Usborne lands YA zombie rom-com from Hussey

Usborne has snapped up Broken Hearts and Zombie Parts, an "absolute scream" of a gay YA romance by William Hussey.

Commissioning fiction editor Stephanie King acquired world English language rights from Veronique Baxter at David Higham Associates. It will publish in the UK in May 2023. Usborne and Hussey revealed the title at this year’s YALC.

Described as "savagely funny", the story explores body image, self-acceptance and falling in love, against a backdrop of a low-budget zombie film. 

"Jesse Spark has a broken heart and in a few short weeks he’ll require major surgery to repair it — which means he only has a month to accomplish two almost-impossible tasks: shoot an epic zombie movie on a shoestring budget if he has any hope of getting into film school; and fall in love before this surgery lands him with a huge scar – because how will anyone ever fancy him after that?" the synopsis reads. 

“William Hussey is one of the most versatile and dynamic YA authors in the UK – to follow his critically acclaimed YA thrillers Hideous Beauty and The Outrage (Usborne) with this absolute scream of a book that had me laughing out loud – honestly, I am in awe," King said. "Hussey’s voice is so fresh, authentic, uplifting and unapologetically funny, Broken Hearts and Zombie Parts is the ultimate feel-good read. I can’t wait for teen readers to take Jesse to their hearts.”

Hussey added: “This book is very much straight from my heart. I had life-changing heart surgery in 2019, leaving me with a large scar across my chest. As a gay man, I understand the pressures on young men to live up to the body beautiful ideals perpetuated in the media and I’m passionate about promoting body acceptance to today’s teens and young adults. 

"I hope Jesse’s story will show readers it’s okay to love who you are, just as you are. I’ve loved writing Broken Hearts and Zombie Parts and filling it with references to the classic horror movies I adore and packing it full of references teens will spot and love. It’s a joy to be publishing with Stephanie and the Usborne team again.”