Book Deals Novels & Stories

Saturday morning, after breakfast, Don gave Caroline the three books together. Not the individual copies, which she had received over the years of their publication—The Inside Account in the fifteenth year, The Ground Keeps in the sixteenth, The Emergent World in the eighteenth. She had read each one when it was published, had written to them about each one, and had discussed them with Ernest and Don on subsequent visits. But Don had had a set bound together: The Inside Account and The Ground Keeps and The Emergent World in a single volume, the three books bound in dark green leather with a title stamped in gold on the spine: THE INSIDE ACCOUNT / THE GROUND KEEPS / THE EMERGENT WORLD.

There were all types of publishers: children's, teen, and adult, science fiction, fantasy, romance, erotica, historical, biography, and nonfiction. It appeared to go on indefinitely. The booths featured posters of future novels as well as release dates. They were handing out pamphlets, bookmarks, pens, and other small trinkets to pique their readers' interest in the novels they presented. Some even made early chapters available in compact, bound paperbacks to entice readers and leave them wanting more. Deep in her heart, Sandra grumbled at Laura and Ruth for not telling her that the place would be this crowded. But thinking back, she should be aware that the book fair would be crowded.

Even the garden had guards near the gates. But the library felt… neutral. Large windows faced the back lawn, sunlight spilling across a long wooden table in the center of the room. Books lined the walls from floor to ceiling, dark shelves filled with titles about finance, politics, history, and business strategies. Not exactly light reading. I ran my fingers along the spine of one thick book and pulled it out. “Corporate Acquisition Strategy.” I snorted quietly. “Of course.” Julian’s taste in books was exactly what I expected.

The complete volume of the World Almanac on the top row, varying books about business and commerce on the middle, and a compilation of untitled white leather-bound books on the bottom. The white books caught my attention quickly. Weird. It looked specifically custom-made. I was almost tempted to open one of them when I found a familiar-looking book placed singularly at the far corner of the shelf. It was bound using black lamb skin. The title written on the spine made me frown as I read it. ‘The God’s Emerald Eyes.’

Both were really awkward at each other at first but when they found out that both were reading the same book, they eventually got a comfortable to talk at each other. “So, you also read that book-” “Yeah, I got into it after a friend of mine recommended it to me.” “Isn’t it a great book.” “Yeah, I got hooked on it after reading the first chapter.” “bla-bla-bla” Both continued to talked to each other and enjoyed their conversation. “I was feeling an awkward atmosphere growing between our table so I was gonna try to start a conversation but when you brought out your book, I was just surprised to see a person reading it.” The girl said.

There is no mate bond, but having him close makes me feel more secure. “I can’t wait for you to see this.” He rubs his thumb on the top of my hand as he leads me to a store. It’s rare Bronx gets so excited about surprising me. We approach a bookstore with a dusty, old window display. In gold paint, there is a picture of a pan flute and a goat. The images are peeling and sundried as if they’ve been there forever. Over the pictures are the words ‘The Barded Goat Used & Collectible Books’.

Much like he'd looked as he had stood on Carrie's porch watching the clouds slowly travel across the sky while calmly sipping his coffee despite the chaos going on around him. Ben returned carrying a load of books in his arms. He heaved the heavy books onto the table before me. I looked down and was surprised at what I saw there. I didn’t know what I had expected. With all that had happened, I had envisioned fantasies of witchcraft, vampirism, mutants, and numerous other explanations involving mythological figures but this I hadn’t anticipated. At the very top of the considerable pile of books lay the King James Bible. “Just the tip of the iceberg, baby.” Richard said as he looked at me and

“Looks like I’m not done surprising you yet. And yes. I can. My familiars can sense for spirits and can pull me back. But I need you to make sure nothing else tries to come after me.” Lucas’s jaw tenses. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” “Yes. I’ve been wanting to go look through the books for a while, actually. The Academy has an extensive library. It’s two-stories tall and has the most wonderful smell of old paper and fresh ink.” “It’s obvious why you own a bookstore.” “I do like books, though our store is full of mostly fiction. I love a good romance novel.” He runs his hand up and down my arm. “Why do you love romance novels so much?”

I called out to her. "It's not about where they sit to read, it's what they sit to read." She said vaguely and I arched a brow at her. She inclined her head towards the small table beside the couch and I took a step closer to it, lifting up the books to examine them. Something twitched in my jaw and I ground my teeth together as I stared at the books in my hand. 'A Luna's guide around a pack' 'How to be a good luna.' 'The ideal Luna.'

A text from an unknown number. *Dear Dr. Zanetti, I'm Clara Benson, Senior Editor at Meridian Books. I read your thesis abstract online and was incredibly impressed. I'd love to discuss the possibility of publishing it as a monograph. Are you free for a coffee next week?* Keira stared at the screen, her heart hammering. Meridian Books. One of the most respected independent publishers in the UK, known for their beautifully produced academic titles and their commitment to emerging voices. They'd published books she'd cited in her thesis. Books that had shaped her thinking.