Meet the New Imprint: Month9Books
What do superheroes, paranormal, alternate history, dystopian and horror all have in common? They all fall under the umbrella of speculative fiction. Speculative fiction is hot in the publishing world. Readers of all ages like to be whisked away into worlds of fantasy and what if . . . ? In fact, paranormal romance is so popular that when you go to the book store there is a separate section for it in the teen section. Today, we introduce you to a new publishing imprint that specializes in publishing speculative fiction for tweens and teens.
ABOUT MONTH9BOOKS
Month 9 Books, is a publisher of speculative fiction for teens and tweens . . . where nothing is as it seems. Month9Books, located in the Triangle area of North Carolina, will donate proceeds from the sale of the first 5,000 copies of each of its annual anthologies to a deserving charity. Individually, authors may donate his or her advances and royalties to a charitable organization. TWO AND TWENTY DARK TALES: DARK RETELLINGS OF MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES was Month9Books’s first charity anthology release in October 2012. Month9Books will also release 12-16 non-charitable titles annually. With six titles coming out in spring 2013, and more following in the fall, readers can look forward to some of the best middle grade and young adult novels in speculative fiction.
Month9Books is distributed by Small Press United, a division of IPG. You may visit www.month9books.com for more information, but here is just a taste of what they have in store for readers this spring . . .
A SHIMMER OF ANGELS by Lisa M. Basso-Release Day January 29, 2013
Psychiatry, fantasy and real life come together in A Shimmer of Angels, as a young girl struggles with identity, secrets, and confronting her greatest fears. A Shimmer of Angels is for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, or perhaps has felt like giving up entirely. It touches on themes of suicide, ostracism and emotional pain. The author, personally exposed to suicide through the death of a beloved family member, will donate a percentage of sales of this novel to a suicide prevention and outreach program in San Francisco, California.
Psychiatry, fantasy and real life come together in A Shimmer of Angels, as a young girl struggles with identity, secrets, and confronting her greatest fears. A Shimmer of Angels is for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, or perhaps has felt like giving up entirely. It touches on themes of suicide, ostracism and emotional pain. The author, personally exposed to suicide through the death of a beloved family member, will donate a percentage of sales of this novel to a suicide prevention and outreach program in San Francisco, California.
Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can’t admit to seeing?
GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA by Shannon Duffy-Release Day February 12, 2013
Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta is a magical, fast-paced story that takes readers on a journey they won’t soon forget. It has enough mystery, intrigue and wonder to keep readers up, lamp lit, and reading into the night.
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Gabriel Stone is a twelve-year-old boy still reeling from the unsolved disappearance of his mother. With a dad who’s hard to relate to, and mounting pressures at school, Gabriel lets off steam by hiking in the place where his mother was last seen. There, Gabe and friends find a crystal that proves not only beautiful, but magical beyond their wildest dreams. Only, magic and beauty come with a price: in order to return home, they must save the dying world of Valta.
GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA is perfect for the classroom. Reading and Teacher Guides are available. Contact Caroline Patty at: educationm9b@gmail.com to request guides.
SIDEKICK: The Misadventures of the New Scarlet Knight by Pab Sungenis-Release Day March 12, 2013
Bobby Baines is in high school, which is bad enough. When his hero, Scarlet Knight, dies, Bobby is forced to take up his mantel. Only Scarlet Knight never had to deal with eeking out a passing grade in math, keeping his fellow sidekicks in check, or stopping a giant squid from bearing down on his school and crushing everyone inside. After all, Bobby Baines is no super hero, he’s a Sidekick!
PRETTY DARK NOTHING by Heather L. Reid-Release Day April 23, 2013
It’s been twenty three days since Quinn has slept for more than minutes at a time. Demons have invaded her dreams, stalking her, and whispering of her death. The lack of sleep and crippling fear are ruining her life. Energy drinks and caffeine pills don’t make a dent. When Quinn dozes off in the school hallway, Aaron, an amnesiac with a psychic ability, accidentally enters her nightmare. The demons are determined to keep them apart, and Aaron from discovering the secret locked away in his memory. Together, they could banish the darkness back to the underworld for good. That is, unless the demons kill them first.
PRAEFATIO by Georgia McBride-Release Day May 21, 2013
Seventeen-year-old Grace Ann Miller is no ordinary runaway. After missing for weeks, Grace is found on the estate of international rock star Gavin Vault, half-dressed and yelling for help. Over the course of twenty-four hours Grace holds an entire police force captive with incredulous tales of angels, demons, and war; intent on saving Gavin from lockup, and her family from worry over her safety. But instead, authorities believe that Grace is ill, and suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, the victim of assault and a severely fractured mind. Undeterred, Grace reveals the secret existence of dark angels on earth, an ancient prophecy and a wretched curse steeped in Biblical myth. Grace’s claims set into motion an ages-old war, resulting in blood, death and the loss of everything that matters. But are these the delusions of an immensely sick girl, or could Grace’s story actually be true? Praefatiois Grace’s account of weeks on the run, falling in love and losing everything but her faith. Who do you believe?
MY SISTER’S REAPER by Dorothy Dreyer-Release Day May 29, 2013
There’s bragging, there’s trying to impress a boy, and then there’s Sixteen-year-old Zadie. Zadie’s first mistake was telling the boy she’s crushing on that she could bring her dead sister back to life. Her second mistake? Actually doing it! When Zadie accidentally messes with the Reaper’s Rite that should have claimed her sister Mara, things go horribly wrong (you think?). Mara isn’t the same anymore—Zadie isn’t even sure she’s completely human, and to top it off, a Reaper is determined to collect Mara’s soul no matter what. Now Zadie must figure out how to defeat her sister’s Reaper, intent on claiming both girls, or let Mara die … this time for good.
We have information for booksellers, librarians and educators, as well as book reviewers and bloggers throughout the website and on our blog, http://month9booksblog.com/. Bloggers, specifically, can find out more information at Month9Books’s Blogger Central located at http://month9booksblog.com/blogger-central/. For those who just can’t wait until release day, visit our Preview Hub at http://month9booksblog.com/preview-hub/ for just a taste of what we have in store for you.
Filed under: Collection Development, Georgia McBride, Month9Books, Speculative Fiction
About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
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Does anyone else think that Month9's books sound awesome, but the covers are…uh, okay, I think they are terrible. I have actually seen better covers on self-pub'd stuff. And it is not just that one is bad, but they are all terrible!
Am I alone here?
Kristie
Funny, and I was thinking how cool they look. 🙂