LGBTQIA+ Book Recommendations!

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Hi everyone! Here is a post I am very excited about and that is indie books with LGBTQIA+ characters! I believe that all of these books by indie authors have characters from the LGBTQIA+ characters. Please let me know if you pick any of these up!

Jack of Thorns

Laurence Riley might be able to see the future, but he can't see a way to fix his messed-up life. He can't control anything—not his supernatural talents, not his drug addiction, and not his violent ex-boyfriend. Laurence needs help and he knows it. A lifelong pagan, he turns to his god... and he gets Jack. Jack can help Laurence tame his powers and take control of his life. But it comes at a price: Laurence will need to keep him fed with regular offerings of sex. For the old Laurence, that would've been a pleasure. Problem is, Laurence has met Quentin.

Quentin is devastatingly handsome, way out of Laurence's league (like British nobility levels of out-of-his-league), and unbearably chaste. If that weren’t enough to keep Laurence away, Quentin's wild telekinesis is even more uncontrollable than Laurence's precognition. But Laurence doesn't want anyone else, and Jack is getting hungry.

Then Laurence foresees a glimpse of Jack's true plan. It will leave a trail of death across San Diego--and Laurence has been helping him do it. The past has taught him that the future can't be changed. But if Laurence and Quentin can't stop Jack, there won't be any future at all.

Jack of Thorns is the first book in a dark urban fantasy series where X-Men meets The Magicians.

FREE on Kindle

Knight of Flames

Some men are forged in fire.

Quentin d’Arcy may have survived a showdown with a god, but now he faces something far more terrifying: falling in love. And the secret he’s hiding from Laurence could burn them both.

Kane Wilson says he wants to make a better world—one in which psychics are out and proud without fear of reprisal or hatred—but there’s a trail of bodies buried in his past. Kane’s power is his words. When he commands, everyone obeys. They have no choice.

Everyone except Quentin. As the only person in San Diego immune to Kane’s mind-control, he is the psychic community’s last line of defense against Wilson’s murderous schemes.

The fire has been foreseen.

Quentin’s survival hasn’t.

Lord of Ravens

Hunter and prey. Which is which?

Laurence Riley believed that he was nothing. He couldn’t have been further from the truth. Descended from Herne the Hunter, his own need to seek prey has long gone unfulfilled. Now it’s out of control.

Something ancient is coming to take Quentin home: a creature of nightmare who feasts on the flesh of children. But Laurence has seen the real monster. The one who is pulling all their strings from afar.

Only Herne can prepare Laurence to face an evil which far outmatches him. Their enemy wields the most powerful weapon of all, and will destroy everyone Laurence loves unless he can master the same power.

He must learn magic.

3 Home Renovation Projects to Consider this Spring

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Are you looking for a way to spruce up your home this spring without spending too much time or money? If so, consider undertaking one of these three home renovation projects! Keep reading for information on each project and the supplies you'll need to get started.

via Pexels

Growing a Sustainable Business

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Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important issue for businesses of all sizes. Consumers are more environmentally conscious than ever, looking for companies that share their values. If you want your business to be successful in the long run, it is essential to embrace sustainable practices. This blog post will explore the benefits of environmental awareness when running a business. We will also provide tips for growing a sustainable business.

Photo by Alena Koval

Why all businesses should embrace sustainability

As the world becomes increasingly aware of the importance of sustainability, more and more businesses are looking for ways to operate sustainably. There are many benefits to running a sustainable business, including reducing costs, attracting and retaining customers, and improving employee morale. In addition, there are a few key strategies that all companies can adopt to help them operate more sustainably.

Things I'm doing for my mental health

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Image

Here are some strategies I am using or plan to use for my mental health:

• Regularly list positive things in general and positive things that have happened lately
• When anxiety comes- traffic light system! Red- stop, Amber- is this something I can do something about right now or is it hypothetical or something I can't do anything about? Green- problem solve or let it go (imagine a balloon flying away)
• Also for anxiety: say to self- this feeling is better explained by anxiety. What evidence is there that this will happen? Remind yourself that this is not where you want to go.
• Stop looking at and responding to messages at all hours
• Drink lots of water, eat healthy and go outside often
• Have rest and relax time- this can include watching videos and not stressing about not doing anything, playing a game and enjoying it, reading or just spending time with people and not thinking
• Spend less time online and more time doing the above things
• Stop worrying about goals 

Do you do any of these things? If not, would you like to? What strategies do you use?

Mystery Book Recommendations!

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Do you like reading a good mystery? Check out these  mystery books by self-published/small press authors!

Room 119 – The Whitby Trader

High-flying trader Dean Harrison has it all – the London penthouse apartment; the fast car; the beautiful wife. But when the threads of Dean’s life start to unravel, they do so with alarming speed. Following the advice of a frail stranger,

Dean sets off for Welnetham Hall Hotel and is plunged into the mysterious world of Room 119 – a world where nothing makes sense. How does everyone in the hotel know his name? Why does he travel there on a train line that shut down over fifty years ago? And who is the sinister man in black who pursues him wherever he goes?

As he gradually pieces together the puzzle of Welnetham Hall, Dean is forced to re-evaluate his life and realises that nothing is more important to him than his wife and daughter. Desperate to get back to them, he vows he would lay down his life for the people he loves.

It’s a promise he may have to keep.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Funicular – What is truth when the past is a lie

After his life is threatened, DI Bob Dixon leaves London hoping for the quiet life in the northern village of Saltburn-by-the-Sea. But when he takes on the case of young Lizzy Scraggs, missing since a huge tide hit Saltburn six years earlier, he embarks on an investigation that will push him to the very edge of reason.

Out on the beat, Bob learns the legend of the funicular car that left the top of Saltburn’s famous cliff lift many years ago carrying two passengers, and arrived at the bottom empty save for an abandoned ticket. And every big tide since has seen another local child disappear.

Feeling increasingly manipulated by a shadowy nemesis, Bob struggles to make sense of the seemingly impossible clues before him. How can the dead live again? Who is the tortured man haunting the churchyard in nearby Marske? And with the next massive tide just hours away, can Bob solve the puzzle and bring an end to the tragedy of Saltburn’s missing children?

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Wolf Hunter Inquisition: The Freeing of Chiropteran

As a serial killer terrorizes the city, Detective Danny Roberts finds himself facing a nightmare of his own when he is thrown into a secret, macabre world of vampires and dark forces.

Awakening with an unquenchable thirst, Detective Roberts turns to the bottle, but discovers that now only blood will satisfy him. When a mysterious text message arrives, Danny finds himself face-to-face with Mistress, a vampire investigator known as a Wolf Hunter.

As her thrall, Danny is bound by blood to serve this enigmatic protector of humanity. Singular in his ability to maintain freewill despite the vampire's hold over him, Danny is offered a unique proposition— join Mistress in hunting down the serial killers of the world and keep humanity safe from these wolves that prey upon the vampire's flock.

But there are even darker forces at work who would threaten the ancient peace between humans and vampires. With time growing short, can these unlikely partners uncover the threat lurking in the shadows, or will the truce between humans and vampires be broken, leading to the extinction of them all?

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Thriller Book Recommendations!

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Do you like reading thriller books? Check out these thriller books by self-published/small press authors!

Funicular – What is truth when the past is a lie

After his life is threatened, DI Bob Dixon leaves London hoping for the quiet life in the northern village of Saltburn-by-the-Sea. But when he takes on the case of young Lizzy Scraggs, missing since a huge tide hit Saltburn six years earlier, he embarks on an investigation that will push him to the very edge of reason.

Out on the beat, Bob learns the legend of the funicular car that left the top of Saltburn’s famous cliff lift many years ago carrying two passengers, and arrived at the bottom empty save for an abandoned ticket. And every big tide since has seen another local child disappear.

Feeling increasingly manipulated by a shadowy nemesis, Bob struggles to make sense of the seemingly impossible clues before him. How can the dead live again? Who is the tortured man haunting the churchyard in nearby Marske? And with the next massive tide just hours away, can Bob solve the puzzle and bring an end to the tragedy of Saltburn’s missing children?

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Room 119 – The Whitby Trader

High-flying trader Dean Harrison has it all – the London penthouse apartment; the fast car; the beautiful wife. But when the threads of Dean’s life start to unravel, they do so with alarming speed. Following the advice of a frail stranger,

Dean sets off for Welnetham Hall Hotel and is plunged into the mysterious world of Room 119 – a world where nothing makes sense. How does everyone in the hotel know his name? Why does he travel there on a train line that shut down over fifty years ago? And who is the sinister man in black who pursues him wherever he goes?

As he gradually pieces together the puzzle of Welnetham Hall, Dean is forced to re-evaluate his life and realises that nothing is more important to him than his wife and daughter. Desperate to get back to them, he vows he would lay down his life for the people he loves.

It’s a promise he may have to keep.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

The Gouge

"I haven't forgotten what you did!"

Carson Bates ran away from Cypress Creek to hide from his dark and troubled past—his father was the serial killer known as “The Man in the Woods”. Twenty-two years later, a simple text message reveals that his secrets have caught up with him.

The freshly slain bodies of two teenage girls have been discovered in the woods of Cypress Creek, and the methods in which the girls were killed are identical to the those that were found nearly twenty-two years earlier. The now retired detective who worked the first case has long suspected that Carson Bates knew more than what he revealed during interrogations; Now is his chance to prove it.

Carson returns to Cypress Creek to finally face his past, but it is soon clear that Carson isn’t the only person in that small-town that is harboring dark secrets about that night in the woods.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Horror Book Recommendations!

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Do you like reading horror books? Check out these horror and horror comedy books by self-published/small press authors!

Beth Mac: Part One (GRIM Book 1)

Whether it's the battlefield or the football field, Beth Mac is relentless.

Adored as much as she's feared, Corporal Elizabeth Mackenzie is nothing short of a full-blown enigma. Once awarded the Medal of Honour for her bold and arguably reckless efforts as a soldier, she eventually finds herself inching toward a different type of pedestal — one at Saint Judah's College.

With her eyes on the prize, she's on a mission to take the captaincy, whatever the cost. And one by one her competition violently fall.

Luckily, for Beth Mac, a doting boyfriend and a band of followers are far too easily manipulated for her to have to get her hands dirty. The school has its bets on the Grim Reaper being responsible. After all, that's who carried out the murderous rampage at the school just the year before.

Full of all your classic sorority debauchery, Part One will take you on a journey of mysterious happenings with a down-under twist and a whole lot of slaughter. Bloody, witty and outrageously mad, it's Macbeth like you've never seen it before.

Who knew football could be this deadly?

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Beth Mac: Part Two (GRIM Book 2)

As the newly crowned captain of the college football team, Elizabeth Mackenzie is hell-bent on holding power no matter who or what stands in her way. The biggest challenge of all is keeping her cards close to her chest as suspicions arise around her role in the carnage.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Shadowmarch

150 micro-tales of a young man who cannot speak, and his day to day interactions with the Supernatural.

Featuring monsters, creatures, and cryptids, from global mythology, a nameless, mystery man lives a life frequently interrupted by the Supernatural.

On dates, at work, at home, on vacation, even while gathering groceries or just using the bathroom.
He navigates the world on the precipice between the mundane and beyond, sometimes aided and sometimes not. However, beneath it all lies questions.
What is real and what is not? What is dangerous and what is misunderstood? Who stalks him through the veils of reality and wishes to remove him from existence?
And how can he protect himself when it all seems to loop back on him and the ones he loves?

Free on Kindle Unlimited

The Grimy & the Greedy

The odious Jeanette Sobriquet is dead and her granddaughter, Fizzy, is too relieved to grieve. Unfortunately for her, when Fizzy announces her refusal to attend the abusive woman's funeral, her life becomes a living nightmare. Now, she has demons, ghosts, and the threat of homelessness hunting her down, all demanding she caves into the dead woman's iron will.

Bar owner, Affidious Dixon, is forced to carry out Fizzy's dead grandmother's last requests; otherwise, the ghost of the Bosnian war criminal that is following him around will murder his mother.

The Grimy & the Greedy is a comedic paranormal thriller about one woman's fight to save herself from tyrannical death customs and one man's journey to save his mother from pure evil.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – except for Harold Trapp. With sales numbers plummeting, he and his company rush plans to create the perfect Christmas gift: the Hans and Heidi dolls. But with a tight deadline hanging over their heads, stress is a frequent visitor. As are the two cats that mysteriously appear on his doorstep. But there’s something sinister hiding behind their sweet and furry demeanor. And the town of Oakridge comes to know it well.When the Christmas lights shine and the snow falls heavy, something awakens. Something dark and ancient. Cold. And with it, unspeakable terrors are born. From legends of old black trains to holiday satyrs and straw goats of yore, the winter wind lurks in the deepest of shadows. Hungry for flesh. Waiting for the darkness to return. The spirit of the season is far more than Harold Trapp bargained for.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Into the Uncanny: 12 Tales of Terror

In every corner, something dark and unsettling lurks in the shadows. Waiting. From mysterious murderers to ancient forest spirits, the world of horror never strays far from home. Dorian J. Sinnott brings the shadows and what hides within closer in 12 original chilling tales. Open up, turn the page, and take a step into the darkness, into the unknown, and into the uncanny.

Fantasy Book Recommendations!

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Do you like reading fantasy books? Check out these epic fantasy, YA fantasy, horror fantasy and fantasy romance books by self-published/small press authors!

Speechless in Achten Tan: Book 1 of The Sands of Achten Tan

Mila hasn't spoken in the five years since she became an Onra, a first level Everfall witch. After failing the test to reclaim her voice and control her magic, her mentor sends eighteen-year-old Mila to Achten Tan – City of Dust – a dangerous desert town, built in the massive ribcage of an extinct leviathan.

To reclaim her power, Mila must steal a magical staff capable of releasing it, from Bone Master Opu Haku's sky-high lair.

Her only resources are the magical luminous elixirs of the cursed caverns where she grew up, and a band of unlikely allies; a quirky inventor, a giant-ant rider, a healer, a librarian's assistant, a Tar-tule rider and the chief's playboy son.

But in the City of Bones, enemies & friends are not who they seem and trusting the wrong person can be deadly.

If Mila fails, she will never speak again and her bones may be added to the desert.

This book includes a kick-ass female protagonist covered in tattoos, giant ants, first-person present-tense narration, magic, banter, lots of innuendoes, and cute boys kissing.  

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Jack of Thorns

Laurence Riley might be able to see the future, but he can't see a way to fix his messed-up life. He can't control anything—not his supernatural talents, not his drug addiction, and not his violent ex-boyfriend. Laurence needs help and he knows it. A lifelong pagan, he turns to his god... and he gets Jack. Jack can help Laurence tame his powers and take control of his life. But it comes at a price: Laurence will need to keep him fed with regular offerings of sex. For the old Laurence, that would've been a pleasure. Problem is, Laurence has met Quentin.

Quentin is devastatingly handsome, way out of Laurence's league (like British nobility levels of out-of-his-league), and unbearably chaste. If that weren’t enough to keep Laurence away, Quentin's wild telekinesis is even more uncontrollable than Laurence's precognition. But Laurence doesn't want anyone else, and Jack is getting hungry.

Then Laurence foresees a glimpse of Jack's true plan. It will leave a trail of death across San Diego--and Laurence has been helping him do it. The past has taught him that the future can't be changed. But if Laurence and Quentin can't stop Jack, there won't be any future at all.

Jack of Thorns is the first book in a dark urban fantasy series where X-Men meets The Magicians.

FREE on Kindle

Knight of Flames

Some men are forged in fire.

Quentin d’Arcy may have survived a showdown with a god, but now he faces something far more terrifying: falling in love. And the secret he’s hiding from Laurence could burn them both.

Kane Wilson says he wants to make a better world—one in which psychics are out and proud without fear of reprisal or hatred—but there’s a trail of bodies buried in his past. Kane’s power is his words. When he commands, everyone obeys. They have no choice.

Everyone except Quentin. As the only person in San Diego immune to Kane’s mind-control, he is the psychic community’s last line of defense against Wilson’s murderous schemes.

The fire has been foreseen.

Quentin’s survival hasn’t.

Lord of Ravens

Hunter and prey. Which is which?

Laurence Riley believed that he was nothing. He couldn’t have been further from the truth. Descended from Herne the Hunter, his own need to seek prey has long gone unfulfilled. Now it’s out of control.

Something ancient is coming to take Quentin home: a creature of nightmare who feasts on the flesh of children. But Laurence has seen the real monster. The one who is pulling all their strings from afar.

Only Herne can prepare Laurence to face an evil which far outmatches him. Their enemy wields the most powerful weapon of all, and will destroy everyone Laurence loves unless he can master the same power.

He must learn magic.

Book Spotlight: New Brighton by Helen Trevorrow

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Title: New Brighton
Author: Helen Trevorrow
Available on Amazon

Synopsis:

During a vicious 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, Robyn needs to 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 not only who she is, but what she is truly 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.

A few people have said...

This is much more than just dystopian sci-fi

During a vicious 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, Robyn needs to 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 not only who she is, but what she is truly 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.

Check out these books! Monthly supporters showcase #4

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Hi everyone and welcome to another monthly supporters showcase! This is where I share the books and blogs of my Ko-Fi members. Please check out their amazing work!

A. K. Faulkner

AK Faulkner is the author of the Inheritance series of contemporary fantasy novels, which begins with Jack of Thorns.

AK lives just outside of London, England, with a charismatic Corgi. Together they fight crime and try not to light too many fires on the way.

Visit AK's website at http://akfaulkner.com/

Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @poopraven

Jack of Thorns

Laurence Riley might be able to see the future, but he can't see a way to fix his messed-up life. He can't control anything—not his supernatural talents, not his drug addiction, and not his violent ex-boyfriend. Laurence needs help and he knows it. A lifelong pagan, he turns to his god... and he gets Jack. Jack can help Laurence tame his powers and take control of his life. But it comes at a price: Laurence will need to keep him fed with regular offerings of sex. For the old Laurence, that would've been a pleasure. Problem is, Laurence has met Quentin.

Quentin is devastatingly handsome, way out of Laurence's league (like British nobility levels of out-of-his-league), and unbearably chaste. If that weren’t enough to keep Laurence away, Quentin's wild telekinesis is even more uncontrollable than Laurence's precognition. But Laurence doesn't want anyone else, and Jack is getting hungry.

Then Laurence foresees a glimpse of Jack's true plan. It will leave a trail of death across San Diego--and Laurence has been helping him do it. The past has taught him that the future can't be changed. But if Laurence and Quentin can't stop Jack, there won't be any future at all.

Jack of Thorns is the first book in a dark urban fantasy series where X-Men meets The Magicians.

FREE on Kindle

Knight of Flames

Some men are forged in fire.

Quentin d’Arcy may have survived a showdown with a god, but now he faces something far more terrifying: falling in love. And the secret he’s hiding from Laurence could burn them both.

Kane Wilson says he wants to make a better world—one in which psychics are out and proud without fear of reprisal or hatred—but there’s a trail of bodies buried in his past. Kane’s power is his words. When he commands, everyone obeys. They have no choice.

Everyone except Quentin. As the only person in San Diego immune to Kane’s mind-control, he is the psychic community’s last line of defense against Wilson’s murderous schemes.

The fire has been foreseen.

Quentin’s survival hasn’t.

Lord of Ravens

Hunter and prey. Which is which?

Laurence Riley believed that he was nothing. He couldn’t have been further from the truth. Descended from Herne the Hunter, his own need to seek prey has long gone unfulfilled. Now it’s out of control.

Something ancient is coming to take Quentin home: a creature of nightmare who feasts on the flesh of children. But Laurence has seen the real monster. The one who is pulling all their strings from afar.

Only Herne can prepare Laurence to face an evil which far outmatches him. Their enemy wields the most powerful weapon of all, and will destroy everyone Laurence loves unless he can master the same power.

He must learn magic.

Reeve of Veils

Truth is a matter of perspective.

Frederick d’Arcy is determined to unearth the truth behind his mother’s untimely death, but the only witness is a man whose mind Frederick cannot read: his twin brother, Quentin. And Quentin is up to his neck in trouble half a world away.

That trouble’s name is Kane Wilson. As Wilson works to out psychics and kill anyone who gets in his way, Frederick enters into a deadly game of cat and mouse. He must outwit, outthink, and outmanipulate Wilson without revealing the extent of his own powers, or the vengeance he seeks could be snatched from his grasp.

This isn’t the Knight of Flames you remember.