Books Edited
Writers she has helped with works-in-progress include:
Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone along with other best-selling nonfiction books and novels;
Rachel Klein, whose prior novel was The Moth Diaries (Random House);
Laurie Fox, The Lost Girls (Simon & Schuster) and My Sister from the Black Lagoon (Simon & Schuster);
Bonnie Glover, The Middle Sister (Penguin Random House) and Going Down South (Penguin Random House).
Among the books Alexandra’s edited:
The Help
Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn/Putnam)
A bestseller for over 3 years
Translated into 40 languages, sold over 11 million copies
Made into a feature film.
"In a page-turner that brings new resonance to the moral issues involved, Stockett spins a story of a social awakening as seen from both sides of the American racial divide."
— The Washington Post
"This could be one of the most important pieces of fiction since To Kill a Mockingbird…" —NPR.org
"Wise, poignant...You'll catch yourself cheering out loud." — People
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
Having a literary advisor who works in publishing has a practical side too. From the first chapters of the novel, she helped me believe I could produce a publishable book, and after I’d finally written the last chapter, she convinced me I HAD done it and shooed me in the direction of the agent who took it on. I am so thankful that I found a mentor who shares my passion for bringing the truth of fiction into the world. Read More →
— KATHRYN STOCKETT
The Wives
Simone Gorrindo (Simon & Schuster, upcoming in 2024)
“Lyrical and poignant. An unforgettable memoir of sacrifice and determination.” —STEPHANIE LAND, author of the New York Times-bestselling memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
“Alexandra Shelley has an uncanny ability to immediately see a work’s essence, and I think that’s because she sees its author’s essence. I will forever be grateful for her x-ray vision into the heart of my memoir, and her willingness to gently argue with me when I was quite obviously wrong. I don't even want to imagine what the writing process would've been like without her voice in my ear, or what kind of shape my book would've taken without her expert guidance.”
— SIMONE GORRINDO
Lilac Girls
Martha Hall Kelly (Ballantine Books, 2016)
New York Times bestseller
“Harrowing . . . Lilac illuminates.” - People
“Lilac Girls falls squarely into the groundbreaking category of fiction that re-examines history from a fresh, female point of view. It’s smart, thoughtful and also just an old-fashioned good read.” - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“This is a page-turner demonstrating the tests and triumphs civilians faced during war, complemented by Kelly’s vivid depiction of history and excellent characters.” - Publishers Weekly
Lost Roses
Martha Hall Kelly (Ballantine Books, 2019)
New York Times bestseller
"Kelly memorably portrays three indomitable women who triumph over hardships and successfully brings a complex and turbulent time in history to life." - Publishers Weekly
"The writing is rich and vivid with detail about the period. . . . A nuanced tale that speaks to the strength of women." - Kirkus Reviews
"[Martha Hall] Kelly's gift is bringing to life and to light the untold stories of women and families far away from the war front yet deeply affected...." - Booklist (starred review)
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
Alexandra has an uncanny ability to see the good in a manuscript. My book wouldn't have been acquired so quickly or become a New York Times bestseller without her. Read More →
— MARTHA HALL KELLY
Crow Mary
Kathleen Grissom (Simon & Schuster, 2023)
“This moving story of one woman’s grit, survival, and resilience will keep readers turning the pages.” -Publishers Weekly
"My favorite novels shine a light on women that history books have forgotten....While reading Crow Mary, I couldn't help but think of My Antonia by Willa Cather, and the debt we owe to the women who came before us."
- Janet Skeslien Charles, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"What I loved most about working with Alexandra was how she innately understood the subject matter. With her keen eye, she helped me to restructure the manuscript, adding layers of historical and character detail while patiently guiding me to the finish line." Read More →
— KATHLEEN GRISSOM
Cradles of the Reich
Jennifer Coburn (Sourcebooks, 2022)
"The horrors of Nazi Germany are no secret and there's no shortage of World War II literature around, but Coburn manages to peel back layer after layer of shocking misconduct, maintaining suspense all the while…. Every historical fiction novel should strive to be this compelling, well-researched and just flat-out good." – AP News
"… there were other, less-familiar atrocities that took place, one of which involved not death camps but birthing farms where young women and teenage girls were impregnated to produce blond, blue-eyed babies for SS families to adopt. I confess that all of this was new to me as I read Cradles of the Reich." – The Washington Post
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
The investment in Alexandra's editorial services was worth every penny. The first thing I did with my advance for my novel was set aside a budget for working with her on my next book. I cannot gush enough over Alexandra Shelley. Read More →
— JENNIFER COBURN
The Tobacco Wives
Adele Myers (William Morrow, 2022)
"A sparkling debut…." - Publishers Weekly
"Fascinating…Myers's novel is as much a coming-of-age story as it is a lesson in the power of the working class to bring about change." – The Washington Post
"Debut novelist Myers sets her activist novel in 1946, but the causes of workers' and women's rights are timeless." – Booklist
"A beautifully rendered portrait of a young woman finding her courage and her voice."
- Lisa Wingate, bestselling author of Before We Were Yours
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"I first met Alexandra as a student in one of her classes at The New School in the early ‘90s. I wrote a short story in that class that ultimately inspired my first novel, The Tobacco Wives. What I appreciate most about Alexandra is not only her keen eye and invaluable guidance as an editor, but also her ability to inspire the best in her clients." Read More →
— ADELE MYERS
Start Without Me
Joshua Max Feldman (William Morrow, 2017)
Movie in production in 2023
“Feldman is a tremendously endearing writer. . . . His willingness to pose the big questions to the whirlwind makes for unusually thoughtful reading.” - The Washington Post
“Equal parts funny and searingly beautiful....” - New York Daily News
“This compact, well-crafted novel asks the age-old question—how do you get from where you are to where you want to be? ... Highly recommended.” - Library Journal
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"Alexandra combines rare talents: She offers the technical insights of an experienced editor and the wisdom of a thoughtful reader. She also has the patience of a saint. In dealing with a new work at an early stage, she was able to understand where I wanted to go with the piece and provided specific suggestions to help me get there. As a writer, you can't ask for better assistance than that!"
— JOSHUA MAX FELDMAN
Tiger in the Sea
Eric Lindner (Lyons Press, 2021)
Series in production in 2023
"Lindner's storytelling prowess and impeccable research into this long-obscured accident result in a gripping read and a heartfelt remembrance." - Booklist
"A truly astonishing tale." - Irish Daily Mail
"Lindner recounts the action in crisp, colorful prose and skillfully interweaves the perspectives of multiple passengers and crew members, their family members, and people who took part in the rescue operation." – Publishers Weekly
*Excerpted in Popular Mechanics and American Heritage magazines
Hospice Voices
Eric Lindner (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013)
“In this endearing and personal book, attorney and entrepreneur Lindner details his experiences volunteering in hospice with colorful storytelling, practical advice, and encouragement for those coming to terms with the end of life …. and he does so eloquently, providing insight and inspiration to those who read along.” - Publishers Weekly
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"The most important person is credited at the end of my acknowledgments: "And thank you, Alexandra Shelley, for being such a kind, brilliant, and uncompromising editor." That sentence is as true as any I've ever written. She was just as instrumental regarding my first book, Hospice Voices." Read More →
— ERIC LINDNER
Bad Haircut
Tom Perrota (Bridge Works/Penguin)
New York Times bestselling author Tom Perrotta's first book is "more powerful than any coming-of-age novel" ―The Washington Post
Bad haircut is "[Perrotta's] first and still best book...Unassumedly brilliant." - The New York Times
"Stories, like those of J.D. Salinger, based on the kind of truth that spans generations." - The Hartford Courant
Where We Belong
Emily Giffin (St. Martin's)
"After five charming relationship-themed hits, Emily Giffin had a lot to live up to with Where We Belong. Luckily, the author executes with a thoughtful finesse that makes this easily her best work yet." — The Boston Globe
“In another surefire hit, [Giffin] serves up pathos, humor, and one doozy of a twist.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Book clubs will have a field day with this one. Thorny mother-daughter relationships and secrets we keep from loved ones burn up the pages.” — USA Today
A Recipe for Daphne
Nektaria Anastasiadou (Hoopoe Fiction, American University of Cairo Press, 2021)
Dublin Literary Award 2022 Longlist
"... to be thoroughly savored, from its enticing culinary elements to its charming love stories. In weaving together a delightful present-day romantic drama with a more profound narrative about reckoning with and making peace with the past, A Recipe for Daphne proves deeply satisfying." - The Washington Post
"A Recipe for Daphne sheds courageous light on the lives of the Greek Orthodox Christian communities of Istanbul...." - "Read Your Way Through Istanbul," - The New York Times
"...passes as a light, escapist novel with a love story. But at its core, it's a meditation on identity and the scars of history. Through her rich characters, the Rum people's painful history over the last century also comes to light." – Public Radio International's The World
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"Alexandra couples her high expectations with a path to reach them, and helped me raise the bar on my craft. Characterization. Pacing. Plot and scene improvement. Voice. Thematic constructs. Emotional impact. She addressed them all with stellar expertise and kindness." Read More →
— NEKTARIA ANASTASIADOU
Not Our Kind
Kitty Zeldis (HarperCollins, 2018)
Best-seller
“[An] enthralling portrait of a woman daring to defy convention in the face of rigid social confines. ...a story capturing issues of discrimination, the marginalization of women and class disparities… its themes linger long after the final page is read.” - USA Today
“Not Our Kind transports the reader back to 1947, to the heart of New York’s WASP-y Upper East Side. Zeldis has written a powerful and page-turning account of what happens when Eleanor--smart, beautiful, and Jewish--is employed as a tutor by the troubled Bellamy family, and finds herself out of place in their world.” - Publishers Weekly
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"What I loved most about working with Alexandra was how she innately understood the subject matter. With her keen eye, she helped me to restructure the magnuscript, adding layers of historical and character detail while patiently guiding me to the finish line." Read More →
— KITTY ZELDIS
The Dragon Behind the Glass
Emily Voigt (Scribner, 2016)
WINNER 2017 NASW Science in Society Journalism Award
FINALIST 2017 PEN/E. O. WILSON Literary Science Writing Award
LONGLISTED for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence
A Library Journal Best Science Book of the Year
"[A] curiously edifying book... Comprehensively researched and gracefully written." — The New York Times
"With the taut suspense of a spy novel, Voigt paints a vivid world of murder, black market deals, and habitat destruction surrounding a fish that's considered, ironically, to be a good-luck charm." — Discover
"[An] immensely satisfying story, full of surprises and suspense....Things get weird fast." — The Wall Street Journal
Fearless Women
Elizabeth Cobbs (Harvard University Press, 2023)
"Feminism is an integral part of the American story, according to this immersive timeline of the fight for women's equality. ....historian and novelist Cobbs (The Hello Girls) highlights the movement's role in the abolition of slavery, the creation of a social safety net, and other progressive milestones…. Cobbs's novelistic skills shine as she dramatizes policy debates and draws on personal memoirs and other sources to bring each woman to life. She also raises the profiles of underappreciated activists of color.... Feminists will savor the depth and intimacy of this optimistic survey." - Publishers Weekly
The Tubman Command
Elizabeth Cobbs (Arcade Publishing, 2019)
"During the Civil War, Harriet Tubman... served as a scout and occasional spy for the Union Army. The narrative finds her amid Union ranks in South Carolina's Port Royal Island, where she spearheads a 'bushwhacking operation' up the Combahee River to destroy Southern crops and liberate 'contraband'—that is, more than 750 enslaved men, women and children…. Ultimately, the novel depicts a heroine as willing to out-argue a room of grizzled white officers as to sail into battle at the bow of a gunship. For reasons unknown, the U.S. Treasury appears to have shelved plans to put Tubman on the $20 bill. For those responsible for the decision, this book ought to be assigned reading." – The Wall Street Journal
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
""With gentle encouragement, unflinching honesty, and deft tips, she enabled me to live up to my own promise. More importantly, she helped me do right by a great American hero. Worth every penny." Read More →
— ELIZABETH COBBS
Bar Maid
Daniel Roberts (Arcade Publishing, 2021)
"An archly comic love story with notes of farce and fable . . . Roberts' old school, slightly surreal humor has a dash of Barthelme or Perelman."—Kirkus Reviews
"Daniel Roberts' rowdy and tender coming-of-age romp is proof positive that, even in the Ivy League, the best education is always found off-campus."—Denis O'Neill, screenwriter and author of The River Wild
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"Alexandra’s support, critical thinking, and gifted perspectives have made all the difference. After working with Alexandra on four revisions, my book Bar Maid is in a good place. She administers tough love. It’s what a writer needs. Her eye for what works is only outdone by her eye for what doesn’t." Read More →
— DANIEL ROBERTS
The Town Crazy
Suzzy Roche (Gibson House Press, 2020)
"Singer-songwriter Roche probes the secrets of a small American town in this immersive character-driven tale. In 1961, the usually serene Hanzloo, Pa., and its Catholic residents are unsettled after Lil O'Brien, a frustrated poet and the mother of seven-year-old Alice, develops what her husband, Jim, describes as a 'disease of the soul.'… Roche's deep understanding of [the characters] will keep readers engaged all the way to the end."
– Publishers Weekly
"The Town Crazy casts a strong spell, and I don't think I've shaken it off yet, nor do I want to. Suzzy Roche understands so much about other people's lives; her fiction, just like her singing and songwriting, is thrilling, beautiful, and shattering." —Meg Wolitzer, Author of, most recently, The Female Persuasion
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy:
Four Women Undercover in the Civil War
Karen Abbott (HarperCollins, 2014)
“Not for nothing has Abbott, the bestselling author of Sin in the Second City, been called a ‘pioneer of sizzle history.’ Here she creates a gripping page-turner that moves at a breathtaking clip through the dramatic events of the Civil War.” – The LA Times
"In the gripping book, Abbott tells the moving and fascinating story of four women who played unconventional roles during the Civil War... a remarkable story of passion, strength, and resilience." - Publishers Weekly
“During the Civil War, women may have officially been relegated to the home front (and denied the vote), but this didn’t stop them from fighting the war on their own terms…. You’ll find adventure and intrigue galore here.”
- The Boston Globe
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"Alexandra Shelley came highly recommended, and did not disappoint. With humor, grace, and a fine critical eye, she tackled (and improved) every aspect of my manuscript: structure, pacing, characterization, and trimming the "fat." She's also a pleasure to work with—as kind and encouraging as she is brilliant—and I wouldn't hesitate to hire her again." Read More →
— KAREN ABBOTT
Never a Girl, Always a Boy
Jo Ivester (She Writes Press, 2020)
Named by Ms. Magazine as one of the books to read in 2020; recommended by Parade Magazine; named by USA Today "LGBTQ Books to Read During Pride Month"
Wall Street Journal e-book best-seller
"This candid family memoir shares the touching story of a transgender man and his family on their journey of self-discovery, acceptance and unconditional love. Told from multiple perspectives, this is a powerful, tender and important book." – Ms. Magazine
The Outskirts of Hope
Jo Ivester (She Writes Press, 2015)
Wall Street Journal bestseller
“The Outskirts of Hope is a yesteryear tale (1967) that could not be more pertinent and helpful to the racially complex and perturbed time we are living in now.” — Norman Lear
“A powerful personal perspective of a tumultuous time in America, seen through the eyes of a mother and her daughter navigating family and societal currents in the midst of the civil rights movement. White and Jewish from Boston, the family is transplanted into the segregated Deep South of the 1960s. ....Their dedication to being allies rather than bystanders results in their participation in history.” — Barry Curtiss-Lusher, Chairman, Anti-Defamation League
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"What drew me to Alexandra initially was her willingness to share my excitement and passion for the story I needed to tell. It was only after we’d begun working together that I appreciated how it was her expertise and coaching that would allow me to succeed at doing that." Read More →
— JO IVESTER
Missing, Presumed
Susie Steiner (HarperCollins UK, 2016)
Sunday Times bestseller
“Missing, Presumed is the best [crime novel] I’ve read in a very long time. It has everything one could ask, and more: it’s stylish, witty and compelling; has an infuriating yet likable lead detective; and is also terribly good at skewering contemporary class anxieties and manners” – The Guardian
“Where Steiner excels is in the depth and clarity with which she depicts her characters. Manon is ...something of a misanthrope. But she’s also funny and clever, and interesting. I defy you not to fall for her”
- Thriller of the Month, The Observer
“[Steiner] gets inside the minds and lives of her book’s socially disparate personalities with the grace of a novelist of manners, even as she pulls tight the strands of one of the most ambitious police procedurals of the year”
- The Wall Street Journal
Homecoming
Susie Steiner (Faber & Faber, 2013)
“Journalist Susie Steiner's debut novel is a powerful, visceral portrait of the ties that bind, and those that break…. a truly exceptional study of human flaws and frailties.” – The Observer
“’Who will inherit the farm?' is the big question at the heart of this warm and engaging first novel, set in Yorkshire. The farming details are beautifully deployed, to show a family renewing itself as much as the land it lives on.”
– The Times of London
“By the time we come full circle at the end of the farming year, you feel you're part of the Hartle family, warts and all.” – The Daily Express
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"Alexandra is the most incisive, encouraging, and imaginative editor I've ever worked with, someone who pushes you to imagine every facet of the scene you're in, so that you're working at the top of your game.”
Read More →
— SUSIE STEINER
Finding Fernanda
Erin Siegal (Beacon Press, 2012)
Series in production in 2024
CBS News “48 HOURS” features Finding Fernanda
Winner 2012 Independent Publisher Book Award, “IPPY,” Gold Medal for Current Affairs
CBS News “48 HOURS” investigation featuring "Finding Fernanda"
"Heavy-duty investigative reporting and compelling personal testimony…. Some of the details of the dark side of the [adoption] industry in Guatemala are Dickensian in their cruelty. But the tone of the book is, perhaps surprisingly, not despairing…. Finding Fernanda can also be read as a call to action." — The Miami Herald
"Reads like a mystery novel, but the facts it reveals are hauntingly true… Siegal does a fantastic job of breaking down a complicated story… a gripping read.” — Christian Science Monitor
Echoes from Wuhan
Gretchen Dykstra (Atmosphere Press, 2022)
"Dykstra weaves in historical summaries for context, but the heart of her narrative rests in the complicated, personal stories of the students and teachers with whom Dykstra became close.... An engaging and illuminative remembrance." - Kirkus Reviews
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"I will happily join the others who have had the pleasure of working with Alexandra and now praise her. Sensitive, smart and savvy, she helped bring to life a book I had been working on—off and on--for 41 years. She helped me figure out the book I wanted to, write and then helped me shape it, deepen it and clarify it."
Read More →
— GRETCHEN DYKSTRA
Sugar Birds
Cheryl Grey Bostrom (She Writes Press, 2021)
Winner: 2022 International Book Awards - Cross-Genre, Fiction: Inspirational
Gold Winner: 2022 IPPY AWARDS in Best First Book – Fiction – Independent Publisher Book Awards
"Bostrom's prose is propulsive and detailed . . . a true page-turner all the way to the end. An engrossing tale of survival and redemption in the Pacific Northwest." - Kirkus Reviews
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"When I brought my award-winning manuscript to Alexandra, she saw potential, but promptly offered me a graceful exit. The revisions would be arduous, she said, my learning curve steep. I dug in anyway, and under her tutelage, my fiction writing transformed. She couples her high expectations with a path to reach them, and helped me raise the bar on my craft. Characterization. Pacing. Plot and scene improvement. Voice. Thematic constructs. Emotional impact. She addressed them all with stellar expertise and kindness." Read More →
— CHERYL GREY BOSTROM
Buying In
Laura Hemphill (Amazon Publishing, 2013)
“Wall Street banker Laura Hemphill took her seven years laboring in the world of finance and spun them into a work of fiction that pulls back the door on life of the privileged elite.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Finally, a juicy Wall Street novel about a woman who's breaking up the boys' club." – Glamour Magazine
"I read Buying In in one sitting. It sucks you into an adrenaline vortex, obliterating everything but the deal. Work swallows family, friends, and scruples. A gripping and thought-provoking read." – Anne-Marie Slaughter, author of Why Women Still Can’t Have It All
A Palm Beach Scandal
Susannah Marren (St. Martin's, 2020)
"Readers expecting a fun, scandalous, frothy beach read won't find it within these pages. Instead, this is a serious novel about a family that is tested by the past and the present. For readers who appreciate modern and sensitive stories about family, especially sisters."
- Library Journal
A Palm Beach Wife
Susannah Marren (St. Martin's, 2019)
"Exploring a place where brand names, money, and gossip rule, Marren shows the importance of status for a woman in Palm Beach, Fla., and how easily a few dangerous secrets can take it all away… the mystery and intrigue will keep readers holding on until the shocking ending they won't see coming." – Publishers Weekly
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"I am absolutely blessed to have found Alexandra Shelley as a freelance editor for my fiction work. She is uniquely skillful-- she has a discerning eye, she is schooled in literature and technique and has the ability to truly appreciate a story. Her respect for my work while teaching me to become a better writer has made this a remarkable journey. I trust her instincts and am continually impressed with her notes and guidance. I am endlessly grateful to Alexandra. ” Read More →
— SUSAN SHAPIRO BARASH/PEN NAME SUSANNAH MARREN
Stars Over Clear Lake
Loretta Ellsworth (Thomas Dunne/Macmillan, 2017)
"[An] absorbing love story full of nostalgia, heartbreak, and secrets long buried―whether to protect others or simply for survival. Highlighting the lesser-known history of POWs in America during World War II, Ellsworth's tale serves as a timely reminder of the humanity that connects us, regardless of borders or circumstance, to even those labeled 'the enemy.'" ― Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author
"A timeless story of love and loss in the wartime American heartland." - Linda Lael Miller, New York Times bestselling author
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"Alexandra Shelley helped me to transform my messy draft into a publishable manuscript. That she was able to get me to go deeper, flesh out characters, and add dramatic tension while improving my prose speaks volumes to her keen, critical eye. And the fact that she didn’t make me feel like crawling into a hole afterwards is testament to the care she took with my story and my fragile ego, which made working with her such a pleasure." Read More →
— LORETTA ELLSWORTH
Harbor of Spies
Robin Lloyd (Lyons Press, 2018)
Robin Lloyd is an Emmy-award-winning former correspondent for NBC News and documentary filmmaker
"There is intrigue and romance combined with history and mystery set in a real time and place--colonial Cuba during the U.S. Civil War. The end result is a page-turning excursion through dangers and delights that will both entertain and enlighten.” —Jim Lehrer, journalist and novelist
Rough Passage to London
Robin Lloyd (Sheridan House, 2013)
"Pirate skirmishes, gale-force storms, human trafficking, and other high seas drama pepper Lloyd's poignant and action-packed debut about his real-life ancestor, Captain Ely Morgan.... Lloyd crafts an engaging and thoughtful thrill ride; his mariner Ely Morgan is neither salty nor rum-soaked… he's the thinking man's swashbuckler." - Publishers Weekly
“Robin Lloyd is a great reporter, and he has shaped meticulous research into a rollicking story of the sea and the tall ships that sailed the North Atlantic in the 1800s.” - Bob Schieffer, CBS News
Hidden Cargo
Robin Lloyd (Lyons Press, 2023)
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"Alexandra Shelley is a gifted editor as well as a veteran teacher of fiction writing. She has the patience to listen, the willingness to read a rambling narrative, and the ability to find the drama through the haze and clutter. I will forever appreciate her professional oversight, guidance, suggestions and detailed criticism. She encouraged me to take risks and push myself as a writer into new uncharted territories.” Read More →
— ROBIN LLOYD
Kids and Cocktails Don’t Mix
Heather Haldeman (Apprentice House Press, 2021)
1st place, Narrative Non-fiction, Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) 2022
"A book about a culture – and a way of being – that seems almost fantastical, although it was just a few decades ago.... Set in Los Angeles over a period ranging from the 1970's to the present day, Haldeman locates a great story within a girl's life, and her eye for the exquisite detail – of clothes, of decor, of catered food served in silver chafing dishes – has a precision reminiscent of Didion writing at the height of her powers. Funny, sly, open-hearted and beautifully written, it's a winner from the first page to the last." — Caitlin Flanagan, Staff Writer, The Atlantic
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"Working with Alexandra Shelley was, as my son said, "like getting a private, graduate school education." She was instrumental in helping me bring my manuscript to a higher level - a publishable level. Alexandra is a consummate professional and I am forever grateful for her expertise." Read More →
— HEATHER HALDEMAN
The Peking Letter
Seymour Topping (PublicAffairs, 1999)
Seymour Topping, former Managing Editor of the New York Times, covered the Chinese Civil War as AP correspondent
"In this well-crafted historical novel, one of the great veterans of reportage on Asia takes us back to the drama and excitement of China in the 1940s. It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the genesis of the Chinese Communist Revolution." - Orville Schell
"As China prepares to celebrate five decades of communism, Seymour Topping's The Peking Letter serves as an entertaining read and timely reminder of how the grand, flawed experiment began." - The Baltimore Sun
The Woolgrower’s Companion
Joy Rhoades (Penguin UK and Australia, 2017)
"A wonderful new voice in literary rural fiction" - Australian Women's Weekly
"This sweeping epic set in rural NSW is about love, family and testing our mettle – and it’s compulsively readable. Just the thing for those lazy summer days" - Marie Claire
"Joy Rhoades' Kate Dowd is Elizabeth-Bennet-meets-The-Drover's-Wife . . . an accomplished debut" - Sydney Morning Herald
Poison
Galt Niederhoffer (St. Martin's, 2017)
"A fast-paced, sophisticated thriller" - The New York Post
"[A] twisty, juicy domestic thriller...[an] edgy page-turner [with] class and depth." - Elle
“The novel is ominous from Page 1, and with its slow-burn peril--both psychological and physical--building nicely, the suspense is sustained until the very end.” – Kirkus
The Curse of Mohenjo Daro
Maha Khan Phillips (Pan Macmillan, 2017)
2016 AD. When footage of a team of archaeologists bursting into flames at the ancient site of Mohenjodaro goes viral, the world is horrified and shaken. While authorities suspect it to be an incendiary terrorist attack, Nadia Osbourne determines to find her archaeologist sister, Layla, convinced that she has survived. Her frantic search takes her to the ruins and forces her to confront her own demons - her inexplicable dreams about a woman named Jaya. 3800 BC. …. Inspired by the legends surrounding the lost Indus Valley city, the Curse of Mohenjodaro is a gripping thriller about a powerful relic, a sinister cult and family secrets that haunt generations.
The Prince of West End Avenue
Alan Isler (Bridge Works/Penguin)
*Winner, National Jewish Book Award
"Displays a sharp and original wit.... The Prince of West End Avenue emerges as a paradoxical tale of how to make peace with an unbearable past and the sin of pride." - The New York Times
"Rich and complex... supremely original." - The Los Angeles Times
Mr. Either/Or
Aaron Poochigian (Etruscan Press, 2017)
"Aaron Poochigian's Mr. Either/Or is the most significant verse novel since at least Vikram Seth's best-selling The Golden Gate.... [It] combines multiple genres, high culture with pop culture, and grimness with exuberance. It is a memorable, challenging and entertaining read." –A.M. Juster, The Billy Collins Experience
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"By adding depth to my characters and subtlety to dialogue, Alexandra Shelley pushed my novel from two dimensions to the full three! Because of her, my protagonists and villains started acting and talking like real human beings!" Read More →
— AARON POOCHIGIAN
Zip Six
Jack Gantos (Bridge Works)
Gantos is a Newbery Award winner
"Prison friendship, betrayal tale, by ex-inmate. Wonderful bounce, goofiness...So much talent."
―The Washington Post
"... this first adult novel from a much-published YA and children's-book writer is both compelling and very funny… the entire novel is governed by an irresistible quirkiness." ― Publishers Weekly
Comrades
Barbara Borst (Adelaide Books, 2020)
Sandile Malindi refuses to join student strikes that convulse apartheid South Africa. A proud son of Soweto merchants, he is determined to continue his education. Peter Seibert, a white American new to Johannesburg, inadvertently offends Sandile when they meet at their private high school but earns his trust on the sports field. Kagiso Mafolo, a Soweto student organizer, visits her aunt, a maid at the Seiberts' home. She charms Peter but clashes with Sandile over his absence from the freedom struggle. Working through conflicts over race, wealth and ideology, the three build friendships... and help each other survive in tumultuous times.
Salt of the Nation
Matt Bloom (Adelaide Books, 2019)
Matt Bloom's Salt of the Nation is the story of an ordinary man on an extraordinary journey; a disillusioned gravel plant worker who impulsively slugs a presidential nominee during a campaign photo-op and instantly becomes America's most famous fugitive and newest hero.
Salt of the Nation is more than a road story; it's a novel about a land riven by broken promises, thwarted dreams, and populism gone awry. It's the story of a contemporary America equally divided and galvanized by an ordinary man's rash act and desperate journey.
Aria
Susan Segal (Bridge Works/Penguin)
Washington Post fiction list selection
"Segal's exceptional debut suggests that fame wanted or not takes its toll no matter how it is acquired…. With razor-sharp insight and adroit imagery, Segal masterfully builds layers of tension by methodically exposing her tragically flawed characters' true motives." – Publisher’s Weekly
"The characters in Segal's haunting, beautifully written first novel are fully realized, vibrant, and believable."
– Library Journal
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"Alexandra’s enthusiasm and devotion to making Aria the best that it could be were instrumental to the book’s evolution. Her work was meticulous and incisive; she addressed the text on a sentence-by-sentence level -- dedication that has been unparalleled in my experience. Alexandra took work I was proud of and made me prouder. She is an exacting reader and a fine editor." Read More →
— SUSAN SEGAL
Patty Jane’s House of Curl
Lorna Landvik (Bridge Works/Penguin)
"Fun and funny, spiked with tragedy and sad times." - USA Today
"A funny, poignant first novel about the bonds between women." - Houston Chronicle
"Amazingly vivid . . . This novel breezes merrily along, but don't read it without a hankie. This is a winner for fans of Garrison Keillor and Danielle Steel." - Library Journal
The Boy in the Box
Lee J. Nelson (Bridge Works Publishing)
"Nelson's brilliant novel reveals itself to be a contemplation on society and existentialism...[The] writing is simple and stark, not unlike that of Kafka or that other great existentialist-novelist, Albert Camus." ― The Boston Globe
"Throughout, first-time novelist Nelson speaks with his own assured and wonderfully askew voice in what becomes a dizzying, disorienting and shockingly entertaining meditation on the nature of reality and the concept of free will."―The San Diego Tribune
"[Nelson] plays a cagey, Kafkaesque cat-and-mouse game with reality and illusion… an edgy, compelling world that will remind readers of Paul Auster and cartoonist Ben Katchor." ―Publishers Weekly
House Work
Kristina McGrath (Bridge Works Publishing)
New York Times notable book
-"... a remarkable achievement. Kristina McGrath has set out to write a novel that tells us things we need to know about marriage and childhood, love and regret, memory and pain, and she has succeeded." - New York Times
-"This is a book that takes chances.... the writing is full of a kind of quiet dazzle." - LA Times
Worthy’s Town
Sharon Rolens (Bridge Works Publishing)
Finalist, Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award
"...humorous and engaging dialogue punctuates this nostalgic story of rural America, in which the complexity of smalltown human relationships brings depth to the murder-mystery plot that ensues." – Publishers Weekly
“… a beautiful view of the Great Depression and America at home during World War II; a finely honed character study of a town and its inhabitants, good and bad; and a classic tale of orchestrated retribution.”
– Library Journal
What Else But Home
Sharon Rolens(Bridge Works Publishing)
"In this follow-up to Worthy's Town, the men of the Giberson family grapple with old demons and the complicated ties of blood in post-World War II Old Kane, Ill. ….Old Kane comes alive through a colorful cast of secondary characters (a waitress with a secret, wayward preachers, the lumbago-afflicted sheriff), and Rolens's re-creation of rural postwar America is honest and warm." — Publishers Weekly
"As warm and enjoyable as its predecessor, Rolens' second novel is a pitch-perfect depiction of small-town life."
— Booklist
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"Because of Alexandra's keen editing my first novel was a finalist in the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers program. She went on to edit my second novel which was also a satisfying experience. I highly recommend Alexandra Shelley because I trust her editing savvy."
Read More →
— SHARON ROLENS
Duty
Jim R. Lane (Bridge Works Publishing)
“This provocative morality play is a scathing indictment of the military justice system and the cover-your-rear attitude of the U.S. Navy. Lane’s absorbing narrative is a call to action.” – Publishers Weekly
"An engaging, candid story about manhood. The ambiguities of rank, and individual conscience....An informed depiction of the 'new" military, all told in Lane's fluent voice." - Kirkus Reviews
"A working-out of the clash between duty and individual conscience. Rather like 'The Caine Mutiny.'"
- Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
American Sycamore
Karen Fielding (Seren Books, 2014)
Winner 2015 Independent Publisher Book Award, “IPPY,” Gold Medal for Regional Fiction
The lives of congenial American fly fisherman Billy and his younger sister Alice meander alongside the Susquehanna River in this offbeat coming-of-age novel of death, madness, and fishing by debut author Karen Fielding.
Starting from Scrap
Stephen H. Greer (Blacksmith Books, 2010)
"If you are an aspiring entrepreneur and want to read a book about the raw and nerve wracking experiences of a start up from scratch, this is a must read."
--Po Chung, Co-Founder, DHL International; co-author, The First 10 Yards -The 5 Dynamics of Entrepreneurship
"Greer tells first-hand of the trials and tribulations of creating and building a scrap-metal business in the rough-and-tumble world of Asia. Stephen has earned his mark as a true entrepreneur as well as a witty and talented writer. " - Robert Miller, Founder, Duty Free Shoppers
In Between
Jane Hoppen (Bold Strokes Books, 2013)
Never have there been only two genders—male and female. A third gender, denied by society and hidden by the medical community, has always existed, and that is what Sophie Schmidt discovers when, at the age of fourteen, she learns the truth of how she was born. Sophie then embarks on a journey to learn more about her true self and to find others born like her.
The Beginning of Calamities
Tom House (Bridge Works Publishing)
"First-time novelist House turns a school play into a coming-of-age vehicle in his heartfelt ... novel, set in suburban Long Island in 1973." - Publishers Weekly
"Effectively depicts Danny's constant personal angst and spiritual longings....Makes the curious reader hold on until the final pages." - Library Journal
The American Century
Lisa Phillips (W.W. Norton, 1999)
"This lively compendium is the catalog for the second half of the Whitney Museum of American Art's nine-month, two-part exhibition on American culture of the last 100 years.
The author, Lisa Phillips, is now director of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, but she spent 20 years at the Whitney overseeing many of its famous (or infamous) biennials and producing a number of exhibitions about American culture in fields beyond the museum." - Peggy Moorman
Renegade Champion
Richard R. Rust (Derrydale Press)
"Renegade Champion is honest, compelling, and sometimes bittersweet." - In and Around Horse Country
"This true story reads like a Hollywood script but better. Unlike many biographies, this one is decorated with anecdotes that only a child would pick up through a lifetime spent with his mother. He does a masterful job of relating facts and blending them with these wonderful tidbits, so that the reader seems to feel what's going through Pohl's mind rather than simply reading her words." - The Chronicle Of The Horse
Summer Night, Winter Moon
Jane Huxley (Delancey Press)
Washington Post fiction list selection
“A fast and compelling read” -Dame Beryl Bainbridge
“A novel affair. Brilliant. I could not put it down.” -Max Clifford, Surrey Life
“I devoured it in just 2 nights: literally unputdownable.” -Sally Farmiloe, Hotgossip
For the Love of Penny Whistler
Jane Huxley (Delancey Press)
"Glitter and gutter... lovelorn, war-torn. A compelling read." –Simon Cowell
"A novel of remarkable panache. Huxley's skillful handling of the narrative turns this story of obsession and betrayal into something infinitely more complex and threatening." -Dame Beryl Bainbridge
AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL
"I am convinced that no matter how talented or accomplished a writer may be, he or she can greatly benefit from the advice of a brilliant editor. This has been my own experience – three novels and a play later – with my editor, Alexandra Shelley." Read More →
— JANE HUXLEY