Books published by Inspired Quill

Stuck in a city far from home, street kid Doniver fakes telling fortunes so he can earn a few coins to feed himself and his friends. Then the divine Powers smile on him when he accidentally delivers a true prediction for the prince.Concerned about rumors of treason, the prince demands that Doniver use his "magic" to prevent harm from coming to the king, and so Doniver is taken--dragged?--into the castle to be the royal fortune teller.Now Doniver must decide where the boundaries of honor lie, as he struggles to work convincing magic, fend off whoever is trying to shut him up, and stop an assassin, assuming he can even figure out who the would-be assassin is.All he wants is to survive long enough to go home to the Uplands, but it's starting to look as if that might be too much to ask...

"e;It's been a hell of a first day."e;Jon May has been the Governor of Elysium for a few hours, and he's already facing a belligerent Chief of Security, an ex-Operations Manager imprisoned for killing the previous Governor, and an amorphous energy mass that has its own agenda.So now Jon has to decide who to trust; his Security Chief will barely talk to him, and his only allies are people who, according to the Republic, are dangerous criminals.With less than 48 hours to delve into the shadows surrounding Elysium's recent but tumultuous past, May is about to uncover more about this job than he bargained for.

He never intended to be a jailer ...After years of travelling, responsible to no-one but himself, Steve has resolved to settle down. He gets a job, buys a house and persuades Liesel to move in with him.Life's perfect, until Liesel delivers her ultimatum: if he won't agree to start a family, she'll have to leave. He can't bear to lose her, but how can he face the prospect of fatherhood when he has no idea what being a father means? If he could somehow make her stay, he wouldn't have to choose and it would be a shame not to make use of the cellar.Will this be the solution to his problems, or the catalyst for his own unravelling?Praise for Anne Goodwin:A dark and disturbing tale of a man who appears ordinary on the surface, but is deeply damaged. Clever and chilling; [Underneath] is a story that will stay with you long after you've finished reading. - Sanjida Kay, author of Bone by Bone[Underneath] is a compelling, insightful and brave novel of doomed, twisted romance driven by a sustained and unsettling voice.- Ashley Stokes, author of The Syllabus of ErrorsThis secret tantalisingly grips the reader, gradually being pieced together bit by bit, so intrinsically and poignantly mapped out that I truly cannot praise this novel highly enough.- Isabelle on The Contemporary Small PressFiction delivered by a writer who knows not only how to craft her words but also what those words should be communicating.- Dr Suzanne Conboy-Hill in The PsychologistAn absorbing, clever and heartening debut novel.- Alison Moore, author of Booker-shortlisted The LighthouseI loved this book. Sugar and Snails is beautifully written and a truly impressive debut by Anne Goodwin. It reminded me a little of Claire Messud's The Woman Upstairs. The character of Di, at first frustrating, grows more endearing as you begin to understand her. Her friend Venus and lover Simon are well-drawn; there as foils to Di's story. A beautiful and gripping read.- Fleur Smithwick, author of How to make a FriendSugar and Snails is a brave and bold emotional roller-coaster of a read. Anne Goodwin's prose is at once sensitive, invigorating and inspired. I was hooked from the start and in bits by the end. Very much to be recommended.- Rebecca Root, actor and voice teacher

Alan Shaw is at it again.From homeless urchin to world-class adventurer, Alan has tackled magic, myths and machines, lost love and made one fatal mistake. In an effort to come to terms with what he has done, Alan heads into the East and disappears from the world.His new partner, the loyal and straight-talking pilot, Merry, might just bring him out of his darkness. Or maybe Alan's curse will take them both to places from which they can never return. Ancient dangers return to smother the world in sand, the demonic cult leader Volkert rises again, and Alan's past will come back to deliver a haymaker. But those are the least of his worries because, on the streets of London, Mister Slay is leaving a wake of fear and blood, daring Alan to return home.With his life as a Privateer taking him from China to Chicago, Egypt to the East End, the danger and wry wit keeps coming in this much-anticipated sequel to a Steampunk epic adventure.

"e;Those people are no-hopers."e;"e;And what does that make me?"e;In a bitterly divided nation where security trumps civil liberty, unemployed David is on the verge of sinking into the 'Zeroes' - a destitute underclass numbering millions. But then JobNet's advanced virtual reality world offers him a gateway to a worthwhile future, and a chance to rejoin society.But David is an unwitting pawn in a deadly conspiracy to topple the Government: he's the ideal carrier for an intelligent virus designed to shatter the system and set the Zeroes free.When the virus activates, chaos ensues and the Zeroes rise. David is left trapped inside a corrupted reality. If it doesn't shatter his sanity, the secret he finds there will change everything...Sometimes even a pawn can hold the balance of power.

Walking corpses and black-market liquor: the quiet life.Telt Phuul, Necromancer and Library Clerk, likes his days safe and predictable. Not for him the intrigues of the Viiminian Empire, a gothic monstrosity held together by sheer force of will.Until the Empire's dreaded secret police come knocking. Caught in a web of schemes in the diseased heart of Kuolinako, the underground Imperial capital, Telt can trust no-one. Not the Northern theocrats who abhor Necromancy, and certainly not the Grand Chancellor, whose iron-fisted rule has kept the old order alive that little bit longer.When one false step means torture and disappearance, this journey will change our Necromancer forever.

"e;Gabe and I are happy this way. We don't need anyone else in our lives."e;Mariana feels like a pawn in other people's games. Her birth mother is ill and opportunities for them to be reconciled are running out.Despite being adopted, Mariana has always felt secure with who she is. But both sides of her birth family are now closing in, and whatever she decides will irrevocably alter many lives; most of all the man and woman who created her.Of His Bones is about predestination and choices. It explores themes of familial love, identity and the powerful hold of the past. Set in the seascapes of East and North Yorkshire, this novel is the sister-book to The Last Time We Saw Marion.