Deal Announcement: When the Forest Whispers by Megan Flynn

Yesterday we got to announce that Megan Flynn’s When the Forest Whispers has been bought by Orbit US and UK in a two-book deal to be published in Spring 2027. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am because apart from being one of the loveliest people I know, Meg is also one of the most talented authors, and her books are some of the most unique I’ve ever read.

Honestly, her stories fulfil some slightly weird shaped gap in my chest that I didn’t know I had. And although the announcements focus on Whispers, it’s her first (to be named) one that made me a Megan Flynn fan for life (I think her husband probably gets to claim first place in the fanclub, but I’m hoping I can claim a solid second).

So this is my very professional agent blog shouting about how proud I am of my Meg. And I cannot wait for readers to meet Remy and later Cassie. You’re going to love them!!!!

Megan Flynn adds: "Maybe a month before I signed with the fabulous Helen, I jotted the following into the notebook where I scribble down ideas for future books: “Woman lives alone in the wood with her dog. The world has ended. One day a man comes out of the forest. The woman knows him. He has a little girl.”

This idea would percolate for about a year until I finally started to write the story of the woman, her dog, the man and the girl around Christmas of 2023. I wrote the first half over the course of the next year, then, determined to get it out on sub before spring, wrote the final stretch during a one-month, semi-hysterical fever-dream during March2025. The final result: my debut novel When the Forest Whispers, which will be published by Orbit in early 2027.

Everything about this book, from that final determined (and slightly demented) writing stretch, to sub, to now, has been a whirlwind of the best kind. I still have to remind myself regularly that it’s real. I threw everything I love into When the Forest Whispers: found family,slow burn romance, terrifying woodland creatures, awful humans, and a very cute dog (who is TOTALLY FINE, I promise). The book is bit of a weirdo, but I hope it will resonate with readers, especially right now when we might need the reminder that things will be okay, no matter how awful they look. I can’t wait for people to meet Remy, Hunter, Rabbit and Clementine, and go on a journey through the dark, dark woods with them.

And lastly: More thanks than can possibly be expressed are owed to my incredible agent, Helen Lane, who has been an absolute champion for my writing since day one. She’s the best of the best."

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