The Qwillery

Happy 1st Monday in January! We've got a new year of reading ahead of us! I've started the year out by reading The Ascendant by Drew Chapman. It's a debut thriller that is definitely thrilling. More on that later this week. I'm also at the beginning of Cursed by Destiny (Weird Girls 3) by Cecy Robson. I really like this series and can't wait to see what happens to Celia Wird and friends in this novel. I also plan to read a number of debuts this month!




There are a lot of books out this week. You can find a printable PDF of this week's releases here.


There are 3 debuts out this week:

Phoenix Island by John Dixon;

Swords of Good Men (Valhalla Saga 1) by Snorri Kristjansson; and

Journey Into the Flame (Rising World Trilogy 1) by T. R. Williams.



From formerly featured Debut Author Challenge Authors:

Iron Night (Generation V 2) by M.L. Brennan;

The Damsel and the Daggerman (A BLUD eNovella) by Delilah S. Dawson;

Bitter Spirits (Roaring Twenties 1) by Jenn Bennett. This is the first in a new series.

Fearless (Survival Race 2) by K.M. Fawcett; and

Cursed by Destiny (Weird Sisters 3) by Cecy Robson.





January 6, 2014

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Quicksilver Dreams (e)	Danube Adele	PNR - Dreamwalkers 1
Broken Blade (e)	J.C. Daniels	UF - Colbana Files 3
The Damsel and the Daggerman (e)	Delilah S. Dawson	SPR - BLUD Novella
Ashes & Alchemy (e)	Cindy Spencer Pape	SPR - Gaslight Chronicles Novella

January 7, 2014

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Pecan Pies and Homicides	Ellery Adams	PCM - Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery 3
Treasure of Lima	Alex Archer	UF - Rogue Angel 26
Siren Song	James Axler (Rik Hoskin)	SF - Deathlands 114
Bitter Spirits	Jenn Bennett	PNR - Roaring Twenties 1
Iron Night	M.L. Brennan	UF - Generation V 2
Hunting Ground (mm2h) (ri)	Patricia Briggs	UF - Alpha And Omega 2
The Summer Job	Adam Cesare	H
The Forever Engine	Frank Chadwick	SP
Playing with Fire	J. J. Cook	PCM - Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mystery 2
1636: Seas of Fortune	Iver P. Cooper	AH - Ring of Fire
Malodrax	Ben Counter	SF - Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Battles 14
Gilded Hearts	Christine D'Abo	SPR - Shadow Guild 1
Moon Rising	Lori Devoti	PNR
Phoenix Island (D)	John Dixon	SF
Eternal Hunter (tp2mm)	Cynthia Eden	PNR - Night Watch 1
The Magic Between Us	Tammy Falkner	PHR - Faerie 3
Fearless	K.M. Fawcett	SFR - Survival Race 2
Dark Wolf	Christine Feehan	PNR - Dark 25
Murder Sends a Postcard	Christy Fifield	PCM - Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery 3
Forsaken	Jacquelyn Frank	PNR - World of Nightwalkers 3
Dark Duets: All-New Tales of Horror and Dark Fantasy	Christopher Golden (ed)	H/DF - Anthology
Doctor Who: The Doctor's Lives and Times	James Goss Steven Trine	SF - Doctor Who
Once In a Blue Moon	Simon R. Green	F - Forest Kingdom 4
Work Done for Hire	Joe Haldeman	SF
The Vampire Hunter	Michele Hauf	PNR - In the Company of Vampires
The Dog in the Dark (h2mm)	Barb Hendee J. C. Hendee	F - Noble Dead 2
A Wind in the Night	Barb Hendee J. C. Hendee	F - Noble Dead 3
The Mysterious Wu Fang: The Case of the Suicide Tomb	Robert J. Hogan	H/Adv
The End	G. Michael Hopf	PA - The New World 1
The Long Road	G. Michael Hopf	PA - The New World 2
Warrior of the West	M. K. Hume	HistF - King Arthur Trilogy 2
Black Arts	Faith Hunter	UF - Jane Yellowrock 7
Lord of the Hunt	Shona Husk	PNR - Annwyn 2
The Gospel of Z	Stephen Graham Jones	H/Z
The Descent	Alma Katsu	Su/Th - Taker Trilogy 3
Swords of Good Men (D - US)	Snorri Kristjansson	F - Valhalla Saga 1
River of Dreams	Lynn Kurland	F - Nine Kingdoms 8
Revolution	Mercedes Lackey Cody Martin Dennis Lee Veronica Giguere	F - Secret World Chronicle 3
The Ghoul Next Door	Victoria Laurie	PCM - Ghost Hunter Mystery 8
On Such a Full Sea	Chang-rae Lee	Dys
A Liaden Universe Constellation: Volume Two	Sharon Lee Steve Miller	SF - The First Liaden Universe  Collection 2
The Atopia Chronicles (ri)	Matthew Mather	Ap - Atopia 1
Rex Regis	L. E. Modesitt	F - Imager Portfolio 8
Rogue Cells / Carbon Harbour	Garry Thomas Morse	Dys - The Chaos! Quincunx
Howling For You (e)	Chloe Neill	UF - Chicagoland Vampires Novella
The Zombie Rule Book: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide	Tony Newton	Z
Accidentally...Cimil? (e)	Mimi Jean Pamfiloff	PNR - An Accidentally Yours Novella
The Magicians	J.B. Priestley	F - 60th Anniversary
The Broken Dragon	Irene Radford	F - Children of the Dragon Nimbus 2
His Untamed Desire (e)	Katie Reus	PNR - Moon Shifter Novella
Doctor Who: Shada: The Lost Adventures by Douglas Adams (h2tp)	Gareth Roberts	SF - Doctor Who
Blue Dahlia (ri)	Nora Roberts	PNR - In the Garden Trilogy 3
Cursed By Destiny	Cecy Robson	UFR - Weird Girls 3
Haunted Sanctuary	Moira Rogers	PNR - Green Pines 1
Fury of the Demon	Diana Rowland	UF - Kara Gillian 6
Kindred of the Fallen	Isis Rushdan	PNR - Kindred Chronicles 1
Touch	Michelle Sagara	UF - Queen of the Dead 2
The Light and the Dark	Mikhail Shishkin	Meta
The Bloodline Feud (e)	Charlies Stross	SF - Merchant Princes Omnibus
The Revolution Trade (e)	Charlies Stross	SF - Merchant Princes Omnibus
The Traders' War (e)	Charlies Stross	SF - Merchant Princes Omnibus
Dreams of the Golden Age	Carrie Vaughn	UF/SH - Golden Age 2
Night of the Tiger	NJ Walters	PNR - Hades' Carnival 1
Battle (h2mm)	Michelle West	F - House War 5
God of Fyre Mountain	Renee Wildes	PNR - Guardians of Light 6
Journey Into the Flame (D)	T. R. Williams	PA/Th/Su/M - Rising World Trilogy 1
Dream Shadow (ri)	Mary Wine	PNR - Dream 1
Z 2135	David W. Wright	Dys/Z - Z 2134 2

January 8, 2014

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Dying to Know	TJ O'Connor	PM
The Eighth-Grade History Class Visits the Hebrew Home for the Aging: A Tor.Com Original (e)	Harry Turtledove	F

January 9, 2014

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Rome Prophecy: A Thriller	Sam Christer	Th/Su
Caedmon's Curse: HarperImpulse Fantasy Romance Novella (e)	AJ Nuest	FR - Golden Key Chronicles 3

e - eBook
D - Debut
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
mm2h - Mass Market Paperback to Hardcover
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback

Adv - Adventure
AH - Alternate History
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopia
F - Fantasy
FR - Fantasy Romance
Go - Gothic
H - Horror
HistF - Historical Fantasy
M - Mystery
Meta - Metaphysical
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PM - Paranormal Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PHR - Paranormal Historical Romance
SF - Science Fiction
SH - Superhero
SP - Steampunk
SPR - Steampunk Romance
Su - Supernatural

Th - Thriller
UF - Urban Fantasy
UFR -Urban Fantasy Romance
Z - Zombies

This is the sixth in a series of updates about formerly featured Debut Author Challenge (DAC) authors and their upcoming books for 2014. This update covers some of the 2013 Debut Author Challenge authors. Look for Part 7, covering more 2013 DAC authors, on The Qwillery later this week.

It's time for the 2013 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars for June 2013!




Since Cover Wars was so much fun as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge, we're doing it again for the 2013 Debut Author Challenge. Each month you will be able to vote for your favorite cover from each month's debut novels. At the end of the year the 12 monthly winners will be pitted against each other to choose the 2013 Debut Novel Cover of the Year. Please note that a debut novel cover is eligible in the month in which the novel is released in the US. Cover artist/illustrator information is provided when I have it.

Vote For Your Favorite June 2013 Debut Novel Cover
	The Beautiful Land
	In the House upon the Dirt between the Lake and the Woods
	Captive
	The Year of the Storm
	Reviver
	Stoker's Manuscript
	A Private Little War
	The Center of the World
	Ecko Rising
	Sea Change
pollcode.com free polls

Voting will close on June 24, 2013.

(Please note that when you click "View" above it will take you to the PollCode site. Please click "Back" there to come back to this post. Leave any comment below.)

Please welcome K. M. Fawcett to The Qwillery as part of the 2013 Debut Author Challenge Interviews. Captive (The Survival Race 1) was published on June 4, 2013.







TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery.

K.M.:  Thank you for inviting me to chat!



TQ:  When and why did you start writing?

K.M.:  I always wanted to write books and thought that when I had kids, I’d have time to write. I have no idea where that delusion came from, but after my second child was born, I figured it was time to sit down and start. I wrote on and off for the first few years, but then something clicked and I became serious about my writing and my pursuit of publication.



TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

K.M.:  Writing quirk? Do I have a writing quirk? Well, I always make and drink a pot of tea when I write. And sometimes when I’m stuck on something, I’ll take my laptop to a different spot in the house, hoping the creative energy there will be better. I think it’s a feng shui thing, even though I don’t know anything about feng shui.



TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

K.M.:  I started out as a pantser, but couldn’t keep the storyline focused. The story would veer off in the wrong direction and I’d have to delete and start over. Once I began plotting, my writing process became easier and faster. I love using Michael Hauge’s 6 stage plot structure.



TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

K.M.:  The first chapter is always difficult. I tend to rewrite them several times. So much goes into that first chapter. You have to establish the book’s tone, set up the characters without dumping too much backstory, make the reader connect to and care about the character so they want to continue reading, and you have to world build without over doing the description so as not to bore readers. I find it’s a tough balance.



TQ:  Describe Captive (The Survival Race 1) in 140 characters or less.

K.M.:  Planet of the Apes meets the Hunger Games as gladiator & his mate risk all 4 freedom & learn when together nothing in universe can stop them



TQ:  What inspired you to write Captive?

K.M.:  While watching the rescue of mistreated horses on an episode of Animal Cops (a show on Animal Planet), I wondered how people would feel if they were penned up and abused like that. What if humans were the pets, and someone--aliens perhaps--bred us and gambled on us for entertainment like we do with horse racing, dog racing, and cockfights? The idea for CAPTIVE was born.



TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Captive?

K.M.:  The story begins in Klamath National Forest during a forest fire as my law enforcement officer heroine is rescuing some teenagers. I’ve never been to northern California, so had to research the area, law enforcement officers in national parks, and forest fires. I relied on my martial arts training for the fight scenes, but did research on various weapons used in the book. I researched Scottish and American folklore to come up with my aliens, and researched the arctic for my frozen planet.



TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?

K.M.:  The hero, Max, seemed easiest to write from the beginning. I knew exactly who he was and what his goals were. He was very straightforward, and I enjoyed torturing him. The heroine, Addy, was a little harder to write as she required more layers to her personality. I needed to balance her strength with her fear. She needed to be courageous yet vulnerable. I don't think readers like a heroine who is too perfect or too imperfect.



TQ:  Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in Captive?

K.M.:  This is such a hard question to answer. I love them all! I love how Max and Addy interact with each other regardless if the scene is tense, humorous, sexy, or heart wrenching. They make a good match, and each brings something unique to the relationship. Max teaches Addy how to survive, while Addy teaches Max how to tame his inner beast.



TQ:  What's next?

K.M.:  I’m waiting on revisions for FEARLESS, book 2 in the Survival Race Series. This story was so much fun to write. Not only are there new adventures and romance, but fun reappearances by some of my favorite characters in CAPTIVE. I hope readers enjoy both of these stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.



TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

K.M.:  Thanks again for having me here today!






About Captive

Captive
The Survival Race1
Forever Yours, June 4, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook, 416 pages

"Fawcett delivers a suspenseful and captivating science fiction romance. A must read for all, but especially for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES." --Caridad Pineiro, NY Times & USA Today bestselling author

AN IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY

The last thing Addy Dawson remembers is a blazing inferno and freezing river water overtaking her lungs. When she awakens, Addy finds herself on a strange, alien planet, trapped in a cell with no doors, no windows-- and to her horror-- a naked warrior who claims to be her mate.

AN UNDENIABLE PASSION

An alpha gladiator, Max is forced to breed and produce the finest specimens for the Survival Race, a deadly blood sport created by the alien rulers of Hyborea. To rebel means torture-or worse-yet Max refuses to become the animal his captors want him to be. But their jailors will not be denied, and soon Addy and Max find themselves unwilling players in this cruel game. Pushed to the limit, they will risk everything for the chance at a life free from captivity. And though fate brought them together as adversaries, Max and Addy will discover that when they're together, there's nothing in the universe that can stop them.

About K. M. Fawcett

K.M. Fawcett was a born romantic. At six years old, she would beg her parents to take her to a restaurant with, “Soft music and candles” where she could drink Shirley Temples and twirl on the dance floor. As she grew, her desire to be whisked into a romantic adventure by a knight in shining armor also grew – to the point of annoying her friends and family. When she received A Knight In Shining Armor (a novel by Jude Deveraux) for her eighteenth birthday, she fell in love…with the romance genre. ♥ Now K.M. writes sci-fi/ paranormal romances, and enjoys stories filled with adventure and strong, kick butt heroes and heroines.

K.M. holds the rank of Sandan (3rd degree black belt) in both Isshinryu Karate and in Ryukonkai (Okinawan weapons). She and her husband own Tenchi Isshinryu Karate Dojo in NJ where they teach karate, weapons, and self-defense.

When not writing or working out at the dojo, K.M. is home with her two children and two cats.

Website   ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Attacking the Page Blog

Happy first Monday in June! This is a very full release month. I'm going to need another bookcase soon.  (Note: I always need another bookcase.) You'll find a printable PDF shopping list for this week's releases here. 





There are 4 debuts this week:

The Beautiful Land by Alan Averill;

The Center of the World by Thomas Van Essen;

Captive (Survival Race 1) by K.M. Fawcett

and

The Year of the Storm by John Mantooth.


Also out this week from former Debut Author Challenge authors are

Suddenly Beautiful by Boon Brux;

and

Trail of Dead (Scarlett Bernard 2) by Melissa F. Olson.




June 1, 2013

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The J.R.R. Tolkien Miscellany	Robert S. Blackham	LC
Doors (Kindle e)	Daniel Brako	H
His Vampyrrhic Bride (h2tp)	Simon Clark	H - Vampyrrhic 4
Hidden Fire (e)	Alexis Fleming	PNR
The Destroyer's Creed	Tom Flynn	SF - The Messiah Game: A Comedy of Terrors - Part Three
Hunting the Jackal (e)	Seressia Glass	PNR
The Darkest Embrace (e)	Megan Hart	PNR
A Method to the Madness: A Guide to the Super Evil	Jeffrey A. Hite (ed) Michell Plested (ed)	SF/Hu - Anthology
Zombies!: Tales of the Walking Dead	Stephen Jones (ed)	H/Z - Anthology
Blood Sacrifice (ri)	Maria Lima	UF - Blood Line 5
Cradle Lake	Ronald Malfi	H
A Planet Called Happiness	R M Robinson	SF - Science Fiction by Scientists 3

June 3, 2013

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Paladins of Shannara: The Black Irix (e)	Terry Brooks	F - Shannara - Short Story
Suddenly Beautiful (e)	Boone Brux	PNR
Seducing the Demon Huntress (e)	Victoria Davies	PNR
Family Pride (e)	Sheryl Nantus	PNR - Blood of the Pride 3
Secrets of the Jaguar (e)	Jaye Shields	PNR

June 4, 2013

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Clockwork Fairy Tales: A Collection of Steampunk Fables	Stephen L. Antczak (ed) James C. Bassett (ed)	SP - Anthology
Shapeshifted	Cassie Alexander	UF - Edie Spence 3
Darkness Unmasked	Keri Arthur	UF - Dark Angels 5
Tiger Magic	Jennifer Ashley	PNR - Shifters Unbound 5
The Beautiful Land (D)	Alan Averill	SF/H
Wicked Memories	Nina Bangs	PNR - Castle of Dark Dreams 7
The Too-Clever Fox: A Tor.Com Original (e)	Leigh Bardugo	Folk Tale - Grisha Trilogy
Queen's Hunt (h2mm)	Beth Bernobich	F - River of Souls 2
The Shining Girls	Lauren Beukes	SF
Orion and King Arthur (h2mm)	Ben Bova	SF/F - Orion 6
The Cryptos Conundrum (h2mm)	Chase Brandon	SF/Th/M
Darkest Desire of the Vampire: Wicked in Moonlight\Vampire Island	Rhyannon Byrd Lauren Hawkeye	PNR
Earth Afire	Orson Scott Card Aaron Johnston	SF - First Formic War 2
His Clockwork Canary	Beth Ciotta	SP - The Glorious Victorious Darcys 2
Abaddon's Gate	James S.A. Corey	SF - The Expanse 3
Redemption	Ben Counter	F - Warhammer 40,000: The Soul Drinkers Omnibus
Keeping Secret	Sierra Dean	UF - Secret McQueen 4
Sleeping With The Entity	Cat Devon	PNR - Entity 1
How to Build an Android: The True Story of Philip K. Dick's Robotic Resurrection (h2tp)	David F. Dufty	S/Robotics
The Center of the World (D)	Thomas Van Essen	AH
The Magic of "I Do"	Tammy Falkner	PHR - Faerie 2
Captive (D)	K.M. Fawcett	SFR - Survival Race 1
The City	Stella Gemmell	F
Silken Shadows	Jennifer St. Giles	PHR/Go - Killdaren 3
Midnight's Kiss	Donna Grant	PNR - Dark Warriors 5
Midnight's Kiss: Part 4 (e - serial)	Donna Grant	PNR - Dark Warriors
The Diabolist	Layton Green	SuTh - Dominic Grey 3
The Egyptian	Layton Green	SuTh - Dominic Grey 2
The Summoner	Layton Green	SuTh - Dominic Grey 1
Casino Infernale	Simon R. Green	UF - Secret Histories 7
Live and Let Drood (h2mm)	Simon R. Green	UF - Secret Histories 6
In a Fix (tp2mm)	Linda Grimes	UF - In a Fix 1
Breath of Fire (e)	Liliana Hart	FR - Rena Drake 1
Blood of the Emperor (h2mm)	Tracy Hickman	F - Annals of Drakis 3
Soul Bound	Anne Hope	PNR - Dark Souls 2
Blood Price (ri)	Tanya Huff	UF - Blood / Victoria Nelson 1
Night Terrors (e Serial)	Jonathan Janz	H - Savage Species Pt 1
Devil Said Bang (h2tp)	Richard Kadrey	UF - Sandman Slim 4
The Firebird	Susanna Kearsley	F
Smoking Hot	Karen Kelley	PNR - Good Girls 3
Joyland	Stephen King	M/Th/H
The Angel of Fire (h2tp)	William King	F - Warhammer 40,000: Macharian Crusade 1
Trouble Vision	Allison Kingsley	PCM - Raven's Nest Bookstore 3
The Road to Woodbury (h2tp)	Robert Kirkman	Z/H - The Walking Dead:
Burdens of the Dead	Mercedes Lackey Eric Flint Dave Freer	AH
Home From the Sea (h2mm)	Mercedes Lackey	F - Elemental Masters 8
Steadfast	Mercedes Lackey	F - Elemental Masters 9
Lethal Outlook (h2mm)	Victoria Laurie	PCM - Psychic Eye 10
The Midnight Man (h2tp)	Stephen Laws	H - Collection
The Lucifer Glass (e)	Frazer Lee	H
The Year of the Storm (D)	John Mantooth	H/Th/Gh
Iron Kingdoms Chronicles: In Thunder Forged	Ari Marmell	F - The Fall of Llael 1
Gameboard of the Gods	Richelle Mead	SF/M - Age of X 1
Dead Iron (tp2mm)	Devon Monk	SP - The Age of Steam 1
Man-Kzin Wars 25th Anniversary Edition	Larry Niven	SF - Man-Kzin Wars 1
The Double Human (h2mm)	James O'Neal	SF/Dys/M/Th
Trail of Dead	Melissa F. Olson	UF - Scarlett Bernard 2
The Seven-Petaled Shield	Deborah J. Ross	F
Bled & Breakfast	Michelle Rowen	PCM - Immortality Bites Mystery 2
Dragon Mine (e)	Jaime Rush	PNR - Hidden eNovella
Yellow Moon (ri)	David Searls	H
The Seventh Day (Kindle serial) (e)	Scott Shepherd	SP
Heart of Obsidian	Nalini Singh	PNR - Psy-Changeling 12
Eight Million Gods	Wen Spencer	F
Angel City	Jon Steele	UF - Angelus Trilogy 2
Phantom Wolf	Bonnie Vanak	PNR - Phoenix Force 2
Miss Garnet's Angel	Salley Vickers	Meta
Charred	Kate Watterson	Th/Psy - Detective Ellie MacIntosh 3
Long Fall from Heaven	George Wier Hilton T. Burton	M/UF
A Captain and a Corset	Mary Wine	SPR - Steam Guardians 2
Cobra Slave	Timothy Zahn	SF - Cobra Rebellion 1

June 5, 2013

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
A Window or a Small Box: A Tor.Com Original (e)	Jedediah Berry	MR
Definitely Dead A Sookie Stackhouse Novel	Charlaine Harris	UF - TV Tie-In

D - Debut
e - eBook
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback


AH - Alternate History
Dys - Dystopian
H - Horror
Hu - Humor
F - Fantasy
FR - Fantasy Romance
GH - Ghosts
Go - Gothic
LC - Literary Criticism
M - Mystery
Meta - Metaphysical
MR - Magical Realism
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PHR - Paranormal Historical Romance
PNR - Paranormal Romance
Psy - Psychological
S - Science
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SP - Steampunk
SPR - Steampunk Romance
Su - Supernatural
Th - Thriller
UF - Urban Fantasy
Z - Zombies

There are 10 debuts for June.  Please note that I use the publisher's publication date in the United States, not copyright dates or non-US publication dates.

The June debut authors and their novels are listed in alphabetical order by author (not book title or publication date). Pick one or more and let us know in the comments which one(s) you'll be reading. If I've missed any, let me know in the comments.

Take a good look at the covers. Voting for your favorite June cover for the 2013 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars will take place later this month.





The Beautiful Land
Author:  Alan Averill
Publisher:  Ace, June 4, 2013
Format:  Trade Paperback and eBook, 368 pages
Price:  $16.00 (print)
ISBN:  9780425265277 (print)

Takahiro O’Leary has a very special job…

…working for the Axon Corporation as an explorer of parallel timelines—as many and as varied as anyone could imagine. A great gig—until information he brought back gave Axon the means to maximize profits by changing the past, present, and future of this world.

If Axon succeeds, Tak will lose Samira Moheb, the woman he has loved since high school—because her future will cease to exist. A veteran of the Iraq War suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Samira can barely function in her everyday life, much less deal with Tak’s ravings of multiple realities. The only way to save her is for Tak to use the time travel device he “borrowed” to transport them both to an alternate timeline.

But what neither Tak nor Axon knows is that the actual inventor of the device is searching for a timeline called the Beautiful Land—and he intends to destroy every other possible present and future to find it.

The switch is thrown, and reality begins to warp—horribly. And Tak realizes that to save Sam, he must save the entire world…

In the House upon the Dirt between the Lake and the Woods
Author:  Matt Bell
Publisher:  Soho Press, June 18, 2013
Format:  Hardcover and eBook, 312 pages
Price:  $25.00 (print)
ISBN:  978-1-61695-253-2 (print)

In this epic, mythical debut novel, a newly-wed couple escapes the busy confusion of their homeland for a distant and almost-uninhabited lakeshore. They plan to live there simply, to fish the lake, to trap the nearby woods, and build a house upon the dirt between where they can raise a family. But as their every pregnancy fails, the child-obsessed husband begins to rage at this new world: the song-spun objects somehow created by his wife's beautiful singing voice, the giant and sentient bear that rules the beasts of the woods, the second moon weighing down the fabric of their starless sky, and the labyrinth of memory dug into the earth beneath their house.

This novel, from one of our most exciting young writers, is a powerful exploration of the limits of parenthood and marriage—and of what happens when a marriage’s success is measured solely by the children it produces, or else the sorrow that marks their absence.

Captive
Author:  K.M. Fawcett
Series:  The Survival Race
Publisher:  Forever Yours, June 4, 2013
Format:  Trade Paperback and eBook, 416 pages
Price:  $17.99 (print)
ISBN:  9781455546480 (print)

"Fawcett delivers a suspenseful and captivating science fiction romance. A must read for all, but especially for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES." --Caridad Pineiro, NY Times & USA Today bestselling author

AN IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY

The last thing Addy Dawson remembers is a blazing inferno and freezing river water overtaking her lungs. When she awakens, Addy finds herself on a strange, alien planet, trapped in a cell with no doors, no windows-- and to her horror-- a naked warrior who claims to be her mate.

AN UNDENIABLE PASSION

An alpha gladiator, Max is forced to breed and produce the finest specimens for the Survival Race, a deadly blood sport created by the alien rulers of Hyborea. To rebel means torture-or worse-yet Max refuses to become the animal his captors want him to be. But their jailors will not be denied, and soon Addy and Max find themselves unwilling players in this cruel game. Pushed to the limit, they will risk everything for the chance at a life free from captivity. And though fate brought them together as adversaries, Max and Addy will discover that when they're together, there's nothing in the universe that can stop them.

The Year of the Storm
Author:  John Mantooth
Publisher:  Berkley, June 4, 2013
Format:  Trade Paperback and eBook, 320 pages
Price:  $15.00 (print)
ISBN:  9780425265741 (print)

In this haunting, suspenseful debut novel, John Mantooth takes readers to a town in rural Alabama where secrets are buried deep, reality is relative, and salvation requires a desperate act of faith.

When Danny was fourteen, his mother and sister disappeared during a violent storm. The police were baffled. There were no clues, and most people figured they were dead. Only Danny still holds out hope that they’ll return.

Months later, a disheveled Vietnam vet named Walter Pike shows up at Danny’s front door, claiming to know their whereabouts. The story he tells is so incredible that Danny knows he shouldn’t believe him. Others warn him about Walter Pike’s dark past, his shameful flight from town years ago, and the suspicious timing of his return.

But he’s Danny’s last hope, and Danny needs to believe…

Reviver
Author:  Seth Patrick
Series:  Reviver Trilogy
Publisher:  Thomas Dunne Books, June 18, 2013
Format:  Hardcover and eBook, 416 pages
Price:  $25.99 (print)
ISBN:  9781250021700 (print)

CSI meets The Sixth Sense in this compelling horror/thriller that has already been optioned by the producers of The Dark Knight Returns!

Jonah Miller is a Reviver, able to temporarily revive the dead so they can say goodbye to their loved ones—or tell the police who killed them.

Jonah works in a department of forensics created specifically for Revivers, and he’s the best in the business. For every high-profile corpse pushing daisies, it’s Jonah’s job to find justice for them. But while reviving the victim of a brutal murder, he encounters a terrifying presence. Something is on the other side watching. Waiting. His superiors tell him it's only in his mind, a product of stress. Jonah isn't so certain.

Then Daniel Harker, the first journalist to bring revival to public attention, is murdered. Jonah finds himself getting dragged into the hunt for answers. Working with Harker's daughter Annabel, he becomes determined to find those responsible and bring them to justice. Soon they uncover long-hidden truths that call into doubt everything Jonah stands for, and reveal a sinister force that threatens us all.

Putting the paranormal in the police department, first-time author Seth Patrick blends genre lines with this edgy crime thriller. The first novel in the Reviver trilogy, Reviver is sure to appeal to fans of Dean Koontz and Justin Cronin.

Stoker's Manuscript
Author:  Royce Prouty
Publisher:  Putnam Adult, June 13, 2013
Format:  Hardcover and eBook, 352 pages
Price:  $26.95 (print)
ISBN:  9780399158551 (print)

When rare-manuscript expert Joseph Barkeley is hired to authenticate and purchase the original draft and notes for Bram Stoker's Dracula, little does he know that the reclusive buyer is a member of the oldest family in Transylvania.

After delivering the manuscript to the legendary Bran Castle in Romania, Barkeley—a Romanian orphan himself—realizes to his horror that he's become a prisoner to the son of Vlad Dracul. To earn his freedom, Barkeley must decipher cryptic messages hidden in the text of the original Dracula that reveal the burial sites of certain Dracul family members. Barkeley's only hope is to ensure that he does not exhaust his usefulness to his captor until he’s able to escape. Soon he discovers secrets about his own lineage that suggest his selection for the task was more than coincidence. In this knowledge may lie Barkeley's salvation—or his doom. For now he must choose between a coward's flight and a mortal conflict against an ancient foe.

Building on actual international events surrounding the publication of Bram Stoker's original novel, Royce Prouty has written a spellbinding debut novel that ranges from 1890s Chicago, London, and Transylvania to the perilous present.

A Private Little War
Author:  Jason Sheehan
Publisher:  47North, June 11, 2013
Format:  Trade Paperback and Kindle eBook, 374 pages
Price:  $14.95 (print)
ISBN:  978-1611098945

He felt something in his belly twist up like cold fingers curling into a fist. This is it, he’d thought. This is when it all goes bad…

Private “security” firm Flyboy, Inc., landed on the alien planet of Iaxo with a mission: In one year, they must quash an insurrection; exploit the ancient enmities of an indigenous, tribal society; and kill the hell out of one group of natives to facilitate negotiations with the surviving group—all over 110 million acres of mixed terrain.

At first, the double-hush, back-burner project seemed to be going well. With all the advantages they had going for them—a ten-century technological lead on the locals, the logistical support of a shadowy and powerful private military company, and aid from similar outfits already on the ground—a quick combat victory seemed reasonable. An easy-in, easy-out mission that would make them very, very rich.

But the ancient tribal natives of Iaxo refuse to roll over and give up their planet. What was once a strategic coup has become a quagmire of cost over-runs and blown deadlines, leaving the pilots of Flyboy, Inc., on an embattled distant planet, waiting for support and a ride home that may never come….

The debut novel from acclaimed, James Beard Award–winning food critic Jason Sheehan, A Private Little War is the dark tale of a deadly war being waged in secrecy—and the struggle to stay sane in a world that makes no sense. A Catch-22 for a new generation, A Private Little War is sure to become a science fiction classic.

The Center of the World
Author:  Thomas Van Essen
Publisher:  Other Press, June 4, 2013
Format:  Trade Paperback and eBook, 384 pages
Price:  $15.95 (print)
ISBN: 978-1-59051-549-5

Alternating between nineteenth-century England and present-day New York, this is the story of renowned British painter J. M. W. Turner and his circle of patrons and lovers. It is also the story of Henry Leiden, a middle-aged family man with a troubled marriage and a dead-end job, who finds his life transformed by his discovery of Turner’s The Center of the World, a mesmerizing and unsettling painting of Helen of Troy that was thought to have been lost forever.

This painting has such devastating erotic power that it was kept hidden for almost two centuries, and was even said to have been destroyed...until Henry stumbles upon it in a secret compartment at his summer home in the Adirondacks. Though he knows it is an object of immense value, the thought of parting with it is unbearable: Henry is transfixed by its revelation of a whole other world, one of transcendent light, joy, and possibility.

Back in the nineteenth century, Turner struggles to create The Center of the World, his greatest painting, but a painting unlike anything he (or anyone else) has ever attempted. We meet his patron, Lord Egremont, an aristocrat in whose palatial home Turner talks freely about his art and his beliefs. We also meet Elizabeth Spencer, Egremont’s mistress and Turner’s muse, the model for his Helen. Meanwhile, in the present, Henry is relentlessly trailed by an unscrupulous art dealer determined to get his hands on the painting at any cost. Filled with sex, beauty, and love (of all kinds), this richly textured novel explores the intersection between art and eroticism.

Ecko Rising
Author:  Danie Ware
Series:  Ecko 1
Publisher:  Titan Books June 11, 2013
Format:  Trade Paperback and eBook, 480 pages
Price:  $14.95 (print)
ISBN:  9780857687623

In a futuristic London where technological body modification is the norm, Ecko stands alone as a testament to the extreme capabilities of his society. Driven half mad by the systems running his body, Ecko is a criminal for hire. No job is too dangerous or insane.

When a mission goes wrong and Ecko finds himself catapulted across dimensions into a peaceful and unadvanced society living in fear of 'magic', he must confront his own percepions of reality and his place within it.

A thrilling debut, Ecko Rising explores the massive range of the sci-fi and fantasy genres, and the possible implications of pitting them against one another. Author Danie Ware creates an immersive and richly imagined world that readers will be eager to explore in the first book in this exciting new trilogy.

Sea Change
Author:  S.M. Wheeler
Publisher:  Tor Books, June 18, 2013
Format:  Hardcover and eBook, 288 pages
Price:  $24.99 (print)
ISBN:  978-0-7653-3314-8 (print)

The unhappy child of two powerful parents who despise each other, young Lilly turns to the ocean to find solace, which she finds in the form of the eloquent and intelligent sea monster Octavius, a kraken. In Octavius’s many arms, Lilly learns of friendship, loyalty, and family. When Octavius, forbidden by Lilly to harm humans, is captured by seafaring traders and sold to a circus, Lilly becomes his only hope for salvation. Desperate to find him, she strikes a bargain with a witch that carries a shocking price.

Her journey to win Octavius’s freedom is difficult. The circus master wants a Coat of Illusions; the Coat tailor wants her undead husband back from a witch; the witch wants her skin back from two bandits; the bandits just want some company, but they might kill her first. Lilly's quest tests her resolve, tries her patience, and leaves her transformed in every way.

A powerfully written debut from a young fantasy author, Sea Change is an exhilarating tale of adventure, resilience, and selflessness in the name of friendship.