By Claire Buss, Deputy Editor, Write On! 

At Write On! and Pen to Print, we want to help connect authors and readers, so we’ve created a Spotlight page every Saturday, showcasing some of the exciting new reads available. The list has been curated by Lisa Roullier and myself, based on books that you send us, so if you’re an author and you’d like your book in the spotlight, reach out to Lisa at pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk. Whether you’re an indie author, with a small press or mainstream publisher, we’d love to hear from you and shine a light on your new novel.

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’.

A Poison Apple by C H Clepitt

Europe is at war, and when Christa is persuaded by the glamorous and mysterious Lady Prince to blow up the Nazi lab where she works, she is forced to flee to Britain.

However, Christa is pursued by the jealous and vindictive Doctor Weiss, who remains determined to eliminate anyone who could challenge her mantle as best scientist.

Can Lady Prince save her from her fate so they can have their happily ever after?

Available to buy here
Connect with C H Clepitt

Augustine by Vanessa Couchman

Love conquers all. Or does it?

Rural France, 1880. Augustine is not pretty and fears she may never marry. Joseph rents his land and dreams of owning a farm one day. But without a wife and children, he lacks the help he needs.

When Joseph saves Augustine from a drunkard at a dance, they are immediately attracted to each other. They meet again, and the attraction deepens, but they face fierce opposition from Augustine’s parents, who want better prospects for their daughter than Joseph can offer. Then dramatic events threaten to drive them apart forever.

Will Augustine and Joseph overcome the barriers? And at what cost?

Set against the rolling landscape of Southwest France, Augustine is a prequel to the Alouette trilogy but can be read as a standalone.

Available to buy here
Connect with Vanessa Couchman

Betray Her by Caroline England

Best friends forever.

That’s the pact you made.

You’d do anything for her.

And you have.

She’s always had it all.

If you could take it for yourself… would you?

Available to buy here
Connect with Caroline England

Christmas With The Conduit by Wes Markin

If you fail to stop a killer, they will only grow stronger.

DCI Michael Yorke and Emma Gardner are still plagued by guilt over their failure to catch the murderous psychiatrist known as the Conduit, and the loss of their former colleague to insanity.

On Christmas Day, following a brutal massacre in Leeds, Yorke and Gardner find themselves once again chasing the ruthless puppeteer, believing they have the initiative.

But as the two investigators draw closer to the Conduit, they quickly discover they were never truly in control, and completely vulnerable to what comes next.

A rising tide of psychological warfare.

And the horrendous truth behind the fate of their former colleague.

Available to buy here
Connect with Wes Markin

Christmas Yet To Come by DB Carter

Christmas may be just a few days away, but for 16-year-old Mark, it’s the bleak midwinter.

Living in the poor area of town run by the local drug dealer, he is trying to get an education while caring for his little sister Lizzy and their addict father. Mary, the girl on the train to whom his heart secretly belongs, wants to help, but how can she? When the very little money his family has runs out just days before Christmas, things keep getting worse, until something happens which plunges Mark and his sister into an even deeper crisis. Then, at his darkest point, he finds hope in the message of the season and his late mother’s favourite story about Ebenezer Scrooge.

For Mark and Lizzy, is there is a Christmas yet to come?

A modern Dickensian tale of hope, love, romance and friendship.

Available to buy here
Connect with DB Carter

Overland by Ramcy Diek

Skyla Overland is proud to work for Overland Insurance, the company founded by her grandfather.

Besides one nerve-wracking insurance fraud case in the past, her sheltered life is uneventful and just the way she likes it. Until, one day, everything changes…

Skyla and Troy, the manager at Overland Insurance, are the last ones to leave the office. In the empty parking lot, Troy takes her in his arms. Why would he ruin their easy-going friendship by kissing her, especially since he knows she’s dating Edmond?

Left alone, Skyla hurries to her car, puts on her seatbelt, and glances in her rearview mirror.
The face of a stranger grins at her from the back seat. “How nice to see you again,” he hisses close to her ear.

Regaining consciousness, Skyla finds herself on the back seat of her own car, with her hands tied behind her back. Is she getting kidnapped? Who is he? And where is he taking her?

Available to buy here
Connect with Ramcy Diek

A Little Piece Of Us: It’s Never Too Late To Be Creative by The Pensmiths

During our weekly writing meet up, it occurred to us how differently we would all interpret a prompt, and the idea of this book was born.

So, we set a prompt for everyone to write their own version of, and the results didn’t disappoint.
Some saw sadness, some saw humour, and some dipped into the realm of fantasy. Be it a short piece of writing or a poem, we have put ‘A Piece Of Us’ into each one. We hope you will enjoy our work.

Available to buy here

The Quiet Truth by Sharon Thompson

Can love really conquer all?  

When Charlie Quinn returns to Northern Ireland, having spent 60 years in Canada, the people he left behind are shocked to see him. They presumed he was dead.

But Charlie has come back for one reason, Ella, the love of his life and a notorious child murderer. She is back in the headlines and Charlie wants the truth to finally emerge.

As he looks back at his life, we learn that nothing is as it seems.

Is Ella really a killer?

Does Charlie know more than it appears?

And can two lost souls get to live happily ever after?

Life isn’t easy. But death is the most challenging thing of all…

Available to buy here
Connect with Sharon Thompson

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. 

Further Links

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. Given the current situation, though, please check first.

Read the latest issue of Write On! magazine online here