40 Indie Authors and their Book Titles

 

1. City of Shards, Steve Rodgers

2. Elementals of Mythicos Book 1: Forged in Fire, Lillian Brinker

3. Blood on the Sand, Brian J. Smith

4. Spire City Season 1: Infected, Daniel Ausema

5. Allison Tears, Thomas Stewart

6. Secret After Sunset, Jessica Lynn Sorensen

7. A Twist of Fate, Becky Lee Whitehouse

8. Wrathburn, Hayley Bernard Ryan

9. Gcod, Sandra Bassett

10. Somewhere Quiet Fall of Light, Henry Corrigan

11. A Perfect Blindness, Lance Hunt

12. Valley of the Dire Wolf, JP Ward

13. Symbiote Wars, Chris Kennedy

14. Rules of Supervillainy, CT Phillips

15. Pangea Online, SL Roward

16. Demon Squad Series, Tim Marquitz

17. Final Reverie, Essel Pratt

18. Blessed with a Curse, Katie Cherry

19. Tales of the Orisha, Jiba Molei Anderson

20. Ahzna Maidn Voyage, Jiralax Azon

21. One Groovy Summer: Adventure from 1968, Rocky Gregory

22. Isolation, Jared Grace

23. Not a hero, Rick Christianson

24. Biter Honey, Sharon Rose Mierke

25. A Monster Named Jane, Steve Kachovec

26. The Chaos Gate, Jeff Pantanella

27. Survived the Lion’s Den, Matt Scott

28. Citadel of Seven Sword, Erik Waag

29. Janitor 51, Richard Griffith

30. Stone Warrior (The Wander), Avery Christy

31. Illusions of Paradise, Pat McKanic

32. The Splitting Edge: Sid’s Story, Jaydee Dinan

33. Fingers in the Fan, Judge Santiago Burdon

34. The Halloween Realm, Parrish Hall

35. Dragon Slayer, Kevin Wright

36. Exiled on Unium, James Michael Moody

37. Quest for the Hope Box, John Gorman

38. Rise of the Ancients, T.H. McEvoy

39. The Blood of the Dragon, Jack Adkins

40. The Scorched Hunter, Andrew Johnston

A Fresh Review on Fellowship of the Ring, By J.R.R. Tolkien

 A Fresh Review

on

Fellowship of the Ring

By

J.R.R. Tolkien

5 Stars

This book will forever speak to the adventurer in us all. It's the one book I will always call my favorite. It takes the most unlikely of hero and launches him into a journey. One possessing no shortage of dangers. Fellowship of the Ring is out of the whole trilogy the best. This review comes from my fifth reading of the book. It most certainly won't be the last.

IT WENT SOUTH: What Went Wrong With Books

 IT WENT SOUTH

What Went Wrong With Books

The biggest factor by far is instant gratification. It has made authors rush what would otherwise be a fantastic book. It has convinced authors to focus more on the wow factor, than the quality of prose, character development, and powerful themes. Thus, the person writing the books eagerly launches them in quick succession.

I believe all of this has pulled the author away from their craft. It has created unnecessary pressure and an obligation to remain relevant. Your relevance as an author should depend on the quality of your books. The obligation to be relevant has lead to an immense distraction. Social media. I can say from experience that I spend more time on my phone than at the keyboard. It has influenced me to include subject matter in my books that isn't who I am as a person. None of it appeals to my actual interests. These two factors may affect other authors as well, especially those starting out.

Authors ultimately need to focus more on the craft and what's in their heart. We can't allow rapid launch dates and what is popular to interfere. I know we live in a different world than forty years ago, but the mission remains the same. Write a good story. And with that an understanding of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and how we want to tell the story must be considered. This here isn't my best sentence, but my excuse is one of passion.

Passion is what fueled the legends of the past. From Ursula K. Le Guin to J.R.R. Tolkien. These legends wrote with passion and devoted their efforts to the craft. They allowed their writing to speak for them. I can't imagine my life as an author without the influence of Tolkien.

All of this leads to another problem that has affected readers on a global scale. The ability to read and comprehend. Our education system is the largest factor. The second is how we go about writing books. There is too much reliance on computer programs to fix our mistakes. An author needs to have a strong familiarity with sentence structure and word use. They need to stop overexplaining parts of their story such as a magic systems. I will admit my familiarity with sentence structure, grammar, and word use is lacking. I'm pulling from lessons in high school that are over twenty years old at this point. This leaves room for improvement. We all want to improve, and if we do, perhaps in time it will help our readers.     

Journey to 1,000

 Journey

to

1,000

I had no plans to self-publish when starting out as an author. I wanted an agent, publisher, and more. It took roughly 11 years for reality to hit. In October 2024, I published my novella The Discarded Knight and a new journey began. It was filled with heartbreak and being scammed out of $2,000. I caught a huge break in May 2025. My first Barnes and Noble book signing happened. I posted about it on X (previously known as Twitter) and I went viral. Interviews and sales followed. People recognized me in public. The emails poured in from readers and even a former bully. June arrived with the launch of my novel The Ignited Moon. It earned 90 pre-orders. All of this inspired me to launch my next book, The Scorched Hunter. It launches December 5, 2025.

Today! September 20, 2025! My novella, The Discarded Knight, lead to my one thousandth sale. I am beyond proud and excited. A big thank you to family, friends, and readers.

At Present! I am writing my first grimdark fantasy. It's about a one legged farmer, telepathic chef, and a nerd racing to undermine a tyrannical government and stop a famine. 

Book Covers: What They Say About You

 Book Covers:

What They Say About You

First impressions are everything.

A good cover is required if you put a price on your book. It says more about you than you can imagine. Why spend months, if not years, writing only to provide your manuscript with a bad outward appearance? A bad cover tells a potential reader that you're not serious. They will question if the book is worth their time if the author skimped on the cover. The most popular excuse for not providing the reader with good cover is money. And yet how do expect to make money if your cover isn't appealing?

Save your money. This is the best piece advice to follow. It means your book won't be released when you want it to be. But doesn't that make it worth it, though? You will feel all that typing was worth it. Your book will be able to shine amongst the millions of others.

Your book exists for a reason. You spent hours writing, revising, and receiving feedback. Please don't throw all of that away.

Save your money. Give your book the cover it deserves. Prove to readers you are serious.

A Review of The Devils, by Joe Abercrombie

 A

Review

of

The Devils

By

Joe Abercrombie

5 Stars

This book has been compared to DC Comics Suicide Squad. I think a more accurate comparison is Alan Moore's, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The humor and action contain within this book is fantastic. I love how Abercrombie takes us through different version of Europe. I found one hundred percent of my emotional investment in Sunny. She is an elf possessing a rough up bringing. It doesn't stop her.

I recommend The Devils as an introduction to Joe Abercrombie's writing.

Books: Why They Are The Most Important Visual Media

 Books:

Why

They

Are

The

Most

Important

Visual

Media

By

Andrew Johnston

I won't lie. I avoided reading for a good portion of my life. Reading was something done when necessary and often to pass a class. This changed in my mid-twenties and then my interest in the written word skyrocketed. I began to pay attention more and this is what I found. 

It has become all too noticeable that Americans read less. It's unfortunately true! You have only to check the Bureau of Labor. They say reading for leisure has declined in the last twenty years. We can point to several factors, specifically social media and streaming services. Social media and streaming services require less focus and shorten your attention span.

This article isn't so much about the decline of reading and literacy in America. Its about how critical reading is for the mind and soul. I'll cover the mind first because it controls your fate. It determines choices.

I heard it said when writing my first book that nonfiction out sells fiction. This is statistically true. However it is completely the norm for people to lean toward fiction. They want to be entertained. I believe people need a fifty-fifty split. Read a history or self help book and something about say a fantasy world or detective. The focus should be more on the nonfiction book though. I recommend something from a different perspective than your own.

Reading from multiple perspectives can help with critical thinking. It provides an infinite amount of avenues to choose. You're given the ability to draw your own conclusions. Ultimately, when you hear someone speak at length on a topic you'll possess a solid foundation beneath you. I remain an independent politically. This came about after reading from authors I did and didn't agree with. It allowed for a flexible belief system.  

  How does this relate to books being the most important visual media? Reading helps you form the choices that will ultimately affect your future. Your future is personal, political, and if left uninformed difficult.

Your Soul!

This is where we dive head first into fiction. Many books have a way of speaking to your soul. The struggle of characters and the miracles of their worlds can inspire hope. Both the characters and their worlds have a way to unburden you. Sometimes you read about the relationships in a story and relate to them. I'm a fantasy author who focuses on immersion. To be immersed in a book can provide the escape needed from daily troubles. All of this is important for your soul because not reading books can leave an emptiness.

And no one wants to feel empty inside.