Duet, an imprint of Interlude Press

@duetbooks

Duet Books, an imprint of the award-winning boutique publisher Interlude Press, is dedicated to publishing quality and respectful Young Adult titles featuring characters from across the LGBTQ spectrum.

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Now Available: BORN ANDROMEDA by K.M. Watts

“An action-packed space opera that’s not afraid of guts, glory, or going against the grain."

— Foreword Reviews

She was destined for a royal life—until galactic pirates changed the course of destiny.

Being eighteen is difficult, especially when you’re a cyborg and heir to the entire kingdom of the Moon. Disillusioned with royal life, Princess Andromeda dreams of nothing but freedom and adventure outside the protective dome of royalty. But when her parents arrange her marriage to an Earthen prince, she is forced to put her kingdom before her dreams of independence.

While traveling to Earth, Andromeda’s ship is attacked by galactic pirates led by her father’s sworn enemy, the Lord Captain Bran. Taken prisoner, Andromeda realizes that her captors are unaware of her true identity and sees an opportunity: To best her enemies, she may have to join them.

Price: $12.99 print / $6.99 eBook

Details: Trade paperback, 5.25"x 8”

Pages: 284

ISBN: 978-1-951954-21-5 print // 978-1-951954-22-2 eBook

Cover art by C.B. Messer.

About the Author

K.M. Watts is a debut novelist who first dreamed of becoming an author when she won her school’s Young Author Award at the age of five. She enjoys reading and writing YA fantasy and sci-fi, though she also dabbles with YA romantic thrillers. In her free time, she enjoys canyon hiking in her home state of Arizona.

Twitter | Instagram | Website

Add BORN ANDROMEDA to your Goodreads TBR here.

Available from the IP Web Store, Chicago Review Press, Bookshop, Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Book Depository, and an indie bookstore near you.

This past weekend marked the eighth anniversary of Interlude Press becoming real. After months of planning, our small business incorporated on January 1, 2014 and soon after, we announced our plans to publish novels from first-time authors making the jump from fanworks to professional publishing.

Some applauded us. Some didn’t. We saw more than a few comments forecasting our inevitable and immediate failure.

Eight years later, our books have received awards, starred reviews, and placement on annual “Best of the Year” lists. They’ve appeared on bestseller lists. They’ve been featured in The New York Times, NPR, and O Magazine. Authors have become reader favorites, and some have moved on to new stages. And ultimately, our books found a larger platform when we signed with a distributor that opened new doors for our books.

As Interlude grew, so did its benchmarks for success. And it became clear that to ensure the continued success of this company in an increasingly competitive market, we were going to need some help.

Other publishers recognized this, as well. We were approached by larger companies about possible acquisition. And one stood out from the others.

On January 1st, we welcomed Chicago Review Press as the new owner of Interlude Press and Duet Books.

In Chicago Review Press, we found not just a new owner, but a familiar space committed to the catalog, the mission, the authors, and the brand of Interlude Press and Duet Books. Its publisher has expressed a strong commitment to keeping the brand intact and assigning editorial leadership to members of the queer community.

We take this step with great excitement for the future of Interlude Press, its authors, and their books. Throughout our months-long process, it became clear that Interlude has found a home that is committed to its future and respectful of its history.

We couldn’t be more grateful for the authors, editors, readers, bloggers, reviewers and more whose support and hard work have helped shape Interlude Press into the publisher it has become.

The three of us— Managing Editor Annie Harper, Art Director C.B. Messer, and Marketing-Communications Director Candysse Miller—have treasured this incredible ride and are thankful for your support and belief in our mission of helping readers of LGBTQ+ fiction find the love, triumphs, friendships, family, adventures, and the uplifting endings they deserve.

STOCK THE SHELVES WITH OUR BIGGEST SALE EVER!

It’s our biggest sale ever —we’re discounting 50% off EVERYTHING in the IP Web Store Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday!

This holiday weekend, we’re doing something we’ve never done before—slashing the price of everything—print, eBooks, audio, and merch—by 50 percent at the IP Web Store!

Look for great deals from reader favorites, or browse to discover a new-to-you author for as little as $1.00 for digital short stories and $3.50 for novels. Or stock your shelves with print books starting as low as $5.00 with special discounted shipping rates!

Not sure what to read? Stop by our Twitter this holiday weekend, where we'll Rec A Book. Just tag us (at) interludepress with the genre or representation you'd like to read, and we'll recommend a title!

Pre-Order Now Available! BOOK OF DREAMS by Kevin Craig

From the award-winning author of The Camino Club, a thrilling descent into the pages of a cursed book leaves a teenager racing against time to escape the BOOK OF DREAMS.

Gaige’s curiosity gets the better of him when he discovers a bookstore on an abandoned street where no bookstore should be. He steps inside and is immediately enthralled by its antiquarian sights and smells. But one book in particular calls to him. It isn’t long before he gets a bad feeling about it, but it's already too late. The store’s aged bookseller gives him no alternative: once he touches the book, it's his—whether he wants it or not.

The book leads Gaige on a horrific descent into the unknown. As he falls into the depths of its pages, he loses blocks of time, and his friends become trapped inside ancient cellars with seemingly no means of escape.

Gaige soon learns that the ancient bookseller is a notorious serial killer from previous century, and fears that he has fallen into a predicament from which he may not escape. When all seems lost, he finds the one person he can turn to for help—Mael, a sweet boy also trapped inside the book who didn't fall for the bookseller’s tricks. Together, they race against time to protect Gaige from joining a long string of boys who vanished without a trace inside the Book of Dreams.

BOOK OF DREAMS

Release Date: May 24, 2022

Price: $17.99 print / $6.99 multi-format ebook

Details: Trade paperback, 5.25"x 8”

Pages:

ISBN: 978-1-951954-19-2 print // 978-1-951954-20-8 multi-format eBook

Cover art by C.B. Messer.

About the Author

Kevin Craig is an award-winning playwright, poet, and short story writer who lives in Toronto with their husband, Michael. Kevin's seven published novels include The Camino Club (Duet, 2020), Pride Must Be a Place (MuseItUp Publishing, 2018) and Burn Baby Burn Baby (independently published, 2014). Kevin was a founding member of the Ontario Writers' Conference Board of Directors, and sat on the Writers' Community of Durham Region's (WCDR) Board of Directors as Membership Coordinator.

KTCraig.com

Pre-order at:

IP Web Store | Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | Indiebound | Kobo (more links coming soon!)

Add BOOK OF DREAMS to your Goodreads TBR here.

Now Available From IP Audio: How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters

"Winters deserves a place in the YA literary canon." — School Library Journal (starred review)

Everyone on campus knows Remy Cameron. He’s the out-and-proud, super-likable guy who friends, faculty, and fellow students alike admire for his cheerful confidence. The only person who isn’t entirely sure about Remy Cameron is Remy himself. Under pressure to write an A+ essay defining who he is and who he wants to be, Remy embarks on an emotional journey toward reconciling the outward labels people attach to him with the real Remy Cameron within.

From the author of the bestselling novels Running With Lions and The Summer of Everything, Julian Winters' acclaimed story about overcoming the labels that try to define our lives comes to audio.

Price: $19.99

Running Times: 9 hours, 38 minutes

ISBN: 978-1-951954-17-8

Narrated by Silas Whitaker

Cover art by C.B. Messer

Limited Time Bundle Deal:

Order the audiobook of HOW TO BE REMY CAMERON from the IP Web Store by September 30th, and get 30% off the print or ebook edition with code REMY DEAL.

Win an author-signed print edition and an Amazon Echo:

Submit proof of purchase to [email protected] by September 30th. Winner will be chosen at random on October 1st.

Available from the IP Web Store, Audible, Apple, Audiobooks.com, B&N, Google Play, Kobo, Libro.FM, Scribd, and more!

About the Author

Julian Winters is a best-selling and award-winning author of contemporary young adult fiction. His novels Running with Lions, How to Be Remy Cameron, and The Summer of Everything (Duet, 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively), received accolades for their positive depictions of diverse, relatable characters. Running with Lions is the recipient of an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Award. How to Be Remy Cameron and The Summer of Everything were named Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections and received a numerous starred reviews. A former management trainer, Julian currently lives outside of Atlanta where he can be found reading, being a self-proclaimed comic book geek, or watching the only two sports he can follow—volleyball and soccer. His next novel is Right Where I Left You from Viking Children’s/Penguin in 2022. He was also a contributing author to Black Boy Joy (Delacorte, 2021), a NY Times #1 bestselling middle grade anthology.

About the Narrator

Silas Whitaker a lifelong fan of audiobooks and brings a passion for great storytelling to every book he reads. He specializes in contemporary fiction, sci-fi and fantasy. silaswhitaker.com Twitter: @whitaker_silas

Add How to Be Remy Cameron to your Goodreads TBR here.

Join us at our booth at Edelweiss Book Fest for giveaways, bookish news, and chats with some of your favorite Interlude Press and Duet Books authors!

Register with code INTERLUDE for 10% off at http://abovethetreeline.com/edelweiss-bookfest

Look for $1.99 sales on select Interlude and Duet Books ebooks at your favorite online retailers!

Let’s Celebrate an Anniversary

COMING THIS SEPTEMBER!

“…a lively exploration of morality in a superpowered age.” — Publishers Weekly

Five years ago, an incredible story about friends, heroes, villains and what it means to be extraordinary found a home both on readers’ bookshelves and in their hearts. Since it’s release, C.B. Lee’s Not Your Sidekick has been featured in bookstores, libraries, classrooms, and major media—and we think a celebration is in order.

While we wait for the 2022 release of the fourth and final chapter of the Sidekick Squad series, we’re working with the author to create a new edition of Not Your Sidekick that will include bonus content from the Sidekick Squad files and a special Q&A with the author!

Look for details in coming weeks.

As we finally put 2020 in the rear view mirror, we want to send the readers, booksellers, reviewers, bloggers, distributors and more who have supported Interlude Press and Duet Books our thanks. Your support has helped us navigate this incredibly difficult environment and prepare plans for an exciting new year.

In 2021, look for romance, young adult, and literary fiction books, as well as digital short stories and collections. We’re also developing means of distributing our books to new readers around the world, and methods to help save you money while introducing you to new authors and stories that we think you’ll love.

And while we regrettably may not be able to see you in person at book festivals and conventions for another year, we plan to continue to promote and develop online events to connect you with our authors. We’re currently taking a couple of weeks to rest and enjoy the holidays, and when we come back in January, we plan to dive into an exciting new year of celebrating outstanding queer literature.

Best wishes for a happy and safe holiday season from the IP Team. 🎄

THE REVIEWS ARE IN: IT’S THE BEST SUMMER EVER!

Join Wes, Nico, and the everyone at Once Upon a Page for The Summer of Everything, Julian Winters’ new YA romcom. Available Tuesday from @DuetBooks.

Start your summer with the YA Anthology featuring bestselling and award-winning authors Julia Ember, Kate Fierro, Jude Sierra Tom Wilinsky and Jen Sternick dialing down the angst for an anthology of light LGBTQ YA romance full of feels.

Pre-order now at IP Web Store, Bookshop, Indiebound, Apple, B&N, Amazon.

IP/Duet Tiny Book Fest Coming to a Computer Near You April 19 & 26

Join Interlude Press and Duet Books authors online this month as we host a two-day series of panels, conversations, readings and giveaways!

With major publishing conventions and festivals canceled due to current world events, we will host the Interlude Press Tiny Book Fest April 19 and 26. To help authors recreate the face-to-face time these festivals normally provide, we will be hosting via Zoom Webinar, with a simulcast to Facebook Live. Full details of login information to be announced soon!

Join authors like Julian Winters, C.B. Lee, Claire Rudy Foster and others in conversation with special guests like Dahlia Adler of LGBTQ Reads, Alex Brown of Tor.com, Booktuber Mallory “Mallorayofsunshine” Cohen, and Frolic Media co-founder Sarah Penna. We’ll also be giving away books, gift cards to indie bookstores, swag and more both weekends!

SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, APRIL 19

10 am PT /1 pm ET

FLUFF YEAH!

The authors of the upcoming SHORT STUFF YA anthology talk about the role of feel-good fiction in difficult times.

Moderator: Alysia Constantine, Short Stuff editor Panel: Julia Ember, The Seafarer’s Kiss; The Navigator’s Touch Kate Fierro, Love Starved Jude Sierra, A Tiny Piece of Something Greater; Idlewild; What It Takes Tom Wilinsky and Jen Sternick, Snowsisters

11:30 am PT / 2:30 pm ET

JULIAN WINTERS IN CONVERSATION WITH DAHLIA ADLER (LGBTQ READS; His Hideous Heart)

12:45 am PT / 3:45 pm ET

BEHIND THE SCENES: Q&A WITH IP/DUET

Want to know what’s next? How to submit a manuscript? How we’re riding out the current storm? We’re here to share and answer your questions about where we’ve been, where we hope to go, and how we’re going to get there.

1:30 pm PT / 4:30 pm ET

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Every once in a while, you’ll read a book where the setting feels almost like another character in the book. Authors with setting-inspired fiction discuss how the location can set the tone and influence storytelling.

Moderator: Sarah Penna, Co-founder of Frolic Media Panel: Kevin Craig, The Camino Club (Duet, October 2020) Laury A. Egan, The Ungodly Hour Lilah Suzanne, Tack & Jibe; Jilted Julian Winters, The Summer of Everything (Duet, September 2020)

SUNDAY, APRIL 26

9 am PT / Noon ET

TURN BACK THE CLOCK: WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION

Whether your novel is set in Ancient Rome or the height of the disco era at Studio 54, writing historical fiction requires detailed research to get the setting right.

Moderator: Jeff Adams, The Big Gay Fiction Podcast Panel:

Alysia Constantine, LuckMonkey (January 2021) Suzey Ingold, Speakeasy Carrie Pack, Grrrls on the Side Amy Stilgenbauer, Sideshow Laura Stone, Bitter Springs

10:45 am PT/ 2:45 pm ET

CLAIRE RUDY FOSTER, Q&A and READING, SHINE OF THE EVER

A literary mixtape of life, love and queer community in Portland, Oregon, Claire Rudy Foster’s Shine of the Ever was singled out by O Magazine as “Best LGBTQ Books That’ll Change the Literary Landscape in 2019.” Join Foster as they read from this acclaimed short story collection.

12:15 PT/ 3:15 pm ET

C.B. LEE IN CONVERSATION WITH BOOKTUBER MALLORY SHOEMAKER (“Mallorayofsunshine”)

1:30 pm PT / 4:30 pm ET

THE COVER UP: THE STORYTELLING ART OF COVER ILLUSTRATION

Award-winning IP Art Director C.B. Messer in conversation with author Julian Winters

3pm PT/ 6pm ET

YA IN SPAAAAAAACE!!: THE MANY WORLDS SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY YA

Space operas! Urban fantasies! Reimagined fairy tales! Science fiction and fantasy are a staple of Young Adult fiction, as well as some of the most popular queer YA reads. Our panel talks about the broad range of SFF- YA, and their places in it.

Moderator: Alex Brown, Tor.com Panel: Julia Ember, The Seafarer’s Kiss; The Navigator’s Touch Kate Hazel Hall, From Darkness (November 2020) C.B. Lee, The Sidekick Squad Series; Seven Tears at High Tide F.T. Lukens, The Broken Moon Series; The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic; Monster of the Week

INTERLUDE PRESS INKS DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH IPG

We’re proud to announce that Interlude Press has entered into a distribution agreement with the Independent Publishers Group (IPG). The agreement is effective January 1st.

“Our partnership with IPG enables us more effectively reach readers, educators, and librarians who are hungry for quality fiction featuring diverse casts of LGBTQ+ characters,” said Executive Editor Annie Harper.

IPG is a Chicago-based book distributor founded in 1971 to exclusively market titles from independent publishers to the international book trade. Like other book wholesalers and distributors, IPG combines its clients’ books into a single list, comparable to larger publishing houses. IPG’s distribution services to publishers include warehousing, bill collecting, and sales to the book trade.

In early 2019, we will temporarily reduce our publication calendar as we adjust to a new production schedule, however, we will introduce digital box sets and other new products before returning to our regular publication schedule in late summer.

Among the titles scheduled for publication in 2019 are the third book in C.B. Lee’s popular Sidekick Squad series, Not Your Backup; Julian Winters’ How to be Remy Cameron, the follow-up to his bestselling 2018 debut, Running with Lions; and Brush Strokes, a debut contemporary romance by E.S. Karlquist.

IP and Duet have been recipients of the Lambda Literary Award, Foreword INDIES Book of the Year award, the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award and the Cybils Awards, as well as being named to annual best book lists of Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. In business since 2014, Interlude Press and its YA imprint, Duet Books, publish award-winning and bestselling LGBTQ+ fiction in multiple genres, including romance, science fiction, fantasy, general fiction and literary fiction.

Amazon was a little late to the book birthday party, but it doesn’t mean we can’t keep celebrating! Due to system delays, our special launch day sale for The Navigator’s Touch has been extended through Friday, September 14. Find it here!

Now Available: THE NAVIGATOR’S TOUCH by Julia Ember

“Ember’s writing is at its best in action and romance sequences, both of which, thankfully, are plentiful.”

—Kirkus Reviews

After invaders destroyed her village, murdered her family, and took her prisoner, shield-maiden Ragna is hungry for revenge. A trained warrior, she is ready to fight for her home, but with only a mermaid and a crew of disloyal mercenaries to aid her, Ragna knows she needs new allies. Guided by the magical maps on her skin, battling storms and mutiny, Ragna sets sail across the Northern Sea.

She petitions the Jarl in Skjordal for aid, but despite Ragna’s rank and fighting ability, the Jarl sees only a young girl, too inexperienced to lead, unworthy of help. To prove herself to the Jarl and win her crew’s respect, Ragna undertakes a dangerous expedition. But when forced to decide between her own freedom and the fate of her crew, what will she sacrifice to save what’s left of her home?

Inspired by Norse mythology and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, this companion novel to The Seafarer’s Kiss is a tale of vengeance, valor, honor, and redemption. From Duet Books, the YA imprint of Interlude Press.

THE NAVIGATOR’S TOUCH Price: $16.99 print / $6.99 multi-format ebook Details: Trade paperback, 5.25"x 8.25" Pages/Words: 256 // 65.600 ISBN: 978-1-945053-68-9 print // 978-1-945053-69-6 multi-format eBook

The Navigator’s Touch is available from the IP Web Store, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, Book Depository, and an indie bookstore near you.

About the Author

Born in Chicago, Julia Ember now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland with her partner and their city-based menagerie of pets with names from Harry Potter. Sirius Black and Luna Lovegood the cats currently run her life. A world-traveller since childhood, Julia has visited almost seventy countries. Her travels inspire her writing, though she populates her worlds with magic and monsters. She has worked as a teacher, a wedding cake decorator and a bookseller.

Julia began writing at the age of nine, when her short story about two princesses and their horses won a contest. In 2016, she published her first novel, Unicorn Tracks, with Harmony Ink Press. It also focused on two girls and their equines, albeit those with horns. She has subsequently published three further works for young adults.

The Navigator’s Touch is the sequel to The Seafarer’s Kiss, which was released by Interlude Press in May 2017. It was heavily influenced by Julia’s postgraduate work in Medieval literature at the University of St. Andrews.

Cover art by C.B. Messer

Editor’s Note: Some readers may find some of the scenes in this book difficult to read. We have compiled a list of content warnings, which you can access at interludepress.com/content-warnings

RELEASE WEEK SALE!

Want to read @jules_chronicle’s The Seafarer’s Kiss before the release of its companion novel, The Navigator’s Touch, this Thursday? Starting 9/10, the eBook is 99 cents on Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, B&N, and other online retailers—including http://store.interludepress.com !

Submissions are Open!

Got a story to tell? Interlude Press and Duet Books for YA are looking for new voices for a limited number of openings on our 2020 publication calendar.

Duet Books (Young Adult)

* Short stories for anthology: Low-to-no angst, feel-good short stories for an upcoming YA anthology. Show us your best charming, quirky stories of teen friendship and/or romance. (7,500-to-15,000 words) Submissions accepted through December 1st.

* We are also looking for contemporary, fantasy, and science fiction Young Adult novels of 60,000-to-80,000 words.

Interlude Press (Adult Fiction)

We are currently looking for novels of 60,000-to-90,000 words in the following genres: contemporary, historical, romantic comedy, mystery/suspense, and romantic fiction.

Interlude Press and Duet Books for YA are boutique publishers of award-winning LGBTQ+ fiction, including Lambda Literary Awards, IBPA Benjamin Franklin awards, Foreword INDIES Book of the Year awards and multiple starred reviews and books listed on annual “Best of” lists.

Before submitting your manuscript, please take the time to read our submissions guidelines and become familiar with our publication catalog. Incomplete submissions will be deleted without consideration.

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