Canelo
Dan O'Brien, Assistant Editor & Campaigns Coordinator, Hera
Having assisted fiction teams at Penguin Random House where I was Penguin’s first publishing apprentice, I am now a member of the Hera team as an Assistant Editor and Campaigns Coordinator.
I would love to continue commissioning stories that champion voices often unheard in commercial fiction, including working class authors like myself, while covering the unconventional, the macabre, and the romantic. I am interested in horroromance, such as Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson, sweeping love stories like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, as well as romantasy, including Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and Powerless by Lauren Roberts.
A book I’m proud of…
A book that I am proud to be publishing this September is Only You by Celeste Daniels, a tear-jerking, time-bending romance. The story explores Black love through history, the challenges faced by marginalized people, and the enduring connection between two souls in every lifetime. I am always on the lookout for stories that can change how I see the world and evoke big feelings - whether that be crying well after the final page, or putting the big light on when the horrors feel too real.
A book I wish I’d published…
A book I wished I published is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, a beautiful story of two friends who are often in love, but never lovers. Featuring their business partnership as video game designers, Zevin combined two great passions of mine: complex, human relationships and storytelling through the lens of gaming.