MEDIA RELEASE

Simon & Schuster Australia acquires

THE MOTHER FAULT

by Kate Mildenhall

Simon & Schuster is excited to announce the acquisition of a unique, genre-busting novel, The Mother Fault, by award-winning author Kate Mildenhall in a major two-book deal. S&S won ANZ rights in a hotly contested auction via Pippa Masson at Curtis Brown Australia. The Mother Fault will be published in September 2020.

In the wake of a new generation of readers discovering The Handmaid’s Tale, S&S Publishing Director Fiona Henderson said The Mother Fault takes the next step in imagining a not too distant future that is all too terrifyingly real through the eyes of a mother pushed to extremes to save her family.

‘The Mother Fault reminds me why I love what I do – that wild rush of excitement when you read something that is truly extraordinary. Kate has pulled off the impossible: a cracker of a story that also makes you think, big issues made crystal clear in small ways through the eyes of characters we care deeply for, proving just how powerful great storytelling can be.’ 

Dan Ruffino, Managing Director, added: ‘I loved every breathtaking impossible-to–put-down page. Kate is a writer of extraordinary talent and my team will work as tirelessly as Kate’s unforgettable heroine does to protect her family to bring The Mother Fault the huge sales and acclaim it so thoroughly deserves,’ 

Kate Mildenhall says ‘I read the pitch from Simon & Schuster, standing on a rocky ridge above a river in the far north of the country, clinging to my daughter’s hand so she wouldn’t topple over the edge. By the time I’d finished reading I was so excited, I nearly fell off myself. It’s something very special when someone instinctively gets exactly what you are trying to do and I am beyond thrilled to be working with Fiona Henderson and the whole team at Simon & Schuster to bring The Mother Fault to readers’.

Her agent, Pippa Masson, said ‘I’m thrilled that The Mother Fault has landed with the team at Simon & Schuster who I know will publish it with passion and determination. Kate was bowled over by their enthusiasm and publishing plans for her second novel’ Pippa Masson, Curtis Brown.

Kate Mildenhall is a writer and teacher whose debut novel, Skylarking was listed in Readings Top Ten Fiction Books of 2016 and longlisted for Best Debut Fiction in The Indie Book Awards 2017 and the 2017 Voss Literary Award. She teaches creative writing to young writers and co-hosts The First Time Podcast – a podcast about the first time you publish a book.  Kate lives in Hurstbridge, Victoria, with her young family.

For more information, contact Anna O’Grady Publicity Director

Tel: 02 9983 6617 E: anna.ogrady@simonandschuster.com.au