Mary McMyne – Jill Grinberg Literary Management

Mary McMyne

Mary McMyne is the author of The Book of Gothel (2022) and A Rose by Any Other Name (2024), published by Redhook and Orbit UK. She has published short stories, poems, and essays in venues such as Gulf Coast, Redivider, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Painted Bride Quarterly, and Southern Humanities Review. She is the recipient of the Faulkner-Wisdom Prize for a Novel-in-Progress, a grant from the Sustainable Arts Foundation, and a National Endowment for the Arts Parent Fellowship to Vermont Studio Center, among other honors. Her debut poetry chapbook, Wolf Skin (Dancing Girl Press, 2014), won the Elgin Chapbook Award. A graduate of the New York University MFA Program, she is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Lake Superior State University.

Agent

Sam Farkas

A Rose by Any Other Name

From the author of The Book of Gothel comes the lush, magical story behind Shakespeare’s sonnets, as told by one of his most famous subjects—the incendiary and mysterious Dark Lady.

My name has only been whispered, heretofore…

England, 1591. Rose Rushe’s passion for life runs deep—she loves mead and music, meddles with astrology, and laughs at her mother’s warnings to guard her reputation. When Rose’s father dies and a noble accuses her and her dear friend Cecely of witchcraft, they flee to the household of respected alchemists in London. But as their bond deepens, their sanctuary begins to feel more like a cage. To escape, they turn to the occult, secretly casting charms and selling astrological advice in the hopes of building a life together. This thriving underground business leads Rose to fair young noble Henry and playwright Will Shakespeare, and so begins a brief, tempestuous, and powerful romance—one filled with secret longings and deep betrayals.

In this world of dazzling masques and decadent feasts, where the stars decide futures, Rose will write her own fate instead.

Praise for A Rose By Any Other Name

“A fascinating fictional expose [with] a touch of mysticism and an LGBTQ twist.” –Booklist, starred review

“McMyne (The Book of Gothel) brings rich creativity, feminist sensibility, and a meticulous grounding in history to her captivating imagining of the life of the Dark Lady.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

”[The] original world that McMyne has created shines. Her descriptions of magic are rich with heavy, cloying scents and skin-tingling sensations. Her streets feel full of possibility and danger. And Rose and her imperfect, wild compatriots seem to spring from the page. A captivating blend of forensic literary analysis and dark magic, A Rose by Any Other Name is a fascinating exploration into the world of “what if.” –BookPage

“A Rose by Any Other Name is a sensual and witchy look at Shakespeare’s England, as well as a compelling and singular take on the Bard himself. Rose blazes to life, stepping from the shadows cast by Shakespeare’s (in)famous Dark Lady as an exceptional heroine in her own right, one who is determined to forge a life as an independent woman by any means necessary. Mary McMyne has crafted a masterful tale full of magic, poetry, and intrigue that will keep readers turning the pages into the dark of the night.” –Alyssa Palombo, author of The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel

“The Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets comes to life in Mary McMyne’s clever and captivating sophomore novel. A perfect blend of the historical and supernatural, A Rose by Any Other Name is a twisty, atmospheric reimagining of one of the most mysterious women in Shakespeare lore. Both fresh and gripping, this is the must-read romantic historical fantasy of the summer.” –Constance Sayers, author of A Witch in Time

“A triumph of feminist imagination. Rose Rushe is the Dark Lady we’ve all been waiting for, and her story of star-signs and spellbooks, betrayal and true love will enchant readers of historical fantasy. I adored it.” –Allison Epstein, author of A Tip for the Hangman

“A bold and inventive tale about a woman ahead of her time in an Elizabethan England you can practically see and touch. Timely, feminist, and wonderfully original.” –Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, author of The Witch and the Tsar

Publisher

Redhook

Publication Date

July 16, 2024

Age Category

Adult

Genre

Historical

Rights

JGLM

The Book of Gothel

Haelewise has always lived under the shadow of her mother, Hedda—a woman who will do anything to keep her daughter protected. For with her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, Haelewise is shunned by her village, and her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, of an ancient tower cloaked in mist, where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it.

But when her mother dies, Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find the tower of legend—a place called Gothel, where Haelewise meets a wise woman willing to take her under her wing.

But Haelewise is not the only woman to seek refuge at Gothel. It’s also a haven for a girl named Rika, who carries with her a secret the Church strives to keep hidden. A secret that just might explain why Haelewise keeps hearing her mother’s voice.

Praise for The Book of Gothel

“McMyne’s shimmering debut gives a fresh, exciting backstory to one of the most famous villains in fairy tale lore: the witch who put Rapunzel in her tower… Fans of Circe and The Wolf and the Woodsman will devour this taut, empowering fairy tale.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

“McMyne’s debut is a reinvention of the Rapunzel fairy tale, a luscious origin story from the witch’s point of view.” –Booklist, starred review

“Readers who have enjoyed Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked Years” series will find McMyne’s perspective delightful.” –Library Journal

“Smart, swift, sure-footed and fleet-winged, The Book of Gothel launches its magic from a most reliable source: the troubled heart. Mary McMyne is a magician. Her take on the Rapunzel tale glows like a cloisonné gem set against a fist of dark soapstone.” –Gregory Maguire, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked

“Both gently and fiercely told, THE BOOK OF GOTHEL is a sweeping, sharp story of how history twists into fairytale and back again.” –Hannah F. Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

“The Book of Gothel is wonderfully rich with historical detail, and sparkles with the intermingled magic of gods and goddesses, seers and wisewomen. Haelewise is a memorable heroine, worthy of legend. Readers will see the story of Rapunzel in a new and refreshing light.” –Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches

“Fable and history rhyme in McMyne’s captivating vision of a medieval past steeped in women’s magic and bound by women’s love.” –Jordanna Max Brodsky, author of the Olympus Bound trilogy

“Mary McMyne does more than retell a beloved fairy tale. She elevates the voice of the sacred Feminine hidden within. Certain stories endure because of their beauty, wonder, and wisdom. The Book of Gothel is such a novel—one that will hold readers in delighted thrall right to the startling end.” –Ronlyn Domingue, author of The Mercy of Thin Air and the Keeper of Tales Trilogy

“An inventive retelling of a classic tale that pulls you deep into the wild woods of medieval Germany. The Book of Gothel is a spell-binding debut.” –Signe Pike, author of The Forgotten Kingdom

“The Book of Gothel delivers an intelligent spin on a well-loved fairy tale, the rich historical detail deftly woven with folktale magic and thoughtful characterization.” –Rowenna Miller, author of Torn

“Mary McMyne’s The Book of Gothel is a gut-punch of a fantasy novel – I found myself completely enraptured by this story within a story, and even more taken by the end, which I totally didn’t see coming. Gothel feels both familiar and like a completely original fairy tale, and I was moved by the Jewish representation. This is Rapunzel like you’ve never seen her before.” –Rena Rossner, author of The Sisters of the Winter Wood

“Mary McMyne’s debut novel is dark and moody… This atmosphere, combined with the deep longings and confusion of a girl just entering womanhood and the fact that readers have a good idea of the fate that awaits her, shadows The Book of Gothel with an overwhelming sense of dread—but will also compel readers to keep going to the very end.” –BookPage