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

(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 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.

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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.

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

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

In Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

I had a longer intro written for this series of posts, but it ended up too long. (If you’re curious, it makes up a couple of paragraphs in my Welcome to Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week post). Here’s the compressed version:

One of the things that’s impressed me over the years is seeing the way that Self-Published Authors all tend to support each other. They don’t come across as competitors, you’re colleagues—teammates, almost. Once again this year for SPAAW, I’m exploiting that.

As an expression of that, I’ve asked some authors to promote 1-3 self-published works by someone else—to just give me a quick elevator pitch for them to help get the word out. Several of them replied with those lists (a few have resisted the call for particular titles and have just talked about some other authors–which is close enough for me). Naturally, I’ve asked them all for a quick bit about one of their books/series, too—they should get some attention as well, don’t you think?

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!

Feel free to head over to my Bookshop.org page to see all the books I’m featuring this week (this may spoil some of the other lists, you’ve been warned). At least as many of them that Bookshop.org sells, anyway.

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

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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

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

In Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

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!

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

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

In Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

An image of a pair of speech bubbles. The upper one reads 'DB Rook 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:

Hall of Bones

by Tim Hardie
An incredible cast, woven together with dark, slow-release poison. Hall of Bones, takes us on a gritty, viking inspired journey through heart lifting family bonds, through turbulent fractured nations under the threat of war, and out the otherside into malevolent sorcery and emotional carnage! Absolutley fantastic!!

Full review: fanfiaddict.com/hall-of-bones-brotherhood-of-the-eagle-book-1-by-tim-hardie/

Website ~ Twitter ~ Books2Read

The Scroungers

by Thomas J Devens
Devens’ ability to throw you into the mud and blood of true war is a visceral and filthy experience. A rare thing in the fantasy genre, The Scroungers lands the reader in a time and place seldom explored. What happens to the allegiances and hierarchy after the battle when the blood-soaked land is no longer something to fight for but something to survive on?

The filth doesnt let up, and neither does the blood and bile of hard men and women as theyre thrown violently into a new cause.

Full review: fanfiaddict.com/review-the-scoungers-vermin-of-the-old-empire-by-thomas-j-devens/

Linktree ~ Buy the book on Bookshop.org

by Robert D. Jones
Superb muskets and mayhem! This incredible and action packed story follows a splendid range of characters through familiar gunpowder-blenished war zones and beyond, into the realms of malevolent gods and divine, esoteric hunger. Emotions and war wounds are high as each protagonist makes their mark in a thrilling battle for survival and a race to discover the origins of who they’re actually fighting. Military, eldritch, character-driven and immensely enjoyable.

Further reading: fanfiaddict.com/best-reads-of-2025/

Website ~ Instagram

A Bit of Self-Promotion by DB Rook

Residuum

Galactic refugees, Charlus and Mirrin Vaughn escape the devastation of genocidal robots as they flee into the arms of a new found family. Determined to outrun the AI threat, they stumble into webs of the past and unwittingly discover new threats and old secrets.

Space pirates, robot genocide and gigantic spiders for those hungry firefly fans amongst us.

mybook.to/ResiduumDBRook

Website ~ Twitter ~ 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!

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

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

HC Chats with Adam Holcombe 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.

We’re going to start with Adam Holcombe. Honestly, we recorded this long enough ago that I don’t remember the details too well. (I should’ve written this post that evening). I remember having a great time with him, and hope we can do this again sometime when we can focus on one–or both–of his series. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this look behind the curtain:

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

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Luckier You Get” by American Aquarium

In News/Misc.

The Irresponsible Reader's Music Monday logo

Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.

This seemed appropriate for Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week…

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The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published “General” Fiction

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

(updated 7/20/26)

Today I’m focusing on General Fiction (for lack of a better term)—there’s some Lad Lit, a dash of historical fiction, some humor, a couple of things I don’t know how to categorize beyond “Fiction”, and a bit more. Hopefully, you can find something that tickles your fancy.

bullet Dispatches from a Tourist Trap by James Bailey—Jason (see below) and his mother move from Seattle to a small town in the middle of Washington to stay with her parents as she establishes a life away from her husband. Hilarity and conflict ensue. (my post about it)
bullet The First World Problems of Jason Van Otterloo by James Bailey—an epistolary novel (through emails) from a 13-year-old whose life is turned upside down in 2003 Seattle. A lot of heart and a few laughs. (my post about it)
bullet This Is Who We Are Now by James Bailey—he doesn’t just write YA, Bailey attacks coming-of-Middle-Age, too. This not-so-young man, deals with changes to his parents’ lives, his younger siblings’ successes (and struggles) and coming to grips that his life may not end up just the way he wanted it to.
bullet The Glamshack by Paul W. Cohen—A lifestyle reporter’s obsessive love for a woman and the havoc it wreaks on his life. (my post about it)
bullet Ways And Truths And Lives by Matt Edwards—this is tough to summarize in a sentence, but let me try, because this is more about the internal life. James Dall is a struggling writer and reporter, who is still trying to figure out what he thinks about life, love and meaning. This is about him on the verge of making a big move for his life and career, and those things that move him to it.
bullet The Chronicles of Iona: Exile by Paula de Fougerolles—The first novel in a series about the founding of Iona. Some historical fiction with a hint of Fantasy. (my post about it)
bullet Love Stories by Robert Germaux—based on actual events, the story of a love that might have been, and one that is. (my post about it is forthcoming)
bullet Not Awkward by Matthew Hanover—a young man attends the funeral of his ex’s father and gets roped into staying during shiva in the days leading to his wedding. Nah, not awkward at all. (my post about it)
bullet Not Dressed by Matthew Hanover—Hanover’s (seemingly) effortless charm makes this “romantic comedy of how love goes wrong—and right—when you’re a twenty-something still figuring out how to adult” a real winner. (my post about it)
bullet Not Famous by Matthew Hanover—Hanover’s first novel is about a guy who falls for a socially awkward musician. It will steal your heart. (my post about it)
bullet Not Prepared by Matthew Hanover—a bachelor takes in his eleven-year-old-goddaughter when her mother skips town, and maybe finds love, too. Great stuff. (my post about it)
bullet The Flight of the Pickerings by John Grayson Heide—a heart-warming story about an older couple dealing with dementia and the end of their life together get their world turned upside down when their rebellious teenage grandson comes to live with them. (my post about it)
bullet Didn’t Get Frazzled by David Z. Hirsch, MD—a bildungsroman following a 20-something through his 4 years of medical school: from Gross Anatomy to the verge of residency. (my post about it)
bullet Love and Other Monsters in the Dark by K. B. Jensen—I could probably put this on most of my Self-Published Fiction lists, so I’ll limit it to this one. It’s sort of the same genre as The Twilight Zone—SF, Fantasy, Horror, Crime. Sudden Fiction and Short stories that’ll knock your socks off. (my post about it)
bullet XYZ by William Knight—A mature, old-school programmer has to start his career over at a 21st Century Startup as his family life falls apart in every way imaginable. Clearly a comedy. (my post about it)
bullet Dirt Road Home by Alexander Nader—A lot of charm fills this YA(ish) Coming of Age story about a teen forced to move from Detroit to a small town in Tennessee before graduation. (my post about it)
bullet Coffee and Condolences by Wesley Parker—A widower tries to begin recovering from the deaths of his wife and children by reconnecting with his step-sister and maybe finds love. (my post about it)
bullet Detours and Do-overs by Wesley Parker—A sequel to the next on the list. This follow-up had a lot of heart. (my post about it)
bullet Headphones and Heartaches by Wesley Parker—A teen finds home, safety, and love in a Foster Home, but is torn about leaving his mother behind. One sentence doesn’t do it justice, I simply loved this one. (my post about it)
bullet The Worst Man by Jon Rance—Ollie’s desperately in love with the girlfriend/fiancée of the man who’s been his best friend since childhood. And now he has to be the best man at the wedding he wants to derail. (my post about it)
bullet The Summer Holidays Survival Guide by Jon Rance—an out-of-shape teacher tries to prepare for a half-marathon while surviving the summer with his three kids, a marriage on the rocks, and his father (with dementia) moving in. (my post about it)
bullet However Long the Day by Justin Reed—A Depression-era take on The Prince and the Pauper, an impressive debut (my post about it)
bullet The Crescent and the Cross by Kurt Scheffler— the story of The Battle of Tours (in 732) and events leading up to it, told through the lives of people close to Charles Martel and Charles on the one hand and a couple of the leaders of the Muslim forces involved in the Arab invasion of France. (my post about it)
bullet In Ten Years by Ian Shane—The reductionist description is “A 21st Century When Harry Met Sally“. We watch a couple of college friends over 18 years start to figure out that they’re in love. Hilarious and sweet. (my post about it)
bullet Postgraduate by Ian Shane—When your life falls apart, why not take your college radio show and turn it into an Internet radio show? And then, why not attend a reunion with the old college radio gang, including “The One That Got Away” (because you foolishly dumped her)? (my post about it)
bullet Radio Radio by Ian Shane—A maverick DJ is forced to get creative when a corporate radio management team takes over his station. A love letter to what radio used to be as much as anything else. (my post about it)
bullet The Museum Guide by Nicole Sharp—”A snapshot of life, love and third grade field trippers” in a natural history museum. (my post about it)
bullet The Jackals by Adam Shaw—A local band on the verge of making it big/big-ish falls apart after high school due to a love triangle that shouldn’t have happened. When one member of the band dies, the group has to get together for a funeral and to clean up his stuff. (that’s a bad summary, but best I can do in a sentence) (my post about it)
bullet KA-E-RO-U Time to Go Home by B. Jeanne Shibahara—I’m so glad the blurb contains a one-sentence description because I couldn’t write one: “Desert-dweller Meryl travels to Japan, returns a WWII flag, and brings home an understanding of life that opens her heart for the unexpected.” (my post about it)
bullet Lingering by Melissa Simonson—It’s sort-of SF, sort-of a Thriller, but not really either, so I put this here. This is a novel about grief, about dealing with death—while telling the story about an effort to design an AI to mimic a dead loved one in order to help a survivor cope. (my post about it)
bullet We Be Dragons by Michael Weitz—It’s a trip back to the mid-80s in an Idaho small town. A group of boys spend the summer playing D&D, working, and thinking about girls. A local woman succumbs to Satanic Panic and tries to shut them down. As a bonus, we get several chapters from the game’s POV. (my post about it)
bullet Leveled Up Love by Tao Wong & A. G. Marshall—It’s LitRPG-ish, it’s also a Rom-Com. You mash the two of those together and you get this entirely entertaining and sweet read. (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.

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We Be Dragons by Michael Weitz: A Nice Bit of 80s Nostalgia

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Literary Locals, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

We Be Dragons

by Michael Weistz

DETAILS:
Publisher: Rook & Rook
Publication Date: May 23, 2025
Format: Paperback
Length: 438 pg.
Read Date: June 15-18. 2026

What’s We Be Dragons About?

It’s 1986 in Weston, ID, a small town in Northern Idaho, near Moscow (interestingly, that actual town in Idaho with that name is on the southeast corner, and is probably smaller). It’s practically idyllic—wholesome town, solid community where everyone knows everyone and looks out for each other. We focus on a group of six teens in the summer before their senior year, one of the last chances they have to make money for college. Their big concerns are getting to an AC/DC concert, trying to come up with the nerve to ask out a girl, overbearing bosses, and keeping their cars running. Well, and their D&D game.

Which, to their surprise, is becoming controversial—someone in the large church just outside of town has decided to buy into all the hype surrounding the game right then—that it’s Satanic, involves actual demons and spells, and will lead children to a life of destruction, drugs, and deviancy. She’s trying to rile up the city against this kind of thing—and they’re about to become the poster children for this effort.

The book focuses on John Brewer, the DM for the game, who loses his job at the beginning of the summer—thanks to some changes in town. He ends up having to scramble for a job helping with the harvest efforts (and the run-up to them) for a farm a little way out of town, where he and Toff, another member of the group, live during the week.

There are three types of chapters in this book, and I want to attack each of them in turn.

The A Story

There’s the everyday life chapters—the slice of life, the coming-of-age stuff. This is perfectly fine. I do wonder if John acts a little too immature for someone of h is age and place in life (especially compared to his friends). But then again…at that age, how many of us acted like we were supposed to?

The main conflict in these chapters if between John and his boss who is antagonistic toward him from the instant he hires John. Toff tries to keep John and his temper in check (and it mostly works). Jim Henley, the farmer in question, attends the same church as the anti-D&D crusader, but that doesn’t seem to be all of it. There’s something else afoot.

Mrs. Henley and the other adults on the farm seem to be fine with Toff and John—they’re friendly and helpful, taking the boys under their wings to show them what to do. Their basic decency really makes you wonder about Jim.

The Gaming Nights

Then we get the chapters where we see the gang as a D&D session begins or ends. I really loved these chapters—it feels so right. This is what a gaming session should be like—although some of these chapters feature the abrupt interruption of the anti-D&D campaigners breaking up the games in various ways. Those interruptions are not what a gaming session should be like, but the way that the teens and John’s mom react are really good.

Paulette Dickerson keeps interrupting the games—ignoring common manners and private property laws in an unbelievable, yet completely believable, way. Sometimes with an audience, sometimes with just a henchman/hanger on. The police get involved more than once.

These chapters sold me on the book more than anything else—it’s the core of the book. I enjoyed watching the reactions to Paulette and her antics. But more than that, it’s just watching the way the boys play.

The Game POV

If the core of the book is the gaming nights, then the chapters which are told about the game—from the POV of the characters—are the cherry on top. It’s basically scenes from a fantasy novel. We don’t see Truck, Charlie, or Nick—we see the characters Kryger, Domo, Bellator, and the rest—plus all the monsters and hazards that John throws at them.

These chapters are just perfect. I mean, I might not love them if they were in a proper Fantasy novel (I’d need to see more to form an opinion). But in this format? Just love them.

My sole complaint is that there aren’t enough of them.

So, what did I think about We Be Dragons?

I liked the book. I thought the anti-D&D stuff ended well. I thought the character arcs were pretty well resolved. I’m not 100% that the A Story chapters told a story that needed to be told, or had a satisfying/worthwhile conclusion. But, I’m not annoyed by that—and the pluses of this book outweigh that.

It took Weitz a little while to settle into the book—he was trying too hard initially to set the stage, I think. Two detailed descriptions of oil changes in the first 20 pages seems a little overkill. But once he settled into things, that went away. He nails the setting—granted, I didn’t move to the area until 5 years after the events depicted here, but his description jibed with my memories. Once we move past the opening chapters, the writing was smooth and while you wouldn’t ever call this a fast-paced novel, it reads like one.

The two antagonists of the book—Paulette Dickerson and Jim Henley—were a bit too thinly drawn to take seriously. I don’t get where Henley is coming from or his capricious treatment of his workers—why did any of the adults stick with him? Was work that hard to find in the community? Paulette is a good representation of the worst of the Satanic Panic of the time. But she feels as solid as a Hollywood backdrop. I just didn’t believe her (I believed people’s reactions to her, though).

All that said—this is a nice way to spend some time. Weitz does a good job of taking you back to the 80s (especially if you’re familiar with smaller rural towns), and reminding the reader about high school friendships—and, for some of us, that group of geeky guys they could spend quality time with.

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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The Museum Guide by Nicole Sharp: A Literary Stroll through Lives and a Museum