THREE-BOOK DEAL FOR JJLA CLIENT CURTIS JOBLING WITH UCLAN
Hazel Holmes at UCLan Publishing has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in three new novels by author and illustrator Curtis Jobling. The agent was John Jarrold.
WYRDWOOD is a standalone YA novel, and RED TIDE BLACK HEART books 1 and 2 open a middle-grade series.
Curtis Jobling is the creator and designer of numerous hit children’s animated shows, including the BAFTA-winning ‘Bob the Builder’, ‘Raa Raa the Noisy Lion’ and ‘Frankenstein’s Cat’.
Although renowned for his work in film & TV, Curtis’s first love has always been horror and fantasy for older audiences. His acclaimed best-selling series of epic fantasy novels, ‘Wereworld’, was published by Penguin worldwide, while his darkly comic young adult thrillers, ‘Haunt: Dead Scared’ and ‘Haunt: Dead Wrong’ were published by Simon & Schuster in the UK. His middle-grade novels, ‘Max Helsing & The Thirteenth Curse’ and ‘Max Helsing & The Beast of Bone Creek’ are published by Viking in the US and Orchard in the UK.
The ‘Wereworld’ series of novels has been developed into a major new animated show for NETFLIX, produced by Lime Pictures and Jellyfish Pictures. Curtis has remained actively involved throughout the production, adapting all six novels as lead writer and associate producer. Titled ‘Wolf King’, the series will be broadcast globally by NETFLIX in 2024.
Curtis says: ‘I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with Hazel and her team at UCLan on these new titles. I’ve been looking to collaborate with UCLan for some time, and both of these properties are the perfect fit for this wonderful publishing house. Combining the themes of traditional fairy tales with the frights of contemporary folk horror, WYRDWOOD is Grimm Brothers meets Stranger Things, with a cast of characters that wouldn’t seem out of place in a Stephen King story. RED TIDE BLACK HEART is an epic historical fantasy, featuring a teenage shieldmaiden, a Pictish boy-king and a host of Norse monsters. It’s The Norseman meets The Odyssey for monster-loving, middle-grade readers.’