Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Covers Revealed - Recent and Upcoming Works By DAC Authors


Here are some of the recent and upcoming works by formerly featured DAC Authors. The year in parentheses is the year the author was featured in the DAC.


Robert Repino (2015)

D'Arc
War with No Name 3
Soho Press, May 1, 2018
Trade Paperback
Hardcover and eBook, May 9, 2017

Housecat turned assassin, Mort(e), and canine heroine, Sheba, must battle a horde of amphibious creatures intent on exterminating mankind in Repino’s strange, moving sci-fi epic.

In the aftermath of the War With No Name, the Colony has been defeated, its queen lies dead, and the world left behind will never be the same. In her madness, the queen used a strange technology to uplift the surface animals, turning dogs and cats, bats and bears, pigs and wolves into intelligent, highly evolved creatures who rise up and kill their oppressors. And now, after years of bloodshed, these sentient beasts must learn to live alongside their sworn enemies—humans.

Far removed from this newly emerging civilization, a housecat turned war hero named Mort(e) lives a quiet life with the love he thought he had lost, a dog named Sheba. But before long, the chaos that they escaped comes crashing in around them. An unstoppable monster terrorizes a nearby settlement of beavers. A serial killer runs amok in the holy city of Hosanna. An apocalyptic cult threatens the fragile peace. And a mysterious race of amphibious creatures rises from the seas, intent on fulfilling the Colony’s destiny and ridding the world of all humans. No longer able to run away, Sheba and Mort(e) rush headlong into the conflict, ready to fight but unprepared for a world that seems hell-bent on tearing them apart. In the twilight of all life on Earth, love survives, but at a cost that only the desperate and the reckless are willing to pay.


Book 1
Book 2





James R. Tuck (2012)

Arrow: Fatal Legacies
Titan Books, January 30, 2018
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 368 pages
   Based on a story by Marc Guggenheim

Set in the devastating aftermath of Season Five and leading into the thrilling events of Season Six...

ARROW: FATAL LEGACIES

...reveals for the first time what occurred as Team Arrow resumed its mission to protect Star City. Those who survived Prometheus’s trap on Lian Yu discover that Chase’s revenge continues far beyond his death. Sara Lance returns, Dinah Drake accepts the mantle of Black Canary, and the entire team hits the streets again. There can be no rest in this collaboration between Arrow Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim and author James R. Tuck, for if Chase’s deadly legacies can’t be stopped, countless more will die.

ARROW and all related characters and elements © & TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. DC LOGO : TM & © DC Comics. WB SHIELD: TM & © WBEI. (s15)





Angus Watson (2014)

The Land You Never Leave
West of West 2
Orbit, September 11, 2018
Trade Paperback and eBook, 560 pages

Welcome to the Badlands…

Newly and uneasily allied, two tribes from different worlds set off across the Ocean of Grass. Their mission is to fulfill a prophecy and take Ottar the Moaner west of west, to save mankind.

In their way are the denizens of the Badlands, the most terrifying and powerful collection of murderers and monsters the world has ever seen.

The David Gemmell Award-shortlisted author of Age of Iron returns with the second book in his epic fantasy West of West trilogy, in which a mismatched group of refugees must battle animals and monsters, an unforgiving land and each other as they cross a continent to fulfill a prophecy.

West of West
You Die When You Die
The Land You Never Leave

For more from Angus Watson, check out:

Iron Age
Age of Iron
Clash of Iron
Reign of Iron

Book 1

Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and the Wasp - Official Trailer



Real heroes. Not actual size. Watch the brand-new trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp. In theaters July 6th.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Interview with Andrew Valencia, author of Lord of California


Please welcome Andrew Valencia to The Qwillery as part of the of the 2018 Debut Author Challenge Interviews. Lord of California was published on January 25th by Ig Publishing in digital format. The audio version of the novel is out today from Blackstone Audio. Lord of California will be available in Trade Paperback on February 27, 2018.







TQWelcome to The Qwillery. What is the first piece you remember writing?

Andrew:  While I can remember writing small sketches and stories as far back as elementary school, I can't recall the plot of any particular story from that early stage in my development. I believe they were mostly influenced by the stories and TV shows I was interested in at the time. A lot of cartoon and sci-fi stuff, written in pen on note tablets I would borrow from my parents or grandparents. More often than not, though, I expended these stories in my head before they ever found their way onto paper. Growing up in the country with a lot of open space between us and the neighbors provided the ideal space for letting my daydreams run wild.



TQAre you a plotter, a pantser or a hybrid?

Andrew:  Hybrid. I usually have a general sense of where I'd like to take an idea by the time I sit down to begin a draft, but the process of working through the story on paper forces me to fill out the skeleton of the piece in greater detail.



TQWhat is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Andrew:  Revising sentences. Nabokov used to say his pencils outlasted his erasers. If I didn't use a word processor most of the time, I'd probably be right there with him.



TQWhat has influenced / influences your writing?

Andrew:  There's a lot I could say to answer this question, but I'll limit myself to two influences—one from my own experience and one from literature. The first comes from having spent the better part of a decade living abroad, primarily in East Asia and Central America. The second influence is James Joyce, himself an expert at writing about the home of his youth while spending his adult years in exile.



TQDescribe Lord of California in 140 characters or less.

Andrew:  A speculative literary novel about a family struggling to survive in a future where America has collapsed and California is its own country.



TQTell us something about Lord of California that is not found in the book description.

Andrew:  I've never seen it as “dystopian” in the traditional sense. Many readers and critics will latch on to the dystopian label because such categories can be helpful in understanding how to view a new piece of work, especially from a debut author. But there are distinct ways in which I deviate from the type of storytelling found in the works of Orwell, Huxley, Atwood, etc. Nearly all dystopian novels from Zamyatin onward have directed some sort of warning to readers about the political situation of the present day. And while there are definitely elements of the story that speak to the nightmare of contemporary politics in the US, much of the novel is also focused on the rebuilding that inevitably occurs following a monumental breakdown or rift in society. Or a rift in a family.



TQWhat inspired you to write Lord of California? What appeals to you about writing Alternative History?

Andrew:  In the summer of 2015 I was in a precarious place, unsure of my future prospects. I was staying at my mother's house in the Central Valley and spending a lot of time revisiting people and places from before I left. One day I sat down and started working through a rough outline of the book Lord of California would eventually become. I didn't really think of it as “alternative history” as much as it was just the story I wanted to tell at that point in my life.



TQWhat sort of research did you do for Lord of California?

Andrew:  I spent a lot of time reading and thinking about moments in history where a society falls apart and transforms into something else over the course of a few generations. It happens all the time and we never call it “dystopian” or “post-apocalyptic”. But if you were growing up in the 80s in the Soviet Union and within a few short years you had to endure food shortages, Chernobyl, and the collapse of the only political system you ever knew, wouldn't you think you were living through some sort of apocalypse?



TQPlease tell us about the cover for Lord of California.

Andrew:  I like the cover more and more as time goes on. So much of Central California looks like that, though it could just as easily be a depiction of any rural setting the world over.



TQIn Lord of California who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?

The easiest was probably Ellie's character because from the start I had a very clear notion of who she was and what her voice would be like. By contrast, the hardest character was Elliot, Jr. because it took me a long time to nail down his voice and the nature of his character.



TQWhich question about Lord of California do you wish someone would ask? Ask it and answer it!

Andrew:

Q: Would you like to see California break off and start its own country?

A: Within a few years of independence, that country would have nothing in common with the California I know except for its name. So no, I wouldn't.



TQGive us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery quotes from Lord of California.

Andrew
How do we even begin? How do we begin to build a home out of so many broken pieces?

I don't know. But we'll try our best.

That world you lost, the one that took my brother...I've tried to live up to all the good things you told me about it, and shut out the wicked things as you shut out your past. But I'm not a fresh start for anyone. I was never such pure clean clay.


TQWhat's next?

Andrew:  I'm working on revisions of a novel set in Panama during the aftermath of a tsunami.



TQThank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Andrew:  Thank you for having me.





Lord of California
Ig Publishing, January 25, 2018
     eBook, 284 pages
Ig Publishing, February 27, 2018
     Trade Paperback, 284 pages

“A remarkable debut. Valencia writes with a sinuous maturity, a boldness of vision far beyond his years. In Lord of California, this beyond-seeing is literal: wild, impressive, at times menacing invention about what a separatist California might look like begins to look downright prescient, and Valencia’s portraitist skill with his characters lifts them off the page, too.”―Ryan McIlvain, author of Elders

Set in a future where the United States has dissolved and California is its own independent republic, Lord of California follows the struggles of the Temple family as they work at running a farm on a nationalized land parcel in the central San Joaquin Valley. When the family patriarch, Elliot, dies, it’s revealed that he had been keeping five separate families, and in the aftermath of their discovery, his widows and children must come together to keep from losing all they have. But their livelihood is threatened when Elliot’s estranged son tries to blackmail them, unleashing a series of violent confrontations between different factions of the family.

A sparse family drama reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy, combined with the intimate first-person narratives of Kazuo Ishiguro, Lord of California is a powerful debut novel.





About Andrew

Andrew Valencia was born in Fresno, California, and graduated with a BA in English from Stanford, where he was awarded a Levinthal Tutorial by the Creative Writing Program. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of South Carolina. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Silk Road Review, the Ploughshares blog, Day One, The Southern Pacific Review, The Fat City Review, Crack the Spine, and other publications.

Twitter @AValenciaWrites

Monday, January 29, 2018

The View From Monday - January 29, 2018


Happy Monday!!

There is one debut this week:

Lord of California by Andrew Valencia.

Clicking on a novel's cover will take you to its Amazon page.



From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Future Dreams: Five Tor.com Novellas featuring works by Bradley B. Beaulieu, Rob Ziegler, and David Tallerman among others.

The Himalayan Codex (R. J. MacCready 2 ) by Bill Schutt and J.R. Finch;

and

Arrow: Fatal Legacies (Arrow 3) by James R. Tuck and Marc Guggenheim;

Clicking on a novel's cover will take you to its Amazon page.






Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured DAC Authors are highlighted in green.

January 29, 2018
TITLEAUTHORSERIES
Exploring Picard's Galaxy: Essays on Star Trek: The Next Generation Peter W. Lee SocSci
Japan's Green Monsters: Environmental Commentary in Kaiju Cinema Sean Rhoads
Brooke McCorkle
Film/TV/SocSci



January 30, 2018
TITLEAUTHORSERIES
American War (h2tp) Omar El Akkad LF/Dys
House of Secrets V.C. Andrews GothicR - House of Secrets 1
The Complete Predator Omnibus Nathan Archer
Sandy Schofield
MTI/SF
The Dark Circus Ana Ballabriga
David Zaplana
Michael Meigs (Tr)
H
Arrow: Fatal Legacies James R. Tuck
Marc Guggenheim
MTI/SH - Arrow 3
Silence Fallen (h2mm) Patricia Briggs UF - Mercy Thompson 10
Iorich Steven Brust F - Vlad 12
The Swarm (h2mm)
Orson Scott Card
Aaron Johnston
SF - The Second Formic War 1
Ready Player One (ri) Ernest Cline SF/MTI
Monster Hunter Memoirs: Sinners (h2mm) Larry Correia
John Ringo
UF - Monster Hunter Memoirs 2
The Wandering War (h2mm) Cindy Dees
Bill Flippin
F - The Sleeping King 3
The Ledberg Runestone Patrick Donovan UF - The Jonah Heywood Chronicles 1
The Reluctant Queen (h2mm) Sarah Durst F - Queens of Renthia 2
Future Dreams: Five Tor.com Novellas (e) Brian Evenson
Gwyneth Jones
Laurie Penny
Bradley B. Beaulieu
Rob Ziegler
David Tallerman
SF - Novellas
Time Shards Dana Fredsti
David Fitzgerald
SF/TT - Time Shards 1
Debt of Bones (e)(ri) Terry Goodkind F - Sword of Truth 0.5
Heat: A Dragon Romance Donna Grant PNR - Dark Kings 12
Elven Winter Bernhard Hennen
Edwin Miles (Tr)
F - The Saga of the Elven 2
Howl for It Shelly Laurenston
Cynthia Eden
PNR - Short Stories
The Midnight Front David Mack HistF - Dark Arts 1
Humans, Bow Down (h2mm) James Patterson
Emily Raymond
Th/Dys/GB
The Himalayan Codex (h2mm) Bill Schutt
J.R. Finch
Th - R. J. MacCready 2
Project Elfhome (h2mm) Wen Spencer SF - Elfhome Collection
Age of Swords (h2tp) Michael J. Sullivan F - Legends of the First Empire 2
Star Wars Insider: Icons Of The Galaxy Titan Film/Ref
Lord of California (e) Andrew Valencia AH
Baby, I'm Howling For You Christine Warren PNR - Alphaville 1
The Day After Oblivion Tim Washburn Th
Thrawn (h2tp) Timothy Zahn SF/SO - Star Wars



January 31, 2018
TITLEAUTHORSERIES
Different Boats (e) Matthew Cody SFTh - ReMade Season 2 #11
Tales from Greystone Bay Robert McCammon H - Collection
He'll Come Knocking At Your Door Robert McCammon H
The Father of Lies K. J. Parker F - Collection
Cries from the Static Darren Speegle Sup - Collection
Imagining the Future of Climate Change: World-Making through Science Fiction and Activism Shelley Streeby HC/SpecFic - American Studies Now: Critical Histories of the Present 5



February 1, 2018
TITLEAUTHORSERIES
Enchanter Redeemed (e) Sharon Ashwood PNR
Harlequin Nocturne February 2018 Box Set: Enchanter Redeemed\Captivated by the She-Wolf (e) Sharon Ashwood Kristal Hollis PNR
The Boyfriend from Hell (ri) Avery Corman H
The Witch and the Werewolf & The Witch's Thirst: The Witch and the Werewolf\The Witch's Thirst (e) Michele Hauf
Deborah LeBlanc
PNR
Captivated by the She-Wolf (e) Kristal Hollis PNR
The Lovecraft Compendium H.P. Lovecraft H
Wolf Slayer & Vampire Undone: Wolf Slayer\Vampire Undone (e) Linda Thomas-Sundstrom
Shannon Curtis
PNR
The Texas Shifter's Mate & The Dragon's Hunt: The Texas Shifter's Mate\The Dragon's Hunt (e) Karen Whiddon
Jane Kindred
PNR



D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
Tr - Translator



AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CW - Contemporary Women
CyP - CyberPunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FiaryT - Fairy Tales
Fict - Fiction
FL - Family Life
FolkT - Folk Tales
GB - Genre Bender
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghost(s)
Gothic - Gothic
GothicR - Gothic Romance
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HistM - Historical Mystery
HU - Humor
LF - Literary Fiction
LM -  Legend and Mythology
M - Mystery
Meta - Metaphysical
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Myth - Mythology
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PopCul - Popular Culture
Psy - Psychological
PsyTh - Psychological Thriller
Ref - Reference
SH -Superheroes
SF - Science Fiction
SFTh - Science Fiction Thriller
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SO - Space Opera
SocSci - Social Science
SP - SteamPunk
SpecFic - Speculative Fiction
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy
UFR - Urban Fantasy Romance

Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

SPFBO 2017 Review: Chaos Trims My Beard by Brett Herman


Chaos Trims My Beard: A Fantasy Noir
Author:  Brett Herman
Publisher:  Self Published, March 2017
Format:  Trade Paperback and Kindle eBook, 460 Pages
List Price:  $14.99 (print);  $3.99 (Kindle)
ISBN:  9781517008307 (print): ASIN: B06XTD7C9N

Edwayn Sattler is a half-dwarf with a beard and a dead end job. One night when serving drinks to the city's rich and famous, a fiery playboy loses control of his magic and goes on a burning rampage. After some ill-advised heroics aided by the magic that lives in Edwayn's beard, he finds himself unemployed and socially exiled. With no other job or friends to fall back to, he signs on with an inscrutable ratman sporting a badge and a fetching hat, and together they dive beard and whiskers first into a magical murder conspiracy that threatens to consume the city.

Armed with sub-par wits, a dry sense of humor, and a handful of magical tricks, Edwayn encounters conflagrating cops, smooth-talking trolls, shadowy corporate enforcers, and an air-headed vixen with a fatalistic streak. When his easy-going life spirals into a thrilling, darkly hilarious tale of intrigue and deception, Edwayn will find out just how close this newfound chaos will trim his beard.



Melanie's Thoughts

For Edwayn it's just another night in his crappy low paid job. As a half breed - half dwarf, half human - his career options are limited. Edwayn lives in a society where half breeds are the bottom of the social pile while the Fae and mages are the elite. Edwayn can hardly wait for his shift to finish. Collecting glasses at a wealthy fae's party is just a way to pay the bills but when one of the guests turns into a living torch Edwayn steps in to try to save the day. What he doesn't realise is that this act heroism means that he is on someone's hit list but he doesn't know whose....all he knows is that he has to lay low. It's not too long before he gets approached by dapper ratman, a rat with a badge no less, who offers him the opportunity to discover what is going on. With the help of his luxurious beard Edwayn, the ratman and a not so friendly ghost set themselves up against the establishment to try to uncover what is going on and to stop anyone else from dying. There is only one thing between Edwayn and the chaos around him....his big luxurious beard....will it be enough? Read it and find out for yourself.

I read Chaos Trims My Beard as one of the finalists for the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off 2017 but had I come across it myself I would have wanted to read it. The description reminded me a tiny bit of Tee Morris' Billibub Baddings series which I loved, although the story itself was very different. Edwayn was an approachable character and, bad hygiene aside, he was almost likeable. Herman creates a world for Edwayn that seemed almost as much science fiction as it was fantasy. Poor Edwayn really gets put through the wringer and this is a story with a lot of action. I have to say almost too much action. Oddly, despite all of the action, the story still drags in the middle for several chapters. I was quite engrossed at the start, liked Edwayn, and liked the start of the mystery and who wouldn't like a rat wearing a fedora with a jaunty feather? However, I got the impression that Herman wanted to make the story longer than it should have been so added in more chases, fight scenes and near misses than were needed to fulfill the plot. I have to admit I was skimming a bit in the middle but by the final few chapters Herman had created an excellent and exciting ending to the story.

While I found the pace to be a bit off Herman's ability to make interesting characters is spot on. Edwayn was well developed, as were his relationships with a few of the secondary characters. The thing that I found the most interesting about this book was Edwayn's beard. Herman describes the beard in such a way that it could almost be considered a character in its own right. I thought this was quite unique.

Overall, I liked Chaos Trimmed My Beard but didn't love it. I feel that it could have been a bit more polished had it been beta reviewed or proof read a few more times before it was published. I give Herman's Chaos Trimmed My Beard a solid 7/10. Best of luck to Herman in the finals.


*******


Note: We've been informed that Chaos Trims My Beard has been edited so those of you purchasing now will receive a more polished copy than what was provided for the SPFBO.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Covers Revealed - Upcoming Works by DAC Authors


Here are some of the upcoming novels by formerly featured DAC Authors. The year in parentheses is the year the author was featured in the DAC.


Myke Cole (2012)

The Queen of Crows
The Sacred Throne 2
Tor.com, October 16, 2018
Hardcover and eBook, 256 pages

"Cole weaves a fantasy world that feels comfortably familiar, then goes to places you’d never expect. You won’t stop turning pages until the stunning finish." —Peter V. Brett on The Armored Saint

Myke Cole, star of CBS's Hunted and author of the Shadow Ops series is here with book two of the Sacred Throne Trilogy: The Queen of Crows.

In this epic fantasy sequel, Heloise stands tall against overwhelming odds—crippling injuries, religious tyrants—and continues her journey from obscurity to greatness with the help of alchemically-empowered armor and an unbreakable spirit.

No longer just a shell-shocked girl, she is now a figure of revolution whose cause grows ever stronger. But the time for hiding underground is over. Heloise must face the tyrannical Order and lay siege to the Imperial Palace itself.


Book 1
Coming February 20, 2018





Kristi Charish (2015)

Owl and the Tiger Thieves
The Owl Series 4
Pocket Star, May 7, 2018
     eBook,  416 pages
Gallery Books, May 8, 2018
     Trade Paperback, 432 pages

Owl—a modern-day Indiana Jane—handles supernatural monsters, temperamental dragons, and slippery ninjas as she races to stop a brewing supernatural war in this fourth novel in the Owl series.

The Silk Road was an ancient trade route paved with fortunes and tears in equal measure—the tears part mostly due to the distinct chance of being gutted by an opportunistic supernatural lying in wait.

Somewhere among the trade cities lost to the ages, the Tiger Thieves—assassins who once guarded the Silk Road against the supernatural monsters that preyed on ancient caravans—still hide.

Shame no one has seen one of them in over five hundred years, since they’re the only ones who might be able to help Owl stop the reign of the Electric Samurai and the descent of the world into supernatural chaos in all its eviscerating glory.

From a Peruvian jail to Venice to Timbuktu, Owl searches for the Tiger Thieves in the hopes of convincing them to help her—all while fetching artifacts and weapons for Mr. Kurosawa’s brewing supernatural war. Considering diplomatic negotiations aren’t exactly Owl’s strong suit, she has her work cut out for her. Not to mention, her sidekick on this adventure leaves a lot to be desired and little to trust.

Poking a tiger is never a good idea, and tangling with the ancient assassins will take everything Owl has. Eventually, she’ll have to decide whether she’s a wayward archaeologist or just another cold-hearted thief.


Book 1
Book 2
Book 3



The Voodoo Killings
A Kincaid Strange Novel 1
Vintage Canada, June 12, 2018
     Trade Paperback (reissue), 352 Pages
Vintage Canada, May 10, 2016
     eBook, 352 pages

For fans of Bitten by Kelley Armstrong, a new urban fantasy series introduces Kincaid Strange, not your average voodoo practitioner…

For starters, she’s only twenty-seven. Then there’s the fact that she lives in rain-soaked Seattle, which is not exactly Haiti. And she’s broke. With raising zombies outlawed throughout the continental USA, Kincaid has to eke out a living running seances for university students with more money than brains who are desperate for guitar lessons with the ghost of a Seattle grunge rocker–who happens to be Kincaid’s on-again, off-again roommate.

Then a stray zombie turns up outside her neighbourhood bar: Cameron Wight, an up-and-coming visual artist with no recollection of how he died or who raised him. Not only is it dangerous for Kincaid to be caught with an unauthorized zombie, she soon realizes he’s tied to a spate of murders: someone is targeting the zombies and voodoo practitioners in Seattle’s infamous Underground City, a paranormal hub. When the police refuse to investigate, the City’s oldest and foremost zombie asks Kincaid to help. Raising ghosts and zombies is one thing, but finding a murderer? She’s broke, but she’s not stupid.

And then she becomes the target… As the saying goes, when it rains it pours, especially in Seattle.  





David D. Levine (2016)

Arabella and The Traitor of Mars
The Adventures of Arabella Ashby 3
Tor Books, July 31, 2018
Hardcover and eBook, 336 pages

Taking up almost immediately after the great Battle of Venus, Arabella has finally returned home to Mars to settle in to life with her husband, the mysterious Captain Singh.

The Regent of the United Kingdom sets his eyes on solidifying his rule in the colonies and dispatches a fleet to better cement his control over Mars. Now Arabella and Singh must decide where their ultimate loyalties lie, with the Empire or with their home.


Book 1
Book 2

Friday, January 26, 2018

2018 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars - January Debuts




Each month you will be able to vote for your favorite cover from that month's debut novels. At the end of the year the 12 monthly winners will be pitted against each other to choose the 2018 Debut Novel Cover of the Year. Please note that a debut novel cover is eligible in the month in which the novel is published in the US. Cover artist/illustrator/designer information is provided when we have it.

I'm using PollCode for this vote. After you the check the circle next to your favorite, click "Vote" to record your vote. If you'd like to see the real-time results click "View". This will take you to the PollCode site where you may see the results. If you want to come back to The Qwillery click "Back" and you will return to this page. Voting will end sometime on February 3, 2018.


Vote for your favorite January 2018 Debut Cover!
 
pollcode.com free polls













Cover art by Wayne Haag
Jacket design by Lesley Worrell, with logo design by Tim Daniel








Cover illustration by Kevin Peterson
Cover design by Anthony Morais




Cover design by Elizabeth Connor
















Cover design by Two Dollar Radio




Art by Ian Leino
Design by Lauren Panepinto




Cover design by Mumtaz Mustafa
Cover photograph © David & Myrtille / Arcangel




Jacket design and illustration by Michael Morris




Cover design by Jason Snair





Image Comics Launches #WeBelieve Campaign


IMAGE COMICS LAUNCHES #WEBELIEVE CAMPAIGN, CELEBRATES ARTISTS WITH EXCLUSIVE VIRGIN WRAPAROUND COVERS

PORTLAND, OR, 01/25/2018 — Image Comics is pleased to reveal the first seven of 14 exclusive virgin wraparound covers in celebration of artists and the importance and impact they have in defining the comics medium. We Believe in Artists will be the first of many initiatives throughout Image’s planned #WeBelieve 2018 campaign highlighting the important, lately overlooked components of the comics industry.

Comics is a visual storytelling medium with artwork as the driving force behind the narrative, tone, and spirit of a comic book’s sequential narrative. Image Comics hopes to cast a spotlight for fans and members of the comic book community on the momentous significance a piece of artwork can have to sell these stories to readers.

“Simply put, without artists, there would be no comics. The success of the comics industry ultimately hinges on well-told stories, but because comics is by definition a visual medium, artists are integral to that storytelling,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “Image has always believed in the importance of artists—our company was founded by artists, after all—and we are proud to celebrate the fact that artists of all stripes—from pencilers and inkers to colorists, letterers, and graphic designers—continue to make this wonderful medium so vital, vibrant, and unique.”

Without titles, endorsement quotes, names, logos, or jacket copy, these wraparound covers feature solely the masterpiece artwork that fans won’t want to miss out on experiencing.

Moonstruck, Vol. 1 Coming This March


MAGICAL ROMANCE MOONSTRUCK, VOL. 1 WILL CHARM READERS OF ALL AGES THIS MARCH

PORTLAND, OR, 01/25/2018 — Lumberjanes creator Grace Ellis and debut artist Shae Beagle, with editor Laurenn McCubbin, colorist Caitlin Quirk, letterer Clayton Cowles, and story-within-a-story artist Kate Leth, will release the first paperback volume of MOONSTRUCK, collecting the first five issues of the all-ages fantasy series, this March from Image Comics.

Werewolf barista Julie and her new girlfriend Selena go on a date to a close-up magic show, but all heck breaks loose when the magician casts a terrible spell on their friend Chet. Now it’s up to the team of mythical pals to stop the illicit illusionist—before it’s too late!

MOONSTRUCK, VOL. 1 (Diamond code: OCT170655, ISBN: 978-1-5343-0477-2) hits comic book stores Wednesday, March 21st. The final order cutoff deadline for comics retailers is Monday, February 5th.

DAYS OF HATE - 2nd Printing



DAYS OF HATE TAPS INTO CURRENT POLITICAL ZEITGEIST, FAST-TRACKED FOR 2ND PRINTING 

"A beautiful and haunting look at a very troubled world." —IGN

PORTLAND, OR, 01/25/2018 — Bestselling writer AleÅ” Kot (ZERO, GENERATION GONE), artist Danijel Žeželj (STARVE), and Eisner-winning colorist Jordie Bellaire (REDLANDS, PRETTY DEADLY) tap into current political angst with their all-new maxi-series, DAYS OF HATE. In order to keep up with growing readership for the gritty American thriller tragedy DAYS OF HATE #1 is being rushed back to print.

DAYS OF HATE is set in The United States of America in 2022. The loss that ripped two of its main protagonists apart drove one into the arms of the police state and the other towards a guerrilla war against the white supremacy. Now they meet again, on the opposing sides—and all hell has broken loose.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Nintendo Download, January 25, 2018: Climb the Crystal Mountain


This week’s Nintendo Download includes the following featured content:
  • Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch
    • Celeste – Brave hundreds of hand-crafted challenges in this super-tight platformer, as you help Madeline survive her journey to the top of Celeste Mountain. The controls are simple and accessible, but with layers of expressive depth to master, and every death is a lesson. Lightning-fast respawns keep you climbing as you uncover the mysteries of the mountain and brave its many perils.
  • Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
    • PokĆ©mon Crystal Version – Originally released for the Game Boy Color system in 2000, the PokĆ©mon Crystal game added several new features to the PokĆ©mon franchise. For the first time, players could choose a female or male character, and PokĆ©mon battles featured animation. And now, this game is available in 2D via the Virtual Console service and invites you to explore the Johto region again—or for the first time. The PokĆ©mon Crystal Version game launches on Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. PT.