Saturday Spotlight: New Book Releases October 2024
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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The Off-Limits Rule by Sarah Adams
Rules are made to be broken – especially for love, right?
Lucy Marshall has found rock bottom. After failing to succeed as a single mum in Atlanta, she’s back home and moving in with her older brother Drew. Reconnecting with her support system is the right thing to do, but Lucy can’t help but feel like a failure. Her four-year-old son deserves the world and all she can give him is a spare bedroom. But Drew is the sweetest uncle, and some quality time might be exactly what they need to start afresh. That is, until she meets Cooper, her brother’s incredibly hot best friend.
When Drew senses something between the two of them, he puts his foot down on any shenanigans. According to him, Cooper is everything Lucy should stay away from: flirtatious, adventurous and, especially, non-committal. But Lucy has been getting the opposite impression so far. Cooper is a genuinely great guy and she’s starting to catch real feelings.
Her whole life, she’s tried to do everything right, and look where that’s got her. So what if she were to try something wrong?
Available to buy here
Connect with Sarah Adams
The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister
It is said that the Haddesleys have too much of the bog in their blood to live in the world. Living an isolated existence in the Appalachians, they observe strange rituals and worship the forest and mud that surrounds them.
When Charles, the patriarch of the family, reveals he’s dying, his children rally around him – only to find their fraying bonds tearing apart one by one, and their beliefs upended. For Wenna, the only Haddesley to have ever escaped the forest, it means coming home to face difficult truths. For Charlie, the eldest son, his father’s death means facing up to new, terrifying responsibilities.
Because the bog is waiting, ever-growing, ever-hungry, and if the Haddesley children aren’t careful, they will awaken something they have tried to keep at bay for a century.
A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer by Maxie Dara
Murder is not her department.
It’s not like it used to be. Modern-day grim reapers wear business casual, not black cloaks and they don’t carry scythes, they work for S. C. Y. T. H. E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences), where the Department of Natural Causes is the least exciting gig. And that’s how Kathy Valence likes it: boring and predictable. She has enough stress in her personal life; she’s mid-divorce, pregnant, and terrified she doesn’t have what it takes to be a good mom.
Then, she goes to pick up a new client and finds his soul is missing. When she finally tracks down Conner Ortiz, he angrily insists he was murdered and he refuses to move on until Kathy finds out why and by whom.
Kathy has only 45 days to solve the mystery before the boy’s soul is doomed to roam the earth as a ghost forever. To do that, she’ll have to call on the help of her retired mentor, her almost ex-husband — and, inconveniently, Conner himself. This is the wildest case of her career and one wrong move could cost Kathy her job, not to mention her life.
The Little Provence Book Shop by Gillian Harvey
Everyone’s story has some magic. You just have to turn the page to find it…
As the sun rises over the little Provence village where single mother Adeline has escaped with her little girl Lili, she breathes deeply. This is their new beginning. Here, she can forget the lies her family told her. Here, she can start her story again.
Later, she opens the door to the town’s tiny bookstore, where she is to work, ready to meet the mysterious owner Monique for the first time.
She expected an ordinary bookshop. But this bookstore feels somehow different, magical. Breathing in the smell of books, there’s a jolt of something. It feels like a new chapter beginning.
As she gets to know the villagers, including the handsome Andre and friendly Michel, she starts to believe in the magic of this new start. But can a runaway like Adeline ever find what she’s looking for? Or is ‘happy-ever-after’ just another fiction?
House Of Bone And Rain by Gabino Iglesias
American Rapture by CJ Leede
Blessed are the meek, Sophie was taught. Blessed are the pure of heart.
Blessed is the good Catholic girl who honours her father and mother and renounces the sins of pride, greed, wrath, gluttony, envy and sloth, for she will inherit the earth.
But nothing in her strict religious upbringing could have prepared Sophie for the arrival of the scorching winds that sweep through the Midwest, not the righteous breath of God, but an evil gust that delivers an ungodly, fevered lust unto the virtuous and the wicked alike.
Separated from her family in the chaos of the apocalypse, Sophie is overcome by an unfamiliar fire from within, a steady pulse from somewhere beneath her belly that draws her toward the boys her mother warned her against: their eyes, their lips, their hands, their skin. The hellscape around her is foreign and strange, but so is the frantic desire that blooms in Sophie, tempting her away from the light. Though her own body has become a carnal battleground, she must somehow find her way through the ravaged world to rescue her brother, hoping the fever hasn’t taken him; hoping he can still be saved.
Available to buy here
Connect with CJ Leede
Every Moment Since by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
A small Southern town. An ordinary Saturday night. A little boy disappears without a trace.
Everyone in Wynotte, North Carolina, knows the name Davy Malcor. Knows the video clip of him juggling four balls, “All at the very same time!” Knows the Marty McFly jacket his mother made for his birthday that he wore proudly, and often. But no one knows what happened to him the night he went missing more than 20 years ago.
When the jacket is unexpectedly uncovered, the cold case reopens, and Davy’s family is thrust into yet another media storm. But at the heart of the story are four people forever changed by one single night: Thaddeus Malcor, Davy’s older brother, created the life of his dreams by writing a bestselling memoir about his family’s experience and is enjoying success and notoriety as a result, even if the memoir doesn’t quite reveal the whole story. Tabitha Malcor, his mother, is divorced and living alone, advocating for victims’ rights and faithfully cataloging her regrets each week, while never including her biggest regret of all. Anissa Weaver was just a kid herself when Davy went missing and her connection to him is one she can’t reveal, as she serves as the Malcor family’s Public Information Officer. And, long suspected in Davy’s disappearance, Gordon Swift has kept his head down and scraped together a decent life. But the new attention to the case makes it impossible to hide from the public, and the past.
Available to buy here
Connect with Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
She’s looking for the perfect man. He’s looking for the perfect victim.
Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it all: men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill and, worst of all, men who can’t shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.
Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He’s charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet.
Then the brutal murder of a young woman, the latest in a string of deaths across the coast, confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.
Sydney should feel safe. After all, she’s dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn’t get to the truth, she’ll be the killer’s next victim.
Available to buy here
Connect with Freida McFadden
Paperback Therapy by Tammi Miller
This book is not a substitute for therapy, but it will give you the skills you need to help you meet your mental health goals.
Most of us could probably be doing more to take care of our mental health, whether by learning to manage stress and sadness or just by reconnecting with ourselves. But finding the time and money for professional therapy isn’t always possible and this interactive guide provides an invaluable first step. While not a substitute for therapy, this book will give you the tools you need to make positive changes in your life and improve your mental wellbeing.
In Paperback Therapy, certified practising counsellor Tammi Miller, takes you on a journey of self-discovery and healing. You’ll learn over 25 therapist-approved tools for everything from how to boost your self-esteem and live by your values to techniques for overcoming unhealthy habits and managing anxiety. With prompts and exercises proven to benefit your mental health and wellbeing, Paperback Therapy will help you discover a happier, healthier you.
The House That Florence Left by Chris Penhall
Could an unlikely inheritance be the secret to Bella’s happiness?
Bella Cresswell likes her life organised. But when she inherits her great-aunt Florence’s house in the Algarve, her life gets decidedly disorganised.
Bella flies to Portugal hoping for a quick sale. Except there’s a clause in Florence’s will stopping her. Before she can sell the house, Bella must ‘make it better’.
As she tries to fix up the dilapidated property, Bella finds herself caught up in the charm of the gorgeous Portuguese village. She meets the eccentric and friendly locals, including a pair of storks, Harry and Sally, who have taken up residence on her roof. Not to mention handsome, yet mysterious, neighbour, Hugo.
Perhaps there was more to Florence’s wish for Bella to make it better than she first thought. And when it’s time to sell and say goodbye, will Bella be able to return to her old life?
Or will she discover that some things are meant to be held onto forever?
Available to buy here
Connect with Chris Penhall
Sunlight by Devney Perry
Available to buy here
Connect with Devney Perry
Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds
Seventeen-year-old Neon is about to have sex with his girlfriend, Aria, for the first time. In 24 seconds, to be precise. He’s hiding in the bathroom, nervous, wanting to do everything right . . .
Rewind. To 24 minutes earlier, where Neon rushes from work, taking the gift of fried chicken to Aria’s house.
Rewind again. To 24 hours earlier, when Neon’s big sister has advice about sex which makes him think he probably shouldn’t be listening to his friends.
To 24 days earlier. To 24 weeks earlier. To 24 months earlier, when he and Aria first met.
This tender, sweet, wholesome piece of fiction discusses how to approach first sex, how to respect women, how to be gentle, how to make it about love. It shows us a refreshingly different side to male sexuality.
Available to buy here
Connect with Jason Reynolds
Light Enough To Float by Lauren Seal
Evie has barely acknowledged she has an eating disorder when she’s admitted to an inpatient treatment facility.
Now her days are filled with calorie loading, therapy sessions and longing: for home, for control, and for the time before her troubles began. As the winter of her treatment goes on, she gradually begins to face her fears and to love herself again, with the help of caregivers and of peers who are fighting their own disordered-eating battles.
This insightful, beautiful novel will touch every reader and offer hope and understanding to those who need it most.
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
It is the summer of 1940. The world is at war. These days, you don’t know who you can trust or who might be a secret spy…
Maths whizz Jakob Novis has been recruited to the secret codebreaking centre at Bletchley Park. As Jakob works to crack the Nazi’s Enigma cipher, his younger sister Lizzie is busy on an undercover mission of her own: to find their mother.
Available to buy here
Connect with Ruta Sepetys
The City In Glass by Nghi Vo
A demon. An angel. A city.
The demon Vitrine, immortal, powerful, and capricious, loves the dazzling city of Azril. She’s mothered, married and maddened the city and its people for generations, building it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.
Then the angels come and the city falls.
Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost – and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.
She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.
Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.
Available to buy here
Connect with Nghi Vo
Inferno’s Heir by Tiffany Wang
Blackmail. Murder. Betrayal. There isn’t anything Teia won’t do to stay alive.
Half Carthan and half Shaylani, with the ability to manipulate both fire and water, she’s an outcast in her own kingdom and has survived innumerable assassination attempts. All of which have been orchestrated by her half-brother. But once he’s crowned King, nothing can save her.
When a rebellion seeks to overthrow the monarchy, Teia grabs at the chance to infiltrate the rebels, locate their base . . . and trade their lives for her own.
As she gains their trust, Teia begins to question everything she knows. What if the rebels are right? What if the monarchy should be destroyed?
Or what if Teia took the throne for herself?
Available to buy here
Connect with Tiffany Wang
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 21 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.
