Why You Should Read Indies–Or, Hey, Look! Free Books! #SIAFBB

Listen, life is stressful. Sometimes we need an escape, and reading will give that you. Who needs a vacation when you can read a book and travel into worlds you never imagined? That’s the reason why I love books so much. They’re a journey into someone else’s life. An escape, just for a little while.

Some may turn up their noses at independently published books. I understand why. We’ve been conditioned to swarm to all the things everyone else likes. What’s the most popular laundry detergent? That’s the one I’m going to buy, then! Traditionally published books are the same. Publishers choose stories based on what they think will be the most popular plot. Whatever will sell best, that’s what they choose to publish. That’s why so many of the books you pick up in your bookstore seem so familiar.

Indie books are different. There’s no filter. No one is deciding for you what you think you’ll like. Indie authors write passionately about subjects close to their hearts. They write because they have stories to tell. They write things you might never have realized you wanted to read until you start, and you get swept up into their beautiful, detailed, intriguing, fast-paced, adventurous, wonderful stories.

Here are a few of my favorite examples of unconventional plots told by indie authors:

 

GG Atcheson’s The Legacy Series
This series is one I’m partial to, not just because I had a hand in making the cover. The author masterfully blends aliens and vampires into a fast-paced, compelling plot filled with unpredictable twists and turns. Yes, I did say aliens and vampires. Yes, it’s strange. Yes, it’s incredible. Book Three in the series is 99 cents until April 2. Get it!

 

 

 

 

VM’s Sawh’s Hontas (Good Tales for Bad Dreams Series)
V.M. is a wordsmith. His imagery is vivid and compelling. He takes fairy tales and legends we all know and love, and he twists them and spins them until they’re clever, gritty, and more real than our childhood stories could ever portray. My favorite of his was GR3T3L, a tale of two robots stranded on an unfamiliar planet. Hontas is free through the first, and I just added it to my Kindle.

 

 

Christina McMullen’s Dissonant (Eyes of the Sun Series)
Okay, admittedly I haven’t read the Eyes of the Sun Series (yet). But I have read Christina’s superhero parody A Shot at the Bigtime, and her YA mashup Kind of Like Life is probably my favorite indie book so far. Her writing is cleverly conceived, combining so many plot twists, familiar tropes, and such a tongue-in-cheek approach to storytelling that I fell quickly in love with this author’s style. Dissonant is free March 31. It involves vampires and genetics. I’m dying to read it!

 

Why do indies offer their books for free? To get you hooked. To get eyes on their titles, and draw you in. It isn’t because they’re inferior to traditionally published books. On the contrary, indie books will draw you in like no other books will! I hope I’ve convinced you to explore this world for yourself. If so, it’s perfect timing! Support for Indie Authors is running a free and discount promo this weekend, where you can download over a hundred other titles for free or 99 cents! Click the image below for details, and check out the trailers beneath it for even more exciting titles!

Fellowship of Fantasy Magical March Giveaway

 

Here Be Magic …

Enchanted lands, magical creatures, fairies and witches and … space wizards? You bet! We’ve got all that and more for our Fellowship of Fantasy March ebook giveaway. Sixteen authors are offering sixteen adventures, along with a little something extra to make your month magical. Keep reading to learn more and get a closer look at a few books in the bundle.

Where Carpets Fly
by Elise Edmonds

Elina Faramar finally leaves her family’s flying carpet shop when her father reluctantly agrees she can take magic lessons in nearby Kamikan. Urban life promises adventure, and new friend Kara shows her the sights.

However, Elina soon sees a darker side of life: a foreigner arrested at the circus, forbidden schoolhouse rooms with odd comings and goings, and unsociable pupil Simeon’s shady deals at the docks. Everything seems connected to the volatile neighbouring country of Pallexon, but no one will tell her why.

When Elina and Simeon develop a magical mind link, he seems close to confiding in her. But an unexpected voyage takes Elina and Kara away from answers and towards unknown danger in Pallexon.

Alone in a strange country, with no identity papers, the situation rapidly turns into a nightmare when Kara is mistaken for a spy. With her own freedom at stake, Elina must rely on her wits and magic to save her friend and unravel the secrets of Pallexon.

Sunbolt
by Intisar Khanani

The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.

When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi’s, and much worse fates than execution. When Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life.

Have a look at the entire collection of ebooks, and enter below to win them all–as well as a custom wand similar to the ones pictured here–for your very own.

Giveaway runs from March 2-17. The winner will be notified by email on March 18. [FoF reserves the right to substitute the custom wand with something of equal value for anyone outside the US or Canada.]

Click here to enter, and good luck!

It’s today!! Call of Hywilkin is here!

Author’s Note: This post was written before coffee.

It’s release day! I can’t stand it, I’m so excited!! Call of Hywilkin is finally available for sale on Amazon, and you are definitely in for a treat if you get it! You’re going to meet so many amazing characters and go on such an adventure!

You’ll meet Wyvern:

“Talk plain to me. You know I don’t like all that frilly talk.”

 

 

And Tulya:

“I am not porcupine.” 

And Kenrick:

“Mentalism, my dear, is not like other schools of magic.”

And Pippa:

“How can I keep it out when it is all I ever see? Night. Always, night.”

And you’ll travel with old favorites like Azi and Rian:

 

“A screech from the darkness…a strange glow fills the space like cool, blue moonlight.”

Flitt:

“Want to play?”

And of course, Tib!

“I just want to do what I want, and I don’t want to answer to anyone.”

And don’t forget Celli and Quenson!

“What have you done to this girl? What dark magic is this?”

You can order Call of Hywilkin by clicking  here.

All the other books in the series are available for free today only! (March 3, 2017) Click here to download them!