Ladies, Gentlemen, and Gentlepersons, it’s that time again, #IndieMission is here!! We took a list of Indie Authors and randomly chose 24 contenders! Here is your lineup, with voting to begin each weekday at 2:00 PM CT until a winner is chosen!!! Each bracket will have a faceoff each day until the final 4, so make sure to vote for each contender! Voting will take place on OWWR Twitter, Instagram (on @owwrpod, @brews.and.books, @goodbooksgreatgoats), and OWWR Pod threads, with extra voting to be done on OWWR Patreon for those who are interested!
Without further ado, here is your lineup!
Left Bracket
The Drift by Casie Aufenthie: In a future where the human race has split into three species, the mentally-evolved Illuminatos have conquered the other two in a brutal Evolutionary War. Now, the seven most powerful Illuminatos, the Council, control the Earth, ruling over the other two human species through violent oppression.
Black Crown by John Douglas: Ragoth, a half-orc, is cruelly forced out of his life of luxurious comfort and into exile on the eve of his royal Crowning before he can receive his gilded mark, the magic sigil that proves his royal birth. Unable to prove who he is or return home, he embarks on a quest to reach his father’s tribe, the Sunderfang, in the lawless wilds of Dreadmour.
The Last Gifts of the Universe by Rory August: Scout is an Archivist tasked with scouring the dead worlds of the cosmos for their last gifts: interesting technology, cultural rituals—anything left behind that might be useful to the Home worlds and their survival. During an excavation on a lifeless planet, Scout unearths something unbelievable: a surviving message from an alien who witnessed the world-ending entity thousands of years ago.
Empire’s Daughter by Marian L. Thorpe: Lena’s world is about to change forever. Harried from north and south by two different enemies, both wanting this last remnant of a greater Empire’s land, and with invasion imminent, the military leaders see no choice but to ask the unthinkable: that women learn to fight.
Revenge Arc by Cat Voleur: When controversial comic creator Riley Langdon is faced with an unimaginable crime committed in her name, she retreats from the spotlight she spent years seeking. But as media, fandom, and obsession churn, Riley’s story takes on a life of its own.
Bloodlines by Peter Hartog: When former hotshot homicide detective Tom “Doc” Holliday is recruited to join Special Crimes, he trades in his boring desk job for a second chance to do what he does best, hunt down killers. And his first case doesn’t disappoint: a murdered woman with a bogus past, her body drained of blood, and two eyewitnesses wasted on the designer drug goldjoy claiming a vampire did it.
Daughters by Tith by J. Patricia Anderson: The youngest of five sisters, Tchardin is about to be acknowledged as queen of the kandar. She must lead them in their Creator-given Purpose–to guide and inspire the humans–but her people have been exiled to their homeworld for generations. None of them have seen the Earths. Not one of them has met a human.
Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis: Sensible, practical Elinor Tregarth really did plan to be the model poor relation when she moved into Hathergill Hall. She certainly never meant to kidnap her awful cousin Penelope’s pet dragon. She never expected to fall in love with the shameless – but surprisingly sweet – fortune hunter who came to court Penelope. And she never dreamed that she would have to enter into an outrageous magical charade to save her younger sisters’ futures.
Vultures by Luke Tarzian: The heart of a demon lives and must be destroyed. One man believes he can do this, but war spares no one.
Before the Shattered Gates of Heaven by Bryan S. Glosemeyer: Growing up the lowest of the low in a cruel, alien underworld, Sabira dreams of something more. More than being forever unseen, toiling in tunnels and mines, and never seeing the sky. She dreams of a life of honor, glory, and conquest among the stars. She has only one way to make her dreams come true: victory in the deadly fighting pits of the Divine Masters.
The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies: Cruel gods rule the steam-powered city of Chime, demanding worship and tribute from their mortal subjects. A woman becomes a most wanted person after she kills a mortal.
The Petticoat Pirate by C.R. Pugh: Josephine Teversin was fifteen years old when her father was murdered by pirate hunters. She’s the last of her kind—an immortal pirate without a ship or crew, and her magic is unstable at best. When she comes face to face with her father’s murderer, she must become his spy and be thrown into a war.
Right Bracket
The Wings of Ashtaroth by Steve Hugh Westenra: The great city of Qemassen is at a crossroads. A powerful empire from beyond the ocean threatens to reignite a centuries-old feud. A slave rebellion brews in the tangled labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city streets. And Crown Prince Ashtaroth, the city’s supposed saviour, is considered unfit to rule even by those closest to him. When fragile peace is destroyed, a demon is called, and a war will begin.
Paladin Unbound by Jeffrey Speight: The last of a dying breed, a holy warrior must rise up against a growing darkness in Evelium. A lowly mercenary must solve a rash of disappearances. As Umhra, a half-orc, journeys into the depths of Telsidor’s Keep to search for the missing, he confronts an ancient evil and, after suffering a great loss, turns to the god he disavowed for help.
Surviving Anstey by Susan Hancock: Kat meets Thomas and their perilous adventure begins.
One born on earth, one born on the far side of the galaxy, they find that they are linked by the strange blue swirls that mark their skin and reveal their shared heritage. Kat and Thomas must join forces in an epic bid for survival – if she can trust him enough – as they battle the terror of a man from the future who is dedicated to destroying their very existence, body and soul.
Small Places by Matthew Samuels: A boy meets a witch once upon a time. Thirteen years later, she needs his help finding out what is messing with an earth Spirit.
Fairy Godmurder by Sarah J. Sover: Gwendolyn Evenshine thought being a fairy godmother would be cut and dried—take on a charge, solve a royal problem, and return to the Academy for her next assignment. But she got too close. When the beloved Princess Francesca is brutally murdered on her watch, Gwen refuses to resume her fairy godmother duties. Instead, she laces her docs and hits the streets of Boston in search of the bastard who took Frankie from her, a serial killer who operates in lunar cycles.
Exile by AJ Calvin: Prince Andrew is not the king’s son; the identity of his father is a mystery that even Andrew is unaware of. He knows only that his father was a dragon-mage, and the dragons have fled to another world. Andrew is a skin-changer, but the laws of Novania forbid his very existence. His brother is also in danger when a mark is revealed. What will he do when the truth comes out?
A Paradox of Fates by Rebecca Hefner: Dr. Elaine “Lainey” Randolph was born with one sole purpose: to prevent the past. With her brilliant mind and unwavering spirit, she works tirelessly to solve the equations that will finally unlock the mystery of time travel. Then, she will leave the post-apocalyptic future her grandfather created and travel back in time to prevent his calamitous actions
Dyrwolf by Kat Kinney: Lea Wylder has spent so long hunting werewolves that now one is stalking her in her sleep. In the unforgiving forests of the north, shape-shifting wolves have enslaved the sole human city for hundreds of miles, driving survivors up into the mountains. When Lea tracks a shifter and finds him caught in a trap, she’s convinced he’s the white wolf from her dreams. Not that it matters. He’s one of them. And they’re at war. Or will she?
Wings so Soft by Dani Finn: Mara and her owl work surveillance to keep Kuppham safe, but the news on the Stream is grim. The humans are coming, and she and her owl will soon be in the line of fire. Her once-vibrant city is a ghost town, with little to distract her as she waits for the skin-covered hordes to overrun the Maer capital. Until one day, this timid little artificer wanders into the aerie, asking to watch her owl land over and over.
The Crew by Sadir Samir: Varcade fled to the deserts of Harrah to escape his past as an Educator, a member of an order of zealot warrior-monks that aims to shape the world according to their sacred Teachings by force. Varcade makes his living as a reckless sword-for-hire, caring only about himself, until his self-centered lifestyle is turned on its head when he is contracted to recruit a misfit team of unruly assassins and take out the mighty Bone Lord of Akrab. But what happens when the Lord knows of the plot?
Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystal Matar: A man who believes in the law. His beliefs questioned. A mystery surrounding a body washed up on the shore. Will his morals finally break?
Phased by Victoria Tecken: According to the Department of Domestication and Assimilation, Val and Lyla Blackwood are the most dangerous kind of werewolves. Although they were raised in the wild, their Trueblood heritage has made them little more than experiments for years. Now, their freedom depends on their ability to become as human as possible, thrown into an assimilation school with humans and werewolves who have never known what it means to be wild.
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