Award-winning, star-reviewed middle grade historical fantasy, originally published by Viking. A spooky, spellbinding adventure for fans of Narnia**, filled with magic, mystery, and danger in a Scottish castle during World War II.**When World War II forces twelve-year-old Kat Bateson and her younger brother and sister out of London during the Blitz, they are evacuated to Scotland and deposited at Rookskill Castle—a so-called school that is ...

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #58.This issue kicks off our Halloween celebrations with a holiday-inspired tale. An incomplete draft of “Had a Wife...” was found in Janet Fox’s papers following her death, and I completed it. I hope you enjoy it. Keeping up the fantasy theme, we have a powerful tale by Craig Laurance Gidney inspired by the music of Joni Mitchell (selected by our acquiring editor Cynthia Ward). Our other acquiring editors have been busy, too—Michael Bracken pre...

In 1904, sixteen-year-old Maggie Bennet is preparing for a glittering debut in Gilded Age Newport when her mother mysteriously disappears.Most people believe her missing mother is dead, but Maggie does not. When her architect father takes a new position in Yellowstone National Park, Maggie is curious: her mother's trail may lead to Yellowstone. But by departing the east coast Maggie's forced to leave Newport society, her friends, and her potential betrothed behind....

An Edgar Award NomineeLonglisted for the Reading the West Book AwardA girl tackles a vacation filled with mystery, treasure, and learning to be her true self in this middle grade “frothy summer adventure…which bristles with gentle thrills and chills” (Publishers Weekly) that’s a modern-day Holes set on a dusty dude ranch in Montana.Becca Soloway’s perfect summer goes up in smoke when her mom flees a...

Ancient myths, fairy tales, and folklore are reimagined through stories of girls and women transformed by magic, danger, desire, and their own emerging power.In Unbound: Mythic Stories of Women Transformed, award-winning author Janet Fox reimagines ancient myths, fairy tales, folklore, and archetypes through the lives of girls and women confronting desire, danger, identity, sexuality, motherhood, power—and transformation.Across eight stories spanni...

Barbara married for wealth, but after her grasping, elderly husband finally dies, a series of mysterious disasters unfolds. With a growing sense of dread, Barbara begins to suspect the dead hold more power than she ever imagined.

Another week, another great issue—this time featuring terrific originals from H.K. Slade (part of his Friday Hampton/Ambrose Broyhill series, courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and Ken Foxe (a crime story set at rival coffee shops). And we have modern tales by Susan Dunlap (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman), Janet Fox (a sword and sorcery tale featuring her master thief, Jaquerel), and John S. Glasby (dark fantasy from a British master).For our mystery novel, we h...

You know the old rhyme, "Peter, Peter Pumpkin-Eater, had a wife and couldn't keep her..." They made the mistake of mocking Joey Hobin with that song. Joey Hobin, who carved the wooden animals and, at Halloween time, ran Hobin's Hobgoblins. He might be old, but he knew what was what. Or did he?An unfinished draft of this short story was found among Janet Fox's papers after she passed away. It has been completed by best-selling fantasy author John Gregory Betancourt.

“A poignant and powerful reminder that homelessness is not hopelessness.” —Kirby Larson, author of Newbery Honor book Hattie Big SkyTwo sisters struggle to keep their father’s disappearance a secret in this tender middle grade novel that’s perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.Twelve-year-old Lulu and her younger sister, Serena, have a secret. As Daddy always says, “it’s best if we keep it to ourselves,” an...

Welcome to another wide-ranging collection of dark fantasy and horror stories. From familiar classics to rare pulp stories, from the Victorian era to contemporary tales, there's something here for every taste. Included are:GARAGE SALE, by Janet FoxSOULS OF THE DAMNED, by John D. SwainJOHNNY ON THE SPOT, by Frank Belknap LongTHE HAUNTED CHAIR, by Richard MarshTHE UPPER BERTH, by F. Marion CrawfordA BIT OF THE DARK WORLD, by Fritz LeiberTHURN...

MYSTERIES / SUSPENSE / ADVENTURE“Promised Land” by Andrew Welsh-Huggins [Michael Bracken Presents short story]Security specialist Erie Hollar uncovers a sinister conspiracy on the moon’s Shackleton City. After discovering a body and surviving a brutal attack, Erie races against time to unravel the truth, dodging dangerous enemies and bureaucratic traps in a tense, moonlit sci-fi mystery.“The Great Diet Duplicity,” b...

Set against the glitter and danger of Jazz Age New York City, Sirens is a young adult historical novel blending mystery, romance, organized crime, Prohibition, flappers, family secrets, and female friendship into a story about two young women learning to take control of their lives.New York City, 1925. Flappers dance, speakeasies flourish, gangsters rule the streets—and two young women are about to discover just how dangerous the Jazz Age ...