New Young Adult Mystery Publisher, The Poisoned Pencil, Fills Void in YA Publishing

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Dec. 19, 2013 - PRLog -- Young adult mystery publisher, The Poisoned Pencil, announces the upcoming publication of its debut young adult mystery, Death Spiral by Janie Chodosh, book 1 in the Faith Flores Science Mysteries.   Death Spiral will be published in trade paper and eBook editions in April 2014.

An imprint of Poisoned Pen Press, one of the country’s leading independent mystery book publishers, The Poisoned Pencil was created to fill a void in Young Adult book publishing.

Robert Rosenwald, Publisher at The Poisoned Pencil, maintains that most publishers don’t treat Young Adult fiction the way that they treat adult fiction.  According to Rosenwald, “Typically, Young Adult fiction is published without categories or subgenres, unlike adult fiction, which is published with any number of subcategories, such as romance, mystery, thriller, science fiction, and others.   YA, to most publishers, is just an age designation with an untapped market.  For us, it’s a chance to give mysteries to an audience that is constantly facing the unknown, the unexpected, and even the dangerous.”

Ellen Larson, editor at The Poisoned Pencil, added that they have a clear vision of the types of mystery novels they want to publish. Larson commented, “When we began reading manuscripts, we were looking for books with an edge; mysteries featuring older teens and complex stories that didn’t try to provide all the happy answers. We sought protagonists from diverse localities and mysteries that challenged the mind. Above all, we looked for stories that captured the vibrant teen cocktail of superior wisdom, immediate need and hidden honesty. Now, one year later, we are pleased to announce our first titles—books that will tell dark tales of murder, mental illness, and drug addiction; stories that take readers from modern day Philadelphia to 1970s North Carolina. Though we’ve lined up a couple of lighter titles as well—tales that shine with magic and humor. The common thread is that each book at its core features a unique crime, experienced through young adult eyes.”

Death Spiral, the first release from The Poisoned Pencil, is an edgy tale introducing sixteen year old Faith Flores.  About Death Spiral:  Faith Flores is a work in progress. She wants to go to college and study science, but she’s not exactly college material.  Thanks to her junkie mom, Faith has never known a stable life.  But when her mom drops dead, Faith is the only one who cries. The cops say it was an overdose, but Faith doesn’t buy it.   Her search for the truth leads Faith from the drug houses and methadone clinics of North Philly to the million-dollar science labs of the pharmaceutical industry.

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, The Poisoned Pencil will focus exclusively on young adult mysteries. Visit The Poisoned Pencil online at:  www.thepoisonedpencil.com