<img src="https://irresponsiblereader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/irr-logo.png"> The Irresponsible Reader

On July 22, 2026

Visit the SPAAW 2026 Hub to see what other Self-Published Appreciation Posts are out there.

Shannon Knight couldn’t limit herself to an elevator pitch (there’s always one)–unless you want to think of this as a lumbering frieght-elevator pitch in a very tall-building. But hey…I can roll with that.

An image of a pair of speech bubbles. The upper one reads 'Shannon Knight Engages in:' and the lower reads Shameless Other-Promotion' with the Self-Published Author Appreciation raven circle in the upper left corner, and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon in the lower left corner.

Other-Promotion:

The Seaglass Blade

by J.C. Snow
For fantasy lovers, I suggest J.C. Snow’s The Seaglass Blade, which uses a cultivation-style (xianxia) magical system in a setting reminiscent of the California coast.

Lush and lyrical, The Seaglass Blade tells a layered tale of love, family, and fighting for what you believe in.

The Seaglass Blade is somewhat of a departure from Snow’s previous duology, and, therefore, Snow fittingly wrote it as an entry book for new readers. There is a large cast of characters, and everyone has goals and backstories–some of those backstories are available in the prequels. The Seaglass Blade opens with an older woman, the First Master of the Crane Moon cultivation sect, preparing to meet her love, whom she has been living separately from for several years. We establish that the two women are not human and neither are their two adult children. In fact, none of these family members are the same type of fantasy entity, and the children are adopted. The Crane Moon sect is a school full of live-in students, and the other masters are also a couple (M/M). So, on one layer we have a love story dealing with all different types of love. On the romantic front, we have a long-established F/F couple with some relationship issues, but we also have the younger generation experiencing first love (M/M and F/F) and, a bit in the background, the other long-established couple (M/M). There’s also family responsibilities in all different directions and mentor-mentee relationships. A core theme is the concept of starting over represented by sea glass, which begins as one thing and becomes another. You can also see how the idea of being broken relates to this metaphor.

Aside from the emotional layers focused on interpersonal relationships, there is a great big adventure with attacking demons, demonic corruption, mysterious spells, and life-and-death consequences threatening our heroes at both the personal level and at a much more epic degree. Phoenixes, dragons, demons, and cultivational magic collide. The Seaglass Blade delivers many memorable characters to care for as they strive to reach their goals on personal and epic scales. After reading, you can carry this story in your heart as a reminder that we, too, are like seaglass.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Buy the book on Bookshop.org

A Bit of Other-Promotion on behalf of Shannon Knight
(okay, Knight didn’t want to do this part “There’s no need to advertise any of my books alongside it. I don’t want to water it down. Everything does not have to be about me. 🙂 You can drop a link to my website and call it good.” Which is awfully nice of her, but…)

Wish Givers

I haven’t read this one yet–which is odd, as it’s been at the top of my list longer than books by her that I have read. It’s a Fantasy title, summed up on her website as: “Wish Givers is an epic fantasy with a tropical island setting and themes of freedom, found family, and the pursuit of dreams.” This one looks good–as do all of her non-horror books (and probably those are good, too. But I’ll likely never know).

Website ~ Bluesky ~ Universal Book Link

Be sure to check out these books and show these Self-Published Authors some appreciation! They’re available at the links above or at the retailer of your choice!

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The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

Cover Reveal: The Wolf in the Lantern by Iseult Murphy

On July 22, 2026

In Fiction, Science Fiction

I’m very pleased today to welcome the Cover Reveal for Iseult Murphy’s The Wolf in the Lantern to The Irresponsible Reader today. Murphy was nice enough to schedule this reveal during Self Published Authors Appreciation Week, so I’m able to stay on-brand 🙂

Before we see the cover, let’s learn a little bit about the book and author, shall we? It’ll just take a moment, and then we can all take a peak at the cover.

About the Book:

Quick Stats / Facts

- Title: The Wolf in the Lantern
- Author: Nicholas W Fuller
- Cover Design: Fabled Beast Designs
- Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
- Length: 90k words

Blurb

A buried past, a dangerous future, a fiery destiny.

Orphaned at a young age, Simone has never felt she belonged to the Champion class of her parents, despite her ability to work fire that far surpasses her peers. When Simone’s best friend is killed by fearsome beasts, Pyra, a magical flame wolf, visits Simone with a request. The flame wall that protects the town of Ember is failing, and the Dimmers – terrifying creatures that dwell in the wasteland beyond the fires – are breaking through. Only by finding and reuniting the three keys to Pyra’s power will the flame wall be strong enough to once again protect Ember and its inhabitants.

To aid Simone on her hunt, Pyra nudges her towards the reclusive Champion, Fisher, with his knowledge of a forgotten past, as well as Robin, the daughter of the Champion of Champions, who has fallen into a dark world of artisans and freemen in her desire for revenge.

As the three unearth the secrets hidden in the heart of Ember, enemies gather around them. Their search brings them closer to those who want the flame wall to fail, threatening the lives of Fisher and Robin, and forcing Simone to confront her destiny.

An exciting new epic fantasy from the author of The Mountains of Sorrow and Snowmane.

Goodreads ~ ARC Sign Up Link

About the Author

Iseult Murphy is an Irish multi-genre author. Her writing combines dark themes with a dose of humor to entertain and bring a new perspective on the complexities of life. She loves to explore how the most dangerous monsters wear the most pleasing masks. Her experience with chronic illness and mental health issues inspires her stories. She is the author of 7 Days in Hell, which was a finalist in the IAN Book of the Year Awards. She has published eleven books, and her short fiction has appeared in over forty publications, including Your Flight Has Been Cancelled from Little Ghost Press, and Aurealis. Find out more about her and her writing at https://iseultmurphy.com/ or https://ko-fi.com/iseultmurphy.

Website ~ Ko-Fi ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Bookbub ~ Bluesky

Map of Ember

Click that map if you want a better look at the work of Adam Bassett, the illustrator. He can be found at his Website and Bluesky.

Character Art of Simone and Pyra

Character Art of Simone and Pyra
Illustrated by R. Blaylock, who can be found at Website and Bluesky.

and now…

The Cover

cover for The Wolf in the Lantern by Iseult Murphy

Kudos to Cover Designer Fabled Beast Designs, who can be found at their Website, Bluesky, and Twitter.

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HC Chats with DB Rook about Self-Publishing and some other stuff

Visit the SPAAW 2026 Hub to see what other Self-Published Appreciation Posts are out there.

In Uncategorized

Each year–at least each year that I remember–one of the things I try to talk about is the Publishing side of Self-Published Authors Appreciation. The Authoring bit gets all of the attention–and it’s easy to understand why. But–as I say in the videos this week–it’s the Publishing side that makes me admire and appreciate these authors more. This week I’ve been able to convince 4 (maybe 5–we’ll see how the week goes) authors to sit down with me and talk about their approach to the parts where they take their creative efforts and get them into the hands of the readers.

This evening, I’m chatting with DB Rook (and if I’m not mistaken, one of my dogs puts in a loud appearance…sorry about that). We talk about how he’s learning his way in self-publishing, differences in the audiences for his books, and just a smidgen about The Book of Spores. I had a great time, and it was absolutely worth not sleeping in on a holiday so we could manage the 7 hour difference. Hope you enjoy this chat about his processes:

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Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay
The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Steampunk

Visit the SPAAW 2026 Hub to see what other Self-Published Appreciation Posts are out there.
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In Books, Fiction, Miscellany, News/Misc., Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week, Steampunk

(updated 7/21/26)

From the first moment that people did the strange thing of asking me to talk about their books on my blog, I’ve been impressed by the quality of a lot of what’s been published by authors going out on their own, taking all the risks, shouldering all the responsibility, and doing all the work to get their words, their dreams, their blood, sweat, and tears on to the page (paper or electronic). This should be celebrated—it’s definitely appreciated, as we’re trying to show this week.

As part of this week-long celebration, I’m continuing my habit of highlighting the self-published works that I’ve blogged about over the last few years (or meant to blog about, but at least read)—just a sentence or two. Hopefully, this’ll be enough to make you click on the link to the full post. Beyond that, it’d be great if I inspired you to add a few of these to your TBR. Also, be sure you check out the other posts over at the SPAAW Hub.

Today I’m focusing on Self-Published Steampunk. Sadly, this list is the same as last year’s. It’s still so small that it hardly seems to justify a separate list. But I kept these on their own so they wouldn’t get lost in the SF mix. Consider this an open invitation for people to fill up my comment section with recommendations so I can post a longer version of this list next time I run this.

bullet The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris—set in the same world as their Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series, this puts the adventurous group of homeless kids the Ministry uses in a private school to find an Egyptian artifact. I still need to write my post on it, but it’s worth your time.
bullet Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle by Michael Coorlim—these short stories are a nice little dose of Steampunk with a thin coating of Victorian P.I. Light fun. (my post about it)
bullet Bodacious Creed: A Steampunk Zombie Western by Jonathan Fesmire—the reanimated corpse of one of the most-feared lawmen in the West roots out a criminal organization set to rule California. (my post about it)
bullet Bodacious Creed and the Jade Lake by Jonathan Fesmire—Creed heads to SF and tangles with a human trafficking ring. (my post about it)
bullet Bodacious Creed and the San Francisco Syndicate by Jonathan Fesmire—Creed has settled into San Francisco and is on the hunt for an outlaw who uses machines to alter the bodies and minds of his victims. I haven’t read this yet, but I can’t pass up the chance to talk about it. Really looking forward to diving in.
bullet Aether Powered by James T. Lambert—A UW Engineering student inherits a trunkful of steampunk goodies from a distant relative. Action ensues. (my post about it)
bullet Steam Opera by James T. Lambert—An imaginative engineer/inventor and a gutsy investor attempt to land on the moon pre-1900. (my post about it)
bullet The Silk Empress by Josef Matulich—a brilliant and reckless British orphan finds himself on an airship on the Silk Road (well, technically, above it). It’s a rollicking adventure. (my post about it)
bullet The Golden Spider by Anne Renwick—a steamy Kraken-filled Steampunk story, lots of good action, and great inter-personal moments. (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Non-Fiction

In Books, Miscellany, News/Misc., Non-Fiction, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

(updated 7/21/26)

Today I’m focusing on Self-Published Non-Fiction—which are primarily memoirs at their core, it’s what the authors do with the memoirs that makes these really stand out. But there are a few other things, too.

bullet Life and Death Behind the Brick and Razor: Code Red Diamond by Isaac Alexis, MD—A prison doctor uses his experiences to give suggestions for a healthy/healthier life. (my post about it)
bullet Life Lessons by Titan as told to Melaney Taylor Auxier—Illustrated by photos of the dog himself, Titan teaches about friends, making mistakes, eating well, being grateful, that sort of thing. (my post about it)
bullet How Not to Be an *SS: Essays on Becoming a Good & Safe Man by Andrew J. Bauman—Bauman calls men to an authentic, Biblical masculinity—one built on humility, kindness, and service. While offering concrete ways to set aside patterns of abuse and neglect. (my post about it)
bullet Kneading Journalism: Essays on baking bread and breaking down the news by Tony Ganzer—This is a collection of essays about the state of journalism, how people relate to and view the media we consume, and what the future may hold. Oh, and bread recipes, of course. It makes sense in context (and is a really great idea). (my post about it)
bullet Grammar Sex and Other Stuff by Robert Germaux — quick essays with humor and heart (my post about it)
bullet More Grammar Sex: Essays About Life and Stuff by Robert Germaux — more quick essays with humor and heart. (I apparently didn’t post about this…but basically see what I said about the previous book here )
bullet No Problem, Mr. Walt: Building a Boat, Rebuilding a Life, & Discovering China by Walt Hackman—Hackman was one of the first self-published authors to reach out to me, and I’m so glad he did. A fascinating read about a man deciding to have an authentic Chinese junk built for him to use as a houseboat in California. (my post about it)
bullet Fifth Sparrow Rising by Cindi Hartley—A little bit a bit of Hartley’s personal story and faith, a little bit of the experiences through some of the hardest parts of her life, and things she;s learned through it all. All told in the hope that she can show others they are “not alone and that there is a way to find light again, as well as be a light, even when one has lived through darkness.”
bullet Finding Hope in Hard Things: A Positive Take on Suffering by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—The central premise is that God uses the “hard things” in life to shape us into the people he wants us to be, and uses some of the hard things in his life as case studies to demonstrate how they were used so the reader is equipped to look at their own lives and see the purpose in their suffering. (my post about it)
bullet The Great Lie: What All of Hell Wants You to Keep Believing by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Paired with Hibbs’ characteristic clear prose and gift with language and illustrations, Hibbs reminds the reader that God is always speaking to us, through both the Creation and His Word. (my post about it)
bullet In Divine Company by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Pierce’s treatment of prayer focuses on the communicative nature of God and His image bearers and then nurturing that in our lives to improve our prayer. (my post about it)
bullet Struck Down but Not Destroyed: Living Faithfully with Anxiety by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Drawing on what he’s learned from over 12 years of anxiety, Hibbs talks about learning to see what God’s purpose in the suffering is (anxiety disorders specifically, but easily transferable to other types), understanding that His hand is guiding all things—including our problems—so how do we in faith (without denying the suffering) rest in faith. (my post about it)
bullet And Drink I Did: One Man’s Story of Growing Through Recovery by Jay Keefe—It’s all there in the subtitle, Keefe tells about his OCD, his alcoholic days, his getting sober, and how he’s trying to help others since then. Powerful stuff. (my post about it)
bullet If You Give A Mouse Metformin by Nikhil Krishnan, i Cenizal (Illustrator) — 1 part picture book parody, 1 part satire, 1 part good look at the pharmecutical process (the good and the bad) (my post about it)
bullet Killer Conversations with Rex Stout and John McAleer—a collection of interview snippets between Stout and his biographer touching on topics like: his writing, the Wolfe mysteries, plotting, the modern detective story, talking about other authors and more. (my post about it)
bullet How to Take Over the World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain by Ryan North—A tongue-in-cheek way to talk about some of the most advanced science around and how it can (and in some ways is) be used to destroy the world. (my post about it)
bullet The Genius’ Guide to Bad Writing by R.T. Slaywood, R.C. Martinez—A guide for the writer who is tired of success and wants to reclaim their lives from answering the siren call of fortune and fame that comes to every author. Slaywood and Martinez have a 10-Step program guaranteed to ruin a novel or two and stop a career dead in its spot. (my post about it)
bullet Uber Diva by Charles St. Anthony—a humorist writes a memoir of a Lyft/Uber driver mixed with a guide to starting/surviving/thriving as one in a tough market. St. Anthony also has a few other books out now that are probably worth a read. (my post about it)
bullet Flying Alone: A Memoir by Beth Ruggiero York—A female pilot’s memoir of her path from flight school to flying for TWA (now that I have a son learning to fly, some of her more harrowing experiences keep flashing through the back of my mind). (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow in front of an open book

The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

Manitou by Glen Gabel: It Went Badly

Visit the SPAAW 2026 Hub to see what other Self-Published Appreciation Posts are out there.

In Fantasy, Fiction, Literary Locals, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

Manitou

by Glen Gabel

DETAILS:
Publication Date: March 21, 2026
Format: Paperback
Length: 367 pg.
Read Date: June 23-25, 2026

Roy glanced at Tahney. He looked feeble in the firelight, but his eyes were sharp and knowing, flashing a final warning that gave Roy pause. Even with every assurance and every answer in place, an icy dread still pricked at him. As they slowly pulled away from the cabin in Jess’s jeep, he could hear Tahney’s final warning linger in his mind.

“It will go badly.”

What’s Manitou About?

A (mostly) functional alcoholic forest ranger interrupts his attempt at ending his life to go to the site of a small plane crash in the forest. What he finds when he gets to the crash site is a pile of cocaine and a severed arm from the pilot. It’s never easy to see a human like that—but something strikes Roy Farmer as odd about the scene.

It doesn’t matter, the local sheriff chases him off so he and his people can take care of things until the DEA shows up. Roy can’t let it go, though, he believes the sheriff is corrupt and that the drugs may not end up with the DEA. So he starts to do some unofficial digging by talking to a local drug dealer.

It turns out that there’s a local motorcycle club that seems to be trying to expand its business and take on partners from south of the border. But there’s another source for narcotics in the small mountain town, too.

And then more people start dying deaths as grizzly as the pilot did (if not more so). It almost seems impossible for a human to do what the killer is doing—but the only other option isn’t one that Roy Farmer is prepared to believe possible.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I picked this up because I keep running into Gabel at local events and he seems like a good guy—one that I want to read. And he’s been talking about working on this since we first met, so when it was in front of me finally, I had to try it.

I kept at it because it moved fast and I couldn’t stop asking “what’s next?” Either one of those is generally enough to keep me invested—you add both together—along with a subtle garnishing of “is Character X going to make it?”—and of course I’m staying with it.

What does this book tell us about humanity?

I’m not sure it has a lot to say about humanity or the human condition, really. The book isn’t quite focused on that sort of thing.

But there is a strain of—where did it go wrong? (well, with a couple of the characters that’s not the question, they’re very aware). This marriage, that career, this lifestyle, this dream…something happened that turned it from something good, positive, successful into a struggle to keep going. Into crime, addiction, corruption, or something worse.

Something similar could be said of the small town that this all takes place in. Once it was a thriving—or at least healthy—community where people could raise kids, see them start their adult lives, maybe start families of their own—and so on. Now, it’s a place that kids want to leave when they can. It’s a place that adults want to leave if they could. Or just to wait until their eventual death, stuck in one place because of inertia or loss of hope.

I’m not going to say that anyone comes out of this book whole and ready. I’m not going to say that anyone comes out of this book at all. But somewhere along the line some of these characters realize that they need to make a change, they might even have a glimmer of an idea how to fill that hole in their lives that was created when things started to go wrong.

So, what did I think about Manitou?

This one is a little out of my genre-preferences. It’s near the border of Fantasy and Horror. I think maybe half a foot crosses the border into Horror (maybe more). But it also feels like something that someone trying to C.J. Box would come up with. Actually, replacing the Manitou with a drug-crazed serial killer (or cult of them) would make it look like someone trying to do Joe Pickett, but edgy.*

I joked in a WWW post that there were too many characters in the book, but given the mortality rate, I expected it to get to a manageable level soon. It’s actually not much of a joke—that’s a pretty good way to think of the book. It was too, too crowded with promising characters that would be killed shortly (or several chapters) after their introduction. Some took me completely by surprise when and how it happened. But most were clearly coming from miles away—that didn’t make them less horrific, it just made it easier to take.

I will note that there is one death that I think I understand the reasoning behind, but I will be chastising Gabel about next time I see him.

If the criminal activities in the book were more of a focus, I think I’d have a quibble or two about the depiction of it—it seems a little too easy and obvious. But given the role of them is just to propel certain characters along—and to provide a red herring (for the characters, not the readers) into what’s going on. I’m going to hold my fire on them. Again, if you take out the Manitou, there’s a decent crime novel here after a couple of editing passes.

From the beginning, Gabel focuses on two characters—and it’s pretty obvious that he’s doing so. They’re clearly the protagonists and are going to survive the novel—or at least up to the climactic scene so that you’ll be extra outraged when they meet a violent end. I’m not going to say which way(s) that Gabel goes with them in the end. But keep your eyes on them, everything that Gabel wants to say is there.

Well, at least everything he wants to say about people is there. The overall message of the book—be careful who you don’t give several pounds of cocaine to—comes through without them. And really, who doesn’t need to hear that? Yes, it’s stupid to feed a deer; it’s dangerous to feed a bear—but it’s asking for wanton destruction when you give coke to an unknown.

I’ve gotten off the path here—this is a solidly entertaining novel. The story moves quickly, the action is fierce, and the twists are enough to keep you near the edge of your seat.

* Actually, I think the book might belong in Horror if only because it violates a “rule” that I’ve heard even hard-core noir and/or serial killer novelists won’t touch.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

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Literary Locals logo

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The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

SPAAW ’26: M.K. Felix Engages in Shameless OTHER-Promotion

Visit the SPAAW 2026 Hub to see what other Self-Published Appreciation Posts are out there.

An image of a pair of speech bubbles. The upper one reads 'M.K. Felix (aka Madelyn Smith) Engages in:' and the lower reads Shameless Other-Promotion' with the Self-Published Author Appreciation raven circle in the upper left corner, and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon in the lower left corner.

Other-Promotion:
M.K. gets a couple of other picks because she’s speaking for two (her other penname, Madelyn Smith, too). She opted to focus on authors rather than particular titles, but we did get some of those.

For the Fantasy genre:

Hunting Sirens

by Mary Mecham
Mary Mecham – she writes villain origin stories while keeping the books no spice but high swoon. My favorite of hers is Hunting Sirens and Assassins of Fire and Sacrifice.

Website ~ Facebook

A Dragon Inside

by Anabelle Raven
Anabelle Raven – writes Fairytales and Romantasy with emotional depth. My favorite of hers is A Dragon Inside and A Dragon Outside which is a Duology focused on forgiveness and empathy as they uncover political intrigue and battle the darkness threatening to destroy their kingdoms

Website ~ Facebook

Bounty Hunter

by Kaylee Jarvis
Kaylee Jarvis – writes clean Romantasy with high stakes and high swoon while keeping it clean. I love her worldbuilding and magic systems. Her first book, Bounty Hunter is amazing.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Buy the Book on Bookshop.org

For the Romance genre:

Truly Medley Deeply

by Kate Watson
Kate Watson – she writes witty romantic comedies that have you laughing while also feeling like you free therapy. I’ve cried while reading each of her books. I just reread one called Truly Medley, Deeply that was fantastic

Website ~ Instagram ~ Buy the Book on Bookshop.org

Officially Yours

by Jen Atkinson
Jen Atkinson is another romantic comedy author who I adore. She’s been releasing soccer RomComs that got me excited for the world cup, specifically Officially Yours.

Website ~ Linktree ~ Buy the Book on Bookshop.org

A Bit of Self-Promotion by M.K. Felix & Madelyn Smith

Winning My Queen

My Bolts of Love series written under Madelyn Smith takes your favorite tropes from romantic comedies and puts a Christian spin on them. With the small town heart, faith, and love you’d expect to find in Hallmark, just with added depth to the stories. Embracing the Storm is book three and is skated to release this fall.

Website ~ M.K. Felix’s Linktree ~ Madelyn Smith’s Linktree ~ Buy the the First Book in That Series on Bookshop.org

Fairest Hunter

The Favored’s Curse series written under M.K. Felix is all about classic Fairytales combined and then twisted for a fresh take as each kingdom discovers how to break a dark curse that threatens to over take them. Charmed Beast, a genderswapped Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast retelling releases on September 3rd and just finished a very successful Kickstarter campaign.

Website ~ M.K. Felix’s Linktree ~ Madelyn Smith’s Linktree ~ Buy the the First Book in That Series on Bookshop.org

Be sure to check out these books and show these Self-Published Authors some appreciation! They’re available at the links above or at the retailer of your choice!

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow in front of an open book

Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay
The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

SPAAW ’26: Glen Gabel Engages in Shameless OTHER-Promotion

Visit the SPAAW 2026 Hub to see what other Self-Published Appreciation Posts are out there.

An image of a pair of speech bubbles. The upper one reads 'Glen Gabel Engages in:' and the lower reads Shameless Other-Promotion' with the Self-Published Author Appreciation raven circle in the upper left corner, and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon in the lower left corner.

Other-Promotion:

The Last Champion of Earth

by Donald I. Templeman
Going in, I expected something closer to Frank Peretti, but it turned out to be something entirely different. It’s essentially a dystopian story set in a hedonistic world stripped of faith and morality, forced to reckon with the arrival of an alien harbinger prepared to unleash God’s wrath upon humanity.

It’s definitely a slow burn with multiple intersecting storylines, but everything ties together in a unique and satisfying way by the end. Templeman explores themes of sin, death, justice, and the meaning of life in a way that never feels overly preachy or simplistic, and the alien antagonist is deeply unsettling. In terms of world-building, it reminded me somewhat of Brave New World, though with a more redemptive arc.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Buy the Book on Bookshop.org

In the Lair of Legends

by David Buzan
The novel follows a Native American soldier during the Civil War era who must survive a train robbery involving Union gold by a renegade general in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains and fight his way to freedom. Along the journey, he encounters a cryptid threat that adds another layer of tension.

What I enjoyed most about Dave’s writing was the strength of the premise and his cinematic storytelling style. His action sequences are genuine white-knuckle rides and feel like they belong on the big screen.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Buy the Book on Bookshop.org

A Bit of Self-Promotion by Glen Gabel

Manitou

The crash was only the beginning. When a cartel plane goes down in North Idaho, forest ranger Roy Farmer finds a severed limb in the wreckage—and a growing trail of brutal deaths through the wilderness and nearby town. Corruption festers, a cartel war erupts, and something in the forest is hunting them all.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Buy the Book on Bookshop.org

Be sure to check out these books and show these Self-Published Authors some appreciation! They’re available at the links above or at the retailer of your choice!

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow in front of an open book

Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay
The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

SPAAW ’26: DB Rook Engages in Shameless OTHER-Promotion