Film rights

SOLAR FILMS acquires Film & TV Rights to MILO by Glass Key Award winner and NYT bestselling author Max Seeck!

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The auction for Film & TV rights of MILO, the forthcoming crime novel by NYT bestselling author Max Seeck, has been closed and the winner is SOLAR FILMS Inc. Oy.  Solar Films will adapt MILO to an international TV-series for global distribution, with development starting in 2024 for a planned release in 2025.The deal was negotiated by Elina Ahlbäck at the Ahlback Agency.
Max Seeck and Ahlback Agency are absolutely thrilled about this collaboration!

Rights to MILO have been sold pre-publication to Bastei Lübbe in Germany, to Aschehoug in Norway and to Mera Éditions in France – with more offers expected! In Finland, MILO (orig. title Merkitty) will be published in July 2024 by Tammi Publishers. Congratulations, Max and Solar Films, and all Max Seeck publishers!

Join the global success of MILO now!

Download the materials for MILO here!

Solar Films CEO Jukka Helle said:
”The development and writing process for the series begins in 2024 with the real production starting in 2025 the earliest. The timing will naturally become clearer as the project progresses. We at Solar are very happy to continue our cooperation with Max.”

Our CEO & Founder Elina Ahlbäck said:
”Max Seeck has created a totally unique and universal world, ready to the silver screen, and I can only admire his wild, visual imagination and exceptional talent! Milo, a criminal profiler and art gallery owner who struggles with sexual frustration, tries to form a clear picture of the killer. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess, with more chess moves and bodies on the way. Milo needs to understand the game of chess better in order to catch the killer.”

 

Milo (working title)

Max Seeck

New independent crime novel by the New York Times Bestselling and Spiegel Bestselling Author Max Seeck, winner of the Glass Key Award 2023!

MILO is a psychological suspense novel with surprising twists and interesting facts about the game of chess. It’s also a story of complex human relationships, sex and issues people are facing when they approach the middle-age. The novel also covers a lot of art and other cultural references, maintaining the erotic vibe that stems from Milo’s and Ronja’s sexual adventures.

Milo, a 38-year-old art enthusiast, gallery owner and criminal profiler struggles with sexual frustration that are both the cause and consequence for his marital problems. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: dxe5. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way. Milo struggles to form a clear picture of the killer. He soon understands that in order to help the police force to catch the killer he needs to understand the game of chess better. As much as he hates it, he decides to face the ghost of the past: her mother’s former partner Stanislav who happens to be a European champion in chess…

Orig. publication
Merkitty
Tammi, July 2024

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
FRANCE: Mera Éditions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
NORWAY: Aschehoug
FILM & TV rights: Solar Films

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish manuscript in Spring 2024

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck - New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE. 

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His debut trilogy following protagonist Daniel Kuisma sold over 40,000 copies in Finland. His new Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! In Faithful Reader, AKA The Witch Hunter (US title), book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In Evil’s Net, AKA Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist.

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

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Legendary Tobis TV has acquired the TV & Film rights to Martta Kaukonen’s THERAPIERT aka FOLLOW TO BUTTERFLY!

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German series production company Legendary Tobis TV has acquired the rights to Martta Kaukonen’s internationally bestselling, exceptional thriller debut THERAPIERT aka FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and will develop it into a German language series.  

“We are very excited to start working on THERAPIERT by Martta Kaukonen, which is one of the most thrilling debuts of this year. With its strong female characters and surprising twists, it is perfect for a series adaption”, says Isabel Hund, CEO of Legendary Tobis.

“The offers have been coming in from abroad since FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY was published in 2021. Now, a production company – Legendary Tobis – that understands my novel the way I intended, even between the lines, has been found. I feel as if my protagonist, the 20-year-old serial killer Ida, has finally found her way home.”
– Martta Kaukonen, Author

Legendary Tobis TV is a Joint Venture between leading German producer-distributor Tobis and the Los Angeles based Legendary Entertainment. The Munich based company was founded in 2022 and focuses on high-end scripted series and mini-series driven by local stories and talent.

Martta Kaukonen’s internationally bestselling psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERLY has been sold to 15 territories and is creating buzz wherever published, recently in Germany, Poland, Greece, Denmark etc. Heyne Verlag in Germany published THERAPIERT in February 2023 and it hit the Spiegel Bestseller list, has sold more than 24,000 copies, and has received multiple starred reviews! UK & US publisher Pushkin Press will launch FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY in March 2024. Book 2: RETURN OF THE BUTTERLY will be published in Finland in December 2023 by WSOY.

Rights to this unique international bestseller are still available e.g. in France, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, etc.

English and German editions are available!

Download the materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY here!

TERAPIASSA
WSOY, March 2021, 471 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Psichogios (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2-book-deal)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Legendary Tobis TV

Reading materials: English edition, German edition

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki and is a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her future husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling. Martta’s debut novel FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY was published in March 2021. FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY is an Instagram sensation in Finland, and the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper released a highly-praising review of it. During the first two months, the audiobook was listened to an awe-inspiring 2000 times and over. FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY  has been compared to Gillian Flynn’s novel ‘Gone Girl’. Martta dreams of her book being adapted into a movie – and such a great one that her colleagues would grant it a five-star review.

Read more

Bibliography


2023, Crime & Suspense

Return of the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

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Putin’s Trolls inspires international TV series!

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We are thrilled to let you know that production company Onerva Pictures, whose feature documentary “Brainwashed” is listed among DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS ELIGIBLE FOR 95TH OSCARS®, is developing a TV Series “KOMPROMAT” (8 x 54´) as an European co-production, inspired by Jessikka Aro’s international bestseller PUTIN’S TROLLS. Producers are from Germany, Kathrin Lohmann (K+J Entertainment), from Norway, Gudny Hummelvoll (Hummelfilm) and Finland, Tanja Rusi (Onerva Pictures).

Here is the series pitch from Onerva’s website:

The international spy game has new, daring players: citizen spies. KOMPROMAT – The Truth is Under Attack (working title) is a tense psychological thriller set in the Nordics, Europe and the UK, on the frontlines of Putin’s Information War against the West. The series follows a Finnish investigative journalist who risks her life as she uncovers and exposes cases of Russian active measures in the Nordics, Eastern Europe and beyond. 

The TV series will further contribute to the success story of PUTIN’S TROLLS, which has been sold to a total of 16 territories!

The rights are still available in Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, France, Spain, Egypt, Greece, etc. – now is the time to snap them up! 

Download the materials for PUTIN’S TROLLS HERE!

Putinin trollit
Tositarinoita Venäjän infosodan rintamilta
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Johnny Kniga/WSOY (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: Ciela Norma
CZECH REPUBLIC: Denik N
ESTONIA: Menu Meedia/Stratkom
GEORGIA: Media Development Foundation
GERMANY (Print and e-book): Goldmann Verlag
GERMANY (Audiobook): Sound Neverrest
HUNGARY: Corvina
LATVIA: Pētergailis
LITHUANIA: Briedis
NORWAY: Mangschou Forlag
POLAND: Sine Qua Non
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
SWEDEN: Sensor Förlag
WORLD ENGLISH: Ig Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Blackstone Audio
TV & FILM: Onerva Pictures

Reading materials: English edition

About author


Jessikka Aro

Jessikka Aro is an award-winning reporter with Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, specializing in Russia, extremism and information warfare. In 2014 and 2015, she published a series of articles on pro-Kremlin social media trolls and their influence outside of Russia’s borders. Due to her investigations, Jessikka became the target of a severe and still ongoing international propaganda and hate speech campaign, which she recounts in Putin’s Trolls.

In 2019, the US State Department awarded Jessikka the International Women of Courage Award, but the award was mysteriously rescinded by the Trump administration, allegedly due to her social media criticism of then President Trump. On December 1, 2020 Jessikka Aro received the International Women’s Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Award, presented in partnership with the Washington Post and hosted by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Jessikka was recognized for her award-winning investigative reporting of Russian information warfare. Jessikka lives in Helsinki, Finland.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2024, Narrative Nonfiction

Putin's World War: Russia's Covert Operations to Destroy the West

Jessikka Aro


2019, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, History & Politics

Putin's Trolls

Jessikka Aro

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Film option sold for Kaj Korkea-aho’s THE RED ROOM!

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We are thrilled to report Aurora Studios have acquired the film option for THE RED ROOM by Kaj Korkea-aho!

From the Finnish publisher FORLAGET’S press release:

Kaj Korkea-aho’s novel THE RED ROOM (Röda Rummet) could become a movie. A production company has bought the film option to the story. “One of the most unique stories I have read in a long time”, says the actor Edvin Endre, who is the initiator of the project.

“Kaj’s book is one of the most unique stories I’ve read in a long time. I think I finished the book in 2-3 days because it was impossible to put it down. I am so incredibly happy that Kaj has put his trust in me and in Aurora Studios to develop his fantastic dark story of passion into a movie”, says actor Edvin Endre, who is also the initiator of the adaptation. Right now, he can be seen in, amongst other things, the Netflix dramaseries The Playlist, which is about how Spotify was created, where he plays Daniel Ek who founded the company. He also stars as Snufkin in the English version of Gutsy’s Moomin animation series.

Endre can’t tell anything about the schedule about THE RED ROOM other than that it will take time.

“Our focus is 100% on making a fantastically good adaptation that does the book justice but also works well for feature film formats.”

Author Kaj Korkea-aho, how does it feel that your novel might be turned into a movie?
“It’s great when your book sparks the creativity of others! And I think THE RED ROOM would do brilliantly as a movie. The book is very much about complicated internal processes and states. The whims of sexuality, the landscape of ecstasy, submissiveness, dominance. It was difficult to write about, and on film it will require smart directing solutions and talented actors. But I believe in the people working on the project, their visions have been impressive.”

He says what was special here was that the spark came from a young and talented actor in Stockholm who accidentally read the book and became so personally involved in the story that he wanted to buy the film option.

“Within a few days, he had engaged producers and started developing the manuscript. His passion and belief in the book’s film potential has been amazing to witness.”

THE RED ROOM is Kaj Korkea-aho’s contemporary novel about power dynamics and desires, about selling one’s art, one’s property and oneself. Lust and power, guilt and borrowing, are included in the game about an expensive apartment in southern Helsinki, whose thick walls hide both decadent parties and refined ecstasy. The story not only changes one’s view of the real estate jungle in Helsinki, it changes one’s way of looking at the world.

The book was published in autumn 2021 and nominated for the Runeberg Prize in the same year and for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2022.

Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency represents Kaj Korkea-aho and has negotiated the film option agreement with Aurora Studios.

 

Download the English sample and full Swedish text for THE RED ROOM here!

RÖDA RUMMET / THE RED ROOM
Förlaget, August 2021, 408pp
Rights sold: FINLAND: Förlaget (orig. Finland-Swedish); FINLAND: Otava (Finnish); SWEDEN: Förlaget, TV & FILM RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

Reading materials: English sample, Swedish edition, synopsis, praise sheet

About author


Kaj Korkea-aho

Kaj Korkea-aho (b. 1983) is a writer, columnist and a comedian. Moreover, he has a career as an actor and a host in TV and radio. In his varied acting roles, he has often taken a stand for the rights of queer people, and his texts often discuss themes such as growing up, sexual minorities, religious revival communities and literature.

Korkea-aho has published four novels: Se till mig som liten är (God Who Holds The Little Dear) (2009), Gräset är mörkare på andra sidan (The Grass Is Darker on the Other Side) (2012), Onda boken (The Evil Book) (2015) which has been already translated into six languages and sold to Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, and now - Röda rummet (The Red Room) (2021). His books have attained wide readership in Finland and have scored several prizes, such as the The Swedish Literary Society’s prize in 2010 and 2013, the Thanks for the Book Award in 2016 and the Längmans Cultural Foundation’s prize in 2018. In 2017, Korkea-aho’s YA book Virala genier (Viral Geniuses) was nominated for the prestigious Finlandia Prize for children’s and young adult’s literature.

Since 2005, together with Ted Forsström, Korkea-aho has created comedy in Swedish for radio, TV and plays, whilst also writing the YA series Zoo! (the basis for the TV series Virala genier). Together, they also run the Ted & Kaj podcast, one of the biggest podcasts in Finland.

Kaj Korkea-aho was born and raised in the small town of Esse in Ostrobothnia, but now lives in Helsinki.

Read more

Bibliography


2021, Literary Fiction

The Red Room

Kaj Korkea-aho

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Minna Lindgren’s SUNSET GROVE series goes to production in 2023!

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We are thrilled to report as highlighted in Variety that the TV series SUNSET GROVE, based on Minna Lindgren’s bestselling series and produced together with Fire Monkey for streaming service Elisa Viihde Viaplay, is rapidly progressing!

Aurora Studios is developing “Sunset Grove” with Elisa Viihde described as “feel-good crime story.” The shooting will start in September 2023, with three seasons planned. The comedy thriller, pitched at the last Mipcom, is written by Mikko Pöllä (White Wall, Black Widows). Through eight episodes, made in co-production with Fire Monkey, “Sunset Grove” will follow three elderly ladies from different backgrounds as they settle in a retirement home where “growing old is the least of your problems.” Aurora Studios’ producer promises a different take in the show that will combine “Miss Marple” and “Golden Girls”.

The Sunset Grove -trilogy’s books Death in Sunset Grove, Escape from Sunset Grove, and End of Sunset Grove have sold in 17 languages – and keep selling, with the latest deal to Hungary!
Rights are still free in The Netherlands, Japan, Thailand, Norway, Poland etc. 

Join the family of Minna Lindgren’s happy foreign publishers and enjoy Minna Lindgren’s heart-warming humor and cosy crime novels – meet these amazing 90’s ladies solving mysteries like Miss Marple!

Download the full English PDFs for the SUNSET GROVE trilogy here!

 

Death in Sunset Grove

Who could imagine that anything illegal – whether it be suspicious deaths, thefts or the covert trading of medications – could happen in Sunset Grove retirement home? Its 90-year-old residents Siiri and Irma certainly can’t.

The lives of Siiri, Irma, and other Sunset Grove inhabitants are filled mostly with empty time punctuated by glasses of red wine, tram rides and funerals. Investigating the sudden strange occurrences at Sunset Grove, however, proves to be a more interesting pastime than playing cards – not to mention the never-ending arts and crafts sessions, gym classes or accordion evenings (which the residents of the house attend mostly out of pity towards the employees).

Death in Sunset Grove is a devilishly funny and suspenseful story about old age, friendship and life in a relatively ordinary retirement home. Here the only fate worse than death is being drugged up and locked away inside the dementia ward. Even the sharpest senior can’t decipher all the nuances of this place; thankfully a few young people, including members of the biker gang and a grandchild’s boyfriend, offer some help.

 

Escape from Sunset Grove

Sunset Grove retirement home turns into a kind of hell when it is taken over by foreign construction workers cursing fluently in Finnish. The noise is deafening, a hole appears in the wall, things disappear and residents have to use a portable toilet.

Residents Siiri, Irma and Anna-Liisa, all older than 90, decide to move into a shared apartment in the exotic neighbourhood of Hakaniemi. All three have their own habits and quirks, and life together isn’t entirely free of friction. The women also learn about the sad differences in quality with at-home assistance, and are forced to become familiar with terminal care and questions surrounding euthanasia.

Our heroes also can’t help looking into the suspicious plumbing project at Sunset Grove. As the mystery unfolds, they begin to find out that few people in this world have a fully clean record.

 

The End of Sunset Grove

The final part of the trilogy marks a return to the retirement community. But the place no longer feels like home, and has turned into a state-funded, technology-driven pilot project in elderly care. The conclusion brings together characters lost along the way, and murky details are brought to light. Legal justice is also served – in unexpected ways. A natural, long-awaited death finally collects some, but still not all, of our main characters.

Kuolema Ehtoolehdossa
Teos, November 2013, 305 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Teos, ARABIC: Al Arabi, CZECHIA: Albatros Media / XYZ, DENMARK: Jensen & Dalgaard, ESTONIA: Varrak, FRANCE: Calmann-Lévy, GERMANY: Kiepenheuer & Witsch, GREECE: Enalios, HUNGARY: Kossuth, ISRAEL: Yedioth Books, ITALY: Marsilio, LATVIA: Petergailis, LITHUANIA: Obuolys, SLOVAKIA: Albatros Media Slovakia s.r.o., SPAIN: Santillana, SWEDEN: Norstedts, WORLD ENGLISH: Pan Macmillan, TV & FILM RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

Reading materials: English edition

 

Ehtoolehdon pakolaiset
Teos, November 2014, 256 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Teos, CZECHIA: Albatros Media / XYZ, DENMARK: Jensen & Dalgaard, FRANCE: Calmann-Lévy, GERMANY: Kiepenheuer & Witsch, GREECE: Enalios, HUNGARY: Kossuth, ITALY: Marsilio, LATVIA: Petergailis, SLOVAKIA: Albatros Media Slovakia s.r.o., SPAIN: Santillana, SWEDEN: Norstedts, WORLD ENGLISH: Pan Macmillan, TV & FILM RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

Reading materials: English edition

 

Ehtoolehdon tuho
Teos, November 2015, 289 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Teos, CZECHIA: Albatros Media / XYZ, DENMARK: Jensen & Dalgaard, GERMANY: Kiepenheuer & Witsch, GREECE: Enalios, HUNGARY: Kossuth, ITALY: Marsilio, LATVIA: Petergailis, SLOVAKIA: Albatros Media Slovakia s.r.o., SPAIN: Santillana, WORLD ENGLISH: Pan Macmillan, TV & FILM RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

Reading materials: English edition

 

About author


Minna Lindgren

Minna Lindgren (b. 1963) is a freelance journalist and columnist known for her whimsical writing style and fearless approach to topics as strange as opera and death. In addition to novels, she has authored nonfiction books on classical music. In 2009 Lindgren won the Bonnier Journalism Prize for her article entitled “Father’s Death” (“Isän kuolema”).

Lindgren is best known for the Sunset Grove trilogy, which has been sold to 17 territories, and the final part, The End of Sunset Grove, was nominated for the International Dublin Literature Award in 2019. She has also written three standalones: Angry Widow (2018), A Far Far Love (2019) and Hope Never Dies (2020).

Minna Lindgren’s books have been critical and commercial successes, in Finland and internationally.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2020, Literary Fiction, Humor

Hope Never Dies

Minna Lindgren


2019, Literary Fiction, Humor

A Far, Far Love

Minna Lindgren


2018, Literary Fiction, Humor

Angry Widow

Minna Lindgren


2015, Literary Fiction, Humor

The End of Sunset Grove

Minna Lindgren


2014, Literary Fiction, Humor

Escape from Sunset Grove

Minna Lindgren


2013, Literary Fiction, Humor

Death in Sunset Grove

Minna Lindgren

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Memory Of Water International Film News

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Memory of Water-movie in international screening
We are thrilled to share wonderful news: MEMORY OF WATER-movie directed by Saara Saarela will get its international film distribution in several countries, first in Germany and Italy early next year. Before that the film will compete for the grand prize at the Trieste Film Festival in November 2022.The film has been applauded as the best Finnish science fiction film and is based on Emmi Itäranta’celebrated and internationally bestselling book Memory of Water, sold in 24 territories and counting.  The film gets its first international premier in Germany at the Hof International Film Festival in October 2022.

At Trieste Festival, Memory of Water will take part of the Méliès d’Argent (Silver Mélies) competition. Every year, the European Fantasy Film Festival Association awards the Méliès d’Or (Golden Méliès) to the best European feature and short horror or fantasy film.Memory of Water-movie will be in cinema screening in Germany and Italy early 2023. In Germany the movie will be distributed by Real Fiction and in Italy by Blue Swan Entertainment. The Match Factory will be responsible for the film’s international distribution. In Finland, the film premiered in September. It is produced by Bufo and written by Ilja Rautsi. 
The English teaser trailer for MEMORY OF WATER
Download the English PDF for MEMORY OF WATER here

Memory of Water

Emmi Itäranta

Memory of Water is a story of growing up, of the power of friendship – and, above all, of undying hope in a wrecked world.

Emmi Itäranta‘s debut novel Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja) won the Teos Fantasy and Sci-fi Literary Contest in 2011 and earned her the Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize for young authors, worth 16.000 euros, in December 2012. She also received the Young Aleksis Kivi Prize in 2013.

The story is set in a drought-ravaged, war-ridden future world where fresh water has become the privilege of a few and tea masters have been keepers of natural springs for centuries, Memory of Water tells the story of seventeen-year-old Noria, set to become the next tea master in her village. When her father dies, she finds herself alone with the dangerous responsibility of guarding a hidden spring that can save lives – or provoke people to kill.

As war spreads into her homeland, Noria’s loyalties are torn between keeping her duty and helping her dearest friend Sanja, whose family can barely survive on their water rations. Together the girls unearth knowledge about the past that has remained buried too long and begin to plan a journey to the Lost Lands, forbidden areas that might hold unexplored water resources.

Yet the web of the military is closing in on Noria’s secret. Sanja disappears mysteriously, and Noria is placed under house arrest. Knowing her own life is in danger, Noria must face a choice in order to secure the hidden information for others.

Teemestarin kirja,
Teos, September 2012, 266 pp.
Rights sold:

FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
ARABIC: Dar Al Muna
BRAZIL: Record
BULGARIA: Perseus
CHINA: Sichuan People’s Publishing House
CROATIA: VBZ
CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media/Plus
DENMARK: Turbine
ESTONIA: Koolibri
FRANCE: Place des Editeurs
GEORGIA: Palitra L Publishing
GERMANY: DTV/Reihe Hanser
HUNGARY: Metropolis Media
ITALY: Piemme/ Sperling & Kupfer
JAPAN: Nishimura Shoten
KOREA: The Book in My Life
LATVIA: Janis Roze
LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto
NORWAY: Gresvik Forlag
RUSSIA: Text Publishers
SERBIA: Heliks
SPAIN: Ediciones B.
SWEDEN: Modernista
TURKEY: Dogan Egmont
WORLD ENGLISH: HarperCollins/HarperVoyager

FILM & TV RIGHTS: Bufo

Related news

The film MEMORY OF WATER, based on Emmi Itäranta’s international bestseller, hits the theatres today!

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We are thrilled to celebrate the premiere for MEMORY OF WATER, the wonderful science fiction film based on Emmi Itäranta’s celebrated and internationally bestselling book! 

Watch the English trailer for the film here!

The film has been applauded as the best Finnish science fiction film in the country’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and has received praises in other media for its masterful fit into the genre.

Memory of Water

Emmi Itäranta

Memory of Water is a story of growing up, of the power of friendship – and, above all, of undying hope in a wrecked world.

Emmi Itäranta‘s debut novel Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja) won the Teos Fantasy and Sci-fi Literary Contest in 2011 and earned her the Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize for young authors, worth 16.000 euros, in December 2012. She also received the Young Aleksis Kivi Prize in 2013.

The story is set in a drought-ravaged, war-ridden future world where fresh water has become the privilege of a few and tea masters have been keepers of natural springs for centuries, Memory of Water tells the story of seventeen-year-old Noria, set to become the next tea master in her village. When her father dies, she finds herself alone with the dangerous responsibility of guarding a hidden spring that can save lives – or provoke people to kill.

As war spreads into her homeland, Noria’s loyalties are torn between keeping her duty and helping her dearest friend Sanja, whose family can barely survive on their water rations. Together the girls unearth knowledge about the past that has remained buried too long and begin to plan a journey to the Lost Lands, forbidden areas that might hold unexplored water resources.

Yet the web of the military is closing in on Noria’s secret. Sanja disappears mysteriously, and Noria is placed under house arrest. Knowing her own life is in danger, Noria must face a choice in order to secure the hidden information for others.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
ARABIC: Dar Al Muna
BRAZIL: Record
BULGARIA: Perseus
CHINA: Sichuan People’s Publishing House
CROATIA: VBZ
CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media/Plus
DENMARK: Turbine
ESTONIA: Koolibri
FRANCE: Place des Editeurs
GEORGIA: Palitra L Publishing
GERMANY: DTV/Reihe Hanser
HUNGARY: Metropolis Media
ITALY: Piemme/ Sperling & Kupfer
JAPAN: Nishimura Shoten
KOREA: The Book in My Life
LATVIA: Janis Roze
LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto
NORWAY: Gresvik Forlag
RUSSIA: Text Publishers
SPAIN: Ediciones B.
SWEDEN: Modernista
TURKEY: Dogan Egmont
WORLD ENGLISH: HarperCollins/HarperVoyager

FILM & TV RIGHTS: Bufo

About author


Emmi Itäranta

Emmi Itäranta (b.1976) holds two MA degrees, one in Drama and another in Creative Writing. Her award-winning debut novel Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja) was published in Finland in 2012 to great accolades, followed by The Weaver (Kudottujen kujien kaupunki) in 2015. Her latest novel The Moonday Letters was published in September 2020.

Itäranta’s writing has been compared to that of Ursula K. Le Guin. Her honours include the Young Aleksis Kivi Prize 2013, the Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize 2012 and first place in the Teos Fantasy and Sci-Fi Literary Contest 2011.

Memory of Water has sold to over 25 languages to date, and it has also been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award recognizing the best science fiction novel published in the UK in 2014, and the Golden Tentacle award. In addition, Itäranta has been included on the Honor List of the Otherwise Award (formerly James Tiptree, Jr. Award). 

Itäranta’s cv is an eclectic mix of writing-related activities, including stints as a columnist, theatre critic, press officer and dramaturge. Her poems, short stories, articles and essays have appeared in anthologies, film magazines and science fiction magazines in the UK and Finland. She now lives in Finland after 14 years in the United Kingdom.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2020, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Moonday Letters

Emmi Itäranta


2015, Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Weaver

Emmi Itäranta


2012, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Memory of Water

Emmi Itäranta

Related news

Film and TV rights for Jessikka Aro’s bestseller sold !

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We are thrilled to announce that the Film and TV rights to international bestseller PUTIN’S TROLLS – On the Frontlines of Russia’s Information War Against the World by the award-winning journalist Jessikka Aro have been acquired by Onerva Pictures Oy! The deal was negotiated by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency.

The publishing rights to Putin’s Trolls have now been sold to 13 territories and it has just been published in English by Ig Publishing, available now in e-book format and print in June 2022.

“We are thrilled to be working with Jessikka, who is such an inspiration in her bravery and pioneering journalism. Russia’s recent war crimes in Ukraine have given the work an even more urgent focus. Our drama series KOMPROMAT, will feature characters inspired by the private individuals turned freedom fighters featured in Putin’s Trolls, all connecting via intertwined plotlines across multiple locations in Europe. We envisage a tense and gripping thriller with plenty of twists to take us across multiple seasons.”
– Tanja Rusi, Producer, Onerva Pictures

Inka and Tanja Rusi of Onerva Pictures have received funding from the Finnish Film Foundation for initial script writing work on the series in March 2022. The production company’s aim is to develop a high end Finnish drama series aimed at both domestic and international audiences. Jessikka Aro is attached to the project as a consultant and executive producer and Ambassador and Professor of International Relations Dr. Alpo Rusi is attached as a consultant.

“I appreciate the deeply humane touch and the personal interest the Rusi sisters have in the Putin’s Trolls. I look forward to working with their wonderful team,” – Jessikka Aro

The rights are still available in Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Norway, Denmark etc. 

Download the full English PDF for PUTIN’S TROLLS by clicking here!

The book has been a bestseller both in Finland and internationally and has garnered excellent critical success.

INTERNATIONAL PRAISE:

Aro’s cri de coeur is well-documented and persuasive. This disturbing study does a stellar job of depicting Russia’s propaganda machine in action.
– Publishers Weekly, Reviewed on: 03/22/2022

Throughout this book, Aro reveals the mechanics of Russia’s insidious nonmilitary tactics and widespread propaganda targeted at civilians—strategies used decades before in both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to gain control over the minds of citizens. As Russia continues to threaten Ukraine in hybrid warfare, Aro provides an extremely valuable lesson. 
– Kirkus Reviews April 2022 issue

By exposing Putin’s institutionalized trolling operations, Jessikka Aro has gone where no one has had the courage to go before and has done so at great peril. Ms. Aro has done the world a huge service by showing us how these tactics work so we can better defend ourselves going forward.
– Bill Browder, New York Times bestselling author, Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice, USA

PUTININ TROLLIT
Tositarinoita Venäjän infosodan rintamilta
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

Reading materials:
Full English PDF

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Johnny Kniga (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: Ciela Norma
CZECH REPUBLIC: Denik N
ESTONIA: Menu Meedia/Stratkom
GERMANY: Goldmann
HUNGARY: Corvina
LATVIA: Pētergailis
LITHUANIA: Briedis
POLAND: Sine Qua Non
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
SWEDEN: Sensor Förlag
WORLD ENGLISH: Ig Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (audio): Blackstone Audio

FILM & TV: Onerva Pictures Oy

About author


Jessikka Aro

Jessikka Aro is an award-winning reporter with Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, specializing in Russia, extremism and information warfare. In 2014 and 2015, she published a series of articles on pro-Kremlin social media trolls and their influence outside of Russia’s borders. Due to her investigations, Jessikka became the target of a severe and still ongoing international propaganda and hate speech campaign, which she recounts in Putin’s Trolls.

In 2019, the US State Department awarded Jessikka the International Women of Courage Award, but the award was mysteriously rescinded by the Trump administration, allegedly due to her social media criticism of then President Trump. On December 1, 2020 Jessikka Aro received the International Women’s Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Award, presented in partnership with the Washington Post and hosted by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Jessikka was recognized for her award-winning investigative reporting of Russian information warfare. Jessikka lives in Helsinki, Finland.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2024, Narrative Nonfiction

Putin's World War: Russia's Covert Operations to Destroy the West

Jessikka Aro


2019, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, History & Politics

Putin's Trolls

Jessikka Aro

Related news

Film & TV rights for Johanna Sinisalo’s Finlandia Prize winning novel TROLL acquired by Måns Mårlind and Tuppence Middleton!

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We are extremely happy to announce that Swedish writer/director Måns Mårlind (The Bridge, Midnight Sun, The Defeated) and Tuppence Middleton (Mank, Sense8, War and Peace) have acquired the option for Johanna Sinisalo’s book TROLL, A LOVE STORY (2000).

Mårlind and Middleton are currently developing it for the screen and Middleton is set to direct. The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.  Mårlind is represented by Eric Williams, Zero Gravity and Matilda Boström, Agentfirman. Middleton is represented by Conway Van Gelder Grant (UK) and UTA (US).

TROLL, A LOVE STORY has been published in 19 territories, but rights are currently available in: Estonia, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Japan, Hungary, Norway, Lithuania, Czechia, Romania, Albania, Latvia, etc

Download the Full English ms for this bestseller and Finlandia-Award winner here!

Måns Mårlind: We have been looking for something to do together for quite some time now and then suddenly Johanna’s wonderful book came to mind. It is a highly original, dark and touching folk horror set in our modern world where Trolls are rare, but do exist. It was when Tuppence suggested we move the story from Finland to London I realized this was meant to be.

Tuppence Middleton: The industry and audiences alike have shown a growing appetite for local stories with an international appeal, and Johanna’s one-of-a-kind novel provides the perfect urban fable for our time. I am thrilled to be bringing these unforgettable characters to life on screen and to explore this strange and beautiful tale about what it is to be an outsider and to embrace your true nature in an increasingly disconnected world.

INTERNATIONAL PRAISE:
“A sharp, resonant, prickly book that exists on the slipstream of SF, fantasy, horror and gay fiction.”
– Neil Gaiman

”A wily thriller-fantasy … Each discovery sounds like the voice of a storyteller reminding us of how the gods play with our fates.”
– Margo Jeffersson, The New York Times

“A punk version of The Hobbit”
– USA Today

“Chillingly seductive.”
– Independent, Best Reads of 2003

TROLL
by Johanna Sinisalo

The international fantasy bestseller and winner of the Finlandia Prize. Mikael, a young gay photographer, finds in the courtyard of his apartment block a small, man-like creature. It is a young troll, familiar from Scandinavian mythology: a demonic, wild beast. And it is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Supposedly extinct, today it is regarded as a hairy, cuddly toy by Nordic children. Mikael gives the troll a name, Pessi, and takes him home and hides him.

The first thing Mikael does is research everything he can about trolls from the internet, from folklore, nature journals and newspaper cuttings.What Mikael does not discover is that trolls exude pheromones that smell like a Calvin Klein aftershave and that this has a profound aphrodisiac effect on all those around him. Shooting an assignment for an ultra-hip brand of jeans, Mikael finds himself fast-tracked into a dangerous liaison with Martes, the sexually ambivalent art director of the advertising agency concerned, while a couple of his friends in turn fall in love with him because he carries the troll’s scent. What Mikael fails above all to learn, with tragic consequences, is that Pessi the troll is the interpreter of man’s darkest, most forbidden impulses.

FILI GRANTS REMINDER

We are thrilled to remind you that the latest application period for Finnish Literature Exchange (FILI) translation and printing grants has opened and will last until May 1st!

It’s a perfect time to acquire exciting Finnish titles and apply for translation grants!
Don’t have a Finnish translator yet? Find them here!

In the last application period in Winter 2022, 63 projects earned a grant with 113,000€ awarded in total. See the previously awarded projects here!

Translation grants
Up to 70% of translation costs from Finnish or Finland-Swedish can be covered by a FILI translation grant. There are 3 application periods in a year, and the Spring application period is 1.4.-1.5.2022.

TROLL. A LOVE STORY

Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi
Tammi, 2000, 268pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Dituria*
BRAZIL: Devir*
BULGARIA: Perseus*
CZECH REPUBLIC: One Woman Press*
DENMARK: Jensen & Dalgaard
FRANCE: Actes Sud
GERMANY: Tropen (Klett-Cotta)
JAPAN: Sunmark*
LATVIA: Atena*
LITHUANIA: Vaga*
POLAND: Terytoria*
RUSSIA: Amphora*
SLOVENIA: Modrijan*
SPAIN: Polledro*
SWEDEN: Wahlström&Widstrand*
UK, Peter Owen*
USA, Grove Atlantic

*Rights reverted

About author


Johanna Sinisalo

Johanna Sinisalo (b. 1958) is a Finlandia-Prize winning superstar of Finnish speculative fiction. In addition to her nine novels, she has also written short fiction and film and television screenplays. Her works have been translated into twenty languages.

Sinisalo has won several literary prizes also abroad, such as the 2004 James Tiptree, Jr. Award and the 2017 Prometheus Award, and was nominated for the Nebula Award in 2008, the Prix Escapades in 2012, and the Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire in 2017.

In 2022, Johanna Sinisalo was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal for services to Finnish literature! Founded in 1943, the Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland is a distinction awarded by the President of Finland to artists and writers in recognition of their long meritorious work and exceptional services to Finnish art, drama, literature and music.

Read more

Bibliography


2021, Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Storm Flute

Johanna Sinisalo


2020, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Strangers Inside

Johanna Sinisalo


2018, Fantasy & Science Fiction

IRON SKY: RENATE'S STORY

Johanna Sinisalo


2013, Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Core of The Sun

Johanna Sinisalo


2011, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Blood of Angels

Johanna Sinisalo


2010, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

The Möbius Twist

Johanna Sinisalo


2008, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Birdbrain

Johanna Sinisalo


2000, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Troll

Johanna Sinisalo

Related news

Film rights for ARCTIC MIRAGE by Terhi Kokkonen sold to SF Studios!

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We are thrilled to announce that SF Studios has acquired the film rights to the awarded novel ARCTIC MIRAGE (Rajamaa, Otava 2020) by author Terhi Kokkonen. The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Arctic Mirage has won the prestigious Helsingin Sanomat Literature prize for the best debut novel of 2020. The novel has become a bestseller in Finland and the book rights have been sold to Hanser Berlin in Germany and Eesti Raamat in Estonia. The rights are still available in Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Spain etc. 

Download the English sample and synopsis for ARCTIC MIRAGE here! 

As announced today, SF Studios, the leading film studio in the Nordic region, has acquired the film rights to the awarded psychological novel Arctic Mirage (Rajamaa, Otava 2020) written by the acclaimed Finnish author and vocalist Terhi Kokkonen. The Finnish production company Elokuvayhtiö Komeetta (Maria’s Paradise, Kikka!, Hit Big) will produce the film and the renowned Finnish actress Pihla Viitala (Deadwind, Latin Lover, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) will make her feature film debut as a director. SF Studios will handle Nordic and International distribution.

“I’m really happy that ‘Rajamaa‘ is going to be a film! It’s nice for a writer that one’s work is adapted into a film, but what makes this project special is that the visionary and talented Pihla Viitala has been chosen as the director”, says author Terhi Kokkonen.

“I’m more than happy for this opportunity to direct a film adaptation about this extraordinary book written by a great author Terhi Kokkonen. The character driven story takes us into a unique world, where the border between sanity and insanity is unclear and time seems to disappear”, says Pihla Viitala, director.

“Arctic Mirage is a strong-spirited, psychological novel about people in exceptional circumstances. It keeps the reader gripped and provides chills on every page. We are excited to turn this thrilling novel into a film together with Elokuvayhtiö Komeetta with talented Pihla Viitala directing”, says Yaba Holst, Head of Nordic Acquisition at SF Studios.

ARCTIC MIRAGE
by Terhi Kokkonen

The married couple Karo and Risto go on a holiday in Northern Finland to give themselves time to fix their stressful marriage. However, on their way home, they get into a car accident and are subsequently forced to stay at the only accommodation in the area; the luxurious Hotel Arctic Mirage. Once inside, they find that the hotel has a rather strange atmosphere, and it starts to have a peculiar effect on them. Karo begins to doubt her own memories and tries her best to escape the snowbound hotel holiday village whereas Risto starts to feel strange and refuses to leave. Will their relationship survive the next six days? 

ARCTIC MIRAGE
Rajamaa
Otava (orig.), 2020
192pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

ESTONIA: Eesti Raamat
GERMANY: Hanser Berlin

FILM & TV: SF Studios

About author


Terhi Kokkonen

Terhi Kokkonen (1974) is a Helsinki-based musician and pop lyricist. She is known for the band Scandinavian Music Group, as well as being one of the singers of the band Ultra Bra. Kokkonen has studied dramaturgy at the Theater Academy and screenwriting and film editing at the Department of Cinematography and Stage Design at Aalto University. Arctic Mirage is her debut novel, and it was awarded as the best debut novel of 2020.

Read more

Bibliography


2020, Literary Fiction

Arctic Mirage

Terhi Kokkonen

Related news

Film and TV rights for WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT by Mia Kankimäki now sold to napafilms!

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We are very happy to announce that Nordic production company napafilms has now acquired the film and TV rights for Mia Kankimäki’s internationally bestselling travelogue/biography THE WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT! The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Mia Kankimäki’s second book THE WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT has sold over 45 000 copies in all formats in Finland, the translation rights have been sold to 20 territories, including USA and China, and now the film and TV rights have also been sold.
Translation rights are still available in Poland, Romania, Republic of Korea, Turkey, Spain, Greece etc.

Download the Full English manuscript

As announced today, production company napafilms oy has acquired the film and TV rights for Mia Kankimäki’s literary work THE WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT. The company is developing a TV drama series based on the book that mixes the biographical lives of the real “Night Women” and the life of a fictional main character.

“The project combines napafilms’s strong background in narrative documentaries with ambitious fictional storytelling. This will be an adventure in the different forms of narrative film” says producer Marianne Mäkelä.

The team behind the project consists of several film-making professionals. The head writers are Anna Ruohonen (Laughing Matters, Downshifters), documentary film director Anu Kuivalainen (Christmas in the Distance, Aranda, Black Cat on the Snow) and producer Marianne Mäkelä (Still Into You, Nokia Mobile – We Were Connecting People). The direction is by Saara Cantell (Heartbeats, Stars Above, Jill and Joy -film series) and Anu Kuivalainen. The project is produced by Marianne Mäkelä and Liisa Karpo (Boys Who Like Girls, Golden Land) from napafilms oy.

Head writer Anna Ruohonen describes the idea behind the show: “I have felt less alone – both abroad and at home – thanks to Mia’s book and the stories of the ‘Night Women’ she has gathered in it. This is the book’s crucial gift for the reader, and I would like to preserve this also in the audiovisual adaptation.”

“I am excited about napafilms’s vision and that this fantastic and praiseworthy team of filmmakers have decided to bring together their passion and skills to tell the stories of the ‘Night Women’ in a TV format”, says author Mia Kankimäki.

THE WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT
by Mia Kankimäki

Mia Kankimäki leaves her job, sells her apartment and travels to Africa to see where Karen Blixen – the Danish author, baroness and coffee farmer – lived in the 1920s. She goes to Japan in search of a cure for her depression, and to research Yayoi Kusama, the world-renowned artist, and around the world in the footsteps of 19th century women explorers. In Italy, she spends days looking for forgotten Renaissance women painters of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence. If these women could make it in the world hundreds of years ago, why couldn’t she?

The Women I Think About At Night is part travelogue and part biography: in clear prose Kankimäki writes about the lost women adventurers of history – perfect reading for adult fans of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, and anyone who’s ever wanted to travel to all the places they’ve ever read about.

WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT
Naiset joita ajattelen öisin
Otava (orig.), 2018
448 pp.

Author: Mia Kankimäki
Genres: General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

 

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
CHINA: Winshare Books Co., Ltd.
CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media / Motto
DENMARK: Bilgrav
ESTONIA: Varrak
FRANCE: Editions Leduc
GERMANY: btb Verlag/Random House
HUNGARY: Kossuth
ITALY: Neri Pozza Editore
JAPAN: Soshisha
LATVIA: Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA: Gelmes Publishing
NETHERLANDS: Orlando
NORWAY: Gursli Berg Forlag
RUSSIA: Eksmo
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Wahlström & Widstrand
UNITED KINGDOM: Simon & Schuster
USA: Simon & Schuster (World English)

FILM & TV: napafilms

About author


Mia Kankimäki

Mia Kankimäki is the author of two best-selling books which blend travelogue, memoir, biography and women’s history. After taking a master’s degree in comparative literature at the University of Helsinki and working diligently in Finnish publishing, in 2010 she left her job and traveled to Japan to write her first book. Her books have received several literary awards, for example the Best Travel Book of the year 2013, the HelMet Award 2015, and Otava Book Foundation’s Non Fiction Award 2020. She currently lives in Helsinki, Finland, whenever she’s not traveling for her next book project.

Mia has been enthusiastic about Japanese culture for years, and is a qualified ikebana teacher of the Sogetsu school. Her first book Things That Make One’s Hear Beat Faster took her to Kyoto where she has spent long periods of writing and making research ever since. Kankimäki’s second book The Women I Think About at Night has sold over 54,000 copies in Finland and the translation rights have been sold to 20 territories, including USA and China.

Mia's both books have been aqcuired by Japanese publisher Soshisha:

"I am delighted to share that Mia Kankimäki’s debut title, THINGS THAT MAKE ONE’S HEART BEAT FASTER, is embraced and loved by many Japanese readers. A cross between an autobiography and a travelogue, the author finds an emotional connection with a woman geographically far apart and from a different era and tries to discover who she really was. I believe this style is reflected in THE WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT as well. Though some of the female figures in this second book might not be well-known locally, I am looking forward to seeing how our readers will react to their lifestyles." - Daisuke Watanabe, Editor, Soshisha

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2018, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

The Women I Think About At Night

Mia Kankimäki


2013, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Things That Make One's Heart Beat Faster

Mia Kankimäki

Related news

MEMORY OF WATER Feature Film Trailer and Release dates!

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We are very excited to share the news that the feature film MEMORY OF WATER based on Emmi Itäranta internationally bestselling novel will be released in Finland in Spring 2022 and internationally in 2022 (exact dates to be announced).

Euro sales firm The Match Factory and Finnish producers Bufo have re-teamed on this dystopian sci-fi thriller Memory Of Water (Veden vartija).

Watch this amazing magical teaser trailer, here in English: https://youtu.be/79PvOl7AFN8

Emmi Itäranta‘s debut novel Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja) won the Teos Fantasy and Sci-fi Literary Contest in 2011 and earned her the Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize for young authors, worth 16.000 euros, in December 2012. She also received the Young Aleksis Kivi Prize in 2013.

World English rights are held by HarperCollins.

The translation rights have been sold to 22 countries, but are still available in Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Albania, Slovakia, Greece, Serbia, Portugal etc.

Download the full English ms for MEMORY OF WATER by clicking here

In Hollywood, Deadline published the news about the coming film and shared the trailer internationally.
Read the full article here:
https://deadline.com/video/the-match-factory-re-teams-with-the-other-side-of-hope-producers-on-eco-thriller-memory-of-water-first-teaser/

ABOUT THE FILM:
Saarela’s (Twisted Roots) film, set in a waterless world of the future, sees a woman follow in her father’s footsteps by becoming her village’s ‘Tea Master’, a position which also sees her inherit a secret truth that has been hidden for a long time. The young woman must wield her quiet strength as a compass along a dangerous journey for her people’s survival.
Memory Of Water is based on Emmi Itäranta’s eco novel, which won accolades such as the 2012 Teos Fantasy and Scif-Fi Literary Fiction Contest, 2012 Kalevi Jäntti Award and 2013 Nuori Aleksis Award and is sold in 22 territories.
Feature film is produced by Misha Jaari and Mark Lwoff (Bufo) and co-produced by Nina Frese and Reinhard Brundig (for Germany’s Pandora Film), Ivo Felt (for Estonia’s Allfilm) and Maria Ekerhovd (for Norway’s Mer Film).
Cast includes Saga Sarkola, Mimosa Willamo, Lauri Tilkanen, Pekka Strang, Minna Haapkylä and Kheba Touray.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

THE MEMORY OF WATER
by Emmi Itäranta
Memory of Water is a story of growing up, of the power of friendship – and, above all, of undying hope in a wrecked world.

Emmi Itäranta‘s debut novel Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja) won the Teos Fantasy and Sci-fi Literary Contest in 2011 and earned her the Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize for young authors, worth 16.000 euros, in December 2012. She also received the Young Aleksis Kivi Prize in 2013.

The story is set in a drought-ravaged, war-ridden future world where fresh water has become the privilege of a few and tea masters have been keepers of natural springs for centuries, Memory of Water tells the story of seventeen-year-old Noria, set to become the next tea master in her village. When her father dies, she finds herself alone with the dangerous responsibility of guarding a hidden spring that can save lives – or provoke people to kill.

As war spreads into her homeland, Noria’s loyalties are torn between keeping her duty and helping her dearest friend Sanja, whose family can barely survive on their water rations. Together the girls unearth knowledge about the past that has remained buried too long and begin to plan a journey to the Lost Lands, forbidden areas that might hold unexplored water resources.

Yet the web of the military is closing in on Noria’s secret. Sanja disappears mysteriously, and Noria is placed under house arrest. Knowing her own life is in danger, Noria must face a choice in order to secure the hidden information for others.

Teemestarin kirja, Teos, September 2012, 266 pp.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Teos (orig.)

ARABIC: Dar al Muna
BRAZIL: Editora Record Ltda
BULGARIA: Perseus Publishing House
CHINA: Sichuan People’s Publishing House Co., Ltd.
CROATIA: VBZ
CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media a.s./ Plus Publishers
DENMARK: Turbine
ESTONIA: Koolibri Publishers
FRANCE: Presses de la Cite
GEORGIA: Palitra L Publishing
GERMANY: Reihe Hanser
HUNGARY: Metropolis Media Group Kft.
ITALY: Sperling & Kupfer
LATVIA: Jana Rozes Apgads
NORWAY: Gresvik Forlag AS
RUSSIA: TEXT
SPAIN: Ediciones B
SWEDEN: Modernista
WORLD ENGLISH: HarperVoyager

About author


Emmi Itäranta

Emmi Itäranta (b.1976) holds two MA degrees, one in Drama and another in Creative Writing. Her award-winning debut novel Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja) was published in Finland in 2012 to great accolades, followed by The Weaver (Kudottujen kujien kaupunki) in 2015. Her latest novel The Moonday Letters was published in September 2020.

Itäranta’s writing has been compared to that of Ursula K. Le Guin. Her honours include the Young Aleksis Kivi Prize 2013, the Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize 2012 and first place in the Teos Fantasy and Sci-Fi Literary Contest 2011.

Memory of Water has sold to over 25 languages to date, and it has also been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award recognizing the best science fiction novel published in the UK in 2014, and the Golden Tentacle award. In addition, Itäranta has been included on the Honor List of the Otherwise Award (formerly James Tiptree, Jr. Award). 

Itäranta’s cv is an eclectic mix of writing-related activities, including stints as a columnist, theatre critic, press officer and dramaturge. Her poems, short stories, articles and essays have appeared in anthologies, film magazines and science fiction magazines in the UK and Finland. She now lives in Finland after 14 years in the United Kingdom.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2020, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Moonday Letters

Emmi Itäranta


2015, Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Weaver

Emmi Itäranta


2012, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Memory of Water

Emmi Itäranta

Related news

New tv series premiering in August based on  Leena Lehtolainen’s bestselling MARIA KALLIO Series

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Leena Lehtolainen is Finland’s bestselling female crime writer and she created her successful protagonist, detective Maria Kallio, in 1993. Having already featured in 15 novels and a complete TV series, Maria Kallio is ready for a fresh launch in a TV series premiering in August 2021. Lehtolainen’s novels have been translated into 30 languages and have sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.

Each episode of the new tv series is based on author Leena Lehtolainen’s Maria Kallio crime novel that goes by the same name.

The C More original series Maria Kallio is a new ten-episode drama series about a policeman (Elena Leeve) who’s dreaming about a career as a solicitor but ends up being the boss of the homicide unit. In her crime scene investigator’s work she is able to put the raw stuff she encounters to the side but in her private life she struggles with hardening herself emotionally while her partner Antti dreams of a family. The tight-knit work collective turns out more often to be closer for her than her own partner; especially the intense relationship with her work partner Koivu provides support in the tight spots.

Starring Elena Leeve as Maria Kallio herself, and in other main roles Leo Honkonen, Markus Järvenpää, Matleena Kuusniemi, Petteri Summanen, Alex Anton, Roosa Söderholm, Matti Leino and Carl-Kristian Rundman. The series can be viewed on the C More streaming service starting from August 19th. On MTV, the series will be seen at a later date.

The series has been produced for C More and MTV by Jarowskij Finland Oy. The Director is Jojo Erholtz and the screenwriter Eriikka Etholén-Paju.

Maria Kallio Series has sold over 2,5 million copies worldwide and been translated into 30 languages.

  • The New York Times Nordic Noir Guide recommends Maria Kallio series
  • Maria Kallio TV Series premiering in August 2021 on CMore/MTV3!

There are 11 Maria Kallio titles in English, and in the US, only Jo Nesbo has more translated titles than Lehtolainen.

Ask for reading materials here.

The Maria Kallio mysteries follow the career of a tough, down-to-earth and emotionally intelligent police officer who starts working in the Helsinki violent crimes unit. Every book centers around a murder, but there are also elements of social issues, and through the series Maria’s personal development is present, as we follow her struggle to balance police work and motherhood.

THE BOOKS:

#1 MY FIRST MURDER (Ensimmäinen murhani, Tammi 1993, 251 pp.

When a member of a student choir is found dead, young police sergeant Maria Kallio is given the opportunity to prove herself.

#2 HER ENEMY (Harmin paikka, Tammi 1994, 244 pp.)

Maria Kallio has left the Helsinki police force to work for a law office. When a new acquaintance is found strangled in her home, Maria is pulled back into the world of criminal investigation.

#3 COPPER HEART (Kuparisydän, Tammi 1995, 248 pp.)

Maria has returned to her old home town to serve as the summer replacement for the local sheriff. But her peace is disturbed, first by her old flame, and then by the discovery of a body.

#4 SNOW WOMAN (Luminainen, Tammi 1996, 352 pp.)

Elina Rosberg, the director of a women’s therapy center disappears. Clues point to murder, and the list of suspects includes participants of the current therapy group.

#5 DEATH SPIRAL (Kuolemanspiraali, Tammi 1997, 359 pp.)

A 16-year-old skating sensation is found slain with her own skates.

#6 FATAL HEADWIND (Tuulen puolella, Tammi 1998, 348 pp.)
Maria Kallio spends a weekend on the island of Rödskär, where one of her former boyfriends fell to his death. Soon another man loses his life.

#7 BEFORE I GO (Ennen lähtöä, Tammi 2000, 375 pp.)

An openly homosexual Green Party politician is savagely beaten: was this a personal grudge, a random act of violence or a hate crime?

#8 BELOW THE SURFACE (Veren vimma, Tammi, 2003, 314 pp.)

When a woman’s body turns up in a lake—with a bullet to the back of her head—Violent Crime Unit commander Maria Kallio, freshly back from maternity leave, is fast to get on the case.

#9 THE NIGHTINGALE MURDER (Rivo Satakieli, Tammi, 2005, 346 pp.)

When well-known prostitute Lulu Nightingale is murdered on live television, Maria dives into the convolutions of sex for hire and politics.

#10 DERAILED (Väärän jäljillä, Tammi, 2008, 378 pp.)

Maria Kallio is called back to investigate the murder of a sports official. The case appears to connect to recent threats against a journalist and a track-and-field doping scandal. A new house and an opportunity to play bass in a rock band with some other cops add some light to Maria’s life.

#11 WHERE HAVE ALL THE YOUNG GIRLS GONE (Minne tytöt kadonneet, Tammi, 2010, 342 pp.)

After returning from Afghanistan with a heavy heart, Maria Kallio starts investigating the mystery of several missing immigrant girls, and one of them turns up dead.

#12 THE IRON TRIANGLE (Rautakolmio, Tammi 2013, 352 pp.)

Two bodies turn up wrapped in plastic out in the archipelago: the man was shot and the woman drowned.

#13 A STROKE OF SADNESS (Surunpotku, Tammi 2015, 432 pp.)

The dead body of a diamond dealer is found at a church. The murderer appears to also have stolen a set of diamonds. The hunt leads the police into an international web of crime.

#14 THE END OF INNOCENCE (Viattomuuden loppu, Tammi, August 2017, 457 pp.)

Maria begins work in a new unit investigating crimes commited by and affecting minors and youths. When the body of a recently-released serial sex crimes offender is found in an abandoned traffic park in Espoo, Maria has a homicide investigation on her hands.

#15 RIPPLE EFFECT (Jälkikaiku, Tammi, August 2020, 450 pp.)

 

THE MARIA KALLIO SERIES
by Leena Lehtolainen
Tammi

Rights sold:
Contact us for rights availability of the Maria Kallio Series in your territory!

Original publisher: FINLAND: Tammi
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Gaia (Books 1-5)
GERMANY: Rowohlt
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi
WORLD ENGLISH: Amazon Crossing

FILM & TV RIGHTS: MTV3/C More

Reading materials:
Book 1-11 English editions
Books 1-14 German editions
Book 15 English sample, Finnish edition

About author


Leena Lehtolainen

Leena Lehtolainen is the top female crime author in Finland: her new titles always head straight to #1 on the Finnish bestseller lists.

Lehtolainen created her successful protagonist, detective Maria Kallio, in 1993. Having already featured in 16 novels and a complete TV series, a new Maria Kallio TV reboot series was launched in Fall 2021 on C More. Lehtolainen’s novels have been translated into 29 languages and have sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.

And just like the events in Bodyguard, a that takes the heroine Hilja Ilveskero all around Europe, Lehtolainen’s own work takes her to book festivals, exhibitions and other events across the globe.

Leena Lehtolainen has also published outside the crime genre; her book The Charm of Figure Skating was voted sports book of the year 2010 in Finland, and A Life in Six Scenes showed her return to literary fiction.

The Crossing of the Green Dragon is her first title for YA audiences.

In her free time, Lehtolainen enjoys all kinds of music and follows lynx trails in the forests – just like Maria Kallio.

Read more

Bibliography


2023, Crime & Suspense

A Crossing in the Darkness

Leena Lehtolainen


2022, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

The Crossing of the Green Dragon

Leena Lehtolainen


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Lynx Factor

Leena Lehtolainen


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ripple Effect

Leena Lehtolainen


2019, Crime & Suspense

Oathbreaker

Leena Lehtolainen


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Killer's Girlfriend

Leena Lehtolainen


2017, Crime & Suspense

The End of Innocence

Leena Lehtolainen


2016, General Nonfiction, Memories & Biographies

The Charm of Ice

Leena Lehtolainen


2016, Crime & Suspense

The Eye of the Tiger

Leena Lehtolainen


2015, Crime & Suspense

A Stroke of Sadness

Leena Lehtolainen


2013, Crime & Suspense

The Iron Triangle

Leena Lehtolainen


2012, Crime & Suspense

The Devil's Cubs

Leena Lehtolainen


2011, Crime & Suspense

The Lion of Justice

Leena Lehtolainen


2010, Crime & Suspense

Where Have All the Young Girls Gone

Leena Lehtolainen


2009, Crime & Suspense

The Bodyguard

Leena Lehtolainen


2008, Crime & Suspense

Derailed

Leena Lehtolainen


2005, Crime & Suspense

The Nightingale Murder

Leena Lehtolainen


2003, Crime & Suspense

Below the Surface

Leena Lehtolainen


2000, Crime & Suspense

Before I Go

Leena Lehtolainen


1998, Crime & Suspense

Fatal Headwind

Leena Lehtolainen


1997, Crime & Suspense

Death Spiral

Leena Lehtolainen


1996, Crime & Suspense

Snow Woman

Leena Lehtolainen


1995, Crime & Suspense

Copper Heart

Leena Lehtolainen


1994, Crime & Suspense

Her Enemy

Leena Lehtolainen


1993, Crime & Suspense

My First Murder

Leena Lehtolainen

Related news

AURORA STUDIOS OPTIONS FILM & TV RIGHTS TO ‘WHEN THE KING DIES’!

Posted on
When the king dies

We are very happy to announce that Film & TV Rights to Elina Backman’s bestselling thriller WHEN THE KING DIES have been optioned by Aurora Studios to be developed into an international TV series.

Published by Otava in Finland in May 2020 to excellent reviews and immediately hitting the bestseller lists, WHEN THE KING DIES has already been sold to 10 territories and counting. Rights are still free for example in France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Russia, Hungary, Latvia and in English-speaking territories.

Elina Backman is now writing a sequel, THE ISLE OF SHEEP, to be published in June 2021.

Aurora Studios owner Ari Tolppanen, CEO Antti Toiviainen and Creative Director Roosa Toivonen are thrilled to start this adventure with author Elina Backman: “Utterly readable and full of plot twists and quirky characters, WHEN THE KING DIES is an ideal starting point for a TV series that keeps audiences at the edge of their seat and leaves them hungry for more. Luckily, a sequel is already in the works by the promising author!”

“I love Finland – its own unique voice and beautiful landscapes – and I love murder mysteries. I believe that together with Aurora Studios we will create something special. The last months have been amazing: As a debut author this is a dream come true for me to be able to share my crime story with global readers.” – Author Elina Backman

About Aurora Studios:
Aurora Studios was started in June 2020 to enable and assist the creation of commercially and artistically ambitious films and audiovisual content through development, financing and distribution. Its owners are Finnish media company The Otava Group and Ari Tolppanen and Ari Lahti, the investors behind the financing of Finnish audience phenomenon The Unknown Soldier.

About the book:
Saana is a former click-bait journalist who spends a summer in the quiet town of Hartola. But when she begins to dig into the case of a teenage girl who died 30 years earlier, the peace of the small town is shaken. Meanwhile in Helsinki, crime investigator Jan Leino is solving a murder at the King’s Gate on Suomenlinna Sea Fortress. Saana and Jan continue working on their own cases until their paths cross – for more than one reason.

Rights sold:

FINLAND:
Otava (orig.)
ESTONIA:
Varrak (2-book deal)
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Grada
GERMANY:
Piper Verlag (2-book deal)
LITHUANIA:
BALTO
NETHERLANDS:
De Bezige Bij/Cargo
(2-book deal)
NORWAY:
Cappelen Damm (2-book deal)
POLAND:
Czarna Owca
SLOVAKIA:
Arkus
SWEDEN:
Bokfabriken (2-book deal)
TV/FILM:
Aurora Studios

About author


Elina Backman

Elina Backman is an author and a media & marketing professional living in Helsinki. Elina loves books (all sorts), traveling, cycling and is a host of a Book & Wine Club. She is a creative soul with a commercial mind, and her goal is to find readers globally.

Her debut novel All the King's Men was published in 2020 and immediately gained an enormous amount of attention from the Finnish media, including a praising review by the biggest daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The Havas series is now a best-selling series in Finland and an international TV series is in development. Elina's books have sold over 70 000 copies in Finland.

Together with Heidi Holmavuo, Elina has also narrated the true crime podcast Ratkaisematon (Unsolved), which turned into a full-length audio book as the two crime writers started investigating the murder of a young girl in 1967. They were able to uncover new evidence and their research led the police to reopen the investigation. This story is narrated in the book Unsolved - The Case of Elli Immo.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2022, Crime & Suspense

Before the Polar Night Falls

Elina Backman


2022, Crime & Suspense

Unsolved - The Case of Elli Immo

Elina Backman


2021, Crime & Suspense

Still Waters Run Deep

Elina Backman


2020, Crime & Suspense

All the King's Men

Elina Backman

Related news

BREAKING HOLLYWOOD NEWS! GREG SILVERMAN’S STAMPEDE VENTURES ACQUIRES TV RIGHTS for MAX SEECK’S “THE FAITHFUL READER” + now 35 rights sold!

Posted on

GREG SILVERMAN’S STAMPEDE VENTURES ACQUIRES TV RIGHTS for MAX SEECK’S “THE FAITHFUL READER” + now 35 rights sold!

Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures announced today that they have acquired best-selling author Max Seeck’s thriller The Faithful Reader (US title The Witch Hunter) for a TV series adaptation. The novel is a hot property ahead of its US release, with rights sold in 35+ countries, and its acquisition adds to the growing list of highly anticipated adaptations from Stampede Ventures.

Stampede Ventures is an independent entertainment media company founded by Greg Silverman, the former President of Warner Bros. Pictures. 

During his tenure at Warner Bros., Silverman oversaw some of the most popular and profitable movies of all time, including THE DARK KNIGHT trilogy, THE HANGOVER trilogy, INCEPTION, INTERSTELLAR, THE LEGO MOVIE, and THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE. Mr. Silverman also oversaw the revitalized DC franchise titles MAN OF STEEL, BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, SUICIDE SQUAD, and WONDER WOMAN.

 “Max is a true master of suspense and when we read THE FAITHFUL READER it was clear that this was meant to be a drama series full of sharp twists and surprises. He’s drawn a dark and terrifying world with a mysterious lead in the center of the storm. This one will keep you up at night,” said JP Sarni, Stampede Ventures’ Head of International Content and Worldwide Content Acquisitions.

Read more from Hollywood’s Deadline.

Join the success story of FAITHFUL READER and click here to request the full English manuscript.

This week the thriller also sold Icelandic, Portuguese, Albanian and Arabic rights, now 35 rights sold since August!

Albanian rights were acquired by Muza, Icelandic by Forlagid, Portuguese rights bought in an auction by Bertrand Editora and Arabic rights bought in an auction by Arab Scientific Publishers!

Congratulations, Max!  FAITHFUL READER will be now published in 35 territories and counting!

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck - New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE. 

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His debut trilogy following protagonist Daniel Kuisma sold over 40,000 copies in Finland. His new Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! In Faithful Reader, AKA The Witch Hunter (US title), book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In Evil’s Net, AKA Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist.

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Related news

Film News: The Memory of Water receives production support

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We are thrilled to share exciting film news for Memory of Water, based on the novel by Emmi Itäranta!

Production company Bufo received production support for their dystopian drama Memory of Water, based on a novel by Emmi Itäranta. Saara Saarela will direct, with Misha Jaari and Mark Lwoff as producers. The film has already participated in Frontières Fantasia and Ties That Bind.

Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja, Teos 2012) tells the story of seventeen-year-old Noria, set to become the next tea master in her village. The story is set in a drought-ravaged, war-ridden future world where fresh water has become the privilege of a few and tea masters have been the keepers of natural springs for centuries. Rights are sold in 23 territories and counting!

Read more from here: Finnish Film Foundation production support.

Rights sold:

FINLAND, Teos (Orig. publisher)
ARABIC, Dar Al Muna
BRAZIL, Record
BULGARIA, Perseus
CHINA, Sichuan People’s Publishing House
CZECH REPUBLIC, Albatros Media/Plus
DENMARK, Turbine
ESTONIA, Koolibri
FRANCE, Place des Editeurs
GEORGIA, Palitra L Publishing
GERMANY, DTV/Reihe Hanser
HUNGARY, Metropolis Media
ITALY, Piemme
JAPAN, Nishimura Shoten
KOREA, The Book in My Life
LATVIA, Janis Roze
LITHUANIA, Nieko Rimto
NORWAY, Gresvik Forlag
RUSSIA, Text Publishers
SPAIN, Ediciones B.
SWEDEN, Modernista
TURKEY, Dogan Egmont
WORLD ENGLISH, HarperCollins

FILM RIGHTS, Bufo

About author


Emmi Itäranta

Emmi Itäranta (b.1976) holds two MA degrees, one in Drama and another in Creative Writing. Her award-winning debut novel Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja) was published in Finland in 2012 to great accolades, followed by The Weaver (Kudottujen kujien kaupunki) in 2015. Her latest novel The Moonday Letters was published in September 2020.

Itäranta’s writing has been compared to that of Ursula K. Le Guin. Her honours include the Young Aleksis Kivi Prize 2013, the Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize 2012 and first place in the Teos Fantasy and Sci-Fi Literary Contest 2011.

Memory of Water has sold to over 25 languages to date, and it has also been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award recognizing the best science fiction novel published in the UK in 2014, and the Golden Tentacle award. In addition, Itäranta has been included on the Honor List of the Otherwise Award (formerly James Tiptree, Jr. Award). 

Itäranta’s cv is an eclectic mix of writing-related activities, including stints as a columnist, theatre critic, press officer and dramaturge. Her poems, short stories, articles and essays have appeared in anthologies, film magazines and science fiction magazines in the UK and Finland. She now lives in Finland after 14 years in the United Kingdom.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2020, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Moonday Letters

Emmi Itäranta


2015, Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Weaver

Emmi Itäranta


2012, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Memory of Water

Emmi Itäranta

Related news

Breaking news for Monster Nanny feature film: Screen Australia invests in development

Posted on

The wheels are turning with the Monster Nannyfeature film! This family film co-produced by Ridley Scott has received development funding from Screen Australia.

“The monstrous Mary Poppins”, a universally charming award-winning story by Tuutikki Tolonen, published in 22 territories, is being developed into a Hollywood feature film by Scott Free Productions.

“Scott Free Productions’ Ridley Scott and Red Lamp Films’ Sylvia Wilczynski and writer-director Kim Mordaunt are working on the adaptation of Finnish novel Monster Nanny, an action adventure about children whose nanny is a hairy, dusty non-talkative monster. Animal Logic Entertainment’s Zareh Nalbandian is also involved in the project which is intended to be an Australian-UK co-production.”

Read the full article here.

The novel’s English-language edition has received great reviews in the media, among others in Booklist:

“The first in a duology, Tuutikki’s book won the Arvid Lydecken prize in Finland and will have wide appeal among young readers. Within its pages, children outsmart adults, sense the vulnerable emotions of the monsters, and come to depend upon themselves and new friends. Loose-lined ink illustrations add extra humor to this imaginative fantasy, and plentiful dialogue makes it prime for reading aloud.”
— Booklist

Request reading materials here!

Rights sold: Monster Nanny
Orig. publisher: FINLAND, Tammi
BOSNIA, Šahinpašić
BRAZIL, DarkSide Books
CHINA, Beijing Children’s Publishing House
CZECH REPUBLIC, Portál
ESTONIA, Tiritamm
FRANCE, Editions Robert Laffont
GERMANY, Carl Hanser Verlag
HUNGARY, Tessloff Babilon
ITALY, Salani/Mauri Spagnol
LATVIA, Zvaigzne
NETHERLANDS, Luitingh-Sijthoff
NORWAY, Gyldendal Norsk
ROMANIA, Editura Univers
RUSSIA, Rosman
SLOVENIA, Mladinska knjiga
SPAIN (Spanish), La Galera
SPAIN (Catalan), La Galera
SWEDEN, Rabén & Sjögren
TURKEY, SEV Redhouse Kidz
VIETNAM, Nha Nam
WORLD ENGLISH, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
FILM RIGHTS, Scott Free Productions

About author


Tuutikki Tolonen

Tuutikki Tolonen is the author of several acclaimed children’s books, plays and academic articles. She teaches creative writing and has worked as an editor and reporter at Vinski, a Finnish literary magazine for children. For Monster Nanny she received the Arvid Lydecken award.  Her inspiration for the Monster Nanny trilogy sparked during a family breakfast. “My son Leo, then six, said: ‘I heard on the radio yesterday that all moms have to go on vacation and monsters will take their places,” she says.

Her other bestselling series is the Agnes-series, of which the first book "Agnes and the Garden of Dreams" was in 2021 nominated for the Arvid Lydecken Award, received an honorable mention for the Runeberg Junior Award, and won the Luku Varkaus Award. Tolonen tells that the inspiration for Agnes comes for her interest for weird and inexpicable tales, ghost stories and mysteries: "I wanted to write  book my daughter Aili, then nine, would like to read - not too long, not too scary, but very curious."

Read more

Bibliography


2022, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Agnes and the Shadow in the Window

Tuutikki Tolonen


2021, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Agnes and the Mysterious Manor

Tuutikki Tolonen


2020, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Monster Message

Tuutikki Tolonen


2020, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Agnes and the Garden of Dreams

Tuutikki Tolonen


2016, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Monster Route

Tuutikki Tolonen


2015, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Monster Nanny

Tuutikki Tolonen

Related news

Crime fiction news round-up of March

Posted on
Fugu Finnish cover

We’ve got some criminally good news! This time our news batch includes the best debut winner of the year, new titles in an exciting series and some film news…

The Debut Thriller of the Year Award 2018 to Heikki Valkama for his novel Fugu
Quoting the jury: “Heikki Valkama’s novel Fugu takes the reader on an interesting and appetizing cultural journey. […] For his novel Valkama has chosen a particularly interesting protagonist: a top chef is not your typical crime-solving character. […] Valkama delivers the story naturally and surely. The text is smooth, it doesn’t falter and sweeps the reader away with an ease. Fugu is an exceptionally developed example of entertaining writing.”

Request reading materials

Max Seeck’s The Angels of Hammurabi published in Germany
Max Seeck’s novel has been well received in Germany, where it was published under the name of Der gesetzlose Richter (“The Lawless Judge”) in January. The Finnish readers are already anticipating his third and final novel in the Daniel Kuisma series, the title of which will be Hades Calling, and it’s due to be published in Finland in fall 2018.

The Austrian newspaper Wiener Zeitung called the novel cinematic in its review:
“Max Seeck delves deep into the bloody history of the Balkans and tells a gory action thriller begging to be filmed.”

Request reading materials

The Guardian Angel film gets more distribution deals
The Guardian Angel, the novel by Arto Halonen & Kevin Frazier based on an international feature film set to premiere in 2018-2019 with a star-studded line-up, keeps gathering interest. After Berlinale Film Festival, more distribution deals have been confirmed for the movie.

Nationwide film distribution deals have been closed in France, Denmark, Finland, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Poland, India, China, Japan, and the Middle East. Further distribution deals will be announced soon!

Request reading materials

RIGHTS SOLD – Fugu by Heikki Valkama:
FINLAND, Tammi (Orig. Publisher)

RIGHTS SOLD – The ‘Daniel Kuisma’ series by Max Seeck:
FINLAND, Tammi (Orig. Publisher)
ESTONIA, Pegasus
GERMANY, Blanvalet
ICELAND, Forlagid
ITALY, Newton Compton

RIGHTS SOLD – The Guardian Angel by Arto Halonen & Kevin Frazier:
FINLAND, WSOY (Orig. publisher)
DENMARK, Hr. Ferdinand
ITALY, Edizioni Piemme
SERBIA, Vulkan
PORTUGAL, Grupo Planeta