Are you an avid reader of Young Adult books? This week you are in luck! With all of these new novels, you’re bound to find a new favorite book to add to your reading list. This week includes new novels from bestselling authors Aaron Hodges, Katrina Leno, James W. Loewen, S.J. Goslee and many more. Enjoy your new young adult books. Happy reading!
Looking for some new biography and memoir books for your library? There are so many new releases this week that you’re bound to find a new favorite. You can pick up new novels from Melinda Gates, Heather B. Armstrong, Sarah Rose, and more. Enjoy your new biography and memoir books. Happy reading!
What can you tell us about your new release, College of Shadows?
College of Shadows is a Young Adult fantasy mystery set in Cambridge University in the near future.
Two freshers, Annabel and Nick, turn up for the first day at college wondering how they are going to fit in but that turns out to be the least of their worries as they discover something dark and dangerous stalking the ancient courts of their new home.
College of Shadows is the first book in my new fantasy series, Cambridge Gothic, which follows the lives of two students at this world-famous university battling the dark forces that have infiltrated their college. It’s a fast-paced thriller with lots of twists and turns, seen through the eyes of its young heroes and an aged professor whose secret is the cause of all the problems.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
I’ve always enjoyed writing and telling stories both at school and later on when I had my own children. I studied law at Cambridge University, but I probably spent more time in Heffers, the local children’s book shop, than in the Law Library.
In those days I never thought I could have a career as a writer, but once my children had grown up and left home, I decided to give it a go. I entered a short story competition for Games Workshop under the pen name Nicholas Alexander and was thrilled when they selected The Emperor’s Grace to be published. I then did a follow- up, The Trophy, before starting College of Shadows, set in an urban fantasy world of my own making.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
The book that changed my life was The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by CS Lewis. I remember stepping through the cupboard with the character Lucy and discovering a fantasy world for the first time.
I had a very similar experience with To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, where I saw an equally unfathomable world through young Scout’s eyes.
Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings introduced me to the scale of epic fantasy before JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone brought magic to the muggle world in which I lived.
More recently, I’ve discovered the wonders of urban fantasy through Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant series, The Rivers of London.
Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
I would love to have met the brilliant Terry Pratchett when he was alive and ask where he got his inspiration for the Unseen University. Believe it or not, it’s remarkably similar to Cambridge University - apart from the pointed hats.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
Every now and again you put something down on paper that stirs your emotions. Often, it’s a pivotal moment for your character, and you find yourself in their head experiencing that moment. When you feel moved by a moment like that, you know you have written something special.
What is a typical day like for you?
I am an early riser and usually get up at 5.00am, make myself a cup of tea and sit down to the laptop to do some writing. At 8am, I head down to the kitchen for breakfast and watch a TED talk with my wife, Karina. Then I set off to a coffee shop or the college library and spend the rest of the morning getting some words down. At midday, I break for lunch, either at the college or home and in the afternoon I focus on my children’s fantasy series, The Hidden Tales which launches in July 2019. I try to go to the gym before supper, and in the evening I sit down with my son Michael, who helps run my self-publishing business. I usually head to bed at around 10pm.
What scene in College of Shadows was your favorite to write?
My favourite scene involved the secretive practice of night climbing, which has been going on in Cambridge for more than a century. This is where daredevil students sneak out of their colleges at night and climb some of the university’s tallest buildings. One of my characters, Giles, runs a secret night climbing club and on one of his climbs he is attacked by an angel of death, and that’s when the action really kicks off.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Do the right thing, not the easy thing.
It’s Cambridge... but not as you know it.
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By Stephanie Parker McKean
Baby boomers and older readers increase. Books with matching older characters remain static. My “Fog Busters” series featuring “old bones” detectives who are not too old to solve crimes and fall in love bridges that void.
When I first got the idea of the Fog Busters, I dismissed it, telling myself, “You live in Scotland, but you are not skillful enough to write books like this. You grew up in the U.S. You didn’t grow up in Scotland. You don’t know how to crawl inside the skins of Scottish characters and bring them to life.”
God reminded me that not all the characters in the books needed to be Scottish, and that I did not need to know what it was like growing up in Scotland to write a cozy mystery with Scottish characters. So with a great deal of research behind it, I wrote “Black Pudding Murder.” “Mushroom Murders” is the second book in the four-book series and it, too, required extensive research.
Fog Busters characters lived in my head for a couple of years before they made it to paper. Husband and wife team John and Peg have hearing problems, although John denies his. John is a guardian of unique, little-known facts.
Legally blind Alec is more Scottish than the other Scottish characters. Building him required learning new Scottish words and phrases. Alec sees with his ears, not his eyes.
Morag’s mind is brilliant, but words tangle up in her head and fall out of her mouth in disorganized patterns.
Susan and Rory are both Texans, and Susan and Rory, and Alec and Morag are all single—candidates for romance.
“Mushroom Murders” contains wit, humor, romance, mystery, suspense, twists, and even the bizarre as the older friends track down a serial killer. It was fun to write. It is fun to read.
The mushroom mantra fits “Mushroom Murders.” Claudius in 54 AD and Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI in 1740 died after eating death cap mushrooms, which are on the increase across the U.K., and which cause death in 90 percent of the cases. Between one and seven people a year die in the U.K. after ingesting toxic fungi. Actual figures are difficult to obtain. In the case of death caps, symptoms may not appear immediately and may begin several days later when the mushroom consumption has been forgotten.
In “Mushroom Murders,” the serial killer tries to win Susan’s heart first with a boat ride, and then with a lamb stolen from a farmer’s field. When both attempts fail, he delivers an ultimatum: eat the poisonous mushroom and die—or watch her rescued puppy eat it and die.
Meanwhile, Rory—who likes Susan a lot more than he should for someone who is determined to never marry again—gets a surprise visit from his deceased wife’s younger sister Felicia, who unlike Rory and the other Fog Busters, hates animals. Will Morag’s trip to the Edinburgh zoo with Felicia and Susan’s gift of a rooster named Fiona be enough to spoil Felicia’s predatory claims on Rory—or will Susan lose not only her life—but also the love of her life?
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By Willow Rose
This novel is the first in a brand new series, called the Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Series.
It's in the romantic mystery genre. Book 2 will be out this summer.
This book is a mix between the ex FBI profiler Eva Rae Thomas' personal life and her challenging police work.
She has to juggle her divorce, her kids and her old boyfriend from High School at the same time that she is trying to catch an ingenious serial killer who is targeting children.
The idea for this particular book in the series came to me when I spoke to a good friend of mine who is going through a tough divorce right now.
Her husband is alienating the children against her, so they refuse to see her. He is telling them lies about her, and they believe him, mostly because they are afraid of him.
It's an awful thing and happens a lot more than you'd think.
When I researched it, I found so many stories like my friend's; you wouldn't believe it.
Some children don't realize this has happened to them before they are grown up and they have lost contact with one parent.
It devastated me to think that some parents won't get to see their own children and, not only that, their young hearts are turned against them.
That was why I decided to write about it and make it a big theme in this book.
I hope you'll enjoy it,
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What can you tell us about your new release, Someone Like Me?
Someone Like Me is my eighth full-length novel. While it's a standalone, like my other books, it is set in the Saint Streets, a quaint and quirky neighborhood in my hometown. Drew Moroux has just been released from Angola, but even though he's a free man now, he can't escape the guilt of what he did eight years ago. His new neighbor Evie Lalonde is as innocent as they come. Gentle, forgiving, and optimistic, Evie is a natural people-pleaser — sometimes to her own detriment. From the beginning, Drew knows she's too good for him, and Evie knows she can't stay away.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
Long story, but I'll try to condense it. I've always wanted to be a romance writer, but I listened too long to that little voice that said I wasn't good enough. Some years ago, I wanted a promotion at work, and I went back to school for additional certification to get it. I busted my butt that year, working my day job, going to classes at night, writing papers and doing research, etc. I got the certification, but I didn't get the promotion. That year of hard work changed me. I was no longer content with my day-to-day. I had to put all this newfound energy into something I loved, so I picked up an old manuscript I had started years before, and that became my first novel, Fall Semester. I started writing on Dec. 26, 2012, and I've written every single day since.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
I hate questions like this. I always feel like this is a test I'm destined to fail or that I'll pick my top 5 and realize later that I've forgotten something crucial, but here goes. In no particular order...
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
My first guest would be Penny Reid, and I'd ask her if we could be best friends.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
Falling in love. I get to fall in love as my characters, and that is absolutely the best thing.
What is a typical day like for you?
I get up criminally early to mediate, exercise, and sometimes write before work. I am a high school administrator (I eventually did get that promotion), so my days are predictable until they are not. Yesterday, a toilet in one of our temporary buildings literally exploded. Ultimately, my job is to help solve problems for students, teachers, and parents. The students are the easiest to deal with. After school, I come home, walk my dogs, and then sit down to write. I try to get at least 500 words, but sometimes I spend that time doing more research or editing. I write until it's time to make dinner. My husband and I do that together while listening to Spotify. We have a game we play with our daughter who's in college in New Orleans. One of us will create a playlist with a certain theme, and we all have to put songs on it that match the theme. For example, one playlist is called Names, and it features "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Tom Petty, "Me and Mrs. Jones" by Billy Paul, and "Jolene" by Dolly Parton, etc. We might enjoy a glass of wine or something with Bourbon while we cook and sing along. We usually watch something at night. Our latest favorites have been The OA, Big Little Lies, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. If I don't fall asleep on the couch, it's an accomplishment.
What scene in Someone Like Me was your favorite to write?
That's a tough question because I loved writing so much of it — even though writing is hard, and there were times when I also hated it. But I absolutely loved writing the okra canning scene. That was a lot of fun because the attraction between Evie and Drew is allowed to intensify, and what could be more adorable than discovering this gorgeous guy helping his grandmother can okra?
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Write every day. That may not be a motto, but it is my philosophy and my practice. If I do nothing else, I write. It has become sacred to me, and if I could share that any one piece of advice with aspiring writers, it would be that.
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What can you tell us about your new release, The Dead Girl's Stilettos?
I was inspired to create a spunky female sleuth after watching (and re-watching x100) the Veronica Mars movie. I’ve been a diehard fan since the TV series first aired on WB, and adore Veronica’s wit. Bexley Squires has her own unique set of challenges when she starts out as an amateur sleuth at age 28 (i.e. a missing sister and a strict father in the military), but she comes across an entertaining cast of supporting characters along the way. There’s an overall dark theme to the story that plays with the idea of how far the rich and famous would take their wealth, but Bexley’s dry humor and her relationship with a certain detective brings some lightness to the table.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
I wrote a short story about My Little Ponies in 3rd grade, and remember announcing that I wanted to become a writer. Then I got hooked on Stephen King around 5th grade, and knew without a doubt it’s what I would do when I grew up. I wrote a ton of stories until college when I was discouraged from pursuing a degree in English, and changed gears. Then life and family got in the way. But after someone close to me was diagnosed with cancer at a young age, I finally decided I had to actually publish something, or it may never happen. There was a time I was disappointed in myself for waiting so long, and felt like I had disappointed my younger self. But after publishing 30 books, I’m over it.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
Yikes…this was a hard one! I swear this list changes all the time. Ask me again in a few months, and I’ll probably have a totally different answer. For now I’d say: Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham’s Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line, Stephen King’s Full Dark No Stars, Pam Godwin’s Dark Notes, Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood, and Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club.
Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
I would love to have another chance to talk with Charlaine Harris! I met her at a convention in Atlanta while waiting in a line for an author event. She was delightfully hilarious, and especially gracious as I fan-girled all over her (she even posed for a selfie). I enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse series, and would love to pick her brain on how she kept a quirky heroine going for so long.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
I love becoming immersed in my stories as a way to escape the real world. Too often life doesn’t go as planned. I can remedy that by creating my own world.
What is a typical day like for you?
After sending my youngest to school, I work on marketing and everything else that comes with being self-published until lunchtime. Then I try to spend the rest of the day writing. It almost never goes as planned though. In the evening I usually end up either marketing some more, attending my son’s high school events, or hitting the bar in an attempt to quiet all the stories constantly floating through my head.
What scene in The Dead Girl's Stilettos was your favorite to write?
Without giving any spoilers away, I really got into the scene where we finally get to see a glimpse of the heroine’s sister’s story about 3/4 in. I love how Cineste’s life went from mundane to exciting in a matter of minutes. I had actually written that portion of the book as a novella when I was having a serious case of writer’s block. I ended up weaving it into The Dead Girl’s Stilettos as a subplot.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Be a pineapple: stand tall, wear a crown, and be sweet on the inside. I try to be proud of my accomplishment and beliefs no matter the situation, and I try my hardest to show kindness to others. My youngest daughter and I have matching tattoo pineapples because that saying perfectly summarizes the values I tried to teach her when she was little. The crown part fits her better because she was homecoming queen. Not sure how I would apply that to myself, except maybe that I’m a rock and roll princess of sorts. *shrugs*
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Robert J. Crane is a bestselling author of fantasy novels. He is best known for his popular Girl in the Box, Out of the Box, and Sanctuary series. If you are looking for an exciting new fantasy novel, we think you will love these new books to read if you like Robert J. Crane!
Release Date: April 6, 2019
Nick feels out of place at his university. The halls of Cambridge are impossibly huge and far beyond the Mansfield of his youth. Soon he finds he has much more to fear as he is attacked by a creature from his worst nightmares. Annabel buries her feelings deep in her studies after the death of her parents. But after a freak accident, she starts to believe she is cursed. When her friends are attacked by a beast, she is sure her luck is something to do with it. It seems Nick and Annabel have stumbled upon a long-held Cambridge secret.
Release Date: Match 7, 2019
Alexia was abandoned at the age of eleven. With no memory of her family, she seeks her true identity. Under this new government regime, sixteen-year-olds are evaluated by their desire to harm others and Alexia struggles to conceal her psychic abilities. When her secret of being able to read the past and future of anyone she touches is revealed, she is taken away to an island where other skilled agents and readers train to survive.
Release Date: March 20, 2019
Selene is one of a kind. She is a hybrid shapeshifter-half siren and half angel. This has made her a target of a rebel faction of supernatural creatures who want her powers. But what they don't know is that her powers are undeveloped and actually more of a danger to Selene than an aid. But this magic is the only advantage she has over the shifters and vampires that want her dead.
Release Date: January 30, 2019
Forest are disappearing, creatures are being hunted to extinction, and even the Emerald Sea is falling short on supplies. The need to fuel a civilization of men is straining the land. Because of this, the Elders of the Elven Kingdom of Asundar have ordered the kings of men to cull their populations... or prepare for war. Kahyin is the likely heir to the throne of Asundar and believes it is far too late for a threat like this.
Release Date: April 5, 2019
The third book in the bestselling The Great Devil War series by Kenneth B. Andersen... An unfortunate chain of events has lead to the untimely death of Sam the school bully and Philip was responsible. But Sam was no ordinary bully, he was the Devil's original choice for an heir. Now Philip has to go to Hell, find Sam, and bring him back to life, so that fate can be restored.
Release Date: April 16, 2019
The second book in the Numina series by the Wall Street Journal Bestselling author of Paper Magicians... Sandis managed to escape the grasp of Kazen. Kazen was hurt but not stopped and continues to try and summon a monster that could destroy the entire world. Sandis knows there has to be a way to stop him but she is in desperate need of allies. As chaos grows, she must determine who she can trust.
Are you looking for some hilarious new additions to your reading list? If you're a fan of literary fiction you have to check out these amazing new novels. We've made a list of some of our favorite humorous fiction new releases and it includes work by Teri Case, Kelly Harms, Lea Geller, Erin Somers, and Sarah Skilton. Enjoy your new humorous fiction books!
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Skip is a rescue dog that loves living with his human couple, John and Lucy. He has vowed never to lose them. But then John walks out after seven happy years and both Skip and Lucy's world is thrown upside down. Skip will help Lucy through this crisis but he's also guarding a secret... he's actually to blame for their breakup.
Release Date: May 1, 2019
Single mom Amy Byler is overworked and underappreciated. She needs a break. So when her guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of the kids for the summer, she gladly accepts and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City. Now she can finally let her hair down in the city that never sleeps.
Release Date: April 9, 2019
Agnes Parsons hasn't had many challenges over the past ten years as her Santa Monica house staff take care of everything for her. All she has to do is maintain her trophy wife responsibilities: look perfect, adore her husband, and wear expensive (and uncomfortable) underwear. But when her husband disappears and leaves Agnes and their daughter with no money or home, she is forced to move across the country and find a job.
Release Date: April 2, 2019
June Bloom is a writers' assistant on the late-night comedy show, Stay Up with Hugo Best. Hugo is in his sixties and a beloved TV icon. But when he unexpectantly retires, a party is held for the unemployed staff and June ends up at a dive bar for an open-mic night where she can prepare for an anonymous life as a comedian. She was not prepared to run into Hugo Best. Or his invitation to his mansion in Greenwich village for the upcoming long weekend.
Release Date: April 2, 2019
There's a Word for That is a story about the Kesslers, an incredibly flawed family that is forced to come together in rehab of all places... Their perfect storm of dysfunction has brought them all to Directions, one of Malibu's most exclusive and absurd rehab centers. For all of their problems, they do all love each other.
Release Date: April 9, 2019
Holly Danner has a complicated relationship with fame. This is mainly due to the fact that she was the only cast member of her 1990s song and dance show that didn't become famous. While her friends dominated pop music, TV, and film, Holly always missed out. She eventually made peace with it but when she finds out a 25th-anniversary show is planned, and she wasn't invited, she decides to crash the event.
What can you tell us about your new release, The Wrongful Death?
The Wrongful Death is the third installment in The Great Devil War-series, which – mostly - takes place in Hell. In vol. 1 - ”The Devil’s Apprentice” - the good and very polite boy Philip ends up in Hell, appointed to be the Devil’s Apprentice. But it turns out that Philip is the wrong boy. Now Lucifer only option is to teach the good boy how to be evil - which is easier said than done. It’s a story about seeing evil from a different perspective, just as vol. 2 “The Die of Death” is a story about seeing death from a different perspective. In vol. 3 Philip gets to go to Paradise (where the Almighty himself is waiting). It’s a story about fate and for a long time it was my personal favorite book in the series. It is for the most part a humorous story. But towards the end everything changes…
What or who inspired you to become an author?
I’ve always loved to read, but when I was introduced to Stephen King it blew my mind. I was 15 years old when my school teacher gave me a copy of ”The Shining” and I was hooked. King inspired me (as well as many others my age) to start writing. But I wasn’t very good at it and it took me seven years and fifteen turned-down manuscripts before I finally got my fist book published. But I was never close to giving up - on the contrary. It became an obsession for me to write something that was good enough to get published. Which finally happened in 2000. Since then I’ve published more than 35 books.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
Oh, this is always difficult because I always want to include more books. But here goes: 1) The Road by Cormac McCarthy 2) The Long Walk by Stephen King 3) The Never-ending Story by Michael Ende 4) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 5) Monster by Patrick Ness
Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
Tough question. Well, since that’s never going to happen, I’ll come with an answer that also will never happen. Ray Bradbury. I would ask him about his view on the world today – ups and downs – and on the future.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
That I can decide everything for myself. No one interferes. Some of my books have been turned into movies and making a movie is a process that involves a lot of people and a lot of opinions. And it’s expensive. But when I write, I’m in charge. And there is no budget 😊
What is a typical day like for you?
When I’m working on something – which I usually am - I write four hours a day. I have an office in my basement and I write from 8 am - 10 am and then again from 1 pm - 3 pm. I don’t aim for a certain amount of words or pages. Sometimes I write half a page in two hours if things go slow, sometimes three pages. It depends.
What scene in The Wrongful Death was your favorite to write?
My favorite scene is when Philip – in the company of Lucifer – goes to Paradise to meet God. Lucifer and God are not the arch enemies they used to be. They aren’t exactly best buddies, but they… get along. And they get on each other’s nerves. That scene was a lot of fun to write.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
- I got a framed Stephen King-quote hanging above my desk, saying: “If you work out with weights, 15 minutes a day over a course of ten years, you’re gonna get muscles. If you write an hour and a half for ten years, you’re gonna turn into a good writer.” It’s all a matter of exercise and hard work. And then - at one point - things will start going your way.
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