Assessments in Progress

Updated 24 May 2023

AIBA IS CLOSED FOR NEW SUBMISSIONS

It appears that a publisher has found a way of submitting books even when the submissions page is closed. Any book submitted when the website is closed has been removed from this list. The title: No Other Name has been removed.

This page includes an up-to-date list and details of books requiring an assessment.

As an assessor, you are not required to read more than necessary to reach a fair conclusion as to the book’s quality. For example, you might be allocated a book that is littered with errors in the opening chapters! AIBA is not asking you to proofread the book, but it would help if you would note a few examples of the errors that justify your recommendation. You should only recommend a book for approval if you have read and assessed the complete book including the front and back page material. As stated on the Our Mission page of the website, our purpose is to Identify and honor self-published or independently-published books that meet the standard of books published by major mainstream publishers.

Recent research has revealed that despite its common usage, mainstream publishers do not yet recognize the contraction of “all right” as a proper word. Also, “off of” should not be used in narrative.

Some assessors prefer to post the assessment as a review under their own name on Amazon, GoodReads, and elsewhere. To avoid duplication, AIBA will not post your assessment as a review. If in your opinion, the book meets the standard of books published by major mainstream publishers, then please award it 4 or 5 stars and recommend it for approval. Should you assess a book with relatively few errors, you can still recommend approval, but approval will be withheld until the author has made the recommended changes. Please note the errors so that AIBA can advise the author.

Awesome Indies Book Awards’ assessors should primarily recommend books for approval that are well-written and engaging, and that have been edited to a professional standard.

In Brief:

  • • The book has been edited and proofread to a professional standard and is free from errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
    • Recent research has revealed that despite its common usage, mainstream publishers do not yet recognize the contraction of “all right” as a proper word.
    • Although often used in dialogue, the none-standard expression:  “off of” should not be used in narrative.
  • • The book is correctly formatted for fiction.
  • • The cover looks professional.
  • • The plot is well structured, well-paced, conceptually sound, and engaging.
  • • The characters are well developed and their dialogue and interactions with others are believable.
  • • The book is not overwritten or unnecessarily wordy; for instance; no obvious dumps of information, unnecessary repetition, or irrelevant scenes.
  • • Changes in point of view are clear.
  • • The prose is well-written and engaging.

Assessments are anonymous so your name will not be disclosed to the author unless you choose to reveal it by making direct contact with the author to offer editing or proofreading services. If you offer such professional services to the writer, you must stress that the arrangement will be a private contract between you and the writer and does not guarantee that a subsequent assessor will recommend approval.

Please select a title from the following books and email your choice to admin@awesomeindies.net.. You will then be sent the relevant file and this page will be updated accordingly. If you recommend a book for approval, please complete a short appraisal and allocate 4, 4.5 or 5 stars. This is will prevent the Google search engine from returning a 1-star rating against the books on the website.

The Seal of Excellence.

Any title receiving 5 stars from each assessor in the ‘Approval’ process is automatically added to this list to be considered for a Seal of Excellence. The seal is awarded following a recommendation or a 5-star assessment from a third assessor.

No Assessment after 12 months

These books have been on the list for a long time. If you have read or would like to read any of these books, please advise admin: Full details on request. I’m gradually building links to the original submission on the Facebook Assessros’ page so you can see further details.

  • Fortier: The Long Night by M.G. Darwish.  Submitted: Jul 30, 2019, (No ebook)
  • A Touch of Death by Rebecca Crunden. Submitted: Oct 19, 2019.
  • The Mystery of the Missing Ring by Fre’Derick Redd III (Ziggy). Submitted: Oct 29, 2019
  • Breakdown: A Clinician’s Experience in a Broken System of Emergency Psychiatry by Lynn Nanos. Submitted: Oct 24, 2019
  • The Lane Betrayal by John A. Heldt. Submitted: Jul 17, 2020
  • Year of the What? by Jennifer Lieberman.
  • A Chemical Engineer in the Palm Oil Milling Industry by Name Hong Wai Onn. Submitted Jul 23, 2020
  • Dusk Mountain Blues by Deston J. Munden. Submitted Aug 02, 2020
  • Fragments of Fear 5 by Michael Kelso, Submitted Aug 02, 2020
  • Transference by    B.T. Keaton. Submitted:   01-Mar-21
  •  Follow the Dove by Catherine M Byrne. Submitted: 14-Jun-21
  • Brielle’s Birthday Ball A by Once Upon a Dance. Submitted:20-Jun-21
  • Memory Road Trip by Krista Marson. Submitted: 23-Aug-21
  • FLIGHTS FOR FREEDOM by Steven Burgauer. Submitted: 04-Sep-21
  • Soulwinder by Travis Daniel Bow. Submitted: 07-Sep-21
  • The Margins (The Commons 2) by Michael Alan Peck. Submitted: 09-Nov-21

For 2nd Assessment:

 Holy Parrot

  • Submitted:       02/03/2023
  • Author Name:  Angel A
  • Category or Genre:    Literary Fiction
  • 2nd Category: Mystery
  • Reader Age Group:    Adult
  • Language:        English (Aus)
  • Number of Words:      70000
  • Link to Amazon:          https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8SL82J6/

Synopsis:

The story of phenomenal events occurring in the Caribbean fishing village of Buritaca.

Leo Lumière, a science student from Australia, was tasked with discovering something special in the remote Colombian Department of Magdalena. Maria swore a parrot told her that she would be the mother of a saviour. Was Maria the virgin mother she professed to be, or was Pablo the father? Miraculous events unfolded that challenged Leo’s scientific reasoning. Torn between revealing a crime and protecting Maria from efforts to eliminate the claimed divine child, his task took an unexpected turn. Tens of thousands converged into the region hoping to witness Maria with her paranormal parrot, all chanting one phrase, ‘Loro Santo’: Holy Parrot.

Mahalo Does Not Mean Trash

  • Submitted:       06/12/2022
  • Author Name:  Paki Perkins, Hiwalani Perkins, Puniaikeao Perkins, Alapaki Perkins
  • Category or Genre:    Children’s Motivational
  • Reader Age Group:    Children
  • Language:        English (US)
  • Number of Words:      3000
  • Link to Amazon:          https://amzn.to/3VSw6ya
  • Formats available:      .pdf

SYNOPSIS:

Mahalo means “Thank you”… Or does it?

When Hiwa and Keao meet their cousin AJ who comes to visit them from California for the first time, they learn what HE thinks Mahalo means and even though he’s not correct, it does make you think…

While the parents all get a laugh, Pupu gets a chance to teach her grandchildren not just the meaning of Mahalo, but the true meaning of one of the three most cherished Hawaiian values.

 

New Submissions

 In the Shadows of Castles

SYNOPSIS:

t’s the 1060s, and William of Normandy is establishing a new and brutal regime in England, but there are those who would defy him. As Norman soldiers spread like a plague across the land, resistance builds, but will it be enough to topple William and restore the rightful king to his throne? The English have the courage to fight, but the Normans, already victorious at Hastings, now build castles seeking to secure their tenuous foothold in these lands.

And what of the people caught up in these catastrophic events? Dispossessed but not defeated, their lives ripped apart, the English struggle for freedom from tyranny; amongst them, caught up in the turmoil, are a soldier, a thane and two sisters. As events unfold, their destinies become intertwined, bringing drastic changes that alter their lives forever.

Firmly embedded in the history of the Conquest, ‘In the Shadows of Castles’ is ultimately a story of love, hope and survival in a time of war.

The Glint of the Luopan

  • Submitted:02/11/2022
  • Author Name:Sally Feng
  • Category or Genre:Urban Fantasy
  • 2nd Category: Magical Realism
  • Reader Age Group:All Age
  • Language:English (US)
  • Number of Pages on Amazon: 238
  • Link to Amazon:https://amzn.to/3WnlfNC
  • Formats available:.epub

SYNOPSIS:

“Lai Fang, a Chinese native living in New York, is working to recover her lost memory and find her father. Along the way, she finds herself in the arms of the mysterious Suresh who supports her search in unconventional ways.
Guided by a Luopan, scattered remnants of recollections, technology, and a little magic, Lai Fang desperately clings to what she hopes will be the path to her truth. However, what if the truth lies far beyond the scope of human comprehension? What is the truth to begin with?
The Glint of the Luopan weaves a mesmerizing web of a world that begins as a dream and unfolds in a journey for family, hope, and love.”

A Machine Divine

  • Submitted:       05/12/2022
  • Author Name:  Derek Paul
  • Category or Genre:    Fantasy
  • 2nd Category: Steampunk
  • Reader Age Group:    Young Adult
  • Language:        English (US)
  • Number of Words:      96000
  • Link to Amazon:
  • Formats available:      .pdf
  • SYNOPSIS:

“A Machine Divine” will be released through Amazon KDP on 24Jan2023. Below is the blurb:

Asher Auden is a biology prodigy whose work led to an economic boom for his rural hometown but has left him feeling isolated and alone. Callendra Saint is an introvert and the town’s most prolific, yet reluctant, animal trapper. The two are presented with an opportunity of a lifetime when they are accepted into a prestigious university at the heart of the nation’s capital. As they adjust to new surroundings, Callie embraces her independence while Asher’s gifts land him the social acceptance he’s long desired.

But, they aren’t the only new arrivals.

A gas-masked terrorist has begun plaguing the city, poisoning its leaders, and sowing political discord. Equipped with the prowess to develop an antidote, Asher sets out to protect his new friends while enlisting the support of Callie, the only person he can trust. In doing so, he unknowingly ensnares them both in a covert investigation, an ancient society’s conspiracies, and the ambitions of a deadly menace.

Nomad

  • Submitted:       05/12/2022
  • Author Name:  Darren Guthrie
  • Category or Genre:    Thriller
  • 2nd Category: Military Thriller
  • Reader Age Group:    Adult
  • Language:        English (US)
  • Number of Words:      68186
  • Formats available:      .epub

SYNOPSIS:

A U.N convoy is ambushed and slaughtered by Al-Qaeda fighters in remote Afghanistan. This seemingly random attack sets off an investigation by Sergeant Tommy Reeves, British S.A.S and the only survivor of the ambush. As his lone investigation unfolds, Reeves learns that much larger forces are at play.

The bodies begin to fall and a conspiracy starts to unravel. As Reeves puts the pieces together, he learns that powerful nations are moving in the shadows, plotting an attack immense enough to shift the balance of power across the entire Middle East.

 

Time Traveled

  • Submitted: 25 January 2023
  • Author Name:Krista Marson
  • Category or Genre:Travel Memoir
  • 2nd Category: non-fiction
  • Reader Age Group:Adult
  • Language:English (US)
  • Number of Words:95575
  • Link to Amazon:https://amzn.to/3DaEv9d
  • Formats available:  Epub

SYNOPSIS:

TIME TRAVELED is a highly entertaining compendium of travel stories told by an adventurer who loves to hear herself think. Themes such as nature, history, and art rank high on her literary list, as well as loneliness and the importance of having someone to love. Tripping over the remnants of who we used to be, this explorer diligently follows the breadcrumbs left by those who came before.

Dawn of Unity

  • Submitted:25/01/2023
  • Author Name:Nitish Sharma
  • Category or Genre:Fantasy
  • 2nd Category: Historical, YA/Adult
  • Reader Age Group:Adult
  • Language:English (Can)
  • Number of Words:192000
  • Link to Amazon:https://www.amazon.ca/Dawn-Unity-Last-Seekers-Book-ebook/dp/B0B6Y9ZFVJ
  • Formats available:.epub

SYNOPSIS: (From Amazon)

A boy despised by society, another elevated to prominence, both linked by a war.

“Die a criminal or serve your country in this war,” the knight who recaptured seventeen-year-old Will Farmer told him. Locked away for murder, Will escaped only because of a powerful object he found. He takes the knight’s mercy to prove he’s not the monster they say he is. A battle later he’s captured by a boy from the opposing side who holds an object like his.

“Capture an enemy, bring him to the capital, and you will be grand vizier,” the sultan told sixteen-year-old Ahmed Sharfi. He’s improved over nine years at the University of Magi, since the day he accidentally burned down his town’s souk. To sit by the sultan’s side, it’s everything he thought he wanted. Thus he heads to war. Yet, a powerful object, found during his studies, points him to someone in the aftermath of a battle.

Their nations say they should be enemies, but it isn’t so. They don’t understand the war, but for different reasons. Will wants redemption, while Ahmed cared only about his studies, yet they seem to get along so well. They realise their powerful objects may be able to guide them. But who are two boys to change a war others failed to stop?

Valley of Fools

  • Submitted:01/02/2023
  • Author Name:Brian Martell
  • Category or Genre:Literary Fiction
  • Reader Age Group:Adult
  • Language:English (US)
  • Number of Words:75000
  • Link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HNA7zv
  • Formats available:. epub without cover.

SYNOPSIS: (From Amazon)

The city is a watershed. Every street leads down. Just start walking, sooner or later you’ll end up down by the river.

Valley of Fools is the story of a rebellious young man, Emerson, who comes of age in a home for ‘depressed morons and crazy bastards.’ At age 24, he suddenly finds himself out in the streets with nothing but his principles, a bad attitude, and a suitcase full of underwear and cigarettes.

Through a series of unfortunate coincidences, Emerson is caught in the media spotlight, the central figure of a political scandal involving the storage of nuclear waste on the greatest river in the nation, and an election campaign focused on providing dental health care for the homeless population of the city.

Among the bums, madmen, and visionaries of the Brewery Street Community, Emerson learns about truth, pride, and the cost of living, where ‘it’s damn hard enough without watching somebody else not even try.’

Pulstar I – The Swan Barely Remembers

  • Submitted:13/03/2023
  • Author Name:Giancarlo Roversi
  • Category or Genre:Science Fiction
  • 2nd Category: Mystery
  • Reader Age Group:Adult
  • Language:English (US)
  • Number of Words:107809
  • Link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXJZ14P

SYNOPSIS:

Three strangers who share a forgotten past confront a vengeance they incited when their bodies weren’t human.In Astralvia, a nation on the brink, astronomer Jeral Murh’s life is in limbo.She’s woken from a coma with fresh memories and is certain of two things:

  1. Her past actions are already haunting her present.
  2. She is not entirely human.

She must abscond from Astralvia before an ancient enemy wreaks revenge. Everything is against her. Also, she must find Aris Castilho, her former ally, and make him remember what they once meant to each other. She can’t leave without him.

Will she find Aris and convince him of their common past?

Will they reach Esther, their third ally?

Time is short … the ultimate reckoning is coming … and it’s unthinkable, indescribable—the worst thing that can happen to any human being.

Pulstar I took over ten years to make and has a soundtrack in production.

The Blue Man

  • Submitted:       15/03/2023
  • Author Name:  Leilanie Stewart
  • Category or Genre:    Ghost horror
  • 2nd Category: Psychological literary fiction
  • Reader Age Group:    Adult
  • Language:        English (UK)
  • Number of Words:      80306
  • Link to Amazon:          https://amzn.to/3JJekdy
  • Formats available:      .EPUB

SYNOPSIS:    

Two best friends. An urban legend. A sinister curse.

Twenty years ago, horror loving Sabrina told her best friend, Megan, the terrifying Irish folk tale of the Blue Man, who sold his soul to the Devil in vengeance against a personal injustice. What should have been the best summer of their school days turned into a waking nightmare, as the Blue Man came to haunt Megan. Sabrina, helpless to save Megan from a path of self-destruction and substance abuse as she sought refuge from the terror, left Belfast for a new life in Liverpool.

Twenty years later, the former friends reunited thinking they had escaped the horrors of the past. Both were pregnant for the first time. Both had lived elsewhere and moved back to their hometown, Belfast. Both were wrong about the sinister reality of the Blue Man, as the trauma of their school days caught up to them – and their families.

Why did the Blue Man terrorise Megan? Was there more to the man behind the urban legend? Was their friendship – and mental health – strong enough to overcome a twenty year curse?

Social Vampire

  • Submitted:         14/03/2023
  • Author Name:  James Schannep
  • Book Title:        Social Vampire
  • Category or Genre:    Coming of Age
  • 2nd Category: Humor
  • Reader Age Group:    Young Adult
  • Language:        English (US)
  • Number of Words:      80000
  • Link to Amazon:         https://amzn.to/3Tgqv4u
  • Formats available:      .epub

SYNOPSIS:

At a new school, you get a chance to reinvent yourself, so…why not be a vampire?

Gordon is hiding something. Is it the fact that he’s secretly a vampire? No, of course n-wait. Yes. That’s exactly what he’s hiding. Let’s go with that.

So when this nerdy teen moves to a small town where all the kids are obsessed with vampire fiction, he reinvents himself as their dream character: dark & brooding, cool as hell, and overly susceptible to stabs through the heart.

While rivaling the alpha male jock, garnering the attention of the most popular girl in his class, and forming a hilarious friendship with the girl next door (the only one who knows his secret), Gordon might find that his new school is the perfect place for him to shine-or, better yet, sparkle.

But if his classmates dig up the truth, it’ll be the nail in his coffin…

Oblivion’s Cloak

  • Submitted: 17/04/2023
  • Author Name: Dylan McFadyen
  • Category or Genre: Science Fiction
  • 2nd Category: Space Opera
  • Reader Age Group: All Age
  • Language: English (US)
  • Number of Words: 135000
  • Link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNXT5422
  • Formats available: epub
SYNOPSIS:
Nine hundred years after the end of the world, a troubled human mercenary awakens Earth’s last surviving son from cryosleep; now she must protect him, both from the callous alien powers that have enslaved humanity, and the ruthless human fanatics that fight them.

END OF LIST

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