Welcome to my official press room! On this page, you will find my online press kit. There are links to download book covers, my current headshot, and more. If you need more information, would like to provide feedback, or wish to schedule an interview please don’t hesitate to send a message via the form on the contact page!

REPRESENTATION

Einstein Literary Management
Agency:
Einstein Literary Management

Susanna Einstein (Literary Agent)
susanna@einsteinliterary.com

Emmy Laybourne Headshot

Photo Credit: Kit Laybourne

AUTHOR BIO & HEADSHOT

OFFICIAL BIO:

EMMY LAYBOURNE is a Young Adult novelist best known for her Monument 14 series, an internationally best-selling trilogy that has been translated into 9 languages. Her standalone book Sweet won a Junior Library Guild Award, was a YALSA Quick Pick and got a Perfect Ten rating from VOYA. Her latest books, Berserker, and Ransacker tell the story of a family of Norwegian teens with ancient Viking powers and are currently being adapted for television.

Emmy is a former character actress, and is occasionally recognized from her role as Mary Katherine Gallagher’s best friend in the movie “Superstar.” She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two kids, and faithful dog, Bodhi. (Fun fact: you can find Bodhi’s likeness on the cover of Berserker!) Visit her online at www.EmmyLaybourne.com.

LINKS: Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

  • New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice

  • Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

  • Junior Library Guild Award Winner

  • 2013 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers

  • 2013 YALSA Teens’ Top Ten Nominee

  • 2013 Tri-State Reviews Committee Books of Note – Master List

  • 2013 IRA Young Adults’ Choices

  • 2013 Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year

  • 2013 Sheffield Children’s Book Award Nominee (UK)

  • 2013 Tayshas Reading List

  • 2014 YALSA Teens’ Top Ten Winner

  • 2015 Volunteer State Book Award Middle School Nominee

  • 2016 Iowa Teen Award Young Adult Nominee

  • 2016 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

  • 2016 Lone Star Reading List

  • 2016 Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Books

  • 2016-2017 Florida Teens Read Master List

  • 2017-2018 South Carolina Book Award Nominee

  • 2018-2019 Winner of the Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (The Rosie Award)

THE BOOKS

*Click one of the buttons below to go directly to the corresponding book.

RANSACKER

Berserker #2
Author:
 Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: January 29, 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Retail Price: $18.99, $9.99 (USD)
ISBN: 978-1250134141
ISBN-10: 1250134145
Pages: 448

In this compulsively readable YA Fantasy—and sequel to Berserker by Emmy Laybourne—romance, intrigue, and danger draw readers to the incredible conclusion of this unforgettable duology, from the author of the Monument 14 series.

Rare powers. Precious metals. Deadly greed.

Sissel Hemstad and her siblings have been living peacefully in a small town in Montana, trying to blend-in and escape the violent events that haunt them, but they’ve all been tricked — James Peavy, the handsome young man courting Sissel is secretly a Pinkerton spy.

The Hemstads possess supernatural powers bestowed upon their family by the ancient Norse gods. Now Sissel, the youngest at 16, discovers her gift: she is a Ransacker. She can find gold and other precious metals and pull them to her. Hers is an awesome and dangerous gift.

If James discovers her secret, he will undoubtedly report back to his boss, the ruthless Baron Fjelstad who wants desperately to control the Hemstads. But James is not the only person interested in Sissel. She’s also caught the attention of a local mine owner, Isaiah McKray. He is convinced Sissel has a lucky touch when it comes to finding gold.

Sissel is torn between the two men, both determined to have her secrets. With betrayal lurking around every corner, Sissel must tread carefully. Harnessing her powers could summon great fortune… or doom them all.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound  Kobo Google Play Books-A-Million Powell's Books Tattered Cover Books & Books Books Inc. Kepler's Books Indigo (Chapters) Book Depository Macmillan

SELECT PRAISE FOR “RANSACKER”

“A terrific follow-up to Berserker, full of adventure, magic, and deep family loyalty.” —Booklist

“A strikingly original premise…set against a richly imagined historical setting and augmented by some surprising but satisfying character twists. There is certainly girl power here, but also family-and-friends power and plenty of action adventure, making for an absorbing read that will appeal to a broad range of tastes. Recommended.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A thoroughly engrossing tale of a young girl coming into her powers. Despite devastating betrayals, a villainous hunter, and a bum leg, Sissel perseveres. I am a fan!” —Brodi Ashton, NYT bestselling author of the Everneath series, Diplomatic Immunity, and the My Lady Jane series

“Compulsively readable, Ransacker is a tour-de-force, part epic family saga and part thrilling adventure novel. In a tale with Viking curses and Pinkerton spies, most captivating of all is the depth and complexity of the relationships and Sissel’s journey of self-discovery. Relentless, vivid, and deftly imagined.” —Axie Oh, Author of Rebel Seoul

BERSERKER

Berserker #1
Author:
 Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: October 10, 2017
Genre:
Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Retail Price: $17.99, $10.99, $9.99 (USD)
ISBN: 978-1250180766
ISBN-10: 1250180767
Pages: 352

The highly anticipated historical fantasy from Emmy Laybourne, author of the internationally-bestselling Monument 14 trilogy.

Ancient powers. Strong love. Desperate times.

1883. Hanne would give anything to be free of the ancestral Viking curse that overcomes her when she or anyone she loves is in danger. She becomes a Berserker—an elegant, graceful and shameless killer.

When she kills three men attacking their father, Hanne and her siblings must flee Norway and head to the American frontier, on a desperate search for their uncle, the one man who can help Hanne learn to control her powers.

A gripping and emotional story filled with adventure, destruction, longing and redemption.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound Books of Wonder Target Walmart  Kobo Google Play Books-A-Million Powell's City of Books Tattered Cover Book Store Books & Books Books Inc. Kepler's Books Indigo (Chapters) Book Depository Macmillan

SELECT PRAISE FOR “BERSERKER”

“[Hanne’s] internal struggle with her brutal nature as a berserker is intensely real and will resonate with readers who feel beset by forces outside of their control. A bloody and fast-paced genre mash-up.” —Publishers Weekly

Berserker is a triumph, introducing a wholly-new breed of Viking superhero.” —Alyson Noel, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortals series

“Rich in description and compulsively readable.” —Booklist

“This is a brilliantly unexpected fusion of cowboys and old gods―intense and gritty and yet surprisingly tender―but the real strength of Emmy Laybourne’s writing is that, for all their superhuman abilities, her characters are so very human.” —William Ritter, author of the New York Times-bestselling Jackaby series

“Emmy Laybourne deftly melds Viking lore with the American West and creates something wholly new, a journey filled with heart-pounding suspense and surprising tenderness. Loved!” —Danielle Paige New York Times-bestselling author the Dorothy Must Die series

Berserker combines the magic of Norse mythology with the thrill of the American West with staggering results. Startlingly original, unputdownable, and electrifying.” —Kass Morgan, author of New York Times bestseller The 100

SWEET

Author: Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: October 10, 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Retail Price: $17.99, $10.99, $9.99 (USD)
ISBN: 978-1250180766
ISBN-10: 1250180767
Pages: 352

Add to Goodreads

They’d kill to get thin.

The luxurious celebrity cruise launching the trendy new diet sweetener Solu should be the vacation of a lifetime. But Laurel is starting to regret accepting her friend Viv’s invitation. She’s already completely embarrassed herself in front of celebrity host Tom Forelli-the hottest guy ever!-and she’s too sick to even try the sweetener. And that’s before Viv and all the other passengers start acting really strange.

Tom knows that he should be grateful for this job and the chance to shed his former-child-star image. His publicists have even set up a ‘romance’ with a sexy reality star. But as things on the ship start to get wild, he finds himself drawn to a different girl. And when the hosting gig turns into an expose on the shocking side effects of Solu, it’s Laurel that he’s determined to save.

Emmy Laybourne, author of the Monument 14 trilogy, takes readers on a dream vacation in Sweet that goes first comically, then tragically, then horrifyingly, wrong!

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound Target Walmart Books-a-Million Apple Books Kobo Google Play Powell's City of Books Tattered Cover Books & Books Books Inc. Kepler's Books Strand Book Store Indigo (Chapters) Book Depository Macmillan

AWARDS & ACCOLADES FOR “SWEET”

  • Junior Library Guild Award Winner

  • 2018-2019 Winner of the Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (The Rosie Award)

  • 2016-2017 Florida Teens Read Master List

  • 2016 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

  • 2016 Lone Star Reading List

  • 2016 Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Books

SELECT PRAISE FOR “SWEET”

“Simultaneously terrifying, hilarious, and action-packed, SWEET is a wild ride that holds up a warped mirror to our society. I loved it from the first line to the last.” ―Marie Lu, New York Times bestselling author of Legend and The Young Elites

“Laybourne’s fictional world highlights themes of friendship, the culture of celebrity, and addiction…A finely knit narrative in which romance pairs perfectly (somehow) with societal horror.” —Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC, School Library Journal

“Laybourne’s masterful novel opens as a comical potential romance, becomes suspenseful, then horrific, and ends as a gripping action-adventure survival story sure to enthrall readers … The book is recommended as required summer reading.” —VOYA, Starred Review

“Combining mystery with a bit of romance and a peek into Hollywood’s obsession with being thin, Laybourne creates an interesting commentary on society’s addiction to weight loss and diets.” —Booklist

“While maintaining an exciting, face-paced, terrifying narrative, Laybourne manages to weave in details that highlight friendship, the culture of celebrity and addiction.” —Asheville Citizen-Times

“Laybourne delivers a candy-coated horror novel that alternates between increasingly violent scenes and Laurel and Tom’s poignant romance.” —Publishers Weekly

MONUMENT 14: SAVAGE DRIFT

Monument 14 #3
Author:
 Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends / Square Fish
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Genre: Young Adult, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook
Retail Price: $17.99, $10.99, $7.80, $12.24 (USD)
ISBN: 978-1250036421
ISBN-10: 1250036429
Pages: 320

In Monument 14: Savage Drift, the stunningly fierce conclusion to the Monument 14 trilogy, author Emmy Laybourne ups the stakes even higher for a group of kids who have continually survived the unthinkable. Can they do so one last time?

It’s over. 

Dean, Alex, and the other survivors of the Monument 14 have escaped the disaster zone and made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Some of the kids have been reunited with their families, and everyone is making tentative plans for the future. And then, Niko learns that his lost love, Josie, has survived!

Or is it? 

For Josie, separated from the group and presumed dead, life has gone from bad to worse. Trapped in a terrible prison camp with other exposed O’s and traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue. Meanwhile, scared by the government’s unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid—along with her two protectors, Dean and Jake—joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with Josie.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound Target Walmart Books-A-Million Apple Books Kobo Google Play Powell's City of Books  Tattered Cover Books & Books Books Inc. Kepler's Books Indigo (Chapters) Book Depository Macmillan

SELECT PRAISE FOR “MONUMENT 14: SAVAGE DRIFT”

“Gritty and violent, this is a tale of endurance and tenderness, with a group of teens who will do whatever it takes to protect the people they love.” —The Horn Book

“A dizzying alternating-perspective climax.” —Booklist

“SAVAGE DRIFT brings the Monument 14 saga to a satisfying close, finding enough new juice in its post-apocalyptic scenario to carry it through a third installment. Gripping, sad, and occasionally funny, this saga is a cut well above the rest in this crowded field.” —Michael Berry, Common Sense Media

“Fans of the trilogy will likely be looking for this title.” —VOYA

MONUMENT 14: SKY ON FIRE

Monument 14 #2
Author:
 Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends / Square Fish
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Retail Price: $18.99, $9.99, $7.09 (USD)
ISBN: 978-0312569044
ISBN-10: 0312569041
Pages: 224

Trapped in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and terrifying chemical weapons spill, brothers Dean and Alex learned how to survive and worked together with twelve other kids to build a refuge from the chaos. But then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, and bringing both fresh disaster and a glimmer of hope. 

Knowing that the chemical weapons saturating the air outside will turn him into a bloodthirsty rage monster, Dean decides to stay in the safety of the store with Astrid and some of the younger kids. But their sanctuary has already been breached once. . . .

Meanwhile, Alex, determined to find their parents, heads out into the darkness and devastation with Niko and some others in a recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected. . . .

Monument 14: Sky on Fire is the second installment of Emmy Laybourne’s thrilling series.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound Target Walmart Books-A-Million Apple Books Kobo Google Play Powell's City of Books  Tattered Cover Books & Books Books Inc. Kepler's Books Indigo (Chapters) Book Depository Macmillan

MONUMENT 14

Monument 14 #1
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends / Square Fish
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Retail Price: $17.99, $10.99, $7.80 (USD)
ISBN: 978-0312569037
ISBN-10: 0312569033
Pages: 304

Fourteen kids. One superstore. The bus ride to the end of the world…

When Dean raced out the door to catch the school bus, he didn’t realize it would be the last time he’d ever see his mom. After a freak hailstorm sends the bus crashing into a superstore, Dean and a group of students of all ages are left to fend for themselves.

They soon realize the hailstorm and the crash are the least of their worries. After seeing a series of environmental and chemical disasters ravage the outside world, they realize they’re trapped inside the store.

Unable to communicate with the ones they love, the group attempts to cobble together a new existence. As they struggle to survive, Dean and the others must decide which risk is greater: leaving… or staying.

Monument 14 is a post-apocalyptic YA novel that transcends age barriers. If you like heart-stopping suspense, realistic characters, and new takes on survival novels, then you’ll love the first book in Emmy Laybourne’s Monument 14 series.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound Walmart Books-A-Million Apple Books Kobo Google Play Powell's City of Books  Tattered Cover Books & Books Books Inc. Kepler's Books Indigo (Chapters) Book Depository Macmillan

AWARDS & ACCOLADES FOR “MONUMENT 14”

  • New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice

  • Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

  • 2016 Iowa Teen Award Young Adult Nominee

  • 2015 Volunteer State Book Award Middle School Nominee

  • 2013 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers

  • 2013 YALSA Teens’ Top Ten Nominee

  • 2013 Tri-State Reviews Committee Books of Note – Master List

  • 2013 IRA Young Adults’ Choices

  • 2013 Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year

  • 2013 Sheffield Children’s Book Award Nominee (UK)

  • 2013 Tayshas Reading List

SELECT PRAISE FOR “MONUMENT 14”

“Laybourne’s debut ably turns what could have been yet another post-apocalyptic YA novel into a tense, claustrophobic, and fast-paced thriller.” —Publishers Weekly, starred

“Laybourne’s strong characterizations of the resourceful, optimistic children who make up this improvised family intensify the horror of the situation and make the almost cartoonish series of catastrophes frighteningly real.” —Jennifer Hubert Swan, New York Times Sunday Book Review

“A pretty decent adventure story, and readers will eagerly await the second volume.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Concise, clear, and riveting. A cliffhanger ending leaves readers devastated but breathlessly awaiting the sequel. A stellar addition to any collection.” —School Library Journal

“A nifty plot that provides unexpected moments of chaos…intriguing beyond the survival elements…” —Horn Book

“…a combination survival and apocalyptic story.” —VOYA

“…a real thriller….” —Booklist