Adult Newsletter: May 2019

Up And Coming For Submission

NON-FICTION

It’s easy to be yourself when who and what you are is in vogue. But growing up black, gay, and Christian in America has been the antithesis of popular. Before Billy Porter was slaying red carpets and giving an iconic performance in the celebrated TV show Pose; before he was the Tony-award winning star of Broadway’s Kinky Boots; before he was an acclaimed recording artist, actor, playwright, and diva, Billy was a young boy who didn’t fit in. He was a five-year-old sent to therapy to fix his effeminacy. He was endlessly bullied at school, constantly abused by his step-father, not knowing how to move forward—coming of age in a world where simply being himself was a constant struggle. UNPROTECTED is the story of an astonishing artist in his own words. It is a memoir about a boy whose talent, courage, and desperate determination led him through countless hard times to where he is now, an icon whose dedication to his own truth and his refusal to back down in the face of adversity has made him an inspiration to countless fans. Billy Porter is a multi-talented, multi-faceted treasure at the top of his game. His memoir is for readers of Charles Blow’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones and Alan Cumming’s Not My Father’s Son. A soaring, resonant story shot through with his stunning wit, UNPROTECTED is a triumphant work written to entertain and inspire. (Please note this project is represented by Jim McCarthy.)

In the months since she scored one of the most unlikely upsets in American political history, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has emerged as the nation’s most important politician not living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. She has been on the cover of Time Magazine and Vanity Fair, profiled in Vogue and the New Yorker. According to one study, Fox News and Fox Business mention her on average 76 times per day. And as much as it seems as if AOC emerged fully formed into the social mediasphere, where her Twitter clapbacks and the Instagram stories of her making dinner and explaining her week in Washington have thrilled her millions of online fans, her rise can actually be seen as the most visible manifestation of a new generation coming into their own, one that threatens to rewrite the rules of American politics.  David Freedlander, a veteran longform journalist who contributes to New York Magazine, Politico and The Daily Beast traces AOC’s unlikely rise from the Bronx to the halls of Congress in WE’RE CLOSER THAN WE BELIEVE. Ocasio-Cortez’s story is not hers alone; her ascent was powered by millennials coming of age in the Age of Obama. Her political journey is also the narrative of Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, the DREAMers and the Standing Rock protests, of Democratic Socialists and Indivisible and the Bernie Sanders for President campaign. AOC is just the first of many lining up to shake the walls of power; who promise to stretch the boundaries of what is politically possible in America. Freedlander provides a readerly tour through this new landscape, bolstering his analysis with on-the-ground reporting, vivid storytelling and deep historical and sociological context.

Grown adults passionate about a stuffed penguin passed around the office? A golden toilet as a reward for dealing with “the shittiest situation”? And why would Starbucks spend the time and money on elaborate coffee tastings for new hires? Though these might seem laughable or crazy at first glance, with rituals in hand, each and every worker, manager, leader and job-seeker has the power to transform their ordinary job into a deeply gratifying sense of purpose. The real secret to creating a warm, connected culture at work where people are engaged, loyal and productive is through rituals. RITUALS AT WORK: HOW A STUFFED PENGUIN, A GOLDEN TOILET AND A STEAMING CUP OF COFFEE MAKE WORKPLACE MAGIC by workplace strategist, internationally sought-after speaker, and bestselling author of BRING YOUR HUMAN TO WORK, Erica Keswin, is the next step for leaders, managers, and individuals who want to infuse this human approach into everything they do at work. For people who crave meaning, flexible work, and true connection, rituals at work are the answer. Harnessing the power of rituals helps us create meaning, belonging, cohesion, loyalty and even a rockin’ good time—all the ingredients of a human workplace…and a happier world.

Dissent is on the rise again in the era of Trump. From the Women’s March to rallies by young people against gun violence, a strong current of protest has emerged. Accusations of anti-Americanism have dogged dissenters, however, hampering their efforts. Exploring opposition in the past reveals a strong connection between patriotism and dissent, however. Americans who love their country but disagree with their government will take sustenance from THE DISSENTER’S GUIDE TO AMERICAN HISTORY. Resistance began with the anti-authoritarian origins of the American Revolution and accelerated in the Civil War era when an escaped slave became a leading abolitionist and an unlikely patriot. A female reformer was the conscience of the nation’s democracy at the turn of the twentieth century, and a young college professor quit his job during WWI, objecting to the imposition of loyalty oaths. During WWII, a small group of YMCA leaders who had never before held a protest sign helped end Japanese American internment. Soldiers returned from the Vietnam War turned the American flag and the country upside down for the cause of freedom. Today, nonconformists can draw upon the lessons of this deep reservoir of history to renew the nation. Respected author, professor, and historian Jon Davidann will take the reader on an extraordinary journey, demonstrating that patriotic dissent has always driven change in the United States.

After a powerful mystical experience as a volunteer in one of Johns Hopkins landmark psychedelic drug studies, journalist Travis Kitchens began a five-year investigation into what role psychoactive plants and fungi played in the history of the world’s most popular religion. There’s an abundance of botany and pharmacology books from the ancient world, thanks to peasant self-experimenters who searched for practical medicines, poisons, and drugs. Forgotten philosophers like Theophrastus and Galen documented a rich druglore and many hypnotika were combined to make magic potions, mixed wines, intoxicating incense, and a variety of pungent oils that were used by priests and magicians in their services and rituals to cultivate altered states of consciousness. Today, the latest science helps to illuminate altered states, along with more than a century of scholarly analysis of suppressed Christian texts, which have not just revolutionized our understanding of its origins and concepts, but also demonstrated that our current fascination with the psychedelic experience is much older than previously believed. A colorful tale of how natural drugs and sensory isolation were used to initiate special states of mind called prophecy, I SAW THE LIGHT explores the mysterious visions and voices, trances, and out-of-body travels that were central to early Christianity, revealing its ultimate roots in mysticism, magic, and shamanism.

Why are so many religious citizens drawn to the rhetoric of rightwing populists?  The political successes of the Islam-Kemalism of Erdogan, the Eurasian traditionalism of Putin, the Christian-Democracy of Orban, the Judeo-Christianity of Trump, the Prosperity Pentecostalism of Bolsonaro, the populist Catholicism of Salvini and the Hindu-nationalism of Modi all speak of a religious infused reaction to secular governance. Most scholars see populism as a either a problem of political representation or economic distribution. But it is something much more. What has been eroding for the past few decades is not simply the decline of liberal democracy or the welfare state, but belief in secularism and the secular elites who propagate it. RELIGION AND POPULISM by Daniel Jenkins provides the first detailed attempt to explain the religious forces that are driving the global populist movement today. It argues that “God and Country" populism offers its adherents with a way of forging a new consensus – a tool to re-embed a society that has lost its moral center. Furthermore, it contends that those wishing to challenge the tide of rightwing populism must go beyond mere economic and political solution to the populist temptation. They must also address the question of human meaning in a heartless world run by impersonal market forces, jarring technological advances, and crafty technocrats. RELIGION AND POPULISM will be necessary reading for understanding the pivotal role religion is playing in contemporary global politics.

Technologies are overwhelmingly designed by men and tested on men, creating grave risks to women.  Artificial hearts are too big for women’s bodies and heart stents tested only on men turned out to be fatal for women.  Because only male crash test dummies were used in safety ratings until 2011, seat-belted women are 47% more likely to be seriously harmed in car accidents.  When men and women visit “help wanted” websites, the technological algorithms direct men to higher-paying jobs. Women innovators are sabotaged in the tech sphere, with women garnering less than 2% of venture capital investments, even though women’s startups make twice as much money as men’s startups—and according to the journal Inc., investors could have generated an additional $85 million in revenue if they invested equally in women-run companies.  In (RE)DESIGNING WOMEN: HOW TECHNOLOGY FAILS WOMEN AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT,  Lori Andrews, a tech advisor who’s appeared on Oprah, 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, Fox News, and Nightline, and written for Playboy, Parade, The New York Times, New York, Vogue, and Glamour, provides advice for individual women, companies, universities, and governments to ensure that women’s innovations and women’s needs are considered in the design of technologies.  After all, women invented the dishwasher, the lifeboat, jet fuel, Kevlar, windshield wipers, the first universal computer programming language, wireless technology, and something that has probably touched as many lives as any of those—the chocolate chip cookie. 

In September 1512, after eighteen years of exile, Giuliano de’ Medici returned to Florence. In a matter of weeks, he abolished the institutions of the Republic and became the ruler of the city. This tale might provoke a feeling of déjà-vu: a family with worldwide financial interests is propelled into office after colluding with a foreign power and conspiring with local allies; in populist fashion, it gestures towards a glorious past and manipulates the people into acclaiming their new masters, while actually governing in the interest of the richest. Established upon weak foundations, this power is insecure and sees conspiracies everywhere; it blames its shortcomings on real or imagined enemies. Illiberal and suspicious, it justifies itself only by blaming its predecessor. NOCTURNAL POLITICS by intellectual historian and former member of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies, Nicolas Guilhot is a thought-provoking exploration about how the lessons of the past can help us counter the devastating political consequences of conspiracy theories today. Ever since Niccolò Machiavelli, a victim of the Medici intrigues, defined modern politics as the art of keeping conspiracies in check, real or fantasized plots have been considered an existential threat to politics and a danger for democracy. As conspiracy theories erode the very possibility of imagining a common good, it is indispensable to recover the wisdom of past thinkers who warn us against the danger of conspi-racism and help us understand how only a reinvention of democratic politics can defeat the cynical populism that thrives on conspiracy theories.

When bestselling author William Gurstelle set out to research his own little corner of the world, he quickly uncovered fascinating stories of long-gone people, places, and things. By using readily available historical documents and archeological data, he discovered that within a two-block radius of his home these things had happened: giant ice age beavers (the size of small cows) frolicked 10,000 years ago and a waterfall the size of Niagara Falls thundered less than 100 meters from his current front door six thousand years ago. In the last 200 years and within a few blocks of his current driveway are the sites of the first wedding between whites in the state of Minnesota, the hideout of famous Chicago mobsters, and perhaps a treasure cache buried by French Canadian whiskey traders. He wondered if everybody’s neighborhood was so rich with history—and so HISTORY IS EVERYWHERE was born.  Most people don’t know much about the history of their neighborhood and what went on before they were there, but if they took time to explore it, they’d be awestruck. And after that, they’d want to share their findings with their friends and neighbors. HISTORY IS EVERYWHERE takes a three-part approach to the world of microhistory, showing readers how to research their local area, how to write and document what they’ve found to share their wonderful stories with others, and how to build a good looking exhibit that displays local microhistory with the professionalism and attractiveness it deserves.

What does it mean for U.S. history that few know the real details of one the most famous events leading up to the American Revolution? In the case of the Boston Massacre, it means that a cherished narrative—haughty British soldiers firing into a crowd of noble colonists; John Adams risking everything to defend them—tends to crumble at the touch. (Even the memorial in Boston is in the wrong spot.) For journalist and media critic Andrew Beaujon, the incident is the starting point for an exploration of the elusiveness of truth, the unreliability of published narratives, and the hilarious weirdnesses one discovers while doing historical reporting. STUBBORN THINGS looks at the events of March 5, 1770, from shifting perspectives: the British, reeling from the discovery that some colonists no longer saw them as compatriots; American patriots like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere who had no problem lying about the events of that night to embarrass the crown; and Samuel Adams’ cousin John, the second U.S. president, whose rosy recollections of his role may not be entirely accurate either. At a time when Americans occupy different factual realities based on their political beliefs, STUBBORN THINGS asks: did our founding fathers get away with one of the greatest media hoaxes of all time?

It was 1928 when Pauline Pfeiffer stepped off the train in Sheridan, Wyoming, and Ernest Hemingway thought he might explode with happiness. He'd missed her terribly while she recovered from the birth of their son Patrick in Arkansas, and he went ahead to finish his novel about the war.  She looked "strong as a goat" and he was cockeyed in love with her.  In Paris, she'd been demonized after Hadley, Hemingway’s first wife, divorced him. But they’d had it all wrong—Pauline and Ernest had the bad luck of falling in love while he was still married, and they'd gone through hell to be together. COCKEYED HAPPY: HEMINGWAY’S WYOMING SUMMERS WITH PAULINE by Darla Worden focuses on six summers from 1928 to 1939, starting with Pauline and Ernest’s first visit to the Cowboy State on the heels of his wildly successful novel The Sun Also Rises, and ending years later with their explosive breakup at a wilderness cabin. Much attention has been focused on Ernest Hemingway's travels abroad, but the full story of his prolific years in Wyoming has remained untold until now. And little has been written about his relationship with Pauline—the woman branded as a "homewrecker." COCKEYED HAPPY shows Pauline in a new light, as a young woman ill-equipped to repel the handsome writer's charm, who wanted nothing more than to be a good wife to him. Worden draws upon previously unpublished information from diaries, interviews and journals about Hemingway’s time in Wyoming that provide insight into his writing as well as the initial joy and ultimate heartbreak of his second marriage.

Rabia Chaudry has been less fat and more fat, but never not fat. When her family returned to Pakistan for their first visit since moving to the US, according to family lore, two-year-old Rabia clocked in at 50 pounds. Her grandfather attempted to pick her up but had to put her straight back down, uttering words she would be reminded of a million times in her life: “What have you done to her?” And yet, despite the worries of her parents, merciless teasing by uncles, cousins, and kids at school, not to mention the aunts who announced when she was 12 that she was too fat to ever be a suitable bride, she’s always loved food too much to hold a grudge against it. With wit, warmth, and no punches pulled, New York Times bestselling author Rabia Chaudry will tell the stories of her three constant companions: family, food, and fat. From the many breads of her acquaintance to the king of South Asian rice dishes, FATTY FATTY BOOM BOOM will weave the joys of her favorite foods through tales of growing up in a loving (if oppressively concerned) immigrant family while exploring life lived in a body that gets the job done, but refuses to meet the expectations of others. (Please note this project is represented by Lauren Abramo.)

Many people spend their days dreaming about running away to paradise, but Jessica Machado ran from it. She spent much of her Honolulu childhood alone indoors or at her sick mother’s bedside and never felt connected to the aina (land) or the tenets of Native Hawaiian culture. Trapped between her identity as a “local” like her father—someone whose familial roots are in Hawaii for generations—and a “haole” or foreigner, like her mother, who was raised in the South, she never quite knows where she fits. At 23, she leaves the islands, convinced that on the mainland she’ll finally feel like she belongs. But loneliness, panic attacks, and her dying mother all follow her to Los Angeles, and she finds that no amount of alcohol or sex can dull the roar of anxiety long enough to truly cope. By the time her mother dies, her life has completely spiraled out of control, and she has to painfully reckon with her grief and isolation. Finally, she discovers that the only way she can truly save herself is to learn the lesson Hawaii had been trying to teach her: to figure out how to connect with the world around her. A moving personal narrative interwoven with a nuanced exploration of Hawaiian culture and history, Daily Dot editor Jessica Machado’s LOCAL is a story about figuring out who and where you really come from. A former associate editor at Rolling Stone, Jessica has also published work in the Washington Post, Elle, Salon, The Toast, Vice, and Guernica, among others. (Please note this project is represented by Lauren Abramo.)

From scientist, professor and crime novel enthusiast Neil Bradbury comes A TASTE FOR POISON; the parallel tale of poisons and the killers who used them.  Alongside true-life accounts of the murderers and their not-so-perfect crimes (some notorious, some forgotten, some still at large) are the equally compelling stories of their poisons; eleven molecules of death that work their way through the human body, inexorably seeking out their specific target for destruction.  Readers of murder mysteries and true crime may recognize arsenic, strychnine and cyanide, captured here alongside more exotic substances like polonium, aconite and atropine, but in every case, their mechanisms – terrible, precise, and ruinous – are rarely understood.  Perhaps paradoxically, each molecule (and the specific havoc it wreaks) helps to illuminate the way in which the human body functions. From our mitochondria to our motor neurons to our ribosomes, Bradbury leads readers on a fascinating tour of the intricate, complex systems that keep us alive. Or don’t. A TASTE FOR POISON is a unique combination of popular science and true crime, written by a scientist with over 30 years of experience as a researcher and master teacher.  Neil Bradbury, Ph.D. is a professor at the Chicago Medical School, where he teaches and conducts research on genetic diseases. (Please note this project is represented by Jessica Papin.)

In NINE MILE, award-winning journalist Amy Yee tells a quintessential yet utterly unique American story of re-invention via the booming marijuana industry, starring an unusual cast of Catholic Iraqi-American immigrants in Detroit called Chaldeans. In the wake of the Great Recession of 2008, these unlikely pot entrepreneurs pulled themselves out of economic hardship. When Detroit’s once-iconic automakers laid off hundreds of thousands of workers, small businesses were equally hard hit, including one Chaldean family’s liquor store. The American dream that Bassam, a 50-something immigrant from Baghdad, had worked so hard to achieve over two decades, was falling apart. But Tony, his college-age son, had an unexpected business proposal: growing weed. In 2008, medical marijuana was legalized in Michigan, the first state in the Midwest to do so. In spite of fierce opposition from Tony’s devoutly Catholic mother, father and son taught themselves how to grow marijuana -- and saw surprising results. For many other Chaldeans in Detroit, a tight-knit and highly entrepreneurial community, marijuana also became an unexpected lifeline out of financial ruin. In an iconic city too often associated with urban decay, this true story of young people leading the way for their traditional parents defies stereotypes about Millennials, immigrants, Detroit, marijuana and Iraq. NINE MILE is an inspiring, remarkable tale of resilience, renewal and hope from America’s heartland by Amy Yee, contributor to the New York Times, NPR, the Economist among others and former staff writer for the Financial Times. (Please note, this project is represented by Jessica Papin.)

In an increasingly chaotic world of breaking news and broken politics, kids are paying attention, asking questions, and getting involved more than ever before. But as immersed in the chaos as we all are, few of us know how to talk to children about it. That’s the question Pantsuit Politics hosts Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers hear over and over, and over—luckily, they’re experts on how to have productive conversations about tough social and political issues. For the last four years, they’ve taught their large podcast audience to embrace nuance and engage in issues with courage and kindness, the subject of their first bestselling book I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening). In RAISING CITIZENS, Sarah and Beth turn these skills to the all-important task of talking to kids. They’ll go beyond walking kids of all ages through the worst headlines of the day and empower parents and caregivers to raise proactive, involved citizens who will make a difference in their schools, their communities, and their world. This invaluable guide for parents, teachers, aunts, caregivers, and anyone who crosses paths with the next generation of voters and leaders, will prepare adults to teach the children in their world to make politics a part of life (in word and in deed) and through it all, to keep in touch with their values as a consistent touchstone. In addition to their hit podcast and bestselling first book, Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers’ work has been featured in major media including Morning Joe, Bloomberg Business, Bustle, Elle, NPR’s Politics, and The Atlantic. (Please note, this project is represented by Sharon Pelletier.)

Lana Del Rey is one of the most iconic pop stars of our time, worshipped by her millions of fans and revered by her peers for evoking the spirit of old Hollywood glamour while probing the darkness beneath the surface of the American Dream. In July 2017, her fifth studio album, the Grammy-nominated Lust for Life, debuted at number one on both the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart, taking her overall streaming total to an impressive 7.5 billion across all major platforms. And yet she remains an enigma – until now. Author of U2: The Definitive Biography John Jobling draws on a wealth of original research, including new interviews with many of the people who have played a key role in her life and art, for Lana Del Rey: A Different Kind of Blue, which reveals for the first time the real woman behind the carefully crafted persona. It traces every step of her trailblazing journey – from her privileged upbringing in Lake Placid, through the New York club wasteland and her self-imposed trailer-park days in New Jersey, to her standing at the pinnacle of pop culture where she is courted by the fashion world and Hollywood players alike. It lifts the lid on her affluent family background, her complicated love life and her alcohol-fueled dark impulses, and examines in great detail the controversies surrounding her authenticity and feminist identity. (Please note, John Rudolph is the agent on this project.)

In 1779, a poor, desperate widow in northern England consulted a fortune teller. The prophecy inspired hope: one day her children would bring her honor. By 1803, three were famous. Two were girls. Jane and Anna Maria Porter burst into the public eye with pioneering, bestselling historical novels and published 26 books over five decades. They were the most famous sister novelists before the Brontës. Why have you never heard of them? We’ve been so caught up in the myth of Austen’s quiet, unobtrusive genius that we’ve dropped the story of the intrepid trailblazers who put their real names—and polite reputations—on the line in pursuit of fame and fortune. Drawing on thousands of never-before-published letters, SISTER NOVELISTS: THE CELEBRATED MISSES PORTER IN THE AGE OF JANE AUSTEN, tells their remarkable life stories for the first time. Devoney Looser, Guggenheim Fellow, National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar, English professor, and author of The Making of Jane Austen, presents a fascinating, often heartbreaking, account of sisters’ daring literary visions and incredible accomplishments. As we remember history’s long-forgotten rebel women, and celebrate the Regency era for producing an Austen, we should bring back the Porter sisters. It was they who paved the way, invented the historical novel, and helped create the persona of the Victorian “authoress.” (Please note, Stacey Glick is the agent on this project.)

You’ve heard about joy, right? Everyone is talking about it–that momentary and sometimes surprising feeling of great pleasure or happiness. What sparks this joy and how can we find more of it in our lives? If you analyze it, you’ll find that many of the sources of joy are colorful things… sprinkles on ice cream, helium-filled balloons, rainbows, yellow cars, emojis, jelly beans. Color! Color has the power to excite, persuade, and even mystify. It can stop people in their tracks, captivating their attention, and even provoke them to briefly forget their worries. Color adds value to people’s lives in so many more ways than they realize, and taking a moment to deliberately colorize the world around you can enhance your moment, your day, and your life significantly. Muralist and former MAC designer, artist Jason Naylor is spreading joy and kindness around the globe using his signature bright colors and even brighter messages, many of which can be found on the streets on NY. His first book, LIVE LIFE COLORFULLY, which is also one of his strongest messages, is a bright, playful, anecdotal guide that uses words, pictures and importantly, color, to bring more joy to life. With a little bit of edge and a lot of confidence, LIVE LIFE COLORFULLY is a succinct way to say, “Be yourself, be brave, be proud of who you are, be kind, be loving, be happy and be colorful.” This book will show you the way! (Please note, Stacey Glick is the agent on this project.)

The circumstances surrounding death can be as unique as the lives we live, requiring unique people to handle what we leave behind. In DEATH, IT'S A LIVING: A GUIDE TO POSTMORTEM PROFESSIONS, mortician, transplant specialist, and pathologists' assistant Alyse Gray explores the unusual landscape of death-focused occupations as a way of encouraging curiosity about the traditionally taboo. Using a series of narratives based on personal experience and research, Gray examines these careers from a feminine perspective. Interviews with over 30 professionals including well-known experts Dr. Jan Garavaglia (Dr. G Medical Examiner), Dr. Judy Melinek, and Ryan Matthew Cohn (of Discovery Channel's Oddities) provide additional insight into the lives of those who work with the dead. In a time where more women are seeking to enter scientific fields, Gray also provides career advice that female fans of her death-centric Instagram page frequently request. Women make up about 80% of her Instagram’s 120k followers, prompting a look at the changing demographics of death care, which have evolved over the past 20 years from being predominantly male occupied to overwhelmingly female occupied. Quirky and thought-provoking, DEATH, IT'S A LIVING, welcomes readers on a weird and wonderful tour of what happens to our bodies when we die and encourages women to consider these unusual occupations, pointing to the idea that death can help us lead better lives. (Please note, Amy Elizabeth Bishop is the agent on this project.)

FICTION

When the ocean rose, a dark tide carried away cars and houses, destroyed the tools of modern life, from electric lights to cell phones, and triggered a mass migration inland. But the worst legacy of climate change was the knowledge of our own complicity. The destruction of Earth had not required the act of a madman pushing a button. We’d all participated simply by ignoring the scientists and changing nothing about our way of life. Into this new world of burning heat and conquering water, nine strangers meet by chance at an old retreat center in Michigan. There, they make an effort to rebuild trust and restart the human experiment through the timeless practice of storytelling. Loosely based on Boccaccio’s Decameron, KENNEALLY CENTER is the debut novel of Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Mark Johnson. One by one a diverse cast arrives at the center: the narrator Elon, a 37-year-old who fled Rhode Island during a catastrophic hurricane; Nizar, a pessimistic Syrian forced to become a refugee for the second time in his life; Amira, a young Millennial from a small southern town and Asher, the older boyfriend she met on the road; and Claire and Elissa, a lesbian couple schooled in the use of firearms. The stories they tell reveal their natures, and foreshadow what will happen to them. As Elon narrates their modest attempt to build a new order, he becomes the interpreter of our fate, what we have lost and what remains.

Two decades after Heather Garner drops out of college in the 1990s to join a fringe religious commune in Vermont, she finds herself in jail, charged with murdering her child. Abby Harris, a rising legal star, eager to add another high profile case to her resume, jumps at the chance to defend Heather. Abby initially believes the child died because of Heather’s continued adherence to the religious beliefs of the group she joined all those years ago. However, as Abby’s investigation unfolds and Heather reveals pieces of her history inside the Messiah's Tribes, Abby begins to understand that the group's members are not the harmless band of happy hippies they present to the outside world. The Messiah's Tribes are a cult, one that runs a complex, far-reaching criminal enterprise whose leaders appear willing to martyr their own followers and anyone who tries to leave or expose the truth. With a baby of her own on the way, Abby struggles to understand how religion could compel Heather to do the unthinkable—and whether defending her client is worth risking the life of her own child. Told in dual perspectives, THE TRIBES by Mari Howes is a gripping and fast-paced novel sure to thrill fans of Liane Moriarty and Ruth Ware and guaranteed to keep readers up all night turning pages.

Walking in the footsteps of Megan Abbott’s QUEENPIN and Laura Lippman’s SUNBURN, Halley Sutton’s debut THE LADY UPSTAIRS is a modern-day noir thriller that crackles with voice, introducing a powerful new talent in the feminist crime space. Jo’s building a career out of taking down terrible men, motivated as much by the money she’s earning—and the debt she’s paying off—as by the good she tells herself she’s doing the world. At least the world of LA, that is. She’s never actually met her enigmatic boss, known only as the Lady Upstairs, but her coworker Lou assures Jo the Lady has big plans for her. Just one more sting, blackmailing a notorious casting-couch creep, and then Jo’ll be free of her debt and ready to prove just how valuable she can be. But when Jo’s ambition gets ahead of her, she ends up with a body count, and the usually-paid-off eyes of the LAPD turn directly on her. Jo is desperate, but certain she can pull off her biggest con yet— bringing down a rising local politician and, this time, doing it behind the Lady’s back. And then she’ll ride off into the sunset with Lou. Only, Lou has secrets of her own, and Jo is soon to learn that no woman is manageable, especially when there’s a life-changing payoff on the line. THE LADY UPSTAIRS by Halley Sutton reclaims James Ellroy’s sultry LA noir with an unapologetic feminism, resulting in a sizzling crime debut that won’t let you get away. (Please note, this project is represented by Sharon Pelletier.)

Charlee Parker—preschool administrator, pancake aficionado, and contented spinster–reluctantly agrees to be the third wheel on her BFF Lauren’s birthday trip to Las Vegas, never expecting the weekend will bring her a husband and a boyfriend. But this is one instance when what happens in Vegas definitely doesn’t stay there. Lauren and her boyfriend Chip set Charlee up with Chip’s college pal, the Ken-doll look-alike James and it’s hate at first sight, for both of them. Charlee flees into a day-long game of Truth or Dare with Beck, an old middle-school classmate she ran into at karaoke, but when the day ends up at a wedding chapel, Charlee bolts practically as soon as the words I Do are out of her lips. Back home, Charlee aims to put the whole crazy weekend behind her, determined no one will find out—Vegas weddings don’t count, right?—but finds her thoughts drawn to her new secret husband Beck all too often. At the same time, James comes to town for a new job and as their besties keep bringing them together, they realize their feelings are starting to change…and their differences are what keep things interesting. Just as she begins to believe in a future with James that would be safe and comfortable, Beck shows up to claim his role in her life. With punches flying in the kitchen and both men going all out to win her over, Charlee must cut through the chaos and figure out what she really wants—and who it is that her heart is truly matched for. Smart and hilarious, with a full-figured heroine who’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind, ACCIDENTALLY EVER AFTER by Rena Olsen is a sassy, heartfelt romcom for fans of Hannah Orenstein and Kristan Higgins. (Please note, this project is represented by Sharon Pelletier.)

Fans of Barbara Kingsolver will embrace this lyrical mystery set in the stark African savannah.  Anne Fern has always lived in the shadow of her glamorous, lucky sibling, Cordelia—a mysterious but internationally renowned social media influencer. That is, until Cordelia is violently assaulted, her married lover is framed for embezzlement and a business card bearing the name of an African lodge is found by her body.  To uncover her sister’s secrets, stay-at-home Anne must masquerade as Cordelia at a social media event hosted by the African lodge.  But nothing goes as it should.  When one guest is found dead and their hot air excursion balloon is shot down in a remote region, it’s Anne who blossoms into a fearless leader.  Everyone has a secret, but the four survivors must overcome their own suspicions to outwit the natural (and unnatural) predators relentlessly stalking them.   A life-changing discovery will ultimately show Anne how little she knows about those closest to her.  THE LUCKY SISTER by Amanda Hopkins, is as much about a woman finding herself and a family’s redemption as it is a celebration of nature. (Please note, this project is represented by Ann Leslie Tuttle.)

Marine biologist Eve “Shelly” Shelbourne has never forgiven her mother Violet—a famous underwater archaeologist and treasure hunter—for abandoning her family.  Now, Shelly’s beloved brother is dead, and Shelly has no idea how to live as one half of a twin. Or how to handle the news about her own DNA heritage that she finds in an old letter her brother never sent. When her longtime boyfriend misreads the situation and proposes marriage, Shelly does the one thing her mother taught her to do in a family crisis. She bails.  But in an ironic twist, Violet is also the only person who can now help her.  Shelly boards Violet’s treasure-hunting boat for the first time in almost a decade as the vessel trawls the waters off the Portuguese coast. As Shelly collects venomous cones for her medical research, she also discovers clues that reveal another side to Violet and explain her behavior—something a child desperate for a mother’s love could never appreciate. A fragile bond begins to form between the mother and daughter. One that is tested when Shelly is stung by the very cones she’s studying. Reminiscent of Lisa Genova’s INSIDE THE O’BRIENS, Sharon Wishnow effortlessly interweaves marine science for the lay reader with a poignant account of reinvention and hope in THE SEA SHELLER’S DAUGHTER.  (Please note, this project is represented by Ann Leslie Tuttle.)

Set against the raucous background of 1890s New York City, A SLEUTH IN THE SHADOWS by E. Baron is a gender-bending ALIENIST.  A young Irish immigrant boy is declared missing, and the family’s only clue is a card sent to them containing a Bible verse. Was the child taken as part of some anti-immigrant crime or did it signal something even more sinister?  New York’s police refuse to investigate but, armed with a newly minted, useless law degree and a Derringer, Theodora Green wants to see justice served.  Soon she’s joined by a group of other unconventional females as they travel from the slums of Hell’s Kitchen and the prison yard at Sing Sing to the glittering echelons of New York society to solve the murder.  But amidst discoveries of more dead bodies and rumors that Jack the Ripper has crossed the Atlantic, Theo and the Knickerbocker Ladies Society on Murder find themselves pitted against a deranged vigilante. One who is copying the crimes of a serial killer executed over a year ago; one who has masterminded a sadistic ritual for torturing the victims.  Launching the Knickerbocker Ladies Society on Murder series, this debut is a gripping, evocative mystery will resonate with fans of NYT bestselling author, C.S. Harris. (Please note, this project is represented by Ann Leslie Tuttle.)

From acclaimed author and award-winning screenwriter Kamran Pasha comes a stirring reimagining of a woman who would become THE QUEEN OF PERSIA. In the 6th century BC, the fate of empires and the destiny of the Jewish people lie in the hands of one young woman.  Born a slave in Babylon, Hadassah is thrust into a world of intrigue and danger when she saves the Persian Queen from an assassin’s blow.  Freed from her bondage and brought into the majestic court of King Cyrus the Great, Hadassah stumbles onto a conspiracy against the Persian throne. Her discovery has fatal consequences, and Hadassah is forced into exile with the aid of a reluctant prophet, Daniel.  But the God of her People has in plan for her a far greater destiny.  When Hadassah discovers that she bears an uncanny resemblance to a Persian noblewoman named Esther, she takes on her identity to seek revenge.  Beguiling the King, Hadassah turns the tables on her enemies when she is crowned as Queen Esther.  But the vizier, Haman, suspects the new Queen of Persia’s allegiances and seeks to bring about her downfall.  Hadassah discovers that she is not only fighting to save her own life, but to protect her people.  As she struggles to survive a world of terrifying danger cloaked in regal glamor, Hadassah finds that the greatest battle she faces is within her own heart.  For she is falling in love with King Cyrus, the very man whom she had once vowed to destroy… (Please note this project is represented by Jessica Papin.)

Dr. Colette Arroway, a D.C.-based microbiologist, is well on her way towards a groundbreaking cure for cancer. But when a global terrorist attack occurs on Colette’s honeymoon—and her husband, whom she only recently learned is a spy, is killed—her world is upended. Colette’s best friend, Mariam, a Saudi princess who embodies the fight against Islamic extremism, resolves to help Colette reclaim what she has lost. But when Mariam’s uncle is implicated as the mastermind behind the terror, Colette must see beyond religious distinction to unite with Mariam against the extremism that seeks to divide them. And when a suspicious biological agent is released in the world’s major cities, Mariam and Colette are tapped to join a league of spies, embarking on a mission to acquire the agent’s antidote, along with Graham, an intel operative with a complicated past. Together, they cross the globe from DC to Riyadh, Paris to Istanbul, and Moscow to Chechnya’s City of the Dead, facing down revolutionaries, imprisonment, and radicals, undertaking their own dangerous journeys towards survival and love. Brittany Jennings, a former CIA spy, weaves a heady and fast-moving tale of female spies in THE WAR WITHIN, blending the best of traditional spy thrillers and a new take on the genre—one that’s modern, nuanced, and female-forward. (Please note this project is represented by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.)

Rights Round Up

Tantor acquired audio rights to THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR and two untitled books on Christopher Watts and Thomas Gilbert Jr., by John Glatt, THE SILENT, THE STORM, AND THE SEEKER by Elizabeth Hunter, THE MAPMAKER’S WIFE by Robert Whitaker, OFFICE MATE and ROOM MATE by Katie Ashley, DEATH ON THE RIVER by Diane Fanning, the VAMPIRE KNITTING CLUB series by Nancy Warren, KILL SWITCH by Penelope Douglas, FOOL ME ONCE by Nicole Williams, and THINGS WE NEVER SAID by Samantha Young. Audio rights to THE PROMISE by R.L. Mathewson, LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, DELICATE PROMISES, and DIVIDED INTEREST by Kelly Elliott, RIVER WILD by Samantha Towle, PLAY ME by Kelly Elliott and Kristin Mayer, VERITY by Colleen Hoover and OF SUNLIGHT AND STARDUST by Riley Hart and Christina Lee went to Audible. MMB Media has rights to COMMITMENT, REDEMPTION, and PROMISE by TK Leigh, GEORGE MASON by William Hyland, and THE BODY IN THE ATTIC, THE BODY IN THE WETLANDS, and THE BODY IN THE GRAVEL by Judi Lynn. Recorded Books acquired audio rights to BEFORE I WAKE by David Morrell. Audio rights to MAYBE NOW by Colleen Hoover went to S&S Audio. Blackstone has rights to THE REAL WATERGATE SCANDAL by Geoff Shepard.

Film rights to an untitled project by Dwayne Betts were optioned by WSDEV, LLC. NBC Universal optioned film rights to SERIAL KILLERS ANONYMOUS by Charley Warady. Tom Henderson’s DARKER THAN NIGHT was optioned for film by The Head Canon Co., with Christopher Martello producing. Warner Brothers Horizon optioned film rights to THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO SEX AND DEATH by Sara Faith Alterman.

Record acquired Brazilian Portuguese rights to MAYBE NOW and VERITY by Colleen Hoover and dtv acquired German rights. VERITY also sold to Beijing Fonghong Books in China, SC Editura in Romania, Euromedia in Czech Republic, Sakam Knjigi in Macedonia, Konyvmolykepzo in Hungary, Kinneret in Israel, Kontinents in Latvia, Otwarte in Poland, and Epsilon in Turkey. Epica acquired Romanian rights to Penelope Douglas’s CORRUPT, Quinta Essência acquired Portuguese rights to BIRTHDAY GIRL, Newton Compton acquired Italian rights to HIDEAWAY and KILL SWITCH, while AST acquired Russian rights to KILL SWITCH, and Niezwykle acquired Polish rights to CORRUPT and HIDEAWAY. Mongolian rights to 13 THINGS MENTALLY STRONG WOMEN DON’T DO by Amy Morin went to Mir Nom Publishing, Turkish rights went to Pegasus, and Hermes acquired Bulgarian rights to 13 THINGS MENTALLY STRONG PEOPLE DON’T DO. Triskell acquired Italian rights to STAY and PRETEND by Riley Hart, and Hope Edizioni acquired Italian rights to CROSSROADS, SHIFTING GEARS, and TEST DRIVE. Judith Siegel’s WHAT CHILDREN LEARN FROM THEIR PARENTS’ MARRIAGE was sold for simplified Chinese publication to Beijing Tianlue Books and STOP OVERREACTING was sold for Thai publication to Amarin and Vietnamese publication to Kim Dong Publishing. Piatkus acquired UK rights for THINGS WE NEVER SAID by Samantha Young. Burda acquired Polish rights, and Harper Germany acquired German rights to AS DUST DANCES. Dutch rights to BECAUSE OF LILA by Abbi Glines were sold to Karakter, while Konyvmolykepzo acquired Hungarian rights to FALLEN TOO FAR, NEVER TOO FAR, MISBEHAVING, and BAD FOR YOU. WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo sold for Brazilian Portuguese publication to Faro and for French publication to Les Arènes. Traditional Chinese rights for THE SEVEN NECESSARY SINS FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS by Mona Eltahawy went to The Commercial Press and Turkish rights went to Epsilon. THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER by Emily X.R. Pan will be published in Romanian by Epica and in Turkish by Epsilon. Samantha Towle’s RIVER WILD will be published in German by Sieben and in Polish by Niezwykle. Beijing Paper Jump Cultural Development acquired simplified Chinese rights to CHOKED by Beth Gardiner. COVET by Tracey Garvis-Graves went to Turbulenz for Danish publication. LAST WOMAN STANDING by Amy Gentry went to Euromedia for Czech publication. Amy Harmon’s THE SMALLEST PART sold to Yabanci Publishing for Turkish publication. TK Leigh’s WRITNG MR. RIGHT was sold for Hebrew publication to S Simson. Beverly McLachlin’s FULL DISCLOSURE was sold for simplified Chinese publication to Yilin Press. THE REVENGE OF MAGIC by James Riley went to Thienemann for German publication. J. Scott Savage’s ZOMBIE KID and MAKING THE TEAM were sold for Russian publication to AST. Albin Michel acquired French rights to Diana Urban’s ALL YOUR TWISTED SECRETS. Russian rights for Suzanne Young’s GIRLS WITH SHARP STICKS went to Clever Media.

RECENT SALES

World rights to MIGRATIONS by Charlotte McConaghy went to Flatiron Books in a deal by Sharon Pelletier.

Jim McCarthy sold World rights for BRUISED by Tanya Boteju to Simon Pulse.

BOOK FIVE in the Fortunes of Texas series by Nancy Robards Thompson went to Harlequin in a World rights deal by Ann Leslie Tuttle.

Beacon Press bought World English rights to NICENESS ISN’T COURAGEOUS by Robin DiAngelo in a deal by Lauren Abramo.

North American rights to Bryan Bliss’s HEAR MY CRY and UNTITLED BOOK 2 were sold to Greenwillow in a deal by Michael Bourret.

Stuart Vyse’s USEFUL DELUSIONS went to Oxford University Press in a World English rights deal by Jessica Papin.

Sharon Pelletier sold UNTITLED BOOK 2 by Layne Fargo to Scout Press in a North American rights deal.

World English rights to Allison K. Hymas’s THE VIRGINIA CONNECTION were sold to Imprint in a deal by Lauren Abramo.

World rights to MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU by Samantha Young were sold to Berkley in a deal by Lauren Abramo.

BURN US OUT: THE BURT LAKE BAND’S 100-YEAR QUEST FOR JUSTICE by Mardi Link was sold to University of Michigan Press in a North American rights deal.

Jen Stevenson (writing with Marnie Hanel)’s THE COZY CABIN COOKBOOK and THE BEACH HOUSE COOKBOOK went to Artisan in a World rights deal by Stacey Glick.

World rights to LIVING BRAVE: A GUIDEBOOK FOR MISFITS, RENEGADES, AND TROUBLEMAKERS by Shannon Dingle sold to HarperOne in a deal by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.

Stacey Glick sold World rights to 30-MINUTE KETO by Urvashi Pitre to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

JEANNE VILLEPREUX-POWER AND THE SECRETS OF THE SEA by Evan Griffith went to Clarion in a World rights deal by Michael Bourret.

Shreve Stockton’s MEDITATIONS WITH COWS was sold to Tarcher Perigee in a North American rights deal by Stacey Glick.

World rights to AMERICAN DYNASTIES by Rachel Dickinson went to Lyons Press in a deal by John Rudolph.

#RAGEBAKING by Kathy Gunst and Katherine Alford went to Tiller Press in a World rights deal by Stacey Glick.

Tara Taylor Quinn’s BOOK 2 in the Coltons of Mustang Valley series was sold to Harlequin for World rights by Ann Leslie Tuttle.

World rights to RACES TO THE BOTTOM OF THE EARTH by Rebecca Barone were sold to Henry Holt Books for Young Readers in a deal by Michael Bourret.

PRINCE AMONG SLAVES by N.H. Senzai was sold to Putnam in a World rights deal by Michael Bourret.

J. Scott Savage’s THE WONDERLAND DIARIES and UNTITLED BOOK 2 was sold to Shadow Mountain in a World rights deal by Michael Bourret.

UNTITLED BOOK 1 and 2 by Colleen Hoover went to Montlake/Amazon in a World English rights deal.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt bought World rights to 5 INGREDIENT LOW CARB YUM by Lisa MacAurele in a deal by Stacey Glick.

North American rights to THE MUD ANGELS by Alessandra Galloni went to Sourcebooks.

John Rudolph sold World rights to Joyce Lapin’s THE LITTLE ROCKET THAT COULD to Sterling.

Tayari Jones’s TWO SHORT STORIES were sold to Audible Originals in a World rights deal.

SAY I’M DEAD by E. Dolores Johnson was sold to Chicago Review Press in a World rights deal by Jessica Papin.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt bought World rights to RECIPES FOR DAYS by Elizabeth Heiskell in a deal by Stacey Glick.

World rights to A GIRL LIKE ME by N.H. Senzai (in collaboration with Shannon Hitchcock) went to Scholastic in a deal by Michael Bourret.

John Rudolph sold World rights to Wendy Wahman’s OLD PEARL to Atheneum.

Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar’s RUTHLESS was sold to St. Martin’s Press in a North American rights deal.

Lake Union/Amazon bought World rights to TWO FEET AND MANY FACES by Amy Harmon.

World rights to EVERYDAY DINNERS by Jessica Merchant went to Rodale in a deal by Stacey Glick.

John Rudolph sold TOU-CAN’T! by Brandon Todd to Philomel for World rights.

Beacon Press bought World English rights to NIKE, INC. by Matthew Kish in a deal by John Rudolph.

World English rights to AS THE WORLD BURNS by Lee van der Voo went to Timber Press in a deal by Jessica Papin.

Stacey Glick sold World rights to JEWISH-ISH by Jake Cohen to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Judi Lynn’s UNTITLED JAZZI ZANDERS MYSTERY 4-6 were sold to Kensington in a World rights deal by Lauren Abramo.

Montlake/Amazon bought World rights to NEVER ENOUGH and Book 2 by Kelly Elliott.

World rights to THE PAPER DAUGHTERS OF CHINATOWN and Book 2 by Heather B. Moore went to Shadow Mountain in a deal by Ann Leslie Tuttle.

Jessica Papin sold World English and Spanish rights to MOTHERCOIN by Elizabeth Cummins-Munoz to Beacon Press.

World rights to THE WOMAN WHO COULDN’T WAKE UP by Quinn Eastman were sold to Columbia University Press in a deal by Jessica Papin.

Olivia Abtahi’s PERFECTLY PARVIN and BOOK 2 were sold to Putnam Books for Young Readers in a World rights deal by Jim McCarthy.

Berkley bought World English rights to THE TO-DO LIST and UNTITLED BOOK 2 by Denise Williams in a deal by Sharon Pelletier.

Jim McCarthy sold World English rights to I SPEAK BOY and UNTITLED BOOK 2 by Jessica Brody to Delacorte.

Peter Canning’s KILLING SEASON was sold to John Hopkins University Press in a World English rights deal.

Mira Books bought World rights to THE YEAR OF THE WOMAN by Sarah McCraw Crow in a deal by Sharon Pelletier.

Jim McCarthy sold World rights to HOW TO BECOME A PLANET and UNTITLED BOOK 2 by Nicole Melleby to Algonquin Books for Young Readers.

Jess Phoenix’s MISS ADVENTURE was sold to Timber Press in a North American rights deal by Sharon Pelletier.