The Magnetic Girl - A Novel

For fans of Emma Donoghue and Alexander Chee, The Magnetic Girl is set at a time when the emerging presence of electricity raised suspicions about the other-worldly gospel of Spiritualism, and when women’s desire for political, cultural, and sexual presence electrified the country.

About the author

Jessica Handler is the author of Braving the Fire: A Guide to Writing About Grief and Invisible Sisters: A Memoir, which was named one of the “Twenty Five Books All Georgians Should Read” and Atlanta magazine’s “Best Memoir of 2009.” Jessica writes essays and nonfiction features that have appeared on NPR, in Tin House, Drunken Boat, Full Grown People, Brevity, Newsweek, The Washington Post, and More Magazine. 

Summary

For fans of Emma Donoghue and Alexander Chee, The Magnetic Girl is set at a time when the emerging presence of electricity raised suspicions about the other-worldly gospel of Spiritualism, and when women’s desire for political, cultural, and sexual presence electrified the country.

Foreword

• Submitting to Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers
• Robust Indie Next campaign to enthusiastic readers of *The Wonder*
• Influencer-led Instagram campaign, using magnets to promote #themagneticgirl
• ARCs at ALA Midwinter in January 2019
• VP of Sales Kim Wylie to present title as Rep Pick at Winter Institute Fall 2018 trade show

Publicity and Outreach

• Seeking coverage in monthly magazines including Vogue, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair, GQ, and newspapers The New York Times, The Washington Post, Minneapolis Star Tribune, NPR and more.
• Handler has worked in TV and is media-ready, and we’ll be pitching her for TV, radio, and podcast interviews
• Placing original essays on topics related to topics from the book, including feminism, spiritualism, grifters and mesmerism.
• Pitching women-centric bookclubs: Belletrist, Book of the Month, The Wing’s book club, The Lily's book club, and more.
• Promotion through the Cold Mountain Fund Book Series including limited events with Series funder Charles Frazier.

Events

• Large Southern tour including book events in Atlanta and the Southeast (NC, SC, GA, and VA)
• Small Northeastern tour including Boston, NY, Cape 
• Strong presence at bookfests (already booked: Decatur Book Festival, Southern Book Festival, Virginia Festival of the Book, Greensboro Bound)
• Appearance at SIBA 2019 in Spartanburg, SC
• Current confirmed tour stops:
  • A Cappella Books, Atlanta, GA Launch
  • FoxTale Books, Woodstock, GA
  • Hub City Bookshop, Spartanburg, SC
  • M. Judson's, Greenville, SC

 

Additional text

Wall Street Journal's Ten Books You'll Want to Read This Spring

Indie Next Pick, April 2019

 

"Handler captures the ambivalence of female adolescence, where the newfound ability to captivate others exists in unsteady balance with the fear of loss of independence. A thoroughly fresh historical novel that both captures the essence of its time and echoes challenges that still exist today."

—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review

 

"This is a story that gets at the core of what it’s like to be alive, honing in on modern day feminist anxieties through the lens of a distant time when electricity was glamorous instead of merely a technological afterthought. Handler provides a touching look at how human desire doesn’t always equal what is right, and the result is an astonishing tale that does not pander or falter, but crackles with magic."—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

"Author Jessica Handler paints a quaint picture of life in the late 19th century, when electricity was a new phenomenon. Lulu begins as a young woman used to obeying her parents, but through her performances, she begins to see her parents and their shortcomings more clearly. The Magnetic Girl is hypnotic tale about a girl growing into a woman and discovering the truth of her own powers."—BookPage

 

“Lulu’s is a story on the precipice: of scientific discovery, of cultural evolution, and of increased autonomy for women. As a daughter of this dawning new world, Lulu captivates her way toward dismaying realizations, deadly conundrums, and new freedoms. Beyond its sleight of hand, The Magnetic Girl is a vintage tale about learning to harness your singular powers.” —Foreword Reviews

 

"Like the powers of Lulu Hurst, Jessica Handler's literary power feels like a sleight of hand. It's impossible that a novel can be this beautiful, this haunting, and this resonant, but your eyes (and your heart) are not deceiving you. The Magnetic Girl is a gorgeous, brutal book: a strange alchemy of love, fear, fate, and hope."—Wiley Cash, New York Times Bestselling author of The Last Ballad

 

"Jessica Handler brings history to glorious life in a captivating tale anchored by masterful writing, especially the vivid, unique voice she gives to Lulu Hurst. With deft pacing that kept me turning pages long into the night, Handler lights up Lulu’s fascinating trajectory into a strange kind of stardom and beyond. The world sees Lulu, a natural mesmerist, as a person with mystical talents, but at its heart, this is the story of a young woman stepping boldly and at last into her true powers. The Magnetic Girl is something special. Don’t miss it."—Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Gods in Alabama and The Almost Sisters

 

“The Magnetic Girl is a compassionate, clear-eyed coming-of-age tale unlike anything I’ve read. The story belongs to Lulu Hurst, but Handler is the one doing the true mesmerizing. What a unique, accomplished debut!”—Therese Anne Fowler, New York Times Bestselling author of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

 

“A heartwarming tale of the sacrifices we make for family, the delusions we fall for in the name of love, and the human need to keep on dreaming despite it all. Mesmerizing.”—Thomas Mullen, author of Darktown

Product details

• Authors: Jessica Handler
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 09.04.2019
• EAN: 9781938235481
• ISBN: 978-1-938235-48-1
• No. of pages: 280
• Series: Cold Mountain Fund Series; Cold Mountain Fund
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; FICTION / Coming of Age, FICTION / Literary, FICTION / Thrillers / Historical, FICTION / Southern