Karla Huebner's Blog, page 8

The Potrero Complex

The Potrero Complex, by Amy L. Bernstein, launches August 2nd from Regal House.

From the Regal House website:

Journalist Rags Goldner is battle-scarred and heartbroken after covering a devastating pandemic that rages in Baltimore for five years. She leaves the city with her partner in search of a simpler life in small-town Maryland—only to discover nothing in Canary is simple. A teenager is missing, and it falls to Rags to fight the forces of apathy, paranoia, and creeping fascism to learn the shocking truth about Effie Rutter’s fate—and the fate of thousands like her.

All the Girls in Town

Actress, screenwriter, and now novelist Staci Greason's All the Girls in Town is a 2022 Debut launching July 26th. Dani, Red, and Sasha have nothing in common, except the trail of tears rocker Peter left in his wake.The three unite to take him down and discover the power of friendship in Los Angeles as they heal and bond.

Nominated for a PEN/Hemingway!

I am pleased to report that Regal House, my publisher, has nominated In Search of the Magic Theater for the PEN/Hemingway award for Debut Novel, which

"honors a debut novel of exceptional merit by an American author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction. The Award aims to preserve the novel as an art form and to support the longevity of the writer’s literary career. The winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize intended to allow significant time and resources with which to pursue a subsequent work of fiction."

Last year's winner was Detransition, Baby, by Torrey Peters (MCD). The runners-up were Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi (The Overlook Press); Dear Miss Metropolitan: A Novel by Carolyn Ferrell (Henry Holt & Company); The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois: A Novel by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (Harper); and The Five Wounds: A Novel by Kirstin Valdez Quade (W.W. Norton & Company).

The New Books Shelves at the Dayton Library

Two nice things the Dayton main library does on ground floor (among many) are 1) featuring an area with local authors' books and 2) placing newly acquired titles in a special New Books area. Granted, I often forget that what I'm looking for might be in the New Books area rather than on the regular shelves, but still it's a nice way of letting patrons know what's come out in the past few months.

I went over to the library the other day to have a look, and in addition to a copy of In Search of the Magic Theater (one of several bought by the library for its different branches after I donated two), I caught sight of some other 2022 Debut novels. I'm sure there are more in the library system, just out to patrons!
In Search of the Magic Theater
When We Fell Apart, by Soon Wiley
Tobacco Wives, by Adele Myers
Ramón and Julieta, by Alana Quintana Albertson
The Bangalore Detectives Club, by Harini Nagendra
And two more copies of The Bangalore Detectives Club!

For Butter or Worse

Erin La Rosa's rom-com For Butter or Worse is a 2022 Debut launching July 26th. Chef Nina Lyon wants to make her name in the culinary world and inspire other young women to do the same. Now, as co-host of a competitive cooking reality TV show, she has a real chance, but her co-host, restaurateur Leo O’Donnell, seems like Hollywood’s smarmiest jerk. He doesn't mean to get under Nina’s skin, but it keeps happening, and nothing prepares him for the fallout when he takes a joke a little too far and Nina quits on live TV. Yet a secret romance between Nina and Leo could be just what their careers need...

Eulogy

Michael Laser's novel Eulogy launches July 26th from Regal House.

From the Regal House website:

You think you know your father—but what if he kept secrets until the day he died? Just hours after delivering his father’s eulogy, Ken Weintraub learns that this hardworking, unassuming man spent three years in prison. Consumed by the astonishing news, Ken sets out to unravel the mystery. As he pries information from old friends, relatives, and others, he pieces together a portrait that’s full of contradictions. Was his father an assassin’s accomplice? A gullible victim? Or a heroic, loyal friend? Everywhere he turns, he hears stories that surprise him. Even when he thinks he knows the whole truth, there’s still more to learn.

Interviewed by Betty Bolté

One of the lovely things about being a debut novelist (or even a more seasoned novelist) these days is that many other writers offer a helping hand in getting the word out. This can mean tweets or posting on Instagram; it can also mean announcing book launches (that's been my big contribution this year) or blogging short interviews. So far I've had the privilege of being interviewed by novelists Clifford Garstang, Sarahlyn Bruck, Christina Consolino, and now historical fiction writer Betty Bolté, with one by author Joy E. Held coming up next month as well as a podcast segment with Yvonne Battle-Felton.

While there are some questions that almost every interviewer will ask, it's fun to see what new perspectives different interviewers will have and also to think how I can get across the spirit of my book without saying the same thing every time.

That said, here's what Betty asked me and how I answered!




Betty's focus in historical fiction is on American history, typically including romance and a touch of the supernatural; she cites Henry James and Edgar Allan Poe as classic authors she particularly admires.

Book Event in the Works for Cincinnati

I'm ready to get myself on the road and do some book events reaching new audiences, so I'm delighted to report that plans are afoot for me to appear at the well-regarded Joseph-Beth in Cincinnati in September! More details once we get them figured out. Joseph-Beth is one of Cincinnati's pre-eminent spaces for all things book-related, and there is also a Joseph-Beth store in Lexington.

After We Were Stolen

After We Were Stolen, a 2022 Debut by Brooke Beyfuss, launches July 19th. In this story of vulnerability, power, resistance, and redemption, nineteen-year-old Avery and her brother Cole escape from a cult after a deadly fire destroys their family's compound, only to be haunted by That Night as she tries to build a new life for herself and learns that everything she thought she knew was a lie.

The Last Feather

The Last Feather, by South African author Shameez Patel Papathanasiou, is a 2022 Debut fantasy launching July 19th. In this hidden-world tale of mystery and threat, Cassie seeks to discover why her sister is mysteriously dying, and finds herself suddenly in another realm, where her missing best friend Lucas now lives. Lucas knows how to save Cassie's sister, but there's limited time for them to break the curse...