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Ruta Sepetys

@rutasepetysauthor

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Author of Historical Fiction
📚 Salt to the Sea
📚 A Fortune of Sand
📚 I Must Betray You
📚 The Fountains of Silence

POSTS STORIES REELS

An early galley of A FORTUNE OF SAND has arrived! Such a meaningful moment to see my forthcoming adult historical in book form.

Set in 1920s Detroit, it's a tale of glamour and ambition—and the truths buried beneath.
Coming June 2nd. More info soon!

#afortuneofsand #rutasepetys #detroit by @rutasepetysauthor

Thank you @people for the exclusive reveal of my new novel, 𝗔 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗗 - coming June 2026 from @ballantinebooks!
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
Detroit, 1927. A city where glittering wealth conceals a graveyard of secrets.
Marjorie Lennox, the artistic daughter of an automotive magnate, unearths a web of lies within her own family. And in a city built on ambition, just how far will a dynasty go to keep their secrets?
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁:
As a novelist born in Detroit, I've long been captivated by the glamour and grift of Detroit during its Golden Age. How could a luminous empire, once dubbed "The Paris of the Midwest," simply vanish? I wanted to transport readers into the forgotten splendor of Detroit before it faded, so when I uncovered a series of long-buried true stories about the city during the Prohibition era, I decided to weave them into the lives the Lennox Family, a powerful automotive dynasty in Grosse Pointe who believes they can make the rules—and break them.

The stunning cover was designed by Molly von Borstel @faceoutstudio

Read the full story at PEOPLE via the link in bio or: https://tinyurl.com/3uvydh5j

Author photo: @photosbylaurasmith

#rutasepetys #afortuneofsand #detroit #historicalfiction #booksofınstagram by @rutasepetysauthor

Thanks to The Centennial Club in Green Hills for inviting me to speak and hosting such a fantastic 1920s themed luncheon for 𝑨 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒅. Very grateful to @parnassusbooks for being the on-site bookseller!❤️

#AFortuneofSand #RutaSepetys #lunchandlit by @rutasepetysauthor

Southern Festival of Books - belated!😙
This year’s @sofestofbooks just may have been the best ever. The weather was beautiful and the programs and offerings were incredible - as were all of the readers who attended! Several days of bookish events and opportunities to connect and listen to many of my favorite writers talk about craft and creativity. Loved seeing my Midsouth @scbwi pals, the team from @porchtn , fellow YA freedom fighters, teachers, librarians…and did you hear - Jack White and Maya C. Popa discussed poetry - and I wish I had taken a photo at the discussion at Parnassus with Ann Patchett and Yiyun Li for “Music Against the Night.” Incredible!
Heartfelt thanks to the amazing Elyse Adler who was my conversation partner on Sunday and the teams @sofestofbooks, @humanities_tn and @parnassusbooks who worked tirelessly to present not only the festival but also the gorgeous Authors in the Round dinner on Friday night where I connected with old friends and made new friends at my table who are all longtime supporters of literacy in TN.
My pictures are few but my heart is full. Thank you!! ❤️

Photos: Southern Festival of Books, Rae Ann Parker, A.S. King, Shanna Upchurch, Daiva Navarette and Sharon Cameron. by @rutasepetysauthor

𝗧𝗘𝗡 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦! ❤️

𝙎𝘼𝙇𝙏 𝙏𝙊 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙀𝘼 was first published in 2016, and for a decade, readers, teachers, librarians, book clubs, and booksellers have helped bring attention to the underrepresented history of the winter of 1945 and the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. To celebrate this milestone, @philomelbooks has created a gorgeous collector’s edition featuring sprayed edges, beautiful endpapers, a ribbon bookmark, and bonus backmatter!
❤️
My heartfelt thanks to Philomel Books, Penguin Young Readers Group, Writers House, and my publishers and translators around the world for believing in this story and supporting it for a decade. Special thanks to the book’s original editor and publisher, Liza Kaplan and Michael Green as well as Ken Wright and Steve Malk. And huge thanks to Talia Benamy, who poured her whole heart into creating this beautiful edition. Thank you! 🙏
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To celebrate, I’m partnering with my local indie bookstore, @parnassusbooks , to offer signed and personalized copies of the special hardcover edition. (Psst... the holidays are coming!)
Order at parnassusbooks.net/ruta
❤️
In the meantime, the journey continues! I’m hard at work on new books and I’m looking forward to my upcoming virtual school visits and events. View my event schedule at the link in my bio.
Again, thank you for helping me bring history out of the dark!

#salttothesea #rutasepetys by @rutasepetysauthor

Festival America France Recap! 🇫🇷
3 unforgettable days in Vincennes, France together with writers, readers, translators, publishers, agents, booksellers, students, and journalists.
At a time when so much in the world divides us, the Festival created bridges to celebrate collaboration and freedom of expression. It was a powerful reminder that together we are co-creators of the future. Our voices and our creativity matters.
Photos:
• Evening opening ceremony with attending writers on stage.
• Ta-Nehisi Coates giving one of the opening keynotes.
• With my fantastic Gallimard team and my French sub-agents.
• Musical performances at Auditorium de Cœur de Ville
• Joyce Carol Oates was at the festival!
• Introduction at the opening ceremony.
• Panel with Phillip B. Williams and Emil Ferris.
• Prep for book signings at the Millepages booth.
• Many events took place in the historic city center auditorium in Vincennes.
• Panel with Taffy Brodesser-Akner and Madeline Cash.
• Three days of beautiful weather.
• Loved the meaningful discussions with student moderators!
• Enjoying Vincennes with my editorial director, Alice.
• Festival bustle and beauty including a breakfast with attendees and a panel with Katie Kitamura and Natalie Adler.
• Signing on the final day.
• The program and line-up. The writers - Just, wow.
❤️🇫🇷
Heartfelt thanks to the Festival America organizers, volunteers, and all of the translators who worked tirelessly during the events to give everyone a voice. And of course deepest thanks to all who attended. Authors have nothing without
readers!
📸Photos by: @pietrolasiria_photos , JM Smith, Gallimard Jeunesse

#FestivalAmerica #rutasepetys by @rutasepetysauthor

Readers in Bordeaux! 🇫🇷
Thank you for a wonderful event at Bibliotheque Mériadeck.
Wish I could have stayed longer. Hope to see you again soon. by @rutasepetysauthor

Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of a powerful Detroit dynasty--a family rich in money and poor in charm. Creative, reckless, and never quite what they wanted, Marjorie has spent her life overlooked by her controlling father and self-absorbed siblings. But when she secretly applies to an elite arts program backed by a mysterious patron, she grabs the chance to finally step out of her family's shadow.

Hear Ruta Sepetys discuss A Fortune of Sand at the Southern Festival of Books on Sunday, October 18, at 3PM. Find the full schedule at www.sofestofbooks.org.

#sofestbooks26 #nashvillethingstodo #nashvilleevents #rutasepetys #nashville by @rutasepetysauthor

First batch of France photos! 🇫🇷

📚 - In the Paris garden of my longtime French publisher @gallimard_jeunesse_romans with the French edition of A Fortune of Sand!
📚 - A gathering of French readers and Bookstagrammers to discuss A Fortune of Sand at the Gallimard office.
📚 - The entire French catalog of my books, translated by Bee Formentelli, Faustina Fiore, and Caroline Bouet.
📚 - Meeting the translator of A Fortune of Sand/Un Empire de Sable - Caroline Bouet. Thank you, Caroline!
📚 - I did nine school events in France over several days. So grateful to the students, teachers, and librarians!
📚 - Loved meeting the journalists for interviews and working with my wonderful interpreter, Maëlle.
📚 - The French edition of The Bletchley Riddle won the Millepages bookstore prize!
📚 - If you know Paris, you know the legendary bookstore, Shakespeare and Company. A Fortune of Sand is a staff pick? Oh, my heart.
📚 - More school visits in Saint-Germaine-en-Laye. Thank you, Charlotte Jarquin, for coordinating!
📚 - Loved returning to the quiet apartment each evening.
📚 - The beautiful streets of Paris (just prior to 700,000 people pouring into the street to greet Pope Leo.)

Thank you, readers in France, my agents in France, and the teams at Gallimard, for supporting me for 15+ years. My heart is full of gratitude!
(Photos from Bordeaux and the festival in Vincennes coming soon.)😍 by @rutasepetysauthor

Grateful to Lithuanian Ambassador, Arnoldas Pranckevičius, and everyone at the Lithuanian Embassy in Paris for welcoming me in France and inviting me to attend the fantastic opening of the Mikalojus Povilas Vilutis exhibition organized by Aldona Vilutyte in conjunction with SMELLS LIKE SPELLS. I had the honor of presenting “Between Shades of Gray” and my other novels at several schools in France this week and am so thankful to all the teachers who are using my books with their classes and discussing the associated histories!
🇱🇹 🇷🇴🇪🇸🇬🇧❤ 🇫🇷
Heartfelt thanks to my longtime publisher in France, @gallimard_jeunesse_romans and my French translators! More photos to come soon. 😍 by @rutasepetysauthor

Readers in FRANCE!🇫🇷
I’m so excited to see you this month at events in Bordeaux, school visits in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and also events @festivalamerica in Vincennes!😍 So grateful to my French translators and my wonderful long term publishers @gallimard_jeunesse and @editions_gallimard. And most of all - the French readers.
🇫🇷 Merci! ❤️🙏 Can’t wait to thank you in person very soon!

#rutasepetys #festivalamerica by @rutasepetysauthor

Thank you NBPS Eagles students, staff, and Friends of the Library for a wonderful visit! So grateful for your hospitality and thoughtful questions. I loved our discussions on history and writing! by @rutasepetysauthor