World rights to Ryerson Journalism professor and author of BROWN, Kamal Al-Solaylee’s RETURN: WHY WE GO BACK TO WHERE WE CAME FROM, exploring the longing to return home, including stories from Basque, Irish, Taiwanese, Jamaican and Ghanian immigrants, and his own conflicted return to his Middle Eastern homelands, to Jim Gifford at HarperCollins Canada by John Pearce at Westwood Creative Artists for publication in Fall 2021.

Community activist, film director, world traveller Cheuk Kwan draws out a global narrative of the Chinese Diaspora by linking together personal stories of chefs, entrepreneurs, laborers and dreamers who populate Chinese kitchens world-wide in HAVE YOU EATEN YET, sold to Douglas & McIntyre by Chris Casuccio at Westwood Creative Artists for publication in February 2022. North America. 

Katie Scott at Kids Can Press has acquired World rights to PUFFIN VS. PENGUIN, a graphic novel written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kevin Sylvester, about friendship and collaboration. Kevin Sylvester is represented by Michael Levine of Westwood Creative Artists, and Helaine Becker by Susan Schulman at Susan Schulman Literary Agency.

Sutherland House has acquired Lawrence Stevenson’s CYPRUS: HOSTAGE TO PARALYSIS, an extended essay on the geopolitical realities and future of the country from the perspective of a peacekeeper. The deal was arranged by Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists for World rights for publication in Spring 2022. 

Optimum Publishing International has acquired Sam Cooper’s WILLFUL BLINDNESS, an in-depth look into Chinese organized crime infiltration into Canada over the past 25 years. The deal was arranged for English North American rights, English rights in Australia/New Zealand, South Africa, Taiwan, Japan, and complex Chinese language rights in Taiwan. Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists represents the author. This is scheduled for publication in Spring 2022.

Flanker Press has acquired Leo Furey’s THE GOOD THIEF, about a Newfoundland teenager who is forced to hide from the law when his father passes away and inherits the family auto-repair shop, a cover for a counterfeit business modeled after Robin Hood, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. The deal was arranged by Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists for Canadian rights for publication in Spring 2021.

Author of THE COLONY OF UNREQUITED DREAMS Wayne Johnston’s THE MYSTERY OF RIGHT AND WRONG, moving from Newfoundland to Cape Town, Amsterdam, and Bergen-Belsen to chart the unravelling of one mythomaniacal, increasingly dysfunctional family, and crack open secret atrocities, to Anne Collins at Knopf Canada, for publication in fall 2021, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists (Canada English).

Award-winning children’s author Caroline Adderson’s SUNNY DAYS INSIDE, a funny and compassionate celebration of the ingenuity and resilience of children, following the interconnected lives of a group of kids whose families are sheltering in place in their apartment building during the pandemic, to Karen Li at Groundwood Books, for publication in August 2021, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists (World).

THE SCOOTER TWINS, by Dorothy Ellen Palmer, to Karen Li at Groundwood Books, by Emmy Nordstrom Higdon at Westwood Creative Artists.

Tantor Audio senior acquisitions editor Kim Budnick has acquired audio rights to Canadian author Adam Pottle’s novella, THE BUS. Based on true events, Pottle painstakingly researched and unflinchingly rendered this fictionalized account of a shocking moment in our collective past. THE BUS is a powerful #OwnVoices literary historical novella that offers a rare glimpse into the experiences of the mentally ill in Nazi Germany. The deal was arranged by Emmy Nordstrom Higdon at Westwood Creative Artists.

Antonio Michael Downing’s SAGA BOY: MY LIFE OF BLACKNESS AND BECOMING, a memoir of a young Trinidadian boy who lands in a remote North American town and navigates his beguiling new world as an orphan, immigrant and minority by using music and performance to dramatically transform himself, to Daniel Slager at Milkweed Editions by Chris Casuccio and John Pearce at Westwood Creative Artists for US publication in Fall 2021.

Frances Itani’s THE COMPANY WE KEEP, to Uhinenud (Estonia), by Tatjana Zoldnere at Andrew Nurnberg Associates Baltic, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Tessa McWatt’s SHAME ON ME: AN ANATOMY OF RACE AND BELONGING, to Mémoire d’encrier (World French), by Celia Long at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Rohinton Mistry’s A FINE BALANCE (audio), to Aschehoug (Norway), by Monique Oosterhof at Mo Literary Services, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Bruce Westwood.

Marc Raboy’s MARCONI: THE MAN WHO NETWORKED THE WORLD, renewed to Hunan Science and Technology Press (China), by Vicky Wen at Andrew Nurnberg Associates Beijing, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce.

Anna Comfort O’Keefe at Douglas and McIntyre has acquired Rachel Rose’s fiction debut THE OCTOPUS HAS THREE HEARTS, a linked collection of stories exploring universal elements of the human condition, featuring characters on the fringes of society who all have better relationships with animals than humans. Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists negotiated the deal for North American English rights, for publication in spring 2021.

Harbour Publishing has acquired Sam Wiebe’s HELL AND GONE, the latest novel in the acclaimed series, featuring Vancouver PIs Dave Wakeland and Jeff Chen in a deadly case involving gangland rivalries and a private army for hire. The deal was arranged by Chris Casuccio at Westwood Creative Artists for North American publication in fall 2021. Audio rights were sold to Blackstone Publishing.

Rohinton Mistry’s FAMILY MATTERS, to Artkonekt Publishing (Macedonia), by Vuk Perisic at Plima Literary Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Bruce Westwood.

Damhnait Monaghan’s NEW GIRL IN LITTLE COVE, to Insel / Suhrkamp Verlag (Germany), by Hanna Vielberg at Liepman Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Hilary McMahon.

Josef Skvorecky’s THE COWARDS, ALL THE BRIGHT YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN, and REPUBLIC OF WHORES, to Miraggi Edizioni (Italy), by Elisa Berretta at The Italian Literary Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists.

Bestselling author of THE CURE FOR DEATH BY LIGHTNING Gail Anderson-Dargatz’s novel THE ALMOST WIFE, about a woman whose almost perfect life is threatened by a dark secret and a haunted past, to Iris Tupholme at HarperCollins Canada, in a deal by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists, for publication in May 2021 (World). Rights: Lisa Rundle at HarperCollins Canada.

Allison Cohen at Running Press has bought world rights to Governor-General’s Award finalist Alison Hughes’s OVER THE TOP, a middle grade novel about a young girl adapting to a new (pink!) home and school while making friends and facing off with the school’s mean girls. Publication is scheduled for Summer 2021. Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists brokered the deal for the author.

Jamal Saeed’s THE ROAD FROM DAMASCUS, which tells the story of the author’s twelve years in Syria’s most notorious military prisons, but also his poetic life and eventual escape during the country’s dramatic changes; chronicling the life of a modern Syria and its descent from a country of potential to the pawn of cynical and corrupt powers to Michael Holmes at ECW, for publication in Spring 2022 by Chris Casuccio at Westwood Creative Artists for the author (world English).

Susan Swinwood at Graydon House has acquired US rights to Damhnait Monaghan’s NEW GIRL IN LITTLE COVE from Lisa Rundle at HarperCollins Canada, for publication in May 2021. Janice Zawerbny previously acquired North American rights to the debut novel from Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists.  The debut romantic comedy is about a teacher from the big city who takes a job at a Catholic school in a small Newfoundland fishing village, much to the consternation of the locals whom she must try to win over, pitched as ‘Derry Girls’ meets ‘Come From Away.’

Pamela Murray at Knopf Canada has acquired North American (English) rights to Julian Sher’s THE WRATH TO COME: CANADA AND THE CIVIL WAR PLOTS AGAINST LINCOLN, a multi-character narrative that weaves the extraordinary stories of eight men and women, ranging from Confederate conspirators in Montreal to a Canadian woman who disguised herself as a male Union nurse on the battlefields, into one big narrative that climaxes in Lincoln’s assassination and its aftermath. The deal was arranged by John Pearce at Westwood Creative Artists, for publication in Fall 2022.

Winner of the 2020 AFMC–Gold Foundation Humanism award Dr. Jillian Horton’s brave and comic memoir WE ARE ALL PERFECTLY FINE, about a community of world-class doctors and surgeons suffering from burnout who come together at a mindfulness retreat in upstate New York, to Iris Tupholme at HarperCollins Canada, in an exclusive submission, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists (Canada English), scheduled for publication in Spring 2021.

Charles Demers’ PRIMARY OBSESSIONS and SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, to Legend Press (U.K.), by Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce.

Thomas King’s A MATTER OF MALICE, to Piper (Germany), by Hanna Vielberg at Liepman Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Bruce Kirkby’s BLUE SKY KINGDOM, to Grafe und Unzer (Germany), by Hanna Vielberg at Liepman Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce & Chris Casuccio.

James Maskalyk’s LIFE ON THE GROUND FLOOR, to AST Publishers (Russia), by Natalia Sanina at Synopsis Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Bruce Westwood.

Richard Wagamese’s STARLIGHT (mass market paperback rights), to Editions Zoe (France), by Marjorie Burbaud at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce.

Scott Sellers at Penguin Random House Canada has acquired World rights to a new book by acclaimed musician and author Alan Doyle, a collection of comedic stories that celebrate the unique humour of Newfoundland and demonstrate how it has been a survival strategy for the people of the province. The book will be edited by Tim Rostron and Ward Hawkes and published by Doubleday Canada in late fall 2020. The deal was arranged by Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists.

Nick Garrison at Penguin Canada has acquired North American (English) rights to the host of CBC’s Quirks and Quarks Bob McDonald’s BUILDING A GREEN FUTURE, a survey of what a clean green future could actually look like: the vehicles of the future, energy sources and lifestyles that can realistically enable society to achieve a sustainable way of life without crippling the economy. The deal was arranged by John Pearce at Westwood Creative Artists, for publication in Fall 2022

KING MOUSE illustrator Dena Seiferling’s author-illustrator debut, BUMBLEBEE, a picture book about a baby bee who is taught to deliver secret messages to flowers, to Tara Walker at Tundra, in an exclusive submission, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists, for publication in spring 2022 (World).

A collaboration between Eric Fan, co-creator of THE BARNABUS PROJECT, OCEANS MEETS SKY, and THE NIGHT GARDENER, and Dena Seiferling, illustrator of KING MOUSE, entitled NIGHT LUNCH, a picture book about a Victorian-inspired evening food cart and its animal owner and patrons, to Tara Walker at Tundra, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2022 (World). Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the writer and Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists represented the illustrator.

American-Indian Youth Literature Award Winner Tasha Spillett’s BEAUTIFUL ME, BEAUTIFUL YOU, a gently affirming story about a child who begins to notice the physical differences between her features and her mother’s, to Karen Boersma at Owlkids Books, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists, for publication in spring 2022 (World).

Novelist, essayist and former research scientist Jaspreet Singh’s memoir, exploring the emotional geographies of language, silence, migration, family, and trauma, to Simon Dardick at Véhicule Press, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists, for publication in fall 2021 (Canada English).

Award-winning Globe and Mail health reporter and columnist André Picard’s Time To Care: A Prescription for Improving the Lives of Canada’s Elders, to Anne Collins at Random House Canada, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists, for publication in spring 2021 (Canada English).

Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has acquired Susin Nielsen’s (Princess Puffybottom…and Darryl) picture book Apartment Cat, celebrating feline and human friendship in the humorous story of two lonely Manhattan cats who spy each other from their apartment windows and then secretly explore the city together, until one gets locked out and must find a way home. Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists negotiated the deal for world rights.  Vivien Mineker, represented by Lemonade Illustration Agency, will illustrate, for publication in summer 2022.

Lynne Missen at Puffin Canada has acquired Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour winner Susan Juby’s (The Fashion Committee) middle grade novel Me 3, from the perspective of an eleven-year-old boy who slowly learns that the reason he must rebuild his life in a new town is that his dad was accused in a #MeToo reckoning, forcing him to reconcile his idealized view of his father with some disturbing truths. Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists negotiated the deal for world rights, with publication slotted for Spring 2022.

Jared Bland and Jenny Bradshaw at McClelland & Stewart have commissioned Lauren McKeon (No More Nice Girls) to write a book tentatively titled Women of the Pandemic, providing a narrative record – through a broad spectrum of voices and experiences – of the defining role Canadian women played in the COVID-19 crisis, celebrating resilience and leadership but also acknowledging those forgotten and failed, for publication in spring 2021. Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists negotiated the deal for world rights.

Talia Benamy at Philomel Books has acquired, at auction, world rights to Montreal poet Gillian Sze‘s picture books MY LOVE FOR YOU IS ALWAYS, about the enduring love that a mother has for her child, told over the course of cooking a traditional Chinese meal, and YOU ARE MY FAVORITE COLOR, in which a parent encourages a child to be proud of and comfortable in their skin, whatever shade it might be. Scheduled for fall 2021 and summer 2022 respectively, MY LOVE FOR YOU IS ALWAYS will be illustrated by Michelle Lee, and YOU ARE MY FAVORITE COLOR will be illustrated by Nina Mata. Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists represented Gillian Sze; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio represented Michelle Lee; and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented Nina Mata.

Douglas & McIntyre has acquired English language rights to Gary J. Smith’s CANADA’S HOCKEY DIPLOMAT: The Untold Story of the 1972 Summit Series, the compelling story of a young Canadian diplomat who finds himself at the centre of the legendary international hockey series. HighBridge has acquired English language audio rights. Chris Casuccio of Westwood Creative Artists negotiated the deal.