New Releases by Tessa Gratton

Secrets are revealed and dark bargains offered in the twelfth and penultimate installment of Season 1 of Tremontaine, the episodic online serial set in Ellen Kushner''s Swordpoint universe. Kaab seeks out the services of a good forger before paying a visit to the Duchess Tremontaine. Diane, meanwhile, pays a visit to Highcombe House, the Tremontaine country estate. And at long last, Kaab and Diane face off in a drawing room duel where the weapon of choice is words. This climactic episode is brought to you by Malinda Lo, who has been waiting eagerly all season to write it!

Swordplay, scandal, and sex—welcome to the world of Tremontaine, a glittering new entry in Ellen Kushner''s classic Riverside series. This is the 4th episode in the second season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Joel Derfner. Diane begins to gather support for her bid to become duchess in her own right. Rafe uses Arthur in his quest to find Will. Micah, confronted by Diane, wonders if the duchess is a secretly a mathematician. And after a strange encounter with a shadowy Riverside criminal, Kaab fights her first professional duel. Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.

A shortage of chocolate sets the City on edge in this bittersweet installment of the Web''s favorite episodic serial! Diane''s secret arrangement with the Balam family bears fruit as a strategic withholding of chocolate wreaks havoc on the city''s social fabric, from the Hill to Riverside. But Kaab has her own private stash, for which she has a special use in mind, involving a certain pretty forger. Meanwhile, Rafe sits for his exams, with his dreams of starting his own school hanging in the balance. Diane ploys all her wit and wiles upon the Dragon Chancellor. This episode is brought to you by Alaya Dawn Johnson, who takes her chocolate with a dusting of chili powder and not so much as a smidgen of cream.

Swordplay, scandal, and sex—welcome to the world of Tremontaine, a glittering new chapter in Ellen Kushner''s classic Riverside series. In a city that never was, sex, scandal, and swordplay combine in a melodrama of manners that returns readers to the beloved world of Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint! A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a passionate young Scholar with dreams beyond his reach; a Foreign spy in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a Genius on the brink of scientific revolution—when long-buried lies threaten to come to light, the stakes are high, and more than lives may be lost. Mind your manners and enjoy the chocolate in a dance of sparkling wit and political intrigue. Duchess Diane Tremontaine, the crowning gem of her city’s high class, sits in her manor’s window on The Hill and looks over her domain with eyes that cut and a mind that schemes. Far below, and far away from the glitz of wealth, a poor country farm girl named Micah looks only toward her family, the harvest, and the complex web of math that entrances her. At the Docks, the newly arrived Ixkaab Balam surveys the same city from the deck of her family’s merchant vessel and sees a land to manipulate for fortune and fun. And at the University, a passionate scholar named Rafe bristles at the classism constraining his ambitions and dreams of revolution.

Swordplay, scandal, and sex—welcome to the world of Tremontaine, a glittering new entry in Ellen Kushner''s classic Riverside series. This is the 5th episode in the second season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Alaya Dawn Johnson. Diane hosts a spectacle as she campaigns to be named duchess in her own right, forcing Vincent to confront his past. Kaab and Rafe exchange notes on the thefts plaguing both their families. Rafe tries his own hand at spycraft in his attempt to find Will. Domestic strife with Tess causes Kaab to consider—and reconsider—who, what, and where she considers home. Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.

Swordplay, scandal, and sex—welcome to the world of Tremontaine, a glittering new entry in Ellen Kushner''s classic Riverside series. This is the 6th episode in the second season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Mary Anne Mohanraj. Kaab takes Tess to a feast at her family''s compound. Rafe fears he''s reached a dead end in his search for Will. Diane''s daughter, Honora, interrupts her scheming by making an unexpected visit. Esha seeks help in dealing with an unwelcome admirer. Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.

Madness stalks the halls of Tremontaine House in the heartwrenching eleventh episode of Tremontaine, the episodic online serial set in the world of Ellen Kushner''s Swordspoint. Afraid that he is losing his mind, Will looks for comfort in Rafe''s arms. Rafe, meanwhile, blames himself for his lover''s condition. And when Kaab hears of Diane''s childhood and her long-ago encounter with Rupert Hawke, new questions arise that can only be answered within the walls of Tremontaine House itself. This episode is brought to you by Alaya Dawn Johnson, who is on a first-name basis with the Morning Star.

Passion and intrigue make the Tremontaine Ball a glittering high point in this ongoing episodic serial set in Ellen Kushner''s acclaimed Riverside universe. Violent passions erupt at the Tremontaine Ball! A misunderstanding comes between Rafe and Will, while Micah threatens to expose Kaab''s secret to her family. Diane''s plans to salvage the Tremontaine name and fortune hang by a thread, and Kaab recognizes the locket sketched by Tess . . . in the last place she would have expected to see it. This episode is brought to you by Joel Derfner, whose sparkling wit makes him the perfect party companion.

Swordplay, scandal, and sex—welcome to the world of Tremontaine, a glittering new entry in Ellen Kushner''s classic Riverside series. This is the 1st episode in the second season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Ellen Kushner. All eyes are on Duchess Diane Tremontaine at the Convocation, an annual soiree that opens the Council of Lords. With her mad husband exiled to the country, Diane is on the hunt for a new lover and better fortunes. But the path to power—and revenge—is never without obstacles. Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.

Season 1 of Tremontaine, the hit episodic online serial set in Ellen Kushner''s Swordpoint universe, reaches its riveting conclusion. Kaab and Diane, enemies bound by common interests, forge a new understanding. Micah and Rafe receive unexpected offers of employment. And Will, now the Duke Tremontaine in name only, languishes at Highcombe House, where it is hoped—by some—that he may yet recover. This episode is brought to you by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman, who can''t wait to share what they''ve got up their sleeves for Season 2 of Tremontaine!

Swordplay, scandal, and sex—welcome to the world of Tremontaine, a glittering new entry in Ellen Kushner''s classic Riverside series. This is the 7th episode in the second season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Joel Derfner. Diane educates Lionel on matters of power, but finds herself at a disadvantage when Davenant issues her a challenging proposition. Micah’s research is rudely interrupted, leading to a drunken confession from Kaab that frays her friendship with Rafe. A duel gone wrong forces Vincent into Diane’s employ. Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.

Swordplay, scandal, and sex—welcome to the world of Tremontaine, a glittering new entry in Ellen Kushner''s classic Riverside series. This is the 3rd episode in the second season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Mary Anne Mohanraj. Alliances shift as relationships on both the Hill and in Riverside grow complicated. Shade and Florian seek out Tess, causing concern for her safety. As his family tries to cheer him, Rafe takes stock; finding himself wanting, he ventures out to renew his friendship with Micah. Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.

Fans of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, and Maggie Stiefvater will embrace the richly drawn, Norse-influenced alternate USA in book two of Gods of New Asgard. Signy Valborn was seven years old when she climbed the New World Tree and met Odin Alfather, who declared that if she could solve a single riddle, he would make her one of his Valkyrie. For ten years Signy has trained in the arts of war, politics, and leadership, but the answer finally comes in the form of enigmatic poet Ned the Spiritless, who tells Signy she must kill a Greater Troll Mother and claim its heart. But when you follow the god of sacrifice and poetry, everything is a riddle, and nothing is safe. Unfortunately, Signy is running out of time. Accompanied by an outcast berserker named Soren Bearstar, she and Ned take off across the ice sheets of Canadia to hunt the mother of trolls and claim Signy''s destiny-as monstrous as it may be.

Berserking is in Soren''s blood. Constant fevers and insomnia promise the power will explode in him any day. He''s terrified of himself. Soren takes off on a road trip across the United States of Asgard in seach of a new future.

"In the United States of Asgard, Astrid Glyn leaves her sacred apple orchard for the first time in almost two years to search for the boy she loves, Soren Bearstar, who has gone missing"--

"In an unassuming corner of Brooklyn, a young woman learns to be ladylike, to love context, and to speak her mind from a very curious sort of tutor. In a faraway land convulsed by war, a young soldier hears the desert''s curious hum as he disarms bombs with the person he doesn''t know how to love. In a place so shriveled by drought that any drowning is a curiosity, a young writer tries again and again to tread water beneath the surface of a vast and unusual sea. Three new stories complete with commentary on the creative process from three acclaimed young adult authors working at the height of their powers."--Amazon.com.

Three novellas of dragons, neeaged gods, and the end of the world.

Vider Bearskin used to be in love with Loki, the Norse god of mischief and orphans. And Loki loved her, too, or that''s what she believed, until the day she called his name and he did not come, not even to save the lives of her mother and baby sister. So when Vider helps rescue Baldur the Beautiful and the Alfather offers her a boon, she asks to be made into his first female berserker warrior in generations. Now she doesn''t need Loki. She doesn''t need any god, because Vider has power inside herself and she knows how to use it. When she''s asked to be one of six celebrity dragon slayers in a televised dragon hunt on the Kansa Prairie, Vider never considers declining--even if Loki is also invited. But Loki seems determined to insert himself into Vider''s life once again and she quickly realizes not all is as it seems. There''s more than one dragon for Vider to battle: the ancient creatures sleeping under the hills, the tempting god of tricks, and the dragon inside her own heart.

Glory is the Fenris Wolf, bound for hundreds of years in the shape of a small human girl so she can never grow large enough to devour Baldur the Beautiful, god of light. Imprisoned with her hunger, Glory may not be able to swallow the sun whole, but she can hunt Baldur down, rip out his heart with her hands, and eat him a piece at a time. Glory tries to deny her desire because she knows when she does eat Baldur it will signal the end of the world. But would that really be such a bad thing? These days the United States of Asgard seems too decadent, too media-saturated, and too greedy. It is rotting from within and maybe it should burn. Maybe now is the time, and her hunger is growing for a reason. Only two people stand in her way: Soren Bearstar, devoted to Baldur and a strong berserker warrior, and Tyr the Just, god of balance and shadows. Glory loves both of them, but when a girl finally embraces her destiny, is any love enough to keep the sun in the sky?

From acclaimed and New York Times bestselling YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories. ? A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck. ? Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing. ? A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream). These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction. But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website www.merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing?all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author''s comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.

Amon Thorson doesn''t hate his father, Thor the god of thunder, but he did try to kill him once. Not that Thor seemed to notice?all he did to punish Amon was break his arm and send him off to lick his wounds. Ever since, Amon has done everything he can to stay on his dad''s bad side, from disrespectful language and terrible public interviews, to dealing illegal substances and black-market artifacts. The best?or worst?of which is transporting elf gold. For gold made by elfish magic ruins people. It addicts them and tempts them to do terrible things to themselves and others, and with this venture, Amon may be stirring up more trouble than he can handle. When Amon picks up a strange girl with too many secrets and somebody steals Loki''s Mask of Changing, Amon finally gets his father''s attention. He''s marked as the prime suspect in the theft and one of Thor''s best hunters is put on Amon''s tail, a hunter who won''t stop until he''s nailed Amon for something. And to complicate matters, Amon might be falling in love with a monster. With evocative writing and lush world building, Tessa Gratton once again captivates readers with her inventive reimagining of Norse mythology and American life in the latest novella in the United States of Asgard series.

The seventeen original stories in Defy the Dark, an eerie, mind-bending YA anthology, could only take place in darkness. Open the pages and discover: A creepy guy who stares too long. The secrets of the core of the earth. Dreams of other people’s lives. A girl who goes mad in the darkness. Monsters in Bavaria. A generational spaceship where night doesn’t exist. And other mysteries and oddities. The contributors to the enthralling collection are: Sarah Rees Brennan, Tessa Gratton, Rachel Hawkins, Christine Johnson, Valerie Kemp, Malinda Lo, Myra McEntire, Saundra Mitchell, Sarah Ockler, Jackson Pearce, Aprilynne Pike, Dia Reeves, Beth Revis, Carrie Ryan, Jon Skovron, Courtney Summers, and Kate Espy, winner of the Defy the Dark new author contest.

Paranormal romance fans who are looking to up the ante will be drawn to this tale of horror, fantasy, and romance. For Mab Prowd, the practice of blood magic is as natural as breathing. It''s all she''s ever known. Growing up on an isolated farm in Kansas with other practitioners may have kept her from making friends her own age, but it has also given her a sense of purpose—she''s connected to the land and protective of the magic. And she is able to practice it proudly and happily out in the open with only the crows as her companions. Mab will do anything to keep the ancient practice alive and guard its secrets. But one morning while she is working out a particularly tricky spell she encounters Will, a local boy who is trying to exorcise some mundane personal demons. He experiences Mab''s magic in a way his mind cannot comprehend and is all too happy to end their chance meeting. But secrets that were kept from Mab by the earlier generations of blood magicians have come home to roost. And she and Will are drawn back together, time again by this dangerous force looking to break free from the earth and reclaim its own dark power. "The power of this narrative lies in the gorgeous prose, lush with a gothic sensibility, ripe with sensual images of horrific beauty. . . . Passion, heartbreak, yearning and dread bleed from every page. A perfect book for those who loved Wuthering Heights and are looking for an essentially American gothic."--Kirkus Reviews

Mab est la fille de Josephine Darly, la redoutable sorcière qui a tué les parents de Silla dans Blood Magic. Elle a hérité des pouvoirs de sa mère et, pour elle, pratiquer la magie du sang est aussi naturel que respirer. Mais contrairement à Josephine, elle n’utilise son don qu’à bon escient. Un jour, alors qu’elle manipule une dangereuse malédiction, celle-ci lui échappe et contamine Will, un jeune et bel inconnu. Dès lors, le garçon est hanté par d’horribles cauchemars et des événements étranges surviennent autour de lui. Mab se sent d''autant plus coupable qu''elle en tombe amoureuse... En voulant le sauver, elle va pourtant se trouver confrontée à la réapparition d''un dangereux sorcier et ses talents de magicienne du sang vont être mis à rude épreuve...

Imagine: A fantasy world, but not one based on Medieval/Dark Ages European culture and myth, but rather on the tropes of the Spaghetti Western and Chinese Wuxia. Add steampunk elements. Mix well. A fantasy world that mixes the inspirations of Django and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon... The Good, The Bad & The Ugly and House of Flying Daggers... Fistful of Dollars and Fist of Legend. A fantasy world that''s explored through a book series, a constantly-updated website, a tabletop role-playing game, comics, artwork, webseries and much, much, more. This is FAR WEST. Tales of the Far West is the first book in Adamant Entertainment''s Wuxia-Western mash-up, featuring a dozen all-new tales written by critically-acclaimed and award-winning fantasy, science-fiction, horror and adventure authors, including: "He Built The Wall To Knock It Down" by Scott Lynch: A master teaches an unforgettable lesson in the pursuit of excellence in all things. "In Stillness, Music" by Aaron Rosenberg: A wandering musician is all that stands between a village and a cattle baron. "Riding The Thunderbird" by Chuck Wendig: A herd of giant, flightless birds, a young girl, and a sudden lesson. "Purity of Purpose" by Gareth-Michael Skarka: Who seeks the secret of the Unsurpassed Weapons? "Paper Lotus" by Tessa Gratton: A strange girl tasks a wounded man to deliver a crucial message. "In the Name of the Empire" by Eddy Webb: A sheriff is charged with the murder of an Imperial Magistrate. "Errant Eagles" by Will Hindmarch: A gunslinger faces the consequences of his past. "Railroad Spikes" by Ari Marmell: A bandit finds that he''s robbed the wrong train. "The Fury Pact" by Matt Forbeck: An inventor''s son faces the responsibility of his name. "Seven Holes" by T.S. Luikart: An apprentice learns the true nature of demons. "Local Legend" by Jason L. Blair: Red Phoenix was dead, and the bounty hunter tells the tale. "Crippled Avengers" by Dave Gross: A band of fighters seek to take revenge on the steam baron who crippled them.

In Yaleylah, Missouri, Silla and Nick, drawn together by loss and a family history of blood magic practitioners, are plunged into a world of dark magic as they try to unravel the mystery of Silla''s parents'' murder suicide.