Here's a round up of the latest book news, deals and some cover reveals that I've discovered over the past few weeks! It's also basically a digest of all the exciting news stories that come my way and which I've mostly already posted on my twitter and Facebook feeds, so if you want up-to-the-minute book news and you don't want to have to wait around for me to type this up, you can follow me on those sites!
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Suspicion by Alexandra Monir || Release date: December 2014
A contemporary Downton Abbey with a dash of the supernatural, a hot and heavy romance, and a deadly family mystery.
"There's something hidden in the maze."
Seventeen-year-old Imogen Rockford has never forgotten the last words her father said to her, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.
For seven years, images of her parents' death have haunted Imogen's dreams. In an effort to escape the past, she leaves Rockford Manor and moves to New York City with her new guardians. But some attachments prove impossible to shake-including her love for her handsome neighbor Sebastian Stanhope.
Then a letter arrives that forces Imogen to return to the manor in England, where she quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind Rockford's aristocratic exterior. At their center is Imogen herself-and Sebastian, the boy she never stopped loving.
Combining spine-tingling mystery, powerful romance, and unforgettable characters, Suspicion is an action-packed thrill ride.
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Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly || Release date: May 2014
The first in a series of three epic tales set in the depths of the ocean, where six mermaids seek to protect and save their hidden world.
Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe.
When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin's arrow poisons Sera's mother. Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin's master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas. Together, they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood and uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world's very existence.
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Book Deals, Book Deals, Book Deals....
My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories ed. Stephanie Perkins.
Sara Goodman at St. Martin's Press has bought a YA anthology called My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories, edited by Stephanie Perkins, author of Anna and the French Kiss. The collection will feature 12 romantic tales of young love by celebrated YA authors, including Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan, Gayle Forman, Ally Carter, Holly Black, Kiersten White, Matt de la Peña, Laini Taylor, Jenny Han and Kelly Link. Publication is set for October 2014; Kate Schafer Testerman at KT Literary did the deal for North American rights.
I Was Here by Gayle Forman
Ken Wright of Viking has acquired
I Was Here, a YA novel by
Gayle Forman, author of
If I Stay and
Just One Year. The story follows Cody Reynolds in the months following her best friend Meg's suicide, as she delves into Meg's secret life in search of answers. Publication is scheduled for the first half of 2015; Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Great Library by Rachel Caine
Anne Sowards at NAL signed a mid-six-figure deal for a YA fantasy trilogy by Rachel Caine, author of the Morganville Vampires books. In the new trilogy, called the Great Library, the Library of Alexandria still exists and has become all-powerful, and, while there is unfettered access to information digitally, it is a crime to keep print books in any personal collection. The series is described as The Book Thief with Fahrenheit 451 by way of Harry Potter. The first book is planned for summer 2015; Lucienne Diver at the Knight Agency sold North American rights.
Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel
Margaret Raymo at HMH has bought North American rights to a new YA novel by Anne Heltzel, a former editor at Razorbill. Charlie, Presumed Dead is the story of two teenage girls who meet at the funeral of Charlie Pryce, presumed dead after an explosion on a college campus. When the girls realize they both thought they were Charlie's one true love, the secrets of his double life are unraveled – and it's possible they’ve walked into a trap he's laid for them. Publication is scheduled for spring 2015; Stephen Barbara at Foundry Literary + Media did the deal.
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Some Awesome UK covers...
'I still dream about Anna London's house. In my dreams it's as if the house itself has sinister intentions. But in real life it wasn't the house that was responsible for what happened. It was the people who did the damage ...'
When Tim Ellison finds a cheap room to rent in the perfect location in Sydney it looks like a huge stroke of luck. In fact the room comes with a condition, and the owner of the house, the mysterious Anna London, is unfriendly and withdrawn. When strange and terrifying things start happening in the house at night, Tim wonders if taking the room is a mistake. But then his feelings for Anna start to change, and when her past comes back with a vengeance, Tim is caught right in the middle of it.
A thrilling rollercoaster of a story - read it with the lights on!
Sweet Damage by Rebecca James: Release date - March 2014.
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The Dispossessed #2: Release date: May 2014(synopsis not included in case of spoilers. You can read it here)
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Growing up in privileged, Manhattan social circles, Caggie's life should be perfect, and it almost was until the day that her younger sister drowned when Caggie was supposed to be watching her. Stricken by grief, Caggie pulls away from her friends and family, only to have everyone misinterpret a crucial moment when she supposedly saves a fellow classmate from suicide. Now she's famous for something she didn't do and everyone lauds her as a hero. But inside she still blames herself for the death of her sister and continues to pull away from everything in her life, best friend and perfect boyfriend included.
Then Caggie meets Astor, the new boy at school, about whom rumours are swirling and known facts are few. In Astor she finds someone who just might understand her pain, because he has an inner pain of his own. But the more Caggie pulls away from her former life to be with Astor, the more she realises that his pain might be darker, and deeper, than anything she's ever felt. His pain might be enough to end his life…and Caggie's as well.
The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle: Release date - March 2014.
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Out of Control by Sarah Alderson || Release date: May 2014
When 17 year old Liva witnesses a brutal murder she’s taken into police custody for her own protection. But when the police station is attacked and bullets start flying it becomes clear that Liva is not just a witness, she’s a target.
Together with a car thief called Jay, Liva manages to escape the massacre but now the two of them are alone in New York, trying to outrun and outwit two killers who will stop at nothing to find them.
When you live on the edge, there’s a long way to fall.
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The Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss || Release date: April 2014
I always thought you'd know, somehow, if something terrible was going to happen. I thought you'd sense it, like when the air goes damp and heavy before a storm and you know you'd better hide yourself away somewhere safe until it all blows over.
But it turns out it's not like that at all. There's no scary music playing in the background like in films. No warning signs. Not even a lonely magpie. One for sorrow, Mum used to say. Quick, look for another.
The world can tip at any moment … a fact that fifteen-year-old Pearl is all too aware of when her mum dies after giving birth to her baby sister. Told across the year following her mother's death, Pearl's story is full of bittersweet humour and heartbreaking honesty about how you deal with grief that cuts you to the bone, as she tries not only to come to terms with losing her mum, but also the fact that her sister - The Rat - is a constant reminder of why her mum is no longer around…
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That's it for this month's round-up! Let me know what you think of the covers and exciting new book deals in comments!
Please note that book covers may not be final and may be subject to change. Additional sources: PW Children's Bookshelf, Edelweiss, Goodreads.
Jennifer Donnelly is the author of five novels - Revolution, A Northern Light, The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose and The Wild Rose - and Humble Pie, a picture book for children. She grew up in New York State, in Lewis and Westchester counties, and attended the University of Rochester where she majored in English Literature and European History. 
