Julie Murphy’s IF THE SHOE FITS, the first book in Disney’s upcoming MEANT TO BE series, which reimagines classic fairy tales as modern romantic comedies, following a 22-year-old shoe designer who suddenly becomes a plus size icon after appearing on America’s favorite dating show, to Jocelyn Davies at Disney-Hyperion, for publication in August 2021, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (world).
Writer and actor Rachel Roasek’s LOVE SOMEBODY, pitched as Becky Albertalli meets Julie Murphy, an #OwnVoices queer rom-com about an overachieving high school senior as she attempts to makes a love connection between her golden boy ex and her academic rival, while trying not to fall in love with her rival herself, to Janine O’Malley at Farrar, Straus Children’s, for publication in winter 2022, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management, on behalf of INKubator Enterprises (NA). Alyssa Jennette at Stonesong represents Roasek.
Jules Machias’s debut HALFWAY THROUGH THE CROSSFADE, a dual-narrative OwnVoices story following two thirteen-year-olds—one gender-fluid and an emotional boy—as both learn to reject binaries and embrace kindness while secretly caring for a rescued Pomeranian, to Alyssa Miele at Quill Tree, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2021, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (world English).
Stonewall Honoree Abdi Nazemian’s THE LEGACIES, following five wildly different teens who confront their elite boarding school’s culture of abuse while facing their own demons in an exclusive writing class, to Alessandra Balzer at Balzer & Bray, in a good deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2021, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (NA).
Laura Sebastian’s CASTLES IN THEIR BONES, the story of triplet princesses trained from birth in espionage and seduction, then sent to distant lands to marry three princes, and enact their Empress mother’s plan to rule from sea to sea in a major deal, to Krista Marino at Delacorte, for publication in fall 2021, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (NA).
Shanna Miles’s debut FOR ALL WE KNOW, pitched as CLOUD ATLAS meets THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR, following two teens fated to repeat their love story across hundreds of lifetimes, from 14th-century Mali to the distant future, as they struggle to break the cycle, to Krista Vitola at Simon & Schuster Children’s, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, for publication in fall 2021, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (world).
Marina Cohen’s SHADOW GRAVES, pitched as The Village meets Tuck Everlasting, the story follows a 12-year-old, his mother, and younger sister, who stumble upon an old logging town in the New Hampshire mountains where something terrifying lurks in the surrounding woods, to Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook Press, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2021, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (world).
NYT bestselling author of the Ash Princess trilogy Laura Sebastian’s HALF SICK OF SHADOWS, a feminist reimagining of the Arthurian legend, following Elaine of Shalott as she rejects the future her visions prophesize, and transforming the story of King Arthur we’ve come to know, to Anne Sowards at Ace, at auction, for publication in summer 2021, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (NA).
Josephine Cameron’s MY SUPER LIFE AT ONE OCEAN AVENUE, following an 11-year-old who finds her way through grief by teaming up with her aunt and upstairs neighbors on a team of “real” superheroes, to Grace Kendall at Farrar, Straus Children’s, for publication in spring 2021, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (NA). Rights:
melissa@foliolit.com
Debut author Rhiannon Richardson’s THE MEET-CUTE PROJECT, a rom com about a girl who prefers watching romances to being involved in them, until she’s challenged by her friends to create real-life meet cutes to find a date for her older sister’s wedding, to Krista Vitola and Liz Kossnar at Simon & Schuster Children’s, for publication in fall 2020, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (world).
Author of THE REMINDERS and DEAR EVAN HANSON: THE NOVEL Val Emmich’s MAYBE WE’RE ELECTRIC, about two teen cliches—the shy outcast and the popular jock—each hiding secrets, who both reveal and reinvent themselves after a night spent trapped together inside the Thomas Edison museum during a snowstorm, to Farrin Jacobs at Poppy, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2020, by Jeff Kleinman and John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (world). Rights to Bertelsmann (Germany); Carlsen (Denmark); and DeA Planeta (Italy). Translation: Melissa White Dramatic rights: Sylvie Rabineau at William Morris Endeavor
Kyle Scheele’s A PIZZA WITH EVERYTHING ON IT, following a boy and his father who try to make a pizza, accidentally destroy the universe, and try to rebuild it…out of pizza, illustrated by Andy Miller, to Ariel Richardson at Chronicle Children’s, at auction, for publication in spring 2021, by Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio for the author, and by John Cusick and Katherine Latshawat Folio Literary Management for the illustrator (world).
DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE author Joan He’s THE ONES WE’RE MEANT TO FIND, pitched as We Were Liars meets Black Mirror, following two sisters, one living on a deserted island with little memory of who she was, the other fighting to save an Earth decimated by natural disasters, while believing her sister to be dead, to Jennifer Besser at Roaring Brook Press, in a significant deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2020, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (NA).
Olympic medalist and social justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad and written with Morris Award finalist S.K. Ali’s THE PROUDEST BLUE, a story of family and faith, where a girl in joyful awe of her older sister’s new hijab finds new ways to be strong and confident in the face of hurtful words, illustrated by Hatem Aly, to Farrin Jacobs at Little, Brown Children’s, with Lisa Yoskowitz editing, for publication in fall 2019, by Greg Ferguson and John Cusick at Folio Literary Management for S.K. Ali, and by Robbin Brosterman at The Bright Group for the illustrator (world).
Author of the forthcoming THE REMARKABLE INVENTIONS OF WALTER MORTINSON Quinn Sosna-Spear’s THE THIRTEENTH HOUR, pitched as THE GOLDEN COMPASS meets THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS, following a 12-year-old, who can use his curious pocket watch to travel to one of 12 different worlds, depending on what hour he falls asleep, to Liz Kossnar at Simon & Schuster Children’s, for publication in spring 2020, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (world).
Deborah Underwood’s XO, EXOPLANET, a picture book told partly in letters between the planets of our solar system and an exoplanet, illustrated by Jorge Lacera, to Tracey Keevan and Esther Cajahuaringa at Disney-Hyperion, for publication in summer 2020, by Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency for the author, and by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management for the illustrator (world).
Author of SAINTS & MISFITS S.K. Ali’s MARVELS & ODDITIES, which follows two Muslim teens during a trip to Doha, who learn to speak truth to power and open themselves up to the complexities of first love, to Zareen Jaffery at Salaam Reads, in a two-book deal, for publication in Summer 2019, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (world).
Christian McKay Heidicker writing as William Shivering’s THE THIEVES OF WEIRDWOOD, the first middle-grade series developed by Toronto-based IP studio Wasabi Entertainment Inc, inspired by the interactive story app WEIRDWOOD MANOR, following the adventures of a pair of young pickpockets who stumble into a twisted and magical storybook world, to Christian Trimmer, with Brian Geffen editing at Holt Children’s, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (world English).
Christian McKay Heidicker’s SCARY STORIES FOR YOUNG FOXES, a collection of six connected stories that follows a group of fox kits as they fight to survive in an unforgiving wilderness, featuring art by Junyi Wu, to Christian Trimmer at Holt Children’s, in a two-book deal, for publication in Spring 2019, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management for the author and Anne Moore Armstrong of The Bright Group for the illustrator (World English).
Hafsah Faizal’s WE HUNT THE FLAME, set in a world inspired by ancient Arabia, following a young woman who must disguise herself as a man to seek a lost artifact that could return magic to her cursed world, to Janine O’Malleyat Farrar, Straus Children’s, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, publication in Spring 2019, by John Cusickat Folio Literary Management (World English).
Joan He’s DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE, in a world where magic is forbidden, a young princess searches for her father’s assassin, but must fight against the intrigue and suspicion that besets her own court, pitched as a Chinese-inspired Game of Thrones, to Eliza Swift at Albert Whitman, for publication in Spring 2019, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (World English).
Jordan Reeves’s BORN JUST RIGHT, the inspirational memoir explores the 11-year-old inventor’s experience with limb difference and designing her own glitter-shooting prosthesis, and is penned with her mother Jen Lee Reeves, to Alyson Heller at Jeter Publishing, for publication in Summer 2019, by JohnCusick and Steve Troha at Folio Literary Management (NA).
Drew Daywalt, illustrated by David Spencer’s THE EPIC ADVENTURES OF HUGGIE AND STICK, a buddy comedy starring a curmudgeonly stuffed bunny and a happy-go-lucky stick, to Michael Green at Philomel, for publication in Fall 2018, by Steven Malk at Writers House for the author and John Cusick at Folio Literary Management for the illustrator (World).
Ashok Banker’s THE RISE TRILOGY, this #ownvoices fantasy series follows a young thief and her gang as they battle to overthrow a brutal tyrant and stay a demon invasion, to Krista Marino at Delacorte, in a major deal, in a seven-figure deal, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, for publication in Fall 2018, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (NA).
Film/TV: Mary Pender at United Talent Agency
Foreign: Melissa Sarver White at Folio Literary Management
Quinn Sosna-Spear’s THE MORTICIAN’S SON, pitched as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, following a twelve-year-old’s travels in the stolen family hearse, through towns where people dress as fish, worship bees, and dig for living rocks, on route to meet the infamous inventor who mentored his father, to Liz Kossnar at Simon & Schuster Children’s, for publication in Fall 2018, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (World). Film/TV: Dana Spector at Paradigm
Megan Lacera and illustrator Jorge Lacera’s ZOMBIES DON’T EAT VEGGIES!, following a young zombie who convinces his zombie parents to try (and love!) vegetables, to Jessica Echeverria at Lee and Low, in a two-book deal, for publication in Fall 2018, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (World).
Marina Cohen’s BOX OF BONES, when a 12-year-old opens a mysterious puzzle box, her life begins to entangle with another world, where a young bone carver journeys with her master to sell wares to a Wicked Queen, to Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook Press, for publication in Winter 2019, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (World).
Ann Dee Ellis’s THE WILD PLACE, following 12-year-old Cass, who after reconnecting with her maternal grandmother discovers she is a descendant of Etta Place, mistress of the Sundance Kid, and finds herself on a journey to unearth long-lost outlaw treasure, to Namrata Tripathi at Dial, for publication in Spring 2019, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (World English).
Don Zolidis’s THE SEVEN TORMENTS OF AMY AND CRAIG, a humorous coming-of-age story set in 1994 Wisconsin, chronicling the on-again-off-again relationship of two people, who come to understand each other better through multiple disastrous breakups, to Laura Schreiber at Disney-Hyperion, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in Fall 2018, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (NA). Foreign: melissa@foliolit.com
A MAD, WICKED FOLLY and THE FORBIDDEN ORCHID author Sharon Biggs Waller’s GIRLS ON THE VERGE, when a 17-year-old discovers she can’t obtain an abortion anywhere near her small hometown, she sets off on a road trip of self-discovery in this coming-of-age story pitched as Going Bovine meets Thelma and Louise, to Christian Trimmer atSimon & Schuster Children’s, for publication in Spring 2018, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (World English).
Chana Stiefel’s WAKAWAKALOCH, no one can pronounce cave girl Wakawakaloch’s name (why can’t she have something easy to pronounce like her friends Oog and Boog?), in this story with a positive message about family and tradition; with artwork by Mary Sullivan, to Kate O’Sullivan at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s, for publication in Spring 2019, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management for the author and by Justin Rucker at Shannon Associatesfor the artist (World).
Christian McKay Heidicker’s THROW YOUR ARM ACROSS YOUR EYES AND SCREAM, pitched as Pleasantville meets Cloverfield, following the 15-year-old daughter of the woman who was carried to the top of the Empire State Building by King Kong, in a world where the horrors of 1940s and 50s sci-fi movies are everyday occurrences, to Christian Trimmer at Simon & Schuster Children’s, for publication in Summer 2018, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (World).
Courtney Alameda and Valynne Maetani’s SEVEN DEAD GODS, a contemporary fantasy set in Japan, about a Shinto temple priestess who must seek the aid of seven demons in order to protect her village and the world from an ancient evil, pitched as Daughter of Smoke and Bone meets Akira Kurosawa, to Alexandra Cooper at Harper Children’s, in a significant deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in Winter 2018, by John Cusick at Folio Literary Management (NA).
John M. Cusick 