Acquisition: Lara Messersmith-Glavin’s HOW THE CHANDLER HUNG THE MOON

Forest Avenue Press has acquired world English rights to Lara Messersmith-Glavin’s HOW THE CHANDLER HUNG THE MOON, forthcoming in fall 2027.

In a world without a moon, the Night revels in his darkness, dancing, creeping, and weaving fear into the hearts of the villagers. After losing her only family to the dark, a young candlemaker commits to her craft, intent on surviving on her own and maintaining the legacy of light. The Night, too, is lonely, rebuffed by the burn of the villagers’ lanterns.

Two Readers from the desert—a parent and a child—arrive by wagon, make camp, and offer fortune-telling services. The Chandler and the Young Reader forge a bond through tea and books. When the village turns against the visitors, the Chandler must choose between this new friendship and her lifelong community. What can she do to protect her friend? Can people learn to face their terror of the dark? And how does one talk to bees, anyway?

“HOW THE CHANDLER HUNG THE MOON is a marvel of storytelling—peaceful and smart and kind like Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot series, and sweetly, inclusively queer like TJ Klune’s novels,” said Publisher Laura Stanfill. “I can’t wait to share the Chandler’s story with readers everywhere!”

Lara Messersmith-Glavin is the author of the award-winning essay collection Spirit Things and the forthcoming fantasy novel RUINER (2026, AK Press), the first in the Tellers series, where storytelling is combat magic and ordinary people must fight against exploitation and environmental destruction. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she writes both nonfiction and speculative work, teaches creative writing, coaches movement practices for all bodies, and serves on the editorial board of Perspectives magazine. While her true loves include forests, crows, and tide pools, she also collects languages, patterns, and magical objects.

Lara Messersmith-Glavin