Blogoversary Day 2: Indie Love!

Hey peeps! It's day TWO of my blogoversary! Thanks for joining in on the fun! The main reason I initially started my blog was to help support the indie authors who weren't getting the attention they deserved.  Since then, I've developed really great friendships with some amazing authors, and I hope you'll give them a chance too! I wanted to highlight a few authors that have been a large part of my blogging journey

1. Vicky Savage, author of the Transcender Trilogy.

When I started reviewing, I read anything and everything I could get my hands on. I admit most of it was slush, but when I started reading Transcender: First Timer, I knew I had something special in my hands. I devoured the book in one sitting, and I knew I wanted to support this author into getting more publicity.

I started chatting with Vicky on a regular basis, and low and behold, not only is she a great indie author, but she's also one of the nicest and most generous people I've ever met! Vicky used to be a lawyer, so it gives me hope that if one day, I want to step down from being a doctor and become a writer, I won't be alone!

We've done a ton of events together, and since then have forged a friendship that I'm forever grateful for. She inspires me in so many ways-- finishing this trilogy on her own dime, becoming a cancer survivor, the list goes on and on. I was lucky enough to serve as her editor in the final book of the Transcender series, and I know she'll only get better and better.

http://vickysavage.com/
Buy Transcender on Amazon

2. Howard Shapiro, author of The Hockey Saint and Stereotypical Freaks. 
My friendship with Howard started very simply with a nice email of his, offering to send me a copy of his graphical novel for review. I'm not a big graphical novel sort of person, but I feel very strongly about giving new things a try. Boy, I'm glad I did!

I fell in love with Stereotypical Freaks-- I was surprised I was in tears by the end. I was shocked I could be moved so much by a graphical novel, and I knew that I needed to promote it. A few events later, Howard asked if I did much editing. I had already been a freelance editor to a few authors at this point, so I readily agreed. We started working on The Hockey Saint together, and it was probably one of the best editing experiences of my life. Howard is one of those people who is very open to suggestion, and if he is confused or doesn't agree, we have a wonderful conversation working out the kinks together.

Since then, I've been working on several books coming out of Howard's new indie book company, Animal, Inc, which has been a terrific learning experience. I've learned a lot about writing memoirs, graphical novels, and seen The Hockey Saint slowly come through production, which has been amazing. In addition, Howard and I have developed a wonderful friendship, and he's been one of the rare people to read and love my first novel, which means so much to me.

http://www.howardshapiro.net/
Buy Stereotypical Freaks

3. Ingrid Ricks, author of Hippie Boy: A Girl's Tale, now a NYT bestseller.

Ingrid is the first indie author that I promoted on my blog two years ago. And I was thrilled to hear that she made it on the NYT bestseller's list for the very book I fell in love with! I love that we've been able to develop a friendship, and I've been able to help her out in a small way. She's come so far in such a short time, and I'm really inspired by her personal story as well as her friendship.

http://ingridricks.com/
Buy Hippie Boy
 
4. Lindsey Loucks, author of The Grave Winner
I first met Lindsey at a Facebook party where she was promoting her book along with several other authors. She was the first author where I was very intrigued by her swag. She had a T-shirt, a gorgeous antique ring, among other things. I won the silver ring that night and loved it right away. I was immediately curious how this tied into her book. I asked her if she was interested in sending me a copy for review. She readily agreed, and I absolutely loved her book. It's this great combination of horror and paranormal fantasy. It's definitely become one of my top indie picks!

http://www.lindseyrloucks.com/
Buy The Grave Winner


5. Hannah Parry, author of Isabella Rockwell's War
Poor Hannah sent me this book for review 9 months prior to me actually getting to it. I wish I had picked it up much sooner! I don't read much middle grade, but I was so glad I did in this case! I loved that it harkened me back to books I loved when I grew up, including The Secret Garden and The Little Princess. I think this is a wonderful read for that age group and also enjoyable to adults. It helps that Hannah is one of the sweetest people ever!

http://www.hannahparry.org/home.html
Buy Isabella Rockwell's War


6. Alyssa Rose Ivy, author of many paranormal books
Talk about random meetings! Alyssa's husband is a friend of a friend, and I knew I needed to pick up one of her books! The first one I read was Beckoning Light, which I really enjoyed. I really recommend it! The sequel was even better. I still need to read the third, which I'm excited about. You never know where you are going to meet new people, new authors to root for, and I'm so glad that I met Alyssa!

http://www.alyssaroseivy.com/
Read Beckoning Light for Free!

These are just a few authors that have really made an impact on me in the last year. I really hope that you support your indie authors and accept books for review! I know there's a lot of slush to get through, but once in a while, you get a gem, and it makes it all worth it!

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