Publisher Spotlight: Fiery Seas Publishing

Fiery Seas Publishing was founded in 2014 and

is looking for well-written manuscripts that have been polished to shine. We want wonderfully written manuscripts that grab the reader and will not let go, with a strong hook and plot that merge together flawlessly and characters we never want to leave behind. We are looking for anything from romance to edge-of-your-seat suspense.

  They publish novel and novella length fiction in several genres, including science fiction and fantasy in ebook and print formats. Their website doesn't give any contract information.

Here are a few of their published titles:

Incompetent Gods by Gabriele Russo - The first two books in the series are already out, with the third being released in December.

In a dimension created by the ancient gods, most are now stuck working at Gods Incorporated. CEO Queen Louhi Pohjola, a mortal demigoddess turned vampire (on a diet), holds the planet in the palm of her hand and while she cannot by any stretch of the imagination be called a nice person, there’s worse lurking in her shadow.

Goblin, a bitter hybrid with childhood issues and shape-shifting abilities, has a grudge against the world. First on his to-do list is getting rid of the Queen and take her place by forcing the titan Ba’al to devour her.

As her friends and allies fall one-by-one into Goblin’s traps, the Queen’s fate seems inevitable. With no one left to fight, will Ba’al’s friends, a bunch of over-the-hill incompetent gods, be enough to stop Goblin from turning the world into hell?

Kinglet by Donna Migliaccio - Book 2 of the series, Fiskur, just came out on November 7th, and the third will be out in February.

Kristan Gemeta has lost everything: his crown, his kingdom, his courage – even his name.

In the vast wilderness of the Exilwald, he's known to the other outcasts as Kinglet. As long as Kristan stays hidden, he can elude the bounty hunters, brutal soldiers and terrifying spells of Daazna, the Wichelord who killed his father and destroyed his life.
But when a new band of pursuers comes looking for him, Kristan's wariness gives way to intrigue. For bounty hunters they're oddly inept, and a young woman in their company is leaving enigmatic drawings wherever they go. As they plunge deeper into the Exilwald, Kristan follows. He discovers the drawings symbolize the Gemeta Stone, an ancient family talisman seized by Daazna but now in the little band's possession.

With the Stone's protection, Kristan might stand a chance against Daazna. He could regain his birthright and his honor. But to obtain the Stone, he must reveal his true identity and risk the one thing he has left...his life.

Knight Errant by Paul Barrett and Steve Murphy

Warriors…Scoundrels…Mercenaries….

The Knights of the Flaming Star are the most feared and respected Special Operations teams in the known universe. There’s no assignment they can’t handle. No job they can’t complete. As a team, they’re unstoppable.

Then a rescue mission gone awry finds them betrayed by a ghost from their past. Bent on vengeance their nemesis has laid a trap designed to grind their reputation into the dirt and ultimately destroy them.

The pursuit of their enemy will take them from planets run by corporate oligarchies—to a world entrenched in medieval technology and shrouded in magic. They’ll need every ounce of their will, prowess and cunning to turn the tables, salvage their reputation, and save the universe from apocalyptic destruction.

Publisher Spotlight: Evil Girlfriend Media

Established in 2011, Evil Girlfriend Media publishes sci-fi, fantasy and horror.  Their line-up right now includes several short story collections (both by a single author and edited anthologies).  They've got a bunch of short stories published on their website that you can read for free.  While they're currently closed for manuscript submissions, they're open to flash fiction and non-fiction shorts.

Here's a sampling of their current titles:

The Archivist by Tom Wright

In 2052, Artificial Intelligence surpasses humans, and global technology collapses overnight. Thirty years later, primitive communities struggle to survive. Throughout this broken world, a secret organization called The Archives seeks to preserve what knowledge and technology has been left in the ashes. However, a Luddite cult-The Disciples of Earth-is just as determined to ensure there will be no technological rebirth for humankind. 

Retrieval Archivist K’Marr’s mission seems : make contact with a source in a remote port town and trade vital technology that could secure humankind’s future.
But few retrievals are ever easy. 

While keeping his promise to a dying man and avoiding Disciples who seem to know his every move, K’Marr fights to complete his mission and get back home to the woman he loves. Against the odds, The Archivist must do everything he can to return to The Archives.

Women In Practical Armor Edited by Ed Greenwood and Gabrielle Harbowy

Eighteen stories of seasoned women warriors fighting in practical armor. 

Steve Bornstein – “Serendipity”
Cassandra Rose Clarke – “A Night in New Verashtin”
Erik Scott de Bie – “King’s Shield”
Kristy Griffin Green – “The Family Business”
Amy Griswold – “The Raven and the Swans”
Sarah Hendrix – “Hero of Ithar”
Crystal Lynn Hilbert – “Stone Woken”
Chris A. Jackson – “First Command”
Mary Robinette Kowal – “The Bound Man”
Eric Landreneau – “Pride and Joy”
Wunji Lau – “No Better Armor, No Heavier Burden”
Todd McCaffrey – “Golden”
Rhonda Parrish – “Sharp as a Griffin’s Claw”
Anya Penfold – “The Lioness”
Mary Pletsch – “The Blood Axe”
Alex C. Renwick – “Ravenblack”
David Szarzynski – “Armor the Color of War”
Judith Tarr – “Attrition”

Stamps, Vamps & Tramps Edited by Shannon Robinson

Eternally stamped, eternally damned… 

Grecian prostitutes and blood guzzling birds, pickle-sized vampires who wear their hearts on their sleeves, sexy immortals that fear human greed and memories that become tattoos; Stamps, Vamps & Tramps crosses genres to deliver bone-chilling stories that will keep you up at night. 

Sixteen talented authors take you on a journey where stamps aren’t always inked, tramps aren’t always hookers, and vampires aren’t always at the top of the food chain. From the colonnade of ancient Greece to a small town amusement park, from the battlefield to the urban center, this anthology will suck you in to the very end.

Publisher Spotlight: EPIC Press

EPIC Press is the new YA branch of Abdo Publishing.  They publish books that are "filled with content teen readers will love to read. Think big, edgy, emotional, and mature. These indulgent books are designed to captivate modern teens, speaking directly to their aspirant culture. 100% guaranteed to be EPIC."

Their opening line-up includes several 6 book series, where each book is already written and being published the same day, both in physical and digital formats.

Here are a few of their titles:

Bots by Nicole Taylor

Edmond West, a brilliant MIT drop-out, is convinced that humans will never move beyond their cruelty. West ventures to create a humanoid robot, one to be exploited so that people no longer have to be. Edmond succeeds in making a more sophisticated robot, leading to something unexpected. Now, a growing population of this new species of "Bots" is threatening the concept of what it is to be human. Has Edmond saved the world or created a new class of victims?

Book 1, Emergent Behavior

A robotics genius, Edmond West has developed a plan to create the world's first Artificial Intelligence truly indistinguishable from a human being. His Bots will eradicate global slavery and allow humanity to channel its darkest impulses safely, harming only these soulless machines. His greatest success, however, may also be his undoing. He's finally created the perfect humanoid robot; perfectly intuitive, perfectly emotive… and perfectly unpredictable.

Earth Aliens by S. E. Wendel

The end of days on Earth has come. If humanity is to survive, they must do so amongst the stars. In a last-ditch effort, a pioneer group of colonists are shot into space, making a seven-year journey to a new planet, and hopefully, a new home. Although the journey will prepare them to build their new colony, nothing can prepare them for the trials of sharing a planet with another intelligent species. Who will be the masters of Terra Nova -- the natives or the Earth aliens?

Book 1, The Expedition

The Earth is dead and humanity's last hope is amongst the stars. For 50,000 lucky souls, a distant, alien planet will be their home after they endure a grueling seven year journey. Assigned as apprentices to older specialists, Hugh O'Callahan and Elena Ames must learn quickly to survive their dog-eat-dog lives. Meanwhile, Zeneba, a young Charneki girl, is chosen to take the throne as mara. She must learn quickly, for it is foretold a cataclysmic event will mark her reign. Can she find the strength to lead her people against invaders from the sky?

The Haunting of Grey Hills by Jennifer Skogen

Everyone in Grey Hills knows about the fire that burned the old high school to the ground fifty years ago. It was just a tragic accident…right? High school junior Macy Pierce and her new friends learn that old mysteries can literally come back to haunt you. A door to the dead has opened, and evil is casting its long shadow once again in Grey Hills.

Book 1, The Burning

Everyone in Grey Hills knows about the fire that burned down the old high school fifty years ago. Macy Pierce grew up hearing horror stories about the students who burned alive inside it. When Macy starts seeing things--including a teacher bursting into flames--she begins to question her own sanity. Now, she and a group of new friends may be all that stands between the new high school and a doorway to hell.

Publisher Spotlight: Bad Dream Entertainment

Bad Dream Entertainment:

...is an independent online publisher of horror, science fiction, dark fantasy, and literary oddities, founded in 2013 by author and editor Brett Reistroffer. The imprint was established as a home for ‘fringe fiction’ writers and creators of story and character driven dark fiction from around the world. Starting in late 2014, BDE is expanding into the world of print, releasing our first mass market title, Birney Reed’s short fiction collection ‘The Tales of Victor Coachman’, and future plans include further expansion into poetry, graphic novels, and ongoing comic book series.

While BDE keeps horror at its heart, it is the home of any story that falls outside the boundaries of safe conventions; dark fantasy, suspense, science fiction, the macabre, and any gritty tale that deserves to be read on printed page or digital screen. While we do focus on a generalized segment of the genre spectrum, our goal is to publish fiction that is worth reading for story and substance, not style and gimmick. You will never find a lovesick vampire or a horde of the undead in our books, instead you will find contemporary fiction that challenges and disturbs the reader, not for its graphic visuals, but for the story, characters, and events that tell a tale rather than a tag line.

They've currently got two print releases, in addition to online short story publications.

Usu by Jayde Ver Elst

Humans are gone and bloody good riddance to the lot of them. The planet, left barren and lifeless by the long extinct species, has since been inherited by their own creations. Now all that roams the hollow cities and landscapes of man are the various machinations left bestowed with intelligent (or in some cases barely functional) programming, including the likes of janitorial robots, violently affectionate androids, and one very unfortunate stuffed rabbit.

Separated by distance and time, two unlikely soul mates, Usu and Rain have been rekindled by fate only to struggle once again to hold onto their fragile union. To save a friendship that has stretched across lifetimes they must trek across a land as exotic as it is unforgiving, joined in their adventure by cleaning droids, cannibal robots, and holograms from an era long past. Fighting against time, forgotten memories, and their own design at the hands of their former creators, they will find a way to be together forever, at any cost.

Usu is a heartwarming sci-fi humor adventure [in novella format] from the mind of South African writer Jayde Ver Elst that tells the tale of two very dear friends; a stuffed rabbit and his android girl.

The Tales of Victor Coachman by Birney Reed

In this ‘meta collection’ of dark contemporary fantasy, a series of loosely tied tales of dark fiction and supernatural encounters are strung together as the work of fictional writer Victor Coachman. But it is not just his stories themselves that are presented in this book, but their consequences for both the writer and his fate.

The Tales of Victor Coachman is a single author collection presenting 13 original stories of modern fantasy, horror, and the supernatural from Columbus Ohio author Birney Reed, collected in print for the first time.

Publisher Spotlight: California Coldblood Books

California Coldblood Books is an imprint of Rare Bird Books and specializes in science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction.  They have three books coming out this year, the first of which is now available.

The Odds by Robert J. Peterson

It’s been centuries since Deadblast deleted most of what we knew. All that’s left are a smattering of subterranean cities run by a ruthless cadre of bookies. We call ‘em the Odds. It’s a rough world. If you’re not freezing your ass off at night, then the sun cooks you during the day. If you’re too slow on the draw, a dreen’ll getcha. What’s a dreen?
You don’t want to know.

Here’s the deal: The man they call the redhead is back in town. He’s returned to the city of Dedrick, deep in debt and deathly ill. Wait, who’s the redhead? Well, lemme tell you—he ain’t too quick on the uptake, but his heart’s big enough to make up for it. Y’see, he’s on the outs from his family, and he’s dead-set on doing right by ‘em before he clocks out. His last hope is to win a deadly battle royale based on the rules of chess. Here's how it works:

Two guys play a game of chess. Every time they capture a piece, two real-life warriors gotta fight to the death. The attacking piece announces their move in advance. The more powerful your piece, the less notice you have to give. The mighty queen, she can strike instantly, with just about any armament imaginable, but a lowly pawn’s got to give 36 hours notice and fight only with melee weapons. The arena is all of Dedrick. Last man standing wins the square.

But what the redhead doesn’t know is someone’s gamed the tournament to pit him against an old friend who’s now a bitter enemy. Now he’s got to make all the right moves to save his family—and beat the Odds.

When the Stars Fade by Adam L. Korenman

In distant future, humanity is recovering from a bloody civil war. Pilots CAMERON DAVIS and GEORGE LOCKLEAR, reservists with Sector Patrol, prepare for a long weekend off. That vacation is permanently cancelled when two alien armadas—the BOXTI and NANGOLANI—arrive near Earth. Though humanity wins the battle, the war quickly turns one-sided. One of Earth’s colonies is rendered uninhabitable. George dies saving his friend, and Cameron is sucked through a wormhole and disappears.

Far away on the moon Kronos, JOSH RANTZ competes in a huge Army competition. Despite most of his unit falling to the enemy, Josh and his squad continue to win larger and larger victories. They are oblivious to the goings on of the universe, isolated on purpose by the war-game’s designer, Doctor MARKOV. When the exercise ends, Josh notices a meteor striking down nearby. He finds an injured Cameron, somehow transported across the stars to the military base. Moments later, the BOXTI arrive and invade. Outnumbered and outgunned, Josh and the soldiers on Kronos rally and push back the BOXTI horde. Summoned by their masters, the BOXTI leave the stunned humans behind.

With painful lessons learned, humanity prepares for the next battle, knowing full well that it may be their last.

Out fall 2015.

The Demon Within by Beth Woodward

Dale Highland is a murderer. But she doesn’t want to be.

For 10 years, she’s been struck by violent blackouts she calls Rages. But this time, she’s killed an innocent man, and the knowledge tears her up inside.

Months later, a run-in with a mysterious, alluring man named John leads Dale to discover that she’s half demon. Dale and John team up to find Dale’s long-missing mother, a legend in the demon world and the only person who might be able to help Dale control her Rages. Their quest throws them into a collision course with the Thrones, a group of angels determined to eradicate demons from Earth. The world of angels and demons is darker, and more dangerous, than Dale understands. In order to get the answers she seeks, Dale will have to risk not only her life…but her soul.

Out winter 2015.

Publisher Spotlight: Curiosity Quills Press

Curiosity Quills Press publishes "hard-hitting dark sci-fi, speculative fiction, and paranormal works aimed at adults, young adults, and new adults".

Here are some of the books they've published:

Going Through the Change by Samantha Bryant

Going through “the change” isn’t easy on any woman. Mood swings, hot flashes, hormonal imbalances, and itchy skin are par for the course. But for these four seemingly unrelated women, menopause brought changes none of them had ever anticipated—super-heroic changes.

Helen discovers a spark within that reignites her fire. Jessica finds that her mood is lighter, and so is her body. Patricia always had a tough hide, but now even bullets bounce off her. Linda doesn’t have trouble opening the pickle jar anymore…now that she’s a man.

When events throw the women together, they find out that they have more in common than they knew—one person has touched all their lives. The hunt for answers is on.

The God Particle by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.

On the day Ricardo Alomar’s four best friends are discovered dead at the launch of their high-tech start-up company, his world is shattered.

The police can find no cause for their mysterious deaths, but as their bodies start disappearing from the morgue, Ricardo is drawn into the investigation of his friends’ strange behavior and their even stranger invention, a kind of time-displacement generator utilizing the Higgs boson — the so-called “God Particle”.

At the same time, Ricardo’s old world is vanishing, too. His father, Diego, a famous writer of post-modernist Spanish novels, has slipped into mute senility and is dying; Ricardo is in danger of losing his job, and he finds himself falling in love with his recently murdered friend’s new widow.

In tandem with a foul-mouthed, sexually harassing female cop, he discovers the secret of the God Particle machine and the startling truth behind his friends’ disappearances.
But the answer is utterly unlike anything he’d ever expected.

The Artful by Wilbert Stanton

New York City, 2025: Everything is changed. The city that never sleeps is now a land of death and decay. A rampant virus has taken over and the survivors have become carriers, quarantined from the rest of the world.

Twist and Dodger grew up in the streets, the sewers and underground tunnels - their playground. They aren’t heroes. They just like attention; and stealing meds from the rich and giving them to the poor is their golden ticket.

On their latest raid, they unknowingly steal a cure that puts them square between the ailing Emperor of Manhattan and the war hungry Governor of Brooklyn and forces them on a quest into the darkest shadows of their putrefying world.

Copied by S. M. Anderson

Adopted off the black market, Alexander Mitchell has no idea his DNA is copyrighted and property of military weapons giant Texacom Defense. Nor that his DNA is being used to develop an army of clones. When the company discovers he was not properly disposed of 17 years ago, they send an assassin copy, BETA23, to terminate Xan and cover it up.

After narrowly escaping with his life, Xan teams up with Lacey, a genetically engineered genius, to capture BETA23. Lacey, who can’t resist the prospects of a science project this huge, is determined to see the good in their prisoner - his intelligence may help keep the company off Xan’s back… forever.

But Xan’s not sure if he can trust the darker version of himself, not when it means gambling with the lives of his family - and the possibility of losing Lacey.

Publisher Spotlight: Unsung Stories

Unsung Stories is a newer publisher based in the UK that's looking for "genre fiction that defies categorisation. We want to tell stories that you'll never forget. Start with science fiction, fantasy, horror, speculative, steampunk and everything strange. Blend to a smooth consistency. Season to taste."  

In addition to publishing short fiction, which is free to read on their website or sent straight to your inbox if you sign up for their mailing list, they've also published three novels so far.


Deja Vu by Ian Hocking

In the year 2023 Saskia Brandt, detective with the European FIB, comes back from holiday newly single, tired and full of sadness. Heading straight back to the office she finds no peace, only her receptionist dead and no suspects. Given only 12 hours to clear her name she sets to work on unravelling the mystery, one that proves greater than the sum of its parts.

David Proctor is just an academic eating his breakfast until he gets a phone-call telling him the prototype computer - Ego - he has been loaned is now the only one left. Meanwhile someone has broken into his house, someone who wants him to go back to the lab where his wife died in a bomb attack 20 years before.

As the mysteries and intrigue envelop Saskia and David they are forced to unpick their own pasts. Because in Déjà Vu you find that things aren't as they seem, truth is a matter of perspective and that the past can change just as quickly as the future.

The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley

Somewhere away from the cities and towns, a group of men and boys gather around the fire each night to listen to their stories in the Valley of the Rocks. For when the women are all gone the rest of your life is all there is for everyone. The men are waiting to pass into the night.

The story shall be told to preserve the past. History has gone back to its aural roots and the power of words is strong. Meet Nate, the storyteller, and the new secrets he brings back from the woods. William rules the group with youth and strength, but how long can that last? And what about Uncle Ted, who spends so much time out in the woods?

Hear the tales, watch a myth be formed. For what can man hope to achieve in a world without women? When the past is only grief how long should you hold on to it? What secrets can the forest offer to change it all? 

Discover the Beauty.

Dark Star by Oliver Langmead

The city of Vox survives in darkness, under a sun that burns without light. In Vox’s permanent night, light bulbs are precious, the rich live in radiance and three Hearts beat light into the city. Aquila. Corvus. Cancer.

Hearts that bring power to the light-deprived citizens of the city of Vox whilst ghosts haunt the streets, clawing at headlights. Prometheus, liquid light, is the drug of choice. The body of young Vivian North, her blood shining brightly with unnatural light, has no place on the streets.

When Cancer is stolen, the weaponisation of its raw power threatens to throw Vox into chaos. Vox needs a hero, and it falls to cop Virgil Yorke to investigate.

But Virgil has had a long cycle and he doesn’t feel like a hero. With the ghosts of his last case still haunting his thoughts, he craves justice for the young woman found dead with veins full of glowing. Aided by his partner Dante, Virgil begins to shed light on the dark city’s even darker secrets.

Haunted by the ghosts of his past and chased by his addictions, which will crack first, Virgil or the case?

Their fiction is available in numerous marketplaces and if you're interested in submitting, here are their guidelines for stories and novels.

Publisher Spotlight: Hammer Books

Looking for some horror novels to read this coming Halloween?  Then check out Hammer Books.  Known for their horror films they've been releasing exclusive novelizations and reprints of some classic horror novels. 

Here are some of their titles:

Countess Dracula by Guy Adams

One can do anything in Hollywood and be forgiven, anything except grow old. It's the 1930s and cinema stands at the dawn of a new age—the silent era is all but dead, talkies are here, and Technicolor is on its way. The whole world loves movie icons Frank Nayland and Elizabeth Sasdy, lapping up each new picture and following their romantic life story both on and off the screen; but all is not as perfect as it appears. Not only has the advent of talkies meant torturous sessions with a vocal coach to try and remove Sasdy's Hungarian accent, but she's starting to spot the first few grey hairs, and the lines on her face get deeper every day. If she loses her looks she'll lose everything, but even a woman as powerful as Elizabeth Sasdy can't fight nature—can she? A chance accident reveals the solution. But just how far is the Queen of Hollywood prepared to go to stay beautiful forever?

Family Portrait by Graham Masterton

The first body was found in Europe. She had once been a beautiful young girl, but with exquisite skill someone had carefully teased the skin entirely away from her body, leaving nothing but a flayed and bloody carcass. A full examination of her ruined body reveals an horrific truth: She had been skinned alive. The second blood-raw corpse turned up in New England. Followed soon after by another, this time a victim of extreme decomposition, a mess of flesh convulsing with maggots. 

When a mysterious, crumbling painting is implicated in the deaths it seems that the investigating team has resorted to madness. But this rotten painting hides a terrifying family secret.

Twins of Evil by Shaun Hutson 

In nineteenth-century middle-Europe, orphaned teenage twins Maria and Frieda go to live with their uncle Gustav Weil, who heads the Brotherhood, a vigilante group trying to stamp out vampirism. But their methods are random and misplaced and the only result is a terrorised populace. The real threat lies with Count Karnstein, and although the twins seem outwardly to be identical, Frieda finds herself much more drawn than her sister to the Count's castle dominating the skyline.

The Witches by Peter Curtis

Walwyk seemed a dream village to the new schoolteacher, Miss Mayfield. But dreams can change into nightmares.

When one of her students accuses his friend Ethel's grandmother of abusing her, Miss Mayfield cannot let it go. But Ethel won't say anything, despite the evidence of Miss Mayfield's own eyes. But as she attempts to get to the truth of the matter, she stumbles on something far more sinister. Walwyk seems to be in the grip of a centuries-old evil, and anybody who questions events in the village does not last long.

Death stalks more than one victim, and Miss Mayfield begins to realise that if she's not careful, she will be the next to die.

Publisher Spotlight: Flux

There are so many presses now it's hard to remember which ones I do and don't know.  I thought this was new, until I did a bit of research on them and discovered I have a few of their books on my shelf, namely Maggie Stiefvater's Lament and Ballad.  I've heard about some of their other books, including Shadow Walkers, which I've included below.  They've got some great cover art.  

So what kind of publisher is Flux?  From their website: 

Flux is an imprint dedicated to fiction for teens, where young adult is a point of view, not a reading level. You won't find condescension or simplification here. You will find comedy, tragedy, ecstasy, pain, discovery - everything you're likely to find in real life. Welcome to Flux...now.

Their website has category searches for SF, F, Romance, General Fiction, Social Issues and also the gender of the protagonist, which is interesting.

Here's a sample of what they publish:

Insomnia by J. R. Johansson

Her eyes saved his life. Her dreams released his darkness.

After four years of sleeplessness, high school junior Parker Chipp can’t take much more. Every night, instead of sleeping, he enters the dreams of the last person he’s made eye contact with. If he doesn’t sleep soon, Parker will die.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that’s utterly addictive. But what starts out as a chance meeting turns into an obsession; Parker’s furious desire for what he needs pushes him to extremes he never thought he’d go. And when someone begins terrorizing Mia with twisted death threats, Parker’s memory blackouts leave him doubting his own innocence.

Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear

A hoverboard appeared in her rearview mirror. “This is the Los Angeles Air Patrol,” a voice boomed. “I command you to land your vehicle in the name of the law.”

Noli Braddock and her best friend V’s incident with a flying auto have landed them in a heap of trouble. And when Noli is sent to a spirit-squelching reform school in San Francisco, she’s sure that her rebellious adventures are over.

Meanwhile, Kevighn Silver has been ordered by the Faerie Queen to bring a mortal girl back to the Otherworld. The magic requires a blood sacrifice every seven years, and only a mortal girl who shines with the Spark—a girl like Noli—will keep the Otherworld from complete destruction.

When an ill-timed wish sends Noli tumbling into the Otherworld, she’s more homesick than ever . . . until V arrives to save her from an untimely demise. But who exactly is V? And if he helps Noli escape, who will save the realm of Faerie from utter annihilation?

Shadow Walkers by Brent Hartinger

Zach lives with his grandparents on a remote island in Puget Sound in Washington State. With only his little brother, Gilbert, to keep him company, Zach feels cut off from the world. But when Gilbert is kidnapped, Zach tries the only thing he can think of to find him: astral projection. Soon, his spirit is soaring through the strange and boundless astral realm—a shadow place. While searching for his brother, Zach meets a boy named Emory, another astral traveler who's intriguing (and cute).

As Zach and Emory track the kidnappers from the astral realm, their bond grows—but each moment could be Gilbert's last. Even worse, there's a menacing, centuries-old creature in their midst that devours souls and possesses physical bodies. And it's hungry for Zach.

Publisher Spotlight: HiLoBooks

I've slowly become aware of this publisher due to their republication of Radium Age Science Fiction, SF stories that were published from 1904-1933.  These are stories that predate the Golden Age of science fiction, and no doubt influenced it.

Some of the books HiLoBooks has already brought back into print are:

When the World Shook and The People of the Ruins have been abridged, but the other novels are complete. Note, that though these have been out of print for years, most of these are available as free ebooks through Gutenberg.org and other sites.  But kudos to HiLoBooks for bringing these classics back into print and highlighting an often forgotten period of science fiction.  Look for my review of The Scarlet Plague tomorrow.

Publisher Spotlight: Tu Books

Tu Books is the new science fiction, fantasy and mystery imprint of Lee & Low books, launching this September.  I discovered them via NetGalley when they ok'd my request to review Tankborn by Karen Sandler (which will be posted early September).

About Tu Books:

Fantasy, science fiction, and mystery: these genres draw in young readers like no other. Yet it is in these genres that readers of color might feel most like an outsider, given that such a large percentage features white characters (when they feature human characters). It is the goal of Tu Books to publish genre books for children and young adults that fills this gap in the market—and more importantly, this gap in serving our readers. By focusing on diverse settings and characters in fantastic stories, we also open up worlds to all readers.

The word "tu" means "you" in many languages, and in Ainu (the language of Japan's native people), it means "many." Tu Books is dedicated to publishing fantasy, science fiction, and mystery for children and young adults inspired by many cultures from around the world, to reach the "you" in each reader.

The best way to encourage a love of reading is to provide stories that all readers can identify with. Books for children can be both a mirror and a window to other worlds for readers. Tu Books hopes that by publishing books for children that feature multicultural characters and settings and books with worlds inspired by all the many non-Western cultures in the world, we might shine a mirror on you and open a window to many.

Here's an interview with editor Stacy Whitman, explaining why Tu Books uses cultural consultants in order to get accurate depictions of histories and cultures in their books.  You can also follow them on twitter and like their parent company on facebook.

Publisher Spotlight: PYR

In an attempt to introduce readers to newer/smaller publishers, I've started an endcap series at the store called Publisher Spotlight.  For three months the publisher's books are displayed.  This is the second month for the PYR display (which has changed as things sell down).  Enjoy!

And if you don't know PYR, check out their website and read some of their awesome books.