Welcome to this week’s news post – it has been a bit quiet on the publishing front, although there has been a slew of new book deals and announcements as well as some tidbit goodies from Patricia Briggs, Lauren Dane and Jenn Bennett.

First up, Amazon has announced their details for their annual breakthrough contest which for the first time does not involve Penguin which the winner of the previous awards have won a contract to publish their book. In this year’s contest, there will be separate finalists in the genres for Horror, YA,  Scifi and fantasy, Romance, Thriller and General fiction which each winning category will get a $15000 award whilst there is a grand prize of $50,000 and a contract to publish with Amazon’s own publishing imprints. The  date to submit for entries starts at January 14th – For more details and conditions of the contest can be found here, but this is a sign that Amazon is cementing their position as a publishing force.

The BBC has announced they will be turning J.K Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy and Susanna Clarke’s  Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell will be both adapted for television. For Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell  will be turned into a 6 episode series for 2013 and there is no information on how many episodes will run for The Casual Vacancy but this series will air sometime in 2014 and J.K Rowling be a consulting producer for the BBC.

News in Brief:

Patricia Briggs has posted a snippet from the 7th Mercy Thompson book, Frost Burned at her forums – there will be another snippet posted in the upcoming weeks as another teaser and the full chapter excerpt is expected sometime in January. Frost Burned is slated for release on March 5th.

And talking about snippets – J.R Ward has posted another Qhuay snippet from Lover at Last.

Lauren Dane has announced that she will be writing two new projects. The first book, Cake, will launch a new imprint with Harlequin and Cosmo and features a manga artist heroine, and a bad boy hero. While the second project is new series called Ink and Chrome with Berkley Heat – which will base around characters in a motorcycle shop in Seattle. The first book, The Long Haul is slated for sometime in 2014.

And Jenn Bennett has announced a new PNR series set in the 1920s to Berkely Sensation which sounds fantastic! More details to come but click here to check out some of the details. 

And now books to watch out for!

Kristin Ashley has signed a new deal with Forever romance to rerelease her previous Colorado and Dream Man series as well as brand new  Chaos series.  Own the Wind the first book is slated for next June and there is a blurb!

 

Bestselling ebook author Kristen Ashley  in print! The first book in Kristen’s new Chaos motorcycle club series is guaranteed to scorch up the pages!

Tabitha Allen has a not-so-secret crush on Parker “Shy” Cage. Shy Cage thinks he knows the path Tabby’s on and it isn’t a good one. So he decides to teach her a lesson to lead her to the right path. Unfortunately, he was wrong and his actions wound Tabby, breaking her heart. It’s Tabby who then teaches Shy a lesson about casting judgment and Shy Cage learns what it feels like to be invisible. But when tragedy strikes and Tabby’s heart is broken again, Shy does what he can in the background to help. Trying to forget her heartbreak, Tabby finds herself in danger. To keep it secret from her biker family, the Chaos Motorcycle Club, she calls Shy to rescue her. But when she lets him back in, she gets much more than she bargained for.

 

Vivian Arend’s new series looks fantastic and I love the new cover!

 

 

LIFELINE: an elite search-and-rescue squad based out of Banff, Alberta. Specializing in high-risk rescue missions, this team goes wherever the job takes them…

Rebecca James was once revered for her devil-may-care attitude and backcountry survival skills. But ever since she lost her partner in a fatal accident, patches of her memory have been missing. And until she can recall those final, tragic moments before the accident, she can’t move on.

Since Marcus Landers was permanently injured during a mission, all his energies have been focused on his Lifeline team. When Becki—whom he had an intense affair with seven years ago—arrives in Banff, he’s inspired to reignite the spark they once had. Their mutual ardor slowly awakens Becki’s dormant, haunting memories.

New truths surface until Becki must at last confront her greatest fear. Remembering the past might mean a future without the man she loves…

The 3rd installment in Kate Elliott’s fantasy series – Cold Steel. 

 

Trouble, treachery, and magic just won’t stop plaguing Cat Barahal. The Master of the Wild Hunt has stolen her husband Andevai. The ruler of the Taino kingdom blames her for his mother’s murder. The infamous General Camjiata insists she join his army to help defeat the cold mages who rule Europa. An enraged fire mage wants to kill her. And Cat, her cousin Bee, and her half-brother Rory, aren’t even back in Europa yet, where revolution is burning up the streets.

Revolutions to plot. Enemies to crush. Handsome men to rescue.

Cat and Bee have their work cut out for them.

 

And finally I love the premise for this book – In the After Demitria Lunetta which looks very chilling.

 

They hear the most silent of footsteps.
They are faster than anything you’ve ever seen.
And They won’t stop chasing you…until you are dead.

Amy is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them. These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape—and even rescue “Baby,” a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the girls do everything they can to survive—and avoid Them at all costs.

After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby—and much more.

Rebellious, courageous, and tender, this unforgettable duo will have you on the edge of your seat as you tear through the pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta.

So what do you think of the new deals announced by the authors I highlighted this week? And which book/series are you looking forward to the best?

About Has

Has is a bookaholic and feeds her addiction whenever she can. She usually can be found lost in a Romance or an Urban Fantasy novel. Her favourite sub genres are Paranormal, Fantasy and some Scifi. Her most treasured authors are, Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Ann Aguirre, Lisa Kleypas and Tamora Pierce. She loves that discovery of finding a brand new author and falling in love with their books. Has also blogs a The Book Pushers - Book chatter and reviews

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