A character-driven story steeped in the space race and Cold War of the 1960s, it has the pervasive found-family heart of First Cosmic Velocity by Zach Powers, with the unexpected discovery of relationships established while undercover seen in American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson. The emotional pulls, coping with trauma, and self-discovery found in In the Quick by Kate Hope Day tie the characters and their stories together, infused with the tragedy and dark humor found in A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles).

Soviet cosmonaut Victoria “Vika” Rusanova crash-lands in Cold War America and must escape her pursuers before they capture her and the secrets she carries.

Sixteen-year-old Tabby Shelton and ten-year-old Giles Shelton live alone on the family ranch, trying to keep their father’s death a secret to avoid being separated by the state. When they discover Vika in their barn, they realize she has brought catastrophe to their doorstep.

After initial hostilities, the three form an uneasy alliance. When the police and FBI descend on the ranch, the unlikely trio must flee, and Vika must choose between abandoning the children or help the young orphans survive the calamity she has brought down upon them.

Pursued by an FBI agent with his own agenda, Vika must also untangle her own inner conflicts, including the death of her lover she unwittingly betrays, and the dawning realization that even as she attempts to evade capture and complete her mission, her country has already disavowed her. Tabby and Giles must also come to terms with the possibility that, along with the loss of their parents and their home, they could lose each other.

Their journey will conclude in a life-or-death showdown that will test their loyalty and faith in each other.

THE COSMONAUT AND THE FISHERMAN won Third Place in the Adventure category of the Historical Novel Society UK’s 2024 First Chapters Competition, and is a Top Ten Semifinalist in the Clive Cussler Society’s 2024 Adventure Writers Competition. It was also Honorable Mention in the Gutsy Great Novelist 2024, and selected as a quarterfinalist in the 2024 Screencraft Cinematic Book Competition.

If you’re interested in representing this 90k-word adult historical adventure, please contact me.