Cara’s mother has disappeared. Her father isn’t talking about it. Her big brother Max is hiding behind his iPod, and her genius little brother Jackson is busy studying the creatures he collects from the beach. But when a watery specter begins to haunt the family’s Cape Cod home, Cara and her brothers realize that their scientist mother may not be who they thought she was—and that the world has much stranger, much older inhabitants than they had imagined. With help from Cara’s best friend Hayley, the three embark on a quest that will lead them from the Cape’s hidden, ancient places to a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. They’re soon on the front lines of an ancient battle between good and evil, with the terrifying “pouring man” close on their heels. One chapter will be posted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until all 10 chapters are up. These will be followed by the second book in the series, The Shimmers in the Night. A Junior Library Guild Pick; Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011; Selected for the ABC Best Books for Children Catalog; Locus Notable Books.

Spray Painted Bananas is a romantic comedy about Amber, a broke temp working in a catering firm in London, who after one too many evenings scrounging free wine from wacky art gallery openings with her best friend Farrell, decides there’s no reason she can’t become a conceptual artist herself. A chance meeting with the wealthy, young art curator, Elliott Frinton-Smith, sets things off in a desirable direction. Now all Amber needs is a brilliant idea to grab the attention of the nation. Spray Painted Bananas explores love and ambition with the touch of the absurd and plenty of bananas. It is OUT NOW published under the title THE TEMP by Harper Collins.

A wolf and a princess fall in love as they fight the Raven and the forces of boredom and ugliness in a magical London. They must race against time as they try to stop the Raven’s evil plan for destroying the city. But can they also resolve the mysterious chemistry between them? If you like Neil Gaiman, Jasper Fforde or Douglas Adams, you’ll love this. James Steel is published by Harper Collins, his books have been selected for Waterstones Paperbacks of the Year and the Tesco Chart. James has spoken at the Hay Literary Festival and teaches creative writing at Oxford University. ‘A new contender to the crown of thriller supremo.’ Manchester Evening News ‘What a crazy rollercoaster of a book! It was a wonderful, bizarre hybrid of fairytale and Orwellian dystopia.’ Kate Bradley, Editor, Granta Books.