Acquisition Announcement: SHY GIRL by Mia Ballard

Orbit is thrilled to announce the acquisition of Mia Ballard’s Shy Girl, a previously self-published fem-gore horror novel perfect for fans of Nightbitch and A Certain Hunger. The Orbit edition will be published in April 2026 on our Run For It list and will feature never-before-seen chapters and an additional short story.

Shy Girl is the story of Gia, a woman in her 30s who is lonely, broke and desperate for a way out. She signs herself up for a ’sugar dating’ website and encounters the charming and wealthy Nathan, who makes her an offer too tempting to refuse: live as his devoted pet and pay off all her debts.

What begins as a transactional escape soon spirals into a nightmare of captivity and control. The longer Gia is trapped, the more her humanity frays, and the line between woman and beast blurs.

Ballard said: “Shy Girl is a visceral exploration of bodily autonomy, feminine rage and the grotesque transformation that comes with reclaiming power. It asks: What happens when a woman, long ignored and controlled, turns the violence done to her into something feral and unstoppable? This is a story about the quiet girls, the good girls, the obedient ones—who, when pushed too far, become something monstrous. Something free.”

Orbit US Editor Angelica Chong acquired North American rights from Rebecca Folland at Wildfire UK.