Crown Archetype to Publish BONFIRE by Krysten Ritter
Coming Fall 2017
Actress, Producer, and Writer
To Write Debut Psychological Suspense Novel
Ritter known for her starring roles in the award-winning Netflix original series Marvel’s Jessica Jones and cult favorite Don’t Trust the B —- in Apartment 23, as well as her critically acclaimed role on AMC’s Breaking Bad.
BONFIRE Scheduled for Release on November 7, 2017, by Crown Archetype
(Embargoed until 10 AM ET, February 15, 2017, New York, NY) Crown Archetype, an imprint of Penguin Random House’s Crown Publishing Group, announced today that it will publish BONFIRE, a debut psychological suspense novel by actress, producer, and writer Krysten Ritter. The announcement was made by Crown Archetype Vice President and Editorial Director Tricia Boczkowski. The book will be released simultaneously in the United States and Canada in print and digital formats on November 7, 2017. Crown Archetype Executive Editor Jennifer Schuster acquired North American, electronic book, audio, and first-serial rights from Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management on behalf of Paper Lantern Lit, and will edit the book.
Informed by real-life instances of local conspiracy, BONFIRE is a multilayer psychological thriller about a woman forced to confront her past in the wake of small-town corruption. Twenty-eight-year-old Abby Williams returns to her small hometown after a ten-year absence as an environmental lawyer sent to investigate Optimal Plastics, the town’s largest company and economic heart, accused of illegal dumping of toxic chemicals in local water. Abby’s findings lead her to revisit the town’s biggest scandal—the disappearance of a girl who had been one of Abby’s prime torturers in high school. As Abby tries to find out what really happened all those years ago, she unearths an even more disturbing secret, the scope of which is far bigger and more twisted than she could have imagined. With tantalizing twists, slow-burning suspense, and a remote rural town of just five claustrophobic miles, BONFIRE is a dark exploration of the question, can you ever outrun your past?
Growing up on a small-town farm in rural Pennsylvania, Krysten Ritter started her career in front of the camera as a model at fifteen years old. Her body of work has subsequently spanned film, television, theater, writing, producing, music, and fashion design. Ritter’s work in film includes Big Eyes, Listen Up Philip, Life Happens, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and She’s Out of My League. She is the founder of Silent Machine, a production company that aims to highlight complex female protagonists. BONFIRE is her first book.
Said Boczkowski, “While many know Krysten Ritter for her acting, the publication of BONFIRE will showcase her prowess as a contemporary storyteller. In this terrific first novel, Ritter has crafted a smart and fast-paced read that includes all the hallmarks of great thriller writing: tension, suspense, and a strong female protagonist. We’re thrilled to be publishing her debut novel.”
Said Ritter, “As a huge fan of psychological suspense novels, I was so thrilled to take on the challenge of writing my first book. This was an exciting opportunity for me to explore a character journey and really get inside the head of my protagonist, a process that has a lot in common with how I prepare to play a role.”
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Crown Archetype is an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade book publisher, is dedicated to its mission of nourishing a universal passion for reading by connecting authors and their writing with readers everywhere. The company, which employs more than 10,000 people globally, was formed on July 1, 2013, by Bertelsmann and Pearson, who own 53 percent and 47 percent, respectively. With nearly 250 independent imprints and brands on five continents, Penguin Random House comprises adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction print and digital English- and Spanish-language trade book publishing businesses in more than 20 countries worldwide. With over 15,000 new titles and close to 800 million print, audio, and eBooks sold annually, Penguin Random House’s publishing lists include more than 60 Nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of the world’s most widely read authors.
Paper Lantern Lit is a NY-based development company founded by Lauren Oliver and Lexa Hillyer.