Deal Announcements feature my most recent deal as an agent and the story behind it. Writers and readers should experience how an agent knows when they’ve struck gold and sign an author, the beginning of the journey to publication.

I’m excited to announce the publication of Clarissa Harwood‘s Impossible Saints!

Clarissa Harwood’s IMPOSSIBLE SAINTS, the story of an English suffragette torn between her political ambitions and her love for a young clergyman, to Katie McGuire at Pegasus, for publication in Winter 2018, by Laura Crockett at TriadaUS Literary Agency (World English).

Every author experiences a different publishing journey. Some sell work immediately, some take a year or two, and some take a few years and a couple manuscripts later. That’s just how publishing works! And when you have historical fiction, oooooh boy. It’s tough. But Clarissa persevered, and she’s been such a dream to work with! Let’s go back to the beginning…

Once upon a time…

One late September day at the beginning of my agenting career, I received a query from Clarissa. It was clean, professional, impressive, and so well-written, I had to read the manuscript. It was a retelling/expansion of two of my favorite classics, and she won me over. I offered representation!

But that manuscript is not this deal.

A year later, Clarissa sent me a fantastic Grantchester-like project to read and prepare for submission. We discussed the pitch, edited first through the synopsis then chapter by chapter, really tightening the story and making it powerful. We had a long discussion about the title, and put together a submission list…

That manuscript is not this deal.

Because a few months after I was initially sent the Grantchester-like manuscript, Clarissa sent me another. (What a prolific writer and historian — I’m so lucky!) She said this was the one she really wanted to put out there. I read the pitch, devoured the manuscript, edited the draft (I believe a minor plot-line AND a character died in this process — RIP Grace), created another submission list, and began the submission process. We were so fired up about suffragettes and had such great support from the Historical Novel Society community.

Then an offer from Katie appeared in my inbox.

And the rest…is history.

Congratulations, Clarissa! You’re going to be a published author!