Jodi McAlister’s exploring the romance genre

 

Simon & Schuster Australia has acquired UK & Commonwealth rights to two adult novels by Jodi McAlister, YA author of the Valentine series.

Here for the Right Reasons and Can I Steal You for a Second? are two adorable romantic comedies set on the same season of a reality dating show being filmed during a pandemic. A fun take on shows such as the hugely popular The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, these novels examine how the unlikeliest of loves can bloom in – well, the most likely of places. 

Simon & Schuster Commercial Fiction Publisher Cassandra Di Bello said: ‘I couldn’t be more excited to be welcoming Jodi to the S&S family. I instantly fell in love with Here for the Right Reasons and its endearing cast of characters. Sweet, romantic and so much fun, these novels are the perfect tonic for what we’ve all been going through these past eighteen months.’

Alex Adsett from Alex Adsett Literary said: ‘I’m so pleased to have played matchmaker between Jodi’s brilliant new series and Cass’s dynamic new list of commercial fiction. Jodi’s writing is smart and fun, and I can’t wait to see it out in the world.’

Genre fiction is Jodi’s particular academic interest, publishing in the Creative Industries Journal (published first online, 2021): ‘Live Literature in the Philippines: An Ethnographic Study of #RomanceClass and Reading as Performance,’ with Claire Parnell and Andrea Anne Trinidad. With the same authors, Jodi has looked at ‘Hello, Ever After: #RomanceClass and Online-Only Live Literature in the Philippines in 2020,’ through the M/C Journal, 24, no. 3, 2021.

Lisa Portolan and Jodi are also investigating narratives of romance on dating apps so look through The Conversation for more on how Hollywood meet cute isn’t possible for dating apps!