Mahmood's 'wildly inspirational' novel signed by Renegade

Renegade has signed a deal for activist Hana Mahmood’s debut novel, Loving with Demons, about a young woman’s relationship with a narcissistic musician.

Christina Demosthenous, publisher, bought world rights and audio from Oscar Janson-Smith at Oscar Janson-Smith Ltd, and the book is scheduled for publication in May 2024. 

Loving with Demons tells the story of Livia; a young woman who falls madly in love with an up-and-coming musician, Nero.

The blurb reads: “After a dizzying and intense start to their relationship, Livia finds herself in the depths of abuse at the hands of a narcissist. But this is not simply a story about violence; it’s a story about survival. This is not a love story. It’s a cautionary tale. Loving with Demons is an emotional, seductive and completely unputdownable page-turner."

Renegade said: "This is a novel about dark desires, deadly obsession, and the dangerous line between love and hatred.” 

Mahmood is a trauma survivor, activist and content creator. She has worked on various projects supporting victims against high-profile abusers. She has a following of 127,000 on Instagram, 72,000 on TikTok and 80,000 on X, previously known as Twitter, and she creates content about domestic violence and Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  

Demosthenous said: “Publishing Loving with Demons is going to be one of my proudest career moments. This novel encapsulates everything that that Renegade stands for: it’s radical, rule-breaking and a total game-changer. Hana is an activist who has done so much for women, and she was born to write.

"Loving with Demons is wildly inspirational. It is just as beautiful as it is unsettling, just as compelling as it is disturbing, and just as hopeful as it is heart-breaking – making for a visceral reading experience. Working with Hana has been a true labour of love, and I can’t wait for the world to be blown away by this grenade of a story.” 

Mahmood says: “Writing Loving with Demons was a matter of survival; a truly cathartic experience that has both rebirthed me and healed me by allowing me to live as an alchemist who transformed my pain into power. There have been so many moments in the journey to writing this novel where it felt that no matter what, it was a destiny that I just couldn’t escape."

She added: "I have never felt more aligned in my purpose to empower, heal and acknowledge survivors of our shared heartache and pain – and I’m so bloody grateful to be able to touch any heart that may need it.” 

Janson-Smith said: “Hana’s brutally poetic story will inform a great many conversations, both on and offline – I just know this book will provide solace, and a voice, for so many. Hana and Christina make a phenomenal team – the passion that fuelled the creation of this book is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and I am so excited to see it in people’s hands.”