UPCOMING TITLES
September 2026
Hard as a Headstone
Richard Cass
FICTION
The dead don’t lie. The living do.
Former Army CID investigator Ardmore Theberge just wanted to complete his assignment: a routine land survey. But when he discovers a young woman murdered in a historic Maine graveyard—her skull crushed by blunt-force trauma—routine goes out the window.
The victim, Janey Nightingale, was part of an activist group fighting to stop a bottled water company from relocating the cemetery. The authorities seem in no hurry to solve the case. But when Ardmore's friend Millicent Feathernight implores him to look into what appears to be a crime against a fellow Native American woman, he can’t say no.
In the unorganized town of Platen, everyone has secrets and everyone has an agenda. When the victim's identity proves to be as false as the town's promises of cooperation, Ardmore realizes he's stumbled into something far more dangerous than a simple murder.
Especially when he becomes the prime suspect.
Now Ardmore must use every skill from his mysterious military past to clear his name and expose a killer—before he becomes the graveyard's next permanent resident.
October 2026
The Cosmic Journey of Jessica Meir
Jamie Hogan
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
Jessica Meir always knew what she wanted to do: VROOOOOOOM to outer space! Growing up beneath the dark night skies of northern Maine, Jessica had her head in the stars and her feet in the wild woods. As she got older, she traveled around the world to study extreme environments and the animals that thrive in them. She plunged under ice and slithered inside caves. Jessica’s hard work and determination led to a career with NASA, living out her astronaut dreams, and making history as part of the first all-woman spacewalk!
Get ready for astronaut Jessica Meir’s incredible cosmic journey.
3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .
Liftoff!
October 2026
Hector Fox and the Snowy Surprise
Astrid Sheckels
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
Winter has come to the Green Wood, and Hector Fox and his friends are busy preparing for a festive celebration. But when howling winds and wild snows arrive, the friends get lost in the storm. Will they find their way home? Will all of their party plans go to waste? In their newest, snowiest adventure, Hector Fox and his woodland crew must rely on each other and their courage more than ever as they discover that friendship is one of the greatest gifts of all.
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Hector Fox and the Snowy Surprise, created by award-winning author and illustrator Astrid Sheckels, is the fifth in her series of picture books featuring Hector Fox, Lucy Skunk, Mo Marten, Charlie Chipmunk, Jeremiah Rabbit, and other surprise friends.
November 2026
Throwbacks and Keepers
Ron Pedro
Young Adult Fiction
A heartfelt middle-grade novel about a boy navigating foster care who finds healing, purpose, and new family among the lobstering community of a small Maine island.
Sully loves his mom. But love doesn’t always mean safety.
After years of homelessness and uncertainty, Sully is taken from his mother and placed in foster care—thrust into an unfamiliar world with new rules and strangers who say they want to help. Inside, Sully battles two powerful forces he calls “the Sads” and “the Mads,” feelings that make it hard to trust anyone.
Then he meets Miss Millie.
Miss Millie sings while she cooks, holds daily “safety briefings,” and insists that Sully and his new foster brother Victor help with chores, go to church, and look out for each other. When the trio visits Miss Millie’s sister Aggie on Long Island, Maine, Sully discovers something unexpected: lobstering.
Out on the water before sunrise, hauling traps alongside local lobstermen, Sully feels something he hasn’t felt in a long time—like he belongs.
But just when Sully begins to believe he’s finally found a forever home, tragedy strikes again.
With the help of Victor, Aggie, and the tight-knit island community, Sully learns that family isn’t always the one you start with—it’s the one that refuses to let you go.
Weaving back and forth between the present when Sully is age twelve and the past at age seven when the world he has always known falls apart, this is a heartfelt story of resilience, belonging, and second chances. Throwbacks and Keepers is perfect for fans of Lynda Mullaly Hunt and Gary D. Schmidt.
November 2026
E. Norm Moose
Heidi E.Y. Stemple
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
A warm and witty read-aloud about a moose named Norm and her misadventures in search of a friend.
Ernestine Norman Moose (Norm for short) sets out to find a friend, but being enormous makes that surprisingly difficult.
Norm’s size causes chaos everywhere she goes. When people shout, wave their arms, and declare, “That thing is ENORMOUS!” Norm is thrilled they know her name… but disappointed they don’t want to be her friend.
Just when she’s ready to give up, Norm meets Bo, a calm and quiet cow who doesn’t mind Norm’s size—or her clumsiness. Together they discover that the best friendships often come in the most unexpected forms.
A playful, heartwarming picture book about belonging, differences, and finding your herd.
December 2026
Wood Work: Building a living, Crafting a Life
Steve Smith
Nonfiction | Memoir
In January 2019, former white-collar worker Steve Smith stepped into the snowy Maine woods with a single question: could he make a living using only an axe?
With no business degree and no formal training—only books, YouTube videos, and stubborn determination—Smith founded Renaissance Timber LLC in Cumberland, Maine, becoming one of the only commercial hand-hewers in the United States. Over the next six years, he navigated brutal weather, physical danger, financial uncertainty, and family strain while building a successful timber operation that ultimately earned more than any of his previous office jobs.
Drawing on an upbringing in a religious cult and years of failed attempts to secure meaningful wage work, Smith explores the deeper forces that drove him toward a life of manual craft and self-reliance. Structured around the months of the year, A Hewn Life follows the seasonal rhythms of labor—frost, mud, sun, and sweat—revealing both the hardship and deep satisfaction of building something real with one’s hands.
Part memoir, part meditation on work and meaning, A Hewn Life is a resonant testament to the enduring human desire for purpose beyond the fluorescent glow of the modern office—and a beacon for anyone who has ever dreamed of leaving the desk behind.
February 2027
ABCs of Maine
Written by Erika Zambello
Illustrated by Mary Zambello
Board Book
February 2027
Odum Widows
Emily Eaton Moore
COVER
DESIGN IN PROGRESS
Fiction
March 2027
COVER
DESIGN IN PROGRESS
Storm Season: Inspired by the True Story of Abbie Burgess
Jenny Connell Davis
Middle Grade
February 2027