A first novel by an author who has written and published many short stories (including one in the Best American Short Stories series) was sold as part of a two-book, six-figure deal to Janet Silver and Heidi Pitlor at Houghton Mifflin. It is The Wasp Eater by William Lychak, the story of a 10-year-old boy's efforts to reunite his estranged parents and find out more about a father he never really knew, praised by author Charles Baxter as "one of the best narratives I have ever read about those who are unforgiven." North American rights in the novel and a book of short stories were sold by agent Marly Rusoff; foreign rights are being negotiated by Lisa Queen at IMG.