News

See the cover for I Can Tell You the Version That Will Make You Take My Side by J Brooke

by AdamLeave a Comment on See the cover for I Can Tell You the Version That Will Make You Take My Side by J Brooke
See the cover for I Can Tell You the Version That Will Make You Take My Side by J Brooke

J Brooke is the award-winning queer documentary Out Late. They are also Prose Reviews Editor at The Rumpus, and a previous Nonfiction Editor for Stonecoast Review. They received their MFA from the University of Southern Maine, and their work has been nominated for a 2025 Pushcart, a 2025 Best of The Net, and “HYBRID” (their autobiographical essay on gender) won Columbia Journal’s 2020 Nonfiction Award.

In their debut poetry collection, I Can Tell You the Version That Will Make You Take My Side, Brooke takes readers on a journey from a tightly controlled, gendered childhood in elite New York spaces to a self-defined nonbinary adulthood that resists societal expectations and erasure. While exploring amily dynamics, body dysmorphia, class performance, and queer becoming, Brooke interrogates how identity is seen, misseen, and claimed.

The collection is available for pre-order through Driftwood Press now and will be released on June 2, 2026.

Debutiful is very excited to reveal the cover for the collection, which was designed by Sally Franckowiak, along with a Q&A with Brooke about its creation.

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Interviews, my reading life

Belgrave Road author Manish Chauhan believes every book he’s ever read shaped his debut novel

by AdamLeave a Comment on Belgrave Road author Manish Chauhan believes every book he’s ever read shaped his debut novel
Belgrave Road author Manish Chauhan believes every book he’s ever read shaped his debut novel

Manish Chauhan, born in Leicester, is a writer who works as a finance lawyer in East London. His short story, “Pieces,” was shortlisted for the 2024 BBC National Short Story Award, and early excerpts of his debut novel, Belgrave Road, were longlisted for the Curtis Brown First Novel Award and shortlisted for the Daniel Goldsmith First Novel Prize.

In Belgrave Road, Chauhan introduces readers to Mira, a young woman navigating life in a new country and a marriage that leaves little room for choice. When she forms a quiet bond with Tahliil, she must decide whether connection and selfhood are risks worth taking and what freedom might really mean.

We asked Chauhan to answer our recurring My Reading Life Q&A so readers could get to know the books that shaped his life and influenced his debut novel.

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Interviews, my reading life

Murder Bimbo author Rebecca Novack is always looking for a perfect Michael Crichton smell-alike

by AdamLeave a Comment on Murder Bimbo author Rebecca Novack is always looking for a perfect Michael Crichton smell-alike
Murder Bimbo author Rebecca Novack is always looking for a perfect Michael Crichton smell-alike

Rebecca Novack grew up in the Rocky Mountains and received a master’s in theological studies from Harvard Divinity school. Now, she’s releasing her debut novel, Murder Bimbo.

Murder Bimbo follows a sex worker recruited into a covert political assassination, who is left to fend for herself once the job is done. Hiding in the woods with only days to survive, she races to control her story through a feminist podcast and a series of increasingly unreliable emails, forcing readers to question truth, power, and who gets to be disposable.

We asked Novack to answer our recurring My Reading Life Q&A so readers could learn about the books that shaped her life and influenced her debut novel.

Continue reading “Murder Bimbo author Rebecca Novack is always looking for a perfect Michael Crichton smell-alike” →
News

See the cover for The House Built on Alligator Bones by Sophia Huneycutt

by AdamLeave a Comment on See the cover for The House Built on Alligator Bones by Sophia Huneycutt
See the cover for The House Built on Alligator Bones by Sophia Huneycutt

Sophia Huneycutt‘s short fiction has won the Porch Prize, judged by Kevin Wilson, and appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, STORY, The Greensboro Review, and Nashville Review. Originally from Florida, she received an MFA in creative writing from the Ohio State University and has received support from the de Groot Foundation, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and the Ohio Arts Council, as well as attending the Tin House Writers Workshop.

In her debut novel, The House Built on Alligator Bones, she introduces readers to Dartrine Beaumont, who, after her mother’s death, travels to Amelia Island to meet the wealthy relatives she never knew she had, only to be pulled into a ruthless inheritance fight and the eerie legacy of her family’s alligator empire. As sabotage escalates and rumors of a curse deepen, Dart must decide whether the past is something to escape, expose, or confront (and what it costs to do so).

The House Built on Alligator Bones will be released by Dutton on October 6, 2026, and is available for preorder now.

Debutiful is honored to reveal the cover of The House Built on Alligator Bones, which was designed by Andreea Dumuta, along with a Q&A with Hneycutt about its creation.

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book list, Recommendations

Eight books about coming of age in a war zone, recommended by Ashraf Zaghal

by AdamLeave a Comment on Eight books about coming of age in a war zone, recommended by Ashraf Zaghal
Eight books about coming of age in a war zone, recommended by Ashraf Zaghal

The following works of literary fiction explore coming-of-age in war zones across different geographies and historical moments. My aim is to reveal glimpses of shared human experiences beyond political or socio-economic contexts. Amid constant violence, fear, and mistrust, the young protagonists in these stories confront loss and moral ambiguity far earlier than they should. Childhood habits and innocent practices are disrupted by displacement, scarcity, and grief, leading to rapid, unstable growth. These stories linger not on battles, but on interior lives and intimate rituals. 

Continue reading “Eight books about coming of age in a war zone, recommended by Ashraf Zaghal” →
my reading life

Good Intentions author Marisa Walz loves suspense and book clubs

by AdamLeave a Comment on Good Intentions author Marisa Walz loves suspense and book clubs
Good Intentions author Marisa Walz loves suspense and book clubs

Marisa Walz is a Chicago-based Federal Reserve executive by day who writes suspenseful novels about people behaving badly by night. Her debut novel, Good Intentions, has been called “razor-sharp tension and surprising twists” by Jeneva Rose. It follows Cady, a successful event planner whose life collapses after the sudden death of her identical twin. Instead of grieving, she becomes fixated on Morgan, a grieving mother she meets at the hospital, convinced their meeting is no coincidence. As her attachment deepens, compassion gives way to obsession, pulling Cady into dangerous moral territory.

We asked Walz to answer our recurring My Reading Life Q&A so readers could learn about the books that shaped her life and influenced her debut book.

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writing

Read an excerpt from Every Happiness by Reena Shah

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Read an excerpt from Every Happiness by Reena Shah

The following is an excerpt from Every Happiness by Reena Shah. She is a writer who lives in Roosevelt Island, NY, with her family and teaches in a public school. Her work has appeared in Masters Review, Electric Literature, Joyland, BBC, the American Prospect, National Geographic, and the Guardian.

Every Happiness follows Deepa and Ruchi as they form an intense friendship as girls in India that follows them into adulthood and immigrant life in suburban Connecticut. As marriage, motherhood, and class differences strain their bond, a dangerous secret about Deepa’s husband forces them to confront the true cost of loyalty and love. It is available now from Bloomsbury.

Continue reading “Read an excerpt from Every Happiness by Reena Shah” →