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Ruth

Emmie

Lang

Author of The Wilderwomen and
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance 

BOOKS

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NOW AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER!

Five years ago, Nora Wilder disappeared. The older of her two daughters, Zadie, should have seen it coming, because she can literally see things coming. But not even her psychic abilities were able to prevent their mother from vanishing one morning.

Zadie’s estranged younger sister, Finn, can’t see into the future, but she has an uncannily good memory, so good that she remembers not only her own memories, but the echoes of memories other people have left behind. On the afternoon of her graduation party, Finn is seized by an “echo” more powerful than anything she’s experienced before: a woman singing a song she recognizes, a song about a bird…

When Finn wakes up alone in an aviary with no idea of how she got there, she realizes who the memory belongs to: Nora.

Now, it’s up to Finn to convince her sister that not only is their mom still out there, but that she wants to be found. Against Zadie’s better judgement, she and Finn hit the highway, using Finn’s echoes to retrace Nora’s footsteps and uncover the answer to the question that has been haunting them for years: Why did she leave?

But the more time Finn spends in their mother’s past, the harder it is for her to return to the present, to return to herself. As Zadie feels her sister start to slip away, she will have to decide what lengths she is willing to go to to find their mother, knowing that if she chooses wrong, she could lose them both for good.

THE WILDERWOMEN

(St. Martin's Press, 2022)

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"Exquisite and adventurous"
- Bustle  

Target book club pick, december 2018

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Order your copy today!

Orphaned, raised by wolves, and the proud owner of a horned pig named Merlin, Weylyn Grey knew he wasn’t like other people. But when he single-handedly stopped that tornado on a stormy Christmas day in Oklahoma, he realized just how different he actually was.

That tornado was the first of many strange events that seem to follow Weylyn from town to town, although he doesn’t like to take credit. As amazing as these powers may appear, they tend to manifest themselves at inopportune times and places. From freak storms to trees that appear to grow over night, Weylyn’s unique abilities are a curiosity at best and at worst, a danger to himself and the woman he loves. But Mary doesn’t care. Since Weylyn saved her from an angry wolf on her eleventh birthday, she’s known that a relationship with him isn’t without its risks, but as anyone who’s met Weylyn will tell you, once he wanders into your life, you’ll wish he’d never leave.

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance tells the story of Weylyn Grey’s life from the perspectives of the people who knew him, loved him, and even a few who thought he was just plain weird. Although he doesn’t stay in any of their lives for long, he leaves each of them with a story to tell. Stories about a boy who lives with wolves, great storms that evaporate into thin air, fireflies that make phosphorescent honey, and a house filled with spider webs and the strange man who inhabits it.

There is one story, however, that Weylyn wishes he could change: his own. But first he has to muster enough courage to knock on Mary’s front door.

BEASTS of EXTRAORDINARY

CIRCUMSTANCE

(St. Martin's Press, 2017)

Books

BUZZ

A wholly original and superbly crafted work of art, BEASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE is a masterpiece of the imagination. Intelligent, witty, and brave, Ruth Emmie Lang takes us on an uplifting and unforgettable adventure of love, magic, friendship and fate. An extraordinary work of fiction by an truly gifted author.

Ruth Emmie Lang's prose has the earthy warmth of a campfire story, best enjoyed in the woods and under the stars. Her contemporary spin on the American folktale, BEASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE, bristles with charm and curiosity, and its oddball hero, Weylyn Grey, will make you want to follow him into the forest.

Ruth Emmie Lang dazzles with her inventive and magical debut. Told with brains and heart, BEASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE introduces a protagonist who is both mythical and relatable. Weylyn Grey leaves a lasting impression on everyone he meets, and he will on readers too.

LORI NELSON SPIELMAN,

New York Times bestselling author of the Life List

"This tale feels comfortable and familiar, imitating Lewis Carroll’s casual, everyday description of magic...Original and imaginative, especially in its multifaceted exploration of one extraordinary person, Lang’s novel is a lovely and fascinating feat of magical realism."

WINSTON GROOM,

New York Times bestselling author of Forrest Gump

BEASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE is a brilliant button on the coat of American magical realism. Think Charlotte's Web for grown-ups who, like Weylyn Grey, have their own stories of being different, feared, brave, and loved.

MICHELLE GABLE, New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment

"This wonderful, whimsical, warm-hearted novel is filled with subtle and not-so-subtle nods to the books I loved as a child...Beasts is exactly the book I needed right now, and it made me so happy I wanted to howl at the moon."

BOOKLIST

MO DAVIAU,

author of Every Anxious Wave

STEPH OPITZ,

Book of the Month Club

IN THE PRESS

In The Press

ABOUT ME

Ruth Emmie Lang was born in Glasgow, Scotland and has the red hair to prove it. When she was four years old, she immigrated to Ohio where she has lived ever since. She has since lost her Scottish accent, but still has the hair.

 

Ruth currently lives on two wooded acres in Cleveland, Ohio with her husband and son.

The Wilderwomen is her second novel.

HAPPENINGS

social

news/events

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Apr. 

3

My sophomore novel, 

THE WILDERWOMEN, was sold

to St. Martin's Press. Follow me for updates on its release

@ruthemmielang.

Check out my Beasts-inspired

playlist on Spotify!

CONTACT

Literary Agent: Andrea Somberg, Harvey Klinger, Inc.

212.581.7068 | andrea@harveyklinger.com

Film/TV Rights: Mary Pender, United Talent Agency

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