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After her parents' deaths, she turns to illegal blood magic to hunt a killer. But is it worth her freedomâor her life? Was it suicide? Two months after finding her stepmotherâs corpse, Maddy is still unconvinced. Magic users like her stepmother donât spill their blood without purpose. Blood magic is illegal for minors. But both of Maddyâs birth parents are long dead, and the truth is all she has left. She starts her investigation with a few familiar spellsâfinding lost objects, summoning dead people. Soon, she draws the attention of a man with an unexplained connection to her stepmotherâa man with power so big and so lethal that it shouldnât exist. But whoâs going to believe a grief-stricken kid when she claims impossible magic killed her stepmother? Maddy must decide what the truth is worth. Her friends? Her freedom? Or even her own life? If you like dark young adult books full of dramatic twists, you'll love this thrilling, standalone urban fantasy about a lost girl who may find a reason to live. |
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The Bright Lord by Alex Knowles A home, a family. Lies, resentment. To save the future, he must reclaim his past.Ryan Hart thought he had saved them all. He'd served as Lord Commander of the Sarashead guild, faithfully and with honor for thousands of years. His work expanded their empire and brought peace.But peace never lasts. . . .Emperor Duhan has been murdered, ripping Ryan out of his new life as a citizen on Earth. Once again, he must leave those he loves for the greater good.Rebirth is the path, a reset into a new body that he must cultivate and train. The collision of two worlds draws ever closer, and if he can't claim what was once his, all will be lost.The Bright Lord is a thrilling Litrpg, cultivation story that spans multiple worlds, love and friendship. |
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The Crown of Death by David Schratz One day, eighth-grader Jay Adrastus's ordinary life is turned upside down when he finds his cafeteria worker about to stab him. Jay's narrow escape launches him into a world where myths are real, and dangerous, too. A character from one of these myths is alive, and bitter after the loss of his wife. It is up to Jay and his new-found friends to stop him - or never see their families again. Jay may just learn a few lessons on the trip. Ones that will change the way he views the entire world. |
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Sixteen-year-old Jacob Da Nesta and his older sister Maria live a simple life of anonymity in their peaceful border town. But when a runaway prince from a rival nation appears in their doorway asking for them, their lives are changed forever. Jacob, Maria, and their allies must flee from enemies both foreign and domestic as they journey through the perilous, war-torn land of Valouria. Guided only by visions from the mysterious Elijah, will Jacob and Maria reach salvation, or will their dark secrets catch up with them? |
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DragonBirth by Raina Nightingale In a world where dragons are considered demons and Dragonriders are hunted and killed as witches . . . Silmavalien is a devout young woman from a small mountain village. Her engaged, Noren, is teaching her the bow and her life goals are limited to marrying him â as soon as he completes his Manhood Hunt â and having a family. But then she meets a dragon hatchling and discovers a love she could never have dreamed, but one that rips her entire world apart. The gods she has worshiped, everything she has ever been taught or believed, is a monstrous lie, and she's not sure what to believe now. Can she dare to trust Noren with her new secret, even if he is the only person she's ever heard voice doubts about whether the stories are true? If she, or the hatchling Minth, are discovered, both will be burned alive. How can she survive and care for Minth in a wild hostile world â one that is even stranger than she thought? |
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White as Frost by Anthea Sharp Two sisters. One enchanted forest. And a hidden destiny that could doom them both⊠Swept away to the castle beside the Darkwood, Rose Valrois finds herself in a world full of secrets and forbidden magic. There she meets her new stepsister, the enigmatic Princess Neeve, who will either become her best friend - or her worst enemy. When Rose follows her stepsister into the enchanted shadows beneath the trees, she is beset by dangerous creatures and rescued by Thorne, the Dark Elf guardian of the forest, who binds her to the Darkwood and forbids her to speak of its mysteries. Yet despite the danger surrounding her, Rose continues to risk everything in her quest for answers, until the day she steals into the depths of the forest and discovers the most perilous secret of all... |
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Shi, shi, fourth and death. Fourth sister and twin to death. Brother born silent. Blamed for her twin brotherâs death, Shisei, the outcast fourth of seven sisters, apprentices herself to a mask maker; but when the local Kazoku accuses the youngest sister of killing his son, Shisei must lead her sisters in a deception that will either save the youngest or condemn them all. Fourth Sister is a Japanese fairy tale retelling with sparse poetry and gold-mended brokenness. A Studio Ghibli type story which invokes reflection. Little Women x Spirited Away |
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The Lightning Knight by Sean P. Valiente Magic isnât real. Not anymore and not like it used to be. Or so I thought⊠16-year-old Oliver Quartermain doesnât believe in magic anymore. But who cares? He has it all: he comes from a rich and noble family and doesnât have a care in the world. But how quickly that can all change. In the space of a few moments, Oliverâs life is turned upside down when he is tasked with protecting and saving the very magic he never believed in. But thatâs not even the half of it. The only way to save magic is by training a young boy named Po Pondarion, who is destined to save the world. Not only does Oliver have to train the young and totally clueless Po, but he also has to battle an evil secret organization bent on destroying them, all while deciphering the secrets of a Magical Codex. Oliver enlists the help of his unlikely best friends, Roc and Yokel, as well as the Knight Angels, secretive vigilantes heâs only recently met, to help him train Po and save the world. That should be simple, right? Will this merry band of misfits be able to train the young Po in time for him to learn the secrets of magic and save its very existence forever? The Lightning Knight is a gripping epic fantasy that will have you on the edge of your seat, eagerly flipping to the next page. Let yourself become emersed in this rich and magical world and join Oliver and Po on the adventure of a lifetime. |
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Overworld, The Dragon Mage Saga by Rohan M. Vider A magic apocalypse. Refugees from Earth. A new world. Elves, orcs, and dragons! Portals from Overworld have appeared on Earth, and beings intent on conscripting humanity into the mysterious Trials have invaded. Earth is doomed. Humanity has been exiled. Can Jamie save mankind? Jamie Sinclair, a young man with unique gifts, must find a way for his family and friends to survive Earth's destruction and build a new home in Overworld. The Trials is not a game. Will Jamie survive its challenges? Join Jamie as he struggles through the brutal Trials while wrestling with his new magics and Overworld's game-like dynamics. A fantasy post-apocalyptic survival story of one man's journey to save humanity. |
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Alyssia Gale is a daydreamer. A liar. An attention seeker. Everyone she's ever known has found a label to stick on her, but one thing's for sure: she can't be telling the truth. The flashes she sees of the dark and difficult lives of four other people, living in a world that's not her own ⊠they can't be real. Alyssia understands that as well as anyone, even if she does keep catching herself thinking of the people she sees as friends. Then she's pulled into that other world by blood and dark magic, and realises that everyone she's ever known was wrong. To start with, her focus is on surviving until she can find a way home. Yet it doesn't take long for her to figure out that where before she was merely a spectator, now she can change things. And with one of her friends being forced into an abusive marriage, and another trapped in the cruellest of prisons, there's plenty that needs changing. She just needs to survive long enough to do it. What she doesn't know is that something connects her to these four people. Something she never could have imagined. And it's not long before she isn't just fighting to find her place between the worlds â she's fighting to protect her closest friends from a narrative that wants them dead. |
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Daughter of Flood and Fury by Levi Jacobs Aletheia was born a heresy: a girl with a manâs magic, in a city where monks and witches are mortal enemies. Training in her powers only under her fatherâs protection, head of the monastery, she shocks everyone by becoming the best seer in generations. Until her father is murdered. A suicide, they call it, but she knows the truth: he was murdered for his heresy. For her. Now she must make a harrowing choice: disown everything her father stood for to stay alive, or flee the temple and seek to expose his killers, even as they hunt her down. Daughter of Flood and Fury is the gripping first book in the Tidecaller Chronicles. If you like strong female leads, clever magic and page-turning action, then youâll love Levi Jacobsâ epic fantasy adventure. Buy it today and find out if the girl born a heresy will live to be a hero. |
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A haunted girl, an evil witch, the mysterious fae. Olivia hopes each psychic vision will be the last. Then she can concentrate on school, grades, and getting a driverâs license. But a wicked force stands in the way and once Olivia crosses its path, the only way out is death. As Olivia searches for answers, she discovers unsolved murders, a secret pact, and a vow to avenge the past. The truth exists in a lost library once magically protected, and within it a book thought to have been destroyed. Against impossible odds, Olivia fights to save a friendâs life, release others from the same fate, and protect those she loves. If you like girls who wonât take ânoâ for an answer, who avoid the easy choice and do what's right, then you will love One of Us by M. L. Roberts, a battle of honesty vs. lies in a city at risk. A story of magic, mayhem, and murder, told with a glimmer of sharp-edged wit, and tied to an unbreakable curse. |
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The Ninth Scripture by D Wolfsbane Wishing Shelf Book Awards Finalist (teen category) B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree *** Cuest is a world at war, where men are conscripted when they come of age and women are sent to nurtures to birth more soldiers to replace those they bury. At the orphanage of Sector Six, Zecaar, a hopeful pessimist, is saved from her numbing fate and taken to Talcom Academy because she has something the others do notâshe has the talent. As she cultivates her telepathic and telekinetic abilities amid sanctioned fights, discrimination, hidden agendas, and desperate acts, events spin out of control until Zecaar begins to ask herselfâis this where I truly belong? The Hunt is the first installment in The Ninth Scripture trilogy and is a fast-paced adventure of one teenagerâs journey to find meaning in a world gone mad, where choice challenges fate, perception eclipses truth, and the twisting path is haunted by the ghosts it creates. |
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A Journey Unveiled by Amy Maltman A plane crash. A cave. A magical journey begins. Itâs June 8, 2004. The first Transit of Venus in more than a century. Lexi Guinel and her family are flying high above the Italian Alps when a storm sweeps in, knocking their plane from the sky. While seeking help, Lexi stumbles through a mysterious veil into a world of magic and evil. Crown Prince Aeric of Gower obeys his fatherâs every command, no matter how dark or cruel. When elves and dwarves seize the city Aeric commands, he is grateful for his critical wounds. Heâd rather face death than the kingâs wrath. Unfortunately, the witches and elves have other plans. Lexi has more to learn than magic. Life in Gowerland is dangerous, especially after her fate becomes entwined with that of Prince Aeric. They have important roles to play...provided they donât kill each other first. Step through a crack, you can't go back. |
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Survival's Edge by Casey White Life was going great - right up until Tara died. She'd always expected that to be it. Death is final, after all. But when she reaches the afterlife, she's instead presented with a destiny she'd never bargained for. Instead of reincarnating to begin a new life as a human, she's been selected as a candidate for godhood. If she can claw her way to divinity, sheâll be the first new blood to stand amid the old pantheons in ages. Lucky her. Thrown into the dubious situation of establishing herself as a fledgling goddess in a cruel, skeptical world, Tara clings to the task sheâs been given: Kill an aging, ancient deity, and take her place. Not everyone will be happy to see her, and not everyone will approve of her smashing through celestial society like a wrecking ball. Giving up means laying down and accepting oblivion, though - and that's something Tara refuses to do. She'll have her birthright, and she'll have her name. And then Terra will rise again. Spark of Divinity contains strong language and content that may be traumatic, with themes around death and overcoming hardship.. |
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Supernatural Drabbles of Dread by Victory Witherkeigh The unexplained and the unnatural. Things that go bump in the night, driving spikes of fear into our hearts that are all the sharper for being unknown. Supernatural Drabbles of Dread is a collection of bite-sized, supernatural horror stories from over thirty authors. These stories are horror and are not for the faint of heart. |
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Silence of the Song Trees by Branwen OShea Young Cerulean's carefree life as a Firth is shattered when a planet-wide disaster wipes out all of his kind except him. The song trees that once harmonized to maintain the ecological balance of their shared planet Lenglood are silenced by the tragedy. Grief-stricken, Cerulean struggles to survive and awaken the dormant trees. But when human colonists show up, he has more to lose--the planet of Lenglood itself. |
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Humanityâs wake-up call. Answer it or face extinction. When Bleuâs little sister shows symptoms of the deadly Sickness, a strange vision directs him to leave humanityâs subterranean haven and seek the cure on Earthâs glacial surface. Joining the expedition team, Bleu expects extreme temperatures, not a surface ruled by ingenious predators. Rana and her fellow star beings have co-existed with Earthâs top carnivores since the humans disappeared. But when her peers transform into Crowned Ones, the final stage of star being development, she fears remaining Uncrowned like her parents. To prove her worth, she undertakes a dangerous missionâcontacting the hostile and nearly extinct humans. But Ranaâs plan backfires, and Bleuâs team retaliates. As war with the more advanced star being civilization looms, both Rana and Bleu separately seek a way to save their people. |
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A Feeling Like Home by Haleigh Wenger Sword and Silk Books WriteHive Book Club Indie Recs Indie Sixteen-year-old Paige Williams canât stop self-sabotaging. Not when her dad gets sick, not when her relationship implodes, not even when her parents send her to another-freaking-state for the summer to live with her sister. Paige just wants to have fun, spray paint a few walls, and block out everything stressful, including her growing concern that she might be sick as well. To make things worse, her parents threaten her with boarding school in the fall if she canât prove sheâs changed her bad habits. Paigeâs parents sign her up for a rebuilding project in Texas where her sister lives. Meanwhile, Paige reluctantly befriends her sisterâs straight-laced teenage neighbor, Joey, who is a frequent guest. Heâs so different from her, but Paige realizes that may not be a bad thing, especially since being around Joey curbs her urge to vandalize and ignore the rules. He even makes her forget about the debilitating stomach cramps she struggles to hide. Just as Paige begins to feel settled in Texas, her dadâs worsening Crohnâs disease brings her home to Seattle. When her own health fails her, she has the choice of staying at home and receiving care. Or, she could go back to Texas and prove for once and for all that sheâs more than her mistakes and more than a disease. Torn between two worlds and two versions of herself, Paige must decide where, and with whom, she truly feels at home. |
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Never Say Never by Justine Manzano Sword and Silk Books Indie Recs Indie Teacup Dragon Coop WriteHive Book Club After she walks in on her mom doing the horizontal mambo with a man that's decidedly not her dad, Brynn Stark swears to NEVER fall in love. One of her friends--Val-- reveals her true identity--Aphrodite, goddess of love, and promises to show Brynn why she shouldn't lose faith. But when Brynn realizes she's beginning to fall for Adam, Aphrodite's boyfriend, Brynn's forced to decide if she'll choose her goddess-given fate, or risk it all for the wrong-but-right guy. One thing's for sure. Love sucks. And it's all about to blow up in their faces. |
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The Trail Angel by David Reynolds When we get older, we want to know more about what brought on our creation. What were our parents like before they met? How did they meet? What brought them to add us to the family? Helping other people, mom said, is how I came to be the center of the family. âYour dad calls me his angel but the roles should be reversed,â mom said, getting my undivided attention. âIâm the one who should be calling him my angel, though, because if your dad hadnât performed a random act of kindness, who knows where Iâd be.â âWhat happened mom? What did dad do that was so special?â I asked, intrigued by her comment. âWell dear, even though it happened a long time ago, it seems like just yesterday âŠâ Read The Trail Angel available now on Amazon.com |
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Giving Comes Around by David Reynolds "Enough is enough," Daniel McClain said after hearing a woman cry out that she didn't have enough money to buy her a daughter a dress for Christmas. Instead of being nasty, Daniel added a few small items he was going to buy for his niece and then demanded the clerk let him pay the entire bill. few feet away as she completed her own transaction. âWhy are you doing this?â the mother asked. âBecause even though I donât make a lot of money, my niece and nephew lack for little. It sounds like your daughter could use a little holiday cheer,â Daniel said, staring at her. Another woman standing close enough to hear the conversation asked him why he did it. "Even though I wonât be there when the girl gets her dress and her doll, I can imagine the beaming smile on her face. That is payment enough. Itâs also the only reason I needed to help her," Daniel replied. So starts a series of actions where Daniel's gift to a woman leads to Sarah Fontaine inviting him to a swanky party. What happens next? Read Giving Comes Around, available now on Amazon.com |
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Fledglings First Flight by Heather Major Have you ever imagined the world was bigger than you see? It was a regular day for Amy when she learned the truth of the world. Writing in her hidden forest nook, Amy investigates a strange stillness in the forest that leads her to two winged men in a clearing. Following this encounter, she begins to grow wings of her own and is told that she will be able to learn to wield magic. Amy learns that the world was shattered ages ago into magical shards connected with a series of Doors, and that she is the prophesied one who will save those shards from the Demon King. As Amyâs wings develop, her mentor tries to bring her to his home shard to train her in the use of magic. The Demon King has other ideas, and his minions redirect Amy to a shard filled with ruthless barbarians. With only a small fae for company, Amy must find her way to her mentor and learn how she can defeat the Demon King. |
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Around Midnight by Zarina Macha Musical Megan falls for the local bad boy in this romantic teen drama. A young-adult story packed with emotion, desire, and pain of first love. The harder you love, the higher the stakes. Jazz is everything to Megan Hollis. When her hands clasp the saxophone, melodies flow with each breath. Music carries her from Copperwood to London, with university on the horizon. Set on attending Londonâs prestigious School of Jazz, all elements of her life harmonize. Then she meets Vincent Turner, the mysterious guy with a dangerous reputation. Intoxicated by his possessive charms, Meganâs love shifts from melodic bliss to a dissonant nightmare. While the future promises stardust dreams, her new relationship takes a turn for the worse. Megan becomes caught between what she wants and what everyone believes is best for her. Will Megan learn to dance to the beat of her own rhythm? Recommended for those looking for realistic stories about following your heart and standing on your own two feet. |
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LOVE HIM/HATE HIM by Chris Bedell 17-year-old Connor doesnât believe his best friendâs death was an accident. Falling down the stairs was random, and Connor canât help but wonder if someone mightâve pushed her⊠Determined to find out the truth, Connor starts his own investigation. Along the way, he discovers Evelynâs affair with a married man and thought she was pregnant before she died. Connor thinks heâs found her killer, but an airtight alibi forces him to look in a new direction. Perhaps closer to home. Complicating the situation more is Connorâs own secret â an unexpected hook up with Evelynâs twin brother, Liam, at a party the previous spring. Afterward, Liam goes on a homophobic rant and punches Connor, leaving him confused. His confusion deepens when, after Evelynâs death, Liam apologizes and they start to hook up secretly. Liam is trapped between his attraction to Connor and his abusive father. Connor struggles with his growing attraction for Liam. Their secret rendezvous are fun, but if Connor is going to have more with Liam, heâll have to be honest about his feelings and his suspicions on who killed Evelyn. Will either survive the truth coming out? |
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Never Do a Wrong Thing by Marcus Herzig Best friends since kindergarten, best friends forever. That was the plan. High school sophomores Tim and Tom know everything there is to know about each other ⊠or at least they should, but Tim has a secret that could change everything he doesnât want to see changed. Tim is gay and almost ready to be out and proud. Tom is already proudâa proud homophobe, that is. As if the stakes were not high enough already, things get even more complicated when Tom talks his friend into double-dating a pair of girls. But sometimes unwanted challenges offer unexpected opportunities, and after the most embarrassing night of his life, Tim knows he can no longer avoid the inevitable. The question is, how will his best friend take it? From the author of Cupid Painted Blind comes a captivating new Young Adult LGBTQ novel that provides insight into the conflicted soul of a teenage boy who finds himself torn between honesty and friendship. |
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Leon's just like every other teenager, he's trying to figure out algebra, hide spots that pop up all too often, and still tongue tied around pretty girls - and boys all the while training to be a fully fledged Wizard. Sure everybody goes through puberty, but not everyone goes through a puberty like this and with Leon's hormones sending his magic and his emotions haywire, whispers of a fairy hunter on the loose and a full moon approaching, Leon's training is about to be kicked into overdrive. |
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Cupid Painted Blind by Marcus Herzig Few things are more exciting and, frankly, unnerving than your first day of high school. Except, maybe, coming out to your friends when they already kinda knew you were gay. Or finding out that the breathtakingly handsome guy youâve just met is best buddies with your archnemesis who happens to be a homophobic bully. Or being teamed up for a school assignment with that decidedly unattractive, facially-deformed, freaky-looking weirdo who hasnât got a friend in the world. Or all of the above. Matthew Dunstan, closeted freshman, future bestselling author, and frequently blushing teenager is on a quest to find himself, find love, and live happily ever after. Sounds easy enough, right? But when the opportunities for failure are endless, it doesnât take much to turn your life upside down. And thatâs not exactly what you need when you try to catch someoneâs eye without attracting everyoneâs attention. Cupid Painted Blind is a heartbreaking, heartwarming, and occasionally hilarious roller coaster ride through an awkward freshmanâs first few weeks of high school that will appeal to readers of all ages who enjoy Young Adult LGBTQ fiction. |
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Kingdom of Embers by Tricia Copeland Her pale skin and weird diet make her a target at school. If only they knew the truth about her feeding habits⊠Seventeen-year-old Alena Scott is tired of pretending to be something sheâs not. As an outlawed vampire-witch hybrid, sheâs forced to abide by the oppressive secrecy imposed by her Vampire Chancellor mother. But sheâll have to ignore the rules when she comes face-to-face with a handsome, full-grown version of her childhood imaginary friend. Shocked that he recognizes her as his own pretend play pal, the two embark on a quest to solve the mystery of their fantasized companionship. And as they unravel their entwined destinies, Alena realizes she holds the key to a curse which could free them allâor condemn witchkind to eternal suffering. Can Alena and her impossibly familiar partner reverse an ancient spell before theyâre sent to a mortal grave? Kingdom of Embers is the first book in the enthralling Kingdom Journals YA urban fantasy series. If you like intriguing characters, shadowy magic, and a fresh twist on modern vampire storylines, then youâll love Tricia Copelandâs heart-stopping tale. |
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Reverend of Silence by Pamela Sparkman A coming of age story about faith, love, and overcoming society's prejudices during the American Antebellum period. In 1810, Lucy Hallison suffered from a severe illness at the age of three, and later recovered, a deaf-mute. Unable to relate to the world in which she lives, sheâs often ignored and sometimes treated with cruelty. Until a boy, Samuel Burke, steps into her life at the tender age of seven, coloring her world and showing her what it means to be seen, to not be invisible, to be understood. The two become inseparable childhood friends, and as they grow and mature, there is the promise and hope of something more that also grows between them. But the hope of something more is put on hold so she can attend The American Asylum at Hartford for the Deaf and Dumb, the first of its kind, requiring her to leave the only home sheâs ever known and the only boy sheâs ever loved. But while she is away, tragedy strikes, and Samuel is now the one unable to relate to the world in which he lives, unable to find his own voice, and withdrawing from everyone and everything heâs ever known. When Lucy returns home from school, she has one goal in mindâto put color back into his world the way he had once put color into hers. Because Samuel Burke had been her voice when she had needed him most. Now, she is determined to be his. Note: Inspired by real people and true historical accounts. |
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When Words Grow Fangs by Chase Connor All Jude wants to do is play Bandits online with his friends, write articles for his blog, get good grades, and hopefully, get accepted into a university with a decent journalism program. After all, his dream is to become a first-rate journalist, writing about the issues the young people of the world deal with every day. As far as heâs concerned, heâs crushing his goals. When the typically liberal administration at his school decides they wonât allow a student to start an LGBTQ+ after school club, Judeâs track to achieving his goals suddenly veers off course. No one is standing up for whatâs right and everyone seems to accept that an LGBTQ+ club just isnât appropriate for the students of Whitmer Central High. Jude tries to talk some sense into the principal, but he quickly finds that finding an ally to help him reverse the decision about the club will be difficult. One night, in a fury over what is going on at his high school, Jude writes a scathing, yet fair, rebuke of his schoolâs decision. The next thing Jude knows, heâs the subject of a national news article, heâs gone viral on the internet, and heâs become both a hero and a pariah at his school. Quickly, he starts to realize that his dream career may not be as honorable and honest as he once thought, universities will avoid students who rock the boat, friends donât always stick up for friends, and adults donât always know whatâs best. Whatâs Jude to do? His moms couldnât be prouder of him, but what does all of this mean for a teen who hasnât quite figured out his own sexuality? |
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The Witch's and the Wolf's Curse by Julia Pazdro As the Witch entered the woods with her wolf close behind her, she knew that tonight was going to be difficult. Today was the long-awaited day. After 12 long years, she is finally going to attempt to break the curse. Will she succeed? What is the curse? Can she have a happily ever after? |
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Unicorn Farmhand by Samuel Yaw Jian Fong Every horse has a talent or two. Some can sit, some can jump over obstacles, and some can select a button for a treat. For one particular draft horse, Dok Saau, his talent is in writing. He does not just scribble letters in the ground as a trick, but he also uses his talent to express his own thoughts to his bemused owners. Surprised by his strange talent, his owner Chang Gao brings him to the Horse Fair, where he beats the other horses by writing proper answers to several questions. After a DNA scan, he is revealed to be a unicorn: even though he was supposed to be released into the wild, the authorities let Chang Gao keep him so that he might become a local attraction. Yet even as he tries to adjust to his new life as an animal celebrity, every now and then he faces recurring nightmares from his troubled past. As he seeks Chang Gao's help, will he be there to help him defeat his fears? Or would they instead attract something much worse: something that could threaten his comforts or even his own life? |
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The Guy Gets Teddy by Chase Connor Life is hard for everyone. But if you throw in religious parents, the death of a brother, and a desire to act, sing, and dance--when you don't look the way everyone expects (or wants)--it can be particularly difficult. This is the story of Baxley Theodore Miller--Teddy. He acts, he sings, he tries to dance (he's working on it), he's gay, he's overweight, his parents are religious, and the one person who loved him just as he is has died. That doesn't mean that life stops moving. Teddy wants to follow his dreams...and maybe find love along the way. Why can't a gay, overweight kid have it all? Teddy finds himself in an experimental performing arts LGBTQ+ summer camp after his senior year of high school. There he will find out what he is truly made of--and maybe make a few friends along the way. But when a handsome, friendly, kind boy starts to show interest, Teddy realizes that maybe he's never understood love at all. With the help of his bunkmates: Rufus, an enthusiastic asexual boy, and Chastity, a lesbian who is a lot kinder than she seems, Teddy realizes that maybe he has to change his way of thinking before he can change the world. Love doesn't just find you, you have to decide to find love, and it all starts with loving yourself. |
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Gavin's Big Gay Checklist by Chase Connor Gavin is miserable. But it's not what you think. Okay, maybe it is. Being half-Mexican, half-white, Jewish and Catholic is hard enough. Being a closeted high school senior just makes things harder to handle. Only Eli, Gavin's best friend who lives next door--and who happens to be a white, straight, home-schooled son of a preacher--knows who Gavin really is inside and out. But that's not enough. Gavin decides to make a list. A checklist of "To Do" items to help him become an open, proud gay man before his high school career is over. Before he heads off to college and leaves behind his mother and father, hopefully with their love and support. However, what the checklist does is educate Gavin about life--not just as a gay man--but simply as a man. It teaches him about friendship, honesty, kindness, duty, responsibility, and family. Maybe...just maybe...it will teach him to not be miserable. Gavin's Big Gay Checklist starts out as the story of how a young gay man sets out to accomplish "gay" tasks on his path to coming out of the closet. But it ends up being about life, friendship, family, all of the misery and happiness along the way...and menudo. |
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Just a Dumb Surfer Dude 3: Summer Hearts by Chase Connor Cooper's time at Dextrus Academy is coming to an end. The graduating class of 2019 is heading towards commencement - and Cooper is prepared to give the valedictorian speech. Now all that's left for him to do is leave Vermont with his boyfriend Alex for California to attend UCLA on a full academic scholarship...but that means leaving home and his favorite person - his father. Logan is ready to graduate Dextrus Academy and leave the past behind...but the future is terrifying. He has no plans for college or what he wants to do with his life now that he is moving into adulthood. And he can't shake the overwhelming feeling that his boyfriend, A.J., might be ready to move on to other things now that their senior year is ending. One thing is certain - Logan's father has rented a beach house in Maine for Logan, Cooper, Alex, and A.J. They'll get to surf, swim, and spend quality time together as the closest of friends one last time before adulthood arrives. Are their friendships strong enough to withstand distance and time? Will their romantic relationships hold up now that they are no longer in the fishbowl that Dextrus Academy provided? Was all the love they shared only summer in their hearts? |
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My name is not "Ginjuh" but that's what everyone calls me. It all started when I was 3-years-old at a family reunion and my speech impediment kept me from properly parroting what everyone else in the family was calling me. Fifteen years later and my speech impediment is mostly better but I still have a shocking wave of flame-colored hair, freckles, and I can't stand to hear that nickname come out of people's mouths. I'm still stuck with that awful nickname, though. Even the other people in school call me "Ginjuh". How can a teenage guy come out to his parents when they keep using a nickname that reminds him that he once had a speech impediment? "It's all just in good fun, Ginjuh!" is their motto. Sometimes I feel like my parents have formed a united front against me like they want me to feel worthless. At least I have my grandpa. But he hasn't been well for a while. Above all things--being scared of coming out, being annoyed with the taunts and jabs, afraid of what the future holds for a high school senior--I'm terrified of losing him. But that's life, isn't it? A guy has to learn to face all it...or collapse under the weight of all of it. Then there's the weirdo I go to school with that my grandpa hired to help us on the farm at the end of summer... |
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A Million Little Souls by Chase Connor In the last two weeks of the school year, four teenagers check out books from the Long-Moore High School Library. Mrs. Clark, the high school librarian, says she has never seen the books before. They must have been shelved incorrectly because all of the books are from the city public library. Entrusting the teens to return the books to their rightful home once they are done, she lets them check out the books. Inside of each, the teens learn, is an invitation to attend a special eventâone that only happens every 25 years. You have been selected. Your presence is requested at 7 pm on the 5th. Tell no one. Come alone. Otherwise, your invitation will be invalidated. Cordially, The Librarian. Though all of them think better of it, one by one, they all arrive at the City Public Library alone, ready to attend this mysterious event the messages in the books conveyed. As the night unfolds, they find themselves locked inside the dark building all alone, with nothing to do but wait for dawn. But are they alone? Or is there something more than books inside the libraryâŠ? Get to know each other⊠Take a stroll through time⊠Reach a higher plane⊠Go by the numbers⊠Respect the books. |
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Just a Dumb Surfer Dude 2: For the Love of Logan by Chase Connor Logan has always been a "good boy". He gave up his chance at finding potential true love at Dextrus Academy, the all-boys school he attends, so that Cooper and Alex could be happy together. Now he's starting to wonder if that decision isn't the worst he's ever made. With Cooper and Alex happy and content in their relationship, Logan can't help but wonder if he'll never find a guy that loves him. He may only be eighteen-years-old, but it feels like he's been waiting a lifetime for the right guy to come along. Just when everything is falling apart, two different guys walk into his life. One he met by chance...and one he's known ever since he came to Dextrus Academy. Just a Dumb Surfer Dude 2: For the Love of Logan is the sequel to Chase Connor's first LGBTQ YA novella "Just a Dumb Surfer Dude: A Coming-of-Age Tale. All of the lovable characters are back--but Logan steps into the spotlight in this tale about first love and coming out. |
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Just a Dumb Surfer Dude by Chase Connor Cooper is a genius. At least that's what everyone else keeps saying, even if he doesn't like it. But that's not his biggest problem. Being gay while attending Dextrus Academy, an all-boys prep school, and only having one other gay friend, life can be...difficult. Cooper wants to stay true to himself, and being a hormonal gay teen makes that difficult at times. So far, he's managed to navigate being a good son, a good student, a best friend, and not lose himself in the process. But when Logan, a hot surfer dude, transfers to Dextrus Academy, is it possible that Cooper will lose himself for a chance at true happiness? |
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A Surplus of Light by Chase Connor "He's a psycho." That's what Mike is told when he asks who the kid is with the dark swoop of hair and eyes that look like icebergs floating in milk. From that moment, it becomes Mike's mission to find out everything about this kid. The kid who can fight better than anyone, but doesn't want to. The kid who is the greatest artist Mike's ever met. The kid who only wants to be his friend during the lightest days of summer. The kid who tells him that being his friend at school will only ruin Mike's reputation. Regardless of what the kid tells Mike, he doesn't realize that summer is the best time--it has the most light--and it makes it easier for Mike to see who he truly is. And there's no way Mike will back off once he sees this kid for who he truly is. |
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HE BOKAI HAVE RETURNED Kamryn Coe and her friends are spread out across the east coast, struggling to stay alive and find answers. Her powers are growing, but at what cost? She begins to realize that her unique gifts may not be all that unique, after all. THE FINAL BATTLE APPROACHES Spider stalks the dreams of the survivors, a talent stolen from another. The orange sneakered goblin believes that she will be rewarded, provided she can complete one more task. THIS IS HOW IT ENDS And Quinn Flowers, after a beyond the grave visit from Lucy, realizes that he may have a more important role to play in the salvation of all things. Heath, Dani, Gabe, Wyatt, Jordan, Olin, Trip, they've all come so far, but sacrifices must be made. NO ONE IS SAFE FROM THE GLOWING |
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Road Kill Girl by Nicole Herbert âOn the highway of life I am road kill.â That is how eighteen year old Mar started the last assignment of her long high school career. About to graduate after feeling both invisible and unwanted for the past four years, Mar thinks she is only waiting to get out of her small, Canadian town and be noticed. After a sudden breakup with her swoon-worthy, musician boyfriend she is steered into an investigation into her motherâs death by the most unexpected visitor: a mangy, sassy cat claiming to be her guardian angel.When secrets of her dead motherâs past resurface revealing that her ex-preacher dad might not be her biological father Mar risks learning truths she never wanted to know. Why is it that she never felt like she belonged and is it possible that this dead cat is just using her like everyone else? What she doesnât know is what everyone is scared of, the start of the next World War, might just depend on a choice she needs to make.Cover artwork by Nolan Mercer. |
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APPRENTICE - a story from the Road to Xibalba by Joaquin Gil The story of Fiona Robles, an aspiring student Gatekeeper in Gateway's Bio-Design program and her adventures in the Gold Coast of California, her first love, her travels, what she did wrong, and how Xibalba affected her life, and what she did right, and the friends she found on the way. Hand drawings over computer graphics. |
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Mockingston Faire by Samuel Yaw Jian Fong Three friends â Victoria Hughes, Jack Zhang, and Ludvig Gerald â attend Mockingston Faire, an annual convention where fans meet their friends and favourite characters, buy and sell art, play games, and have a good time. Victoria wants to see Gunfighter III, her anticipated game, and reconcile with Ludvig over what she did last year; Jack wants to get as many pictures of his dearest characters and personalities; and Ludvig just wants to keep away from annoying fans and events who constantly forced him to become an amateur actor. But the Faire itself has its own challenges. Everywhere they go, they seem to be unable to evade the malcontents of pop culture. From violent brawls between bitter fandoms, to nuisances who hound their every step, the whole Faire seems to descend into chaos. Can these three make it through this dysfunctional festival with their friends in one piece? Or will they succumb to the surrounding rage, losing their sanity and reputation in the process? |
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Blade's Edge (Chronicles of Gensokai #1) by Virginia McClain Mishi and Taka live each day of their lives with the shadow of death lurking behind them. The struggle to hide the elemental powers that mark the two girls as KisĆshi separates them from the other orphans, yet forges a deep bond between them. When Mishi is dragged from the orphanage at the age of eight, the girls are unsure if or when they will find each other again. While their powers grow with each season-cycle, the girls must come to terms with their true selves--Mishi as a warrior, Taka as a healer--as they forge separate paths which lead to the same horrifying discovery. The RĆjĆ« councilâs dark secret is one that it has spent centuries killing to keep, and Mishi and Taka know too much. The two young women have overcome desperate odds in a society where their very existence is a crime, but now that they know the RĆjĆ«âs secret they find themselves fighting for much more than their own survival. Finalist in the 2019 SPFBO |
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Blood of Heirs (The Coraidic Sagas #1) by Alicia Wanstall-Burke Lidan Tolak is the fiercest of her fatherâs daughters; more than capable of one day leading her clan. But caught between her warring parents, Lidanâs world begins to unravel when another of her fatherâs wives falls pregnant. Before she has time to consider the threat of a brother, a bloody swathe is cut through the heart of the clan and Lidan must fight, not only to prove her worth, but simply to survive. Ranoth Olseta wants nothing more than to be a worthy successor to his fatherâs throne. When his home is threatened by the aggressive Woaden Empire, Ran becomes his cityâs saviour, but powers within him are revealed by the enemy and he is condemned to death. Confused and betrayed, Ran is forced to flee his homeland, vowing to reclaim what he has lost, even if it kills him. Facing an unknown future, and battling forces both familiar and foreign, can Lidan and Ran overcome the odds threatening to drag them into inescapable darkness? |
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Ruthless Magic (Conspiracy of Magic #1) by Megan Crewe In the contest to keep their magic, the only options may be die... or kill. Each year, the North American Confederation of Mages assesses every sixteen-year-old novice. Some will be chosen. The rest must undergo a procedure to destroy their magical ability unless they prove themselves in the mysterious and brutal Mages' Exam. Disadvantaged by her parents' low standing, RocĂo Lopez has dedicated herself to expanding her considerable talent to earn a place in the Confederation. Their rejection leaves her reelingâand determined to fight to keep her magic. Long ashamed of his mediocre abilities, Finn Lockwood knows the Confederation accepted him only because of his prominent family. Declaring for the Exam instead means a chance to confirm his true worth. Thrown into the testing with little preparation, RocĂo and Finn find themselves becoming unlikely alliesâand possibly more. But the Exam holds secrets more horrifying than either could have imagined. What are the examiners really testing them for? And as the trials become increasingly vicious, how much are they willing to sacrifice to win? The first in a new series by USA Today bestselling author Megan Crewe, Ruthless Magic combines the magic of Harry Potter with the ferocity of The Hunger Games alongside a poignant romance. Fans of Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, look no further for your next urban fantasy fix. |