Denene Millner - Publishers Weekly 'Inclusive Children’s Book Publishers'

Publishers Weekly | November 17, 2023

Four editors tell PW why they love their work and their imprints’ missions.

Denene Millner

V-p and publisher, Denene Millner Books

In 2018, journalist and author Millner was running her eponymous imprint at Agate Publishing’s Bolden Books when she wrote “Black Kids Don’t Want to Read About Harriet Tubman All the Time,” a New York Times opinion piece “about how tired I was of not seeing enough books that speak to the everyday experiences of Black children.” That caught the attention of Simon & Schuster, which invited her to bring her imprint over; it launched in 2020.

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BookDeena Warner
ONE BLOOD by Denene Millner - Audible 'The 18 best fiction listens of 2023'

Audible | November 8, 2023

Bahni Turpin, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, and Queen Sugar’s Tina Lifford beautifully embody the three women at the heart of Denene Millner’s epic novel, One Blood. From Jim Crow-era rural Virginia to early 21st century New York City, this memorable story unfolds in three parts. There’s Grace, a birth mother who has her newborn taken away; Lolo, the adoptive mother; and Rae, that child, now an adult with a daughter of her own. Millner’s prose is effortless and honest. She leans into the voices of her characters—brought to life by an amazing cast of narrators—to tell this tender tale of Black motherhood, identity, and love. —M.H.

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BookDeena Warner
THE LAST APPLICANT by Rebecca Hanover - CrimeReads '10 New Books Coming Out This Week'

CrimeReads | October 23, 2023

Rebecca Hanover, The Last Applicant
(Lake Union Publishing)

“Hanover’s book is dark, ominous, and oppressive from the very beginning, filled with heart-stopping, headspinning twists, bizarre characters, and a spiraling sense of impending doom. This book is for those who enjoy something very dark and very different.” –Booklist

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BookDeena Warner
THE HUNTING WIVES by May Cobb - Deadline 'Starz Greenlights ‘The Hunting Wives’ Series Based On Book From Rebecca Cutter, Lionsgate & 3 Arts'

Deadline | October 4, 2023

Starz has handed an eight-episode series order to thriller drama The Hunting Wives. The project, based on the novel by May Cobb, is executive produced by Cobb, Hightown creator Rebecca Cutter, who wrote the adaptation and will serve as showrunner, and 3 Arts Entertainment’s Erwin Stoff. Lionsgate Television produces with 3 Arts. . . .

“The Hunting Wives is a juicy, suspenseful and sultry thrill-ride,” said Kathryn Busby, Starz’s President of Original Programming. “We’re excited to continue to work with Rebecca and Erwin on this propulsive series that perfectly complements Starz’s slate of edgy, female-forward premium content.”

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FilmDeena Warner
ONE BLOOD by Denene Millner - The Washington Informer

The Washington Informer | September 13, 2023

One Blood by Denene Millner
c.2023, Forge, $29, 432 pages

One drop.

That’s all they said it took to determine someone’s race. Just one drop, the tiniest of amounts, and everything changed: no access, no rights, no cold drink from a fountain on a hot day, no freedoms. No safety. No say in the matter. And in the new novel, “One Blood” by Denene Millner, no way to change it, but time.

. . . Here’s some advice: if you’re not completely immersed in “One Blood” by page 10, you might want to get yourself checked out. There could be something wrong with you.

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BookDeena Warner
CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP by Jeff Chang - Vulture '11 Essential Hip-Hop Books'

Vulture | September 11, 2023

Where, two decades prior, David Toop had taken a largely musicological approach to hip-hop, Jeff Chang spends most of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop examining the material conditions out of which hip-hop was born, its imperfect assimilation into the American mainstream, and the revolutionary capacity it retains. Initially hyper-focused in the South Bronx before widening its aperture to include gang truces and the Rodney King uprising in Los Angeles, along with the megacorporation-assisted globalization of hip-hop as an industry, Chang’s history is a rigorous but optimistic love letter to what could still be.

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BookDeena Warner
THE LAST APPLICANT by Rebecca Hanover - Wealth of Geeks 'Literary Feasts Ahead: Fall’s Most Delicious Book Offerings'

Wealth of Geeks | August 31, 2023

The Last Applicant, Rebecca Hanover (Oct 24)

Audrey Singer thrives as the admissions director at a prestigious Manhattan private school, enjoying power and privilege, along with a seemingly perfect marriage. The entrance of anxious Sarah Price disrupts Audrey's life, as she strives to secure her son's admission into a coveted kindergarten class. Sarah's actions become increasingly boundary-pushing and reveal hidden motives, raising questions about her intentions and potential darker schemes in this intense competition.

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BookDeena Warner
THE LAST APPLICANT by Rebecca Hanover - Nerd Daily 'Q&A: Rebecca Hanover, Author of ‘The Last Applicant’'

Nerd Daily | October 21, 2023

We chat with author Rebecca Hanover about The Last Applicant, which is an emotional thrill ride about two women whose lives take a dangerous turn in the high-stakes arena of private school admissions.

Do you have any writing rituals?

I only need a few simple things in order to write. An idea that I can’t stop thinking about (most important, of course). A quiet house (let’s face it, it doesn’t even need to be quiet, I just need to be able to shut the door and not have any of my rowdy family of five bother me!). A matcha latte or two. My laptop.

I try to check my email before I begin, and then let it fester while I’m in the zone doing the “deep work.” If I have any pressing chores to take care of, I try to knock them out first so that they aren’t on my mind while I’m trying to be creative. That’s difficult because I always have outstanding chores to take care of. But some can wait, and others can’t. It’s a constant balancing act!

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BookDeena Warner
ONE BLOOD by Denene Millner - Washington Post '10 noteworthy books for September'

Washington Post | August 31, 2023

September is a great month to be a reader, with gems arriving from both best-selling and debut authors.

One Blood by Denene Millner

A powerful story of blood, secrets and love connects the lives of three unforgettable Black women. Teenage Grace is forced to flee 1960s Virginia and deceived into giving up her baby for adoption. Later that decade, Delores seizes the single opportunity she sees to escape an abusive childhood — get married to a man who will protect her, keeping her infertility a shameful secret from everyone. Thirty years later, Rae, whose family is starting to unravel, seeks answers about her upbringing and the decisions she has made as a result. Millner skillfully explores how societal pressures have forced generations of Black women to make difficult choices. (Forge, Sept. 5)

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BookDeena Warner
ONE BLOOD by Denene Millner - Madamenoire 'These 10 New Books By Black Women Have Us Hyped For The Fall'

Madamenoire | August 29, 2023

One Blood By Denene Millner – Release Date: Sept. 5

New York Times bestselling author Denene Millner’s haunting yet exciting book One Blood explores the lives of three women: Grace, LoLo and Rae, as they struggle to overcome life’s unexpected challenges in pursuit of love, hope and their dreams. All three women are connected by time, circumstance and family secrets that reveal they have more than just blood ties in common.

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BookDeena Warner
ONE BLOOD by Denene Millner - The Root 'September Books by Black Authors We Can't Wait to Read'

The Root | August 27, 2023

One Blood by Denene Millner - September 5

“One Blood” is the latest novel from bestselling author and award-winning journalist Denene Millner. The beautifully-written story spans across three generations of women from the Great Migration to the early 2000s, taking a unique look at family and social structure.

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BookDeena Warner