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2020 New Titles – August 21
The Glowing by Tom Rimer
Nice guys often finish last, but sometimes last is all that’s left. Majestic Mount Greylock always cloaked the small berkshire town of Adams in its shadow…until now. Until the skies illuminated. Until the Glowing began. When Kamryn Coe, her disheveled teacher, and a group of geeks that’d put a comic convention to shame witness the destruction of their hometown, they must combat a land teeming with drooling alien hordes, while Kam faces the truth of her own birth and its connection to the catastrophe unfolding around her. Time travel, extraterrestrials, humanity’s end.
TIME TO SAVE THE WORLD.
Buy the Book: https://shadowsparkpub.com/tomrimer
Tom’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/RimerTom
A Deceitful Evening by Vinisha Panwar
If your love turned out to be the most dangerous part of your life….What would you do to survive?
Three ladies, one guy and a gripping drama of dangerous romance. Here are the characters,
NEERJA – (A corporate employee: a loner, running away from her crazy past to find a new support system in a new city)
AARTI – (A police officer: self made personality with major difficulty in embracing emotions)
RAJESH – (A businessman: a mysterious guy, looking to expand his business in a new city with secrets buried in his heart)
AVNI – (A college girl: a vibrant soul and a free spirit)Neerja has moved to a new city for a fresh start. In the city, she has attracted someone’s eyes to build up a steamy romance. Being surrounded by two new personalities (Avni, her young vibrant flat mate and Aarti, her landlord who is a police officer), she ends up discovering a dangerous side of her new world. Everyone was living with a grave secret inside. With Rajesh, comes a drastic turn when secrets couldn’t hide anymore.
Once secrets were revealed, a normal event turned out to be a freakish display of life & death. Could Neerja’s love stand the test of time? Who will manage to survive in the end?
A mysterious short story, an extreme romantic delight with moments of life & death.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088VWYX4Y?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
Vinisha’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/readersvalley
Lust in the Stacks by Natalie Falkenwrath
In this library, the books aren’t the only thing worth checking out… Alex has a job she likes, doing tech support at Cowling University, and a beautiful – if difficult – girlfriend, Jasmine. Life is good. That is until Alex’s boss reassigns her to work in the university’s saddest little library. Alex feels like she’s been banished to a stuffy, quiet hell. Then Alex meets Cait, a living definition of ‘sexy librarian.’ She’s hot, smart, and her accent is to die for. But Alex has a girlfriend she loves and a job to get done. When the library pushes back on the system updates Alex was sent to implement, Alex must work closely with Cait to find a solution. Can Alex stay professional and maintain her relationship with Jasmine while working side-by-side with the alluring librarian?
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1952057000
Natalie’s Website: https://www.nataliefalkenwrath.com/
There is Gold and Steel by Darklord Swashbuckler
Two colonies orbit an ancient star. On Boskia, a young warrior named Darklord embarks on his first mission. Before he knows it, he is traveling to the sister world, Tharnia, a world ruled by women who have decided technology makes males obsolete. What he discovers about their world, and his own, may change the destiny of both, and, perhaps, save both.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083WN98LC
Darklord’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarklordSwashb1
What May Rise from the Ashes by Susanne Schmidt
Ofronia Mills is far too old to retire. She has spent all her life as a librarian, and when Grand-Director Lorn Van Shipplestorm threatens not only her job, but the integrity of the library itself, she has no choice but to act. Evading her boss and Tess Dingly, it-girl and reluctant librarian apprentice, Ofronia descends into the library’s forgotten fourth basement, which once housed the collection of magic books.
While Van Shipplestorm plots to bar the general populace from even entering the hallowed halls, Ofronia must decide what to do with what she finds. Will she entrust her fate to magic, although she once refused to learn anything about it? Or will she walk away quietly, like she has done all her life?Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/What-Rise-Ashes-Susanne-Schmidt-ebook/dp/B08599K2LV/
Susanne’s Website: https://susanneschmidt.me/
Gravity's Heir by Sara Bond
“Legacy is nothing but history, if it doesn’t have a future.”
When her father threw her out, sacrificing his only living daughter for the good of his shipping conglomerate, Lena Lomasky swore she could make it on her own. But now she’s broke and desperate, and pride won’t fuel her spaceship. Her latest job is simple: carry a datastick of state secrets home to her father. The same man who cut her off without a cent. Whatever. She can do this. Pass the whiskey.
An ill-timed royal assassination ignites a war and Lena’s crew is blamed. When she thinks to use her cache of state secrets to save them, Lena discovers she’s actually smuggling the only known plans for her father’s invention: a gravity bomb that can vaporize entire cities.
Lena must decide: continue on and hope her father can design a defense to save millions of lives, or leverage the plans to save the only people who really matter.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084HLKVNJ/
Sara’s Website: https://www.saratbond.com/
Porphyry & Blood by Peter Sandham
1462.
The Republic of Venice.
Nine years on from surviving the fall of Constantinople, Anna Notaras now lives an empty life of luxury on the lagoon.
But the Ottoman empire has not ceased its relentless expansion and now Sultan Mehmed plans the conquest of Italy – and to stable his horses in St Peter’s Basilica.
When the Venetian Senate ask Anna to help stop her old Turk enemies, she quickly agrees. The mission seems simple: join an embassy to Wallachia to cement an alliance. But there is nothing straight forward about the ruler Anna is to meet: Vlad Dracula.
Moreover, Anna’s status among her fellow Byzantine refugees is built upon a lie, and not everyone among her travelling party has Anna’s best interests at heart.
Worse still, Anna’s embassy is not the only group heading for Dracula. A Turk army is closing in, intent on placing Vlad’s brother on the Wallachian throne.
Caught in a bloody web of intrigue, Anna will need the same wit and courage that allowed her to survive Constantinople if she is to return from her mission alive.
Recommended for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Dorothy Dunnett and Michael Jecks.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Porphyry-Blood-Novels-Peter-Sandham/dp/B088VRPRWQ
Peter’s Blog: http://porphyryand.blogspot.com/
Vampire Blood & Iron Bullets by Lily Luchesi
One vampire. One Fae. Countless assassins. Challenge accepted.
Energy vampires make excellent rock stars. Changelings make excellent actors. It’s been that way since time out of mind, and the best way to discover an actor is a changeling? Look at the awards they haven’t won.
Perry Gold is one of the most brilliant changeling actors out there, and one award has always eluded him. Until now. And now that’s he’s won it, he’s a wanted man on a hunter’s hit list. As a celebrity, he can’t run forever. He needs the type of protection only a vampire can provide.
If the world’s most successful special agent Angelica Cross can’t save him, no one can.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0848KTMN9
Lily’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/LilyLuchesi
Unholy bu Austin Valenzuela
Lord Jericho, the leader of the church of St. Damascus, trains students in the art of killing dragons and harnessing their magic.
Unholy tells the story of a boy named Isaac, a student of the church, as he is called to perform his final test of the year. For the last five years, Isaac has gone against the ways of the Lord and refused to sacrifice the sacred creatures his father had always taught him to love.
He doesn’t belong.
But when test day comes around, Isaac finally gives in to the pressure and sacrifices an innocent peach-colored dragon in front of the class.
Appalled with himself and bullied by the others for caring, Isaac seeks redemption by breaking Lord Jericho’s most important rule—never leave church grounds—and he stumbles into an adventure that will change his view of dragons forever.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Unholy-Gothic-Fantasy-Austin-Valenzuela-ebook/dp/B08DVDG7ZD/
Austin’s Website: https://www.austinvalenzuela.com/
Slumberland by Derra Nicole Sabo
How do you dream? Are your dreams in color or black ‘n white? Do they feel surreal or all too real?Well, I’d like to introduce you to my little slice of bittersweet. These subconscious woods hold every fear and my anxieties masked are as wolves. Nightmares that play on a loop for weeks, even months at a time. Symptoms of waking in cold sweats and shaking. The only moments of peace are found in the sporadically studded dreams that happen every now and again. These woods house every past demon as well as certain past versions of who I once was. This place is worse than death, yet it inspires. So……Before my alarm goes off, before I take the last train out of here, I take one last glance back, one last glance at all of the Polaroids, pinned to every tree branch, Polaroids of every dream and nightmare that have stolen my nights since ’95……These dreams…these woods…this place…it’s my upside-down. This is my Slumberland…
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Slumberland-Derra-Nicole-Sabo/dp/1949798585/
Derra’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/derra_nic
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2020 New Titles – August 14
My Dear Cousin by Anya Chen
‘What you did not tell him was that you now understood why you had those nightmares in the first place, for the face which had turned back to you in surprise was, in fact, the one you had daily seen reflected in mirrors from another lifetime.’
Disturbed by a string of nightmares, Abby is led to believe that she has recalled about her past life. She starts writing about it, remembering herself as a self-absorbed eight-year-old and her older cousin as a melancholy girl who, despite her striking red hair and good looks, seems almost invisible to the people around her. Lacking attention from her parents, she focuses all her energy on her older cousin, treating her with exceptional kindness and earning all her affections in return.
Meanwhile, Yu Qin/Eugenia, a discontented student in Singapore, reaches out to Abby over an internet forum and strikes up a friendship. Frustrated about her cancelled trip with her best friend, she is inspired to write about her family situation. She continues writing about her life and unknowingly betrays many similarities between herself and the older cousin in her new friend’s private writing. Wanting to escape from her family, she seeks to join Abby on her journey to search for her past in place of her cancelled vacation.
The book weaves together two different accounts, one focusing on the past and the other the present, both told through the characters’ heavily biased perspective. It was written with the intention of encouraging different interpretations depending on the readers’ perspective. There are several ways to interpret the story, to read it just as it is, to trust either one of the characters or neither, or to make things even more complicated—to see Yu Qin as an imaginary character dreamed up by Abby to help herself cope with regaining her memory of a deeply upsetting past.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/My-Dear-Cousin-Anya-Chen-ebook/dp/B085RK8NYY/
Anya’s Website: https://twitter.com/Anyachenanya
Plague by Julie Anderson
There are many ways to die. Plague is just one of them.
Work on a London tube line is halted by the discovery of an ancient plague pit and, within it, a very recent corpse. A day later another body is found, killed in the same way, also in a plague pit. This victim is linked to the Palace of Westminster, where rumours swirl around the Prime Minister and his rivals.
As the number of deaths climbs, the media stokes fear. Government assurances are disbelieved. Everyone feels threatened. This has to be resolved and fast.
The Westminster connection enables Detective Inspector Andrew Rowlands, working alone on a series of rapes and murders of vulnerable young people in central London, to finally persuade his superiors that there is a pattern. He is assigned to lead the case. Cassandra Fortune, a disgraced civil servant, is given the uncomfortable task of investigating the investigation, while joining forces with Rowlands to find the killers before Parliament rises for recess.
Together they navigate the arcane world of the Palace of Westminster as the body count grows. But someone is leaking important details about the case to the press and the media ratchets up the pressure. Misinformation and malice online feeds distrust and panic and the Black Death begins to stalk the streets of London once again.
Meanwhile the commercial and political world focuses on the launch of a huge government Thames-side building programme worth billions. Powerful forces, in Parliament and the City, are competing for its spoils. How, if at all, does this link with the killings? Drawn into the melee, Cassandra Fortune finds herself the object of the attentions of one of the major players, wealthy City broker, Lawrence Delahaye. The attraction is mutual. Fortune and Rowlands discover a shadowy underground network of influence and power as they race against the clock to prevent the death of more innocents and the destruction of the Mother of Parliaments itself. Cassandra will be forced to make a terrible decision as she faces ruin. Time is running out and it’s not clear what, or who, is going to survive.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plague-Julie-Anderson-ebook/dp/B0884ZHZRP/
Julie’s Website: https://julieandersonwriter.com/
Familiar by T.J. Blake
For as long as she can remember, Arabella has communicated with those who exist only in memory.
Being the centre of attention growing up was uncomfortable, and now, as a renowned psychic medium, it is becoming more of a struggle. Arabella’s ability and reputation always made it impossible to hold onto lasting relationships, but with those who no longer walk this earth, that’s not the case.
Arabella returns to where it all began fifteen-years before – on the very same stage. After an evening reconnecting loved ones and exposing untold stories, Arabella can’t help but wonder about the one unclaimed ‘friend’, and their cryptic message.
In an unexpected turn of events, Arabella finds herself the subject of morning headlines and at the centre of Detective Barnes’ investigation.
Can Arabella use her ability to prove her innocence and uncover the truth about the past?
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Familiar-T-J-Blake-ebook/dp/B086ZR2BF6/
T.J.’s Website: https://twitter.com/TJBlake93
Reformed by H.L. Burke
Once a villain, always a villain?
Optimistic and idealistic superhero Prism is determined to redeem her father’s legacy by rebooting his supervillain rehabilitation program. To do so, she sets her sights on Fade, the relapsed supervillain who was the reason the government canceled the original program in the first place. However, when she petitions for Fade to be released into her custody, she finds out things might not be as simple as she thought.
Convicted of an unforgivable crime, Fade received a choice: surrender to trial and possible execution or endure a memory erasure so he could start fresh. Now with no recollection of his time before incarceration, Fade doubts he has the ability to be anything but the villain the public believes him to be.
A series of attacks by a mysterious power-swapping villain points back to Fade’s past and the crime that cost him his freedom and memory. With her father’s legacy and her own reputation on the line, even Prism has to wonder: can a villain truly be reformed?
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085X8N8FL/
H.L.’s Website: https://www.hlburkeauthor.com/
Undying Embrace by K.L. Bone
Death, Christabel thought bitterly. An inescapable fate that, for her,would remain forever elusive.
Life was perfect before he came. The vampire who shattered the world she knew. Handsome, intelligent, and charming, a single taste of Dracula’s touch overrode Christabel’s cautious sensibilities and left her breathless, craving a life beyond traditional expectations. A destiny of knowledge, which could only be found in the creature’s eternal embrace.
Fueled by unquenchable passion, and a desperate belief that the brilliant Christabel might break the curse condemning him to darkness, the vampire prince will do anything to claim her.
As her traitorous heart opens, will Christabel resist the vampire’s dark desires, or become his immortal bride?Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B085S4DXF4
K.L.’s Website: https://klbone.com/
The Watermark by Peyton Landry
Their friend’s wedding is everything Otto Ryerson and Darrius Beck had hoped for, but the day holds a great deal more excitement for Otto because the sexy, spiky-blond wedding photographer hired for the day has captivated him from the first click of the shutter.
But Ty Lansing’s darkroom holds more than just negatives, and although it’s Ty’s camera that’s brought the men together, it’s Ty’s history with it that will bring Otto to his knees in a way he never expected. And it has Otto trying to hold on to the man he loves while that man fights him every step of the way.
The last time Karrie Hayes saw Darrius, he was a mildly handsome teen, just growing into his body. Now, he is a stunningly virile man of thirty-four, every inch of him screaming that his adolescence has passed, as has his innocence.
The last Darrius laid eyes on his friend’s baby sister, she was an awkward child. Now, Karrie is a curvy, bubbly, twenty-four-year old blonde with a fierce mind of her own and an amazing presence.
But Karrie’s brother, Spencer, has a problem, and it has nothing to do with Darrius ebony skin; it’s his eclectic sex life that has the two men brawling since Darrius has always preferred his women petite and blonde, and his men muscular and tall. And Karrie is not the only person Darrius wants in his bed this time.
Although… with a snap of the shutter… Darrius isn’t the only man interested in Karrie’s picture.
With the continuation of the Blurred Lines Series, The Watermark will have you paying attention to not only the pictures, but the video.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B088HHJ8J1
Peyton’s Website: https://www.peytonlandry.ca/
Creative Writer's Master Kit by Zack Bozic
This book is a pragmatic induction to the trade and art of creative writing. You will learn not only how to successfully transform your great ideas into stories, but also how to properly edit your writing material and turn it into a complete work.
Additionally, you will be provided with an important element so many other books on writing are missing – with the very blueprint of creative writing that will make the whole writing process substantially easier for you.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0878ZQ1GW
Zack’s Website: https://twitter.com/ZackBozic
How to Live the Good Life in France by Lorraine Turnbull
Fed up with the rat race? Dreaming of a simpler life? A better life? A GOOD LIFE?
Since the 1990’s hundreds of thousands of people left it all behind and moved to France.
Are you dreaming about moving to France to live a simpler, rural life; perhaps on a smallholding or simply in the countryside? Then THIS is the book for YOU.
This practical and up-to-date book will lead you through the many questions you may have including:
* How Brexit will affect you
* Owning animals or setting up a smallholding in France
* Finding & securing the right property
* Starting a rural business
Benefit from Lorraine Turnbull’s own experience and read the case studies from real people who have moved to live the Good Life in various areas of France. It’s a big step to a brave new world and this timely book aims to help you in your journey to your Good Life in France. Lorraine is an award-winning smallholder and former cider maker who relocated to rural France in 2017.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B086DT7ZS3/
Lorraine’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/LorraineAuthor
Cries to Kill the Corpse Flower by Ronald J. Murphy
Cries to Kill the Corpse Flower is a stomach slit by knives and guts spilled on the pavement. It is the organized chaos of a man on the brink of running, a man gasping for air in those split seconds his head breaks through the surface—a man who’s realized you can’t outrun yourself—told in the narrative arc of a Crow Crowned King and a Corpse Flower Queen in their castle in the suburbs.
Ronald J. Murray’s debut dark poetry collection is a hard look in the mirror through forty poems that examine of one of the most terrifying monsters that could ever exist: the darkness that can bloom inside any one of us, and which can wreak havoc in every shadow-laden corner of our lives. It’s something sinister that can feed on our insides and reign from an unseen throne. Our ears are filled with its insidious, manipulative whispers that it’s those around us stealing our joy, our love, our lives. Our vision is clouded by its tendrils, taking root in our brains. It tells us to take that final plunge into a sea of lost identity. It uses our hands as extensions to enact its will, giving us a false sense of sovereignty.
Will you relinquish your crown?
Buy the Book: https://journalstone.com/bookstore/cries-to-kill-the-corpse-flower/
Ronald’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonaldJMurray
Enchanted Knight by Keith W. Willis
Revenge… Dark magic… Murder…
Looks like this time the bad guys really mean business.A storm is coming, borne on the wings of prophecy, and Morgan and Marissa stand squarely in the path of the tempest.
They should be preparing to celebrate a joyous wedding. Instead, Marissa struggles to master her newfound powers, while Morgan becomes enmeshed in an unwelcome alliance to repay a debt of honor.
As multiple cryptic prophecies unfold, the indomitable pair find themselves facing power-hungry wizards, treasure-hunting pirates, a wrangle of dragons, and an enigmatic woman driven by forbidden magic and revenge.
When Morgan vanishes under suspicious circumstances and Marissa’s power unexpectedly falters, the lines between enemies and allies swirl and blur like deadly Thundermist. With threats closing in from all quarters, Marissa’s only hope to save her enchanted knight lies in taming the wild magic she never wanted.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086XHJRF1
Keith’s Website: https://www.keithwillisauthor.com/
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2020 New Titles – July 31st
Lots more books this week. I keep thinking I’m getting close to the end of the list, but there are just so many books! I’m not complaining. This week is books for older audiences. Next week will be books that are picture books – young adult.
The Chimera Code by Wayne SantosEVERYTHING’S FOR HIRE. EVEN MAGIC.
If you need something done, Cloke’s one of the best; a mercenary with some unusual talents and an attitude to match.But when she’s hired by a virtual construct to destroy the other copies of himself, and the down payment is a new magical skill, she knows this job is going to be a league harder than anything she’s ever done.
“A full-throttle magical cyberpunk superhero thriller” – Peter McLean
Buy the Book: https://rebellionpublishing.com/product/the-chimera-code/
Wayne’s Website: https://www.waynesantos.com/
Seven Settings by Watt MorganIt’s been a year since they graduated high school, and to celebrate their reunion, eight old friends take off to a cabin by the lake. And despite threatening omens from the locals, the party must go on. Until, one by one, the friends begin dying off in horrible ways. Are they the victims of a science experiment–one with the potential to destroy the fabric of reality itself? Will they be able to survive at the hands of the masked Hazmat? Or will they succumb to their own stoned and drunken idiocy? Prepare to simultaneously laugh and cringe with this comedy-horror novella.
Watt’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWattMorgan
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084FQGV4Z
From Ashes to Magic (A Supernatural Beings Anthology Book 1)It’s when they creep out of the shadows that you should beware. The good ones will hold your hand when you’re having a nightmare; the bad ones BECOME your nightmare, seeping into your very soul and burrowing in the darkness until they’ve completely taken over.
Ten authors. Ten stories. Many supernatural beings you’ve come to know and love.
Once you plunge into these pages, you won’t want to leave.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Ashes-Magic-Supernatural-Beings-Anthology-ebook/dp/B07YMTM4LW
Mikki Noble’s Website: https://www.mikkinoble.com/
Jennifer C. Covin’s Website: https://twitter.com/JennWritesVamps
Nita Pan’s Website: https://nitapanwrites.com/
Melony Paradise’s Books: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/melony-paradise
Adi Denner’s Website: https://adidenner.com/
Abby Paul’s Website: https://twitter.com/APaulWrites
Carmen Adam’s Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Adams/e/B07ZXL2GWY/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_7
Ryen Lesli’s Website: https://ryenlesli.com/
Evelyn Chartres’ Website: http://evelynchartres.com/
Ari Meghlen’s Website: https://arimeghlen.co.uk/
The Jealousy of Jalice (A Disaster of Dokojin Book 1) by Jesse Nolan BaileyThe Realms have split apart, the Stones of Elation have been hidden, and warnings of dokojin drift among the tribes.
The land and its people are corrupted. The Sachem, chief of the Unified Tribes, is to blame.
It is this conviction that drives Annilasia and Delilee to risk their lives. Afraid of the aether magic he wields, they enact a subtler scheme: kidnap his wife. In her place, Delilee will pretend to be the chieftess and spy on the Sachem.
Unaware of this plot against her husband, Jalice is whisked away by Annilasia. Pleading with her captor proves futile, and she rejects Annilasia’s delusional accusations against the chief. After all, the Sachem has brought peace to the land.
Yet a dangerous truth hides in Jalice’s past. As she and Annilasia flee through a forest of insidious threats, they must confront the evil plaguing the tribes and the events that unleashed it.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085BCZDT5
Jesse’s Weblinks: https://linktr.ee/JesseNBailey
Buried Alive: A Story of Hate and Acceptance by A. JamesThis remarkable true story of adolescent sexual abuse, survival and triumph offers realistic hope to all victims of abuse – both for recovery, and for a fulfilling life no longer defined by an abusive past. The author’s courageous struggle to achieve insight and awareness, and eventually see justice done, points a way for others to overcome childhood trauma and victimisation.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TJSRWF
A. James’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajames_buriedalive/
The Ups and Downs of Norman Drudge by Iain DalgleishA story of loneliness, friendship, love and a library.
Twenty-five year old Gemma Davies lives alone in her flat in Ealing where she likes to read and watch old movies. On weekdays, she works at the local library and on Saturdays works at the nearby charity shop.
Her only friend is recently widowed Mrs Dawson, a seventy-something-year-old pensioner who visits every Thursday on Gemma’s day off when they put the world to rights, drink tea from china cups, watch an old film or visit the nearby duck pond.
Sitting in Gemma’s kitchen window, they become obsessed with a neighbour whose life seems to involve just looking out onto the street while drinking tea and eating biscuits. They nickname him ‘Norman Drudge.’
When the local council decides that the library has to close, Gemma and Mrs Dawson hatch a plan to save it.
Meanwhile, Gemma finds herself falling for the local shopkeeper, Mr Patel.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Ups-Downs-Norman-Drudge-ebook/dp/B084VBR6XQ/
Iain’s Twitter: https://www.amazon.com/Ups-Downs-Norman-Drudge-ebook/dp/B084VBR6XQ/
Elowyn of Avalon: Tales of Avalon: Chronicles of a Forgotten Land by Wallace R. HansonElowyn is an ordinary girl: studious, bright, and pious, an asset to her community and a willing volunteer to join the Youth of Promise, an elite group of ecclesiastical students. She leaves for her education and is trailed by her headstrong sister Windine, who is punished for her transgression with a secret quest in the Mother Land south of Avalon. Both sisters experience a swift and brutal crisis of faith due to corrupt leadership, aggrandized world views, and an introduction to a society and people they had been sheltered from. Elowyn finds herself gifted with enormous power she did not know she had within her and embarks on a worldwide ministry to inform the human race of their own divinity outside of the rule of heaven. Danger stirs in the west as Avalon’s sister country Atlantis mounts an attack on heaven itself led by Nimrod the Mighty Hunter, whose affront to the deities may mean the destruction of the entire world.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087RC7LB6
Wallace’s Website: http://www.wallacehanson.com/
Atonement (Heaven Sent Book 1) by JL RothsteinTo Hell, this world is fractured and faithless, perfectly ripe for the picking. Sent by Heaven, Guardians defend against a malevolent onslaught of demonic intrusion. For hundreds of years the nine siblings of the O’Mara family have been engaged in this merciless battle, fighting to protect the souls of all humanity.
Heaven and Hell have been waging this infernal war bound only by the rules of a contentious accord. On the anniversary of her husband Gabriel’s disappearance, Genevieve O’Mara’s lingering sorrow manifests into a murderous rage unfurled upon a demon. Vengeance is coming, not just for Genevieve, but for all those she loves.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088JZQ9LN/
JL’s Website: https://www.jlrothstein.com/
The Adulterer's Trial by Sam AnthonyEveryone has a secret. How much would you pay to keep yours?
Lee wakes from a coma to find himself on trial for double homicide.
His lover is dead. His wife is dead. His lawyer is hot! His girlfriend is jealous.
And, to make matters worse, the Alphabet Killer remains at large.
Find out what ensues in this the fourth instalment of The Adulterer Series.
Buy the Book
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088C5N42V
US: https://amazon.com/dp/B088C5N42V
Sam’s Website: https://samanthony.net/
The Beloved Fire: The Beloved Series: Book 1 by Chelsii KleinMikayla has been stalked by the supernatural all her life. They’ve waited patiently for her 21st birthday. When her one night of freedom goes wrong. Purgatory is where she is taken and she soon discovers the real identities of the dream walking twins, Blake and James. They aren’t her only problem. In her new captive realm she discovers the very real existence of Angels, Demons, and the Magical.
Purgatory, a mansion filled with endless hallways and doors leading into any souls greatest nightmares, is ran by one irritatingly handsome Anock, Prince of Hell. Finding a way out may not be her only problem once she discovers why the supernatural is after her soul. She will have to put attractions aside if she’s to make it through this game. The world she never knew existed now lays at her feet. However; Purgatory is just the beginning.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086H54JXY/
Chelsii’s Website: https://www.authorchelsiiklein.com/
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Black Lives Matter
In Support of Black Lives Matter I’m posting about books by Black authors/illustrators. (I will be posting the rest of the books on my list later.) Right now Black creators need our support. This list are books I’d like to read and are mostly 2020 releases. There are so many more new books out there this year so follow these people on Twitter, because they are constantly posting great Black reads this year!
The first book is by Kacen Callender is about and written by a trans Black person. Recently the trans community received a big hit by JKR’s comments on Twitter. This isn’t right and it’s caused a lot of pain. I want to show my support, respect and love to trans people!
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On My TBR Pile
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (Queer, Trans, Romance, YA)Felix Love has never been in love–and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many–Black, queer, and transgender–to ever get his own happily-ever-after.
When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages–after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned–Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi-love triangle….
But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.
Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.
Buy The Book: https://bookshop.org/books/felix-ever-after/9780062820259
Kacen’s Website: https://www.kacencallender.com/
Kacen’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/kacencallender
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow (Sci-fi, YA)Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world’s population.
Today, seventeen-year-old Ellie Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. With humans deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, emotional expression can be grounds for execution. Music, art and books are illegal, but Ellie still keeps a secret library.
When young Ilori commander M0Rr1S finds Ellie’s library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more.
Humanity’s fate rests in the hands of an alien Ellie should fear, but M0Rr1S has a potential solution–thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous journey with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while creating a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.
Get the Book: Signed + Swag: https://www.onemorepagebooks.com/book/9781335911551
For more places to buy the book go here: https://twitter.com/alechiawrites/status/1238622395856019456
Alechia’s Website: https://www.alechiadow.com/
Alechia’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/alechiawrites
Given by Nandi Taylor (Fantasy, YA)As a princess of the Yirba, Yenni is all-but-engaged to the prince of a neighboring tribe. She knows it’s her duty to ensure peace for her people, but as her father’s stubborn illness steadily worsens, she sets out on a sacred journey to the empire of Cresh, determined to find a way to save him at any cost, even though failure could mean the wrath of her gods and ruin for her people. One further complication? On the day she arrives at the Prevan Academy for Battle and Magical Arts, she meets an arrogant dragon-shifter named Weysh who claims she’s his “Given”, or destined mate. Muscular, beautiful (and completely infuriating), he’s exactly the kind of distraction Yenni can’t afford while her father’s life hangs in the balance.
But while Yenni would like nothing more than to toss Weysh the man into the nearest river, Weysh the dragon quickly becomes a much-needed friend in the confusing northern empire. Yet when her affection for the dragon starts to transfer to the man, Yenni must reconcile her duty to her tribe with the call of her own heart.
Buy The Book: https://hypel.ink/given
Nandi’s Website: https://nanditaylor.com/
Nandi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nandi_taylor
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (Queer, Romance, YA)Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.
But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down… until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.
The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams—or make them come true?
Buy The Book: https://linktr.ee/byleahjohnson
Leah’s Website: https://www.byleahjohnson.com/
Leah’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/byleahjohnson
A Song Below Water by Bethany Morrow (Fantasy, YA)Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Nevermind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes. But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she’s also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore―soon Portland won’t be either.
Buy the Book: https://bookshop.org/books/a-song-below-water/9781250315328?aid=4807
Bethany’s Website: https://www.bethanycmorrow.com/
Bethany’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCMorrow
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (Fantasy, YA)In a world inspired by West and North African mythology, where magic and spirits lurk behind every corner, two teens on opposite sides of a thousand-year-old conflict must kill each other to save the ones they love —even if it means fighting the blossoming connection that ties them together.
An explosive new Young Adult Fantasy novel by Roseanne A. Brown, perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone and Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes!
Buy The Book:
Signed copy of the book: https://bookswithapast.com/home/bookdetailsin/0062891499
Other places to get the book: https://roseanneabrown.com/books
Rosanne’s Website: https://roseanneabrown.com/
Rosanne’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosiesrambles
The Gilded Ones by Namia Forna (Fantasy, YA)Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.
Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat.
Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.
Buy the Book: https://www.getunderlined.com/books/600179/the-gilded-ones-by-namina-forna/
Namia’s Website: https://naminaforna.com/
Namia’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/NaminaForna
Manifique Noir by Briana Lawerence (Fantasy Graphic Novel)“It’s all fun and games until you question the magic.”
Our favorite magical girl squad is back for their regularly scheduled program.
Kind of.
After the last colossal battle, Marianna, Bree, and Lonnie are trying their best to recover, but the daily monsters don’t give a lick about self-doubt and personal struggles. Fortunately, Prism Pink is there to lend a hand, turning the trio into a courageous group of girls who can take on whatever threat comes their way.There’s just one problem: they still don’t know who Prism Pink is or where she came from.
In fact, where did any of this come from?
The monsters. The magical powers. What does any of it mean? It’s time to start getting answers, but are the girls ready to hear the truth? Knowledge is power, as they say, but power is fickle and can be corrupted so easily. After all, Blaze never said what happened to the previous generation of magnifiqueNOIR, did she?
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0999398326
Signed Copy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/706866544/magnifiquenoir-you-are-magical-book-2
Magnifique Noir Website: http://www.magnifiquenoir.com/
Brianna’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrichibiTweets
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett (Fiction, Queer, YA)Simone Garcia-Hampton is absolutely positive that having a crush is more dangerous than having HIV; after all, she’s got her viral load under control. Simone knows that her status isn’t a death sentence, as long as she remembers to take her medication and go to her doctor’s appointments, she can live a long, healthy life. There’s just one problem: she wants to have sex. Badly.
She knows abstinence is the safest policy, she’s heard it almost every day of her life from her sweet and well-meaning Dads, and up until now, she’s been able to handle it herself, but Miles Austin has ruined that. He’s hot! He plays lacrosse! He asks Simone about her favorite plays because of how it lights her face up! What’s a horny (but responsible) teenage girl to do!?
Simone is already agonizing about how to tell Miles about her status, but she’s been burned before when she told people that she loved that she was positive—she even had to switch schools over it, leaving her boarding school when there was a huge public outcry from uneducated parents, not to mention a scarring shunning from the people she cared about most. She’s determined to keep her status a secret, but the cardinal rule of dating-while-positive is disclosure. Allowing herself to get close to Miles would be a gigantic risk.
Before she’s able to figure out what to do, Simone finds a threatening note left in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know, too.
Buy the Book: https://www.camryngarrett.com/full-disclosure
Camyrn’s Website: https://www.camryngarrett.com/
Camyrn’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/dancingofpens
Books I've Read and Love
Clyde the Hippo: Clyde Goes to School by Keith Marantz, Illustrated by Larissa Marantz (Fiction, Picture Book)Meet Clyde, a lively (and often worried) hippo with a heart of gold who’s always eager to go on new adventures, in this fun-filled 8×8!
Clyde can’t believe his mom is making him go to school. He has so much fun at home—what could a classroom possibly have to offer? As his mom lists all the activities he’ll get to do, Clyde only imagines the worst possible outcomes. He’s so caught up in what could go wrong that he’s determined to turn around and go home. But when he comes across his kind teacher and the butterfly habitat she’s carrying inside, it might just be enough to convince him to stay!
Buy the Book/Clyde’s Website: http://www.clydethehippo.com/index.html
Larissa’s Website: http://larissamarantz.com/index.html
Larissa’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/LarissaMarantz
Odd One Out by Nic Stone (Fiction, Queer, YA)Courtney Cooper and Jupiter Sanchez (Coop & Jupe!) have been next-door neighbors and best friends since they were seven-years-old. She’s his partner-in-crime and other half. But lately, Cooper can’t ignore he might want something more than friendship from Jupiter.
When Rae Chin moves to town she can’t believe how lucky she is to find Coop and Jupe. Being the new kid is usually synonymous with pariah, but around these two, she finally feels like she belongs. She’s so grateful she wants to kiss him…and her.Jupiter has always liked girls.
But when Rae starts dating Cooper, Jupe realizes that the only girl she ever really imagined by his side was her.
One story. Three sides. No easy answers.Buy the Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534051/odd-one-out-by-nic-stone/9781101939567/
Nic’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/getnicced
Nic’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicstone/
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2020 Book Releases!
I had so wanted to do a Black only book release post today to support Black Lives Matter. Unfortunately, I didn’t responses to my Tweets yet (I’m still going to try). It’s expected because it took me some time to get responses to my author posts. If you are Black you can still comment here and hopefully I can get several people for a dedicated post. https://twitter.com/DaniDuck/status/1267504987367587847
Even if I’ve already posted your work please feel free to submit you book again for a second post!
I do have some Black authors below, and am also including other POC to the list. I may have missed a few people, so feel free to let me know if I missed you!
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Books for Grown-Ups
Dragonborn by Whitney Rines
Five Amaranthine coveting godhood commit horrific actions against mortals and the world they share and are granted twisted versions of their desire.
Dragonborn follows the story of Fayet and his own journey to humanity, by watching mortals over time. He eventually falls for a mortal woman named Ayshir and assuming a mortal shell builds a family and home with her.However, the events preceding their union and the ones that that follow after, slowly bring a darkness that threatens to destroy his family.
Website: https://www.whitneyrines.com/
Buy Dragonborn and preview Whitney’s Other Books: https://www.whitneyrines.com/publications
This is My America by Kim Johnson
Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time—her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy’s older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a “thug” on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike. But will Tracy and her family survive the uncovering of the skeletons of their Texas town’s racist history that still haunt the present?
Preorder the Book:
https://www.getunderlined.com/books/608329/this-is-my-america-by-kim-johnson/
Kim’s Website: https://www.kcjohnsonwrites.com/
I Should Have Worn A Curtain by Samyra Alexander
This quick read follows one woman’s struggle to accept her childhood trauma, face her relationship with food with honesty and bravery, and overcome an illness that has kept her silent too long.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088KBYT6C
Folow Samyra: https://twitter.com/SamyraTell
Fears and Love by Halima ADISA
Get the Book: https://twitter.com/leemah_deesah/status/1256860072401006593
Follow Leema: https://twitter.com/leemah_deesah
Island Seas by V.E. WilchCombe
Can 12yr old Michael Jones survive the night alone on Lightning Cay? It belongs to them, everyone knows this! Island myths and legends come to life in my new fantasy novella.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084LL15MD
V.E. Wilchcombe’s Website: https://starbeam88.wixsite.com/mysite-4
Calculated Murder by H.G Ahedi
In New York, Roumoult Cranston is infamously known for his keen interest in bizarre cases. So, when Garner Moss, a millionaire playboy is murdered by rich ex model, he is not intrigued. Fate intervenes when Roumoult becomes a prime suspect who was not only at the crime scene but also benefits from the dead man’s will.
With only seven suspects, including Roumoult, who killed Garner Moss might be a simple question to answer, but why? When motives like jealously, revenge, lust, money, power do not apply, the quest to answer this question will open a Pandora box because, in the case of the Calculated Murder, the living and the dead tread on dangerous terrain.
Buy the Book: amazon.com/H.G-Ahedi/e/B0
H.G’s Ahedi’s Website: https://harbeerahedi.wordpress.com/hedi
Older by Emily Schaubeck
A collection of poetry and prose for the lost and broken hearted. As everyone is on their journey to healing as I am.
Buy The Book: https://www.amazon.com/Older-Emily-Schaubeck/dp/1082090662
Follow Emily: https://twitter.com/EmilySchaubeck
Kidlit Books
Not Your American Girl by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Lauren and her best friend, Tara, have always done absolutely everything together. So when they don’t have any classes together in sixth grade, it’s disastrous. The solution? Trying out for the school play. Lauren, who loves to sing, wonders if maybe, just maybe, she will be the star instead of Tara this time.
But when the show is cast, Lauren lands in the ensemble, while Tara scores the lead role. Their teacher explains: Lauren just doesn’t look the part of the all-American girl. What audience would believe that she, half-Jewish, half-Chinese Lauren, was the everygirl star from Pleasant Valley, USA?
From amidst the ensemble, Lauren tries to support her best friend. But when she can’t bring herself to sing anymore, her spot in the play and her friendship are in jeopardy. With the help of a button-making business, the music of Patsy Cline, and her two bickering grandmothers, can Lauren find her voice again?
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VVTB9Q2
Madelyn’s Website: http://www.madelynrosenberg.com/
Wendy’s Website: http://wendyshang.com
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
Nishat doesn’t want to lose her family, but she also doesn’t want to hide who she is, and it only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life. Flávia is beautiful and charismatic, and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat decide to showcase their talent as henna artists. In a fight to prove who is the best, their lives become more tangled, but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush, especially since Flávia seems to like her back.
As the competition heats up, Nishat has a decision to make: stay in the closet for her family, or put aside her differences with Flávia and give their relationship a chance.
Buy The Book & Adiba’s Website: https://adibajaigirdar.com/the-henna-wars
Adiba’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/adiba_j
The Ocean Calls by Tina Cho Illustrated by Jess X. Snow
Dayeon wants to be a haenyeo just like Grandma. The haenyeo dive off the coast of Jeju Island to pluck treasures from the sea–generations of Korean women have done so for centuries. To Dayeon, the haenyeo are as strong and graceful as mermaids. To give her strength, Dayeon eats Grandma’s abalone porridge. She practices holding her breath while they do the dishes. And when Grandma suits up for her next dive, Dayeon grabs her suit, flippers, and goggles. A scary memory of the sea keeps Dayeon clinging to the shore, but with Grandma’s guidance, Dayeon comes to appreciate the ocean’s many gifts.
Buy The Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609075/the-ocean-calls-by-tina-cho-illustrated-by-jess-x-snow/
Tina’s Website: https://www.tinamcho.com/
Jess’ Website: http://www.jessxsnow.com/
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2020 Books!
Here is a short list of books I gathered from Twitter that had releases this year. Check them out and pick up a copy if you like!
I’m working through a long list of books suggested to me, so I will not have all of the books in this one post. I will continue to make posts on Tuesdays until I get through the list.
If there is a problem with the information on the page, please contact me. If there is a problem with any of the books I may not display them on my site.
Children's Books
MISADVENTURES OF A MAGICIAN’S SON by Laurie Smollett Kutscera released April 1st (published by Blue Whale Press/Clearfork). Middle Grade.
Buy the Book: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781732893542
Taste Your Words by Bonnie Clark. Illustrated by Todd Bright. Picture Book.
Website:
Bonnie Clark https://bonnieclarkbooks.com/
Todd Bright http://www.toddbright.com/
Buy the Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Your-Words-Bonnie-Clark/dp/1546015175/Legend of the Storm Sneezer by Kristina Sfirlea. Middle Grade.
Website: https://www.kristianasquill.com/
Buy the Book: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781948095563
The Box Turtle by Vanessa Roeder. Picture Book
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nessadeeart
Buy the Book: https://www.bookpeople.com/book/9780735230507The Doggy Doctor and the Upset Tummy by Dr. Jacqueline Johnson illustrated by Chennon Roberts. Coming out later this year.
Website: https://www.beardeddogpress.com/
She Leads: The Elephant Matriarch
by June Smalls. Illustrated by Yumi Shimokawara.
Website: https://junesmalls.com/
Buy the Book: https://www.workman.com/products/she-leadsSloth Went by Adam Lehrhaupt. Illustrated by Benson Shum.
Adam Lehrhaupt’s Website: http://adamlehrhaupt.com/
Benon Shum’s Website: http://bensonshum.com/
Adult
Cells by Julia Cowan. Languishing in a mysterious prison, a teenager is torn between exposing his abductors and his desire for a new life.
Website & Buy the Book: https://www.blkdogpublishing.com/cells
BETRAYAL: A Jill Andersen Mystery by J.D. Gunegan
Website: https://jdcuneganbooks.com/
Buy the Book: https://books2read.com/b/mdzP8ESteampunk Leap Year by Jessica Lucci
Buy the Book: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JessicaLucciBooks?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
Reforged by Dark Passion by Lila Mina
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Reforged-Dark-Passion-Yakuza-Romance-ebook/dp/B088JX1J3L -
The Mighty Intisar Khanani –Plus a Prize!
Some writers get all the luck. Intisar Khanani has the luck of being given a magical name! Her name (pronounced just as it looks) is perfect for a fantasy writer. Intisar loves writing fantasy books with strong female leads. She had me at her name. Today she’s going to talk about mighty girls and I’m so here for this post!
You can read more about Intisar and her work here: http://booksbyintisar.com/
Look below this post for a prize!
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Photo of Intisar Writing Mighty Girls
Intisar Khanani
When I was a young teen, it was almost impossible to find stories in my chosen genre—fantasy—with strong female leads. When I stumbled across Tamora Pierce’s Alanna books, and Robin McKinley’s Damar books, it was like I had finally found stories that called to me. These were girls who stood up and fought for themselves, their people, and those they loved. I was over the moon, and continued to eat up stories of mighty girls as the years passed. I’m forty now, and YA fantasy is still my bread and jam: what I always come back to, and what I write.
But my conception of what makes a girl mighty has developed over the years, and in many ways departed from where it began. The idea of a girl being mighty because she excels in a man’s world by doing what a man would, only better, is one conception of mighty, and frankly, it’s needed. Absolutely women can kick butt as well as men, in pretty much any given sphere, whether it’s politics or sorcery or sword fighting (admittedly, if she’s of a smaller stature, the type of sword and her technique will differ).
The trouble is that we’re still playing by the male perspective; creating a valuation of “mighty” as excelling in a male-gendered conception of power. In such a world, being kind or compassionate or merciful are considered feminine and weak. And that does all of us a disservice, especially our young people. Why can’t you save the world, or yourself, through compassion? Through non-violent resistance and a nuanced understanding of mercy, rather than by the sword? Can’t both be considered mighty?
In my novel, Thorn, I have a young girl who must face both betrayal and a terrifyingly capable magical enemy without herself turning into a ninja or a sorceress. Instead, she must lean into her own personal strengths, and learn to carry the day through her courage, kindness, and intelligence. She is mighty, but not in the typical sense. And her story, I hope, will speak to all of us who can’t hope to win by turning into something we aren’t already.
As you go forward in your writing adventures, I urge you to consider writing mighty girls who are mighty in who they are—whatever that means for that particular character—gaining power and the ability to influence their story through the inherent might in being true to one’s best self. This is how we win each day, this is how we build better lives, this is how we change the world.
Let’s get writing!
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Follow Intisar:
Website: http://booksbyintisar.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BooksByIntisarFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/booksbyintisar/
Buy Intisar’s books:
Buy Thorn: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thorn-intisar-khanani/1111104034?ean=9780062835703
For other links to Intisar’s Thorne and other books start here: http://booksbyintisar.com/books/
@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%
Prize:
One lucky winner will get some website help from Dani Duck. I will review your current website and give you tips to make your site better. If you don’t have a website I’ll help you in setting one up! This includes a 1 hour zoom/email chat to set things up.*
To enter:
Comment below: Let Intisar know about your favorite fictional (or non-fictional) mighty girls! Or comment on anything she’s written about in this post.
Also let me know that you want this prize!
*Prize must be claimed within 30 days of it’s announcement and used within 6 months.
