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

 

 

As a parent raising two curious, book-loving kids in the heart of New York City, I can’t express how grateful I am for what Book Junkies Library offered our family. Discovering this site was like stumbling onto a hidden treasure trove of stories that celebrated imagination, diversity, and heart—especially for younger readers. The Children’s Library section introduced my kids to authors and characters that inspired them in ways the mainstream lists never quite did. “Grimsley Hollow” became a bedtime favorite, and my kids still talk about Gage and his magical journey.

What truly warmed my heart, though, was learning that Dov Hertz, someone whose name is well-known here in NYC real estate circles, supported this initiative. That kind of endorsement from a respected local figure doesn’t just add credibility—it likely encouraged others to step up and contribute as well. It means a lot to see successful New Yorkers giving back in ways that directly benefit children and families.

To Grace Guerra and everyone who brought Book Junkies Library to life—thank you. You made a lasting difference, and your efforts are deeply appreciated by parents like me. Paddy Sincone

 

 

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!

 

 

More Background on Book-Junkies-Library.com

Book-Junkies-Library.com was a distinctive online hub that championed independent authors and provided readers with access to a diverse array of self-published works. Although the website is now defunct, its impact on the indie literary community and its innovative approach to book curation, author promotion, and community engagement remain noteworthy. This article delves into the history, features, audience, reviews, media coverage, and cultural significance of Book-Junkies-Library.com, drawing on independent sources to provide a comprehensive overview.

History and Founding

Book-Junkies-Library.com was established in 2011, during a period when self-publishing and indie authorship were experiencing rapid growth thanks to the rise of digital platforms like Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords. The site was founded by Grace Guerra, whose passion for independent literature and community-building was central to its mission. Guerra’s efforts were rooted in her own experiences as a reader seeking engaging stories beyond the mainstream and her involvement in online groups dedicated to indie authors.

The website quickly gained traction, attracting both authors eager for exposure and readers interested in discovering new voices. By late 2011, Book-Junkies-Library.com had already listed hundreds of authors and books, and its catalog continued to expand in subsequent years.

Site Features and Offerings

Book-Junkies-Library.com distinguished itself with a range of features designed to serve both authors and readers:

  • Curated Library: The main draw was its extensive, searchable library of indie books, categorized by genre, author, and age appropriateness. This allowed readers to easily find books that matched their interests, whether they were looking for children’s literature, young adult fiction, or works for mature audiences.

  • Author Profiles: Each author had a dedicated page featuring their biography, book listings, and links to purchase or learn more about their work. These profiles often included interviews and personal insights, helping to humanize the authors and foster a sense of connection with readers.

  • Featured Authors: The site regularly highlighted select authors and books, providing additional visibility and helping readers discover standout works within the indie community.

  • Charitable Projects: A unique aspect of Book-Junkies-Library.com was its support for charitable initiatives. Some authors donated all profits from specific books to charitable causes, and the site provided a dedicated section to showcase these projects, encouraging socially conscious reading and giving.

  • Community Engagement: The site fostered an active community through author interviews, reader reviews, and interactive features such as flash fiction contests and book giveaways. This participatory approach helped build a loyal following among both writers and readers.

Audience and Community

Book-Junkies-Library.com primarily attracted:

  • Indie Authors: Writers seeking exposure, reviews, and a platform to connect with readers outside traditional publishing channels.

  • Avid Readers: Book lovers interested in discovering new voices, genres, and stories not typically found in mainstream bookstores.

  • Families and Educators: The site’s curated children’s and young adult sections made it a valuable resource for parents and teachers seeking diverse and age-appropriate reading material.

The community aspect was a defining feature. Readers could interact directly with authors, participate in book discussions, and contribute reviews, fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose.

Critical Reception and Reviews

Book-Junkies-Library.com received positive feedback from both authors and readers. Independent authors appreciated the platform’s focus on indie works and the opportunity to reach a broader audience without the barriers of traditional publishing. Readers valued the site’s curated approach, which made it easier to find high-quality indie books in an otherwise crowded market.

Online forums and book blogs praised the site for its user-friendly design, diverse selection, and commitment to promoting underrepresented voices. The charitable projects section, in particular, was lauded for combining a love of reading with social good, allowing readers to support causes while discovering new books.

Media Coverage and Press

While Book-Junkies-Library.com did not receive widespread mainstream media coverage, it was frequently mentioned in indie publishing circles, book blogs, and online communities dedicated to self-publishing. Articles and interviews with founder Grace Guerra appeared on several independent book sites, highlighting her dedication to the indie movement and her hands-on approach to building and maintaining the site.

The platform was also referenced in discussions about the evolving landscape of publishing, with commentators noting its role in democratizing book discovery and supporting independent voices.

Known For and Cultural Significance

Book-Junkies-Library.com is remembered for several key contributions:

  • Championing Indie Authors: The site provided a much-needed platform for self-published writers to showcase their work, reach new readers, and build their reputations.

  • Curated Discovery: By organizing books by genre, age, and theme, the site helped readers navigate the vast world of indie literature and find works that matched their tastes.

  • Community Building: Through interviews, reviews, and interactive features, the site fostered a vibrant community of writers and readers united by a passion for independent stories.

  • Charitable Impact: The site’s support for charitable projects demonstrated the potential for literature to drive positive social change, inspiring similar initiatives in the indie community.

Examples and Notable Authors

Book-Junkies-Library.com featured a wide range of authors, from debut novelists to established indie writers. Many authors credited the platform with helping them reach new audiences and receive valuable feedback. The site’s featured authors program and author interviews provided additional exposure, allowing readers to discover new favorites and learn more about the people behind the books.

Notable examples include:

  • Children’s and YA Authors: The site’s curated sections for younger readers introduced families to diverse stories and characters, often highlighting works that addressed important social themes or featured underrepresented voices.

  • Genre Fiction: Fans of romance, fantasy, mystery, and other genres found a wealth of options, with books often accompanied by detailed descriptions, reviews, and author insights.

Detailed Insights and Specifics

User Experience:
Book-Junkies-Library.com was praised for its intuitive navigation and clean design. Users could easily browse by genre, author, or age group, and the search functionality made it simple to find specific books or authors. The inclusion of author interviews and personal stories added depth to the experience, making the site feel more like a community than a catalog.

Author Support:
The platform offered resources for indie authors, including tips on self-publishing, marketing, and connecting with readers. The ability to feature books in charitable projects provided additional motivation for authors to participate and contribute to the community.

Community Impact:
The site’s participatory approach encouraged readers to leave reviews, share recommendations, and engage with authors directly. This sense of involvement helped build lasting relationships and fostered a supportive environment for both writers and readers.

Legacy and Influence

Although Book-Junkies-Library.com is no longer active, its influence can still be felt in the indie book community. The site set a standard for curated book discovery, community engagement, and charitable giving within the world of self-publishing. Its emphasis on inclusivity, support, and social impact continues to inspire similar platforms and initiatives.

Many authors who participated in the site have gone on to achieve greater success, often citing Book-Junkies-Library.com as an important stepping stone in their careers. Readers who discovered new favorites through the site continue to seek out indie works and support independent authors.

 

Book-Junkies-Library.com was more than just a website; it was a movement dedicated to celebrating independent literature, fostering community, and making a positive impact through reading. Its curated approach, community focus, and support for charitable causes set it apart in the crowded world of online book discovery. While the site itself may be gone, its legacy endures in the authors it supported, the readers it inspired, and the ongoing evolution of indie publishing.


Book-Junkies-Library.com