kt literary

Congratulations to K Arsenault Rivera who debut fantasy novel THE TIGER’S DAUGHTER has been named as one of the prestigious October 2017 Indie Next List Great Reads!

Heather Weldon, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZ says:

“Badass ladies slaying demons, defying conventions, and saving the world on their own terms? Count me in. The Tiger’s Daughter is an honest-to-goodness sweeping epic fantasy unlike any I have read. I don’t remember ever being so excited for a new series. The characters in this story are so fully realized, the landscapes so vivid, I didn’t even realize I’d been so swept away until I turned the last page. I endured with O Shizuka, princess, the divine made flesh, and finest blade in all Hokkaro; I raged with Barsalai Shefali Alsharyaa, demon slayer, horse whisperer, and infamous Qorin warrior. I didn’t want to leave them, and I can’t wait for the next installment.”

Check out the American Booksellers Association Indie Next List Preview here!

Read more about K and THE TIGER’S DAUGHTER on her website: www.karsenaultrivera.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @ArsenaultRivera

A huge round of congratulations to Nikki Katz on her exciting book deal for THE KING’S QUESTIONER!

From Publishers Weekly:
Kat Brzozowski at Swoon Reads has bought The King’s Questioner by Nikki Katz, author of The Midnight Dance. A mental lockpick, Kalen has the ability to break into people’s minds and steal their deepest secrets. When he uncovers something the king has been hiding in the mind of his childhood friend, former enemies must team up to avert a war. Publication is set for fall 2018; Kate Testerman at KT Literary brokered the deal for world rights.

Nikki is the managing editor at www.socialmoms.com as well as a freelance editor. Learn more about her on her website: www.nikkikatz.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @katzni

THE MIDNIGHT DANCE releases this October – pre-order it now!
When the music ends, the dance begins.

Seventeen-year-old Penny is a lead dancer at the Grande Teatro, a finishing school where she and eleven other young women are training to become the finest ballerinas in Italy. Tucked deep into the woods, the school is overseen by the mysterious and handsome young Master who keeps the girls ensconced in the estate – and in the only life Penny has never known.

But when flashes of memories, memories of a life very different from the one she thinks she’s been leading, start to appear, Penny begins to question the Grand Teatro and the motivations of the Master. With a kind and attractive kitchen boy, Cricket, at her side, Penny vows to escape the confines of her school and the strict rules that dictate every step she takes. But at every turn, the Master finds a way to stop her, and Penny must find a way to escape the school and uncover the secrets of her past before it’s too late.

Please help us congratulate Karen Fortunati – her debut novel, THE WEIGHT OF ZERO, is a finalist for the 2017 Connecticut Book Award!

The Connecticut Center for the Book awards a winner in each of four categories and THE WEIGHT OF ZERO is up for Best Book For Young Readers – we’ll be cheering for you, Karen!

“Fortunati doesn’t shy away from detailing Cath’s despair but is very clear that with treatment, there is hope.” – Publishers Weekly

“The Weight of Zero is a fine and accurate portrayal of adolescence and adolescent mental illness.” – Washington Independent

“An honest, informative, and ultimately optimistic novel about living with mental illness.” – Kirkus

Find out more about THE WEIGHT OF ZERO on Karen’s website: www.karenfortunati.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @KarenFortunati

Introducing three science fiction/ fantasy (SF/F) authors…

Don Allmon
debut author of THE GLAMOUR THIEVES

Michael J. Martinez
author of the MAJESTIC 12 series and the DAEDALUS trilogy

Spencer Ellsworth
debut author of A RED PEACE

In thirty seconds, GO!…

Your favorite character interaction in YOUR book:
Don: Early in the story Austin has grudge-sex with the bouncer at a bar, except Austin’s grudge isn’t with the bouncer. I always feel sorry for the guy.

Michael: When the least empathetic character I’ve ever written, Maggie, is talking about life with the most empathetic character I’ve ever written, Cal, and the sadness and envy just whacks Maggie so hard.

Spencer: I really like the end… spoiler. I took a messed up protagonist and a messed-up antagonist and finally managed to get them together in the same place.

The nicest thing someone has said about YOUR writing:
Don: “I have SUCH a hangover from this book.” At first, I didn’t realize it was a compliment.

Michael: Someone at a signing said they had my books in trade paperback and audio, but wanted signed mass-market paperbacks too.

Spencer: Claire Eddy at Tor read my story When Stars Are Scattered & emailed “Oh you. You made me weep like a baby just now.”

Your funniest author moment:
Don: My first reading I shook so bad the pages rattled. (Okay, that wasn’t actually funny, it was awful, but it’s the best I got.)

Michael: All I can say is that it involved Scotch.

Spencer: Turning down sex to write. Funny in hindsight.

Now for a SPEED ROUND! Tell us your…

Favorite Place to Write:
Don: Anywhere with beer and wireless.

Michael: Airplanes! White noise + free drinks = writing heaven.

Spencer: Village Books, Bellingham WA

Favorite SF/F Character:
Don: Jean Tannen (Gentleman Bastards series)

Michael: Samwise Gamgee

Spencer: Anyanwu from Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed. B.A.M.F.

Coolest SF/F Vehicle:
Don: The Millennium Falcon.

Michael: Er…HMS Daedalus from The Daedalus Incident, of course.

Spencer: Mûmakil. You didn’t fool me, Peter Jackson; I was rooting for the oliphaunts.

Baddest-A## SF/F Weapon:
Don: Stormbringer

Michael: I second Stormbringer.

Spencer: Sting. Glows blue, fits in the hand, good for getting rid of spiders, tends to bring out the great Elf-warrior in a hobbit.

Sexiest Fantasy Kiss:
Don: Han & Leia’s first kiss (runner-up: Spiderman & MJ’s upside-down kiss).

Michael: NONE OF YOUR…oh, wait. Never mind. Next question.

Spencer: I’m on a Lord of the Rings kick now, but that series isn’t really known for sexy smooches. Unless we go SLASHFIC. Google tells me it’s Legolas and Gimli, and who am I to argue?

Best Book Advocate:
Don: Sara Megibow of course!

Michael: Paul Weimer, one of the most knowledgeable and discerning reviewers out there.

Spencer: Duane at University Bookstore in Seattle. Tirelessly getting SF out into the world of the Puget Sound.

Favorite Bookstore:
Don: B&N on the Plaza in Kansas City.

Michael: Borderlands Books in San Francisco.

Spencer: Again, Village Books at Bellingham, WA! Who come in a close second as advocates.

Cheers! Thanks y’all and check out these amazing authors here:

Don Allmon
www.donallmon.com
on twitter @dallmon

Michael J. Martinez
www.michaeljmartinez.net
on twitter @mikemartinez72

Spencer Ellsworth
www.spencerellsworth.com
on twitter @Spencimus

“The original project grew out of a desire to preserve some of the characters developed by myself and my friends in the MMORPG City of Heroes” – Paige Orwin, the author

Huge congratulations to Paige and Angry Robot – Istvan and Edmund are back in IMMORTAL ARCHITECTS, available today!

IMMORTAL ARCHITECTS
A thrilling futuristic thriller of ancient superheroes, sequel to Paige’s rich magical debut, The Interminables

Edmund Templeton, a time-manipulating sorcerer, and Istvan Czernin, the deathless spirit of WWI, are the most powerful agents of the magical cabal now ruling the US East Coast. Their struggle to establish a new order in the wake of magical catastrophe is under siege: cults flourish and armies clash on their borders. Perhaps worst of all the meteoric rise of a technological fortress-state threatens their efforts to keep the peace.

As if that weren’t enough, a desperate call has come in from the west. A superstorm capable of tearing rock from mountains is on its way, and it acting unlike any storm ever seen before. Who better to investigate than two old friends with the sudden need to prove themselves?

Check out Paige’s website at: www.paigeorwin.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @PaigeOrwin

Happy reading to all!

Happy September! With Summer Fridays behind us, it’s time to think of crisp days, fall colors, and yes, pumpkin spice. This year, September also brings the publication of Susan Adrian‘s NUTCRACKED, and I’m delighted to share tour dates below!

Further details are on her website. Hope to see you at one of the stops!

“A smart look at a Cold War in many ways even colder and scarier and deadlier than the one we barely survived.” New York Times bestselling author Harry Turtledove

Book #2 of the MAJESTIC 12 series is available today – another paranormal espionage thriller from acclaimed genre-bender Michael J. Martinez. Huge congratulations, Michael, and happy reading to all!

MAJESTIC 12: SHADOWS
It’s 1949, and the Cold War is heating up across the world. For the United States, the key to winning might be Variants?once ordinary US citizens, now imbued with strange paranormal abilities and corralled into covert service by the government’s top secret MAJESTIC-12 program.

Some Variants are testing the murky international waters in Syria, while others are back at home, fighting to stay ahead of a political power struggle in Washington. And back at Area 51, the operation’s headquarters, the next wave of recruits is anxiously awaiting their first mission. All the while, dangerous figures flit among the shadows and it’s unclear whether they are threatening to expose the Variants for what they are . . . or to completely destroy them. Are they working for the Soviet Union, or something far worse?

Check out Michael’s website for more MJ-12 details: www.michaeljmartinez.net

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @mikemartinez72

“­VERDICT: A funny, action-packed, and sweet romance sure to appeal to fans of Holly Black, Diana Wynne Jones, and Sarah J. Maas.” – School Library Journal, starred review!

Huge congratulations to debut author Margaret Rogerson and her spectacular team at Margaret K. McElderry Books/ Simon & Schuster! This glowing review for AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS is brilliant:

“This debut novel offers a lively romantic adventure. Seventeen-year-old Isobel is a talented painter who finds herself in demand by the fair folk, immortal beings captivated by human handicrafts. They pay her in enchantments, which she is careful to phrase in such a way that there can be no loopholes. But her newest client, Rook, is unlike other fair folk she’s met—there is a sorrow behind his eyes. When she captures this in a painting, his status is challenged in his kingdom as fair folk can never be seen to have a flaw. Isobel accompanies Rook on a The Princess Bride–style magical adventure back to his home kingdom, finding along the way that their sparring relationship could turn into something more. Rogerson ably builds this fantasy world through canny details and contemporary dialogue, allowing for an enjoyable read by fantasy and non-fantasy readers alike. She also craftily depicts the power imbalance between Isobel and Rook, offering a refreshing dynamic in which Isobel often comes out on top.” – School Library Journal

Learn more about AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS on Margaret’s website: www.margaretrogerson.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @marrogerson

This week, KT client, Grace Li, will begin teaching high school in the Bronx. The school is badly in need of books for teens, especially teens of color, and Grace is hoping for some assistance from the YA community in stocking the shelves! She originally planned to have her own personal books shipped from her hometown to the Bronx for the students to use, but being from Houston, her books are currently inaccessible.

I am so impressed by Grace and her desire to provide much needed books to the kids in her school, and even more impressed by her willingness to use her personal library to facilitate getting books into their hands. I plan to send books her way, and I hope you will too!

If you have any YA books you are willing to part with (especially diverse books such as THE HATE U GIVE, SIMON VERSUS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA, etc.)  and would like to donate them to Grace’s students, please get in touch with her at gli@bronxcompass.org or through twitter @gracedli. Or, if you’d prefer to simply send them, they can be mailed to Grace’s attention at:

Bronx Compass High School, 1980 Lafayette Ave, Bronx, NY 10473

Thanks so much for any assistance you are able to give Grace and her students!

Edited to add: Grace has put together an Amazon wishlist for her students. If you need ideas, check it out!

Please help us congratulate Don Allmon and his amazing team at Riptide Publishing on today’s release of his debut novel – THE GLAMOUR THIEVES!

“With sharp wit and an eye for detail, Allmon builds a fascinating, complex world where anything can happen.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review

Or, as Don himself said originally in his query letter, “it’s a book about orc sex.”

Yes, this is the gay elf + orc romance you’ve all been waiting for – congratulations Don and happy reading everyone!

THE GLAMOUR THIEVES
JT is an orc on the way up. He’s got his own boutique robotics shop, high-end clientele, and deep-pocketed investors. He’s even mentoring an orc teen who reminds him a bit too much of himself back in the day.
Then Austin shows up, and the elf’s got the same hard body and silver tongue as he did two years ago when they used to be friends and might have been more. He’s also got a stolen car to bribe JT to saying yes to one last scheme: stealing the virtual intelligence called Blue Unicorn.

Soon JT’s up to his tusks in trouble, and it ain’t just zombies and Chinese triads threatening to tear his new life apart. Austin wants a second chance with JT—this time as more than just a friend—and even the Blue Unicorn is trying to play matchmaker.

THE GLAMOUR THIEVES is Book #1 in Don’s BLUE UNICORN series – learn more about the books and about Don on his website: www.donallmon.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @dallmon

I’m thrilled to welcome Nikki Katz to my list at KT Literary! Nikki is the author of the forthcoming YA novel THE MIDNIGHT DANCE, to be published by Swoon Reads in October. Her next novel is also a fabulously atmospheric novel of intrigue, mind games, friendship, and romance.

More news soon, but in the meantime, please feel free to say hi to Nikki on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

More details on Penguin Teen’s site, but check out the tour dates below for your change to hang out with Stephanie Perkins and get a signed copy of her new horror novel, which Booklist called an “addictive read”.

Please help us congratulate Spencer Ellsworth on today’s release of A RED PEACE – his debut science fiction novel and the first in an epic space opera trilogy!

A RED PEACE was listed by Barnes & Noble as one of the top “Science Fiction Debuts We Can’t Wait to Read in 2017.”

Beth Cato, author of BREATH OF EARTH says, “Classic space opera is twisted in innovative, awesome ways in Ellsworth’s debut A Red Peace. Humankind is the nasty invasive alien in space that’s about to get its comeuppance, and wow, do the pages zoom by.”

Congratulations Spencer and happy reading to all!

Audible’s audiobook of A RED PEACE releases today too and is narrated by the brilliant Mary Robinette Kowal and John Keating.

A RED PEACE
A Red Peace, first in Spencer Ellsworth’s Starfire trilogy, is an action-packed space opera in a universe where the oppressed half-Jorian crosses have risen up to supplant humanity and dominate the galaxy.

Half-breed human star navigator Jaqi, working the edges of human-settled space on contract to whoever will hire her, stumbles into possession of an artifact that the leader of the Rebellion wants desperately enough to send his personal guard after. An interstellar empire and the fate of the remnant of humanity hang in the balance.

Spencer Ellsworth has written a classic space opera, with space battles between giant bugs, sun-size spiders, planets of cyborgs, and a heroine with enough grit to bring down the galaxy’s newest warlord.

Read more about Spencer’s STARFIRE trilogy on his website: www.spencerellsworth.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @Spencimus

A huge round of congratulations to KT Literary authors Margaret Rogerson and Stephanie Perkins who were both included in the prestigious ABA Autumn 2017 Kids’ Indie Next List!

Margaret’s debut young adult fantasy, AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS, was listed as a Top Ten Great Read and was accompanied by this glowing review:

“You have one job this fall: read this book. That is if the idea of a gorgeous, glittering, and sometimes grotesque modern fairy tale imbued with wit, humor, and pitch-perfect romance appeals to you. I absolutely loved this unexpected, absurdly lovely novel. It gave me the creeps, it made me laugh out loud, and I swooned and cheered. Isobel is badass, and this story is a joy to read. I can’t wait to see what Rogerson writes next! Perfect for fans of Holly Black, Laini Taylor, or anyone who loved Uprooted by Naomi Novik.” —Cristina Russell, Books & Books, Coral Gables, FL

New York Times and international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins’s THERE’S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE was included in the Indie Next Great Reads List for Teens. The reviewer had these wonderful words to share:

“Finally! A young adult horror novel where the body count is as high as the tension! Stephanie Perkins brings the terror as a small town finds its population of teenagers rapidly dwindling. With a diverse cast of misfits and a heroine with secrets of her own, the plot never slows down, racing to a bloody and heart-stopping end! The next time you find a drawer or a door open that you swear you closed, chances are Perkins will have you running out of the house for fear of your life.” —Kate Towery, The Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA

Check out Margaret and Stephanie online at their respective websites:
www.margaretrogerson.com
www.stephanieperkins.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter:
@MarRogerson
@naturallysteph

From the American Bookselling Association website, “The four-page, full-color flier features the top 10 children’s titles for the summer publishing season and an additional 42 titles organized by age group. All Indie Next List picks are based on recommendations from booksellers at independent bookstores across the country and include a bookseller quote and full bibliographic information.”