You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and... Oh, wait. Wrong season. Silly Mom. Never fear. For I, Kimber the Magnificent, shall get us back on track with our latest stroke of blogging brilliance. Hey. It’s what I do! (Well. Mom helped. A little.)

Anyway, you know Austen, C.S. Lewis, Hugo, Dickens and Dostoevsky. You know Dr. Seuss. E B. White. Charles Schultz (Some of Mom’s faves. Go figure).

The Biggies.

But guess what, Cookie? These big names aren’t the only hoomans who can fill a book with something worth reading. Or engage. Entertain. Inspire and elucidate. (Kimmi: No idea what that last one means. Mom’s idea. And you know She Who Must Be Obeyed, right?)

Favorites

Well. These “big” hoomans are all good reads. But guess what again? Some of our favorite authors are indie authors. They may not be :biggies” or household names. Yet. But Her Momness and I decided to highlight some indie authors. Cuz even though their names may not rhyme with Suzanne Collins or J.K. Rowling, they are still uber talented. And worth reading. (The Kimster: I wanted to give them all a one year subscription to the Steak of the Month Club. But I kinda got over-ruled on that one. Nobody’s perfect.)

You’ll want to keep an eye on all of these authors. Several have new books out or are working on new titles. So here, in no particular order, are 12 indie authors you really oughtta get to know. Cuz we say so again:

12 Indie Authors Worth Watching

1. Caleb Backholm

Author of Two Weeks Till Sunday, Caleb writes and speaks regularly regarding the intersection of Christ and culture, but his favorite format of all is storytelling. Kimber: Caleb’s Da Man, man!

2. Roseanne S. McHenry. Aka: Ranger Rose.

Our favorite ranger! Check out our review of Rose’s Tales From a Rogue Ranger. We’ll bring the s’mores fixin’s!

3. Kent Ostby

Author of clean and uplifting stories about love and loss and lots of other stuff. Titles includes Death by Politics and One Last Wave.

4. Dwayne Harris

Author of Even If: Keeping Faith in the Face of Adversity. One of the most powerful memoirs we’ve ever read.

5. E.C. Watts

Do you enjoy creepy murder mysteries with more plot twists than Snake Alley. Then Watt’s soon-to-be-released The Witch of Flickerwood is for you! Review coming soon!

6. Paul Ogden

Author of Outside the Law. (Read our full review here. Photo not found.)

7. Michael Wegner

Enjoy Zane Grey or Louis L’Amour? Then you’ll love Wegner’s latest, Letters From the Saddle. Here’s our review.

8. Raena Rood

Author of the highly readable, action-packed Subversive series.  Christian dystopian thriller. Word is Raena has a new book due to drop in 3,2,1…

9. Heidi Ennis

Do you eat up historical fiction with both hands? Then check out Heidi’s A Father’s Dream. Set in the late 1800s in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. 

A little birdie told us that Heidi has a new book coming out later this year. Kimmi: I’d keep a paw out ‘fize you!

10. S.A. Chitwood

Author of Big Love and War Horse, a thoroughly compelling tale set in North Carolina, 1942 in the wake of the Great Depression. A lithe and limber story with a big heart! Here’s our review.

11. Gordon Frisbie

Author of Echoes in the Stars. Gordon’s ebullient writing style takes readers from the first tentative meeting with an Aussie shepherd, Boo, at the Dumb Friends animal shelter to a world of adventure with this four-footed wonder.  Although this “lethal white” Aussie shepherd is deaf in one ear, Boo is a scirocco on four legs. Just ask the local coyotes.

Another author who has a new book out… Hello, TBR pile!

12. Cathay Reta

An incisive, insightful writer with a lot to say, Cathay Reta has authored Keep Walking, Your Heart Will Catch Up: a Camino de Santiago Journey, and Dance in the Meadow: Conversations of Self-Discovery, Clarity, and Love.  

What indie author would you add?