Candlemark & Gleam is pleased to announce that we’ve acquired the debut urban fantasy novel of Chrysoula Tzavelas: Matchbox Girls.

Marley Claviger, grad school drop-out, is just trying to get her life together enough to pay her rent. Stumbling into an ancient conflict between celestial forces is going to make that a whole lot harder.

When Marley wakes up to a phone call from a pair of terrified children, she doesn’t expect to be pulled into a secret war. She does her best to help them out. She rescues them from an empty house and promises to find their missing uncle. She even manages to feed them dinner. But she barely feels competent to manage her own life, knows next to nothing about caring for small children, and there’s that pesky rent issue yet to solve.

When a lawyer shows up claiming to be their new guardian, she wants to be pleased at his generous offers. Instead she has a vision of the children screaming in terror. Her instinctive rejection leads to a violent conflict, and the revelation of the children’s frightening powers. She has no idea what she’s gotten herself into, but she knows one thing: magical or not, the kids need her.

We’re really looking forward to getting to share this unique take on celestial powers, family, and what it means to care for someone with you.

Matchbox Girls by Chrysoula Tzavelas: Coming in February 2012!