I’ve been using Authonomy, a website by HarperCollins that
writer’s utilize to trade feedback, since 2009 and I’ve commented on over 500
books. Not all of them are brilliant and, often, I do my best to help aspiring
writers improve their novels. Occasionally though, I find some real gems.
Authonomy has given me a free look at some of the best emerging authors, and now I want to share their brilliance.
So consider this my thanks to the 460-plus people who have
commented my novel Mute. Many of you provided tips and corrections that made it
possible for me to find a publisher. I’m thrilled that Silver Leaf Books is
releasing my novel on Kindle.
I hope to see many of these novels “go pro” as well. Here
are some of my favorite novels on Authonomy (in alphabetical order – because I couldn’t
rank them at gunpoint):
The Awakening: Dawn of
Destruction – By Cara Goldthrope
Freshly winning a spot for review by HarperCollins, this
fantasy novel has great drama and a strong heroine. The author really captured
the emotions of her characters.
Bait - By Ian Walkley
An exciting crime thriller set down under. As you might
guess from the title, undercover detective Kasey Bates must place herself in
great danger to catch the bad guys.
Behind the Hood –
By Marita A. Hansen
New Zealand has a gang problem? I thought it had a sheep
problem? This novel does a tremendous job showing the violence, drugs, ethnic
tension and bullying in South Auckland. It made it to the HarperCollins desk.
Between – By Cyndi
Tefft
Yes, I do enjoy a good fantasy romance from time to time,
especially with a unique storyline. Poor Lindsey Water met an untimely death,
but she’s also about to meet the man of her dreams as she’s escorted to heaven
by an 18th century Scottish highlander. Strange as it seems, this premise works splendidly.
Blue Diamonds – By
Tonia Marlowe
She told him no, but this former military man won’t take no
for an answer. There’s a lot of excitement as the woman tries to fend off the
badass psycho guy. It made the HarperCollins desk and, while they passed on it,
I feel it deserves to be published.
Conflicts of Interest
– By Bob Steele
This novel has been up for a while and it made the HarperCollins
desk, and the story has stuck with me. David’s business partner is murdered
after a trip to Russia and his life quickly unravels. It has some slick business
corruption angles, which I certainly can appreciate being a business reporter.
This guy writes like a professional.
The Ghost Writer –
By B.J. Winters
This novel, which made the HarperCollins desk, is about a
writer who finds a mysterious manuscript at his bedside and realizes that it could
help him prevent a murder. The writing here is fantastic.
The Good and Bad –
By Marshall Dotson
Demons, rock stars, vampires, sword play. In other words,
great campy fun!
The Immortality Game –
By Ted Cross
This is a strong science fiction thriller that reminded me
of the Battlestar Galactica spinoff Caprica because it involves downloading a
person onto a computer chip. It has fast-paced action and puts the characters
in terrible danger. My heart was racing.
The Magic Door Knob - T.D. Holland
This is one of my favorite children’s/young adult novels on
here. It’s about a magic doorknob (duh) that takes Ricky to other worlds. It has
such a great pace that it’s hard to put it down at the end of a chapter.
Misery’s Fire – By
Kim Jewell
A well-written story about a high school student waking up
in hell, literally. It has cracking dialog and it’s good fun.
The Raven and the Wolf
– By Athena Lyso
Another great fantasy, this time with a loyal officer being
unjustly banished from the kingdom after a tense meeting with the king. Engle
befriends an orphan in the wilderness and sets out for redemption. The great
plot carries this one along.
The Roswell Protocols
– By Allan Burd
If Roswell is in the title, you can guess what this is
about. It’s one of the better alien invasion stories I’ve read on here. It
looks at a spaceship crash from many points of view, from the general public to
the military.
The Rufino Bloodfang
Saga: Leap of Faith – By Jason Baird
This might be the most overlooked novel on my list (I’m one
of two comments at the moment), but don’t miss out on it! It’s one of the most
original vampire novels I’ve ever read. Rufino is a midget vampire with a Mohawk.
He’s not all that successful as a lady’s man, or a fighter really, and it’s
funny to watch a vampire who’s not as tough as he thinks. Then he falls in love
with a tall, beautiful druid. Of course she hates the little bugger, but she
needs him for a quest. Can the little vampire win the lovely druid’s heart? Oh,
and the mini vampire bites a monkey – ha ha ha!
Sage Courage – By Heather
McLoud
Leila flees a tragic past for Wyoming and winds up landing a
job watching somebody’s kids in a house way in the middle of nowhere. But these
aren’t normal kids…The mystery really gripped me and the tension level was
super high.
Secrets We Keep - By Gail Cleare
Simply put: This one deserves to be published. It’s a family
drama thriller about two sisters who discover that their mother, now ill, has
been leading a secret life.
To Set a Mouse Running
– By Robert Lawrence
This type of plot is fairly familiar - a man’s family is
killed in an IRA bombing and he is going to great lengths to bring the killers
to justice. It’s the way this story is written that makes it so powerful. In
order for this to work, the author had to make the deaths have real emotional
impact. He certainly accomplished that.
So that’s my list. I’ll consider writing another post if I
come across some more truly special books.
Until then, just keep in mind that the release of my novel
Mute is right around the corner.
