We don’t wonder how our favorite book came to be. We don’t ask the author what made them choose the route they took out publication. We just enjoy the story. But unfortunately, some stories get overlooked.
Independently or self-published books are diamonds in the rough. The only difference between them and traditionally published books is that their authors wanted something that publishing houses couldn’t offer. Having the rights to your own story. Complete creative control. That’s why I decided to self-publish myself. Because I, along with many other authors, didn’t want someone else controlling our story.
So today we’ll be taking a look at ten indie books. Not only to highlight great undiscovered stories but to also give us all something to do as we stay at home.
1). Friends, Family, and Other Tragedies by Dillon Walker
Eighteen-year-old Andy lives in a small town and from the outside, it looks like she has it all. She’s a dancer awaiting the opportunity of a lifetime, she has a wonderful best friend, and is dating the richest, not to mention hottest, boy in school. But behind the face, she puts on every morning, Andy is being buried by fear and grief. The boyfriend she claims to love hurts her. Her grandparents died when she was ten, her dad died when she was 13, and she never got the chance to meet her mom.
As she awaits audition results from Juilliard, Andy is forced to navigate her fear of both her boyfriend and the thought of losing her best friend of 15 years. However, as her boyfriend becomes more violent and results get closer and closer, Andy finds the stories her family left behind and learns that she has the strength hidden inside her that she needs. But she knows that if she doesn’t find it soon, leaving will lead to something more permanent than a scar.
2). Ash and Bone: Tales of Terror by Elford Alley
"...if you want to read a wonderfully executed story about something that goes bump in the night, this is the collection for you."
“Margie's hair fell out in clumps and the detective still had questions. Outside, the snow and ash fell together in a gray haze..." The undead rise and monsters wait in the dark in Ash and Bone: Tales of Terror. Enjoy eight tales of zombies, giant spiders, witch owls, and the occult, with terror rooted as firmly in our world as it is the next.
3). A Girl Called Ari by P.J. Sky
In a distant future… A world divided... A walled city in a devastated wasteland… a struggle for power becomes a struggle to survive… with friends like these, who needs enemies?
For Starla, a struggle for power becomes a struggle for survival when she finds herself on the wrong side of the wall. Fleeing her abductors and lost in the wasteland, she faces starvation, warring factions, bloodthirsty creatures, and the endless burning sun.
And then there’s Ari… who is she really? And can she really trust this girl from the wasteland to lead her back to the city gates?
One thing’s for sure, Starla’s once privileged life will never be the same…
4). Antonius: Son of Rome by Brook Allen
After young Marcus Antonius’s father dies in disgrace, he yearns to restore his family’s honor during the final days of Rome’s dying Republic. Marcus is rugged, handsome, and owns abundant military talent, but upon entering manhood, he falls prey to the excesses of a violent society. His whoring, gambling, and drinking eventually reap dire consequences.
Through a series of personal tragedies, Marcus must come into his own through blood, blades, and death. Once he finally earns a military commission, he faces an uphill battle to earn the respect and admiration of soldiers, proconsuls, and kings. Desperate to redeem his name and carve a legacy for himself, he refuses to let warring rebels, scheming politicians, or even an alluring young Egyptian princess stand in his way.
5). Awakening: Queen of Spades by E. J. Dawson
Ayla is a villain. With a gift that allows her to see when anyone will die, she’s remorseless in her profession as the perfect assassin. When she wakes up in a cryo-tank three thousand years in the future, and no idea how she came to be there, all that matters is survival.
Rescued by Leith and the crew of the Nuria, Ayla discovers a far evolved world of space ships and galactic colonization. But everything comes with a price, and though Ayla is no princess locked in an icy tower, she still has to pay for the rescue she didn’t know she needed.
Given over to Leith, a darkly handsome man who reads Ayla far easier than she’d like, they must work together if Ayla is to repay her debt. As the pair come to learn how dangerous one another are, so too grows a lustful bond that comes with rules of its own. Fighting to learn why she was frozen, Ayla’s dragged into Leith’s past with a criminal organization seeking to take over this sector of the galaxy. In order to survive, Leith will need Ayla’s help, but Ayla doesn’t know if she’s willing to pay what it will cost her…
6). Big Mouth Blues by Danalynn Donovan
A blabbermouth who no one suspects is keeping a colossal secret…
Realistic Fiction gripping from start to finish! Will she, won't she be sucked into the cycle of alcoholism?
Determined to protect her mother and little sisters, fourteen-year-old Kacey Dalton takes the brunt of her father's alcoholism and violent mood swings. He swears if she tells anyone he'll shut her big mouth forever. Her mom turns a blind eye and does nothing; she's got her own secrets to keep. Kacey's quirky sense of humor helps her deal, and she hopes someday she'll be free of his tirades.
Struggling to hold her dysfunctional family together, Kacey escapes into her best friend Maxine's happy family. She finds sanctuary in Maxine's perfect life: fancy house, loving parents, and handsome older brother Wade. Kacey's been crushing on Wade for years, and he may or may not like her back.
As her dad's explosive rages escalate, Kacey's bruises get harder to hide—especially from Wade. He wants answers. If Kacey tells him the truth, she risks losing him and her second family forever. She ends up trapped between the wall of lies she's built and the father who's intent on taking every-crappy-thing-that's-wrong-with-his-life out on her. Kacey seeks escape again, this time in the sanctuary of whiskey. The more she says she will not be like her father, the more she is like him, which has devastating effects on her sisters. Exactly what she's tried so hard to prevent.
Kacey must find the courage to stop the abuse. But rescuing herself means destroying the lives of everyone she loves. And standing up to her dad might just get her killed.
Heart-wrenching, humorous, and hopeful, Big Mouth Blues weaves a story of true friendship with a resilient young girl's journey of triumph. Readers will find themselves cringing, laughing out loud, getting teary-eyed, and unable to put this powerful, intense page-turner down.
7). The Soul of Affinity by Devin McCamey
Anton Stone, a scholar and Nordic linguist from Baltimore is out of a job.
The True Norse ripped open the sky from their world and marched their conquering armies into northern Denmark in 1997. We won the war and sent the Norse armies packing, but it left a scar on society.
Now attacks using magical Nordic affinities are on the rise and causing waves of violent backlash throughout the world. Worse, people with affinities start disappearing at an alarming rate, and no one knows why.
Anton joins up with the Nordic Threat Analysis Team (N-TAT) in an effort to understand where the real threat is, and show what it isn't.
The team uncovers a mysterious group behind the missing people. Anton must race against the looming danger to understand who is really pulling the strings. But, there seems to be a traitor in his team, and if he doesn't learn his true potential then losing his friends will be the best-case scenario.
8). Second Glance: Short Stories by Jamie Adams
Not everything is as it seems. That old adage, "Never judge a book by its cover," definitely applies to these quirky stories. Sometimes first impressions don’t count. Take a second glance and you’ll get more of a realistic insight.
9). Death by Midnight by Nicole Nadeau
A teen genius. A Russian terrorist. Can she save her family before time runs out?
Anna is an inventor, but her high school bully causes her to hide her talents. Her best friend, Jake, is the only one she trusts with her secret. But after her parents are taken hostage by a dangerous figure in need of her skills, Anna is forced to carry out his plan in order to save them.
With her inventions and Jake by her side, Anna races against time to complete her mission. She quickly discovers that her parents aren’t the only ones in danger.
Can she save her family and countless others before it’s too late?
Death by Midnight is the first book in The Secret Life of Anna Goode series. If you like well-written characters, a strong female lead, suspenseful plots, and unexpected twists, you’ll love this action-packed spy thriller.
Go read any one of these books or even all of them. And maybe you’ll find your next adventure.
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