Excellence Revisited

The last time I wrote about excellence in Indie authors I hadn’t read nearly as much as I now have. I’d already found two outstanding writers in Christina Carson and Will Bevis. Since then, I found several others that I think the reading community will or already are embracing - truly terrific writers in their genre.

Chicki Brown: Let me start with the first person from whom I bought more than one book. Chicki specializes in what I call Urban Romance and she’s extremely good at it. Her African-American characters come from all walks of life: hairdresser to writer to Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and they are all extremely well developed. Her characters walk off the page and into your heart. They face moral dilemmas and heartbreak that speak to everyone.

Elise Stokes: Elise’s book Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula is the first Young Adult book I’ve been able to finish reading because the writing goes beyond it’s genre. It’s a very fun story for both girls and boys of a certain age, but I found it entertaining as an adult as well. I predict Elise is going to create a series that takes off in the Young Adult world of reading.

Dannie C. Hill: I read his book In Search of a Soul and found myself falling in love with the hero of this novel. Dannie explores the depths of a wounded man and how he’s redeemed by the love of a woman and still manages to pack in action and danger. Dannie’s innate talent for delving into what’s important in life will always rise to the surface of his writing.

Russell Blake: You would be hard put to find a better thriller writer than Russell, inside or outside of standard publishing. His books are filled with inside info that leaves you reeling and wondering, “How the hell does he know all this stuff” after you’ve read three that deal well below the surface on complicated topics. You’ll walk away more informed, deeply entertained and glad you found a writer with his enormous talent.

Karen Cantwell: This is the one writer I do not know as a tweep on Twitter. I ran across her book titled Take the Monkeys and Run and just could not resist. Happily, I found it great fun and went on to read the sequel Citizen Insane and a book of short stories The Chronicles of Marr-nia. All were hilarious. I’ll keep reading Cantwell as long as she keeps cranking them out.

I will endeavor to periodically spotlight authors I think are extremely talented as I explore the rank and file of Indie authors with eager anticipation. I hope you’ll try out these authors and give me some feedback here on the blog.