It’s three years since I started my blog. It all began with an author I had never heard of, but saw lots of people on a Facebook group known as Crime Fiction Addict, talking about this book. I saw them talking of Indie authors and publishers and I had no idea what the term even meant. There was also mention of NetGalley again I had no idea what that was either. Ironically as I looked at my bookcase I saw I had a copy of the book they were all raving about, I hadn’t remembered buying it. The book was The Puppet Show by M.W.Craven. That was the first book I read and reviewed, I had never even thought about reviewing books, I had no idea how much it can help an author just starting out, or course there is always the negative side of this when people leave bad reviews tagging the author, which has to be devastating for a new author especially. But you have to remember what you don’t like there maybe thousands that love it, this is the thing with reading it is subjective. The book I had started with and absolutely loved The Puppet Show went on to win the CWA Dagger award later and the characters of Washington Poe and Matilda Bradshaw have remained firm favourites of mine. I have just purchased book five in the series The Botanist.
But I stray from the topic. I had always assumed that when you see a book in the supermarket or a book store, or Amazon that meant an author had made it. How wrong was I and how naive, but I wonder how many other readers think the same, I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking it.
After blogging about that book I looked into NetGalley and got a little carried away, like a child being let loose in a sweet shop, not expecting to be allowed to have eARC’s of any of the books I had picked one of them happened to be the next Poe and Tilly book just by chance. The next thing I new I had something like 179 books to read and review. That’s when I got serious about blogging. My Twitter account became about books, authors, publishers. This is where I learnt what an indie publisher, indie author and indie bookshops are.
I had never heard of Orenda publishers or RedDog publishers, these are just two indie publishers who need support, they don’t have the funds that the big publishing houses have. But what they do have are brilliant authors. Indie authors who are just starting out, looking to get published.
If you like crime fiction check out both of these indie publishers, most of the books available from http://www.reddogpress.co.uk are crime fiction. There is a choice for everyone, you have your cozy crime novels, then the more gritty crime stories. I have purchased a copy of every book they have in print now and I think I’m almost on three shelves. What is lovely is that when you order from them your book comes beautifully wrapped in red tissue paper. So would make a perfect gift for someone or just a treat for yourself. The books published by Red Dog are available as Hardback, Paperback and ebook so you can pick whichever type of book you like to read whether it be physical or an ebook.
With http://www.orendabooks.co.uk there is a slightly larger collection books translated from other languages, not all of the books are crime but there is a good selection. Again in the last couple of years I have managed to purchase every book they have printed,From both of these publishers I also have quite a few of the books on my kindle as well, always handy for reading at night, I switch from a paper copy to an ecopy. The thing is with both of these publishers you know the authors are good and I mean very very good. There is something to suit every taste.
The thing is with Indie writers not only do they write in their spare time a lot of them hold down full time jobs as well. But some of the books I have read from just these two publishers would match any of the big hyped up books that are advertised on billboards etc. some of them are even a lot better.
But if you don’t see the book you want on any of these sites then give a small Indie bookshop a go, if they don’t have the book in, most will order it for you and have it ready to collect within a couple of days or will post it to you. Check out http://www.bertsbooks.co.uk if you don’t see what you want on Bert’s website he will get you a copy. Again when you receive your book it is tied beautifully with a ribbon, along with a sheet of paper telling you the synopsis, and a bookmark.
Just by buying from any of these sites you are keeping not just small business’s going but you are also supporting new authors, authors you may enjoy their writing, authors you may never have found, authors and publishers who are grateful for just one book purchased.
So on this post I am going to show you the authors who write for @RedDogTweets
Brilliant cozy crime series by @cmacwritescrime I have reviews for all of these if you look back over my blog. Introducing Adam Whyte and his best mate Colin who have learnt any detecting skills from watching their favourite tv show Sherlock, watching these characters grow has been great. These are by the same author but this is a trilogy a police procedural introducing Erika Piper. Book 2 was my favourite in this series.Another brilliant cozy crime series, The Mydworth Mysteries with great characters, written by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello.This is another great cozy crime series by the same authors of The Mydworth Mysteries this one is Cherringham set in the Cotswolds with Web designer Sarah and former NYPD homicide detective Jack.Another cozy mystery with a difference Aubrey the rescue cat. With everything you need in a Cat Noir series.The Soho Noir series set in 1980’s London, look at those covers and anyone around in the 80’s will know the titles are all from songs. Another brilliant series The Parker Sisters. Martha Parker runs a small detective agency with her two sister Helen and Geri in Glasgow.This time we have a journalist Hannah Weybridge in another brilliant thriller series.I loved these two books by Matthew Ross and am really hoping there is more to come. As we meet Mark Poynter he is just a painter/decorator/builder who finds a murder on one of his worksites. Leading to him being the suspect. There are some terrific characters in this series, some great dark comedy. These two books are brilliant the first is book one of The Thirty Miles Trilogy book two is currently available to listen to on Audible but isn’t out yet but will be coming soon and it’s another one not to miss. Black stoke is a gripping thriller where bad things start to happen in a newly built estate 😱The African Diamonds series if you like thrillers written by Frederick Forsyth, Wilbur Smith, Gerald Seymour then this series is for you if you don’t want to buy the set order a copy of book one The Angolan Clan and if you are hooked buy the others.Another gritty read, Black Viking Thriller series about a disturbed ex SAS soldier, bored in his witness protection program in Bristol, becomes pulled into a web of deceit, destruction and disillusionment. This is a real crime noir series. With some dark themes PTSD, Drink, Depression, loss of identity, isolation.First two books in the Ganestown Trilogy. Another series not to be missed this is dark and gritty but will have you on the edge of your seat, I can’t wait for book 3. Another brilliant series set in the 1940’s you can either buy the three books individually or as a hardback as shown at the top. That hardback cover is gorgeous in fact all the Red Dog hardbacks have the same picture on them as the sleeve they’re all stunning. With a gripping read inside.Another terrific series this one introduces Dr Alex Ripley who is given the name Miracle Detective as she helps the police with their investigations.Two more brilliantly written books involving the Dark Webb, Scott Mitchell works at the National Cyber Crime Unit trying to bring down some of the worst criminals. But he doesn’t always win but his alter ego, Strider isn’t bound by the same restrictions can he solve things that Scott can’t.If you like the writing of Ben Aaronovitch then grab a copy of these two books. Even the devil needs a holiday at some time, but before he has a holiday he has to solve an ancient crime. If you want something darkly comic then this is for you.Two more gripping thrillers that will have you gripped. This is another writer to watch out for. Both books are equally engrossing taking the reader on a fast paced adrenalin fuelled ride.A terrific read, 65 year-old Gloria Jones has had enough of being abused in the streets, after seeing a gun thrown in her local park she picks it up and is on her way to turn it in but she is attacked on her way to the police station. Using the gun to make the attackers back off , she accidentally pulls the trigger and kills both attackers. Changing her life forever. Becoming a vigilante, a three month campaign taking revenge against violent criminals. After all who is going to suspect a little old lady. But how will it end?Alice Hunter, grieving and troubled after a breakdown, stumbles on a body of her friend and trustee, Harry Rook. The police determine he has been ritually murdered and suspicion falls on the vulnerable Alice, who inherited the place known locally as The Witch House from her grandmother, late High Priestess of the local coven. Even Alice starts to doubt herself when the police dig up more evidence. Can she find the courage to confront the secrets and lies at the heart of her family and community to uncover the truth, prove her sanity and clear herself of murder?During a viscous storm, a battered ship runs aground on Brighton beach. While the city on the sea comes to a ghostly standstill, the unusual event triggers an epic journey for young waitress, Robyn Lockhart. First she must find the ship’s mysterious cargo, but in doing so she discovers the truth about herself, her family and the place she’s always called home. Nothing is as it seems. Robyn begins to question who she is, and what she is capable of. Will the uncomfortable answers bring her closer to seeing the truth? As she starts to understand her true purpose, her power increases, but where will it take her? The truth lies within her, she has to learn to trust it to save herself, and those she loves. Do you like the sound of this one? M.Sean Coleman says ‘The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blade Runner.An evocative tale of love, fear and duty, set against the backdrop of the nineteen fifties, with the emergence of apartheid in South Africa and the criminal nature of homosexuality in the UK. This is a deeply moving story in a time when homosexuality was illegal. Father Daniel Blakemore is working as a missionary in a small, rural Providence Hospital on the Eastern Cape. It’s 1953, Being away from England it’s easier for him to conceal his homosexuality. A secret that could destroy everything he has ever worked for. But then Dr Eddie Raleigh arrives taking up his new position in Providence. The two men are instantly drawn to one another. But Daniel is worried that I’d the Archdeacon in London learns of his true nature, his life in the church will be over. Broken hearted he ends it with Eddie, leaves his missionary work and returns to Stepney London. Will time and distance alleviate Daniel’s pain, or will happiness be forever elusive? Or will love, finally, find a way?Two brilliant suspense thrillers by Louise Mangos The Beaten Track: She thought she was home safe, but trouble followed her all the way back. after her stalker takes his life and she is jilted by a holiday lover, Sndrine comes home from her round-the-world backpacking trip perturbed, penniless and pregnant. She meets handsome Scott, who offers her love, security and all she and her new baby could wish for. – But their dream is about to turn into a nightmare…….. Strangers on a Bridge: She should never have saved him. When Alice Reed goes on her regular morning jog in the peaceful Swiss Alps, she doesn’t expect to save a man from suicide. But she does. And it’s her first mistake. Adamant they have an instant connection, Manfred’s charming exterior grows darker and his obsession with Alice grows stronger. In a country far from home, where the police don’t believe her, the locals don’t trust her and even her husband questions the truth about Manfred, Alice has nowhere to turn. To what lengths will Alice go to protect herself and her family?Data scientist Laura prefers the company of her books to the real world – let alone that cesspit online. But when her best friend Emily becomes a victim of horrific cyber bullying, she makes it her engulfing mission to track down the worst culprits. This is a pacy novel with its feet firmly in the #MeToo era. 9 to 5 meets Suits with a dash of Black Mirror. Heleen Kist is a writer to watch out for.Sins of the Father: Lucas Findlay thinks he has struck gold when he marries Rebecca, but she married him for one reason only – to destroy him. Trauma Runs Deep When her past comes back to haunt her, Rebecca begins to disconnect from herself and the world around her. As secrets are unearthed, she begins to fear for her sanity…. And her life Truth Will Out With her world unravelling around her, Rebecca clings to her determination to make Lucas pay, whatever the cost. Forgive His Sins But someone must pay for the sins of the father. An absolutely gripping read. From start to finish. You Need Me: All she wants is a perfect family…. No matter what it takes. ‘Your secret didn’t die with me’ The mysterious note tucked inside the pages of a recently returned book leaves librarian, Morag McLaughlin, chilled to the bone. She knows it was meant for her. Someone out there knows her darkest secrets and they are determined to destroy everything. Torn apart from her own family, she will stop at nothing to create a perfect new one. Why are they all so ungrateful? She’s only looking after them…… isn’t she? Sharon Bairden is another author to be watching out for there’s much more to come yet.
Have you seen anything you think you would enjoy? If you love crime fiction there literally is something at Red Dog for everyone. They now do a subscription service where you can buy a book or two a month. It may be cozy crime, or the more crime noir. I have covered all the books I think are available from the Red Dog Kennels for now, but there are always more being added.
Any Indie publisher, writer, bookstore needs your support more now than ever. As the big stores, supermarkets, online are taking over. But this could mean some amazing talent gets missed. As I said earlier in my post I have read some of the best books from @RedDogTweets and @OrendaBooks. But there are other Indie publishers out there as well.
If you like the look of any of these books check out the website:
I know I have only shown you books from Red Dog on this post, but I will try and show you if not all but some of the fantastic books at Orenda on another post. I think I currently have 7 or 8 shelves full of their books. But all the ones I have read so far have been so fantastic 5⭐️ reads. You may have a local Indie book shop near you, please try and support them. The lovely Bert at Bert’s books is a tremendous help and will always try and find a book if he doesn’t have it and if you live in the Swindon area he has also just opened a shop. Where you can browse and have a coffee.
No one has asked me to do this post, I have decided to do it off my own back, celebrating three years of blogging on Twitter, Instagram and here on my blog. It has been an amazing three years. I have purchased so many books I am running out of space.
Please check out these publishers and see if there is anything that appeals to you as a reader and if you can’t afford to buy you can always check your local Library. I am not sure whether they will get books in if they don’t have them, but I’m sure if enough people ask then they will.
If you have read to the end of this post then thank you. I know it’s a long one and I may have waffled a bit. I hope you find something on here you fancy, and don’t forget if it’s from Red Dog it always comes beautifully wrapped in red tissue paper so would make a perfect gift to send to someone.
Some of the books I have added on here I have read and reviewed some are still on my TBR pile but I aim to start getting stuck into them very soon, and I will always leave a review. If not on here it’s always on Amazon, Goodreads and anywhere I can.
I hope you have fun reading, with a long weekend coming up it’s the perfect time to relax with a good book and if the weather is nice maybe sit in the garden, with a long drink.
Jackie’s Reading Corner 