Tinder wins three-way auction to bag Christina Fonthes' debut

Tinder Press bagged the rights to Where You Go, I Will Go by debut novelist Christina Fonthes in a three-way auction. 

Ellie Freedman, assistant editor at Tinder, acquired British and Commonwealth rights from Samar Hammam of Rocking Chair Books. Where You Go, I Will Go will be published on the 8th May 2025.

The novel is a dual narrative, weaving together the experiences of teenager Mira, from an up-and-coming Congolese family in 1980s Kinshasa, and Bijoux, a young British-Congolese woman, living with her aunt in early noughties London.

Fonthes said: “This book is a celebration! It’s a culmination of so many voices, and a weaving together of history, culture, politics and the unique tapestry of London and Kinshasa. I’m so grateful to my agent, Samar Hammam, and editor, Ellie Freedman, who have recognised this as being more than purely an immigrant story or queer story, and I’m especially grateful to be entering this vibrant landscape alongside so many other Black, Queer, African and women writers.”

Freedman said: “Christina’s novel completely floored me. It’s one of those very special, very rare books that manages to break your heart while at the same time lifting you up, drawing you into its vivid world full of colour and warmth. It is a fascinating window onto the British-Congolese community in London, and is also brilliant on motherhood, identity, religion, sexuality and the immigrant experience. Christina is an astonishing new talent and I can’t wait for readers to discover her.”

Fonthes is the founder of REWRITE, an organisation that supports and champions Black women and women of colour writers. In 2021 she was the winner of the RSL Sky Arts Writers Award for Fiction, and was mentored by Bernardine Evaristo and Irenosen Okojie. 

Her work has featured in Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different, The Colour Of Madness, and Filigree, among others.