New Releases On the Way!

It’s Wednesday, which means we’re less than a week out from our biggest summer pub date: June 12, which brings the triple threat of Terry Grigg’s The Iconoclast’s Journal, Alison Moore’s The Pre-War House, and Mauricio Segura’s Oscar.  Here’s a quick round-up of some of the press they’ve gotten so far, along with a few sneak peeks of what’s to come.

In addition to a starred review from Foreword, The Iconoclast’s Journal has garnered indieNEXT nominations from booksellers like James Crossley at Island Books, who writes, “From the first lines of The Iconoclast’s Journal, it’s obvious that you’re being carried away by a real writer. That’s the first great pleasure that Terry Griggs gives to her readers. But where is she taking you? Ah, that’s the second great pleasure. Whenever you think you know where this tale of a runaway groom and his vengeful bride is heading, Griggs zigs once and zags at least twice, bringing you to places you never imagined going.”

Both Kirkus and Booklist have raved about Alison Moore’s short story collection The Pre-War House. Kirkus writes: “[There’s] a quiet sense of sadness that dogs these characters. As they navigate their lives, Moore slowly unearths their essential fears, regrets, and unmet desires, producing a subdued and beautiful feeling of yearning that leaves the reader ruminating long after the final page. A masterful collection.” Booklist similarly praises Moore’s skilful restraint, proclaiming in a review that goes live on June 13, “Moore is the real deal.”

Finally, Mauricio Segura’s Oscar has had me humming “Summertime” all week, and the author himself is slated for an upcoming guest post on Largehearted Boy, a US-based music and literature site. In it, Mauricio chooses a playlist to accompany his mesmerizing novel about a young musician named Oscar P., a classic story of artistic struggle inspired by the life of legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. Reader, I have seen his playlist, aka the new soundtrack of my summer months. Make some space in your music library, and in the meantime …