Welcome to my second feature on new book releases by indie authors. I will be posting a selection of new releases (from the last 3 months or so) quarterly. Note: I will not knowingly include books which have used AI to write the text or create the cover.

The Cloud Enchanters: Fantasy Stories by N S Ford

Seven fantastic fantasy tales to enthrall and entertain you. Dragons, witches, prophecies, sorcerers and more… At a café in the sky, a fugitive angel finds new friends. A reclusive man has to care for newly hatched dragons. A witch builds a tempting gingerbread house, but where are the children? An archive assistant goes on the run when he reads a prophecy about himself. Can a group of middle-aged warriors addicted to quests be persuaded to settle down? An apprentice authoress uses magic to speed up her writing, with life-changing consequences. A girl with her head in the clouds is recruited by an elite group of people who can charm the weather.

Tales From Cemetery (The Cemetery Collection Book 2) by C J Daley

Author C J Daley welcomes you to Cemetery. Whether this is your first trip, or your return to town, get ready for ten blood-fueled nightmares. Read the stories Hudson Valley residents tell around campfires about Cemetery’s dark underbelly. While the police chase serial killers, the streets run rampant with occult, paranormal, and supernatural beings. And while on the surface these stories tell the lore of the town, don’t be surprised if you make some connections between them…

Be prepared to experience an unhinged killer clown, a blood thirty monster in the woods, sinister killer phone calls, vampires with hidden pasts, star-crossed ghost lovers, seances gone awry, a flesh hungry zombie, confinement in a basement, two best friends tackling a haunted mansion, and a shapeshifting woodland spirit.

The Tidal Helm (The Zemkoska Chronicles) by Helen Rygh-Pedersen

How to save a dynasty: find the missing people, find the lost crown, and right the wrongs of the past.

The Briar Crown will soon receive a new owner, but Deyzi Domonov is determined not to let it claim her as its next victim. In order to do that, she needs to find its counterpart, the Tidal Helm. But neither the helm nor the Waterborn population have been seen since the Fall of Eluha, when her great grandfather invaded the country, slaughtering the king and queen and ripping Domovnia apart. After finding her mother’s journal, Deyzi decides to fulfil the late Queen’s plans to excavate the only place they haven’t looked, the maze of canals and caves that lie beneath the length of the country.
With the help of a renowned explorer, Deyzi descends into a dangerous world in search of a lost civilization, certain that they possess the item she seeks. But digging up the past uncovers hard truths about her own family, her country and the true purpose of their mission. Meanwhile, their guide in the watery underworld is torn between helping the woman – with hair like the sun he has never seen – and handing her over to his people to break the curse that binds them.
As her search for the truth becomes a battle of survival, Deyzi must dig deep to save not only herself, but the people and country she loves. But can she do it without a Waterborn by her side, or will this be the end of the Domonov dynasty once and for all?

Enthralled By You (Fanged and Flirty Book 2) by Angela Pearse

Hell hath no fury like a bloodsucker in heels. Sadie Bouffant doesn’t do feelings, romance, or anything that might smudge her perfect winged eyeliner. Immortality is easier that way. But when a vengeful sire kidnaps Elliott – her loyal thrall with benefits – she’s ready to burn the Highlands down to get him back.

Elliott Blythe has spent forty years waiting for Sadie to see him as more than a blood bag errand boy. But he’s done with that. If he survives the psycho vampire’s experiments, he plans to tell Sadie exactly how he feels – preferably while not chained to a dungeon wall.

With her undead coven in tow and her temper on a short leash, Sadie sets out to rescue the one man who’s never asked for her heart – but might have stolen it anyway. Can she save her fated mate without breaking a stiletto? Or is this twisted love story about to go up in flames?

Of Serpents and Sorrow: A Medusa retelling by Katherine Shaw

Before the myth, there was a woman.

Medusa has been groomed her entire life to follow a single path: serve her term as the highly-respected Priestess of Athena, and then become the perfect, obedient wife to a wealthy nobleman she would never love.

Ismene has grown up despised by her tyrannical father, hidden away from polite society so she cannot bring shame to her family.

When the two meet, their lives are turned upside down by a whirlwind of forbidden feelings and secret dreams of a different kind of life. One where they might both be happier than they’d ever thought possible.

That is, until the gods get involved, and their world is transformed beyond recognition.

As Told Under the Moon: A Collection of Haunting Works from New and Emerging Voices edited by Ellis Hart

A haunting new anthology of short fiction from some of today’s most exciting indie voices.

Why this collection? Because the best stories aren’t always born in boardrooms or bestseller lists—they’re crafted late at night by indie authors who write with heart, grit, and imagination. These writers deserve to be seen and heard, and this anthology is a stage for their talent.

Inside, you’ll discover horror, gothic romance, suspense, anxiety-inducing technology, eyes watching from the treeline, and the supernatural in an unforgettable collection of modern dark fiction.

Contributors: Alessandra Benini, Shawn Brooks, Cailin Cecchini, Aurelie Duncanson, Alex Franklyn, Julia Jackson, A.D. Jones, Victoria M. Sorenson, Amy Tackett, David Washburn, SJ King, H.H. Mika, and Ellis Hart (editor and contributor).

If you love anthologies that feel fresh, human, and eerily unforgettable, this is for you.

This is more than just a book of stories. It’s a celebration of indie writers, a gift from creators to readers, and a reminder that the scariest, most beautiful tales are often told by those fighting hardest to share their voices.

Harrowfield by Stephanie Ellis

Harrowfield is a tiny village in the Marches, that wild strip of borderland between England and Wales. On the edge of this village lies another field, the Harrow Field, the one from which the settlement takes its name. At its entrance stands the Mother Stone, guarding her Children, the two smaller monoliths at the top of the field. This is the ancient site of the Harrowing.

When Derwenna Parry’s brother goes missing whilst surveying farmland, she and his daughters head to the village to track him down. Midsummer approaches and, even though they find him unharmed, they become caught up in strange events which lead them to the Harrowing. An ancient act of penance … or sacrificial revenge?

Aubade Rising (Trials of Trevesiga Book 1) by Hayley Pierce

Her magic is outlawed. Her ambition is limitless. After years of secret research, Sage is on the cusp a momentous discovery: the ability to stabilize her forbidden magic so she can finally wield it out in the open. Now, if only she can manage to live long enough to complete it.

When a group of rebels blows up her lab, Sage barely escapes with her life. And when she flees to sanctuary in the royal palace, she winds up accused of being a rebel herself by the cold and commanding captain of the guard, Eskar.

Desperate to find the missing link in her research and forge a peace between the magical factions, Sage sets out for the misty moorlands saddled with Eskar as her less-than-willing protector.

But the more she learns about the privileged King’s guard, the more Eskar’s tormented past and dark magic calls to Sage—until his presence on her quest begins to feel less like a burden, and more like an intriguing glimpse into the future she never thought she would have. Together, this outsider and insider might be the only ones able to prevent an all-out war…but only if they can bring themselves to trust in each other.

This is the first book in a gripping new enemies-to-lovers romantic fantasy series with a STEM-minded FMC, all the banter, and he falls first trope.

Verselva Blues (Inner Universe Book 7) by Natalie Kelda

Balfour’s year in Amule is up. Preparing to leave, he has yet to tell his family that he never planned to stay. He knows it’ll break their hearts to say goodbye forever, but staying would break his own. And Skye’s.

When his step-brother accidentally pokes himself on Thalia’s kin-tester, Balfour’s plans turn to ash. The pen glows blue, proving Cary to be Thalia’s lost son. Not only that, it draws the last living tarilla chief to Amule and she’s not done killing the people Balfour loves most. He can’t bear losing anyone else but an argument results in an unwanted trip to the last planet anyone wanted to go to; Verselva, the home of the blue fangs.

The locals hunt them. The wild boars stalk them. One thing is clear, not everyone will make it through the jungle alive.

Indie Author: An Introduction by Steve Griffin

Want to know more about indie publishing but don’t know where to go? Put off by all those lengthy guides on marketing and writing advice?

This guide condenses 10 years of experience into a short, handy read, giving you insights into:

Writing – how to keep it tight, focusing on character and suspense
Publishing – how to do it yourself, with a focus on Amazon
Marketing – sharing learning on Amazon and Facebook ads and how to sales stack

Drawing on his experience of writing 14 books, Steve Griffin helps you avoid the pitfalls of indie publishing and keep the joy in your writing.

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If you would like to submit a title to be considered for my next indie books feature, please use this form.

Previous issue: Summer 25.