The year is 1996, and small-town life for 14-year-old Catherine is made up of punk rock, skaters, shoplifting, and the ghost of Kurt Cobain. Her parents are too busy divorcing to pay her headful of unspent angst much attention. But after she tries mess - a PCP variant - for the first time, her budding rebellion begins to spiral out of control. Universally acclaimed as the modern-day coming-of-age story for a generation of Québécois youth growing up in the 1990s, Géneviève Pettersen's award-winning debut novel both shocked and titillated readers in its original French, who quickly ordained it a contemporary classic and a runaway bestseller. Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, the hotly tipped Québécois director behind Inch-Allah (2012), is currently adapting the story to film. Now Esplanade Books is honored to present The Goddess of Fireflies to English readers for the first time in a powerful translation from award-winning novelist Neil Smith, author of Boo and Bang Crunch.

In my frenzy, I ran into something without realizing it. Big hands closed over my shoulders as I gripped the chest they belonged to. Under other circumstances, I’d be elated. Green eyes stared back at me, his reddish hair hidden beneath a baseball cap, huge frame swallowing mine easily Bridget had never considered herself special, odd definitely. But nothing worth looking at twice. And she had never cared to be looked at twice either. Until Declan, that is. Then one night Bridget is approached by a strange (and large) dog. Rescued by Declan, he reveals that Bridget may be special after all, a goddess even. And the dog has been sent to protect her. Does she have the strength to defeat a powerful witch and her three sons? Why is Declan involved in magic and mystery anyway? And can she save Ruad, her handsome mentor and the God of Knowledge into this new world? As they dig deeper, they uncover that they all have more in common than just their troubled pasts. The Ulster Cycles are a part of Irish mythology, and this novel depicts characters from the old stories in a new and creative light. While much is taken from these oral stories, this novel is a historical romance loosely based on them. With magic, mystery, and romance involved this is a novel about discovering your hidden potential and breaking past limiting beliefs so you can live your best life.

An award-winning debut novel about the bonds of friendship and finding your place in the world—be it this one, or the next—from the author of Bang Crunch. “Instantly charming, never predictable, quietly profound.” —Bryan Lee O’Malley, #1 New York Times betselling author of Seconds and the Scott Pilgrim series Do you ever wonder, dear Mother and Father, what kind of toothpaste angels use in heaven? I will tell you. . . . This book I am writing to you about my afterlife will be your nitty-gritty. One day I hope to discover a way to deliver my story to you. It is the first week of school in 1979, and Oliver "Boo" Dalrymple—ghostly pale eighth grader; aspiring scientist; social pariah—is standing next to his locker, reciting the periodic table. The next thing he knows, he finds himself lying in a strange bed in a strange land. He is a new resident of a place called Town—an afterlife exclusively for thirteen-year-olds. Soon Boo is joined by Johnny Henzel, a fellow classmate, who brings with him a piece of surprising news about the circumstances of the boys’ deaths. In Town, there are no trees or animals, just endless rows of redbrick dormitories surrounded by unscalable walls. No one grows or ages, but everyone arrives just slightly altered from who he or she was before. To Boo’s great surprise, the qualities that made him an outcast at home win him friends; and he finds himself capable of a joy he has never experienced. But there is a darker side to life after death—and as Boo and Johnny attempt to learn what happened that fateful day, they discover a disturbing truth that will have profound repercussions for both of them.

One woman's journey through the tumultuous and passionate birth of a new nation.

When paramedics find a malnourished six-year-old boy near a burning car that holds a dead woman, they wonder who he is—and why he won't speak. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Mountain Between Us comes a story of self-discovery, healing, and hope. On a stifling summer day, an old Chevy Impala ignored the warning signals and was annihilated by the oncoming train. What no one realized until much later was that the driver had paused just before entering the tracks and kicked a small boy out of the car. A small boy with broken glasses who is clutching a notebook with all his might . . . but who never speaks. Chase Walker was one of the lucky ones. He was in foster care as a child, but he finally ended up with a family who loved him and cared for him. Now, as a journalist for the local paper, he’s moved on and put the past behind him. But when he’s assigned the story of this young boy, painful, haunting questions about his own childhood begin to rise to the surface. And as Chase Walker discovers, learning the truth about who you are can be as elusive—and as magical—as chasing fireflies on a summer night. “Martin understands the power of story and he uses it to alter the souls and lives of both his characters and his readers . . .” —Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author Full-length emotive Southern fiction Bonus excerpt from The Water Keeper Includes discussion questions for book clubs Also by Charles Martin: The Water Keeper, The Mountain Between Us, Send Down the Rain, and When Crickets Cry

“Vivid…Stirling eloquently describes a devastated, mystical world that will appeal to fans of traditional fantasy as well as postapocalyptic SF.” – Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Rudi Mackenzie—son and heir of the High Priestess Juniper Mackenzie and the Bear Lord Michael Havel—continues his trek across the land that was once the United States of America. His destination: Nantucket, where he hopes to learn the truth behind the Change, which rendered technology across the globe inoperable. During his travels, Rudi forges ties with new allies in the continuing war against the Prophet. Presiding over his flock, the Prophet teaches his followers that God has punished humanity by destroying technological civilization, and that they must continue to destroy any technology they come across—along with those who dare use it. But one fanatical officer in the Sword of the Prophet has an even greater mission: to stop Rudi from reaching Nantucket by any means necessary.

Somewhere in the Jim Crow South, the sky is on fire. A pregnant Olivia’s fierce speechwriting is the true force behind her charismatic husband, Charles, and his successful Movement, galvanizing people to march towards freedom. When four little girls are bombed in a church, Olivia and Charles’ marriage is threatened—as this tragedy and years of civil unrest leave Olivia believing that “this world ain’t no place to raise a colored child.”

mpowerment and Integration of the Goddess is perhaps the most profound and informative book written on the subject of the Divine Feminine and how women and men can integrate the Goddess energies into self and the world. Since early in Earth’s history, abuse, denial, and ignorance of the Divine Feminine has led to the enormous patriarchal attitudes that pervade mass consciousness and even Spiritual literature. This book provides one of the most in-depth studies of this issue ever written; from the Divine Mother, Archangels and inner plane Ascended Masters’ perspective! Absolute must reading for all who tread a Spiritual path! Collectively, we are shifting out of polarity consciousness and choosing empowered, balanced lives. This book braids polarity into oneness, reveals the disparity of heart/mind, internal/external, compassion/will, experience/knowledge, love/power, and assists us across the bridge of transition into the return of full consciousness. You will discover: How the imbalance began, What Goddess energy really is, How to balance Feminine and Masculine, Why experiencing the Heart is vital, Manifestation through The Goddess, Feeling into Physical Ascension, Meditations/attunements to activate the Divine Feminine, What a balanced Master is, and How to Balance Love, Wisdom and Power