In need of some new books to read in literary fiction? This week’s latest releases list is full of intriguing reads you won’t want to miss! The new releases list includes so many bestselling authors like Delia Owens, David Joy, Olga Tokarczuk, and many more. Enjoy your new literary fiction books. Happy reading!
Are you eager to explore new worlds and go on on exciting adventures? This week’s selection of new science fiction and fantasy books will surely please! Fantasy fans should be excited about the latest from bestselling authors Ben Hale, Keri Arthur, Emily R. King, and more. If Science Fiction is what your library needs, you’ll be able to pick up the latest from Craig Martelle, JK Franks, S.K. Dunstall, and more. Enjoy your new science fiction and fantasy books. Happy reading!
Can't get enough young adult fiction? 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 to-be-read pile. This week includes new novels from bestselling authors Annie Sullivan, Kit Frick, Janet McNally, Krista Becca Ritchie, and many more. Enjoy your new young adult books. Happy reading!
On the lookout for some new biography and memoir books to add to 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 Jessica Honegger, Jeanne McCulloch, Karen Piper, and more. Enjoy your new biography and memoir books. Happy reading!
What can you tell us about your new release, Dirty Halo?
It’s a modern royal romance about an ordinary girl named Emilia, who happens to be an illegitimate heir to the throne of Germania. When a deadly fire leaves the royal family dead and the kingdom in turmoil, Emilia is pulled from her life and forced to take on the role of a princess. The story chronicles her journey from ordinary twenty-year-old psychology student to unwilling heir apparent. With plenty of twists and turns, scheming monarchs, and forbidden love, the first installment in the Forbidden Royals Trilogy will leave you guessing who Emilia can trust... and whether she’ll survive long enough to wear the crown...
What or who inspired you to become an author?
Books. Books. Books. I’ve always been a reader, with a deep appreciation for novels as well as the writers who craft them. After years of devouring romance and fantasy stories, I put pen to paper (or... fingers to keys...) and started plotting my own.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
I’ve always thought choosing a favorite book is like choosing the best place in the world to take a vacation — there are simply too many options to pick from! Different stories suit different moods and different phases of life.
With that said... my favorite genre to get lost in is probably fantasy. I adore richly detailed tales like “The Sevenwaters Trilogy” by Juliet Marillier and “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss.
Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
That would be my dream job! Let’s make it happen. Pretty please? Haha.
My first guest would absolutely be Jane Austen. I’ve read Pride and Prejudice too many times to count! I’d love to pick her brain about being a female writer in a time period when women certainly weren’t encouraged to pick up a pen. Plus... the woman created Mr. Darcy. Enough said.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
It offers solid justification for my caffeine addiction.
What is a typical day like for you?
I generally write in the morning, take a mid-afternoon break to procrastinate with social media, then dive back in for a few more hours before dinner, if I haven’t hit my word count goals. In my free time, I spend time with my family and friends.
What scene in Dirty Halo was your favorite to write?
The last scene! *gasp* There’s a massive, unpredictable cliffhanger that might give you a heart attack. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
I love the Coco Chanel quote, “I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t think about you at all.” It reminds me not to allow others’ expectations and judgments to define me — which can be especially difficult in this age of social media and over-sharing. The pressure to be “perfect” all the time can be soul-crushing. Comparison really is the thief of joy!
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What can you tell us about your new release, The Fragment of Water?
This is a new book series for me, and the most challenging to write for several reasons. The principle character is Draeken, a very powerful person that shatters into five fragments. Each fragment possesses a single type of magic and their own identity, but they can still merge into one person. On top of that, this is an origin story of a villain, so the question remains, which of the fragments will turn against the others? Although challenging, I love where this story is going. We all have different aspects to our identity, and sometimes those are in conflict with each other. What would happen if your anger or your compassion became its own person? That’s what I wanted to find out.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
I’ve always loved to read, and up until ten years ago, never wanted to write. But I had been thinking of a story for some time and my wife suggested I start writing. Four years and three books later I published my first book. Books inspired my creativity, my wife inspired me to write. That’s why she gets the credit for all I do. Thanks beautiful!
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
Not necessarily in any order, because I can never pick a favorite, I’d say Harry Potter (whole series but number four especially), The Elfstones of Shannara, Zucchini Warriors, and the Night Circus. I’ll leave the five slot open, because I’m always ready for a new book to join the list.
Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
Anyone? I’d go with J. K. Rowling, because I’ve always wanted to ask her if the cat, Crookshanks, was intended to be an animagus. Reading Harry Potter as a writer has been very enlightening, and I would be awesome to chat with her about her literary choices.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
Creating a story, new characters, and a world, requires the utmost of creativity, and every books starts the process again. Although the physical act of typing is the same, the flow of a narrative is always unique, taking me from windswept deserts, to damp underground caverns, to bloody battlefields. In writing the story, I’m living the adventure, and for that reason every book is a challenge. And I love a challenge.
I also love to inspire other writers. Last year I wrote a book series with a co-author, the renowned Honoree Corder. We wrote a book called Write Like a Boss to inspire those that dream of writing to go after their goals. Seeing writers believe they can do what they love is a true pleasure, and one of the best aspects of my job. When possible, I speak at schools and events, and relish seeing those who doubt, begin to dream.
What is a typical day like for you?
I try to write two chapters every day, about 4,000 words. Aside from that I spend breakfast time with my family, and usually lunch with my wife. I manage marketing and post to facebook. When I get stuck I’ll play a video game or watch movie trailers, both of which work well for me to come up with new ideas. The best part of being a writer is when I get that flash of inspiration that connects all the other ideas together.
What scene in The Fragment of Water was your favorite to write?
At one point in the story, three of the fragments merge to become Draeken, and writing from the perspective of such a powerful person was awesome. He crafts a giant suit of fire, which he uses to battle a dragon with his bare hands. It’s epic.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
“The heights of great men reached and kept,
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, as their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
There is so much I want to accomplish in my life, for my family and with my family. A writing career gives me a certain flexibility, but I want to take full advantage of the blessings I have. More than anything, I want time with my kids as they grow up, and with six children, I need LOTS of time. I love to write, but I live for my family. And if they think I’m a great dad, that’s the height I wish to attain.
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What can you tell us about your new release, Unbreak My Heart?
This is a different type of book for me! It's still full of heart and humor but it's much more emotional! Unbreak My Heart is all about the feels! It'll take readers on a journey of heartbreak, hope and healing in a second romance!
What's on your writing desk?
I don't have one! I carry my laptop from room to room and pitch my tent where I feel like writing that day! Sometimes it's the deck, sometimes the living room, sometimes the kitchen table. I also often write in the yard so I can keep an eye on my dogs as they play!
If you had to pick one place to vacation for the rest of your life, where would you choose?
Ah, Paris! I adore Paris! I love the food, the pace, the beauty! I would ogle that city for a long time!
What advice would you give your teenage self?
Live fearlessly and take chances!
If you could invent anything, what would it be?
A 100% entirely self-cleaning litter box!
What scene in Unbreak My Heart was your favorite to write?
Tough question! I love all the scenes with Andrew and Holland, but my favorite scenes were the scenes with the letters 🙂
Lauren Blakely is the author of the new book Unbreak My Heart.
Connect with Lauren:
Author Website
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What can you tell us about your new release, A Pilgrimage to Death?
As with all my best ideas, Cici Gurule popped into my mind while I was on a walk. I’d been asked to participate in a thriller box set—mysteries and thrillers are my favorite genre, my treat between more literary book club choices—and I was cataloging some of my favorite mystery characters. Andrew M. Greeley’s Nuala Anna McGrail Mystery Series came to mind, and I thought, “Why isn’t there a woman reverend sleuth? I’d totally read that!” Took a few more walks to get Cici’s past worked out, but I’m happy with the character.
So far, the reviews have been positive—people connect with Cici because she’s genuine. She struggles with doing the right thing just like the rest of us. And I’m thrilled by how much people have enjoyed the mystery component of this story! I watch the BBC’s Sherlock with my teenaged daughter, and we both get so excited when we have no idea where the plot is leading us. I hope I’ve been able to provide some level of thrill and puzzle-piecing for my readers.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
When I was seven, I read L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. That year, my teacher had a “reading tub.” She claimed it a special treat to snuggle into the heaps of pillows and read there—I believed her and spent many hours with Anne in that cracked, white porcelain palace. I’ve been hooked on novels since, though I tended toward genre fiction: fantasy, mysteries, thrillers, and romance. In fourth grade, my friend Ginger used to come over, and we’d write fantasies based on Narnia and Lord of The Rings. In some form, I’ve been writing since then.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
So, for me, there are books that made me reevaluate what I think it means to be human and books that made me feel. These are some of those books, in no particular order. And, I must note, my faves lists is much longer than five books!
Memoir of a Geisha
Misery
The Memory Thief
The Remains of the Day
The Fault in our Stars
Bonus: My kids perform in a Shakespeare acting troupe. I’m a huge fan of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. For a tragedy, it sure does have fabulous comedic timing.
Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
I’d love to interview Diana Gabaldon and J.K. Rowling. I have two central questions to ask them. I'd like to know how publishing has changed for them over the past decade. And I’d like to know how they evolved as writers after the massive success of their first series.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
The freedom to imagine. I like the idea of being able to create words, items, and people that don’t currently exist and put them into situations most of us would find far too stressful.
What is a typical day like for you?
I get up around 5:30 a.m. and work for an hour before my youngest pops into the office. We snuggle for a bit, then I make breakfast and school lunches for my three kids. I drop them off before eight o’clock and usually walk my dog with a friend and her dog. I’m home before nine, where I sit and work on a manuscript until lunch. I try to walk a shorter distance then because I’ve read the standing and movement keep me healthier. I come back and work—usually going over my social media accounts, answering emails, and updating my website, until I need to pick up my kids. After all the enrichment activities, I make dinner, and we try to sit down together so we can discuss our days. My younger two children still enjoy being read to—right now we’re reading Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase series, which we’re all enjoying immensely. Then, once the kids are abed, I either sit and talk with my husband or I go to bed and read.
What scene in A Pilgrimage to Death was your favorite to write?
I like the scene where the truck stalks Cici through the playground best. That one was so much fun to write! Want a peek? Here ya go!
After zipping up her leather jacket and slipping back on her gloves, Cici rode home at a sedate pace, trying to wrap her head around Anna Carmen’s presence—then immediate disappearance. As she stopped at the deserted intersection of Paseo de Peralta and St. Francis, that cool brush of wind intermixed with the much warmer summer air. Cici glanced around, wondering where the chill originated because it felt just like the cold touch on her hand in the Santuario.
A truck—the same dark tinted windows, dark exterior that had appeared at her house the evening she walked with Justin and her dogs—sped up as it entered the intersection from her left. The large engine revved loud as a roar as the back wheels squealed. The headlights aimed at Cici. A car kitty-corner to the black truck—the one with the green light, laid on his horn, alerting the rest of the cars now heading this direction to slow.
Good. At least innocent people wouldn’t be hurt.
Cici guessed it would be just five seconds until impact, maybe less. Probably, she wouldn’t be able to avoid impact, but no way she planned to wait there another moment and simply let someone flatten her.
She grasped the handlebars and squeezed the gas as hard as she could. Turbo injection—a nonstandard addition Anna Carmen made a few years ago to add some more zip to the machine—kicked in and Cici blasted sideways, up onto the sidewalk and into the field behind Gonzales Community School.
Cici screamed as her bike jumped the curb, then hit the rock-strewn field with a teeth-rattling thud. She squinted, trying to keep her eyes focused on the space in front of her after the truck’s front chrome fender missed her by mere inches. Her heart revved near as fast as the engine of her Harley as she wove around the chain link fence surrounding the school.
The truck tore over the rough terrain, spitting bits of gravel and broken sticks in all directions. Some hit Cici’s helmet, making a horrendous pinging sound.
Cici squeezed the throttle harder and the engine shrilled as she took as hard a turn on the bike as she dared. She couldn’t outrun that big truck engine. Her tires skittered and Cici worked to regain better control of the bike.
The truck revved, sounding closer.
Cici gulped. Few choices. None good.
She’d been here, at this school, last week to read to the kids. The teacher—a friend of hers and Anna Carmen’s—had pointed out a gap in the chain-link that led onto the playground.
Where was it? Far to the back, used to let older kids into the playground for the activities they didn’t want their parents or the school lights to discover.
The truck roared behind her, close enough for Cici to feel the heat through her leather jacket.
There. She nearly missed the gap. Holding her breath, Cici veered her motorcycle through it, shrinking her body as tight against the motorcycle. The leather on her gloves and jacket ripped before the points of the chain-link managed to gouge the skin from the back of her hands and her forearms, but Cici bit hard on her lip as she shot through the wire and into the relative safety of the field.
Until the truck plowed through the fence.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
One of my children has a chronic ailment. Slowly, painfully, I’ve learned—over years and years—not to fight against the problems because I can’t make those better or go away through sheer willpower. But I can be thankful for what I have now. I try to take note of even the smallest successes and to find the positivity in a situation. Some days are painful and hard and frustrating, but others…at least a portion of that time on those days…is pure magic. I want to hold on to that joy and to be thankful for the opportunities I have.
Alexa Padgett is the author of the new book A Pilgrimage to Death.
Connect with Alexa:
Author Page
Twitter
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Whitney G. is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. She is known for her popular Steamy Coffee Reads Collection, Mid Life Love Series, and her extremely popular recent release of Two Weeks Notice. If you love contemporary romances with a little heat, you won't want to miss these latest books to read if you like Whitney G.
Release Date: August 4, 2018
For the first time, you can get all five books in the bestselling The Beasts of Baseball series in one complete box set. This series follows the bad boy billionaire power hitters who are too untamed to lose the game that they live for, and the women they love.
Release Date: July 30, 2018
When I met Jude Warner, he was just a handsome stranger in an expensive suit offering me a quarter for the fountain in my apartment courtyard. Then I found out he was my neighbor and both of us were new to the building. Then he rescued my place in a late-night plumbing fiasco, offered me refuge during a power outage, and accompanied me to my crazy sister's wedding. Falling for Jude was easy. Finding out exactly who he was... earth-shattering.
Release Date: July 28, 2018
Rath lost his parents and mate in a brutal attack on his pride by a hunter organization. Now he burns with a need to keep humans off his land and out of his life. He will do whatever it takes to protect his pride, but when a lone female wanders into his territory, it isn't a burning need to drive her away he is feeling and it isn't his pride that needs protecting... it's his heart.
Release Date: July 31, 2018
Trina Petrov's marriage-by-contract was meant to be temporary. But then tragedy strikes and she is left as one of the wealthiest women in the world. In an effort to recover from the shock, Trina takes some time off in Italy. She vowes to not fall for a man while there... that doesn't mean she can't fall for anyone on the trip home.
Release Date: August 4, 2018
They say opposites attract. I guess it must be right because there's no reason why I should be drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I'd never usually go for a tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing guy who thinks I am flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is his first strike. Then there's the fact that he's friends with my brother. And his best friend has a crush on me. Did I mention we're also roommates?
Release Date: August 3, 2018
The papers say to stay away from the wolf with the Romeo eyes. Shane, the football star that betrayed my brother and forgot about me... the shy, quiet girl with glasses who had a huge crush. I hate him but find it hard to stay away. Now we are being forced to work together. I have to reform this arrogant bad boy's image. Instead, I fell for him.
Summer is the perfect season to relax with a good book. If you're a fan of biography & memoir novels, now is a better time than ever to stock up on some new additions for your library. There are so many intriguing novels from bestselling authors Courtenay Hameister, J. Pearl-Wisdom, Keith O'Brian, Claire Tomalin, and many more!
Release Date: July 31, 2018
For most of her life, Courtenay Hameister lived in a state of near-constant dread and anxiety. She fretted about everything. That was until, in her mid-forties, she decided to fight back against her anxiety and spend a year doing the things she's scared of. Things that even an average person would think twice about. Okay FIne Whatever is Courtenay's hold-nothing-back account of her adventures.
Release Date: June 17,2018
Escaping Quicksand is a new memoir featuring over thirty true stories written by a mother to her young son. Wisdom is rarely offered in such a memorable, entertaining and practical way. Each chapter contains sports parallels, quotes from thought leaders, pop culture references and survival lessons in each chapter. The author wants to inspire everyone with these tips so you can revisit your own life, your challenges, your history and convert past pain into appreciation and pleasure.
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Fly Girls is the untold story of a group of five women that fought to compete against men in the high stakes national air races of the 1920s and 1930s... and won. In between the world wars, there was no sport more popular than airplane racing. This novel tells the story of how this cadre of women banded together to break the original glass ceiling.
Release Date: August 21, 2018
Claire Tomalin is an esteemed biographer and editor. She wrote the biography for Charles Dickens, Samuel Pepys, and Thomas Hardy, and was the literary editor for the Sunday Times. In A Life of My Own, Claire Tomalin reflects on her remarkable life surrounded by writers and books.
Release Date: August 7, 2018
The Husband Hunters tells the story of a young and rich American Heiress that married into the impoverished British aristocracy at the turn of the 20th Century... The real inspiration for Downton Abbey. Anne de Courcy sets the story of these young women and their families, drawing on extensive first-hand research, drawing on diaries, memoirs, and letters.
Release Date: July 24, 2018
Journalist and author of Sweetness and Blood, Michael Scott Moore, incorporates personal narrative and investigative journalism in this memoir of his three-year captivity by Somali pirates. This novel is a riveting, thoughtful, and emotionally resonant exploration of foreign policy, religious extremism, and the costs of survival.
