The American Bookseller’s Association recently announced 10 adult titles and 10 children’s/YA titles that have been chosen by panels of booksellers from around the country to be featured as Indies Introduce Debut Authors and New Voices.
Barbara Theroux of Fact & Fiction in Missoula, Montana represented our region on the adult panel, and Tegan Tigani of Queen Anne Book Company in Seattle chaired the kids’ panel. Each panel had nine booksellers who considered titles by debut authors releasing in the Winter/Spring 2015 season. The 10 titles chosen by each panel are debuts to watch for January- June 2015.
Some of the Indies Introduce titles have Pacific Northwest connections.
Black River (on sale January 20, 2015), a literary novel, is set in Montana. In it, a former prison guard returns to his Montana hometown, forcing him to deal with the past, grief, and forgiveness. The author, S. M. Hulse, got her MFA from University of Oregon and has lived in Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon.
Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer (on sale May 12, 2015) is a delightful epistolary novel for middle grade readers by Seattle author Kelly Jones. I think readers of all ages will fall in love with Sophie, her incredible chickens, and the network of unforgettable characters who surround her on the farm her parents inherited.
Dan Gemeinhart’s debut novel, The Honest Truth (on sale January 27, 2015) starts in Wenatchee, WA and is set wholly in the Pacific Northwest, but I don’t want to give anything away by telling you specifics. A boy who has spent most of his life fighting cancer decides to travel west with no one but his beloved dog, and the best friend he leaves behind has to decide whether to keep his secret.
Last but not least, Tommy Wallach was recognized for We All Looked Up (on sale March 31, 2015), a novel about a group of teens in Seattle and an asteroid on a potential collision course with the earth. It’s a novel of ideas, philosophy, romance, art, anger, and forgiveness with many familiar Seattle settings like The Crocodile music club and Beth’s Cafe, home of the 12-egg omelette.