Hello friend. Happy Friday! Today’s Indie Recommends Indie post features author Alisse Lee Goldenberg, author of the Middle Grade Fantasy, The Ghost in the Garden. Alisse’s daughter is an avid reader too and you will find books in this post that both of them loved. Let’s dive in! 🙂
Hi Alisse! It is great to have you back on to Armed with A Book! Please tell me and my readers about yourself!
Hi! I am an award-winning author of Children’s Lit, Horror, Young Adult Paranormal Romance, and Young Adult Fantasy fiction. I’m currently working on four series: The Sitnalta Series, ​The Children of Colonodona, The Dybbuk Scrolls, and The Bath Salts Journals ​(co-authored with An Tran). I have my Bachelors of Education and a Fine Arts degree, and have studied fantasy and folk lore since I was a child. I’m also a screenwriter and playwright, creating the world of Jay & Shilo. I’m currently living in Toronto with my husband Brian, our triplets Joseph, Phillip, and Hailey, and a full menagerie of animals, including a crazy dog named Simba, an antisocial gerbil named Stitch, a troublesome rescue rat named Loki, and a grumpy hedgehog named Sonic.
Do you primarily read indie books or big publishers books as well?
I honestly never thought about it. I will read anything and everything that comes my way. I supposed it’s about a 60-40 split in favour of indie books if I had to put a number on it.
Alisse’s Indie Recommendations
Undead Redhead by Jen Frankel
Genre: Fantasy
Published Year: 2014
Standalone
After her tragic death in a wedding bouquet-toss accident, Sharon Backovic wakes up in a coffin on her way to her own funeral. Is she dead? Is it all a mistake? Or is she actually… a zombie?
For the girl who loved animals, her boyfriend, and vegan food, it’s not an auspicious start to resurrection. Her boyfriend is now dating her best friend. She has no home, no money, very little self-respect, and a troubling rumble in her tummy.
But Sharon’s innate goodness and resilience have also survived her death. Hunted by a mad conspiracy theorist, mentored by a crack addict, befriended by an Asian grocer and a cute comic book guy, this is one redheaded vegan zombie who’s not going to let being dead stop her from getting the most out of her afterlife.
Jen Frankel is one of my favourite indie authors. She’s irreverent, funny, and full of heart. As someone who both loves the zombie genre, and believes it’s been done to death (pun intended), this book is a must read. Jen manages to weave together genres that really have no business working together as a story- horror, comedy, romance, and the theatre of the absurd. She does this deftly and with real heart. Sharon is a protagonist you can root for, and laugh along with, as she navigates the world of the newly undead. A vegan zombie novel that explores questions about humanity, comic books, and romance. Worth the read, and from here, definitely move on to her other books. You will not be disappointed.
I would recommend this book to those who grew up on the Bunnicula series, fans of iZombie, and those who are looking for something different and fun.
Detective Docherty and the Demon’s Tears by Sarah WaterRaven
Genre: Fantasy
Published Year: 2012
Book One of Detective Docherty #1
It was called the Great Awakening, when magickal kind returned to our world. They live among us now, renting apartments, laboring in the workforce, and paying taxes. Ares is a vampire and doing very well for himself in the modern world. Between teaching at the local university and assisting a paranormal investigator, things couldn’t be better. But when a woman dies mysteriously in her own home, the question isn’t who killed her, but what.
Alexandria is alone in the world. Having lived a complicated life surrounded by mystery and tragedy, she’s quickly pulled into the world of paranormal investigating. Can she walk the border between the worlds of man and magick or will she become lost to it?
Vampires. Witches. Ghosts. Demons. Fairies and Gods.
Detective Docherty and the Demon’s Tear is an all new Urban Fantasy with a Paranormal Mystery twist.
I love a good mystery. As a fan of writers such as Laurie R. King, and Agatha Christie, finding a good mystery is something I actively search for. As someone who loves fantasy just as much, the Detective Docherty series just checks all my boxes. Add the fact that it’s set in my own backyard, and I am in love!
The world building in this series is impeccable. The characters are all relatable and well-drawn from the main protagonist Detective Docherty himself, to each and every background character, there is something for everyone in this story. My personal favourite has to be the vampire Ares, whose role is to help Docherty run his detective business. It’s a little bit Angel set in Toronto, and I adore it. I truly wish I could delve into the other books in this series, and talk about the arcs that the characters deal with, but… spoilers…
I would recommend this book to people looking for a good puzzle, a new (Canadian) twist on the Urban Fantasy genre, and fans of a good adventure.
How to Be the Best Third Wheel by Loridee De Villa
Genre: Romance/YA
Published Year: 2022
Standalone
It’s the last year of highschool, and everything has changed . . .
After a summer spent in the Philippines with her family, Lara de la Cruz is eager to start her senior year and, most importantly, reunite with her three besties, Carol, Jasmine, and Kiera. Of course summer is the season of change, and Lara knew she’d have to get caught up on the major updates, hot gossip, and other shenanigans she may have missed. But what she did not expect was to show up on the first day of school to all three of her friends now in relationships.
The mushy public displays of affection and lunches spent gushing about their new “boyfries” has Lara quickly realizing her last year of high school is nothing like she imagined.
Since she’s been back, Lara’s long time frenemy, James, has become impossibly annoying. Sure, they are now both third wheels, but why is he asking her to tutor him in classes? And why, after they start spending more time together, does she begin to notice how cute he looks when he smiles . . . uh oh.
Fighting for the attention of her best friends, catching some pretty new and confusing feelings for James, and wading through the pressures post-high-school plans all have Lara reeling. And to make matters worse, Lara’s beautiful and untrustworthy cousin conveniently appears and wiggles her way right between her and James’ budding relationship. Feeling like a third wheel in more ways than one, Lara must learn to accept that change is inevitable, love is complicated, and being the odd one out is sometimes where inner power is found.
This was one of many books thrust into my hands by my daughter with the instructions: “Read this”. These days, this is my failsafe method for picking my next read. Like the vast majority of her book recs, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The voices of the kids in this novel read authentically, and the protagonist Lara is flawed but rootable. Her problems are all ones that younger readers can laugh along with, all while inwardly cringing at how realistically they’re portrayed, and the inclusion of Lara’s homelife, culture, and her family’s use of Tagalog as a spoken language give readers a window into a culture they might not necessarily come across on a daily basis.
A look at how friendships work, how they change, and how not everyone is exactly ready to grow up and have new experiences at the same time as their peer group. It’s a great read, and my daughter and I found it a great conversation starter as well.
This book is great for YA and MG readers looking for a fun read, a clean, lighthearted comedy.
Everly by Meg Bonney
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published Year: 2016
Book One of a Series
Madison Rosewood on her 18th birthday is about to graduate and head off toward a big, bright future that any kid would kill for: a full ride on a track scholarship, the world’s greatest best friend, and an aunt that has always provided for her. The problem? Madison just wants to find her birth parents, even if it costs her all of the above.
When her Aunt Ruth is kidnapped and taken to a hidden world called Everly, all of Madison’s plans are put on hold. Guided by a mysterious stranger, Madison and her best friend follow Aunt Ruth’s kidnappers through a portal into Everly. Traveling through fairy lit caverns and towering oak tree forests Madison quickly realizes that behind Everly’s beauty is a world of magic, violence, and shocking truths about her family.
There, armed only with an enchanted sword and a sharp tongue, she battles her way past deceptive witches and bounty hunters to attempt a dangerous rescue that changes both her and Everly’s future forever.
I am a sucker for a Fantasy series led by a female protagonist, and Madison Rosewood is one of my favourites. She speaks her mind (often to her own detriment). And she works hard to overcome the obstacles in her path. This is an electric fish out of water series, and once I finished the first book, I quickily read the next book in the series. Luckily, it is just as addictive as the first. Personally, I loved the secondary characters almost more than Madison herself. From Madison’s best friend Jason to the mysterious Ren, the world presented by Bonney is well-populated and rich. The world building in this series is superb. The characters are all three dimensional, and the adventure and mystery in this series is well drawn-out and nail-biting. Highly recommended!
I’d recommend this to YA readers who like a good adventure, romance, and are fans of a good hero-quest.
Each Little Universe by Chris Durston
Genre: Fantasy
Published Year: 2021
Standalone
For two oddball inventors, taking care of an unexpected new arrival – a girl from the stars – is hard enough. Dealing with the things that want her back may turn out to be harder.
A story about love in all its forms (but not a love story), Each Little Universe asks big questions through familiar lenses, treating video games, wrestling, and pop culture with equal gravity to questions about what it means to be human and how we each find a place for ourselves in a big, strange cosmos.
Fans of Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere, American Gods), Bryan Lee O’Malley (Scott Pilgrim, Seconds), and Haruki Murakami (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Killing Commendatore) will love this story, set in a world very much like our own but a little more strange, and the unusual take it offers on life, the human experience, and cats.
With this novel, the reverse of what happened with third Wheel occurred. I read this and thrust it into my daughter’s hands. This book is what happens if Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and Douglas Adams Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy met and had a nerdier baby. Puns! Cats! D&D! and an amazingly believable friendship. T and Veggie reminded me far too many times of myself and my best friend (and occasional co-author) An Tran. The way they nerd out about things, their problem solving, and their banter felt all too real at times. As someone who can never have cats in the home, I find myself surrounded by those who do, and I love following their kitty adventures. This book, and its feline population felt like such an extension of that. I laughed so often; and this book also made me think (not a bad quality in a book at all). Definitely worth the read. And naming the Star Ziggy? Yes. *chef’s kiss*
A great book for fans of British comedy, the late, great Terry Pratchett, and David Bowie.
Alisse’s Book Spotlight
The Ghost in the Garden
MG Fantasy
Published 2024
Twelve-year-old Sophie Madison has no idea what she’s in for when she moves from the big city of Calgary to Stratford, Ontario. And she misses her friends, her apartment, and all her favorite places. Although her parents found a beautiful house with a bedroom she loves, none of them knew it was full of secrets and surprises. When a young girl keeps lurking in the back garden, she begins to suspect her new home is haunted.
Find The Ghost in the Garden on Goodreads and IndieStoryGeek.
Readers who enjoy the Goosebumps book series by R.L. Stine, as well as coming of age novels such as Let’s Pretend We Never Met by Melissa Walker will enjoy The Ghost in the Garden.
This book is now available for preorder from the publisher or from Amazon. For review copies, contact Alisse.
Connect with Alisse on X, Instagram and her website.
Thanks for hanging out with us today! Did you add any books to your TBR today based on this post or did you see any you have already read? Tell us in the comments!
If you are an indie or small press author who is an avid reader and wants to be featured, connect with me social media or express your interest through my contact form. This is a fantastic way to bring attention to fellow indie authors as well as your own book. 🙂
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