Archives par étiquette : Mushens Entertainment

SEA-MOUTH de Melissa Oliver-Powell

With a sapphic romance at its heart and evocative horror imagery along the way, SEA-MOUTH will appeal to readers who have been drawn to the atmospheric isolation and queer passion (with a touch of marine gothic) of Our Wives Under the Sea and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and the gritty disgust and body horror interwoven with everyday intimacies of The Lamb, Nightbitch and Woman, Eating.

SEA-MOUTH
by Melissa Oliver-Powell
Virago, Publication date TBD
(via Mushens Entertainment)

Vinia is a high-flying corporate solicitor for a London firm, where she spends her time defending the interests of GlauCo, a multinational oil and gas giant. Her life is upended when she washes up on a polluted beach following an accident on a luxury yacht, and is rescued by Laura, a PhD researcher monitoring the mysterious migratory patterns of silver eels.

While convalescing under Laura’s care, Vinia’s recovery is stalled by a horrifying physical transformation. What begins as an insatiable hunger for rotting meat and a strange coarseness on her skin soon escalates into a full-scale metamorphosis: she begins growing silvery scales, gills, and a dorsal fin. Additionally, feelings of anger and passion that Vinia has spent her life repressing also rise to the surface.

Through a blossoming relationship, Laura and Vinia learn to embrace the strange (and hungry) parts of Vinia that can no longer be ignored. But her newfound freedom is threatened by Matt Glauser, the heir to GlauCo, and she must choose between returning to the “civilization » that exploited her and the ancient, monstrous fury rising from her own blood.

Melissa Oliver-Powell is a senior lecturer in Film and Literature at the University of York and spends her time teaching students about feminist theory and queer studies and showing them weird films from the sixties. Melissa is widely published as an academic, with work on French, English, Senegalese and American film in several books and journals, including Feminist Studies and French Screen Studies. Her book, Pepsi and the Pill: Motherhood, Politics and Film in Britain and France, 1958-1969, was published with Berghahn Books in 2022. She is originally from Cambridgeshire, spent her twenties as a Londoner, and is now based in York, where she lives with her wife, Aimee.

THE BLOOD MAIDEN de Chapel Vane

A dystopian crossover fantasy set in a fortress city where monsters lurk beyond the walls – sated by the nine drops of blood which each citizen must donate daily – and where a brother and sister witch find themselves plunged into a deadly competition.

THE BLOOD MAIDEN
by Chapel Vane
on submission in the UK and the USA
(via Mushens Entertainment)

Nine hearts to spare.
Eight for the monsters.
One for the heir.

In the fortress city of Narvall, each citizen must let nine drops of blood a day. A small price to pay the stave off the monsters beyond the steel wall. But for Vesper and her brother Rion, donating blood is anything but simple. For they are witches, and if the monsters ingested their blood they would become dangerously powerful. And if the Lord Protector and his bloodkeepers found out who they were? They’ll be put to death. Vesper’s ability to manipulate her appearance, and blood, and Rion’s magic which allows him to take blood from a lover during a poison kiss has kept them alive. So far. But the more Rion uses his powers the sicker he becomes, and Vesper is desperate to find a way to save him.

When the monsters break through the walls their fragile existence is shattered but with it a new opportunity comes: nine citizens will be picked for a deadly competition. Eight of them will donate their hearts to appease the monsters. And one will be picked to enter a life of luxury, married off to the heir: the dangerously attractive Lord Dellion. Vesper’s plan is to take on a new identity and win: accessing the wealth and medicine which can heal Rion. But when she tricks her way into the competition she is horrified to discover that Rion has also entered. And worst of all, why does her heart suddenly skip a beat whenever the heir is near?

Chapel Vane studied at London and Oxbridge. They work as the Editorial Director for a major Science Fiction and Fantasy imprint at one of the big five publishers. Chapel currently resides in England with their partner and fur babies. THE BLOOD MAIDEN is their debut fantasy novel.

IT COULD BE WORSE de Claire Frances

The Wedding People meets Beth O’Leary! A warm, funny and life-affirming novel about grief, terrible decisions, unexpected friendship, and why sometimes the worst night of your life is exactly what you need.

IT COULD BE WORSE
by Claire Frances
One More Chapter, February 2027
(via Mushens Entertainment)

Maggie May has a lot going for her.

A house in Cornwall. A fiancé. A sister.

Unfortunately, her fiancé is sleeping with her sister. In her kitchen. Over her table.

Ben Jones has his own problems. A lot of them. And a very questionable plan to fix them.

When Ben and Maggie meet unexpectedly, they make a deal: five weeks to turn their lives around. And neither of them will do anything stupid in the meantime.

Except one of them has been keeping a secret the whole time…

Claire Frances has a masters in Professional Writing, specialising in fiction, a diploma in Print Journalism and Radio, and studied Creative Writing at university. She has worked as a journalist and freelance feature writer for BBC Countryfile Magazine and Devon Life and was a host blogger for The Huffington Post UK. She lives on Dartmoor with her husband and two children. She finds her inspiration to write flows most freely when she’s roaming the moors with Charlie, her Chocolate Labrador.

HOW LONG DOES IT ACTUALLY TAKE de Christi Newrutzen & Michelle Rutz

Written by viral content creator Christi Newrutzen and her mom, psychologist Dr. Michelle Rutz, this practical and psychologically grounded book teaches readers how to close the gap between intending to act and actually beginning.

HOW LONG DOES IT ACTUALLY TAKE
by Christi Newrutzen and Michelle Rutz
Little, Brown Spark, Spring 2028
(via Mushens Entertainment)

Inspired by Christi’s videos, where she times herself doing commonly avoided tasks, Christi has helped her friends organize their bathrooms, tupperware drawers and much more.

Expanding on the method that has helped millions, the book gives a practical way to challenge the perseptions that fuel procrastination, showing that starting might be easier than we thought.

The book introduces three steps—challenge the story, shrink the monster, reflect with real data—that are at the core of why asking this simple question helps.

Christi Newrutzen is the creator of the widely popular “How Long Does It Actually Take?” series, where she times everyday tasks people commonly procrastinate—everything from cleaning and organizing, to making appointments and tackling projects that she, her friends, and her family have avoided for years.

Dr. Michelle Rutz holds a Doctorate in Psychology and is a member of the American Psychological Association. Additionally, she holds a Master’s degree in Education, two teaching credentials, and a bachelor’s degree in Human Development. Michelle’s impressive educational background, combined with the richness of her lived experience, brings legitimacy and depth of wisdom to Christi’s creative messaging of the psychology of procrastination and tools to overcome its negative impact.

VERY BAD NEIGHBOURS de Sue Hincenbergs

The second book from international bestselling author of The Retirement Plan, Sue Hincenbergs.

VERY BAD NEIGHBOURS
by Sue Hincenbergs
William Morrow, Spring 2027
(via Mushens Entertainment)

Sophie Kowalski arrives in her new neighbourhood looking for a fresh start for her young family, and neighbours she can befriend over their white picket fences. Her husband Mike has finally quit his less-than-legal job putting bad people into the ground, and at last they can lead a normal life.

But that dream threatens to explode before it’s even begun when Sophie and Mike learn there’s a hit out on the school’s queen bee. Lauren’s killer body and circle of devotees might be to die for, but who would actually want her dead?

There’s no way Sophie can let this happen – but trying to stop a murder is about to land her in the middle of the neighbourhood’s darkest secret, and soon she’ll discover that these picket fences can be sharp as knives…

Sue Hincenbergs is a former TV producer. She lives in Toronto with her husband, her scruffy, middle-aged rescue dog Kramer, and the rooms full of the stuff her three sons left behind when they moved out. Her debut, The Retirement Plan was a huge Canadian bestseller, staying in the Hardback top 10 chart for 11 weeks