LITERARY, FILM & TV AGENCY

MADELEINE MILBURN
YA & FANTASY HIGHLIGHTS AUTUMN 2024

est. 2012
CONTENTS

YA

1 GWEN AND ART: THE SEQUEL by Lex Croucher

2 PERSEPHONE GIRLS by Jodie Garnish

3 REWIND TO US by Molly Morris

4 RED FLAGS by Sophie Jo

5 MY THROAT AN OPEN GRAVE by Tori Bovalino

6 AND THEN WE SCREAMED by Holly Bourne

7 HERE TO SLAY by Radhika Sanghani

FANTASY

8 THE LURE OF WOLVES AND WHISPERS by Amanda Connolly

9 THE SECOND DEATH OF LOCKE by V.L. Bovalino

10 ONLY THE WICKED RULE by Alexandra Christo

11 STAY FOR A SPELL by Amy Coombe

12 LOVE AT FIRST FRIGHT by Nadia El-Fassi

13 (MOSTLY) HUMAN RESOURCES by Grace Viall

14 SILVERCLOAK by Laura Steven

15 THE UNMAGICAL LIFE OF BRIAR JONES by Lex Croucher

16 BEHOOVED by M. Stevenson

17 THE SUN BLESSED PRINCE by Lindsey Byrd

18 THE PRINCE WITHOUT SORROW by Maithree Wijesekara

19 CAGE OF STARLIGHT by Jules Arbeaux

GWEN & ART: THE SEQUEL YA

AGENT: CHLOE SEAGER

The sequel to The New York Times bestselling, award-winning Gwen and Art Are Not in Love.

The path to true love still isn’t running straight…

RIGHTS SOLD
Newly crowned King Gabriel is having panic
GWEN & ART: THE SEQUEL
attacks in cupboards in-between council (Spring 2026)
meetings, and he doesn't even want Arthur to
know. Material Available: Ms
available in December
Lady Bridget Leclair has been invited to head up
UK & Commonwealth:
Gabriel's round table, and is navigating the post-
Bloomsbury (Catherine
happily-ever-after reality of a relationship Liney)
between two of the most hot-headed young North American: St. Martin’s
women at Camelot. Press/ Macmillan (Vicki
Lame)
With the kingdom struggling to adjust to change,
and rumours of the holy grail, the questing beast OPTION PUBLISHERS:
Czech: Euromedia
and the green knight making reappearances across the country, the gang French: Casterman
depart on a PR tour of England destined for disaster. Italian: Ne/oN Edizioni
Polish: Nowa Basn
Portuguese (SA): Verus
Lex’s YA debut, Gwen and Art are Not in Love, was one of 2023’s Most Spanish: Planeta
Anticipated Young Adult Books on Goodreads and won the Books Are Swedish: Modernista
My Bag Readers Awards 2023. It was also nominated for the 2024 Yoto Ukrainian: ArtBooks
Carnegie Medal, shortlisted for the inaugural Nero Books Awards and
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF
Barnes & Noble Book Awards in the Children’s Fiction category, and HEART
was longlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2023 (November 2024)

GWEN AND ART ARE NOT

IN LOVE
In 2024 alone, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love was longlisted for the
(May 2023)
TikTok Book Awards British & Irish Book of the Year, shortlisted for
the Diverse Book Awards 2024, and won the YA Book Prize

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love has already sold over 65,000 copies in
the English language alone

Previous praise for Lex:

“delightful,
Gwen and Art was exactly what I need right now a
heart-warming, hilarious historical romp,
—
Also by the author:
overflowing with queer panic and terrible jokes. I loved it.”
Alice Osman, bestselling author of Heartstopper

LEX CROUCHER grew up in Surrey reading a lot of books and making friends with
strangers on the internet, and now lives in London with an elderly cat. With a
background in social media for NGOs, Lex now writes historical-ish rom-coms for
adults, and historical fantasy rom-coms for teenagers.
1
PERSEPHONE GIRLS YA

AGENT: CHLOE SEAGER

A gothic horror inspired by Greek mythology about sisterhood, belonging, sacrifice and hope.

How far would you go to fulfil your destiny?

RIGHTS SOLD
As Persephone Girls, sixteen-year-old Will and her
PERSEPHONE GIRLS
sisters—Maylar, Sasi and Hebe—were chosen to
(TBC)
inherit the powers of the Queen of the Dead. They
spend half the year in the underworld and the Material Available: Ms
other half in the above, training for their duties. available
But two years ago, everything changed when a
mysterious mist prevented their return to the UK & Commonwealth: to be
submitted soon
below.
US: to be submitted soon

Now, trapped in the above, the sisters are

desperate to solve the mystery that changed their
lives.

Will is lost, she longs to be back with the dead, where she feels more alive.
Maylar is desperate to keep the family together, to fulfil their duty and master
their power. Sasi misses the splendour of the underworld, despite her growing
friendship with Dante, the boy at the teahouse and Hebe can’t quite convince
herself that the underworld is a better place to be.

But the presence of the sisters is starting to raise questions. Among religious
tensions and growing unrest, it becomes hard to untangle the truth from the
lies and the traitors from the loyal.

As the sisters grow closer to the truth, they start to realise that some mysteries
are better left for the dead.

The first in an atmospheric, compelling new duology for fans of Bea

Fitzgerald and Sarah Underwood

Jodie’s middle-grade debut, The Spectaculars, was chosen as Indie Book

of the Month and longlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2024

Also by the author:

JODIE GARNISH is a playwright and performer, usually based in London. She studied
Drama at the University of East Anglia before going on to train at Drama Studio
London. She has had plays produced at various London theatres and at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which were critically acclaimed. She’s the author of the
middle-grade trilogy The Spectaculars. The Persephone Girls is her YA debut.
2
REWIND TO US YA

AGENT: CHLOE SEAGER

A gorgeous YA romance with a magical twist, perfect for summer reading.

Dixie Mulligan only has one plan for her annual

RIGHTS SOLD
summer vacation in the little desert town of Cielo
Springs–to tell her best friend Sawyer that she’s
REWIND TO US
in love with him.
(June 2025)

It doesn’t even matter that things between them Material Available: Ms

technically fell apart over spring break, and they available
haven’t spoken since she returned home–until
Dixie arrives and realizes Sawyer has very much UK & Commonwealth: On
submission
moved on (a fact made very apparent when she
US: St. Martin’s Press/
sees him kissing, um, someone else). Macmillan (Eileen
Rothschild)
Luckily Dixie and her family have each been gifted
with a Rewind—a single opportunity to redo one
moment from the last 365 days. All Dixie has to do
is spend hers on the one fatal moment she’s convinced doomed her and
Sawyer’s relationship.

But when secrets start pouring out, Dixie’s not so sure even her Rewind will be
enough to save what she and Sawyer had. Can she turn back the clock and give
them one more chance, or is the damage already done?

The new novel from the author of the critically acclaimed Annie
LeBlanc is Not Dead Yet, which featured as a ‘Most Anticipated’
book in The Guardian and The New York Times

For fans of Casey McQuiston, Ali Hazelwood and Emily Henry, with a
light speculative edge

MOLLY MORRIS is originally from San Diego, California, and moved to

England to study for her master’s in the University of East Anglia’s
prestigious Creative Writing program, after which she began writing
young adult fiction. She is the author of This is Not The End and Annie
LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet; quirky YA novels with a speculative twist,
published in the UK by Chicken House. She is still in the UK and is based
in Norfolk.
3
RED FLAGS YA

AGENT: CHLOE SEAGER

A witty, enemies to lovers, dare trope romcom, which is How To Lose A Guy in Ten Days for modern day teens.

Two skeptics. Two months. And this time, neither

RIGHTS SOLD
of them can disappear the moment they spot
something they don’t like…
RED FLAGS
(February 2025)
Neither Poppy nor Cam want it to work … until it
does. Material Available: Final pdf

Poppy is known for her high standards. Why bother UK & Commonwealth:
with relationships when boys don’t ever seem to Scholastic (Tierney Holm)
French: La Martiniere
live up to her expectations? One red flag and she’s
German: Suhrkamp
out. Portuguese (SA): Rocco
Romanian: Nemira
Cam is known for quickly developing the ick. He’s
never dated anyone for long—a week here, a month THE NICEST GIRL
there, but he always spooks. (August 2022)

When Poppy’s friends challenge her to give someone a chance for two whole
months, Poppy decides that Cam (her mysterious bus crush) could be the best
of an underwhelming bunch. But Cam’s been set his own challenge: he’s
banned from ending things in his next relationship… and that means he’s ready
to do whatever he can to put Poppy off.

After a fiercely fought 5-way auction UK & Commonwealth rights

sold to Tierney Holm at Scholastic in a two-book deal

Sophie was one of the six outstanding mentees selected from more
than 1,500 entrants to be part of the inaugural Madeleine Milburn
mentorship scheme in 2020

Also by the author:

SOPHIE JO is a writer of Young Adult fiction from the West Midlands.

She is an ambassador for Women’s Aid, a national charity working to end
domestic violence against women and children—she’s worked with the
Sunday Times, Cosmopolitan, BBC Woman’s Hour and Avon to spread
the word about healthy teen relationships, and supported the charity’s
Media team with the construction of its Love Respect website. Sophie
has worked in comms and copywriting roles across a variety of sectors,
from higher education to social housing.
4
MY THROAT AN OPEN GRAVE YA

AGENT: MADDY BELTON

Labyrinth meets folk horror in this dark and romantic tale of a lost girl and the shadows that lurk in the forest.

Fall under the spell of the Lord of the Wood and

RIGHTS SOLD
uncover the dark past of a village that will go to
any lengths to ensure its maidens stay good.
MY THROAT AN OPEN
GRAVE
In the small town of Winston, Pennsylvania, they (February 2024)
fear the Lord of the Wood almost as much as they
fear God. According to legend, ghosts of the Material Available: Final pdf
nearby forest steal unattended babies, leaving
UK & Commonwealth: Titan
enigmatic tokens of wood and bone in their place.
Books
Leah Jones didn’t believe the legend, thinking it US: Page Street YA
just a way to scare the local kids until her baby Turkish: Alfa Basim
brother disappears.
NOT GOOD FOR MAIDENS
Filled with shame and the weight of the town’s (September 2022)
judgment, Leah crosses the river into the Lord of
THE DEVIL MAKES THREE
the Wood’s domain to bring her brother back. But the devilish figure who has
(September 2021)
haunted Winston for generations isn’t what she expects. He tells her she can
have her brother back... for a price.

It’s a bargain that will uncover secrets her hometown has tried to keep buried
for decades. And what she unearths will have her questioning everything she’s
been taught to fear.

For fans of The Grace Year, Labyrinth and Hadestown

Tori speaks German at conversational level

“A deliciouslywhat
creepy, haunting exploration of love, hate, and
it means to forgive yourself.”
Kate Dylan, author of Mindwalker

“parable
Sweet as honey and brutal as a knife-Bovalino has crafted a
of self-forgiveness and community power fearsome
enough to drive men and gods, alike, to their knees. If only all Also by the author:
vengeance could be so lush.”
GennaRose Nethercott, author of Thistlefoot

TORI BOVALINO is the author of The Devil Makes Three and Not Good for
Maidens, and edited the Indie-bestselling anthology, The Gathering Dark.
She is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and now lives in the UK
with her partner and their very loud cat. Tori loves scary stories, obscure
academic book facts, and impractical, oversized sweaters.
5
AND THEN WE SCREAMED YA

AGENT: MADELEINE MILBURN

This new speculative YA novel from award-winning author Holly Bourne offers a compelling and topical exploration
of the destructive impact of social media on young girls and the effects of social contagion.

‘The first girl to scream was a cheerleader. Typical,

RIGHTS SOLD
really.’

Abigail Maiden is the girl that has it all. Popular, AND THEN WE SCREAMED
(Summer 2025)
sporty, and on the cheerleading team, she’s the girl
everyone in school wants to be. That is, until, one Material Available:
day, she lets out a terrifying, inexplicable scream… Copyedited ms

No one, including Abigail, understands what UK & Commonwealth:

caused this disturbing reaction, and it’s not long Usborne (Rebecca Hill)
before other girls begin to scream too. Known as US: on submission
‘The Screamers’, the girls’ behaviour causes the
small town of Maple Lakes to become an OPTION PUBLISHERS:
international news sensation. Czech: Slovart
Estonian: Tanapaev
Soon, ‘screamers’ are being activated wide afield, Finnish: Gummerus
French: Editions Nathan
with the epidemic of screaming spreading throughout the country and then
German: DTV
across the seas. Until a full-on media blackout of the issue is ordered to stop Greek: Metaichmio
the epidemic of hysteria. Italian: Camelozampa
Polish: Zielona Sowa
When a small documentary crew are granted permission to interview those Portuguese (EU): PRH
involved five years later, the investigation unravels more than the crew could Romanian: Editura Gama
ever imagine. Russian: AST
Slovak: Slovart
Set in a world not too far from our own, And Then We Screamed explores Spanish: La Galera
female hysteria, social contagion and the darker, sinister side of social media.
YOU COULD BE SO PRETTY
(September 2023)

Holly is the author of multiple bestselling YA novels, which have sold over
400,000 copies

The Year Book was shortlisted for the 2022 Waterstones YA Book Prize, and
Holly’s latest novel, You Could be So Pretty, was The Times Book of the Week

The Places I’ve Cried in Public was nominated for a 2021 Carnegie Medal
Award and was shortlisted for the 2020 YA Book Prize. It was a BBC Radio
Book Club pick

It Only Happens in the Movies was shortlisted for the 2018 YA Book Prize,
and Am I Normal Yet? was selected for World Book Night, shortlisted for the
YA Book Prize, The Lancashire Book Award, the Redbridge Book Award, and
winner of the Peter Book Award and Southern Schools Book Award Also by the author:

HOLLY BOURNE is an author and a journalist. Her first book in the Spinster Club
series, Am I Normal Yet?, was chosen as a World Book Night book for 2016 and was
shortlisted for the YA Book Prize. Before becoming a full-time author, Holly was
editor of TheSite.org—a charity-run advice and information website for young
people. Alongside her writing, Holly has a keen interest in women's rights and is an
advocate for reducing the stigma of mental health problems.
6
HERE TO SLAY YA

AGENT: CHLOE SEAGER

An action-packed queer teen debut about fighting demons and family expectations, where ‘Buffy the Vampire
Slayer’ meets Indian mythology.

Kali has a lot to deal with. RIGHTS SOLD

Her crush doesn’t notice her, her parents love her HERE TO SLAY
cousin more, and a big family wedding is (September 2024)
overshadowing her 16th birthday. So, she really did
NOT need a demon appearing in her bedroom and Material Available: Final pdf
for the fate of the world to rest in her hands.
UK & Commonwealth:
Knights Of (Eishar Brar)
It turns out that all girls named after the Indian
demon-fighting goddess Kali are imbued with
special powers, and are destined to fight demons.
At least she’s not alone in this mess… she’s got the
very cool, very confident K to teach her how to be
a demon slayer. Now, if only she can also figure out
how to slay at life…

Here to Slay has been selected as ‘One to Watch’ on The Bookseller

Radhika’s middle-grade debut, The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie, was selected
as Indie Book of the Month in May 2024

“The trials ofFerocious,

being a teenager have never looked so bloody.
and furiously funny!”
Lizzie Huxley-Jones

Also by the author:

RADHIKA SANGHANI is an author, journalist and screenwriter based in

London. She is the author of contemporary novels Thirty Things I Love
About Myself and I Wish We Weren't Related, as well as children's novel
The Girl Who Couldn't Lie and YA novel Here To Slay. Her first two
novels Virgin and Not That Easy were published in 13 countries.
7
THE LURE OF WOLVES AND WHISPERS FANTASY

AGENT: MADDY BELTON

The first in the Martyred Ilse romantasy trilogy, this is a dark and deliciously addictive debut packed with magic,
enemies to lovers, a love triangle and a slow burn. Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and Powerless.

On the mist-shrouded isle of Eireann, buying

RIGHTS SOLD
magic comes with a horrific price.
THE LURE OF WOLVES AND
Years after the High King banned magic, whispers WHISPERS
persist that a mage remembered only as the (TBC)
Martyr lies in hiding, waiting to lead the people
into their powers once more. Material Available: Ms
available
For Maeve, the stories are just that, stories. Magic
UK & Commonwealth:
is gone. The Martyr is a fantasy, and her mages Hodderscape/Hachette
were banished long ago. But when her sister is (Molly Powell)
gravely injured, she risks impalement on the North American: on
dreaded Black Dock for a chance to buy the submission
forbidden magic that could save her sister's life German: Ravensburger
and trade her own loyalty to a ruthless and Spanish: Urano
dangerously alluring rebel leader.

Bound to do the rebel leader’s bidding, Maeve begins to suspect he knows

more about the stories of the Martyr than he lets on. But as she probes deeper
into his dangerous plotting, a dark past emerges tying him to a prince who
could be even more brutal than his father—and who could hold the key to
whether they will live or die. With the Isle on the brink of war, trust and
survival come at a terrible cos—one that will tear her world, and her heart, in
two.

What would you sacrifice to survive?

This is the first book in the Martyred Isle Trilogy and will be followed by The
Snares of Mist and Bone and The Feast of Fear and Flesh

Amanda graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor’s degree in

Journalism

Finalist for the Michener Award, a prestigious accolade for public service
journalism, in 2021

AMANDA CONNOLLY is an award-winning Canadian political journalist and national

news leader with Global News, part of the Corus Entertainment media production
company. She is also a dual Canadian-Irish citizen, and this story draws loose
inspiration from the legend of how St. Patrick drove the snakes—and the pagan
magic—out of Ireland centuries ago.
8
THE SECOND DEATH OF LOCKE FANTASY

AGENT: MADDY BELTON

A devastatingly romantic epic fantasy and about the undying bond between a knight and their mage, perfect for
fans of Gideon the Ninth and The Six Deaths of the Saint.

‘I fear his death more than my own’

RIGHTS SOLD
Love. Loyalty. Sacrifice.
THE SECOND DEATH OF
LOCKE
Grey Flynn has dedicated her life to her mage, Kier. (September 2025)

She will be his blade on the battlefield, his healer Material Available: Ms
and protector. The deep well of raw power inside available
her is Kier’s to use. Grey would do anything for
UK & Commonwealth:
Kier—be anything for him—if he would only ask. Orbit/Hachette (Nadia
Saward)
When a quest to protect the child of an enemy US: on submission
kingdom pulls them into the dangerous heart of Italian: Il Castoro
their nation’s war, Grey and Kier will need to
decide what they are willing to sacrifice to protect
their secret. For Grey is no ordinary magical well, but heir to the lost island of
Locke—the root of all power. If she dies, all magic dies with her.

The Second Death of Locke is a devastatingly romantic epic fantasy and about
the undying bond between a knight and their mage, perfect for fans of Gideon
the Ninth and The Six Deaths of the Saint.

The Second Death of Locke will be featured in a major UK book box for
September 2025

Gideon the Ninth meets Shadow and Bone by way of The Six Deaths of the
Saint, a gothic and devastatingly romantic story about the unbreakable
bond between a mage and their paladin

Tori holds a PhD in English

“Gritty, romantic, and breathlessly fierce, The Second Death of

Locke will grip your heart and never let go.”
Tasha Suri

V.L. BOVALINO (she/her) is the pseudonym of Tori Bovalino, author of multiple YA

horror novels, including My Throat an Open Grave, and the editor of the Indie-
bestselling anthology, The Gathering Dark. She is originally from Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania and now lives in the UK with her partner and their very loud cat. She
holds a PhD in English and splits her non-writing time between publishing and
academia. Tori loves scary stories, obscure academic book facts, and impractical,
oversized sweaters.
9
ONLY THE WICKED RULE FANTASY

AGENT: MADDY BELTON

The first of a spicy new trilogy from bestselling author Alexandra Christo, it is perfect for lovers of Jennifer L.
Armentrout’s Fall of Wrath and Ruin and Carissa Broadbent’s Daughter of No Worlds.

When the library is ransacked and her fellow

RIGHTS SOLD
guardians slaughtered, she strikes a deal with a
Fallen Fae prince to recover the deadly curses
ONLY THE WICKED RULE
that threaten to unleash unspeakable evils on (TBC)
their realm.
Material Available: Ms
Torn from her home and forced to train at the available
brutal Forge as a child, Thalia Morrow has only
ever known the life of a warrior and now she UK & Commonwealth: on
guards the Library of Curses. But when an intruder submission
attacks the library and takes her brother, Thalia is US on submission
the only one left to follow the bloody trail. This
TO KILL A KINGDOM
soon leads her to Soren, an enigmatic Fallen Fae (March 2018)
who has been cursed and banished from his
homeland.

Thalia offers Soren a deal: if he helps find her brother and the missing book,
she’ll bring his own curse from the Library to destroy. But not all is as it seems
in the city of Delfs, and with demons overtaking the realms, political wars
being waged and a slew of curses unleashed throughout the city, time is
running out. And as the two grow closer, their newfound romance threatens to
tear apart everything they hold dear. Now they must ask what they’re really
willing to sacrifice to get what they want. And if that includes each other.

To Kill a Kingdom has sold over 230,000 copies in the English language alone
and went viral on TikTok

Alexandra’s titles have been selected for Fairyloot and Bookish Box, and her
most recent release, The Night Hunt, received starred reviews from Booklist
and Publishers Weekly, and was chosen as a Junior Library Guild gold
standard selection

Her previous titles have sold in a number of international territories,

including Brazil, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Indonesia,
Poland, Russia, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and
Ukraine
Also by the author:

ALEXANDRA CHRISTO is a British author whose characters are always funnier and
far more deadly than she is. She studied Creative Writing at university and
graduated with the desire to never stop letting her imagination run wild. She
currently lives in Bedfordshire with a rapidly growing garden and a never-ending
stack of books. Her debut novel, To Kill a Kingdom, is an international bestseller and
her Young Adult fantasy books have been translated into over a dozen languages
worldwide.
10
STAY FOR A SPELL FANTASY

AGENT: MADDY BELTON

A glorious romp by award winning SFF editor, Anne Perry, perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes, The Wisteria Society
of Lady Scoundrels and The Princess Bride.

One curse, seven princes and a bookshop that

you’ll never want to leave… RIGHTS SOLD

Princess Tanadelle of the Widdenmar is STAY FOR A SPELL

disillusioned with life as a princess. Kissing babies (March 2025)
and fine dresses aside, it leaves a lot to be desired.
Material Available: Final pdf
She longs for real conversation, uninterrupted
reading time and the chance to build a life of her UK & Commonwealth:
own making. HarperVoyager/
HarperCollins (Rachel
During a royal visit to the cosy town of Little Winterbottom)
Pepperidge, Tandy’s dream comes true when she North American: Berkley/
PRH (Anne Sowards)
finds herself cursed to remain in a run-down
German: Kyss/Rowohlt
bookstore until she finds her heart’s desire. No French: Pygmalion and
stranger to curses, and more than a little thrilled, Gallimars Jeunesse
she settles into life among the stacks. Russian: Eksmo

She soon hires a shop assistant, a goth called Sasha, and develops a kind of
friendship with an infuriatingly handsome pirate, Bash, who keeps showing up
at the store with his good looks and his own curse to figure out. Sasha tries
Tandy’s patience, Bash steals her books, and customers are thin on the ground,
but something about her new life might just make her happy, and she’s
determined to make it work.

There are just seven, minor, problems. With her royal duties unfulfilled, the
frantic King and Queen send the seven princes of the realms to bestow upon
Tandy a kiss, each one hoping to break the curse. They arrive, each more
ridiculous than the last, delighted to be the manifestation of her heart’s desire.

After all, what more could a princess want, than a prince?

After a fiercely fought 4-way auction North American rights were won by
Anne Sowards at Berkley/PRH in an exciting seven-figure, three-book deal;
UK & Commonwealth rights were also won at auction by Rachel
Winterbottom at Harper Voyager in a three-book deal

Anne’s previous work has been nominated for a Hugo Award. She has also
won Best Publisher at Hospital Club 100 (2014) and Kim Scott Walwyn Young
Publisher (2014)

Anne speaks basic German

AMY COOMBE is a pen name for Anne Perry, publishing director at Quercus and
head of the Arcadia imprint. She is also the founder and director of the literary
award The Kitschies, an award-nominated and sometimes-winning blogger, and her
short fiction and non-fiction has been published everywhere from Tor.com to 1001
TV Shows You Must See Before You Die. This is her debut novel.
11
 LOVE AT FIRST FRIGHT FANTASY

AGENT: MADDY BELTON

The second book in Nadia’s spicy, cosy and magical romance series following a horror novelist whose book is being
adapted into a film and the Hollywood actor she doesn’t want to play the lead. For fans of Olivia Dade.

Rosemary’s historical horror novel is being RIGHTS SOLD

adapted into a movie. The only problem is they’ve
cast Ellis Finch, Hollywood action hero and LOVE AT FIRST FRIGHT
known playboy. He can never be Rosemary’s (Autumn 2025)
leading man; all of his films involve cars blowing
up and trigger-happy shoot-outs. Material Available: Ms
available

Ellis Finch is tired of being seen as the go-to man UK & Commonwealth: Del
for big action movies in Hollywood, he wants to be Rey/PRH (Sam Bradbury)
taken seriously. He manages to convince his agent North American: Bantam
to get him the starring role in When the Devil Dell/PRH (Mae Martinez)
Takes Hold, which will be filming in England for German: Penguin Verlag
the next few months. Portuguese (SA): Verus
Serbian: Vulkan
Spanish: VR Editora
Once filming starts Rosemary finds her voice on
set is much quieter than she was hoping, and Ellis won’t stop flirting with her. OPTION PUBLISHERS:
What’s more, she soon realises the Manor where the film is set is actually Dutch: HarperCollins
haunted, and soon Rosemary and Ellis find themselves confronting ghosts and Greek: Psichogios
their growing feelings for each other.
BEST HEX EVER
(October 2024)

After a highly competitive 10-way auction UK & Commonwealth rights were

won by Publishing Director Sam Bradbury at Del Rey/PRH in a significant
six-figure, three-book deal. North American were also won by Mae Martinez
at Ballantine/PRH in a significant six-figure, three-book deal

Will appeal to fans of horror rom-coms and haunted houses, Olivia Dade’s
Hollywood romances and Rosie Danan’s Do Your Worst

Nadia’s debut novel, Best Hex Ever, had 12,500 special editions copies across
four editions and three specials

Nadia is fluent in North African Darija, can speak conversational French and
Spanish and read basic Arabic

NADIA EL-FASSI is a half-Moroccan, half-Australian author of spicy romance and

fantasy. She has an addiction to iced coffee, period dramas, buying D&D dice and
watching horror movies. They live in London with their husband and perfectly
round cat. Best Hex Ever was their debut novel.
12
SILVERCLOAK FANTASY

AGENT: CHLOE SEAGER

The romantic adult fantasy debut by Laura Steven, for fans of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and the Crescent City
series by Sarah J. Maas.

In a world riddled with crime, where magic is

RIGHTS SOLD
fuelled by pain and pleasure and mafia groups
lurk in every alley, the Silvercloaks vow to fight
SILVERCLOAK
for justice. But what if justice comes at the cost (June 2025)
of the man you love?
Material Available:
When a young Saffron Killoran’s parents are Copyedited pdf
brutally murdered by the vicious Bloodmoons,
UK & Commonwealth: Del
destroying her idyllic childhood, she dedicates her
Rey/PRH (Sam Bradbury)
life to revenge by any means. Lacking in magical North American: Del Rey/
talents, she lies her way into the Silvercloaks, the PRH (Emily Archbold)
order of detectives dedicated to bringing down Danish: Alpha
magical criminals. Dutch: Xander
Finnish: WSOY
Despite barely scraping through the Silvercloak French: Albin Michel
German: Blanvalet
academy, after a rare prophecy foretells her stabbing the kingpin’s son mid-
Hungarian: General Press
kiss, Saff is sent on a dangerous assignment: to go undercover into the Italian: Rizzoli
Bloodmoons to bring down the kingpin from inside. Polish: Foksal
Portuguese (EU): PRH
The assignment is more brutal than Saff could have ever imagined. Spies and Portuguese (SA): Record
rats lurk around every corner, and Saff must commit some truly heinous deeds Romanian: Trei
to cement herself as a true Bloodmoon. And when she begins to fall in love Spanish: Urano
with Levan, the kingpin’s tortured son, her loyalties are tested and her web of
lies becomes harder and harder to spin.

The walls of suspicion are closing in, and Saff soon realises that all is not what
it seems with the Bloodmoons—nor the Silvercloaks, to whom she’s sworn her
life...

UK & Commonwealth rights in Silvercloak and the next two books in the
trilogy were snapped up by Sam Bradbury at Del Rey/PRH in a significant
six-figure pre-empt over the weekend; while North American rights sold
toy Emily Archbold at Del Rey/PRH US in a seven-figure, three-book pre-
empt

Laura’s latest YA novel, Our Infinite Fates, sold in a major deal to Penguin
UK and to Wednesday Books in the US. It has been snapped up in pre-empts
and auctions in thirteen international territories, including a record-
breaking German pre-empt and six-way auctions in France and Italy

L.K. STEVEN is an award-winning author and shameless coffee addict from the
northernmost town in England. She has published several books for young adults,
many of which have been widely translated and optioned for TV and film.
13
(MOSTLY) HUMAN RESOURCES FANTASY

AGENT: HANNAH TODD

The first of an Appalachian-set cosy fantasy series crawling with cryptids, cults and a slow-burn workplace crush.
Heather Fawcett meets The House on the Cerulean Sea if it were left in Luci’s hands.

Working in Human Resources was not what

RIGHTS SOLD
Alexys had in mind when she joined Entity, the
company who categorise and manage the
(MOSTLY) HUMAN
monsters and cryptids of the world. Now, it's her RESOURCES
job to manage the Wardens of the Appalachian (Autumn 2026)
Mountains as she dreams of taking the next step
on the corporate ladder. Material Available: Ms
available
But when one of her new Wardens, Elliot, goes
UK & Commonwealth:
missing, her chances of promotion go missing too.
Zeus/Bloomsbury (Aubrie
Determined to find him safe and sound, she Artiano)
marches off into the mountains to find him US: on submission
herself. Because Elliot had been talking about
sightings of a highly dangerous and never-
recorded monster, The Hollow Walker, and she's
promised herself that no Warden will ever die on her watch.

Meanwhile Nic, Director of Research and Categorisation, is not one to ignore

the words 'never-recorded'. With Alexys, his work nemesis, leading the charge
into the mountains, he's not going to let her have all the fun. If he can be the
youngest Entity employee to discover a new monster, his name will go down in
the annals of cryptozoology... and if it means spending some extra time with
Alexys then he's not one to argue.

But Alexys and Nic are about to discover why the Appalachian Mountains are
the last place you want to find yourself after dark. Amongst mountains as old
as time, the jackalopes and ghouls are the least of your worries…

For fans of Heather Fawcett and The House on the Cerulean Sea

(Mostly) Human Resources is in keeping with the 'cosy horror' trend that
is big commercially at the moment

GRACE VIALL was raised on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains by a pair of
bookworms and can usually be found in a randomly selected state park or forest
gathering inspiration for her monster-filled fantasy projects. Grace currently lives in
Georgia (US) with her husband and two dogs and is an avid reader and book
hoarder. She grew up with a grandfather who loved to spin stories around
campfires, and that love of storytelling has stayed with her as she pursues her
career as an author. Grace's hope is to give a new life to old stories but with her own
special twist.
14
THE UNMAGICAL LIFE OF BRIAR JONES FANTASY

AGENT: CHLOE SEAGER

A new and exciting project from Lex Croucher —a fun, magical crossover that would sit on a shelf somewhere
between A Deadly Education and Her Majesty’s Royal Coven.

Briar Jones, an ambitious seventeen-year-old

RIGHTS SOLD
languishing in the village of Worth Herring,
always wanted to go to the Temple School of
THE UNMAGICAL LIFE OF
Thaumaturgy, the incredibly elite magical BRIAR JONES
boarding school. (Winter 2026)

Sebastian Wolfe, their quiet, sensitive best friend, Material Available: Ms

just wanted to spend time with Briar. Inseparable available in May 2024
throughout their childhoods, the two were torn
UK & Commonwealth:
apart at the age of ten when an acceptance letter Gollancz (Bethan Morgan)
fell through Seb’s country mansion front door, and North American:
the homemade doormat at Briar’s stepdad’s farm HarperVoyager/
remained stubbornly letter-less. HarperCollins (Priyanka
Krishnan)
Seb’s been at Temple for the past seven years, and Czech: Euromedia
German: Tor/S. Fischer
Briar hasn’t spoken to him since the day the letter came. Still hurt by the
Italian: Ne/oN Edizioni
rejection that has defined their life but desperate to know what lies behind the Polish: Nowa Basn
blackened iron gates and cloudy green moat, Briar gets a summer job at the Portuguese (SA): Verus
school, clearing out an attic full of magical junk; this job needs to be done by
somebody who cannot do “the Work” of thaumaturgy. OPTION PUBLISHERS:
French: Casterman
But once on campus, nothing is as Briar expected. For one thing, they realise Spanish: Planeta
Swedish: Modernista
that Seb—now going by Bastianis — is one of the bullies. Despite supposedly
not being magical, they find themselves able to do spells. And through their NOT FOR THE FAINT OF
time clearing out dusty old books the attic, it becomes clear Temple School is HEART
hiding a secret—one that Briar may be the key to unlocking. (November 2024)

GWEN AND ART ARE NOT

UK & Commonwealth rights sold to Bethan Morgan at Gollancz in a six- IN LOVE
(May 2023)
figure deal after a heated 10-way auction, and North American rights sold to
Priyanka Krishnan at HarperVoyager in a major six figure two-book deal
after a competitive auction

Lex’s YA debut, Gwen and Art are Not in Love, was one of 2023’s Most
Anticipated Young Adult Books on Goodreads and won the Books Are My
Bag Readers Awards 2023. It was also nominated for the 2024 Yoto
Carnegie Medal, shortlisted for the inaugural Nero Books Awards and
Barnes & Noble Book Awards in the Children’s Fiction category, and was
longlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2023

In 2024 alone, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love was longlisted for the TikTok
Book Awards British & Irish Book of the Year, shortlisted for the Also by the author:
Diverse Book Awards 2024, and won the YA Book Prize

LEX CROUCHER grew up in Surrey reading a lot of books and making friends with
strangers on the internet, and now lives in London with an elderly cat. With a
background in social media for NGOs, Lex now writes historical-ish rom-coms for
adults, and historical fantasy rom-coms for teenagers.
15
 BEHOOVED FANTASY

AGENT: MADDY BELTON

A romantasy full of cosy magic and mayhem, it features an arranged marriage, slow-burn enemies to lovers, a hero
who spend his days as a horse, and a stabby heroine hungry to prove her worth.

Chronically ill duchess Bianca knows her duty RIGHTS SOLD

comes before her heart.
BEHOOVED
When the threat of a war looms from the (May2025)
neighbouring kingdom, Bianca agrees to marry the
kingdom’s new heir to ratify a hasty peace treaty. Material Available:
Copyedited pdf
Her betrothed, Aric, might be cold and aloof—not
to mention apparently hating Bianca on sight—but UK & Commonwealth:
Bianca is determined to avert war and finally prove Hodderscape/Hachette
her worth to her family. (Calah Singleton)
North American: Tor/
Then, on her wedding night, an assassin strikes— Macmillan (Lindsey Hall)
and Bianca, with a misdirected defence spell, German: Heyne
Portuguese (SA): Faro
accidentally turns Aric into a horse. Framed for his
Romanian: Nemira
murder and caught in a conspiracy against the
throne, she makes a hasty escape with her transmogrified new husband. On
the run she must work with Aric to help rectify the spell and return to the
palace in time for the coronation, for they soon discover the truth about the
unknown forces driving threats of war.

But there’s more at stake than the Kingdom: if Bianca can’t discover who wants
them both dead, reverse the enchantment, and learn to trust her heart, she’ll
lose not only the peace treaty and her family’s approval, but also the husband
she’s unexpectedly falling for.

It turns out Aric isn’t the man, or the horse, she thought he was…

UK & Commonwealth rights were snapped up by Calah Singleton at

Hodderscape/Hachette in a 48-hour six-figure, two-book pre-empt

North American rights sold to Lindsey Hall at Tor/Macmillan US in a

major six-figure, three-book pre-empt

For readers of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and Legends and

Lattes—this is ‘Shrek’ for adults

M. STEVENSON is a bisexual writer with celiac disease and an

unapologetic bird nerd. Her writing has appeared in Podcastle,
Phantom House Press, Barely South Review, Tiny Seed Literary Journal,
Poets Reading the News, and other publications. An avid swing dancer,
she’s often found dancing lindy hop or wandering the woods.
16
THE SUN BLESSED PRINCE FANTASY

AGENT: MADDY BELTON

The first title in a duology, this is a multi-POV, character driven epic fantasy by a brilliant new voice in the genre.

On a hotly-contested battlefield, a prince whose RIGHTS SOLD

touch creates life meets a soldier chosen by
death. But can they forge a future together, from THE SUN BLESSED PRINCE
opposite sides of a great war? (May 2025)

Prince Elician is a Giver. With a touch he can heal Material Available: Ms

any wound and bring the dead back to life. He also available
can’t be killed, so is cursed to watch his country
UK & Commonwealth: Tor/
fight an endless war he can do nothing to stop. Macmillan (Bella Pagan)
North American: PRH
Reapers can kill with a single touch. And when Canada (Amanda Ferreira)
one attacks Prince Elician near the battlefield, but Italian: Ne/oN Edizioni
fails, the Reaper expects to harshly punished.
Instead, Elician offers him a chance at a new life
and a new name on enemy territory. The Reaper
didn’t realise he could still find something, or someone, to make life worth
living—until Elician. And the prince is unaware that his kindness is part of his
enemy’s plan, until danger engulfs him in turn.

As the pieces of a deadly plot come together, featuring abduction, treachery

and forbidden magic, the stakes rise and tensions escalate at court and on the
battlefield. As the fires of conflict burst into new flame, who will wield the
powers of life and death? And could love really change a world and stop a war?

It combines the political intrigue and familial manipulations of Captive

Prince by C.S. Pacat, the rich magical worldbuilding of the Shades of Magic
series by V. E. Schwab, and the queer romance of Song of Achilles by
Madeline Miller

For fans of She Who Became the Sun and Lucy Holland’s Sistersong

Lindsey is currently completing a PhD in History and speaks conversational

French

LINDSEY BYRD is a historian and author. She grew up throughout New

York State and City, before moving to Canada and France for graduate
research studies. She is an amateur birder and enjoys going for hikes to
take photos of nature. She loves swimming and hopes to one day adopt a
dog. She is also an experienced fan fiction author.
17
THE PRINCE WITHOUT SORROW FANTASY

AGENT: MADDY BELTON

A fantastic epic fantasy, this is the first instalment in the Obsidian Throne Trilogy filled with hunted witches,
romantic angst and political intrigue, which will appeal to fans of R.F. Kaung and Shannon Chakraborty.

Welcome to the Ran Empire. Where a tyrant sits RIGHTS SOLD

on an Obsidian Throne and witches burn blue as
they die. What will it take to change the world? THE PRINCE WITHOUT
SORROW
Shakti is mayakari, a witch capable of raising the (March 2025)
dead and communing with nature spirits, bound
by a pacifist code. Her people have been hunted Material Available: Final pdf
by Emperor Adil for years as he enacts his reign of
UK & Commonwealth:
terror, bent on ridding the nation of witches and
HarperVoyager/
increasing his ever-expanding empire. Desperate HarperCollins (Natasha
for change she has secretly learned to fight and Bardon)
refuses to leave Karma to balance the scales. North American:
HarperCollins US (David
Prince Ashoka is the youngest son of Emperor Pomerico)
Italian: Ne/oN Edizioni
Adil. An outcast in his family, he rejects the
violence that is a pre-requisite to his position and seeks peace above all else.
Accompanied by his best friend and bodyguard, handsome Rahil, he wants
nothing to do with his father’s violent reign and plans to bide his time until he
can make real change.

But change is coming faster than anyone expected.

When a vacuum of power throws the Ran Empire into disarray, Shakti and
Ashoka will be forced to take power or lose it.

How far will they go to right the wrongs they see?

UK & Commonwealth rights were snapped up by HarperVoyager after a

five-way auction whilst US rights were sold to HarperCollins in a
significant deal

Loosely inspired by the historical Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Dynasty

of Ancient India, this thrilling new fantasy crossover series full of morally
grey characters, vengeful witches and a dash of queer romance will appeal
to fantasy fans of all ages

Maithree speaks conversational Sinhalese and basic Japanese

MAITHREE WIJESEKARA was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, before she

migrated with her family to the vicious Land Down Under that is Australia
when she was eight years old. Graduating with a Masters in Dentistry in
2021, she is currently working as a dentist (where almost 90 percent of the
advice given is to “brush your teeth”) by day and writing furiously by night.
18
CAGE OF STARLIGHT FANTASY

AGENT: MADDY BELTON

A conscripted soldier must work with his captor when a mission strands them in enemy territory in this action-
packed, queer romantic fantasy by the author of Lord of the Empty Isles.

After a decade on the run, Tory Arknett knows

RIGHTS SOLD
the ugly business of staying free better than he
knows himself.
CAGE OF STARLIGHT
(June 2025)
But his freedom hinges on keeping his magic
hidden. And, no matter how he tries, Tory cannot Material Available: Ms
keep himself from magically healing those in need. available

So when a desperate display of power outs him to UK & Commonwealth:

Hodderscape/Hachette
the authorities, Tory flees—right into the hands of
(Molly Powell)
cold and competent Sena Vantaras. Caged in a
cruel training facility, and threatened with LORD OF THE EMPY ISLES
placement at the front lines of a deadly war, Tory (June 2024)
needs to get out before he gets dead.

Aside from escape, he has one goal: make Sena pay.

But then a mission strands them in enemy territory, and they must cooperate
to survive. As they learn more about each other and the myth behind the magic
that connects them, Tory and Sena find belonging with each other. But the
trackers the facility has implanted in them will kill them in three days if they
don't go back. Soon, Tory and Sena face a desperate decision: their freedom, or
their lives?

Jules’ debut, Lord of the Empty Isles, was longlisted for the 2022
Bath Novel Award and has been selected as an SFF Book of the
Month for Goldsboro books. It was also in the Hardback UK Top 20
on publication

Jules’ books center around family, are romantic but clean (no spice
on page) and are all about overcoming trauma and tragedy

Mad Max meets Red, White & Royal Blue

Also by the author:

JULES ARBEAUX was born in Sacramento but raised reckless and bare-
foot deep in the woods. They now live and write from the American
Midwest, surrounded by rescue animals and succulents. They drew
from their own experiences growing up in poverty to write the experi-
ence of the characters on the Empty Isles.
19
 THE TEAM
PRIMARY AGENTS RIGHTS AGENTS

Madeleine Milburn Valentina Paulmichl

Director Rights Manager
[email protected] Territories: Brazil, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Giles Milburn Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the
Director Netherlands, Norway, Portugal,
[email protected] Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
[email protected]
Chloe Seager
Hannah Kettles
Children’s & YA Director
Associate Rights Agent
[email protected]
Territories: Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Israel,
Maddy Belton Iceland, Macedonia, Poland, Romania,
SFF Literary Agent Serbia, Slovenia
[email protected] [email protected]

Kelly Chin Paula Moreno

Children's & YA Assistant Rights Executive
[email protected] Territories: Arabic World, China &
Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Russia, Thailand,
Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam
[email protected]

Hannah Ladds
Head of Film & TV
[email protected]

Casey Dexter
Rights Executive (Film & TV)
[email protected]

CONTACT

The Factory, 1 Park Hill, London, SW4 9NS

+44(0)20 7499 7550
www.mmla.co.uk