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NEWS

The Knight Agency made a donation to the NAACP in support of Black Lives Matter. We encourage you to join us by clicking here.

CNN Style did a piece on N.K. Jemisin about the dystopian New York City depicted in THE CITY WE BECAME coming true.

Teen Vogue’s list of 20 LGBTQ+ Books for Teens Coming Out in 2020 included SOMEBODY TOLD ME by Mia Siegert. SOMEBODY TOLD ME also made School Library Journal's 10 YA Mysteries To Give You Chills list.

N.K. Jemisin is a Locus Award finalist for “Emergency Skin” in the Best Novelette category.

Liselle Sambury’s BLOOD LIKE MAGIC was featured in United by Pop’s “Upcoming YA books by Black authors you’ll need in your life.”

RED SKY OVER HAWAII by Sara Ackerman was featured in the June 22 issue of Woman's World magazine. Sara also discussed the novel in an interview with the Historical Novel Society as well as Honolulu’s Star Advertiser.

AN ILLUSION OF THIEVES by Cate Glass won the Colorado Book Award for Science Fiction/Fantasy.

THE EXTRAORDINARIES by T.J. Klune made Buzzfeed's list of 31 Brand New LGBTQ YA Books To Devour This Summer and Book Riot's 10 LGBTQIA+ Fantasy and Sci-Fi Adventures to Take You Far From Here list. It was also chosen as a Libro.fm's (an independent audiobook seller) influencer pick. Finally, T.J joined authors in an “Empathy Over Stigma” event, as part of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month.

TWEET CUTE by Emma Lord was featured in Northern Virginia Magazine's summer reads article.

9 Books for Those of Us Missing Libraries and Bookstores, a list featured on Book Riot, included THE INVISIBLE LIBRARY by Genevieve Cogman.

SUMMER ON HONEYSUCKLE RIDGE by Debbie Mason made the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List.

TWO ROGUES MAKE A RIGHT by Cat Sebastian received a starred review from Library Journal.

Loriel Ryon’s INTO THE TALL, TALL GRASS was awarded a Parents’ Choice Gold Award.

Publishers Weekly gave ONCE TWO SISTERS by Sarah Warburton a great review.

Young Adult Books Central gave Kate McLaughlin’s WHAT UNBREAKABLE LOOKS LIKE a very nice review. It also received a great review from Booklist.

THEIR NINE-MONTH SURPRISE by Laurel Greer was a Harlequin Junkie Top Pick.

Publishers Weekly gave Jana Cristofano’s EAT WELL, BE WELL a nice review in their Spring 2020 Lifestyle Book Reviews.

N.K. Jemisin's THE CITY WE BECAME, T.J. Klune's THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA, Emma Lord's TWEET CUTE, Annabeth Albert's CONVENTIONALLY YOURS, Nalini Singh's LOVE HARD, and Milla Vane's A HEART OF BLOOD AND ASHES all made Amazon's Best Books of 2020 so far. THE CITY WE BECAME was also an Amazon Editorial Team's Top 10 Pick at #8.

TURN UP THE CONFLICT AND DRAMA BY STACKING TROPES by Reese Ryan

Reese Ryan is the author of A REUNION OF RIVALS (July 1). She writes sexy, emotional romance with captivating family drama, surprising secrets, and a posse of complex, flawed characters. A Midwesterner with deep Southern roots, Reese currently resides in semi-small-town North Carolina where she’s an avid reader, a music junkie, and a self-declared connoisseur of cheesy grits. Visit her online at www.reeseryan.com.

A trope is a common plot device or character attribute that is frequently used in literature. Romance, the genre in which I write, is particularly known for its use of tropes. When I first set out to write romance, I was afraid that the use of often repeated themes would limit my creativity as an author. But in reality, tropes can be beneficial for both readers and authors.

Readers may favor a particular trope, like friends-to-lovers or enemies-to-lovers. When they pick up a friends-to-lovers romance, they have a general assurance that they are going to get a story that, while unique, will also contain some of the familiar elements that they crave. But as writers, we can turn up the conflict and drama in a story by stacking more than one of these tried and true tropes. This gives the story more punch and treats the reader to an unexpected twist.

I discovered this, quite by accident, after plotting a story that I later realized contained three common tropes. I loved how the combination of those elements added tension and drama to the story which felt organic rather than forced. And my readers enjoyed it, immensely. All of the books in my Bourbon Brothers series, which follows the romantic adventures of a family that owns a distillery, include the stacking of tropes. Book one combines a revenge plot, a workplace romance, and family secrets—which provide an unexpected plot twist. Book three is a former-friends-turned-enemies-to-lovers, let’s make a deal, fake fiancé story. (Say that three times fast.) The combination of those common plot devices creates sparks between the love interests from the opening scene and carries the tension and conflict throughout the book.

So if you’re struggling with your novel or you’re looking for ways to intensify the conflict and add a little drama, experiment with stacking a few tropes. Just be sure to do it in a way that makes each element feel inherent to the story. The result will be a book that you’ll be excited to write and that your readers will enjoy.

NEW CLIENTS ON THE BLOCK

Andrea Thome

Andrea is a former broadcast journalist who covered both sports and news during her career in television. (That’s how she met her husband, Hall of Fame Baseball Player Jim Thome; she interviewed him on opening day of 1995 and the rest is history.) They live in Chicago with their seventeen-year-old daughter Lila and twelve-year-old son Landon, and two rescue cats who are spoiled rotten. In her spare time, Andrea enjoys photography, travel and is a self-described justice advocate who uses her contemporary romance books to spread love, compassion and encourage inclusion.

Dr. Laura Belus

Dr. Laura Belus is a registered naturopathic doctor who is passionate about making health simple. She believes in getting to the root of stubborn health issues that keep us from living our best life using natural, evidence-based treatments. When she's not speaking about health and wellness she is usually cuddling with her Maltese Chloe.

Dr. Jonathan Gelber

Dr. Jonathan Gelber is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine. He is the author of multiple books, including an American Book Awards Finalist: Tiger Woods's Back and Tommy John's Elbow - Injuries and Tragedies That Transformed Career, Sports, and Society. He has four lovely children.

ANNABETH ALBERT'S TIPS FOR BUSTING OUT OF YOUR WRITING SLUMPS

Annabeth Albert is a Pacific Northwest writer of contemporary LGBTQ romance, including her latest release, CONVENTIONALLY YOURS. Learn more about her at www.annabethalbert.com.

Hey Guys! I’m Annabeth Albert, and I’m proud to be a TKA client for several years now. I wanted to bring you some tips today for busting out of your writing slumps! I know we’re all struggling with the quarantine and being home and our routines being out of whack. So I wanted to talk a little bit about things that have worked for me when the words just aren’t flowing:

- Change your scenery! Wherever you normally write in your house, write somewhere different! I usually write in an office, so when I need to bust that slump, I write in bed. Sometimes just moving from desk to couch is enough of a change! Or get outdoors!

- Go for a walk! Speaking of outdoors, get your mask, socially distance, but get outside! Go walk and really focus on the book while you are walking. The universe may reward you with a plotting breakthrough. I like listening to my book’s playlist while walking with the purpose of getting past a slump.
- Take a shower! Or bath, hot tub, whatever works for you. Something about a shower always gets my brain going and then I can write afterward or at least take notes about what I want to do next.
- Write by hand! There is no substitute for a pretty notebook, a nice pen, and your imagination. Don’t start with the place you are stuck at—start with notes and backstory and ideas and then let that scribbling morph into whole scenes and work your way toward the slump. I often do entire scenes by hand when I’m stuck, but sometimes just three or four paragraphs by hand is enough.
- Change your font! I didn’t believe people that the comic sans trick worked. And it doesn’t for me, but a different font totally did make a difference for me. I’m using Tempus Sans for my slump buster, but you use what works for you! Try a script or sans font and see what you can get! I switch back to Times New Roman for editing!
- Change your reward system! If you don’t reward yourself for words, a slump is the perfect time to start. 50 words = 1 m&m. 150 words = 5 minutes of social media, etc. And big days = bigger rewards!
- Change your tools! If you’re not a Scrivener user, try it! If you are a Scrivener user, try writing a scene in word or google docs and pasting it in later. If you love pacemaker, use all its features to help you set goals for busting through the slump. If you don’t use a word tracker, it’s a good time to try one.
Keep trying! If one thing doesn’t work, try another! Just keep at it!

I hope these tips help! Thank you so much for letting me share with you today!

RECENT DEALS

Willa Reece's WILDWOOD WHISPERS, in which a young woman travels to a sleepy Southern town to bury her best friend and discovers a place filled with hope, magic, and dark secrets, to Nivia Evans at Redhook in a very nice two-book deal, by Lucienne Diver

USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn's WITCHA GONNA DO, about a magical dud who runs her all-powerful family's social media accounts and accidentally causes a snafu of epic proportions, to Kristine Swartz at Berkley in an exclusive submission for a two-book deal, by Elaine Spencer

Kara McDowell's JUST FOR CLICKS, to Loewe (Germany), by Kathrin Nehm at Thomas Schlueck Agency on behalf of The Knight Agency.

Ann Aguirre's WITCH PLEASE and QUEEN WITCH, pitched as Practical Magic for the 21st century—a feminist magical rom-com series featuring tech-savvy witches finding their own way in the world—to Christa Desir at Sourcebooks in a two-book deal, by Lucienne Diver

Lilith Saintcrow's THE BLACK GOD'S HEART and a sequel, a fantasy duology pitched as in the vein of John Wick meets American Gods, to Claire Eddy at Tor in a very nice two-book deal for publication in 2022, by Lucienne Diver

Karen Booth's LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF SECRETS, a trilogy in which an infamous diary's contents are anonymously leaked, threatening to undermine several powerful families and leading to unexpected romantic couplings, to Patience Bloom at Harlequin Desire in a nice three-book deal, by Melissa Jeglinski

Karen Whiddon's THE SPY SWITCH books one through four, to Patience Bloom at Harlequin in a nice four-book deal, by Lucienne Diver

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Susan Krinard's PRINCE OF WOLVES, PRINCE OF DREAMS, PRINCE OF SHADOWS, THE FOREST LORD, TWICE A HERO, BODY AND SOUL, STAR-CROSSED, and KINSMAN'S OATH, reissues of bestselling paranormal and futuristic romance novels, to Betsy Mitchell at Open Road Media in a multi-book deal, by Lucienne Diver (world English).

NEW RELEASES

Conventionally Yours (True Colors Book 1)

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When two "big name fans" go head-to-head at a convention, love isn't the only thing at stake.

Charming, charismatic, and effortlessly popular, Conrad Stewart seems to have it all...but in reality, he's scrambling to keep his life from tumbling out of control.

Alpha Night (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 4)

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New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her breathtaking Psy-Changeling Trinity series with a mating that shouldn’t exist…

Alpha wolf Selenka Durev’s devotion to her pack is equaled only by her anger at anyone who would harm those under her care. That currently includes the empaths who’ve flowed into her city for a symposium that is a security nightmare, a powder keg just waiting for a match.

Two Rogues Make a Right: Seducing the Sedgwicks

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Will Sedgwick can’t believe that after months of searching for his oldest friend, Martin Easterbrook is found hiding in an attic like a gothic nightmare. Intent on nursing Martin back to health, Will kindly kidnaps him and takes him to the countryside to recover, well away from the world.

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Inspired by real places and events of WWII, Red Sky Over Hawaii immerses the reader in a time of American history full of suspicion and peril in this lush and poignant tale about the indisputable power of doing the right thing against all odds.

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As a child, Cassidy Pratt accidentally started a fire that killed her neighbor. At least, that's what she's been told. She can't remember anything from that day. She's pretty sure she didn't mean to do it. She's a victim too. But her town's bullies, particularly the cruel and beautiful Melody Davenport, have never let her live it down. In Melody's eyes, Cassidy is a murderer and always will be.

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Return to Imperia in this scorching, significantly updated classic from New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter, originally published as The Pleasure Slave.

Curiously drawn to a battered jewelry box, Santa Fe antique dealer Julia Anderson could never have anticipated what—or rather who—it held inside—a handsome warrior who swears his devotion to her. Tall and sinfully handsome, Tristan ar Malik is hard to resist and determined to fulfill her every desire.

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Lex was taken–trafficked–and now she’s Poppy. Kept in a hotel with other girls, her old life is a distant memory. But when the girls are rescued, she doesn’t quite know how to be Lex again.

After she moves in with her aunt and uncle, for the first time in a long time, she knows what it is to feel truly safe. Except, she doesn’t trust it. Doesn't trust her new home. Doesn’t trust her new friend. Doesn’t trust her new life. Instead she trusts what she shouldn’t because that's what feels right. She doesn’t deserve good things.

Colton's Last Stand (The Coltons of Mustang Valley Book 12)

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They’re both living a lie, but the passion between them is real

Undercover FBI agent Fiona Evans is determined to bring down a deadly cult. But the cult leader’s estranged son, Jake Anderson, warns her that she’s in danger of being targeted. Jake can’t believe he’s attracted to someone who could fall for his mother’s scam—until he suspects that Fiona is not what she seems. Then he discovers his secret ties to the Colton family… Can he trust anyone? Can he trust himself when the enemy chases them down?

Pure Temptation: A Scorching Hot Romance (Fantasy Island)

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For daredevil and extreme athlete Daxon Miles, free solo climbing is as necessary as breathing. Just him facing off against the face of a mountain. No gear, no ropes…just the exhilaration of success. One wrong move and it’s all over. So being on enforced “rest and relaxation” in Hawaii before a major climb is seriously killing him. Fortunately, there isn’t a single restful thing about the woman at his door…

Forbidden Lust (Dynasties: Seven Sins Book 2)

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Next stop, paradise—With the man of her forbidden fantasies?
Giving in to desire with her brother’s best friend…

A secluded island resort is the perfect romantic setting for the night of passionate abandon Allison Randall plans to share with Zane Patterson. Her elder brother’s best friend has always been off-limits…and Zane is determined to keep it that way.

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