kt literary

Congratulations to Rebecca Roanhorse on yesterday’s announcement…

TRAIL OF LIGHTNING is a finalist for the prestigious Compton Crook/ Stephen Tall Award!

The Baltimore Science Fiction Society announces this award in honor of the “best first SF/ fantasy/ horror novel of the year” See the entire list of finalists here!

TRAIL OF LIGHTNING has also been honored as:

“Best Books of 2018” at NPR

“One of the 50 Greatest Science Fiction/ Fantasy Debuts Ever Written” by B&N

“Our favorite science fiction and fantasy books of 2018” by The Verge

“Best Science Fiction/ Fantasy Books of 2018” by Library Journal

“Best Books of 2018” by Kirkus

And Rebecca won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer for this novel!

Huge congratulations Rebecca!

Learn more about TRAIL OF LIGHTNING and its sequel, STORM OF LOCUSTS (coming in April 2019) on her website:
www.rebeccaroanhorse.com

I absolutely love Love LOVE this cover for Kim Harrington‘s next middle grade novel, REVENGE OF THE RED CLUB. Thanks to Kidliterati for hosting the cover reveal! Here’s the books description:

Riley Dunne loves being a member–and leader–of the Red Club. It’s more than a group of girls supporting each other through Aunt Flo’s ups and downs; it’s a Hawking Middle School tradition. The club’s secret locker has an emergency stash of supplies, and the girls are always willing to lend an ear, a shoulder, or an old pair of sweatpants.

But when the school administration shuts down the Red Club because of complaints, the girls are stunned. Using skills she cultivated as her school paper’s top investigative reporter (okay, only investigative reporter), Riley digs for the truth about who shut the club down and why.

If that weren’t enough, she also must deal with her best friend, who is acting super weird as of late; a new and ridiculous dress code; and trying to make sure the group remains focused on fighting back, rather than fighting with one another.

With humor, heart, and lots of period power, Riley and her friends rely on surprising allies–and their own strength–as they work to save their club and stand up for what they know is right.

And please click through to Kidliterati’s post for more from Kim on the cover, and the reveal in all it’s full-size glory!

You can find the full (amazing list) online here.

Congratulations to Maureen Johnson, whose second novel in the Truly Devious series, THE VANISHING STAIR, comes out today!

In New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson’s second novel in the Truly Devious series, there are more twists and turns than Stevie Bell can imagine. No answer is given freely, and someone will pay for the truth with their life.

The Truly Devious case—an unsolved kidnapping and triple murder that rocked Ellingham Academy in 1936—has consumed Stevie for years. It’s the very reason she came to the academy. But then her classmate was murdered, and her parents quickly pull her out of school. For her safety, they say. She must move past this obsession with crime.

Stevie’s willing to do anything to get back to Ellingham, be back with her friends, and solve the Truly Devious case. Even if it means making a deal with the despicable Senator Edward King. And when Stevie finally returns, she also returns to David: the guy she kissed, and the guy who lied about his identity—Edward King’s son.

But larger issues are at play. Where did the murderer hide? What’s the meaning of the riddle Albert Ellingham left behind? And what, exactly, is at stake in the Truly Devious affair? The Ellingham case isn’t just a piece of history—it’s a live wire into the present.

Praise for Book One:

“The Agatha Christie-like ecosystem pairs with lacerating contemporary wit, and alternating past and present scenes makes for a multilayered, modern detective story.” —New York Times Book Review

“Remember the first time reading Harry Potter and knowing it was special? There’s that same sense of magic in the introduction of teen Sherlock-in-training Stevie Bell.” —USA Today (four stars)

“Be still, my Agatha-Christie-loving beating heart.” —Bustle

And more great press keeps pouring in! Entertainment Weekly posted a great review, in part, “Take it from the world’s most impatient reader: If the Truly Devious series is basically one long mystery book, The Vanishing Stair is a middle part so enjoyable you won’t even want to skip to the end.” The Buffalo News also praises the book, saying “In this second installment of her marvelous Truly Devious series, Maureen Johnson offers thrilling suspense, sly wit, a memorable cast of characters and more pieces of her deliciously intricate puzzle, shifting between a 1936 unsolved kidnapping and triple murder at the elite Ellingham Academy and present-day Vermont where that cold case crime continues to reverberate in disturbing ways.” I also love this review from TheFandom.net: “A great continuation to the first installment, this book captures the audience into the riveting mystery and challenges them to detangle the loose threads to form their own hypothesis.”

In addition, THE VANISHING STAIR made lots of readers most anticipated books of January 2019, including GoodReads, BN Teen Blog, Bustle, and Hypable.

You can also check out an interview with MJ on 88 Cups of Tea or a brief glimpse into her bookshelves with the Tampa Bay Times.

Grab your copy today!

“Truly exceptional.” – Booklist, starred review

“Extraordinary.” – Kirkus, starred review

“This outstanding paean to seeing the humanity in others is a must-read for fans of contemporary romance.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review

It’s here!

The brilliant, breath-taking contemporary romance novel from New York Times bestselling author Roni Loren that has (so far) earned three amazing starred reviews! The third book in the ONES WHO GOT AWAY series releases today!

THE ONE YOU FIGHT FOR
How hard would you fight for the one you love?
Taryn Landry was there that awful night fourteen years ago when Long Acre changed from the name of a town to the title of a national tragedy. Everyone knows she lost her younger sister. No one knows it was her fault. Since then, psychology professor Taryn has dedicated her life’s work to preventing something like that from ever happening again. Falling in love was never part of the plan…

Shaw Miller has spent more than a decade dealing with the fallout of his brother’s horrific actions. After losing everything—his chance at Olympic gold, his family, almost his sanity—he’s changed his name, his look, and he’s finally starting a new life. As long as he keeps a low profile and his identity secret, everything will be okay, right?

When the world and everyone you know defines you by one catastrophic tragedy…
How do you find your happy ending?

Read an excerpt of THE ONE YOU FIGHT FOR here!

Learn more about the series and about Roni on her website: www.roniloren.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @RoniLoren

One more post for the year, and then we’ll shut off the lights, gather our loved ones and towering TBR piles close, and turn on the Out-of-Office message! But before we do, I asked all of the agents here at KT Literary for a bit of a summation of the year. Here’s what we got!

Hannah signed five new clients this year, closed five deals including ones for Deva Fagan and debuts Michelle Ruiz Keil and Simon Jimenez, went to three conferences, and drank dozens of coffees with editors as our official New York City liaison to publishing.

Renee kept her list small this year (and with three kids at home for most of the year, we’re not surprised!), but rocked a new deal for Rebekah Crane and a poolside editing session with Jessie Hilb.

Hilary signed two new clients this year and closed her first solo deal (yet to be announced!), as well as co-closing Jen Marie Hawkins’ deal with me.

Sara went to four conferences, ate a whopping tower of Danish pastries in NYC, signed three new clients, and is inching ever closer to the milestone of fifty fabulous authors. With fifteen new domestic deals, she puts us all to shame (or she just keeps better notes than the rest of us). This year, she had a Nebula Award winner, a Campbell Award winner, and a Hugo Award winner, and that was all just Rebecca Roanhorse!

I signed two new authors, closed new domestic deals for Amy Spalding, Marisa Reichardt, and Kim Harrington, first deals for Sarah Watson and Carrie Allen, and various others still to be announced! I also made very good friends with Netflix.

One or another of us went to ALA Midwinter, the Bologna Book Fair, BEA, BookCon, San Diego Comic Con, Denver ComicCon, RWA, and multiple local writers conferences.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that we hosted another fabulous KT Literary client retreat earlier this year, in Phoenix, AZ. This was our biggest yet, and we hope even more of our clients will be able to join us for our next one — February 2020 in Austin, TX!

All in all, it’s been another great year in the books! Best wishes to you and yours, and we’ll see you in 2019!

Congratulations to all of our authors who finished a tough first draft, got a great book deal, had their debut published, or landed a foreign deal! While I can’t call out all of those (although you can check the archives for some!), we’re especially happy to share the following mentions or lists:

NUTCRACKED by Susan Adrian
– Listed as one of a festive slew of Nutcracker retellings for children, teens, and adults by BookRiot

WHAT GOES UP by Wen Baragrey
– Named one of the Best Children’s Books of 2018 by Smithsonian’s Air & Space Magazine

THE INFINITE PIECES OF US by Rebekah Crane
– One of Seventeen’s Best YA Books of 2018

THE AMBROSE DECEPTION by Emily Ecton
– One of the Chicago Public Library’s Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2018

THE LAST SUN by K.D. Edwards
– One of the Best Fantasy Books of 2018 by BookBub

GRAVEYARD SHIFT by Michael F. Haspil
– finalist for the 2018 Colorado Book Award for Best Science Fiction/ Fantasy

TRULY DEVIOUS by Maureen Johnson
– One of Seventeen’s Best YA Books of 2018
– A GoodReads finalist for Best Young Adult novel of 2018
– A Publishers Weekly Best Young Adult Book of 2018

BERNICE BUTTMAN, MODEL CITIZEN by Niki Lenz
– Listed as one the Most Exciting MG books of 2019 by Brightly

THE ONES WHO GOT AWAY by Roni Loren
– One of the Best Romance Novels of 2018 by Kirkus
– A pick for Best Romance Novel of 2018 at Amazon
– One of the 10 Best Romance Novels of 2018 at Entertainment Weekly

THE ONE YOU CAN’T FORGET by Roni Loren
– A Best Romance Novel of 2018 at Publishers Weekly

RED, WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE by Casey McQuiston
– One of the 30 Must-Read Books of 2019 at PopSugar
– One of the Best Books Read in November at Book Riot

Sarah Morgenthaler
– Nominee for 2018 Golden Heart Award

THE SUMMER OF JORDI PEREZ by Amy Spalding
– One of NPR’s Best Books of 2018
– Named one of the Best YA Books of 2018 by The Boston Globe
– Named one of the Best YA Books of 2018 by Kirkus
– Named one of the Best YA Books of 2018 by Cosmopolitan
– Named one of the Best YA Books of 2018 by Popsugar
– Named one of the Best YA Books of 2018 by Paste
– One of the Best LGBTQ Books of 2018 by Autostraddle and BookRiot

THE NIGHT MARK by Tiffany Reisz
– Finalist for a RITA Award for Best Mainstream Fiction with a Romantic Element

THE RED by Tiffany Reisz
– USA Today bestseller!

“Welcome To Your Authentic Indian Experience TM” by Rebecca Roanhorse
– WINNER 2018 Nebula Award
– WINNER 2018 Hugo Award
– Finalist for the 2018 Locus Award for Best Short Story
– Locus Recommended Read

TRAIL OF LIGHTNING by Rebecca Roanhorse
– WINNER 2018 Campbell Award for Best New SFF Writer
– An Amazon Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2018 Selection
– One of B&N’s Best Debuts Ever Written
– One of Library Journal’s Best SF/F of 2018
– One of NPR’s Best Books of 2018
– 2018 Audible Best Audiobook of the Year Runner Up
– 2018 Lone Star Pick

AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS by Margaret Rogerson
– #1 on the bestseller list in Malaysia
– 2018 Indies Next List Top Pick for paperbacks

I’m sure there’s more! But for now, please join me in congratulating these amazing authors!

Welcome aboard to our newest KT Literary client, Mayonn Paasewe-Valchev!

I met Mayonn at the recent Atlanta Writers Conference and she blew me away with her pitch for a middle grade magical realism about grief told in the West African oral tradition. I’m so excited to be working with her!

Mayonn is working on her author website – check it out here: www.mayonn.com

And, a short bio to share:
Mayonn Paasewe-Valchev is a writer and a reader. Born in Liberia, she was exposed to a culture of oral storytelling at a young age. She lived several years in the Netherlands where she learned to stuff her klompen (wooden shoes) with carrots and developed a love for reading stories—especially tales written by Roald Dahl and Astrid Lindgren. Her hobbies include running, riding her red bicycle, and daydreaming. She lives in Georgia with her family.

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @MayonnValchev

I’m so thrilled to share the announcement for Marisa Reichardt’s new YA novel, AFTERSHOCKS, which Maggie Lehrman at Amulet will be publishing in Fall 2020!

When the Big One hits Southern California, Ruby never expected to be trapped in a laundromat only moments after her first conversation with Charlie. But as the hours and days tick on, and Ruby and Charlie struggle to survive with only each other’s voices to help keep them going, Ruby’s memories of the choices that brought her to this place and her dreams for the future may be the only way to find hope to continue.

This book has tugged at my heartstrings through every version of it that I’ve read. I can’t wait for you to meet the indomitable Ruby and fall in love with Charlie.

Please join me in sending all best wishes to Marisa on Twitter @youngadultish! And see below for the full announcement.

Please help us give a warm welcome to kt literary’s newest client, Sandra Proudman!

I am beyond excited to welcome Sandra into the kt literary family! Sandra’s YA Sci-Fi is a visual delight with a dynamic ensemble of characters you won’t be able to help falling for. GHOSTS OF THE VOID follows hacker Suzanna Jimenez, who is hired by a shadowy politician to hack the virtual reality where the minds of the wealthy elite have resided for the last century as the earth decays: the payout is huge but Suzanna is looking for something far more valuable, something she lost long ago: her sister.

Congratulations to Jason M. Hough on his sale of INSTINCT – a high-stakes, action-packed thriller coming in 2020 from Skybound!

From Publishers Marketplace:
NYT bestselling author Jason Hough’s INSTINCT, in a small town full of dark secrets and wild conspiracy theories, the lone sheriff struggles to trust her own instincts when the people around her begin making shockingly bad decisions, to Michael Braff at Skybound Books, for publication in 2020, by Sara Megibow at kt literary.

Jason is the author of the DIRE EARTH series of space opera novels – the first of which, THE DARWIN ELEVATOR, released immediately on the New York Times bestseller list.

From Jason’s website, “Jason M. Hough (pronounced ‘Huff’) is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dire Earth Cycle and the near-future spy thriller Zero World, which Publisher’s Weekly said is “a thrilling action rampage that confirms Hough as an important new voice in genre fiction.” In a former life he was a 3D artist, animator, and game designer (Metal Fatigue, Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction, and many others). He has worked in the fields of high-performance cluster computing and machine learning, and holds a patented invention related to location-based content licensing.”

Learn more at www.jasonhough.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @JasonMHough

Congratulations to Jamie Harrington, Brittanie Pyper, and Holly Homer on the publication today of 101 KIDS’ ACTIVITIES THAT ARE THE OOEY, GOOEY-EST EVER! If you or your kids love slime, dough, or just making a mess with their hands, this is the perfect Holiday present!

Squishy, Stretchy, Sticky, Smelly and Sparkly Ways to Play with Slime, Doughs and Other Squeezable Concoctions!

Let your creativity and your imagination soar with these colorful, crazy-fun recipes for slime, dough, clay, foam, mud and more.

Create amazing concoctions like Fake Snow, Color-Changing Slime and Glow-in-the-Dark Dough. Dig your fngers into Glowing Magic Mud, Shaving Cream Dough and Kool-Aid Foam. Or, if you’re brave enough, squeeze the Spider Egg Sack Slime or the Frog’s Vomit Slime?eek! There are even some special slimes that you can eat like Gummy Worm Slime, Pudding Slime and Cookie Dough Dough. With 101 super cool activities (that are also super easy to clean up), you can try them all!

From the bestselling authors of 101 Kids Activities, 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments and Adorkable Bubble Bath Crafts, this book is full of exciting and fantastical recipes that include tips on the science behind the goo, so you can learn too! Whether it’s a slime, a dough or some other moldable creation, you’ll be able to create and become whatever your imagination dreams up!

Grab a copy today wherever books are sold!

Just a quick note that all of the agents at KT Literary will be closing to queries on December 1st until Monday, January 7th. We’ll be spending the time off from our query inboxes catching up on other reading — if we’ve requested material from you, we’ll do our best to reply as soon as possible. We’re also looking forward to reading for pleasure! Maybe some of the great books on these lists from Paste Magazine, from NPR, from Seventeen, or from Publishers Weekly!

Hope you have fun holiday reading plans! What’s on your TBR pile for next month? Comment below for a chance to win an upcoming title from one of our clients.