers of truly amazing books. My reading life has been enhanced many-fold by these wonderfully creative people.

RH Hale is one of the most talented of the literary finds I’ve come across. And I’m so thankful I did.

Her two books

Church Mouse: Memoir of a vampire’s servant

and

Church Mouse (Book 2): The Change

elevate the vampire novel to a new height. Yet these books are more than just vampire novels. For Rona Dean, the human servant, the watch dog for these supremely deadly creatures, tells us her story. And by doing so, we are given an insight into what it’s like to live on the knife-edge of terror day in and day out; and, through this daily exposure to terror and incredible horror, we see Rona, the church mouse, change, grow, and eventually earn the respect of the monsters she serves.

Gothic novel? Or are these books a coming of age story? A tale of macabre terror? Or a philosophical treatise on what it truly means to be human?

Perhaps Church Mouse is all of these, and more.

Ms Hale’s storytelling is superb throughout. We are given atmospheric descriptions of places, and mood evoking pictures of settings. Her characters are alive, real. You can touch them, feel with them, feel for them.

Her command of the novel form is equal to that of the most mature of writers. Her words mesmerize us, evoke deep feelings in us, touch all of our senses — they let us see and experience Rona’s world.

These two novels are simply brilliant. They are gothic masterpieces. They are among the finest horror literature being written today. They rightly belong next to the classics: “Dracula”, “Carmilla”, and “The Vampyre”.

Simply put, Ms Hale is one of the finest indie authors writing today. She is nonpareil.

Church Mouse, Book 1, Amazon US

Church Mouse, Book 2, Amazon US

Church Mouse, Book 1, Amazon UK

Church Mouse, Book 2, Amazon UK

Church Mouse, Book 1, Amazon Canada

Church Mouse, Book 2, Amazon Canada

Church Mouse, Book 1, Amazon Australia

Church Mouse, Book 2, Amazon Australia

Church Mouse, Book 1, Amazon Germany

Church Mouse, Book 2, Amazon Germany

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

Indie April Suggestions - Part 3

 Matthew Cormack

My favorite form of the post-apocalyptic novel is the cozy catastrophe.

My introduction to this sub-sub-genre was with the classic novel Earth Abides by George R Stewart.

That introduction was 30+ years ago, and I immediately fell in love with the book. But at the time I was unaware that there were others like it. Because back then there was no internet and easy information.

Years later, I learned that Earth Abides was merely one example of an entire sub-genre of post-apocalyptic fiction called cozy catastrophes. And boy was I happy!

In my opinion, Matthew Cormack is the cozy catastrophe writer par excellence. His Piranha Pandemic universe is an awful place, but one filled with hope that a better world will eventually rise up and replace the one that died.

To date, there are 3 novels set in his post-apocalyptic world:

Don’t Dream It’s Over

Ganbaru

The Piranha Pandemic: From Small Acorns…

All three are superlative examples of the cozy catastrophe. They portray with stunning realism the collapse of society, and how people will react to the loss of everything. And in true cozy catastrophe fashion, he shows how people will try to re-organize and rebuild society.

The books are standalone, so you can read them in any order.

Don’t Dream It’s Over was the first book published. It’s the story of one survivor of the apocalypse. It is the best novel in epistolary form that I’ve read. It is also one of the best in-depth character studies I’ve read. The book, quite simply, is brilliant.

Ganbaru is the story of what happens when a small peace-oriented community comes into contact with an aggressive and belligerent group. The results aren’t pretty, to say the least. An exciting novel that will keep you on the edge of your chair.

The Piranha Pandemic: From Small Acorns… is a prequel novel, as it tells how the pandemic came about and describes, with horrifying realism, the collapse of civilization.

As the origin of the pandemic is hinted at in Don’t Dream It’s Over, I suggest you read the books in the order above. You’ll see the state of things after the collapse from two perspectives, and then read about the collapse as it happened.

As a writer, Mr Cormack is a master craftsman. He knows how to tell an exciting story. He knows how to create believable and realistic people. His world is well-thought out and hangs together.

I can’t say enough good things about this “Sunday writer”, as he refers to himself. All I can say is that I wish every day was Sunday.

Treat yourself to the best cozy catastrophes being written today. Heck, the best post-apocalyptic fiction being written today. This Indie April acquaint yourself with Matthew Cormack. You’ll be glad you did.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!