Josie Jaffrey
Josie’s Silverse, a vampiric alternate universe, is one of the most intriguing worlds I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Her books are intimate, and focused on the characters, but there’s so much more going on. The internal politics within the vampire community are exciting and filled with twists. I know that when I pick up one of her books, there will be things I don’t expect, I know that there will be characters I love, and others who aren’t who they say they are. Her action-packed writing keeps me reading, which is what you want.
Stephanie Burgis
Stephanie Burgis is a hybrid author but I’m most familiar with her self-published work. My niece, however, told me The Raven Heir is lots of fun too. Stephanie has a gift of knowing what I need in my literary diet before I know it myself. Her cosy fantasy series The Harwood Spellbook is a magical regency romance series following various couples in the same world. I loved every single one of them. Then she released Scales and Sensibility, a romantic regency comedy, a la Jane Austen, but with dragons! Heck yes! It was so much fun and the shoulder dragons are adorable (I want one to keep my tea heated). Her latest release, Good Neighbors, is a slow-burn romance between an inventor and a necromancer.
Her incredible voice fits the low-stake stories she writes and I know that I’ll enjoy her stories, no matter the plot. And it’s perfectly digestible when I have bad days. I’ll be rereading her books for a long time.
Trudie Skies
I connected with Trudie on Twitter just before the release of The Thirteenth Hour and I just had to read it. A print of the gorgeous Chime map is ready to be put on the wall, and I’m eagerly waiting for the next (short) story. The world Trudie created is anything but kind (how can it be when the gods are cruel) but Kayl and Quen are doing their best to make it out alive. Sometimes they’re more successful than other times. The world feels so so alive, so ready to devour you. All of the unique races she created are interesting and will appeal to different people.
I’ll buy her Sand Dancer books while I wait for the next book.
Patrick Samphire
The first story by Patrick Samphire I read was part of an anthology about underwater ballrooms, but his story included so much more. Dinosaurs, a murder mystery, on Mars?! This short story was enough to convince me to keep an eye on him. His imagination and creativity went hand-in-hand with excellent writing with subtle humour, the kind I like. So when he announced a full-length fantasy, I sat up straight and waited for the release day. Shadow of a Dead God was so much more than I thought it’d be, mostly because of the main character, Mennik Thorn.
I’m really looking forward to read more books by him, either in his current fantasy series or something totally different. I know he’ll deliver.
D.N. Bryn
D.N. Bryn is a recent discovery through BBNYA. I read their book Our Bloody Pearl and fell in love with the characters and the worldbuilding. The characters all had vivid personalities and their dynamic was amazing. The worldbuilding was pretty light but neatly woven into the story. There’s no wasted space, filler words, or too much exposition. It’s a well-crafted book in so many ways. I’m looking forward to reading more from them.
Luke Tarzian
I started reading Vultures not knowing what I was getting myself into. I knew he got emotional writing the series, but I didn’t know I was going to experience that many different emotions reading it. His work is challenging, it talks about hard topics like grief and loss, but also the concepts he uses in his worldbuilding. It’s not a light read. I felt challenged in a way I hadn’t experienced in a long time and that only shows how great of a writer he is. I’m going to read more from him but I have to prepare mentally so I can appreciate it for all that it is.
Who are some of your favourite indie authors?
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