Simon Pulse has acquired, with Liesa Abrams to edit, We Are the Ants author Shaun David Hutchinson’s new YA book, The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza, about a teen who was the first scientifically confirmed “virgin birth.” At 16 she discovers she can heal with a touch; simultaneously, people all over the world start disappearing in beams of light, making her wonder if she is bringing about the Apocalypse. Publication is scheduled for spring 2018; Amy Boggs at Donald Maass Literary Agency brokered the two-book deal for World English rights.
Sep 222016
World Fantasy Award nominee Yoon Ha Lee’s story collection, to include the current short fiction from the Hexarachate setting of NINEFOX GAMBIT along with new previously unpublished stories, to be published in 2018, sold to Jonathan Oliver at Solaris via Jennifer Jackson.
Joy Peskin at Farrar, Straus Children’s has acquired award-winning playwright Mariah MacCarthy’s Squad, about a cheerleader who suddenly becomes alienated by her best friend and cheer squad and is set out to discover who she is without the things that always defined her. It’s planned to publish in Fall 2018; Katie Shea Boutillier of Donald Maass Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
NPR: But it was that rare ability of Kowal’s to make what could have been a completely goofy add-on to the British war effort into something that felt completely wedded and solid that sold me that spark of a great idea, well-executed. It is a story that just works. That lays out a presumption (ghosts are real), builds a plot architecture around it (they might be useful intelligence assets), and then grounds it with emotional weight (those forced to talk to the ghosts of the young and dead might not come out of it unscathed).
Booklist: The destruction or ending of the world as we know it is a common backdrop for examining elements of humanity. The numerous ways in which humanity and our world are going to crash and burn are terrifying and fascinating. Malfi adds an interesting new angle to the mix by placing the story in a world infected by the Wanderer’s Folly, a disease that blurs the lines between dreams and reality. While the disease and its impact on the human race are interesting, moving, and effective, the story’s real drive is the relationship between a father, David, and his daughter, Ellie. Ellie is a special girl; she is able to calm her parents when they are angry and cause people pain by merely touching them. Ellie’s abilities and the fact that her mother was immune to the Folly draw unwanted attention to the pair. David’s drive to protect his daughter at all costs and Ellie’s developing skills make for an emotionally compelling and interesting read.