Black Sun Rising


Book Description

Over a millennium ago, Erna, a seismically active yet beautiful world was settled by colonists from far-distant Earth. But the seemingly habitable planet was fraught with perils no one could have foretold. The colonists found themselves caught in a desperate battle for survival against the fae, a terrifying natural force with the power to prey upon the human mind itself, drawing forth a person's worst nightmare images or most treasured dreams and indiscriminately giving them life. Twelve centuries after fate first stranded the colonists on Erna, mankind has achieved an uneasy stalemate, and human sorcerers manipulate the fae for their own profit, little realizing that demonic forces which feed upon such efforts are rapidly gaining in strength. Now, as the hordes of the dark fae multiply, four people—Priest, Adept, Apprentice, and Sorcerer—are about to be drawn inexorably together for a mission which will force them to confront an evil beyond their imagining, in a conflict which will put not only their own lives but the very fate of humankind in jeopardy.




The Queen's Quarry


Book Description

The dread queen Dreokt is back, and soon all of Obrion will fall to her overpowered insanity. To fight her, all Connor has to do is escape her deadly minions and start a revolution. He's never tried breaking an entire nation before.




Velveteen Vs the Junior Super Patriots


Book Description

"'How dare you? I never asked for you to hunt me down!' No, Velma Martinez hadn't. But when you had once been Velveteen, child super-heroine and one of The Junior Super Patriots, West Coast Division, you were never going to be free, even if your only power was to bring toys to life. The Marketing Department would be sure of that. So it all came down to this. One young woman and an army of misfit toys vs. the assembled might of the nine members of The Junior Super Patriots, West Coast Division who had come to take her down. They never had a chance."--Dust jacket flap.




Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain


Book Description

Penelope Akk wants to be a superhero. She's got superhero parents. She's got the ultimate mad science power, filling her life with crazy gadgets even she doesn't understand. She has two super powered best friends. In middle school, the line between good and evil looks clear. In real life, nothing is that clear. All it takes is one hero's sidekick picking a fight, and Penny and her friends are labeled supervillains. In the process, Penny learns a hard lesson about villainy: She's good at it. Criminal masterminds, heroes in power armor, bottles of dragon blood, alien war drones, shape shifters and ghosts, no matter what the super powered world throws at her, Penny and her friends come out on top. They have to. If she can keep winning, maybe she can clear her name before her mom and dad find out.




If We Were Villains


Book Description

“Much like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, M. L. Rio’s sparkling debut is a richly layered story of love, friendship, and obsession...will keep you riveted through its final, electrifying moments.” —Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest "Nerdily (and winningly) in love with Shakespeare...Readable, smart.” —New York Times Book Review On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it. A decade ago: Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extras. But in their fourth and final year, good-natured rivalries turn ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students’ world of make-believe. In the morning, the fourth-years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent. If We Were Villains was named one of Bustle's Best Thriller Novels of the Year, and Mystery Scene says, "A well-written and gripping ode to the stage...A fascinating, unorthodox take on rivalry, friendship, and truth."




Not Your Sidekick


Book Description

Resigned to a life without superpowers in a world full of them, Jess takes a paid internship where she helps a heinous supervillain and works with her longtime crush, but she soon stumbles on a massive plot.




Rules of My Best Friend's Body


Book Description

Arty and Larissa have the perfect relationship. She’s beautiful and afraid of her own popularity. He sits alone and draws comics. They're both social misfits—him obsessively, her secretly. They go to different schools, but they trade late-night phone calls and between-class meetings in Hebrew School. They never run out of things to say. Then one night, one of their common friends attacks Larissa in the darkest and most unforgivable of ways—the same night that Arty was planning to kiss her. Larissa’s world falls into a tailspin, and at the same time Arty's own life threatens to explode. He wonders if being a guy is just like being a time bomb. His own body—his own head—feels like a traitorous enemy. As Arty and Larissa find themselves betrayed by their own feelings and torn apart by circumstance. What will this mean to their group of friends? Who can he trust? Will Larissa ever be the same—and can Arty ever feel the same about her again?




Developing Thinking Skills Through Creative Writing


Book Description

Developing Thinking Skills Through Creative Writing: Story Steps for 9-12 Year Olds is a practical and easy-to-use teacher resource helping children across a wide age and ability range to develop the skills necessary to write more effectively. Step-by-step instructions encourage children to tackle tasks of increasing difficulty while broadening their knowledge and experiences of fictional genres. With chapters separated into distinct genres: ghost story, fantasy, science fiction, history, pirate story, thriller and Gothic horror, this book: Offers a summary at the start of each chapter to help teachers select the relevant activities. Covers multiple aspects of storytelling from narrative structure, plots, characters and settings to vocabulary, word choice, sentence structure and punctuation. Provides a cross referencing grid showing which aspects of writing appear in each chapter. Includes guidance notes, extension activities and general tips. Adaptable to different teaching situations, this book offers the opportunity for teachers to work through the book genre by genre or take a 'skills route' with different activities from different chapters to create their own programme of study. Fully illustrated and supporting the requirements of the National Curriculum, Developing Thinking Skills Through Creative Writing is a valuable aid for all Key Stage 2 teachers.




8 Steps to Side Characters


Book Description

Do your characters fail to bring your story to life? Are they flat, boring or have no depth? Is your story lacking a little cohesion or sparkle? In 8 Steps to Side Characters, you’ll discover: + A step-by-step guide for creating side characters that bring your story alive + The main types of side characters and what you should do with them + The key to crafting character depth that hooks readers + How to harness your character’s voice to deepen your reader's experience + Tips and tricks for using details to enhance characterization + Methods for killing characters that will help deepen plot, theme and story + Dozens of ideas for creating conflict with your side characters + Tactics for differentiating characters and making them feel real to your reader + Character archetypes and functions + The most common pitfalls and mistakes to avoid 8 Steps to Side Characters is a comprehensive writing guide that will help you create the side characters your story needs. This book is packed with tips and tricks for polishing characters for writers at any level. If you want to power up your characters, eliminate dull and lifeless archetypes, and perfect your characterization, this is the book for you. By the end of this book, you'll know how to strengthen your characters to give your story, prose and plot the extra something special it needs to capture a readers and fans for life. If you like dark humor, learning through examples and want to create better side characters, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting supporting roles with intention, purpose, and power. Read 8 Steps to Side Characters today and start creating kick-ass stories.




Revise to Write


Book Description

Whether you choose the self-publishing route or a traditional publisher, good revision skills are essential for every writer. Publishers are looking for print-ready quality. They have little time or money to invest on editing. For the independent author, good revision skills are even more important when reviews for poor editing can kill book sales. But polishing your own work can be tricky. Revise to Write will help you analyze your manuscript on the macro and micro levels to get a thoroughly critical overview. There’s no point to proofreading a manuscript that has major structural flaws. Start with the basic building blocks to make sure your foundation is solid. The Nuts and Bolts section helps you analyze your structure, plot and characters. Then work down to a scene-by scene review of dialogue, point of view, description, pacing and more. In the Nitty Gritty section, refine your prose with thoughtful line edits and tips for effective proofreading. Includes checklists for each section, writing exercises to help you over trouble spots, resources for finding beta readers and other writing tools. "Jam-packed with great lessons and invaluable insight, Revise to Write is a resource you'll use time and again...It's truly a gem." ~Seattle Book Review