This week is Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week, an entire week dedicated to appreciating self-published authors! This special week is taking place between July 21st to July 27th and was started by Jodie over at the Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub blog. You can find out more about SPAAW on Jodie’s blog, as well as ways to take part.
Naturally, at Read Indie Fantasy, we’re big fans of self-published authors and so we couldn’t help but get involved! Every day this week, Nils and Trudie will be making a spotlight post (like this one!) to highlight a classic self-published author’s book as well as a new author or book we think needs the spotlight across SFF genres and book types.
Want to take part? You can support self-published authors by leaving a book review or shouting about your favourite self-published books on social media. Don’t forget these hashtags: SPAAW #SelfPublishedAuthorsAppreciationWeek
Here are Nils’ picks for today’s themed spotlight on LGBTQ+ fantasy:
A Classic Book Spotlight for… Legacy of the Brightwash
Follow the law and you’ll stay safe. But what if the law is wrong?
Tashué’s faith in the law is beginning to crack.
Three years ago, he stood by when the Authority condemned Jason to the brutality of the Rift for non-compliance. When Tashué’s son refused to register as tainted, the laws had to be upheld. He’d never doubted his job as a Regulation Officer before, but three years of watching your son wither away can break down even the strongest convictions.
Then a dead girl washed up on the bank of the Brightwash, tattooed and mutilated. Where had she come from? Who would tattoo a child? Was it the same person who killed her?
Why was he the only one who cared?
Will Tashué be able to stand against everything he thought he believed in to get the answers he’s looking for?
Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar is a gaslamp romantic grimdark that both Tru and Nils reviewed! The sequel, Legacy of Brick and Bone, is out now and was also loved and reviewed by Nils.
About the Author
Krystle Matar has been writing for a long time, but things got serious when Tashué Blackwood walked into her life, an amber-eyed whirlwind. Her debut, Legacy of the Brightwash, is a SPFBO Finalist, an r/Fantasy nominee for Best Debut and Best Indie.
She is currently working on lots of stories set in the Dominion, is 1/2 of the Dripping Bucket Podcast, and is probably obsessively rewatching BBC’s Ripper Street and/or anything that Dennis Lehane worked on like Apple TV’s Blackbird.
- Linktree: krystlematar
- Bluesky: krystlematar.bsky.social
- Instagram: KrystleMatar
- TikTok: @krystlematar
- Patreon: krystlematar
A New Book Spotlight for… Curiouser And…
For sixteen years, Ashlyn Jones has heeded her parents’ warnings and followed their rules. But after taking a tumble in the forest, she awakens in a strange land where there are no rules—where signs lack direction, the sky hovers on the edge of night, and all paths lead to the glittering red palace of a wicked queen. Although she’s told there’s no way home, Ashlyn is determined to find one, enlisting the help of a dreamy girl found sleeping in a tree.
But everyone is a little mad here, from the smiling cat to the whimsical man in the top hat. And the more she interacts with this strange land and its stranger inhabitants, the more Ashlyn questions the life she’s fighting so hard to get back to. Maybe she was just as trapped in her role as the dutiful daughter as she is here.
Unfortunately, she’ll be even more trapped if the queen gets ahold of her…
Curiouser And… by Jillian Maria is a novella retelling on Alice in Wonderful with a dark and sapphic twist!
About the Author
Jillian Maria enjoys tea, pretty dresses, and ripping out pieces of herself to put in her novels. She writes the books she wants to read, prominently featuring women who are like her in some way or another. A great lover of horror, thriller and mystery novels, most of her stories have some of her own fears lurking in the margins. When she isn’t willing imaginary people into existence, she’s pursuing a career in public relations and content marketing. A Michigan native, Jillian spends what little free time she has hanging out with her friends, reading too much, singing along to musical numbers, and doting on her cat.
- Website: ByJillianMaria.com
- Instagram: jillianmariaauthor
- Bluesky: byjillianmaria.bsky.social
