• Debut author Alison McGauley‘s KENZIE’S LITTLE TREE, in which a child and her family plant a beautiful tree together, and as the seasons change and the child cares for the tree, she learns to deal with the challenges that life brings and how to adjust her expectations, illustrated by Emilie Leduc, to Sarah Howden at Orca Books, by Emmy Nordstrom Higdon at Westwood Creative Artists.

• Canadian publishing house At Bay Press has purchased the world rights to a critical new title, HUNTING HISTORY: A WRITER’S ODYSSEY, by award-winning Canadian author, Erna Paris. The book presents the remarkable story of her lifelong quest to understand how people and societies cope with trauma. It blends her own vivid personal experiences with fascinating historical and political stories that reveal the best and worst of what makes us human. It begins by recounting a pivotal moment in the author’s life on November 11^th, 1960 when she came across a Nazi death camp hidden in the forests of the Vosges Mountains in France. This happenstance encounter would psychologically and culturally shape the rest of her life. Agent Michael Levine from Westwood Creative Artists arranged the deal with At Bay Press, who plans a May 2024 release date for the book.

• YouTube and TikTok influencer and autism advocate Paige Layle’s BUT EVERYONE FEELS THIS WAY!, part memoir, part self-help/self-acceptance manifesto, taking readers into the author’s life to help other autistic people see themselves on the page and to educate neurotypical people about autism, to Mollie Weisenfeld at Hachette Go, by Emmy Nordstrom Higdon at Westwood Creative Artists (world).

Foreign rights:

• Yann Martel’s THE HIGH MOUNTAINS OF PORTUGAL renewed to Presenca (Portugal), by Sandra Bruna at Sandra Bruna Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

• John Geiger and Owen Beattie’s FROZEN IN TIME renewed to Piper (Germany), by Marc Koralnik at Liepman, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Hilary McMahon.

• Kyo Maclear’s BIRDS ART LIFE renewed to Ariel (Spain), by Sandra Brunna Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

• Craig Shreve’s THE AFRICAN SAMURAI to Muza SA (Poland), by Tomasz Berezinski at Graal, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Chris Casuccio.

• Kim Fu’s LESSER KNOWN MONSTERS OF THE 21^ST CENTURY to İthaki Yayıncılık (Turkey), by Atilla Izgi Turgut at Akcali Copyright Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

• Richard Wagamese’s INDIAN HORSE renewed to Editions Zoe (French), by Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce and Chris Casuccio.

• Shyam Selvadurai’s FUNNY BOY to Amok Ediciones (Spain), by Sandra Bruna at Sandra Bruna Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Bruce Westwood and Meg Wheeler.

• Cheuk Kwan’s HAVE YOU EATEN YET? to Kodansha (Japan), by Megumi Sakai at Japan Uni, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Chris Casuccio.  

Foreign rights:

• Yann Martel’s LIFE OF PI and FACTS BEHIND THE HELSINKI ROCCAMATIOS to Jakkajungsin (Korea), by Tae Eun Kim at Shinwon Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

• Richard Wagamese’s INDIAN HORSE renewed to XYZ (Quebec), by Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce and Chris Casuccio.

• Yann Martel’s LIFE OF PI, to Kossuth Radio (Hungary), by Zsófia Csurgai at Hofra Theatrical & Literary Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

• Debi Goodwin’s RAINS, AT TIMES HEAVY to Foliant (Russia), by Natalia Sanina at Synopsis Literary Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Chris Casuccio.

• Crooked Lane’s Marcia Markland has acquired World rights to Nolan Chase’s A LONESOME PLACE FOR DYING. The novel is described as a regional mystery in the tradition of LONGMIRE and JESSE STONE, in which Ethan Brand, the newly appointed chief of police of a small border town in Washington State, investigates the murder of a young woman connected to a cross-border smuggling ring, while also handling anonymous threats from someone who knows Ethan’s secrets—and wants him dead. Publication is expected for spring 2024. The deal was arranged by Chris Casuccio of Westwood Creative Artists.

• Lee Wade at Random House Studio has bought at auction Jamal Saeed (MY ROAD FROM DAMASCUS) and Jordan Scott (I TALK LIKE A RIVER)’s MY SISTER THE APPLE TREE in a two-book deal, illustrated by Zahra Marwan, a picture book about a child who, upon realizing that he must leave everything behind when war tears through his homeland, finds a way to take his beloved apple tree with him.  This poignant and poetic story explores loss, belonging, and the memory of home that people carry, inspired by Saeed’s experience. Publication is slated for Spring 2025; Chris Casuccio at Westwood Creative Artists represented Saeed and Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists represented Scott, and Anne Moore Armstrong at The Bright Agency represented the illustrator.

• House of Anansi Press’ Shivaun Hearne has acquired Canadian rights and Pegasus Books’s Jessica Case has acquired world English rights, excluding Canada, to Jordan Himelfarb‘s INTERREGNUM: Inside the Grueling and Glamorous Battle to Become the Next King of Chess. The non-fiction book follows the world’s top chess grandmasters, in the wake of legend Magnus Carlsen’s abdication of his world title, as they compete for the crown in a gripping two-year battle for supremacy and immortality. Publication is expected for fall 2025. The deals were arranged by Chris Casuccio of Westwood Creative Artists.