AUSTIN, TEXAS / AGILITYPR.NEWS / January 04, 2022 / Award-winning YA author’s latest release offers new twist on beloved genres

Austin, Texas [Jan. 4, 2022] – Young adult fiction author Monica McGurk’s latest novel blends adventure, humor, and genres in ways as delightful as they are unexpected. The Agency: The Norwood Nanny Chronicles, Book One (River Grove Books, Jan 4, 2022) kicks off a new series featuring the same compelling world building and richly developed characters that defined McGurk’s Archangel series and made her a fan-favorite among readers.

When American orphan, Bree, arrives at Norwood College—the elite English training ground of nannies to the world’s rich and powerful—she knows that making it through the first year to land a spot in the coveted certificate program is the key to her future. She also knows she can’t go it alone, bonding quickly with her groupmates: an errant (and broke) nobleman, son of one of England’s oldest families; the ambitious and whip-smart daughter of a self-made immigrant; and the ditzy, husband-hunting daughter of a disgraced playboy aristocrat. What none of them realize is that there is more to Norwood than meets the eye: the school itself may unlock the secrets of Bree’s own shadowy past, and the classmates’ very lives will depend on their ability to work together to meet the dangers ahead.

“Fast-paced and full of unexpected twists, Monica McGurk’s The Agency is the perfect mashup of Mary Poppins and James Bond,” said Kathy Wilson Florence, author of Three of Cups and Jaybird’s Song. “If you love deftly drawn characters in exotic locations and a compelling plot that will keep you reading past your bedtime, this is the book for you!”

“I wanted to write something a little more fun after the heavy themes of the Archangel Prophecies,” said McGurk, winner of the 2013 TwiFic Fandom Undiscovered Gem award. “I asked myself, ‘what if the nannies to Britain’s royal family, figures so unknown and yet so intriguing to the paparazzi, aren’t what they seem?’” The result is a story of strong female characters turning their typical depiction within the domestic sphere on its head, addressing questions of identity, power, and the urgent political issues of our time.

“The book is meant to explore what happens when the people who stay in the background—the ones the powerful and rich assume are at their beck and call—are actually the ones pulling the strings,” McGurk said.

Pick up your copy of The Agency today and visit monicamcgurk.com to learn more about McGurk’s fiction and how you can join the fight to put an end to human trafficking.

About the Author

Award-winning author Monica McGurk likes nothing better than weaving complex, multi-layered stories that bring contemporary issues and strong female characters to life through different genres of popular

fiction. Her previous work includes three volumes of paranormal YA romance—The Archangel Prophecies: Dark Hope, Dark Rising, and Dark Before Dawn—along with numerous works of fan fiction.

A corporate executive, she now lives in Chicagoland with her husband, Tom, her youngest son, John, and their two dogs, Jack and Ellie. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, and LinkedIn, or on her website monicamcgurk.com.