Tag Archives: Beth Phelan

Deal Announcements

October 2021 Deal Announcements

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Adult Fiction

Psychotherapist K. L. Cerra’s‘s SUCH PRETTY FLOWERS, a Southern gothic suspense with horror and queer elements about a woman’s investigation into her brother’s unlikely suicide—his last words being “get it out of me”—and subsequently, her obsession with his fiancee, a magnetic, black-eyed florist with a penchant for carnivorous plants; and a second book about a coven operating under the guise of the wedding industry whose plans to save women from wife- and motherhood have sinister implications, to Jenny Chen at Bantam Dell, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Chelsey Emmelhainz at Copps Literary Services (world).

Taleen Voskuni‘s SORRY, BRO, a queer rom-com about a twenty-something newly single Armenian woman whose mother insists she find a proper new suitor at a series of local Armenian cultural events—only the woman she meets is the last person her very traditional family had in mind, to Cindy Hwang and Angela Kim at Berkley, in a two-book deal, for publication in 2023, by Katelyn Detweiler at Jill Grinberg Literary Management (NA).

Lena May‘s THE SIGNS WE MISSED, in which a young gay man who emancipated from his mother battles addiction, an eating disorder, and being in love with his best while trying to graduate high school and survive, to Kisstopher Musick at Cinnabar Moth, in a nice deal, for publication in summer 2022.

Lindy Ryan and Toni Miller‘s eds.’s UNDER HER SKIN, a showcase of body horror-inspired poetry from women (cis and trans) and nonbinary femmes in horror, including Bram Stoker Award-winning and nominated poets Lee Murray, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Sara Tantlinger, and Jessica McHugh, with a foreword by Linda D. Addison, to Black Spot, for publication in April 2022 (world English).

Kate Brook’s NOT EXACTLY WHAT I HAD IN MIND, following four 20-somethings—two roommates navigating the awkward aftermath of a one night stand, and a lesbian couple looking to start a family—as their lives collide and all four learn that sometimes you find family, and love, in the place you would least expect, pitched as for readers of Emma Straub or J. Courtney Sullivan, to Lindsey Rose at Dutton, by Rebecca Wearmouth at PFD (NA). Rights to Sarah Hodgson at Corvus, by Philippa Sitters at David Godwin Associates (UK/Commonwealth, excl. Canada); to Suma de Letras (Spain); and to Diana (Germany), at auction, by Rebecca Wearmouth at PFD.

Author of the forthcoming MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE Alexene Farol Follmuth writing as Olivie Blake’s THE ATLAS SIX TRILOGY, pitched as Kingsman/X-Men meets THE SECRET HISTORY with a diverse cast and strong queer representation, following six uniquely talented magicians from around the world who are invited to compete for an elite academic fellowship where elimination holds deadly consequences, the first book of which was previously self-published and popular on TikTok, to Molly McGhee at Tor, in a major deal, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, for publication in March 2022, by Amelia Appel at TriadaUS Literary Agency (world).

Winner of the 2018 VQR Emily Clark Balch Prize for Fiction and UT Austin MFA Celia Bell’s THE DISENCHANTMENT, which follows a baroness who falls in love with another woman, and the chaos that ensues when her husband discovers their secret, set against the backdrop of Versailles and Parisian society, to Shelley Wanger at Pantheon, for publication in 2023, by Anna Stein at ICM (NA). Rights to Serpent’s Tail (UK), by Lucy Morris and Sabhbh Curry at Curtis Brown UK.

Children’s/Middle Grade Fiction

Vicki Johnson‘s picture book MOLLY’S TUXEDO, about a girl who has big plans to wear a dashing tuxedo for her school picture day, but her mom has picked out a dress, so with her friends’ support, the girl proves the way to look your best is to be yourself, illustrated by Gillian Reid, to Charlie Ilgunas at Little Bee Books, for publication in summer 2023, by Zoe Sandler at ICM for the author, and by Christy Tugeau Ewers at The CAT Agency for the illustrator (world).

Aliza Layne‘s BEETLE AND THE CHIMERA CARNIVAL, a sequel to the Stonewall Honor Book BEETLE AND THE HOLLOWBONES, which follows Beetle and her friends as they face new and sinister complications when the dragons set to arrive for a community celebration never appear, illustrated by Aliza Layne, to Julia McCarthy at Atheneum, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2024 and fall 2025, by Susan Graham at Einstein Literary Management (world English).

Author-illustrator Kyla Smith‘s FOXES, FIRE, & OTHER MAGIC, in which a curious young fox spirit who stumbled into the human world during the annual Obon festival and became trapped, and a nonbinary noodle maker struggling to keep their parents’ legacy alive, must learn to trust each other to save the udon shop and get the fox spirit home before the spirit gate closes for good, to Emily Settle and Erin Siu at Feiwel and Friends, in a very nice deal, for publication in spring 2024, by Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary Agency (world).

Coauthor of RENEGADE RULE Ben Kahn‘s ELLE CAMPBELL SAVES THEIR SATURDAY, in which a nonbinary seventh grader wants to meet their celebrity hero at a local signing, so they and their two best friends will have to stage a daring escape from weekend detention, and avoid bullies and parents as they trek across town to save their Saturday, to Mallory Kass at Scholastic, in an exclusive submission, for publication in 2023, by Moe Ferrara at BookEnds (world).

Dresden Douglas’s GIRLS GIVE ME BUTTERFLIES, a debut middle grade graphic novel pitched as a sapphic Lizzie McGuire, about a young girl who begins to feel flustered and tongue-tied around other girls while struggling to tune out the voice of an excitable little figment who manifests all her innermost thoughts, to Mekisha Telfer at Roaring Brook Press, at auction, for publication in 2023, by Claire Draper at The Bent Agency (world).

Young Adult

Mela Rogers‘s debut LOVE LIGHT, set in a world where a beacon of light connects each person’s heart to their soulmate’s; a girl’s parents are light fanatics, so she is shocked when she falls for a girl who is not her soulmate, and when she meets her actual soulmate, she must choose between her faith and her first love, to Dana Chidiac at Holt Children’s, for publication in winter 2025, by Chelsea Eberly at Greenhouse Literary Agency (world).

HERE FOR IT author R. Eric Thomas‘s debut KINGS OF B’MORE, a celebration of queer Black friendship as two boys plan a day of fun and facing their fears, pitched as inspired by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, to Joanna Cardenas at Kokila, for publication in summer 2022, by Anna Sproul-Latimer at Neon Literary (world).

Freja Nicole Woolf’s NEVER TRUST A GEMINI, pitched as a LGBTQ+ ANGUS, THONGS AND FULL-FRONTAL SNOGGING, in which a zodiac-obsessed 15-year-old struggling with a desperate crush on her best friend must scramble through a fake boyfriend, a house fire, and an unexpected Christmas romance to find her happy ending, to Denise Johnstone-Burt and Non Pratt at Walker UK, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2023, by Gemma Cooper at The Bent Agency (world).

NYT-bestselling author of CEMETERY BOYS Aiden Thomas‘s JUST MAX, in which a stealth transgender college student faces the usual stress of freshman year—making new friends and trying to fit in—all while managing testosterone shots, navigating the perils of communal bathrooms, and falling in love with the handsome soccer player down the hall, to Holly West at Feiwel and Friends, in a good deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in winter 2024, by Jennifer March Soloway at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world).

MAJOR DETOURS author Zachary Sergi‘s SO YOU WANNA BE A POPSTAR?, an interactive novel following five diverse and queer teen solo artists who are forced into a pop group that goes viral overnight, and where the reader chooses the paths forward to guide the characters on their journey to stardom, to Britny Brooks at Running Press Kids, for publication in winter 2023, by Lucy Carson at Friedrich Agency (world).

FULL DISCLOSURE author Camryn Garrett’s FRIDAY I’M IN LOVE, about a queer teen determined to throw a lavish coming out party in place of a sweet sixteen, but when her mother is laid off, she’s forced to balance saving for the party with keeping her household afloat, all the while navigating her growing feelings for a new girl at school, to Katherine Harrison at Knopf Children’s, in a six-figure deal, for publication in spring 2023, by Beth Phelan at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency (NA). Rights also to Emma Jones at Random House UK Children’s, by Ellen Greenberg, on behalf of Beth Phelan.

K.M. Watts’s BORN ANDROMEDA, a debut in which a moon princess is kidnapped by galactic pirates, and joins the world of piracy in order to get home—if she doesn’t fall for one first, to Annie Harper at Duet, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2022 (world). Rights: Mary Jo Courchesne at Gryphon Publishing Consulting

Nonfiction

WHAT ARE YOUR WORDS? illustrator Andy Passchier‘s GENDER IDENTITY FOR KIDS, a chapter book guide breaking down what gender is and isn’t, what your feelings around gender might mean, and how to let the world know who you are and help others do the same, to Regan Winter at Little, Brown Children’s, with Andrea Colvin and Aria Balraj editing, for publication in summer 2023, by Alexandra Gehringer at The Bright Group (world).

Chicana writer, activist, poet, essayist, and playwright Cherrie Moraga‘s LOVING IN THE WAR YEARS and THE LAST GENERATION, combined in a single 40th anniversary volume; and WAITING IN THE WINGS: PORTRAIT OF A QUEER MOTHERHOOD, to be published on its 25th anniversary, both with new forewords by the author, to Julie Fain at Haymarket, in a two-book deal, by Stuart Bernstein at Stuart Bernstein Representation.

Olympic champion and elite runner Caster Semenya’s SILENCE ALL THE NOISE, a story of courage, resilience, and hope about her childhood in rural South Africa, her running career, and her experience as an intersex woman in professional sports, to Norton, at auction, with a young readers edition.

Deal Announcements

January 2021 Deal Announcements

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Adult Fiction

Author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted REAL LIFE Brandon Taylor‘s THE LATE AMERICANS, exploring the tension between inner lives and projected selves within a creative community in Iowa City; and GROUP SHOW, about five striving assistants navigating the straits of desire, complicity, and belief behind the scenes at a regional art museum, to Cal Morgan at Riverhead, in a significant deal, in a two-book deal, by Meredith Kaffel Simonoff at DeFiore and Company (world).

Author of SOCIAL CREATURE and STRANGE RITES: NEW RELIGIONS FOR A GODLESS WORLD Tara Isabella Burton‘s THE WORLD CANNOT GIVE, a coming-of-age novel about queer desire, religious zealotry, and the hunger for transcendence among the devoted members of a cultic chapel choir in a prestigious Maine boarding school, and the obsessively ambitious, terrifyingly charismatic girl that rules over them, to Carina Guiterman at Simon & Schuster, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, by Emma Parry at Janklow & Nesbit (world).

Chencia C. Higgins‘s READY, SET, WED!, in which two women thrown together on a reality show that’s never produced a permanent couple fight with everything they’ve got to get to the altar—before the quest for TV ratings keeps them from turning something fake into forever, to Kerri Buckley at Carina Press Adores, for publication in early 2022.

Timothy Janovsky‘s debut OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS, pitched as a LGBTQ+ romantic comedy that blends the riches-to-rags humor of Schitt’s Creek with the feel-good romance of a Hallmark Christmas movie, to Mary Altman at Sourcebooks Casablanca, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2023, by Kevin O’Connor at O’Connor Literary Agency (world).

Iowa Writers Workshop Rona Jaffe Fellow, Best American Short Stories 2020 contributor, and mutual aid organizer Sarah Thankam Mathews‘s ALL THIS COULD BE DIFFERENT, following a young woman fresh out of college as she tries to forge a new life in Milwaukee during Obama’s second term—navigating precarious employment, queerness, immigration, a dizzying romance with a ballet dancer, and the pulls of blood and chosen family—and unfolding a story that circles the question of how a better world might be, to Lindsey Schwoeri at Viking, at auction, by Bill Clegg at The Clegg Agency (NA).

Author of WHO IS VERA KELLY and VERA KELLY IS NOT A MYSTERY Rosalie Knecht’s third installment in the Vera Kelly series, exploring issues of gender, sexuality, and class, set in the early 1970s, in which a private investigator travels to meet her girlfriend’s family at their extravagant Los Angeles estate, and in the process finds herself with a new high-stakes case: the search for her missing girlfriend, to Masie Cochran at Tin House Books, for publication in summer 2022, by Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts at HG Literary (NA).

Roan Parrish and Timmi Meskers‘s STRANGE COMPANY, a collection of queer horror short stories and original music, to Steve Feldberg at Audible Originals, in an exclusive submission, by Courtney Miller-Callihan at Handspun Literary (world).

Children’s/Young Adult Fiction

Anna-Marie McLemore‘s retelling of THE GREAT GATSBY, featuring Gatsby as a transgender young man, amid all the glamour and sparkle of the 1920s; part of the upcoming Remixed Classics series, to Emily Settle at Feiwel and Friends, for publication in fall 2022, by Taylor Martindale Kean at Full Circle Literary (world).

THE FELL OF DARK author Caleb Roehrig‘s untitled book, pitched as bringing a queer perspective to ROMEO AND JULIET, to Emily Settle at Feiwel and Friends, for publication in winter 2023, by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio (world).

Sacha Lamb‘s WHEN THE ANGELS LEFT THE OLD COUNTRY, pitched as having a voice reminiscent of a (queer) Isaac Bashevis Singer story, about an angel and a demon, centuries-long study partners in their small shtetl, who decide to travel to America (a place that turns out to be more complicated than they expect) with two young women who are deeply connected, to Arthur Levine at Levine Querido, in a pre-empt, for publication in fall 2022, by Rena Rossner at Deborah Harris Agency (world).

Michael Gray Bulla‘s debut A TYPE OF BLEEDING, about a trans teenager who joins his town’s LGBTQ+ support group where he meets a cute boy, sparking a friendship that upends his life and challenges his ideas of love, family, and friendship, to Karen Chaplin at Quill Tree, in a good deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2022, by Pete Knapp at Park & Fine Literary and Media (world English).

Maggie Horne‘s debut HAZEL HAYES IS GONNA WIN THIS ONE, a humorous friendship story that follows a feisty 12-year-old girl who, after one of her classmates is harassed online, devises a plan to take down the school’s golden boy and hopefully win her beloved public speaking competition, to Lily Kessinger at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s, at auction, for publication in fall 2022, by Claire Friedman at Inkwell Management (NA).

Lambda Literary and MacDowell Fellow Jas Hammonds‘s WE DESERVE MONUMENTS, following a queer, Black, biracial teen who moves to small-town Georgia to live with her estranged grandmother and becomes entangled in a web of family secrets, the town’s racist history, and her growing feelings for the girl next door, to Mekisha Telfer at Roaring Brook Press, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2022, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media (world English).

NYT-bestselling author Gayle Forman‘s debut FRANKIE & BUG, about the friendship between a feisty 10-year-old girl who feels abandoned when her older brother decides he’d rather hang out with his friends than with her, and an 11-year-old trans boy who is spending the summer with his gay uncle and only wants to have the chance to be who he is, to Kristin Gilson at Aladdin, for publication in fall 2021, by Michael Bourret at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world English).

Ashley Woodfolk‘s NOTHING BURNS AS BRIGHT AS YOU, a novel-in-verse that tells the story of a tumultuous romance between two girls in nonlinear chapters, anchored by a single day where they set a fire and their relationship spirals out of control, to Margaret Raymo at Versify, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, for publication in spring 2022, by Beth Phelan at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency (world).

Michael Leali‘s debut THE CIVIL WAR OF AMOS ABERNATHY, in which a 12-year-old openly gay historical reenactor sets out to prove to himself and his closeted crush that queer people always have and always will exist in American history; the story is told partly in letters to Albert D.J. Cashier, the Union soldier his research uncovers, who becomes his confidant and historical queer icon, to Stephanie Stein at Harper Children’s, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2022, by Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties (NA).

Non-Fiction

Author of DAMAGED GOODS and PROBLEMATIC Dianna Anderson‘s THEY/THEM, part memoir, part gender theory, examining the emergence and history of nonbinary gender, including interviews with gender nonconforming individuals and experts on gender affirming care, along with the author’s own story, to Lisa Kloskin at Broadleaf, in a nice deal, for publication in fall 2022, by Hannah Bowman at Liza Dawson Associates (world).

Author of the NYT Editor’s Choice CONFESSIONS OF THE FOX Jordy Rosenberg‘s THE DAY UNRAVELS WHAT THE NIGHT HAS WOVEN, an exploration of transgender sexuality, Jewish assimilation, and the author’s difficult relationship with his mother—an accomplished bargain-hunter, committed homophobe, and dazzling old world yenta—weaved throughout with fictional vignettes of the author’s mother’s life, as well as her imagined retellings of landmarks of leftist philosophy, to Nicole Counts at One World, by Rob McQuilkin at Massie & McQuilkin (world).

Comedian, TV writer, and The Lesbian Agenda host Sophie Santos‘s THE ONE YOU WANT TO MARRY (AND OTHER IDENTITIES I’VE HAD), a memoir of growing up an army brat and the daughter of a Filipino and Spanish lieutenant colonel and strong Southern nurse, about the author’s search—through pee-wee football, puberty, pageant life, and University of Alabama sorority sisterhood—to embrace her identity as a proud lesbian comedian, to Hafizah Geter at Topple Books, with Laura Van der Veer editing, by Jack Greenbaum at The Arlook Group (world).

Deal Announcements

April Book Deal Announcements

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Adult

Lecturer in creative writing at San Francisco State University and creator and teacher at The Lab: Writing Classes Matthew Clark Davison‘s DOUBTING THOMAS, chronicling a year in the life of a gay fourth grade teacher at a school serving Portland, Oregon’s progressive Obama-era elite; he is fired, even after being cleared of a false molestation accusation, just before a family tragedy makes him the guardian of his 12-year-old biracial nephew; digging into the disparity between ideals and reality, to Michael Nava at Amble, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in spring 2021 (world English).

Cornell University MFA graduate, poet, professor, and performer Ryka Aoki‘s LIGHT FROM UNCOMMON STARS, about three women trying to escape their pasts—a hell-damned violin legend and teacher, a young transgender runaway and aspiring musician, and a spaceship captain fleeing a faraway war—who find each other, and unexpected magic, in California’s San Gabriel Valley, to Lindsey Hall at Tor, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Meredith Kaffel Simonoff at DeFiore and Company (world English).

Gretchen Felker-Martin‘s MANHUNT, about trans women scavenging for estrogen in a post-apocalyptic world where a viral plague has transformed all cis men into feral monstrosities, fighting tooth and nail against a menace they’ll join if they miss a dose, and on the run from an authoritarian faction of cis women who see them as a dangerous liability, pitched as a trans woman’s response to Y: THE LAST MAN, plus another standalone horror novel, to Kelly Lonesome at Nightfire, in a very nice deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in March 2022, by Connor Goldsmith at Fuse Literary (world).

Freya Marske‘s A MARVELLOUS LIGHT, a historical fantasy pitched as JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL meets WITCHMARK, about a young civil servant named as liaison to the secret magical bureaucracy of Britain who must work with his magician counterpart to unravel a dangerous conspiracy, while struggling with their unexpected attraction and a deadly curse, to Ruoxi Chen at Tor.com, in a three-book deal, for publication in 2021, by Diana Fox at Fox Literary (NA).

Brooklyn-based writer and VONA/Voices and Queer Art Mentorship alumna Emily Hashimoto’s A WORLD BETWEEN, in which a college fling between two women turns into a lifelong connection, to Lauren Hook at Feminist Press, for publication in September 2020, by Robert Guinsler at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).

Lambda-nominated writer and critic Megan Milks’s MARGARET AND THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING BODY, a genre-bending queer and trans coming-of-age story that combines a ’90s-era girl group mystery series with a haunted eating disorder treatment center and a surreal mutant body-world, and SLUG AND OTHER STORIES a reissue of their debut collection with new stories, to Lauren Hook at Feminist Press, in a two-book deal, by Rach Crawford at MacKenzie Wolf (world English).

Charlotte Anne Hamilton‘s OF TRUST & HEART, an #OwnVoices f/f 1920s historical in which a lesbian Scottish heiress, who must find a husband soon, falls for a singer at a speakeasy, to Lydia Sharp at Entangled Embrace, for publication in 2021 (world).

Children’s/Middle Grade

Rosiee Thor and Taylor Barton‘s Picture Book THE MEANING OF PRIDE, about the significance, beauty, and universality of the concept of pride, as celebrated by millions of queer people and their allies around the world, illustrated by Sam Kirk, to Erika Turner at Versify, for publication in spring 2022, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for the author, and by Nicolas Gomez and Michelle Collins at A Non-Agency for the illustrator (world).

Author of SEAFIRE Natalie Parker‘s Middle Grade THE DEVOURING WOLF, in which a young werewolf-to-be struggles to understand why she hasn’t yet transformed as expected, and to get to the bottom of the mystery and become the wolf she was always meant to be, she will have to unearth her community’s deepest secrets and face off against a terrifying creature from legend, to Chris Hernandez at Razorbill, in a very nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2021, by Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world English).

Founder and executive director of inQluded and 2019 SCBWI Emerging Voices winner medina’s THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU THE MOST, which follows a 12-year-old who lives at the intersection of multiple identities as they long to find their place in the world, but a school project, new trans and queer friends, and a YouTube channel helps them find purpose in their journey and find community, to Nick Thomas at Levine Querido, in a pre-empt, for publication in fall of 2021, by Marietta Zacker at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency (NA and Dutch).

Young Adult

Aden Polydoros‘s YA THE CITY BEAUTIFUL, set against the backdrop of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, a queer Jewish Gothic fantasy that follows a young immigrant who is possessed by the dybbuk of his murdered best friend and is thrust into a deadly hunt for a serial killer, to Rebecca Kuss at Inkyard Press, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2021, by Thao Le at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency (world English).

Robin Gow‘s YA A MILLION QUIET REVOLUTIONS, a love story in verse between two transgender boys who come out to each other the weekend before their senior year; together, they explore their identities and search history for the often untold stories of queer people like them, to Trisha de Guzman at Farrar, Straus Children’s, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2022, by Jordan Hamessley at New Leaf Literary & Media (NA).

Adrienne Tooley‘s SOFI AND THE BONE SONG, after losing everything to an undeserving rival, a young musician sets out to expose that her rival’s newfound musical abilities stem from an illegal use of magic—but what she discovers will rock everything she knows about her family, music, and the girl she thought was her enemy, to Sarah McCabe at Simon Pulse, for publication in spring 2022, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).

Emery Lee’s MEET CUTE DIARY, about a trans teen who must decide if he’s dedicated to romantic formulas or open to unpredictable love after an internet troll-attack on his trans romance blog compels him and a fan to start fake-dating to salvage the blog’s reputation, to Alexandra Cooper at Quill Tree, for publication in summer 2021, by Beth Phelan at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency (world English).

Kevin van Whye‘s NATE PLUS ONE, a teenage boy dreads the idea of attending his wealthy aunt’s wedding retreat in South Africa, until his crush, an indie rock musician, volunteers to be his plus-one; an #OwnVoices gay love story pitched as What if It’s Us meets Crazy Rich Asians, to Polo Orozco at Random House Children’s, for publication in spring 2022, by Robert Guinsler at Sterling Lord Literistic (world English).

Cara Davis-Araux, Candice Montgomery, and Adrianne Russell‘s ALL SIGNS POINT TO YES, an anthology of love stories for each of the star signs that will showcase BIPOC characters and celebrate the myriad facets of love, from meet-cutes to the lesser-explored love expressed by aromantic people, to Natashya Wilson at Inkyard Press, for publication in winter 2022, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).

Hannah Blumenreich‘s FULL-COURT CRUSH, about a basketball player whose team is being shut down, and her bookish girlfriend who is struggling alone with her chronically depressed mother; together, they learn how to navigate the troubles of life and 11th grade, to Kiara Valdez at First Second, in a significant deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in 2023, by Linda Camacho at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency (NA).

Aaron Aceves‘s THIS IS WHY THEY HATE US, a debut about a bisexual Latino teen from East L.A. who is determined to get over his crush on his best friend by summer’s end and winds up discovering hilarious, heartfelt truths about friendship, family, and himself, to Jennifer Ung at Simon Pulse, for publication in spring 2022, by Tina Dubois at ICM (NA).

Lambda Literary Award-winning author Rebecca Podos and Stonewall honoree Ashley Herring Blake‘s FOOLS IN LOVE, a YA romance anthology offering up fresh takes on classic romance tropes in multiple genres, featuring Rebecca Barrow, Gloria Chao, Sara Farizan, Claire Kann, Hannah Moskowitz, Lilliam Rivera, Laura Silverman, Amy Spalding, Rebecca Kim Wells, Natasha Ngan, Julian Winters, and more, to Britny Brooks at Running Press Kids, for publication in December 2021, by Eric Smith at P.S. Literary Agency (world).

Author of HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME Sonia Hartl’s THE LOST GIRLS, about a girl who sets out for revenge against the undead ex-boyfriend who turned her into a vampire decades ago, then starts to fall for his mortal girlfriend, to Ashley Hearn at Page Street, for publication in fall 2021, by Rebecca Podos at Rees Literary Agency (world).

Jonny Garza Villa’s FIFTEEN HUNDRED MILES FROM THE SUN, an #OwnVoices debut pitched as SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA meets One Day at a Time, about a Texas high school senior who accidentally comes out to the world on social media and must now juggle the joy of first love and fear of his socially conservative father finding out before he’s ready, to Carmen Johnson at Skyscape, at auction, by Claire Draper at The Bent Agency (world).

Nonfiction

Author of PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award and Lambda Literary Award-nominated essay collection MINE Sarah Viren‘s AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SHADOWS, a dual narrative memoir about her coming-of-age and coming out in mid-’90s Florida under the tutelage of a conspiracy theorist high school teacher and her wife’s Title IX investigation as the result of false accusations leveled by a professional rival, as covered in the author’s viral New York Times Magazine essay, to Sally Howe at Scribner, in a pre-empt, by Matt McGowan at Frances Goldin Literary Agency (world English).