You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Atom snags 'explosive' queer YA fantasy debut from Cass Biehn
Atom, an imprint of Little, Brown, has snagged an "explosive" queer YA fantasy debut from Cass Biehn. The novel is set in ancient Pompeii, and the publishers say it is for fans of They Both Die at the End, All That’s Left In the World and Lies We Sing to the Sea. Tig Wallace, an editorial director at Little, Brown, acquired UK and Commonwealth Rights to Vesuvius from Peachtree Publishing Company Inc, via the Petula Chaplin Rights Agency.
Publication is slated for June 2025, editing alongside Zoie Konneker of Peachtree Teen in the US.
The synopsis explains: "Clever thief Felix seizes an opportunity to steal a helmet in Pompeii, but soon discovers it is not only a priceless artefact but a relic of the god Mercury. Loren, a temple attendant, is plagued by nightmares of Pompeii’s destruction. Nightmares that feature Felix, who stumbles into Loren’s temple as an earthquake rocks the city.
"Loren knows they have mere days to uncover Felix’s ties to the relic and to Loren’s own dreams if they have any hope of saving Pompeii from the boiling fury of Mount Vesuvius. The boys must piece together their fates—and their growing feelings for one another—to make it out of a burning city alive."
Read More
This is Wallace’s first return to acquiring YA since moving to Little, Brown in 2022, where he primarily commissions commercial non-fiction.
Wallace said: "With its high concept hook and ticking time bomb plot, its gorgeous characters and rich fantasy twist, Vesuvius is irresistible, and I would have moved (erupting) mountains to publish it. It has been such a joy working with Cass and Zoie and I cannot wait to see YA readers fall in love with Loren and Felix in June 2025. I’m grateful to be publishing this at Atom, an imprint I have long admired.”
Biehn said: "I’m starry-eyed to be working with Tig and the Atom team to bring my book about hope, hurt and healing to an international audience. This collaboration has been a dream come true, and I can’t wait to see Vesuvius in the hands of more readers around the world."
