The Shout-Out

15 September 2026

Four indie books, each by an author featured for the first time. Every title links to its page here, and buying goes straight through the author's own retailer.

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  Fallow Goddess

  by Kathryn Antoinette

  Fantasy

  The Astraean Empire ended famine, cured disease, and gave its citizens two hundred years of life. Akari Hara has devoted her life to Princess Estelle since they were both just five years old. But Akari is the Daughter of Rhea — a direct descendant of the Mad Queen who destroyed her own country and starved the continent. And just like her mother before her, Akari will die before she is thirty, while Estelle will go on living another century without her. Every morning and every evening, Akari takes a compound her physician tells her will keep her stable for as long as possible. Yasu Kharona planned to die. After fourteen years apart, he goes to the palace for one last look to know that she was okay. But Akari isn't okay. And when he sees her, he changes his mind. Within a day, the drug is out of her blood and a city district has rotted to the ground. The medicine was never treatment. It was control, and the Empire has been doing this to her family for a thousand years. Akari doesn't want revenge. She wants a quiet life with the people she loves. And that's the one thing the Empire can never allow.

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• 

  The Colours I See (The Neva Aton Collection)

  by Ila Golden

  Literary Fiction

  There’s nothing wrong with being different, it’s wrong that people think there is. And, in lots of ways, I am different. I’m too thin. My eyes are too dark. I breathe funny. I’m genius level smart... but I’d rather be an artist like Aunt Zelda was, even if it’s not always easy to get everyone’s colours right. That’s one of my secrets. The colours I see around people. The ones that tell me what everyone’s feeling. Most people can’t see them. But I can. And, from the way Aunt Zelda painted, I’m pretty sure she could too. But it’s not a superpower. No matter how much I wish it was. Because if it was then I could save everybody… but I can’t. Still, maybe it can be used to figure something else out. My other big secret. One which could have big consequences if the wrong people ever found out. But it’s not like I planned on fancying him. I didn’t even realise boys could fancy boys till I already did. So maybe I could use my gift to find out if he fancies me too. And if he doesn’t, that’ll be okay. I mean, I’ll make myself okay with it. Because he’s one of my best friends. One of the people who really sees me. One of the people I’d do anything to protect. I just wish seeing their colours was enough to keep them safe.

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  Trader Jacks: the Rise and Fall of DISCO

  by Alex McFarlane

  Memoir/Biography

  Relive the unforgettable nights at legendary clubs like Trader Jack's @ the iconic IMPERIAL HOTEL, Blackpool, during the heady decade of the 1970's. ✨ Interact with the stars of stage and screen! Imagine dancing to the DISCO hits of the day. Intermingle with STARS such as ; Status Quo, AC/DC, David Essex, and Eric Clapton, and many more, all while staying at Blackpool's iconic IMPERIAL HOTEL! 🏨

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• 

  Whispers of Distress

  by A. A. Prieston

  Poetry

  Whispers of Distress isn't just a bunch of poems crammed in a book. It's a carefully curated collection, meant to travel you down the river of life through 9 distinct chapters. Dark, macabre, and unapologetically romantic, Whispers of Distress is your next source of comfort and thought

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