Publishers Marketplace: Cindy Bullard

Adult Fiction

Mass market rights Diane Vallere's PILLOW STALK, in which an interior decorator might look like a throwback to the '60s, but as business owner and landlord, she proves independent women can have it all, and when her long-trusted contractor emerges as the leading suspect in a murder, she investigates and uncovers a Soviet spy, a campaign to destroy all Doris Day movies, and six minutes of film that will change her life forever, to Dana Grimaldi at Harlequin, in a nice deal, for publication in June 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Henery Press (NA).

Mass market rights to James L'Etoile's BLACK LABEL, in which a pharmaceutical executive wakes up in a strange apartment and finds herself suspected of the murder of her company's CEO; believing she's insane, or a murderer, she goes on the run from not only the police but also gang enforcers, to Dana Grimaldi at Harlequin Worldwide Library, in a nice deal, for publication in February 2024, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Level Best Books (NA).

Mass market rights to Alexia Gordon's MURDER IN G MAJOR, in which an African American classical musician accepts a less-than-ideal position turning rowdy schoolboys into an award-winning orchestra because the job comes with a lovely cottage and any job is better than none, but soon learns the ghost of the cottage's murdered owner haunts the place, to Dana Grimaldi at Harlequin Worldwide Library, in a nice deal, for publication in May 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Henery Press (NA).

Mass market rights to Justin Kiska's NOW & THEN, in which in 1981, a town is rocked by a series of brutal murders and newly minted police detectives fear their first case could be their last if they can't catch the killer; decades later, after distinguished careers in law enforcement, the case comes back to haunt them in a heart-wrenching twist, leaving everyone to wonder if they get it wrong all those years ago and if the murderer is still at large, to Dana Grimaldi at Harlequin Worldwide Library, in a nice deal, for publication in June 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Level Best Books (NA).

J.M. Donellan's THE FABULIST (now RUMORS OF HER DEATH), in which an underworld courier running from the sins of his past is launched into a series of increasingly dangerous misadventures when he fails to make a critical delivery to his crime boss; a friendly new neighbor offers her help, but appears to have her own secrets to hide...can he trust her to have his back?, to Diane DiBiase at Poisoned Pen Press, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in July 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world English).

Anna St. John's DOOMED BY BLOOMS, in which a former big city crime reporter moves to a small touristy town but itches to get back into the action and gets more than she bargained for when she's asked to write about a local celebrity, a former NYC prima ballerina, and before the ink is dry, the ballerina's husband is found face-down in a bed of flowers, turning the fluff piece into a murder mystery, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in a five-book deal, for publication in February 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world).

Retired police detective Desmond Ryan's MARY-MARGARET AND THE CASE OF THE LAPSED PARISHIONER, in which a woman who is unimpressed with the police investigation into the murder of a lapsed parishioner decides to take matters into her own hands and as the hunt for the killer intensifies, so do her creative approaches to criminal investigations; untethered by legal processes and procedures, she and her band of crime fighters confront the murderer, but in the absence of such safeguards, they find themselves in a potentially lethal situation, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in a five-book deal, for publication in August 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world).

Daphne Silver's CRIME AND PARCHMENT, in which a rare books librarian treats every researcher's question like a mini mystery to solve, however when her ex-brother-in-law begs for her help in finding the Book of Kells' long-lost covers, which he claims are in a southern Maryland cemetery, she goes to meet him but he's nowhere to be found—but a body is, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in a five-book deal, for publication in November 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world).

J.M. Donellan's LENORE'S LAST FUNERAL, a Gothic cross-genre speculative mystery/thriller with dark humor, about a professional mourner and her encounters with a cult obsessed with cryonics and immortality, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in October 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world).

Ivanka Fear's WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?, in which memories of a young woman's perfect life with her husband morph into haunting flashbacks, bringing to light a dark side to their relationship that leaves her wondering if she ever knew him at all; but if his life is in danger, so is hers, and their baby's, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, in a three-book deal, for publication in October 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world).

Erik Meyers's DEATH IN THE OZARKS, in which a 50-something accountant turned biker bar owner who loves solving puzzles finds her best friend and business partner dead in a dumpster behind the bar, and needs all her wits and grit to find out who did it, pitched as a cross between Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and a bartender from Cheers, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in December 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world).

Christine Falcone's EX'D OUT, in which a visiting nurse must keep in contact with her philandering ex-husband as they share custody of her beloved dog but when she arrives to retrieve the dog for "her week" she discovers the body of her ex-husband along with that of an unknown woman, to Harriette Sackler at Level Best, in a nice deal, a three-book deal, for publication in October 2022, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world).

Amy Young's THE WATER TOWER, in which a successful Hollywood actress who had a booming career until she had an on-set breakdown returns to her hometown to teach, and when one of her students dies under suspicious circumstances and the police close the case without answers, she is determined to find the truth, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, in a three-book deal, for publication in December 2022.

Ivanka Fear's COLD QUERY, in which an English teacher and aspiring mystery novelist signs on with a new literary agent to represent her series, but when mystery writers start mysteriously dying, she finds she must help solve their murders or she could join the string of victims herself, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in a five-book deal, for publication in January 2023.

Lew Vaught's CRIME IN ITALY, a traditional PI novel pitched as Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin for the 21st century, minus the gourmandizing and the orchids, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, in a five-book deal, for publication in September 2022.

Young Adult Fiction

Rocky Hirajeta's WHAT THE RIVER BURIES, which a 17-year-old whiles away her time sketching and taking photos in an off-limits stretch of woods; the stresses of senior year and her dad's death eat at her spirit, and in this forest, she can let go of it all; but one night, she stumbles upon a gruesome murder, and when a warning from the killer arrives tucked inside her sketchbook, she sees this as a dare to be met, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, for publication in March 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world).

Julie Lowman's LEAVING US, pitched as inspired by the One Love Foundation, in which an outwardly confident but inwardly a mess 16-year-old attempts to numb her grief from the loss of her mother with the ecstasy of first love; however, her first love comes with an unpredictable temper, a minefield she navigates daily; when she finally breaks up with him, he sets his sights on revenge, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, for publication in March 2023.

Alison Schaffir's YOUR DREAM FOR ME, in which a 17-year-old who dreams of becoming a fashion designer sneaks into her school's costume shop, coming face-to-face with a talented theater student who piques a new interest; her designs are unfolding, but a distressing event shakes everyone in her world and she relies on her determined spirit to keep her dreams from unraveling, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, for publication in March 2023.

Middle-Grade Fiction

Melissa Ruth Rotert's SUE B AND THE RIDDERS, in which a girl wonders if there isn't some sort of exterminator who specializes in little siblings and brazen bullies and when a mysterious new janitor appears at school and offers to help her with her problem, she discovers that banishing her pests to a strange and magical world doesn't give her the relief she had hoped for, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in June 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world).

David Weller's SECRET OF HEATHCOTE MANOR, in which a ghost, a rose, and a few lines of poetry launch a boy on a quest to uncover a mysterious family secret; when he discovers more than he bargained for, he faces a dilemma—quit while he's ahead or risk everything, including his life, to mend his mother's broken heart; his decision will alter the course of history and lead to the creation of the most famous nursery rhyme ever written, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, for publication in December 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world).

Prim Pawn's LIGHTNING, THUNDER, AND STRAYS, in which a girl who wants a dog of her own uncovers a sinister plot to destroy dogkind and must choose between betraying her aunt or saving the canine species, to Kiri Jorgensen at Chicken Scratch Books, in a nice deal, at auction, for publication in June 2023.

Jamie Lane Barber's FINNEY AND THE MATHMYSTERIANS, in which a girl's teacher might dish out too many math worksheets and have a weird smile, but there's something sincere about her that nudges the girl to follow her trail through secret tunnels beneath the school; she's now in a race to solve puzzles and make her way through booby traps to uncover a world-changing secret left by Albert Einstein, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in March 2023.

Brook Peterson's THE CAMEO'S SECRET, in which a girl vows to reunite her parents in time for her birthday but her plans get derailed when she finds an antique cameo necklace, revealing a scandalous town legend involving her family. and she must maneuver past the mean girls, the adults who want the necklace, and the boy who's crushing on her, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in April 2023.

Sandra Rathbone's SKELEE BOY, in which a boy tries to fit in at his new middle school even though he's different from the other kids—he and his family are skeletons who come from a remote and hidden place, to Shawn Reilly Simmons at Level Best, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in February 2023.

Audio

Tracy Donley's MURDER IN THE MEADOW, MURDER SET IN STONE, THE FORGOTTEN VILLAGE, and MURDER AND MARRIAGE IN THE MEADOW, in which a historian is looking forward to relaxing and enjoying two blissful weeks in a cozy New England farmhouse when a 350-year-old mystery provides clues to a present-day murder, to Bob Podrasky at MMB Media, in a nice deal, at auction, in a four-book deal, for publication in spring 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Summer Prescott Books (world English).

Annette Dashofy’s HELPLESS and WHAT COMES AROUND, the next two titles in her Zoe Chambers Mystery series, to Kristen Hummel at Tantor Media, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in May 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Level Best Books (world English).

Heather Weidner's VINTAGE TRAILERS AND BLACKMAILERS, FILM CREWS AND RENDEZVOUS, and CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AND CAT FIGHTS, in which a Blue Ridge Mountains resort owner finds one of her guests murdered in the woods and she soon discovers that the man who claimed to be on a writing retreat was not who he seemed, to Jordan Spellman at Tantor Media, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in spring 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Level Best Books (world English).

Ivanka Fear's THE DEAD LIE, LOST, LIKE ME, and COLD QUERY, in which a woman who suffered a traumatic event and has been living under an assumed identity returns home to reclaim her life, only to find herself in danger; when her parents are killed in an accident, she blames her own past actions until she discovers they weren't who they claimed to be, prompting her to return to their native Croatian village for answers, to Jordan Spellman at Tantor Media, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in January 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Level Best Books (world English).

Rocky Hirajeta's WHAT THE RIVER BURIES, to Marilyn Kretzer at Blackstone Audio, in a nice deal, for publication in March 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Level Best Books (world English).

B. Payton Settles's STONE COLD DEAD, in which a woman takes a secretarial job at a one-man Hispanic detective agency and they must solve the murder of her predecessor and reunite the victim's family, to Marilyn Kretzer at Blackstone Audio, in a nice deal, for publication in March 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Level Best Books (world English).

Jennifer Bee's THE KILLING CAROL, in which a woman finds a cryptic lyric shoved against her front door; each day of Christmas brings a new stanza with?a new clue; will?this mysterious Christmas carol lead her to uncover her husband's murderer or will these notes lead to her demise?, to Marilyn Kretzer at Blackstone Audio, in a nice deal, for publication in October 2022, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary on behalf of Level Best Books (world English).

Daphne Silver's CRIME AND PARCHMENT, in which a rare books librarian treats every researcher's question like a mini-mystery to solve; when her ex-brother-in-law begs for her help in finding the Book of Kells' long-lost covers, which he claims are in a southern Maryland cemetery, she goes to meet him and he's nowhere to be found—but a body is, to Marilyn Kretzer at Blackstone Audio, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in November 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world English).

Erik Meyers's DEATH IN THE OZARKS, pitched as a cross between Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and a bartender from Cheers, in which an accountant turned biker-bar owner who loves solving puzzles and has focused on helping neighbors and friends find lost jewelry, lost pets, and lost loves, finds her best friend and business partner dead in a dumpster behind the bar and needs all her wits and grit to find his murderer, to Marilyn Kretzer at Blackstone Audio, in a nice deal, for publication in December 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Level Best Books (world English).

Amy Young's THE WATER TOWER, in which a successful Hollywood actress has a booming career until she has an on-set breakdown; she returns to her hometown to teach, but when one of her students dies under suspicious circumstances, she is determined to find the truth about the girl's death while battling her own demons, including debilitating insomnia that leaves her with gaps in her memory, to Jordan Spellman at Tantor Media, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in winter 2023, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Level Best Books (world English).

Christine Falcone’s EX'D OUT and BORROWED TROUBLE, in which a visiting nurse must keep in contact with her philandering ex-husband as they share custody of her beloved dog, but when she arrives to retrieve the dog for "her week," she discovers the body of her ex-husband along with that of an unknown woman, to Bob Podrasky at MMB Media, in a nice deal, at auction, in a three-book deal, for publication in fall 2022, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary on behalf of Level Best Books (world English).

Annette Dashofy’s FATAL REUNION: A ZOE CHAMBERS MYSTERY, in which a small-town coroner becomes too personally involved in a rape and homicide investigation that bears an eerie resemblance to a trio of murders from decades ago, to Kristen Hummel at Tantor Media, in a nice deal, for publication in the fall of 2022, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary on behalf of Level Best Books (world English).

Mally Becker’s THE TURNCOAT'S WIDOW, THE COUNTERFEIT WIFE, and THE PARIS MISTRESS, the Revolutionary War Mystery series, set in the winter of 1780, in which a recent widow, too busy struggling to maintain her farm to give a fig about who wins the War for Independence, must combat rumors that she's a Loyalist sympathizer who betrayed her patriotic husband to the British—only he was a British spy, and General Washington can prove it, to Bob Podrasky at MMB Media, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in November 2022, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, on behalf of Level Best Books (world English).

Film

J.M. Donellan's RUMORS OF HER DEATH, in which an underworld courier is forced to repay a debt by taking a surreal journey through a nine-story mecca of hedonism where he's pursued by thugs, mercenaries, and the apparition of his allegedly deceased lover, to Tristan Barr at Continuance Pictures, by Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary (world).