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BOOK DEAL: Wasps in the Ice Cream

A Publication Story with a Twist

We’re excited to announce that we’ve signed a deal with Tim McGregor to release his novel Wasps in the Ice Cream. The book is a fantastic, bittersweet coming of age story but the publishing story behind the book is equally compelling. Earlier this year McGregor’s novel was days away from being published, had received excellent advance buzz and a starred review in Booklist, when the publishing company unexpectedly closed leaving the book without a home.

While it was certainly an unfortunate turn of events it gave us a chance to consider this special book and, ultimately, give it a new home. In the meantime it has just been announced as one of the books on Booklist‘s Top 10 SF/Fantasy & Horror: 2022. Technically the book won’t come out until 2023 so we’re wondering if this is the first time a book has ever been best in the year BEFORE it was released. Congrats to Tim McGregor on his time-traveling skills!

Here’s an excerpt from the starred review:

“Filled with evocative and captivating scenes, strong female characters, and an engaging narration, readers will become engrossed immediately, while the threat and fear at the heart of this story, satisfyingly, sneaks up on them.” —Booklist, starred

Book Description

What happens when you fall for the girl everyone hates?

Summer 1987: Mark Prewitt’s only priority is to avoid his dad’s new wife and waste time with his friends, but idle nights are the devil’s handiwork. When his friends decide to pull a cruel prank on the reclusive and strange Farrow sisters, Mark regrets caving in to peer pressure.

Wanting to make amends, Mark is drawn into the mysterious world of the Farrow girls, finding a kindred spirit in the middle sister, George. She is unlike anyone he’s ever known; a practicing witch who uses folk magic to protect her family. They bond over books, loneliness, and homemade spells. She even invites Mark to join a séance to contact her dead sister, who died under mysterious circumstances.

Keeping their relationship secret, Mark learns that living a double life in a town this small is impossible. When the secret is exposed, and his friends plot to punish the witch sisters for stealing one of their own, Mark is forced to choose between these two worlds.

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