Illinois Reads has chosen THE MIRROR THIEF as one of its 2018 titles for adult readers, to be featured on a statewide basis through outreach to libraries and retailers.

A project of the Illinois Reading Council, Illinois Reads seeks to encourage and promote reading as a lifelong pursuit.  Each year Illinois Reads recommends books by Illinois authors for readers of all ages and grade levels.

By happy coincidence, the 2018 list for adult readers also includes LILLIAN BOXFISH TAKES A WALK by Martin’s spouse Kathleen Rooney, as well as novels by Allison Pataki, Michael Harvey, and Leslie Parry.

The 2018 Illinois Reads campaign kicked off with a sneak-peak event at Anderson’s Bookshop‘s Downers Grove location (photo above, courtesy of Illinois Reads), and events will continue throughout the year.

On Tuesday, April 11, Melville House released THE MIRROR THIEF in a paperback edition with a brand-new cover design.

The paperback is available from booksellers worldwide, and can also be ordered through the Melville House website and from all major online book retailers.

Melville House has also produced an informative video (embedded below) providing a behind-the-scenes look at the process of converting a hardcover into a paperback.

The Chicago Review of Books—which named THE MIRROR THIEF the best debut of 2016 by a Chicago-area author—has published an interview of Martin by editor Adam Morgan on the occasion of the paperback release.

In its first-annual Chirby awards, the Chicago Review of Books has named THE MIRROR THIEF the best debut of 2016 from a list of distinguished finalists that also included THE HOUSEGUEST by Kim Brooks, AND AGAIN by Jessica Chiarella, HEARTBREAKER by Maryse Meijer, TOO LIKE THE LIGHTNING by Ada Palmer, and TACKY GOBLIN by T. Sean Steele.

Other Chirby winners included Abby Geni for THE LIGHTKEEPERS (best fiction), Natalie Y. Moore for THE SOUTH SIDE (best nonfiction), and Abigail Zimmer for CHILD IN A WINTER HOUSE BRIGHTENING (best poetry).

The Chirby is the second regional literary award won by THE MIRROR THIEF, following the Chicago Writers Association 2016 Book of the Year Award for traditionally-published fiction.

Martin’s essay “New Strategies for Invisibility” was also recently reprinted in MAKE X, the tenth-anniversary anthology of selections from MAKE literary magazine; the essay originally appeared in the spring/summer 2010 issue.

Additionally, Martin’s essay about the song “No Myth” by Michael Penn recently appeared in Ander Monson’s and Megan Campbell’s MARCH FADNESS, a single-elimination bracket-style tournament to determine the greatest one-hit-wonder of the 1990s.  (“No Myth” advanced to the second round, where it was defeated by “Don’t Wanna Fall in Love” by Jane Child.)

Publishers Weekly has included THE MIRROR THIEF in its list of the best fiction of 2016.

Prior to the book’s publication, PW provided a starred and boxed review, and also featured Martin in its spring list of writers to watch.

Additionally, the New York Times Book Review has named THE MIRROR THIEF one of 100 notable books of 2016.

Novelist Scarlett Thomas‘s review of the novel appeared in the May 27, 2016 edition of the NYTBR.

The Chicago Writers Association has picked THE MIRROR THIEF as the 2016 Book of the Year in the category of traditionally-published fiction.

The other finalists in the category were SWARM THEORY by Christine Rice and THE FUGUE by Gint Aras.

The CWA will hold its annual award ceremony on Saturday, January 14 at the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square to honor the winners in all categories, and to bestow its annual Spirit Award on author Donald G. Evans, founder of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.  The event begins at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.

THE MIRROR THIEF is also a finalist for the 2016 Debut Award from the Chicago Review of Books; winners will be announced on Thursday, December 8.

Director Peter Chelsom and his collaborators Tinker Lindsay and John Albanis have acquired the rights to adapt THE MIRROR THIEF as a film.

After a distinguished career as an actor, Chelsom established himself as a director with a number of acclaimed and successful feature films, including Funny Bones, Serendipity, the English-language remake of Shall We Dance?, and the forthcoming The Space between Us.  Screenwriter Lindsay is also the coauthor of the Tenzing Norbu series of mystery novels; producer Albanis is himself an accomplished filmmaker.

The team has previously collaborated on several projects, including the 2014 film Hector and the Search for Happiness.

 

The Center for Fiction has included THE MIRROR THIEF on its Long List for the 2016 First Novel Prize, along with 24 other outstanding debuts.  The Short List will be announced in September; the winner will be declared at the Center’s Annual Benefit and Awards Dinner on December 6.  The only nonprofit organization in the United States exclusively dedicated to celebrating and supporting fiction, the Center provides both readers and writers with a number of opportunities and resources.

The audio version of THE MIRROR THIEF—available from Recorded Books, and read by Edoardo Ballerini—also recently won an Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine.  Earphones Awards recognize “truly exceptional titles that excel in narrative voice and style, characterizations, suitability to audio, and enhancement of the text.”