Kellye Abernathy
Young Adult
Atmosphere Press
February 2024
271 pages
"This is a night for being brave."
In the aftermath of a devastating sickness that shatters their close-knit beach town, six lonely kids are drawn together during the unpredictable autumn equinox. Among them are fourteen-year-old Lorelei, who yearns to be an oceanographer, and her peculiar younger brother, Tad, who possesses an other worldly curiosity. When Lorelei has a strange and almost deadly encounter in a sea cave, her loyal boyfriend, Casey, cannot reconcile her fantastical experience with the rational world. Condi, Lorelei's best friend, understands ocean magic but isn't free to share what she knows. Kait, a girl from Ireland, regrets her impulsive move to America—all because of an odd occurrence involving her deceased boyfriend's lost surfboard. When tides turn and the moon shifts, Isaac, the new kid in town who despises the ocean, is forced to face the truth—a profound and powerful magic lives in the deep.
Kellye Abernathy
Middle Grade
Atmosphere Press
January 2022
290 pages
“Age never matters, these things are about bravery and heart.”
Thirteen-year-old Condi Bloom’s dream is to learn to surf, but her laid-back beach town isn’t what it used to be. Big resort owners are taking over the cove. Worse, someone’s harassing the Beachlings, the mysterious old women living in the cliffs off Windy Hollow, a lonely tower of rock that people say is haunted. When a new surfer boy named Trustin shows up in town and invites Condi to a forbidden surfing spot, she’s swept into an extraordinary underwater adventure, where a surprising encounter with Koan, the Riddlemaster of the Sea, changes her life. Along with Trustin, his quirky twin and a mystical aquamarine surfboard, Condi learns the untold stories of the Beachlings, uncovering the timeless secrets of Windy Hollow.
Kellye Abernathy is the author of The Aquamarine Surfboard (2022) and Amethyst, The Shallows (2024). Her passions are writing and serving trauma survivors as a yoga teacher and practical life skills advocate. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary English Education from the University of Kansas. Her home is in land-locked Plano, Texas—where she’s dreaming of her next trip to the sea.
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The Baby with Three Families, Two Countries, and One Promise
Julie Gianelloni Connor
Saman Chinthaka Weerasinghe, Illustrator
Children's Picture Book / Adoption
Bayou City Press
December 12, 2020
40 pages
The Baby with Three Families, Two Countries, and One Promise is a children’s book designed to be read by adoptive parents to their child as soon as the child is old enough to begin understanding. This book sets out the complex story of an adoption in an easy-to-understand way.
Most children’s books about adoption feature as characters animals, and most such books focus on the adoptive mother and the child. The Baby with Three Families, Two Countries, and One Promise is unique in focusing on people, not animals, as the characters in the story and also unique in expanding the story to include other actors in the adoption journey, including foster parents, social workers, U.S. consuls, and grandparents.
Julie Gianelloni Connor is the owner and editor of Bayou City Press in Houston, Texas, which specializes in travel writing, Houston, and international affairs. The Bayou City Press website (BayouCityPress.com)carries columns on travel and on Houston.
Julie founded Bayou City Press after spending 33 years as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service, working on a variety of areas, ranging from nuclear non-proliferation to international women's issues.
She has one son, James, and two cats, Halloween and Mimi.
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Magical Elements of the Periodic Table Presented Alphabetically by The Metal Horn Unicorns
Magical Elements of the Periodic Table Presented Alphabetically by The Elemental Dragons
Sybrina Durant
Middle Grade / STEM / Chemistry
Featured books include Magical Elements of the Periodic Table Presented Alphabetically by Unicorns and Dragons. Each book has available activity exercises to help kids remember about each element. There are trading cards, too.
Sybrina Durant is an author/entrepreneur whose goal is to make learning fun for kids. She does that through illustrated books and games.
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Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time
Preston Lewis & Harriet Kocher Lewis
Young Adult / Nonfiction
Bariso Press
September 2024
184 pages
Adolescents 16 and under in 1850 accounted for 46 percent of the national population, making them an important labor force in settling the frontier. Pintsized Pioneers examines their tasks and toils starting with the chores on the trail west. Children assisted in providing fuel and water on the trail and at home when they settled down. In their new locations the young ones helped grow food, make clothing for the family and assist with the housekeeping in primitive dwellings. These pintsized pioneers took on farm and ranch chores as young as six, some going on cattle drives at eight years of age. Even Old West town tykes, who enjoyed more career possibilities, helped their folks survive as well. Targeted at young adults, Pintsized Pioneers is written at a ninth-grade reading level and includes a supplementary glossary. Even so, Pintsized Pioneers is an eye-opener for adult readers as well.
Preston Lewis is an award-winning author with a special interest in the Old West. He has published more than 50 fiction and nonfiction books. Harriet Kocher Lewis is the award-winning editor and publisher of Bariso Press.
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Beverly Henderson
Young Readers
August 2022
27 pages
This is not your usual sit down, be still Christmas tale!
Who knew the jolly, red-suited old fellow had a cousin? In the pages of this rhyming story, you will meet Santa’s cousin Camo Claus. Camo, suited for adventure, defies the notion that appearance accurately defines the person. Driving through the field in his old pickup truck, he positions himself in a deer stand for a closer look at all that surrounds him. The creatures in the field display their beauty and natural defenses. Then after a narrow escape from danger, Camo Claus pauses long enough to reveal his true heart. Readers will enjoy singing the verses to the tune of Up on the Rooftop. Activity pages provide readers with space to learn more about the field creatures. They can color and write their own stories. A reminder: this is not your usual sit down, be still Christmas tale!
Beverly Henderson grew up in rugged west Texas. Life with her career Army husband became a kaleidoscope of places and faces. Her ability to assimilate made Hawaii, Germany, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Washington places to call home. Resilience, faith, and tenacity are prominent themes in her writings.
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M.W. Devers
Young Adult / Fantasy / Adventure
Midnight6 Publishing
November 2024
419 pages
In the small village of Rhigov, fifteen-year-old Astraya Myna dreams of little more than escaping the confines of her kitchen duties. Everything changes when a malevolent force known as Vronti shatters the village’s tranquility, sending Astraya on a journey she never imagined. Guided by a legacy she barely understands, Astraya joins forces with her brother, Raustra, and a small band of allies. Together, they embark on a dangerous quest to protect their home from wingroans—dragon-like creatures with mysterious intentions and lethal capabilities. With each step, Astraya uncovers more about her family's past and her own untapped strength, until she must decide: how far will she go to save her people and what is she willing to sacrifice to discover the truth about herself?
Author M.W. Devers has been crafting stories since childhood, drawing from a lifelong love of reading. MWD enjoys the quiet magic of early mornings spent world-building and shaping characters, all from his home in New Braunfels, Texas, where he lives with his family.
