Dereliction of Duty

Literature & Fiction

McKeown, Daniel

Genre Fiction

Inspired Quill

This powerful collection brings together 17 short stories linked only by flight or denial. The distinct characters in Claiming One are both incredibly loving and tragically flawed: far from finding anything, and an even longer way from peace. Yet, E.J. Runyon masterfully intertwines a trail of hope, found in the hearts of the characters, to string these tales together. We welcome them: still standing, albeit wobbling, as adults or as children determined to act in adult-like ways. Often, we arrive to their story on the heels of a major change, whether actual or symbolic; death of beliefs, sureties or illusions. Each offers a glimpse into the characters' moment of choice. We witness perilous options, discoveries and decisions, all while considering the flawless humanity presented to us.

Claiming One

Runyon, E. J.

Literary

Too many books tell you what you need to do during a round of editing...but they very rarely explain why that need exists. Without explanation and examples to help your understanding, craft basics can feel restrictive and unbearable. You might have already begun writing something you've had a great idea for. But a great story requires more than the gift of inspiration. Tell Me A Story takes you through the first steps of what you need to know to write well, and how to improve your editing technique. This book lets you learn with Hows and Whys, through writing examples from real novices. This will allow you to jump into storytelling with solid practices for getting your ideas from your mind to the page.

Tell Me a Story

Reference

Words, Language & Grammar

Her power is unmeasured. Her abilities untested. Her destiny inescapable. Faria Phiraco is a resonator, a manipulator of the elements via rare crystals. It is an extraordinary and secret power which she and her father, the Emperor of Xayall, guard with their lives. The Dhraka, malicious red-scaled dragons, have discovered an ancient artefact; a mysterious relic from the mythical, aeons-lost city of Nazreal. With their plan already set in motion, they besiege Xayall, pummelling the city to find Faria and rip more of Nazreal's secrets from her. When her father goes missing, Faria has to rely on her own strength to brave the world that attacks her at every turn. Friends and guardians rally by her to help save her father and reveal the mysteries of the ruined city, while the dark legacy of an ancient cataclysm wraps its claws around her fate... and her past. She soon realises that this is not the beginning, nor anywhere near the end. A titanic war spanning thousands of years unfolds around her, one that could yet cost the lives of everyone on Eeres. Legacy is character-driven epic fantasy action forged in an exciting and intricate plot that reaches deep into the Resonance world's history.

Legacy

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Jackson, Hugo

Fantasy

Meeting author Callum Wilde is the catalyst that turns Marianne Fairchild's fragile sense of identity on its head, evoking demons that will haunt two families. She is seventeen and has spent her life fighting off disturbing memories that can't possibly belong to her. His twin sister Marion died seventeen years ago. When Cal and his older sister Sarah spot Marianne in the audience of a TV show that Cal is recording, they are stunned by her uncanny resemblance to Marion. They have to find out who she is, but they both soon come to regret the decision to draw her into their lives. Events spiral out of control for all of them, but whilst Cal and Sarah each manage to find a way to move on, Marianne is forced to relinquish the one precious thing that could have given her life some meaning. The book is set in a haunting estuary landscape of mudflats, marshes and the constant resonance of the sea. The Last Time We Saw Marion is the story of two families - but the horrible truth is that two into one won't go...

The Last Time We Saw Marion

Scott-Townsend, Tracey

We Bleed The Same

Wilkinson, Physician's Assistant (Anaesthesia) David

Science Fiction

It's 1967 East Los Angeles. Duffy Chavez is ten years old and from a large, mixed-race, single-parent family. Growing up is never easy, but for young Duffy Chavez, whose childhood is anything but innocent, the journey is particularly painful. Swimming against the tides of her troubled family as well as her own cultural identity, she struggles with the cards she has been dealt. Buoyed up by the belief of a select few, she strives to achieve the kind of self-knowledge that comes so naturally to the 'real girls' all around her. As gaps in the narrative begin to fill, and the truth surrounding Duffy's birth is unearthed, her determination to succeed is rendered all the more astounding. Told in uncompromising clarity through the eyes of a child, A House of Light and Stone is at once full of heartbreak and hope, offering respites of warmth in the coldest of places.

A House of Light and Stone

Run Alice Run

Michell, Lynn

“The shadows are coming.” Months after the tremors that shook the world, repercussions of battle still lie in Xayall’s broken streets. Among the debris stands Bayer, former bodyguard to Faria, Empress of the city state. His position redundant, and his injuries still healing, he struggles to find new purpose. Unrest between nations is already stirring. A Councillor from Andarn has been murdered, and only a handful realise that sinister machinations are blackening the root of the whole continent. Questioning his duties, Bayer finds himself escorting Captain Alaris on a mission from which neither may return, although their failure may spark a brutal and catastrophic war. As blades rise, threats both new and old emerge from the darkness and bare their teeth at the world... ---------- Struggling to find his purpose in a world changed forever by recent unrest, Bayer has no idea where his life is headed. Like many of us, he struggles to rebuild a sustainable identity, although his task is made even harder by the unrest clawing at all sides of the kingdom of Xayall. Dealing with political problems leaves little time for his own, and pretty soon, something has to give. As Bayer toils under the weight of a tragedy that was never his to feel ashamed of to begin with, he faces the impossible task of carving out a future for himself, all the while shadowed by the mistakes and egos of his superiors. Told with an authentic, engaging voice through the eyes of multiple creatures, Fracture tells the story of personal, emotional and literal journeys to confront the past for the sake of the future.

Fracture (Resonance Tetralogy)

Teen & Young Adult

He never intended to be a jailer ... After years of travelling, responsible to no-one but himself, Steve has resolved to settle down. He gets a job, buys a house and persuades Liesel to move in with him. Life's perfect, until Liesel delivers her ultimatum: if he won't agree to start a family, she'll have to leave. He can't bear to lose her, but how can he face the prospect of fatherhood when he has no idea what being a father means? If he could somehow make her stay, he wouldn't have to choose ... and it would be a shame not to make use of the cellar. Will this be the solution to his problems, or the catalyst for his own unravelling? ------ Underneath is the second novel from author Anne Goodwin, following the success of her debut Sugar and Snails in 2015, (critically acclaimed and shortlisted for the Polari Prize) .

Underneath

Goodwin, Anne

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