The Rites of Man is out! My first novel was published on Dec. 3 by Ten16 Press and is now available worldwide as a paperback and as eBook.

The Rites of Man, set in 1996, tells the story of a creative woman, Sherry McManus, whose entanglement with an author upends both their lives and sparks a national conversation about artistic legitimacy and the rights of women. An important detail: The author in question is Thomas Paine, who built his National Book Award-winning career by writing contemporary novels under the titles of his revolutionary namesake: Common Sense, The American Crisis. Sherry and Tom play a game in bed, telling stories as a prelude to sex. As their love affair deepens, Tom embarks on a new book. And there the trouble begins…

I’ll be presenting The Rites of Man at book events in Paris in January and in Washington, Milwaukee and Berkeley in March, with more venues likely to come. Click here for an updated list. If you’re anywhere nearby, I’d love to see you!

Ten 16 Press is a small, independent publishing house, meaning I don’t have a big publicity machine behind me. So please feel free to share the news!

Click here for a fuller description of the novel, and here to see where to find it.

Happy reading!

Early praise for The Rites of Man

“Meg Bortin’s The Rites of Man is a cautionary tale about what happens when ambition trumps love. Set in New York in 1996, the novel brilliantly captures the spirit of the age. But at its heart is a vital interrogation of the writer’s craft, which remains even more relevant today in our online world driven by AI and social media.”
– Anne Penketh, author of the Brittany mystery series

“The Rites of Man is a searing, subtle novel of love, lust, fame and betrayal in our modern times, when women can fight back against exploitation. Sharp, luscious and precise.”
– Martin Walker, author of the Bruno detective series

“Meg Bortin pulls you right in with compelling characters, great dialogue, plot twists, scenes that transport you to another era and iconic places this well-traveled author knows intimately. The Rites of Man is an original, fun and surprising read.”
– Eleanor Beardsley, Paris correspondent, NPR

“You’re in for a great ride of twists and turns. A novel for our time. Irresistible.”
– Odile Hellier, author of Village Voices

Previously by Meg Bortin

Meet Mona Venture — my alter ego, who leaves America in the Vietnam era, moves to Paris, becomes a reporter, and goes on to Fleet Street and Gorbachev’s Russia. She’s the heroine of my independently published memoir, Desperate to Be a Housewife.

Mona’s misadventures with men unfold against a backdrop of historic events. She’s young, she’s modern and she’s desperate to solve a problem: how to reconcile her life as an independent woman with her dreams of happily-ever-after.

Before writing Desperate, I was a journalist for many years with postings in Paris, London, Moscow and Manila. To check out some of the articles I’ve written, click here.

My first literary work was Dear Djeneba, an essay in an anthology on adoption published by Granta in 2005 and Random House in 2006. As a blogger, I write regularly on French cuisine as The Everyday French Chef.