Category Archives: Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Marble Queen by Anna Kopp and Gabrielle Kari

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Today on the site, I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of the upcoming graphic novel The Marble Queen, written by Anna Kopp and illustrated by Gabrielle Kari, which will be published in November by Dark Horse Comics! (It’ll be available in comic shops on November 9, 2022, and bookstores on November 22.) Here’s the story behind the Sapphic political fantasy:

The Marble Queen brings the political drama of Nimona together with the heartfelt romance of The Princess and the Dressmaker, now presented in a sapphic romance surrounded by a mist of magic.

Princess Amelia’s kingdom is in shambles after months of trade routes being ravaged by pirates. Now, the only option left to save it seems to be a marriage alliance. When Amelia gets an exorbitant offer from the royalty of Iliad—a country shrouded in mystery—she accepts without question and leaves her home to begin a new life. However, she lands on Iliad’s shores to find that her betrothed isn’t the country’s prince, but the recently crowned Queen Salira.

Shocked, Amelia tries to make sense of her situation and her confused heart: Salira has awakened strange new feelings inside her, but something dark hides behind the Queen’s sorrowful eyes. Amelia must fight the demons of her own anxiety before she can tackle her wife’s problems, all while war looms on the horizon.

And here’s the stunning cover by Gabrielle Kari!

Buy it:  Amazon | B&N | IndieBound

Anna Kopp is a children’s author who lives in Ohio with her husband, two boys, and two cats. Anna loves creating fantastical stories for children of all ages, from picture books to young adult novels. When she’s not writing she’s playing video games or reading the latest books about lost princesses.
 
Gabrielle Kari is a freelance lesbian artist whose work is largely inspired by shoujo fantasy and romance. She loves creating comics and illustrations centered around queer stories whether it be science fiction, fantasy, or horror.
Cover Reveal, Excerpt

Exclusive Cover+Excerpt Reveal: Uncommon Charm by Emily Bergslien and Kat Weaver

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Today on the site I’m delighted to reveal the cover for yet another Neon Hemlock novella, Uncommon Charm by Emily Bergslien and Kat Weaver, which releases on May 17, 2022! Crowdfunding will begin on March 14th on Indiegogo as part of the 2022 Novella series crowdfunding campaign, so in anticipation of that, let’s get to the story:

In the 1920s gothic comedy Uncommon Charm, bright young socialite Julia and shy Jewish magician Simon decide they aren’t beholden to their families’ unhappy history. Together they confront such horrors as murdered ghosts, alive children, magic philosophy, a milieu that slides far too easily into surrealist metaphor, and, worst of all, serious adult conversation.

And here’s the dreamy cover, created by the amazing
Marlowe Lune!

 

But wait, there’s more! Read on for an excerpt of Uncommon Charm by Emily Bergslien and Kat Weaver!

Chapter One

Three days after I was expelled from the Marable School for Girls, our poor Simon arrived. My mother told me to expect him, so when the bell rang, I opened the door onto a gloomy November sky, a gloomy November street, and a gloomy November of a boy. (And boy he was, only twenty years old to my sixteen.) He was short and nicely strong, wiry, with tanned cheeks and big dark eyes. Not at all like his father—but on second glance, there did lurk a spectre of Uncle Vee in his prettyish face, down which a raindrop gently rolled. He’d already doffed his hat; those slick curls of his would be ruined.“You’re Mr. Wolf,” I said. “Or is it Mr. Koldunov now?”

The car behind him hadn’t left yet. I saluted the Koldunovs’ driver, Tom, to let him know everything was well, he’d safely delivered the goods, he needn’t subject himself to the weather. Simon and I could surely handle his single, very sad suitcase. Tom returned my wave and drove away.

“Er,” said our guest. “Mr. Wolf will do. You’re Miss Selwyn-Stirling?”

“When I care to answer to it, but don’t call me miss around the Koldunovs. They’ll tease you, and not in the nice you’re-one-of-us-now way.”

“Thanks for the advice,” he said, and he continued to stand on our doorstep, looking about and letting himself be drizzled upon. I wondered why until I realised, oh no, he was waiting for me to invite him inside, at which point I decided I would walk to the moon and back for my new friend.

Grandly, I bowed him into the front hall. As he was taking off his wet things—he clutched his coat and hat until I nodded at the rack, strange boy, it was right there—Muv appeared on the first floor landing, at the top of the stairs.

You’d have thought Simon was a bird that’d biffed itself against a window instead of a student meeting his new mentor, though he wasn’t wrong to find Muv intimidating. From his point of view, I’d have seen not only a small, brisk woman whose bobbed auburn hair absolutely guillotined her jaw, whose freckles foxed her face like that rust on old books, whose black suit cut her body into clean ink lines, but the most ruthless magician England had ever borne. And she was a pretty ruthless mother, too.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Wolf,” she said. “You may address me as Lady Aloysia, my lady, or ma’am.” It was her way of trying to set him at ease, laying out the protocol, only she was always so dreadfully blunt about answering questions you hadn’t asked. More embarrassing still, Simon’s nod became a strange half-bow.

“Oh, don’t,” I groaned.

“Julia will show you around the house.” Muv fixed an eye on me. “His room first, please. You will not make him haul his luggage everywhere. Is there more?”

Simon’s hands tightened around the handle. “No, ma’am. Just the one.”

“Very well. We will meet for dinner three hours from now. Do tell me whether I’ve correctly understood your dietary needs.”

“Muv, honestly, you needn’t be the lepidopterist pinning butterflies. You can ask him these things like you’re both human people.”

She gestured for me to take the suitcase. I hefted it before Simon could object.

“I—thanks, Miss Sel—er, Lady Aloysia, ma’am, no, it’s—” Simon grasped uselessly at the air. “Thanks, but you don’t have to do all that.”

Muv tapped her elbow. “I see. Julia, after you help Mr. Wolf get settled, please inform Beth the week’s menu may remain as it is. I asked,” she continued, both addressing him and chiding me, “because I would not put it past Madam Koldunova to serve you roast pork every day.”

“It was every other day,” said Simon.

Muv blinked down at him. He blinked up at her. Silence could be loud indeed. An entire three-second opera played out as I started to drag the suitcase upstairs.

Simon’s footsteps came in a flurry after me, and, generous girl that I was, I let him take charge of his own belongings. When we reached the second floor, he turned back with a perplexed look, but Muv had disappeared into her laboratory. He couldn’t have expected hugs and smiles, not from the Lady Aloysia Stirling, not with her reputation, though I knew for a fact he’d received colder welcomes: I had the whole of it from Marie and Adele Koldunova. After three weeks with the Koldunovs, Muv ought to seem downright tropical.

“Er,” Simon murmured, “did you see—?” Though I tilted my head, yes, do go on, he shuttered himself. “Never mind.”

“These games are unnecessary, you know. You don’t have to keep secrets, and you don’t have to doubt your eyes. I can help! I did grow up here. Muv never fails to keep a thread in her needle, not that I pay her magic any mind. It is so tedious when your mother always knows where you are and what you’re thinking, but you’ll find out soon enough. I didn’t see anything. What did you see?”

“A woman,” Simon said, startled into answering. “Not your mother, but tall and blonde. A bit, er, bony. And bleeding.”

“Oh, well. I should have expected you’d be a medium. Come along!” I bounded up the stairs. “The ghosts will wait.”

***

About the authors: Emily Bergslien and Kat Weaver live in Saint Paul, Minnesota with their two small birds. Emily is a Twin Cities bookseller whose reviews have been published in The Riveter magazine. Find her on Twitter @eudaemaniacal. Kat’s short fiction has appeared in Apex Magazine, Lackington’s, Timeworn Literary Journal, and elsewhere. She is a senior fiction editor at Strange Horizons. Her art can be found at kathrynmweaver.com and on Twitter @anoteinpink.
About the press: Neon Hemlock is a Washington, DC-based small press publishing speculative fiction, rad zines and queer chapbooks. We punctuate our titles with oracle decks, occult ephemera and literary candles. Publishers Weekly once called us “the apex of queer speculative fiction publishing” and we’re still beaming. Learn more about us at neonhemlock.com and on Twitter at @neonhemlock.
Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: No Gods for Drowning by Hailey Piper

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Today on the site, we’re revealing the cover for the Greek mythology-inspired PI noir fantasy (yes, all of those things!) No Gods for Drowning by Hailey Piper, releasing September 20th from Polis Books! Here’s the story:

IN THE BEGINNING, MAN WAS PREY.

WITHOUT THE GODS, THEY’LL BE PREY AGAIN.

The gods have fled. Monsters threaten to invade the city of Logos, hunting mankind as they did in the olden days. In the midst of it all, a serial killer has begun ritually sacrificing victims—to lure the gods back and stop the imminent destruction, or for a more sinister purpose?

Lilac Antonis wants to stop the impending destruction of her city by summoning her mother, a blood god—even if she has to slit a few throats to do it. But evading her lover Arcadia and her friends means sneaking, lying, and even spilling the blood of people she loves.

Alex and Cecil of Ace Investigations have been tasked with hunting down the killer, but as they close in—not knowing it is their close friend they’re hunting—the detectives realize the gods may not have left willingly, and must uncover the truth before Lilac summons the wrong god, who may have come back just to destroy them all.

Set in an alternate reality which updates mythology to near-modern day, NO GODS FOR DROWNING is part hunt for a serial killer, part noir detective story, and unlike anything you’ve ever read before.

Here’s the luminous cover, designed by Mimi Bark!

Preorder: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound

And finally, here are some words on the cover from author Hailey Piper!

This might sound a little cliché, but my breath caught in my throat when I first saw the cover to No Gods for Drowning from my editor at Polis Books and Agora. We were only playing with ideas and possibilities before, batting around images for inspiration. And then came the cover, and it grabbed onto me the moment I opened that email, rich with mood and elegance.

And honestly, I cried a little. This novel has been growing inside me for the longest time. Its first seeds came when I was only a teenager, and they hadn’t connected into much of anything yet. Really, I hadn’t connected to myself yet. I had a lot of growing up to do, with struggles through depression that often suffocated the creativity out of me. Only after many years and really allowing myself to just be myself could I start writing my truths, and these seeds at last sprouted. They weren’t a garden, but pieces of one big tree that sort of developed into a genre stew of mystery, noir, horror, and dark fantasy.

No Gods for Drowning follows multiple lives across a noir-punk dark fantasy world of killers and detectives, sea monsters and blood-drinking gods. Those gods used to protect and feed off mankind, but they’ve been gone for ten years when the novel picks up, and one woman decides the only way to bring them back is to remind them what they’ve been missing—mortal sacrifice. Doing this means dodging the suspicions of the woman she loves and their friends, a pair of detectives on the hunt for whoever’s behind these ritual killings. But what seems like a simple give and take of blood and gods grows more complicated as the clues point to a grander plot involving which gods could even return, why they left, and who might really be pulling the strings behind all this bloodshed.

That’s a lot to consider when it comes to cover art! But the ultimate result arrives not in a roar of waves about to drown the city where No Gods for Drowning takes place, but instead in the beautiful texture of this deep blue sea, and the clamshell patterns to remind of its life, and the moon above that guides the cycles of a merciless tide. Central to it all is the nine-pointed star of Logoi the Many-Headed, goddess of reason, seen beneath the title. You’ll find this same star painted in blood within the book, same as our private detectives find it glaring at them from every crime scene. It’s also important to several characters personally, be it their shame, their loved ones, their sense of abandonment, their unresolved trauma, or their hope for a brighter future against the bloodshed and doom surrounding them all.

The combination of sea and star form a perfect distillation of the book’s sense of mystery, its visceral horrors, and its fantastical elements too. I’m so pleased to see it all come together this way, and I can’t wait for readers to discover the drowning city and all the people trying to save it, in the best and worst of ways, when No Gods for Drowning releases this September from Polis Books!

***

Two-time Stoker nominee Hailey Piper is the author of The Worm and His Kings, Queen of Teeth, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, and Benny Rose the Cannibal King. She is an active member of Horror Writers Association, with over sixty short stories appearing in publications such as Year’s Best Hardcore Horror, Flash Fiction Online, Dark Matter Magazine, and elsewhere. Hailing from the haunted woods of New York, she now lives with her wife in Maryland, where their paranormal investigations are top secret. Find Hailey at www.haileypiper.com or on Twitter via @HaileyPiperSays.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson

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We here at LGBTQReads are big Kosoko Jackson fans, in case you hadn’t noticed, so what better way to close out the month than with one more cover reveal from our featured author? Yes, that’s right, we get another glorious m/m Romance from Kosoko Jackson this year! A Dash of Salt and Pepper releases December 6th from Berkley, and here’s the story of this foodie age-gap rom-com:

Sometimes two cooks in the kitchen are better than one in this swoony romantic comedy from the author of I’m So (Not) Over You.

Xavier Gorman is doing less than stellar. He just got dumped, was passed over for a prestigious fellowship, and to top it all off he’s right back home in Harpers Cove, Maine (population: 9,000). The last thing he wants to do is to work as a sous-chef in the kitchen of the hip new restaurant in town, The Wharf. Especially since the hot, single-father chef who owns it can’t delegate to save his life.

Logan O’Hare doesn’t understand Xavier or why every word out of his mouth is dipped in sarcasm. Unfortunately, he has no choice but to hire him—he needs more help in the kitchen and his tween daughter, Anne, can only mince so many onions. It might be a recipe for disaster, but Logan doesn’t have many options besides Xavier.

Stuck between a stove and a hot place, Logan and Xavier discover an unexpected connection. But when the heat between them threatens to top the Scoville scale, they’ll have to decide if they can make their relationship work or if life has seasoned them too differently.

And here’s the delicious cover, illustrated by Adriana Bellet!

Preorder links are still to come, but you can add it on Goodreads!

***

Kosoko Jackson is a digital media specialist, focusing on digital storytelling, email, social and SMS marketing, and a freelance political journalist. Occasionally, his personal essays and short stories have been featured on Medium, Thought Catalog, The Advocate, and some literary magazines. When not writing YA novels that champion holistic representation of black queer youth across genres, he can be found obsessing over movies, drinking his (umpteenth) London Fog, or spending far too much time on Twitter.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Trouble with Robots by Michelle Mohrweis

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I’m so excited to have Michelle Mohrweis on the site today to reveal the cover of her upcoming bi and aro/ace MG debut, The Trouble with Robots, which releases from Peachtree on September 6th! Here’s the story:

Evelyn strives for excellence. Allie couldn’t care less. Together,
these polar opposites must work together if they have any hope
of saving their school’s robotics program.

Eighth-graders Evelyn and Allie are in trouble. Evelyn’s constant
need for perfection has blown some fuses among her robotics
teammates, and she’s worried nobody’s taking the upcoming
competition seriously. Allie is new to school, and she’s had a history
of short-circuiting on teachers and other kids.

So when Allie is assigned to the robotics team as a last resort, all
Evelyn can see is just another wrench in the works! But as Allie
confronts a past stricken with grief and learns to open up, the gears
click into place as she discovers that Evelyn’s teammates have a lot
to offer—if only Evelyn allowed them to participate in a role that plays to their strengths.

Can Evelyn learn to let go and listen to what Allie has to say? Or will
their spot in the competition go up in smoke along with their school’s robotics program and Allie’s only chance at redemption?

An excellent pick for STEAM enthusiasts, this earnestly told narrative features a dual point of view and casually explores Autistic and LGBTQ+ identities.

And here’s the ridiculously cute cover, with art by Kris Mukai, design by Maria Fazio, and art direction by Adela Pons!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | IndieBound

And here’s a word from the author herself!

If you asked me three years ago what I wanted to write, I never imagined I’d say middle grade contemporary. I loved reading it, but my writing heart was locked in fantasy. Then COVID hit. I found myself stuck inside my house and missing my students so badly. I was aimless and lost, so I started writing. The Trouble With Robots poured out of me, this story full of queer robotics kids and silly pranks and everything I missed about my own robotics classes.

The Trouble With Robots is a book about friendship, about learning how to make things work and giving others a chance. It’s about the chaotic fun of robotics tournaments and the little moments with your friends that make each day a delight. It’s a book about grief and how those viewed as “trouble” kids often have so much more going on than anyone realizes. It’s also a very personal book to me. Evelyn is autistic like myself, and it’s a story where queer autistic girls can see themselves having their adventures and leading a team.

***

Michelle Mohrweis is a middle school robotics and engineering teacher and a moderator at the Tucson Festival of Books. When not writing, she can be found launching paper rockets down the middle of her street. She lives with her husband and two dogs in Arizona. The Trouble with Robots is Michelle’s debut novel. Follow her on Twitter @Mohrweis_Writes and visit her on the web at http://www.michellemohrweis.com.

 

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Hazel Hill is Gonna Win this One by Maggie Horne

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Today on the site I’m delighted to welcome Maggie Horne to reveal the cover of her Middle Grade debut, Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One, which releases from Clarion Books on October 18, 2022! Here’s the story:

In this funny, feminist, and queer middle grade debut, seventh-grader Hazel Hill is too busy for friends. No, really. She needs to focus on winning the school-wide speech competition over her nemesis, the popular and smart Ella Quinn, after last year’s embarrassing Hyperbole/Hyperbowl mishap that cost her first place. But when Hazel discovers Ella is being harassed by golden boy Tyler Harris, she has to choose between winning and doing the right thing. No one would believe that a nice boy like Tyler would harass and intimidate a nice girl like Ella, but Hazel knows the truth—and she’s determined to prove it.

And here’s the absolutely adorable cover, illustrated by Luna Valentine and designed by Marcie Lawrence and Samira Iravani!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound

Maggie Horne is a writer and editor who grew up near Toronto, Canada. She studied at Oxford Brookes University, where she obtained both a BA in Publishing Media and a wife, which was a pretty good deal. She now lives outside of Ottawa with her family. Her writing has been featured in Catapult and on Medium’s Mental Health and LGBTQ pages. Hazel Hill Is Gonna Win This One is her first novel. Website: maggiehorne.com Twitter: @MaggieHasHornes

Cover Reveal

Paperback Cover Reveal+Interview: Reverie by Ryan La Sala

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Whether you loved this dreamy m/m YA fantasy as much as I did or haven’t gotten to it yet, you’re definitely going to want to snatch up a copy of Reverie by Ryan La Sala  when it comes out in paperback on June 7th from Sourcebooks, because look at that cover! What cover, you ask? Why, the gorgeous one below! But first, the story:

A few weeks ago, Kane Montgomery was in an accident that robbed him of his memory. The only thing he knows for certain is that the police found him half-dead in the river. The world as he knows it feels different―reality seems different. And when strange things start happening around him, Kane isn’t sure where to turn.

And then three of his classmates show up, claiming to be his friends and the only people who can tell him what’s truly going on. Kane doesn’t know what to believe or who he can trust. But as he and the others are dragged into increasingly fantastical dream worlds drawn from imagination, it becomes clear that there is dark magic at work. Nothing in Kane’s life is an accident, and only he can keep the world itself from unraveling.

And here’s the gorgeous cover redesign, illustrated by Jonathan Bartlett and designed by Liz Dresner and Nicole Hower!

Buy it: Amazon | IndieBound | Indigo | Book Depository

But wait, there’s more! Ryan stopped by for a little chat about the book and its stunning new cover, so check it out!

This cover is gorgeous! What did you think when you first saw it?

Well, first I thought: “lksjdfslkjsdlfk,” and that’s a quote.

And then I thought “holy smokes, there he is!“

It’s beyond exciting to see Kane, the unlikely hero of Reverie, on the cover in all his reality-unraveling glory. I created Kane when I was a kid myself, and I looked up to him all throughout my teenage years. Finally I started writing down his adventures in High School.
Getting to see him — finally see him — on the cover of his own story feels like such a triumph. A triumph for me as his creator, but also a triumph for little gay boys who want to find a way to feel powerful beyond just your typical man-up-and-get-muscular-and-pick-up-a-sword story.

Kane wields a magic that reacts to his empathy and imagination. The fate of reality hangs upon his ability to balance the world as we know it against the many worlds of those who dream beyond our reality’s limits. He’s difficult and fascinating and so, so important to me. I’m so glad the artist did him justice.

What has the response to Reverie been like since its release in 2019?

In a word: dreamy.

In many more words: the response to Reverie has been a dream come true (pun intended). I use this phrase because I have always, always had huge dreams for this book despite many people telling me to temper my expectations. Reverie is not the kind of thing you’d expect to go mainstream. It’s super queer and very weird. It spins through many genres, things get surreal and even scary. Hell, the hero throws rainbow chaos magic and the villain is a drag queen
sorceress! But you know what? All of these ‘niche’ elements have just brought more readers into the pages of Reverie, and I’m thankful for every one of them. I love you all!

What’s also been interesting is the diversity in reactions. Most authors I know avoid reviews, but I revel in them–good, bad, or otherwise. I wrote Reverie to be reacted to, and to inspire people to write their own stories (out of inspiration, or even out of spite, which is how I got started writing Reverie in the first place). It’s been fun watching that take place in real time!

Unfortunately, as Reverie has risen in popularity, it’s also found the spotlights of people determined to ban queer books from school librarires. Right now, Reverie is on a list to be investigated for it’s ‘inappropriate’ and ‘potentially pornographic’ content. Anyone who has read Reverie knows this is a wild claim, but I actually don’t think the people who make these lists know how to read. Not very well, at least.

I’m not worried. Reverie will always be here for those that need refuge from an unkind reality. Our jobs (mine, as the author, and yours as the reader) is to stand by these books, defend them, and fight for their availability so that readers who need them, have them.

When it comes to characters, who has been the fan favorite in all the Reverie reactions?

Oh, easy. Ursula and Poesy, which is so interesting to me as the author because when I first concocted the idea of dream-unraveling, world-hopping heroes, Ursula and Poesy were the same person. In fact, they were sorta the main character — this hyperfeminine, dress-wearing force of nature that was as likely to wield a broadsword as they were to wear a ballgown. I think readers can tell how much joy I have writing them, which is why they get a lot of love.

What are you excited for as Reverie goes into paperback?

Can I be frank? Hardcover books are annoying. The dust jackets are pretty but my god do they make it hard to handle a book. I’m always worried about ruining them! So I tend to just let them sit on the shelf, which–don’t kill me–is no place for a book to be.

For me, books are companions, and all my favorite books are well-worn paperbacks that have been shoved into backpacks, suitcases, and *gulp* maybe even cargo pants once or twice. Reverie going into paperback means it’ll be even more available to join readers on their own journey, whether they’re reading it on the bus to school or late at night with a flashlight. I love that. I love knowing the book’s life is about to bloom again, and I can’t wait to welcome in all of those who have been searching for a story like this, a character like this, or a world like this. What I think when I imagine all of those future readers is not quite coherent, but it feels like saying “Welcome home.”

Any further dreams for Kane and Reverie?

Oh, tons. There’s no confirmed continuation for Reverie in the works right now, but recently I’ve been feeling an intractable pull back into Kane’s world. There’s a lot more for him, Ursula, and the Others (his team of dream unravelers in the book). And if you’re a fan of Poesy, don’t worry: if I were to pick up this story again, I suspect I would start before the events of Reverie even begin, somewhere in the past as Poesy hatches her dreams for a better world. A world on her terms. *insert witchy cackle here*

Ryan La Sala writes about surreal things happening to queer people. He is the author behind the riotously imaginative Reverie, and the brilliantly constructed Be Dazzled, both of which made the Kids’ Indie Next List. He has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Tor.com, and one time Shangela from RuPaul’s Drag Race called him cute! Ryan is the host of the infamous La Sala Writers Salon, the co-host the Bad Author Book Club Podcast, and a frequent speaker at events/conferences. When not writing, Ryan does arts & crafts, and rollerblades around Central Park.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt

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Today on the site I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of an extremely exciting upcoming YA: the ace heist debut Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt, coming September 6th from Peachtree Teen! Here’s the story:

Six of Crows goes to Las Vegas in debut author Amanda DeWitt’s suspenseful casino heist, starring an entire crew of asexual teens.

Some people join chess club, some people play football. Jack Shannon runs a secret blackjack ring in his private school’s basement. What else is the son of a Las Vegas casino mogul supposed to do?

Everything starts falling apart when Jack’s mom is arrested for their family’s ties to organized crime. His sister Beth thinks this is the Shannon family’s chance to finally go straight, but Jack knows that something’s not right. His mom was sold out, and he knows by who. Peter Carlevaro: rival casino owner and jilted lover. Gross.

Jack hatches a plan to find out what Carlevaro’s holding over his mom’s head, but he can’t do it alone. He recruits his closest friends—the asexual support group he met through fandom forums. Now all he has to do is infiltrate a high-stakes gambling club and dodge dark family secrets, while hopelessly navigating what it means to be in love while asexual. Easy, right?

And here’s the wildly eye-catching cover, designed by Adela Pons with art by Víctor Bregante!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | IndieBound

A word from our author…

“Aces Wild isn’t a book I ever expected to write, and I never would have guessed that it would be my debut! When I first started putting the words on the page, I was intimidated by writing a contemporary story—how do you make real life exciting?! I wanted to write asexual characters, but I didn’t want to write a story about asexuality, and I wasn’t sure if that was allowed. As the pieces of the story came together, I realized how important they were to me, and how important I hoped they could be for readers someday. I would write a story about comedy and larger-than-life adventure and asexuality too, but not as something that the characters struggled with or came to understand, but as something that had brought them together.

I’ll always love this story because it’s fun and as flashy as its beautiful cover (look at that neon!), but also because it’s something I wrote during a very difficult time in my life, and so much of the love and understanding that kept me going then is held in its pages. Deep at its heart, Aces Wild is about understanding yourself in the face of loss and change, and the different types of love that help us along the way, if we allow ourselves to ask for it. It’s also about silly jokes and internet friends and blackjack too, so you could say that it has range. It means so much to me to have it out into the world, I hope readers enjoy it as much as I do!”

***

Amanda DeWitt is an author and librarian, ensuring that she spends as much time around books as possible. She also enjoys Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragon-ing, and even more writing, just not whatever it is she really should be writing. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a Masters in Information and Library Science. She lives in Clearwater, Florida with her dogs, cats, and assortment of chickens. Aces Wild: A Heist is her debut novel.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Errant, Vol. 1 by L.K. Fleet

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Today on the site, I’m delighted to reveal the cover for Errant, Vol. 1, the very first in a new novella series by L.K. Fleet, the pen name for the formidable joined forces of K. R. Collins, Felicia Davin, and Valentine Wheeler! This f/f (bi/lesbian) fantasy releases on February 15th, and here’s the story:

Aspen Silverglade used to be a force for good, but now she’s just a sword for hire. On the run from the people she once trusted most, she needs to keep her head down and keep moving.

But old habits are hard to quit. One night in a tavern, Aspen tries to save a woman from some unwanted attention. The woman, Charm Linville, is in the middle of a subtle and delicate act of thievery, and she does not appreciate Aspen blundering in.

The disastrous and public rescue-gone-wrong makes the townspeople think Aspen and Charm are a couple. This mistake sets Aspen’s bloodthirsty betrayers on Charm’s trail, tying the two of them together.

Even if Aspen can’t run from her past any longer, Charm shouldn’t have to suffer. Despite Aspen’s determination to work alone, Charm insists on helping—and she has a past of her own. The two of them don’t care for each other’s methods, but as they journey through the villages and wildernesses of Falland, solving problems and meeting magical friends and foes, Aspen and Charm grudgingly come to care for each other. Can these two guarded, stubborn women admit their feelings, or will Aspen’s enemies kill them first?

And here’s the absolutely epic cover from the epic Laya Rose!

Buy it: Amazon

L. K. Fleet is the pen name for the trio of authors K. R. Collins, Felicia Davin, and Valentine Wheeler. They are longtime friends who share a love of fantasy settings and romance tropes. Errant, a series of sapphic fantasy novellas, is the first thing they have written together.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: This is Our Place by Vitor Martins

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Today on the site we’ve got Brazilian queer YA rock star Vitor Martins, revealing the cover of his newest import to the US, This is Our Place, which was translated by Larissa Helena and releases from Scholastic on November 1st! Here’s the story:

If the walls of Number 8 Sunflower Street could talk …

As Ana celebrates the new millennium, she is shocked to learn that she must leave behind her childhood home, her hometown, and — hardest of all — her girlfriend for a new life in Rio de Janeiro.

Ten years later, Greg is sent to live with his aunt — who runs a video rental store from her garage and owns a dog named Keanu Reeves — as his parents work out their not-so-secret divorce.

And ten years after that, Beto must put his dreams of becoming a photographer on hold as the COVID-19 pandemic arrives in Brazil, forcing him to live with his overprotective mother and overachieving sister.

Set in and narrated by the same house, Number 8 Sunflower Street, and in three different decades – 2000, 2010, and 2020 respectively – This Is Our Place is a novel about queer teens dealing with sudden life changes, family conflict, and first loves, proving that while generations change, we will always be connected to each other.

Doesn’t that sound absolutely stunning? Well here’s the beautiful cover to match, illustrated by Douglas Lopes and designed by Stephanie Yang!

And here are a few words from the author himself!

“The story for This is Our Place came to me during 2020, a hard and challenging year for the whole world. I found myself constantly looking over my window and imagining what my neighbors were going through. Alongside with the constant desire to go back in time and enjoy life a little bit more, I came up with the story of three queers teens that lived in the same house in three different moments in time. The house itself is the narrator and it’s a quite funny house.

This is Our Place is a book about family, goodbyes, and trying times. It’s about all the shared experiences for queer youth over the decades and all details that changes perspectives in 10 years forward or backward. But it’s also a fun love story full of gay panic, house jokes and a cute dog named Keanu Reeves. I am so thrilled about this book and I just can’t wait to American readers finally meet Ana, Greg and Beto!”

Preorder: Amazon | IndieBound

Vitor Martins received his degree in journalism but works as an illustrator. He published his first YA novel Here the Whole Time in the U.S. in fall 2020. Already an established YA author in Brazil prior to coming to Scholastic, Vitor’s books have garnered much praise, including a starred review. Here the Whole Time was co-winner of the 2021 Global Literature In Libraries Initiative Translated YA Book Award. The book has been sold in several foreign territories, including The U.K./Commonwealth (Hodder Children’s Books), Germany (LYX, Bastei Lübbe AG), and Russia (Mann, Ivanov, and Ferber). It is also a finalist for the 2021 Latino Book Award for best young adult book originally in Portuguese. Additionally, Here the Whole Time‘s film rights have been optioned by Conspiração Films, one of the most prominent film producers in Brazil. Vitor is very active in the American and Brazilian YA communities – even having translated Abdi Nazemian’s Like A Love Story into Portuguese.