#indie authors rock

[noahhawthorneauthor]

The selkies of Liath Island amuse themselves however they please.

They watch the locals, take what they fancy, lay about on the coast, eat fish till they’re fat, drink till there’s nothing left and dance till the moon is gone.

All the while never crossing the path of a single solitary local human.

Except for Morgan.

But no one cares about Morgan.

🌊🪨📚

One of my favorite things to do is take pictures of pretty books, and this one made it especially easy.

Check out @crossroadart-seabear fantastic shop here.

[kiraleighart]

[reneesbooks]

@lena-rambles u bet ur butt i'm willing to share my unnecessarily elaborate calendar that nearly broke my brain

So Raedora's calendar is based on the cycle of the silver moon, which is one of three moons in their world. In the Raedoran belief system, the three moons are three deity-like beings who make sure the world runs smoothly while the gods deal with the affairs of mortals. The silver moon controls magic, the blue moon controls skill, and the red moon controls compassion. There's a lot of other cultural significance to the moons which is why my brain would not let me continue working on the actual story until i had hammered out the calendar

unnecessary additional worldbuilding fact--in neighboring Fierodia, the moons are believed to be the three eyes of their god instead

there are 336 days in the Raedoran year, 7 months of 48 days each that follow the cycle of the silver moon. the seven months are named after seven of the Raedoran gods. in order, they are Talamh (goddess of the earth), Seisyll (god of the home), Hyklios (god of education), Tidon (god of judgement), Isena (goddess of agriculture), Cadeyrn (god of war), and Ailis (goddess of health). Winters are very short in Raedora and occur during the month of Cadeyrn and the majority of Ailis. Spring occurs from Talamh to Seisyll, summer is from Hyklios to about halfway through Tidon (reaching its peak at the beginning of the month bc the people who made this calendar had a sense of humor) and the rest of Tidon and Isena make up the harvest season/fall. there are more gods in the Raedoran pantheon than just these seven but that's its own separate post

there are 6 days in a Raedoran week, with 2-day weekends and 8-week months. The silver moon is full halfway through the month, so it isn't uncommon for each month to be broken into "waxing" and "waning" periods to make timekeeping easier. The weekends are also based on the phases of the silver moon--they take place after a major phase (full, new, half, etc.) and were traditionally time for witches to rest after performing major spells with the silver moon's power. As magic became less common in Raedoran society over time, this slowly faded into a general cultural attitude towards rest on those two days.

here's where it gets complicated: the three moons are never full on the same night, but once every 110 years or so, they are all new on the same night. it's known as a triple new moon and is considered very bad juju. there's a character in lacuna that we haven't met yet who was born on the triple new moon and as a result was left in the street to die as a baby. lot of superstitions around that night. the math was figuring out how that would happen and how often it would happen. but once i had that date set I could calculate out the phases of the other two moons, which have 31- and 25-day cycles (red and blue respectively) so that I could figure out when they would be full/new/half/etc. (non-sponsored recommending campfire writing for this bc it saves you the math. did not discover this until too late) and then I could easily reference the calendar to make sure that the moon phases and the plot events were lining up since i went and tied my entire magic system to the complicated moon cycles

all of this to say that jack's birthday is actually the most important date on the raedoran calendar bc without it i would have no idea when anything happens. thanks street rat king <3

[okayohay]

Updated my Sam Fender fic with some new content because I love the angst and drama of that story 😜This chapter is a bit smutty but I think we all knew it was coming.

[animeaipdf]

Dios Mio

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: March 19, 2013

Lyrics:

I had a dream so big and loud

I jumped so high I touched the clouds

Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh

I stretched my hands out to the sky

We danced with monsters through the night

Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh

I'm never gonna look back, whoa

I'm never gonna give it up, no

Please don't wake me now (two, three, four)

This is gonna be the best day of my life

My li-i-i-i-i-ife

This is gonna be the best day of my life

My li-i-i-i-i-ife

I howled at the moon with friends

And then the sun came crashing in

Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh

But all the possibilities

No limits, just epiphanies

Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh

I'm never gonna look back, whoa

I'm never gonna give it up, no

Just don't wake me now

This is gonna be the best day of my life

My li-i-i-i-i-ife

This is gonna be the best day of my life

My li-i-i-i-i-ife

I hear it calling outside my window

I feel it in my soul (soul)

The stars were burning so bright

The sun was out 'til midnight

I say we lose control (control)

Songwriter:

This is gonna be the best day of my life

My li-i-i-i-i-ife

This is gonna be the best day of my life

My li-i-i-i-i-ife

This is gonna be, this is gonna be, this is gonna be

The best day of my life

Everything is looking up, everybody up now

This is gonna be the best day of my life

My li-i-i-i-i-ife

Aaron Accetta / David Rublin / James Shelley / Matthew Sanchez / Michael Goodman / Shep Goodman / Zachary Barnett

SongFacts:

👉📖

[therealdesastr]

Some art (and credit) of my OC

This is Ares, he's a vampire gang leader. If you want, you can read more about him here. I wrote an entire book about him. He's pretty cool.

Anyway, here's some of his art. I hope you like it.

This art is by gynesisx on Twitter.

This art is by dearHadrian (twitter)

This hazbin-hotel-style art is by M_D00dles (twitter)

Lychee_Lune (twitter) made this remarkable animation. :)

So yes! This is one of my main OCs. Hope you like him! I'll write up more talking about him at some point.

[larawardcosioauthor]

“How can you not understand? You broke my heart! You broke it, Gavin.”

“This heart,” he said, his voice low and husky as he brushed his fingertips over the bare skin exposed by her low-cut top. “If I broke it, I want to mend it now.”

Sophie shivered with the tickle of his touch and caught him trying to hold back a smile. She took a step back. “I may have been waiting for you at your hotel room, but I’m not your groupie. Don’t insult me with a line like that.”

His face fell and had the decency to look embarrassed.

“This is why I didn’t want to see you in the mix of all the ‘rock star’ stuff. I know things have changed since we were together, but don’t forget that I know you.”

He looked away from her, to windows that were only partially covered by sheer curtains. The bright city lights shone through, and the Sunset Boulevard traffic was a constant hum.

“At least,” she continued, “I know who you were. I don’t know the person I saw backstage. I guess part of why I came tonight is to find out why you were like that. With me. Me, Gavin.”

Although he met her eyes, she could see him pulling up a wall around himself. His body lost its natural fluidity and his gaze lost focus. He was silent.

“I guess that’s it.” She nodded while at the same time blinking back tears. There was nothing else to say. That spark, the magic they had shared, hadn’t just faded. It was dead.

“No, don’t go,” he said when she took a step toward the door. “Sophie,” he said, desperation in his voice, “you broke my heart too. You broke it first.”

Tangled Up In You is an epic second chance rock star romance - binge the series on KU 📚❤️

[sagehaleyofficial]

What is UP, my dudes?! It’s Friday again, meaning it’s time for another NEW RELEASE ROUND-UP! Which of these new releases is your personal favorite? Let me know in the comments, and suggest your own new releases for the week if they’re not listed! 💿

#Eels #EnterShikari #FromAshesToNew #JasonDevore #LØLØ #SwimDeep

[noahhawthorneauthor]

Did you know you can listen to Phantom and Rook thru your library? 🎧🏳️‍🌈🍁📚

Libby is an app where you can check out audiobooks and ebooks using your library card. Even if a book isn't available, you can request it which let's the librarians know there is a demand for it.

Phantom and Rook is available in a few libraries, and today it was added to the New York Public Library. (NYC) No matter where in NY you live, you can get an online card there. I think a few US states have this option with big city libraries, but I only know of NY for sure.

I love Libby, and a great way to support indie authors is simply by getting them added to a libraries catalog. Did you know they get paid each time their book is checked out?

Anyways, enjoy!

Phantom and Rook on Libby

Blurb:

Arlo Rook has decided it’s time to move out of Garren Castle, home for orphans of all races, magical or not, at 100 years old.

It’s not the first time he’s left home, but after a setback that landed the Hedge Witch in the hospital a year ago, he ended up right back at square one. But now he’s ready to strike out on his own, despite his friend’s worries that he’s not ready for the ‘real world.'

Then, he crashes into a mess of copper curls and bright eyes, sending apothecary goods and his life into a chaotic mess. Thatch is a mysterious and incredibly wealthy benefactor of Levena, only spoken of but never seen. He requests a night of Arlo’s company and a tour of the city, which Arlo immediately declines.

But that’s not the last time they see each other, and it certainly wasn’t the first. Arlo doesn’t remember him, no one remembers Thatch after he visits, but Thatch never forgot the Witch with a familiar soulmark on his face.

Thatch Phantom is an immortal, the last of his kind and perpetually bored. When he’s not closing inter-dimensional rifts and corralling demons, he’s visiting his favorite city of all, Levena. Centuries ago, when life was particularly dull, he set up a scavenger hunt for a starving village, providing them with a year’s worth of supplies.

He anonymously returned year after year, upping the ante and providing less practical things, as the village had become a city and was wealthy beyond belief. Festivals were thrown in his honor, and have continued every year since. Hundreds of years later, The Game is still put on by the fabled ‘Scarlet Illusionist’, but no one has figured out who blesses them with the puzzles.

Once again, Thatch is listless and has decided to throw a wild card into this year’s Game. Whoever discovers him will win one wish of their choice, no restrictions. Aside from the obvious, such as no falling in love, murder or resurrection.

What he didn’t anticipate was crashing into the one person whose soul mark flares like a beacon when Thatch is around, teasing the immortal with the one thing he wants most.

Someone to call home.

What follows is a wild chain of events filled with magical coffee shops, villains with vendettas against cheese makers, moving tattoos, grand puzzles, and second chances at love, and life.

[kiraleighart]

if you're indie and ever worry your art (music, books, etc) isn't good enough, just remember that you're doing this on your own.

which means your "good" is leagues above people with oceans of help and backing from the big dogs.

food for thought 👌

[danielleurbansblog]

Meet This Author: Myron Edwards

Q: Tell us, readers, about your debut book, Mistress of the Rock. The book was conceived purely by chance when an epiphany moment hit me as I stood looking out of the vista of Petra Tou Romiou in Cyprus: the legendary birthplace of the Goddess Aphrodite, the Goddess of love. It was here that the legend began of her birth from the foam the literal meaning of her name. What I saw that day is the…

[ramvega]

[truethornsmusic]

The Original Series is officially out!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE HARDCOVER AND/OR PAPERBACK!

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR OWN UNIQUE, CUSTOM CREATURE!

[faggy--butch]

is it just me or is the "trans guys are just some boring guys and they make lame music and trans women are cool and interesting and make loud music" jokes almost like. an excuse for why theres not that many trans guys who are popular content creators or musicians or actors or authors or what have you. like blaming the invisibility of trans men on being "boring" and therefore not doing anything rather than oppression.

not to mention the example of music being that people have heard of one singular trans guy who works in a genre they dont like [people really love to act like cavetown is like specifically bad or cringe but thats just what most indie pop/rock/folk sounds like] and theyve heard of a handful of trans women who make hyperpop that they already like [and laura jane grace of course] and its really telling on themselves. theres trans guys making hyperpop and trans women making ""lame ukulele music"" and both of them and nonbinary people making music of tons of other genres. like. cmon. it reminds me of xkcd 385.

also i dont think these jokes are intentionally malicious or anything [most of the time] but it also feels sort of weird to be joking about how boring a group of marginalized people are. im not going to act like its the biggest deal in the world but its sort of low level bullying, innit? and i imagine having this weird expectation to be "cool and interesting" isnt fun for trans women either. its nice to get to be lame sometimes.

Yeah it's super weird, especially because it's repeated over and over, that part is the suspicious part. I even saw it on reddit a few days ago in one of the ftm subs. I do think it's like blaming the lack of trans men artists on trans men being "boring" instead of, you know the bigotry, the erasure, the inequality I think it's also a weird expectation that we all HAVE to live up to what other people think of as "cool" like if we're all not making hardcore metal and being as "SICK" as humanly possible, we are failing at transgender music and therefore are the reason trans men aren't represented as artists enough, which is ummm. okay.

why can't we make soft love songs about being bugs, or whatever. What happens to trans women who don't live up to the metal hardcore aesthetic? Look at Dylan Mulvaney. She made a dumb cutsie girlypop song and everyone acted like she is the founder of misogyny herself. So not only are we ridiculed for the music we make, we're trapped in transphobic expectations of what music we can or should make.

If you expect all trans women to make metal, you'll only see trans women who make metal, if you expect all trans men to make soft music, that's all you'll find! because that's all you looked for! Another thing is like, Oh all trans women music is cool and hardcore rock and roll, but trans men music is dumb and cutsie ukulele music? I wonder what gender those genres are normally associate with? Uhoh we're doing a sexism maybe the person making the joke doesn't have malicious intent, but the joke itself sure does.

[azaleaforrest]

Indie Advent, December 6th:

RUMBLE IN RED ROCK by D.S. Ritter

⭐⭐⭐⭐

@tenshinoshin writes an action packed sci-fi/samurai novella on Mars. I had a lot of fun with this book & honestly it needs more reviews! Give it a read, you won't be disappointed!