New Sparks on the Block - October

It’s already October, how can that be? It seems like just last week we were kicking off our flip-flops and diving into our favorite summer reads. Lucky for us — and you! — we have some fabulous new Sparks to welcome to the BookSparks family this month. They can’t slow down time, but they are a perfect way to spend a few quiet moments.

We are thrilled to welcome international #1 bestselling authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. They join the BookSparks family with their newest novel So Close (which is being published by our imprint SparkPress!). It’s the story of a girl from the trailer parks of central Florida and the two powerful men who shape her life—one of whom will raise her up to places she never imagined, the other who will threaten to destroy her.

Critically acclaimed author Camille Pagan joins us with Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, the hilarious and hopeful story about a woman choosing between a “perfect” life and actually living. Camille’s work has appeared in dozens of publications and websites, including Forbes, Glamour, Men’s Health, Parade, O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, WebMD, and Women’s Health.

Coming off her 70th birthday celebration in Japan, we’re pleased to welcome the inspiring Sheila Grinell to BookSparks. She brings us the novel Appetite (published by She Writes Press), the story of Jenn Adler’s quest to marry a guru while her parents intervene. Mickey Friedman, author of Hurricane Season, says it best: “This intergenerational drama of relationships, both long-established and newly formed, makes for a gripping journey―not only for the characters but for the reader as well. Sheila Grinell has done a splendid job in this fascinating first novel.”

We’d also like to extend a huge BookSparks welcome to Kelly Romo, author of Whistling Women. Set against the backdrop of the 1935 world’s fair, Whistling Women explores the complex relationships between sisters, the sacrifices required to protect family, and the lasting consequences of a single impulsive act. Did we mention there’s a nudist colony involved?

Welcome bestselling author Karma Brown, an award-winning journalist, freelance writer and author of the upcoming novel The Choices We Make, due out in July 2016.

In the mean time, check out her first novel Come Away with Me. Lori Nelson Spielman, author of The Life List, says “Fans of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love will flock to this novel….” It tells the story of Tegan and Gabe, a married couple who embark on a journey that takes them from the markets of Thailand to the flavors of Italy to the ocean waves in Hawaii as they try to escape tragedy and search for forgiveness.

USA Today bestselling author Renee Carlino also joins BookSparks to share her spring book, Swear on This Life. Be sure to check out her current book Before We Were Strangers: A Love Story. Taylor Jenkins Reid, fellow Spark and author of Maybe in Another Life, After I Do and Forever Interrupted calls the book “as steamy as it is sweet.” Sounds like the perfect fall read to keep us nice and toasty!

Finally, please welcome Michelle Cox to the BookSparks family! Her novel A Girl Like You (published by sister company She Writes Press!) follows Inspector Howard and Henrietta as they are plunged into Chicago’s gritty underworld in the 1930s.

Can you ever really go home again? You can with Google Earth! International Book Award-winning author Grant Jarrett returns to BookSparks with The House That Made Me: Writers Reflect on the Places and People that Defined Them. This amazing anthology (which, BTW, is being published by our imprint SparkPress!) includes contributions from award-winning authors like Alice Eve Cohen, Antonya Nelson, Tim Johnston, Jeffrey Renard Allen and Lee Upton.

After just the short time that we’ve been helping Lauren Horowitz with her author website, social media and book publicity, she has extended her campaign with BookSparks. The campaign for her new novel Shattered Blue will continue, including some exciting digital extensions. If you haven’t seen our Twilight anniversary coverage (that happens to include Lauren), be sure to check it out here!