Donald Maass Literary Agency

NPR: But even though it deals with sinister magic and family tragedy, it counterbalances that darkness with something that’s become increasingly rare in fantasy fiction: laughs, laughs, and more laughs. At one point, a comically exasperated Dawn tells Finn and his magic-geek brothers, “You guys are taking this fantasy s*** way too seriously.” Intentionally or not, that line might as well be Henderson’s proclamation to his fellow fantasy writers: It’s okay to lighten up every once in a while, especially when the […]

Film rights to Joelle Charbonneau’s N.E.E.D., the story of small-town teenagers drawn deep into a social-networking site that promises to grant their every need, regardless of the consequences., to Merced Media and Benderspink, by Sean Daily of Hotchkiss and Associates for Stacia Decker.

Congratulations to the DMLA authors who were named on Locus’ 2014 Recommended Reading List! Novels – Science Fiction: Lagoon, Nnedi Okorafor (Hodder; Saga 2015) Novels – Fantasy: Steles of the Sky, Elizabeth Bear (Tor) City of Stairs, Robert Jackson Bennett (Broadway; Jo Fletcher) Young Adult Books: Lockstep, Karl Schroeder (Tor) Collections: Last Plane to Heaven, Jay Lake (Tor) Novelettes: “Kheldyu”, Karl Schroeder (Reach for Infinity) “Wine”, Yoon Ha Lee (Clarkesworld 1/14) “The Hand Is Quicker”, Elizabeth Bear (The Book of […]

Locus: Karen Memory is a delight, a tour-de-force of historical reimagining and character creation, and a ripping yarn full of surprises, and despite Karen’s opening line, I can’t imagine anyone not liking what she has to tell us. Read the full review of Karen Memory at Locus here.

NPR: Bear is paying homage to the dime novels of the era, forerunners of pulp fiction packed with larger-than-life heroes, scheming villains, and gritty action. But she’s subtly subverting this tradition, just as much as she’s giving steampunk a gentle, loving twist. An African-American marshal and a transgender prostitute are just two members of the book’s diverse cast, and it’s clear that Bear is making a point about the way history, like literary subgenres, can steamroll over anyone who falls outside […]

Library Journal: Fans of ­Laukkanen’s The Professionals . . . will be delighted with this fast-moving installment. Here it is not the criminals who are intriguing, but rather the victims who turn out to be far stronger and more remarkable than originally anticipated. Recommended for fans of well-written, thought-provoking thrillers. In their fourth outing (after Kill Fee) Kirk Stevens of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation and FBI agent Carla ­Windermere are working on a case involving sex trafficking of women “stolen” from […]

Bulgarian rights to Brent Weeks’s THE BROKEN EYE, Book 3 in the Lightbringer series, to Bard, by Nada Cipranic at Prava I Prevodi in association with Katie Shea Boutillier. Polish rights to Anne Bishop’s VISION IN SILVER, Book 3 in the Others series, to Initium, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi in association with Jennifer Jackson. Simplified Chinese rights to editors Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger’s anthology IN THE COMPANY OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, to Chongqing Tianjian, by Gray Tan […]

Chuck Wendig’s THE CORMORANT and THUNDERBIRD, Books 3 and 4 in the Miriam Black series, to Steve Feldberg at Audible, in a two-book deal, by Katie Shea Boutillier on behalf of Stacia Decker. Kathryn Craft’s THE FAR END OF HAPPY, based on a real event from the author’s life, the chilling story of one troubled man, the family that loves him, and the suicide standoff that will change them forever, to Liz Pearsons at Brilliance, by Katie Shea Boutillier.

USA Today HEA: Debut author Lisa Nicholas deftly integrates a suspense subplot involving a lunatic stalker obsessed with Lucas. The danger escalates over the course of the storyline, and Gwen’s military training comes in very handy. Lucas’ brother Lee is a standout. His background is somewhat of a mystery, and he exudes power, definitely an alpha male. Nicholas confirms that his story is coming later in the summer, called As Lost as I Get, and I’m looking forward to the read. […]

Publishers Weekly: Early in Laukkanen’s savage, cathartic fourth series crime novel (after 2014’s Kill Fee), Cass County (Minn.) sheriff’s deputy Dale Friesen notices a truck towing a container in a diner parking lot. His suspicions aroused, Friesen orders the truck’s driver to unlock the container door, and two dirty young women try to flee, but only one escapes. Friesen is shot dead, and later Irina Milosovici, a Romanian sex-trafficking victim, is found next to his body holding his gun. Kirk Stevens, […]