AustLit

'The galaxy is a strange place full of weird creatures and even weirder sentient beings.

'See it through the eyes of four outcasts, banished to Asteri Station on the fringes of the Hegemon Economic Alliance. Absinthe Krull, the Aquanorian with a dark past—who runs The Zoo, the bar on the Asteri. Ori Bligh, a young Terran whose life of privilege has been destroyed by a stupid mistake she’s desperate to put right. Zev Smith, maintenance master for the station, in hiding for forty years for a poor decision; and Cordelia Bane, bounty hunter with a stack of debts to clear.

'When first Ori then Cordelia arrive on Asteri, the stories they hear at the Zoo slowly reveal not only the oddities all four have encountered in their travels, but also things all four would prefer left in the shadows of the past.

'And, in the end, will help them decide on a new future.

'Fourteen stories from all corners of the galaxy and covering five hundred years of history. If you love science fiction, weird west, humour, and darkness, then The Zookeeper’s Tales of Interstellar Oddities will keep you pinned to your seat.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Four-and-twenty extraordinary women; one chance to save a kingdom.What would you sacrifice to save your family, your loved ones, yourself?

'In September 1486, the reign of King Henry VII of England is again threatened by York loyalists. The only thing standing in the way is a four-hundred-year-old sidhe who just wants to be left alone, and a group of London women with a lot to lose if England is plunged back into war.

'But, in 1486, women have no power. Only the ability to make difficult choices and sometimes-heartbreaking sacrifices. Become immersed in the fascinating, perilous lives of these women, as told through the medium of 25 interwoven short stories. A prostitute selling her daughter’s virginity to pay her debts; a nun returning to the world after 30 years; laundress whose son is murdered; a lady’s maid hiding her Jewish culture; a blind musician running from a forced marriage; and more.

'Each story is a piece in the puzzle. Each woman faces her own trials as she plays her small part in the desperate attempt to protect King Henry and his wife, Elizabeth of York.

'Because if they fail, England will once again be thrust into civil war between the Yorks and Lancasters. And these four-and-twenty women have already sacrificed too much.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The longer you live, the more war you see. And Haldora has seen much more than she cares to.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.