Head of Zeus scoops four thrillers and two rom-coms by TikTok 'sensation' Winstead

Head of Zeus has scooped four thrillers and two rom-coms by TikTok "sensation" Ashley Winstead.

Assistant editor Bianca Gillam acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Sourcebooks and Harlequin US. The Head of Zeus editions of Winstead’s thrillers In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and The Last Housewife will be published on the Aries imprint on the 20th of July, with two new thrillers to follow in October 2023 and October 2024.

Winstead’s rom-coms The Boyfriend Candidate and Fool Me Once will be published on the Aria imprint in October 2023 and February 2024, respectively.

The publisher said: "Winstead’s breakout debut, the dark academia thriller, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, launched her as a star on the platform, reaching 1.4 million views to date. Known for her compulsive plots and addictive prose, Ashley has amassed a large and genre-blind fanbase who are as enamoured by her fast-paced thrillers as they are by her sexy rom-coms.

"For the first time, Head of Zeus will run a bespoke cross-promotional campaign, with a focus on expanding Ashley’s existing platform and increasing her exposure in the UK."

Gillam commented: "I an obsessed with everything Ashley writes, and so delighted to be bringing her wonderful books to even more UK readers. Ashley’s prose is compulsive and lyrical, and gets to the heart of every single character."

Winstead added: "I’m grateful for the way readers across the world have responded to my books, and I can’t imagine a better UK home for my work than Head of Zeus. The passion, excitement, and talent of Bianca Gillam and the Head of Zeus team has blown me away."

The author’s agent, Melissa Edwards, said: "Ashley is a huge talent who writes gripping plots and realistic, messy, loveable (and love-to-hateable!) characters in multiple genres."