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A radical daughter. A closeted father. A prim mother turned protester. One runaway girl sets a family on fire - and lights the way to liberation. In the bleak winter of 1982, fifteen-year-old Bridget has had enough. Enough of Thatcher's Britain, enough of being invisible, and enough of her family's secrets. Armed with little more than a sharp tongue and a fierce sense of justice, she runs away from her suburban life to join the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp - one of the most iconic protest movements in British history. But Bridget's disappearance doesn't just blow open her own life. It sends shockwaves through her fractured family: her distant, conservative mother, who's about to fall headlong into a love affair she never saw coming, and her father - a man with secrets of his own, who's spent a lifetime hiding in plain sight. Set at the unlikely intersection of nuclear disarmament and personal awakening, FALLOUT is a fearless, darkly funny exploration of identity, family, and midlife reinvention. With an irreverent bite that evokes Fleabag, the emotional complexity of Bad Sisters, and the political urgency of Milkman, Eleanor Anstruther has written a novel that is 'gutsy, urgent, and heartfelt' (Emma Forrest), full of 'wit, fire, and serious truths' (Joanna Pocock). As the three members of this quietly explosive family collide on the protest lines - armed with placards, secrets, and unlikely hope - they're forced to confront what they've been hiding from each other, and from themselves. Perfect for readers of Meg Mason, Ali Smith, and Nina Stibbe, FALLOUT is a luminous, unforgettable novel about the lies we tell to survive - and the courage it takes to finally come undone.

A rare, revelatory portrait of Joan Didion -- told not through her essays or fame, but through fifty years of unshakable friendship... and food! When journalist and novelist Sara Davidson met Joan Didion in the 1970s, neither could have predicted the decades of dinners, deep conversations, and quiet rituals that would follow. In Come to Dinner, Davidson opens the door to their private world, offering an intimate memoir of literary sisterhood -- one filled with tenderness, wit, and the kind of wisdom exchanged only across time and trust. From Malibu beach walks to Manhattan suppers, shared grief to unguarded hilarity, Davidson captures the Joan few ever saw: fiercely loyal, disarmingly funny, and unwavering in her support of other women writers. What emerges is not a biography, but a deeply human portrait of Joan as a friend, mentor, and kindred spirit. For fans of The Year of Magical Thinking, Sontag: Her Life and Work, and Let Me Tell You What I Mean, this is a story not just of Didion's legacy, but of female friendship told through a rich menu of radical love, creativity, and survival.

Step aside, stereotypes! Midlife is not a time to fade into the background. In Quickies, Dr. Heather Bartos, OB/GYN, renowned menopause specialist, and Oprah-approved women's health advocate, delivers a witty, wise, and unapologetically bold roadmap for reclaiming sensuality, confidence, and self-love in midlife. Packed with 100 empowering, bite-sized lessons, Quickies challenges outdated notions about aging and intimacy. From practical advice on navigating hormonal shifts to cheeky tips for spicing things up in the bedroom (or anywhere else), this groundbreaking guide invites women to embrace their evolving identities with curiosity, courage, and joy. Whether you're reigniting your spark or discovering it for the first time, Dr. Bartos's compassionate and laugh-out-loud voice makes the journey a delight. Dr. Bartos's expertise isn't just clinical -- it's deeply personal. Drawing on years of experience as a top OB/GYN and certified menopause specialist, she offers medical insights with a human touch. A certified Reiki practitioner, she also bridges the worlds of science and spirit, encouraging women to connect with their bodies on every level. And with a surprise foreword that's sure to make readers smile, Quickies delivers not just education, but celebration. Empress Editions Publisher Alisa Kennedy Jones calls Dr. Bartos's work 'a revelation,' adding, 'Quickies is a love letter to midlife women everywhere. It's an invitation to thrive, not just survive.' Dr. Heather Bartos's expertise has been featured in The New York Times, Cosmo, Glamour, Oprah Magazine, Refinery29, and Good Housekeeping. Now, with Quickies, she's giving midlife women everywhere the tools to live sexily ever after.

An unfiltered, hilarious new chapter for every woman who's ever yelled 'ARE YOU THERE, GOD?' into a fan. Gen X-er Maggie Levy has just turned fifty. When she was a girl, she assumed adulthood would come with answers - clear rules, emotional equilibrium, and a body that didn't stage hostile takeovers without notice. Instead, she gets menopause, which arrives like an uninvited houseguest who breaks the thermostat, eats all the snacks, and asks why you're so emotional. As Maggie and her three closest friends - the women they've christened the TWATS because irony is all they have left - stare down this rude, disorienting chapter, everything starts to crack open. Their bodies are unreliable. The culture is dismissive. Doctors are patronising. Patience is gone. Rage is... surprisingly clarifying. Together, they navigate hot flashes, insomnia, existential whiplash, vanishing tolerance for nonsense, and the shocking realisation that they have spent decades being polite about things that deserved to be set on fire. There are moments of deep friendship, brutal honesty, inappropriate laughter, and the kind of emotional truth-telling that only happens once you've officially run out of f*cks. Are You There, God? It's Me, Menopause is hilarious, sharp, and unapologetically honest - a novel about the second coming-of-age, when the rules fall apart, the mask comes off, and women finally stop pretending they're fine. It turns out midlife isn't about having it all together. It's about telling the truth, backing each other up, and discovering that rage - when shared - is just another form of love.

What do you do when the foundations of your life - family, identity, and health - begin to crack beneath your feet? In Unfixed, Kimberly takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the uncharted waters of family secrets, chronic illness, and the relentless search for truth and forgiveness. When Warner's seemingly stable world begins to unravel, she discovers that her father - a figure both present and painfully absent - harbours a long-buried secret. This revelation propels her into an emotional labyrinth of discovery, forcing her to confront the ghosts of her past and redefine the meaning of home, family, and self. Set against the backdrop of Warner's battle with an elusive and debilitating illness, Unfixed is a deeply intimate exploration of resilience and vulnerability. Warner masterfully weaves together threads of personal struggle and universal themes, painting a portrait of a life in flux that will resonate with anyone who has ever sought clarity in chaos. At its heart, Unfixed is a story of reckoning - not only with the haunting spectre of a lost father but also with the body's betrayal and the limits of medical certainty. With the lyricism of Dani Shapiro's Inheritance (Knopf, 2019) and the rich emotional depth of Where the Crawdads Sing (Corsair, 2019), Warner crafts a narrative that is both gripping and profoundly moving. Through luminous prose and unflinching honesty, Unfixed reveals the beauty and heartbreak of uncovering truths that were never meant to be found. It is a celebration of the human spirit's capacity to adapt and thrive in the face of the unknown, offering readers a poignant reminder that even in the most unfixed of lives, there is room for hope, connection, and self-discovery. Perfect for readers who find solace in stories of resilience and transformation, Unfixed invites you to walk alongside Warner on a journey of uncovering, unravelling, and ultimately rebuilding.

Divorce may not have been on your vision board, but here you are - alive, luminous, and one colouring page away from emotional liberation. Divorce Is The New Black: F*Ck Off, I'm Coloring My Way to a New Life is the laugh-out-loud, gloriously cathartic companion for every woman navigating the wild terrain of reinvention. Featuring 52 intricately designed, artist-level colouring pages, this book transforms heartbreak, paperwork, and questionable exes into something far more delightful: creative therapy with bite. Week by week, you'll colour your way through the full midlife glow-up - rage, relief, epiphanies, rediscovered joy, and the heady thrill of realising you get the whole bed now. Each page blends lush, imaginative artwork with wickedly funny captions - perfect for group chats, gal pal nights, or solo evenings with a good drink and better boundaries. Whether you're newly single, almost free, 'divorced in my heart,' or just supporting someone who deserves the world, these pages deliver a potent mix of humour, beauty, and emotional release. Inside, you'll find: 52 highly detailed, stress-relief designs ranging from triumphant phoenixes to glam goddesses, retro revenge fantasies, and symbolic scenes of freedom and fresh starts. Snarky, empowering one-liners celebrating resilience, reinvention, and reclaiming your damn sparkle. Themes for every stage of the journey - from paperwork purgatory to boundary victory laps, financial glow-ups, solo celebrations, and the emotional renaissance that comes after letting go. Perfect for fans of snarky adult colouring books, Nora Ephron-style humour, midlife reinvention stories, and anyone who could use a beautiful, therapeutic laugh. This isn't just a colouring book. It's a weekly ritual. A reset button. A portal to your next chapter. Colour the rage. Colour the joy. Colour the woman you're becoming. They got half the assets. You get the whole new era.

A therapist's bold, funny guide to surviving Gray Divorce and rebuilding your life on your own terms. When therapist Holly Lockett finds her own marriage imploding, she discovers that even experts aren't immune to the chaos, shock, and wild emotional whiplash of Gray Divorce. What she is uniquely equipped to do? Turn the wreckage into wisdom - with humour, straight talk, and zero euphemisms. Drawing from both her professional training and her personal unravelling, Holly walks women through the emotional, legal, physical, and romantic aftershocks of divorce with the kind of candour only a therapist-turned-survivor can offer. This isn't another sombre 'healing journey.' It's a bold, beautifully irreverent field guide for reclaiming your joy, your agency, and your bad-assery. Inside, you'll learn how to: Rebuild Your Identity: Redefine who you are beyond the marriage you've outgrown. Date Again: Navigate modern romance - even if your flirting skills are from another century. Master Your Finances: Understand your money, secure your stability, and plan your future. Stop Apologizing: Let go of guilt, obligation, and the version of yourself that played small. And threaded through every chapter: 'What if the best part of my life starts now?' Perfect for: Summer book clubs; Therapy and coaching circles; Women navigating Gray Divorce or midlife reinvention; Anyone craving an uncensored, wise, laugh-out-loud perspective from a therapist who's lived the story she teaches. A breakout Gray Divorce title that makes you feel seen, makes you laugh, and makes you believe your second act might just be your best one yet.

A novel about the cost of becoming - and the courage it takes to remain visible. What happens when a woman realizes she has disappeared inside her own life? And what would it take to come back into full view? Maggie has survived everything life could throw at her - addiction, grief, single motherhood, ambition that didn't go as planned, and love that arrived in the wrong shape at the wrong time. Now, in midlife, she's finally done pretending. She wants the truth - about her marriage, her desires, her talent, and the woman she once promised herself she'd become. Told in razor-sharp, luminous prose, MOTHERPERSON follows Maggie across New York, London, Dallas, Chicago, and a dusty artist's retreat in Taos as she confronts the roles she was handed - wife, daughter, mother, teacher - and the one she buried: herself. Her journey is messy, funny, raw, hopeful, and deeply human as she falls for an Irish painter, battles the stereotypes that try to shrink her, and ignites the spirits of students who've nearly given up. What emerges is a portrait of a woman refusing to disappear - choosing, instead, to live wide awake. Bold, intimate, and defiantly honest, MOTHERPERSON is a story for every woman who has ever wondered: Where did I go - and how do I get myself back? Perfect for readers of: Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout, Writers & Lovers by Lily King, and I Came All This Way to Meet You by Jami Attenberg

Dot Sloan has always had a plan: study hard, stay invisible, and definitely do not fall for her best friend, Joshua Jameson. Unfortunately, her heart never got the memo. After one magical, not-supposed-to-happen night leaves their friendship cracked wide open, Dot spends senior year doing damage control - hiding her feelings, dodging drama, and pretending she's totally fine. (She is... mostly. Sometimes. Okay, not at all.) So when Joshua suddenly becomes single for the first time in forever, Dot has a choice: stay silent and safe... or take the risk that might finally rewrite everything between them. As the school year spirals into a hilarious, tender chaos of friend fallouts, unexpected crushes, very public humiliations, and a crash course in confidence, Dot learns that growing up doesn't mean having all the answers. It means showing up - messy, terrified, and completely yourself. And sometimes? You only get the love you want when you stop waiting for permission.

A MUST for readers of The 5 Second Rule, Big Magic, and Atomic Habits, The Download is a powerful guide to accessing intuitive insight, unlocking creative genius, and turning your biggest ideas into reality. The Download shows readers how to escape cognitive overload, regulate their nervous systems, and receive Downloads - the clarity, breakthroughs, and creative ideas that change everything - on demand. Sara Connell has spent decades helping high performers, creators, and leaders break through mental noise to access something deeper: the moment when the right idea, solution, or decision arrives with total clarity. She calls it a Download - and according to both neuroscience and lived experience, it's not random. It's trainable. In a world that demands constant output, faster thinking, and endless decision-making, most of us are stuck reacting - overthinking, second-guessing, and chasing answers that never quite land. But what if the real advantage isn't thinking harder... It's knowing how to tune in? Through her proven D.A.R.E. Method - Desire, Activate, Receive, Excitate - Connell shows you how to access intuitive insight on demand, make aligned decisions faster, and unlock the kind of creativity that sets you apart. As you move through a compelling mix of science, story, and practical exercises, you'll learn how to cut through overwhelm, trust your instincts, and create momentum around the ideas that matter most - whether you're building a business, making a life-changing decision, or searching for your next chapter. Because the answers you're looking for? They're not out there. They're already here, waiting for you to access them.

Anna Schott has always had an appetite: for love, for reinvention, for a life that feels bigger than the one she was handed. What she didn't have was a rulebook. Or a filter. Across a series of bold, irreverent essays, she traces the messy, exhilarating path of a woman learning to want out loud-through disastrous relationships, delicious rebellions, moments of sharp clarity, and the kind of mistakes that leave a mark (and a good story). There are nights that go too far, mornings that come too soon, and the constant, electric question: what if she just... didn't behave? As her world expands into a kaleidoscope of risk, reinvention, heartbreak, and hard-won self-knowledge, Anna discovers that audacity isn't something you're born with. It's something you practice. Again and again. Usually the hard way. Because growing into yourself isn't neat. It's chaotic, intoxicating, occasionally humiliating-and completely necessary. And sometimes? The life you're craving is waiting on the other side of the thing you were told not to want.

At sixty-five, Sophie Bernstein feels herself disappearing - into retirement, into loneliness, into a house full of memories she can't face. On a whim, she leaves everything behind for Palmetto Point, a Florida condo community where the sunshine is bright, the neighbours are nosy, and nothing stays hidden for long. Instead of the quiet reset she imagined, Sophie is pulled into the orbit of a charming maintenance man, a group of fearless women who gather nightly over wine, and a condo scandal that exposes more than community secrets - it exposes her own. As Sophie becomes entangled in new friendships and old grief, she begins to want more from her life than safety. But wanting more means risking everything she came to Palmetto Point to escape. Perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine - a warm, funny, and deeply human story of reinvention and the courage to be seen.

Magic doesn't expire at forty. London, rewritten by shadow and spell, hides a secret magical intelligence service: The Department of Dark Errands. Its operatives don't just hunt traitors - they track the things that slip between worlds. Once the Department's brightest commander, Nyra Vex now lives quietly at forty-five, running an apothecary along the canals of Little Venice. Her past is buried, her magic sealed, and the life she lost carefully forgotten. Until a shadowbeast tears through her wards and whispers her name. Dragged back into the Department's grip, Nyra is reinstated, rearmed - and partnered with the one man she swore she'd never see again. Beck Morran. Her lover. Her betrayal. Dead ten years. Now alive - reanimated, cursed, and bound to the Patron's coin. As Nyra and Beck navigate a labyrinth of assassins, forbidden magic, and conspiracies older than Boudicca, the tether between them ignites again - part weapon, part desire, part doom. Every mission drags them deeper into the Department's shadowed underworld of archives, sigils, and living magic, where loyalty fractures and survival is never guaranteed. But Nyra carries a secret of her own. She is shadowmarked. And the power inside her may be the only thing that can cut Beck free - or burn the world down trying. Perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Deborah Harkness, and Killing Eve, SHADOWMARKED launches The Department of Dark Errands trilogy - a darkly seductive blend of espionage, witchcraft, and midlife romantasy, where dangerous men wear three-piece suits, and the most powerful woman in the room is an apothecary who refuses to disappear. Because some magic waits a lifetime to awaken.

Ellery Allbright Goes Dark is a refreshingly irreverent and deeply moving midlife rom-com that captures the messy, unpredictable beauty of reinvention. New York talk show host Ellery Allbright - once celebrated as a high-octane perfectionist with effortless charm and commanding presence - sees her life shatter when a sudden, ecstatic epileptic seizure on live television leaves her with 21 broken facial fractures. Wired shut to heal, unable to talk, she is forced to confront not only the physical aftermath but also the seismic shifts in her personal and professional life. As Ellery grapples with the fallout of her viral on-air disaster - where millions watch her pain and recovery unfold - the network demands that she undergo a rigorous rehabilitation before returning to the show. Enter Dr. Augustus Wolfe, a stuffed-shirt, Harvard-trained neurologist from Maine with cheekbones you could land a plane on. Tasked with her care, Augustus becomes an inescapable part of her recovery, though their relationship is marked by relentless friction. The pair butt heads at every turn, their clashing personalities fuelling a tension that is as volatile as it is magnetic. Amid the chaos of ghosted lovers, unsympathetic bosses, the turbulent dynamics with her teenage children - and the surreal guidance of her unlikely spirit guide, George Michael - Ellery embarks on a journey of rediscovery. Her path is as unpredictable as the seizures that now punctuate her life, each moment oscillating between absurd humour and gut-wrenching vulnerability. While Augustus's stern, methodical approach collides with Ellery's fiercely independent spirit, their continual conflict slowly gives way to grudging respect and an unexpected, transformative connection. From bizarre public mishaps that turn personal pain into viral spectacle to moments of raw, unvarnished self-reflection, Ellery learns to find strength in her scars and humour in her hardships. Ultimately, her journey culminates in a rallying cry for anyone sidelined by life's chaos. In the spirit of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Fleabag, Ellery Allbright Goes Dark is not merely a story of surviving midlife - it is a triumphant declaration of resilience, reinvention, and love.

A haunting meditation on love, loss, and the complexities of memory, WHO BY FIRE is the acclaimed novel from literary master Mary L. Tabor. Originally praised for its lyrical structure and emotional depth, this reissue brings a quiet yet resonant story to a new generation of readers. Told from the perspective of a male narrator unravelling the tangled threads of his past, WHO BY FIRE explores the fault lines of desire and betrayal with rare restraint and intimacy. In luminous prose, Tabor captures the unspoken truths between people - the things we hide, the moments we revisit, and the love that refuses to let go. Critics and authors alike have celebrated the novel's beauty and complexity. Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Olen Butler calls it 'a lovely, innovative, deeply engaging novel about how it is that human beings make their way through the mysteries of existence.' Lee Martin describes it as 'a lyric meditation on love and desire,' while Marly Swick hails it as 'intricately layered - this is beautiful truth.' Part of Empress Editions' Spring 2026 list, WHO BY FIRE reflects the publisher's commitment to literary fiction that explores midlife reinvention and intellectual power.