The Strategist skincare expert Rio Viera-Newton’s LET’S FACE IT launched this week, to the delight of skincare enthusiasts everywhere. Newton held a virtual launch event via Urban Fitters on March 25 with her sister Harley to bust skincare myths and recommend their favorite products. Voracious published the book on March 23, 2021.

Danielle Steel appeared on Good Morning America to discuss her new book, THE AFFAIR. LVMH’s Loewe also featured an excerpt of the novel – translated into 20 languages – as part of their special newspaper debuting their Fall/Winter 2021 collection titled “The Loewe Show Has Been Cancelled.” Vogue interviewed Steel about the collaboration, and Steel expressed her excitement: “It just really worked, and the timing was so perfect. I think everybody needs a boost creatively and spirit-wise. It’s so fun to do something exciting and happy and different, and I was really thrilled to be included in it.” Loewe’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, also interviewed Steel for the Casa Loewe Conversations podcast. Delacorte Press published THE AFFAIR on March 2, 2021.

The paperback edition of Cathy Park Hong’s MINOR FEELINGS is on the LA Times and Indie Bound’s bestsellers lists this week. The book is also featured on Business Insider’s and Electric Literature’s lists of books to understand and combat Asian-American racism. Business Insider writes: “Reading this collection of essays felt like scratching an itch that I didn't know I had. Hong's voice is a resounding one in the world of Asian-American creative nonfiction, one that seeks to break out of the mold completely and resists the categorization of Asian American authorship altogether as it relates to the fetishization of otherness and trauma." Lastly, Hong was interviewed by Alexander Chee of Medium about the essay collection, and to discuss “how the pandemic has cracked open discrimination against Asian American communities.” One World published the hardcover edition of MINOR FEELINGS on February 25, 2020, and published the paperback on March 2, 2021.

Jakob Guanzon was interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered about his debut novel, ABUNDANCE. Guanzon says: “I knew I wanted to explore wealth inequality and the experience of poverty, yet that's not necessarily anything new to literature, right? But one aspect that I really did want to hone in on was the ever present and really inescapable knowledge of your budget, your spending power…[a]nd how that kind of weighs down on you, on a person who's living in poverty, and even in a situation that's less dire than Henry's, the protagonist of ABUNDANCE.” Graywolf Press published the book on March 2, 2021.

Alex McElroy’s debut novel THE ATMOSPHERIANS received a starred review from Kirkus. They write: “The world of the novel is hyperreal, presenting a familiar reality studded with uncanny details...McElroy’s debut is as uncomfortable as it is thought-provoking…Edgy, addictive, gruesome, and smart.” Atria Books will publish the novel on May 18, 2021.

Gabriela Garcia’s debut novel OF WOMEN AND SALT has been chosen by BuzzFeed as its April Book Club Pick. They write: “In breathtaking prose and evocative imagery, Garcia allows the reader to travel through history alongside these complicated, resilient women as they navigate a legacy of trauma.” BuzzFeed also featured an excerpt from the novel’s first two chapters, and coordinated with Libro.fm and Lucky No. Candles to sponsor a giveaway of a signed copy. Garcia also sat down for interviews with People en Español and Elle.com, and the book received an excellent review from Bitch, who called it “a testament to the urgency of rendering migrant mothers who are more than we think they are—more than self-sacrificial heroes; more than humble workers; more than ghostly figures stuck in a nostalgic past; more than broken women who leave us with an inheritance of loss.” Flatiron Books will publish OF WOMEN AND SALT on March 30, 2021.

Skincare expert at The Strategist Rio Viera-Newton’s comprehensive skincare guide, LET’S FACE IT, is featured in New York Magazine’s Approval Matrix, landing in the “Lowbrow Brilliant” quadrant. Voracious will publish the book on March 23, 2021.

Christopher Sorrentino’s NOW BEACON, NOW SEA received a glowing blurb from author Steve Erickson. He writes: "As irresistible as it is unflinching, NOW BEACON, NOW SEA is a family memoir, a literary memoir, an American memoir, a memoir about the nature of identity in our time -- and if that means only Christopher Sorrentino could have written it, for all its singularity it does what riveting memoirs do: reveals not only its own secrets but ours as well." Catapult will publish the book on September 7, 2021.

THE PROPHETS by Robert Jones Jr. continues to receive acclaim. The Gay & Lesbian Review writes: “[Jones Jr.] has embarked upon a difficult undertaking. He writes about same-sex love between enslaved people, attractions that undoubtedly existed but have so far been little explored by historians or fiction writers…[THE PROPHETS brings] historical sweep, magic, and flights of lyricism to the earthbound world.” Jones Jr. was also interviewed by WWNO-NPR’s The Reading Life and CUNY’s Book Beat. Lastly, THE PROPHETS is featured on March must-read lists March for Paperback Paris, USA Today, and Pop Sugar. G.P. Putnam’s Sons published the book on January 5, 2021.

Jamie Figueroa’s BROTHER, SISTER, MOTHER, EXPLORER received a rave review from BookPage. They write: “BROTHER, SISTER, MOTHER, EXPLORER combines folklore with magical realism in a manner reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s BELOVED…Figueroa addresses important issues, including depression, suicide and personal and generational loss, with nuanced insight. She also skewers the tendency of white Americans to exoticize people with darker skin, portraying the impact of this prejudice in a deeply stirring manner…[A]n exquisitely woven story about resilience and trauma." The Brooklyn Rail also praises "Figueroa['s]...way with words. The prose is poetic, unique and engrossing…and oftentimes as magical as the story itself." Catapult published the book on March 2 2021.