Saturday Spotlight: New Book Releases December 2023
By Claire Buss, Deputy Editor, Write On!
At Write On! and Pen to Print, we want to help connect authors and readers, playwrights and audiences, so we’ve created a Spotlight page on the last Saturday of the month, showcasing some of the exciting new reads and plays available. The curated list is based on books and plays that you send us, so if you’re an author or a playwright and you’d like your book or play in the spotlight, reach out to us at pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk. Whether you’re an indie author, with a small press or mainstream publisher, established or brand new playwright, we’d love to hear from you and shine a light on your new work.
Write On! offers other opportunities for writers as well. If you’d like us to feature an extract from your book or a short story, please send the extract, book cover and blurb to pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk with the subject: Write On! Showcase (ensuring you have your publisher’s permission, of course).
Pen to Print are also looking for short videos from people reading a passage from their favourite book, or authors reading extracts from their own books. These videos will be featured on the Pen to Print YouTube channel and across our social media. Please send in your videos or links to pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk with the subject: Video Stories.
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Man Trouble by David Algar
Man Trouble explores a wide range of subjects from loneliness to banter, from tribalism to nicknames, to prompt funny, thought-provoking and compelling conversations around contemporary masculinity.
This collection of essays examines the ways men conduct their relationships with each other, with women, and with their work.
It provides thoughtful analysis alongside a celebration of the kind of impulsive folly that might result in the purchase of, say, a 17th-century windmill or a peacock.
Available to buy here
Connect with David Algar here
The Witch’s Daughter by Imogen Edwards-Jones
A city in flames. A revolution raging. A woman on the run.
Nadezhda has never wanted to be a witch. But the occult is in her blood. Her mother, Militza, conjured Rasputin and introduced him into the Romanov court, releasing the devil himself. Now he’s dead but Militza still dreams of him; he stalks her sleep and haunts her waking hours.
As Petrograd burns and the Russian Empire crumbles, Nadezhda escapes through the corpse-laden streets of the capital, concealing on her person a book of generational magic. Magic she once described as foolishness. But as danger grows ever closer, she may be forced to embrace her heritage to save what she loves most…
Kala In The Nativity Sparkle by Silvano Griffith-Francis
It’s Christmas and Kala is excited about the extra-special gift she’ll receive for being good all year.
As she eagerly awaits the arrival of Father Christmas, she meets a friendly character and learns about a very special event thousands of years ago, and why it’s still so important today.
Kala In The Nativity Sparkle is an exciting retelling of the birth of Jesus and the real meaning of Christmas. With its bright, colourful pictures and entertaining characters, the story captures the imagination and curiosity of children.
Thief Of The Ton by Emily Royal
Old sins cast long shadows when hearts are at stake.
It’s been 14 years since Lavinia de Grande was evicted from her childhood home after her father lost his fortune.
On entering her first Season courtesy of a cousin’s charity, Lavinia vows to wreak vengeance on Earl Walton, the villain who orchestrated their ruination. Not even an alluring viscount — whose masterful touch and fiery kisses set her senses ablaze — will distract her from her plan to retrieve the family heirlooms lost at Walton’s hands, by fair means or foul.
Peregrine, Viscount Marlow, has been tasked with solving a mystery. A thief known as the Phoenix is targeting the ton and stealing seemingly unconnected treasures from different houses. During his investigation, Peregrine is distracted by the daughter of an impoverished viscount: a young woman unlike other debutantes, with a mind of her own and a body ripe for claiming.
As Peregrine draws closer to his quarry, he unearths a secret that links the Phoenix to his own father, and Lavinia, who is falling for her would-be captor, soon learns that what began as a game, might cost her liberty, or even her life.
Available to buy here
Connect with Emily Royal
The Christmas Mug by Amey Ziegler
One Christmas scrooge. One judgmental neighborhood. One Christmas miracle needed. Can a Christmas mug help them all get into the spirit of Christmas?
Due to years of childhood trauma, Lisa Bennigan loathes all the busyness surrounding the holidays. Her financé, Jackson Tydell, wants to show Lisa and her family the true meaning of Christmas. But Lisa’s kids struggle to accept him as their future step-dad. Will they open their hearts to the spirit of Christmas and this new family dynamic?
When Christmas packages disappear from front porches, neighbours accuse Lisa’s oldest son of stealing. Lisa’s family must discover the real ‘porch pirates’ and bring peace again to the neighbourhood.
When a house fire causes a family to be displaced for Christmas, can Lisa unite the neighbuorhood for a Christmas miracle?
Remember, if you’re an author and you’d like to see your book in our Saturday Spotlight, email: pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk and send us the details of your new novel.
For details of Penguin RandomHouse new releases, visit their website here.
For details of Hachette new releases, visit their website here.
For details of HarperCollins new releases, visit their website here.
For details of PanMacmillan new releases, visit their website here.
For details of Simon & Schuster new releases, visit their website here.
Disclaimer: Amazon links are given for ease but please remember there are a number of other online retailers operating, including hive (which helps to support independent book shops), Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play and Nook as well as online stores for bookstores such as Waterstones, Barnes & Noble and WHSmiths.
Issue 19 of Write On! is out now and you can read it online here. Find it in libraries and other outlets. You can find previous editions of our magazines here.
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We want to help connect authors and readers, so our Saturday Spotlight page showcases some of the exciting new reads available each month.
