UK Book News: Introducing SPLINTER a new YA imprint from Sterling Children's Books!

I'm always on the lookout for new YA Imprints, and so when I got this exciting press release to my inbox this week, I knew I had to share it with you!

Being a big fan of books such as Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder series, and more recently, Angel Kiss by Laura Jane Cassidy, I've been on the lookout for YA crime fiction with a paranormal slant, and the lead title from Splinter, Envy, book one in Gregg Olsen's new Empty Coffin series, sounds right up my street!

Envy will be released in the UK in October, and for you guys in the US, it's out in September!


Read on to learn more about Envy and to discover the story behind the book...

Murder is such a dirty word…

 New York Times bestselling adult true crime author Gregg Olsen makes his YA debut with EMPTY COFFIN, a gripping new fiction series for teens based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories…with a paranormal touch.

Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits.

Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out--and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined.

Based on the shocking true crime about cyber-bullying, Envy will take you to the edge--and push you right over.

Read on to find out more about the story behind Envy...

Gregg Olsen

“Some of this story is completely true” Gregg Olsen

ENVY is based on the case of 13 year-old Megan Meier. When Megan had a falling out with her neighbour, Sarah Drew, Sarah’s mother created a phony MySpace account and used it to harass and taunt Megan. Megan took her own life in 2006.  In 2008, Drew was indicted for her part in Megan’s death and convicted, though this was later reversed on appeal.

Gregg Olsen has a huge readership in the US and beyond and has been compared to Joseph Wambaugh and James Patterson. He is the author of eight true crime books including Cruel Deception and Starvation Heights.  His fiction includes Heart of Ice, and most recently Closer than Blood. He also contributed a short story to Killer Year, an anthology edited by Lee Child.

He describes the EMPTY COFFIN series as “a thriller/true crime/paranormal mashup” and says, “I’m thrilled to be writing for young adult readers. In pretty-but-creepy Port Gamble, WA, there are no vampires or werewolves, but there is something very dark afoot”. 

Book 2 in the EMPTY COFFIN series BETRAYAL will be published in 2012.

I'm really excited to read this one, and to see what other titles Splinter has planned for the YA market.

Additional details: Press Release from Splinter.