Unknown Indie Author Makes It Big!
(creates a heart-stopping sundae to console himself)
Many thanks for the invitation from Readers Magnet to write an article for the Author’s Lounge. As an Indie author, it is very difficult to reach your audience. I hope someone here discovers my work and enjoys it.
I write under two pen names: T.J. Roberts for young readers and Maxx Powr for my young adult and older readers. I write under the two names to differentiate the audience intended for the work.
My first book, Fairalon, was an MG/YA Fantasy, by T.J. Roberts. I wrote Fairalon because I have three daughters and wanted to write something they would have enjoyed as children. They were my inspiration for many of the characters in the book. I also wanted to write something fantastical, and include images I had made in an art program called: Poser 3d. Fairalon is fully illustrated with one color plate for each chapter. I loved making them.
Fairalon has received excellent reviews, including a very good review from Kirkus. In spite of great (5-star) reviews I learned that it is very difficult to self-publish Kid Lit. What I was told by a wise book store owner, is that established publishers are the guardians of Kid Lit. Parents look to them for their approval before picking up a book for their child. Self-publishing Kid Lit is difficult, very difficult, but still worth it.
Fairalon is a fantasy-adventure story about an eleven-year-old girl named Iris being raised by her father and eccentric grandmother. The loss of her mother had devastated her, and left her feeling out of control. To compensate, she developed what her father calls, her “behaviors.” Iris taps her leg three times when nervous, turns lights on and off to make sure they are off and closes doors three times to make sure they are closed. She also claims she sees things, especially when visiting her grandmother’s house in the woods.
When Iris’s grandmother dies, she is shattered again. She is lost and adrift, with only her father to take care of her. At her Gram’s funeral she sees things and hears things that no one else does. She thinks she sees her grandmother sit up in her casket and talk to her. Frightened, she runs out of the funeral home in a panic and hides in their car.
Her father tries to console her on the ride home, telling her everything will be fine. He tries to distract her from her grief and tells her that Gram had made her sole heir of her house, land, and contents of the house, including five beautiful antique dolls. The only catch, she would have to live in the house to inherit the property. They agree to move in and on moving day, along the long driveway to the house, Iris sees a young boy on a tree swing, happily swinging higher and higher, singing. She watched, smiled, and then he disappeared in a sparkle of stars.
Fairalon was fun to write, fun to illustrate, but difficult to market. It has been accepted by the California Library system and that was immensely satisfying. I hope my readers come away with an understanding that everybody is different, “weird,” but if you can make a few good friends, you are never alone.
After Fairalon, I wanted to try Science Fiction, something for myself, so I wrote “The Promise.”
Set in the future, it tells the story of the “523s,” a group of genetically engineered soldiers created to fend off an alien attack. The designation is actually their “batch” number as each batch of engineered recruits prior and following are given a number. Fortunately, unfortunately, or deliberately, the “523” batch was contaminated, creating recruits with unusual abilities, unexpected enhancements.
The story takes place after the first war, after thousands of Piecer recruits had given their lives for the Earth. Earth was at peace and had been rebuilding. The Corp now had plenty of human volunteers and the “Piecer Program” was scrapped after one final graduation ceremony. The 523s were ready to say goodbye to military life and live “normie” human lives.
Graduation day was sunny, perfect, and all the recruits were lined up and ready to receive their Piecer Star badges. As they stood at attention, listening to their beloved general’s speech, that’s when all hell broke loose.
The Promise is intended for adults due to language, violence and sexual situations. If it was a movie, it would be rated R. It is not intended for children, and that is why I had to change my pen name to Maxx Powr. My target audience is young adult and adult readers, men and women. There is action, suspense, romance, betrayal, a few twists and turns, and some fun dialogue. I hope readers have a fun, suspenseful time, and that they find “The Promise” hard to put down.
The Promise has done better than Fairalon. My audience is wider, I believe. The reviews are 4-5 stars, which is wonderful.
I would love to devote all my time to writing, but I can’t afford to quit my day job. Hiring editors and paying for marketing is expensive, and from what I hear, even if you do get an established publisher, you’re going to be doing the marketing yourself or footing the bill for the marketing.
Sequels for each book are in the works with working titles:
Return to Fairalon (because High School is a Creep Show): Book Tease link on Rumble and
Back to the Stars (The Piecer Chronicles Book 2): Book Tease on Rumble
I’d like to see each as a trilogy. There are plenty of possibilities for them to become more, and I love the characters, but there is never enough time in the day.
Currently I run my own business and I’m located in Florida. I’m happily married. I hold a Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois at Carbondale. I’ve worked as an emergency counselor, child & family therapist, computer programmer, web developer and now, author. I can be reached at Fairalon.com or PiecerChronicles.com.
Thank you for taking a look.
