kt literary

Please help us congratulate Aliza Mann on today’s sale of BREAKING HIS RULES!

From Publishers Marketplace:
May 14, 2018
Fiction: Women’s/Romance
Debut author Aliza Mann’s BREAKING HIS RULES, about a man notorious for casual dating, the woman who calls him on it and the sizzling chemistry they share that makes them question their rules for intimacy, to Sue Grimshaw at Loveswept, for publication in 2019, by Sara Megibow at kt literary (world).

I met Aliza at the Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America conference about a year ago so I know for a fact that she’s not only a brilliant author but a wonderful person. I can’t wait for everyone to read this amazing book!

Learn more about Aliza on her website: www.alizamannauthor.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @AlizaMannAuthor

Grab a grasshopper and join me in congratulating Rebecca Petruck on the release today of her second middle grade novel, BOY BITES BUG.

Will didn’t plan to eat a stinkbug. But when his friend Darryl called new kid Eloy Herrera a racial slur, Will did it as a diversion. Now Will is Bug Boy, and everyone is cracking up inventing insect meals for him, like French flies and maggot-aroni and fleas.

Turns out eating bugs for food is a real thing, called entomophagy. Deciding that means he can use a class project to feed everyone grasshoppers, Will bargains for Eloy’s help in exchange for helping him with wrestling, but their growing friendship only ticks off Darryl more.

Will may have bitten off more than he can chew as crickets, earthworm jerky–even a scorpion–end up on his plate, but insects are the least of his problems. When things with Darryl and Eloy heat up, Will wrestles with questions of loyalty, honor–and that maybe not all friendships are worth fighting for.

We’ve already gotten some great reviews! Kirkus says “Petruck successfully weaves such important themes as bias, solidarity, and coming to recognize one’s own privilege and prejudice together, delivering them in a plot that is so very middle school (bugs! sports!) that it will hopefully appeal to a broad audience who might not otherwise choose to read about these crucial topics. An admirable feat that entertains even as it instructs.” SLJ‘s verdict was that it would be “A sure bet for reluctant readers, pranksters, and budding entomophagists (bug-eaters).”

And in a starred review, Booklist wrote:

In a tale that is funny, perceptive, and topical in more ways than one, a Minnesota seventh-grader impulsively pops a stink bug into his mouth to defuse an uncomfortable situation and finds himself caught between an old friend and a new one. Will’s bug trick does effectively change the mood after long-time buddy Darryl refers to new kid (and native Minnesotan) Eloy Herrera as “cholo” and “the Mexican.” For Will though, newly christened “Bug Boy,” the resultant notoriety is mixed. As he searches for ways, or even reasons, to mend fences with Darryl, Will is schooled on how ethnic stereotyping can inform even the best-intentioned acts; Eloy is less than grateful about Will’s plan to cap a class presentation on insects as food by offering Oaxacan–style chapulines (fried grasshoppers) to everyone. His realization that Eloy doesn’t owe him any favors for not being cool with Darryl’s comments may come as an epiphany to many readers who fancy themselves likewise nonprejudiced. Along with savvy observations about racism and how friendships change and sometimes end, Petruck folds in generous measures of amateur wrestling action and coaching, as well as arguments for entomophagy capped at the end by a set of tempting (to some, anyway) insect-based recipes. Wax worm cookies, anyone?

Grab a copy today at IndieBound, B&N, Amazon, or at your local library! And send Rebecca your favorite bug gifs on Twitter @RebeccaPetruck!

Congrats to Mike Mullin on the publication today of his new novel SURFACE TENSION!

After witnessing an act of domestic terrorism while training on his bike, Jake is found near death, with a serious head injury and unable to remember the plane crash or the aftermath that landed him in the hospital.

A terrorist leader’s teenage daughter, Betsy, is sent to kill Jake and eliminate him as a possible witness. When Jake’s mother blames his head injury for his tales of attempted murder, he has to rely on his girlfriend, Laurissa, to help him escape the killers and the law enforcement agents convinced that Jake himself had a role in the crash.

Publishers Weekly calls it “A timely contemporary thriller” and “a strong story that touches… on issues of grave complexity, such as the Islamophobia that fuels the antagonists.”

Pick up your copy today at your favorite local independent bookstore, on Amazon, B&N, or ask for it at your library!

And feel free to drop Mike a line on Twitter @Mike_Mullin.

“a sweeping journey of magic, romance, sacrifice, and self-discovery.” – author Amanda Bouchet

“The tale is infused with optimism but never cloying, and it culminates in a well-earned and satisfying ending, leaving readers impatient for the next installment of the series.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review

Happy Book Birthday to L. Penelope whose SONG OF BLOOD & STONE hits bookshelves today!

SONG OF BLOOD & STONE
Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive–an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart.

Jack’s mission behind enemy lines to prove that the Mantle between Elsira and Lagrimar is about to fall nearly cost him his life, but he is saved by the healing Song of a mysterious young woman. Now he must do whatever it takes to save Elsira and its people from the True Father and he needs Jasminda’s Earthsong to do it. They escape their vicious captors and together embark on a perilous journey to save the land and to uncover the secrets of the Queen Who Sleeps.

Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation.

The fates of two nations hang in the balance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war.

Check out L’s website here: www.lpenelope.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @leslyepenelope

Please help us congratulate Tiffany Reisz who hit the USA Today bestseller list for the first time this week!

THE RED came in at #119 – thank you to all our amazing readers!

Library Journal gave THE RED a starred review saying, “Recommended for fans of graceful prose and dark eroticism akin to Anne Rice’s “Beauty” series.”

It was also a Best Book of 2017 at NPR!

Check out Tiffany’s website to learn more about her books, including THE ROSE, coming in 2019:

www.tiffanyreisz.com

THE RED
Mona Lisa St. James made a deathbed promise that she would do anything to save her mother’s art gallery. Unfortunately, not only is The Red painted red, but it’s in the red.

Just as she realizes she has no choice but to sell it, a mysterious man comes in after closing time and makes her an offer: He will save The Red if she agrees to submit to him for the period of one year.

The man is handsome, English, and terribly tempting…but surely her mother didn’t mean for Mona to sell herself to a stranger. Then again, she did promise to do anything to save The Red…

Congratulations to science fiction author John E. Stith on this week’s release of REDSHIFT RENDEZVOUS in audiobook!

Originally published in 1990 by Ace/ Penguin Random House, REDSHIFT RENDEZVOUS is a Nebula Award finalist.

“The list of science fiction authors who play the game the hard way by sticking to the rules of science is all too short. Now to that group which includes Clarke, Niven, Asimov, Bear, and Clement should be added the name of John E. Stith.” — bestselling author Dan Simmons

Tantor Media bought audio rights to REDSHIFT RENDEZVOUS and MANHATTAN TRANSFER earlier this year – the first time John’s amazing books will be available to our rapidly growing market of audiobook listeners. Kevin T. Collins narrates REDSHIFT and the production is an outstanding, edge-of-your-seat adventure.

Available at Tantor Media here: REDSHIFT RENDEZVOUS

And, for Audible Members, available here: REDSHIFT RENDEZVOUS

Happy listening everyone!

Learn more about John’s books online: www.neverend.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @johnestith

I’m so thrilled to share the news of the sale of Carrie Allen’s amazing MICHIGAN VS. THE BOYS to KCP Loft! I have long wanted a great teen athlete story, and (to mix a metaphor) Carrie knocked it out of the park. You can read the short pitch below, but I wanted to share something a little extra. In this time of #MeToo, girls in many sports still have to fight to be heard, to be treated as equals to boys they surpass on almost every level. When we took this manuscript out on submission, I asked Carrie to write a short author’s note that I could include with the manuscript, to speak to the timeliness of the story. This is what I got, and I’m thrilled to share it with you:

My agent Kate has asked that I write an Author’s Note to explain why I wrote MICHIGAN VS. THE BOYS and why this story is timely.

Timely?? My own stories that inspired scenes in the book feel like ancient history. Twenty years ago, my bra was stolen out of the locker room that I had to share with my all-male rec team, because there was no place else for me to change. Eighteen years ago, I was flashed by a male teammate from the shower room, dared by his buddies, of course. Fifteen years ago, at the USA Hockey referee certification seminar, a teenage boy followed me into the parking lot and asked me to flash him. Twelve years ago, a youth coach was kicked out of a tournament for grabbing his crotch at me while I officiated his team’s game.

They never managed to chase me off.

This is not a memoir; my stories are different from Michigan’s. But every girl in hockey has those stories. Olympians from the women’s national team have changed in the rink’s broom closet, same as the rest of us. We’ve all endured slurs on the ice. Hilary Knight, arguably the best in the women’s game right now, took hell from the parents — the PARENTS — of her male teammates when she was an adolescent.

I wrote this book because, twenty-five years after my own hockey experiences began, the stories are still the same.

There were 12,000 girls and women registered with USA Hockey when I began playing in 1994. There will be approximately 70,000 this season. Last spring, WNT leveraged their World Championship participation to gain better support for the women’s programs, including grass-roots opportunities for girls. They won.

Previously, it was the U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team fighting in court for equal pay. Currently, it is Denmark’s Women’s National Soccer Team, battling their own country for equality.

Billie Jean King’s story is being told through a movie as I write this. The Battle of the Sexes happened before I was born and is still timely. King’s legacy, Title IX, which just celebrated its 45th birthday, is under fire as legislators attempt to slash sexual assault protections on college campuses. In my sport alone, there are 70,000 girls walking into broom closets every day, steeling themselves against the insults that will come this season.

Women’s equality and opportunity in sports is always timely.

MICHIGAN is for this girl, and countless like her, and I can’t wait to share it with you in Fall 2019.

Please join me in congratulating Carrie on Twitter at @CarrieSAllen!

A huge round of congratulations to Casey McQuiston on the sale of her debut novel!

RED, WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE is a joyous reimagining of 2019 in which the President of the United States is a woman and her son falls in love with the Prince of Wales. This is a romance of bacchanalian proportions and I can’t wait for everyone to read it (coming spring 2019)!

From Publishers Weekly:
A romantic comedy called Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston was bought by Vicki Lame at Wednesday Books. The world English rights deal for the debut was handled by Sara Megibow at KT Literary, who said the title is about what happens when the U.S. president’s son falls for the prince of Wales, after “an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends.”

Congratulations Casey!
Follow her debut journey here: www.caseymcquiston.com
Say hi and congratulations on twitter @casey_mcquiston

Guys, I’m utterly giddy about this announcement. After a wooing process that began about 6 years ago and includes the pre-engagement of our like-aged children, I’m thrilled to welcome super talented author Diana Peterfreund to KT Literary! Diana is the author of the OMEGA CITY middle grade series, the Secret Society Girl YA series, the fabulously post-apocalyptic Stars series, the Killer Unicorn books, and a number of fabulous indie romances as Viv Daniels, including ONE & ONLY, SWEET & WILD and the forthcoming TRIED & TRUE. She’s on Twitter at @dpeterfreund.

Please join me in welcoming Diana to KT Lit!

I’m a day late for various personal reasons, but I’m so excited to congratulate author Matthew Cody on the release yesterday of HOW TO MERIT IN MONSTERS, the first book in the super fun and funny Strange Scout Tales:

A new chapter book series teeming with monsters, the biomes they roam, and the hopeless scout troop out to save them.

When a scout troop learns that their sleepaway camp is really a training ground for protecting the earth’s most endangered species–monsters–the lowest-ranked Troop D (or Troop Dweeb, as the other troops refer to them) is next in line to earn their Monster Merit Badges.

In How to Merit in Monsters, join Troop D on a mission to rescue the legendary Big Foot, whose water supply has been contaminated. With the help of their troop master and the ever-handy century-old Scout’s Handbook, they might just have a chance!

Early reviews are great, such as this one from Booklist:

Cody kicks off a series that brings Scouts, cryptids, and conservation together. Despite a confirmed aversion to the outdoors, nerdy 10-year-old Ben Beederman is sent to a co-ed Nature Scouts sleepaway camp where he joins a trio of misfits in Troop D. Beneath the floorboards of the shabby boys’ cabin, he finds a battered copy of The Scouts Handbook of Cryptozoology and Manners. The Nature Scouts have a secret branch, the Strange Scouts, dedicated to studying and caring for the chupacabra and other elusive creatures. Said manual quickly comes in handy as an important source of information on how to track and handle a shy but excitable bigfoot that has taken to rummaging through the camp. Lambe’s frequent cartoon illustrations add comical notes to Ben’s simply phrased, spaciously leaded narrative.

And Kirkus says, “Cody’s cryptozoological camper caper is a good kickoff for a new series aimed at those newly comfortable with chapters.”

Book Two in the series, THE LOCK NESS LOCK-IN, will follow in September, with a third title to come! Grab a copy for yourself or for a cool kid you know at IndieBound, your favorite local bookstore, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or ask for it at your library. And follow Matt on Twitter @matthew_cody for more fun crytozoological facts!

I’m so so thrilled to welcome Jessica Bibi Cooper to the KT Literary team! It’s been a while since I signed a new client, but Jessica’s manuscript won me over almost immediately, with a setting akin to Neil Gaiman’s NEVERWHERE and characters that would grab a drink (or duel) with those from Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black, or Laini Taylor.

Jessica Bibi Cooper is a British Fashion Council accredited journalist, writing about fashion, beauty and luxury lifestyle. Her work has been published in publications such as Dazed, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and more. She is also a Social Media Manager for HNWI’s in the fashion and beauty industry.

In-between reporting and attending fashion events, Jessica Bibi writes dark fantasy stuffed full of all the things she loves: villains, twisty plots, enemies to lovers and morally ambiguous characters.

Jessica Bibi currently lives in the UK and can be seen stalking about the streets of London with her Very Scary dobermann, Indiana.

Follow her on Twitter @JessicaBCooper for gorgeous mood boards of her urban fantasy, further appreciation of all your favorite antiheroes, and more good news to come! Welcome to Team KT Lit!

Please help us congratulate author Michael F. Haspil whose debut fantasy, GRAVEYARD SHIFT, has been nominated for the prestigious Colorado Book Award for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy of 2017!

Library Journal gave GRAVEYARD SHIFT a starred review saying it was great for, “…those who enjoy police action mixed with urban fantasy.”

And RT Book Reviews called it, “Inventive and cleverly crafted with a unique premise.”

From the Colorado Humanities website, “The Colorado Book Awards is an annual program that celebrates the accomplishments of Colorado’s outstanding authors, editors, illustrators and photographers.”

Congratulations Michael and thanks to all our readers!

Learn more about GRAVEYARD SHIFT here: www.michaelhaspil.apocprod.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @MichaelHaspil

Wooo! The hits just keep on coming! Today also brings the release of FUTURE LOST by Elizabeth Briggs, the thrilling conclusion to the trilogy that began with the New York Times bestselling FUTURE SHOCK and continued with FUTURE THREAT.

It’s been a year since Elena Martinez and her boyfriend Adam first got involved with Aether Corporation, and they’re trying to move on with their lives. But when Adam goes missing, Elena realizes that he’s done the unthinkable: he went to Aether for help developing his cure for cancer. Adam betrayed her trust and has traveled into the future, but he didn’t come back when he was supposed to. Desperate to find him, Elena decides to risk future shock, and time travels one more time. This future is nothing like they’ve seen before. Someone has weaponized Adam’s cure and created a dangerous pandemic, leading to the destruction of civilization. If Elena can’t find Adam and stop this, everyone is at risk. And someone will do anything to keep her from succeeding.

I love how Liz has taken this series and these characters from the gritty present to a shiny future, and now takes us to an almost dystopian wasteland of what could be if Elena and Adam don’t make it back together.

Grab a copy today from your favorite local bookstore, B&N, Amazon, or wherever you like to buy books! And give Liz some love on Twitter!

It’s a big book birthday today, with another fantastic book being released — THE SUMMER OF JORDI PEREZ (AND THE BEST BURGER IN LOS ANGELES) by Amy Spalding!

Seventeen, fashion-obsessed, and gay, Abby Ives has always been content playing the sidekick in other people’s lives. While her friends and sister have plunged headfirst into the world of dating and romances, Abby’s been happy to focus on her plus-size style blog and her dreams of taking the fashion industry by storm. When she lands a great internship at her favorite boutique, she’s thrilled to take the first step toward her dream career. Then she falls for her fellow intern, Jordi Perez. Hard. And now she’s competing against the girl she’s kissing to win the coveted paid job at the end of the internship.

But really, nothing this summer is going as planned. She also unwittingly becomes friends with Jax, a lacrosseplaying bro-type who wants her help finding the best burger in Los Angeles, and she’s struggling to prove to her mother–the city’s celebrity health nut–that she’s perfectly content with who she is.

Just as Abby starts to feel like she’s no longer the sidekick in her own life, Jordi’s photography surprisingly puts her in the spotlight. Instead of feeling like she’s landed a starring role, Abby feels betrayed. Can Abby find a way to reconcile her positive yet private sense of self with the image others have of her?

We were absolutely thrilled that JORDI received a starred Kirkus review, as follows:

Working at her favorite boutique and falling in love, a girl enjoys a lush Los Angeles summer—until things become complicated.

Pink-haired Abby Ives, age 17, has landed an internship at Lemonberry, a small store that includes plus-sizes in its snazzy, creative clothing designs. Abby runs her own plus-size fashion blog and is serious about a career in the industry, but her personal life is in less good shape: She’s never kissed a girl and worries she never will. Along comes Jordi Perez, photographer and unexpected co-intern at Lemonberry, who falls hard for Abby’s adorably awkward, chatty, gorgeous self. Their blissfully heady romance is a balm to Abby’s insecurities about being fat. Her mom, a food blogger who substitutes mashed cauliflower for hamburger buns and nutritional yeast for cheese, believes she needs to lose weight if she wants to lead a happy life and be pretty—but Abby has already achieved both. Yet issues of privacy and consent (photographic, not sexual) threaten this love story. Title notwithstanding, a subplot involving a food app and a hamburger quest offers little to chew on, but fans of colorful fashion and romance will be well-satisfied. Abby is white; Jordi is Mexican-American.

Funny, full of heart, and refreshingly free of a weight-loss arc.

JORDI also received stellar blurbs from Julie Murphy, Robin Talley, and Gretchen McNeil, as well as lovely reviews from VOYA, SLJ, and more! I’m so excited that this amazingly funny lesbian rom-com is now available. Pick up a copy today at your favorite local bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or wherever you buy your books! And send Amy some book birthday love on Twitter.