HG Literary News
RAZORBLADE TEARS by S.A. COSBY / FLATIRON, JULY 2021
Represented by Josh Getzler
September 2021:
S. A. Cosby’s Razorblade Tears (Flatiron, July 2021) is a 2021 Book of the Year Nominee
S. A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland (Flatiron, July 2020) won the 2021 Barry Award for Best Novel as well as the 2021 Anthony Award for Best Novel at Bouchercon.
Also at Bouchercon, Razorblade Tears won the 2021 Macavity Award for Best Novel
RAZORBLADE TEARS
*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their murdered sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge. In their quest to do better for their sons in death than they did in life, Ike and Buddy Lee will confront their own prejudices about their sons and each other, as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys.
“Cosby’s prose is vibrant and inventive, his action exuberant and relentless…You may come for the setup, but you’ll stay for the storytelling. Cosby writes in a spirit of generous abundance and gleeful abandon.”
—New York Times Book Review
“S.A. Cosby’s new crime novel is provocative, violent — beautiful and moving, too…Elmore Leonard, wherever you are, you’ve got competition…S.A. Cosby has reappeared as one of the most muscular, distinctive, grab-you-by-both-ears voices in American crime fiction.”
—Washington Post
BLACKTOP WASTELAND by S.A. Cosby / Flatiron Books, July 2020
Amazon Editors’ Pick for the BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR in Mysteries and Thrillers, #3 Book of the Year overall. Chosen as a NOTABLE BOOK OF 2020 by the New York Times. Chosen as one of the BEST BOOKS OF SUMMER 2020 by Lithub, Crimereads, Book Riot, & the New York Post.
HG LITERARY ILLUSTRATOR NEWS
September 2021:
Bon Orthwick, HG Literary illustrator of Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff, an instant NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller.
HG LITERARY CLIENTS SWEEP THE BANK STREET BOOK AWARDS
Represented by Victoria Wells Arms:
Rural Voices by Nora Shalaway Carpenter (Candlewick, October 2020) named a Best Book of 2021, ages 14 and up
The Edge of Anything by Nora Shalaway Carpenter (Running Press, March 2020) named a Best Book of 2021, ages 14 and up
Trowbridge Road by Marcella Pixley (Candlewick, October 2020) named a Best Book of 2021, ages 12-14
Nacho’s Nachos by Sandra Nickel (Lee & Low, August 2020) named a Best Book of 2021, ages 5-9
The Three Billy Goats Bueno by Susan Middleton Elya (Putnam, March 2020) named a Best Book of 2021, ages 5-9
Represented by Carrie Hannigan & Josh Getzler:
The Smartest Kid in the Universe by Chris Grabenstein (Random House, December 2020) named a Best Book of 2021, ages 8-12
CARRY: A MEMOIR OF SURVIVAL ON STOLEN LAND by TONI JENSON / BALLANTINE, SEPTEMBER 2020
Represented by Julia Kardon
A 2021 finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, winners announced Sept 22, 2021
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE & Goop Book Club Pick
A powerful, poetic memoir about what it means to exist as an Indigenous woman in America, told in snapshots of the author’s encounters with gun violence.
“Essential . . . We need more voices like Toni Jensen’s, more books like Carry.”
—Tommy Orange, New York Times bestselling author of There There
carmen and grace / william morrow, april 2023
Represented by Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts
A Top Ten Noteworthy Book of April from The Washington Post
A Goodreads's Buzziest Debut Novel of 2023
An emotionally riveting coming-of-age drama about two cousins lured into the underground drug trade at a young age and the inextricable ties that bind them—the debut of a vibrant and stunningly original new voice in fiction.
“Electric, heartrending, and exceptionally tender [...] Every sentence of Melissa Coss Aquino's debut feels acute and deliberate, a shard of glass held up to the light.” — Danya Kukafka, bestselling author of Notes on an Execution
“An extraordinary accomplishment, introducing Melissa Coss Aquino as a master ventriloquist, stylist, and suspense artist[...] Thrillingly propulsive, with the haunting thrum of the deep, aching humanity in all of its characters; Aquino delivers an epic sparkler of a debut.” — T Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls
DON’T LOOK BACK by achut deng & keely hutton / fsg byr, october 2022
Represented by Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts
In this propulsive memoir from Achut Deng and Keely Hutton, inspired by a harrowing New York Times article, Don't Look Back tells a powerful story showing both the ugliness and the beauty of humanity, and the power of not giving up.
After a deadly attack in South Sudan left six-year-old Achut Deng without a family, she lived in refugee camps for ten years, until a refugee relocation program gave her the opportunity to move to the United States. But the chance at starting a new life in a new country came with a different set of challenges. Some of them equally deadly. Taught by the strong women in her life not to look back, Achut kept moving forward, overcoming one obstacle after another, facing each day with hope and faith in her future. Yet, just as Achut began to think of the US as her home, a tie to her old life resurfaced, and for the first time, she had no choice but to remember her past.
"This is a gripping account of an extraordinary journey. A powerful read for this time of unprecedented refugee movement across the globe." — Kirkus Reviews
THE LAUGHTER BY SONORA JHA / HARPERVIA, february 2023
Represented by Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts
An explosive, tense, and illuminating work of fiction, The Laughter is a fascinating portrait of privilege, radicalization, class, and modern academia that forces us to confront the assumptions we make, as both readers and as citizens.
"A deliciously sharp, mercilessly perceptive exploration of power, The Laughter explores how ‘otherness’ is both fetishized and demonized, and what it means to love something—a person, a country—that does not love you back." —Celeste Ng, New York Times-bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere and Our Missing Hearts
“Examining old prejudices, new fixations, and the sting of unrequited love, Jha offers a complete triumph.” —Booklist, starred review
“Jha impressively avoids the trap of preachiness and moralizing that stories of identity politics on campus tend to fall into; rather, hers is a subtle and nuanced look at the subject. A powerful and darkly funny campus novel with an unexpected narrative perspective.” —Kirkus, starred review
THE WITCH’S HEART by Genevieve Gornichec / Ace, Feb 2021
Represented by Rhea Lyons
When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive debut novel that reimagines Norse mythology.
“As epic as it is engrossing, The Witch’s Heart is a testament to the ferocity of one mother’s love and the lengths she’ll go to protect those she loves. Utterly unforgettable.” —Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching
THE BUG IN THE BOG by Jonathan Fenske / S&S, December 2020
Represented by Carrie Hannigan
From Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor–winning author and illustrator Jonathan Fenske comes a funny, rhyming Pre-Level 1 Ready-to-Read with a twist ending!
“In this darkly funny, rhyming early reader, the cheerful titular bug doesn’t seem to be long for this world when a frog shows up in the bog...an effective easy reader, and the decoding work pays off in a story with humor, suspense, and nearly singable meter.” -The Horn Book Review
THE SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE by Chris Grabenstein / RH BFYR, December 2020
Represented by Carrie Hannigan and Josh Getzler
“Chris Grabenstein just might be the smartest writer for kids in the universe.” -James Patterson
What if you could learn everything just by eating jellybeans?! Meet the Smartest Kid in the Universe and find out in this fun-packed new series from the Bestselling Author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and coauthor of Max Einstein!
“Grabenstein is the author of the best-selling Mr. Lemoncello series, and this new volume, packed with wacky hijinks, will appeal to his legions of fans.” —Booklist, starred review
THE WITCH HUNTER by Max Seeck / Berkley, November 2020
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, and the Barnes & Noble Mystery & Thriller Pick for November!
A shocking murder in an affluent Helsinki suburb has ties to witchcraft and the occult in this thrilling U.S. debut from Finnish author Max Seeck.
“One twist follows another, baffling the police and readers alike. Seeck imbues this riveting procedural with a deliciously creepy undertone. Readers will be excited to see what Seeck does next.”–Publisher’s Weekly STARRED REVIEW
TROWBRIDGE ROAD by Marcella Pixley / Candlewick Press, Oct 2020
Represented by Victoria Wells Arms
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST; An Amazon “Hot New Releases;” Shelf Awareness's BEST CHILDREN & TEEN BOOKS OF 2020 in the Chapter and Middle Grade Books category, Chosen as an Amazon BEST OF THE YEAR ages 9-12.
“June Bug narrates this work of historical realism with a magical, poetic quality, turning the ordinary extraordinary. June Bug and Ziggy’s fanciful adventures are likely to resonate with fans of Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia (1977)...An exceptional story for readers who feel deeply.”
—Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)
THE NINTH NIGHT OF HANUKKAH by Erica Perl / Sterling, September 2020
Represented by Carrie Hannigan
As seen in the LOS ANGELES TIMES.
A heartwarming picture book with a fresh twist on a Hanukkah celebration: celebrating a ninth night with new neighbors and friends!
“Children will enjoy watching the family’s cat reacting to the various goings-on and seeing the furnishings gradually replacing boxes over the course of the story. Instructions for a DIY “Shamash Night” close the book.” -Kirkus
THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett / Riverhead Books, Jun 2020
Represented by Julia Kardon
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Named a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Vulture, USA Today, GQ, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, and Bustle
From The New York Times-bestselling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white.