This past week was a great one to be an Indie author. It started with me participating in a birthday bash on the Pretty Little Pages blog. The creator, Kristen, was celebrating her own birthday by celebrating her favorite Indie authors. I was lucky enough to be one of them.(There is still a fantastic giveaway going on over there until September 2nd!)
Kristen is one of the somewhat rare group of reviewers who not only will accept and review self-published work, but she is actively promoting good Indie authors. She really is at the front of the pack doing work that takes more time and effort, but I believe, gives bigger rewards. Of the hundreds of review requests a blogger receives each week, many will be poorly edited books with weak story lines from self-published authors. There are a ton of them out there because it's amazingly easy to put a book on Amazon. But hidden in this huge pile are a few real gems, books with strong stories, great characters, solid editing and a unique perspective. Kristen has taken the time and (huge) effort to find these. When you are looking for your next book, check out her blog for suggestions.
But being part of this esteemed group also made me remember one of the best reasons you should give Indie authors a try - we take risks, we present new and refreshing perspectives and unique stories. Publishing houses are not taking risks right now. Their hundreds-of-years-old business model is crumbling quickly in the electronic age and they are not about to invest time and money in anything unique, risky or different. They want tried, true, established, (cliche, formulaic).
I started writing because I wanted to read something new. I love romance books, but I just couldn't take one more syrupy-sweet heroine and her bad-boy (more like asshole) hero who try and sell me that they are in love when I'm getting chapter after chapter of nothing but descriptions about how hot they both are. I wrote the book I wanted to read. And so did a lot of other writers. And they are good.
This week inspired me to keep writing, to get more connected to other Indie authors and keep building our community and to support the Indie authors that I love. From working with review blogs I've discovered a few gems myself. If you are looking for a Labor Day weekend read why not give one of these a try. And if you are as impressed as I was, please leave them a review and help spread the word.
Knockout by Tracey Ward. I am only 40% into this book and it is my first by this author, but I am already impressed. I had to force myself to stop reading in order to write this post. It will be a struggle all day to keep myself from getting lost in this story. Fantastic drama, great characters, so far a good story line.
Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan. This is a truly sweet love story that will not make you nauseous. The author manages to create a heart-warming, unique story that never crosses the line into sappy. Completely unique characters in a story that had me yelling at my kindle, hoping for a happy ending.
Tangled by Emma Chase. This romance is completely written from the male perspective and its a good thing because if you didn't know what was going on in this guy's head you would hate him. As it is, you get a truly funny perspective on love and lust. The heroine is also one of my favorites. She is witty, smart, strong, real.
Frenched by Melanie Harlow. I not only fell in love with these characters, I fell in love (again) with Paris.
Happy Reading!
Labels: #amwriting #IndieAuthor #mondayblogs, #NAromance, #romancewriter