Every once in a while something crazy happens: Someone self-publishes a book and it takes off. The Celestine Prophecy started that way as did Still Alice, and 50 Shades of Grey started off as internet-published Twilight fan fiction. Lane County has a whole host of writers publishing themselves or getting published by a “vanity” press (Hey, it’s not vanity if it’s good!). They, and we, hope one of these books takes off. Here’s just a smidge of what got dropped off at EW this year.

Former R-G journalist and current Eugene Art Talk blogger Bob Keefer came out with Idaho: a (Dark) Love Story chronicling a murder/romance. Find it on Amazon Kindle for $4.95.

Barry Roberts Greer printed Scone: Yet Another Academic Farce ranging from OSU to the McKenzie Pass. You can find his books, in print ($7.99) and e-edition, on Amazon or go to barryrobertsgreer.com.

Danuta Pfeiffer’s Chiseled: A Memoir of Identity, Duplicity and Divine Wine has gotten many positive reviews on her journey from televangelist co-host to popular winemaker. Available on Amazon or go to DanutaPfeiffer.com.

Great Day in the Morning by Deb Mohr is the tale of a girl in Mississippi coming of age in the 1960s early Civil Rights movement. Get it on Amazon for $12 or go to debmohrauthor.com.

Bernard Yandel published The Whiteaker Bounce, a novel about that “unique neighborhood” in Eugene where the “homeless population has swelled” and residents are confronting “the slow, rolling tide of gentrification.” Available at Amazon in paperback ($9.95) or Kindle.

Last Stop Before Tomorrow by Tim Hicks is the “compelling tale of three people as they wrestle with the riddles, paradoxes and dilemmas of climate change and technology, and search for answers to the human predicament and their own lives.” Available on Amazon in print ($19.74) or Kindle, or contact Hicks at timallenhicks@icloud.com.