Brandi is a kidlit illustrator and author! I love her graphic novel ideas and illustration, she even has a picture book idea that has the cutest little kitty (below). I can’t wait to get their work out there.
Brandi Payne is a designer, illustrator, and cartoonist from the Appalachian Mountains who loves whimsical stories, goofy characters, and colorful worlds. She draws inspiration from old JRPGs and late nights spent making up stories with her sister and friends. Brandi has a Bachelors in Graphic Design from Maryville College but has spent her entire life scribbling comics wherever they’ll fit
So excited to announce that we sold Joanna Cacao’s THE SECRET OF THE RAVENS to Etch an imprint of HMH Kids! Planned release is for the fall of 2023. Be sure to add it to your GoodReads.
THE LEGEND OF KORA meets Netflix’s The Dragon Prince. In this Filipino-inspired middle-grade fantasy, when his twin sister is poisoned after a dangerous quest, Elliot, a homeless kid, will stop at nothing to save her.
After the death of their parents, homeless twins Elliot and Liza travel to the kingdom’s capital to hunt Raven Quests—magical tasks that will earn them money when successfully completed. But the King hates the poor, and after the twins are shunned for their obvious vagrancy, Elliot recklessly hunts down a perilous quest, hoping for a big purse. When Liza is poisoned by a giant and deadly Titan Snake, Elliot seeks the mysterious mage that created the Raven Quests for help. The mage’s motivation isn’t to help, and Elliot will need to choose between saving his sister or his freedom.
Joanna Cacao is a Canadian Filipino with a background in 3D Animation. She has taught classes in Manga and Comics and is an illustrator for the Native Winnipeg-based educational company Native Reflections. Her illustration work can be seen in multiple picture books, including THE LITTLE SISTERS series (Native Reflections, 2021), THE BANNOCK BUN MYSTERY (Native Reflections, 2021), and AJHA’S PICTURE DAY (Native Reflections, 2021).
The year of hell *cough* I mean 20202 is over and I’m staring at my Goodreads Reading Challenge and…. crying.
I tell everyone that I’m not a particularly fast reader, but I still always manage to get at least 40-70 books in a year. But this year I only managed 30. *cries in unread TBR pile*
However, I was reading a ton of submissions. I signed eight clients this year (authors and illustrators). I love their books, and I can’t wait to get them out into the world.
Although I didn’t get to the 40 published books this year, I still wanted to give a shout out to the ones I loved because I have found some lasting favorites.
My favorite series of 2020 goes to…
And I Darken series by Kiersten White. Holy cow, this series blew me away. I was not expecting to find my new favorite series, but I did! I loved it, and I can’t wait to read more by Kiersten White. This series was absolute perfection.
Shout out to A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, I can’t wait for the final book next month! And The Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson, I’m excited to see that we are going to get another book from Stevie’s perspective!
My favorite YA books this year…
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, and Extraordinaries by TJ Klune were the balm I needed during this terrible year. Each one helped me through the darker times, and I’m so thankful for them.
My favorites in adult fiction goes to…
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, House in the Cerulean Sea TJ Klune, and Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall. I think Ninth House was the darkest of all the books I read this year (beside And I Darken), so you can see I was really in the mood for light-hearted stories.
My goal is to read more MG and general fiction/romance next year, but YA will always have my heart, so I can’t stay away. Here are a few books I’m looking forward to next year!!
And of course, be sure to put my client’s books on your TBR’s for 2021!!
I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction, but it takes a unique author to make me fall in love with the book. I’d say I’m pretty picky, but Natasha had me falling all over her queer kings and writing. It’s so lovely, and fans of Madeline Miller will fall in love too.
You’ll love SOLOMON’S CROWN if you like:
Queer historical figures
Beautiful literary writing
Characters that use logic over heart
Characters that are all heart
Political rivals to lovers, but will always be political rivals
Natasha Siegel is a British-American author of historical novels. Her poetry has won accolades from Foyle’s and the University of Oxford. She is particularly interested in exploring underrepresented historical voices, particularly those of the LGBTQ+ and Jewish community. She splits her time between Copenhagen and London, where she lives with her lurcher and an endless supply of history books.
I had Saint’s partial while I was in the middle of nowhere camping and was very upset when I got to the end and had no signal to request the full. I drove 20 minutes to get minimal cell service to request the full, so I had it when I got back home. I quickly devoured the full and offered rep right away!
Saint’s manuscript is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s NINTH HOUSE, but wish it was gayer. 😉
You’ll love it if you like:
Secret Societies
Older millennials
polyamorous relationships
Tarot, astrology, and a little magic
Family curses
Ritual sacrifices
A disaster gay, uptight bi, and a sassy lady
Saint is a poet, author, and village wise woman in training. A graduate of the creative writing program at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and the theological studies program at Princeton Seminary, she currently lives in Boston with her partner, spoiled Persian cat, and vintage blazer collection.
Literary Tara 