All Books
Synopsis: Benton Collins was a graduate student working in the bio lab to earn his way to his degree. When a white lab rat somehow managed to escape its cage, Ben found himself chasing the rat into a storeroom that would ultimately lead him through a secret gateway into the realm called Barakhai. And in Barakhai, Ben’s life would be forever changed, for this was a place peopled by inadvertent shapeshifters, humans forced to spend half their day—or night—in animal form.
Not everyone was happy with the life in Barakhai, a life where the general population was ruled by those few humans of royal blood who remained in their human form and were virtual dictators. Ben, by virtue of being born on Earth, was not a shapeshifter either. And a rebel named Zylas hoped that Ben could become the instrument to turn Barakhai around. So Zylas and his comrade rescued Ben from certain death. But if Ben agreed to join their cause, would he only be postponing the moment of his execution, and would he ever be allowed to return to his own world again?
Not everyone was happy with the life in Barakhai, a life where the general population was ruled by those few humans of royal blood who remained in their human form and were virtual dictators. Ben, by virtue of being born on Earth, was not a shapeshifter either. And a rebel named Zylas hoped that Ben could become the instrument to turn Barakhai around. So Zylas and his comrade rescued Ben from certain death. But if Ben agreed to join their cause, would he only be postponing the moment of his execution, and would he ever be allowed to return to his own world again?
Publication Date: 03/05/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Death and darkness lurk in the shadows, awakening the flesh and forbidden love. Torn from her home and fighting bouts of suicidal depression, seventeen year old Aileen McCormick lands in the small coastal town of Redcliff, North Carolina. Her first day of school promises to be the worst day of her life when a menacing group of boys target the new girl. Shoved into the arms of arms of Addison Wake, she knows she'll never be the same. Addison's otherworldly charm and drop-dead gorgeous face leave her breathless, but only for a moment. Grim and painful secrets lurk in his dark soul. Addison Wake isn't exactly like other boys. Far from it. He's dead and has been for 300 years, locked in an ethereal prison by a lethal enchantress named Donelle. When she hungers, she blesses Addison's tortured spirit with moments of freedom, allowing him to roam the mortal world as Shadowflesh. But that dark blessing comes at a price. He must deliver the souls of five unsuspecting humans to Donelle. Knowing he's here only for a short amount of time, Addison refuses to let himself fall in love and break Aileen's already fractured heart. He pushes her into the arms of another, but destiny throws the two shadowy lovers back together. In the darkness of her room, Addison confesses his love and his deadly secret to Aileen. When four dead bodies pop up in Redcliff, Aileen asks herself is her love for the mysterious boy unconditional? Is the love worth the risk? And will she be the next victim?
Publication Date: 02/28/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Synopsis:
Love or life. Henry or their child. The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.
During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her—until Cronus offers a deal.
In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.
With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.
Even if it costs her eternity.
Love or life. Henry or their child. The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.
During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her—until Cronus offers a deal.
In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.
With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.
Even if it costs her eternity.
Publication Date: 02/26/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Synopsis: Pip dreads every soccer match. His father is always there, yelling and arguing, pushing him to be more like his older brother a winner. Plus, there's the girl next door who outshines him on the field and overlooks him off of it. Then one day, Pip stumbles into a new world inside a rock-climbing gym. He even stumbles into a new, cooler name: Phil. But he still has to find a way to break free from the old world and his father's grip. An award-winning New Zealand author makes her U.S. debut with this powerful novel.
"And in the unreal twilight of the deserted Igloo, it was as if someone else had taken over my body . . . and my mind. Suddenly I wasn't Pip McLeod, forever messing up. Pip; Pippin; Piphead; Pipsqueak: battling to be the son Dad wanted, and never even coming close. No-this was a new me, Philip McLeod, who'd been hidden away somewhere deep inside . . . who with each new handhold, was slowly but surely clambering his way out."
Publication Date: 02/26/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Theodore Crane finds solace in goofy everyday pranks, in order to cope with living under the shadow of an abusive father and dealing with a belligerent bully who seeks him out at school.
One day, intervention from outer space strikes as a mysterious amulet soars into his room bearing enigmatic clues. This causes Theodore to question everything about the universe, and the answer comes in the form of two battling intergalactic warlords who, unknown to Theodore, have been analyzing him all his life.
To protect his loved ones, and to avenge what has torn his family apart, Theodore must leave Earth. He is given just fourteen days to assemble a team of trustworthy friends, and to convince each one to go on this dangerous mission.
The Acolytes of Crane is two parts; a coming-of-age story that delights us when it turns into a blast 'em, rock 'em space odyssey. In the words of one reviewer, it starts out like "Sandlot" and finishes up like "Ender's Game."*Each month, I will give 100% of net proceeds from each sale of my books to the Wounded Warrior Foundation; whether it's a dollar or a thousand. Thank you.
One day, intervention from outer space strikes as a mysterious amulet soars into his room bearing enigmatic clues. This causes Theodore to question everything about the universe, and the answer comes in the form of two battling intergalactic warlords who, unknown to Theodore, have been analyzing him all his life.
To protect his loved ones, and to avenge what has torn his family apart, Theodore must leave Earth. He is given just fourteen days to assemble a team of trustworthy friends, and to convince each one to go on this dangerous mission.
The Acolytes of Crane is two parts; a coming-of-age story that delights us when it turns into a blast 'em, rock 'em space odyssey. In the words of one reviewer, it starts out like "Sandlot" and finishes up like "Ender's Game."*Each month, I will give 100% of net proceeds from each sale of my books to the Wounded Warrior Foundation; whether it's a dollar or a thousand. Thank you.
Publication Date: 02/21/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Synopsis:
The White City, 1893: In turn-of-the-century Chicago, with the World's Fair bringing bustle and excitement to her home city, sixteen-year-old Emily Wheiler should be reveling in her youthful beauty and the excitement around her. But her whole life changed when her mother died, leaving her to be the Lady of Wheiler House. Her father, a powerful bank president, is at the center of an important social hub for the booming young city, and he needs Emily to do everything her mother would have – to be a good hostess and make sure the mansion runs smoothly.
As Emily uneasily tries to replace her mother, she also longs for more… for love and a life of her own. When a handsome young man notices her at one of her father's parties, it seems that her hopes may finally be coming true. Until her father forbids her to see him – or any other man – and starts revealing a darkly violent side that even he can't understand.
At last, afraid for her life and with nowhere to turn, Emily is Marked by a vampyre and brought to the Chicago House of Night, where she begins a magickal new life that should allow the wounds from her past to heal. But as she gains strength, and a powerful new name, she carries a dark need to wreak vengeance on the man she trusted most.
From victim to High Priestess, beautiful young woman to powerful seductress, Neferet's journey begins in NEFERET'S CURSE...from authors P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.
Publication Date: 02/19/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Synopsis: How can you be a hero when you're already a legend? Despite the death of Grandma and her own diagnosis of incurable cancer, eighteen-year old Leandra returns to the magical realm of Finian Jahndra at the urgent request of her friend, Songcatcher. Prince Aspen needs Leandra and her enchanted flute to help repel an army of invading humans. Leandra hopes her health will return as well—but something is terribly wrong. The flute has no power and the invaders are killing important leaders. Leandra must find a way to rally the birds and humans of Finian Jahndra to defeat the growing dark force—before the magic dies forever.
Publication Date: 02/12/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis:
Vanessa knew that dance was in her blood, but she had no idea the world of elite ballet was center stage for the darkest of secrets-until her sister mysteriously disappeared from the world-renowned New York Ballet Academy.
Three years later, Vanessa follows in Margaret's footsteps, lands the role most girls at NYBA would kill for . . . and gets trapped in a sinister spiral of secrets. Back-stabbing bunheads, a fiercely unrelenting choreographer, and the sexy male lead of the troupe-they all want something from Vanessa. And though she revels in the attention, what Vanessa truly craves are answers. Instead, she feels as though she is losing her footing at every turn. Is she doomed to relive her sister's strange fate?
Riveting and sexy, Dance of Shadows twists the cutthroat world of ballet with a psychological thriller, in a dance you won't be able to resist.
Publication Date: 02/12/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis: A 2014 Michael L. Printz Honor Book
In Sally Gardner’s stunning novel, set in a ruthless regime, an unlikely teenager risks all to expose the truth about a heralded moon landing.
What if the football hadn’t gone over the wall. On the other side of the wall there is a dark secret. And the devil. And the Moon Man. And the Motherland doesn’t want anyone to know. But Standish Treadwell — who has different-colored eyes, who can’t read, can’t write, Standish Treadwell isn’t bright — sees things differently than the rest of the “train-track thinkers.” So when Standish and his only friend and neighbor, Hector, make their way to the other side of the wall, they see what the Motherland has been hiding. And it’s big...One hundred very short chapters, told in an utterly original first-person voice, propel readers through a narrative that is by turns gripping and darkly humorous, bleak and chilling, tender and transporting.
In Sally Gardner’s stunning novel, set in a ruthless regime, an unlikely teenager risks all to expose the truth about a heralded moon landing.
What if the football hadn’t gone over the wall. On the other side of the wall there is a dark secret. And the devil. And the Moon Man. And the Motherland doesn’t want anyone to know. But Standish Treadwell — who has different-colored eyes, who can’t read, can’t write, Standish Treadwell isn’t bright — sees things differently than the rest of the “train-track thinkers.” So when Standish and his only friend and neighbor, Hector, make their way to the other side of the wall, they see what the Motherland has been hiding. And it’s big...One hundred very short chapters, told in an utterly original first-person voice, propel readers through a narrative that is by turns gripping and darkly humorous, bleak and chilling, tender and transporting.
Publication Date: 02/12/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: Fans of the Tantalize quartet will thrill to see werepossum Clyde and other favorite secondary characters — plus all-new ones — take to the fore in book one of an all-new series.
When sexy, free-spirited werecat Yoshi tracks his sister, Ruby, to Austin, he discovers that she is not only MIA, but also the key suspect in a murder investigation. Meanwhile, werepossum Clyde and human Aimee have set out to do a little detective work of their own, sworn to avenge the brutal killing of werearmadillo pal Travis. When all three seekers are snared in an underground kidnapping ring, they end up on a remote island inhabited by an unusual (even by shifter standards) species and its cult of worshippers. Their hosts harbor a grim secret: staging high-profile safaris for wealthy patrons with evil pedigrees, which means that at least one newcomer to the island is about to be hunted. As both wereprey and werepredator fight to stay alive, it’s up to mild-mannered Clyde — a perennial sidekick — to summon the hero within. Can he surprise even himself?
When sexy, free-spirited werecat Yoshi tracks his sister, Ruby, to Austin, he discovers that she is not only MIA, but also the key suspect in a murder investigation. Meanwhile, werepossum Clyde and human Aimee have set out to do a little detective work of their own, sworn to avenge the brutal killing of werearmadillo pal Travis. When all three seekers are snared in an underground kidnapping ring, they end up on a remote island inhabited by an unusual (even by shifter standards) species and its cult of worshippers. Their hosts harbor a grim secret: staging high-profile safaris for wealthy patrons with evil pedigrees, which means that at least one newcomer to the island is about to be hunted. As both wereprey and werepredator fight to stay alive, it’s up to mild-mannered Clyde — a perennial sidekick — to summon the hero within. Can he surprise even himself?
Publication Date: 02/12/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: “Chockful of gear-driven automatons, looming dirigibles, and wildly implausible time machines . . . should please steampunks of all ages.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Imagine an alternate universe where tinkerers and dreamers craft and re-craft a world of automatons, clockworks, calculating machines, and other marvels that never were. Visionaries Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant have taken a genre already rich, strange, and inventive and challenged fourteen masters of speculative fiction, including two graphic storytellers, to embrace its established themes and refashion them in surprising ways and settings. The result is an anthology that defies its genre even as it defines it.
Imagine an alternate universe where tinkerers and dreamers craft and re-craft a world of automatons, clockworks, calculating machines, and other marvels that never were. Visionaries Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant have taken a genre already rich, strange, and inventive and challenged fourteen masters of speculative fiction, including two graphic storytellers, to embrace its established themes and refashion them in surprising ways and settings. The result is an anthology that defies its genre even as it defines it.
Publication Date: 02/12/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Short Story
Synopsis: After leaving Uncle Chester's homestead claim, orphan Hattie Brooks throws a lasso around a new dream, even bigger than the Montana sky. She wants to be a reporter, knowing full well that a few pieces published in the Arlington News will not suffice. Real reporters must go to Grand Places, and do Grand Things, like Hattie's hero Nellie Bly. Another girl might be stymied by this, but Hattie has faced down a hungry wolf and stood up to a mob of angry men. Nothing can squash her desire to write for a big city newspaper. A letter and love token from Uncle Chester's old flame in San Francisco fuels that desire and Hattie jumps at the opportunity to get there by working as a seamstress for a traveling acting troupe. This could be her chance to solve the mystery of her "scoundrel" uncle and, in the process, help her learn more about herself. But Hattie must first tell Charlie that she will not join him in Seattle. Even though her heart approves of Charlie's plan for their marriage, her mind fears that saying yes to him would be saying no to herself. Hattie holds her own in the big city, literally pitching her way to a byline, and a career that could be even bigger than Nellie Bly's. But can making headlines compensate for the pain of betrayal and lost love? Hattie must dig deep to find her own true place in the world. Kirby Larson once again creates a lovingly written novel about the remarkable and resilient young orphan, Hattie Inez Brooks.
Publication Date: 02/12/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis: "The closeness is maddening. You're so full of the desire to be seen, you must be freaking glowing. I'm here. You try to reach her with mental tricks, with all your powers of concentration, with all your love distilled into a single thought. See me." Rob's ghost is watching Holly, so when he sees his best friend, Jason, trying to get close to her,he isn't happy. This haunting paranormal romance is deftly told from the perspectives of Rob, Holly, and Jason. Can everyone make peace with the past and find the courage to move forward?
Publication Date: 02/12/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Paranormal
Synopsis: This novel takes place a year after "The Cir-Cuss Comes to Town" and before "End of the Long Walk". A greedy horse rancher captures a black unicorn that belongs to a headless horseman. Pessimistic Kitt Sassacus is training her optimistic cousin, Jessey Sassacus to take her place, but the mission becomes deadly when a psychotic entity named Bloody Mary is invoked and holds a college Halloween party hostage.
Publication Date: 02/08/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Synopsis: A dark evil rises. A world on the threshold of destruction. A crossing into a mysterious realm. The journey begins. Newly commissioned Interceptor fighter pilot, Erynn Yager, knows sacrifice. Her battle against a brutal alien enemy intent on destroying her two worlds set her on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, all while struggling to gain control of her secret abilities. With the alien threat crushed, Erynn believes the worst is behind her. She settles in to experience first love and a changed life on a hidden military base deep inside a glacier covered mountain on Arranon. Her peaceful existence can’t last. Dhoran, the evil sovereign of Arranon’s underworld has risen from the dead to possess an unwilling human. Dhoran’s powers grow while he plots a war that may plunge Arranon onto a path of destruction neither realm will survive. Arranon is pulled into chaos as violence spreads across the planet. Drawn first in visions, Erynn enters a diverse world beneath Arranon’s surface, a realm teeming with danger, mystery, and beauty. The battle thrusts her into an uncharted kingdom, intensifying her connection to the heart and soul of the living Arranon.
Publication Date: 02/06/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: In a realm on the brink of war, will an unsuspected heir to the kingdom of Coronnan and to magic long-banished from the land offer the only hope for survival?
Glenndon--son of witchwoman Brevelan and Jaylor, Senior Magician and Chancellor of the University of Magicians--has never spoken aloud. He has no need because his telepathic talent is strong and everyone associated with the University can "hear" him. He can throw master-level spells, but because he will not speak, Jaylor has refused to promote him from apprentice to journeyman magician. Still, everyone knows it is only a matter of time until Glenndon will take his rightful place at the University.
Then an urgent missive arrives from King Darville. The Council of Provinces is near rebellion over the king's lack of a male heir. Rather than see his fourteen-year-old daughter, Rosselinda, married off just to procure an heir, he orders his illegitimate son Glenndon to Coronnan City to become his successor. And suddenly Glenndon's world is in chaos. The man he's always known as his father is not. Instead he is the son of the king. But in this city where court politics can prove deadly and where magic is forbidden, the young man must hide his talents even as he struggles to find his voice and his destiny.
And one slip could see Glenndon, Darville, Rosselinda, and even Jaylor doomed, for the lords and the people fear magic more than potential invasion, legendary monsters, and civil war.
Glenndon--son of witchwoman Brevelan and Jaylor, Senior Magician and Chancellor of the University of Magicians--has never spoken aloud. He has no need because his telepathic talent is strong and everyone associated with the University can "hear" him. He can throw master-level spells, but because he will not speak, Jaylor has refused to promote him from apprentice to journeyman magician. Still, everyone knows it is only a matter of time until Glenndon will take his rightful place at the University.
Then an urgent missive arrives from King Darville. The Council of Provinces is near rebellion over the king's lack of a male heir. Rather than see his fourteen-year-old daughter, Rosselinda, married off just to procure an heir, he orders his illegitimate son Glenndon to Coronnan City to become his successor. And suddenly Glenndon's world is in chaos. The man he's always known as his father is not. Instead he is the son of the king. But in this city where court politics can prove deadly and where magic is forbidden, the young man must hide his talents even as he struggles to find his voice and his destiny.
And one slip could see Glenndon, Darville, Rosselinda, and even Jaylor doomed, for the lords and the people fear magic more than potential invasion, legendary monsters, and civil war.
Publication Date: 02/05/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy