Monoray lands Vasquez-Lavado's memoir ahead of Selena Gomez movie

Monoray has secured a deal for In the Shadow of the Mountain, the “heart-breaking and empowering” memoir from climber Silvia Vasquez-Lavado, which will soon adapted into a film starring Selena Gomez. 

Publisher Jake Lingwood acquired world English rights, excluding North America, from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein, representing Lara Lee Love at Idea Architects. It is scheduled for publication in February 2022 priced at £14.99 in hardback. The Octopus imprint will bring Vasquez-Lavado over to the UK at publication for a major press and events tour ahead of publication. 

Monoray described the memoir as “heart-breaking and empowering... a remarkable story of compassion, humility, and strength, inspiring us all to find faith in our own heroism and resilience”. 

The blurb reads: “Growing up in her homeland of Peru, Silvia suffered sexual abuse as a child from the age of six by a close family friend. Subsequently, as an adult in the US, she spent a lifetime running away from her trauma and then, her sexuality, numbing her pain with alcohol, sex and work.  

“Almost entirely by mistake, Silvia found climbing and discovered a freedom she’d never felt before at being close to nature and for the first time able to tackle some of her demons and trauma head on. In fact, she was the first openly gay woman to climb the infamous Seven Peaks. Now she shares her own story as well as those of the incredible women she helps by introducing them to climbing and nature too.”  

In 2014 Vasquez-Lavado launched Courageous Girls to help survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking. The following year CNET named her one of the "20 Most Influential Latinos in Silicon Valley". She is also cultural ambassador for the Peruvian government and a public speaker. 

Gomez will star in the film adaptation of In the Shadow of the Mountain, written and directed by Elgin James and produced by Oscar winner Donna Gigliotti.  

“I am honoured to work with the outstanding and supportive team at Monoray,” Vasquez-Lavado said. “It will be an enormous gift to share In The Shadow of The Mountain and to connect with readers everywhere interested in adventure, healing, and the transformative power of nature.”  

Lingwood added: “‘Silvia’s story is one of the most powerful you are going to read in 2022. In person, she is a dynamo, who will inspire you, help you find your confidence, and lift your spirits. On the page, she is an intimate companion who shares every step of the journey she has been on – not just to the top of Everest but back from the deep trauma of her past. We are honoured to be publishing In The Shadow of the Mountain.”