book deal(s)

file under shameless self-promotion

Friends, I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve placed my next two novels in the hands of two up-and-coming publishers. Last fall, to my surprise, I received the all-too-rare green “accepted” icon on my Submittable account and the ensuing message from Running Wild Press:

Thank you for sending us "THE BEQUEST." We love it and would like to publish it.

I am still awaiting an exact pub date, and will likely be assigned an editor in a few months, but my guess is that my inaugural foray into the crime novel genre won’t hit shelves until late 2025 or early 2026. Here’s a bit more info on the novel:

Destitute after being conned by a recent beau, Nadine Bishop learns she’s inherited a derelict mansion belonging to her first lover under the condition she allow his son, Remmington, to remain on the property. Nadine reluctantly moves into the mansion after learning that Remmington is the result of an ovum she sold decades earlier. After realizing her former lover’s interest in her was merely an act of due diligence, she weighs the ethics of the arrangement, but her dire circumstances compel her to move forward.

Meanwhile, Remmington has no intention of allowing his inheritance to be scooped up by his late father’s mistress. Nor does he intend to succumb to the conditions of the bequest. When legal maneuvers fail, he turns to Caroline, a cartel-adjacent con artist from his past, along with a disgraced former high school teacher, Ed. With their help, he intends to thwart his late father’s meddling, and reclaim his birthright.

When a freak winter storm forces the unlikely foursome together, and Caroline’s felonious ex-husband further complicates things, Nadine and Remmington must come together, forging an unlikely unified front. Things turn violent, however, and when their newfound partnership is tested, they must overcome their biggest obstacles yet to redeem and rebuild their individual lives.

So, while that manuscript awaits further editorial, as has been my habit of selling a second book that leapfrogs over the first sold book (see this announcement from my authorial salad days, back when THE MOMENT BEFORE was still called RAISING CHEER), I’m beyond excited to announce that Sibylline Press has purchased BITTERROOT for its Spring, 2024 list, a deal brokered just this past April! (In fact, I received this note a week after pitching):

We are interested. Dare I say, we love it!

They are the most organized and strategic publisher I’ve worked with—and by far the most enthusiastic. Partly, I think, it’s their mission to amplify the voices of women-identifying authors over 50—which offers a niche perspective, and, as book coach queen Jennie Nash says, “creativity loves constraints.”

As proof of how on the ball they are, here’s the marketing sheet they created just a few months after contract signing:

Here’s where I get all mushy. I’ve never experienced such immediate and deep community as I have with Sibylline. In a few short months I’ve already had several zoom meetings with the publisher and editor, as well as group meetings with the other five authors in the Spring 2024 cohort. I’ve had a one-on-one marketing meeting and a book cover design brainstorm. In a couple of months I will share both the cover and the pre-order link, so watch this space.

In closing, friends, I’ll get back to my craft posts soon—and stay tuned for some news on a new online workshop I’ll be offering this fall!

xo

Suzy