NEW YORK (AP) — Prize-winning fiction writer Deesha Philyaw, who struggled to find a publisher for what became her acclaimed debut “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” has a 7-figure deal for her next two books.
Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Thursday that it had signed up Philyaw and will publish her novel “True Confessions” in 2025.
Mariner calls the book a “biting satire” of the Black church and “a deeply provocative” story about family, friendship and “sexual agency."
Philyaw, who attended several different churches as a child, is centering the novel around a megachurch leader named Schar.
It won the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Story Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and is being adapted for television by HBO Max.
Persons:
—, Deesha Philyaw, ”, Philyaw, Schar, “, Breonna Taylor
Organizations:
Church Ladies, Mariner, HarperCollins Publishers, West Virginia University Press, PEN, Faulkner, Los Angeles Times, HBO Max
Locations:
“, York