Hello faithful readers and fellow book lovers!
I wanted to tell everyone about a new publishing company for independent authors. Hollow Hills, LLC. was co-founded by my friend Aurora Styles and myself as a place for authors whose works might be considered too "different" for traditional publishers. We don't believe in formula writing or writing by the numbers. We are looking for stories without all the usual tropes. We want original. We want unique. We want fantasy!
Though we do specialize in fantasy and all it's sub-genres, we will also consider horror, romance, mythology, and erotica. The most important thing to us is the story itself. Are the characters three-dimensional? Does the story reach down inside and pull out all those feels? Do the vivid setting details make you feel like you are really there? Does the story not fit neatly into one genre? Then we are interested!
For those indie authors who prefer self-publishing, we offer services that are vital to creating a sell-able product. As some of you may know, I have been a paid beta reader for a few years now and I am bringing my experience to Hollow Hills.
Aurora instructs Composition 101 and Freelance Writing. She also holds an MFA in Creative Writing. She has experience editing papers and manuscripts full-time. So if you need a beta reader or editor, we've got you covered.
Two other services we offer through our company are the sales of pre-made book covers, and extra promotional services for authors. We have a variety of choices for book covers and we guarantee that any sold will never be sold again. Hollow Hills understands that most authors work other jobs and may not have the time to promote their books. We offer affordable services that include daily posts on social media accounts and posts on blogs.
To start our company off with a bang, we have decided to publish an anthology later this year. This collection of short stories and/or poetry will give new authors a chance to shine. All royalties earned from the sales of the anthology will
go towards a charity. We are still in talks about which charity, but it
will be one that involves the theme of the stories.
This first anthology will be titled "Still Standing" and the stories will involve a protagonist who has undergone some kind of ill treatment from a person in power, whether they were abused, harassed, fired, dismissed, etc. The antagonist can be a boss, co-worker, evil overlord, whatever you would like. The story can be a revenge story, but the main theme is empowerment and the healing process. The victim came through and is standing on their own two (or more) feet. Again, though we specialize in fantasy, we would gladly consider horror or romance submissions.
For more information on the submission guidelines, please visit our blog on our website here: www.hollowhillsbooks.com
Be sure to stop by and see what our company can do for you, independent author!
Hello, everyone!
I'm a bit behind on my Goodreads reading goal this year, but I plan to make up for it next month. I have been busy starting a publishing company with my friend. That's right, we are officially licensed and up and running. But enough about that (I'll do a post later about the company) let's get back to the indies I read in February.
One Snowy Night
by Various Authors
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
An entertaining book of short stories that certainly warmed the heart.
Unforeseen Circumstances -
Though
the premise of this story sounded like a bad soap opera, a woman
suffering from amnesia falls back in love with her ex, it was done in a
way that made it endearing. The characters were relatable and the story
sweet.
All the Things I Should Have Told You -
My second
favorite story in this collection. A heart wrenching story about
unrequited love and how true love means sacrifice and undying loyalty.
My favorite bit was these lines at the beginning: "Hell is not full of
screams or wails. It is full of rhythmic, mechanical breaths and the
beep of machines. It smells of disinfectant, and the cruelest trick it
plays is letting you know that everybody is doing everything they can,
but it might all flitter away in a moment."
One Snowy Day -
This
was my least favorite story. The story is sweet and certainly tugs at
the heartstrings, but there is far more dialogue than narrative. The
characters have too many info dump conversations and opportunities to
really get to know the characters on a more personal level are glossed
over.
Again, the story itself is not bad, but it could have been presented better.
Somewhere Between Falling -
My
favorite story of the bunch. Told from the two main charcter's point of
views, we meet two people who have had their lives turned upside down
and their hearts broken. Meeting again has old sparks flying and they
begin to wonder if their past disastrous relationships were as deep as
they had originally thought. Lovable characters and an intriguing plot
made this one hard to put down.
All in all, a nice collection for a cold winter day
First Fruits
by Amanda Carney
Rating: 5 Stars
Review:
This book hooked me from page one. It held a lot of the usual paranormal
romance ideas: quiet girl falls for a vampire, finds out she has unique
powers, bad guys come after them. What made this story unique was its
execution and characters.
The writing style was amusing and
detailed. The characters were flawed but lovable. The steamy sex scenes
had me fanning myself. The best part, however, was how we got in their
heads so completely. I was sucked right into their world.
The cliffhanger at the end had me checking for more pages! No! Why! Looks like I will have to pick up the next book ASAP.
And that's all I have for you this month! The rest of my reading was spent on indie children's books, which I review elsewhere. I hope everyone had an amazing Valentine's Day. Make sure you have a pint for me on St. Patrick's Day, too!
Happy reading!
Hello, all!
I recently finished watching the Netflix original television show, The Punisher. I want to talk about the show a bit without giving any spoilers. Well, not really.
I thoroughly enjoyed it for a few different reasons. For one, people died, even main characters for no reason. This show is about military conspiracies and cover-ups, so you can bet your ass there was plenty of gunfire and hand-to-hand combat. The thing is, so many movies and TV shows are afraid to kill off characters right from the start. Usually, you want to have an elaborate backstory or reasoning as to why they were killed. The thing is, it isn't always like that in real life. Some people are just in the wrong place at the wrong time and you are given little time to grieve in that moment.
The main reason I loved this show was because it drew parallels to my favorite graphic novel of all time: The Crow by James O'Barr. Now, I have not read Marvel's The Punisher comics, but I was familiar with the story itself before watching the show. Frank Castle is a soldier who was back home with his family when they were all gunned down right in front of him. His wife and two kids, gone in the blink of an eye. This begins a cycle of revenge that soon appears to be never ending.
The Crow is also about revenge for a lost loved one. Eric Draven witnesses his girlfriend's murder before dying himself. He later comes back from death as The Crow, an agent of revenge.
Now I am a sucker for a good revenge story, but what makes these two stories so special is the way they show the main character's suffering. Frank Castle and Eric Draven both go to extremes for their revenge, leaving pools of blood and dead bodies in their wake. They don't care about consequences. They don't care about right and wrong or crossing the line. In most cases, this would make them more of a villain than a hero. The truth is, they are more of an anti-hero: someone who doesn't do the morally right thing, but someone you can relate to and root for nonetheless.
Why relate to savage killers? With The Punisher, we are shown the world through Frank's eyes. Every day, he wakes up after dreams of his family. Whether they are pleasant memories, nightmares, or a cruel mix of both, it doesn't matter. We see how his loved ones are never far from his thoughts. He relives his pain over and over, again and again, and all he wants is his own form of justice since the system failed him.
The same is true with Eric Draven. Between scenes of violence, we are shown his memories of Shelly, the greatest love of his life. Even after his own death, he mourns her still and we are given every painful detail of his suffering.
This suffering is what makes these characters so relatable. Even as they break bones and fill men with bullets, we can't help but to root for them. The line between right and wrong is blurry, for sure, but these emotionally gutted individuals still elicit sympathy from the audience.
And last but not least, The Punisher is a new favorite because Jon Bernthal is an amazing actor that played the part so beautifully, that I was often trying not to sob out loud. His performance was powerful and moving. Plus, you know, eye candy!
I recommend this show to anyone who loves their action fast, their violence hard-core, and their hearts being ripped to shreds with those deep feels.
Hello my faithful readers! Tis I, Marie, your reviewer of indie books, here to give you another list of interesting books I read in January. So without further ado, here are the indies I enjoyed last month.
Undressed
by Karina Kantas
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
This
book delivers on everything the blurb promises: introductions to a
couple novels that leave you wanting more, flash fiction, and poetry.
Well written and full of emotion, this was certainly an enjoyable read.
Pretty Guilty
by K.L. Cottrell
Rating: 5 Stars
Review:
A perfectly beautiful story.
K.L.
Cottrell has such an amazing way with words. Her characters instantly
jump off the page and the story immediately draws you in. She makes it
so easy to fall in love with her characters, to feel their joy and
sadness as your own. This story is laden with life lessons and really
tugs at the heartstrings. 10 stars!
The Guardians
by Gina Moray
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
Equal parts thriller and murder mystery, this book will take you to dark places. I was reminded of Needful Things
by Stephen King, with the way a demon drove into town and made deals,
for a price. In the end, the price was too steep. Corpses and fields
overflowing with blood were all that was left.
Gina Moray certainly puts you in the middle of all the action and horror. A creepy read that is not for weak stomachs!
Lunatic Justice
by Garrison Kelly
Rating: 5 Stars
Review:
This
collection of poetry and songs will keep you on your toes and leave you
shaking your head at the world at large. Garrison Kelly not only
exposes the sad truths of mankind but puts them on display. The results
are sometimes hard to swallow, or hard to read, but will elicit an
emotional reaction from you. Whether that emotion is fear, anger,
sadness, or disgust depends on the reader.
My favorites of the
collection were "I Apologize," "My Body," "Thank You," "Rise and Shine,"
"Shadow Hawk," "Coasting," "I Still Remember," "Screaming Into the
Abyss," and "STEM Sell."
All four and five star reviews last month! Woohoo, that's some entertaining reads! I hope you find a title from this list that sparks your interest. Always remember to tip your waitresses and review the indie products you enjoy.
Happy reading!
