Natasha Simons
Natasha Simons is an Editor at Gallery Books, Simon & Schuster. She has worked on over 30 New York Times bestsellers, and her books have been featured in People magazine, National Review, Seventeen magazine, the Blaze, The New York Times, and shown on The Today Show, Hannity, The Mark Levin Show, Good Morning America, The 700 Club and more.
She acquires celebrity memoir and pop culture for S&S, as well as suspense, noir, and thriller in fiction.
Authors she has worked with include Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler (The Maddies Diaries), Eva Gutowski (MyLifeAsEva), Greg Gutfeld (The Gutfeld Monologues), Kevin Lacz (The Last Punisher), Robert K. Tanenbaum, Anne Canadeo, Clint Hill, Dick Cheney and Mary Higgins Clark.
Natasha's select booklist can be found below.
Welcome to Wonderland. By day, its a magical place boasting a certain retro charm. Excited children, hands sticky with cotton candy, run frenetically from the Giant Octopus ride to the Spinning Sombrero, while the tinkling carnival music of the giant Wonder Wheelthe oldest Ferris wheel in the Pacific Northwestfills the air. But before daybreak, an eerie feeling descends. Maybe its the Clown Museum, home to creepy wax replicas of movie stars and a massive collection of antique porcelain dolls. Or maybe its the terrifyingly real House of Horrors. Or maybe it's the dead, decaying body left in the midway for all the Wonder Workers to see.
Vanessa Castros first day as deputy police chief of Seaside, Washington, is off to a bang. The unidentifiable homeless man rotting inside the tiny towns main tourist attraction is strange enough, but now a teenage employeewhose defiant picture at the top of the Wonder Wheel went viral that same morning is missing. As the clues in those seemingly disparate crimes lead her down a mysterious shared path of missing persons that goes back decades, she suspects the seedy rumors surrounding the amusement parks dark history might just be true.
A rash of grisly serial murders plagued Seattle until the infamous “Beacon Hill Butcher” was finally hunted down and killed by police chief Edward Shank in 1985. Now, some thirty years later, Shank, retired and widowed, is giving up his large rambling Victorian house to his grandson Matt, whom he helped raise.
Settling back into his childhood home and doing some renovations in the backyard to make the house feel like his own, Matt, a young up-and-coming chef and restaurateur, stumbles upon a locked crate he’s never seen before. Curious, he picks the padlock and makes a discovery so gruesome it will forever haunt him… Faced with this deep, dark family secret, Matt must decide whether to keep what he knows buried in the past, go to the police, or take matters into his own hands.
Meanwhile, Matt’s girlfriend, Sam, has always suspected that her mother was murdered by the Beacon Hill Butcher - two years after the supposed Butcher was gunned down. As she pursues leads that will prove her right, Sam heads right into the path of Matt’s terrible secret.
"Daniels keeps the action moving...[and] surprising wild cards enliven the mix." - Publishers Weekly
"Impressive...a fine, twisty plot and some really jarring surprises at the end." - Booklist
Seven months after their last encounter, retired FBI agent Jack Kale and Atlanta Police Detective Beth Sturgis are reunited by a new case that pits them against the Sandman, a nearly perfect assassin who leaves no clues, can change his appearance seemingly at will, and has eluded police on four continents for years.
Now, it's a race against time to protect the Sandman's next targets - two witnesses scheduled to testify before a grand jury by the end of the week. With the clock ticking down, Kale and Sturgis dive headfirst into a desperate chase to catch the killer before he strikes and disappears again.
“A compelling and moving story that asks many questions about family, love, and justice… Moving at a hard-to-put-down, breathless pace, this is suspenseful fiction at its best.” - Library Journal (starred review)
Lucy Wakefield is a seemingly ordinary woman who does something extraordinary in a desperate moment: she takes a baby girl from a shopping cart and raises her as her own. It’s a secret she manages to keep for over two decades - from her daughter, the babysitter who helped raise her, family, coworkers, and friends.
When Lucy’s now-grown daughter Mia discovers the devastating truth of her origins, she is overwhelmed by confusion and anger and determines not to speak again to the mother who raised her. She reaches out to her birth mother for a tearful reunion, and Lucy is forced to flee to China to avoid prosecution. What follows is a ripple effect that alters the lives of many and challenges our understanding of the very meaning of motherhood.
Natasha Simons edited 4 out of the 8 books in The Black Sheep Knitting Series.
“An engaging story full of tight-knit friendship and a needling mystery.” - Fresh Fiction on Knit, Purl, Die
"The fast-paced plot will keep even nonknitters turning the pages." - Publishers Weekly
When Maggie Messina, owner of the Black Sheep Knitting Shop, is invited to give knitting workshops at a Berkshires spa resort, she manages to negotiate a cottage that fits all five of the Black Sheep for what promises to be a weekend of knitting bliss. But while the friends are experts at counting stitches, they haven’t counted on murder.
Guests and staff at the Crystal Lake Inn are as varied as a mixed bag of yarn, but most colorful is certainly the owner, charismatic self-help guru and former psychiatrist Dr. Max Flemming. The doctor may have told all in a revealing autobiography, but from his ex-wife to the widow of his former business partner - both employees at the inn - Max seems mired in shadows from his past. And when a killer strikes during a mountaintop retreat, the Black Sheep wonder what the good doctor might be hiding.
The police seem to be following the wrong thread. But while Maggie’s workshops have given the knitters a unique view of the tensions at the little inn, can they make sense of a crime that is as complexly stranded as a Fair Isle sweater? When the killer murders a second time, the Black Sheep wonder if they’ve dropped a stitch and put themselves in mortal danger...
"A natural winner! This smart who-dunnit is the perfect remedy for anyone in need of a great read." - Liz Mugavero, author of the Agatha-nominated Pawsitively Organic Mysteries
Business is blooming at Nature’s Way Market & Café, and shop owner, holistic doctor, and amateur sleuth, Willow McQuade has never been happier. Her new medicinal herb garden is a hit, so is her new book, she’s in love with ex-cop and animal rescuer Jackson Spade, and enjoying teaching seminars about edible plants and natural remedies.
But everything changes when Willow’s old boyfriend and TV producer, Simon Lewis, winemaker David Farmer, and his wife Ivy, ask her to cater a party at Pure, their new organic vineyard, to kick off North Fork’s Uncorked! week and the competition for Wine Lovers magazine’s $200,000 prize. Pure’s entry, Falling Leaves, is the favorite to win, and the wine flows freely until after Simon’s toast when smiles give way to looks of horror. Ivy’s twin sister, Amy has been murdered! Turns out, the poison that killed her was actually meant for David. But who wants him dead? A rival vintner? Or someone closer to home? This time the truth may be a bitter vintage to swallow.
Scrooge considers himself a rational man with a keen sense of deductive reasoning developed from years of business dealings. But that changes one night when he’s visited by the ghost of his former boss and friend, Fezziwig, who mysteriously warns him that three more will die, and ultimately Ebenezer himself - if he doesn’t get to the bottom of a vast conspiracy.
When he wakes the next day, Scrooge discovers that not only is Fezziwig dead, but he’s under arrest as all evidence points toward himself: Scrooge’s calling card was found in the cold, dead hand of Fezziwig’s body, and someone scribbled “HUMBUG” in blood on the floor nearby.
Now, Scrooge must race against the pocket watch to clear his name, protect his interests, and find out who killed his last true friend - before the “Humbug Killer” strikes again.
Champion of the mystery section at a small-town Minnesota library, Karen Nash is about to embark on a dream trip to London - a literary tour inspired by every murderous intrigue, wily suspect, and ingenious crime found in the pages of the British mysteries that she devours. But she’s clueless why the love of her mid-life, Dave, would dump her hours before takeoff- until she spies him at the airport with a young honey on his arm! She decides the best revenge (for now) is to get on that plane anyway...and entertain schemes for Dave’s untimely demise while crossing the pond.
After touching ground in the hallowed homeland of Christie, Sayers, and Peters, she checks into a cozy B&B run by charming bibliophile Caldwell Perkins. Soon she’s spilling tears in her pint at the corner pub, sharing her heartbreak saga with a stranger. That night, a B&B guest drops out of circulation - permanently. And when Dave and his cutie turn up in London, Karen realizes they are an assassin’s target. With the meticulous attention to detail that makes her a killer librarian, Karen sleuths her way through her own real-life mystery - in which library science meets the art of murder.
"[A] suspenseful sequel...A riveting climax will have readers on the edge of their seats." - Publishers Weekly
"A creepy tale filled with literary allusions and sporting a truly puzzling mystery." - Kirkus Reviews
Jenny Weston and her mother, Dora, have been receiving strange midnight visits. Bear Falls's own elusive and highly secretive poet, Emily Sutton, has lived her life cloistered away with her sister in a house at the edge of Pewee Swamp. But now, Emily's started leaving scraps of poetry in Dora's Little Library, and Dora makes it her mission to befriend the sheltered woman.
Meanwhile, Zoe Zola, almost famous author, Little Person, and the Weston's quirky next-door neighbor, is hard at work on a new book, this one about the inner life of Emily Dickinson. And once again, Zoe's literary work starts making uncanny connections with the events in her own world as Emily Sutton reemerges into society. But Zoe begins to suspect things aren't anywhere near normal at Emily's swamp house or in the lives of the people she claims have abandoned her...until looking further into the poet's half-truths leads Zoe and Jenny to a horrible murder.
“Everyone needs a Furry Godmother! A delightful new series steeped in the flavor of New Orleans and its old families. Julie Chase’s clever characters are guaranteed to make you smile.” - Krista Davis, New York Times bestselling author of the Paws & Claws mysteries
Grandeur and opulence are everything in the famed New Orleans Garden District where pets are family and no bling is too big. Opening Furry Godmother, pet boutique and organic treat bakery, is Lacy Marie Crocker's dream come true - until the glitter gun used to make her Shih Tzu tutus becomes a murder weapon. And Lacy becomes public enemy #1.
Now Detective Jack Oliver is hounding Lacy, and her Furry Godmother investor wants out before his name is tarnished by association. To make matters worse, a string of jewel heists with suspicious ties to the murder case has New Orleans residents on edge. To save her dream, Lacy must take a stand, put her keen eyes to work, and unravel what really happened at her shop that night. But can Lacy sniff out the killer cat burglar in time to get her tail-raising designs on the catwalk?
"The banter between Lacy and the detective, plus the local New Orleans color, will delight readers." - Booklist
Lacy Marie Crocker's whimsical pet couture has gained a following in New Orleans's cozy Garden District, and word of mouth has traveled all the way to her favorite fashion designer, Annie Lane. Lacy's thrilled when Annie schedules a private session at her home to discuss a companion line for her evening wear, but when Lacy arrives for the appointment, she enters the kitchen to two mewling Siamese cats - and one very dead Annie.
Lacy takes the kittens home to care for them until they can be properly claimed by Annie's family or friends, but after a busy day of work, she returns home to find them missing. And when Lacy learns the cats are set to inherit Annie's fortune, she begins to wonder if the killer was after the kittens all along. Now Lacy will stop at nothing to save the Siamese and find justice for Annie - if the killer doesn't sink his claws into her first.
Luckily, Lacy has the help of handsome NOLA PD homicide detective Jack Oliver to help her catch the cat-napper before its too late in Cat Got Your Cash, the endearing second Kitty Couture mystery from Julie Chase.
"This sprightly series opener...offers pure catnip for feline mystery fans." - Publishers Weekly
"An engaging series with a proactive, appealing sleuth. The (nontalking) Toby is sure to be a hit with cat lovers and cozy readers." - Library Journal
Sydney McCall left behind an ex-fiancé and a New York advertising job to return home to Deer Park, North Carolina and help her sister, Kat, run the local animal shelter, Friendly Paws. Determined to save the shelter from financial trouble, Sydney and Kat organize a cat café fundraising event at a local coffee shop. Things are looking up until their landlord, Trowbridge Littleton, threatens to shut down the event. When Sydney drops by his art gallery to make peace, she finds Kat - along with Littleton's dead body.
Local homicide detective Will Worthington - who just happens to be Sydney's old high school crush - is highly suspicious of the sisters' involvement. Desperate to clear their names from the suspect list, Sydney pounces on the investigation. With the help of one of the shelter cats, a savvy orange tabby named Toby, Sydney begins poking her nose into other local businesses whose owners may have benefited from Littleton's death - until the killer notices she's pawing a little too closely at the truth.
Call them America’s “tinkerpreneurs” - unsung innovators who commercialized their “little” ideas to create products, companies, wealth, and opportunities that thrive today. Tireless, self-made, and largely self-taught, they raised our standard of living with the creation of items we daily take for granted, from razors to bottle caps, flashlights to bridge cables.
This entertaining and enlightening treasury is, in part, Michelle Malkin’s response to President Obama’s infamous assertion that “if you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that.” She examines how factors such as profit motive, intellectual property rights, patriotism, faith, family, and an unwavering belief in American exceptionalism set the stage for the creation of toilet paper, glass bottles, the hydroelectric power plant, and more.
Demonized by the left as greedy villains and selfish barons, these visionaries have nurtured job-creating powerhouses used today by “progressive” propagandists who can’t comprehend how much comfort and convenience they enjoy as a result of the ingenious contributions by these original American dreamers. Are they rich? You bet. They earned their private rewards for the public good. Find out Who Built That - and the next time you turn on your air conditioner, say thank you.
"Dogged, fiercely independent, and with a brilliant eye for the telling detail, Michelle Malkin has now turned her formidable skills to the bright new dawn of the Obama era, and the ever-widening gulf between the hopey changey rhetoric and the murkier reality. Her riveting portrait of unsavory cronies parceling out the spoils of government is somewhat at odds with the impression you may have gained from the besotted Tiger Beat correspondents of the mainstream media." - Mark Steyn, author of the New York Times bestseller America Alone"
In Sold Out, Michelle Malkin and John Miano name names and expose the lies of those who pretend to champion the middle class, while aiding and abetting massive layoffs of highly skilled American workers in favor of cheap foreign labor. Malkin and Miano will explode some of the most commonly told myths spread in the media.
For too long, open-borders tech billionaires and their political enablers have escaped tough public scrutiny of their means and motives. It’s time to trade the whitewash for solvent. American workers deserve better and the public deserves the unvarnished truth.
"Ben Shapiro is a warrior for conservatism, against those who use fear and intimidation to stifle honest debate. I’ve never known him to back down from a fight and, in Bullies, he shows us all exactly why that fight is necessary.” - Glenn Beck, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Cowards
Ben Shapiro uncovers the simple strategy used by liberals and their friends in the media: bully the living hell out of conservatives. Play the race card, the class card, the sexism card. Use any and every means at your disposal to demonize your opposition - to shut them up. Then pretend that such bullying is justified, because, after all, conservatives are the true bullies, and need to be taught a lesson for their intolerance. Hidden beneath the left’s supposed hatred of bullying lies a passionate love of its vulgar tactics.
The left has created a climate of fear wherein ordinary Americans must abandon their principles, back abhorrent causes, and remain silent. They believe America is a force for evil, that our military is composed of war criminals, and that patriotism is the deepest form of treason. They incite riots and threaten violence by playing the race card, then claim they’re advocates for tolerance.
These are the most despicable people in America, bullying their opponents while claiming to be the victims. Shapiro takes on the leftist bullies, exposes their hypocrisy, and offers conservatives a reality check in the face of what has become the gravest threat to American liberty: the left’s single-minded focus on ending political debate through bully tactics.
"Jason Mattera is a national treasure...Piercing, eye-opening, and deliciously witty, Obama Zombies is required reading for an entire generation who have been sold liberal lies." - Ann Coulter, NYT bestselling author of Treason and Slander.
THE BOOK YOU’RE ABOUT TO READ WILL PISS YOU OFF
Are you sick of self-important celebrities preaching against “global warming” yet flying private planes to their countless homes? Fed up with lectures about charity and philanthropy from miserly rockers who will do anything for a tax break? Disgusted by leftist stars decrying the evils of the Second Amendment as their personal bodyguards pack more heat than a Chuck Norris kick to the face?
You laughed as you watched gonzo journalist Jason Mattera “punk” some of the Left’s biggest icons. You cheered as he rattled a generation from their unthinking liberal slumber in Obama Zombies. Now, in his shocking latest New York Times bestseller, Mattera sets his sights on his biggest target yet, ground zero for liberal lunacy, the Left’s Holy Land: Hollywood.
"Broken But Unbowed takes direct aim at the constitutional imbalances that exist in our system and identifies solutions to rein in the federal government. Taking on and overcoming insurmountable challenges is not new for Greg Abbott, and his plan to restore the Constitution is bold, compelling, and worth a read." - Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House
Greg Abbott lost his ability to walk when a huge oak tree crashed down on his back, fracturing vertebrae into his spinal cord, leaving him forever paralyzed. At twenty-six years old, he felt that the future he had dreamed of was gone. But he soon realized that our lives are not defined by our challenges, but by how we respond to them. He went on to overcome his paralytic limitations to become the longest-serving attorney general in Texas history and now governor, all while in a wheelchair.
Greg Abbott waged a record number of legal challenges against the federal government that has come unhinged from the Constitution. He also led legal battles to defend the Second Amendment, the Tenth Amendment, and religious liberty. He personally appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the Ten Commandments monument on the Texas Capitol Grounds - and won.
Through these fights he realized that his personal story held an important parallel to America’s current challenges. The Constitution that forms the foundation of our country has been broken, but the people of this nation remain determined to achieve American greatness. Abbott explains that it is up to us to restore America to its rightful luster and power in the world, emerging triumphant from our stumbles.
“In the Arena is more than a memoir of service in a dangerous time for our country. It is also a call of a true patriot for all Americans to heed Roosevelt’s challenge and take up the task of restoring American exceptionalism before it is too late.” - Karl Rove, New York Times bestselling author of Courage and Consequence
Pete Hegseth makes “an impassioned, wide-ranging” (Rich Lowry, editor of National Review) argument for how Teddy Roosevelt’s articulation of “good citizens,” “equality of opportunity,” and unapologetic US leadership - “good patriots” - can renew our imperiled American experiment and save the free world, in this fascinating “road-map for rejecting decline and forging another American century” (Mark Levin).
Despite contention surrounding Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy, Hegseth argues that the Rough Rider’s exhortation serves as a timeless wake-up call for our Republic. In order to rejuvenate what makes America exceptional, we must unapologetically get back into Roosevelt’s arena - as engaged “good citizens” at home and powerful “good patriots” in the world.
Bolstered by Teddy Roosevelt’s words, Hegseth went to war for our country and relates his gripping personal experience. He argues that an exceptional American experiment was entrusted to “average citizens” in 1776 and has been perpetuated by every generation since…until now. If we won’t fight for America, then what will we fight for? And if not now, then when? Get in the arena!
Shortlisted for the 2015 Plutarch Award for Best Biography
When Americans remember the controversial Nixons, they usually focus on the political triumphs, the turbulent White House years, and the humiliating public downfall. But a very different image of the polarizing president emerges in this fascinating portrait of the relationship between Richard and Pat Nixon. Now, the couple’s recently released love letters and other private documents reveal that as surely as unremitting adversity can fray the fabric of a marriage, devotion can propel it to surmount disgrace and defeat.
In Pat and Dick, biographer Will Swift brings his years of experience as a historian and marital therapist to this unique examination of a long-misunderstood marriage. Nixon the man was enormously complicated: brilliant, insecure, sometimes coldly calculating, and capable of surprising affection with his wife. Much less is known about Pat. With the help of personal writings and interviews with family and friends, Swift unveils a woman who was warm and vivacious, yet much shrewder and more accomplished than she has been given credit for. From Dick’s unrelenting crusade to marry the glamorous teacher through the myriad crises of his political career, the Nixons’ story is filled with hopes and disappointments, both intimate and global.
Clean House takes us through incriminating documents from the attack in Benghazi, Hillary Clinton’s secret emails, the IRS scandal, and the Obamacare swindle.
As the president of Judicial Watch, America’s largest non-partisan government watchdog, Tom Fitton has investigated the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations. Judicial Watch is the group that helped impeach Bill Clinton and took the Bush White House secrecy all the way up to the Supreme Court. Since the beginning of the Obama administration, this grassroots group has filed over 700 open records demands and dozens of lawsuits, including a successful fight over the secret Obama White House visitor logs.
In Clean House, Tom Fitton provides shocking evidence of the corruption endemic to the Obama White House.
Having six out of ten kids go to college is no small feat on its own, but having six kids in college by the age of twelve - that’s nothing short of incredible. Meet Kip and Mona Lisa Harding, high school sweethearts whose simple homeschooling method produced exactly those extraordinary results. Kip and Mona Lisa are parents to an engineer (who earned her BS in mathematics at 17), an architect (who finished her five-year program at 18 and became the youngest member of the American Institute of Architects), a Navy physician (who earned her biology degree at 17), an entrepreneur (who earned a BA in English at 15 and an MS in computer science at 17), a 15-year-old college senior studying music theory and performance, a 12-year-old Middle Ages scholar with the highest average in his college class, and four others who are following fast in their siblings’ footsteps! No wonder the family is so used to being asked: How did you do it?
The Hardings are the first to say they’re not geniuses. Nor do they run a strict, high-pressure household. Instead, they find out early what really motivates their children, instill their kids with dreams, and allow those dreams to blossom. In a remarkable, down-to-earth narrative that is part captivating memoir, part invaluable guidebook for parents, Kip and Mona Lisa reveal with warmth and humility the strategies behind their family’s amazing educational accomplishments.
“One of the very best books to come out of the war in Iraq. A natural sequel to American Sniper and a powerful, rapid-fire look into the world of an operator. An instant classic that will be of enormous value to future warriors, scholars, and anyone who cares about our military and our veterans.” - Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, bestselling author of On Killing
The Last Punisher is a compelling first-person account of the Iraq War. With wry humor and moving testimony, Kevin Lacz tells the bold story of his tour in Iraq with SEAL Team THREE, the warrior elite of the Navy. This legendary unit, known as “The Punishers,” included Chris Kyle (American Sniper), Mike Monsoor, Ryan Job, and Marc Lee. These brave men were instrumental in securing the key locations in the pivotal 2006 Battle of Ramadi.
Minute by minute, Lacz relays the edge-of-your-seat details of his team’s missions in Ramadi, offering a firsthand glimpse into the heated combat, extreme conditions, and harrowing experiences they faced every day. Through it all, Lacz and his teammates formed unbreakable bonds and never lost sight of the cause: protecting America with their fight.
Shortly after getting married, Merissa Alink and her husband found themselves with nothing in their pantry but a package of spaghetti and some breadcrumbs. Their life had hit rock bottom, and it was only after a touching act of charity that they were able to get on their feet again.
Inspired by this gesture of kindness as well as the beloved Little House on the Prairie books, Merissa found that a life of self-sufficiency and simplicity could be charming and blissful. She set out to live an entirely made-from-scratch life and as a result, she slashed her household budget by nearly half - saving thousands of dollars a year. She started to write about homesteading, homemaking, and cooking from scratch, and over the next few years developed the recipes and DIY projects that would one day become part of her now beloved website, LittleHouseLiving.com.
With over 130 practical, simple DIY recipes, gorgeous full-color photographs, and Merissa’s trademark charm in personal stories and tips, Little House Living is the epitome of heartland warmth and prairie inspiration.
For a twenty-three-year-old, Marcus Butler, Popular British YouTube star, knows a lot about life - and not just from his own experiences, but from the millions of followers on YouTube who chat with him on his irreverent channel, known for its mix of hilarious sketches, light-hearted banter, and deeply empathetic take on serious issues. In this funny, colorful handbook, the warm and totally down-to-earth star shares his trademark big-brotherly advice for navigating the trickier aspects of modern living.
Part autobiography, part self-help guide, Hello Life! is a candid and playful look inside Marcus Butler’s life - the failures, the successes, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.