A chilling psychological suspense novel, The Grave Tender explores the dark boundaries people cross to save loved ones, and the limits of family bonds tested by the deepest of betrayals.
Endless questions from a shadow-filled East Texas childhood haunt Hadley Dixon. People said her mother, Winnie, was never quite right, but with one single, irreparable act, life as Hadley knew it was shattered. The aftershocks of that moonlit night left her reeling, but the secrets and lies had started long before.
When a widowed and pregnant Hadley returns years later, it’s not the safe harbor she expects. The mysteries surrounding a local boy’s disappearance remain, and the townspeople still whisper about Hadley’s strange and reclusive Uncle Eli—whispers about a monster in their midst.
But Hadley’s father and grandmother, the cornerstones of everything safe in her world, avoid her questions. If Hadley stays here, will she be giving her children the family they need, or putting their lives in danger?
The hunt for answers takes a determined Hadley deep into the pine forests, in search of sunlight that will break through the canopy of lies long enough to reveal the truth
Kristen Pettit at Harper Teen, with Catherine Wallace editing, has bought Reel One Entertainment and screenwriter Christine Conradt’s MISSING AT 17, the first novelization of the “at 17” TV movie series executive produced by Pierre David and Tom Berry released on Lifetime, about a teen who runs away after finding out she is adopted and right into the arms of an irresistible bad boy who draws her into his dangerous world. Publication is set for trade paperback release during the Summer 2018 season; 
Kirkus: Brandes checks off all the boxes for quality fiction: the characters are well-rounded, the settings, such as the apple orchards, the crisp Silver Creek, and the rocky outcrops, are vividly described,and the plot is well-organized and crisply paced. … An expertly paced, moving exploration of grief and responsibility and an eloquent portrait of a small town struggling with compromise.
Spanish rights to Ada Palmer’s TOO LIKE THE LIGHTNING and SEVEN SURRENDERS, Books 1 and 2 of the Terra Ignota series, to Insolita, by Maru de Montserrat at International Editors, in association with Katie Shea Boutillier.
School Library Connection: Shaun David Hutchinson has a real knack for devising a quirky, intriguing premise and crafting vivid characters to populate his stories. The universe is shrinking rapidly, but Ozzie is the only one who has noticed. He’s also the only one to notice the unexplainable disappearance of his boyfriend, Tommy. Ozzie has theories for how this has happened, but his family, friends, and psychiatrists all believe he is out of his mind. Only Calvin, Ozzie’s assigned partner for a physics project, believes him. Ozzie must cope with the complexities of navigating strained relationships, making postsecondary plans, and dealing with his guilt for beginning to forget Tommy. The large cast of characters allows for representation of many topics—including gender fluidity, sexual identity, and abuse—though at times the narrative feels a bit crowded. Despite anticipation of a true science fiction resolution, many events reveal themselves as mere figments of Ozzie’s emotionally-addled imagination. 
Molly Tanzer’s CREATURES OF WILL AND TEMPER, in which an epee-fencing enthusiast and her younger sister are drawn into a secret London underworld of pleasure-seeking demons and bloodthirsty diabolists, with only her skill with a blade standing between them and certain death, to Brian Sweany at Recorded Books, in a two-book deal, by Katie Shea Boutillier on behalf of Cameron McClure.