Fiction

Success In the Press: Article 9 by Daniel Holub

Featured in CALIFORNIA BOOKWATCH June 2025 & MIDWEST BOOK REVIEWS

Featured in CALIFORNIA BOOKWATCH June 2025 & MIDWEST BOOK REVIEWS ★

From the Author: On Thanksgiving, the first high-profile abduction and assassination by ISIS operatives is broadcast online. As the world watches in horror, American agencies struggle to respond. The best intelligence organizations cannot predict (much less protect) the next victim.

Deep in the heart of Texas, Brooks Davis is thrust into this drama. He started the day at a construction site, then is drugged and trafficked across the Mexican border. Brooks must battle his way across the Mexican wilderness, determined to reach the demarcation line between life and death. As he uses his wits to evade Mexican cartels and military forces, Brooks’ wife, Molly, and their sons are coping with FBI surveillance and protection.

From the Oval Office to the Mexican presidential palace, a battle is unfolding over Article 9 in the US/Mexican extradition treaty. Geopolitics weave a new net that threatens to ensnare him. How can Brooks escape and atone for the harm he has done to the love of his life?

Our Take: Fast-paced and high-stakes, Article 9 is part survival thriller and part geopolitical drama, with a strong sense of place and immediacy. The novel moves quickly from borderland violence to international tension, blending action sequences with questions of policy, loyalty, and personal redemption. For readers drawn to modern-day thrillers with a patriotic edge, this one reads like a movie—gritty, tense, and unrelenting.

From a Reader:

"An extraordinary tale of the new west in which mortal peril is met with fearless resolve. The book's opening paragraph grabs your attention and doesn't relinquish it until the end. It is an intense and gripping hybrid of physical courage and political intrigue."

"Holub's debut novel grabs you from the beginning, shakes you in the middle, and doesn't let go. This political thriller is a fast-paced, character-driven saga you'll want to finish in one sitting. Hold on and buckle your seat belt for a supersonic ride that will not disappoint."

Amazon | Goodreads | Author Site

Smells of the Lamp: Debloating Your Writing

As writers we try hard to not look like we’re trying hard. We want to keep readers from smelling all of that midnight oil that we burned, so sometimes we’ve got to kill our darlings. In revision, there are some elements we can turn to immediately to let the air out of our writing.

Success In the Press: Hate Follow by Erin Quinn-Kong

2022 Women’s Fiction Writers Association Rising Star Awards Finalist ★ 2021 Writers League of Texas Manuscript Contest Finalist

2022 Women’s Fiction Writers Association Rising Star Awards Finalist ★ 2021 Writers League of Texas Manuscript Contest Finalist ★

From the Author: Influencer Whitney Golden has it all: beautiful, photogenic children, a handsome new boyfriend, a gorgeous house, and designer clothes and beauty products that arrive on her doorstep every day. After spending years building her brand as a widowed mother of four (including twins!) to over a million followers, the thirty-seven-year-old is at the peak of her career.

It all comes to a screeching halt when Mia, her teenaged daughter, announces she’s tired of the social media life. She wants nothing more to do with her mother’s online brand—and demands that not just she, but her siblings and their deceased father be removed from Whitney’s Instagram, blog, and just about everywhere else on the internet.

When Whitney doesn’t agree, Mia does the unthinkable: She sues her mother. What started as a family spat turns into a monumental case about child privacy, individual agency, and modern parenting that shatters Mia and Whitney’s relationship and wreaks havoc on both their lives. As the case ignites a media firestorm and unrelenting online bashing from a Greek chorus of internet snarkers, Whitney has to decide whether she’s willing to risk everything she’s built to win back her daughter.

“...a sharp and satirical novel that explores the complexities of social media, online personas and real-world relationships, as a woman navigates the consequences of a viral feud and the blurred lines between public and private lives.”
— The New York Post

Our Take: A sharp, timely novel about the blurred lines between family and followers, Hate Follow explores the dark side of influencer culture with wit, heart, and just the right amount of chaos. At the center is a mother-daughter conflict that spirals into a legal and emotional storm, raising big questions about privacy, parenting, and identity in the digital age. This one’s for readers who love drama with depth—especially when it unfolds under a ring light.

From a Reader:

“Erin Quinn-Kong reminds us there are two sides to every story with this powerful, vivid, and relatable page-turner that's nearly impossible to put down.”

Bragging Rights:

2021 Writers League of Texas Manuscript Contest Finalist

2022 Women’s Fiction Writers Association Rising Star Awards Finalist

Excellent review from the New York Post!

Amazon | Goodreads | Author Site

Success In the Press: The Felserpent Chronicles by Katie Keridan

2023 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist in YA Fiction ★ 2022 Foreword INDIES Finalist in Young Adult Fiction ★ 2022 Best Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Young Adult ★ 2022 American Book Fest Best Book Awards YA Fiction Finalist ★ 2023 Reader Views Literary Awards Bronze Award Winner in Young Adult

2023 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist in YA Fiction ★ 2022 Foreword INDIES Finalist in Young Adult Fiction ★ 2022 Best Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Young Adult ★ 2022 American Book Fest Best Book Awards YA Fiction Finalist ★ 2023 Reader Views Literary Awards Bronze Award Winner in Young Adult ★

“𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲,” 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. “𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫.”

From the Author:

Kyra Valorian is the most gifted Astral healer the golden-blooded realm of Aeles has seen in ages. When tragedy strikes, Kyra discovers a life-altering truth: she’s a Recovrancer, able to reach into the realm of the dead and bring back those who’ve died before their time. But recovrancy is outlawed, and desperate for answers, Kyra forms an unlikely alliance with Sebastian Sayre—a silver-blooded Pyromancer and feared Daeval assassin chasing a legendary sword lost to his people. As the two navigate forbidden magic, fractured history, and the dangerous tension between their realms, their fates begin to entwine in ways neither expected. What starts as a tactical partnership soon becomes something far more powerful.

This epic fantasy trilogy blends enemies-to-allies tension, slow-burn romance, magical warfare, and a sweeping sense of destiny across all three books. With high stakes and emotional payoff, it’s a perfect fit for readers who love a strong magical system and a romance that grows in the shadow of war.

Our Take:

This award-winning trilogy blends forbidden magic, richly imagined realms, and a high-stakes magical conflict that deepens with every book. The pacing balances action with atmosphere, offering immersive lore, vivid elemental magic, and a central mystery that gradually unravels across the series. With themes of legacy, power, and the cost of rewriting fate, it’s a satisfying read for fans of romantasy and fantasy politics alike—especially those looking for a completed series with strong payoff and a cohesive, sweeping arc.

From A Reader:

Magical worlds, love that endures throughout time and space, dragons, spells, animal familiars, and the fate of worlds hanging in the balance. This is a truly delightful addition to the fantasy genre. I’m eager for this series to continue so I can find out what happens next.”

Bragging Rights:

★ 2023 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist in YA Fiction

★ 2022 Foreword INDIES Finalist in Young Adult Fiction

★ 2022 Best Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Young Adult

★ 2022 American Book Fest Best Book Awards YA Fiction Finalist

★ 2023 Reader Views Literary Awards Bronze Award Winner in Young Adult

Additionally, all three novels received excellent write-ups from Kirkus Reviews, and Blood Divided was selected to be featured in their July 2023 issue. Less than 25% of indie authors are featured! Here are some of our favorite quotes from each Kirkus review:

Reign Returned: “…excellently crafted…A fine questing adventure and a promising start to a series.”

Blood Divided: “…sharply etched characters, a chilling portrayal of social prejudice, and powerful, emotionally fraught prose.”

Realm United: “A fantasy novel full of romance, politics, and the quest for identity, sure to appeal to young adults.”

Get your copy today at the links below!

Amazon | Goodreads | Author Site

From Swords to Swoons: The Addictive Allure of Romantasy

Romantasy is the newest hot trend in genre reads, but how much do we really know about these books? This sub-genre of romance and fantasy is currently targeting young and new adults by taking over social media discussions. It’s time to learn more about why this sub-genre is so popular and how authors can start to expand the creative reaches of their romantasy stories.