Illusions Begin REVIEW!!!!

So, this week has been... miserable? I mean, starting the week off with a 103degree fever and a diagnoses of strep throat will do that, right? And it comes at the BEST time in the world for it... by best I really mean worst possible.

This book has seriously been the highlight of my week. Well, that and antibiotics. But mostly the book.

I TORE through Becky's story yesterday. I mean, there were tons of other things I needed to do... like laundry, dishes (did I mention our dishwasher is broken?), or you know... bathing.... Okay I did that one, but only because I shoved my Kindle into a freezer bag and took it into the bath with me (yes, I'm a genius).

Illusions Begins, by N.L.Greene starts with a common childhood memory. We've all been to the circus, most of us have been dozens of times. But for 6 year old Katherine Rebbecca this is a pivotal moment in her structured life. She falls in love, at that young age, with the world of magic and it fundamentally affects her. As she grows, Becky comes to realize that magic isn't more than illusion, slight of hand, and well-thought tricks, but that realization doesn't decrease her fascination with the subject. In fact, she becomes obsessed with it, spending all her free time studying the masters of the craft, teaching herself the ins and outs of the industry by careful observation and unyielding determination.

But she does this all in secret, terrified of disappointing her loving parents. To them she is their brilliant daughter, poised to take over the family law firm after completing her degree in half the time. She is stifled by the double life she is leading, weighed down by guilt for not loving the dream career that she has. Because it's not her dream. It's not magic.

She is weighed down by the responsibility she has, tormented by her scumbag ex-fiance... and there's this mysterious guy that's been following her around. Appearing suddenly, and with impeccable timing, in a city as large as New York it's unlikely to be the same guy... impossible even. Why, only magic could make his too-frequent appearances possible, and everyone knows that magic isn't real.



So, go grab this book. Read it, love it, review it.

Find out more here.

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19155463-illusions-begin?from_search=true

GO buy it here. Now. Amazon- www.Amazon.com (yes, this will take you to the book page).


www.nlgreene.blogspot.com 
Facebook- N.L. Greene T
witter- @AuthorNLGreene

And what's this? A chance to win freebies??? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, ENTER ALREADY!!!

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NEW RELEASE: Illusions Begin 1/16

Katherine Rebecca has always done exactly what was expected of her.  Her prim and proper upbringing taught her the importance of family, sacrifice, and social stature.  She has followed in her parent’s footsteps, being trained and groomed daily almost from birth, to take over the family law firm.  It was never a question of IF she wanted to but WHEN she would take the reins of the company.  She worked rigorously toward that predetermined goal her entire life. She gave up friends, boyfriends, and an exciting social life in order to propel herself through school and college.  Katherine Rebecca strived to please her parents.  More than anything, she basked in their praise and approval.  But now, at 21 years old, she finds herself leading a life that is nothing like the life she imagined for herself.

Becky has always possessed a deep love of magic.  Ever since she was a small child she has been fascinated with magicians, illusions, mystery, and the vague hope that there was some sort of real magic in the world.  But this is a secret no one knows, or at least that’s what she thought.  Until one day Becky finds a mysterious business card in her pocket that leads her to an equally mysterious man.  He opens up a whole new world of possibilities to her, one with a tantalizing proposition that she never thought imaginable.

Could magic actually be real?

About the Author-

N.L. Greene, who is 1/2 of the author duo Riana Lucas, has decided to venture outside of the Fantasy world that she and her best friend created with Poppy and The Deadly Flowers Series to write a few books on her own.  While she loves working with her best friend, writing solo has allowed her to explore interest that had solely been her own.  She spends a lot of time reading her favorite authors which range all over the place and in every genre, but spends just as much time with her husband and two daughters, traveling, shopping, and playing video games.  Nichole was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in Florida, where she and her high school sweetheart live with their two children.

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/pages/NL-Greene/401424803313800

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7232704.N_L_Greene

Twitter- https://twitter.com/AuthorNLGreene  

Website- http://nlgreene.blogspot.com/

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REVIEW OF THIS BOOK TO COME

I Zombie

awesome cover

So, zombies. They're in, no?

Well, they are in this household. Between my addiction to the Love and Decay novella series by Rachel Higginson, and my husbands addiction to the Walking Dead on AMC, rarely does a week go by that we don't discuss our zombie apocalypse, plans.

Of course, those plans have always assumed that zombies are dead, soulless, flesh-eating creatures--Undead beings that have left behind their humanity along with their pulse.

But what if they aren't? What if zombies were capable of being cured... and not like in I Am Legend where the zombie-like creatures are still mindless and after your brains. I mean people that just so happen to have an infectious disease that makes them look and smell... ahem... dead.

That's the case in Jo Michaels new book~I Zombie. This unique tale is about Trixie Collins. She's a 17yr girl, attached at the hip to her hunky best friend, Jack, and has rotting, noxious skin.... That's right, she's a zombie. Gross, oozing, craves the raw flesh of animals, she has the one-of-a-kind ability to telepathically communicate with her fellow zombies-like people. This especially comes in handy when she and Jack decide save the fellow-infected after the government puts a bounty on the head of every person infected.

Two-parts horror, one-part romance, this book is a great addition to any persons electronic book shelf. Just be careful, this book might just break your heart a little....


If you want a chance to win a free, hardback copy:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/74308
If you just want a FREE electronic copy, that will be available on Amazon on January 9th. Really, there's NO reason not to give this book a try!

Striking, a Report Card... Book Review.

Report Card Book Review Title Striking (Amazon Link) Book list price N/A Author Rachel Higginson and Lila Felix eBook Price $3.99 Publisher Self-Published Stand alone or Series Series Genre NA Romance # in Series 1 of 4 Story- Overall Grade A Cami has lived a life of privilege. She’s materialistic, self-involved, and immature, and when her self-destructive actions spiral down to an all-new low, her socialite parents do the only thing they can think of by sending her off to her aunts sheep farm in Tennessee where she has to earn her keep by working. As in physical labor... as in absolute torture in Cami’s mind. She meets Stockton, the desperately gorgeous, and annoying, town blacksmith. Can they be brave enough to follow their dreams and will doing that pull them further apart? Plot A Romantic Subplot A I love these two together. Stockton and Cami have the ‘opposite’s attract’ thing down. I’m in love with their dynamic! Originality B Nothing too new, but I love the blacksmithing angle… a lot. Obstacle/Crisis B+ There’s not really anything external to overcome in this story, all the conflict is the angsty-internal kind. ‘Adult Content’ A Appropriate for older YA readers, and any steamy scenes (no actual sex) were very well written, and not cliché at all. Ending A Dum-dumdumduuuummmmm. Well done, and not contrived. Yay. Characters A Great cast of original characters. They were complete and well rounded, with strengths and weaknesses that were true to their characters. No cookie cutouts in this book! Protagonist A Cami is great. By that, I mean she seems real; she’s certainly not lovable at the beginning of the book. But we watch her undergo real growth, and I like that. Other Protagonist A Sexy, muscular, artistic, responsible? Seriously, what’s not to love? Supporting characters. A- They were great, but you only get a chance to fall in love with a couple of them; this story is very focused on Cami and Stockton Overall Development A The main character could have been based off of real people, that’s how well developed they were. Realistic problems. Character relationships A- Finally a love story with the characters taking the time to know each other before pulling out the ‘L’ word. Minor points off for the ‘drawn to each other at first sight’, but I take points off of all romance books for that… personal preference! Good role model A Cami is a great role model. Not because she always does the right thing, but because she learns from her mistakes. By the end of the book, she is willing to sacrifice a love (twoo wove) because she deserves respect and trust. Writing A- This would be an A but for some grammatical errors. The story flowed really well, and was easy to follow without being elementary. We got a perfect feeling for the characters, and a pretty decent one of their surroundings. Prose A Author’s Voice A These two women alternated chapters, each taking a main characters POV for the entire story. It was a very smart move, and we got a separate feeling from each protagonist, and therefore author. Editing A- In the edition I read, there were several small errors in grammar and punctuation. That being said, I read an ARC (in exchange for an honest review), so they may have been corrected by release date. Either way, it didn’t detract from the story for me. Punctuation, spelling and grammar B Additional Notes- A great romance read. This is in the New Adult genre, which is one that I’m not overly familiar with, but it seems to fit the bill. The story is good, the character development in Cami is great, and I really love how the main characters aren’t perfect and how they get in their own way more than anything else; it’s very realistic. ·       Some steamy make-out scenes, I’d still give this book an A-OK for teens to read even though it’s directed at 18-20somethings. ·       There will be more books in this series, each dedicated to one of Stocktons siblings. That means 3 more books.

An interview with Rachel Higginson! Striking blog tour.

As most of you have probably guessed by now, I am a huge fan of the works of one Rachel Higginson. Thanks to my Kindle, I read a lot of self-published works... And indie has a lot of variances in quality. Rachel's works, however, are the cream at the top that make the Indie genre worth reading.

To celebrate her upcoming release of Striking, cowritten by Lila Felix, I asked if Rachel would be willing to do an interview with me. 

I am a huge fan of all the female protagonists in your books. If you were sitting down to eat with Eden, Stella, Reagan, Ivy, Ellie, and the star of your newest book Cami, what would you ladies talk about? What would the girls think of each other? Who would you sit next to? And for goodness sake, what would you be eating?

Thank you so much Regan! And thank you for having me on your fabulous blog!

I love my leading ladies, so it’s great to hear that you do too! First of all, this would be the best afternoon of my life! I would love to hang out with all my girls and share a meal. Well, outside of my head…. J

I think the first thing we would have to talk about would of course be the boys!! I mean, some of them are in some pretty difficult places with men, and we’d of course need to work out those issues. And those who are settled into their happily-ever-afters already would be required to dish all the delicious details. That would be priority number one. Obviously.

Then I’d just love to hear a firsthand account of their struggles from their perspective. I’d want to hear Eden tell her plight to save Lilly the first time from her point of view. Or what it was like for Stella to be trapped in that locker room with Seth, surrounded by such palpable evil. And I’d want to hear Cami’s humble account of spending time in Tennessee and when she felt her life was changing. I foresee hours and hours of conversation in our future!

And it would be such a relaxed atmosphere. All my girls are adventurous foodies, so we’d sit down over Indian and share roti and vegetable samosas. We’d eat with our hands, and drink King Fishers and just laugh until we cried. I would need to sit by Eden- my literary BFF. But the other girls all come in at a very close second. And they would love each other. I imagine Cami and Ivy would get really close with their mutual love of fashion and ex-mean girl ways. And Reagan and Ellie have that sarcastic, dry humor thing in common. They would keep us laughing at everything they said! And Stella and Eden would hit it off right away too, since they have that whole saving-everyone-they-love thing going for them. I’d make Eden recreate the Morocco desert tent- only the less sexy version- and we’d just enjoy the most fabulous girls’ night out ever.

I used to work as a barista and you can learn a lot about a person by their regular coffee order. If you had to pick up coffee for the gang, what would their orders be? How about yours?

Striking, What a Beautiful Cover... Reveal.

How pretty is this cover?

So, by now you should know that I'm a huge fan of Indie Author, Rachel Higginson. You should be too. To help convert you, later this week I'll be posting an interview with the lady about her upcoming book with cowriter Lila Felix, Striking.

It has blacksmiths in it. Blacksmithing=awesome. So go on over to Goodreads (by clicking here) and put it on your 'to-read' shelf... along with all her other books. You won't regret it.

To tide you over until then, here's the synopsis:

Can two hearts be forged into one?

Cami Montgomery stole a car and smashed it into the front of a building in upscale Beverly Hills after a lousy date with the epitome of sleaze balls. The worst part, her parents are following through on threats after this latest plea for attention. Banished from her L.A. paradise and plunged into the Appalachian Mountains with her industrious aunt and uncle, Cami is about to find out how precious life really is.

Stockton Wright has been thrust into a hard life. He sacrifices everything to give his family and community what they need. He’s exhausted from life and work—and he’s only twenty four. What he needs is some change, and some sunshine. Even he will agree to that. He just doesn’t expect to find it in a stuck up, pompous, entitled Californian.

Cami bursts into Stockton’s life like wildfire, consuming all his thoughts and tangling him in her web. What starts out as a contentious rivalry evolves into a desire neither of them expected. When hammer meets metal, will they crack under pressure or be forged as one?

Cami and Stockton might just end up being exactly what the other one needs, but first their love will have to be drawn out in fire.

Love & Decay, Episode 3

We catch up with Reagan and company still traveling south, only this time they're on foot. And smelly. Well, Reagan is at least. And considering she shot a zombie in the head from zero feet away, it's understandable; being covered in rotting brain matter certainly doesn't make you smell like roses.

Luckily she has one completely drool-worthy man to wash her hair for her, though she doesn't feel lucky so much as trapped by Hendrix, and her own, feelings that have no place for the whole world-ending situation they were in. And having corpse washed out of your hair should not feel like an intimate moment, but I suppose the zombie apocalypse make's all sorts of weird situations seem normal...

Our group is going south on-foot, they're low on ammo, the only shelter for miles is a dilapidated shed, and some zombie too far to kill is screeching into night.

Or could he be calling for backup?

Reagan and Haley had been hearing rumors of organized zombies to the south. Zombies capable of working together; zombies capable of forming an army. And as our gang of bad-ass zombie killers are surrounded by a mass of rotting undead, Reagan can't help but think that this fight feels different.



Man, oh man. The tension between Reagan and Hendrix is just delicious. Higginson manages to create a lot of sexual tension in a very PG manner, and I'm not entirely sure how. Because nothing inappropriate is done or mentioned... but oh do you want it to be. Another great installment, and of course I can't wait for the next one. Which should be next Friday.

• Love & Decay, episode 3 is $.99 on Amazon
• a new episode in this novella series comes out every two weeks
• There is graphic violence, and a few swear-jar words, but appropriate for younger readers (13+)

Nomad, a review

50 years in the future America is ravaged by a dictator, towns have been reduced to war zones, and the few people brave enough to overthrow the new order are out-manned, out-gunned, and fighting a battle they can never win. If only there were a way to kill the dictator before he comes into power.

Raven. Her name is the only thing she knows about herself. She finds herself walking alone, on a highway, covered in blood that isn't her own, carrying a backpack full of cash and a plasma gun. Her memories of how and why have escaped her mind with everything else.

After piecing clues from the items in her backpack together with the few memories she has regained, Raven knows what she needs to do; she needs to travel to New Haven to assassinate college student Logan Carraway, future Dictator of the United States of America and the man that will one day be responsible for thousands of deaths and the ruin of a nation.

Written by J.L. Bryan, Nomad is a spectacular addition to my book-shelves. I was instantly sucked into this story, the story of this young girl that has been shaped by a war-ravaged country and how she struggles to do the right thing, gambling with her very future in a quest to prevent the near apocalyptic environment that she grew up in.

I don't typically read science-fiction. Not that I dislike the it, but it's not the genre that I naturally gravitate to.

That being said, Nomad is one of those books that I'm glad I didn't pass over. Really glad. J.L.Bryan wrote an approachable time-travel book, one that doesn't make the reader feel stupid for not knowing the theories behind time travel... one for people that might not know what flux capacitors or red phone booths have to do with traveling through time. It adds in a little romance, but nothing that will give you a toothache. 

Fun Facts

• Nomad is due to release this Friday, July 26th
• There are no plans for a sequel, but that doesn't mean there won't be at a future time
• Not appropriate for a very young reader (12-13 and under) because of some sexual content and violence
• J.L. Bryan is a self-published author. Visit is website at http://www.jlbryanbooks.com/
• Buy his books at Amazon

Want a copy of this book? Like my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter for a chance to win... or do both for two chances!

Book Review of The Rush, by Rachel Higginson

The first in a new Rachel Higginson series, The Rush certainly lives up to her other works!

Ivy lives a fairy tale life. She's beautiful, has all the best clothes, and can get any guy she wants... Too bad she's doesn't really want any. She is born into a society of sirens, sirens that have adapted to the modern world quite well. No more ship-wrecked sailors for these women, and Ivy is groomed from a young age to be able to attract men. She knows how to talk, walk, and look seductive. She knows how to manipulate men to get what she wants, overkill considering they fall in love with her immediately... it doesn't matter that she's only 16, and it certainly doesn't matter the she is wracked with guilt because of her very existence, hating her effect on the people around her but unable to break away from her family and the role she was born to play.

This book is significantly darker than most others... the heroine isn't some happy-go-lucky girl at the beginning of the book. She's damaged, and exhausted from acting the part. The situations she gets into in this book aren't the 'big battle, good vs. evil'... is the kind of evil that happens in real life. Lusty eyes from an older man that has complete control over her, near-rape, being pimped out by her own mother... It's kind of shattering because this type of thing does happen, though without the Siren part of it. It might be in smaller degrees, but tons of mothers groom their daughters to catch a man (yes, it still happens), encourage flirtations and promiscuity, look the other way at blatant emotional abuse... at blatant emotional damage.

I would NOT recommend this for the very young YA reader. Nothing too 'adult' happens, there is no sex, no drugs, though there is some alcohol... but it is still too mature for the youngest YA readers.

• This book is the first in a series
• Andrew James wrote a song specifically for this book; the lyrics are used in the story. Check it out here.
• It is currently $3.99 on Amazon.... buy it here
• Find out about more upcoming projects at Rachel Higginson's website. http://www.rachelhigginson.com/ and go like her on Facebook! 

Love & Decay, a book review

I don't usually read novellas... because I always want a lot more story when I read that last page, and I'm not ready to be done with it yet...

Good thing about the Love and Decay series... in two weeks the story will continue. And again two weeks after that.

Reagan just went through a pretty bad breakup. Sure, most girls do at some point or another.. but really this one was bad. She found out that perfect Quarterback Chris was cheating on her in the worst way possible; he tried to eat her brains. A common side affect to the new Herpies Cure which has successfully brought on the, you guessed it, Zombie Apocalypse. So, after that rather messy breakup (she had to sever his head with her car before he got the message...), Reagan is sure that she's done with men. Especially since most of the still human-men in the post-apocalyptic world are intent on making her and her best-friend sister-wives for an entire community of militia-men. So when the two girls are unexpectedly saved from a room full of face-eaters by the drool-worthy Hendrix and his handful of brothers, she surprised by their adamant refusal to rape and/or pillage... even more surprised by the what she sees in his eyes when he looks at her and the feelings it brings out in her. Feelings that have no place in the world they live in.

This is a great start to a very promising eSeries, and oh my jeebus I can't wait to read more!

Love and Decay is by Rachel Higginson (visit her site here). It's only $.99 right now, so you should go buy it... here.

Bella Swan vs. Eden Matthews... all about the role models.

VS

I want to tell you about this great series: it has a love triangle between a stubborn girl, her perfect-looking immortal boyfriend, and her (also immortal) male best-friend. The main character is surrounded by people that can turn into animals, or read minds, are virtually indestructible, are super strong and fast, seem to be allergic to death and she didn't even know these people existed at the beginning of the books. She goes through a lot of impossible things throughout the four-book series, and in the end, after discovering her own unique power, wins a battle against the oppressive ruling class...


It's not what you think. It's really really not.

I'm really trying to tell you about the Star-Crossed series, a kick butt series by Indie Author, Rachel Higginson.

Before I go any farther, Twihards... you are about to get really mad at me. Don't get me wrong, I read the series multiple times and will probably read it again; Meyers certainly writes a page turner... Unfortunately after you finally close the last page you realize you just read a bunch dirty, filthy, crazy-person words that makes it seem ok to not only date an abusive pedophile stalker, but that you, as a [female] person, are defined by your romantic relationships.

So, I'm going to do a little character comparison between two series that seem to have similar archetypal characters.

Both girls start their first day of a new school
Eden is immediately an outcast
Bella is immediately popular and sought out by every boy in school

They both start forming an attraction to a beautiful boy but is soon warned away for very good reasons
Eden tries to follow advice but falls in love anyways
Bella immediately ignores advice and pursues relationship

Boyfriend forbids her from going somewhere
Eden steals a passport and credit card to travel across the world to save her friend anyways
Bella gets slightly frustrated but does nothing

Eden finds out that Kiran is engaged, she tries to ignore and stay away from him
Bella finds out that Edward is 100 years old and sneaks into her room at night to watch her sleep... she blushes.

Eventually they both get their heart broken by their boyfriend when he tried to do something 'for her own good'
Eden breaks up with him and becomes the leader of a revolution intent on destroying the monarchy and freeing her people
Bella goes through months in a fog, doesn't speak to anyone, and eventually starts jumping off cliffs so that she can hallucinate her boyfriends voice

While mourning the loss of their relationship, both girls rely heavily on a best friend that is in love with them
Eden eventually gives a relationship with friend a chance, actively trying to move on from the past
Bella uses him as a buffer from other guys and... er... jumps off cliffs!

Boyfriend says sorry
Eden threatens to kill him
Bella forgives him instantly

To earn back her trust/deserve her love:
Kiran becomes an integral part of the the revolution that plans to kill his father, the king, and helps free his people from oppression
Edward looks deeply into her eyes and promises to never leave again


There are clearly a lot of parallels between these two series; even more than I mentioned. And I'm well aware that I'm being a little harsh on Meyers' series. But I hear so many girls saying 'can't wait to find my Edward'. So many girls content to act like a 'Bella' and live happily ever after.

Bella is not a character that any young girl should strive to be like.

She, my friends, is a wimp. She is a pushover. She is in a relationship with a controlling, overbearing, way-to-old-for-her man, and constantly seeks out dangerous behavior for no good reason, trusting completely that someone else will rescue her if things 'go too far'.

Bella starts this series out as a human and wants nothing more than to be something non-human. When she finally is, Meyers' wrote about how much more Bella could feel and see, her human life being almost like a foggy dream.

Likewise, Eden also starts out the series thinking she is a human... it turns out she isn't, but there is always that respect for humanity. Eden is constantly defending her upbringing (raised as a human) against the immortals that think they're better.

It really just seems like Higginson has more respect for humanity, because being human is just as real as being nonhuman in her books. Sure, the Cullins respect humans by not sucking their blood, but Bella's transformation into a Vampire shows that vampires are far superior than human beings; smarter, faster, and can feel a larger depth of emotion... it seems that Vampires are to humans as humans are to animals, which makes the Cullens 'Vegetarianism' almost offensive. Yes, I'm ranting now...

Back to the subject at hand.

Eden is not a wimp. She is stubborn to the point of density, and she barely figures anything out on her own. I'll say that for Bella; she suspects somethings a little wonky with the Cullen clan, and she tries, and succeeds, in figuring it out. Eden literally blows things up and still needs to be told that she is magic.... But no character is without their flaws. She has a love that is just is strong as Bella's, but Edens love story doesn't define her. It's not who she is, not the most important facet of her life. She is connected to Kiran, they 'complete' each other... but that doesn't mean she's half a person without him. She does things, meets people, kidnaps princes and bodyguards, rescues prisoners... she doesn't just mope around.

Because in real life, if your boyfriend breaks your heart... moping around for months is not healthy. It's not ok. Jumping off cliffs is not a good thing either. You might say 'but she loved him so much'... what if your best friend got dumped and started acting like Bella? Would she be justified in her crazy-pants behavior or would you be scheduling an intervention with her family and a very good therapist?

The point of this blog? I forget...

Wait! Go read the Star-Crossed series. Discover an overpowering love story that at least mimics healthy human behavior. Make a Team Kiran shirt and wear it proudly, cuz that boy actually deserves fan adulation.

Book 1 in the Star-Crossed series is Reckless Magic... It's even free, so go ahead and give it a try. You'll thank me.

Why Indie Authors?

The past few years have seen a flood of new writers clogging up my eReader. New, self published, writers. Why are we seeing so much of these, before unheard of, 'Indie Authors'?

This guy. Right here...
Is my fav piece of technology.
Ever

I'll tell you.

eReaders. Yes, the introduction and subsequent popularity of electronic books has made getting published a piece of cake. Self-published that is. A writer no longer has to send manuscripts off to dozens of publishing houses before seeing their works published. After writing and getting formatting done, they can just upload their work directly onto whichever ebook seller site that they want.

An author now has control over their work; their publication date, the art work, everything about it is firmly in their control.

As a reader, this is amazing. There are tons (like so so so many) books flooding the market right now, so many new things to read. And, because it's cheaper for an Indie author to publish a book, they are usually incredibly cheap. They usually publish more frequently too, so you don't have to wait an entire year for your next 'fix' in a series.

My face after reading some of the
books lacking... good. As in: No Good

I've come across so many incredible books, and series, written by the Indie's... but for every great book I've come across there are two that are in serious, and I mean SERIOUS, need of a good editor. And sometimes it's hard to find a quality work, and it's even harder NOT to get disenchanted with ALL Indie Authors... until you find the gem of a new book that makes you fall in love with Indie all over again.

That's the little rabbit-hole for self published authors, I think. A book isn't ready once you type in 'The End' on the last page; my favorite Indie authors are well aware of this and make a concerted effort to make GOOD edits, get graphic designers (read my interview with a graphic designer here), and all that drudgery that makes a good story into a good book.

Here are a couple of my personal tips for finding the good, and skipping the bad and the ugly.

• Check out the reviews. I'm not saying you have to read every one. I usually read a few of the bad ones, and an equal number of the good ones, sometimes you'll find that the bad reviews are for things you are willing to overlook... like punctuation for me
• ... look at the number of stars. If there are a hundred 4 and 5 star, and only ten 1 and 2 star then go for it. If those numbers are reversed, then walk away.

Are these going to become things of
myth and legend?!?

I can't help but wonder what this new trend will mean for traditional publishing houses. How can they compete with the book prices of the self-published that have cut out the middle man? What does this mean for chain bookstores that have no way to sell eBooks, or don't carry the print version of our Indie books?... I think I feel a few interviews coming... must make some phone calls...


As always, let me know what you think. Do you have any favorite books or authors? Any questions, comments, or irate ramblings? I'd love to hear from you.