I attended Hot Key Books’ Blogger Lunch last summer, where a bunch of UK Book Bloggers were given the opportunity to hear about their launch list, and so on a cold February day we once again headed over to their office to hear about a host of fantastic titles, published January-June 2013. This time, it was a joint event with their sister company Templar Publishing.
As you can see, we were given a fabulously bookish goodie bag, which was filled to the brim with 12 titles. I’m going to talk a little bit about some of the titles that stood out to me in particular, rather than the entire list, but you can click on links at the end of the post to find more about all of the books on Goodreads (please note that only the US editions were on Goodreads for some books).
The Quietness by Alison Rattle was already on my wishlist, but I wanted it even more upon hearing more about it. It’s set in Victorian Britain and is a historical coming-of-age story narrated by two young girls: one who works in a baby farm and another who plans to take her baby there. Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O’Porter is another coming-of-age story, but set in mid-1990s Guernsey and based on the author’s own personal experiences – a story of friendship bonds and betrayal. It sounds right up my alley!
I was speaking to Andrew @ The Pewter Wolf about the list after the presentation and we both agreed that it was surprising how many titles that we at first thought weren’t for us, perhaps because of the cover or the genre, that we found ourselves intrigued by. Transparent by Natalie Whipple is one of those titles. It’s described as ‘sexy sci-fi’. Fiona McClean, in a world where everybody has superpowers, is invisible. All sounds like standard sci-fi? Sure, but what about when Fiona’s gangster father asks her to become an assassin? The Savages by Matt Whyman also sounds like an amusing, whimsical title whereby a young girl brings home her ‘vegetarian’ boyfriend to meet her cannibal parents (and Matt informed me the cover is by the designer of the The Hunger Games UK covers!).
Vortex by S.J. Kincaid is, of course, the sequel to one of my favourite young adult science fiction novels of last year, Insignia. I know we all cannot wait to hear more from Tom Raines and friends! Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield, we were told, has a fantastic opening paragraph: Friday Brown is a runaway who has been told she will die by drowning.
I also had the opportunity to meet six of their lovely authors, have a chat with them about the wonders of Twitter, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Scottish Fold kittens, and get my books signed. Last Chance Angel by Alex Gutteridge, described as this year’s Love, Aubrey, is about a girl who dies, only to be told it’s not her time. Ferryman by Claire McFall is an eerie novel love story about a young girl who is involved in a train crash and rushes to a boy sitting on the Scottish hillside for help.
Hot Key Books and Templar have some fantastic titles being published this year, which only serves in making my ‘to read’ list and ‘wishlist’ even longer… Sarah Odedina also left us with this: ‘Everybody should be able to get their hands on good books’.
Hot Key Books
The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan
Death & Co. by D.J. McCune
Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson (and the rest of her novels that haven’t already been published in the UK!)
Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O’Porter
The Quietness by Alison Rattle
Red Ink by Julie Mayhew
Stray by Monica Hesse
The Savages by Matt Whyman
Transparent by Natalie Whipple
Vortex by S.J. Kincaid
Templar Publishing
Arcadia Burns by Kai Meyer (February 2013)
Call the Shots by Don Calame (April 2013)
Deceit by Deborah White (January 2013)
Drummer Girl by Bridget Tyler (May 2013)
Ferryman by Claire McFall (March 2013)
Just For Fins by Tera Lynn Childs (July 2013)
Last Chance Angel by Alex Gutteridge (June 2013)
Me, Suzy P. by Karen Saunders (January 2013)
Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn (March 2013)
It was great seeing you there too!