Indies Introduce Interview

In Beatty’s middle-grade debut fantasy, Heartseeker, Only Fallow has a secret ability to see lies, a power that forces her from provincial life into the service of a king and court she does not trust.

Ely Watson of A Room of One’s Own called Convenience Store Woman “a strong commentary on obsessive work culture” and praised its “calculated, removed prose and unique narrative and characters.”

“This delightful graphic novel is a game of Dungeons & Dragons, a superhero story, and a kaiju match all in one,” said Destenie Fafard of Cellar Door Books.

Louise Marshall of Rakestraw Books calls The Bird and the Blade, Megan Bannen’s debut young adult novel and an Indies Introduce Summer/Fall 2018 selection, “intricately crafted, superbly written, and beautifully tragic.”

MEM by debut author Bethany C. Morrow imagines a world where humans have found a way to extract unwanted memories and implant them in another being that looks and sounds just like the original.

“This madcap adventure is possibly the zaniest I have ever encountered,” said Katie McGinley of Wild Rumpus about Heider’s debut, The Mortification of Fovea Munson.

Matilda Woods’ middle grade debut, The Boy, the Bird, and the Coffin Maker, “reads like a newly discovered folktale that, once found, becomes essential,” said Sam Miller of Carmichael’s Bookstore.

“I was stunned by the beautiful and engaging writing in this book; the story consumed me from start to finish,” said Kristen Beverly of Half Price Books about The Astonishing Color of After.

“All I can say is thank goodness the ’80s are back in fashion, because this gem of a book is best read sitting in front of a TV tray in a recliner,” said Kim Bissell of Broadway Books about Tami Charles’ Like Vanessa.

“This is a disturbing debut from the mind of a bright star in the firmament of writers,” said Linda Bond of Auntie’s Bookstore about Akwaeke Emezi’s debut, Freshwater.

Alyson Turner of Source Booksellers described Paul Howarth’s Only Killers and Thieves as “a Western set in Australian colonial times.”

“She’s honest, she’s real, and she’s a talented writer,” said Lynn Rosen, co-owner of Open Book Bookstore, about Mothers of Sparta debut author Dawn Davies.

Tom Malmquist’s In Every Moment We Are Still Alive is “a story of love, loss and grieving, but also the hope that arises from the beginning of a new life,” said Linda Bond of Auntie’s Books.

“The Dangerous Art of Blending In is a pleasure to read, even as it goes to dark places,” said Christie Olson Day of Gallery Bookshop & Bookwinkle’s Children’s Books.

Love, Hate & Other Filters is “a timely read that deftly tempers difficult topics with levity and a wonderful narrative voice,” said Rebecca Wells of Porter Square Books.