Loukko by 
We are proud to announce that Marko Hautala, the award-winning writer of Granny Hatchet (Tammi 2014) and several other creepy and psychologically savvy novels, has been accepted into the prestigious Horror Writers Association. Hautala is the first Finnish author to have been named an active member of the organization.
Granny Hatchet was published in the U.S. to stellar reviews by AmazonCrossing as The Black Tongue earlier this fall. Rights have also sold in Germany to DTV and in the Czech Republic to Euromedia.
Based on a real-life urban legend of a mythical creature who kills her victims with a hatchet and devours their hearts, Hautala’s novel explores childhood traumas and buried secrets in a small Finnish town.
U.S. praise for The Black Tongue:
“Who is Granny Hatchet? Hautala relays her legend with gleeful relish….Envision bits of The Ring, the Brothers Grimm, and Gillian Flynn rolled together…If you’re up for an adventure, try reading The Black Tongue alone in a hotel room with one flickering light, like I did. I guarantee at least one nightmare.”
– LitReactor online magazine
“I truly hope that more of [Hautala’s] books are translated in the near future. I was utterly pulled into this story and shocked at how it all came together. This is definitely an author to keep an eye on.”
– 2 Book Lovers Reviews literature blog, U.S. (Five stars)
“Don’t go out at night. Don’t leave the city confines. Don’t walk in the woods or on the beach, especially at night. Leave tribute – and never, ever, mock Granny Hatchet.”
– Mallory Heart Reviews literature blog, U.S. (Five stars)
“The Black Tongue ended up being much weirder and scarier than I was expecting….the ending was the perfect conclusion to the story.”
– A Bookish Type literature blog, U.S.
“I was sitting at the edge of my seat enthralled with the gruesomeness of the Granny Hatchet story as it was being told to the children of the town…There is a twist at the end that did have me letting out an involuntary gasp because I did not see it coming.”
– Constantly Moving the Bookmark literature blog, U.S.
About the author:
Marko Hautala’s (b. 1973) signature blend of psychological thriller and realism has earned him a reputation as the Finnish Stephen King. Beyond his skill of generating spine-tingling fear in his readers, he is also known for his literary mastery and intelligence as a storyteller: Hautala has been awarded the Tiiliskivi Prize in 2008 and the coveted Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize for Young Authors for Shrouds (Tammi 2009) in 2010.
RIGHTS SOLD:
Original publisher: FINLAND, Tammi
WORLD ENGLISH, AmazonCrossing (Granny Hatchet)
CZECH REPUBLIC, Euromedia (Granny Hatchet)
ITALY, Newton Compton (Shrouds)
GERMANY, DTV (Worms, Shrouds, Granny Hatchet)
Reading material:
English edition
English synopsis
Finnish edition
Contact: info@ahlbackagency.com