Bøger udgivet af Bywater Books

Award-winning author Penny Mickelbury takes readers on a beautiful and complicated journey through Harlem in 1953. This captivating story is passionate and alive, teeming with the contradictory joy and pain of Black life in America.World War II ended less than 10 years ago, and the Korean War less than one. But no one has recovered from wartime privations, especially the Colored soldiers who fought a ruthless enemy on foreign lands, expecting to return home with all the rights and privileges of American citizenship.But those rights and privileges remain few and far between, and Mickelbury's cast of characters find themselves reflecting on the Harlem they call home: they are educated and unschooled; wealthy and desperately poor; committed to improving circumstances for Negroes and abjectly hopeless. They create a family of and for themselves--women, men, children, gays, and the proudly self-named. They commit themselves to helping create a world to benefit their people based on hard work, artistic expression, and faith in their community.They have learned to live in the larger world by two guiding principles: Each One Teaches One, and Harm to One is Harm to All--because in this neighborhood, payback will always be swift and painful.

In this powerful prequel to The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants, Orlando Ortega-Medina weaves an inspiring story of survival, love, and resilience set against the violent backdrop of 1980s El Salvador.Isaac Perez, a young dreamer caught in the crossfire of El Salvador's civil war, is forced to flee north after his life is torn apart by military brutality. His journey to the United States is fraught with peril, but he's not alone; by his side is Ahbhu, a loyal Australian Cattle Dog with whom he shares a mysterious, telepathic bond.Together, Isaac and Ahbhu brave treacherous landscapes and cross paths with unforgettable allies: Suchi, a fierce protector of LGBTQ migrants, and Diego, a young man whose kindness rekindles Isaac's hope for a future beyond survival. But as they journey through a world scarred by violence and betrayal, Isaac must confront the haunting shadows of his past--and discover whether he has the strength to build a new life in a land of promise.Set in a magic-touched reality where love and loyalty transcend even the harshest borders, Emerald Road explores the power of connection, the loss of innocence, and the courage needed to forge a new beginning. This gripping tale invites readers into a story where survival and spirit intertwine, testing the limits of hope in the face of unimaginable odds.

First comes surrogacy, then comes the messy gay breakup in Tom Pyun's tragi-comic debut novel that asks, is it ever too late to finally face yourself and grow up?Winston Kang and Jared Cahill seem like the perfect couple. When they check in for their flight to Cambodia, where they're headed to meet the surrogate carrying their baby girl, even the woman at the airline counter recognizes it: "I'm so happy that marriage is legal for you guys," she says.But while Jared is already planning for their second kid--half white like him, half Korean like Wynn--Wynn isn't ready to give up his dreams of becoming a hip-hop dancer to become "the hostage of a crying, pooping terrorist." So he does what anyone in his position would do: He leaves Jared at the airport.Wynn sets off on a journey around the globe, trying to figure out what it means to put himself first, from auditioning for Misty Espinoza's comeback tour to organizing a Prince-themed flash mob. Oceans away, Jared starts to panic that no one in his life can talk to Meryl about her period or what it's like to grow up Asian American.Told in alternating points of view, Pyun's sardonic and addictive page-turner confronts questions of race, identity, and privilege, pulling at the loose threads of the American Dream and facing the question of whether it's ever too late to finally face yourself and grow up.

From the ground-breaking author of Punk Like Me and Punk & Zen, comes the powerful story of Bennie Grego, an EMT by day and comic book artist by night who is forced to make an impossible decision.There's not much more dangerous or exciting than being a New York City emergency medical technician--unless you add being a smoke jumper during fire season. It's all about saving lives one way or another, holding the line against fire, disaster, and death.Saving lives is what Benadette¿"Bennie"¿Grego knows, and she's damn good at it. Her Nana keeps her gear repaired and blesses Bennie with holy water every time she leaves¿the work is risky, but helping people is what gives her life meaning, and when she's not saving lives, Bennie pursues her second passion--drawing superheroes for a comic she and her friend Jean have created.But when a bad jump results in a devastating injury to her drawing arm, Bennie must come to terms with the fact that she may lose one of the two essential parts of her soul forever. Trauma changed her once before, and once again she must make a a difficult choice--the sirens or the superheroes.

Featuring strong queer female protagonists who must navigate class, race, religion, language, and nationality, Mala Kumar's What It Meant to Survive is a poignant and heartbreaking commentary on life in modern-day America and Nigeria.Ramya and Juliet begin to uplift each other and heal the moment they match on Tinder. For nearly a decade, Ramya, an American of Indian origin from Virginia, has grappled with her survivor's guilt from a devastating mass shooting that occurred during her last year of university. Halfway around the world in Nigeria, Juliet has survived family tragedies, economic downturns, and an oppressive patriarchy. With a one-chance swipe on their phones in a country foreign to them both, the two women begin a remarkable romantic relationship that most fairy tales wouldn't dare to depict.But can they hold onto each other?As their lives intertwine, Ramya suffers acute memory loss so pronounced that she sometimes forgets where she is, who she's with, and even who she is. Periodically, Juliet experiences time freezes that throw her out of sync with everyone around her. Ultimately, the two women choose to begin a new life together in New York City, where their love will be acknowledged and respected. But for Juliet to make it through the American immigration process, the two women must get to the root causes of these memory loss and time-lapse episodes by coming to terms with their pasts.Written by a singularly talented, wildly imaginative novelist, What It Meant to Survive is a powerful and bracing work of fiction inspired by the Virginia Tech Massacre, and the author's real-life experience navigating its long-term social and emotional impacts.

Salem West and Christel Cogneau have assembled a powerhouse lineup of Bywater Books and Amble Press authors to explore, subvert, and reinvigorate the bountiful feast of All Hallows phantasmagoria in this stunning collection.To the living, "soul food" has a specific meaning, history, and flavor. But what does "soul food" mean to the demon, ghost, fiend, witch, spirit, or vampire? How does their ingenuity and wit rise and fall in the taking, baking, erasing, embracing, and defacing of sustenance?West and Cogneau have challenged their authors to explore these and other questions in surprising and fascinating ways. Sometimes sweet and other times terrifying, sometimes warm or otherwise demented, these stories set the table for an otherworldly feast of delight and intrigue.Let the banquet begin . . .Soul Food Stories is packed with literary confections by award-winning authors, Anna Burke, Jenn Alexander, Jacob Budenz, Virginia Black, Cathy Pegau, and Ann McMan.Featured stories include: "The Five Year Revenge Agency" by Anna Burke"Tilly's Tarts" by Jenn Alexander"Of the Air and Land" by Jacob Budenz"Ravenous" by Virginia Black"In Speary Wood" by Cathy Pegau"Perhaps You Missed My Signs" by Anna Burke"Ghost Writer" by Ann McMan

Virginia Black's No Shelter But The Stars is the space opera you've been waiting for--packed with warring worlds, romantic adventure, and larger-than-life characters. Kyran Loyal is the last heir to the lost throne of a forgotten planet, the figurehead of a nomadic people fleeing the galactic tyranny of a brutal regime. Davia Sifane is the unrecognized daughter of an imperial despot. When happenstance pits them against each other in battle, neither expects the outcome: they are the only two people to survive. Marooned on a barren moon, their only hope of survival is to rely on each other, but what they learn will either kill them or change the galaxy forever.

Award-winning author and journalist Penny Mickelbury returns to pre-Civil War Philadelphia to continue the powerful saga of Genie Oliver and Abigail Read.In 1857 the US Supreme Court ruled that Blacks were not--and could never be citizens. Black lives were already in peril from the hooligans who would capture and sell them South under the protection of the Runaway Slave Act, even if they weren't runaway slaves. By 1861 Southern states spoke openly of seceding from the Union to form the Confederate States and protect what they believed was their right to own slaves. If the South were to win, slavery would become the law of the land. So for many Blacks, leaving was the only option.Genie Oliver, who frequently dresses as a man to move about the city, is no longer safe in her disguise. White people find themselves just as imperiled for providing any assistance to Blacks--which means that the former Pinkerton's agent Ezra MacKaye, his fiancé Ada Lawrence, and heiress Abigail Read, are in as much danger as Genie and her friends, the Juniper family.Not knowing what to expect, Ezra, Ada, and the Juniper family join Genie and Abigail as they pack up their lives and head to Canada. Their goal is to stay at least one step ahead of the brutalities of the uncivil war, but can they outpace the dangers that cross their paths every step of the way?

Years after a fractured teenage romance, an up-and-coming musician and a youth counselor team up on a project that rocks everything they thought they knew about themselves and each other.Spencer Adams was never expected to be anything more than a high school dropout. She'd been a troubled teen, spending more time at the skate park than in school, at least until her music teacher introduced her to the guitar, and music class became her lifeline. Ten years later, she is the guitarist in a band that has become a breakout success, and she wants to use that success to help other teens who have had the same rough start as her. She takes on a volunteer project with local youth as a way of honoring her past, not knowing that it will force her to revisit the one part of her past that she'd hoped to forget.Faith Siebert has always had high expectations to live up to, and she has tried her best to fulfill those expectations, to be a good daughter, a good student, and a good friend. When she fell for Spencer in high school, she knew her family and friends would never approve. Scared of their reactions, Faith ended things with Spencer, following the path her parents wanted for her, even at the immense personal cost. Of course, it had only been a high school romance, destined for brevity anyway. At least, that's what she told herself. But when Spencer shows up in her life once again, partnered with Faith on a youth music project, her world is rocked and she is forced to re-examine everything she knows about relationships and herself.Live It Out is a second-chance romance about forgiveness and finding one's authentic self.

Award-winning author Anna Burke delivers the shivers in this daring queer dark fantasy romance teeming with sensuous vampires, dark academia, plant horrors, and terrifying fungal fae.When Clara Eden is offered a job as an archivist working for eccentric estate owner Agatha Montague, she thinks her prayers have been answered. Soon, she finds herself sucked into her research world, captivated by a romantic correspondence thousands of years old. But as her feelings for her employer's assistant, Fiadh, deepen, so does her suspicion that something about Agatha Montague isn't right. Unfortunately for Clara, it is far too late to run by the time her suspicions are confirmed.

When a vile, hate-spewing thug attacks the people she loves, trans woman Nikki Finch knows what she must do to protect them.Nikki Finch is a successful transgender woman with a thriving Beatnik cafe and a comfortable life until the first summer of the Trump presidency sets off a wave of violence against minorities. Nikki's carefully curated world is shattered when a neo-Nazi thug attacks her business partner. She comes to his rescue, but her efforts launch a chain of events that imperil her and everyone she loves, especially her angst-ridden daughter, Morgan. Nikki will do everything she can to keep her loved ones safe, but as her civilized options begin to evaporate, she is left with no choice but to go places she's never gone before. Kill or be killed. It should be a simple choice. But it's not that simple for Nikki Finch--it would have to be a cold-blooded murder and she'd have to get away with it. It could work, but what kind of example would she set for her daughter?

Lambda Literary Award-winning author introduces readers to the crime-fighting duo of Fin Donner and Devorah Longstreet--Lovers. Investigators. Women ahead of their time.New York City, 1899--a city on the cusp of a new century. A city growing taller, faster, a city of new inventions, new ideas--and old dangers on its shadowy streets where crime, misery, and murder lurk.When Pauline Godfrey, a young woman embodying the coming modern age, is viciously murdered, her throat cut, private inquiry agents Finola "Fin" Donner and Devorah Longstreet must navigate a world of violence and passion, lust and betrayal, where duty is twisted into bitter obedience and love is soiled.Fin, a tough survivor of the dockside slums, and her beloved companion, the elegant, intellectual socialite Devorah, probe deep into the festering secrets of a family, the rot and corruption of the police department, and the sinister world of the city's thieves, whores, and thugs to find the killer.

Samara Breger's A Long Time Dead is a lush, Victorian romance, drenched in blood and drama, about the lengths two women will go to secure a love that cannot die. Somewhere foggy, 1837 . . .Poppy had always loved the night, which is why it wasn't too much of a bother to wake one evening in an unfamiliar home far from London, weak and confused and plagued with a terrible thirst for blood, to learn that she could no longer step out into the day. And while vampirism presented several disadvantages, it more than made up for those in its benefits: immortality, a body that could run at speed for hours without tiring, the thrill of becoming a predator, the thing that pulls rabbits from bushes and tears through their fur and flesh with the sharp point of a white fang.And, of course, Roisin. The mysterious woman who has lived for centuries, who held Poppy through her painful transformation, and who, for some reason, is now teaching her how to adjust to her new, endless life. A tight, lonely, buttoned-up woman, with kindness and care pressed up behind her teeth. The time they spend together is as transformative to Poppy as the changes in her body, and soon, she finds herself hopelessly, overwhelmingly attached. But Roisin has secrets of her own, and can't make any promises; not when vengeance must be served.Soon, their little world explodes. Together and apart, they encounter scores of vampires, shifty pirates, conniving opera singers, ancient nobles, glamorous French women, and a found family that throws a very particular sort of party. But overhead, threat looms--one woman who is capable of destroying everything Poppy and Roisin hold dear.

Consecrated Ground is a multiracial lesbian paranormal tour de force that will leave you wary of the shadows and absolutely breathless.Like her father before her, Joan Matthews is a witch. For generations, their family of binder witches has protected Calvert, Oregon from vampires by strengthening the land with spellcraft. Pushing back against tradition, Joan defied her father and left town to become a war witch, one who fights the monsters hand-to-hand. But when her father dies, Joan returns to find her hometown assailed by a vampire lord's endless attacks--and the answers lie with the one woman who chose a rival over Joan.Leigh Phan once believed her heart was safe and her future was set. When Joan left town, Leigh's choices led to ruin and unintended consequences. Now Leigh harbors a dark secret forcing her to live a moment-to-moment existence. Her only hope of survival lies in trusting the war witch who left her behind.Now it's up to Joan to fight for a town she left behind, while Leigh faces a destiny she never imagined was possible. With Calvert on the brink of total destruction, Joan and Leigh join forces and face inconvenient truths in order to save their town--and each other.

Attorney and recovering cocaineaddict Sam DiCiccio didnt think she was ever going to see her ex-wife Amy Igarashi again, much less wind up defending her against felony insider trading charges.But Amys been falsely accused, and Sam, whos still in love with her, cant bear to watch her take the fall for a crime she didnt commit. Amy is holding on to resentment from their broken relationship and is hesitant to let Sam back into her life. But that all changes when her assets are frozen by a judge, and Sam is the best and only lawyer she can afford.As Sam and Amy pull the threads of the alleged crime, they begin to unravel a mysterious corporate conspiracy that runs deep and wide. But as the clock ticks faster each day, the chance to prove Amy's innocence and keep her out of jail begins to slip away.Sam and Amy keep inching closer to the truth, but each step draws them closer to shadowy enemies and amplifies the heat between them.