Fixing a family isn’t what she signed up for…
Patching hearts wasn’t the plan…
But this father and daughter need her help.
Overseeing kitchen volunteers while the community rebuilds after a flood, Abby Kauffman doesn’t expect to get in between Englischer David Riehl and the orphaned teenager he’s raising. But Abby can tell David is struggling, and she’s determined to help him bond with the girl. Might Abby be the missing ingredient to bring this makeshift family together for Easter?
POWER HAS A PRICE. SO DOES LOVE.
Return to the dark, sensual, and powerful world of the Black Jewels in this long-awaited new story in the New York Times bestselling fantasy saga.
After a youthful mistake, Lord Dillon’s reputation is in tatters, leaving him vulnerable to aristo girls looking for a bit of fun. To restore his reputation and honor, he needs a handfast–a one-year contract of marriage. He sets his sights on Jillian, a young Eyrien witch from Ebon Rih, who he believes has only a flimsy connection to the noble society that spurned him. Unfortunately for Dillon, he is unaware of Jillian’s true connections until he finds himself facing Lucivar Yaslana, the volatile Warlord Prince of Ebon Rih.
Meanwhile, Surreal SaDiablo’s marriage is crumbling. Daemon Sadi, the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan, recognizes there is something wrong between him and Surreal, but he doesn’t realize that his attempt to suppress his own nature in order to spare his wife is causing his mind to splinter. To save Daemon, and the Realm of Kaeleer if he breaks, help must be sought from someone who no longer exists in any of the Realms–the only Queen powerful enough to control Daemon Sadi. The Queen known as Witch.
As Jillian rides the winds of first love with Dillon, Daemon and Surreal struggle to survive the wounds of a marriage turned stormy–and Lucivar has to find a way to keep everyone in his family safe…even from each other.
Publishers Weekly: The masterful second genre-bending tale in Muir’s Locked Tomb trilogy (after Gideon the Ninth) ratchets up the horror, hijinks, and gallows humor of the series to a fever pitch. Queer necromancer Harrowhark Nonagesimus, heir to the Ninth House, has gotten everything she’s ever wanted: as a newly minted Lyctor, she’s earned a place by the side of the Necrolord Prime and a chance to revive her dying House. But something went wrong during her transformation, leaving her Lyctorhood incomplete and her health failing, wracked by hallucinations and altered memories. When King Undying summons her to his ancient palace in the far reaches of space, she’s trapped both by its strange corridors and by her faltering mind, with only her detestable rival Ianthe, three ancient and unfriendly fellow Lyctors, and the eccentric Emperor himself for company, as she begins to suspect that someone wants her dead. Muir’s labyrinthine plot raises the stakes of the series as it pushes the characters to their limits, exploring their trauma and anguish while keeping intact the irreverent comedy, grisly necromantic science, and gothic sensibilities that fans expect. Ending on a heart-stopping cliffhanger sure to have readers clamoring for the next installment, this dark, bloody puzzle box of a sequel is a knockout.
Chinese rights to James Scott Bell’s THE LAST FIFTY PAGES, to China Renmin University Press, in a nice deal, by Yijhen Lee at The Grayhawk Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Donald Maass.
French renewal rights to New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s DAUGHTER OF THE BLOOD, HEIR TO THE SHADOWS, and QUEEN OF THE DARKNESS, the first three books in the Black Jewels series, to Bragelonne, by Robin Batet at the Anna Jarota Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
Polish rights to New York Times Bestselling author Jim Butcher’s COLD DAYS, SKIN GAME, and PEACE TALKS, books 14, 15, and 16 in the Dresden Files series, to MAG Jacek Rodek, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava i Prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
Turkish rights to Shaun David Hutchinson’s THE APOCALYPSE OF ELENA MENDOZA and THE PAST AND OTHER THINGS THAT SHOULD STAY BURIED, to Ithaki, in a two-book deal, by Merve Ongen at ONK Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.
German rights to the first full-length novel in Martha Wells’ Nebula and Hugo Award-winning The Murderbot Diaries series, NETWORK EFFECT, to Heyne, by Sarah Knofius at the Thomas Schlueck Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
Publishers Weekly: Hugo- and Nebula-winner Wells’s excellent first full-length Murderbot Diaries novel (after the novella Exit Strategy) sees her hilariously humanlike Artificial Intelligence Security Unit recount a routine space mission gone horribly awry. […] SecUnit’s gloriously candid, frequently confused assessments of its crew and their predicaments allow for an amusingly childlike perspective on what it means to be human. Wells puts an astonishing amount of technical detail into SecUnit’s narrative, which will please hard sci-fi readers without detracting from the engaging story line. Series fans and anyone who enjoys humor-infused space operas won’t want to miss this.
Congratulations to our DMLA authors who were chosen as finalists for the 2019 Nebula Awards!
Novel
Game Writing
Andre Norton Award
In a three book deal, Jo Ann Ferguson, writing as Jo Ann Brown, will be a launch author for the new Love Inspired trade fiction line coming in Spring 2021 with Amish Bad Boys: Return to Bliss and two sequels, acquired by Tina James at Harlequin via Jennifer Jackson.
Kirkus: Young roboticist Efi dreams of creating a better life for her community, where omnics and humans live peacefully, in this novel inspired by the video game “Overwatch.” Efi spends so many hours in her workshop ironing out bugs in her robots that her mother worries she isn’t connecting enough with best friends Naade and Hassana. But her work pays off when Efi wins the Genius Grant given out by her idol, Gabrielle Adawe, who founded both the organization Overwatch and the African city of Numbani. On the way to Rio de Janeiro to celebrate, Doomfist, who should be in prison, attacks the airport. The destruction left in Doomfist’s wake spurs Efi to put her grant money toward developing Orisa, a compassionate robot that can protect the city she loves. The immense pressure of this project strains the three friends’ relationship, forcing Efi to go it alone. While Efi teaches Orisa to integrate into Numbani, Orisa teaches her about responsibility and friendship—and as Dooomfist provokes discord between omnics and humans, Efi, Naade, and Hassana must come together to save Numbani. Drayden (Escaping Exodus, 2019, etc.) gives Efi a clear voice in this engrossing read with smooth pacing and action-packed scenes. The main storyline is tied up enough to keep readers satisfied but interested in the sequel; readers don’t need to be familiar with the video game to understand the book. All characters are black. Readers will root for this STEM-focused girl hero.
Congratulations to Tamsyn Muir for having Gideon the Ninth featured on ALA’s Top Ten Over the Rainbow List 2020!