10 A FALL RIGHTS GUIDE 2019 - Elina Ahlback Literary ...
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th
10
ANNIVERSARY
FALL RIGHTS GUIDE 2019
LITERARY FICTION
4 Johanna Sinisalo: S I
trangers
nside
5 Emmi Itäranta: Moonday Letters
6 Inka Nousiainen: The Blackbird
7 Eeva Rohas: Rage
8 Laura Lindstedt: My Friend Natalia
9 Elina Hirvonen: Red Storm
10 Laura Lindstedt: Oneiron, Scissors
Jussi Valtonen: They Do Not Know What They Do
11 Iida Rauma: On Sex and Mathematics
Saara Turunen: The Bystander; Love/Monster
12 Johanna Sinisalo: Renate’s Story; The Core of The Sun, Troll
The Story Begins 13 Emmi Itäranta: The Memory of Water; The Weaver
HUMOR
The story of the Elina Ahlback Literary Agency began in 14 Miika Nousiainen: F
acelift
Manhattan, New York, on the Brooklyn Banks, in February 15 Miika Nousiainen: Roots; Rasberry Boat Refugee
2009. While Elina’s son was skating in this skate park under 16 Minna Lindgren: Far Far Love; The Angry Widow
the Brooklyn Bridge, the courageous decision to establish 17 Minna Lindgren: The Sunset Grove Trilogy
the agency was made — with its mission to build bridges
CRIME
between authors and publishers worldwide and with its
passion to internationalize Finnish literature. 18 Max Seeck: T F R
he
aithful
eader
19 Max Seeck: Daniel Kuisma Trilogy
20 Leena Lehtolainen: The Oathbreaker
21 Leena Lehtolainen: Maria Kallio Series
22 Petri Karra: Dark Light
23 Pauliina Susi: Siren
The Elina Ahlback Arto Halonen & Kevin Frazier: The Guardian Angel
Karo Hämäläinen: Cruel is the Night
Literary Agency 10 years NON-FICTION
24 Frank Martela: A W L
onderful
ife
25 Konsta Klemetti, Harro Grönberg: The Game Designer Confessions
Literature is a work of art. Literature is universal. Literary
26 Katja Pantzar: Saving the World with Sisu, the Finnish Way
works take many forms: prose, narrative non-fiction, 27 Katja Pantzar: Finding Sisu
children’s stories, illustrated works. 28 Mia Kankimäki: The Women I Think About at Night
On June 9th, 2009, I established The Elina Ahlback 29 Mia Kankimäki: Things That Make One’s Heart Beat Faster
Literary Agency with great passion: I had vision and a 30 Lotta Sonninen: The Little Book of Bad Moods for Mothers
dream to bring Finnish authors and their unique works 31 Lotta Sonninen: The Little Book of Bad Moods
to the US and around the globe: to multiply, to tenfold 32 Raisa Cacciatore & Erja Korteniemi-Poikela:
the export of Finnish literature. To build bridges between Will-Power, Determination & Self-Esteem
Love, Joy & Courage
Finnish authors and publishers worldwide!
33 Carita Harju: The Soul of Sauna
I believed Finland has to offer world class literature, and 34 Timo Honkela: The Peace Machine
today I believe even more in this mission. Finnish authors 35 Finnish Literature Exchange Grants
write hidden gems, and it has been pure joy to represent
Finland’s award-winning and bestselling authors in all YOUNG ADULT
genres, and to sell passionately literary fiction, crime, 36-37 Aino Louhi: I G
non-fiction, children’s and young adult fiction worldwide.
maginary
irl
38-39 Maria Turtschaninoff: Red Abbey Chronicles
I am truly grateful to all our wonderful publishers around 40-41 Salla Simukka: Snow White Trilogy
the world who have believed in Finnish authors and have
widely published literary works from Finland! CHILDREN’S
The coming 100 years will show that many of our 42 Tuutikki Tolonen: A G D
gnes
and
the
arden
of
reams
Agency’s Finnish authors and their works will be part of 43 Heidi Viherjuuri: Hilja Series
the world literature heritage. 44 Petri Tamminen: How to Greet an Alien
45 Satu Kettunen: Alma’s Monster Party
Meet our wonderful team of agents and co-agents in the
46-47 Tuutikki Tolonen: Monster Nanny Series
coming book fairs. Browse through our 10th anniversary 48 Laura Ertimo: Weird Weather. Why Does Climate Change?
Fall 2019 List and we welcome you to join the success 49 Laura Ertimo: The Enchanted Planet Earth
story: Finnish authors conquering the world! 50 Laura Ertimo: What is Night, What is Water
51 Riikka Jäntti: Little Mouse Series
Yours truly, 52 Salla Simukka: Sisterland
Elina Ahlbäck, Founder & CEO 53 Magdaleena Hai: The Little Shop of Nightmares Series,
The Grumblebelly Cat
54 Mila Teräs: The Fox Who Painted the Sky
Pasi Pitkänen: Monster Tournament
Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com 55 Kristiina Louhi: Tomppa Series
Elina Hirvonen: Princess Rascal Series
Literary Fiction
Strangers
Literary Fiction Inside pg 4
Johanna Sinisalo
Facelift
Humor
Humor pg 14
Miika Nousiainen
The Faithful
Crime
C
Reader
rime
pg 18
Max Seeck
A Wonderful Life:
Insights for Finding a
N
on-Fiction
Non-Fiction Meaningful Existence pg 24
Frank Martela
Y
oung du t
Young Adult Imaginary Girl pg 36
A
Aino Louhi
l
Agnes and the
Ch
Children’s
i dren’s
l
pg 42
Garden of Dreams
Tuutikki Tolonen
L F
iterary
iction
photo: Katri Kallio
Strangers Inside
by Johanna Sinisalo
Modern horror story by ”The Queen
of Finnish Weird”. Based on the latest
science with a sci-fi twist!
#modernhorror #scifi #science #metabolism #bodyhorror #family
#drama #bestsellingauthor
There is a slightly unconventional family, including a more than a
little unconventional daughter with some very, very unconventional
thoughts. Something uncanny creeps into their lives, as these
seemingly inexplicable injuries appear on the children. Something
dangerous and freaky seems to be at large... With the first signs of
violence, a horrible question arises: Who is trying to cruelly damage
the family? Is it an external threat – or could it be someone... or
something... from the inside?
Strangers Inside is a modern horror story, but also a stunning, gripping
and frightening description of crooked family dynamics. The story is
delivered by three different narrator voices, all of them having their
blind points of view. Is the ultimate enemy, ripping the family slowly V
ieraat
apart, coming from the circle of people that are closest to you? Karisto 2020, 350 pp
Winner
Strangers Inside is classic horror Rights sold
FINLAND: Karisto (orig.) of a major
National
updated! The tension grows Reading materials Horror Novel
beautifully and the horror seeps English sample and synopsis Competition
2019
into the story nice and slow. It is a
fresh and brilliant story that is both
current and timeless.
– National Horror Competition Jury
J S is an internationally-acclaimed author, who categorizes her own works as ‘Finnish weird’
ohanna
inisalo
as they defy any single genre. She has won numerous literary prizes, including the Finlandia Prize (2000), James
Tiptree Jr. Award (2004), Atorox (seven times), Prometheus Award (2017), and been nominated for the Nebula
Award (2009), and her works have been translated into over 20 languages.
Read mo e about Johanna Sinisalo’s award-winning bibliography on page 12
r
4 Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com
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iction
Literary Fiction
photo: Heini Lehväslaiho
Moonday Letters
by Emmi Itäranta
Dystopian space opera meets
sci-fi thriller somewhere between
the Earth, Mars and the Moon!
Humor
#sci-fi #future #space #moon #earth #marriage #secrets #activism
Lumi is an Earth-born healer whose Mars-born spouse Sol
disappears unexpectedly on a work trip. As Lumi begins her
quest through space to find Sol, she delves gradually deeper
into Sol’s secrets and into her own past — finding that their
fates may have been connected for much longer than she
thought.
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Itäranta’s lyrical style
K pä ä
makes a dystopian tale into
uun
iv
n
kirjeet
Teos 2020, 300 pp
B
a beautiful exploration of
est
S
eller
Rights sold
N
environmental ethics and
on-Fiction
FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
By the
the power of ritual. Reading materials
English sample and synopsis
author of
international
bestseller
– Washington Post Book World on emory of Water The Memory
M
of Water
Y
oung du t
A
E I ä writes speculative fiction in Finnish and English, often using environmental and dystopian
l
mmi
t
ranta
themes in her prose, praised for its lyricism. Her award-winning and widely translated debut Memory of Water is
being developed into a feature film, and it has been translated into 23 languages.
Her honours include the Young Aleksis Kivi Prize 2013, the Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize 2012 and first place in the
Teos Fantasy and Sci-Fi Literary Contest 2011. Her novel Memory of Water has also been nominated for the Philip
K. Dick Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award recognizing the best science fiction novel published in the UK in 2014, and
the Golden Tentacle award. In addition, Itäranta has been included on the Honor List of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award.
Ch
i dren’s
See Emmi’s previous award-winning titles on page 13
l
Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com 5
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The Blackbird
by Inka Nousiainen
A heart-gripping story of loss, letting
go, and of hope that won’t fade away —
based on a true story.
#brothersandsisters #familytragedy #loss #memories #truestory
#longing #sea #disappearance
In August 1989 a young man goes on a cruise boat with his friends,
and disappears. The only thing that returns is a yellow backpack and
endless sorrow. The tragedy changes the lives of the whole family.
Uncertainty of the brother’s fate makes his little sister ask even years
later, what happened on that night on M/S Fennia?
The sister, grown up with the trauma, returns to the memories of past
with hope to finally be able to say goodbye.
The story flows on, and the M
ustarastas
sentences echo with sorrow, WSOY September 2019, 170 pp
secrets and longing. Nousiainen Rights sold
writes in such a way that you FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
can hear the song of a blackbird. Reading materials
English sample and synopsis
– Parnasso Literary Magazine on Nousiainen’s novel
Kirkkaat päivä ja ilta
I N is an award-winning author from Helsinki, who writes
nka
ousiainen
fiction, children’s books and lyrics for different artists. She was only 17 years
old when her first novel was published and it won the Topelius Prize in 1994.
photo: Otto Virtanen
6 Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com
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Literary Fiction
Rage
by Eeva Rohas
Story of divorce, alcoholism,
and attempts to recover.
Faith, hope, love… and rage!
EU Literature rize nominee!
Humor
P
#marriage #divorce #alcoholism #familydrama #love #attraction
#translation #competing #recovery
Tuuli is a struggling translator and a mother of Luna, a four-
year-old girl. When Tuuli leaves her heavily drinking husband
Ilja, the lives of three people change for good.
Rage is a gripping story of divorce, alcoholism, and attempts
to recover. It’s also a novel about motherhood, commitment,
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rime
relationships, and how people and literature are both just
as tricky to translate. Three narrators paint a picture of one
broken family, and one fragile lizard who seems to keep
everything together.
R
aivo
Otava 2018, 270 pp
Rage’s structure is skillful! Rights sold European
N
on-Fiction
FINLAND: Otava (orig.) Union
Literature
It takes the reader to the BULGARIA: Perseus
rize
P
Reading materials nominee
depths of the human mind, English sample and synopsis 2019
and then surfaces with insight.
– Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, Finland
Y
oung du t
A
l
E R is a critically acclaimed author who writes about social misfits.
eva
ohas
Rohas received her doctoral degree in contemporary culture research in 2016
with her study of The Sylvia Plath Forum. Raivo is her third work of fiction.
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photo: Jouni Harala
Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com 7
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My Friend Natalia
by Laura Lindstedt
A brave novel about a young woman’s
sexuality, the power of narration,
and identity. layful, brilliant,
P
feministic and surprisingly funny
novel by a Finlandia-winner!
#literaryfiction #mystery #bestsellingauthor #therapy #irony
#philosophy #art #sexuality #nymphomaniac #feminism
Natalia starts to see a therapist to help solve the problems in her sex
life. It is clear from the beginning that she is not going to play by the
rules of the therapy. The weekly sessions combine art, philosophy,
literature, childhood memories, and erotic experiences as a method of
treatment, and slowly they make Natalia lose all her inhibitions.
She starts to enjoy the therapy – maybe too much?
The novel takes a deconstructive approach to the self-help narratives
of our time and drives the tools of autofiction into a dead end, asking
what is concealed, when everything is revealed. Y ä ä N Teos
st
v
ni
atalia
2019, 240pp
B
The awaited book by Finlandia
est
Rights sold S
eller
FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
prize winner has the reader follow BELGIUM: De Bezige Bij
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat Laura
a nymphomaniac through her very FRANCE: Gallimard Lindstedt’s
suspicious therapy sessions. The GERMANY: dtv
HUNGARY: Scolar
books are
sold in
plot-driven mystery has a lot to offer ITALY: Elliot Edizioni
NETHERLANDS: De Bezige Bij
18 territories!
for readers. Laura is a rock-star of NORWAY: Oktober
ROMANIA: Humanitas Fiction
literature! – Aamulehti newspaper SWEDEN: Norstedts
UNITED STATES:
W.W. Norton/Liveright
Reading materials
English sample and synopsis
LAURA LINDSTEDT is a Finlandia-winner and one of the most celebrated young Finnish
authors of recent years: her novels verge on the postmodern and experiment with form
and language in an accessible style. She is currently revising her PhD thesis on French
author Nathalie Sarraute and touring the world to promote her works.
Finlandia prize S Lindstedt’s previous award-winning titles on page 10
EE
winning author
photo: Jarkko Mikkonen
8 Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com
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Literary Fiction
Red Storm
by Elina Hirvonen
A heart-breaking story of an Iraqi
family’s long journey to Finland –
and of their dream of peace.
Humor
#refugee #war #peace #immigration #integration
#growingup #hope
As a small boy grows up in Iraq ruled by Saddam Hussein, fear is
always present. His father is part of an underground opposition
movement that tries to overthrow the dictator. The father ends up
spending years in prison, and the boy learns that just one wrong
word can put his life in danger.
The family escapes to melancholy Finland, a country recovering
C
rime
from financial depression. It is a safe country, but the boy grows
up with mixed feelings: can one be a good Muslim and a good
Finnish boy? When ISIS in rising in Iraq, the boy returns to his home
country as a peace negotiator, hoping to build a country where his
children can safely travel to one day.
Punainen
myrsky
WSOY September 2019, 300 pp
Potent, fragile and tender,
“When I Forgot” is really the story of Rights sold
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on-Fiction
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
“When I Remembered”, of a woman
Reading materials
summoning the courage to unlock English sample and synopsis
her memories and share them, and
feeling the relief of exhaling breath
held too long.
Y
– The New York Times Book Review on When I Forgot
oung du t
A
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ELINA HIRVONEN is the author of adults’ and children’s prose, a journalist
and documentary filmmaker. She has written three highly acclaimed
beautiful and tragic adults’ novels: When I Forgot, Farthest From Death and
When Time Runs Out. She is also an author of two children’s books.
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photo: Jarkko Virtanen
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Oneiron by Laura Lindstedt Finlandia prize 2015
winner
Seven women meet in a white, undefined space, moments after their deaths. Time, as we
understand it, has ceased to exist, and all bodily sensations seem to have disappeared. In
turn they try to remember, to piece together the fragments of their lives, their identities,
their lost loves, and to pinpoint the moment they left their former lives behind.
Lindstedt plays with genres from essay to poetry, transitioning from humor to rage – while
asking the reader to contemplate the question of death’s inevitability and what follows it.
Over 50,000 copies sold in Finland
O Teos 2015, 440p.
neiron
Rights sold: FINLAND: Teos (orig.), WORLD ENGLISH: Oneworld, BULGARIA: Faber, CZECH REPUBLIC:
Argo, DENMARK: Rosinante, FRANCE: Gallimard, HUNGARY: Scolar, ITALY: Elliot Edizioni, LITHUANIA:
Versus Aureus, NORWAY: Forlaget Oktober, POLAND: Poznańskie, ROMANIA: Editura Paralela 45,
SPAIN: Armaenia, SWEDEN: Norstedts, TURKEY: Everest Yayınları
Reading material: English edition
#awardwinner #literaryfiction #afterlife #death #women #feminism #identity #story
#communicationproblems
Scissors by Laura Lindstedt
A gripping story of a mother’s love – or the lack of it for an adopted child.
Maria adopts a little girl from China. Great expectations and the desire to love turn into
inadequacies before the child’s blank stare. What happens if a child doesn’t respond at
all? What if the mother and the child are afraid of each other?
Lindstedt writes boldly about a woman’s life and the need to love one’s child. The novel
discusses sensitive matters that are not often talked about: the distance between child
and parent, the fear of failure, and finally a mother’s mental instability.
Finlandia rize 2007
P
nominee
S Teos 2007, 240 pp.
akset
Rights sold: FINLAND: Teos (orig.), DENMARK: Turbine
Reading materials: Finnish and Danish editions
#motherhood #adoption #depression #love #guilt #communicationproblems
They Know Not What They Do by Jussi Valtonen Finlandia prize
2014
winner
A story of family conflicts, the ethics of science, and the search for identity in a commer-
cialized society. When professor Joe Chayefski’s neuroscience lab in Baltimore is attacked by
animal rights activists, he doesn’t connect the dots at first. But when he receives a phone call
from Alina, his Finnish ex-wife, he begins to realize that the threats to his career and to his
new family may be connected to Samuel, the son he left behind in Finland two decades ago.
Over 110,000 copies sold in Finland
H ä ä ä ä Tammi 2014, 560 pp.
e
eiv
t
tied
mit
tekev
t
Rights sold: FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), CHINA: China International Radio Press, CZECH REPUBLIC: Leda,
FRANCE: Fayard, GERMANY: Piper Verlag, HUNGARY: Cser, LITHUANIA: Alma Littera, NETHERLANDS:
Signatuur/A.W. Bruna, POLAND: Foksal, VIETNAM: Chibooks, WORLD ENGLISH: Oneworld
Reading material: English edition
Author bio: Finlandia-winning author and psychologist whose prose often muses with ethical issues and
family relationships in style of contemporary American authors like Franzen and Egan.
#awardwinner #thriller #father #lostson #familydrama #science #ethics
10 Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.comA -W L F
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Literary Fiction
ull
nglish
p !
On Sex and Mathematics W of Kalevi Jäntti Award 2015 and
manuscri
t
available
inner
the Finnish Literature Export rize 2016
by Iida Rauma
P
Berlin-based Finnish mathematician, Erika leads a controlled, ordered life trying to
purge herself of superfluous emotions and needs. Yet when the worst thing imaginable
happens to her, her world comes crashing down and she escapes back to her homeland.
Meanwhile, in Helsinki, a young man named Tuovi is looking online for love in a
desperate attempt to soothe his fears. These two lost souls find salvation in each other
in unexpected ways. Sex and Mathematics is a frighteningly intelligent and visceral novel
about people in crisis, environmental disasters, about a confusing and erratic life, and the
beauty and logic of mathematics, while also exploring the agonies and ecstasies of sex.
Humor
S eksist
ä Gummerus 2015, 480 pp.
ja
matematiikasta
Rights sold: FINLAND: Gummerus (orig.)
Author bio: Iida Rauma is an author of two prize-winning novels. Her writing tackles notions of
power, sexuality, violence and the relationship between humans and nature.
#identity #intelligence #sex #mathematics #massextinction #ghosts #magic #feminism
#family #dogs #stalkers #romanticcomedies #bodies #mucus #arrythmia #transpeople
#queer #sleepparalysis #posthumanism #oil #love
The Bystander by Saara Turunen
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rime
The Bystander is a journey of one year in the life of its writer. When the narrator’s
debut novel is published, she feels like everything has changed. Strangely enough, no
one else seems to notice this.
At the same time ironic and earnest, the novel burrows into the issues of art, identity
and social norms. The text glows in the depiction of everyday details, it shifts between
fiction and reality, mixing shame and self-contemptuous humor with sharp narration.
N
S ö Tammi 2018, 233 pp.
on-Fiction
ivuhenkil
Rights sold: FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), SWEDEN: Wahlström & Widstrand
Reading material: English sample
#selfportrait #literarycriticism #feminism #self-irony #shame #loneliness #lifechoises
#literaryprize #houseplants #bicycle #noodles
Love/Monster by Saara Turunen Debut Book of the Year rize W 2015
P
inner
Love/Monster is a strong, unique novel about the lust for life, shame, yearning, and trying
Y
to belong somewhere. It is a self-portrait of an artist that expands into an exploration of
oung du t
cultural identity, gender roles, and the demand of being “normal”.
A
In Love/Monster a young woman is finding her own place in the world by constantly
changing the scenery. Instead of answers, the only thing she finds is her own shadow,
l
the feeling of worthlessness and the inability to love herself. The narrative voice is often
playful and amusing, as the novel tackles big themes with the aid of humor.
R ö Tammi 2015, 440 pp.
akkaudenhirvi
Rights sold: FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
Reading materials: English sample and synopsis
Author bio: Saara Turunen is an author, playwright and director whose work often examines the
Ch
themes of art gender identity and femininity.
i dren’s
l
#femaleodyssey #findingyourway #family #mother #shame #genderroles #humor #normality
#autofiction #escaping #home #skiing #cleaning #raking #bible
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Renate’s Story by Johanna Sinisalo
The story of a young woman, surrounded by a world at war, who lives in the middle
of hostile forces in Nazi fortress on the dark side of the moon.
Renate’s Story contains pitch-black humor narrating the ways in which its main character,
Renate Richter – raised on the National Socialist values of the 1940s – regards the cultures
and habits of those inhabiting the distant Planet Earth.
T “Iron Sky – Coming Race” was released in the US on July 19th, 2019.
he
feature
film
R Johnny Kniga 2018, 358 pp.
enaten
tarina
Rights sold: FINLAND, Johnny Kniga (orig.), FRANCE: Actes Sud, GERMANY: Klett-Cotta,
HUNGARY: Metropolis Media
Reading materials: English sample, German and French edition
Author bio: see page 4
#blackhumor #nazis #moon #dystopia
The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo rometheus rize ’Best Novel’
P
P
2017
winner
How did Finland turn into the North Korea of Europe?
The Eusistocratic Republic of Finland has prioritized social stability and national health,
and outlawed practically everything that might give one pleasure or cause addiction. Well,
almost everything: the distribution of sex, an essential commodity of pleasure, is made as
efficient as possible. In order to achieve this, the state has bred a new human subspecies:
one that is receptive, submissive, and always willing. They used to be called “women”.
A Teos 2013, 340 pp.
uringon
ydin
Rights sold: FINLAND: Teos (orig.), CZECH: Euromedia, DENMARK: Jensen & Dalgaard, FRANCE:
Actes Sud, GERMANY: Klett-Cotta, HUNGARY: Metropolis Media, LATVIA: Petergailis, SPAIN: Roca,
TURKEY: Ithaki, WORLD ENGLISH: Grove Atlantic
Reading material: English edition
#awardwinner #bestseller #literaryfiction #finnishweird #dystopia #socialcommentary
#femalenarrator #sex #satire #patriarchy #genderpolitics #suspense #chillipeppers
Troll by Johanna Sinisalo Finlandia rize W
P
2000
inner
Mikael, a young gay photographer, finds in the courtyard of his apartment block a small, man-
like creature. It is a young troll, familiar from Scandinavian mythology – a demonic, wild beast –
and it is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Mikael gives the troll a name, Pessi, and
takes him home and hides him.
What Mikael does not know is that trolls exude pheromones that have a profound aphrodisiac
effect on all those around it. With tragic consequences, Mikael learns that the troll is the
interpreter of man’s darkest, most forbidden impulses…
E pä ä Tammi 2000, 260 pp.
nnen
iv
nlaskua
ei
voi
Rights sold: ALBANIA: Dituria, BRAZIL: Devir, BULGARIA: Perseus, CZECH REPUBLIC: One Woman Press,
DENMARK: Jensen & Dalgaard, FRANCE: Actes Sud, GERMANY: Tropen (Klett-Cotta), JAPAN: Sunmark*,
LATVIA: Atena, LITHUANIA: Vaga, POLAND: Terytoria*, RUSSIA: Amphora*, SLOVENIA: Modrijan*,
SPAIN: Polledro*, SWEDEN: Wahlström & Widstrand, UK: Peter Owen, USA: Grove Atlantic *Rights reverted
Reading material: English edition
#bestseller #awardwinner #literaryfiction #troll #homosexuality #darkimpulses #aphrodisiac
12 Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.comA -W L F
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Literary Fiction
The Memory of Water N for Arthur C. Clarke
ominated
Award & hilip K. Dick Award
by Emmi Itäranta
P
Lyrical dystopia of the world without water!
Rights sold in 23 territories and an international feature film in development!
The story is set in a drought-ravaged, war-ridden future world where fresh water has
become a privilege of the few, and tea masters have been the keepers of natural springs
for centuries, Memory of Water tells the story of seventeen-year-old Noria, set to
become the next tea master in her village. When her father dies, she finds herself alone
with the dangerous responsibility of guarding a hidden spring that can save lives – or
Humor
provoke people to kill.
T Teos 2012, 266 pp.
eemestarin
kirja
Rights sold: FINLAND: Teos (orig.) ARABIC: Dar Al Muna, BRAZIL: Record, BULGARIA:
Perseus, CHINA: Sichuan People’s Publishing House, CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media/
Plus, DENMARK: Turbine, ESTONIA: Koolibri, FRANCE: Place des Editeurs, GEORGIA: Palitra L
Publishing, GERMANY: DTV/Reihe Hanser, HUNGARY: Metropolis Media, ITALY: Piemme, JAPAN:
Nishimura Shoten, KOREA: The Book in My Life, LATVIA: Janis Roze, LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto,
NORWAY: Gresvik Forlag, RUSSIA: Text Publishers, SPAIN: Ediciones B, SWEDEN: Modernista,
FILM B TURKEY:Dogan Egmont, WORLD ENGLISH: HarperCollins, FILM RIGHTS: Bufo
est
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Reading material: English edition
eller
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Author bio: see page 5
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International Feature Film in
development by Bufo Films. #bestseller #awardwinner #dystopia #friendship #growingup #beautifullanguage
Rights sold in 23 ! #globalwarming #teaseremony #watershortage #militaryrule
territories
The Weaver Tampere City Literary Award W
inner
UK title The City of Woven Streets
N
on-Fiction
by Emmi Itäranta
The globally praised dystopian eco-novel about a drowning city with political plotting
worthy of Game of Thrones.
Eliana, an innocent young woman becomes entangled in a web of ancient secrets and
deadly lies that lie at the dark center of her prosperous island world. She is a model
citizen of the island, a weaver in the prestigious House of Webs, but she also harbors a
dangerous secret in the shape of a forbidden ability: she can dream.
Avoiding the usual tropes associated with the genre, The Weaver offers beautifully
Y
oung du t
descriptive and detailed characterizations told in Itäranta’s fresh prose. With expectations
running high after Itäranta’s prize-winning debut, here she fulfills them gracefully and
A
delivers another masterpiece.
l
K p Teos 2015, 335 pp.
udottujen
kujien
kau
unki
Rights sold: FINLAND: Teos (orig.), BRAZIL: Record, FRANCE: Place des Editeurs, GEORGIA: Palitra L
Publishing, GERMANY: Arctis, HUNGARY: Metropolis Media, JAPAN: Nishimura Shoten,
UK: HarperVoyager, US: HarperVoyager
Reading material: English edition
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#bestseller #ecosciencefiction #atypicalcharacters #corruption
i dren’s
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Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com 13H
umor
photo: Otava Publishers
Facelift
by Miika Nousiainen
Tragicomic tale of life’s biggest
questions and their surprisingly
simple answers.
#humour #problems #wellbeing #socialmedia #fake #facelift
What connects a 70-year old widow, a guy from a motorbike club, a
single-father, and a personal carer? — They are all looking for an easy
solution for their problems.
In this case, the solution is Sanni, a wellbeing blogger with a perfect life.
But can every day be filled with freshly-baked spelt bread and rustic
pottery arrangements? It takes 3 seconds to get a perfect picture for
Instagram, but perhaps one should focus a little more on the rest of
the day, beyond those three seconds?
German i hts sold
Reading a novel by Nousiainen is
R
g
prior to publication!
B
like a scenic ride in a ropeway:
est
S
a comfortable, entertaining spectacle
eller
Pintaremontti
Otava 2020
while looking into deep abysses. Miika
Nousiainen
I can’t wait to read more and start Rights sold
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
has sold
laughing and at the same time having GERMANY: Kein & Aber
over 100 000
books
this awkward and thrilling feeling Reading materials
worldwide
of facing existential questions. English sample and synopsis
– atrick Sielemann, Editor, Kein & Aber, Germany
P
M N writes sharp, gentle and
Funniest writing
iika
ousiainen
often tragicomical novels about surprising
themes like long-distance running, the desire
from Finland! to be Swedish, and dentistry. He works as a
journalist and writes also for television.
14 Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.comH
umor
Literary Fiction
Raspberry Boat Refugee Roots
by Miika Nousiainen by Miika Nousiainen
Humor
C
rime
Mikko Virtanen has a problem. He does not want to Nousiainen is the master of Finnish comedy. Roots is
be a Finnish man, the grumpy epitome of anxiety and a story of fathers, sons, road trips, and teeth.
low self-esteem. He has decided to become Swedish
“In life there are three big questions. Who are you?
instead, by any means necessary.
Where are you going? Do you want anesthesia? I can
The road to Swedishness is a long one, and the price only answer the third. It is always better to do anes-
to pay is high. But what wouldn’t you do for a chance thesia. Even for feelings.”
to live as a member of the most democratic society of
Onni Kirnuvaara left to get groceries when his son
N
on-Fiction
the world, in the ‘folkhemmet’ of ABBA, mamma’s meat
was just a child – and never returned. Years later,
balls and social democracy?
during a root canal treatment, the son finds out that
Mikko Virtanen becomes Mikael Andersson – the in addition to his bad dental karma, he has a dentist
empathic, loving and forever patient father of two from brother, left behind as a child just like him. The broth-
Gothenburg, but when his lifetime wish is fulfilled, ers embark on a journey to find out the truth about
everything goes haywire. their father.
Vade ma e e a o a e Otava 2007, 270 pp Juu ho o Otava 2016, 334 pp
l
v
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p
k
l
in
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ri
it
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Rights sold: Rights sold:
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FINLAND: Otava (Orig. publisher) FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
GERMANY: Nagel & Kimche CZECH REPUBLIC: XYZ
A
SWEDEN: Brombergs GERMANY: Nagel & Kimche
HUNGARY: Kossuth
l
Reading materials: English sample and synopsis, ITALY: Iperborea
German edition LITHUANIA: Alma Littera
NETHERLANDS: Prometheus
#humour #neighbourenvy #satire #cantstopreading SWEDEN: Brombergs
Reading materials: English sample and synopsis,
German edition
Ch
#humor #lostfather #family #journey #menincrisis #fun
i dren’s
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Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com 15H
umor
A Far, Far Love The Angry Widow
minna lindgren
by Minna Lindgren Ricomincio by Minna Lindgren
da vedova
romanzo
B B
est
S
est
S
eller
eller
A story of longing, love, and loss. For the fans of an Called ve meets Sex and the City.
A
M
O
The Red Address Book – with a humorous twist.
For the past 12 years, 74-year-old Ulla has cared for her
Kauko Koskinen is a man of order: receipts are organized, paralyzed husband, a mean and slightly alcoholic man. At
60 years of calendars are safely stored, and every day has his funeral, all she can think is: finally! She reconnects with
certain rhythms and routines. But when he gets banned old friends and starts living every day as if it were her last.
from the dementia care home where his wife resides, Her adult children try to stop her newfound debauchery in
his life turns upside down. Memories of his youth bring a many ways – but the biggest change comes along in the
person from the past back to his mind: where is his first love guise of an older gentleman.
now? Kauko starts to track down a woman he knew sixty V ha e e , Teos 2018, 247 pp.
i
in
n
l
ski
years ago, but is he chasing only a memory or a dream? Rights sold:
FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
Kau o a au , Teos 2019, 240 pp. CZECH REPUBLIC: XYZ
k
r
kk
s
ESTONIA: Pegasus
Rights sold: FINLAND: Teos (orig.) GERMANY: Kiepenheuer & Witsch
Reading material: English sample and synopsis ITALY: Marsilio SLOVAKIA: XYZ
SPAIN: Suma/Penguin Random House
#literaryhumor #aging #longing #love #loss #feelgood
Reading materials: English sample and synopsis, Spanish edition
#cozycrime
#humor #aging #farce #blackhumor #widowat74
#liveaseachdayisthelast #yo
inna Lindgren’s notions on modern fads are spot
M
on, and her talent to mock them phenomenal!
– Kirjasta kirjaan blog
M L is a renowned and awarded journalist and expert of
inna
indgren
classical music. In her fiction, she writes about life of elderly people with
acerbic wit, which has been met with delight in many countries.
photo: Heli Sorjonen
16 Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.comH
umor
Literary Fiction
The Sunset Grove Trilogy
by Minna Lindgren
Three 90-year-old ladies solving murders, moving house and defeating
tech-geniuses? Turns out life in a retirement home is not boring at all!
B
Rip-roaring, hilarious and poignant.
For the fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Mma Ramotswe!
est
S
eller
Humor
Death in Escape From The End of
Sunset Grove Sunset Grove Sunset Grove
C
rime
Death in Sunset Grove is a devilishly Sunset Grove retirement home turns The final part of the trilogy marks a
N
funny and suspenseful story about into a kind of hell when it is taken return to the retirement community.
on-Fiction
old age, friendship and life in a over by foreign construction workers But the place no longer feels like
relatively ordinary retirement home. cursing fluently in Finnish. The noise home, and has turned into a state-
Here the only fate worse than death is deafening, a hole appears in the funded, technology-driven pilot
is being drugged up and locked away wall, things disappear and residents project in elderly care. The conclusion
inside the dementia ward. Even the have to use a portable toilet. brings together characters lost along
sharpest senior can’t decipher all the the way, as murky details are brought
Residents Siiri, Irma and Anna-Liisa,
nuances of this place; thankfully a to light. Legal justice is also served –
all older than 90, decide to move
few young people, including members in unexpected ways.
into a shared apartment in the exotic
Y
of a biker gang and a grandchild’s
oung du t
neighbourhood of Hakaniemi. h oo ehdo uho
boyfriend, offer some help.
E
t
l
n
t
Teos 2015, 290 pp.
A
h oo ehdo a o a e
Kuo ema h oo ehdo a Reading material: English edition
E
t
l
n
p
k
l
is
t
Teos 2014, 256 pp.
l
l
E
t
l
ss
Teos 2013, 305 pp.
Reading material: English edition #humor #retirementhome #oldage
Reading material: English edition #technologyandelderly #dignity
#humor #retirementhome
#humor #bestseller #elderly #constructionworks #euthanasia
#friendship #retirementhome
#bikergang #goldenoldies
Ch
Rights sold FINLAND, Teos (orig.) CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media, DENMARK: Jensen & Dalgaard, ESTONIA: Varrak,
i dren’s
l
GERMANY:Kiepenheuer & Witsch, FRANCE: Calmann-Lévy, ITALY:Marsilio, SLOVAKIA: Albatros Media, SPAIN:Penguin Random House,
SWEDEN:Norstedts, WORLD ENGLISH: Pan Macmillan
Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com 17crime
The Faithful Reader
by Max Seeck
A book-inspired serial killer is on the
loose. Jessica Niemi - a detective with
a mysterious past - steps up. A chase
for the faithful reader has begun!
#serialkiller #rituals #copycat #femaledetective #catandmouse #nordicnoir
Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is
unordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have
been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes
obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.
But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from
Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more
personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the
book even better than the author?
U
skollinen
lukija
Tammi, August 2019, 400 pp
FAITHFUL READER is more B
est
Rights sold S
than very, very good. It has a
eller
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.),
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
quality, tension and a level of ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
Max Seeck’s
books have
suspense which are just GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
ITALY: auction
sold over
40,000 copies
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos in Finland
exceptional.” NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director Bastei Lübbe AG, Germany NORWAY: tba
F E
ull
nglish
M p
anuscri
t
available
MAX SEECK has a background in sales and marketing. Increasingly, Seeck devotes
his time to writing professionally. An avid reader of Nordic Noir for personal
pleasure, he listens to film scores as he writes. His accolades include the Debut
Thriller of the Year Award 2016 and Toisinkoinen Literature Prize Nominee.
photo: Päivi Puustinen
18crime
Literary Fiction
The Daniel Kuisma Trilogy
by Max Seeck
ax Seeck writes the best thrillers in Finland right now.
M
– Suomen Kuvalehti magazine
Angels of The Mephisto The Call of
Humor
Hammurabi Touch Hades
Debut
rize
P
F E
ull
nglish
M p
anuscri
t
C
available
rime
1st part of the Kuisma trilogy! An action- 2nd part of the Kuisma trilogy! 3rd part of the series! Kuisma trilogy’s
packed page-turner about revenge, Missing-presumed-dead Finnish dip- final installment begins with four
war, international crime – and love. For lomat, Jare Westerlund has fled from executed men found in a Zagreb
fans of Jo Nesbo and James Bond! Jare Croatia on a forged passport, leaving apartment. The place is owned by the
Westerlund, an employee of the Finnish behind a decapitated body and his U.K. government, but no one seems to
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on-Fiction
Embassy in Zagreb goes missing. The trail goes cold at Stockholm airport. know anything about the case. When
local police have no leads, except for When Interpol officer Annika Lehto Daniel Kuisma receives an unexpected
the anonymous threats Westerlund hears of his escape, she abandons guest from Southern Europe he hears
received before his disappearance. her sick leave to go off in pursuit of something that makes him board
Daniel Kuisma from the Finnish Defence Westerlund, with the aid of special the next plane to Zagreb: the lives of
Forces is sent to investigate, along forces specialist Daniel Kuisma. What thousands of people might be at risk.
with Annika Lehto from the Ministry for follows is a dramatic chain of events, Meanwhile Annika Lehto is recovering
Foreign Affairs. The investigation gets from northern Norway, to San Francisco, from an assault, but offers him all the
Y
unexpectedly complicated when the to The Hague, as the pair continue the help she can from her sickbed.
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mysteries of the past start to unravel on chase. aade e u u
H
ks
n
k
ts
the stony shores of the Adriatic Sea. Tammi 2018, 400 pp
A
e o o e u
M
fist
n
k
sk
t
s
Tammi 2017, 408 pp Reading materials:
l
ammu a e e
English synopsis, Finnish edition
H
r
bin
nk
lit
Tammi 2016, 416 pp Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis #thriller #kuismatrilogypartthree #croatia
Reading materials:
#thriller #kuismatrilogyparttwo #norway #international
Full English ms and synopsis
#sanfrancisco #hague
#thriller #kuismatrilogypartone #balkans
#revenge #war
Ch
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Rights sold: FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), ESTONIA: Pegasus, GERMANY: Blanvalet, ICELAND: Forlagid, ITALY: Newton Compton, SLOVENIA: Didakta
Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com 19crime
The Oathbreaker
by Leena Lehtolainen
A man is abducted at Helsinki airport
and left to die in the winter.
He survives and an international
journey for answers begins!
#crime #revenge #espace #secretsfromthepast
A new novel by Finland’s #1 female crime writer
Aino is a ranger, located at a distant corner of the Finnish
wilderness. One day she finds a man fighting for his final breath.
The man, Tomas, has been abducted at the airport, drugged,
and abandoned to die. Aino saves his life, and when Tomas
recovers, together they hope to find out what happened and why.
Tomas learns that he has gotten involved in a murderous plot by
bloodthirsty motorbike gang.
Do they stand a chance against their new enemies? Can they find
a way out of the nightmare that someone else has started? Or is it
time to break the oaths, made so long ago... VALAPATTO
Tammi 2019, 320 pp B
est
S
eller
Rights sold
Lehtolainen’s crime series FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus
Leena Lehtolainen
has been
has reached a cult status. LITHUANIA: tba translated to over
29 languages
Reading materials and sells tens
– Bunte magazine, Germany
English sample and synopsis of thousands of
books each year
LEENA LEHTOLAINEN is Finland’s #1 bestselling and award-winning
B female crime author who writes hard-boiled realism from a female
S
est
perspective. A household name in Finland, her books have sold more
elling
author
than 2 million copies worldwide.
She is also passionate about figure skating!
photo: Veikko Somerpuro
20 Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.comcrime
Literary Fiction
Maria Kallio series
by Leena Lehtolainen
Over 2 million copies sold world-wide!
International TV series
in development based on
MARIA KALLIO SERIES
Humor
tv
Finland’s most popular crime series, the Maria Kallio #1 MY FIRST MURDER
mysteries, follows the career of a tough, down-to- Ensimmäinen murhani, Tammi 1993, 251 pp.
earth and emotionally intelligent police officer who #2 HER ENEMY
works in the Helsinki violent crimes unit. Every book Harmin paikka, Tammi 1994, 244 pp.
centers around murder, but there are also elements of
#3 CO ER HEART
C
social issues, and through the series Maria’s personal
rime
PP
Kuparisydän, Tammi 1995, 248 pp.
development is present, as we follow her struggle to
balance police work and motherhood. #4 SNOW WOMAN
Luminainen, Tammi 1996, 352 pp.
#5 DEATH S IRAL
Nobody tells equally P
Kuolemanspiraali,Tammi 1997, 359 pp.
thrilling whodunits #6 FATAL HEADWIND
Tuulen puolella,Tammi 1998, 348 pp.
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spiced with Finnish
on-Fiction
#7 BEFORE I GO
peculiarities. Ennen lähtöä,Tammi 2000, 375 pp.
#8 BELOW THE SURFACE
– Stern Magazine, Germany Veren vimma, Tammi, 2003, 314 pp.
#9 THE NIGHTINGALE MURDER
Reading materials: Rivo Satakieli, Tammi, 2005, 346 pp.
English editions Books 1–11,
German editions Books 1–14 #10 DERAILED
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Väärän jäljillä, Tammi, 2008, 378 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.) #11 WHERE HAVE ALL THE YOUNG GIRLS GONE
A
BRAZIL: Autentica Minne tytöt kadonneet, Tammi, 2010, 342 pp.
l
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Gaia #12 THE IRON TRIANGLE
GERMANY: Rowohlt
Rautakolmio, Tammi 2013, 352 pp.
GREECE: Livani
ISRAEL: Penn
#13 A STROKE OF SADNESS
JAPAN: Tokyo Sogensha
LATVIA: Zvaigzne
Surunpotku, Tammi 2015, 432 pp.
RUSSIA: Ast
#14 THE END OF INNOCENCE
Ch
TAIWAN: Linking
Viattomuuden loppu, Tammi 2017, 457 pp.
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WORLD ENGLISH: Amazon Crossing
Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com 21crime
Dark Light
by Petri Karra
A literary professor covers up his son’s
crime and plunges himself and his
detective wife into mortal danger.
For the fans of Breaking Bad!
#familydrama #darkhumor #absurd #fathersandsons
#familycrimedrama #darkmarriagecounseling #darklighthealing
Henrik Valli despises his drug addict son, Niko. They’ve been an
unhappy family as long as they can remember. Henrik has done his
best to purge Niko from his life. But one night the telephone rings.
Niko has made a bigger mess of his life than Henrik ever feared.
A father’s love wins out: he has to help his son, but it requires a
crime.
Henrik’s wife, and Niko’s mother Anna, is a police detective, and
they have to hide the crime from her. But that’s easier said than
done, and soon the family enters a nightmare, in which everyone’s
notions of right and wrong must be re-evaluated. What are you
M
willing to do to protect your child?
usta
valo
Tammi 2019, 400 pp
tv
Rights sold
ark Light reminds you FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
D
of Breaking Bad and the Reading materials
English sample and synopsis
Dark Light
V series
T
in production
bestselling thriller Gone Girl. in 2020 for
international
– Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, Finland audience!
PETRI KARRA is a writer from Helsinki, who is also known as a TV and film
screenwriter. His works are often focused around families, and the circle of life.
His debut novel The House of Branching Love (2008) and fourth novel The
Homecoming (2015) have been made into feature films. A TV series based on his
novel Dark Light is currently in development.
photo: Aki Roukala
22 Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.comC C
rime
lassics
Literary Fiction
Siren by Pauliina Susi
Security at the port of Barcelona is already tight when Leia Laine and her sister embark
on a luxury cruise of the Mediterranean aboard the Siren a new luxury cruise ship.
Their holiday becomes increasingly overshadowed by strange coincidences and a
growing sense of unease in Leia as she begins to suspect that all is not well aboard the
luxury liner, with its thousands of passengers. Soon, the relaxing holiday onboard the
vessel turns into a living nightmare as Leia witnesses firsthand the injustices of global
inequality, a terror threat, and the face of a ghost from her past.
S Tammi 2017, 520 pp.
eireeni
Humor
Rights sold: FINLAND: Tammi (Orig. publisher), GERMANY: DTV
Reading material: English synopsis, German edition
Author bio: Author and journalist who tackles not only suspense and thriller but also clever chick-lit
in a sovereign manner.
#mystery #cruise #terrorism #inequality #humor #thriller #sistersaretheworst
The Guardian Angel by Arto Halonen and Kevin Frazier
True crime meets psychological suspense in a gripping thriller about hypnosis
murders in post-war Copenhagen.
C
rime
The Guardian Angel, based on true events, is about a bizarre double murder that shook
Copenhagen in the 1950s. Palle Hardrup, a former Nazi collaborator recently released
from prison walks into a bank, demands money, and shoots two employees point
blank. The police caught the man in no time, but according to the witnesses, he was in
a trancelike state. Inspector Anders Olsen’s suspicions are aroused: what if the man was
operating under hypnosis – and what if the real killer is still at large?
The book has been written alongside the feature film, The Murderous Trance. The film
will be released in the US nationwide theatrical distribution in the fall 2019, and it has
already been sold to 60 countries around the world. The Murderous Trance will be one
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FILM A of the most screened Finnish-made films of all time!
feature
film
based on the book
sold to USA and S WSOY 2018, 300 pp.
uojelusenkeli
60 other countries
Rights sold: FINLAND: WSOY (orig.), DENMARK: Hr. Ferdinand, ITALY: Piemme, PORTUGAL: Grupo Planeta,
SERBIA: Vulkan
Reading materials: English manuscript, English synopsis
Author bio: Arto Halonen is a film director and a screenwriter. Kevin Frazier is a novelist, non-fiction writer,
essayist and a reviewer.
#truecrime #hypnosismurders #1950s #postwardenmark #bankrobbery
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Cruel is the Night by Karo Hämäläinen
A
Three cell phones ring in an opulent London apartment. The calls go unanswered because
l
their recipients are all dead... Mikko has arrived in London with an agenda, and he thinks he
can get away with murder, but he has no idea what’s on the menu for the night: not only
does every dinner guest have a bone to pick with another, but there’s an arsenal of deadly
weapons hiding in plain sight. And by the end of the night, there will only be one survivor…
I WSOY 2013, 345 pp.
lta
on
julma
Rights sold: FINLAND: WSOY, FRANCE: Actes Sud, ITALY: Newton Compton,
FILM I
Ch
WORLD ENGLISH: Soho Press, FILM RIGHTS: tba
nternational
in
i dren’s
l
Reading material: English edition
feature
film
development with a
Author bio: Karo Hämäläinen is an award-winning novelist and economics reporter.
Hollywood production
company
#dinner #crime #murder #closedroom #whodunnit
23N -F
on
iction
A Wonderful Life:
Insights for Finding
a Meaningful Existence
by Frank Martela
What is the meaning of life? Why
doesn’t happiness work as a life goal?
Don’t worry, globetrotting researcher
Frank Martela has got you covered on
these questions.
#meaningoflife #searchforhappiness #selfhelp #meaningfullife
#itsawonderfullife
In this engagingly insightful book, Frank Martela – one of the only
AW L :
academic experts who has contributed to both the philosophical and
onderful
ife
I F
psychological research on meaning in life – takes you on a voyage
nsights
for
inding
a
M E E
B
eaningful
xistenc
through the history, philosophy, and psychology of meaningfulness Harper Design, March 200pp
est
S
and worthy living.
eller
Rights sold
The journey starts in the 19th century, where it is revealed why and UNITED STATES (World English):
HarperCollins / Harper Design 6
how the Scottish author Thomas Carlyle came to be the first person in
territories
FINLAND: Gummerus sold before
history who actually used the phrase “meaning of life”. The life stories ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat publishing
of Carlyle and Russian author Leo Tolstoy serve as representative KOREA: Across Publishing
NETHERLANDS: Ambo Anthos
examples of the transformation that this book aims to guide you, RUSSIA: Bombora
the reader, through. Finally, an answer is provided to the question of
meaning that is compatible with the latest scientific knowledge about Reading material
Full English manuscript
human nature, yet still both inspiring and actionable.
arper esign is pleased to be publishing this very special book.
H
D
Its offer of hope and how to achieve a life that is truly worth living is
the right message for the right time. – Marta Schooler, Publisher, Harper Design
F M , hD., is an academic researcher who is a leading expert in the topics of the meaning in life,
rank
artela
P
happiness, and human well-being. He has collaborated with key experts of these topics and presented his research
in numerous academic conferences as well as invited lectures at universities on four continents, including Stanford
University, Harvard University, and the University of Edinburgh. He is a popular lecturer and author of three well-
received and bestselling non-fiction books. Currently a postdoctoral researcher at Aalto University, Finland, he has
been a visiting scholar at the University of Rochester, NY. and Australian Catholic University.
24 Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.comN -F
on
iction
Literary Fiction
The Game Designer
Confessions
by Konsta Klemetti, Harro Grönberg
How do leading game designers
engage players and create hit games?
Humor
Read the stories of the creative minds
behind games such as Angry Birds,
Max ayne and Clash of Clans.
P
#gamedesign #angrybirds #clashofclans #maxpayne
In 2018, gaming is a bigger industry than the music and movie
industries combined, touching billions of lives globally. As an
industry it hasn’t been around very long – the golden age of video
C
rime
games started in the ’80s. When we reached the 2000s, Finland,
a nation of five million inhabitants, became a game industry
superpower seemingly overnight.
From Nokia’s ubiquitous Snake to gangster-chasing Max Payne,
The Game e e Co e o
to the social community phenomenon Habbo Hotel to Supercell’s
D
sign
r
nf
ssi
ns
Engagement Insights from Finland’s
wildly successful Clash of Clans and the most downloaded game Top Game Designers, 2018, 115 pp.
of all time, Angry Birds, Finland’s game designers have enjoyed a
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streak of unequivocal triumphs that simply cannot be overlooked
on-Fiction
Rights sold
as a mere fluke. What is it in the Helsinki water? Game industry KOREA: Turning Point
insiders Konsta Klemetti and Harro Grönberg interviewed the RUSSIA: Alpina
leading game designers to find out.
Reading materials
English manuscript with illustrations
T K
he
orean
edition
will
be
p A 2019
ublished
in
ugust
Y
oung du t
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KONSTA KLEMETTI & HARRO GR NBERG have worked for several leading
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game companies in Helsinki and now form the core of the story-driven
transmedia studio Action Squad Studios.
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photo: Petri Juntunen
Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com 25NON-FICTION: LIFESTYLE
photo: Katja Tähjä
Saving the World with
Sisu, the Finnish Way
by Katja Pantzar
Finally, a practical advice on how to
tackle climate change in our daily lives
using sisu – a unique form of Finnish
fortitude.
#sustainability #climatechange #lifestyle #sisu #thefinnishway
#communities #actions #timeisup # ordiclifestyle
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Feeling overwhelmed by the worsening state of our planet and
underwhelmed by the lack of actionable advice to stop it, journalist and
writer Katja Pantzar once again turns to Finns for advice.
The Finns have a unique form of Finnish fortitude - sisu - which means S W
aving
the
orld
with
S , F W
acting in the face of great challenge.
isu
the
innish
ay
In this wonderful book, Katja Pantzar shares practical Nordic examples
Reading materials
English proposal and
B
est
of how to save the world with sisu by making changes in the way we S
sample chapters
eller
consume, move and eat.
From a small Finnish town in northern Finland with the goal of being From the author
of international
the world’s first zero waste community, to the heartfelt stories from bestseller
regular people, experts and groups who are creating positive change, F S .
inding
isu
this book will offer readers – no matter where they live – the practical
tools to make greener choices in their daily lives.
KATJA ANTZAR works as a writer, editor and broadcast journalist. Raised in Canada, with stints in the UK and
P
New Zealand, she is currently based in Helsinki, where she swims in the sea almost every day, all year round.
Her first book about sisu and wellbeing has been sold to 22 different territories.
26 Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.comNON-FICTION: LIFESTYLE
Literary Fiction
Finding Sisu
US title: The Finnish Way
by Katja Pantzar
Simple and sensible ways to boost
wellbeing and happiness based on
Humor
Finnish Sisu!
#sisu # ordiclifestyle #Finland # heFinnishWay #Finding isu
N
T
S
#wellbeing #mindfulness
Forget hygge–it’s time to blow out the candles and get out into
the world! Journalist Katja Pantzar did just that, taking the huge
leap to move from North America to the remote Nordic country
C
rime
of Finland. What she discovered there transformed her body,
mind and spirit. In this engaging and practical guide, she shows
readers how to embrace the “keep it simple and sensible” daily
practices with the power of sisu that makes Finns one of the
happiest populations in the world, year after year. Finding
S :I S
isu
n
earch
of
C ,S
ourage
trength
and
Topics include winter swimming, movement as medicine, H pp F B
a
iness
the
innish
way
Hodder & Stoughton (UK);
est
forest therapy, healthy eating and the Nordic diet, and the gift S
TarcherPerigee (US), 2018, 320 pp.
eller
of sisu: Why Finns embrace a special form of courage, grit and
N
on-Fiction
determination as a national virtue – and how anyone can dig Rights sold
BULGARIA: Skyprint Rights sold to
deeper to survive and thrive through tough times. 22 territories
CHINA: Yeeyan Publishing
Find your courage. Find your grit. Find your sisu. CZECH REPUBLIC: Mladá Fronta
FINLAND: Siltala
FRANCE: Belfond
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Jaffa Kiado
INDONESIA: Gramedia Pustaka Utama
It was with delight that I ITALY: Marsilio/Sonzogno
JAPAN: Hojosha
Y
chanced upon The Finnish Way,
oung du t
NETHERLANDS: Kosmos
POLAND: WUJ
a self-help book promoting the joy PORTUGAL: Marcador
A
RUSSIA: AST,
and restorative power of sisu.
l
SPAIN: Roca Editorial (WS)
TAIWAN: My House
THAILAND: OpenBooks
TURKEY: Mona Kitap/Alfa
UK: Hodder/Hachette (WE) (orig.)
US: Tarcher Perigee/Penguin Random House
– Vogue, USA on The Finnish Way VIETNAM: Alpha/Omega
Ch
Reading material English edition
i dren’s
l
Reading materials and rights enquiries: info@ahlbackagency.com 27You can also read
