Electric Monkey snares Kölsch's debut YA horror novel 'tapping into witcherature and Dark Academia trends'

Electric Monkey has bought Now, Conjurers, a YA horror novel “with an achingly tragic romance at its heart” by debut author Freddie Kölsch.  

Sarah Levison, editorial director, signed the deal for UK and Commonwealth rights for Now, Conjurers and a second book with Martha Perotto-Wills, associate agent at the Bent Agency. 

Scheduled for September 2024, Electric Monkey described it as a novel about love, loss, and gay goth friends fighting the unknowable evils that lurk at the edge of human comprehension. “Inspired by cult movies such as ‘The Craft’ and Stephen King’s ‘It’, Now, Conjurers taps into the current 90s nostalgia and has major crossover appeal,” the publisher said. 

The blurb reads: “November 1999, North Dana, Massachusetts. The body of Bastion Attia – high school quarterback, secret witch, and Nesbit Nuñez’s even-more-secret boyfriend – is discovered at the edge of Stepwood Cemetery. As Nesbit and his coven of queer misfits investigate Bastion’s death they discover local folktales of Mr Nous, a terrifying wish-granting creature, one whose gifts come at a terrible price. The coven must do battle against an age-old evil before it strikes again.” 

Debut author Kölsch was dubbed “a talented new voice” by Electric Monkey. Kölsch lives in Salem, Massachusetts, and is inspired by the folklore and real-life history of the Massachusetts area.  

Levison said: “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Freddie and the incredible Now, Conjurers to the Electric Monkey list. Freddie is a truly unique new voice in YA fiction and has created an extraordinary YA horror story – an unmissable and totally addictive combination of queer love, dark magic, witchcraft and found family. Tapping into witcherature and dark academia trends, Now, Conjurers will chill readers to their bones and completely break their hearts.” 

Kölsch said: “I’m on cloud nine about working with Sarah and the brilliant team at Electric Monkey. The boundless enthusiasm and complete understanding they’ve had for Now, Conjurers from the very first has been thrilling. 

“As a teenager, I wanted nothing more than for the terrifying, darkly romantic genre stories I loved to have a variety of queer characters that I could see myself, and others, in. So it’s been incredibly gratifying to work with a group of people who are so committed to bringing excellent queer books into the world. I’m deeply thankful that Farshore—and my marvelous agent Martha Perotto-Wills at the Bent Agency—have made it possible for me to add my voice to the rest of those authors who I so admire.”