25 October 2017
Walker Books signs on exciting new author, set to shake up 2018 with a gripping psychological thriller
Walker Books is thrilled to announce they have signed on exciting debut author and rising star of the #LoveOzYA community, Sarah Epstein, who is set to shake up 2018’s YA list of books with her captivating and page-turning psychological thriller, Small Spaces.
Due for release in April next year, Small Spaces is destined for fans of mysteries and psychological thrillers and is set to be a captivating read for the eager YA community. Author Fleur Ferris has hailed Small Spaces as, “A beautifully crafted psychological thriller. I couldn’t put it down.”
Based on NSW’s mid-north coast, Small Spaces is the story of Tash Carmody, a seventeen-year-old girl who has been traumatised since childhood after witnessing her gruesome imaginary friend Sparrow lure young Mallory Fisher away from a local carnival. At the time, nobody believed Tash and she has since come to accept that Sparrow wasn’t real. Now fifteen and mute, Mallory’s never spoken about the week she went missing. As disturbing memories resurface, Tash starts to see Sparrow again, and she realises Mallory is the key to unlocking the truth about a dark secret connecting them. Does Sparrow exist after all? Or is Tash more dangerous to others than she thinks?
Publisher of Walker Books, Linsay Knight, says, “From the first moment we met Tash and her gruesome imaginary friend Sparrow, we knew we were on to a winner. If you like taut thrillers and unreliable narrators, then this is the book for you. Sarah Epstein is an incredible new talent and you won’t want to miss this gripping #LoveOzYA debut.”
Born in NSW but now based in Melbourne, writer, illustrator and designer Epstein is thrilled to partner with Australia and New Zealand’s premier publisher of children’s books. Says Epstein, “I’m really excited about my writing debut with the supportive team at Walker Books. I feel so fortunate to have connected with an editor and publisher who understood everything I was trying to achieve with this story, and helped me strengthen it with that vision in mind. I’m ecstatic to be adding my voice to the #LoveOzYA community, especially in the thriller genre which is my favourite to read.”
“We don’t pick and choose what to be afraid of. Our fears pick us.”
– Small Spaces
For more information, log onto www.walkerbooks.com.au or facebook: Walker Books @walkerbooksaus
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Epstein grew up in suburban Sydney and spent her childhood drawing, daydreaming and cobbling together picture books at the kitchen table. By her teens she was also writing short stories and angsty poetry, and starting novels that never saw the light of day. After earning a design degree at university, Sarah embarked on a career in graphic design. It was only after she’d had a baby that Sarah reconnected with her desire to write children’s books, and it took nearly five years’ worth of naptimes to complete her first manuscript. Thankfully these days she writes much faster, and when she’s not busy drafting novels you can find her designing, illustrating, crafting, and occasionally sleeping in Melbourne where she lives with her husband and two sons. Small Spaces is her first novel.
WALKER BOOKS AUSTRALIA
Walker Books Australia has been bringing the best of children’s publishing to Australia and New Zealand for over 20 years. The company is dedicated to publishing books of unwavering quality for children and young adults to read and treasure. Walker Books Australia is also passionate about the Australian Children’s book industry and is a haven for the most highly talented authors and illustrators, both emerging and award-winning. Walker Books Australia is proud to be the home of Black Dog Books, an award-winning imprint with a reputation for publishing some of Australia’s finest writers including Carole Wilkinson, Sue Lawson and Suzy Zail.
FOR ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT WALKER BOOKS PUBLICITY
publicitywba@walkerbooks.com.au or on 02 9517 9577