Renegade Books lands ‘thrilling’ romantic comedy from Pyae Moe Thet War

Renegade Books has acquired an “action-packed” romantic comedy entitled I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War.

Former senior editor Amy Mae Baxter acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, in an exclusive submission from Hayley Steed while at Madeleine Milburn, now at Janklow & Nesbit. Alexa-Allen Batifoulier, editor, and Lisa Bonvissuto, associate editor at St Martin’s Publishing Group in the US, will publish in tandem in August 2024.

Described as a romance with an action-adventure twist, the publisher says I Did Something Bad is perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Crazy Rich Asians (Kevin Kwan, Doubleday). Its synopsis reads: “Khin Hlaing is not just a successful journalist, she’s also an early-30s divorcee looking to win a break-up. So when she’s assigned by Vogue to get a scoop on Tyler Tun, Hollywood’s hottest movie star who has returned to Myanmar to shoot a film, she can’t believe her luck.

“But Tyler Tun has done his very best to keep his private life private, and he doesn’t show any sign of letting down his walls for Khin. Then one night on set, a strange man follows Khin into the surrounding park grounds. When he threatens her, Tyler steps in and things escalate fast. Khin knows they can’t go to the police — killing a white man, as a brown woman, is never going to be overlooked, even if it was self defence. And when she learns that this man seems to have targeted her specifically, she’s determined to use her journalism skills to find out why.”

Pyae Moe Thet War, author of the essay collection You’ve Changed (Dialogue Books) commented: “‘Thrilled’ doesn’t begin to cover how I feel about making my UK fiction debut with Dialogue. After an incredible experience publishing my non-fiction with them, I just knew they would also be a great fit for my fiction career, especially as they begin a new chapter with the launch of Renegade.

“Thank you to my inimitable agent Hayley, who was this book’s biggest supporter before I’d even finished the first draft. I’m beyond excited to work with Alexa on my upcoming novels, and would also like to give a special shout-out to my previous editors Christina and Amy, both of whom played equally important roles in helping shape I Did Something Bad into its best version.”

Baxter said: “Reading I Did Something Bad was pure joy – as soon as I opened the first page, I knew I had to drop everything to read it. I’m so pleased Pyae has chosen to grow her romance career at Renegade and know that she is going to be a fiction force of the future.”

Allen-Batifoulier added: “Pyae is an evocative, thoughtful wordsmith, who has proven herself to be a writer of incredible scope. I’m a huge fan of her non-fiction and she couldn’t have made a louder leap into a new genre. I Did Something Bad is thrilling and immersive from start to finish – I’m honoured to be collaborating with her as she brilliantly steps into the romance space.”