The ASH PRINCESS Book Trailer is Here!

For fans of Victoria Aveyard’s RED QUEEN and Sabaa Tahir’s AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, ASH PRINCESS is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.

Pre-order/Order your copy today: http://bit.ly/2J7nkb4

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess—a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner. For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside. Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield. For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

What folks are saying:

“Tense and imaginative, this story of a diminished yet vengeful princess inciting a rebellion to recapture her rightful place of power strikes a timely chord. Ash Princess is a smart, feminist twist on a traditional tale of a fallen heroine, with plenty of court intrigue, love, and lies to sweeten the deal. Good luck putting this one down.” —Virginia Boecker, author of The Witch Hunter series

“The story leaps and twists like a swordswoman, and its blade carves the characters anew and divides them against themselves. This searing page-turner is a compelling examination of the complexities of both evil and resistance.”—Sarah Porter, author of Vassa in the Night

“Laura Sebastian has created a dark and spellbinding epic in Ash Princess. Brace yourself, because Theodosia Houzzara—wounded, driven, and deadly—is going to carve out a place for herself in your heart.” —Sara Holland, New York Times bestselling author of Everless

“An emotionally complex, breathtakingly suspenseful series starter.”-Booklist

“For fantasy fans, especially those who enjoy strong female protagonists, this book will be an easy sell. Theo is tough, honorable, and relatable in her emotions [and] Sebastian has built a beautiful and complex world.”-VOYA

“Delivering a narrative that crackles with political intrigue, powerful and debilitating magic, and the violent mechanisms of colonization…[Ash Princess will] submerge readers in a turbulent and enthralling plot.”-Kirkus Reviews

 

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GIRLS ON THE VERGE explores the state of reproductive rights for teens in 2018 America

So you may remember I posted about this deal last year. Today I’m so jazzed to share the cover of Sharon Biggs Waller’s stunning contemporary YA debut GIRLS ON THE VERGE.

When 17-year-old Camille discovers she can’t obtain an abortion anywhere near her small hometown, she sets off for a Planned Parenthood clinic in the next state. Accompanied by Annabelle, the one-time star of her high school who has wound up stocking shelves, Camille embarks on a road trip of self-discovery in this coming-of-age story pitched as Going Bovine meets Thelma and Louise.

GOV is coming April 2019 from Holt, so stay tuned for more info about this moving and important story. In the meantime, you can check out Sharon’s historical YA, THE FORBIDDEN ORCHID (Viking Children’s Books) on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble, or check it out on Goodreads.

You can also find Sharon at her website, instagram, and on Facebook.

Five Reasons You Should Pre-Order Julie Murphy’s PUDDIN.

If the post is a listicle, you know I mean serious business. And I do!

Check it out. PUDDIN’, the companion novel to Julie Murphy’s DUMPLIN’ is coming May 8th!

 

Here are just a few reasons you should pre-order a copy of PUDDIN before May 8th.

1. You’re going to love this book! 
   PUDDIN is beautiful, funny, ridiculous, moving, and powerful.

   Check out what Becky Abertalli, author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, had to say: “Julie Murphy has created the platonic love story of a lifetime. I am wildly in love with Puddin’.”

2. You’ll love PUDDIN, even if you haven’t read DUMPLIN’
   PUDDIN isn’t a sequel– it follows the story of two characters introduced in DUMPLIN, Millie and Callie, in their own story of unexpected friendship, romance, and Taxas-sized girl power.

   And if you haven’t read DUMPLIN, you should! (DUMPLIN’s also going to be a movie this year with Jennifer Anniston and Danielle MacDonald, and an original soundtrack by Dolly Parton, btw).

3. You get awesome stuff!
    
   

   

   

   
   U.S. readers can preorder from any retailer and receiving a signed bookplate, bookmark, sleepover postcard, and lapel pin set! Just email your proof of purchase and mailing address to juliemurphypreorder@gmail.com.
   
   (Check out Julie’s twitter feed for more details about ordering through Blue Willow, and ordering outside the U.S.) 

4. Pre-Orders Help Your Favorite Authors
   Here’s some insider-industry knowledge for you: pre-orders help authors hit the New York Times bestseller list. All those pre-orders add up on pub day, raising a book’s rank, and helping it hit the bestseller list– which means more readers will discover great books, and great books reach more readers.

   Pre-ordering is a great way to support any new book by authors you love!

5. Order sooner, get it sooner, start reading sooner, feel awesome sooner.
   It’s that simple.

So, if you were planning to buy PUDDIN’, why not pre-order through Blue Willow Books, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, or Amazon today? And if you weren’t, maybe check it out. It’s pretty cool. Just sayin’.

 

 

Happy Pub Day to A KISS IN THE DARK!

A huge congratulations to the wonderful and brilliant Gina Ciocca on A KISS IN THE DARK, available today from Simon Pulse!

When folks ask “do you represent romance?” I always point to Gina, one of my first ever clients. Gina’s writing is romantic, deep, surprising, beautiful, funny, and unforgettable, and A KISS IN THE DARK is one of my all-time favorites.

After being kissed by a mystery guy when the lights go out during a football game, Macy is determined to figure out which of three possible boys is the culprit in this funny, poignant, and achingly romantic novel from the author of Last Year’s Mistake.

When the lights go out at a Georgia high school football game, senior Macy Atwood finds herself in the arms of a boy who kisses her senseless—but he’s gone by the time the lights come back on. All she knows is that there was something special—and oddly familiar—about her mystery kisser.

Noah Granger, Ridgedale’s resident bad boy and newest transfer student, has no problem taking credit for the kiss, but Macy can’t shake the feeling that he’s lying. Especially since a photograph of Macy and former star football player Joel Hargrove resurfaced online moments before the blackout, a not-so-random reminder of how hard she fell for Joel last year. And how doing so ultimately sent her lifelong friendships with Meredith Kopala and Ben Collins up in literal smoke.

Soon last year’s wounds begin to reopen as Macy realizes the events that unfolded during junior year are somehow tied to her mystery kisser.

But the closer Macy gets to figuring it all out, the more she starts to worry that the boy who kissed her in the dark and the boy who is stealing her heart might be two very different people.

Congrats Gina!

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Check out Gina’s awesome blog and follow her on twitter.

Find A KISS IN THE DARK on Amazon, B&N, Indiebound, and Goodreads.

You can also read a great interview with Gina here.

Happy Pub Day to PITCH DARK!

A huge high five to Courtney Alameda– today her sophomore novel PITCH DARK hits shelves! If you like sci-fi, horror, adventure…and maybe want something a little different from the usual big beefy white guy hero in a jump suit, I highly suggest you check out this incredibly tense and gorgeously imagined thriller:

From Courtney Alameda, the author of Shutter, this thrilling, sci-fi horror and space adventure will be sure to stay with readers long after the last pages.

Lost to time, Tuck Morgan and his crew have slept in stasis aboard the USS John Muir for centuries. Their ship harbors a chunk of Earth, which unbeknownst to them, is the last hope for the failing human race.

Laura Cruz is a shipraider searching the galaxy for the history that was scattered to the stars. Once her family locates the John Muir and its precious cargo, they are certain human civilization is saved.

When Tuck’s and Laura’s worlds collide—literally—the two teens must outwit their enemies, evade brutal monsters that kill with sound, and work together to save the John Muir . . . and the whole human race.

 

Praise for Courtney Alameda

“Alameda excels at creating hideous creatures that are the stuff of nightmares. The rapid pacing, advanced technology, and limitless weapons just add appeal for readers seeking a supernatural thriller.” ―Booklist on Shutter

“Alameda makes a strong debut with this fast-paced urban fantasy/horror novel. Alameda’s worldbuilding is strong . . . and her characters evoke shows like Buffy and Supernatural.” ―Publishers Weekly on Shutter

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Visit Courtney’s website, follow her on Twitter, and like her on Facebook. You can also check out PITCH DARK on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, and Indiebound.

Cover Reveal Day! Christian McKay Heidicker’s THROW YOUR ARM ACROSS YOUR EYES AND SCREAM!

Today we bring you another pink-and-purple inflected cover, this time for the (fabulously titled) new YA by Christian McKay Heidicker coming this September from Simon & Schuster: THROW YOUR ARM ACROSS YOUR EYES AND SCREAM!

As  die-hard 50s Sci-Fi schlock fan, I just love this book so much. As with his debut, CURE FOR THE COMMON UNIVERSE, Christian manages to take a stock trope from pop culture and turn it completely on its head. Oh, and it’s also funny as hell.

Without further ado, here is the cover…

Phoebe Darrow is a lightning rod for monsters.

She and her mom are forced to flee flesh-eating plants, blobs from outer space, and radioactive ants. They survive thanks to Phoebe’s dad—an invisible titan, whose giant eyes warn them where the next monster attack will take place.

All Phoebe wants is to stop running from motel to motel and start living a monster-free life in New York or Paris. But when her mom

mysteriously vanishes, Phoebe is left to fend for herself in small-town Pennybrooke.

 

That’s when Phoebe starts to transform . . .

Christian McKay Heidicker returns with a book unlike any other, challenging perceived notions of beauty, identity, and what it means to be a monster.

Check out THROW YOUR ARM ACROSS YOUR EYES AND SCREAM on Goodreads, and preorder today!

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You can find Christian online at http://www.cmheidicker.com/and https://twitter.com/cmheidicker, and get his debut CURE FOR THE COMMON UNIVERSE at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.

“A plugged-in young adult comedy about the pain of unplugging… perfect for teen gamers and readers who are fans of Jesse Andrews and John Green.” (School Library Journal)

“Heidicker’s debut crackles with twitchy energy… this is a fun, absurdist romp through gaming culture, populated by zany characters and a quest narrative worthy of its own game.” (Booklist)

Happy Pub Day to NO SAINTS IN KANSAS by Amy Brashear!

Guys, the book that made me want to work in publishing was Truman Capote’s IN COLD BLOOD. Years into my career I had the pleasure of reading a submission that reimagined the real-life Holcomb murders from the point-of-view of a young girl who was close to the victims.

Today, I’m so excited Amy Brashear’s beautiful and chilling NO SAINTS IN KANSAS is out from SoHo Teen!

NO SAINTS is a B&N Most Anticipated YA Novel, and a New York Post MUST-READ!

Here’s what others are saying…

“A gruesome murder, the clues, the investigation, the culprits, the trial—all of these are part of this riveting, fast-paced novel. But intertwined with those are, for newly arrived Carly Fleming, even harder questions. She is indefatigable in her search for the truth, but the truth she searches for is also about her place in this new town, where she is defined as an outsider, and within her own family, which is splitting apart. The unity and urgency of those two searches is searing.”
—Gary D. Schmidt, author of Newbery and Printz honor book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

“A very cool mix of history and fiction, of brutal true crime, and slightly less horrific high school life.”
—Steve Sheinkin, Award-winning and bestselling author of Bomb, The Port Chicago 50, and Most Dangerous

True-crime and thriller-lovers can order NO SAINTS IN KANSAS on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound, and check it out on Goodreads.

Follow Amy on twitter for more news!

Congrats to Hafsah Faizal on Her Debut Deal!

A huge congrats to Hafsah Faizal, on her amazing debut young adult, WE HUNT THE FLAME!

Hafsah’s #ownvoices fantasy just sold to Farrar, Straus, Giroux in a four-imprint auction, in a two-book deal, for six figures a book. Check out the announcement in Publisher’s Weekly:

Hafsah was already well known to the Kid Lit community as the designer behind Icey Designs. Her evocative work has graced the sites of authors across the YA/MG community, such as New York Times bestseller V.E. Schwab, Angie Thomas, and Traci Chee. It has also been featured in BuzzFeed, HuffPost, Brit+Co, and BookRiot

You can add WE HUNT THE FLAME on Goodreads, follow Hafsah on Insta and Twitter, and read about her #DVPit success story in her own words!

I am so excited and honored to be working with this incredibly talented woman, and I can’t wait for you all to read WE HUNT THE FLAME! Some folks got an early look, and this is what they’re saying:

“With fierce characters, deathly challenges, and world-building both lyrical and spellbinding, WE HUNT THE FLAME is unputdownable.” – Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

“Hafsah Faizal’s voice is not one that simply speaks, but sings across the page. WE HUNT THE FLAME is a spellbinding tale filled with deception, political intrigue, and atmosphere that lives and breathes—I am obsessed with this story.” – Kerri Maniscalco, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

“Fresh, bold storytelling populated with vibrant characters marks Hafsah Faizal as an explosive new voice in fantasy. Charged with adrenaline and romance, WE HUNT THE FLAME held me enthralled and desperate for more!” – Jessica Khoury, Author of the Corpus Trilogy and THE FORBIDDEN WISH.

“I adore Hafsah’s writing; she has such a beautiful way with words.” – Beth Revis, New York Times Bestselling Author of A WORLD WITHOUT YOU

“This promises to be a very successful debut and an authentic #ownvoices book we really need in the world. Hafsah Faizal has a strong, clear, original voice. Authentic use of Arabic phrases and the pitch perfect prose style matches the terse, action-packed narrative. This is an assured debut that will stand alongside the best YA fantasy adventure novels.” – Ashok Banker, international bestselling fantasy author.

Congrats Hafsah!

 

 

Congrats to Joan He on her Debut Deal!

A huge congrats to Joan He, whose debut young adult deal was announced on her twenty-first birthday!

From Publishers Weekly:

CRANE is such a gorgeous, detailed, intricately-plotted fantasy mystery, and I can’t wait for you guys to read it! Way to go Joan!

RELATIVE STRANGERS Cover Reveal!

Paula Garner’s second YA RELATIVE STRANGERS is coming from Candlewick Press this April– check out the gorgeous cover!

Why is there a gap in Jules’s baby album? A wry and poignant coming-of-age novel about finding the truth in lies, salvaging hope in heartbreak, and making peace with missing pieces.

Eighteen-year-old Jules has always wished for a close-knit family. She never knew her father, and her ex-addict mother has always seemed more interested in artistic endeavors than in bonding with her only daughter. Jules’s life and future look as flat and unchanging as her small Illinois town. Then a simple quest to find a baby picture for the senior yearbook leads to an earth-shattering discovery: for most of the first two years of her life, Jules lived in foster care. Reeling from feelings of betrayal and with only the flimsiest of clues, Jules sets out to learn the truth about her past. What she finds is a wonderful family who loved her as their own and hoped to adopt her — including a now-adult foster brother who is overjoyed to see his sister again. But as her feelings for him spiral into a devastating, catastrophic crush — and the divide between Jules and her mother widens — Jules finds herself on the brink of losing everything.

You can check out RELATIVE STRANGERS on Goodreads, and order Paula’s debut PHANTOM LIMBS on Amazon, B&N, and Indie Bound!