Coming Up On Not for Vanity: Books We Are Reading This Easter

We always love to bring the freshest, most interesting self-published books to your attention, so here’s a sneak peek at what to expect from us in April…

About: When sixteen-year-old Scarlet is nearly killed by a tyrannical god, the cost of survival is to bind herself in service of the goddess Death. Though now obligated to do Death’s bidding, Scarlet also gains what she’s always desired—someone to teach her magic. With her newfound strength as a fire mage, she must rescue her mother from the god who nearly took her life, Riordan, before he’s able to extract the secret her mother holds: the key to unfathomable power and the ability to take down the other gods of Quintras. But slaying a god is no simple task, and Scarlet can’t do it alone. When she finds kinship with a reluctant seer and joins forces with a rebel faction that shares her quest to destroy the god that terrorizes his own kingdom, she thinks they have a chance of overcoming the impossible odds. That is, if her bond to Death doesn’t hold her back… How can Scarlet win her freedom in time to save her mother—and the world—from Riordan’s grasp?

About: Fitch Farrow never wanted to be a killer, but he’s damn good at it.
Using his powers of telekinesis, Fitch made a name for himself as the murderer Marionette. His criminal lifestyle never bothered him until he sees his younger brother headed down the same dark path. As a member of the Bloody Hex, a notorious gang of witches, Fitch faces jail and a possible death sentence to keep his brother from following in his footsteps. While incarcerated, Fitch’s loyalties are tested to their limits. Torn between the gang and the opposing government, Fitch teeters on a knife’s edge. Both sides try to control him by promising freedom or threatening harm. Ultimately, Fitch must decide what and who he believes. If that means betraying the gang, his brother, or himself… so be it.

/Please Note: This book contains graphic content and is best suited for adult readers. Book One in a Series/

About: Spectral is a serialised novel made up of 12 episodes at around forty to fifty pages each. Each episode will be release weekly from April to May 2024, until completion. Each episode is not meant to stand alone, but rather build to a complete story, not unlike a twelve-episode anime series.

A taste of Episode One… When Luna wakes to her room engulfed in flames, she knows it’s happened again–a haunting she can no longer ignore. For as long as she can remember, she’s been controlled by a domineering Spectre, forced to commit acts of violence threatening her and everyone around her. Determined to seize control of her life, Luna teams up with Hiro, a generations-old man who promises not only answers, but a method to rid herself of this malicious entity. But to do so, Luna must enter an unfamiliar and unsettling world buried within the futuristic, neon-laden streets of Los Angeles, destroying other Spectres and building her own superhuman abilities along the way. Between government agents hell-bent on capturing her and a myriad of Spectral threats, it’ll take every ounce of Luna’s being to reclaim the life that’s been taken from her.  Will she finally be able to rid herself of this mysterious entity that’s been haunting her entire existence, or will she lose a piece of herself along the way?

About: Jack Cortex is a Subject of Experiment A, an Elemental super-soldier created by the United States government. At seventeen, he only knows the inside of the Lab and its horrors. Jack has lived at this facility for nearly his entire life, training alongside other Subjects to become the perfect weapon. The weakest of them are disposed of through rounds of near-constant torture and fights that lead to death. After all, if they cannot be shaped into the deadliest soldiers to walk the streets, they will not be able to save those they were created to protect. Conversations of a new form of elimination begin circulating throughout the cells in hushed, terrified whispers. The rumors are confirmed when Doctor James Thaddeus begins picking off the Subjects himself, seemingly at random. Those who survive the execution rounds are forced to kill each other in bloody battles. Jack Cortex and his friends know one thing for sure: they must survive… By any means necessary.

/Editor Note: Prequel to Book One of the Experiment X Series/

About: Pulmonary and critical care specialist Dr. Phineas Mann is fighting a losing battle with a severe, progressive form of Parkinson’s disease. He is accepted into a novel trial to insert programmed stem cells into his brain. This experimental treatment is his last desperate hope to reverse his debilitating Parkinson’s symptoms. While grappling with his own declining health, Phineas is asked to consult on a difficult case. The patient is conservative congressman Quentin Tate, whose misdiagnosed lung condition has rapidly worsened. Phineas draws on his decades of experience in a quest to identify the mysterious cause of Tate’s life-threatening condition.Then his wife, Iris, develops an obscure blood disorder that is taking her from him “one bite at a time.” When her medical specialist orders a surprising and risky treatment, Phineas is compelled to bring his keen eye and medical knowledge into her struggle. Time is his enemy as he, with his loyal service dog Ernest at his side, fights to save his beloved Iris, then himself.

About: This is not the story of the woman you think you know. You know only the tales told through the ages. No, this is the story of a dangerous woman fighting for her freedom in a world dominated by cruel gods and ego driven men… In the house of King Aeetes on the shores of the Black Sea, Medea plays with gods in the forest as visions of a dark future haunt her. Descendant of Helios and daughter of sea nymph Idyia, Medea holds the kind of power meant for the heroes of the epics, the heroes who have yet to arrive in the world. But as a woman, her place is decided by the men around her. Until Jason and his Argonauts arrive, bringing with them the winds of change and the goddess’s voice ringing out of Medea’s lips. Sacrifices. Politics wrapped in layers of deceit, blood, and ego. Gods with their own agendas not meant for mortal flesh. Magic. Monsters. Love. Who will Medea become in her desperate search for freedom?