I’m delighted to once again have on the site Julian Winters, author of the upcoming bi YA sports romance Running With Lions! In case you missed his last post, Julian interviewed webcomic creator TJ Ryan, and today, he’s back to do some book recommending!
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In Running With Lions, the main character Sebastian has two things he believes he’ll never survive without: soccer and his friends. He’s in his last year of high school, faced with the choices of what lies next for his future, and trying to navigate a troublesome re-connection with his ex-best friend, Emir. The only thing he can fall back on is his friendships. I thought it’d be fun to look at some of my favorite YA books that tackle coming of age, hardships, humor, and romance, but also my favorite topic: “How much do our friendships help shape people we become?”
Superheroes? Check. Girl crushes? Check. A band of uncertain teens taking on a corrupt agency while trying to keep their own friendships together? Double check. This book (and series) is a fun and wonderfully diverse with a great look at how friendships change when secrets are involved. And it’s impossible not to fall in love with the main character, Jess Tran or her genius little brother and their MonRobot, Chả.
In a town where the quarterback is the homecoming queen, cheerleaders ride motorcycles at pep rallies, and being LGBTQ+ is like wearing a T-shirt and jeans, Paul faces more important things than his crush on the new guy, Noah. He’s torn between being the ultimate best friend to Tony, who lives in a town where he can’t be openly gay, and trying not to meddle in his other friends complicated drama. The ever-changing dynamic in Paul’s circle of friends takes a toll on his life and asks all the right questions about how far we can go for friendships.
Daniel’s senior year of high school isn’t exactly what he thought it’d be. Yes, he’s been accepted into his dream art school, but the rest is a journey through dark family secrets, pining over his best friend, standing up against policies, and dealing with loss. But Daniel’s complicated relationships with his friends is an honestly raw look at what we’ll do in the name of friendship and to amend for mistakes we’ve made in the past.
Aristotle Mendoza doesn’t have friends. Or, at least, he doesn’t set out to find any. He’s fighting his own battles with family secrets, identity, and anger from an unknown place. And then there’s Dante—the squeaky-voiced boy who loves his parents and swimming (and Aristotle), but struggles with his heritage. Their journey is a magnificent and sometimes painful exploration of friendship and how it heals wounds we never see. How friendship can also unlock pieces of ourselves we’ve unconsciously fought against.
Abby’s goals aren’t like her friends. She’s not interested in romance. She wants to rule the fashion world and she’s not missing an opportunity to get her start by interning at her favorite boutique. Abby refuses to be the queer, fat girl sidekick in her own story. This book is filled with humor and delightful girl crushes and empowerment. It also never shies from letting friendships take centerstage. Abby’s on an unexpected journey of self-love but leave it to her friendship with Jax (and their quest for the best burger) to sweeten this already wonderful summer book.
Exploring sexuality and identity is not an easy thing to do when your miles and miles from home. Especially not at an all-boys school where Rafe is struggling to closet himself again and Ben is navigating his own questions about sexual identity. Packed with humor and honest questions, both books have a unique cast of friends that help both main characters understand themselves. It’s those friendships that are just as pure and lovable as Rafe and Ben’s clumsy, complicated (and sometimes non) relationship.
Quirky best friends Meg and Linus have hit their share of bumps in the road, mainly a break-up and an unrequited crush. But they have each other. For the most part. This fun friendship book is a must-read. Are the things we do for others really in the name of friendship? Can we fly solo without the one person we’ve always depended on? How do we stay true to ourselves when everyone else wants us to be something else? You can’t help but geek out with this sweet duo.
Sometimes it’s hard being the “good apple.” The one that never steps out of line. Never does anything outrageous. But Cady and Cooper are in their last days of high school, unsure of their place in the world, and ready to take the plunge with a bucket list of things to accomplish. This book isn’t about romance; it’s about finding yourself amidst an evolving friendship and life choices. It’s about redemption when those roads we thought we should walk turn out to be the wrong one. Those changes aren’t easy, but Cooper and Cady’s journey (along with dropout Eli) makes for a wonderful story.
Russel Middlebrook believes he’s the only gay kid in school. But he’s not. There’s a soccer player, the all-star baseball jock he’s crushing on, and a few more, including one of his best friends. Funny antics follow Russel everywhere, including awkward dates with a girl to help his other best friend’s romantic woes. At the heart of this book is Russel’s struggles with coming out, the hurtful choices he makes, bullies, and being himself in the face of who his friends think he is.
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Julian Winters is a former management trainer who lives in the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia and has been crafting fiction since he was a child, creating communities around his hand-drawn “paper people.” He began writing LGBTQ character-driven stories as a teen and developed a devoted fan fiction following. When he isn’t writing or using his sense of humor to entertain his young nephews, Julian enjoys reading, experimental cooking in the kitchen, and watching the only sports he can keep up with: volleyball and soccer. Running with Lions is his first novel.
Well I can certainly think of some underrepresented readers who are gonna be psyched at today’s cover reveal! Check out the details on what you’ll find in Blood-Bound, the new paranormal romance coming from Kaelan Rhywiol via Ninestar Press on June 11th:
Rhian is a pwca. A Welsh shapeshifter bound as an assassin to the Dark God Arawn.
She’s content in her life, so when he assigns her as ambassador to oversee Ontario for him, it’s a shock. Her new job? To find out who murdered her predecessor and bring them to justice, oversee the otherkin and clean up their messes before the humans find them.
All to preserve the illusion that magic and supernatural creatures do not exist.
The problem? One of the otherkin she’s supposed to oversee is her estranged husband, Kai. Kai was a Spanish-Moorish singer, thief, and whore when they met three hundred years ago. He made his living on the streets and taught her what love really was. They didn’t part well.
Now he’s a centuries old vampire and she’s his boss.
Kai is the only person Rhian has never regretted having sex with, and the only one she can’t forgive. Rhian’s vow to her god forbids her from splitting her loyalty, but being around Kai makes her realize it’s been split all along.
A vow to a dark god, or the love of her life and the only sex she’s never regretted having?
Aaaaand here’s the cover, designed by the inimitable Natasha Snow!
Kaelan Rhywiol was born and raised in the Adirondack mountains of Upstate NY, US. Xie currently lives in Southern Ontario, Canada with xyr husband of 19 years, their two kids, three cats and a grumpy chinchilla. Xie is not currently represented by an agent, and while not actively searching for one, if the right one offered would consider it. Xie is published through Multifarious Press, a small, independent press devoted to diversity. Xie has a paranormal romance upcoming from NineStar Press on May 21st, 2018 featuring own voices demisexuality, non-binary, mixed-race rep, touch aversion, gray aromanticism, kink, and bi/pansexuality.
Xie works as a freelance editor for small, independent presses and private clients. Xie does inexpensive cover art for independent authors and is an authenticity reader for autism, rape survival, mixed-race rep, polyamory, kink, chronic pain, and mental illness (anxiety, depression).
I am super excited about this matchup today, because rarely do novelists and comic artists cross in this space but today you’ll get to meet both! Julian Winters is the author of the upcoming YA sports romance Running With Lions, releasing from Interlude Press on June 7, and TJ Ryan is the creator of Quinn, Dreaming, a webcomic that, to quote their Tumblr, “follows Charles August Quinn, a dream witch trying to make it to graduation with minimal incident, and failing spectacularly.” Sound like a dream combo? Just wait until you read this interview…
First, let me express how excited I am about this. As a comic book geek, I have always wanted to pick the brain of my favorite artists—now I have the opportunity! Quinn, Dreaming is such an interesting take on magic, sexuality, friendships, crushes, and what things represent. Tell us about how Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” inspired the comic/story.
Thank you so much! I’m really excited too! I had been shuffling around a story of magic and witches in my mind for a while, but there wasn’t any sort of organization that I could create out of those thoughts. I was listening to Fleetwood Mac (as one does) and really focusing on the lyrics. The lines “It’s only me who wants to wrap around your dreams and, have you any dreams you’d like to sell?” were really what started it all. I knew I wanted it to center around a dream witch who sold dreams but also sort of lived in his own.
I’m a really musical person so I get inspired by it constantly.
Can you tell us anything about the companion novel, Citrus Witches?
Citrus Witches was actually the working name for Quinn, Dreaming. It followed Arthur as a main character rather than Quinn, and really strayed far and wide from the story I ended up using for the comic. That draft exists in all its rough glory on AO3 under the Citrus Witches title. Enjoy my old Merlin fanfic too if you decide to go snooping.
The companion novel to it that I’m currently writing takes place in their first year of college and involves a whole new set of adventures, that will set it apart enough from the webcomic so that people who didn’t read it can still enjoy it, and the folks who did follow the comic will get new shenanigans with the same characters.
How far do you plan to take the webcomic?
The plan is to follow Quinn and the crew until the end of senior year. They’ve only just made it to the end of October so still lots more to come!
While I absolutely love the wonderfully awkward romance between the main characters, Quinn and Sorrel, the diverse cast of supporting characters truly lends to creating a well-shaped story. Will there be more of them in the book?
Absolutely! The book actually follows Sorrel as the main character. There’s definitely tons of awkward romance with Quinn, Arthur to lend to his bad ideas, Statice to film it, and Daphne to talk them out of it.
I’m a big fan of epic platonic loves, and Arthur really is that for Sorrel. There’s a lot of him in the story, really existing as a solid part of Sorrel’s life. I spent a lot of time exploring Sorrel’s relationship with his twin sister, Statice, as well.
There’s some fun new people too!
There’s a subplot that looks at trying to “cure” people of magic. Is this a metaphor to anything in real life?
Creating a “cure” for magic in a world where magic exists in everyday life started from a very personal place and spread to something I think is really universal. Growing up bisexual and nonbinary, I always heard “Well have you tried not being this way?” or “You should see a therapist/doctor/psychiatrist, I bet they could fix it” because I grew up in a very small conservative town. But you see it on the news and online and on talk shows all the time. People questioning the validity or the sanity of other people based on something that’s just a part of them.
Magic is just simply a part of these witches. It’s as simple as Quinn having brown eyes or freckles. He’s a dream witch, but now there’s this entire organization that’s dedicated themselves to trying to ‘fix’ that and prove it’s something dangerous. I just felt like it was a storyline that a lot of readers could find themselves relating to.
Okay, I love all the magical components of the story and a few of the dark themes, but let’s talk about all the humor and adorableness—I’m looking at you, Sorrel Seong—that is featured. Also, Quinn has this shy, uncertainty about himself and his powers. It speaks so well to how sometimes people see this admirable quality about us that we often overlook because of self-doubt. Are those the kinds of elements you always try to incorporate into your artwork/writing?
Sorrel is literally and metaphorically the light of my story!
I always try to work self-doubt into at least one character in my story, because it’s such a human trait. I know with my art I’ve often looked at other artists’ work and been hung up on how amazing they all are and how I’ll never compare. Quinn’s sort of a low-level dream witch surrounded by all these powerful witches with ‘cool’ powers, and that leads to him really shrinking in on himself. He learns though that no one else is going to do magic like Quinn does magic, and that his powers can be really beautiful and unique. It’s something we all need to learn about ourselves.
You have a tremendous following, especially from authors. Is this intimidating? Inspiring?
Both! It’s incredible. I would’ve been happy if Quinn, Dreaming had gotten five followers, but it took off and people constantly interact with me about it on Twitter, Tumblr and now on my Patreon. Having so many authors in my corner has been a dream though. You all inspire me with your creativity and your story telling so much. Ultimately, it’s what pushed me to finally start a webcomic in the first place. I’m a librarian—my first big love will always be reading. Knowing that I have these incredible authors that I respect and have welcomed me to come live in their worlds for a while, really pushes me to create something worth hanging out in as well.
You’ve done a lot of amazing artwork for other books—S.J. Goslee’s Whatever, Tara Sim’s Timekeeper series, Becky Albertalli’s Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows. Are there any books or LGBTQ+ characters you’ve wanted to draw but haven’t yet?
I drew Aiden and Shannon once from Taylor Brooke’s Fortitude Smashed, but I’m itching to draw Daisy and Chelsea from the sequel Curved Horizon. I’m weak for the southern sorority girl and punk princess relationship. I need to do some serious art for the Wicker King by Kayla Ancrum as well, because that book was absolutely beautiful, and it stirred up my imagination from start to finish.
Your artwork is so loveable. The way you capture characters is fun but precise, too. Are there any current webcomics or artists that inspire you?
Check Please! Is always the first webcomic I tell people about. It’s so fun and sucks you right in. I binge read it in a Denny’s while I was in college. I couldn’t leave my booth until I was done. It’s just so good. I’m a huge fan of Noelle Stevenson and her comics Nimona and Lumberjanes. I’ve been reading Rainbow Rowell’s latest work on The Runaways. There’s a webcomic on Patreon called Constellation Grimm by Gibslythe that’s a really amazing fantasy with some of the best art as well.
Outside of Quinn, Dreaming, can you tell us about any other projects you’re working on?
I am currently finishing up writing a book about a Canadian vampire named Steven Pancake. He decides he’s going to make the most of his afterlife and buys himself a canoe. His camping trip goes awry, he meets a broody handsome 17th century Romanian vampire named Nicolae, wacky woodland hijinks ensue! There’s werewolves, aliens, some rednecks, and kissing!
Want more TJ Ryan? Here’s where you can find them:
Julian Winters is a former management trainer who lives in the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia and has been crafting fiction since he was a child, creating communities around his hand-drawn “paper people.” He began writing LGBTQ character-driven stories as a teen and developed a devoted fan fiction following. When he isn’t writing or using his sense of humor to entertain his young nephews, Julian enjoys reading, experimental cooking in the kitchen, and watching the only sports he can keep up with: volleyball and soccer. Running with Lions is his first novel.
Bonus: Much less central but still worth a mention: The Pros of Cons by Lindsay Ribar, Alison Cherry, and Michelle Schusterman (Contemporary, Genderless LI)
Let’s just establish straight-up that anthologies are amazing. You get a variety of voices, you get to discover so many new authors at once, and in cases like this one, you can get so many cool takes on a genre we don’t see nearly enough these days. Here are the details on Broken Metropolis, which releases in July 2018 from Mason Jar Press:
Broken Metropolis explores the edges of urban fantasy through queer narratives, following in the traditions of Swords of the Rainbow (Alyson Publications, 1996) and Bending the Landscape (Overlook Books, 1997). This collection contains ten of those edges, each one bright and gleaming, from Claire Rudy Foster’s story of a scientist learning to accept not only herself but the very real impact of astrology on her love life, to Caspian Gray’s tale of a young man looking for an urban legend in the halls of a hospital ward so that he can save the matriarch of his found family. Queer communities hold multitudes, and fantasy writing is a place to explore the magic of possibility. Come explore some of those multitudes in a city that never was.
And here’s the cover, designed by Akshay Varaham*!
dave ring is the chair of the OutWrite LGBTQ Literary Festival in Washington, DC. His most recent publication credits include Mythic Magazine and Tabletop Tales. He’s the editor of Broken Metropolis: Queer Tales of a City That Never Was and a writer for the Lonesome Pine Podcast. He was a 2013 Lambda Literary Fellow and a 2018 Futurescapes resident. Follow him on Twitter at @slickhop. More info at www.dave-ring.com.
*Akshay Varaham is an animation student in Laguna Beach, CA, who enjoys creating illustrative content about South Asian culture and identities, with namely queer, mythological, and folklorical subjects. When he’s not drawing, he likes to walk down by the beach or write up a few short stories. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ab_varaham.
I’ve had the joy of recommending this book probably at least once a week since I read it, because fluffy f/f YA can be super hard to come by (as is also a running joke in this delightful rom com) and this is one of the cutest, sweetest, most fun ones you will ever read. Dating Sarah Cooper was written before the MTV show Faking It, but imagine that show had had an HEA for the characters instead and you’d basically have this book. Sound fabulous? It is. Best friends-to-lovers at its finest! (And as a bonus, you definitely want to get to know this author, who’s one of the best YA self-pubbers on the market and has a nice and affordable backlist!)
Katie Hammontree and Sarah Cooper have been best friends since the 2nd grade. Katie’s welcoming, tight-knit family is a convenient substitute for Sarah when her distant parents aren’t around, and Sarah’s abrasive, goal-oriented personality gels well with Katie’s more laid-back approach to life.
But when a misunderstanding leads to the two of them being mistaken for a couple and Sarah uses the situation to her advantage, Katie finds herself on a roller coaster ride of ambiguous sexuality and confusing feelings. How far will Sarah go to keep up the charade, and why does kissing her make Katie feel more alive than kissing her ex-boyfriend Austin ever did? And how will their new circle of gay friends react when the truth comes out?
Buy it: Amazon (ebook and paperback) * B&N (paperback only)
There are only a few exceptions to the rule that all books covered on the site have to have main characters who ID under the LGBTQIAP+ umbrella, and one of them is Mother’s Day, when queer parents—even of allocishet characters—get to take center stage.
Today, in honor of Mother’s Day, Joanne Rocklin is here to discuss her new MG, Love, Penelope, in which the main character has two moms. It’s set in 2015, against the backdrop of the marriage equality Supreme Court ruling, and it released on March 20 of this year, so you can already grab a copy via B&N, Amazon, IndieBound, or Book Depository!
Take it away, Joanne!
My middle grade novel, Love, Penelope is a story told in letters to an unborn sibling, by an eleven year old Oakland girl with two mamas. “How did you come up with that idea?” I’m asked, more often than you want to know.
So I often say that the idea began with two huge, wondrous, peaceful, joyous celebrations, days apart.
The first was on June 19, 2015, a parade for the Golden State Warriors who had just won the National Basketball Association championship for the first time in over half a century. Oakland exploded with joy and pride for “their” team.
The second celebration was on June 26, 2015, when the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal throughout the land, and the happiness was palpable throughout the world.
And so, along comes Penelope to tell us her story. Penelope, a fervent Warriors fan. Penelope, who loves her city and hates the fact that San Francisco, not Oakland, is called THE CITY (as in, “I went to The City on Saturday.”) Penelope, who wants her parents to marry because her family is just as good as anyone else’s, so why not?
But often, very often, (again, more often than you want to know) I get this response from my questioner: “Well, how nice, Joanne. How really, really nice that you decided to write a story helpful to kids in that situation!”
Uh, no. That’s not what I decided to do.
First of all, it is not an author’s aim to be “helpful”. In another life, long, long ago, I was a clinical psychologist, but if I wrote a novel as a clinical psychologist it would be a didactic, boring piece of poop.
Second of all, Penelope’s voice simply swept me away, and that’s why I wrote it. She is curious, she is often humorously wrong, but mostly right, about things she observes. She is bursting with mixed-up feelings, true to her age. She tells a lie about her heritage, and is riddled with guilt. But mostly, she is joyful. She, too, is “born” into this complicated world as she figures things out in letters to the baby. It was just absolutely pure FUN for me to write her story.
But most of all, “kids in that situation” don’t need my help. Kids in that situation are doing fine, in my estimation.
Better than fine, actually.
What is “that situation”, exactly?
Here is Penny’s situation, as Penny explains to someone who says her family is “not right”. On the first Monday of every month, the family tries a new flavor of ice cream. Sundae Mondays! Her parents have some nifty, fun ideas, but when they mess up, they listen and learn and grow with their daughter, and apologize. Holidays and sports teams are celebrated noisily with family and friends, and birthdays observed with reverence. There are homemade greeting cards for every occasion and sing-a-longs, and warm stews and cups of tea offered to anyone who needs them. There is lots and lots of giving- including forgiveness.
But mostly there is a piercing awareness on everyone’s part, every second they are together, that they are lucky to have one another. An awareness that love, not DNA, makes a family, and how very, very much Penny and the baby are wanted. I have known and interviewed scores of families like Penny’s. They may not have observed Sundae Mondays, but love is always a common denominator.
So perhaps the book is helpful for anyone wanting a definition of a happy family and good parenting; a description of a family that is “just right.” Penny and her parents already know what that is. All I did was tell their story.
Happy Parents Day!
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Joanne Rocklin is the author of many books for children, including The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook, which won the Golden Kite Award and was named to Florida’s Sunshine State Young Readers Award master list.
Perennial LGBTQReads fave Chace Verity is back with another cover reveal, this one perfectly celebrating the glory that is #MerMay. They need no more introduction, so let’s get right to the book!
Kelpana was never supposed to love humans this much.
As a mermaid tasked with keeping peace between land and sea, her job is to be fair. Neutral. Diplomatic. Political. But her carefree spirit is bewitched by the carousing, free-swinging ways of the landfolk…yet one night of careless fun becomes a death sentence when she spurns a bratty prince. Now she’s facing life in prison—but that life won’t be long without the ocean waters that keep her alive.
Yet if Kelpana dreams of better things than this new, grim existence—so, too, does the young man set to guard her in her cell. Morgan Sunilian wants to be more than anyone ever believed he could be. He wants to be an Absolute, decked in gold armor and fighting alongside the kingdom’s most elite guardians. Morgan will do anything to prove he’s strong enough to be more than a prison guard.
To prove he can be an Absolute.
Yet as each day watching over Kelpana passes with him falling under the sweet spell of her soft voice and quiet stories, he realizes the truth of who he wants to be more than even an Absolute.
He wants to be a man of honor. A man of kindness. A man of fairness.
And a man with the strength to defy his orders, risk his life, and save the woman he’s come to love.
Your Heart Will Grow is a complete, standalone 80k novel featuring a pansexual cis woman and a (mostly) heterosexual trans man in The Absolutes series.
And now the cover AND an excerpt!
Featuring Kelpana, as drawn by the amazing Maggie Derrick
EXCERPT:
“You always look so pensive,” Kelpana said. “It’s nice to be with someone who thinks. Some of my favorite people say but a few sentences a year, and those carefully chosen words have more impact than a library of books written by the most respected philosophers and inventors.”
Another smile Morgan couldn’t stifle.
“Tell me. There must be something you want,” she cooed. “I can give you anything and everything. You obviously like me, so don’t you want to help me get out of here?”
“Can you make me an Absolute?”
A light chuckle trailed the end of his question. Kelpana’s nose wrinkled, and she stuck her silvery tongue out at him. It dipped well past her chin, and it made him curious how she managed to reel all of it back into her mouth.
“Why would you want to be one of those? I’ll give you the power, status, and wealth that comes with an Absolute. I’ll give you more than they can. Listen, a dragon dipped her head underwater one day to see my sister and me.”
Morgan’s breathing shallowed as he listened. Kelpana was a gifted storyteller. She could paint images so vividly in his head and make his pulse flutter with apprehension.
Shit.
Your Heart Will Grow comes out June 5, 2018 and is available to order on Amazon!
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Chace Verity (she/they) is publishing queer as heck stories with a strong romantic focus, although queer friendships and found families are important too. Chace prefers to write fantasy but dabbles in contemporary and historical fiction as well. An American citizen & Canadian permanent resident, Chace will probably never be able to call a gallon of milk a “four-liter.”
If you think Chace Verity and Chasia Lloyd look suspiciously alike, you might be onto something.
It’s such a great feeling when you read a wonderful debut and know it’s just the beginning for a fabulous new voice, especially in queer lit. YA has seen some incredible social justice books in the last couple of years, and I’m so excited that this excellent queer one is in the mix, especially since it’s Under the Gaydar and also has a really phenomenal and superqueer secondary cast as well. Do yourself and YA lit in general a favor and grab this one as soon as it releases on May 22, or better yet, use those links at the bottom and preorder it now!
A story of resilience and loss, love and family, Mark Oshiro’s Anger is a Gift testifies to the vulnerability and strength of a community living within a system of oppression.
Six years ago, Moss Jefferies’ father was murdered by an Oakland police officer. Along with losing a parent, the media’s vilification of his father and lack of accountability has left Moss with near crippling panic attacks.
Now, in his sophomore year of high school, Moss and his fellow classmates find themselves increasingly treated like criminals their own school. New rules. Random locker searches. Constant intimidation and Oakland Police Department stationed in their halls. Despite their youth, the students decide to organize and push back against the administration.
When tensions hit a fever pitch and tragedy strikes, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift.
ICYMI, Julia Ember’s The Seafarer’s Kiss is one of my favorite queer YA fantasies of literally ever, so I’m thrilled to be revealing the cover of its companion, The Navigator’s Touch here, along with an excerpt! Here’s the story, which releases from Interlude Press on September 13, 2018:
After invaders destroyed her village, murdered her family and took her prisoner, shield-maiden Ragna is hungry for revenge. A trained warrior, she is ready to fight for her home, but with only a mermaid and a crew of disloyal mercenaries to aid her, Ragna knows she needs new allies. Guided by the magical maps on her skin, battling storms and mutiny, Ragna sets sail across the Northern Sea.
She petitions the Jarl in Djalsford for aid, but despite Ragna’s rank and fighting ability, the Jarl sees only a young girl, too inexperienced to lead, unworthy of help. To prove herself to the Jarl and win her crew’s respect, Ragna undertakes a dangerous expedition. But when forced to decide between her own freedom and the fate of her crew, what will she sacrifice to save what’s left of her home?
Inspired by Norse mythology and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, The Navigator’s Touch is a tale of vengeance, valor, honor, and redemption.
And here’s the cover!
Doesn’t it look fabulous with the first book?? (Which you can buy via Interlude, Amazon, B&N, or IndieBound if you’re not yet caught up!)
But wait, there’s more! Check out this excerpt!
The sunlight faded to a dim shimmer, as the forest grew so dense we could barely pass between the trees. We dodged between low branches and tangled roots. The ground was a blanket of pine needles. The air smelled of evergreen and damp earth.
Ersel stopped to touch one of the trees. Her eyes widened as she ran her fingers over the gnarled bark. It was an ancient foxtail with a trunk the width of three men. Lacey frost clung to its bark and ice made fragile icicles at the end of each needle. Ersel plucked one of the crystals and cupped it in her palm, transfixed as it melted in her hand.
When she noticed me watching her, she shrugged. “Plants in the sea don’t grow anything like this. It reminds me how far I am from home.”
I plucked one of the crystals and popped it into my mouth. The fresh water soothed my dry tongue. The water was faintly sweet, infused with sap from the pine. Ersel laughed and took another icicle from the tree. She placed it on the edge of her tongue cautiously, then a grin stretched her cheeks.
For a few blissful minutes, I forgot about the men, the ship, and the invasion. We ran around the tree, gathering the sweet crystals and sucking on them until our foreheads ached and our teeth tingled.
Behind us, Smyain cleared his throat. He was a quiet man, who mostly kept to himself and was one of the few who didn’t seem to hang on Torstein’s every word. Ersel turned to him, and he pressed a frost-covered pinecone into her hand. She turned it over and then held it to her nose. She inhaled deeply, as if committing the crisp scent to memory.
“All of these trees start out like this,” Smyain said. He peered down at her shyly. “If you plant this in the ground, in a hundred years you’ll have a tree like this one. You should take it with you. You can start a forest anywhere.”
Ersel tucked the pinecone into the pocket of her dress. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Smyain didn’t meet my eye. He blushed and scuffed his foot on the wet ground.
I scowled. We’d been foolish to let our guard down. What had I been thinking? Running about, gathering sweets like a child? I couldn’t afford to let any of them see me like that. Taking Ersel by the arm, I steered her straight ahead. I walked quickly to put distance between us and the crew.
Julia Ember lives in Edinburgh, Scotland with her partner, two cats and an adorable pony. In 2016, she published her first novel, Unicorn Tracks, with Harmony Ink Press. She has subsequently published three further works for young adults. The Navigator’s Touch is the sequel to The Seafarer’s Kiss, which wasreleased by Interlude Press in May 2017. It was heavily influenced by Julia’s postgraduate work in Medieval literature at the University of St. Andrews.
