Brindlewatch Quintet

Even the best intentions can bring down a mountain … Sent away for the summer, the Ivyweather sisters were promised a family vacation by their wealthy, indifferent parents. Two at-odds opposites - Constance an anxious society sweetheart and Ivory an adventure-struck rebel - the sisters aren't sure what to make of the dangerously decayed town of Quixx and its creeping fog that never seems to lift. When Ivory disappears after a spat with her sister, Constance tracks her to the mountain, where the Ivyweathers learn the town's hushed talk of monsters is more than just a rumor. There, the sisters meet Derrek, a dapper and talented astronomer who also happens to be a spider-like creature with a scientific mind, the best of intentions, and a tragic past. Together, they all must find a way to lift the dangerous fog that has ensnared the town and return Quixx's long-lost stars. But they soon discover that something far more monstrous than beasts lurks in Quixx, and it's poised to crush this sleepy mountain town, along with the dreams of those in it. Death and discarded memories haunt every corner of Quixx, but kinship, romance, and family - the one we choose - are at the heart of this cautiously optimistic, unabashedly queer modern monster story. About the Series Welcome to Brindlewatch - a world like ours from days gone by. Fast shiny cars, growing metropolises, and a war on the other side of the ocean with an enemy no one can see. Back at home, monsters, spirits, and the humans who get entangled with them populate the pages of the Brindlewatch Quintet - five individual, interconnected tales of mystery, romance, and ultimately, belonging. This is the newest YA fantasy series by beloved writer S.M. Beiko, award-winning author of the Realms of Ancient trilogy. It is notable for its charming and quirky tone and diverse cast of relatable characters. The series will begin with The Stars of Mount Quixx in spring 2023 and conclude with The Battle for Brindlewatch in 2027. A delightful new series for a younger YA audience with charming and relatable characters, lively dialogue, a huge amount of LGBTQ+ representation, and a focus on friendship and found family. In The Stars of Mount Quixx, two sisters must team up with a dapper spider monster to clear a sleepy mountain town of its mysterious and dangerous fog.

“The Door in Lake Mallion” brings readers into a world of magic, monsters, and the folks who love them, telling a story of dazzling performers, glowing mushroom cities, and the power of shining our light for everyone to see. Dunstan has had big ambitions his entire life-bigger than the small lakeside town of Knockum-imagining himself heading a chorus line with a leading man he hasn't quite cast yet. But on his way out of town for good, a gang of his classmates capture him and send him to the bottom of nearby Lake Mallion, rumored to harbor a magical door in its depths. Before Dunstan drowns, the door opens. On the other side is the Geodom of Jet and the reptilian Prince Ven, who is on the run-from his past, his destiny, and the stories people tell about him. Now Ven has a chance to tell a different story, and he'll use Dunstan to pen the script. But the door has been keeping a dangerous secret that not even the lakebed can contain, and both worlds hang in the balance. Will the final curtain reveal that not all lights are meant to shine? A delightful series for a YA audience with charming and relatable characters, lively dialogue, a huge amount of LGBTQ+ representation, and a focus on friendship and found family.

Monsters are real. Well, monstros are, anyway - an emerging group of citizens trying to find their place in Brindlewatch, ever since the Camillites made a splash in the small town of Quixx, and the Jettites climbed out of their subterranean city beneath Lake Mallion. The Far Cities are bristling with newcomers looking for a fresh start in this brand-new world, but is it as safe for them as they think? Sable, a Camillite who still lives on Mount Quixx, isn't so sure. She sees the world through the distorted lens of the novels she steals from Professor Bedouin's observatory and is slow to trust the strangers in the world beyond the page. She is a side-character in her own story, and she wants to keep it that way. But a desperate letter begging for help rewrites Sable as the protagonist sleuth of her favorite novels, and hot on the trail trying to find her vanished friend, Sable uncovers more than she bargained for in the bright lights of the big city: a famous author with the ability to make every monstro's dream come true, a dastardly underworld targeting vulnerable monstros, and a sweet bookseller who may be at the heart of the mystery. And on the airwaves, a broadcast like no other promises a bold new world for everyone. Will Sable find her voice and save those terrified of speaking up, before it's too late? Welcome to Brindlewatch - a world like ours from days gone by. Fast shiny cars, growing metropolises, and a war on the other side of the ocean with an enemy no one can see. Back at home, monsters, spirits, and the humans who get entangled with them populate the pages of the Brindlewatch Quintet. S.M. Beiko is a Winnipeg-based fantasy author and award-winning graphic novelist. Her work includes The Lake and the Library, the Realms of Ancient trilogy, and the in-progress Brindlewatch Quintet. Beiko has won the Aurora Award and was nominated for the Joe Shuster Award in 2020 for her original graphic novel KRAMPUS IS MY BOYFRIEND! Sales and Market Bullets • DELIGHTFUL AND UPBEAT: For a younger YA audience, with charming and relatable characters, lively dialogue, and a focus on friendship and found family. The books charm you with their warmth and heart, making the world just a little bit brighter. • DIVERSE VOICES: Beiko is bisexual, and in this series of standalone novels, nearly every character falls under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Plenty of queer romance ensues! • PRAISE FOR THE SERIES: • "Fans of Diana Wynne Jones and TJ Klune will find much to love in this wholly original novel that blends science and magic, modernity and tradition, and features a sweet monster romance, found families, kooky characters, and a pair of sisters whose fraught relationship is central to their coming-of-age stories." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review of The Stars of Mount Quixx • "A hot ticket, chockablock with memorable performances." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review of The Door on Lake Mallion • BUZZY AUTHOR: The first two books in the series were both nominated for the Aurora Award in the Best Young Adult Novel category, and The Stars of Mount Quixx was shortlisted for the 2024 CCBC Book Awards Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Beiko is a master of self-promotion and a much-beloved figure in the science fiction and fantasy community in Canada.