Nine Indie Authors You’ve Totally Got To Read This Summer!

Independent authors are having a heyday right now, breaking the normally strait-laced publishing industry wide open with stories that are as varied as the people telling them. Now, fascinating new voices are everywhere, and they’re bringing a much-needed breath of fresh air with them. Indies are also all the rage with readers because they’re the book world equivalent of shopping local and supporting small businesses. What’s not to love? Their books are easily available, and often priced more competitively than titles put out by large publishing houses. Want to support an indie author this summer, but not sure where to start? This shortlist of some of independent publishing’s favorites is sure to have something for everyone!

1. Literary Fiction

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•Nineteen Hundred Days by Florence Osmund is the real thing—the author depicts the places and characters in a way that makes the reader part of their lives.

2. Women’s Fiction

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•Effie Kammenou’s Evanthia’s Gift is a multigenerational saga that will take you on a journey through five decades of family history, struggles, triumphs and everlasting love.

3. YA Suspense

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•Whisper, by Christopher Bailey, keeps fans spellbound with its captivating storyline. It grabs readers from the very first sentence of the description: "Jackson had everything he could ever want... until the whispers started."

4. Romance

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•Kristen Casey’s steamy, emotional Second Chances series of contemporary romances delivers all the feels, with sparkling dialogue and real, relatable characters.

5. Mystery Thriller

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•The latest in Jeff Siebold’s Zeke Traynor series is The Crisp Poleward Sky. Missing girls are being smuggled into the country by the notorious MS-13 gang. Zeke must find the girls and shut down the supply line, but it’s easier said than done!

6. Romance

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Fans of historical romance will enjoy Lucia’s Lament by Emily Daniels. Her writing is beautifully descriptive, and her characters seem to jump off the pages to tell you their story in person.

7. YA Dystopian

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•A.J. Eversley’s Watcher series is another reader favorite. Fans of “Divergent” or “The Hunger Games” will love these action-packed titles.

8. Women's Fiction

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* The Midwest Book Review calls Deanna Lynn Sletten’s Night Music: A Novel “An especially compelling read that successfully captures the nuances, influences, and cultural and social turmoil of the Vietnam era.”

9. Historical Romance

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•The Merry Lives of Spinsters is the first installment in Rebecca Connolly’s Spinster Chronicles, and it is clever, sweet, and just all-around fun.

10. Now that you’ve got your TBR list, stock up those carts and get reading! And remember this: the two best ways to support your new favorite authors are to tell your friends about them, and to leave a review on bookseller websites, letting others know what you enjoyed about the books. Now, read on!

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