Morrow Plays “House” with Thomas

After an eight-way auction, William Morrow’s Jessica Williams won North American rights to Elisabeth Thomas’s debut novel, Catherine House. Kent Wolf at the Friedrich Agency brokered the agreement for Thomas, a Yale alumnus who works as an archivist for the Museum of Modern Art. Morrow described the novel—a modern fairy tale set at a university deep in the woods—as “Never Let Me Go meets Sarah Waters.” The publisher said the “gothic-infused” work is “told through the eyes of Ines, a dangerously curious, rebellious first-year who uncovers a dark secret beneath the school’s promise of prestige.” A German rights deal has also closed, with a number of other international deals pending.

Irish Novelist to Dunne

Anne Griffin sold North American rights, in a two-book deal, to the debut novel, When All Is Said, to Thomas Dunne Books. Griffin is Irish and has won a number of literary honors in her home country, including, for her short fiction, the John McGahern Award for Literature. This novel, the publisher said, is about a man named Maurice Hannigan, who charts his life through a round of drinks ordered over the course of a single evening. Hannigan, the publisher explained, “toasts a person vital to him, and through these people, tells the story of his own life, with all its regrets and feuds, loves and triumphs.” Hope Dellon and Thomas Dunne acquired the novel from Louise Buckley at the Zeno Agency. A number of foreign deals for the book have also closed, with sales completed in, among other territories, France, Germany, Poland, and the U.K.

Hazen Inks Double at Berkley

In a two-book preempt, Kristine Swartz at Berkley bought the first titles in a new contemporary romance series by Michelle Hazen. Swartz took world rights to the books from BookEnds Literary’s Naomi Davis. The first book under the deal, Unbreak Me, is set for summer 2019 and is about, Berkley said, “a New Orleans cowboy battling systemic racism post–Hurricane Katrina, and a woman recovering from a public trial following a sexual assault.”

Atria Signs Latest from Whole30 Scribe

Dallas Hartwig (coauthor of The Whole30 and It Starts with Food) sold a new health book to Sarah Pelz at Atria Books. Atria took U.S., Canadian, and open market rights to the currently untitled book, calling it a “paradigm-shifting” work that champions “a provocative new philosophy of wellness.” Set for 2020, the book will, Atria continued, explain “how to honor the seasons through what we eat, how we socialize, how we work, and how we sleep, so that we can live happier, healthier—and less stressful—lives.” Hartwig was represented by Lisa Grubka at Fletcher & Company.

Schaler Closes Film-to-Book Deal at Morrow

Karen Schaler , the screenwriter of the Netflix film A Christmas Prince, sold a debut novel based on another Christmas film she wrote that is forthcoming. May Chen at William Morrow took North American rights, at auction, to Christmas Camp from Jessica Regel at Foundry Literary + Media. The novel is based on a screenplay Schaler wrote—which will debut as a TV movie on a major network this Christmas—and is, Regel said, “a heartwarming holiday story about a beautiful Grinch who’s determined to get her dream job, even if it means spending a week at a Christmas Camp where she discovers an unexpected love.” Included in the deal is a sequel novella, Christmas Camp Wedding, and a second, currently untitled work.