S&S Children’s seizes Doyle’s ‘thrilling’ YA fantasy in six-figure, two-book deal

Simon & Schuster Children’s Books has seized Catherine Doyle’s "thrilling" YA fantasy, The Dagger and The Flame, in a six-figure two-book deal. 

Rachel Denwood, managing director, acquired acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in two books from Claire Wilson at Rogers, Coleridge & White following an exclusive submission. Kate Proswimmer, senior editor at S&S US imprint Margaret K McElderry, acquired North American rights from Peter Knapp at Park Fine Literary.

S&S UK is positioning The Dagger And The Flame as a super-lead YA launch of the year and will publish in hardback in September 2024 with multiple editions, simultaneous e-book and “star-studded” audio, backed by a “blockbuster-level wide-ranging and innovative” marketing and PR campaign.

The synopsis says: “In the dark underbelly of a beautiful city, two rival assassins are pitted against each other in a deadly game of revenge, where the most dangerous mistake of all is falling in love…

“In Fantome, a kingdom of cobbled streets, flickering lamplight, beautiful buildings and secret catacombs, Shade-magic is a scarce and deadly commodity controlled by two enemy guilds: the Cloaks and the Daggers – the thieves and the assassins. On the night of her mother’s murder, 17-year-old Seraphine runs for her life. Seeking sanctuary with the Cloaks, Sera’s heart is set on revenge. But are her secret abilities a match for the dark-haired boy whose quicksilver eyes follow her around the city?”

Denwood said: “I have been fangirling over the brilliant and talented Catherine Doyle for years, so I could not be more excited to be publishing The Dagger And The Flame in 2024. This is an ambitious, seductive, thrilling YA fantasy tour de force. Readers can expect a scintillating ‘kiss or kill’ dynamic between two wonderfully textured and complex protagonists, a vivid and fantastical Paris-inspired setting, ancient secrets, blazing and unpredictable magic, and a page-turning story so intriguing and twisty it will leave them gasping for more.”

Doyle added: “I’ve been dreaming of writing an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy forever, where the stakes are impossibly high, the romance is truly dangerous, and the rivalry is as real as it comes. Working on The Dagger And The Flame has been a complete thrill, and getting to share this vision with Rachel and the rest of the incredibly dynamic team at S&S, who I have long admired from afar, has made it the ultimate dream come true. I can’t wait to introduce readers to the darkly enchanting city of Fantome, and all its glittering secrets.”

Doyle is the author of the Storm Keeper trilogy (Bloomsbury) and the best-selling Twin Crowns series (Electric Monkey), co-authored with Katherine Webber.