New Releases by Stephanie Morrill

In this Jazz-Age mystery, eighteen-year-old Piper Sail must explore the dark underbelly of 1920s Chicago to solve the disappearance of her best friend.

After high school graduation, Piper Sail isn’t quite sure what her future holds—until a possible murder case lands in her lap. Filled with both the glitz and glamor of high society and the dark mafia underbelly of 1920s Chicago, The Secret Investigator of Astor Street is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Maureen Johnson. Piper Sail knows what she wants: to become a detective. After all, she already solved the case of her missing best friend, and there’s no shortage of crime in 1920s Chicago. But for an eighteen-year-old society girl—even one who’s currently dating a police investigator—it simply isn’t done. That is, until a girl asks her to dig into her brother’s recent death. The police ruled it a suicide, but she's convinced it was murder. And she wants Piper to help her prove it. In this companion to The Lost Girl of Astor Street, Piper once again grabs her notebook and plunges into the underworld of mafia-controlled Chicago. But she’ll need all her wits and courage if she wants to become The Secret Investigator of Astor Street.

Within These Lines Educator's Guide is a companion to Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill. This guide can be utilized in the classroom, in a home school setting, or by parents seeking additional resources. Ideal for grades 7-12.

“Within These Lines is a moving story of love, hope, and family set against the dark history of Japanese internment in America. This book had me captivated!” —Maureen McQuerry, YALSA award-winning author of The Peculiars Evalina Cassano’s life in an Italian-American family in 1941 is quiet and ordinary … until she falls in love with Taichi Hamasaki, the son of Japanese immigrants. Despite the scandal it would cause and the fact that interracial marriage is illegal in California, Evalina and Taichi vow they will find a way to be together. But anti-Japanese feelings erupt across the country after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Taichi and his family are forced to give up their farm and are incarcerated in a Japanese internment camp. Degrading treatment at Manzanar Relocation Center is so difficult, Taichi doubts he will ever leave the camp alive. Treasured letters from Evalina are his sole connection to the outside world. Embracing the boldest action she can to help Taichi, Evalina begins to radically speak out at school and at home, shining a light on this dark and shameful racial injustice. With their future together on the line, Evalina and Taichi can only hold true to their values and believe in their love against all odds to have any hope of making it back to one another. Within These Lines is: A historical YA novel set against the backdrop of WWII and the shameful era of American injustice surrounding Japanese internment camps Told from the dual points of view of an Italian-American woman and Japanese-American man brought together by love then separated by war, injustice, and hatred As haunting and unflinching as it is hope-filled and love-driven Perfect for fans of Monica Hesse, Ruta Sepetys, and Elizabeth Wein

For once, Ellie Sweet has it all together. Her hair now curls instead of fuzzes, she's tamed the former bad-boy, Chase Cervantes (she has, right?), and her debut novel will hit shelves in less than a year. Even her ex-friends are leaving her alone. Well, except for Palmer Davis, but it can't be helped that he works at her grandmother's nursing home. Life should feel perfect. And yet, it's not that easy. Ellie's editor loves her, but the rest of the publishing biz? Not so much. And they're not shy about sharing their distrust over Ellie's unlikely debut. Ellie has always been able to escape reality in the pages of her novel, but with the stress of major edits and rocky relationships, her words dry up. In fiction, everything always comes together, but in real life, it seems to Ellie that hard work isn't always enough, the people you love can't always be trusted...and the dream-come-true of publishing her book could be the biggest mistake she's made yet.

Ellie Sweet is a lot of things—good girl, novelist, silent adorer of the new boy at school, Palmer. But when “outcast” gets added to the list, she decides it’s time to take reality into her own hands … and tweak it as needed. In the pages of her book, she’s Lady Gabrielle, favorite of the medieval Italian court. Her once-friends are reduced to catty ladies-in-waiting, and the too-charming Palmer—who in real life never spares her a second word—gets to be nothing more than a rake wracked by unrequited love for her. She even has a perfect real-life villain in the brooding Chase, who hails from the wrong side of town. But just when she’s getting along great in her fictional world, the real one throws her a few curves. With Chase pursuing her, Palmer wanting to date her—but in secret—and the details of her manuscript going public, Ellie suddenly receives more attention than she ever really wanted. And when her former-friends discover what she’s been writing, they’re determined to teach Ellie a lesson about the severe consequences of using her pen as her sword.

The question we hear most from new writers is, “How do I get published?” And the answer is: Respect your dream Every writer’s journey is different, yet as we've reflected on our experiences and those of the writers around us, we've seen time and time again that those who are successful are the ones who had the patience and endurance to stick with this writing thing. They didn't look for shortcuts (at least, not for long), nor did they quit after five, ten, or one hundred rejections. We can’t make the process easy for you, but it’s our hope that this book will be a tool you can turn to time and time again when you’re thinking, “Okay … what’s next?” Includes tips for: -Getting published -Finding the right agent -Book surgery -Thicker plots -Deeper characters -Richer settings -Weaving in theme -Dealing with people who don't get your writing

After high school graduation, Skylar Hoyt, ex-party girl and aunt to her younger sister's baby, tries to rise above the gossip and live the life God wants for her.

A talented new voice in YA fiction delivers another compelling story that addresses real teen issues with style and grace.

Rendered one of the popular kids by her exotic Hawaiian looks, high-school senior Skylar Hoyt experiences an identity crisis while juggling new and old friends, a reluctant romance, and problems at home. Original.