Two over-40 millennials each fighting their own mental health battles reunite for a summer archaeology job after 12 years and an ocean apart in this emotional own-voice debut novel for readers who enjoy slow-burn friends-to-lovers romances. Still reeling from being ghosted by her girlfriend, bioarchaeologist Kate Roth agrees to join an estranged colleague to teach at his field school at a Viking-age archaeology site in the wilds of Newfoundland. While welcoming the escape from Colorado where she’s been medicating resurfaced anxieties with wine and angry rock music, she’s wary of three important facts: 1) she’s had a crush on Viking Cowboy Ben for half her life, 2) Ben is a family man who lives in Norway, and 3) all her romantic relationships, and most friendships, seem to have an expiration date. For archaeologist Esben “Ben” Veholt, inviting the woman he’s been in love with since digging alongside her 23 years ago was, of course, the worst possible thing he could have done for himself. This summer was supposed to be his escape from reality: a love life in ruins, worsening body image issues, and a teenage daughter who suddenly wants nothing to do with him. When Kate accepts his offer, he intends to retain a professional relationship with her. A woman like Kate could never love him anyway—not with how much he’s changed inside and out. All seems fine on the surface as Kate and Esben’s friendship rebuilds, but as they dig deeper, they realize just how broken they both are. To heal from their painful pasts and reclaim their crumbling presents, they each need a friend who accepts them, mess and all. But summer won’t last forever, and a third chance at romance threatens to drift across the ocean yet again. Even If We’re Broken is for anyone who’s ever struggled with depression, anxiety, body image, chronic pain, suicide, and loss. It’s for archaeologists, and anyone who wanted to be an archaeologist. It’s for anyone who’s ever been in a long-distance relationship, and anyone who’s ever loved someone from afar.

Father Winter is a malevolent ancient spirit. The veil between worlds really is thinnest on Halloween. Dragons exist, but they’re just demons. And demigods walk the earth, protecting humanity from it all. THE HUNTER & HER GIRLFRIEND: 2020. When Margot invited her new girlfriend Emili to meet her parents over Christmas, she should have realized that Father Winter might show up…and try to kill her. THE MAIDEN & THE LIAR: 1990. When a hunter fails to slay Father Winter, Poe’s family holiday road trip is waylaid by the ensuing dangerous blizzard, and they’re forced to take shelter in a highway rest stop. Thank goodness other teens are there, including a cute boy and his high school hockey team. THE HEALER & THE HAMMER: 1989. Nora’s on the run for murder, hiding out at a hunter academy where famous Thom “The Hammer” is currently contracted to hunt and kill the Jersey Devil. A rare healer, she’s assigned to his detail because the asshole is a f*ckin’ demon magnet. Great. Hunt Monsters, Do Magic, and Fall in Love is a triptych of modern fantasy stories interrelated by family—stories with myths and demons and ghosts (oh my), and with romance and secrets and lies (and someone dies).

A different kind of superhero story... After emerging unscathed from the house fire that killed his father, Ed Stoneman had recurring dreams about rescuing himself as a boy, sitting amongst the flames, unburnt. The dream stopped once he became a firefighter, later earning the nickname of "Dodge" by surviving a lethal flashover fire. Dodge embraced his supernatural imperviousness to the heat of fire by going in when no one should, breaking the rules of rescue because he had to, because he could. With the Wyoming steppe becoming increasingly arid and fires igniting every few days, his 'talent' is needed now more than ever. On his 50th birthday, Dodge dreams of the boy not on fire for the first time in over 30 years. Chalking it up to stress, he thinks nothing of it. With retirement from active fire duty in his near future, he's depressed and aimless. Other than firefighting, what purpose does he have? Twice divorced and childless, believing himself to be infertile in exchange for his superpower of unknown origin, he has no one to confide in but his cat, and he daydreams of walking into a wildfire just to see if he'd finally burn. But when he answers an emergency call about a local house fire, renewed purpose greets him in the flames, making him question everything he once believed.

Out of the darkness of the present comes the light of the days ahead … From all the good things provided by advanced AI to the innocence of discovering new worlds, join our authors as they present uplifting stories of science fiction and fantasy. With stories from Kevin David Anderson, Maureen Bowden, Steven D. Brewer, Nels Challinor, Regina Clarke, Stephen C. Curro, Jetse de Vries, Nestor Delfino, Gail Ann Gibbs, Henry Herz, Gwen C. Katz, Brandon Ketchum, Julia LaFond, R. Jean Mathieu, Syn McDonald, Christopher Muscato, Alfred Smith, A.M. Weald, and David Wright.

Two over-40 millennials each fighting their own mental health battles reunite for a summer archaeology job after 12 years and an ocean apart in this emotional own-voice debut novel for readers who enjoy slow-burn friends-to-lovers romances. Still reeling from being ghosted by her girlfriend, bioarchaeologist Kate Roth agrees to join an estranged colleague to teach at his field school at a Viking-age archaeology site in the wilds of Newfoundland. While welcoming the escape from Colorado where she's been medicating resurfaced anxieties with wine and angry rock music, she's wary of three important facts: 1) she's had a crush on Viking Cowboy Ben for half her life, 2) Ben is a family man who lives in Norway, and 3) all her romantic relationships, and most friendships, seem to have an expiration date. For archaeologist Esben "Ben" Veholt, inviting the woman he's been in love with since digging alongside her 23 years ago was, of course, the worst possible thing he could have done for himself. This summer was supposed to be his escape from reality: a love life in ruins, worsening body image issues, and a teenage daughter who suddenly wants nothing to do with him. When Kate accepts his offer, he intends to retain a professional relationship with her. A woman like Kate could never love him anyway-not with how much he's changed inside and out. All seems fine on the surface as Kate and Esben's friendship rebuilds, but as they dig deeper, they realize just how broken they both are. To heal from their painful pasts and reclaim their crumbling presents, they each need a friend who accepts them, mess and all. But summer won't last forever, and a third chance at romance threatens to drift across the ocean yet again. Even If We're Broken is for anyone who's ever struggled with depression, anxiety, body image, chronic pain, suicide, and loss. It's for archaeologists, and anyone who wanted to be an archaeologist. It's for anyone who's ever been in a long-distance relationship, and anyone who's ever loved someone from afar.

Fall Into Fantasy returns with 17 new tales of the magical and supernatural. Join us for stories of old libraries, clockwork creations, magical merfolk, druids, dangerous fae, wizards and witches. Discover love in unique ways and learn if destiny is immutable. We've got a sassy fairy paired with an adventurer and old forgotten gods resurfacing. These stories from returning, and new members, of the Cloaked Press Family will surely help you to escape your reality for a time.