Three Standout New Releases: Absurd Horror, Epic Romantasy & Inspiring History
- Tim Pinel
- Aug 12
- 2 min read
Last night at The Collective Encore, we had the pleasure of hosting author Kate Myers for an evening of conversation that was as warm and engaging as it was insightful. We talked about her latest novel, Salty, and heard behind-the-scenes stories about her debut, Excavations, now in development for television with Mike Schur and Amy Poehler (of Parks & Rec fame).
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Our heartfelt thanks to Kate for sharing her time and stories, to everyone who joined us for thoughtful questions and lively discussion, and to the Encore team for their incredible food and drink that made the night even more special.
Featured Event
New Releases - August 12, 2025
New in Fiction
In Lucky Day, the impossible isn’t just possible, it’s deadly.
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Four years after the Low Probability Event, a single day when eight million people died in bizarre, unlikely ways, former statistics professor Vera Norrie is just trying to get by. When a government agent asks for her help investigating a suspiciously lucky Las Vegas casino, she’s pulled into a strange and dangerous world where luck might be something you can control, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
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Chuck Tingle (Bury Your Gays) mixes absurd horror, sci-fi twists, and surprising heart, telling a story about identity, resilience, and choosing to keep going even when nothing feels certain. It’s weird, tense, and unexpectedly moving.
Brigid Kemmerer’s first adult romantasy - Warrior Princess Assassin - is a gripping mix of political intrigue, slow-burn romance, and dangerous alliances.
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Princess Jory of Astranza is set to marry King Ky of Incendar in a match meant to protect both their kingdom. He needs her family’s weather magic, and she needs his armies. But when her childhood friend Asher, now an assassin, is sent to kill them both, the three are forced into an uneasy partnership to survive and uncover who’s really behind the threat.
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Told through all three points of view, this is a character-driven story full of banter, trust issues, and magnetic chemistry - not a love triangle, but a relationship that draws them all closer together. With layered characters, high stakes, and an ending that sets up even bigger things to come, this is an addictive, can’t-put-down start to a new series.
Also Available Today in Fiction
New in Nonfiction
In The Black Family Who Built America, Cheryl McKissack Daniel tells a family story that spans more than two centuries, from her great-great-grandfather Moses, enslaved in 18th-century North Carolina, to her own role today as president of the oldest minority- and woman-owned architecture and construction firm in the U.S.
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The McKissacks’ work has shaped skylines and landmarks across the country, from early 20th-century Nashville to JFK Airport and Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.
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Alongside the remarkable family story, McKissack Daniel shares her own path through the challenges of being a Black woman in a field still dominated by white men, revealing the persistence and strategic grit it takes to compete, and win, in high-stakes construction.
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This is an inspiring mix of history, memoir, and behind-the-scenes look at an industry that rarely shares stories like this.