Transatlantic is delighted to announce Canadian rights to GOLD METTLE, a memoir from World Champion, Olympian and media personality Perdita Felicien, has been sold to Bhavna Chauhan at Doubleday Canada in a deal arranged by Samantha Haywood for publication in Spring 2018.
In her debut book, Perdita will trace her family story, beginning with her mother’s remarkable flight from St. Lucia to Canada, and the tumultuous experiences of her childhood, including domestic abuse, and how it influenced Felicien’s rise to become one of the best hurdlers in the world.
“The opportunity to work with Perdita on her first book is a special one, and we are absolutely thrilled to be part of this project,” says Marion Garner, Vice President, Deputy Publisher, Penguin Random House Canada. “We’ve long followed Perdita’s public life as an athlete—we’ve cheered her on, and watched her rise as one of the top hurdlers in the world; now, we finally have the chance to get to know her personal story. GOLD METTLE will inspire and uplift, and resonate with so many Canadians.”
Perdita is an Olympian, 10-time National Champion, and the first Canadian woman to win a World Championship gold medal in track and field. During her career as a 100-metre hurdler she earned numerous honours, including Canada’s Athlete of the Year, Keys to the City of Pickering, and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal. She retired from professional sport in 2013 and is now a broadcast journalist. She was part of CBC’s broadcast team at the 2016 summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and was inducted into Athletics Canada’s Hall of Fame. This winter she will receive her Certificate in Creative Writing in nonfiction at the University of Chicago’s Writer’s Studio.
GOLD METTLE will be the first time Perdita fully reveals the inspiring story of her life and career. She will also be available to share the key messaging of the book with live audiences as a newly announced addition to the Speakers’ Spotlight agency roster. Based in Toronto, Speakers’ Spotlight is one of the world’s largest and most respected speakers’ agencies.
Perdita’s Speakers’ Spotlight profile is available at Speakers.ca/speakers/perdita-felicien