Adult Newsletter: May 2021

Up And Coming For Submission

FICTION

In HER ARMS SO HEAVY, Gramsci International Prize winner and author, Jean Trounstine, delivers a riveting and timely collection of short stories. The collection sheds light on an often-forgotten group dealing with the implications of murder – the mothers of children who kill. Highlighting the conglomerate of emotions, bravery, stubbornness, and occasional delusion such mothers experience, the stories are like jolts of electricity, launching a conversation that may alter your opinion of the justice system. In HER ARMS SO HEAVY, Trounstine probes the poignant mother/child relationship; the primal determination to stand by one’s child; and a mother’s need to make reparations for her loved ones. This collection illuminates the fact that revenge is not necessarily justice; the process of healing and resolving bitterness; the emotional upheaval that disrupts families; and the complicated journey of integrating back into the community. Trounstine’s characters are inspired by her experiences working with prisoners and those on probation over the course of almost thirty-five years. She is the author of several highly praised books of non-fiction about social justice.

Late on Thanksgiving night, 20 years ago, single mother Sarah Channing sat down at her dining room table, ingested a bottle of sleeping pills, and called 911. She was dead by the time the ambulance arrived. Two decades later, Sarah’s four daughters gather together for another Thanksgiving and discuss that night: had their mother killed herself, or was she murdered by the ghosts that haunted their childhood home? The three eldest each have a strong opinion about what happened, shaped over the years they spent largely apart whether in therapy learning to accept that the ghosts were never real (Laura), diving deep into the family lore for a popular paranormal blog (Theresa), or delving into their own mental illness to try to understand what led their mother to her end (Maria). The youngest of the sisters by a wide margin, Brianne, has no idea what happened. She was only 6 when her mother died. She was also the only sister who could see the ghosts their mother saw. And now, this Thanksgiving, the sisters will find their way back to their childhood home, abandoned for years, to try to uncover the truth of their mother’s demise. TWISTED WOMEN by celebrated children’s author Nicole Melleby is a horror novel with a queer lens that is equal parts ghost story and family saga, deeply terrifying and incredibly moving at the same time as these sisters, separated by time and trauma, find their way back to each other to learn whether the past that haunts us can ever be defeated or whether we must simply soldier on. A story of struggle and survival, this is a deeply thrilling narrative guaranteed to keep you up at night. (Please note: this project is represented by Jim McCarthy.)

For many of us, COVID is the second deadly viral pandemic in our lifetimes. The first was AIDS. Yet the backstory of how HIV came to be established in America — how it spread throughout the world — is remarkable and little-discussed. THE ULTIMATE SOURCE, a debut novel from Scott Mintzer, brings a profoundly consequential chapter of history to life.  This formally inventive novel-in-stories opens in New York in 1980, prior to the discovery of HIV. Caleb, a grad student in virology is struggling mightily to reconcile his love of science with his daily reality. Disenchanted with his work, under tremendous pressure to complete his experiments, Cale’s chance encounter in a record store sets in motion a chain of events with far-reaching ripple effects.  From there the book moves backwards in time to tell the story of Robbie, who gave the virus to Cale, and then to the person who passed it on to Robbie, and beyond. Traversing decades, cities, countries, and continents, illuminating the lives of a dozen unforgettable characters—and guided by the virus itself, we follow a chain of transmission back to its point of origin. Part The Great Believers, part Visit From The Goon Squad, the novel is informed by Mintzer’s background as a physician, and is a vivid, deeply compassionate work of literary fiction. (Please note: this project is represented by Jessica Papin.)

It’s hard to rehab a cottage with a dead body in it. Josephine Jones, recently divorced ex-designer has just relocated from Brooklyn to England to take possession of a family estate. So far, however, it’s been nothing but moldy timbers and overgrown gardens; the roof is caving in, mice run amok in the floorboards, and the caretaker, with his ginger hair and crooked smile, seems more wily fox than trustworthy retainer. She’ll have to make do with Grove Cottage, a white-washed thatch nestled in the grounds. But when the caretaker ends up dead on the rug (with three bullets in his back), Jo finds herself re-homed at the local tavern and a potential suspect. It’s a lot to be getting on with, and that’s excepting the sudden disappearance of a mysterious family portrait: the woman in yellow with the smudge eyes and too-thin mouth must be related to Jo somehow. With the aid of local detective James MacAdams, an Irish innkeeper’s wife, and a Welsh antiques dealer, Jo must simultaneously clear herself of blame—and find the missing painting. Whose portrait was it? Who stole it from the secret room? And what bearing does it have on the murder? As the case grows more sinister, Jo must unearth family secrets (among other things) that may be at the heart of it all. In the vein of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series with a side of M. C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin, Brandy Lain’s NETHERLEIGH offers up a cast of peculiar characters and a double mystery that brings past and present together in the rawboned beauty of the Pennine hills. (Please note: this project is represented by Jessica Papin.)

Rachel Abbott’s life unravels when her husband sends her an explicit text meant for his mistress. On the verge of a run for Congress, Matt offers her $1 million—and their stunning house— to keep playing the perfect Black trophy wife until his campaign is over. With no job prospects, an airtight prenup, and vivid memories of hard times as a young single mom, Rachel agrees to the deal…but soon she’s spiraling, questioning her life choices, and acting out in ways that make her feel more alive than she has in years. Like stealing time with a handsome, twenty-six-year-old stranger who makes her forget all about being the mayor’s wife. Nathan Vasquez doesn’t do drama. He definitely doesn’t do restless housewives with cheating husbands. But that doesn’t stop him from flirting with the mayor’s reckless, sexy, and freshly jilted wife—and skipping a few details about himself, like being the son of her husband’s biggest campaign donor. But secrets are hard to keep in a town like theirs, and as their feelings grow, so do the ties pulling them back into the status-hungry world Nathan walked away from years ago, the one that never really had room for the real Rachel. With scandal looming, everything they hold dear teeters in the balance if they dare to trust where their hearts are pushing them. Kylie Reid meets Jasmine Guillory in THE ART OF SCANDAL by Regina Black, a stirring, steamy, conversation-starting debut for Shondaland devotees. (Please note: this project is represented by Sharon Pelletier.)

It’s happening again. Another young woman disappears from the insular town of Burton Latch, and once again, Jordan Whealey is the only witness. Jordan was just ten when her best friend Lucy vanished for good, and in the twelve years since, she’s grappled with grief and with anger that no one believed her eyewitness account. Add to that the challenge of coming of age in her tiny, Bible Belt hometown, where she has a reputation for being difficult and where everybody else has moved on from Lucy’s unexplained disappearance. Now, when a mysterious outsider goes missing under her nose, she’s ready to ask questions, and this time, she’s determined to discover what secrets her hometown, and the people closest to her, have been hiding all along. She begins an amateur investigation into the corruption and crime operating beneath the community’s virtuous façade and uncovers a drug trafficking ring, a cultish church, and a devastating reality about her own family. Meanwhile, she scours her own memories for the truth she wants most: the real story of what happened to Lucy and the identity of a predator who must still be alive and well in Burton Latch. KILLER OF BURTON LATCH by Lauren Reding is a modern suspense novel with roots in the southern gothic, and like the work of Gillian Flynn and Tana French, it explores the darkness close to home. (Please note, this project is represented by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.)

In a marriage of convenience to the president of the Kilitch-Opron fuel company, Birdie is trudging through life with the hope of returning home to her family farm. All she has do is help her husband find the last of the meteors that supply the world’s energy before midsummer. But when her moment arrives, she uncovers a more sinister truth: her husband is instead searching for the fabled veritas door—a source of limitless energy—which he can exploit in order to monopolize the market. Worse, keeping the door open requires a sacrifice—and he intends to use Birdie. Now Birdie must escape her husband’s clutches and destroy the meteors before they can bring the world to ruin. But the meteors have left their mark upon the world and the wasteland between cities is full of danger and bounty hunters, one of whom is now on her tail. If she wants to stay ahead, she’ll need help. Unfortunately, the bounty hunters she hires may end up being more trouble than they’re worth. And as they travel, Birdie not only discovers that her relationship to the meteors runs deeper than she could imagine, but she must keep her own secret as well: that in order to save the world, she’ll have to end it instead. CROW by Rachel Kellis takes the cross-country road trip and female rage of Mad Max: Fury Road and marries it to the environmental concerns and aesthetics of the video game Final Fantasy 7. (Please note, this project is represented by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.)

Victoria Whitman is a genius, at least on paper. In reality she finds it impossible to keep friends or have any life beyond work. When she’s assigned to a documentary team trying to untangle a thirty-year-old mystery connected to the children’s classic, “The Golden Chameleon,” that relates to WWII, buried treasure and an abandoned Hawaiian island, Victoria has no choice but to accept the assignment.Especially given that this is the last chance to find the treasure before a commercial developer buys the island. Each clue leads Victoria and the documentary crew further into a predatory jungle. When one of the team members dies and the lush landscape becomes increasingly treacherous, Victoria becomes increasingly entranced by each clue and the parallels to her own life. Especially when she uncovers a family secret.But someone, or something, does not want her to succeed. All Victoria knows is that she’s never let anything stop her; not when solving the past is the only way she can move forward.With a nod to Lucy Foley, THE GOLDEN CHAMELEON by Amanda Hopkins provides a tantalizing island adventure.(Please note: This project is represented by Ann Leslie Tuttle.)

NON-FICTION

After years of being societal afterthoughts, both addiction and racism have now been violently thrust onto the center stage of public consciousness. The opioid epidemic and high-profile police brutality against unarmed Black people have forced us to confront addiction and systemic racism with more intention and fresher ideas.  But racism and addiction also share an astounding number of qualities: poor self-regulation, resistance to change, lack of accountability, “rock bottom” moments, and an inability to recognize behavioral patterns.  In TWELVE STEPS TOWARD JUSTICE by psychiatrist, family physician and recovering addict Dr. Joby Morrow, racism is understood as an addiction: a relapsing, treatable disorder that acts like most chronic diseases. Dr. Morrow showcases the shared neurobiology and identical psychological patterns of these two conditions and describes how the principles of the Twelve Steps and other addiction treatment approaches help create anti-racist environments. Using analysis of current events, anecdotes from his medical practice, and stories of his own harrowing, clumsy experiences dealing with racism and achieving long-term sobriety, TWELVE STEPS TOWARD JUSTICE highlights the parallels of addiction and racism—their defense mechanisms, their warning signs, their consequences, and their potential solutions—and shows how understanding these similarities can help us heal.

Swarms of protesters bombarded the Capitol. Millions of Americans refused the coronavirus vaccine. A man from North Carolina shot up a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant. QAnon followers alienated their family members. What prompted all of these people to take such risks to their safety, health, and freedom? Lies. In THE RIGHT TO LIE, U.S. Naval Academy cybersecurity law professor Jeff Kosseff explores how false statements tear through American life like a virtual tornado, spreading online at breakneck speed. Some lies are weaponized through disinformation campaigns seeking to upend American democracy. Other lies ruin reputations, destroy careers, and tear families apart. THE RIGHT TO LIE explains how and why the U.S. court system has chosen to protect such deceptions, examines the impact of lies, and ultimately defends First Amendment protections for speaking untruthfully. Kosseff, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and George Polk Award recipient, uses his journalistic and legal background to dig deep into the colorful court cases and disputes that have established this precedent. THE RIGHT TO LIE hopes to chart a path that preserves the American tradition of free speech while battling falsehood. 

In FIELD NOTES ON THE NORTH AMERICAN SASQUATCH, John O'Connor takes readers on a narrative quest through the American wilds in search of Bigfoot, its myth and meaning. Inhabited by an eccentric cast of characters—reputable men of science and deluded charlatans alike—the book explores the zany and secretive world of “cryptozoology.” Tracking Bigfoot from the “Wild Men” of Native American and European lore to Harry and the Hendersons, he examines the forces behind our ever-widening belief in the supernatural. By turns an ardent, philosophical defense of nature, an investigation into what Kurt Andersen calls our peculiar “American appetites for immersive make-believe,” and a gonzo trip into alternative reality, FIELD NOTES ON THE NORTH AMERICAN SASQUATCH is the story of our Bigfoot obsession—where it comes from, what it means today, and the men and women driving it.

On a nightly basis, the cable news reminds us of the waning American Dream and drills into our psyches that only the wealthy have achieved success. On the contrary, most Americans have been doing very well, just like the hard-working Americans that have come before them. In THE SUCCESS OF THE 99 PERCENT, economist and policy veteran Norbert Michel demonstrates that American incomes have not stagnated, the middle class continues to grow crisply, and Americans manufacture more than ever. Michel proves that America is not becoming an aristocracy, and that the same few Americans are not perpetually stuck at the bottom—or the top—year after year. The American economy is not perfect, but it is still better than the alternative critics have been selling. These enemies of the American free-enterprise system, including politicians from the left and right, are calling for even more government intervention and restrictions on economic freedoms. THE SUCCESS OF THE 99 PERCENT explores how these policies will kill the American Dream, not save it.

What do dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico, the herbicide Roundup, and water fluoridation have in common? The answer is phosphate, the most ubiquitous material you have never heard of; it comprises the backbone of DNA and powers your body. At this moment, bonds that hold phosphate to other molecules in your brain cells are rupturing to release needed energy. As a major component of fertilizer, we depend on phosphate for its life-sustaining gifts. Unfortunately, its extraction from the ground has caused serious environmental harm and continues to present various practical and ethical quandaries. In the “guano mania” of the 1850s, prospectors ransacked islands around the world for phosphate-rich seabird and bat droppings. Today, much of Florida’s Bone Valley has been torn apart to sate our demand. As America's domestic supply dwindles, there looms a question with serious national security implications: Where will we source this precious material when we finally run out? In THE ROCK THAT FEEDS—AND POISONS—THE WORLD, journalist and National Geographic writer Douglas Main chronicles the fascinating and violent story of phosphate, from a 60-mile-long conveyor belt in the Western Sahara to the humid swamps of rural Florida and the mined-out guano caves of the Pacific. THE ROCK THAT FEEDS explores an unexpected journey that connects all corners of the world, disparate aspects of modern life, colorful characters with bitter rivalries—and you.

California wildfires ignite earlier and burn more unpredictably. Droughts and floods ravage Texas. Sea levels continue to rise as stronger storms surge along the Florida coasts. And American lobsters continue to migrate out of our territorial waters in the Gulf of Maine. One common thread unites these threats: climate change. Yet national climate policy efforts continue to stall, decade after decade. Author and professor Mike Gunter, Jr., suggests a different path, via direct experience through conscientious travel.  Drawing upon local examples and direct experience positions climate policies as more tangible, more personal, and more relevant; it is something scientific reports, filtered through traditional media sources and modern social media, have not been able to do. His book, THIS LAND, taps into the innate human curiosity about our planet, breaking down barriers and widening perspectives. Travelers are able to see the negative effects from climate change—but also the positive actions already having an impact. Gunter argues that our best options lie at local levels, aided by travel experiences that broaden understanding of our surroundings. Rooted in over 100 interviews with industry leaders, government officials, and alternative energy activists, his work crisscrosses our country with stories of unfolding climate threats along with inspiring mitigation and adaptation initiatives. Ultimately, THIS LAND hopes to strengthen civil society as a way of providing the best roadmap to address climate change and decrease the political polarization threatening our democratic ethos today.

Marguerite Higgins was an audacious, ambitious journalist who crashed the all-male club of battlefield reporters, becoming a media personality and inspiring successive generations of young women in the process. In contrast, Homer Bigart was a shy stutterer and a painfully slow writer yet became the best war reporter of his generation. REPORTERS AT WAR: TWO RIVALS, THREE WARS AND THE CHANGING FACE OF AMERICAN JOURNALISM by journalist John H. Kennedy describes the forgotten story of two rivals—both prize-winning war correspondents whose careers spanned World War II, Korea and Vietnam—and how their accomplishments portended powerful changes in American culture and journalism, including the empowerment of women, a skepticism of authority, and the glorification of celebrity. Higgins parlayed her status as a war correspondent into a brand, long before that term was in use. She wrote books, appeared on TV, weighed film offers based on her life, and even endorsed consumer products. (“Camel’s the only cigarette for me.”) Bigart was focused only on mastering his form, that of the print newspaper story. Regarded by his colleagues as a peerless reporter, he became one of the first to voice caution about American involvement in Vietnam. REPORTERS AT WAR follows these two celebrated figures—and what they represented—across the sweep of three decades and three wars that redefined America.

With millions of recipes an internet search away, it is still hard to find delicious, reliable meals that you will want to make again and again. Influential cookbook authors and food personalities whose website and Instagram page A Couple Cooks are perused by millions, Sonja and Alex Overhiser have curated a memorable collection in THE SHORT LIST: EASY AND HEALTHY RECIPES FOR YOUR REGULAR ROTATION. Each recipe is a nutritionally balanced and satisfying, veggie-centered meal, cleverly crafted to become the newest and most unforgettable addition to your rotation. These go-to meals are designed to provide the best flavors with genius hacks and healthy ingredients. Readers will enjoy THE SHORT LIST's highly customizable recipes—covering multiple diets and preferences. Their numbering makes them easy to find, as if you’re ordering off a chalkboard menu. Sonja and Alex recommend trying the #1 Gnocchi and Goat Cheese in Marinara, #21 Amazing Green Enchiladas, and #60 THE Peanut Butter Bars. Cook through the entire SHORT LIST and discover all the essentials you need!

Is it possible to swim with an elephant in Thailand? To stand in the sky above Sydney, Australia? To help a veterinarian tag a wild rhino in South Africa? Of course, it is! In SWIMMING WITH YOUR ELEPHANT, top travel advisor Diana Hechler opens the door to one hundred unusual and authentic experiences around the world. As president of a boutique travel agency for the past twenty years, she helps eager travelers up their “brag-worthy” game. With her assistance, a visitor to Japan sees not only the temples of Kyoto but also spends an afternoon in Seki, a small village where highly skilled craftsmen have been creating samurai swords for over 700 years. After Machu Picchu, she adds a few days on a boat exploring the headwaters of the mighty Amazon, perhaps stopping off at a small riverside village to interact with the local people. In a unique guidebook that caters to every budget, Hechler creates a fascinating entryway to a series of once-in-a-lifetime experiences—from a steam box lunch, cooked in the ground over a volcanic vent in New Zealand to the charter of a private railroad car on the German train network. SWIMMING WITH YOUR ELEPHANT introduces a hundred different ways to add fun and unique experiences to your journey all around the world.

You love to eat. But do you know how to taste? Each year tens of thousands of hopefuls attempt to verify their tasting prowess through dozens of certifications covering everything from wine and cheese to mustard and water (yes, there are professional water tasters!). But even when an official designation isn’t the goal, honing an authoritative palate turns lowly “foodies” into stately connoisseurs. From certified taster, Advanced Cicerone®, and lifestyle journalist Mandy Naglich comes HOW TO TASTE: THE PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DISSECTING FLAVOR LIKE A PROFESSIONAL AND SAVORING LIFE LIKE A CONNOISSEUR. A fascinating and fun book that makes the ascent from novice food fan to supertaster both approachable and possible. She finds the quirky experts tasting the world’s best whiskeys, ice creams, olive oils, and more to glean the secrets behind their tasting superpowers so you, too, can become an expert taster. Gourmand influencers have mastered the art of flavor profiles, leaving a well-tuned palate as the next frontier. Readers will be introduced to dozens of certified tasters (Honey Sommeliers, Certified Cider Professionals, Master Sommeliers!), internationally recognized chefs, and sensory scientists as they take a four-part journey from what is flavor, through tasting method and sharpening tasting skills, to finally savoring life alongside colorful and distinguished characters from the exclusive world of drinking and dining. Part scientific look at methods to categorize, recall, and appreciate flavor; part meditation on what it means to truly savor; and part how-to hack, HOW TO TASTE will become a classic guidebook for the flavor-obsessed. (Please note: this project is represented by Stacey Glick.)

From one of the world’s most famous travel vloggers comes the ultimate globe-trekking guide. Drew Binsky has been on a five-year mission to visit every country in the world, and with only three left on his list, even a global pandemic hasn’t slowed him down. In his first book, THE ULTIMATE TRAVEL HACKING GUIDE, Drew introduces us to these amazing places and the people that live there, and shares the tips, tales and resources that have garnered him over 8 million followers combined on his social platforms, including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. From what you have to do to score the hardest visas in the world to how to make fast friends with locals you can trust, from packing everything you need in one carry-on (including drones and Go Pros) to eating street food like a pro, Drew offers real-life tactics as well as mind-blowing stories from every corner of the world that will offer his loyal fans another dimension of Drew’s incredibly dynamic travel tales. From Syria and Yemen in 2019 to Iraq and Afghanistan in the middle of the pandemic, this unique, accessible, entertaining and informative book is an edge-of-your-seat adventure as Drew races to the finish, seeing the world up close and on the ground, and helping others to do the same. (Please note: this project is represented by Stacey Glick.)

From evolutionary biologist and science writer Erin Zimmerman comes UNROOTED: BOTANY, MOTHERHOOD, & THE FIGHT TO SAVE AN OLD SCIENCE, a story of love and leaves, and a rallying cry for natural history in an ever-more high tech world. Pursuing her long-time dream of becoming a botanist, Zimmerman travels to the rainforests of Guyana, collecting plant specimens while sleeping in hammocks, dodging anacondas, and clinging to wet cliff-sides. She works at Kew Gardens, peering into tiny developing flower buds with an electron microscope and studying amid the collections of Darwin himself. And she goes to “botany boot camp” to learn hundreds of terms to describe every part of a plant in fantastical precision. All while trying to transform herself into what she thinks a scientist ought to be, until she comes to a fork in that path. Raised by a single father, she’s never considered becoming a mother, but when a mentor’s daughter and an ecologist’s secret journals show her a different vision for her life, Erin begins to have second thoughts. Little does she know that the child she chooses to have will split her world in two, exposing her to the hardships and poor treatment faced by mothers in science, and will ultimately be the reason she must walk away from research and find a new dream. Alongside the story of an aspiring scientist, UNROOTED explores the history of botany and makes a case for an old and threatened science as a key component in our arsenal against the staggering loss of species currently underway. (Please note: this project is represented by Jessica Papin.)

We are going on an adventure. The year is 1910, the place America. The challenge placed before our reader: Go to Town While Female. Brought to life with over 200 images and original full-page illustrations, UNPRECEDENTED is the newest immersive history book from the NYT Bestselling author of Unmentionable: The Victorian Ladies Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners Therese Oneill. Using a fun “Choose-Her-Own-Adventure” structure, UNPRECEDENTED invites readers to experience life as part of the first generation of American women to live their lives unfettered by historically immutable sex roles. As the reader learns of the surprising inclusivity of the early 20th century, she will discover the undervalued inventions and forgotten innovations that set women of all races and classes free of feminine restraint. She’ll learn how to choose a suitable career, leave home at night without a male protector, find clothes not intended to make her claw-footed and asthmatic, and how she can make the whole world hear her voice when she doesn’t even yet have a vote. Along the way she’ll meet many unsung role models to guide her steps, From Mary Dennett, who was indicted for writing an educational sex pamphlet for her own sons, to Reindeer Mary, the most (only?) successful Inuit businesswoman of the Alaskan goldrush. UNPRECEDENTED is an enthralling, laugh out loud adventure designed to capture the very moment American women gained social independence. (Please note: this project is represented by Jessica Papin.)

As we get ever more into the rhythm of cooking for ourselves, the alchemy of food can be a bulwark against the ongoing stress of our daily lives. In COZY FRESH BRIGHT WARM, Rochelle Bilow creates a seasonally-focused cookbook for those looking to cook more intuitively. Bilow invites us to discover how to honor cravings with what’s seasonally and locally available through techniques, temperatures, textures, and, most of all, how we feel after the last bite. With hearty, inviting recipes anchored in Cozy Winter, Spring Fresh, Bright Summer, and Warm Fall, COZY FRESH teaches readers how to truly embrace year-round cooking with an ethos that goes beyond “tomatoes in the summer, potatoes in the winter” to insights about why a refreshing, crisp salad tastes like heaven in July, how a low-and-slow oven-braised pork shoulder can immediately evoke memories of fall. There are no rules in this food world, just cues. We won’t just be inspired to undertake cooking projects; we will feel empowered to create a perfect cozy winter dinner or bright summer dish… with or without a recipe. Rochelle Bilow received a Grande Diplome from The French Culinary Institute and worked at Aldea, a Michelin-starred Manhattan restaurant. A former senior associate editor at Bon Appétit, and social media director at Cooking Light, she now contributes regularly to eatingwell.com and thekitchn.com, and has appeared on The Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay. (Please note: this project is represented by Sharon Pelletier.)

In 1893, a flailing anthropologist, a looting cowboy, and two barely legal soap heirs walked into the Chicago World’s Fair. A chance meeting between the Hyde heirs, and Quaker cowboy Richard Wetherill launched a six-year archaeological expedition in the southwest filled with adventure, epic discoveries, tragedy, and a touch of romance, with the rugged Wetherill as the man on the ground. After the first season, the Hyde brothers appointed a new expedition director, Frederick Ward Putnam, a renowned anthropologist struggling to keep pace with changes in American archaeology. As artifacts poured in from the Expedition, the Wetherill family opened trading posts across the southwest hawking artifacts from the ancient ruins to the highest bidder. The Hyde Exploring Expedition’s commodification of the past spurned outrage among American archaeologists desperate to halt looting and create a professional discipline. A concerned coalition lobbied the federal government against the Hyde Exploring Expedition, resulting in a federal investigation. The ambitious Expedition imploded, costing the Hyde brothers thousands of dollars, embarrassing Putnam, and vilifying Wetherill. Six-years’ worth of discoveries fell into the archaeological abyss. But a century of methodological, scientific, and ethical evolutions in American archaeology brought clarity to the flawed, yet groundbreaking work of the Hyde Exploring Expedition. In THE HYDE EXPLORING EXPEDITION AND THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY, historical archaeologist Rachel Morgan delves into a landmark antiquarian voyage that ultimately sheds light on the evolution of American archaeology and encourages readers to foster a better understanding of American antiquity. (Please note, this project is represented by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.)

For centuries the Black body has been at the center of conflict. Nations have warred over its dominion and called themselves master. Legal, social, financial, medical, and countless more systems have been created to consistently undermine the sovereignty of the Black body, which has been chattel, currency, subject and subjected to. Whether or not history books candidly show, Black DNA holds the story of the violences they’ve survived, and are surviving. The body always remembers; this is the nature of trauma. In UNRULY by Antoinette Cooper, author and TEDx speaker, the Black body is given voice because there’s much to tell and many ways to do the telling. It all starts with the Black body and Cooper explores the landscape of the Black female body through multiple narratives—medical, historical, contemporary social justice, and the personal. Her exploration began when after decades of symptoms, doctors had finally given her a diagnosis, and she was preparing for life-saving surgery. This brought her to the mothers of gynecology and the overwhelming presence of experiencing the collective pain body. Through medical narrative, prose, poetry, and images, UNRULY goes on to diagnose anti-Blackness in the larger systems as a leading factor in Cooper’s health challenges as a Black woman and invites readers to be a witness without censoring the body, and a participant in the process of reclamation and reparation. Cooper is an activist, professor, and sits on the Advisory Board for Narrative Medicine at CUNY School of Medicine. (Please note, this project is represented by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.)

Coveted by European royalty in the seventeenth century, William Randolph Hearst and even collectors today, Dutch Delftware is at once a colorful, expressive and sometimes even humorous decorative art.And yet the role women have played in this art form has not been explored before now.BEYOND BLUE AND WHITE: DYNAMIC WOMEN’S STORIES REDISCOVERED THROUGH DUTCH DELFTWARE by Genevieve Wheeler Brown follows the unique narratives of Dutch and American women in their surprising roles as pottery owners, art dealers and collectors over the course of three centuries, spanning seventeenth-century Delft to twentieth-century New York.This untold chapter came to light with the rediscovery of over seventy-five pieces of rare and intriguing 17th and 18th Delft earthenware at an historic property on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.Decorative art advisor, former Christie’s colleague and writer Genevieve Wheeler Brown was asked to reinstall the cobalt-and-polychrome pieces for viewing, and the archival research soon illuminated the lives of forceful females behind the pieces.Giving new perspective on the art of collecting, BEYOND BLUE AND WHITE now delves into how Dutch Delftware allowed a group of dynamic women to carve out their own spaces despite their respective cultural confines.(Please note: This project is represented by Ann Leslie Tuttle.)

Rights Round Up

Audible acquired audio rights to TRYST SIX VENOM by Penelope Douglas, as well as MISUNDERSTOOD and FURIOUS by RL Mathewson. Audio rights to DIAMONDS AND DAGGERS, HERRINGBONES AND HEXES, and RIBBING AND RUNES by Nancy Warren went to Tantor. Recorded Books has audio rights to THE NEUROSCIENCE OF MEMORY by Sherrie D. All, Ph.D. Audio rights to SWEETHAND by NG Peltier went to Dreamscape. Exactly Right Media, Stitcher/Midroll has acquired podcast rights to WICKED WORDS by Kate Winkler Dawson.

Studio 8 optioned film rights to David Morrell’s THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE. David Montague and Paige Bowers’s OVERNIGHT CODE was optioned for film by Stanley Wiser. Jewell Parker Rhodes’s BLACK BROTHER, BLACK BROTHER was optioned for film by Netflix. International Creative Managements optioned film rights to Christopher Yate’s GRIST MILL ROAD.

HarperCollins France acquired French rights to NIGHTFALL by Penelope Douglas, and Newton Compton acquired Italian rights. Publike Praktikum acquired Serbian rights to PUNK 57 and BIRTHDAY GIRL. Sakam Knigi acquired Macedonian rights to HEART BONES by Colleen Hoover; Editura acquired Romanian rights. Storyside acquired Romanian audio rights to VERITY and HOPELESS. Planeta acquired Spanish rights to REGRETTING YOU. Otava acquired Finnish rights and PRH Mexico acquired Spanish rights to IRENA’S CHILDREN by Tilar Mazzeo. Politikens acquired Danish rights to 13 THINGS MENTALLY STRONG PEOPLE DON’T DO by Amy Morin, PRH Mexico acquired Spanish rights, and Locus acquired traditional Chinese rights. Al Mada acquired Arabic rights to Jessica Brody’s SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL, based on the books by Blake Snyder, while Dawson acquired the Korean rights. Alomgyar Kiado acquired Hungarian rights to THE BOYFRIEND EFFECT, MY BROTHER’S ROOMMATE, and THE STUD NEXT DOOR by Kendall Ryan, while Eksmo acquired the Russian rights to THE BOYFRIEND EFFECT. German rights to THE LINE TENDER by Kate Allen were sold to WOOW. Katie Ashley‘s THE PREDICAMENT was sold for Italian publication to Newton Compton. BEYOND SHYNESS by Jonathan Berent with Amy Lemley will be publishing in Turkish by Sola Publishing. GIRL, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke went to Sakam Knjigi for Macedonian publication. John Glatt‘s THE LOST GIRLS was sold to Filia for Polish rights. StorySide acquired Bulgarian audio rights to LETTERS FROM PARIS by Julie Goodson-Lawes. Sheldon Press acquired UK rights to THE ANXIETY SISTERS’ SURVIVAL GUIDE by Abbe Greenberg and Maggie Sarachek. RUNNING BAREFOOT by Amy Harmon went to Storyside for Bulgarian audio rights. Elizabeth Hunter‘s HOOKED and GRIT went to Hope Edizioni for Italian publication. NG Peltier‘sSWEETHAND and an untitled sequel were sold for UK publication to Piatkus. THE END OF ANIMAL FARMING by Jacy Reese will be published in Japanese by Hara Shobo. James Riley‘s STORY THIEVES, THE STOLEN CHAPTERS, and SECRET ORIGINS went to Kachelly Publishing for Russian publication. Pegasus acquired Turkish rights to THE 10 GREATEST GIFTS I GIVE MY CHILDREN by Steven W. Vannoy. HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING by Denise Williams will be published in Turkish by Yabanci. THE BEAUTY MYTH by Naomi Wolf went to Tlon Edizioni for Italian rights. Christopher Yates‘ BLACK CHALK was sold to Saga for Dutch rights. KULTI, UNDER LOCKE, WAIT FOR IT, and THE WALL OF WINNIPEG AND ME by Mariana Zapata went to Editora Charme for Brazilian rights.

RECENT SALES 

Zoë François‘s ZOË BAKES COOKIES went to Ten Speed in a World rights deal.

World rights to Tess Sharpe‘s 6 TIMES WE ALMOST KISSED (AND ONE TIME WE DID) were sold to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in a deal by Jim McCarthy.

Lauren Abramo sold BE A REVOLUTION: HOW EVERYDAY PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING OPPRESSION AND CHANGING THE WORLD – AND HOW YOU CAN, TOO by Ijeoma Oluo to HarperOne in a World rights deal.

World rights to David Heath’s STOPPING THE PANDEMIC were sold to Center Street.

World English rights to CRAVE by Karen Akunowicz were sold to Countryman Press in a deal by Stacey Glick.

Rasheed Newson’s MY GOVERNMENT MEANS TO KILL ME was sold to Flatiron in a North American rights deal by Jim McCarthy.

TELL IT LIKE IT IS by Roy Peter Clark was sold to Little, Brown & Co. in a World rights deal.

World rights to IRIS IN THE DARK by Elissa Grossell Dickey went to Lake Union in a deal by Sharon Pelletier.

Lauren Abramo sold World rights to Meredith Ireland’s EVERYONE HATES KELSIE MILLER to S&S Books for Young Readers.

Christie Matheson’s ONE LIGHT was sold to FSG Books for Young Readers in a World rights deal by Stacey Glick.

Ann Leslie Tuttle sold World English rights to Carolyne Topdjian’s THE HITMAN’S DAUGHTER and UNTITLED to Agora Books.

Lee Morgan‘s ANSWERING THE CALL was sold to Liveright/W.W. Norton in a North American rights deal.

Kensington Publishers bought World rights to THE CONFIDANTE by Christopher C. Gorham in a deal by John Rudolph.

World rights to ALL THAT IS WICKED, edited by Kate Winkler Dawson went to Putnam in a deal by Jessica Papin.

World English rights to BUTCHER ON THE BLOCK by Matt Moore went to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in a deal by Stacey Glick.

St. Martin’s bought World rights to an UNTITLED novel by Tracey Garvis Graves.

Tara Taylor Quinn’s COLTONS OF COLORADO 2022 CONTINUITY was sold to Harlequin in a World rights deal by Ann Leslie Tuttle.

Amy Elizabeth Bishop sold THE LIGHT IN WEST TEXAS by Madeline Kay Sneed to Graydon House for World English rights.

Jason Ockert‘s THE BODY COLLECTOR was sold to Dzanc Books in a North American rights deal by John Rudolph.

World rights to EYE TO EYE: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF EYELINER FROM NEFERTITI TO AMY WINEHOUSE by Zahra Hankir went to Penguin in a deal by Jessica Papin.  

UNCULTURED by Daniella Mestyanek Young was sold to St. Martin’s Press in a World rights deal by Michael Bourret.

BenBella Books bought LIVE LIFE KETO by Jennifer Banz in a World rights deal by Stacey Glick.

H.T. Moore, Adrienne Barbeau, and Ken Waissman‘s GREASE, TELL ME MORE! TELL ME MORE! was sold to Chicago Review Press in a World rights deal.

Jessica Papin sold THE WINE-DARK SEA WITHIN by Dhun Sethna to Basic Books in a World rights deal.

Berkley bought two untitled romcoms by Samantha Young in a World rights deal by Lauren Abramo.

A HOME TO SHARE by Leslie Saeta went to Abrams in a World rights deal by Stacey Glick.

Claire Booth Chapman’s HANK WORTH MYSTERY #5 was sold to Severn House in a World English rights deal by Jim McCarthy.

World English rights to BLOOD OF TROY by Claire Andrews was sold to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in a deal by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.

Beacon Press bought THE ADOPTED LIFE by Angela Tucker in a World English rights deal.

World rights to THE GREAT MATCH-OFF and RED STRING THEORY by Lauren Kung Jessen were sold to Grand Central Forever in a deal by Ann Leslie Tuttle.

Doubleday bought THE INCIDENTAL TOURIST by Ryan McGee in a North American rights deal.

Stacey Glick sold THE DALEY PLATE COOKBOOK by Dale Gray to Simon & Schuster in a World rights deal.

Little A/Amazon bought LEAVING MEDICINE by Helena Rho in a World rights deal by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.

TROPIC STANDARD by Garret Richard and Ben Schaffer went to Countryman Press in a World English rights deal by Stacey Glick.

Grand Central/Forever Yours bought ADULTS ONLY by Karelia Stetz-Waters in a North American rights deal.

Heather B. Moore’s PRINCESS LOUISE and UNTITLED went to Shadow Mountain in a World rights deal by Ann Leslie Tuttle.

North American rights to WALK THROUGH FIRE by Yasmine Ali were sold to Kensington by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.

Mark Feinsand’s THE FRANCHISE (YANKEES) was sold to Triumph Books in a North American rights deal by Stacey Glick.

THE URANIUM CLUB by Miriam Hiebert and Tom Koeth went to Chicago Review Press in a World rights deal by Jessica Papin.

University of Chicago Press bought MARINE LIFE: WAR, WATER, AND THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE by Lori Freshwater in a World English rights deal by Amy Elizabeth Bishop. 

Mohammed Hassan Alwan’s THE SMALL DEATH OF IBN ARABI was sold to University of Texas Press in a World English rights deal by Jessica Papin.

John Rudolph sold THE ADVENTURE FRIENDS Books 1-3 by Brandon Todd to Scholastic in a World rights deal.  

W.W. Norton bought THE MAN NO ONE BELIEVED by Josh Sharpe in a World English rights deal.

World rights to BEYOND EXILE by Amy Yee were sold to University of North Carolina Press by Jessica Papin.

HMH Books bought MEDITERRANEAN INSTANT POT COOKBOOK by Urvashi Pitre in a World rights deal by Stacey Glick.

Sarah Kieffer‘s 100 MORNING TREATS and UNTITLED were sold to Chronicle Books in a World rights deal.

Jim McCarthy sold CAMP QUILTBAG by Nicole Melleby and Andrew Sass to Algonquin BFYR for World rights in all languages.

Beacon Press bought North American rights to MOMFLUENCED by Sara Petersen in a deal by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.

Wiley bought World rights to THE COURAGE PLAYBOOK by Gus Lee.