Tag Archives: Self-Published

May 7, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Mayday Mayday Mayday

Book cover for Mayday Mayday Mayday by Holly Schindler. Image on cover is a black and white photo of one of the engines of an antique two-engine plane. Title: Mayday Mayday Mayday

Author: Holly Schindler

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 7, 2022

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: About 21 pages.

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

Forever Finley Episode / Short Story #6: A tale that explores how holiday magic can carry forward into the rest of the year, featuring Natalie and the mysterious George from “Come December.”

Engagement should be a happy time in a young woman’s life, but for Natalie, it’s plagued with doubts. She’d only known Damien four months when she accepted his proposal, and now, when the two are together, she hears a distinct Mayday distress call. Where is the voice coming from? Does it have anything to do with the enigmatic figure she encountered in the cemetery last winter? Or is Natalie finding a way to tell herself she thinks she’s about to go down in flames?

Mayday Mayday Mayday is part of Forever Finley, a series of stand-alone episodes or short stories that released once a month throughout 2016. Previous releases include Come December, January Thaw, Forget February, Dearest March…, and April’s Promise. Stories following Mayday Mayday Mayday include Chasing June, A Hundred Julys, Under the August Moon, Song for September, October Omen, and the Forever Finley Finale (Pale November / December Bells). Stories can be purchased individually, or readers can purchase all installments in Forever Finley: An Episodic Novel.

Content Warning:  World War I, a plane crash, and a dangerous accident on a balcony. I will be briefly referencing the first two topics in my review.

Review:

This is one of those rare series that only gets better over time.

There was the perfect amount of conflict in this short story, and I’m saying that as a reviewer who previously had constructive criticism about this topic when I was first introduced to this universe in Under the August Moon. It’s important to acknowledge growth when it happens, and I loved the direction Ms. Schindler took her tale for the May instalment of it. Yes, the core of it remained whimsical and romantic, just as I’d expect from this setting, but the inclusion of higher-stakes moments as well kept my interest levels high.

As someone who doesn’t read much romance, I appreciated how that genre was woven into Natalie’s life as she adjusted to living in a new community and dealt with a mysterious figure she’d recently met in the local cemetery. The themes fit together naturally which is always something I enjoy discovering in books that dip their toes into more than one genre. This was an excellent example of how to do just that while satisfying both readers who may not be well-versed in romance or paranormal fiction as well as those who already know they like those types of stories. I love it when authors create these seamless pathways to discovering new genres!

World War I isn’t as common referenced as World War II  is in a lot of modern fiction, so my ears perk up when a blurb mentions references to the First World War. There were no graphic descriptions of war included, but there were a few scenes that mentioned a plane crash from that era. I found them tastefully written yet also heartbreaking given the subject matter involved. These moments also added layers of depth not only to the storyline itself but also to Natalie’s personality as she figured out who was calling for May Day and why.

Mayday Mayday Mayday made me yearn for more.

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April 30, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Technosphere

Book cover for Technosphere by George Saoulidis. Image on cover shows a planet covered in impossibly large skyscrapers. It has a ring around it that is light blue and glowing, perhaps to signify some sort of ship that is orbiting it? That planet I just described is hovering over - and looks like it’s going to crash into - the planet at the bottom of this cover that is also covered in cities, albeit not ones that are quite so tall. Title: Technosphere

Author: George Saoulidis

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: November 6, 2019

Genres: Science Fiction

Length: 5 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

A hoarder planet is not feeling so well. Must have been something it collected. Will the AI tasked to repair the technosphere manage to find what’s causing the quakes?

Content Warning: Hoarding, but portrayed in a funny way.

Review:

A little spring cleaning goes a long way.

I loved the humour in this short story. So much of the science fiction I’ve read these past few years has contained dark themes that I really needed to switch things up a bit and be reminded of the lighthearted possibilities in this genre. While I can’t go into much detail about what, exactly, was funny about a planet that was hoarding resources without giving away spoilers, it was important to keep a playful approach to the characters as they revealed what they’d been up to.

There were a few fantastic references to other science fiction universes here that made me smile as well. The storyline did still make sense without them, but readers who know what the author is talking about will have some wonderful Easter Eggs to look forward to. That is exactly how these things should be written in my opinion as it leaves room for everyone to enjoy what is happening instead of closing certain passages off to those who might have not read certain older works yet.

The last page or two was what convinced me to give this a full five-star rating due to how Mr. Saoulidis struck the right balance between answering some of the reader’s questions while leaving other ones up to our imaginations. Would I have loved to have even more closure? Yes, of of course, but I was left with enough information to imagine what would probably happen next as well as having a decent understanding of how this planet ended up in such a predicament in the first place. 

Technosphere was a refreshing break from the serious matters in life.

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April 23, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Interruptions

Book cover for Interruptions by P.B. Cannon. Image on cover is a mostly black and white sketch of the side of a dirty stone building. The door on the building is teal as is the hand that is reaching across the scene and almost past the door. Title: Interruptions

Author: P.B. Cannon

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: February 16, 2013

Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary

Length: 20 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Cady and Sam don’t like excitement. So, they have good reason to love their lifestyle in the small town of Matthews, N.C. They’ve got a cute kid, good jobs, great neighbors, and their home beats the wheels off their last address. Unfortunately, interruption rears its head when it’s least expected, leading to that unwanted unrest they’ve been avoiding. What’s a couple of homebody werewolves to do?

Content Warning: Brief references to sexual harassment and humans being attacked by fantasy creatures.

Review:

Werewolves need to rest, too.

Cady’s character development was quite well done. Her relationships with her husband and child were explored in depth as well as her feelings on a variety of topics ranging from race to European beauty standards to why she so desperately wanted her neighbourhood to remain a quiet and peaceful place to live. She was the sort of protagonist I’d love to invite out for a cup of coffee so I could get to know her better as what I learned about her from this piece only made me more curious about who she was as a person.

The ending felt abrupt to me. I should note that this is part of a serial, a type of tale that is well known for ending on cliffhangers, so do keep those facts in mind while reading. Even when including them, though, I wished more attention would have been paid to developing that final scene. The way it was written felt more like the end of a chapter in a book than a short story. In my opinion, serials work better when each instalment in them stands alone as a fully formed tale, and I did not feel like this quite met that standard even though I deeply enjoyed reading it otherwise.

This was a good example of how to write an exciting fantasy story in a suburban setting. Most modern fantasy that I’ve read has either been set in rural or urban areas, so it was refreshing to see a different sort of setting being utilized. I especially liked the brief moments where Cady talked about simple aspects of living in the suburbs like finding a good parking spot or maintaining positive relationships with the neighbours. Yes, both of these topics were relevant to her adventures on this particular night, but I’ll leave it up to other readers to discover why.

Interruptions was exciting.

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April 16, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Cosmophobia

Book cover for Cosmophobia by George Saoulidis. Image on cover shows a computer-generated drawing of the sort of probe scientists have been sending to places like Jupiter. It’s gold-coloured, oblong shaped, and has two wings that look like they also double as solar panels. Title: Cosmophobia

Author: George Saoulidis

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 26, 2018

Genres: Science Fiction

Length: 24 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Who is watching the stars, every second of every day, so we can better understand the universe? This short story was awarded the 2nd place in the Science Fiction category, in the Athens Fantasticon 2016 competition. Inspired by the James Webb Space Telescope which will be launched and deployed in 2020. It will hopefully be as invaluable as Hubble was, opening our eyes to the cosmos.

Review:

Eternity is a matter of perspective.

The first scene was momentarily confusing, but as soon as I figured out what was going on I was hooked on the storyline. There’s definitely something to be said for playing around with the audience’s expectations in any genre, and this was a good example of how to do just that. I’d recommend other readers avoid spoilers as much as they possibly can so that they, too, can have the chance to be surprised about exactly what was going on here.

I would have loved to see the last scene expanded by a page or two. The twist in it was what really brought everything together for this reader, and it would have been even better had it been given more time to develop. It’s difficult to go into detail here without sharing exactly what it was, but it made me smile and wish I could keep reading about this universe. This is a minor criticism of something I thought was otherwise well done.

Stargazing is something I like to do on occassion, and I was intrigued by how this topic could be turned into a science fiction story. There were elements of hard science fiction here that I found intriguing and would have loved to read more about. With that being said, I also liked the creative flair the author added to it and had plenty of questions about how that change happened and what a sequel might entail if such a thing were ever written.

Cosmophobia made me want to go observe the stars again.

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April 9, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Marginal Worlds

Book cover for Marginal Worlds by Alfred Bekker. Image on cover shows a realistic drawing of a space ship sailing past a streak of light in outer space. There are no planets or suns in the picture, so the source of the light remains mysterious. Title: Marginal Worlds

Author: Alfred Bekker

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: May 28, 2025

Genres: Science Fiction

Length: 46 pages.

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

After a long period of tension and enmity between the Inner Planets and the Rim Worlds, a terraforming specialist travels to the end of the settled universe – and experiences wonders and horrors on a distant world populated by human colonists. Their world is to be made habitable – but strangely enough, the colonists have no interest in doing so.

Content Warning: Brief references to rape, murder, and violence. None of these topics were described in detail.

Review:

An open mind is essential for journeys such as these. .

This was an immersive tale that did an excellent job of drawing me into an unfamiliar world and showing me both the beautiful and the ugly sides of it. There were times when I genuinely felt as though I was learning about an alien planet. This isn’t something that’s easy to accomplish, especially with only a few dozen pages to work with, so kudos to Mr. Bekker for putting so much effort into it. He’s someone I will keep an eye out for as he hopefully releases more stories in the future. 

While I liked reading the beginning and middle, the ending felt abrupt to me. There seemed to be themes that were never fully explored and some plot lines involving the protagonist that were left dangling. For example, I struggled to understand why N’Gaba’s behaviour was shifting so rapidly when he had previously been a character I would have described as steadfast. The explanation given for this certainly helped, but I wished it would have been given more time to develop so that I as a reader could understand him better.

I liked the plot twist that gave some reasons why the people who lived on Rand were so hesitant to allow outsiders into their culture and traditions. While I didn’t at all agree with their reasoning, this was an interesting way to explore how differently certain customs are experienced by people who grew up with them when compared to how someone who was first exposed to that tradition well into adulthood would think of it. There is something to be said for thinking critically about such things and accepting that there are multiple ways to interpret them.

Marginal Worlds was thought provoking. 

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April 2, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Mendala

Book cover for Mandela  By Rudolph Kohn. Image on cover shows a white, slightly square-shaped dodo egg sitting on the floor of a forest filled with ferns and trees. Title: Mendala

Author: Rudolph Kohn

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: July 13, 2023

Genres: Science Fiction

Length: About 8 pages.

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

A day in the life of a chronocourier, one of the few people who can travel through time without debilitating consequences. What the job lacks in security it makes up for in pay. Today’s mission is to go back in time and retrieve a single, fertile Dodo’s egg. Yet the path of timeslipping is a tricky one, and the effects of jumping into nearby timelines can be unpredictable, and dangerous.

Review:

How much trouble could one little egg be?

Dodos are one of those extinct species that I’m quite sorry I’ll never have the opportunity to meet, so this tale automatically caught my attention when I read the blurb. I wondered what the client wanted with one of these eggs and why they chose this species in particular out of all of the other options. It also seemed curious to me that only one egg was requested when one would need far more individuals than that if they were to, say, want to breed more dodos in the future. Wondering about these issues was always at the forefront of my mind as I read, and I would have happily checked out a much longer work on this topic if such a thing were available.

The world building in this story felt underdeveloped to me. I would have loved to learn more about how time travel worked in this universe as well as how the protagonist ended up in such a profession. These details were important due to a twist in the final scene that was revealed but never fully explained. So much time was spent explaining all of the precautions the protagonist took earlier on that the ending didn’t quite makes sense to me as a reader, especially given how little was explained about the mechanics of the missions. It could have been a genuine oversight on the main character’s part, of course, but I simply didn’t have enough information to say for certain due to how rushed the world building was earlier on. This is something I’m saying as a reader who was excited to read this short story and was hoping to give it a much higher rating.

With that being said, I did enjoy that last plot twist in and of itself. It left plenty of room for possible sequels if the author ever decides to write them, and it made me pause and wonder about everything I’d already learned about this universe and the chronocourier who went on this mission. These sorts of reactions are one of the reasons why I enjoy science fiction so much, so I was glad to have that opportunity. Yes, I know I’m being a bit vague here, but I think it’s better for other readers to discover that surprise for themselves.

Mendala was intriguing.

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March 12, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Amina

Book cover for Amina by P.B. Cannon. Image on cover is a watercolour painting of a woman with long white hair dancing in the forest. She’s wearing a light blue dress. Title: Amina

Author: P.B. Cannon

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: April 2, 2019

Genres: Fantasy

Length: About 26 pages.

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

He awakens with a task to perform. A lilac-hued woman dances in his forest clearing. She is human. He is not. It is… a beginning.

Content Warning: Climate change, slavery, a broken leg, brief references to previous rapes, and brief references to a whipping.

Review:

Hope can thrive in even the ugliest circumstances.

This short story included references to some difficult subject matters like slavery and sexual abuse. I appreciated the way it gave the audience the details about these terrible moments without dwelling on them any longer than necessary. These references were disturbing, of course, but not at all graphic. That’s exactly how I prefer to such things to be addressed, so I must tip my cap to the author for striking a balance between remaining true to the story she wanted to share without going into unnecessary detail.

I would have loved to see more world building in this novel. For example, knowing more about what sort of magical creature Ruzi was would have made it easier for me to imagine him and try to predict what he might do next. The snippets of information about his kind that were provided were fascinating and did provide a basic framework for what he was and wasn’t capable of doing as well as a description of his kind and gentle nature. Had this been included, I would have happily gone with a full five-star rating.

The ending was thoughtful, hopeful, and open to interpretation. It’s interesting for me as a reader to be given so much freedom to decide how I wish to interpret certain aspects of the plot, and I enjoy it when authors trust their audiences to come to our own conclusions about what probably happened next without feeling the need to fill in every crevice for us. That’s the sort of writing style that gently urges me to come back for more in the future.

Amina made me wish for a sequel.

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February 26, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Five Miles Out Of Black Creek

Book cover for Five Miles Out Of Black Creek by Neil Shooter. Image on cover shows a dry, dusty country road that has no one travelling on it. It shoots straight ahead and, in the far distance, turns up over a hill. There are mountains even further in the distance. The trees on either side of the road and brown and leafless as it appears to be late autumn in this scene. The sky overhead is hazy and blue. Title: Five Miles Out Of Black Creek

Author: Neil Shooter

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 30, 2016

Genres: Horror, LGBTQ+, Contemporary

Length:13 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Dean Rand is in a bit of a slump, and needs to sell a story fast. Can this one save his bacon? Dr. Chang’s dirty white farmhouse in the middle of nowhere? Well, in the middle of Hamilton County, five miles out of Black Creek. Sure, the view is great, but it’s so isolated. Why would a scientist want to live here? Or work here?

Content Warning: Blood.

Review:

Not every farm is a tranquil getaway from city life.

Let’s see how much I can say about the antagonists of this piece without giving away too many clues about who or what they are. This means that my review may feel a little mysterious, but I’d rather allow other readers to discover for themselves what’s going on than to know ahead of time what to expect. What I can say about the antagonists is that they had good reasons for behaving the way that they did and that they provided plenty of conflict for Dean to work through during his visit. There’s  definitely something to be said for that! I also appreciated how unusual some of them were. That is to say, they didn’t exactly conform to mainstream ideas of what should be attempting to harm the protagonist in this genre, and that’s a good thing.

It would have been more helpful to have additional plot development. I knew what the twist in the end probably would be by the time I read the first scene, and unfortunately this was the sort of tale that, in my opinion, works better if one doesn’t know what to expect in advance. The character development was sufficient for something of this length, so it was really just the depth of the plot that held me back from choosing a higher rating.

With that being said, I do enjoy rural horror. Sometimes other genres glamorize this setting in ways that make me uncomfortable as someone who grew up in various rural places and intimately knows both the negative and positive aspects of that environment, so it was refreshing to see a character drive out to the middle of nowhere and be genuinely taken aback by what he found there. I also appreciated the way the story played around with the trope of a highly educated city slicker arriving at a farm and realizing there are still things about life he doesn’t know. This is something that happens to all sorts of people when they find themselves in cultures or places they’re unfamiliar with, after all, and it was well used here.

Five Miles Out Of Black Creek made me shudder.

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February 19, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Medium Error

Book cover for Medium Error by Eyal Avissar. Image on cover shows something red growing in a Petri dish. The centre is dark red and there are red tendrils spreading out in every direction. It feels ominous. Title: Medium Error

Author: Eyal Avissar

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: July 12, 2025

Genres: Science Fiction

Length: About 24 pages

Source: I  received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Medium Error is a haunting, lyrical descent into miscommunication between systems. A vessel from a post-human swarm is sent to infiltrate a worldform called HUM — Earth, or something like it. Its mission is seamless passage. But the host does not yield. It watches. It reflects. It responds.

Told in fragments, logs, classroom echoes, and philosophical fever dreams, Medium Error explores what happens when doctrine meets deviation — and when the medium pushes back. From collapsing swarm intelligences to substitute teachers and strange student diagrams, this story unfolds across both alien systems and the mundane brilliance of human learning.

Perfect for fans of Ted Chiang, Jeff VanderMeer, and readers who like their science fiction strange, recursive, and full of resonance.

Content Warning: A pandemic of sorts.

Review:

Anything is possible with the right preparations.

Xenofiction is one of my favourite subgenres of science fiction because of how interesting it is to explore conflict from non-human perspectives. The swarm in this tale was intelligent but obviously thought about things quite differently than a human would describe those same moments. While I don’t want to give away spoilers by sharing exactly what the swarm was or what their goal was when they discovered what they referred to as Worldform G44.21-HUM and what we’d call Earth, I can say that it was entertaining to read their logs and try to piece together what those first encounters were like from the human perspective.

I did find myself wishing for more clarification about what happened in the final scene. There were some tantalizing hints that not everything was going to plan, but they never quite gelled together for this reader. While I do have a theory about where things were headed and thought it was an interesting twist on the typical alien invasion story, the ending would have been stronger if a little more time was spent either confirming what I thought was going on or gently nudging the audience in the correct direction if my assumption turned out not to be the correct one.

There was an interesting perspective shift about halfway through that began to include what the human characters were up to as the invasion began. This was a good way to help explain some of the stuff that earlier sections were vague about, and I enjoyed exploring those moments from multiple points of view as I pondered over what I already knew about the aliens and what I thought they might do next. Yes, I know that I’m being vague in my review, but this truly is one of those things that are best left up to new readers to muddle over for themselves.

Medium Error was an intriguing introduction to this author’s work, and I hope to read more of it soon. 

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February 12, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Love Bug

Title: Love Bug (The Shrouded Isle Series) Book cover for Love Bug  by Zoe Tasia. Image on cover is a drawing of three light brown envelopes that have been dropped in a snowbank and have a few red hearts floating out of them.

Publisher: Zoe Tasia

Publication Date: February 13, 2024

Genres: Young Adult, Holiday, Mystery, Fantasy, Contemporary

Length: About 47 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

It’s Valentine’s Day on the Shrouded Isle. Love is in the air! Unfortunately, love needs a compass, because Cupid keeps hitting the wrong targets. Join Becca Shaw and her daughters, Jessie and Tate as they solve the mystery!

Review:

Love is magical.

I enjoyed the school setting of this tale, especially considering how kind Becca’s teacher was not only to her but to all of the other students in the class as well. Too often school is a source of conflict in young adult novels. While that is in no way a bad thing, especially given how common it is for some kids to have conflicted feelings about school for a wide variety of completely understandable reasons, it was refreshing to read about a teen who genuinely likes going to class and learning new things.

The slow start to this tale made it difficult for me to remain focused on reading it at times. While the pacing did pick up about halfway through, I found myself wishing that it had remained steady from the first scene to the last one as I found the middle and ending much more enjoyable and would have given this a higher star rating if not for my struggles with this aspect of the writing. If other readers have this same problem, I definitely would recommend sticking it out as the final scene was delightful.

Marketing this tale to the young adult genre was a great decision. What would have been out of place for an adult protagonist ended up being perfect for someone Becca’s age given her limited experience with life, magic, and matters of the heart. I nodded as I read about the Valentine’s Day cards she made as an extra credit assignment for one of her classes and wondered when the magical elements of the storyline were going to kick in. Obviously, I can’t share any details about exactly how that panned out for spoiler reasons, but I hope other readers have as much fun figuring it out as I did.

Love Bug piqued my curiosity.

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