August 10th, 2015

August Happenings at Creative Authors

It's been a busy and productive summer so far for Creative Authors. Here's a little bit of info on what's been happening for our clients and books.

Some great reviews for two of our picture books:

A tender picture book with graphic novel elements about a young girl’s escape from loneliness through her imagination. Left home alone one day, a cherubic toddler-size child quickly bores and decides to visit her grandmother. Dressing for the snowy day, she boards a city bus with good intentions. However, she eventually grows drowsy, falls asleep, and doesn’t wake up until the bus is at its last stop. This is where the story gets magical. The last stop is at the edge of a strange wooded area filled with magical creatures. Much like Lewis Caroll’s Alice, she wanders through the woods in hopes of eventually finding her way back home. Although this is a wordless picture book, there is no lack of story. Illustrated with pencil in softly shaded tones of gray and white, the girl’s subtle expressions are captured simply but acutely. The style is cartoony, however, the black and white palette gives it a sophisticated tone. With the exception of several dramatic spreads, most pages are organized into graphic novel–style panels. The apparent age of the protagonist may deter some older readers. Luckily, the heart-warming and enchanting story, paired with such beautiful artwork is reason enough to purchase this title. VERDICT Part picture book, part graphic novel, this book is a solid addition that will spark discussion and inspire budding artists.

– School Library Journal, August 2015, Jaclyn Anderson, Madison County Library System, MS

In The Deep Dark Deep by Ben Joel Price

Price follows Earth Space Moon Base with another improbable escapade as the Guppy—a deep-sea capsule piloted (as before) by a human, a monkey, and a robot—embarks on a mission to find out why the sea has gone dark. Throughout, realistic detail alternates cheerfully with bonkers science (the sea has gone dark, they discover, because a giant eel has sucked up all the starfish), all cast in sturdy verse. In a series of undersea scenes, dark swirls of ocean currents are shot through with bursts of teal, lime, and magenta. The story’s faux suspense is leavened with gentle humor, such as when the ship passes an undersea circus troupe featuring clownfish, a mussel weightlifter, and a seahorse carousel. Cinematic views mean that readers can see the threats that menace the ship before its occupants do. There’s a wealth of action and a boatload of imaginative energy as Price lets ever-loopier ideas rise to the surface: “Releasing gas from their scuba tanks,/ they create an almighty… burp!” A sequel that improves on its predecessor in every respect. Ages 3–7. Agent: Isabel Atherton, Creative Authors. (Aug.)

– July 13, 2015 issue of Publishers Weekly

Our most recent deals with many more being negotiated:

Fiction:

Maggie Brookes’s HOUSE OF DREAMS, in which two lovers have never met; they are brought together by a house: 31 Hawthorn Road; she lived in the house in 1945, and he lives there in 1999, but they have something else in common – they both want to stop time, to Amy Durant at Endeavour Press, for publication in 2015, by Isabel Atherton at Creative Authors.

Foreign rights:

German rights to Michelle Kelly’s DOWNWARD FACING DEATH and DEATH IN A SEATED TWIST, to Aufbau, by Thomas Schlueck Agency on behalf of Kerry Nordling at St. Martin’s.

Pop Culture:

Nick Soulsby’s THURSTON MOORE: The Complete, Incomplete Works, an oral history of the musical recordings and collaborations of Thurston Moore and his journey through the shifting music scenes of the last thirty years, to David Barraclough at Omnibus Press, for publication in Winter 2016, by Isabel Atherton at Creative Authors (World).

Books in the wild!

‘Doodle Diary of a New Mom’ by Lucy Scott on proud display in Barnes and Noble, 86th St & Lexington, NYC.