"From the first page of Seaborn, you are immersed. Chris Howard navigates a wild ride through a brilliantly edgy and richly atmospheric alter-world. Here is a fresh, formidable spin on fantasy, and Howard is a talent to watch out for. Seaborn will leave you spellbound." --Adele Griffin, author of where I want to be "Dark and atmospheric, Seaborn is an imaginative new entry in the world of paranormal fiction." --Liz Maverick, author of Wired, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2007 "...a fresh and entertaining read and I fully expect we will be hearing more from Chris Howard in the future." --SciFiGuy "Fascinating read..." --Romantic Times 4 star review Description: Corina Lairsey has just clawed her way free from one controlling relationship when she finds herself in another-only this guy, Aleximor, has really gotten under her skin. Literally. A 400-year-old sorcerer who gathers the drowned dead off the ocean's floor for the King of the Seaborn, he's inside her head and is wearing her body like a wetsuit. Corina desperately schemes to regain control of her self, fighting against time as Aleximor trades pieces of her life away in exchange for power over the path between the worlds of the living and the dead . . . Kassandra is the King of the Seaborn's granddaughter. She comes from the sea, but has spent her whole life in exile on the surface, struggling to control frightening powers she barely understands. She declares war on her murderous grandfather and manipulates her family, friends, oceanic royalty, and the US Navy to aid her- but Aleximor intends to use Kass to carry out his revenge against the entire Seaborn royal line. And she's also fallen in love-one more struggle for an already troubled soul. Author's Note: Seaborn is a contemporary fantasy about the loss of freedom. There are two heroines. One, Corina Lairsey has just lost all physical control, and her story is about how she fights, convinces, bargains with the evil inside in order to get her self back. The other is Kassandra, who is from the sea, but has grown up in Nebraska in exile. She has the opposite problem Corina has. Kassandra's one of the most powerful things from the sea, but she's the product of others' manipulations, following a path to the throne she's not sure she wants to take, struggling to be certain that any motive in her head is really her own.

Emily and Adriane each have one thing Kara lacks―a magic gem. But when Kara finally finds a magic stone of her own―a diamond unicorn horn―it brings more trouble than the girls can handle. Pesky dragonflies start showing up everywhere and new Fairimentals appear, warning of danger. Worst of all, a band of terrifying monsters is stalking Kara. Overcoming these perils may bring the teens one step closer to Avalon, the source of all magic. But it may also cost one of them her life. All That Glitters is the second book in Avalon: Web of Magic, a twelve-book fantasy series by Rachel Roberts for middle grade readers. Through their magical journey, the teenage heroines discover who they really are . . . and run into plenty of good guys, bad guys, and cute guys.

Snappy, pulp-inspired noir set in the mean hallways of middle school, from an exciting debut author.   The treacherous, hormone-soaked hallways of Franklin Middle School are the setting for this sharp, funny noir novel about tough guys and even tougher girls. “The Frank” is in the clutches of a crime syndicate run by seventh-grader Vinny “Mr. Biggs” Biggio, who deals in forged hall passes and black-market candy. Double-cross him and your number is punched by one of his deadly water-gun-toting assassins. One hit in the pants and you are in “the Outs” forever. Matt Stevens is a proud loner with his own code of justice. He’s avoided being pulled into Vinny’s organization until now: Mr. Biggs has offered him a job he can’t resist, one that leads to the surprising downfall of Vinny’s top assassin, the beautiful and deadly Nikki “Fingers” Finnegan, at the hands of an unknown assailant. Matt thinks he was used, and he becomes determined to find the trigger-guy or -girl, even if it means bringing down one of his oldest friends.  New talent Jack D. Ferraiolo revitalizes the noir novel while delivering a terrific, addictive mystery that crackles with wit and excitement.   “Jack Ferraiolo shines a light on middle school and reveals what we’ve always suspected: it’s a sinister place ruled by crime bosses and thugs. ‘The Big Splash’ will make you laugh out loud.”—Jeff Kinney, #1 New York Times bestselling author of DIARY OF A WIMPY KID“Move over Bogart; now there's hard-boiled private detective Matt Stevens on the job at Franklin Middle School ... You could call this genre kid noir.”—Judy Freeman, on the "Sure Shot Books for Boys" list on readkiddoread.com“Entertaining and thrilling.”--The New York Times Sunday Book Review (full page review)“A first novel with an ingenious premise: junior high noir … Twists and curve balls keep readers guessing; extended jokes will keep them laughing. With crisp prose and surprisingly poignant moments, Ferraiolo’s debut entertains on many levels.” --Publishers Weekly, starred review“Ferraiolo weaves a tale that is thought-provoking and rib-tickling all at the same time. Highly recommended.”--Library Media Connection starred review“Matt Stevens may turn out to be a bankable franchise: His first-person present-tense narration carries in it echoes of Marlowe, and the simple plot makes some crafty twists and turns as it goes along.”--Kirkus“Ferraiolo cleverly interweaves Mafia undertones with Middle School social dynamics in this comical yet page turning novel.  Young adult mystery enthusiasts will love the unmasking of this new sleuth in literature.”--ALAN “Ferraiolo has taken us down, in a manner of speaking. Good fun, and the comic-book style cover will attract readers.”—KLIATT reviews“This fabulous mystery will have teens racing to get to the last page…A great whodunit mystery lovers are sure to consume.”—VOYA“This debut novel delivers plenty of laughs … Fans of private-eye spoofs will enjoy this entertaining read.”—Booklist“Well paced, funny, and suspenseful, with some real commentary on bullying and mob mentality, this book will have fans eagerly awaiting the next installment in this faux noir detective series.”—School Library Journal“Ferraiolo shines in this debut novel, working the noir tropes for all they’re worth … The mystery itself is cagily constructed to keep readers guessing pretty much til’ the last bell.”—Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books“If middle school has an “underworld,” this book is The Godfather and The Maltese Falcon all rolled into one. Better still, it’s funny, and not just a little.”—Gordon Korman, author of SCHOOL OF ROCK F&P level: W

Walk-in closet full of designer everything? Check. Private Caribbean island? Check. Connection to the aristocracy? Working on it. Cunning, malicious stalker? Double check. Welcome to the world of the Kents, a charismatic, ambitious, and fabulously wealthy English family with two sisters – one as strong and sparkling as the other is delicate and wounded – who must somehow put their differences aside to keep an unknown enemy from bringing them down. Wild and beautiful Emily Kent has had the world laid at her feet by her ruthless mother and billionaire father – but it's not enough. Gifted with her mother's to-die-for looks, her father's hard-scrabble business sense, and both of her parents' lust for control, Emily is determined to make her own luck by seducing the only man she's ever wanted, a man who can make her dreams of attaining the heights of old-money English society come true. By contrast, Emily's step-sister, Claudia, is a fragile soul―her mother died when she was five, leaving her to the unkind reign of step-mother Innocence. In an uncharacteristic burst of rebellion, Claudia trades her gilded lifestyle for an ordinary flat and daytime job where she meets the man of her dreams… or so she imagines. But, Emily and Claudia are caught up in a desperate situation that may be beyond their control. As for their father, disgraced tycoon Jack Kent, and his wife Innocence, they are too obsessed with the fight for supremacy over their vast empire to see that a mighty and sinister opponent is plotting to ruin them all.