Tag: Indie Books

Indie Spotlight: Anywhere but Schuylkill by Michael Dunn

BonnieReadsAndWrites3 Comments

Indie Spotlight is part of my effort to help Indie Authors with marketing. It’s a tough task, and if I can help even a little, I’m happy to do it. You can help too by sharing this with all your social media followers. Below please see a book description, buy links, and an author bio for Anywhere But Schuylkill, the story of 20 Irish coal miners who were hanged in Pennsylvania in 1877 for their supposed connection to a terrorist organization.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLKILL is the first of three books by Michael Dunn in his Great Upheaval trilogy. It is story of a teenage boy, Mike Doyle, struggling to free his family from the violence of their greedy, hard drinking Uncle Sean.

The time is 1870s. The Long Depression is raging. Children are dying of hunger. The Reading Railroad has hired Pinkerton spies to infiltrate the miners’ union. And there is a sectarian war between the Modocs, a Welsh gang, and the Kohinoor Boys, an Irish gang. But Mike has a plan. It’s risky. It involves collaboration with the Kohinoor Boys. He could wind up in jail, or worse.

ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLKILL is Michael Dunn’s first complete novel.

AUTHOR BIO

Michael Dunn writes Working-Class Historical Fiction from the Not So Gilded Age. ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLKILL is the first in his Great Upheaval trilogy. A lifelong union activist, he has always been drawn to stories of the past, particularly those of regular working people, struggling to make a better life for themselves and their families. These are stories most people do not know, or have forgotten, because history is written by the victors, the robber barons and plutocrats, not the workers and immigrants. Yet their stories are among the most compelling in America. They resonate today because they are the stories of our own ancestors, because their passions and desires, struggles and tragedies, were so similar to our own.

MICHAEL DUNN’S WEBSITE | TWITTER (X) | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

BUY LINKS

AMAZON | AMAZON UK

Self-Published Saturday: Cathedral of Silver #ScienceFiction #SpaceAdventure

BonnieReadsAndWrites9 Comments

Self-Published Saturday is my effort to help indie/self-published authors with the huge task of marketing their books. Self-published authors have to do it all, and if I can help even a little, I’m happy to do so. Below is my review of Cathedral of Silver, a Sci-Fi space adventure.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The beautiful snow-capped mountains of Kanchi are places of nightmares. Paul Tarseus, a ruthless Lord of the Tuyet Voi, seeks to uncover the secrets of this unknown darkness. But when twisted into the company of young Ramona and her mother, Paul’s goals and brutal views of the galaxy are flipped on end.

Never has Paul imposed the service of underworld mercenaries, sided with arch-rivals, or been swept into family dramas, and he certainly has never been told to apologize to a drone. But he’ll do whatever it takes to protect those around him and to drag the evils lurking in the shadows of the galaxy into the light.

BOOK REVIEW

What a gem! Every once in a while, I add a diamond because five stars is not enough. This is one of those times.

Wow. I can’t heap enough praise on this young, first-time author. Cathedral of Silver has a compelling plot, lots of action, and well-developed characters. The space adventure does not quit. And most importantly of all, it’s fresh and original, but somehow still has that “classic science fiction” vibe. Wall has a rare ability to make his characters memorable and make the reader care about them. That takes true talent. Now I need to rave about the world-building. It’s fantastic! I’m impressed with the author’s creativity. And the writing easily transports me to every stop on this adventure. This is unique, special, addictive science fiction. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

Although I was offered a free copy, I purchased a copy of this book because the author’s writing talent blew me away and I know I’ll be hearing his name again. Watch out for Ian Wall, writing world!

My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ian Wall

(In his own words) I’m a debut author who loves science fiction and deep characters.
But wouldn’t you rather be reading a fun sci-fi adventure with a dark underbelly of spooky nightmares? *Cough cough* Cathedral of Silver, Book 1 of The Galaxies Saga?

No? Well, if you insist. I’ve more or less been writing my whole life. Well, since 4th grade anyway. I come from a family of writers, so I like to think my love for the art is somehow genetic. Penciling short stories and poetry was a hallmark of my adolescence, but I never had the courage to try publishing anything until recently. Cathedral of Silver is my first real attempt at writing a novel, and I’ve spent the last three years pouring my blood, sweat, tears, and soul into making it as great as it can be.

If you’d like to back my silly endeavors, check out a couple of free chapters of Cathedral of Silver on Amazon. Your support means more to me than you might know!

Thanks for reading

BUY LINKS

AMAZON
AMAZON UK

*If you read the book, please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books.  Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.

*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published authors go a long way!

Self-Published Saturday: September 4, 2021/Leviathan

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Self-Published Saturday continues! Again, Self-Published/Indie authors have to do it all, from editing to cover design to marketing and beyond. This Saturday feature just attempts to give them a little help and introduce books to readers who may not have seen them before. This is a repost of a review I did of Leviathan, a World War I Novella by Malcolm Havard. I was blown away by his ability to captivate the reader and felt transported to the cockpit of a WW1 plane. See below.

BOOK REVIEW

Leviathan is a fascinating ride with a young pilot through the British skies during World War I. The thoughts of the pilot flash back and forth from his BE2 single engine biplane, to his mission, to events from his past. He’s chasing a Zeppelin, the Leviathan that has come to invade his country and attack its people.

The author’s description of flying the World War I era biplane was so meticulous and detailed that I felt like I was in the cockpit of the plane, learning to fly. At the same time it was filled with emotion, as the pilot’s thoughts flashed back and forth from his plane and his surroundings to events from his life. I was completely impressed by the author’s ability to transport us into this plane and into this pilot’s inner feelings and experiences. Malcolm Havard is an Indie author who has written a gem in my opinion. I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in World War I historical fiction or aviation, or anyone who just wants to read a great story.  

I downloaded a copy of this novella on Kindle Unlimited, where members can read it for free.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Malcolm Havard

Malcolm grew up in Sheffield, has lived and worked in Australia and the Middle-East but now lives in Crewe in Cheshire, England. He is a prolific and award-winning author who writes both novels and short fiction. He has, in the past, worked in a variety of genres.

Despite the variety, all have a similar DNA containing strong, often flawed but believable characters and telling great stories. His current body of work includes the mountaineering thriller, The Last Mountain, a 1950s Spy novel, Contrail, and Touched, a haunting novel about love and loneliness.

He has now found a niche writing historical fiction usually with an aviation background. He has published bestselling stories about WW1 and Hurricane Season, a blend of fiction and non-fiction stories and features centered around the legendary aircraft, the Hawker Hurricane. He has just written the second book in his LMF series set in WWII, and has recently released the first of the Three Brothers Trilogy, which covers a family during the turbulent period of 1910 to 1939.

Link to Malcolm Havard’s Website

Link to Buy Leviathan by Malcolm Havard on Amazon

*Kindle Unlimited Subscribers can read this for free.

Link to My Goodreads Review

Link to my Amazon Review (“Helpful” Votes Appreciated)

Two Reminders before you go:

  1. If you buy the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. This is very important to self-published authors.
  2. Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published authors go a long way!

 

The Bird That Sang in Color

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The Bird that Sang in Color is the saga of a family dealing with death, conflict, grief, alcoholism, and depression. Donna’s father is an alcoholic and she carries that into her married life to Frank, who has a problem with alcohol as well. Donna is devoted to her children and her brother Vince, a talented musician and artist. Donna has long encouraged Vince to get a “real” job, a house, and the other trappings of success, but Vince continues to go his own way. After Vince’s death, Donna finds a picture book in which Vince has drawn different scenes from his life. For Donna, this shows the truth about Vince’s life, and also about hers.

Though the beginning started out a little slowly for me, this is a fascinating story that asks tough questions. What is success really about? Who is really dead and who is really alive? What is real happiness? Do material things make you happy, and are they fitting substitutes for joy and passion? What makes you truly happy? Most importantly, this book asks the reader to look inside themselves to see their own life pictures, assess their lives, and decide what is important and what is not. And for that, it gets five stars.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via R&R Book Tours. My review is voluntary.

Link to Buy The Bird That Sang in Color:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookbub

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grace Mattioli is the author of two novels–Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees and Discovery of an Eagle, and a book of short stories, The Brightness Index. Her forthcoming novel, The Bird that Sang in Color, will be released January 17, 2021.

Her fiction is filled with unforgettable characters, artful prose, humor, and insight about what it takes to be truly happy.  She strongly believes that if people were happier, the world would be a better place.

She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her cats. She worked as a librarian for over twenty years and has had various other job titles, including jewelry designer, food cart owner, shopkeeper, book seller, substitute teacher, art school model, natural grocery store clerk, short order cook, food server, street vendor, barista, and a giant Twinkie! 

She has been writing creatively since she was a child and has participated in various writing workshops and classes. Her favorite book is Alice in Wonderland. Her favorite author is Flannery O’Connor. Her favorite line of literature comes from James Joyce’s novella, The Dead:  “Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.”

Grace Mattioli’s Website

Link to My Review on Goodreads