It’s Earth Day! We’ve only got the one planet, and today (and every day) is a good day to reflect on the ways we can make it better— today and tomorrow. We have a few books, for readers of all ages, that tackle some of our biggest environmental issues from a variety of perspectives. And if you keep reading, you’ll also get a peek at some forthcoming titles that also explore our connection to the natural world.
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Out Now: The Rising Tide by Helen Brain
We’re excited to release The Rising Tide, the second book in Helen Brain’s Fiery Spiral trilogy, a dystopian fantasy series for young adult readers. The Rising Tide continues the saga of sixteen-year-old Ebba den Eeden, who has spent her life in a bunker deep within Cape Town’s Table Mountain. She, and the other inhabitants of the bunker, have grown up believing the world “above” was left uninhabitable due to nuclear war. When Ebba is suddenly released from the bunker, she discovers that everything she knew—about the world above and her own life—was wrong. Now shouldering an immense responsibility, Ebba must use her power to stop a second apocalypse. She must listen to her instincts, even if it means destroying the things she holds most dear. Who can she trust to help stop the second “Calamity,” now just days away? Who will betray her? Continue reading “Out Now: The Rising Tide by Helen Brain”
The Fiery Spiral: The Rising Tide
Designing the Cover for The Thousand Steps
There is a lot that has to happen behind the scenes before we can get our books to readers. Edits, rewrites, marketing, event planning, design—it’s nothing if not exciting! While our author Q&As and From the Editor’s Desk features generally cover many of those (and if you don’t know what those are, all will be revealed if you subscribe to our newsletter!), but we focus on cover design a bit less often. That changes today! We talked extensively with artist Karen Vermeulen last year about her work, and now we’re chatting with Karen again about just one cover— the upcoming YA sci-fi novel The Thousand Steps by Helen Brain.
The Thousand Steps is the first in Helen Brain’s Fiery Spiral Trilogy, and is a dystopic sci-fi Young Adult novel set in Cape Town in 2055. After spending her entire life living in a bunker deep inside of Table Mountain, 16-year-old Ebba is released when the truth of her lineage is revealed. While learning to navigate the unfamiliar “Above,” Ebba must fight for her survival, and that of her friends still below. The Fiery Spiral is an eco-feminist trilogy that examines how class, race, and social identity are foundational to the ways in which society is organized and power wielded. It releases on January 7.
You can learn more about Karen and her work at her website, Instagram, and Twitter.
Continue reading “Designing the Cover for The Thousand Steps”