Established in 2011, Northampton House Press, Overdue Books, and Polyhymnia Audio publish selected historical fiction, romance, thrillers, science fiction, and fantasy, as well as nonfiction, poetry, middle grade and YA literature, and audiobooks.
This online catalog describes our list by genre. Our editions are available from all major online outlets. Or, trade paper and hardcovers may be ordered through any chain or independent bookstore.
Please follow us on Facebook — “Northampton House Press” — for the latest alerts about innovative works of high quality from brilliant new writers.
Our newest titles are shown below. But there are many more great books on our other pages. Happy reading!
NEW FICTION LEAD FOR SPRING 2024: BLOSSOMS ON A POISONED SEA, by Mariko Tatsumoto. Available now!
This elegantly told yet horrifying novel is based on the true story of one of history’s most shocking corporate betrayals and industrial disasters.
Yuki is the daughter of a poor fisherman. Kiyo’s the son of a senior executive at Chisso, a huge chemical conglomerate. In 1956, they meet and become friends, then gradually fall in love. But then all living things in the once beautiful Minamata Bay suddenly die. The impoverished people living around it begin suffering from a terrifying disease that causes agonizing pain, paralysis, and death . . . including Yuki’s family. With no fish to catch and incapacitated from the disease, her parents are starving. As the sole wage earner, Yuki’s reduced to low-paying, backbreaking work as a laborer, then as a house cleaner.
The citydwellers, who work at Chisso, turn their backs on the lower-class fisherfolk, who largely tend to get the disease. The corporation stonewalls, denying culpability. Kiyo fails to convince his father to get the company to help. As the suffering spreads, Kiyo helps researchers find answers to the devastating neurological disease. Blocked by the government and the corporate-influenced media, Yuki and Kiyo must fight both the Japanese government and a powerful and ruthless corporation to save her family and the bay.
Purchase now: Amazon B&N Kobo/Walmart Thriftbooks/Indiebound
NEW NONFICTION LEAD FOR SPRING 2024: SURVIVING GRIEF: Enduring and Learning From the Worst Days of Our Lives, by Victoria Mitchell, RN, LCSW
Grief is a part of life. If we live life joyfully, if we love deeply . . . we open our hearts to the pain of loss. You can’t have joy without sorrow. They’re inextricably intertwined.
In Surviving Grief, Victoria Mitchell takes us on a journey through this truth. She focuses on what we grieve, how, and, ultimately, what healing looks like. Victoria threads her own grief stories throughout as she illustrates the value of your own story and the importance of sharing it.
Whether it’s death of a loved one, loss of a relationship, or sorrow surrounding other life changes, she addresses each with vulnerability and authenticity. In later chapters, she offers valuable suggestions in helping others through loss, and looks at how we face our own mortality. As she did for hundreds of clients throughout her counseling career, Victoria will help you assemble a tool box of coping skills and self-care practices, allowing you to endure and learn from the most difficult times of your life.
Over eight years as a psychiatric nurse and thirty-plus years as a psychotherapist, VICTORIA L. MITCHELL, RN, LCSW has helped hundreds of patients deal with serious issues of depression, anxiety, grief, and trauma. In this volume, as in her first book, Happiness Calling, she shares what she’s learned in her decades with clients, and in her own journey from fear to freedom. Suffering? Find a link to purchase on our new Wellness and Lifestyle page.
NEW FOR WINTER 2023/24 – THE THIRD VOLUME OF THE NIGHT BAZAAR SERIES, THE NIGHT BAZAAR: LONDON.
“Together the tales form a sumptuous carnival, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the mystical underworld of plague-ridden Europe. These dark flights of fancy delight.”
– Publisher’s Weekly on The Night Bazaar Venice
: In volume three of this widely-praised dark fantasy anthology series, the Night Bazaar, a secret marketplace of the rare, strange, occult, and dangerous, journeys to 19th century London. There, as usual, its vendors will purvey curious services, forbidden wares, and rare objects which cannot be had elsewhere, for any price. The midnight market has operated throughout history in various locales, appearing in a city for one week only.
This time the Bazaar’s proprietress, the enigmatic and unflappable Madame Vera, escorts the reader on an eerie, fantastical British tour in ten linked short stories by various authors. Some tales feature such recognizable luminaries as Sherlock Holmes, occultist Madam Blavatsky, and Queen Anne Boleyn. Several take place during the Bazaar proper, while others occur earlier or later, tied to its 1880’s London appearance by a curse or spell – or, by an object found, inherited, purchased, or stolen during the decades since, by the unsuspecting, foolish, or greedy (though seldom the completely innocent). Together, these ten linked stories take readers on a fantastical journey into astonishment, dread, and dark delight. But be warned: as usual, each object or service comes with a gift, a curse, or a haunting. . . .
Available in ebook and trade paperback from any store or online bookseller. Or click to our Supernatural/Fantasy page to order this and the other Night Bazaar collections online!
NEW December 2023: ON SCRIPT by Zachary Michael Jack
Tired of self-promoting gurus touting easy “secrets”? In On Script seasoned scriptwriter, author, and educator Zachary Michael Jack explains step-by-step how successful Creatives write, edit, pitch, polish, and produce dramatic work. Packed with authoritative commentary, prompts, and advice, On Script is the perfect read for emerging and established writers in the Digital Age.
Part One, “The Process,” covers the fundamentals of successful scripts staged from Broadway to low-budget Indie theatres. How does the writer mine personal experience to create compelling work? What habits consistently generate new material for production? How can stage dialogue and plot better reflect how we speak, move, and interact? How can AI and other emerging technologies be harnessed to inform original scripts? Part Two, “The Products,” offers in-depth coverage of today’s multimedia, multigenre landscape, from comedic monologues to multi-character plays, to teleplays, stage and screen literary adaptations, and sketches for radio and audio podcast. Part Two culminates with a hands-on workshop, analyzing scripts crafted by contemporary practitioners to detail the specific strengths that helped each reach production. On Script is the ideal handbook for dedicated writers seeking a virtuoso skillset and a deeper appreciation of the dramatic tradition, from Sophocles to sitcoms. Available in ebook and trade paperback from any store or online bookseller! Or click to our Nonfiction page for order links.
June 2023: WRITING IN THE AGE OF AI: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE
“Worried about AI and what it means for the writer? In Writing in the Age of AI, David Poyer’s easy style and able marksmanship pins all the key issues and a lot more.” – Kevin Doyle, Chair, Irish Writers Union; author, A River Of Bodies
“A remarkable book that balances wit, seriousness, technical information and a writerly expression of hope and creativity.” – Rashidah Ismaili, Host, Salon d’Afrique, Harlem; author, Autobiography of the Lower East Side
“So much food for thought, from a master craftsman who definitely knows what he’s talking about. Every writer needs to read this one.” – NYT Bestseller Steve Berry, author, The Ninth Man
“Poyer highlights every writer’s advantages against the current fad for AI-generated text: imagination, individual voice, and the talent to create life through words.” – George Witte, editor in chief, St. Martin’s Press
“The book I wish I’d had early in my writing career.” – Janet Peery, National Book Award Finalist for The River Beyond the World
Creative writing is in a state of rapid evolution. Drawing on David Poyer’s five decades of writing, publishing, and teaching, Writing in the Age of AI updates experienced writers and introduces beginners to the effect new digital tools will have on the mechanics and economics of writing novels, short stories, nonfiction works, plays, and memoirs. It also answers such questions as, Where do ideas come from? How can an author plan a novel or nonfiction book? What’s the best way to avoid writer’s block? How does the editing process work? What sales tools will help one get published? Finally, it addresses the best ways forward for a career as an author, teacher, or editor. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, Writing in the Age of AI is essential for anyone who wants to succeed. On Sale in Paperback and ebook from all major outlets.
Coyote Weather by Amanda Cockrell
“Amanda Cockrell is a master magician.”—George Garrett, author of Death of the Fox, The Succession, Entered from the Sun
“Coyote Weather is a spectacular re-creation of a lost but essential time in our history—California, the ‘60s, Viet Nam—nobody has ever captured it more accurately or written it with more understanding—from several different perspectives. A must read. Bravo!” – Lee Smith, author of Guests on Earth
Coyote weather is the feral, hungry season in California, when everything is drought-stricken and ready to catch fire. It’s 1967 and the American culture is violently remaking itself while the country is forcing its young men to fight in a deeply unpopular war. Jerry has stubbornly made no plans for the future because he believes that, in the shadow of Vietnam, the Cold War and atomic bomb drills, there won’t be one. Ellen’s determined to have a plan, because nothing else can keep the world from tilting. And the Ghost just wants to go home to a place that won’t let him in: the small California town where they all grew up.
Amanda Cockrell directed the MFA program in children’s and adolescent literature at Hollins University. Her novels include The Wall at the Edge of the World (2020) and The Border Wolves (Spring 2021), as well as the young adult What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay; Pomegranate Seed; and The Deer Dancers and The Horse Catchers. Webpage and blog: http://www.amandacockrell.com.
Official pub date April 4. Trade paperback $19.95 US. Ebook $8.99 US. Available now from all major sales venues!
Heroes of Annapolis by David Poyer – New Expanded Edition
“Heroes of Annapolis is an inspiration from cover to cover.” – Quarterdeck Magazine
The United States Naval Academy has no monopoly on heroes. But over the last ten years, the most popular living author of American sea fiction has spent thousands of hours researching its graduates for Shipmate, the U.S. Naval Academy’s magazine. The extraordinary personal stories of adventure and courage he’s collected span American history from the Mexican War to the War on Terror.
HEROES OF ANNAPOLIS shines light into corners of history that still affect us today. Our huge prison population can be traced to Richmond P. Hobson, “The Most Kissed Man in America.” Merian C. Cooper was a fighter pilot and director whose iconic KING KONG has been remade over and over. Philo McGiffin became a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Chinese Navy and surveyed many of the islands China is claiming today. Other graduates held bridges under fire, sacrificed their lives to save shipmates, shot down snipers with pistols, rescued fellow aviators on enemy territory, advised presidents against Vietnam, led Iraqi militias in Baghdad . . . and much more.
Poyer tries not to engage in hero worship. Still, for at least one shining moment, each of the men and women profiled made the difficult choice: To risk it all, for flag, country, honor, and those they led into battle.
Available now. Amazon Trade Paper, $19.95 US. Ebook, $7.99 US.
MY UNEXPECTED LIFE by Martina Clark – Now Available in Audiobook!
“I’ve read several HIV/AIDS-related memoirs over the years, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen an inside day-to-day account of an activist’s work –– with the UN, no less! It’s a terrific read.” –– Hank Trout, Senior Editor, A&U: America’s AIDS Magazine
“What’s not to like about a book that features a wooden penis and a silicone vagina?” – Patricia Marx, staff writer, THE NEW YORKER
At age 28, the doctors told Martina Clark she had HIV and five years to live. With a sense of nothing to lose, she dove into activism. Then, fell into an international career, starting as the first openly HIV-positive person to work for UNAIDS in 1996. A mix of personal memoir, travel, humor and an up-close look at the squishy underbelly of the United Nations, My Unexpected Life follows her personal journey—emotional and physical—interwoven with her professional path. From diagnosis to starting treatment, surviving an abusive marriage and fostering a teenage daughter, Martina’s memoir adds an insider’s view to the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly as pertains to women. Throughout, she draws parallels to the COVID pandemic–including her own long-haul bout with COVID–reflecting on her experiences as she journeys through life with an incurable illness, a well-stamped passport, and a stubborn determination that keeps her alive to bear witness to the human condition in My Unexpected Life.
Audiobook @19.95 US. Order here from Audible.com.
Trade Paper Edition, $19.95 US. Ebook edition, $6.99 US. Order below:
Waterwoman by Lenore Hart, read by Julie Yelen
![WW audio v3[53043]](https://northamptonhouse.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/ww-audio-v353043.jpg)
“Pure as the waters of the pre-industrial Chesapeake … utterly convincing and beautifully sensual. You feel the shell cuts, the pull of the nets.” — Baltimore Sun
“Hart reaches surprising emotional depths with her exploration of sibling rivalry, familial commitment, and social taboos.” — Publisher’s Weekly
“A gripping story with an admirable, complex heroine … The love and rivalry between the sisters will strike a chord with teens.” — Booklist
“… Hart creates a believable world where tragedy does not always equal hopelessness, a place where you don’t always get what you want, but if you’re strong, you find reasons to go on living anyway.” — Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
Even as a child, plain, boyish Annie Revels had everyone’s role figured out. Everyone’s, that is, except her own. Her sickly mother needed to be taken care of. Her little sister Rebecca was beautiful, where Annie was not. Her father was a waterman, a free-looking life Annie envied and could’ve had, if only she’d been born a son.
Tiny, remote Revels Island, a barrier island off the Eastern Shore, knows nothing of the partying, gin-soaked Roaring Twenties, which grip the rest of the country. The family depends on the coastal waters to make a living, and tragedy is always only a bad storm away. As Annie notes, “In order to live on the Shore, you need to understand that good weather always follows bad.”
But when her father dies, suddenly it falls to Annie to take his place aboard the oyster boat and support what’s left of the family. Out there, she finds the only life she could ever really fit into: being a waterman. Until one day, she meets Nathan…
Available in bookstores and online.
Ebook Edition, $4.99 U.S. Trade Paper Edition, $12.95 US.
Northampton House Press 