This May, we’re celebrating the flourishing creativity of indie authors. The Indie Discovery List is back with a fresh crop of books ready to surprise, unsettle, move and entertain. These 10 indie titles branch out in every direction — from literary fiction to art-inspired coming-of-age, forbidden love, AI speculation, Victorian occult mystery, crime, supernatural suspense and moral reckoning. Some are dark, some are romantic, some are eerie — but all offer readers a chance to discover something new in bloom.
The Wedding Crasher by Nikki Stern
Genre: Mystery / Suspense / Crime Procedural
Sheriff Sam Tate, Pickett County’s new sheriff, is faced with a serial killer targeting brides-to-be.
Summertime and Short Stories by Stanislas Yassukovich
Genre: Literary Fiction / Short Stories
A doctor’s forbidden romance, haunting memories, moral consequences and lives shaped by privilege and regret unfold in this reflective literary novella and short story collection.
The Gift by Michael J. Nercessian
Genre: Literary Fiction / Contemporary Fiction
Bobby Shaw, an “ugly” child who discovers Degas’ life-changing sculpture, The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, vows to become an artist of merit no matter the cost.
Wings Against the Wind by JoDee Neathery
Genre: Literary Fiction
Recipient of the Literary Titan Book Award, Wings Against the Wind is a layered story of forbidden love, devastating loss, and the courage it takes to begin again.
When It Rains, It Poes by Rayvn Salvador
Genre: Contemporary Gothic / Paranormal Rom-Com
Hadley meant to save her museum, not drag Edgar Allan Poe into her arms. But something crawled through with him, and now it wants her instead.
Buy this book: Books2Read
Her Own Devices: A Novel or Two by Geoffrey Dutton
Genre: Women’s Metafictional and Magical Crime Fiction
Aided by a hacker and unreliable allies, a single mom in Athens pursues a child trafficking ring as her late lover watches from limbo, unable to help — or can he?
Dear Mr. Orwell, Dear Mr. Huxley by Maria Colomy
Genre: Dystopian Fiction
A chilling collection of speculative stories exploring surveillance, control and moral collapse in a world where every device watches — and every system is keeping score.
Buy this book direct from the author or from a retailer below.
A House on Liberty Street by Neil Turner
Genre: Legal Thriller
The explosive first novel in the Tony Valenti series. Packed with shocking twists, corruption and a relentless fight for justice — perfect for fans of compelling, relatable characters.
Buy this book: Books2Read
The Codex Arcanum 1888 by Tasmin Turner
Genre: Historical Fiction
In fog-bound Victorian London, British Museum clerk Clara Whitmore receives a mysterious codex that draws her into occult circles, forbidden histories and deadly secrets.
AI: Earth's Future Ruling Tribe? by Roy C Carriker
Genre: Nonfiction / Future
Once deemed science fiction, new realities are here. Ironically, mankind is producing its own successor tribe of AI-driven agents/actors.
