Book Junkies Library Will Be Missed.
Grace Guerra was the brains behind Book Junkies Library, an online resource for indie authors and readers.
Content is from the site's archived pages and other outside sources. Let's take a look back at what this site offered its visitors.
Welcome to a different kind of library, where the best books aren't always those from the most famous writers. Take a look around and check out the wonderful written world of our independent writers, and discover something new today on the shelves of the Book Junkies Library!
You'll quickly see that this it not your ordinary library, but a place where you're sure to find your next great read! And make sure you take a look at our Featured Authors page, where we showcase 3 great books each month!
Thanks for visiting!
Grace
Welcome! Over 500 authors with more than 1,000 books listed!
How the Library Works
The Main Library Hosts ALL Authors & Books Listed on the Site, sorted by Author First Name, Rating, or Genre.
The Children's Library Hosts Authors & Books from the Main Library that are Appropriate for Children, sorted by Author First Name.
The Teen/YA Library Hosts Authors & Books from the Main Library that are Appropriate for Teens & Young Adults, sorted by Author First Name.
The Charitable Projects Section Hoststhe Works of Some Amazing Indie Authors and Their Special Projects Benefiting Charitable Causes.
• 05/30/12 - 527 Authors & 1,143 Books Listed in the Main Library
• 04/30/12 - May's Featured Authors Listed
• 04/30/12 - Featured Authors Archives Updated with April's Selections
• 05/30/12 - Week 21 "Flash Fiction" Winner by Indies Unlimited
Authors New to the Main Library
Allison Merritt
Lani Wendt Young
Liz Grace Davis
Qwantu Amaru
Authors With New Books
None
Authors Added to the Children's or Teen/YA Libraries
None
Welcome to a very special part of the Book Junkies Library! Here, you will learn just how much our Authors care; how they come together to lend a helping hand. Read about the very special people and the projects they are involved in. It doesn’t matter what you do, there's always a way to give, to help, to care.
The Book Junkies Library is proud to present the works of these amazing Indie Authors and their special projects benefiting charitable causes. All of the profits from the books showcased here go directly to the charity they support. The only payment the authors receive is the satisfaction of knowing they’ve touched someone's life with their hard work.
Take a look at the books and the charities they help. Thank you for your support!
GENRES
Appropriate for All Ages
Some Mature Content 13+
Adult Content 17+
Action
Adventure
African American
Chic-Lit
Christian
Comedy
Coming of Age
Contemporary
Crime
Drama
Erotica
Fantas
Fictiony
GLBT
Historical
Horror
Inspirational
Metaphysical
Murder
Mystery
Narrative NonFiction
Native American
NonFiction
NonFiction-Fiction
Paranormal
Poetry
Psychological Thriller
Romance
Sci-Fi
Suspense
Thriller
True Crime
Western
Womens Fiction
Featured Authors of the Month!
PLAYING THR GENETIC LOTTERY
by Terri Morgan
Excerpt
Exceprt Every morning when I first wake up I wonder and I worry. Before getting out of bed, before registering my full, aching bladder, before remembering what day it is and what responsibilities await -- I assess myself for signs of the disease. I roll my eyes around the room, looking for phantoms that may have appeared while I was sleeping. For odd, moving sights, like my dresser transformed into a rolling automobile or roaring lion. To make sure that the clock radio on my nightstand or the framed photos on the bookshelves haven't cloned themselves overnight and morphed into twins or even triplets. Then I listen carefully. I hear Jason snoring lightly beside me. I hear the ticking of the living room clock. I hear the jangle of Rosco's tags as he rolls over on his bed in the corner of our room. I hold my breath and listen for mysterious voices or alien noises. Then, once I'm sure I'm not hearing any unusual, strange sounds, I ask myself---silently so not to wake my sleeping husband----a series of questions.
Synopsis
The steady influence of Ayla's older brother helped her cope with the chaos of growing up with two schizophrenic parents. That protective shield was shattered when she was 15 and her brother developed the devastating mental illness himself. In an effort to escape the madness that engulfed her family, Ayla leaves home and changes her name to Caitlin, hoping distance herself from her past. But she finds it much harder to recover from the emotional wounds inflicted by her unusual upbringing and the knowledge that schizophrenia tends to run in families. This fictional memoir-style novel follows Caitlin as she struggles to forge a peaceful and serene life for herself.
Grimsley Hollow
Voted Best Cover - Dec. 2011
by Book Junkies Library Readers
About the Author
Nicole Storey lives in Georgia with her husband, two amazing children, a finicky cat, and a bunch of goldfish. When she isn't in Grimsley Hollow dreaming up adventures for her characters, she enjoys reading, reviewing books, and gardening.
Nicole is an advocate for special-needs children. She got the idea for her book from her son, who has autism and Tourette's syndrome. After all, not all heroes wear capes!
Grimsley Hollow - The Chosen One
Gage Gilbert is an 11-yr.-old boy who is autistic, loves Halloween, and has no friends. And then he meets a witch named Eve. She is from a realm called Grimsley Hollow where all magical beings live. Their world is in trouble and only Gage can save them. With the help of a pixie, a half-vampire, a werewolf, and some dragons, Gage will journey on an adventure that will change his life, that is...if he survives! For children ages 11-92!
Reviews
This is a truly enjoyable tale about a boy with autism who enters a magical world where he is judged for himself and not on what makes him different. You get to know Gage and his family and they become like old friends by the end of the book. A magical tale where nothing seems impossible when your friends are werewolves, witches and vampires! Exciting, scary, a breathless chase to save Grimley Hollow from the clutches of an evil witch. This is Halloween at your doorstep, dark shapes in the woods at night. Shivery wonderful!
...Now, I loved the Harry Potter books and i can heartfully say that Nicole Storey has captured the magic and mystery of Grimsley Hollow just as good as JK Rowling did in her books but with the additional insight of what an autistic person has to deal with on a day to day basis.
I just hope that the right person comes along and reads this book because it, in my opinion, has the same potential to be liked and enjoyed as much as the HP series and I can't wait to see what adventures await Gage in the follow up books in the world of Grimsley Hollow.
Some observations
I discovered this author via my daily run I do with several neighbors. As we jog we discus various topics that run from dealing with our kids to discussing solutions when you have a bad hair day and everything in between. My best friends second child is autistic. She told us about Storey’s middle grade fantasy epic GRIMSLEY HOLLOW, THE CHOSEN ONE when it first came out. Thank you Book Junkies Library.
I bought it for my oldest and we first read it together. It was a fun read, full of wit, compassion, and empathy. I’m one who has a special place in my heart for children who struggle and overcome whatever difficulties life throws at them. Gage is such a character. He is endearing and humble and happens to also be autistic. But the author doesn’t use this as a crutch, or present it in a didactic way. It is simply a part of who Gage is. There are numerous delightful nuances in this story. The setting of Grimsley Hollow is a wonderful blend of Oz, Narnia, Hogwarts, Middle Earth, and a few other fantastical places. My child loved the Narnia series and of course the Harry Potter series. The characterization of Eve, the young, good witch who first befriends Gage is fresh. I especially like the take on the dragons, heroic and honorable. As each book in the series was released I would buy it. Thank goodness they all were released within one year and we didn't have to wait and wait.
Now concerning suggestions for those bad hair day. I am a big believer in wigs. They make life so much easier. My hair never does what I want it to, so instead of a daily struggle which I inevitably lose, I now just put on a wig. Usually it's from the Raquel Welch brand. I happen to love that brand's monofilament cap constructions which range from mono tops, part lines to crowns. Some style also have a lace front which allows for off the face styling options. The back and sides of many fo the mono caps are wefted, but some of the more expensive will be 100% hand tied. Raquel Welch also have a few double monofilament caps which are ideal for people experiencing hair loss and have sensitive scalps. The best online wig webstore that I use is called ElegantWigs. Marty and Michael who answer the phone are the BEST. Whether you have a question about a wigs cap construction or the pros and cons of synthetic, heat friendly synthetic, human hair, Remy human hair or a blend of synthetic and human hair, they will spend the time with you till your questions are answered. My running mates have all become wig customers of this online store as well. Now on our jogs we may discuss the merits of the different brands and hair styles, short versus mid length versus long. I'm still a big fan of the Raquel Welch brand, but among us, there is an Envy Wig fan, an Ellen Wille wig wearer, and a Noriko/ Amore lover. No I don't wear a wig when I run, but if I did I would choose a short pixie style like Advanced French by Raquel Welch. It has a silicone coated stretch lace that molds to the shape of the head for a custom-like fit and a Memory Cap III Base with open-wefted sides & back for a light, cool fit. This is typical of my go to styles during the summer months.
Well, I digress. Do check out the three books in the Grimsley Hollow series. They are delightful and more.
Press
Grace Guerra and the Book Junkies Library
November 15, 2011
Grace Guerra is the brains behind Book Junkies Library, an online resource for indie authors and readers. I asked Grace when and how she first became interested in independent authors. She said, “That’s like trying to remember becoming interested in breathing. After being frustrated with my favorite ‘published’ authors and their inability to keep my attention, I went looking for groups on Facebook that strictly dealt with books. I found the Book Junkies and joined, not knowing this group was made up of Indie (I had to look it up) authors and readers. The first book I read was not a recommendation from the group but the author was asking for reviews, so I thought what the heck…it’s only 99 cents. It turned out the book was just this side of bad; I didn’t leave a review, in case you’re wondering. I decided to try again, the second book was not polished; there were many typos and grammar errors. But even unpolished, the story was a good one. Since I don’t give up that easily, I tried again. The third book was one of the group’s monthly reads…I fell in love with the characters, with the author and with Indies. I’ve became a beta reader for a couple of the authors and I’m proud to say I’m a full fledged Indie reader/stalker only.”
Grace says her favorite part of reading indies listed at the Library is that she can email or send them Facebook messages. She appreciates that Indie authors take the time to listen and communicate with their fans.
The Book Junkies Library seemed to evolve out of thin air and almost overnight, but Grace was doing all the heavy lifting. It took two months to work out details and start the author setups. She says she originally was only trying to create a list of authors and books that needed reviews, for the Book Junkies’ group members. Originally, the library was envisioned to be only for authors belonging to the Book Junkies Family, but it has grown to include all Indie authors.The project took off and has grown dramatically in just a few months, now including over 280 authors and more than 570 titles from which to choose. The library had its official grand opening on August 1st. In a little over 3 months, the Library has had almost 6,400 visits.
Grace says the biggest challenge for her in setting up the site was deciding what kinds of information and functions were wanted. Finding the time to maintain and advertise the site is an ongoing challenge for Grace, who also has a full-time job and a very young son. To top it all off, she gets no financial benefit from it at all—she does it just because of her love and enthusiasm for indie authors and a desire to introduce new readers to the wonderful world of indies.
One of the often amusing and informative features of the library are the author interviews. Grace says, “I’ve read other interviews and I felt that…yeah, they can talk about their books and the ‘why’ to their book. BUT those interviews left out the ‘person’ behind the author. I wanted to feel that there was a real person behind this or that awesome book. I had other questions that I left out…too personal, I was told. I like to ask “what if” type questions…like ‘what would you do if a vampire was chasing you’ or like my question on the interview ‘if I had an enemy…’ I read through all the interviews before posting them and I feel, somehow, closer to the authors. Many of them made me laugh hard, some of them were more serious, but all of them revealed to me what their books alone can’t…they are REAL people. I feel these interviews help a reader put a face to the voice, or in our case, put a personality to a book.”
Grace takes real pride in the library, and she loves continuing to meet and recruit new authors. She says, “The only problem I have is that my TBR list has grown to over 200 books and with new authors coming on board…The Library is my baby and I take pride in her and in the fact that I do what I do purely out of love…it’s a free service. I’ve been advised to somehow make money from the site (because only an idiot does so much work for free), but if I did that, then the Library would be a job and I would quickly lose the passion I have now. So I will keep it a free site.”
As the library grows, so do its capabilities and features. Grace added the Genre List and the Age Rating List and is now working on adding a link to add to the author’s page, which will allow readers to navigate back to the library in case they reached the page directly from an outside link. In the future, she may be adding a searchable database of all the books in the site, and may offer a page where authors can post book promotions, giveaways and special discounts.
One thing is for sure: Book Junkies Library came into being and is growing fast because of one deeply dedicated woman and her passion for indie authors. Kudos to you Grace!
