National Bestselling Authors Team Up To Publish BLACKOUT, A Novel Of Interlinked Stories Of Black Love And Joy

NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HarperCollins Children's Books/Quill Tree Books will publish BLACKOUT—a novel of six interlinked stories of Black love from the award-winning and bestselling young adult authors Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon—on June 22, 2021. Rosemary Brosnan bought North American rights from Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency.

In BLACKOUT, a summer heatwave blankets New York City and causes a power outage. But as the city is thrown into confusion and darkness, a different kind of electricity sparks. When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths, love blossoms, friendships transform, and all possibilities take flight.

BLACKOUT shares the glowing warmth of love and the sparkle of Black teen joy in six equally charming, hilarious, and heartwarming stories that shine a bright light through the darkness.

FROM THE AUTHORS:

"Blackout is our love letter to love, to New York City, and to Black teens," says Dhonielle Clayton. "Our reminder to them that their stories, their joy, their love are valid and worthy of being spotlighted."

"This is one of those projects that was born out of love in the perfect storm," says Tiffany D. Jackson. "I'm so excited to bring this story, set in my city, to life."

"There is no fiercer form of rebellion than telling love stories about kids who are often told they're unworthy of them at a time like the one we're living in," says Nic Stone. "Blackout was a balm to all of our souls while writing it, and we hope it'll be equally as healing to readers."

"It's an honor to be involved in such a beautiful project that will undoubtedly bring joy to so many young readers," says Angie Thomas.

"Books have the unique ability to show the world that Black and brown people feel and love and hurt and grow in the same way everyone else does, and this is an irreplaceable part of making our lives matter," says Ashley Woodfolk. "At a time like this, in a country like ours, books like Blackout matter more than ever, and I'm so proud to be part of a story centering and celebrating Black love and joy."

"Blackout shows us a world where Black kids fall in love, follow their bliss, and simply experience the full measure of their humanity," says Nicola Yoon. "I'm beyond proud to be a part of this joyous book with these incredible authors."

FROM HARPERCOLLINS:

"I am honored to be working on this joyous book with six absolutely amazing authors whom I have long admired," says Rosemary Brosnan, Vice President and Editorial Director, Quill Tree Books and Heartdrum. "We are having a grand time, and it's one of the highlights of 2020 for me."

"We are so proud to be publishing BLACKOUT at HarperCollins with this all-star team of authors," says Suzanne Murphy, President and Publisher, HarperCollins Children's Books. "We can't wait to share these wonderful stories set in our beloved New York City with the world."

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Dhonielle Clayton is the New York Times bestselling author of the Belles series and the coauthor of the Tiny Pretty Things duology (soon to be a Netflix original series). She is COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books and owner and co-founder of CAKE Literary.

Tiffany D. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Grown; Allegedly; Monday's Not Coming, a Walter Dean Myers Honor Book and Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Award winner; and Let Me Hear a Rhyme.

Nic Stone is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the William C. Morris Award YA Debut finalist Dear Martin, Dear Justyce, Odd One Out, Jackpot, and Clean Getaway.

Angie Thomas's award-winning, acclaimed debut novel, The Hate U Give, is a #1 New York Times bestseller and major motion picture from Fox 2000. She is also the author of On the Come Up and Concrete Rose (on sale: January 12, 2021).

Ashley Woodfolk worked in children's book publishing before becoming an author full-time. Her novels include the highly acclaimed The Beauty That Remains and When You Were Everything.

Nicola Yoon is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star, both of which have been adapted into major motion pictures. She is a National Book Award finalist, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book recipient, and a Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Award winner. She's also co-publisher of Joy Revolution, a Random House young adult imprint focused on love stories starring people of color.

ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN'S BOOKS:

HarperCollins Children's Books is one of the leading publishers of children's and teen books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures and bestsellers such as Charlotte's Web, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Where the Wild Things Are, and The Hate U Give; series including The Chronicles of Narnia, Ramona, Warriors, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Pete the Cat, Fancy Nancy, Divergent, and Red Queen; and graphic and illustrated novels such as Nimona, Invisible Emmie, and New Kid. Consistently at the forefront of digital innovation, HarperCollins Children's Books delights readers through engaging storytelling across a variety of formats and platforms, including the largest young adult (YA) book community, Epic Reads. HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, which is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, has operations in 17 countries, and is a subsidiary of News Corp. You can visit HarperCollins Children's Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com and www.epicreads.com and HarperCollins Publishers at corporate.HC.com.

BLACKOUT

Dhonielle Clayton | Tiffany D. Jackson | Nic Stone | Angie Thomas | Ashley Woodfolk | Nicola Yoon

On sale: June 22, 2021

ISBN 978-0-06-308809-2

$19.99

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SOURCE HarperCollins Children's Books