Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has been granted not one, but two publishing deals for her political thrillers. The deals come 20 years after her first novels were published.
“The voting rights activist, grassroots organizer and former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate has a deal for two political thrillers, Doubleday and Anchor Books announced Thursday,” reported The Associated Press. “The new novels will bring back the gifted and intrepid law clerk Avery Keene from Abrams’ current work, ‘While Justice Sleeps,’ which came out last week and is already a No. 1 New York Times bestseller with more than 100,000 copies in print.”
“Earlier this month, Berkley announced it was reissuing a trilogy of romance novels Abrams published through Harlequin in the early 2000s under the penname Selena Montgomery,” the report added. “Meanwhile, NBCUniversal International Studios has optioned the rights for a television series based on ‘While Justice Sleeps,’ with Abrams serving as producer.”
Abrams hailed Avery Keene as “an exciting and brilliant” protagonist.
“I am thrilled to continue the story of Avery Keene – an exciting and brilliant protagonist – with Doubleday,” Abrams said in a statement. “Avery began her adventures in ‘While Justice Sleeps,’ and now we can follow her as she discovers what’s next for her and those she loves in the years ahead.”
As The Daily Wire profiled in early May, the plot of “While Justice Sleeps” centers on “Avery Keene, a young law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Howard Wynne, the liberal swing vote in a number of highly-contested rulings. After Wynne falls into a coma, Keene must work to unravel the conspiracy that put him there and stop his enemies from influencing the outcome of a major case.” Abrams said she wrote the book to “explore what it means to have authority but no real power.” Justice Wynne is a black man in the book.
“After weathering the competitive storm to secure Stacey’s novel, we are elated to have come out on top,” said Working Title Television co-chairman Tim Bevan. “This is one of those rare moments when the opportunity feels right, and we look forward to developing this thrilling project with the multihyphenate Abrams.”
Universal, Working Title’s parent company, hailed Abrams for bringing a “level of authenticity, cultural representation and universal storytelling” to the series. “As the media landscape continues to flourish with infinite content, we are excited to embark on this journey with Stacey, who has played an instrumental role in the American narrative and now, television industry,” Chairman Pearlena Igbokwe said.
Stacey Abrams initially supported the boycotts in Georgia over its voter integrity law but seemed to walk her support back after the MLB pulled the All-Star game from Atlanta, possibly fearing political fallout in the upcoming Senate elections.
“Brian Kemp and Georgia Republican lawmakers are singularly responsible for any job that is lost and any dollar that goes out of Georgia, because they prioritized suppressing voters of color over the economic well-being of all Georgians,” Fair Fight, the voter organization founded by Stacey Abrams, spokesman Seth Bringman told Newsweek.
“We urge events, productions, and businesses to come to Georgia and support the very communities that will [sic] whose access to the ballot will be hurt by Senate Bill 202. Come to Georgia and speak out against voter suppression. Stay and fight,” the statement added.