ATRIA BOOKS AUSTRALIA ACQUIRES DEBUT ROMANTASY NOVEL IN COMPETITIVE AUCTION

Atria Books Australia is excited to announce the acquisition of debut romantasy novel A Curse Carved in Ink by Tzeyi Koay. Anthea Bariamis acquired world rights for two books in a six-figure deal with Charlotte Trumble at Simon & Schuster UK. The auction was brokered by Naomi Davis at BookEnds Literary Agency.

A Curse Carved in Ink is Koay’s standalone romantasy debut features a bisexual love triangle, and explores generational trauma through the hauntingly beautiful lens of Chinese mythology. For fans of Shelley Parker-Chan’s She Who Became the Sun and Sue Lynn Tan’s Daughter of the Moon Goddess, this novel will satisfy fantasy and romantasy readers alike.

All Zhenya has ever wanted is to run away with her best friend Shuhua, but she must care for her grandmother, whose madness haunts their crumbling family bookstore. Zhenya is all her grandmother has, and she won’t abandon her, madness and all. But when her grandmother dies, everything falls apart. For her grandmother was never mad – she was cursed. And a deadly generational curse now digs its claws into Zhenya, and she is powerless to stop it – even when it demands that Zhenya kill Shuhua with her bare hands, trapping her best friend’s soul in an eternity of torment.

As Zhenya grapples with the tragedy of Shuhua’s death, she’s confronted by immortals of ancient legend, who offer her help. Kaijun, the broody judge of hell, and Yaori, the flirtatious goddess of death, drag Zhenya to Diyu – hell itself. There, they show her she must confront five trials that will test her in unimaginable ways. Emboldened by grief, Zhenya will stop at nothing to liberate Shuhua’s soul and destroy the curse once and for all.

Atria Australia is thrilled to have won the auction for Koay’s special novel. Since acquisition, global excitement has led to auctions in several territories, with rights sold into Germany (Heyne), Italy (Newton Compton), Spain (Minotauro/Planeta) Hungary (General Press/Lira) and Poland (Uroboros/Foksal).

Publisher Anthea Bariamis says, ‘I inhaled A Curse Carved in Ink in only a couple of sittings, and I knew it was special from the very first chapter. Tzeyi is incredibly talented, and I was completely spellbound by heart-rending novel. I’m beyond excited to be publishing it and working with Tzeyi!’

Author Tzeyi Koay is also delighted by the deal, commenting, ‘I am thrilled to be joining Simon & Schuster’s renowned list of authors and to work alongside the exceptional Anthea Bariamis and Charlotte Trumble. The team has been working diligently to bring A Curse Carved in Ink to readers around the world, and I couldn’t have imagined a more fitting home to begin my publishing adventure. Inspired by the Chinese vampire lore that fascinated and terrified me as a child, my debut is both an homage to my roots and a challenge to them—a story of the hell we endure for those we love, and the ghosts that never truly leave us.’

Tzeyi Koay is a Chinese-Malaysian lawyer turned fantasy writer. She studied psychology before earning her Juris Doctor at the University of Melbourne. Her stories are inspired by Chinese mythology and her family’s folk traditions. Raised in a rural village in Malaysia, she moved to Melbourne for boarding school at sixteen. When she isn't writing, she can be found tending to her ever-growing collection of books and plants. You can connect with her on Instagram, Bluesky and TikTok at @tzeyikoay.

A Curse Carved in Ink will be published by Atria Books Australia in January 2027.

For rights enquiries, contact amy.fletcher@simonandschuster.co.uk.