On an island nation in the Indian Ocean, the explorers venture through a vast underwater world and take part in a friendly robotics competition. But the tides of good fortune change quickly. Suddenly, Team Cousteau jumps into action to rescue a faculty member from the brink of death. Meanwhile, the team follows the Cruz’s mother’s clues to a magnificent tomb and center of spirituality precariously perched on the side of a cliff. There, Cruz is confronted by a familiar foe who’s determined to stop him from completing his most important mission of all: Retrieving the final pieces of his mother’s cipher. In this life-or-death showdown, Cruz witnesses the ultimate sacrifice and uncovers a hidden message that makes him question his own mortality.
MEET THE AUTHOR: J.E. MCDONALD
IT’S MEET THE ROMANCE AUTHORS MONTH!
MEET J.E. MCDONALD…….
I’m a morning writer who hates mornings. Every day I drag myself out of bed and join the #5amwritersclub on Twitter, bolstered with cups of coffee straight into the vein. Despite my dislike for waking before the sun rises, it’s my most productive time of the day. My kids are still asleep and the quiet of the morning is only interrupted by the music I blast in my headphones.
When I’m not writing paranormal romance, romantic suspense, or sci-fi romance, I’m trying to quiet my brain. If I don’t have something repetitive to do, then my brain doesn’t stop thinking—whether that be stress-related worries, life in general or my current work in progress. And sometimes the best way for me to cultivate creativity is to stop thinking for a while.
I’m addicted to building castles. When my oldest daughter, at five years old, became interested in Minecraft, I had to learn the game in order to teach her. I was drawn to it, a digital version of Legos, but even more fun because I could walk through my builds, decorate them, and make them as intricate as I liked. I like the challenge of building in survival mode, of needing to hollow out a mountain to have enough materials to build a castle or of turning the mountain itself into a castle. That began four years ago and I haven’t become bored of it since.
Other pastimes include ruining recipes while trying them for the first time, kicking my children’s butts at video games such as Just Dance and Mario Kart, and otherwise avoiding the dishes in the sink.
My first two novels in the Wickwood Chronicle, Ghost of a Gamble and Ghost of an Enchantment are out now, paranormal romances with a rom-com twist published by City Owl Press. Find out more at www.jemcdonald.net.
Take a look at J.E.’s latest release: Ghost of an Enchantment, book two of the Wickwood Chronicles
Something extraordinary hides beneath Wickwood’s picturesque façade… and this time it’s not staying buried.
Stella Campfield might be having a string of bad luck, but she has her witch’s intuition telling her it will turn around. That is until her best friend accidentally opens a portal to another dimension!
When the police arrive, she’s dismayed to learn the officer she’s been obsessing over is on the case. As an energy reader, she’s drawn to him like no other, but she can’t explain why.
And that changes everything.
When Lucas Martinez ends up on the alluring lady’s doorstep because of a noise disturbance call, he is unexpectedly pulled into the world of the paranormal.
Burn marks on the floor and floating books? Nothing is as it seems.
As his attraction for the secretive witch grows, and as he digs into the mysteries surrounding her, he’s even more convinced Stella is at the center of it all.
Can the unlikely pair learn to trust each other or will the sinister forces surrounding them tear their burning romance—and the world—apart?
Purchase Links:
Amazon: https://smarturl.it/Wickwood2Amz
B&N: https://smarturl.it/Wickwood2BN
Kobo: https://smarturl.it/Wickwood2Kobo
iBooks: https://smarturl.it/Wickwood2iBooks
GoodReads: https://smarturl.it/Wickwood2GR
SNEAK PEEK: PIXIE TRICKS THE GREEDY GREMLIN BY TRACEY WEST / XAVIER BONET (Illustrator)
Tracey West’s Pixie Tricks series is filled with fairies, magic, and adventure — making it perfect for fans of her New York Times bestselling Dragon Masters series!
Pick a book. Grow a Reader!
This series is part of Scholastic’s early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!
Eight-year-old Violet and her new fairy friend Sprite are ready to send more pixies back to the Otherworld! When a tricky fairy named Jolt traps Violet’s cousin, Leon, inside a video game, things get dangerous. And while Violet and Sprite try to trick Jolt, another fairy named Spoiler gets in their way. Will Leon be trapped in the video game forever?
This is an exciting refresh of the popular Pixie Tricks series, with updated text and brand-new art on every page — perfect for fans of the Dragon Masters series!
MEET THE AUTHOR: IRENE HANNON
MEET IRENE HANNON
CORPORATE JET-SETTER AND AWARD WINNING ROMANCE AUTHOR
Bestselling, award-winning author Irene Hannon took the publishing world by storm at the tender age of 10 with a sparkling piece of fiction that received national attention.
Okay…maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. But she was one of the honorees in a complete-the-story contest conducted by a national children’s magazine. Twenty-eight published novels and many years later, she became an “overnight” success when she wrote her first bestseller. ☺ Today she is the author of 60+ contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels and a member of Romance Writers of America’s Hall of Fame.
For most of the years before her bestseller breakout, Irene typed away at night on her fiction masterpieces while holding a demanding—but amazing—executive-level corporate communications position with a Fortune 500 company. Imagine this—a one-day trip to the Caribbean with the CEO and Chairman of the Board on the corporate jet to have lunch on a cruise ship…winging to a luxury spa for the full treatment to write a first-person account for the corporate magazine…riding in a high-profile float during New Orleans Mardi Gras…and soaring over a glacier in Alaska aboard a float plane to watch the sun set. As she likes to tell people, it was the kind of job a villain in one of her suspense novels would kill for. Even better, though? Writing fiction full time!
In addition to her early writing efforts, in her younger years Irene produced and starred in backyard theatrical productions—so it’s no surprise she now enjoys performing in community musical theater productions. She claims the greasepaint in her blood is a legacy from her maternal grandparents, who were active in amateur vaudeville. And while theater is purely an avocation, Irene says singing and acting have benefitted her writing by helping her understand the importance of facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language. Favorite roles include Anna in The King and I, Nellie in South Pacific, Fiona in Brigadoon, and Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes.
Before COVID, she and her husband also loved to travel—and no matter where their wanderings took them, they always managed to find interesting hikes. They look forward to packing their suitcases and walking gear again in the near future!
Irene invites readers to visit her on Facebook, where she loves to hang out and chat about writing, musical theater, food, travel, gardening—and a host of other topics!
Here’s a look at Irene’s latest release::: BLACKBERRY BEACH
Katherine Parker is on the cusp of having everything she ever wanted—fame, money, and acclaim. So why isn’t she happy? In search of answers, she comes incognito to Hope Harbor on the Oregon coast for some R&R. Maybe in her secluded rental house overlooking the serene Pacific she’ll be able to calm the storm inside.
Coffee shop owner Zach Garrett has found his niche after a traumatic loss—and he has no plans to change the life he’s created. Nor does he want to get involved with his reticent new neighbor, whose past is shrouded in mystery. He’s had enough drama to last a lifetime. But when Katherine and Zach are recruited to help rehab a home for foster children, sparks fly. And as their lives begin to intersect, might they find more common ground than they expected . . . and discover that, with love, all things are possible?
Bestselling and award-winning author Irene Hannon invites you to come home to Hope Harbor—where hearts heal . . . and love blooms.
PODCAST: WITH AUTHOR SUMMER DOWELL
Get read for some fun, flirty escapism with author Summer Dowell
LISTEN HERE!!
Summer Dowell is an author of fun, feel-good chick lits and romantic comedies that will brighten your day. She lives in Southern California where she spends her days keeping her six energetic children alive and doing massive loads of laundry.
Summer loves to fit in writing during her free time where she brings to life all the sarcasm and humor that none of her family fully appreciates.
She released her first book of The Wedding Business series, If It’s Perfect, in October 2020, and now she’s working on her next book, It’s Just Business. The rom com series followings three friends working in the wedding industry.
You can find Summer on her website, as well as FB, IG, Pinterest, Amazon author, and BookBub.
Summer’s latest release: IF IT’S PERFECT: A ROMANTIC COMEDY/The Wedding Business Series
One thing I learned this week: DO NOT flirt while at a client’s wedding. (especially with anyone in a tux)
Success-driven Hope Fletcher has some lofty goals for her life. But is it really too much to want a thriving cake design business by age 29? Marry a perfect (emphasis on the perfect) man by age 30? Then have the kids, dog, and house in suburbia by age 34? If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Dean. Wonderful, dreamy Dean who loves kids (and will eventually grow to love dogs) steps into Hope’s world. He’s the exact type of man she’s been looking for and she starts falling. Hard.
But will Hope’s perfect image of Dean crumble when she finds out about his past?
SNEAK PEEK: THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON BY SUSAN MALLERY
The Vineyard at Painted Moon by Susan Mallery
Already a worldwide success in mass market and trade paperback formats, #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery’s brand new hardcover is a powerful editorial shift for her. In The Vineyard at Painted Moon, Mallery tells the emotional and heartfelt story of a woman who must rebuild her life after a painful divorce strips of her of the only family she’s ever really known and the job that has given her life meaning in order to finally follow her dreams.
MacKenzie Dienes’s life isn’t perfect, but it’s as close as she could ever hope to get. Her marriage to Rhys, her best friend’s brother, is more friendship than true love. But passion is highly overrated, right? And she loves her job as the winemaker at Bel Apres, her in-laws’ vineyard. So what if it’s a family business and, even after decades of marriage and incredible professional success, she’s still barred from the family business meetings? It’s all enough…until one last night spent together leads to an incredibly honest—and painful—conversation. Rhys suggests that they divorce. They haven’t had a marriage in a long time and, while he wants her to keep her job at Bel Apres, he doesn’t think they should be married any longer. Shocked, MacKenzie reels at the prospect of losing the only family she’s ever really known…even though she knows deep in her heart that Rhys is right.
But when MacKenzie discovers she’s pregnant, walking away to begin a new life isn’t so easy. She never could have anticipated the changes it would bring to the relationships she cherishes most: her relationship with Barbara, her mother-in-law and partner at Bel Apres, Stephanie, her sister-in-law and best friend, and Bel Apres, the company she’s worked so hard to put on the map.
MacKenzie has always dreamed of creating a vineyard of her own, a chance to leave a legacy for her unborn child. So when the opportunity arises, she jumps at it and builds the Vineyard at Painted Moon. But following her dreams will come at a high price—one that MacKenzie isn’t so sure she’s willing to pay…
SNEAK PEEK: MEANT TO BE BY JUDE DEVERAUX
Meant To Be by Jude Deveraux
An inspiring new family saga by New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux
Two headstrong sisters are bound by tradition but long to forge their own path.
It’s 1972 and times are changing. In the small farming community of Mason, Kansas, Vera and Kelly Exton are known for their ambitions. Vera is an activist who wants to join her boyfriend in the Peace Corps. But she is doing her duty caring for her widowed mother and younger sister until Kelly is firmly established. Kelly is studying to become a veterinarian. She plans to marry her childhood sweetheart and eventually take over his father’s veterinary practice.
But it’s a tumultuous time and neither sister is entirely happy with the path that’s been laid out for her. As each evaluates her options, everything shifts. Do you do what’s right for yourself or what others want? By having the courage to follow their hearts these women will change lives for the better and the effects will be felt by the generations that follow. Meant to Be delivers an emotional, smart, funny and wise lesson about the importance of being true to yourself.
One World Premieres “Ideas & Action” Podcast
One World presents a new Ideas & Action podcast that explores different challenges and opportunities facing our society, sharing perspectives and advice from their authors to understand how we’ve gotten to where we are, and how we can envision and build a better future together. Season 1 will be comprised of six weekly episodes, each 30 minutes long, plus short story mini-episodes.
You’ll hear from leading thinkers and activists, including Ibram X. Kendi, Bryan Stevenson, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alicia Garza, Heather McGhee, Nate Marshall, and more—on how they’re working to create a more humane, less hostile world for us all, with the hope these will help spark your own ideas and actions, too.
One World Editor-in-Chief Chris Jackson and One World Senior Editor Nicole Counts, along with the rest of the One World team, have pulled together something truly spectacular — another way to bridge the gap not only between a publishing imprint and its readers, but between people who simply love books, who hold tight to the promise of what this country could be, and who seek the insights of artists, thinkers, and innovators who live that promise through their work.
“Our goal with this podcast,” says Ms. Counts, “as with all things OW, is to create intentional community between readers and authors and empower our authors to share lessons, dreams, stories, and ideas that might inspire and activate the listener/reader into imaginative thinking of what our world can be. The Ideas & Action podcast—using interviews, interstitial commentary, and bonus story episodes—showcases the breadth of our authors, as well as their storytelling techniques, and how their work, in conversation with each other’s, can help us build a more liberated, invigorating, meaningful life, individually and collectively.”
The genesis for the podcast comes from One World’s popular virtual event series, Ideas x Action, in which the imprint’s award-winning, movement-building authors go in depth with the One World team about the big ideas from their work and how they connect to the world right now.
The first season will include clips from past Ideas x Action events with Wes Moore (Five Days) and Alicia Garza (The Purpose of Power), as well as shorter, 10-minute mini-episodes, featuring authors like Kali Fajardo-Anstine (Sabrina & Corina), Fatimah Asghar (If They Come For Us), and Nate Marshall (Finna) reading from their work.
To subscribe, rate, and review Ideas & Action, visit Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
#penguinrandomhouse
Penguin Random House & We Need Diverse Books Launch the Black Creatives Fund
Together with We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), we are thrilled to announce the launch of the Black Creatives Fund, an initiative with a mission of supporting emerging and established Black writers and illustrators. PRH is the inaugural sponsor of the fund for the 2021 year.
The Black Creatives Fund will feature three initiatives in 2021, including a Revisions Workshop, a mentorship program, and a marketing symposia in partnership with the Brown Bookshelf. The Fund will launch with the six-month Revisions Workshop that will support unpublished Black writers with completed manuscripts and feature esteemed faculty including PRH authors Nic Stone and Jewell Parker Rhodes.
Twelve writers selected for the workshop will have the opportunity to receive guidance throughout the revision process and submit their manuscript to editors at PRH for possible publication. All 12 writers will be awarded stipends. Two finalists will receive larger grants, and publishing deals for top performers will be strongly considered. The Revisions Workshop will kick off in spring 2021.
As longtime partners of WNDB, we are honored to collaborate with them to build this important new pipeline for discovering and elevating Black voices. The Black Creatives Fund is an integral piece of Amplify Black Stories, our year-long campaign to celebrate Black authors and introduce their stories to a diverse group of readers. In addition to PRH Corporate, the Fund is being supported by Out of Print, who is dedicating 100% of proceeds from their limited-edition Frederick Douglass “Once You Learn to Read” t-shirt during the month of February to the program.
Submissions for the Revisions Workshop open this Friday, February 19. For more information, please visit the Black Creatives Fund program page. Details regarding PRH’s latest partnerships and initiatives to elevate diverse voices can be found on our social impact site.
#penguinrandomhouse
SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN TO PUBLISH PICTURE BOOK WITH GODWIN BOOKS
Senator Elizabeth Warren is set to publish a picture book, Pinkie Promises, an empowering story inspired by the pinkie promises that are a hallmark of Senator Warren’s time in public office. Warren has signed with Godwin Books, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, With full color illustrations by award-winning illustrator Charlene Chua, the picture book will be published in fall 2021.
Pinkie Promises is the story of a girl named Polly, who knows she’s strong and capable. But whenever she offers to help her uncle or brother or neighbor, they laugh and tell her “That’s not what girls do.” Then one day, Polly’s mother takes her to a rally to meet a woman who’s running for president. Polly and the candidate make a pinkie promise to remember all the things that girls can do. Polly carries that promise with her at school, onto the soccer field, and even into an election for Class President.
“The pinkie promises I’ve made with thousands of girls will stay with me always,” said Senator Warren. “Those promises are a reminder of our strength, and I hope this book will encourage even the youngest readers to dream big—because that’s what girls do.”
“It has been an honor to work with Senator Warren on this book,” said Laura Godwin, Vice President and Publisher of Godwin Books. “She is the embodiment of her campaign message — strong, caring, insightful, and enormously hard-working. “This is just the book, to show little girls that their voices can be heard, and their promises kept.” Godwin acquired World exclusive rights for Pinkie Promises from Robert B. Barnett and Daniel Martin at Williams & Connolly for the author and Tracy Marchini at BookEnds Literary for the illustrator.
A portion of the author’s proceeds will be donated to the Girls Inc chapters in Holyoke, Pittsfield, Taunton, Lynn, Lowell, Seacoast, and Worcester, Massachusetts. Girls Inc is an organization which strives to inspire “all girls to be strong, smart, and bold, through direct service and advocacy.
Elizabeth Warren has served as the United States Senator of Massachusetts since 2013. She is a former law professor and one of the nation’s leading progressive voices. Elizabeth is the author of numerous books, including This Fight Is Our Fight, and she lives with her husband and their golden retriever in Cambridge, MA.
Charlene Chua is an award-winning illustrator. Her books include Hug? and the illustrations for Love, Violet. When they are not making art, they enjoy playing video games with their husband, reading, and cuddling their cats.
#macmillanbooks
