Articles tagged "Debut"

Spring 2013 Debut Chapter E-Sampler for Librarians

The excellent team at St. Martin's Press has put together a great chapter sampler of their hot Spring 2013 debuts. And it's only available to librarians!

We would love to have you take a peek at the work of these new writers and give them a chance in your libraries.

Download the sampler from Netgalley now: http://bit.ly/Spring2013Sampler

**Expect approval in 24-48 hours. Be sure your professional information is included in your profile!

Titles include:

THE WEIGHT OF A HUMAN HEART by Ryan O'Neill
REVIVER by Seth Patrick
FOAL PLAY by Kathryn O'Sullivan
CLAWS OF THE CAT by Susan Spann
FLAT WATER TUESDAY by Ron Irwin
THE LAST LINE by Anthony Shaffer and William H. Keith
THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS OF SHIPWRECK LANE by Kelly Harms
SON OF ZEUS by Noble Smith
PAINTED HANDS by Jennifer Zobair
BLOOD ORANGE by Karen Keskinen
MURDER, SHE RODE by Holly Menino
THE CARETAKER by A .X. Ahmad
CUT THRUOGH BONE by Alaric Hunt

Let us know what you think of the new kids!

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Starred Reviews for A GOOD DEATH

Award winning journalist Christopher Cox has delivered a nail-biting debut mystery that will take your patrons through the side streets of Bangkok and across violent Lao hill county and the reviews are spectacular.

Damon is a sharp-witted and likeable though down-on-his-luck Boston PI who catches an intriguing case. Linda Watts is a beautiful, talented Lao immigrant with a promising career—or she was, until she turns up dead in a cheap Bangkok guest house. Her death seems like a straightforward overdose to the Thai authorities, but her insurance company isn’t buying it. They hire Sebastian to travel halfway around the world to investigate.

"Cox’s action-packed debut is perfect for armchair travelers who will be amazed by the author’s ability to make gaudy Bangkok and the remote hill country of Laos come alive." -Library Journal (starred review)

"A GOOD DEATH is another example of the only positive to emerge from the Vietnam War—fine writing." -Booklist (starred review)

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Featured Review: Little Known Facts

We're excited to see that the featured fiction review in the most recent American Libraries Direct newsletter (10/24) is LITTLE KNOWN FACTS, a debut by Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist Christine Sneed!

lkf

The verdict of the review says it best,

"As Sneed illuminates each facet of her percussively choreographed plot via delectably slant disclosures––overheard conversations, snooping, tabloids, confessions under duress, and journal entries, among them—she spotlights 'little known facts' about the cost of fame, our erotic obsession with movie-star power, and where joy can be found." -Booklist (starred review)

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Featured Women's Fiction: Grace Grows

Today we're looking at a charming, fun, and sexy women's fiction debut, GRACE GROWS by Shelle Sumners!

You might have heard us talk about it at one of our book buzzes or you might remember Alene Moroni mentioning it at the Fourth Annual Librarian Shout n' Share at BEA this year. But even if you haven't heard of it, we recommend you check out a copy when it's available later this month.

Grace Barnum edits textbooks, is engaged to a patent attorney who is steady and reliable, and feels prepared for almost anything... that is, until Tyler Wilkie shows up outside her door.

"Sumners’s endearing and charming debut will appeal to chick lit and romance readers alike. Recommended for fans of Katie Fforde, Harriet Evans, and Eileen Rendahl." —Library Journal
"Readers will fall for the swoonworthy hero and root for the couple to overcome each obstacle." —Booklist

Aside from falling for the great story, we're (obviously) also head over heels for those beautiful pups on the cover. The best part? If you look closely you can see that one of them is sitting on the man's shoe!

Also check out a great interview with Shelle on the Women's Fiction Writers blog here.

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Book Trailer Friday: Wilderness

Between WILD and TWILIGHT, the Pacific Northwest has captured readers' imaginations of late. Lance Weller's debut, WILDERNESS, will enrapture us further.

Thirty years after the Civil War's Battle of the Wilderness left him maimed, Abel Truman has found his way to the edge of the continent, the rugged, majestic coast of Washington State, where he lives alone in a driftwood shack with his beloved dog. Wilderness is the story of Abel and his final journey over the snowbound Olympic Mountains. It's a quest he has little hope of completing but must undertake to settle matters of the heart that predate even the horrors of the war.

"This tragic tale is the best Civil War novel since COLD MOUNTAIN. It's an important, compelling book for fans of literate historical fiction, dog lovers, or true believers in the resilience of the human spirit. Only those who can't handle extreme violence should stay away." -Library Journal (starred review)

Take a closer look at the setting of the novel with author Weller in his book trailer/conversation as he roadtrips to the north coast of Washington State. Shelf Awareness named it a Book Trailer of the Day!

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Starred Review for Down the Rabbit Hole

Tochtli lives in a palace. He loves hats, samurai, guillotines, and dictionaries, and what he wants more than anything right now is a new pet for his private zoo: a pygmy hippopotamus from Liberia. But Tochtli's father is a drug baron on the verge of taking over a powerful cartel, and Tochtli is growing up in a luxury hideout that he shares with hit men, prostitutes, dealers, servants, and the odd corrupt politician or two.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE, a masterful and darkly comic first novel, is the chronicle of a delirious journey to grant a child’s wish. This debut has been long-listed for The Guardian First Book Award and it just got a starred review from Publishers Weekly!

"The voice never feels overwrought with would-be childlike quirks, nor does it ever read like a convenient lens through which to view an adult world. The cadence of the prose and the vulnerability of the boy create a devastating story." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Barbara Hoffert from Library Journal had it on her pick's list for October 2012; she said, "We’re a long way from magic realism with the new narco lit."

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This Case is Gonna Kill Me: SFF Debut of the Month!

Library Journal selected Phillipa Bornikova's THIS CASE IS GONNA KILL ME as their Science Fiction/Fantasy Debut of the Month for August!

THIS CASE IS GONNA KILL ME is an original blend of urban fantasy, legal thriller, and workplace drama.

Linnet Ellery is the human offspring of an affluent Connecticut family. Fresh out of law school, she’s beginning her career in a powerful New York vampire law firm. She has high hopes of eventually making partner. But in a workplace where some humans will eventually achieve immense power and centuries of extra lifespan, office politics can be outragiously vicious. Soon she becomes the target of repeated, apparently random violent attacks, but there’s more to Linnet Ellery than a little old-money human privilege...

"Bornikova presents a world in which lucky humans who cooperate with the supernatural-run 'system' can rise to high positions. Her characters, human and supernatural alike, possess complexity and depth, and her heroine is tough and immediately likable. Strong storytelling, appealing characters, and an intriguing setting make this urban fantasy series opener likely to have great appeal to the genre’s many fans." -Library Journal (starred review, Debut of the Month!)

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Monday Fun Day! (7/30/2012 Edition)

Happy Monday, librarians! Welcome to the party (read: work week).

Today we're bringing you the good news about a few very special debuts.

- First of all, congratulations to Darynda Jones! The Romance Writers of America selected her debut, FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT, as the 2012 RITA Winner for Best First Book! The first three books in this series starring part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper Charley Davidson are available now from St. Martin's Press with a fourth coming soon! See all of this year's RITA winners here.

- If your patrons are looking for high-adventure of the steampunk variety with a Japanese twist, we're giving away galleys of STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff. It's a swashbuckling debut that Publishers Weekly named their Pick of the Week!

- Earlier this month we posted a Q&A with Lydia Netzer, debut author of SHINE SHINE SHINE. Goodreads also interviewed Lydia. Read it here!

Meanwhile in North Carolina...

Talia and the cats are still unpacking and adjusting to the new place.

cat and boxes

To her great delight, whilst out adventuring in her new neighborhood Talia popped into the local Barnes & Noble and spotted a shelf almost entirely dedicated to St. Martin's Griffin titles!

b&n shelf

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Pick of the Week: Stormdancer!

"As the iron war club scythed toward her head, Yukiko couldn't help wishing she'd listened to her father."

So starts STORMDANCER, Jay Kristoff's action-packed steampunk dystopian fantasy debut that takes place in a feudal Japan-like world.

When 16-year-old Yukiko and her father are sent to capture the last of the griffins for a murderous Shogun, disaster befalls their mission and Yukiko finds herself stranded in the wilderness with a crippled griffin. Now it's up to Yokiko to heal the griffin and save her homelands from the evil Shogun.

"The innovative setting, fast-moving plot, vivid descriptions, and thrilling action scenes make this a refreshing addition to the steampunk canon." -Publishers Weekly (starred review, Pick of the Week)

"Debut author Kristoff's steampunk adventure whisks readers to a Japanese dystopia where some mythological beings still exist, a few people have fantastical gifts, and all people live under tyranny." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Barbara Hoffert from Library Journal selected STORMDANCER for her "Barbara's Picks" column and said, "Japanese steampunk? You bet. [...] This first in The Lotus War series has five-star early reviews, and nearly 1000 folks have lined up on Goodreads to crack the covers. Get it."

Sound good?

We have 10 galleys left to giveaway to interested librarians! The first ten librarians to leave a comment below will each receive a copy! This giveaway is open to current librarians in the U.S. only. Go!

STORMDANCER will be available in September from St. Martin's Press.

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An Interview with Debut Author Lydia Netzer!

Let's cut to the chase: I loved this book. I had no idea what I was getting into when I cracked the pages of SHINE SHINE SHINE and here I am a month later still processing all of the wonderfully full and flawed characters—some of who are on their way to the moon(!), others of who feel alienated right in the suburbs of their own planet.

Debut author Lydia Netzer was kind enough to answer a few questions about her terrific first novel for us. Read on, readers!

Q: You cover a lot of ground in SHINE SHINE SHINE from Burma to Virginia to Pennsylvania to the Moon (not to mention the past and the future)! Which setting did you have the most fun writing?

I grew up in Detroit, but we spent all our summers in the hills of western Pennsylvania, living in a decrepit old farmhouse on a dirt road. Of course, I loved this old farm, and I still do -- it’s June now and I’m answering these questions from the dining room -- panelled in wormy chestnut and full of weird antiques! The valley where Sunny and Maxon played as children is my valley, their creek is my creek, and the stump that’s shaped like a throne -- that was my mossy old stump throne. It was very satisfying to bring that setting into the book and put into words the way I felt about this place as a child. As an only child, I spent a lot of time dangling from the tire swing by myself, and often imagined a playmate arriving magically out of the woods, just as Maxon did for Sunny.

lydia Q: Many of the characters in SHINE SHINE SHINE struggle to project an air of "normalcy," did you have any challenges writing scenes with such offbeat people?

I have yet to meet a person who is absolutely normal. I think normalcy is a construct. There are some people who do a pretty excellent job at burying their weirdness, but that doesn’t mean the weirdness isn’t there. These skilled social creatures, practiced at fitting in, collectively create a definition of what “normal” looks like and then others strive to match it. Or else they don’t. Some of us are less committed to passing for normal, and we let our weirdness out a bit, peel the lid off the crazy, off the angst and the exuberance. I’m sure people have good reasons for wanting to pass as normal and have others see them as acceptable. In fact, parenthood can really drive you in this direction -- toward stuffing down all your crazy and packing it away, presenting a very peaceful, unremarkable face to the world. No one sets out wanting to be the weirdo mom or the freak dad. It’s a status you have to come to grips with over time, sometimes after all attempts to disappear into normalcy have failed.

So to answer the question, I think there are offbeat people all around, and imagining what strange fancies lurked under the apparently normal skin of apparently average people was a very interesting project.

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Q: If a Reader's Advisory librarian wanted to compare SHINE SHINE SHINE to a couple of other books or even movies on their shelves, which would you want them to pick?