Regal Hoffmann & Associates, a full-service agency based in New York, was founded in 2002. We represent works in a wide range of categories, with an emphasis on literary fiction, outstanding thriller and crime fiction, and serious narrative non-fiction.
Check out the new cover for Kirsten Hubbard's MG debut, WATCH THE SKY (April 2015, Disney-Hyperion), which we find completely gorgeous. You can go to YA Highway for the official cover reveal, where you can hear what Kirsten thinks and learn more about the book. This is definitely one to keep an eye on!
My Mens Journal article “Blind Ambition” follows the sole blind person to climb Mount Everest, Erik Weihenmayer, as he trains to kayak 227 miles of Grand Canyon whitewater—all while still blind!
The magazine article is online here and its surprisingly personal backstory is published here.
Gnarliness trigger warning: the images below are my eyes.
Giveaway: THE BEAUTY AND THE SORROW by Peter Englund
This July 28th marks the centennial of Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war on Serbia, thus initiating the global conflict that would come to be known as World War I. We’re proud to represent one of the most unforgettable books about the war: Peter Englund’s The Beauty and the Sorrow, an unconventional narrative history of the experience of war drawn from the personal journals and letters of twenty average people affected by the conflict. To commemorate the lasting legacy of WWI, we’re giving away six copies of The Beauty and the Sorrow. Read about the book and then enter below for your chance to win a copy of this stunning work of history.
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An intimate narrative history of World War I told through the stories of twenty men and women from around the globe – a powerful, illuminating, heart-rending picture of what the war was really like.
In this masterful book, renowned historian Peter Englund describes this epoch-defining event by weaving together accounts of the mostly average men and women who experienced it. Drawing on the diaries, journals, and letters of twenty individuals from Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Venezuela, and the United States, Englund uses their varied perspectives to describe not a course of events but “a world of feeling.” Composed in short chapters that move between the home front and the front lines, The Beauty and the Sorrow brings to life people whose voices have until now remained unheard and lets them speak for all who were shaped in some way by the Great War.
"In four decades of studying war, I’ve never read such a remarkable book." —Gerard J. DeGroot, The Washington Post
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Contest ends on August 11. Open to residents of the US and Canada.
Alex Nazaryan, for example, who taught English in Bushwick before becoming a reporter (currently at Newsweek). Follow the link above to check out his op-ed in the New York Times about his experiences as a teacher, and why good old-fashioned instruction might not be the worst thing for high school students.
If you're like us, then you're already overwhelmed by the sheer number of soccer matches you're trying to track and could really use some decompression time with a great summer read. (Also, some time to ponder what's up with those extreme slow-motion reaction shots in game broadcasts. Who knew blinking could be so intense and full of emotion?) May we suggest STARBREAK, the new YA sci-fi romance by the dazzling Phoebe North? It's the follow-up to her debut novel STARGLASS, which the AJL called "a Jewish Brave New World that keeps the reader glued to the page." And bonus? An original e-novella prequel is also now available. To celebrate the release of STARBREAK on July 8, we asked Phoebe to be this month's Writer Revealed.
1. Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer.
I believe our consciousness has evolved to bear witness to a lonely universe.
2. What are you reading now?
Picture books, mostly. I'm fascinated that Watty Piper, the supposed author of "The Little Engine That Could" was actually a corporate amalgam. The story may have been stolen from a lady-writer. Given the narrative's general negative attitudes toward male engines, I'm not surprised.
3. Top three authors
Atwood, Grossman, Milne
4. Book/author everyone should be reading but isn’t?
Sydney Taylor. I loved her as a little girl, and far preferred her stories of Jewish lasses in the big city to certain books about little houses on the prairie.
5. Book/author you found to be disappointing or overrated?
Ulysses. Without Joyce's specific historical context, it falls flat. I nearly appreciated it, but didn't enjoy it.
6. Literary crush that isn’t in an Austen/Brontë novel
Calvin O'Keefe.
7. Favorite hero and/or villain in literature?
Mary Lennox.
8. Favorite word?
Solipsism
9. Least favorite word?
Pablum
10. Favorite sound?
Crackling firewood
11. Least favorite sound?
Emery boards
12. Your idea of happiness?
Hot coffee, a thunderstorm, warm slippers, and a new book idea
13. Your idea of misery?
Wet socks
14. Favorite quality in a man?
Generosity
15. Favorite quality in a woman?
Pride
16. Favorite virtue?
Courage
17. Most over-rated virtue?
Temperance
18. What do you hate the most?
Holiday traffic on I-95
19. What profession would you choose other than your own?
Camp counselor
20. Best thing about being a writer
Living several simultaneous lifetimes.
21. Worst thing about being a writer
The secrecy
22. What is your present state of mind?
Sleepy
23. How do you wish to die?
Old and satisfied
24. Are you a fox or a hedgehog?
Fox
25. Wild card: If you were writing your own spin on a Star Trek novel, what would we be surprised to see happen?
It would come as a surprise to no one: pon farr.
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Phoebe North writes about intergalactic spaceship rebellions, hot alien kissing, robot consciousness, angry girls, complicated boys, secrets, parents, angst, and psychic powers.
She lives two hours north of New York City with her husband Jordan, her daughter Molly, and her cat Sammy. Together, they laugh, go on adventures, debate television, make art, and nap.
Her first book, STARGLASS, is available from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. The sequel, STARBREAK, debuts July 8th.
Tomorrow’s book club:
When the daily wind pauses
To hear itself blow.
Guys, that haiku was really profound. Think about it for a while. Meditate on it. More importantly, tomorrow we're having our first ever Regal Literary book club, in which we somehow convinced all of our agents to read the same book, for fun, in addition to all of our other reading. Our first selection is The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman, and Markus will be the only man in the room. We promise to report back with insights and/or casualties. Have you read it already? What did you think?
Just in time for Book Expo America, starting tomorrow at New York's beloved Javits Center: Pilgrims with tote bags Stepping into a black box Looking for wisdom
If you were sitting at the gates of Hell, you too would be in a pensive mood. Thank you to Andrew Ervin for showing me Rodin's monumental door at Philadelphia's Rodin Museum today.
OH NO WE DIDN'T. Oh yes, we sure did. We just took our world-renowned (ahem) author interview series, turned the tables, and inflicted it on one of our own. We're whimsical like that, which will come in handy if we're ever trying to get agent Claire Anderson-Wheeler's attention at a party. (Though that would be awkward, since we already know her. Also awkward is this "we" construct, leading to our discovery of the word "nosism." Always informative, this blog.) Claire joined the agency last summer. She is cosmopolitan, has ridiculous qualifications (degrees in law AND creative writing), and bears the distinction of having selected the first book to be read in our newly-founded Regal Literary Book Club. (Results pending.) Without further ado . . .
1. Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer.
I used to worry about this: a career in publishing seemed a disappointingly aesthetic choice compared to, say, human rights. But books do change lives, and you’re helping forge dreams.
2. What are you reading now?
Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain Fournier and The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes.
3. Top three authors
Henry James, Jeffrey Eugenides, Roald Dahl.
4. Book/author everyone should be reading but isn’t?
Casebook by Mona Simpson. Also, Irish writer Claire Kilroy: she’s recently published her third novel and I think she’s brilliant.
5. Book/author you found to be disappointing or overrated?
There’s the easy target of Divergent, but I think the last book that I consciously put down was Zadie Smith’s NW. I devoured all of her earlier works so had high hopes, but NW felt very stagey and I had to wade through the prose.
6. Literary crush that isn’t in an Austen/Brontë novel
Newland Archer in The Age of Innocence. And maybe also Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars, though admittedly he’s a little young for me.
7. Favorite hero and/or villain in literature?
Tom Ripley from the Patricia Highsmith novels. (In case that needs clarifying, that’s as villain not hero...)
8. Favorite word?
“Gallant”
9. Least favorite word?
“Spleen”
10. Favorite sound?
Wind; the glug of wine a-pouring
11. Least favorite sound?
Peruvian pan pipe bands; alarm clocks
12. Your idea of happiness?
A beach in front of you, mountains behind you, and something nice to ingest.
13. Your idea of misery?
Not having someone or something to love.
14. Favorite quality in a man?
Engagement with life; a sense of whimsy
15. Favorite quality in a woman?
The same.
16. Favorite virtue?
Courage (not just physical)
17. Most over-rated virtue?
Temperance
18. What do you hate the most?
Wanton cruelty. Wanton most things.
19. What profession would you choose other than your own?
If I had the talent for it, a dancer.
20. Best thing about being an agent
Seeing an author’s redraft and realizing that something has really clicked.
21. Worst thing about being an agent
The uncertainty.
22. What is your present state of mind?
Contemplative.
23. How do you wish to die?
With as much tranquility as an agnostic person can hope for.
24. Are you a fox or a hedgehog?
Definitely hedgehog.
25. Wild card: If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?
I think Virginia Woolf. It probably wouldn’t be a barrel of laughs, but I’d love to hear her mind at work.
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Learn more about Claire and see what kinds of books she's looking to represent here.
Half a court, half a court,
Half a court onward,
All in the arena of Miami
Dribbled the five starters.[1]
“Forward, the Nets Brigade!
Charge for Lebron!” Kidd said.
Into the arena of Miami
Dribbled the five starters.
II
“Forward, the Nets Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not tho’ the player knew
Their playoff shot was doom’d.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the arena of Miami
Dribbled the five starters.
III
Dwyane Wade to right of them,
Chris Bosh to left of them,
Lebron in front of them
Rebounded and loom’d;
Storm’d at with drives and dunks,
Boldly they fought to the paint,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Dribbled the five starters.
IV
Flash’d all their sweaty arms bare,
Flash’d as they turned in air
Fouling the point guard there,
Charging a block, while
All the world presum’d.[2]
Plunged in the white-hot Heat
The shot clock they tried to beat;
Birdman and Chalmers
Weak before Joe Johnson’s feats
Grumbled and fumed.
Then they dribbled back, but not
A winning five starters.
V
Dwyane Wade to right of them,
Chris Bosh to left of them,
Lebron behind them
Rebounded and loom’d;
Storm’d at with drives and dunks,
While the highest-paid team fell.
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of five starters.
VI
When can their high salaries fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world presum’d.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Nets Brigade,
Noble five starters!
[1] It’s true that the starting line-up was wildly inconsistent, and several bench players came up with big games. (Remember that time Deron Williams didn’t score a single point? Remember that time Mirza was knocking down three-pointers all night long?) But “five starters plus a sometimes crucial bench presence” doesn’t scan as well. Poetic liberties, guys.
Breaking news: romance writers love Josh Bazell's BEAT THE REAPER
Great story in USA Today, in which romance writer Melissa Cutler professes fandom of Josh Bazell's BEAT THE REAPER - which just goes to show that you don't need to be a thriller fiend to love Josh's fiendishly clever and entertaining novel. So whether you're into romance, sci-fi, thrillers, or literary fiction - and especially if you're into sharks - check out BEAT THE REAPER. We dare you to find a better opening line or finale.
We're loving John Kaag's essay over on the NYT Opinionator blog about trying to write a flawless essay and getting it past his most impossible critic: his mother. A must-read for every writer pushing through that latest round of edits.
Since I'm just back from a trip to London, where I attended the book fair and strolled around Regent's Park, this Wednesday's office haiku is dedicated to my favourite part of that fair city:
Bryan Lee O'Malley's gorgeous cover for LOST AT SEA looks even more melancholy in its Russian version. Somehow, sadness seems to be inscribed into the Cyrillic alphabet. Coming soon from Komilfo PH in St. Petersburg.
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