OvO Publications
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NEW! Teens of Tomorrow: Stories of Near and Far-Flung Futures
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We stand at the dawn of a new decade, facing a future more uncertain than ever.
So far, the 2020s have brought about a global pandemic, our climate in crisis, police brutality, civil unrest, and ongoing struggles for equality. Who knows what will come next and how it will shape those growing up through these troubled times? In this collection from Odd Voice Out Publishing, we tackle the world of tomorrow through the stories of twelve forward-thinking teens grappling with their realities and the roles they aspire to play as the future unfolds before them. ‘Teens of Tomorrow’ is comprised of the top ten entries from Odd Voice Out’s second annual short story contest, along with bonus content from in-house authors Kell Cowley and K.C. Finn. Socially conscious and politically charged, this anthology of progressive protest fiction takes the hashtags trending today and turns them into powerful YA stories for times yet to come. |
A sequel novel and our first audiobook released in 2021
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The Borders, Scotland, 1601
Timony may have embraced the damsel in distress roles in Makaydees’ theatre, but at the close of their autumn season, the strolling players are thrust into a fresh unforeseen drama. On the run from the law once more, they flee into the deadly Scottish borders, where reiver gangs and rumours of witches have stirred up suspicion in all who dwell there. Astray in a lonely valley under the shadow of Quarm Castle, the vagrant actors are drawn to the gentry within its walls, seeing a chance to raise their theatre out of the mud. Flitting between the role of lad and lady, Timony sets about wooing the castle’s inhabitants, determined to gain a writ of patronage for their company. The Player’s Craft propels the reader through the next turbulent chapter in the life of this wayward Elizabethan actor after the events of The Vagabond Stage. |
When a gruesome murder spree leads to the door of a teenage loser, she is forced to face the reality that something demonic is growing inside her.
Fallow Heart is the story of Lorelai Blake, a self-conscious, overweight 17-year-old who discovers that a demon has pierced her heart, sparking an incredible transformation. Sleepwalking, fits of rage, and impossible strength force Lori to accept that part of her is no longer human. It was hard enough fitting in before, and now, the hurtful voice in her head has taken an even more sinister tone. Worse than this, bodies are being discovered. People in Chester are dying, and they have only one connection: a nocturnal killer who savages its prey. When you're becoming more demonic by the day, it's what's on the inside that counts. |
NEW! Odd Voices: An Anthology of Not So Normal Narrators
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Released: 21st February 2020
In every new story we pick up, we’re seeking an exciting original voice. So why are there still voices we don’t hear from nearly enough? Why are there characters that so rarely take centre stage? In this collection from Odd Voice Out press, we discover the stories of twelve teenagers who stand out from the crowd and who’ll not easily be forgotten. |
With settings that range from Scotland to Syria, Mexico to Mauritius, Africa to Russia, these stories take us to all corners of the globe and into the lives of young people with their own unique circumstances and perspectives. Characters dealing with issues of culture and class, exploring their sexuality and gender identity, or letting us into their experiences with illness, disability or neurodiversity. Their tales span all genres and can’t be reduced to labels. These are stories about bending the rules and breaking the law. Stories of fighting for survival and finding your place in the world. Stories of family solidarity, unlikely friendships and aching first love told by teenagers who don’t always fit in and aren’t often heard.
With a foreword by award winning YA author Catherine Johnson, this anthology brings together the top ten stories of Odd Voice Out’s 2019 Not So Normal Narrators contest, as well as bonus stories from in-house authors Kell Cowley and K.C. Finn.
With a foreword by award winning YA author Catherine Johnson, this anthology brings together the top ten stories of Odd Voice Out’s 2019 Not So Normal Narrators contest, as well as bonus stories from in-house authors Kell Cowley and K.C. Finn.
Our Queer Historical and Carnivalesque Fantasy YA Releases for Summer 2019
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Released: July 26th
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Remastered: July 26th
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The West Country, England, 1599
Timony is a born actor before he even knows the meaning of the word. A restless farmhand with a yearning for the wider world, he is already seeking escape when he catches his first glimpse of a band of travelling players. His dramatic temperament makes an impression on the playwright, Makaydees, who takes him on as his new apprentice to enact the female roles. And Timony soon learns there will be worse things to brave than stepping on stage in a frock and wig. At a time when the law considers unlicensed actors to be no better than criminals, the players live in constant threat of arrest and are forced to travel in the same channels as more dangerous outlaws. While Timony is still struggling with his role as the girl in the player’s gang, he finds himself propelled on a journey through the Elizabethan underworld. After the troupe becomes embroiled with one of the most wanted highwayman in the land, Timony must learn to act for his life on a precarious road where disguise and deception may be his only means of survival. The Vagabond Stage is a queer picaresque adventure novel exploring transgenderism in Tudor times aimed at ages fourteen and up. Download A Free First Chapter Sample Here:
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Lily Coltrane’s to-do list for starting university life is pretty
simple: 1.Make friends 2.Meet a cute guy 3.Survive her first year in Modern History In the little English town of Piketon this seems more than achievable, so much so that Lily even joins The Illustrious Minds Literary Society, an extra-curricular club that promises a truly unique social experience. What Lily doesn’t bank on are the society’s monthly visits to the mysterious Theatre Imaginique at the edge of town, a dark venue that houses the most obscure cavalcade of carnival performers she has ever laid eyes on. Stranger still is the emergence of the theatre’s enigmatic proprietor Lemarick Novel, a stupendous showman with a frosty wit who never seems to smile, and who raises a plethora of questions in Lily’s fearful mind. How does he levitate with no sign of wires or mirrors? Why do the lightning bolts that shoot from his hands look so real? And why, of all the people in the theatre, do his pale eyes keep locking on hers? The answers to this and more lie buried in heritage and blood. The Book of Shade is opening, and Lily Coltrane will read it, whether she wants to or not. Download A Free First Chapter Sample Here:
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Our Climate Fiction and Urban Horror YA Releases for Winter 2018
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Released: November 12th
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Released: November 30th
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Released: December 14th
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Ben is a young eco-warrior at the end of a losing battle. Together with his fellow student activists, he’s travelled to London on Earth Day to take one last stand. To make a final plea for an environmental solution to save the planet. Time is up on combatting climate change. Humanity’s choice is about to be made. And most are choosing to leave the fate of the world to a mysterious geoengineering experiment. A global vote on the Geolution is looming. Any who resist are branded extreme greens and terrorists. And as Ben marches in heat wave conditions, he wonders if radical action may be the only way to make his voice heard? With the planet’s future hanging in the balance, will Ben’s last hope burn out or will a new purpose rise in him like the sun? 'Last March for Planet Earth' is a prequel and companion story to the forthcoming 'Shrinking Sinking Land' a cli-fi survival story for ages fourteen and up. |
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When a gruesome murder spree leads to the door of a teenage loser, she is forced to face the reality that something demonic is growing inside her. Fallow Heart is the story of Lorelai Blake, a self-conscious, overweight seventeen-year-old who discovers that a demon has pierced her heart, sparking an incredible transformation. Sleepwalking, fits of rage and impossible strength force Lori to accept that part of her is no longer human. It was hard enough fitting in before, and now that hurtful voice in her head has taken an even more sinister tone. Worse than this, bodies are being discovered. People in Chester are dying and they have only one connection: a nocturnal killer who savages its prey. Lori seeks help from the D.C., an organisation formed to treat infected children, but even they can’t protect her from the Harvest. When her powers reach their peak, the beast that infected her will return to consume those powers, killing her in the process. She learns the awful truth from a rebellious new friend, Kasabian, who seems to have found a way to avoid this grisly fate. With a detective on her back and a demon in her heart, Lori must master her darkness and follow the murder trail before it reaches the people she loves, and all before the terrifying Harvest sets in. Along the way, her outward insecurities pale in comparison to much bigger problems. When you’re becoming more demonic by the day, it’s what's on the inside that counts. Fallow Heart is a tale of strength, suspicion and the supernatural for ages fourteen and up. Download A Free First Chapter Sample Here:
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One week before the Global Mandatory Hibernation and Flea Wheeler will do anything to avoid a long winter underground. A claustrophobic climate refugee who has been living rough on the flooded streets of Manchester, Flea dreads the day she’ll be forced into shelter so a geoengineering experiment can attempt to reverse the chaotic effects of global warming. Armed with nothing but her stolen umbrella, Flea is on a mission to stay on the surface and somehow survive the extreme weather. It turns out she’s not the only one. While on the run from the curfew police, Flea falls in with loudmouth vlogger Dylan Moon who believes aliens are controlling the storms and planning a planetary takeover. At first, Flea takes Dil for a conspiracy nut. But after witnessing a series of inexplicable weather events, she realizes there may be some truth to his crazy theories. Is there a dark secret behind the looming climate experiment? Flea has one week left to evade the hibernation order and decide what she truly believes. ‘Shrinking Sinking Land’ is a YA cli-fi story of survival, solidarity and defiance the face of environmental catastrophe for ages fourteen and up. “Suspenseful…sharply well-written…and altogether a success.” Kim Stanley Robinson, New York 2140 Download A Free First Chapter Sample Here:
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