Liesa Abrams at Simon Pulse has acquired We Are the Ants author Shaun David Hutchinson‘s A (Complicated) Love Story Set in Space, the story of Noa and DJ, who wake up on a spaceship with no idea how they got there, facing one life-threatening emergency after another while also dealing with their feelings for one another. The book will publish in spring 2021; Katie Shea Boutillier negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Audio rights to debut author Wayne Santos’s THE CHIMERA CODE, to Brian Sweany at Recorded Books, at auction, by Katie Shea Boutillier on behalf of Jennie Goloboy.
Audio rights to USA Today bestselling author Molly O’Keefe’s self-published backlist titles, to Lorna Henry at Dreamscape Media, in an eight-book deal, including rights to Julie Kriss’s THE BASTARD and S. Doyle’s THE BODYGUARD, by Katie Shea Boutillier.
School Library Journal: A must-purchase for libraries, as this book will resonate with teen readers who live with depression or other mental illnesses, as well as teens who identify as LGBTQ.
The Booklist Reader: While for Good Omens protagonists, Aziraphale and Crowley, the apocalypse is set to start after teatime, for Elena Mendoza, it begins at Starbucks. She just wanted to talk to her crush, Freddie. But then the siren from the Starbucks logo starts speaking to Elena, and Elena saves Freddie from a gunshot wound, and before you know it, Elena is a certified miracle worker. In fact, the voices she hears want her to work more miracles, and they want her to ignore the fact that when she does, people disappear in a beam of golden light. It would be really nice if the troll dolls—and the bossy voices that appear in a variety of other objects—would just stop talking to her. But what if the disappearances tied to Elena’s miracles have the power to save people from a terrible future?
Debut author and Yale Writers’ Workshop alum Tori Whitaker’s MILLICENT GLENN’S LAST WISH, a dual timeline story set in post-WWII and present-day Cincinnati suburbs, in which a woman must face her decades-long secret of tragedy in a crowded baby-boom maternity ward, and its effects on her family, to Chris Werner at Lake Union Publishing, for publication in fall 2020, by Katie Shea Boutillier.
Bulgarian rights to Robert McCammon’s BOY’S LIFE, to Iztok-Zapad, in a renewal, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.
Danish rights to Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka’s IF I’M BEING HONEST, to Palatium , by Philip Sane and Elin Rydner at Lennart Sane Agency on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.
French rights to Nnedi Okorafor’s KABU KABU, to ActuSF, by Robin Batet at Anna Jarota Agency on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Donald Maass.
Booklist Readers: While for Good Omens protagonists, Aziraphale and Crowley, the apocalypse is set to start after teatime, for Elena Mendoza, it begins at Starbucks. She just wanted to talk to her crush, Freddie. But then the siren from the Starbucks logo starts speaking to Elena, and Elena saves Freddie from a gunshot wound, and before you know it, Elena is a certified miracle worker. In fact, the voices she hears want her to work more miracles, and they want her to ignore the fact that when she does, people disappear in a beam of golden light. It would be really nice if the troll dolls—and the bossy voices that appear in a variety of other objects—would just stop talking to her. But what if the disappearances tied to Elena’s miracles have the power to save people from a terrible future?
Washington Post: Popular girl Cameron prioritizes honesty over kindness, which earns her a certain reputation. To win back the approval of her crush, she embarks on an apology tour to repair the havoc she has carelessly wreaked. The authors use “The Taming of the Shrew” as an effective framing device to examine modern ideas of feminism, which leads to a profound character arc and the essential message of how to claim your mistakes and do better.
Shelf Awareness: Hutchinson’s gift for language makes this uncomfortable story beautiful and forceful. Courageous and commanding, Brave Face is a bold, banner announcement that there is a future for everyone.
Bookpage: Hutchinson pours his soul onto the pages.