Adult Newsletter: May 2022

Up And Coming For Submission

FICTION

The last person Livia Kiew expected to walk into her martial arts studio was Lucas Bennett. Fifteen years ago, she’d run into him—literally—at a regional martial arts tournament. Instant attraction turned into one of the most intense days of their lives…till he’d abruptly blown her off. Years later as she’s juggling the minutiae of expanding her business and dealing with unsettling resistance from neighborhood bigots, Lucas is thrown into her orbit again, courtesy of his teen aikido prodigy daughter, Kiki, who’s eager to join Livia’s studio. A divorced father, Lucas has many regrets, including hurting Livia the first time they met, but if she won’t even give him a chance to explain or apologize, that’s on her. When his role on the community board drags him into Livia’s conflict, an uneasy détente ensues—until a storm strands them together far from home. Unable to escape each other or the powerful attraction between them, they may finally lay the past to rest, but will a burgeoning friendship and rekindled passion be enough to build a future of something more? A slow-burn second chance romance inspired by a Lucy Liu/Keanu Reeves pairing, Sandra SG Wong’s HOW TO SAY HELLO is full of sparkling wit and warmth, characters you’ll fall head over heels for, and a world so immersive you’ll never want to leave. Wong is the author of the forthcoming suspense novel In the Dark We Forget, which has received advance praise from Tess Gerritsen and Kellye Garrett, among others. (Please note, Lauren Abramo is the agent on this project.)

Calla thinks it’s nearly impossible to keep a Black child safe. She’s doing her best to raise her teen brother, Jamie, struggling to balance parent-teacher conferences with her career, and resenting their middle brother Dre for not doing his part. After all, he’s the one who convinced her to take Jamie in. Then Jamie’s Black Lives Matter activism starts with an explosion and ends with a very dead cop, and the siblings go on the run to a remote cabin that turns out to be anything but a respite from danger. Her brothers assume Calla will figure something out—after all, she always has, ever since they were kids. But this time, the threat splintering their lives comes from outside the world they know. And Calla is fed up with how much she’s had to sacrifice to keep their family together—this time, she wants to save herself. With their lives—and their reality—hanging in the balance, the siblings are asked to decide if survival means holding fast to each other, or if it’s time to learn to let go. It’s just so hard keeping Black boys alive. Visceral, exhilarating, and absolutely blazing with voice, HOW TO SAVE BLACK BOYS by Neena Viel is a horror novel for fans of Grady Hendrix and Oyinkan Braithwaite that evokes the cultural bite of Jordan Peele’s filmmaking. This debut will leave readers with fingers bloody from ripping through the pages and teeth chattering with the urge to talk about Calla and her brothers. (Please note, Sharon Pelletier is the agent on this project.)

As wildfire threatens the Berkeley Hills, neighbors are forced to reckon with the cracks in the lives they’ve built. Abigail, a white woman who prides herself on her job in affordable housing, has no idea her wife is planning to leave her—Taylor is quietly suffocating as a stay-at-home mom after leaving a fraught but lucrative career as a Black woman in tech. Their son Xavier is smitten with the new girl at school, Mar, a Latinx aspiring activist focusing her rage on climate inequity in the aftermath of her parents’ divorce. And under the noses of the Hills’ wealthy families, Sunny and Willow, an unhoused couple, struggle to survive. Despite increasing fire warnings, Abigail throws herself a lavish birthday party, hoping it will somehow bring her family back to picture-perfect closeness. During the party, the wildfire tears through the neighborhood, taking ruthless harvest from both haves and have-nots. In its aftermath, tensions ignite as the families confront the injustices laid bare in the ashes and seek the courage to create something new. Like a wildfire itself, Sarah Ruiz-Grossman’s A FIRE SO WILD is gorgeous and devastating, tautly paced and richly textured as it examines why when everything burns, not everyone is left with scars. Ruiz-Grossman is a reporter in the California Bay Area covering wildfires, homelessness, and other symptoms of our no-longer-ignorable climate crisis. This is her debut novel, claiming a space at the intersection of Little Fires Everywhere and The Overstory. (Please note, Sharon Pelletier is the agent on this project.)

Plunk Shirley Jackson down in 2020s suburban Florida and you’ll find yourself with EXCITING OPPORTUNITY by Stephanie Hayes, a collection of connected stories that excavates the core of ordinary life in late capitalism with an uncanny blend of horror and heart. Pineacres is your average beach-adjacent town, boasting a mall gutted by the internet, exactly one cool cocktail bar, and weekend farmers markets without any trace of farm. The people of Pineacres are infertile at baby showers, angry at weddings, and broke at work. They battle injectable beauty and diet culture, swallow the drugs of male enhancement, chase moneybag dreams through MLMs and social media. Strange things happen when they try to climb out of their middling stations in life, and it turns out the combustible town around them might not be so average after all. Kevin Wilson meets Karen Russell in EXCITING OPPORTUNITY, a collection at once hilarious, moving, and unflinching as it interrogates our deepest fears – that we’ll never get what we want, that we don’t know how to be enough, and that there's a magic bullet determined to stay just out of reach. Stephanie Hayes is a familiar name to readers around the country through her Tampa Bay Times column that is syndicated to publications worldwide and has a story forthcoming in the Chicago Quarterly Review. (Please note, Sharon Pelletier is the agent on this project.)   

Tokyo, 1951. The emperor is no longer divine. There is a new constitution, American soldiers walk the streets, and women have the right to vote. Yet even as post-war Japan rushes to modernize, Chiyo feels trapped in tradition. With her mother deceased and older sister married, Chiyo studies how to be an ideal wife at her women’s college during the day and manages the household for her father and two brothers at night. Soon she’ll graduate into marriage, an unwanted future she doesn’t know how to escape. Given her father’s harsh temper, her only rebellion is skipping class to watch movies at the cinema, enthralled by women who work and marry on their own terms. But when her twin brother, Tsunemasa, catches her, she thinks even that limited freedom will come to an end. Instead, Chiyo realizes her siblings are also struggling to reconcile expectation with their aspirations, inspiring her to make her own choices. When she rejects a betrothal her father deems perfect, she sets off a chain of events that shakes her entire family – and her perspective of them. Now Chiyo must decide how many expectations she’s willing to break – and if being the star of her own life is worth losing her family over. With the intimate scope of The Henna Artist, Ryoko Hirose’s debut TOKYO TECHNICOLOR tells a story of family, cultural transition, and a young woman determined to define her own future during a tumultuous time in Japanese history: the final year of American occupation. (Please note, this project is represented by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.)

Ocean Yoon has never felt much like a Korean, even if she is descended from a long line of haenyeos, Jeju Island’s beloved female divers. She’s been persona non grata at the Alliance, Korea’s space agency, since a mission went awry and she earned a reputation for being a little too quick with her gun and a little too cold with her emotions. Everyone is wondering how long she’ll be stuck in her apathetic holding pattern as a demoted pilot. That is, until her best friend, Teo, second son of Anand Tech, is framed for murdering his family. Teo finds his way to Ocean’s ship, unwittingly pushing Ocean and her crewmates to the forefront of an ideological conflict he had no idea his family was even involved in—one where the opposition wants to eliminate the Anands and everything they’ve built. But dodging bullets may be the easiest part of it for Ocean and Teo, as they’re also struggling to figure out their places in the solar. Complicating matters are the others drawn into the fray: a rakish raider who has ties to Teo’s enemies, a medic ostracized by society for his culture’s association with death, and a captain with a chip on her shoulder, always looking for a quick buck. OCEAN’S GODORI by Elaine Cho is sci fi through a Korean American lens, weaving together face mask sessions with hoverbike chases, speaking to the Korean identity yearnings found in more contemporary work, as well as the universal desire to belong. It has the character-driven found family elements of The Wayfarers series and a dash of Cowboy Bebop’s stylish escapades. (Please note, this project is represented by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.)

In a world that won’t see electricity for years, Lucy and Everett Roebuck move to a lighthouse on Maine’s rugged coastline where Everett has been named as Head Keeper.  Determined to keep the light burning, Everett spends his nights in the tower and returns to Lucy at daybreak. That is, until he goes missing and Lucy is forced to take control of the lighthouse. Adjusting to a life of isolation, labor, and unforgiving elements in her new role, Lucy befriends the enigmatic Claude Letourneau, a former lens maker who helps her unravel the mystery of Everett’s disappearance. As Lucy manages her bond to Everett and a budding romance with Letourneau, she ultimately has to choose between following in her husband’s footsteps and discovering a path of her own. Inspired by the real historical figures who bravely pioneered the first federal jobs available to women, THE LIGHT SHE TENDED by Nick Katleman profiles a woman craving independence and adventure in an unforgiving New England community.  This novel will appeal to fans of Christina Klein’s A Piece of the World.  At its heart, THE LIGHT SHE TENDED is a lyrical, moving account that tackles the pressing issue of mental health.  The author of You Can’t Fall Off the Floor, Katleman is a memoirist whose ability to capture unique voices vividly renders the female lighthouse keepers who have fallen through the cracks of history.  (Please note, this project is represented by Ann Leslie Tuttle.)

NON-FICTION

Consider a profession with fewer than 200 certified practitioners across the U.S., all artisans who handcraft small objects of intricacy and beauty. Consider the measure of their success: that when those objects are on display, no one notices. This is the field of ocularists – the makers of prosthetic eyes. In THE BLUE-PAINTED EYE, Dan Roche, a wearer of a prosthetic eye himself, explores this little-known world at the edge of the medical universe. He provides a colorful chronicle of the long and ongoing effort to replicate—in wood, clay, porcelain, glass, and finally plastic—the almost irreplicable. There are Army dentists charged with solving a wartime shortage of artificial eyes, glass-eye smugglers, and even a 19th century piano teacher unable to get any students until a famous ocularist makes her an eye that doesn’t fall out whenever she turns her head. This story profiles today’s ocularists, who, having learned the craft through apprenticeships, still mold and hand-paint eyes that heal disfigurement and ease the trauma of losing the human body’s most looked at and expressive organ. Woven throughout is Roche’s story of getting his own eye at fifty, after decades with a blind and unsightly natural eye that shaped his interactions with family, friends, and strangers more than almost anything else about him. He tells how a seemingly insignificant piece of plastic allowed him to see himself with newness and normality.

On January 6, 2021, the world watched as supporters of President Trump fought with the police using bear spray, bars, fists, and flag poles.  It was a battle for the presidential election, the United States Capitol, and democracy itself.  TERRORISTS, SPIES, AND THE MENTALLY INSANE tells the story of the insurrection from inside the United States Capitol Police. Julie Farnam, who served as the Director of Intelligence, gives a vivid and personal view of what it was like that day, watching the violence unfold and knowing it could have been prevented.  From the failure to act on the intelligence available to the actions of a president who refused to concede, out of the ferocity of that day’s events rose questions of how this could have happened and what dangers remain. The book will be a riveting testimony about one of the darkest days of our Democracy.

For many, 2020 was difficult. For Kozbi Simmons, it was a near-fatal tipping point. On July 13, Simmons chained a cinderblock to her waist, walked into the Chesapeake Bay, and then swam and treaded water through the night, hoping her body would succumb to the depths. After 15 hours, she was terrified to walk out of the water. Choosing to live was far more difficult than planning to die. In TEMPERED GLASS: A MEMOIR, Simmons tells the story of that attempt, braided into the narrative of the years leading up to it, which included childhood sexual abuse and a lifelong struggle with bi-polar and obsessive-compulsive disorders, and her resultant stay in a psychiatric hospital. In the vein of Roxane Gay’s Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body, and with themes reminiscent of Glennon Doyle’s Untamed, Tara Westover’s Educated, and Jenny Lawson’s Furiously Happy, TEMPERED GLASS illustrates Simmons’s pain and survival, what entered the water with her, the truths she fought through, and the hope she’s been journeying toward each day since.  

Can biologically engineered mosquitoes be patented? If genetically modified, could humans be patented? What links Einstein to Jefferson to Queen Elizabeth I to 15th century Venetians? Who owns your spleen once it has been surgically removed from your body: you or the hospital? What should we do about vaccine patents during pandemics? These and many other fascinating topics bridging law, science, and history form the core of Jorge Goldstein’s PATENTING LIFE: TALES FROM THE FRONT LINES OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND THE NEW BIOLOGY. Goldstein, a Ph.D. scientist turned patent lawyer and co-founder of a prominent intellectual property law firm in Washington D.C., tells of the rise of commercial biology in the last half century, and how science and law merged into biotech IP law. Using cases from his own career and that of others, he takes us to the research labs at Harvard Medical School to witness the conception of blockbuster drugs; to an Argentine farm to see the birth of patented, genetically reprogrammed calves that produce human hormones in their milk; to his firm’s conference rooms, where attorneys debate the ownership of biotech patents; and to the appellate courtrooms where he won precedent-setting cases. Narrated with wit and humor, this one-of-a-kind book is destined to become a classic in the fields of law and science, accessible to both general and specialist readers. 

More people quit their jobs in 2021 than any year in the history of employment records. Leaders, employers, journalists, and experts have been pointing to this so-called “Great Resignation,” as one of the biggest challenges companies have ever faced. Perhaps, says bestselling author and workplace strategist Erica Keswin, but it’s also an opportunity to put to rest some ideas that no longer serve us. Indeed, the days of trying to hang on to talent for dear life are over. In fact, she says, if leaders connect to their values and lead with intention, they can be on the front lines of a revolution at work. The future, according to Keswin, is an open ecosystem of influence — a virtuous cycle —rather than a desperate attempt to keep disengaged people sitting in their seats forever. Her new book THE RETENTION REVOLUTION: HOW TO TRANSFORM 7 OLD IDEAS ABOUT WORK INTO NEW BEGINNINGS is a paradigm-shifting guide for leaders ready to see how some of their most fundamental assumptions about work can be completely reframed. Keswin turns seven old ideas inside out to galvanize what we’ve learned during the pandemic and help leaders succeed in today’s new world. In her accessible voice and offering actionable advice, she’ll share the science and stories of why transforming these old ideas is good for people, great for business and just might change the world.

He’d been named the fourth hottest scientist in the world by Science Watch magazine and one of 20 biotech geniuses to watch by Discover magazine. He’d co-founded a world-famous institute for genomics research. But nothing could have prepared him for finding in his own DNA, at the age of 61, that the father who raised him was not his biological father. Science writer Mary O’Reilly’s first book, FRAMESHIFT: HOW STUART SCHREIBER’S DNA REWROTE THE STORY OF HIS LIFE, recounts Schreiber’s journey of discovery and self-discovery, culminating in a profoundly personal transformation. It combines elements of Dani Shapiro’s Inheritance with Sara Seager’s The Smallest Lights in the Universe. Through flashbacks to Schreiber’s discoveries — from orphan enzymes to molecular glues — readers will witness the dramatic irony of a man using genetics to uncover nature’s mysteries while his most personal mystery lay waiting to be unearthed. Genes are threads woven into the story, like the Alzheimer’s-associated APOE4 that appears at crucial moments in Schreiber’s life. FRAMESHIFT shows that as crushing as the surprises Schreiber uncovered in his work, they could also be a catalyst for joy.

When a whistleblower complaint from an immigration detention facility in Georgia was brought to light in 2020, people took notice. Detained women sterilized without consent brought on eugenics claims in the media. Eugenics, the scientific term coined in 1883 by Francis Galton, cousin of Charles Darwin, justified the sterilization of tens of thousands of Americans in mental asylums before World War II. After being contacted by American promoters, Nazis in Central Europe adopted eugenics to even more monstrous effect. But there's a mystery here: why did the United States, land of the free, always skeptical both of Darwinian evolution and government overreach, foster an aggressive eugenics campaign first? Even more troubling is the fact that after the War exposed atrocities committed in the name of eugenics, some American states increased the numbers of men, women, and children sterilized. Why did the American medical system pursue this course? In THE EDGE OF CUTTING, Erik Peterson pieces together the unsettling factors that put Americans on the edge of cutting in the nineteenth century by digging through forgotten medical journals and neglected archives. From Dallas to Chicago, Kansas to New York, physicians, politicians, reformers, even pastors encouraged surgeries on formerly enslaved men, epileptic women, and young criminals, often to slice away what white physicians viewed as immoral behavior. The whistleblower complaint introduced a disturbing possibility: is eugenics returning? Peterson explores recent events to investigate whether, in the age of Fox News, the alt-right, and QAnon, the conditions that led to the birth of eugenics are rising from the grave again.

The fashion industry is not exactly known for its nurturing, accepting culture. For decades, everybody within the industry knew which brands were notorious for creating a culture of abuse — both towards their target audience, and to those behind the curtain. From sexual assault to homophobia and fat-shaming, these brands operated under a veneer of control. As a fashion model, to speak out against them would be career ending. The enforced silence allowed these brands to carry on with their methods for decades, and their abuse touched countless lives. However, ex-Victoria’s Secret model turned activist Bridget Malcolm was never afraid to publicly acknowledge the abuse she and others experienced, turning to social media to expose predators within the fashion industry. HALF MY LIFE is an autobiographical tell-all about coming of age in the world of fashion. Exploring topics such as sexual assault, eating disorders, substance abuse and grooming, Malcolm shows us that the only way out of trauma is to move through it. Even when we feel hopeless, there is always a solution.

Are you distracted, impulsive, overwhelmed and the proud owner of a brain that just won't shut down? You might have ADHD, along with the approximately 90% of ADHD women who remain undiagnosed. Why? Because many ADHD women are misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression instead, medical research often excludes women, and medical training on ADHD is very limited so most doctors aren't even aware of what ADHD looks like in girls and women. Even without an official diagnosis, women can find the magic in their neurodivergent brains and discover where their brilliance lies. From Tracy Otsuka, certified ADHD coach, attorney, and podcast host of “ADHD for Smart Ass Women” comes ADHD FOR SMART ASS WOMEN: HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR ADHD BRAIN IN 30 DAYS. A welcome guidebook to help women fuel their productivity and live to their potential. Women with ADHD are more innovative and intuitive, more adept at risk-taking, and more likely to become and make better entrepreneurs. Tracy shares the biggest a-has from the thousands of women that she's worked with and lays out the best tools for ADHD-ers to start seeing their symptoms as strengths instead of weaknesses. In her unmistakably wry voice and with short chapters designed for the ADHD brain, she dishes science, anecdotes, and personal stories so that women can pivot their symptoms into their superpowers and begin loving their brilliant ADHD brains. (Please note: this project is represented by Stacey Glick.)

There’s a renaissance happening in the periphery of society; A new awareness has emerged. As people struggle for decent wages, new opportunities are spreading on social media and a fascinating subculture is taking shape. Dumpster Diving is the latest side gig to rise into the mainstream as useful and brand-new items make their way to landfill. While land and air pollution increase, dumpster diving emerges as part of the solution. Authors, Rachelle Wyse and Erin Sheffield are your personal guides with TOSSED AND FOUND: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO A WONDERFULLY TRASHY LIFE. They are offering a deep dive into dumpster diving, with advice on getting started, the surprising stories of their best and worst finds, and tips on the most lucrative places. Rachelle and Erin are seasoned divers and they explore the excitement of a treasure hunt complete with the perils and dangers of diving for profit. Erin and her husband Dave were the main subject in Side hustles by Vice Media, which has close to 1.3 million views on YouTube. Erin and Dave were also interviewed by Business Insider where they discussed their recent purchase of a speed boat that was 100% funded by dumpster diving profits. Rachelle’s writing has been featured on the forum Quora, where her articles have been read over 4.8 million times. They are a unique combination of direct and funny as they take you on a journey into a world just emerging into the spotlight. (Please note: this project is represented by Stacey Glick.)

You know it. You’ve sung it. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” is one of the most beloved, iconic songs in rock history. But where did it come from? In the 1970s, rock ‘n’ roll split into rock, by white musicians for white audiences, and soul, by and for Black listeners. As the economy collapsed, white teenagers abandoned the integrated spirit of Woodstock and demanded music that spoke to their anxiety. That’s what Journey provided, especially with “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which highlighted the darkness of their postindustrial lives as well and hopes for a better future. LIVIN’ JUST TO FIND EMOTION: JOURNEY AND RACE IN ROCK MUSIC by professor, historian, and Journey fan David Hamilton Golland is the story of how Journey rose to superstardom, disintegrated, and returned for a remarkable second act. After recruiting singer Steve Perry in 1977, Journey saw a steady rise to the top, and in 1981 their album Escape hit #1. But Perry’s quest for control led to Journey’s demise, despite a 1996 reunion which brought a Grammy nomination. Without Perry, Journey lost their record contract and much of their audience. But then came the unlikely comeback of “Don’t Stop Believin’” in movies, TV shows, and as an underdog sports anthem. A new generation discovered Journey and the band discovered a new lead singer in Arnel Pineda. Now Journey is again a fixture in stadiums throughout the world. And with two new Black musicians, the band steeped in cultural appropriation became majority-minority and continues to entertain audiences of all ages. (Please note: this project is represented by Stacey Glick.)

Drawing on five years of ethnographic and archival research, EXIT WOUNDS: AMERICAN GUNS, MEXICAN LIVES, AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF VIOLENCE follows the guns that cross US-Mexico border. At its center is the question: What do American firearms have to do with crime and insecurity in Mexico? The name of the book is an invitation to rethink how we understand and measure the effects of American firepower abroad. Paramedics, emergency doctors, and forensic pathologists recognize exit wounds on the body by their size and irregular shape. Even in their physical form, exit wounds are not obvious and straightforward. This analogy also works on the societal level. The impact of a bullet exceeds the scarred body of an individual; it extends to the community, penetrates the social fabric. The injury is always social. Drawing on her experience as an anthropologist of the borderlands and a former EMT-paramedic, Exit Wounds follows the lives of five individuals: an American attorney prosecuting firearms cases in Arizona, an ammunition smuggler, a wealthy businessman and gun aficionado in Mexico who buys illegal American firearms, a teenage girl forcefully recruited by the Zetas cartel and taught to kidnap and kill, and a military official in Mexico City in charge of the army’s gun buyback program.  Their braided narratives tell a story of entanglement, dependency and the production of violence. Ieva Jusionyte is an associate professor of international security and anthropology at Brown University, an incoming fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, and a former EMT-paramedic. (Please note, this project is represented by Jessica Papin.)

In her 2006 memoir, Cure Autism Now co-founder Portia Iversen described the “intact mind” she believed was buried within even the most cognitively impaired autistic individuals, like her son Dov. But the sentiment itself was not new. Emerging largely out of psychoanalytic theory dating back to the end of the 19th century, the intact mind was amplified in parent memoirs even as biomedical discourse consolidated in the 1970s around a very different depiction of autism: as a biologically based, intractable neurodevelopmental disorder.  With as many as 1 out of every 44 American children now affected, according to the CDC, CHASING THE INTACT MIND by Amy f. Lutz describes how discourse originally unique to autism has come to inform current debates at the heart of intellectual and developmental disability practice and policy in the United States – including battles over sheltered workshops, guardianship, and facilitated communication. This myopic focus, however, inadvertently reproduces historic patterns of discrimination that yoked human worth to intelligence. It is only by making space for the impaired mind, argues Historian of Medicine and parent of a severely autistic son Amy S.F. Lutz, that we will be able to resolve these ongoing clashes – as well as even larger questions of personhood, dependency, and care. (Please note, this project is represented by Jessica Papin.)

Economist and professor Philip Auerswald’s MORE PHONES THAN PEOPLE: HOW THE MOBILE PHONE CONQUERED THE WORLD shines a revelatory light on the phones in our pockets.  In 50 years, the mobile phone has gone from being an analog communication device demoed on a New York City sidewalk to a ubiquitous digital supercomputer that is arguably the farthest-reaching and most transformative technology in human history.  Drawing on the stories of the pioneers who brought mobile phones to nearly everyone, everywhere, Auerswald describes how great inventions transform the human experience when innovators create new markets to include the previously excluded. He looks not to the familiar, Western titans of tech, but instead the innovators who brought mobile telephony to penetrate markets where landlines were nonexistent or the possession of the fortunate few. Readers will meet the under-recognized figures—mostly brown and black—who have had a greater positive impact on the lives of most people on the planet than the highest-net-worth A-list of entrepreneurs.  Leading readers on a journey through history to see how the early printing press, like the phone, was also used not only as a tool to broaden horizons but at times also to incite hatred and violence, and how a “worms eye view” can be a driver of remarkable change, Auerswald shows us how we may leverage a more global perspective to shift the arc of history toward greater human wellbeing. Auerswald is an associate professor at the Schar School for Policy and Government at George Mason University. (Please note, this project is represented by Jessica Papin.)

THE JESUS BOYS: THE BASEBALL TEAM THAT BARNSTORMED ITS WAY INTO AMERICA'S HEART explores the surprising collision of barnstorming baseball and outsider religion that birthed one of the sport's most unique and popular teams. In the early twentieth century, the Israelite House of David gathered believers on the shores of Lake Michigan to prepare for the second coming of Christ. The Israelites lived communally, practiced celibacy, and ate a vegetarian diet. The community's men wore their hair and beards uncut in emulation of Jesus. However, they became known less for their religion than for their baseball team, which caught attention both on and off the field for their unusual appearance and flair for showmanship. More than just a novelty act, they were particularly known for playing exhibition games with Negro Leagues teams and are the only white team to have their story, team picture, and jersey featured at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. They teamed with Satchel Paige, who nicknamed them “The Jesus Boys,” to form a racially integrated team in 1934. They also broke down gender barriers as the first team to sign a woman to a professional contract, and for a summer they featured Babe Didrikson on their roster. Religious studies scholar Alexandria Griffin and her father Geoff Griffin, a veteran sportswriter, tell this quintessentially American story that takes readers on a journey through the often surprising intersections of sports, race and religion. (Please note, this project is represented by John Rudolph.)

In THE SUNSHINE GAMES, historian and runner Josh Hanna shares the inspiring stories of the first female, Black and Asian Olympic stars. Four years before Jesse Owens and Hitler’s propaganda-laced Nazi Games in Berlin, southern California hosted the first modern Olympic spectacle. Conceived in the Roaring Twenties and hosted in the depths of the Great Depression, the 1932 Games featured palm-lined boulevards and perfect picture skies straight out of a Hollywood production.  For the first time, athletes experienced the now iconic podium medal ceremony complete with national anthems, flag raisings and, oftentimes, tears.  And by financial necessity, all the male athletes lived together in the first Olympic Village. It wasn’t all sunshine--issues of race, gender, sexuality and national identity burned alongside the Olympic flame, and racially-charged accusations of performance-enhancing drug use against a team of Japanese teenage swimmers was the first such instance of an all-too-familiar controversy. But through the triumphs of trailblazers like Stella Walsh, Babe Didrikson, Eddie Tolan, and Ralph Hill, the 1932 games were a golden interlude that showed the world our best, not our worst. (Please note, this project is represented by John Rudolph.)

 A Southern coming-of-age story within a medical memoir, COLD IN MISSISSIPPI: A MEMOIR OF THE SOUL IN MEDICINE is also a pathbreaking investigation into the human soul. All Over But the Shoutin’ meets When Breath Becomes Air as award-winning physician-poet Dwaine Rieves, MD lyrically chronicles his upbringing on the changing landscape of a hardscrabble farm, the center of his parents’ tempestuous relationship. He ultimately escapes from the restrictive culture of the Deep South to the more enlightened but spiritually sanitizing culture of medical science. Rieves braids stories of family and patients with a brief history of the soul in healing, from its foundational understanding by ancient Egyptian physicians to its dismissal by contemporary philosophers. As he attends his mother when she takes her last breath, he sees a swirl of energy above her body, and senses that her soul is a reality, which inspires him as a doctor to keep living and to explore how to reinstate the soul in medicine, for the word “soul” encompasses all the complicated matters that make people and patients human beings. Rieves is an accomplished medical researcher who consults for academic, governmental, and pharmaceutical organizations. Born and raised in Mississippi, Dr. Rieves obtained his medical degree from the University of Mississippi and completed post-graduate training in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases, and critical care at Vanderbilt, the National Institutes of Health, and Johns Hopkins. His poetry has appeared in many literary journals. Dr. Rieves lives in Washington, DC. (Please note this project is represented by Leslie Meredith.)

 In THE PRESERVATIONIST’S ENDEAVOR: HOW I RESTORED AN OLD HOUSE WITH 6 MATERIALS AND REDISCOVERED WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HAPPY, Lee McColgan aims to rescue a decrepit 300-year-old New England Colonial from imminent collapse. By himself. Using only materials and methods of the time. Obsessed with the house and its history, McColgan leaves his secure job as an officer at a large financial firm to pursue his lifelong passion for building and architecture. Matthew Crawford’s Shop Class as Soul Craft, Michael Pollan’s A Place of My Own, and Witold Rybczynski’s The Most Beautiful House In The World meet in McColgan’s quest for personal and workmanlike authenticity. Immersing himself in the philosophy and artistry of the job, McColgan discovers the lessons that old tools and handcrafts can teach us about ourselves and life today. Each chapter dives into the history and uses of one of the six materials required to build a house in the eighteenth century -- wood, lime, iron, stone, glass, brick – and the joys of working with our hands. As McColgan reexamines himself, his life, and his purpose, he connects with lively eccentric characters who share their wisdom and skills -- builders and craftsmen who eschew modern techniques, live off the grid, and commit their lives to anachronism. Today a sought-after expert in the art of historic preservation, McColgan founded a preservation contracting company and has worked on the Old North Church and Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, among other historic treasures. (Please note, this project is represented by Leslie Meredith.)     

What makes us human? Professor, archaeologist and author Suzanne Pilaar Birch tackles this essential question in THE FIRST HUMANS by examining our ingenuity—and adaptability—through tens of thousands of years of human history. From our earliest origins in Africa to the advent of agriculture around the world, she tells the story of humanity using examples brought to light by the use of new, cutting edge scientific techniques. Though we’ve learned much about our ancient family tree through recent advances in genetics, she reveals that it’s other methods—like geochemistry, proteomics, and even 3D modelling—which have taught us far more about the development of our modern human behavior. Indeed, they’ve led us to re-evaluate just how “modern” some advancements—like language and symbolic thought, but also housekeeping!—really are.  For instance, did you know that the nest of the average chimpanzee has less bacteria than the bed of the average person? This is in part because chimps build a new nest every night, using plants that have medicinal properties to ward off insects. Recent evidence from caves in South Africa, however, shows that people made their beds in a similar fashion well over 100,000 years ago. It’s these kinds of revelations that will keep readers engaged as they learn about the fascinating—and surprisingly personal—new aspects of humanity’s past as revealed through modern science. (Please note, this project is represented by Ann Leslie Tuttle.)

Rights Round Up

R.L. Mathewson’s UNSTOPPABLE went to Audible. THE BODY IN THE TRENCH and A CUT ABOVE by Judi Lynn were acquired by MMB Media. THE USES OF DELUSION by Stuart Vyse and THE JADE SETTER OF JANLOON by Fonda Lee were acquired by Recorded Books. WHISPERS OF A BROKEN HALO by Abbi Glines and LOVE STORIES by Samantha Young went to Tantor. 

ORANGE IS FOR ANGUISH, BLUE IS FOR INSANITY by David Morrell was optioned for film by Amy Guth and Rocco Cataldo. Mason Deaver’s I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST was optioned for film by Tommy Dorfman. Halley Sutton’s THE LADY UPSTAIRS was optioned for film by Fabel. Tammara Webber’s EASY was optioned for film by Arclight Films. MAYBE SOMEDAY by Colleen Hoover was optioned for film by Entertainment One Television USA.

BREATHE by Abbi Glines was acquired by Turbine for Danish rights. I LEFT MY HOMEWORK IN THE HAMPTONS by Blythe Grossberg was acquired by Waves Press for traditional Chinese rights. THE RED PALACE by June Hur was acquired by DeAgostini for Italian rights. Chavi Karkowsky’s HIGH RISK went to Yilin Press for simplified Chinese rights. SISTERS IN RESISTANCE by Tilar Mazzeo was acquired by Jarrous Press for Arabic rights, ASA for Portuguese rights, and PRH Mexico for Spanish rights. IF GOD IS LOVE, DON’T BE A JERK by John Pavlovitz was acquired by Alta Books for Brazilian Portuguese rights. THE DISORDERED COSMOS by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein went to Irene Kitap for Turkish rights. LORD OF PLEASURE by Erica Ridley went to Hara Shobo for Japanese rights. LOVE MACHINE by Kendall Ryan went to Topseller for Portuguese rights. THESE DEADLY GAMES by Diana Urban was acquired by XXI Szazad for Hungarian rights, Bookzone for Romanian rights, and Obscura for Spanish rights. SIDE BY SIDE by Jenni L. Walsh was acquired by Kossuth for Hungarian rights. EASY, BREAKABLE, SWEET, BETWEEN THE LINES, WHERE YOU ARE, GOOD FOR YOU, and HERE WITHOUT YOU by Tammara Webber went to Virtualo/EmpikGo for Polish rights. HERE WITH ME and THERE WITH YOU by Samantha Young were acquired by HarperCollins Germany for German rights. HERE WITH ME, THERE WITH YOU, and ALWAYS YOU went to Ucila for Slovene rights. THE PROGRAM, THE TREATMENT, THE REMEDY, THE EPIDEMIC, THE ADJUSTMENT, THE COMPLICATION, and ALL IN PIECES by Suzanne Young went to Virtualo for Polish rights. A TASTE FOR POISON by Neil Bradbury was acquired by Argo for Estonian rights, and Wisdom House for Korean rights. Erik J. Brown’s ALL THAT’S LEFT IN THE WORLD went to Media Rodzina for Polish rights. BEAUTY FROM PAIN by Georgia Cates went to Knigoholicari for Macedonian rights. Robin DiAngelo’s WHITE FRAGILITY went to Takween Publishing for Arabic rights. Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. Rosen’s THE DISTRACTED MIND went to Fukumura Shuppan for Japanese rights. PLAYING FOR KEEPS, PERFECTION, and CHECKMATE by R.L. Mathewson went to Sakam Knjigi for Macedonian rights. THE ONES WE BURN by Rebecca Mix went to NieZwykle for Polish rights. 13 THINGS MENTALLY STRONG PEOPLE DON’T DO by Amy Morin went to Mavrica for Slovene rights. Mason Deaver’s I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST went to Zuckersuss Verlag for German rights. THE PERFECT FATHER by John Glatt went to Filia for Polish rights. GIRLY DRINKS by Mallory O’Meara went to C. Hurst & Co. for UK & Commonwealth rights. DEAR AARON by Mariana Zapata went to Albatros for Czech rights. WAIT FOR IT went to Konyvmolykepzo for Hungarian rights. FROM LUKOV WITH LOVE went to NieZwykle for Polish rights, Suma de Letras for Spanish, and Publik Praktikum for Serbian rights. ALL RHODES LEAD HERE went to Nemesis for Turkish rights. DEAR AARON, LUNA AND THE LIE, THE BEST THING, HANDS DOWN, and ALL RHODES LEAD HERE went to Editora Charme for Portuguese rights. Richelle Mead’s VAMPIRE ACADEMY, FROSTBITE, SHADOW KISS, BLOOD PROMISE, SPIRIT BOUND, BLOODLINES, and LAST SACRIFICE went to Slovart for Slovak and Czech rights. LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB by Malinda Lo was acquired by Verus/Record for Brazilian Portuguese rights, Dioptra for Greek rights, dtv for German rights, Oscar Fantastica/Mondadori for Italian rights, and Crossbooks/Planeta for Spanish rights. LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB and A SCATTER OF LIGHT went to WeNeedYA/Poznanskie for Polish rights. Colleen Hoover’s HEART BONES was acquired by Euromedia for Czech rights, Dioptra for Greek rights, and Lindhardt & Ringhof for Danish rights. REMINDERS OF HIM was acquired by Lindhardt & Ringhof for Danish rights, Hugu & Cie for French rights, Kinneret for Hebrew rights, Otwarte for Polish rights, Sakam Knigi for Macedonian rights, Ucila for Slovenian rights, Planeta for Spanish rights, and Dioptra for Greek rights. VERITY was acquired by Dioptra for Greek rights and Baltos Lankos for Lithuanian rights. MAYBE NOW was acquired by Sakam Knigi for Macedonian rights. HOPELESS, REMINDERS OF HIM, and REGRETTING YOU went to Kayan Publishing for Arabic rights. HEART BONES and TOO LATE went to Al Rewaq for Arabic rights. LAYLA was acquired by Konyvmolykepzo for Hungarian rights. HEART BONES, REMINDERS OF HIM, and FINDING PERFECT went to Konyvmolykepzo for Hungarian rights. TOO LATE went to Sakam Knigi for Macedonian rights. REGRETTING YOU, REMINDERS OF HIM, HEART BONES, and VERITY went to Modernista for Swedish rights. REMINDERS OF HIM and LAYLA went to Ridna Mova for Ukranian rights. Penelope Douglas’ PUNK 57 and BIRTHDAY GIRL were acquired by Piper for German rights and Crossbooks/Planeta for Spanish rights. CREDENCE went to Newton Compton for Italian rights and NieZwykle for Polish rights. PUNK 57 went to Living Publishing House for Albanian rights, Dogan for Turkish rights, and Knigoholicari for Macedonian rights. BIRTHDAY GIRL, CORRUPT, and HIDEAWAY wen to Ciela Norma for Bulgarian rights. BIRTHDAY GIRL went to Vydavatel’stvo Pandora for Slovak rights. CORRUPT and HIDEAWAY went to Publik Praktikum for Serbian rights.

RECENT SALES 

Tilar J. Mazzeo’s UNTITLED BOOK ON NARRATIVE NONFICTION WRITING went to Yale University Press in a World English rights deal by Stacey Glick.

World rights to Navina Chhabria’s RAAGA’S SONG were sold to Running Press by John Rudolph.

THE BISHOP AND THE BUTTERFLY by Michael Wolraich went to Union Square & Co. in a World rights deal.

Afton Hassett’s THE 30-DAY CHRONIC PAIN RESET went to Countryman in a North American Rights deal by Stacey Glick.

THE OTHER OLYMPIANS by Michael Waters went to Farrar, Straus and Giroux in a World rights deal by Michael Bourret.

Amelia Brunskill’s WOLFPACK went to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in a World rights deal by Jim McCarthy.\

North American rights for Michael Callahan’s THE LETTERS FROM MARTHA’S VINEYARD went to Mariner.

PLANTAS: MEXICAN FOOD MADE PLANT-BASED by Alexa Soto went to Voracious in a World rights deal by Stacey Glick.

Rochelle Weinstein’s WHAT YOU DO TO ME went to Lake Union in a World rights deal.

STORM OF OF OLYMPUS by Claire Andrews went to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in a World English rights deal by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.

Tehlor Kay Mejia’s SAMMY ESPINOZA’S WORST REVIEW and UNTITLED BOOK 2 went to Ballantine in a World rights deal by Jim McCarthy.

World rights for Matt Baume’s LGBTQ POP CULTURE HISTORY OF SITCOMS went to Smart Pop in a deal by Lauren Abramo.

GOD THEMSELVES by Jae Nichelle went to Andrews McMeel in a World rights deal by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.

Emily Grosvenor’s THE ORACLE HOUSE went to Chronicle Prism in a World rights deal by Stacey Glick.

TAKE BACK THE MAGIC: GETTING TO KNOW THE DEAD by Perdita Finn went to Running Press in a World English rights deal by Leslie Meredith.

World rights to Christie Matheson’s MAMAS AND BABIES: TRUE LOVE STORIES FROM NATURE went to RISE x Penguin Workshop in a deal by Stacey Glick.

Eric Sprankle’s DIY: THE WONDERFULLY WEIRD HISTORY AND SCIENCE OF MASTURBATION went to Union Square & Co. in a North American rights deal by Michael Bourret.

SOLVING FOR THE UNKNOWN by Loan Le was sold to Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in a World rights deal by Jim McCarthy.

SHIFT HAPPENS: THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN LABOR by J. Albert Mann was sold to HarperCollins Children’s Books, in a World rights deal by Michael Bourret.

World English rights to Rebecca Mix’s THE MOSSHEART’S PROMISE and UNTITLED BOOK 2 were sold to Balzer & Bray by Jim McCarthy.

Mallory O’Meara’s next UNTITLED biography was sold to Hanover Square Press in a North American rights deal by Amy Elizabeth Bishop.

THE HOUSE ON SUNRISE LAGOON: SAM I AM, MARINA IN THE MIDDLE, HARBOR, ALL ALONE, and UNTITLED STANDALONE by Nicole Melleby were sold to Algonquin Books for Young Readers in a World rights deal, by Jim McCarthy.

World rights to Lauren Oakes’ TREEKEEPERS went to Basic Books in a deal by Jessica Papin.

Kosoko Jackson’s THE FOREST DEMANDS IT’S DUE and UNTITLED FOREST BOOK #2 went to Quill Tree Books in a World English rights deal by Jim McCarthy.

Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond’s YELLOW went to Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers in a World rights deal by John Rudolph.

World English rights to Megan Barnard’s JEZEBEL and UNTITLED HISTORICAL NOVEL went to Viking in a deal by Jim McCarthy.

World English rights to Colleen Hoover’s MAYBE NOW and FINDING PERFECT went to Atria in a World English rights deal.

Tara Taylor Quinn’s HARLEQUIN SPECIAL EDITION BOOKS 1 and 2 went to Harlequin in a World rights deal by Ann Leslie Tuttle.

World rights to Rebecca Kelliher’s GUERILLA PILLS: THE ABORTION PILL UNDERGROUND went to Beacon Press in a deal by Jessica Papin.

Lisa Gardiner’s FOSSIL ISLANDS: WADING TIN THE SHALLOW END OF DEEP TIME went to Princeton University Press in a World rights deal by Jessica Papin.

A COUPLE COOKS: HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Sonja and Alex Overhiser went to Chronicle Books in a World rights deal.

World rights to Rebecca Barone’s THIS IS IT: SURVIVING MOUNT ST. HELENS went to Henry Hold Books for Young Readers in a World rights deal by Michael Bourret.

Shawntelle Madison’s THE FALLEN FRUIT FROM THEIR ORCHARD went to Amistad in a World English rights deal by Jim McCarthy.

World rights to Amira Rose Davis and Michael G. Long’s GO, WILMA GO! went to Bloomsbury Children’s Books in a deal by John Rudolph.

Elizabeth Hilborn’s SOILED went to Chicago Review Press in a World English rights deal by Leslie Meredith.

World rights to Thomas Wolf’s BASEBALL IN THE ROARING TWENTIES went to University of Nebraska Press in a deal by Stacey Glick.

OUR TRUE NATURE by Michelle Cassandra Johnson went to Shambhala in a World rights deal by Lauren Abramo.