Featured Book
ANTiQUE
A Novel, by Seth Panitch
Release Date: February, 2026
Grand Central Publishing
An uplifting, magical story about a once-celebrated antique appraiser who gets caught in the thrall of a strange, powerful necklace—one that has the power to transform her life, and the fortunes of those around her.
Grace Schaffer is adrift. Raised by an eminent but emotionally withdrawn scholar, her talent landed her a coveted spot on Antiques Roadshow, where she charmed legions of viewers. But she’s recently fallen from her gilded perch, losing her career, her marriage and her very identity in the process, leaving her with the same question her clients so often ask of her: What is it worth? Or, the question that beats beneath it, What am I worth?
In a last-ditch attempt to revive her career, she signs on to an amateur travelling show, where an old, tarnished necklace catches her eye. Imbued with a strange and sudden confidence, she begins predicting the precise amount that objects will sell for at auction—far beyond their market values. As she performs act after act of this seeming divination, Grace catches the attention of detractors and fans alike, all clamoring to see what she’ll do next. Caught in the necklace’s strange and possibly dangerous thrall, Grace is soon thrust into the hunt to uncover a lost masterpiece… before it disappears forever, taking her hopes and dreams with it.
As Grace struggles to find her own worth outside the comfort of marriage, the limelight of career, of even the necklace’s awesome power, she comes face to face with the hardest appraisal of all…herself. Antique takes readers on an exhilarating journey of art and love, one that will leave them believing in the magic that lies within us all—should we dare to use it.
Presale is Live and Kicking!
As it has stopped raining in Alabama for seven whole minutes, I wanted to share this exciting news with you. After two years of writing and editing, my debut novel ANTIQUE is finally online for presale at Hachette Books/Grand Central Publishing, and will be released on February 3, 2026. It has been a labor and a love (in equal measure), but I fear the pages are tired of my eyes being the only ones that read them.
I am attaching a link to the Hachette page below, and if (after perusing it) you feel inclined to order a copy (or two for a well-loved one), or simply help me spread the word, could you please share this with anyone who might be interested in reading it? There are multiple order links there to different websites, as well as a detailed description of the story (would you expect any less from me?), and a very kind review from Erin Palmisano (The Secrets of Maiden’s Cove).
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/seth-panitch/antique/9781538772942
And, of course, thank you for your help in getting the word out. I’d love to get the book out of my hands, and into as many others as possible!
All my best, as always,
Seth
“From the moment I opened Antique, I was hooked. Seth Panitch’s charming characters bring to life the world of antique appraisal, where grails are sought, and value and worth are measured by more than what meets the eye. Readers will fall hard for this life-affirming page turner that charms and enchants, and ultimately celebrates the healing power of kindness. I couldn’t put this book down.”
-Erin Palmisano, author of The Secrets of Maiden’s Cove
“Seth Panitch writes. All the time. It limits his ability to throw tennis balls for me in the backyard. He tells me there is good reason for this; that he is working to tell stories to people. I think people are okay, so long as they give me treats or let me pounce upon them. If his stories make them give me more treats, I think that is good, and his writing is good. If his stories make them sit down, and this gives them meatier laps to pounce upon, I think that is good, and his writing is good. If people listen to his stories on their phones while they jog past me, and they are too swift for me to pounce upon, I think that is bad, and his writing is destroying the Universe.”
-Moses Panitch, ESQ. Dog.