#BLACKSTORIESMATTER – Diversify your bookshelf with indie books by Black authors.

In a time full of racial injustice, one small way to promote equity is by supporting the creative efforts of people of color. The publishing industry lacks diversity, and writers of color often have a harder time getting their work seen. Representation matters, Black lives matter, and Black stories matter. 

I was inspired to write this post after taking part in a Facebook thread where authors of color were asked to share their work. This is a resources for people who are looking to explore the work of Black, indie authors.

Scroll down to diversify your bookshelf with indie books by Black authors.

Take a look at these additional resources:

Author submitted Storyorigin promo of POC and LGBTQ+ books (June 2020).

Black Speculative Fiction Authors Directory

How to Write Black Characters: An Incomplete Guide 

Post-Apocalyptic / Dystopian

Skin Trials

Seren is one of the most powerful young women on Earth.

Little does she know her parents’ new government, Perfect Society, harbors a terrible genetic secret. By the year 2042, the nation has managed to survive the floods and flesh-eating outbreak of the 2020’s. Perfect Society has corrected the devastating losses and restored peace to all citizens. Or has it?

The terrorist group Anthistemi shatters the world with the genetically-modified truth. The government, led by Seren’s father, carried out gruesome torture and decimation in the Skin Trials. Antistemi reveals the truth Seren never knew about herself.

Citizens rage, demanding answers about their missing loved ones. Once again, Old America clashes with New America. Old wounds lead to new bloodshed. The fallout reaches apocalyptic fighting. There is one scientist who can end the rebellion and destruction.

Now that Seren knows, she must choose – the genetic lie that empowers her, or the deadly terrorists who stand ready to destroy it all.

Saving Eden

A dystopian society. A boy who’s given up on the world. A girl with the power to save it. 

Sixteen-year-old Angela and her father are the last survivors on Earth. She dreams of adventure and romance but only finds it in books. In the confines of her garden paradise, she’s untouched by contaminants that caused the rest of humanity to mutate into murderous beasts or die. But staying in the garden sure gets lonely.

When a seventeen-year-old boy stumbles upon Angela’s home with news about a thriving community, his presence challenges everything she knew about the world. She dares to leave her garden for the first time to find a better home. 

In the authoritarian society that she finds, the line between man and mutant is murkier than she expected. Her father is in danger, and the men tasked with protecting the settlement are extremely fond of murder. With their lives on the line, can Angela create one last happy ending in a hopeless world?

Mystic Bonds

Magic was my saving grace, but my power is my damnation.

My transition into a supernatural creature was the only reason I survived the apocalypse. I thought that was the worst I’d ever have to endure, but I was definitely wrong. 

With half the human population wiped out and a majority of the survivors developing a power of their own, the non-gifted humans aren’t happy with their station in life. 

My brother and I have to go on the run from the super-humans who want to steal our magical blood for a power-inducing serum. Our only hope for survival, and the continued existence of our missing friends, is to find a hidden paranormal city and the literal man of my dreams.

A handsome and alluring stranger plagues my dreams by night but by day? A not-so friendly–but oh-so sexy–werejackal claims my attention. We journey to the promised land together, but once we find it? It’s definitely not what we expected an we have to face incredible peril that may prevent me from saving my friends.

The Duneworth Collectors

The sky is red. Roots are black. Shrubbery is purple.

This is the world now, drowning in a nuclear fallout of chemical changes.

Humans are no exception. Those that are mutated, affected by the toxins, are called Tainted. Those with immune systems strong enough to withstand it are called Pure Bloods.

Those that want to keep their loved ones safe from the pending danger of the Duneworth Collectors… well, your chances of survival as a Tainted are slim to none.

Ava Hardey, a Pure Blood, along with her Tainted best friend, Carey Lorrest, have to fend for themselves and keep out of sight or else be subjected to the mysterious organization that abducts Tainted from their homes and sanctuaries, never to be heard from again. In order to protect each other, they have to keep a low profile. But

Ava learns that even the cautious don’t always get lucky. Ava and an unlikely group of Tainted and Pure Bloods band together for the mission of their lives.

Finding Eden

A mutant searching for sanctuary. A hunter hot on her trail.

Lilah has heard rumors of a garden paradise known as Eden somewhere out in the wilds. Forced out of post-apocalyptic Chicago when her mutant abilities come to light, it’s her only hope of safety.

But she’s not the only one roaming the wastelands.

On Adam’s first mission as a newly-qualified Warden, he is tasked with finding and destroying the heart of the Resistance–Eden.

When Lilah’s and Adam’s destinies collide, neither can deny the spark of attraction between them, but how long can they journey together before their secrets come to light?

When Lilah lets down her barriers, Adam sees her for who she truly is and is faced with an impossible choice–between duty and his heart.

Jinn

In a post-apocalyptic world, the earth is divided and magic rules all. 

For centuries, Jinn watched from afar as the powers-that-be fought to stake their claim to sectors of the world. Out of equal parts fear and respect of the notorious loner, the djinn’s wishes to remain a neutral party in this melee are honored. Yet everything changes when his old friend, Mike, presents Jinn with a startling truth. 

The love he thought he’d lost forever is still alive. 

Mike wants his people freed from the slums and only Jinn has the ability to make that happen. Armed with a map to the location of the djinn’s beloved, Mike is prepared to embark on a quest to the darkest corner of the earth to find her, in exchange for Jinn rescuing his Slither kind. 

With Jinn back in the game, the shift of power is palpable within the supernatural community. Alliances are tested, and unease crackles through the staked domains. One thing is painfully clear: Jinn will go to hell and back for the woman he loves, and he’ll destroy anyone who gets in his way. While love is his motivation, the djinn soon discovers he has far more to fight for.

Magical Academy

Dragon Academy

The Dragon Academy trains the country’s best and most dangerous—elite dragon tamers who protect the skies and act as the Fire Drakken’s executioners.

After her plan to steal a dragon egg from the Forbidden Ruins goes awry, seventeen-year-old Kaos is forced into enrolling at the Dragon Academy.

Her quiet village life is ripped away from her, replaced with a world of gigantic fire-breathing dragons, gruelling combat training, and cutthroat competitions. At the Academy nobody asks questions, especially of the deranged Headmaster—and Kaos somehow finds herself in his crosshairs.

The only people keeping her sane? A swoon-worthy lieutenant, her mismatched duo of friends, an alchemist who takes a shining to her, and her mysterious dragon partner, Ignimitra.

But as Kaos soon discovers, her dreadful past is woven into the dark tapestry of the Dragon Academy. What she finds will shatter her future. Can she survive long enough to unravel the secrets lurking in the shadows?

The Fae and the Fallen

My first kiss nearly killed me—literally.

When 80% of the population is gifted with touch magic, it’s best to keep your hands—and your lips—to yourself. Especially if you’re an ungifted serf like I am. The problem is, the most dangerous guy at Gifted Fae Academy is the one I want to touch more than anything, even as I draw the attention of the school’s most gorgeous Apprentice Fae. When my entry exam leads to the revelation that I may not be as Ungifted as I previously believed… well… surviving until graduation might prove harder than I thought—particularly when a certain fatal touch may be worth the risk.

When 80% of the population is gifted with touch magic, it’s best to keep your hands—and your lips—to yourself. Especially if you’re an ungifted serf like I am. 

The problem is, the most dangerous guy at Gifted Fae Academy is the one I want to touch more than anything, even as I draw the attention of the school’s most gorgeous Apprentice Fae. 

When my entry exam leads to the revelation that I may not be as Ungifted as I previously believed… well… surviving until graduation might prove harder than I thought—particularly when a certain fatal touch may be worth the risk.

Academy Outcast

The supernatural exists, and apparently, I’m one of them.

It’s in my DNA, just like all of the other students here at the academy.

I thought it was cool to be around others like me, but it turns out that this school is like high school on steroids. Having powers just makes things worse.

There’s Tristen, a pyro, who bullies me every chance that he gets. His powers are more developed than the rest, so he has no problem pushing me around. If that wasn’t enough, his goons also join in on the fun, especially when Kaci is around. I like her. I think she’s amazing, but I’m pretty sure Tristen likes her, too. And who wouldn’t? She’s smart, funny, resourceful, and can move things with her freaking mind.

I’m doing my best to stay afloat, but Tristen isn’t making it easy. The academy is fast-paced, but I still have other things to focus on besides academia, like why I was attacked before I came here and the true nature behind my abilities.

Urban Fantasy

The Astera, With Love

America, 2022 – drugs are legal, witches are real, and a literal vampire is President.

In this world of boutique blood bars and policies that force witches to out themselves, 21-year-old Mercury Amell just wants to live. He wishes that the ages-old feud between vampires and witches didn’t exist. He wishes that his powers and his skin color didn’t increase his odds of being burned at the stake.

After making a powerful enemy, Mercury and his friends must travel to Astera, an annual gathering of all witchkind. They battle vampiric cops, evil witches, aggressive humans, and each other along the way as they struggle to make it in one piece.

Will their collective power be enough to get them to Astera safely? Or will they fall prey to their enemies and the laws that spell their destruction?

The Realm

Welcome to a YA Fantasy like no other. Welcome to The Realm.

Essence Marie Jones is your everyday run of the mill teenager. She likes partying, listening to Migos and staying up late. But lately, it’s not a Netflix binge that’s keeping Essence awake at night. No, she’s having chilling dreams, the kind that borderline on psychotic. Dreams filled with death and destruction, all at the hands of a black armored knight, who wants Essence as its next victim.

Night terrors are just the start of her problems. Essence’s life gets turned upside down when three mysterious boys begin stalking her, but this isn’t a Lifetime movie or the Vampire Dairies, love is on the back burner, because Essence is the only hope they have to save a magical realm from falling into all out war. 

“It’s Harry Potter Meets Grown-ish”

The Witch of Belle Fleur

Juliette learns her mother was a Destroyer Witch, and her father was a Healer Witch. This teen telenovela actress doesn’t have time for magic, yet magic finds a way into her life.

Juliette must choose between becoming her town’s Lead Witch or just walking away from magic and being a regular human, like her drop-dead gorgeous best friend, Victor. She soon finds out that Victor has a few secrets of his own…

Although her instincts tell her to run from magic, magic might be the only way she can save her dying aunt.

She unwittingly brings magic back to all witches in Belle Fleur, including Thane, an ancient evil witch who wants Juliette’s power and soul.

Can Juliette balance her Healer and Destroyer sides while she tries to defeat the evil that hunts her and those she loves?

The Goddess Twins

It’s days before your eighteenth birthday, but your mother is missing and suddenly you have supernatural powers. What are you willing to face to discover the truth of who you really are?

After years of traveling the world, black identical twins Aurora and Arden think they’ve settled into normalcy in Ohio. But days before their eighteenth birthday, the snarky twins develop powers in telekinesis and telepathy―at the same time that their famous mother, who’s on tour in London, disappears.

Searching for answers and determined to rescue her, the sisters unearth truths that threaten to extinguish their bond and demolish their strength as individuals. Can they trust their beguiling, newly discovered British cousins when they barely trust one another? Should they heed the warnings of their immortal grandmother, a Patoi-chatting goddess, who says she’s friendly with The Fates and can see inside a person’s very soul? 

In order to succeed in their quest, these goddess twins must work together, master their powers, and unveil a horrifying, century-old family mystery. Otherwise, they may not live to see eighteen―or their mother again.

Essense of Vanity

Finding love while battling evil witches was not what I expected from my senior year…

Life was grand until I was forced to move to an itty-bitty town for my senior year of high school. What is a girl to do? 

Find my soulmate in the most unlikely place? Check. 

Battle a crazy cult? Check. 

Help my best friend discover what real life is all about? Check. 

Yep, life just got a lot more interesting. 

The Sphinx

Nothing inspires the thirst for revenge like a broken heart. 

Asa didn’t ask to love a God. She didn’t pray that he would come to her home, ravage her body, and change the very meaning of her life. She didn’t ask for it, but that is what happened. For years she belonged to Ares, the god of war. 

She surrendered her heart to him. Whenever he wanted her, she was there. Until the day that he decided he no longer had use for her. Refusing to allow her to be with another he fashioned a curse and turned Asa into the Sphinx. 

While he was preoccupied with causing devastation elsewhere, Asa found a way to escape her curse and went into hiding. When the Gods fell from grace she knew that they would one day return and she prepared herself. 

While the Gods were away she worked. 

She collected relics that she used to craft a weapon fit to take down a god and swore to avenge the life that was taken from her. 

Fantasy

Wrath of the Winter Witch

Eight hundred years ago there was harmony in the world and no such thing as light and dark witches. 

The people were one. Enticed by the seductive powers of dark, some strayed down the twisted path, breaking the balance causing a rift. Eventually starting the Unholy Witch Wars.

Now, war is brewing again and Nthanda, a child of the dark, unknowingly, is at the center of it all. Well loved by many in her homeland, there are those who grow jealous and tired of the witchling and the long time rule of her family. Betrayed and kidnapped by rivals, she’s sold to her blood enemies across the seas. 

With the fate of the world in her hands, can she stop the impending war and find a way to bring balance back to the lands? 

Or will everything be lost…

By Sea and Sky

With no magic, no brawn, and no pirate crew, Zala seeks to steal back the one treasure that matters to her most: her husband.

To succeed she needs a ship—and not just any ship, but the latest, secret invention by the Vaaji Empire. An airship. Zala will have to use her wits to overcome scoundrels and nobles alike on her journey through the clouds.

But if she’s smart enough, she may just have what it takes to save her husband—and go down in history as the first sky pirate.

Delve into a pirate fantasy inspired by the West Indies, The Swahili Coast, and Arabia, where Zala will encounter ruthless raiders, arrogant aristocrats, and imperial secrets.

Half Breed Queen

In a fast-paced tale set on Earth and beyond, Marla Owens fights to survive to become a young woman – and the reluctant queen of a land and people she doesn’t know.

She’s driven by a force she can’t begin to understand and a burning need to find out the truth, she embarks on a journey to her mother’s homeland. 

When all isn’t as it seems, who can she trust? 

And when she finds that she is more than she’d known, will she be able to control her anger to do what’s right? 

One thing’s for sure – Marla’s not in Texas anymore!

Science Fiction

Girl of Flesh and metal

Is she the killer she’s hunting?

It was supposed to help her—not turn her into a monster.

Now, Lena’s stuck with this cybernetic arm, and her friends are terrified of her.

Maybe they should be.

The arm’s artificial intelligence takes Lena’s thoughts to the extreme. It acts when she doesn’t tell it to, even when she’s asleep.

Ever since she got the new limb, she’s been sleepwalking and waking in odd places. To Lena, this is just another example of how CyberCorp—her parents’ company and the manufacturer of the arm—screws up everything.

As the rollout of CyberCorp’s new android approaches, a murderer targets children of the company’s employees. And thanks to her sleepwalking, Lena doesn’t know what she was doing during the murders.

When the evidence points to her, Lena decides to prove her innocence—or her guilt.

Genesis

Captured by Supreme Leader Tiberius, the residents of the Ophiuchus struggle to survive in this tale that takes place during the events of Atlantic Island! 

Having narrowly survived his trip to the surface, Brayton searches the island for his missing friends. Meanwhile, Tiberius seeks to uncover the truth about the new arrivals, revealing a shocking link between the Ophiuchus prisoners and the island’s dark leadership.

Scepter of Truth

A Troubling Conspiracy. A Mysterious and Magical Land. A Dangerous Quest.

Tangie Newsham has trained for years to qualify for the military’s elite Nano-Soldier Unit. But her motivations run deeper than serving her country, because she’s looking for a killer in the ranks.

Fifteen years ago, her nanotech-scientist father died in a “lab accident” while working for the military. Tangie knows it was no accident, after her father discovered a secret continent hidden beneath the world that the government is determined to exploit. Now, she’s out for revenge.

But in the middle of a mission gone wrong, Tangie is shocked to find herself trapped in the land of her father’s discovery — a world of humans and not-quite-humans, fantastic and deadly beasts — where magic is real, and the nanotechnology her father created makes her a goddess.

Not only that, but the hidden realm is on the brink of war … and Tangie is soon caught between kingdoms and factions, desperate to learn who she can trust as she battles her way across this strange new land.

And then she discovers that her father may not be as dead as she thought.

Paranormal Romance

Love and Infection

Should half-dead look so good?

When your best friend is infected with some kind of rage zombie virus, do you…

A. Run for your life?
B. Put a bullet in his brain?
C. Trust that he won’t hurt you?

When Jasmyn Saunders sees Akin Pratt moves at a predatory speed and use his superhuman strength, she knows she should be afraid of him. But Jasmyn refuses to be scared of the man she loves, even if he technically isn’t a man at all anymore. Keeping her feelings in check is vital to their survival in more ways than one. Just a kiss from Akin may infect her, but it feels like the world is ending, and she wants to tell him how she really feels—before he is too far gone to care.  

Forever Desired

He’d waited an eternity to find her. 

Athena captivated her audience every night. Her husky voice, sensual moves and megawatt smile, packed the nightclub where she sang. It was her name on the lips of her audience. Everyone wanted a piece of her—even him.

One song and Sorin was enthralled by the beauty on the stage. Her voice awoke a part of him he had thought to be dead long ago. She had no idea of the power she wielded over him with one glance, one smile and one kiss. Never one to pursue a human before, he couldn’t ignore the hunger that burned for her. Only she can satisfy him, but he will first need to protect her from the ones who want him dead.

Claimed by Temptation

Are you ready for the fascinating world of paranormal and fantasy romance?

Claimed by Temptation is a limited edition collection of tales designed to quench your thirst for the supernatural. You’ll want to sink your teeth into these stories of your favorite mystical creatures. 

From alpha shifters to powerful witches to magical djinn, there is something for everyone. 

The stories in the compilation are exclusive and can’t be found anywhere else. Don’t wait, this box set will only be available for a limited time before it is gone forever!

Note: This collection contains material for mature readers (18+ and older) only.

Contemporary / Historical

Love Delayed in Dublin

Jordan Cross and Conor Byrne shared one magical New Year’s Eve in NYC… and then he disappeared. 

Eight years later, Jordan still hasn’t been able to forget her Irishman. When her long time boyfriend proposes, Jordan realizes she should have broken it off long ago. Is she destined to land the wrong guy—or find real love? She knows the answer lies halfway around the world, in Dublin. If she can just find Conor, she can put their unfinished business to bed. 

Conor was only supposed to run the family pub and care for the family, until his father got well. By now, he’s resigned himself to the role and abandoned his own dreams. Seeing Jordan walk into his pub is both amazing and terrifying—because although the passion they feel still burns bright, their worlds don’t work together. 

Committing to each other will mean hurting someone else, but they’ll have to risk it all to find a love that’s real. 

A Billionaire Chose Me

After getting released from prison, Brooklyn Anderson doesn’t have many options.

She spent three years doing a bid for the man that she loved, only for him to disappear while she was serving her sentence. When she gets released she turns to her aunt who helps her get a job with Tyson Richard, a self-made billionaire. Her aunt helps her conceal her past so that she could get a job working within the elaborate walls of his mansion.

Tyson is in desperate need of help and is looking to hire a nanny for his sweet five-year-old. After the mother of his daughter died while giving birth, Tyson vowed to never fall in love again. But when Brooklyn steps into his life, all bets are off. 

The only problem is, he doesn’t know about her secret. She gets to become his nanny under false pretenses and he slowly falls for her. When both of their pasts come back to haunt them, they are met with several challenges.

Can their love overcome the darkness, or will they miss out on their chance at redemption? This African American Romance is filled sensual love and a healthy dose of drama. Are you ready to get engulfed in Brooklyn and Tyson’s love story?

Lady of Secrets

Her secret mission. A country divided. His impossible love.

Henrietta Wright is a Free Colored woman who teaches reading and writing to anyone who enters her classroom. At least she was, until a drunken night with friends catapults her down a path of intrigue, coded messages, and intelligence operations. All in service of the Union Army. She can’t tell anyone what she’s doing, including the handsome Irishman she knows she shouldn’t want, but can’t seem to resist.

Since stepping onto American soil, Elijah Byrne’s only goal has been to survive another day. That is until Henrietta burst into his life and made him want more. She was never meant to be his – her fiancé can attest to that – but she makes him long for things men like him aren’t lucky enough to have. When she asks for his help, he can’t resist tumbling with her into a clandestine expedition that could cost them everything—including their lives.

Note: The cover image was found on Pinterest unattributed. If anyone knows who the artist is please let me know. I’d love to credit them.