Grace Layer, Author at Penguin Books https://www.penguin.com/author/glayer/ Because Reading Matters Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:42:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://www.penguin.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/cropped-logo-sm-view-32x32.gif Grace Layer, Author at Penguin Books https://www.penguin.com/author/glayer/ 32 32 Ella Kurki, Assistant Editor https://www.penguin.com/ella-kurki-assistant-editor/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 18:03:26 +0000 https://www.penguin.com/?p=8940 Ella Kurki joined Dutton in February 2023, after starting her career at Penguin Michael Joseph in London. She loves voice and character-driven fiction with unique storytelling and unpredictable characters. On the nonfiction side, she’s interested in deeply researched stories that entertain, educate, and engage with contemporary issues. Ella has editorially contributed to Cherry Lou Sy’s…

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Ella Kurki joined Dutton in February 2023, after starting her career at Penguin Michael Joseph in London. She loves voice and character-driven fiction with unique storytelling and unpredictable characters. On the nonfiction side, she’s interested in deeply researched stories that entertain, educate, and engage with contemporary issues. Ella has editorially contributed to Cherry Lou Sy’s Love Can’t Feed You, Nina St. Pierre’s Love Is a Burning Thing, and Timothy C. Winegard’s The Horse.

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Charlotte Peters, Assistant Editor https://www.penguin.com/charlotte-peters-assistant-editor/ Mon, 25 Jul 2022 18:32:41 +0000 https://www.penguin.com/?p=5774 Charlotte Peters joined Dutton in 2022. She is interested in commercial and genre fiction in unique, atmospheric settings that involve gothic, fantastical elements or dark institutions, escapist rom-coms simmering in magic (literal and figurative), character-driven “traditional” fantasy, and transportive romantasy, from epic to cozy. In nonfiction, she seeks relatable pop culture-focused works that appeal to…

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Charlotte Peters joined Dutton in 2022. She is interested in commercial and genre fiction in unique, atmospheric settings that involve gothic, fantastical elements or dark institutions, escapist rom-coms simmering in magic (literal and figurative), character-driven “traditional” fantasy, and transportive romantasy, from epic to cozy. In nonfiction, she seeks relatable pop culture-focused works that appeal to enthusiastic fanbases, witchy lifestyle guides, and fun, quirky history. Upcoming titles include Your Favorite Scary Movie by Ashley Cullins, A Spell for Midwinter’s Heart by Morgan Lockhart, I Was Feeling Epic by Samantha Highfill, Into the Midnight Wood by Alexandra McCollum, and The Knox by Karen Winn.

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Lisset Lanza, Editorial Assistant https://www.penguin.com/lisset-lanza-editorial-assistant/ Fri, 22 Apr 2022 18:07:07 +0000 https://www.penguin.com/?p=4804 Lisset Lanza joined Dutton in April 2022 as an editorial assistant. She previously reported on local news and politics and her published magazine work is focused on health and lifestyle content. Lisset hopes to acquire voice-driven literary and commercial fiction with a focus on cultural critique and family dynamics. She’s interested in themes of mysticism,…

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Lisset Lanza joined Dutton in April 2022 as an editorial assistant. She previously reported on local news and politics and her published magazine work is focused on health and lifestyle content. Lisset hopes to acquire voice-driven literary and commercial fiction with a focus on cultural critique and family dynamics. She’s interested in themes of mysticism, morality, religion, community, rurality, and immigration. On the nonfiction side, she seeks personal narratives that underpin the exploration of big ideas in social reform and public policy. She’s also keen on informative works in areas such as nature, linguistics, and the humanities. Lisset graduated from New York University with a double major in Journalism and Social and Cultural Analysis.

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Grace Layer, Associate Editor https://www.penguin.com/grace-layer-associate-editor/ Mon, 27 Sep 2021 14:00:10 +0000 https://www.penguin.com/?p=2685 Grace Layer joined Dutton in January 2021 and acquires both fiction and nonfiction. She’s looking for smart narrative nonfiction, including investigative journalism, popular science, travel/food narratives, and character-driven stories that bring an unknown piece of history to light or dive into a propulsive mystery. On the fiction side, she’s interested in upmarket, voice-driven novels with…

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Grace Layer joined Dutton in January 2021 and acquires both fiction and nonfiction. She’s looking for smart narrative nonfiction, including investigative journalism, popular science, travel/food narratives, and character-driven stories that bring an unknown piece of history to light or dive into a propulsive mystery. On the fiction side, she’s interested in upmarket, voice-driven novels with genre elements that explore the complexities of friendships and family, as well as fresh, young takes on cozy mysteries. Across her list, she is seeking stories by and about BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Grace’s recent and upcoming titles include American Scare by Edgar Award-winning journalist Robert Fieseler, an exposé on a Florida legislative committee who persecuted queer individuals and civil rights workers in the 1950s and 60s; Stronger by Michael Joseph Gross, a narrative exploration of the central role of muscle in human life; A Zoom with a View by Jess Cannon, a cozy millennial mystery set in a Texan liberal small town; and American Poison by bestselling author Daniel Stone, the untold story Alice Hamilton, a trailblazing labor rights and public health activist.

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Lexy Cassola, Associate Editor https://www.penguin.com/lexy-cassola-assistant-editor/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 20:56:44 +0000 https://www.penguin.com/?p=2292 Lexy Cassola joined Dutton in February 2018 and is an associate editor acquiring fiction. She is seeking literary and upmarket novels driven by complicated relationships in the book club, suspense, and horror genres; and she is always particularly drawn to a sassy or witty voice. She is also selectively acquiring nonfiction for the Plume list…

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Lexy Cassola joined Dutton in February 2018 and is an associate editor acquiring fiction. She is seeking literary and upmarket novels driven by complicated relationships in the book club, suspense, and horror genres; and she is always particularly drawn to a sassy or witty voice. She is also selectively acquiring nonfiction for the Plume list including fun books about pop culture, horror, food, and dating/marriage.

Lexy’s recent and upcoming Dutton titles include Our Little World by Karen Winn, a coming-of-age story about two sisters in the aftermath of a local girl’s disappearance; GMA Buzz Pick A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch, a wry millennial debut about an aspiring novelist who stalks her boyfriend’s ex for writing material; Alicia Elliott’s And Then She Fell, a literary horror novel about a young Indigenous woman who discovers that her picture-perfect life isn’t what it seems; and Heidi Reimer’s The Mother Act, a complicated mother-daughter tale told against the backdrop of the theater world.

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Cassidy Sachs, Senior Editor https://www.penguin.com/cassidy-sachs-associate-editor/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 20:51:42 +0000 https://www.penguin.com/?p=2286 Cassidy Sachs joined Dutton in 2017. She acquires across a broad range of fiction and nonfiction, and is drawn to books that lead with heart, humor, and a sense of empowerment. She is seeking joyful commercial and book club fiction that features strong, witchy women at its center. She is also on the lookout for…

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Cassidy Sachs joined Dutton in 2017. She acquires across a broad range of fiction and nonfiction, and is drawn to books that lead with heart, humor, and a sense of empowerment. She is seeking joyful commercial and book club fiction that features strong, witchy women at its center. She is also on the lookout for narrative disrupting, expert-led nonfiction, and especially loves to work with trailblazing scholars and big-thinking journalists. For Plume, she is drawn to platform driven memoir, lifestyle, and pop-culture with a point.  

Across both lists she has published nationally and New York Times bestselling books, has worked with award winning journalists and historians, and has published book club picks, GMA and Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books, #1 LibraryReads picks, ALA Award Winning titles, Next Big Idea Must Reads, and Goodreads Choice Awards nominees.

Cassidy’s previous and upcoming Dutton titles include  How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin;bestselling author Catherine Walsh’s How to Write a Love Story; the nationally bestselling, TikTok viral Magnolia Parks Universeseries by Jessa Hastings; and Out of Lovea debut and Barnes and Noble monthly fiction pick by Hazel Hayes. New York Times bestselling The World’s Worst Assistant by Conan O’Brien’s longtime assistant Sona Movsesian; Nationally bestselling and Next Big Idea Must Read Break the Cycle by trauma psychologist Dr. Mariel Buque; The Highest Law in the Land, shortlisted for the J. Anthony Lukas Work-In-Progress Award by Jessica Pishko.

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Pilar Garcia-Brown, Senior Editor https://www.penguin.com/pilar-garcia-brown-senior-editor/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 20:46:00 +0000 https://www.penguin.com/?p=2461 Pilar Garcia-Brown joined Dutton as a Senior Editor in September 2021. Previously, she worked at Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She concentrates on fiction in multiple categories, as well as the occasional narrative nonfiction. She’s interested in voice and character-driven fiction that upends expectation or plays with genre, and is especially drawn to novels that tackle urgent, contemporary…

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Pilar Garcia-Brown joined Dutton as a Senior Editor in September 2021. Previously, she worked at Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She concentrates on fiction in multiple categories, as well as the occasional narrative nonfiction. She’s interested in voice and character-driven fiction that upends expectation or plays with genre, and is especially drawn to novels that tackle urgent, contemporary social and cultural themes in an irreverent or humorous way. On the nonfiction side, she is looking for hybrid memoir and essays.

Pilar’s recent and forthcoming titles include: the instant New York Times bestseller Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour and his sophomore novel, This Great Hemisphere Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang, which won the Lambda Award for Bisexual Fiction and which will be produced for TV by Constance Wu; the National Book Award-nominated collection Holler, Child by LaToya Watkins; the National Book Award-nominated essay collection Magical/Realism by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal;  the New York Times Editors’ Choice Old Enough by Haley Jakobson; Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk, a dual-period queer Gothic vampire novel set in Argentina; Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang, about gay men in rural China and the women who marry them, and which was a Dakota Johnson x TeaTime Book Club Pick; and Trust and Safety by Laura Blackett and Eve Gleichman, a smart, wickedly funny novel about a couple who move to the Hudson Valley and become entangled with a queer couple living the dream analog life. 

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Lindsey Rose, Executive Editor https://www.penguin.com/lindsey-rose-executive-editor/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 20:45:34 +0000 https://www.penguin.com/?p=2279 Lindsey Rose joined Dutton in January 2019 as an executive editor with a particular focus on upmarket and commercial fiction as well as thrillers, crime, and suspense. Recent and upcoming titles include Abi Daré’s powerful voice-driven Nigeria-set debut The Girl with the Louding Voice, which was a New York Times bestseller and a #ReadWithJenna Today Show book club…

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Lindsey Rose joined Dutton in January 2019 as an executive editor with a particular focus on upmarket and commercial fiction as well as thrillers, crime, and suspense.

Recent and upcoming titles include Abi Daré’s powerful voice-driven Nigeria-set debut The Girl with the Louding Voice, which was a New York Times bestseller and a #ReadWithJenna Today Show book club pick; Eileen Garvin’s heartwarming debut about second chances, unexpected friendship, and beekeeping The Music of Bees;  David Klass’s fast-paced eco-thriller Out of TimeS.K Barnett’s twisty and explosive psychological suspense novel Safe;  #1 internationally bestselling author Tara Moss’s glamorous post-WWII historical novel The War WidowJason Mott’s (co-edited with John Parsley) simultaneously funny and heart-wrenching novel Hell of a Book examining the toll of systemic racism and police violence on America; and Soon Wiley’s breathtaking debut novel about a Korean-American young man searching for a sense of identity while straddling both cultures.

Before coming to Dutton, Lindsey began her career at Grand Central Publishing, where she had the privilege of working with many bestselling and award-winning authors including David Baldacci, Iris Johansen, the Robert Ludlum Estate, Jeff Abbott, Sarah Blaedel, Robert Bryndza, Louise Jensen, Margaret Maron, M.C. Beaton, Marcia Muller, Eric Van Lustbader, Kyle Mills, Jamie Freveletti, and Nalo Hopkinson.

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Brent Howard, Executive Editor https://www.penguin.com/brent-howard-executive-editor/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 20:40:45 +0000 https://www.penguin.com/?p=2275 Brent Howard joined Dutton in March 2017, specializing in nonfiction with a focus on history, biography, military, politics and food. In a career spanning seventeen years, he has worked with a wide range of authors, including Martin Dugard, Alex Kershaw, Daniel Stone, John C. McManus, Luke Barr, William C. Davis, James Donovan, Josh Ireland, David…

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Brent Howard joined Dutton in March 2017, specializing in nonfiction with a focus on history, biography, military, politics and food. In a career spanning seventeen years, he has worked with a wide range of authors, including Martin Dugard, Alex Kershaw, Daniel Stone, John C. McManus, Luke Barr, William C. Davis, James Donovan, Josh Ireland, David O. Stewart, Mark Updegrove, David L. Roll, Phillips Payson O’Brien, Willard Sterne Randall, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Paul Andrew Hutton, Douglas Waller, Gregory A. Freeman, John S.D. Eisenhower, John Oller, Kevin Maurer, Larry Alexander, Jonathan W. Jordan, and Jack Cheevers.

Recent and upcoming titles include the national bestselling Taking Paris by Martin Dugard; investigative reporter Tim Mak’s Misfire: Inside the Downfall of the NRA; David L. Roll’s George Marshall: Defender of the Republic; Gilder Lehrman Prize for Military History recipient John C. McManus’s Island Infernos; Mark K. Updegrove’s Incomparable Grace: JFK in the Presidency; and Daniel P. Bolger’s The Panzer Killers.

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Maya Ziv, VP, Editorial Director https://www.penguin.com/maya-ziv-executive-editor/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 20:37:06 +0000 https://www.penguin.com/?p=2272 Maya Ziv joined Dutton in 2015, focusing on upmarket and literary fiction and select narrative nonfiction. Recent and upcoming fiction include New York Times bestselling author Riley’s Sager’s Middle of the Night, Ana Reyes New York Times bestseller The House in the Pines, Hank Green’s #1 New York Times bestseller, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, Adriana Trigiani’s New York Times bestseller, The Good Left Undone, The Sicilian Inheritance by award-winning…

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Maya Ziv joined Dutton in 2015, focusing on upmarket and literary fiction and select narrative nonfiction. Recent and upcoming fiction include New York Times bestselling author Riley’s Sager’s Middle of the Night, Ana Reyes New York Times bestseller The House in the PinesHank Green’s #1 New York Times bestseller, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, Adriana Trigiani’s New York Times bestseller, The Good Left UndoneThe Sicilian Inheritance by award-winning journalist, Jo Piazza, Ella Dawson’s But How Are You, Really, and Suzanne Rindell’s Summer Fridays. Recent and upcoming nonfiction include Elinor Cleghorn’s Unwell WomenNona Willis-Aronowitz’s Bad Sex, Joshua Leifer’s Tablets Shattered, and Bernice McFadden’s upcoming memoir, First Born Girls.

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