March 2023 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction

Author of STARS COLLIDE Rachel Lacey‘s COVER STORY, a sapphic bodyguard romance featuring an A-list actress in need of extra protection who hires a female bodyguard to pose as her girlfriend in order to keep the real story under wraps, again to Lauren Plude at Montlake, by Sarah Younger at Nancy Yost Literary Agency (world).

Laura R. Samotin‘s THE SINS ON THEIR BONES, pitched as inspired by Jewish mysticism and folklore, in which two estranged husbands on opposite sides of a civil war fight for the same throne, with a daring spymaster caught in the crossfire, set in a fantastical reimagining of 19th century Eastern Europe and pitched for fans of Leigh Bardugo, C.S. Pacat, Ava Reid, and Katherine Arden, to Amanda Ferreira at Random House Canada, in a two-book deal, by Hannah VanVels Ausbury at Belcastro Agency (world).

Author of the forthcoming GLASSWORKS Olivia Wolfgang-Smith‘s THE SYNDICATE, set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century, following a lavender marriage between a soap company’s mid-level manager, an eccentric scion of New York’s social royalty, and a lesbian who builds a business empire behind her husband’s names, pitched in the vein of Hernan Diaz’s TRUST and Colm Toibin’s THE MAGICIAN, to Grace McNamee at Bloomsbury, for publication in winter 2025, by Danielle Bukowski at Sterling Lord Literistic (world English).

S. A. MacLean‘s debut THE PHOENIX KEEPER, a queer fantasy romance set in a magical zoo of mythical creatures, in which a socially anxious phoenix keeper and a hotshot griffin keeper go from academic rivals to lovers while navigating fraught zoo politics, fighting off vicious poacher attacks, and trying to save their critically endangered residents, to Priyanka Krishnan at Orbit and Bethan Morgan at Gollancz, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, for publication in summer 2024, by John Baker at Bell Lomax Moreton Agency (world).

NYT bestselling author of THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE Mackenzi Lee‘s LADY LIKE, a queer regency rom-com pitched as Bridgerton starring Kate McKinnon, in which two very different women set their sights on marrying the same duke, but instead find themselves falling in love with each other, to Katy Nishimoto at Dial Press, in a pre-empt, by Laurie Liss at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).

Author of the forthcoming JUST AS YOU ARE Camille Kellogg‘s THE NEXT CHAPTER, pitched as a queer retelling of Notting Hill, in which a butch bookseller has a meet-cute with a famous actor who just so happens to need a starter girlfriend to establish her new branding as a Queer Icon, to Katy Nishimoto at Dial Press, in a two-book deal, by Jessica Alvarez at BookEnds (world English).

NYT bestselling author Melissa Marr‘s REMEDIAL MAGIC, in which a lesbian librarian is taken away to a magical community college within an inclusive magic city where she falls for a secretive Victorian witch – only to discover that her new world is dying and her witch is a liar, to Monique Patterson at Bramble, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2024, by Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House (NA).

THE TWO DOCTORS GORSKI author and LAMBDA award winner Isaac Fellman‘s AS ABOVE, SO BELOW, the story of a boy and his two adoptive parents, their transitions, their art, and the revolution they sparked in a mystical far-future state, told through the lens of the character’s memoir and autobiography, to Carl Engle-Laird at Tor, by Kate McKean at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.

Children’s and Middle Grade Fiction

NYT-bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp‘s SPLINTER & ASH, a debut prose series in which a disabled princess and her nonbinary squire find solace and friendship in each other, only to have their mettle tested when the princess is kidnapped and secrets that could send their kingdom crumbling into war and ruin are revealed, to Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow, in a major deal, at auction, in a three-book deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media (world English).

Joelle Retener’s picture book MARLEY’S PRIDE, in which a nonbinary child with big anxieties must overcome their fear of crowds when their zaza is up for an award at Pride, illustrated by DeAnn Wiley, to Lisa Rosinsky at Barefoot Books, for publication in spring 2024, by James McGowan at BookEnds for the author and the illustrator (world).

Lee Wind‘s picture book LOVE OF THE HALF-EATEN PEACH, pitched as an epic take on Yuan (Duke Ling of Wei) and his beloved Mi Zi Xia, who shared a peach circa 500 BCE, inspiring generations of people to use the expression “Love of the Half-Eaten Peach” in Chinese to describe romantic love between men, illustrated by Jieting Chen, to Wiley Blevins at Reycraft, for publication in spring 2024, by Marietta Zacker at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency for the author, and by Alexandra Gehringer at The Bright Group for the illustrator (world).

Author-illustrator Vincent X. Kirsch‘s picture book O.K. IS GAY, which follows a boy who discovers that words cannot express the joy of loving who he loves, to Courtney Code at Abrams Children’s, in an exclusive submission, for publication in spring 2025, by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world).

Young Adult Fiction

Author of ANYTHING BUT FINE and TAKE A BOW, NOAH MITCHELL Tobias Madden’s WRONG ANSWERS ONLY, about a queer teen overachiever whose life takes an unexpected turn when he’s sent to live on a cruise ship with his estranged uncle following a series of panic attacks, to Tamara Grasty at Page Street, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2024, by Claire Friedman at Inkwell Management (NA).

Author of JADE FIRE GOLD June CL Tan‘s DARKER BY FOUR, pitched as The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets the Chinese underworld, where an exorcist-in-training makes a deal with a trickster death god to regain the magic she lost—and save the life of the boy who stole it, to Alice Jerman at Harper Teen, in a significant deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2024, by Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world English).

Author of IN THE RAVENOUS DARK and the forthcoming COURT OF THE UNDYING SEASONS A.M. Strickland‘s LADY DRAGON, a sapphic romantasy where two new leaders coming of age in war-torn lands—a reluctant human princess and the favored contender for the draconic queenship—must grapple with betraying their clashing nations or their unexpected feelings for each other, to Rachel Diebel at Feiwel and Friends, for publication in spring 2025, by Hannah Bowman at Liza Dawson Associates (world).

Author of forthcoming THE ALCHEMY OF MOONLIGHT David Ferraro‘s A VILE SEASON, pitched as Bridgerton meets Interview with a Vampire, in which a jaded vampire who has lost his immortality is tasked with wooing the young heir to a dukedom in order to regain his eternal life, but the secrets and scandals of British high society and an intriguing surprise suitor provide obstacles that force him to reevaluate his quest and his heart, to Tamara Grasty at Page Street, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2024, by Eva Scalzo at Speilburg Literary Agency (world English).

Author of I’LL BE THE ONE and FLIP THE SCRIPT Lyla Lee‘s THE CUFFING GAME, pitched as a K-drama take on Pride and Prejudice, but if Elizabeth and Darcy were forced to work together on a LGBTQ-friendly Love Island-esque reality TV show, the story follows a bisexual film student, who needs a star to help generate interest for her show, so she enlists the campus heartthrob, and while whirlwind dates are happening on camera, the director and contestant realize they might be falling for one another behind the scenes, to Mabel Hsu at Katherine Tegen Books, in an exclusive submission, for publication in winter 2025, by Penny Moore at Aevitas Creative Management (NA).

Non-Fiction and Poetry

E.F. Schraeder‘s THE PRICE OF A SMALL HOT FIRE, a debut poetry collection that is a study on estrangement and loss, excavating the archetypal horrors of monstrous motherhood, from abandonment and unsteady reconciliation to the grave, giving voice to a semi-autobiographical examination of a griefscape from a queer lens, to Jennifer Barnes at Raw Dog Screaming Press, with Stephanie Wytovich editing, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in July 2023 (world English).

Managing editor of Brevity and coeditor of THE LYRIC ESSAY AS RESISTANCE Zoe Bossiere‘s memoir CACTUS COUNTRY, about growing up genderfluid in a trailer park outside of Tucson, Arizona, capturing the violence and poignancy of trans boyhood set against the backdrop of the Sonoran Desert, and the fraught and tender beginnings of life as a queer adult and writer, to Abby Muller at Abrams Press, at auction, by Maggie Cooper at Aevitas Creative Management (NA).

James Beard Award–winning author of THE MAN WHO ATE TOO MUCH John Birdsall‘s WHAT IS QUEER FOOD?, a historical excavation of the queer voice in food, arguing that food became a language of queer identity in post-war America, and the queer embrace of sensuality in food changed the way we cook, eat and gather around the table, to Melanie Tortoroli at Norton, by Dado Derviskadic and Steve Troha at Folio Literary Management (world English).

Western Washington University professor Carol Guess‘s INFODEMIC, focusing on contemporary queer life during the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of Trump’s presidency; beginning with the memory of a thwarted kidnapping attempt and ending with musings on life after death, the author engages philosophical questions about spirituality, ethics, and politics, incorporating prose narratives with lineated poems, and capturing the humor and interconnectedness of the author’s queer chosen family, to Diane Goettel at Black Lawrence Press, for publication in July 2024.

Queer somatic therapist, known as @somaticwitch who specializes in treating trauma and PTSD specifically with the LGBTQ+ community Andrea Gutierrez-Glik LCSW’s RADICAL TRAUMA HEALING: A TRANSFORMATIVE PROGRAM FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY AND BEYOND, addressing the specific trauma that affects the queer, trans, POC communities and all those at the margins so they can finally see themselves in the healing process, recognizing that trauma can be more than personal, it can be rooted in systemic oppression and the recovery process might be radical, loud and angry and ultimately a political act, to Meg Leder at Penguin Life, by Laura Nolan at Aevitas Creative Management (world).

Fave Five: YA with Queer Autistic MCs

Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley

Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl by Brianna R. Shrum and Sara Waxelbaum

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor

This is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde 

Exclusive Cover+Excerpt Reveal: Wren Martin Ruins It All by Amanda DeWitt

Today on the site, we’re revealing the cover of yet another ace offering by Amanda DeWitt! Wren Martin Ruins it All releases November 7, 2023 from Peachtree Teen, and here’s the story:

From the author of Aces Wild comes a hilarious and compassionate romantic comedy for fans of Casey McQuiston and Netflix’s Love Is Blind!

Now that Wren Martin is student council president (on a technicality, but hey, it counts) he’s going to fix Rapture High. His first order of business: abolish the school’s annual Valentine’s Day dance, a drain on the school’s resources and general social nightmare—especially when you’re asexual.

His greatest opponent: Leo Reyes, vice president and all-around annoyingly perfect student, who has a solution to Wren’s budget problem—a sponsorship from Buddy, the anonymous “not a dating” app sweeping the nation. Now instead of a danceless senior year, Wren is in charge of the biggest dance Rapture High has ever seen. He’s even secretly signed up for the app. For research, of course.

But when Wren develops capital F-Feelings for his anonymous match, things spiral out of control. Wren decided a long time ago that dating while asexual wasn’t worth the hassle. With the big night rapidly approaching, he isn’t sure what will kill him first: the dance, his relationship drama, or the growing realization that Leo’s perfect life might not be so perfect aftfter all.

In an unforgettably quippy and endearingly chaotic voice, Wren Martin explores the complexities of falling in love while asexual.

And here’s the gorgeous cover, designed by Lily Steele and illustrated by Ella!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

But wait, there’s more! Behold an exclusive excerpt from Wren Martin Ruins it All!

1: 

THE DANCE

There’s something about decision-making and running full tilt down an empty hallway that doesn’t pair well. I have approximately five seconds to get to the student council room. I can make it in four if I don’t slow down. If I’m lucky, the new faculty advisor won’t be there to see my dramatic entrance. If I’m not—well, I’ll worry about that later.

It’s this overconfident mindset that leads me to believe I can yank open the door and enter the classroom at the same time. Which might have worked. If the door hadn’t been locked. 

Rest in peace, Wren Martin. You will be missed.

I collide with the door, my forehead smacking neatly against a solid inch and a half of lacquered wood with a clunk! that reverberates through my entire skull. I stumble backward, clutching my forehead like my hands are the only thing keeping my head from splitting open.

Well, that’s one way to knock.

The door opens. “Oh,” Leo says, peeking through the doorway like he’s expecting a package to be delivered. I can actually feel his eyes skating downward, taking in the entire scene. “Are you okay?”

Of course it’s Leo, six feet and two inches worth of perfect teenage boy. Somehow it’s always Leo when it comes to my humiliations, like fate arranges to put us in the same place at the same time of disaster. I’m not sure if I was cursed at birth to screw up or if Leo was cursed to witness it. Considering I’m the one who physically hit the door, I suspect it might be me. 

I close my eyes and exhale through my nose. “Why was the door locked?” I say in an exemplary display of patience and restraint. 

A pause. “The door was locked?” I hear its futile clicking as Leo tests it. “Oh, I guess it was. Sorry, Wren. Are you sure you’re okay?”

My eyes snap back open and a vein throbs in my forehead. Or maybe that’s just the cranial trauma. 

Okay, before you think badly of me, it’s not just the door. Or that fact that I made a fool of myself. Or that I was running late in the first place, necessitating the fool-making. There’s more at play here that you need to understand. 

Reasons why I hate Leo Reyes:

  1. He’s tall. I don’t trust tall people. Ryan is five eight in her boots, and that’s pushing it. And she’s my best friend. Leo is not my best friend. 
  2. He’s a morning person. A morning person who goes for runs. In the morning. Worse than that, he talks about doing it like it’s normal. 
  3. One year in middle school, his locker was directly above mine. This is unforgivable. 
  4. He’s just . . . too much. Too pretty, too charming, too tall (did I mention that?). Too perfect. Teachers love him, he got elected to student council without even trying, and he’s the MVP coder of the robotics team, which has awards hanging up in the school’s front office. He doesn’t even have to try to be the best person at this school. It’s like looking at a photo that’s been airbrushed to hell and back. People are meant to have flaws. When they don’t, they make your animal brain go feral. 
  5. Once I saw him eat a banana without pulling the strings off. Like—excuse me?
  6. New: he witnessed me run into a locked door.

So you see, nothing about this situation is ideal. 

“I’m fine,” I say, brushing past him and into the classroom with whatever dignity I have left. Once my back is to him, I probe my forehead gently with a wince. Oh, that’s going to bruise.

Excerpt from Wren Martin Ruins It All / Text copyright © 2023 by Amanda DeWitt. Reproduced by permission from Peachtree Publishing Company Inc. All rights reserved.

Amanda DeWitt (she/her) is an author (Aces Wild) and librarian, ensuring that she spends as much time around books as possible. She also enjoys Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons-ing, and even more writing—just not whatever it is she really should be writing. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a master’s in library and information science. She lives in Clearwater, Florida, with her dogs, cats, and assortment of chickens. Find her on Twitter @AmandaMDeWitt and Instagram @am.dewitt.

Fave Five: Shakesqueer, Part II

For part I, click here.

Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig (historical m/m YA Romeo & Juliet)

Twelfth Grade Night by Molly Horton Booth (text), Stephanie Kate Strohm (text), and Jamie Green (art) (contemporary YA fantasy graphic novel Twelfth Night)

Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra (pan m/f contemp rom Much Ado About Nothing)

The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu (sci-fi thriller Hamlet)

Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese (pan m/f contemp rom Much Ado About Nothing)

Bonus: The followup to Twelfth Grade NightKing Cheer (contemporary YA graphic novel King Lear), releases in October.

Trans eBooks Under $8!

All links are Amazon affiliate. Each purchase earns a small percentage of income for the site. All prices are accurate as of March 13, 2023.

$1.99

Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith (Nonbinary MG Fantasy)

Caroline’s Heart by Austin Chant (Paranormal M/F T4T Romance)

Coffee Boy by Austin Chant (Contemporary M/M Romance)

$2.99

A Gym Rat’s Guide to Love by Roan Rosser and Ian M. Keller (Contemporary M/M Romance)

Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard by Alex Bertie (Memoir)

$3.99

Starting From Scratch by Jay Northcote (Contemporary M/M Romance)

Heart Haunt Havoc by Freydís Moon (Paranormal M/NB T4T Romance)

The Companion by EE Ottoman (Historical M/F/F Romance)

$4.99

My Name is Magic by Xan van Rooyen (Nonbinary YA Fantasy)

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman (Literary Paranormal M/F Romance)

Love Language by Reese Morrison (Contemporary M/M Romance)

Peter Darling by Austin Chant (M/M Fantasy Romance)

$5.99

Fake It by Lily Seabrooke (Contemporary F/F Romance)

$6.99

World Running Down by Al Hess (Dystopian) – note: the prequel short story, “Neuro Noir,” is free

$7.49-99

Depart, Depart! by Sim Kern (Cli-Fi)

The Calyx Charm by May Peterson (M/F Fantasy)

Exclusive Cover Reveal: In the Ring by Sierra Isley

Today on the site, we’re revealing the cover of In the Ring by Sierra Isley, a YA contemporary about a bi Jewish girl named Rose who starts boxing to cope with her anxiety. In the Ring releases September 15, 2023 from Little Press, and here’s the story:

Rose Berman is losing her mind. At least, that’s what everyone at school seems to think. Plagued by panic attacks that started after her mother’s death, Rose is the target of frequent teasing and rumors. But when the star quarterback takes a joke too far, the school’s tattooed, cigarette-smoking time bomb — Elliott King — steps in and punches him in the face. Rose’s therapist recommends she try out a sport to manage her anxiety. She can’t help but think of Elliott – maybe if she could punch like him, she’d feel safer and stronger.

She sticks out like a sore thumb at the boxing gym, but she soon finds power in the sport and a reprieve from her panic attacks. As their worlds intertwine, Rose and Elliott are forced to face their most daunting opponent outside the Ring: their growing feelings for each other.

But Midtown Ring isn’t just a gym. As Rose falls deeper into the world of boxing, she learns Midtown is a front for a late-night, underground fight club where Elliott King is the headliner. Surrounded by violence and destruction, Rose’s anxiety begins to spiral. She starts hallucinating, just like her mother did before her death, leaving her to wonder if everyone at school might be right. If her newfound physical strength can’t keep her grounded in reality, she may be doomed to walk the same path as her mom.

And here’s the cover, illustrated by David Habben!

A teen boy and girl are standing back to back with the Atlanta skyline behind them. Both are wearing a tank-top and sweat shorts. Both have their hands wrapped for boxing with blood sprinkled on their knuckles. The boy has short hair and bruises on his face. The girl has bangs and shoulder-length wavy hair. The boy has a sketched out drawing of a broken crown on top of his head, and the girl has a sketched drawing of a worried thought bubble above her head. They are connected by sketched drawings of vines and roses. The bottom half of the girl has sketched drawings of a crack, like her lower half is cracking. The title “IN THE RING” envelopes them in a ring in the center of the image. The picture is a gradient pink to purple and the title is in black. The author's name, Sierra Isley, is in white at the bottom of the image.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | Little Shop of Stories

Sierra Isley is a young adult author originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but currently based in Philadelphia, PA. She graduated from Florida State University in 2021 with a degree in Editing, Writing and Media. Outside of writing, her passions include filmmaking, social media communications and drinking chai lattes. IN THE RING is her debut novel. You can visit her website: sierraisley.com for more information.

Happy International Women’s Day 2023!

Happy International Women’s Day! To celebrate this global holiday, here are some books starring girls and women set all around the world!

Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender

Caroline Murphy is a Hurricane Child.

Being born during a hurricane is unlucky, and 12-year-old Caroline has had her share of bad luck lately. She’s hated and bullied by everyone in her small school on St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands, a spirit only she can see won’t stop following her, and—worst of all—Caroline’s mother left home one day and never came back.

But when a new student named Kalinda arrives, Caroline’s luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, becomes Caroline’s first and only friend—and the person for whom Caroline has begun to develop a crush.

Now, Caroline must find the strength to confront her feelings for Kalinda, brave the spirit stalking her through the islands, and face the reason her mother abandoned her. Together, Caroline and Kalinda must set out in a hurricane to find Caroline’s missing mother—before Caroline loses her forever.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Continue reading Happy International Women’s Day 2023!

Queering up your shelf, one rec at a time!