2013 Historical Fiction Debuts

When historical fiction hits me, it knocks me over. Forgotten Fire still breaks my heart when I think of it and sometimes I find myself building dream futures for the characters in The Luxe after Splendor.

I’m ecstatic 2013 is looking to be a great year for YA historical fiction. A lot of debut authors are coming out too.

Here are the debuts I’m excited for:

Release Date: January 29,2013

There are two reasons I’ve got my eye on The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Sheperd.

1. The heroine of this novel isn’t a debutante. She’s a maid.

2. It sounds like its going to dig into the ugly side of human nature. The exactly-how-much-evil-are-we-capable-of side. I find that question to be terrifyingly fascinating.

 

Release Date: January 8, 2013

To be honest, the cover of Delusion by Laura L. Sullivan strikes me as a little silly. But the idea of magic during the time of World War II England grabs mt attention.

 

 

 

Release Date: March 12, 2013

The summary of Strands of Bronze and Gold by  Jane Nickerson promises “thrilling suspense!” It sounds creepy as hell. I love it when historical fiction books have me on the edge of my seat, since some people see them as being slow and a bit of a drag.

Plus, this one’s set in Mississippi, a place whose history has me fascinated.

 

This last one isn’t by a debut author, but I’m slipping it in anyway, because it sounds delicious.

Coming out on June 11, 2013:

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

Here’s the entire (lengthy) summary:

Anna Van Housen has a secret. A gifted illusionist, Anna assists her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums, and mentalists in 1920’s New York. As the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini—or so Marguerite claims—sleight of hand illusions have never been a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her own gifts secret from her opportunistic mother. Because while Marguerite’s own powers may be a sham, Anna possesses a true ability to sense people’s feelings and foretell the future.

But as Anna’s powers intensify, she begins to experience frightening visions of her mother in peril, which leads her to explore the powers she’s tried so long to hide. And when a mysterious young man named Cole moves into the flat downstairs, introducing Anna to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, she is forced to confront her past and rethink everything she’s ever known. Is her mother truly in danger, or are Anna’s visions merely illusion? And could the great Houdini really be her father, or is it just another of Marguerite’s tricks?

From Teri Brown comes a world bursting with magic, with romance, and the temptations of Jazz Age.

Adding a real-life element to the book makes it ten times more frightening; I’ve always been sort of fascinated by Houdini. I mean, how did he do what he did? This book was called Houdini’s Daughter when I first heard of it (a title I like better, frankly).

Also, there’s going to be a book tying a young woman’s fate to Jack the freakin’ Ripper? I’ll be reading that one with both hands over my eyes.

~
Geez, this list is filled with creepy ones. Do you know of any lighthearted historical fiction coming out?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

2012 Debut Author Chapter 1 Excerpts

Excerpts are delicious little things, aren’t they? Just enough to get (or keep) you curious.

Here are five links to excerpts from 2012 debut authors:

~
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand

I love the dedication in this one. It reads: For my sixth grade lunch table, who loved my scary stories.

~After all the amazing things I’ve heard about it, I plan to greatly enjoy reading Something Like Normal by Trish Doller for myself.

~You can find not one, not two, but three (geez!) chapters of Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff on Tor.com. I spent some time browsing around Kristoff’s website and his bio declares that he doesn’t believe in happy endings, so I shall be reading Stormdancer with one hand over my eyes.

~Way to Go by Tom Ryan is a LGBT novel set in 1990s Canada; that’s not a setting you see everyday.

~Published by Sourcebooks Fire, The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova first chapter ends with a cliffhanger. You have been warned.

Susan Collins, Jane Austin, & Other Commonly Misspelled Author Names

It’s incredibly awkward to spell a favorite author’s name incorrectly.

You’re telling all of your friends about him, really talking him up and somewhere between the fourth and fifth time you write his name down for them, you happen to look at your copy’s cover.

Oops.

So it doesn’t happen again:

Common misspelling: Jane Austin
Correct spelling: Jane Austen

No, Jane Austen wasn’t from Texas.

Common misspelling: Stephanie Meyer
Correct spelling: Stephenie Meyer

Meyer has said that she was named after her father, Stephen. Therefore, Stephen+ie = Stephenie.

Common misspelling: Charlotte Bronte
Correct spelling: Charlotte Brontë

You can’t forget the umlaut!

Common misspelling: Christopher Payolini (Paolinee, Paoliney)
Correct spelling: Christopher Paolini

If you’re actually able to spell his name correctly, kudos.

Common misspelling: Jonathan Fransen
Correct spelling: Jonathan Franzen

Often written as: Susan Collins
Actual name: Suzanne Collins

According to Google Adwords, “susan collins hunger games” has 1,600 global monthly searches.

What author names have you jumbled?