GOING INDIE (HOLLY SCHINDLER)

2015 marks the year I become a hybrid author, publishing on both the traditional and independent platforms.With the explosion of hybrid authors, the line between traditionally published and independently published is no longer the line between what's good and what's bad--it's simply that some books don't fit the current traditional agenda.

Case in point: my first indie release, FIFTH AVENUE FIDOS. The book was on sub a few times; initially, editors said that the book was well done—a couple flat-out said, “This needs to be published,” but also indicated they didn’t know what to do with it. Wasn’t YA, wasn’t adult. One editor used the phrase “neither fish nor fowl.” This was before NA emerged, of course…But even after New Adult became a well-read age category, FIFTH AVENUE FIDOS was continuing to break the mold: This is a sweet comedy—not overtly sexy, no graphic erotica, not about college life…Editors were hanging onto it, trying to find a place for it, and were unsuccessful.

But that’s what makes FIDOS perfect for the indie platform. 

I'm also delighted to announce that FIDOS officially releases tomorrow, and can be downloaded through Amazon or Kobo for only $3.99. A sweet, fun, delightful read for less than a cup of fancy coffee...

Fifth Avenue Fidos

A New Adult Rom-Com with "Bite"

When a mutt from Queens meets a purebred New Yorker, it takes man’s—and woman’s—best friend to convince them what they feel is more than puppy love.

Mable Barker, a hilarious, good-natured sweetheart who is always the pal but never the girlfriend, endures nine horrendous months of bouncing between lackluster New York City jobs (and suffering unrequited love) in her unsuccessful attempt to find her one true talent. So when she meets Innis, the ill-tempered Upper East Side Pekingese, she assumes her dog-walking days are numbered, too; soon, she’ll be heading back to Queens brokenhearted, tail tucked between her legs. But Innis belongs to the adorable yet painfully shy young veterinarian, Jason Mead, a man whose awkward ways around women have him dreaming not of finding love for himself but of playing canine matchmaker—breeding Westminster champions.

When Mable and Jason meet, romance is officially unleashed: they find an instant connection and shared goal, as it appears that Mable could very well have what it takes to be a professional handler, soon to be seen holding Innis under a banner labeled, “Best in Show.” As Jason and Mable get closer to putting a new twist on the term “dog lovers,” outside forces—Mable’s overprotective brothers, a successful wedding planner with her eye on Jason, even the theft of purebred pups from Jason’s Fifth Avenue apartment building—all threaten to come between them. Will Mable and Jason simply let their burgeoning love roll over and play dead? Or will they rally to make sure Innis emerges as the leader of the pack?

Brimming with humor and endearing characters, Holly Schindler’s Fifth Avenue Fidos offers a sweet romance and modern-day fairy tale in which dogs, not dragons, rule the land…a story about the loves that help us realize our dreams.