30th October 2020

Canelo UK will publish bestselling historical novelist Angus Donald's Fire Born series, which sees fearsome Viking berserkers tangle with Charlemagne in eighth-century Saxony. The deal was done via Ian Drury.

Full details in Bookbrunch here: https://twitter.com/BookBrunch/status/1322127356031426560?s=20

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29th October 2020

Dialogue Books has pre-empted actor Paterson Joseph's debut novel, The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, and 'illuminating and original' novel about the 18th century black writer and composer. World Rights were acquired by Sharmaine Lovegrove from Gaia Banks at Sheil Land Associates.

Full details in The Bookseller here:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/dialogue-pre-empts-paterson-josephs-dazzling-debut-telling-tale-sancho-1223788

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28th September 2020

Weidenfeld & Nicolson has acquired Spring Tides: A Story From a Small Island, a memoir of the sea, island life and preserving the marine habitats of the Isle of Man by marine biologist and poet Dr Fiona Gell. Editorial director Maddy Price acquired world rights in Spring Tides from Gaia Banks. The book, the product of over 20 years of studying the sea and trying to protect it, is the story of Gell's journey to protect Ramsey Bay as the Isle of Man’s first Marine Nature Reserve.

Spring Tides will be published in spring 2022 in hardback, trade paperback, e-book and audio.

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Full story here in The Bookseller 

18th September 2020

Canelo has acquired After the One, the adult fiction debut from children's author Cas Lester, in a two book deal struck via Gaia Banks. The novel follows young widow Charley, and her unexpected new roommate, recently separated mother-in-law Pam, as they find the strength to begin again in their friendship with each other. 

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Full details here: https://www.canelo.co/company/blog/canelo-have-acquired-two-new-novels-cas-lester/

28th August 2020

James Brogden is interviewed by Publishers Weekly about his forthcoming horror novel, Bone Harvest (Titan).

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You can read the piece here:

22nd July 2020

The History Press has acquired World English rights in Jeoffry: The Poet’s Cat by acclaimed biographer Oliver Soden, in a deal struck via Ian Drury. Telling the story of Georgian poet Christopher Smart and the cat he celebrated in verse, the book will be published in September 2020. Oliver Soden is known for his landmark biography of Michael Tippett (2019) and is currently writing a biography of Noël Coward, due for publication in 2022. 

BookBrunch

20th July 2020

Farrago Books has acquired Vanishing Act, the debut novel of scriptwriter Charlie Hodges, featuring 70 something detective Tom Knight. The two book deal was struck via Gaia Banks. Proving you’re only as young as you feel, the Tom Knight mysteries combine comedy with a page-turning whodunit. Vanishing Act will be published in September 2020, with book two, Live Bait, following in 2021.

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BookBrunch

8th July 2020

MacKenzie Common's debut YA novel, The Lives of Desperate Girls, has been awarded the Nevada Young Readers' Award for Young Adult fiction. Published by Penguin Teen Canada, it's a powerful story of small town racism, and asks readers to consider why one life is treated as less important than another. 

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​https://nevadalibraries.org/NYRA

22nd May 2020

Hachette Books Ireland has signed a new deal with USA Today bestselling Irish author Felicity Hayes-McCoy for two further books in her popular Finfarran series.

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Editorial director Ciara Doorley has secured Irish and UK Commonwealth rights for The Year of Lost and Found and a second novel in a deal struck with Gaia Banks at Sheil Land Associates. The Year of Lost and Found, the seventh novel in the Finfarran series, will be published in the summer of 2021.

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Ciara Doorley says: ‘We fell in love with Felicity’s writing when we read the first Finfarran book and the sense of belonging she creates within her warm-hearted novels. Travelling back to the beautiful west coast of Ireland in these books is such a treat and while each novel is a standalone, it’s a joy to see how all the characters have developed and grown. We are thrilled to be continuing to work with Felicity and to be publishing the Finfarran novels – it’s perfect summer reading.’

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Read the full annoucement in Bookbrunch here

5th March 2020

Orion imprint Seven Dials has acquired the 'explosive' story of an ordinary man who went to Syria as an international volunteer to fight alongside the Kurdish YPG against ISIS.

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Anna Valentine, executive publisher of the Orion Publishing Group, picked up UK and Commonwealth rights in Macer Gifford's Fighting Evil: The Ordinary Man Who Went to War Against ISIS from Piers Blofeld at Sheil Land. The book will be published on 28th May 2020.

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Gifford, formerly a foreign exchange trader, left his job in the City, his family and his girlfriend to join the Kurdish YPB in their fight against ISIS in 2015. For the next three years, he fought alongside the ill-equipped but battle-hardened Kurds and their Syrian allies to become one of the longest serving British International Volunteers, and one of only a few to be promoted to a commander in the YPG.

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Gifford became one of the most well-known international volunteers battling ISIS, garnering 45,000 online followers while writing for publications and appearing on radio channels worldwide.

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Read more in the Bookseller here: https://www.thebookseller.com/news/seven-dials-acquires-volunteers-memoir-battling-isis-1194944

21st February 2020

Helen Forrester, author of the bestselling and much-loved memoir Twopence to Cross the Mersey, has been honoured with a blue plaque outside her childhood home in Hoylake, Wirral, where she lived with her mother and grandmother. 

Helen died in 2011 aged 92, but her son Robert Bhatia was there to see her plaque unveiled.

More details here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-51586165

15th January 2020

Senior commissioning editor Hannah Knowles acquired world rights to Mr Cadmus from Sonia Land at Sheil Land Associates. Canongate will publish Mr Cadmus in hardback on 1st October 2020.

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Set in the idyllic English village of Little Camborne, the novel follows the story of two cousins, Miss Finch and Miss Swallow, whose normal, conventional life is being disrupted by the arrival Theodore Cadmus.

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More details in The Bookseller: https://www.thebookseller.com/booknews/canongate-signs-mystery-thriller-peter-ackroyd-1154436

13th December 2019

HarperCollins has pre-empted a “mesmerising” French Alps-set thriller by freelance journalist Catherine Cooper in a two-book deal.

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In her first new author acquisition since returning to the publisher, editorial director Phoebe Morgan scooped UK and Commonwealth rights, including Canada, from Gaia Banks at Sheil Land Associates. THE CHALET is scheduled for publication in November 2020 followed by a second book, THE RETREAT, in 2021.

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The publisher said: “THE CHALET follows a group of people who find themselves stranded in a luxury chalet in the French Alps, 20 years after the disappearance of a man on the slopes. One of the group is a killer—and one is a killer in waiting. THE RETREAT, Catherine’s second book, tells the story of a heartbroken couple who move to France—then find that some of the expat community aren't quite what they first appear to be.”

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Read more in The Bookseller here:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/harpercollins-pre-empts-mesmerising-thriller-cooper-two-book-deal-1133036

9th December 2019.

Simon & Schuster UK has acquired a "major" new biography of Prince Philip by Majesty magazine's editor-in-chief Ingrid Seward, to be published in 2020. World English-language rights were acquired by Ian Marshall, deputy publishing director, from Piers Blofeld at Sheil Land Associates, with North American rights snapped up by Peter Borland at Atria. Seward is editor-in-chief of Majesty and the author of 14 books on the royal family, most recently THE QUEEN'S SPEECH and MY HUSBAND AND I, both of which were also published by S&S UK. The book is a thematic study of the life and career of the Duke of Edinburgh, and "reveals his personal story behind the public façade," the publisher said.

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More details in The Bookseller: https://bit.ly/38ljlUF

27th November 2019

The UK’s longest standing independent women’s press, Honno (Welsh Women’s Press) has this month acquired the debut historical novel, ADVENT, by Jane Fraser.

Honno are an independent co-operative press founded in 1986 by a group of women committed to bringing out the best in Welsh women's writing. Honno Publisher Caroline Oakley acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in ADVENT from Gaia Banks at Sheil Land Associates.

Author Jane Fraser commented: 

I am thrilled that my debut novel, ADVENT, has been acquired by Honno, the UK’s longest-standing independent women’s press. Their list and ethos are perfect for a story of female empowerment, determination and desire, in early twentieth century Wales. I am so looking forward to working with Caroline and the team at Honno and joining a list of women writers I so admire.

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ADVENT is scheduled for UK release in 2020 in both paperback and ebook.

See the report on BookBrunch here: https://bit.ly/2RpENSj 

22nd November 2019

Bella Pearson, publisher at Guppy Books, has bought a new middle grade series written and illustrated by Greg and Myles Mcleod, aka as The Brothers McLeod. The first title in the Knight Sir Louis series will be published 4th June 2020.  

The 'zany'  books tell the story of the 'bravest knight in all the land (unless he's faced with a wasp)', as he fights to save his kingdom from disaster alongside his robot steed Sir Clunkalot and his magical sword, Dave.

Pearson said: "It isn't often that a book makes me laugh out loud, but this one had me in stitches from the very first page. I'm so thrilled to be working with the talented Brothers McLeod and can't wait for readers to encounter this fantastically bonkers book."

The authors said: "It's a great joy for us to know that Knight Sir Louis is going to be able to ride out from our imaginations and into the world. We feel very lucky to have Bella and the team at Guppy Books championing the cause of this brave knight! We've created a world full of fun and silliness. Let's face it, the world needs some of that right now."

https://twitter.com/BookBrunch/status/1197833602911784961?s=20

http://www.bookbrunch.co.uk/page/article-detail/knight-st- louis-finds-a-home-at-guppy-books

6th November 2019

Congratulations to Diane Setterfield for winning the Historical Writers Association Gold Crown 2019 with ONCE UPON A RIVER!

5th November 2019

Jean Rhys's iconic WIDE SARGASSO SEA was selected as one of the BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World. Jean's novels were recently reissued by Penguin with stunning jacket photography by Lee Miller

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https://bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/494P41NCbVYHlY319VwGbxp/explore-the-list-of-100-novels-that-shaped-our-world  

16th October 2019

Acclaimed novelist Catherine Robertson has been appointed the Victoria University of Wellington International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) and Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence for 2020. Ms Robertson’s fiction is celebrated for its witty, precise and emotionally involving depictions of contemporary life. All six of her novels, which include The Hiding Places, Gabriel’s Bay, and What You Wish For, have reached number one on the New Zealand bestseller list.

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IIML Director Professor Damien Wilkins, says, “Catherine’s nuanced and humorous fiction is full of zest and life. Her writing project impressed the selection panel greatly and we look forward to the novel. It will be exciting to have Catherine at the IIML.”

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Ms Robertson says, “I’m thrilled and incredibly honoured to be chosen. I can’t wait to be back at IIML and be part of the creative life there. It will be fantastic to work on a brand new novel in a space that’s buzzing with writerly energy.”

Ms Robertson takes up the residency on 1 February 2020.  Full details here: 

https://www.victoria.ac.nz/news/2019/10/catherine-robertson-named-2020-international-institute-of-modern-letters-writer-in-residence

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10th October 2019

Pam Ayres's enchanting new collection of verse UP IN THE ATTIC went straight into the Sunday Times bestseller list on Sunday, 13th October, and was again on the list Sunday, 20th October.

9th October 2019

Pan Mac imprint Mantle has landed the Shipping Forecast-inspired debut novel from Sue Teddern in a two-book deal.

Associate publisher Sam Humphreys acquired world rights to ANNIE STANLEY, ALL AT SEA from Gaia Banks at Sheil Land, for publication in 2021.

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The novel follows Annie, whose father has just died and whose ashes she decides to take – without the rest of her family’s consent – on a tour of the 31 sea areas that make up Radio 4’s Shipping Forecast, which she and her father used to listen to together.

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Humphreys said: “This is Sue’s first novel, but she’s an accomplished and wonderfully engaging story teller, having previously written for both radio and TV, and that shines through on every page. I was immediately invested in Annie Stanley and her madcap idea to take her recently deceased father on one final journey. ANNIE STANLEY, ALL AT SEA is, at its heart (and it has plenty of that), a love story, encompassing romantic love, family love, and a very British love for the institution that is the Shipping Forecast. Sue writes with sympathy, warmth and wit about universal themes – and I can't wait to introduce Annie Stanley to the world.”

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Teddern added: “I couldn't be happier that Sam will publish my first novel; she’s been brilliant to work with. My heroine, Annie Stanley, may be all at sea but I am very well anchored at Mantle.”

Bookseller piece here:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/mantle-lands-shipping-forecast-inspired-teddern-debut-1094761

8th October 2019

Editorial director Sherise Hobbs bought world English rights to THE MISSING PIECES OF NANCY MOON from Gaia Banks at Sheil Land. German and Italian rights have been pre-empted by Goldmann and Feltrinelli respectively.

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Out in summer 2020, its synopsis explains: “Set on the Riviera, in 1962 and the present day, the novel follows broken-hearted Flo as she retraces the steps of the mysterious Nancy Moon, the great-aunt she never knew existed, and attempts to piece together a long-lost story of tragedy and love and find the thread that will stitch her own life back together.”

Hobbs said: “This is a beautifully written story of journeying from loss to love, and how we recover from heartbreak. Of our capacity to gather ourselves together, and to start again. Nancy Moon is a joy. Readers everywhere are going to lose their hearts to this exquisite novel.”

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Full story:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/headline-snaps-debut-ex-hodder-employee-steele-1093156

7th October 2019

Diane Setterfield's enthralling third novel ONCE UPON A RIVER went to #1 for a second time in The Times on Saturday 5th October. The novel has also been a Sunday Times bestseller.

Rights have been sold in 16 countries and film and tv rights have been optioned by Kudos. 

28th August 2019

Rachel Elliott’s marvellous DO NOT FEED THE BEAR features in Jameela Jamil’s Stylist Magazine Book Club of uplifting books! “It’s utterly uplifting and a warm reminder that people are here to help.” 

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Stylist piece here:

https://www.stylist.co.uk/books/jameela-jamil-best-books-for-lifes-hard-moments/290713

22nd August 2019

Awesome Media & Entertainment and Two Rivers Media have teamed up to adapt Susan Hill’s THE SMALL HAND: A Ghost Story (Profile), about an antique book dealer, for Channel 5 in the first adaptation of a book by the author for seven years.

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The project is Awesome’s first book-to-screen commission and also heralds Glasgow-based production company Two Rivers’ move into drama. The two-hour single drama comes to Channel 5 in a “haunting, modern adaptation”. 

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It is the first adaptation of a Hill book since THE WOMAN IN BLACK (Vintage) was adapted into a huge feature film in 2012 starring Daniel Radcliffe. The stage adaption of that title continues to run in the West End.

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Awesome’s founder Jeff Norton optioned THE SMALL HAND: A Ghost Story and has partnered with Two Rivers Media to mount production in Scotland. Once completed Kew Media Distribution will distribute the drama internationally. In addition to backing from Channel 5, the project has secured major investment from Screen Scotland.

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THE SMALL HAND, published by Profile in 2010, tells the story of Adam Snow, an antique book dealer who finds himself haunted by the ghost of a young boy. As Adam investigates the strange occurrences, he suffers nightmares as he receives further, increasingly sinister visits from the ghost, ultimately revealing a haunting secret from his own childhood.

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Full story:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/susan-hills-small-hand-become-channel-5-drama-1072266

18th July 2019

Orion has secured a thriller by journalist Catherine Quinn through a “significant six-figure” deal following a seven-way auction.

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Emad Akhtar, publisher at Orion, won the seven-way auction for UK and Commonwealth Rights to Black Widows, through a “significant” six figure sum in a deal brokered by Piers Blofeld of Sheil Land Associates.

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North American rights were also snapped up by Shana Drehs, editorial director at Sourcebooks, within 36 hours of submission and film rights have been sold by Joel Gotler, c.e.o. of the Intellectual Property Group literary agency in Hollywood, working alongside Lucy Fawcett at Sheil Land.

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BLACK WIDOWS is the author's first contemporary thriller and will be published by Orion and Sourcebooks as a superlead title in 2020.

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BLACK WIDOWS is set in rural Utah where against the wishes of his family and the laws of the church, Blake Nelson has adopted the old polygamous ways and lives alone with his three wives on an isolated homestead miles from anywhere. That is until his dead body is discovered. Blake’s wife killed him, the question is: which one?

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Quinn was a travel journalist for the Guardian and Times before becoming a novelist both as an independent author and with Amazon publishing. Her novels have sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide, her agent said. Meanwhile her new historical series is published under the pen name of C S Quinn by Atlantic Books.

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Full story:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/orion-nets-quinns-addictive-thriller-six-figures-after-seven-way-auction-1040086

15th April 2019

AMERICA BEFORE: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization by Graham Hancock, the bestselling author of FINGERPRINTS OF THE GODS and MAGICIANS OF THE GODS, has gone straight into the Sunday Times hardback bestseller list this week end.

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Rights have been sold in seven countries.

11th April 2019

Leah Bell and Entertainment Unlimited are bringing Catherine Cookson's The Cinder Path to theatres in May and June 2019. 

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Adapted for the stage by Paul Dunn, this powerful tale is set in rural Northumberland in the lead up to the First World War.  We follow the story of Charlie MacFell and his relationship with a cruel and domineering father, his stormy marriage and a struggle to keep a dark secret.

For more information and dates, visit https://www.entertainment-unlimited.co.uk/the-cinder-path.php

7th March 2019

W W Norton will publish a book from Condé Nast journalist Nate Anderson about how to be fulfilled "in an age of ubiquitous technology."

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Brendan Curry, senior editor at WW Norton acquired world English rights to IN EMERGENCY BREAK GLASS: Friedrich Nietzsche’s Guide to Joyful Living in a Tech Saturated Age from Piers Blofeld at Sheil Land Associates for a healthy five-figure sum.

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"This book will let the great 'master of suspicion' turn his eye on the glittering promises of our digital age," Sheil Land Associate said. "But it won’t be another book on how our 'smartphones are killing us'. Instead, the goal is a joyful, forward-looking book that uses a powerful philosophical voice to help readers think more deeply about personal fulfilment and transformation in an age of ubiquitous technology."

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Anderson is a technology editor at Condé Nast’s Ars Technica and is deeply embedded in the digital world the book will critique. He said: "This story is also my story. I have been startled over the last year by how bracingly relevant Nietzsche feels on these matters. I want to share that surprising discovery with others and am delighted that Brendan Curry and the team at Norton shares my excitement at doing that."

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Bookseller article here:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/ww-norton-lands-andersons-guide-tech-saturated-age-968656

28th February 2019

Independent production company Feel Films (‘Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell’ and ‘Skellig’) have won film and television adaptation rights to Francesco Dimitri’s The Book of Hidden Things (Titan, 2018). 

Dimitri’s novel, ‘an evocative meditation on friendship, adulthood, and the liminal spaces that lie just outside human perception’, centres on four friends who have a pact: to meet up on the same day every year in their small hometown in southern Italy. Art, the charismatic leader of the group, has always been adamant about the pact. But this year, he doesn't show up. Searching for him, the friends make a worrying discovery: Art has been farming marijuana, a dangerous activity in mafia-controlled country. Asking around in town, they hear bizarre and incredible rumours that Art cured a young girl of leukaemia. Then, amongst the chaos of his house, they find a curious manuscript written by Art called The Book of Hidden Things, which promises to reveal secrets enchanting as flames, and just as treacherous...

Author Francesco Dimitri said, “the word ‘honoured’ is a little abused, but it fits the bill. With Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Feel Films made one of my favourite TV series of all times, from one of my favourite books of all times. I feel like a child who found that Santa Claus is adopting them.”

Producer Nick Hirschkorn acquired the rights from Lucy Fawcett at Sheil Land Associates and said: "Francesco’s brilliant novel captivated me from the first page. It feels like he has put Stranger Things, Stand by Me, K-Pax, Midnight Special all in an Italian blender and created something totally unique and remarkable. It is quite simply the best book I’ve read in a long time and I am thrilled that he has chosen Feel Films to collaborate with.”

7th February 2019

We're wishing Greg and Myles McLeod the best of luck this weekend as their animated short film MARFA is nominated for a BAFTA! 

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A town on the borderlands of Texas. A place out of time. A desert where strange lights dance in the night sky. A mecca for lovers of minimalist art. A landscape of lost horses, freaks and food trucks. And then there’s the giant lemon.

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MARFA has already been nominated for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and has won the WTF Award at the Flatpack Film Festival. 

31st January 2019

Channel 4 has commissioned a factual drama telling the story of the UK’s worst hospital care scandal of recent times, told through the eyes of the woman who blew the whistle on it.

The Cure (w/t) charts the scandal at Stafford Hospital which came to national attention in 2008.  Conditions of horrendous neglect saw patients left for hours in soiled sheets, with no pain relief, desperately dehydrated, in filthy wards and routinely ignored by staff.

The film will be made by Story Films, the producers of Channel 4’s verbatim drama The Interrogation of Tony Martin. It is told from the perspective of Julie Bailey, a local woman who witnessed the appalling conditions first hand when her elderly mother was admitted for a routine hernia procedure. The drama follows Julie’s story, the unforeseen divisions in the local community that resulted from her campaign and the official investigation into the hospital.

Julie, who went on to be awarded a CBE, formed a campaign group with other locals who had also lost loved ones called Cure the NHS. Together they exposed the dangers at the hospital in order to hold those responsible to account and ultimately force a public inquiry.

Amanda Duke, writer of The Cure, said: "I’m always interested in projects featuring extraordinary, inspiring real-life women so it’s been a real privilege to research and write this challenging and timely film for Channel 4. Julie’s story is incredibly moving, and whatever I thought I knew about Mid Staffs paled into insignificance the minute I met her and she started talking about what she and her family endured on Ward 11."

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27 November 2018

Mark Lawrence's new trilogy is a departure from his usual blend of fantasy and science-fiction in fantastic lands to pure science-fiction set in South London in the 80s. 47North is publishing the first two volumes, ONE WORD KILL and LIMITED WISH, in 2019 and DISPEL ILLUSION in early 2020. 

ONE WORD KILL will be available on the 1st of May but you can already read first impressions: 

- The Fantasy Hive: "In One Word Kill, Lawrence grabs familiar science fiction conventions by the tail and gives them his own distinctive and brilliantly written twists. This is a book full of well-crafted, credible characters whom the reader quickly cares about; who are confronting life-threatening dilemmas and facing villains the reader will be desperate to see defeated. In short, it’s an enthralling tale about people challenged by dire adversity, and isn’t that at the heart of every great story?" 

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- Fantasy Book Review: "An exceptional adventure featuring time travel, a gang of geeks that's cleverly composed, thrilling and will hopefully aid Lawrence's to rise to the top of the game in another genre. I loved it."

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In January 1986, fifteen-year-old boy-genius Nick Hayes discovers he’s dying. And it isn’t even the strangest thing to happen to him that week.

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Nick and his Dungeons & Dragons-playing friends are used to living in their imaginations. But when a new girl, Mia, joins the group and reality becomes weirder than the fantasy world they visit in their weekly games, none of them are prepared for what comes next. A strange—yet curiously familiar—man is following Nick, with abilities that just shouldn’t exist. And this man bears a cryptic message: Mia’s in grave danger, though she doesn’t know it yet. She needs Nick’s help—now.

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He finds himself in a race against time to unravel an impossible mystery and save the girl. And all that stands in his way is a probably terminal disease, a knife-wielding maniac and the laws of physics. Challenge Accepted.

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You can pre-order it here. 

4 October 2018

The Maritime Foundations has shortlisted Eric Thompson's On Her Majesty's Nuclear Service for the Mountbatten Award for Best Book in 2018. You can find the rest of the shortlist here.

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During the Cold War, nuclear submarines performed the greatest public service of all: prevention of a third world war. History shows that they succeeded; the Cold War ended peacefully, but for security reasons, only now can this story be told.

Eric Thompson is a career nuclear submarine officer who served from the first days of the Polaris missile boats until after the end of the Cold War. He joined the Navy in the last days of Empire, made his first sorties in World War II type submarines and ended up as the top engineer in charge of the Navy’s nuclear power plants. Along the way, he helped develop all manner of kit, from guided torpedoes to the Trident ballistic missile system. In this vivid personal account of his submarine operations, he reveals what it was like to literally have your finger on the nuclear button.

In his journey, the author leads the reader through top-secret submarine patrols, hush-hush scientific trials, underwater weapon developments, public relations battles with nuclear protesters, arm-wrestling with politicians and the changing roles of females and homosexuals in the Navy. It is essentially a human story, rich in both drama and comedy, like the Russian spy trawler that played dance music at passing submarines. There was never a dull moment.

Behind the lighter moments was a deadly serious game. This, the inside story of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, reveals the secretive life of submarines and the men who served on them; they kept their watch, and by maintaining the threat of ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ helped keep Britain and the world safe. 

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You can see more about it here.

21st September 2018

Tinder Press has acquired world rights in Rachel Elliott’s DO NOT FEED THE BEAR - "a very life-affirming tale of love, and letting things go."

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The deal for the book, plus one other novel, was struck between Imogen Taylor, on behalf of Leah Woodburn at Tinder Press, and Gaia Banks at Sheil Land.

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It follows Elliott's debut WHISPERS THROUGH THE MEGAPHONE, which was published by Pushkin Press in 2015 and longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2016.

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In DO NOT FEED THE BEAR, Elliot tells the story of Sydney Smith, a cartoonist and freerunner, who has never come to terms with the event that ripped her family apart when she was 10 years old. And so, on a birthday that she doesn’t want to celebrate, she returns alone to St Ives to face up to her guilt and grief. This trip turns out to be more life-changing than expected – not only for herself, but for her family and some of the locals.

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Taylor called it "a delightful, spirited novel, full of interesting characters and told in such a unique voice", "a story of healing, about who you trust and who you know" and also "a very life-affirming tale of love, and letting things go". Tinder Press will publish on 8th August 2019 in hardback.

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Elliott commented: "I'm so excited to be working with Imogen, Leah and the rest of the team, and very proud to be joining Tinder Press, whose authors I admire so much. It’s wonderful to have found such a creative and passionate home for my next two novels."

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Bookseller article here:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/tinder-press-secures-rachel-elliot-s-next-two-novels-867441

11 June 2018

Daniel Godfrey's new sic-fi novel, The Synapse Sequence was in the "Best recent science fiction reviews roundup" this weekend: 

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"Daniel Godfrey follows his popular time-travel novels New Pompeii and Empire of Time with an action-packed crime thriller set in a future London dominated and monitored by state-of-the-art artificial intelligence. The Synapse Sequence (Titan, £7.99) posits a neat technological innovation: the downloading of the memories of witnesses into a virtual-reality scenario, to be entered and examined by criminal investigators. When former air crash investigator Anna Glover gains employment with a company developing synapse sequencing, she finds herself utilising memory-immersion technology to investigate the violent attack on a young man and the involvement of the anti-AI Workers League, with far-reaching consequences for herself and society. Godfrey seamlessly integrates futuristic hi-tech into a fast-moving narrative and paints a convincing portrait of a woman haunted by past misdemeanours."

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If you love time travel, intrigue and history, check out Godfrey's previous novels New Pompeii and Empire of Time:

“I loved it. A fascinating and original blend of history, sci-fi, intrigue and action. Completely riveting.” Robert Fabbri, bestselling author of the Vespasian novels 

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"A lean, clean, post-Crichton tale of conspiracy, time travel and ancient empire. Daniel Godfrey has come up with a flat-out entertaining read." Dave Hutchinson, BSFA Award winning author of Europe in Winter

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“Just inhaled New Pompeii by Daniel Godfrey. Gone. Brilliant. Like timey-wimey Lemon Sherbet” Natasha Pulley, internationally bestselling author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and The Bedlam Stacks

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31 May 2018

It is Carnival time in Nice, and for three weeks the boulevards are alive with dancers, jugglers and musicians. Amidst the colour and pageantry, Captain Paul Darac of the Brigade Criminelle is investigating a series of suspicious deaths. He and his team reopen a closed case that may provide new insights, but their own lives are in danger as they uncover a story of terrifying ambition and betrayal.

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Released in early April, BOX OF BONES delivers another fantastic installment for fans of Paul Darac: 

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"The growth of characters and the development of plots are factors that make the book especially pleasing, presented as they are in Morfoot's engaging and fluent storytelling style" - Jazz Journal

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"Paul Darac is a hero, and this is a series, well worth investing in" - Deadly Pleasures Magazine

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"... satisfying third Captain Darac mystery... Fans of Martin Walker's Chief of Police Bruno novels will be pleased" - Publishers Weekly

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You can get it here. 

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22th May 2018

Independent drama producer Kudos has won the television adaptation rights to Diane Setterfield’s new novel ONCE UPON A RIVER (Doubleday) after "fierce competition" for the rights.

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The story, a "spellbinding and moving" period mystery set on the River Thames, is publishing with Doubleday in the UK, after moving to Transworld from Orion, and Atria in the US in January 2019. 

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The book is Setterfield’s third novel. It follows her debut 2006 novel THE THIRTEENTH TALE (Orion), since published in 38 countries and adapted into a BBC TV drama by Heyday Films starring Vanessa Redgrave and Olivia Coleman, and her second 2013 novel Bellman & Black (Orion).

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Sue Swift, head of Books & Adaptation at Kudos, acquired the rights from Lucy Fawcett at Sheil Land Associates.

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Bookseller article here:

​https://www.thebookseller.com/news/kudos-win-tv-rights-setterfield-s-spellbinding-third-novel-789036

14 March 2018

The awaited sequel of Senlin Ascends has finally hit the bookstores and everyone is talking about it: 

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B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy blog: The Best Science-Fiction and Fantasy of March 2018

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Nerd Much?: 20 Best New Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books (March 2018) and 11 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book to Movie Adaptations We Want to See  

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Hippogriff's Aerie: Most Anticipated Titles for 2018

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The Fantasy Inn: "I finished Arm of the Sphinx last night, nearing midnight, and at the time I was unsure of how to write this review. I spent quite a while staring at the ceiling as my brain tried to comprehend all the twists and turns I’d just read through. To put my thoughts into the most succinct form possible: this book is amazing."

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The Quill to Live: "I love the characters of this book. I am not sure how he did it but Josiah has managed to make a set of truly unique and interesting people that I have never come across in books so far. I have fallen in love with each of the crew one at a time, and I found myself constantly surprised at how they changed and who they became as the book progressed."

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You can get The Arm of the Sphinx here. 

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25 Jan 2018

The first volume of The Books of Babel has been released and we hope you are enjoying this fantastic story. We cannot wait until the Arm of the Sphinx is available on the 15th of March!

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If you haven't read it yet, let me show you what you've been missing: 

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"A wider audience now gets to see what all the fuss has been about. They should be impressed, as this is fantasy storytelling of a high order." Toronto Star

"At once steampunk and epic, surreal and yet grounded in believable logistics, this novel goes off like a firework and suggests even greater things in the author’s future." Publishers Weekly

"It’s sweet, smart and sharply imagined, with a sublime setting and a surprisingly sympathetic character at its centre." Tor.com

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"You should read this book if you like: Fantasy, dangerous quests, labyrinthine worlds, honeymoons gone wrong, the Tower of Babel, betrayal and assassination." 7 Great Books Hitting Shelves Today (Goodreads)

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"Senlin is a man worth rooting for, and his strengthening resolve and character is as marvelous and sprawling as the tower he climbs. Luckily, book two will be released in just a few months." Washington Post

"First in a planned series, Senlin Ascends will leave readers eager for the next installment." Bookish

You can get to know him in these interviews: HBG Newsletter and Goodreads.

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12 December 2017

SK Farrell in her website skfarrell.com has been reading Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft. Her review is insightful and delightful and if you have any doubts on whether you should read the beginning of this epic quartet, go check Farrell's review out here. 

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"I love this novel. It has an amazing, attention-grabbing setting, a plot that gallops at a thrilling, headlong pace, language to die for and characters I can believe in and feel for. [...]  I first read “Senlin Ascends” in January, and finished my re-read in November, so it has bracketed my year. Both times, I needed an escape, to burrow into a book and lose myself there, like I used to do with Robert Jordan’s novels when I was a teen. Both times, “Senlin” scooped me up in a sulphur-scented hug. It works like that: it draws you in to something exciting and distracting, but it’s also deep and hopeful and full of the strength of human spirit."

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12 December 2017

'The perfect winter heart-warmer' Cathy Kelly

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It's winter on the Finfarran peninsula and, as Cassie Fitzgerald, fresh from Toronto, is about to discover, there's more to Christmas on the west coast of Ireland than mistletoe and mince pies.

Enchanted by the small town where her dad was born, Cassie gets involved in a competition for the best local Winter Fest, and joins local librarian Hanna Casey's writing group in Lissbeg Library.

But the more she's drawn into the town's run-up to Christmas, the more questions Cassie encounters. Why does her sweet-tempered grandmother Pat find it so hard to express her feelings? What's going on between Pat and her miserly husband Ger? What happened in the past between the Fitzgeralds and Hanna's redoubtable mother Mary Casey? And what about Shay: handsome, funny, smart and intent on making Cassie's stay as exciting as he can. Is he the one for her?

As Christmas Eve approaches, Cassie discovers that love, family and friendship bring the real magic to the festive season - even if the locals of Lissbeg need an outsider to help them see it.

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Cathy Kelly, bestselling author of "Between Sisters" and "Secrets of a Happy Marriage", describes Felicity's Finfarran books as "a delicious feast", while Jenny Colgan, New York Times bestselling author of "The Cafe by the Sea", calls them "charming and heartwarming". You can find The Library at the Edge of the World here. 

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6 December 2017

Andrew Mather at the Quill to Live has chosen his 20 Best of 2017 of fantasy and science-fiction and Red Sister by Mark Lawrence is in 3rd place. He says: 

"Red Sister is everything I have wanted from Mark Lawrence since I read Prince of Thorns years ago. The book is dripping with excitement, each page digging its claws into you and refusing to let go until I finished it in almost a single sitting. Mark has found his stride with me, toning down his usual brutality slightly and giving me a character to root for. Red Sister is an adrenaline rush from start to finish and on more than one occasion had me so immersed that I thought for a moment I was in danger and found myself screaming aloud. The cast, world, powers, story, action are all best in class and I am counting the days until I can get my hands on Grey Sister. I could read 100 more of these books assuming my heart didn’t explode from the strain." 

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You can buy Red Sister here and Grey Sister will be released on May 2018. 

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You can read the whole list here. 

4 December 2017

Mike Ripley, author of the award-winning series "Angels" and twice winner of the Crime Writers' Association Last Laugh Dagger for best humourous crime novel, has chosen Fatal Music by Peter Morfoot  as one of his Five Favourite Books of the Year. 

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You can read the whole post here.

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Praise for Fatal Music:

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"A thoroughly satisfying novel... Morfoot brilliantly captures the sights, smells and attitudes of southern France as well as giving us an engaging hero." Shots Magazine

"The author detonates a string of fireworks." Kirkus

"In Morfoot s intriguing second whodunit featuring French police captain Paul Darac (after 2016 s Impure Blood)... The road to the logical solution is full of surprises." Publishers Weekly

"An engaging, straight-forward procedural that links various accoutrements as it pulls you along like an iron bar to a magnet. Crime and mystery readers will consume every last morsel of this book." Criminal Element

"Deftly interwoven plot lines… vividly captured Riviera setting… This strikingly well-written crime novel should appeal strongly to many.” Jazz Journal

30 November 2017

Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld, was asked by Goodreads to round up some fantastical books. He says "As someone who has spent a great deal of time and effort trying to 'convert' friends into fantasy readers, I consider myself something of an expert when it comes to curating lists of books guaranteed to impress. [In the list] are a few that would make ideal gifts for old and new fantasy fans alike!"

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One of these fantastic books is Blackwing by Ed McDonald, which is one of Amazon's Sci-Fi and Fantasy books of the month in November. Eames says: 

"Fast-paced, gritty, and brutal. Blackwing has swords, guns, magic, twisted monsters, evil sorcerers, and embittered mercenaries all fighting to survive on the edge of a wasteland called The Misery. If your reader has mentioned loving Joe Abercrombie, this is for them." 

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You can see the other ones here.

2nd August 2017

Pan Macmillan has bought two more books from psychological thriller writer, TV producer and script editor Michelle Frances.

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Frances' summer debut THE GIRLFRIEND, which looks at the potentially charged relationship between a girlfriend, her boyfriend and ‘his mother’, has sold more than 200,000 copies all across formats, according to Pan Macmillan. It has sold in 14 territories including the US, and film rights are now with the Imaginarium Studios. 

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Frances' next book is about "a particularly ambitious maternity cover set in the world of TV" and will come in 2018. The two new books in the deal are due in 2019 and 2020, with further details yet to be released.

Publishing director Trisha Jackson acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in two new books from Gaia Banks at Sheil Land Associates. Jackson commented: "I have so enjoyed working on THE GIRLFRIEND with Michelle and we are all very excited about its success. And now we’re all looking forward to building Michelle’s career with these new books."

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Full story:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/michelle-frances-publish-two-more-pan-mac-607546

3 July 2017

The Court of Broken Knives, the first book in the Empires of Dust trilogy, by Anna Smith-Spark was released last week in the UK and it has already had splendid reviews: 

From Fantasy Book Critic: "Bold, beautiful, brutal,Smith-Spark lives up to her twitter handle @QueenofGrimdark whilst pushing the boundaries of storytelling amongst recent releases." 

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From Moon Magister Reviews: "This book is 100% for people who came out of ‘Game of Thrones’ more interested in the story of the Targaryens than anything else. [...] It’s just so well written. Seriously, it’s so rich and poetic and gorgeous. It’s a tale told by a poet with the mouth of a sailor and the voice of an angel, and it suits the tone of the book so well."

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From You and I Books: "This book truly is grimdark of the highest order with one of the most complex, beautiful and destructive characters ever written."

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Follow the links to read the complete reviews and you can get your own copy here.

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30th June 2017

Peter Ackroyd’s latest non-fiction QUEER CITY (Chatto and Windus), looking at London through the history and experiences of its gay population, has been optioned by Two Halves Pictures for television.

Lucy Fawcett from Sheil Land Associates negotiated the TV rights for Queer City: Gay London from the Romans to the Present Day with the production company.

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Two Halves Pictures is a new independent production company with backing from All3Media, established by producers Gina Cronk and Richard Bedser. Their credits respectively include THE WHITE QUEEN for the BBC and GETTYSBURG.

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Fawcett said: "Gina and Richard’s television adaptation proposal for Peter’s book was extremely exciting and I am thrilled Peter’s book found a home with producers of their calibre."

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Cronk and Bedser said: "Peter’s research is incredible, historical characters that could be found in London today leap from the page - he has uncovered a whole side of our history that is heart-breaking, hilarious and triumphant, but has never been told before. We’re very excited to have QUEER CITY on our slate."

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Bookseller article here:

​https://www.thebookseller.com/news/peter-ackroyd-s-queer-city-optioned-tv-two-halves-579451

9 May 2017

In their May edition, Jazz Journal reviewed the second book in the Captain Darac series, Fatal Music by Peter Morfoot (check out the first book: Impure Blood). 

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"... like all policemen, Darac needs an antidote to protect him against the psychological bruising he suffers daily during his investigation of often brutal crimes. For him, the escape comes through jazz."

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"Readers of this magazine who also like crime fiction will be delighted to add Peter Morfoot's name to the regrettably short list of like-minded authors and this strikingly well-written crime novel should appeal strongly to many." 

15th March 2017

Hartswood Films’ Sue Vertue has bought film and TV options to PAINKILLER by Private Eye journalist N J Fountain, in a deal brokered by Lucy Fawcett at Sheil Land.

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PAINKILLER (Little, Brown), a psychological thriller about a woman who suffers from chronic neuropathic pain, is based on the author’s experience of caring for a friend.

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Bookseller piece here:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/fountain-s-pain-gains-screen-adaptation-option-507826

16th November 2016

Pobbles Productions has optioned for screen adaptation two psychological thrillers from Jane Lythell.

The optioned novels are THE LIE OF YOU, a portrait of obsession, and After the Storm,​ a novel which follows an English couple who get on a small boat with two American strangers to sail to an island after knowing them less than 24 hours.

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Pobbles Productions is backed by Great Point Media, the media investment and advisory business which has recently supported TV shows "The Level", "Doc Martin" and "Arthur and George".

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Lythell said: "This is the best news. I have huge respect for the work of Great Point Media, am an avid fan of 'Doc Martin' and have been gripped by 'The Level' and its darkly atmospheric​ portrayal​ of Brighton where I live."

Jim Reeve, director of Great Point Media said: ‘We are very excited to be working with Pobbles and Jane on these projects which we feel will make fantastic adaptations to the screen.’

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Laura Palmer, fiction publisher at Head of Zeus, said: "Both these novels would make brilliant films, but I'm especially excited to see who would play the two rival women in The Lie of You. My fantasy pick would be Emily Blunt and Rosamund Pike."

Bookseller piece here:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/pobbles-options-two-hoz-psychological-thrillers-screen-426376

3 November 2016

Hurrah it's publication day of NIXIE: FIZZY FIREWORK FUN - just in time for Bonfire Night!

Whizzing dodgems, spinning teacups, and fizzing fireworks.

WHOOPEE! It's the night of the Fairyland Funfair and Nixie the Bad, Bad Fairy can't wait to go on all of her favourite rides! To top it all off there will be a HUGE fizzy firework display to close the fair.

Buzzing with excitement, thrill-seeker Nixie rushes from one ride to the next, but Nixie's impatient nature soon gets her into trouble, and it's not long before her wonky wand is causing chaos.

Bumblebees' bottoms! Nixie's in trouble . . . again!

6 October 2016

Blood Royal is the second volume of a magisterial new interpretation of the savage struggle for supreme power between and within the Plantagenet houses of Lancaster and York from 1450 until 1485.

It is a story of closely interwoven families riven by ambition, hatred and treachery, told in chapters narrating the points of view of the key players in England’s longest and bloodiest civil war.

Battle Royal ended with the Lancastrian cause crushed and the Yorkist usurper Edward IV firmly established on the throne. Blood Royal details the renewed and chronic instability sparked by Edward’s humiliation of Duchess Cecily, his imperious mother, and her nephew the Neville double earl known to history as ‘Warwick the Kingmaker’, by secretly marrying the beautiful commoner Elizabeth Woodville.

In her fury Duchess Cecily tells her sons George of Clarence and Richard of Gloucester that Edward, who is totally unlike them, is the product of her adultery and not their father’s heir. Edward’s brief overthrow in 1470-71, the execution of Clarence in 1478 and the usurpation and murder of Edward’s young sons by Richard of Gloucester in 1483 all followed from that poisonous revelation.

Readers may judge that the 331-year-old Plantagenet dynasty came to a fitting end with the death of Richard on Bosworth Field in 1485, to be replaced by the Tudors and a vigorous new era in English history.

6 October 2016

Bryony and Hannah are sisters, but they couldn't be more different, and war has brought even more of a rift between them. Bryony is happiest where her family and loved ones are - at Combe Lodge, the family home - and these uncertain times have brought them all closer together.

But Hannah is young and headstrong. No one will stop her from doing what she wants - and this time she's decided to flee to Jersey.Even though Hannah has left, at Combe Lodge, everyone else is pitching in with the war effort. The family home fills with evacuees and Bryony is doing her bit, flying planes at the nearby Combe Lodge Airlines. 

But despite all that is going on with war, Bryony knows that above everything she needs to reach out to Hannah. Only she will be able to keep her flighty younger sister's feet on the ground. But is Bryony too late to help her? Will Hannah ever come home?

Sisters at War is the latest from bestselling novelist, Milly Adams - pick up your copy today! 

29 September 2016

Happy publication day to Susan Hill - her ghostly new collection of short stories is out today in hardback from Profile Books.

From the foggy streets of Victorian London to the eerie perfection of 1950s suburbia, the everyday is invaded by the evil otherworldly in this unforgettable collection of new ghost stories from the author of The Woman in Black.

In the title story, on a murky evening in a warmly lit club off St James, a bishop listens closely as a paranormal detective recounts his most memorable case, one whose horrifying denouement took place in that very building.

In 'The Front Room', a devoutly Christian mother tries to protect her children from the evil influence of their grandmother, both when she is alive and when she is dead.

A lonely boy finds a friend in 'Boy Number 21', but years later he is forced to question the nature of that friendship, and to ask whether ghosts can perish in fires.

This is Susan Hill at her best, telling characteristically flesh-creeping and startling tales of thwarted ambition, terrifying revenge and supernatural stirrings that will leave readers wide-awake long into the night.

22 September 2016

Revolution, the fourth volume of Peter Ackroyd's enthralling History of England begins in 1688 with a revolution and ends in 1815 with a famous victory.

In it, Ackroyd takes readers from William of Orange's accession following the Glorious Revolution to the Regency, when the flamboyant Prince of Wales ruled in the stead of his mad father, George III, and England was - again - at war with France, a war that would end with the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.

Late Stuart and Georgian England marked the creation of the great pillars of the English state. The Bank of England was founded, as was the stock exchange, the Church of England was fully established as the guardian of the spiritual life of the nation and parliament became the sovereign body of the nation with responsibilities and duties far beyond those of the monarch. It was a revolutionary era in English letters, too, a time in which newspapers first flourished and the English novel was born. It was an era in which coffee houses and playhouses boomed, gin flowed freely and in which shops, as we know them today, began to proliferate in our towns and villages. But it was also a time of extraordinary and unprecedented technological innovation, which saw England utterly and irrevocably transformed from a country of blue skies and farmland to one of soot and steel and coal.

8 September 2016

Happy paperback publication day to Melvyn Bragg

In this gripping novel, Melvyn Bragg brings an extraordinary episode in English history to fresh, urgent life.

At the end of May 1381, the fourteen-year-old King of England had reason to be fearful: the plague had returned, the royal coffers were empty and a draconian poll tax was being widely evaded. Yet Richard, bolstered by his powerful, admired mother, felt secure in his God-given right to reign. But within two weeks, the unthinkable happened: a vast force of common people invaded London, led by a former soldier, Walter Tyler, and the radical preacher John Ball, demanding freedom, equality and the complete uprooting of the Church and state. And for three intense, violent days, it looked as if they would sweep all before them.

Now is the Time depicts the events of the Peasants' Revolt on both a grand and intimate scale, vividly portraying its central figures and telling an archetypal tale of an epic struggle between the powerful and the apparently powerless.

Pick up a copy here!

4 August 2016

Happy publication day to the wonderful Angus Donald! THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD - the 8th and final instalment of the Outlaw Chronicles - is out today in hardback from Sphere/Little, Brown UK.

'I charge you, Sir Alan Dale, with administering my death. At the end of the game, I would rather die by your hand than any other'. War rages across the land. In the wake of Magna Carta, King John's treachery is revealed and the barons rise against him once more. Fighting with them is the Earl of Locksley - the former outlaw Robin Hood - and his right-hand man Sir Alan Dale.

When the French enter the fray, with the cruel White Count leading the charge, Robin and Alan must decide where their loyalties lie: with those who would destroy the king and seize his realm or with the beloved land of their birth.

Fate is inexorable and Death waits for us all. Or does it? Can Robin Hood pull off his greatest ever trick and cheat the Grim Reaper one last time just as England needs him most?

The climactic episode of The Outlaw Chronicles is the most explosive yet - but who will survive and who will fall when the final reckoning comes?

Find out for yourself by picking up a copy here!

14 July 2016

Happy publication day to Max Adams! His stunning exploration into Britain's medieval history, IN THE LAND OF GIANTS, is published today in paperback by Head of Zeus!

The five centuries between the end of Roman Britain (410) and the death of Alfred the Great (899) have left few voices save a handful of chroniclers, but Britain's ‘Dark Ages' can still be explored through their material remnants: buildings, books, metalwork, and, above all, landscapes.

Max Adams explores Britain's lost early medieval past by walking its paths and exploring its lasting imprint on valley, hill and field. From York to Whitby, from London to Sutton Hoo, from Edinburgh to Anglesey and from Hadrian's Wall to Loch Tay, each of his ten walk narratives form both free-standing chapters and parts of a wider portrait of a Britain of fort and fyrd, crypt and crannog, church and causeway, holy well and memorial stone.

Part travelogue, part expert reconstruction, IN THE LAND OF GIANTS offers a beautifully written insight into the lives of peasants, drengs, ceorls, thanes, monks and kings during an enigmatic but richly exciting period of our island's history.

Make sure you grab your copy today! 

14 July 2016

Happy publication day to Jane Lythell! WOMAN OF THE HOUR - the first in the Storyworld Series is published today in hardback by Head of Zeus!

Meet Liz Lyon: respected TV producer, stressed-out executive, guilty single mother... woman of the hour.

StoryWorld is the nation's favourite morning show, and producer Liz Lyon wants to keep it that way. Her job is to turn real-life stories into thrilling TV – and keep a lid on the scandals and backbiting that happen off-stage.

But then simmering tensions erupt at the station, trapping Liz in a game of one-upmanship where she doesn't know the rules. As the power struggle intensifies, can Liz keep her cool and keep her job? Does she even want to?

In this gripping novel of power, rivalry and betrayal, Jane Lythell draws on her experiences of working in the glamorous, pressurised world of live TV.

Grab your copy!

7 July 2016

Happy publication day to Angela Slatter! VIGIL - the first in a series featuring Verity Fassbinder - is out today from Jo Fletcher Books!

Verity Fassbinder has her feet in two worlds.

The daughter of one human and one Weyrd parent, she has very little power herself, but does claim unusual strength - and the ability to walk between us and the other - as a couple of her talents. As such a rarity, she is charged with keeping the peace between both races, and ensuring the Weyrd remain hidden from us.But now Sirens are dying, illegal wine made from the tears of human children is for sale - and in the hands of those Weyrd who hold with the old ways - and someone has released an unknown and terrifyingly destructive force on the streets of Brisbane.

And Verity must investigate - or risk ancient forces carving our world apart.

Make sure you pick up your copy here!

30 June 2016

Happy publication day to Jane Jago! Jane's hard-hitting, emotive debut, THE WRONG HAND is out today in paperback from Penguin Books UK.

We all make mistakes. Moments that change us and the path we are on irrevocably.

For Rachel Allen it was the moment that she let her son's hand slip from hers. For Danny Simpson and Graham Harris it was the moment one of them took it.Seven years ago Danny and Graham were just children themselves, angry, marginalized and unguided. That was, until they committed a crime so heinous that three families were left devastated. They were no longer just boys. They were monsters.

Released from juvenile detention, it is time for the boys, now men, to start again; new names, new people. But they can never escape who they are or what they did. And their own families, now notorious; the Allens, destroyed with grief; and the country at large have never been able to forget.

They will always be running. They will always be hiding. But are some mistakes too large, the ripples to far reaching, to outrun forever?

Pick up a copy here!

21 June 2016

Happy publication day to Daniel Godfrey! Godfrey's thrilling debut, NEW POMPEII is out today from Titan Books. 

In the race to control renewable power, an energy giant stumbles on a controversial technology: the ability to transport matter from the deep past. Their biggest secret is New Pompeii, a replica city filled with Romans, pulled through time just before the volcanic eruption. Nick Houghton doesn't know why he s been chosen to be the company's historical advisor. He s just excited to be there. Until he starts to wonder what happened to his predecessor. Until he realizes that the company has more secrets than even the conspiracy theorists suspect. Until he realizes that they have underestimated their captives...

New Pompeii has already been generating fantastic reviews:

"Fascinating, cleverly wrought, intelligent and occasionally brutal, New Pompeii is a thrillingly original take on the time travel genre." Tim Lebbon, NYT bestseller. 

"...each time you scratch the surface in New Pompeii, you uncover a new riddle—and a new reason to turn the page. Not to mention, a new reason to eagerly await the sequel." Barnes and Noble

Make sure you pick up your copy here!

2 June 2016

Happy paperback publication day to the wonderful Angus Donald! Book #7 in his Outlaw series, THE KING'S ASSASSIN, is out now from Sphere/Little, Brown!

AD 1215: The year of Magna Carta - and Robin Hood's greatest battleThe yoke of tyranny: King John is scheming to reclaim his ancestral lands in Europe, raising the money for new armies by bleeding dry peasants and nobles alike, not least the Earl of Locksley - the former outlaw Robin Hood - and his loyal man Sir Alan Dale.The call to arms: As rebellion brews across the country and Robin Hood and his men are dragged into the war against the French in Flanders, a plan is hatched that will bring the former outlaws and their families to the brink of catastrophe - a plan to kill the King.The roar of revolution: England explodes into bloody civil war and Alan and Robin must decide who to trust - and who to slaughter. And while Magna Carta might be the answer their prayers for peace, first they will have to force the King to submit to the will of his people . . .

Pick up your copy here

2 June 2016

Happy DOUBLE publication day to Nadine Dorries!

Her new novel (the first in a new series), THE ANGELS OF LOVELY LANE, is out today in hardback and eBook:

It is 1953 and five very different girls are arriving at the nurses' home in Lovely Lane, Liverpool, to start their training at St Angelus Hospital.Dana has escaped from her family farm on the west coast of Ireland. Victoria is running away from a debt-ridden aristocratic background. Beth is an army brat and throws her lot in with bitchy Celia Forsyth. And Pammy has come from quite the wrong side of the tracks in Liverpool. The world in which they now find themselves is complicated and hierarchical, with rules that must be obeyed. Everyone has their place at St Angelus and woe betide anyone who strays from it.

Also out today is the paperback of the wildly successful RUBY FLYNN! 

In the worst winter in living memory, Ruby Flynn is rescued from the tiny cottage on the Atlantic coast where her family has perished. She is one of the storm orphans, taken in by nuns to be educated for a life in service. Now she must find her own way in the outside world.The FitzDeane family have a thriving shipping business in Liverpool and they also own beautiful Ballyford Castle in Mayo.

When Ruby is appointed as their nursery maid, a dangerous attraction to the young Lord FitzDeane begins to grow. Soon the tragedies and secrets that link her family to his will threaten to overwhlem them.

2 June 2016

Happy publication day to Aby King and Lupo! 

LUPO AND THE LOST PIRATE OF KENSINGTON PALACE is out now from Hodder's Children.

The fourth book in Aby King's exciting series about the animals of the royal palaces is set at the royal residences of Balmoral and Hampton Court. Lupo and his friends untangle a Tudor riddle of the lost Golden Hind. A legendary monster of the deep will help lead the way to a lost palace and treasure galore. Lupo will have to hurry though or else he may miss the Coronation! A treasure trove of a story with excitement, danger and heroics.

Pick up your copy here

19 May 2016

Happy publication day to Dr. Innes McCartney! Jutland 1916: The Archaeology of a Naval Battlefield is out now from Conway Books.

The Battle of Jutland was the largest naval battle and the only full-scale clash of battleships in the First World War. For years the myriad factors contributing to the loss of many of the ships remained a mystery, subject only to speculation and theory. In this book, marine archaeologist and historian Dr Innes McCartney reveals for the first time what became of the warships that vanished on the night of 31st May 1916, examining the circumstances behind the loss of each ship and reconciling what was known in 1916 to what the archaeology is revealing today. The knowledge of what was present was transformed in 2015 by a groundbreaking survey using the modern technology of multi-beam. This greatly assisted in unravelling the details behind several Jutland enigmas, not least the devastating explosions which claimed five major British warships, the details of the wrecks of the 13 destroyers lost in the battle and the German warships scuttled during the night phase.

This is the first book to identify the locations of many of the wrecks, and scandalously how more than half of these sites have been illegally plundered for salvage, despite their status as war graves. An essential and revelatory read for anyone interested in naval history and marine archaeology.

Make sure you pick up your copy here.

19 May 2016

We are so very excited to announce that it's publication day for Rose Tremain's stunning new novel, THE GUSTAV SONATA (Chatto & Windus).

What is the difference between friendship and love? Or between neutrality and commitment? Gustav Perle grows up in a small town in 'neutral' Switzerland, where the horrors of the Second World War seem a distant echo. But Gustav's father has mysteriously died, and his adored mother Emilie is strangely cold and indifferent to him. Gustav's childhood is spent in lonely isolation, his only toy a tin train with painted passengers staring blankly from the carriage windows.

As time goes on, an intense friendship with a boy of his own age, Anton Zwiebel, begins to define Gustav's life. Jewish and mercurial, a talented pianist tortured by nerves when he has to play in public, Anton fails to understand how deeply and irrevocably his life and Gustav's are entwined.Fierce, astringent, profoundly tender, Rose Tremain’s beautifully orchestrated novel asks the question, what does it do to a person, or to a country, to pursue an eternal quest for neutrality, and self-mastery, while all life's hopes and passions continually press upon the borders and beat upon the gate.

Pick up your copy right here. 

5 May 2016

Happy publication day to Cas Lester! Nixie's latest adventure NIXIE: SPLASHY SUMMER SWIM is out today from Oxford University Press! 

Wonky wand mishaps, froggy fiascos, and water fights! When it's a super hot sunny day, there's only one thing to do with all your friends . . . have a WATER FIGHT!

For Nixie the naughty fairy this is the perfect opportunity to come up with some of her ingenious inventions to make the fairies' swimming party really go with a splash . . . and a BANG! Oops! Her wonky wand is up to its usual tricks and soon the peaceful pond becomes a froggy fiasco!

Bumblebees' bottoms - Nixie's in trouble . . . again!

Perfect for readers who like their faries with a bit of mischief! 

Make sure you pick up your copy!

19 April 2016

Happy publication day to Peter Morfoot! Impure Blood is published in paperback by Titan Books today!

In the heat of a French summer, Captain Paul Darac of the Nice Brigade Criminelle is called to a highly sensitive crime scene. A man has been murdered in the midst of a prayer group, but no one saw how it was done. And the more Darac and his team learn about the victim, the longer their list of suspects grows. Darac's hunt for the murderer will uncover a desire for revenge years in the making, and put the life of one of his own at risk...

Make sure you pick up your copy today! 

5 May 2016

Happy publication day to Chris Ewan! LONG TIME LOST, his gripping new novel, is published today by Faber & Faber.

Nick Miller and his team provide a unique and highly illegal service, relocating at-risk individuals across Europe with new identities and new lives. Nick excels at what he does for a reason: he's spent years living in the shadows under an assumed name.But when Nick steps in to prevent the attempted murder of witness-in-hiding Kate Sutherland on the Isle of Man, he triggers a chain of events with devastating consequences for everyone he protects - because Nick and Kate share a common enemy in Connor Lane, a man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it means tearing Nick's entire network apart.

Born in Taunton in 1976, he now lives in Somerset with his wife, Jo, and their daughter. Safe House, his first stand-alone thriller, was a number one bestseller in 2012 and was shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. Dead Line, his second thriller, was published in 2013 and is optioned for film. Dark Tides was shortlisted for CrimeFest's eDunnit award for the best crime fiction eBook.

Pick up your copy today!

7 April 2016

From the critically-acclaimed author of PRINCE OF FOOLS, Mark Lawrence, comes the second volume of the brilliant new epic fantasy series, THE RED QUEEN’S WAR.

'If you like dark you will love Mark Lawrence. And when the light breaks through and it all makes sense, the contrast is gorgeous' ROBIN HOBB

The Red Queen has set her players on the board…

Winter is keeping Prince Jalan Kendeth far from the luxuries of his southern palace. And although the North may be home to his companion, the warrior Snorri ver Snagason, he is just as eager to leave.

For the Viking is ready to challenge all of Hel to bring his wife and children back into the living world. He has Loki’s key – now all he needs is to find the door. As all wait for the ice to unlock its jaws, the Dead King plots to claim what was so nearly his – the key into the world – so that the dead can rise and rule.

Grab your copy here!

7 April 2016

Happy publication day to Ingrid Seward! The paperback of The Queen's Speech is out today in paperback from Simon & Schuster!

On 21 April 2016, Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history, will celebrate her 90th birthday. During her 64 years on the throne, few have got to know her well, but there is one body of work that sheds new light on her thoughts, personality and the issues that really concern her: the Queen's own speeches. For many years, the Queen's Christmas address was the most-watched programme on television on Christmas Day, and millions still tune in to hear what she has to say.

Now, in this wonderful, intimate portrait of Her Majesty, Ingrid Seward uses the Queen's speeches as a starting point to provide a revealing insight into the character of the woman who has reigned over us since the days when Churchill was prime minister. Starting with her first ever broadcast, in December 1940, when the teenaged Princess Elizabeth addressed a wartorn nation, right through the annus horribilis, and on into the 21st century, the book highlights the most important moments in her life and how she has responded to them.

Based on in-depth research and interviews with many of those who know the Queen best, this book sheds new light on the life and career of our monarch. Renowned as one of the most authoritative writers on royal matters, Ingrid Seward, the editor of Majesty magazine, has written a charming and fascinating portrait that will be cherished by all who read it.

7 April 2016

Happy publication day to Peter Ackroyd! The paperback of his stunning book ALFRED HITCHCOCK is out now.

"Shelves of serious biographies have been written on Alfred Hitchcock, but perhaps none as pleasurable as Peter Ackroyd’s" (Kate Muir The Times)

Alfred Hitchcock was a strange child. Fat, lonely, burning with fear and ambition, his childhood was an isolated one, scented with fish from his father's shop. Afraid to leave his bedroom, he would plan great voyages, using railway timetables to plot an exact imaginary route across Europe. So how did this fearful figure become the one of the most respected film directors of the twentieth century?

As an adult, Hitch rigorously controlled the press's portrait of himself, drawing certain carefully selected childhood anecdotes into full focus and blurring all others out. In this quick-witted portrait, Ackroyd reveals something more: a lugubriously jolly man fond of practical jokes, who smashes a once-used tea cup every morning to remind himself of the frailty of life. Iconic film stars make cameo appearances, just as Hitch did in his own films. Grace Kelly, Carey Grant and James Stewart despair of his detached directing style, and, perhaps most famously of all, Tippi Hedren endures cuts and bruises from a real-life fearsome flock of birds.

Alfred Hitchcock wrests the director's chair back from the master of control and discovers what lurks just out of sight, in the corner of the shot. Peter Ackroyd’s latest offering explores the life and work of Alfred Hitchcock. Infusing snippets and anecdotes of a hidden private life with that of a very public working one, Ackroyd maintains his signature, familiar style and effectively captures the life of the prolific director.

8 March 2016

We are completely over the moon that WHISPERS THROUGH A MEGAPHONE by Rachel Elliott (Pushkin Press) has been longlisted for the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction!

Sometimes the world can seem too much for just one person. Miriam hasn't left her house in three years, and cannot raise her voice above a whisper. But today she has had enough, and is finally ready to rejoin the outside world. Meanwhile, Ralph has made the mistake of opening a closet door, only to discover with a shock that his wife Sadie doesn't love him, and never has. And so he decides to run away.

Miriam and Ralph's chance meeting in a wood during stormy weather marks the beginning of an amusing, restorative friendship, while Sadie takes a break from Twitter to embark on an intriguing adventure of her own. As their collective story unfolds, each of them seeks to better understand the objects of their affection, and their own hearts, timidly refusing to stand still and accept the chaos life throws at them. Filled with wit and sparkling prose, Whispers Through a Megaphone explores our attempts to meaningfully connect with ourselves and others, in an often deafening world - when sometimes all we need is a bit of silence.

You can check out more details of the longlist here

Congratulations, Rachel!

4th March 2016

Pan Macmillan has acquired a debut psychological thriller The Girlfriend by BBC drama development executive Michelle Frances.

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Editorial director Trisha Jackson has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to the "domestic noir" novel from Gaia Banks at Sheil Land, with a second title also under contract. Rights have already been sold in Germany, Russia and Estonia.

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The Girlfriend is pitched as a "relentlessly-paced" thriller, and a perfect book club read. It is about subtle sabotage, retaliation, jealousy and fear - examining the mother–son–daughter-in-law relationship in "a chilling new light".

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The plot introduces Laura who has a successful career, a long marriage to a rich husband and a kind, handsome, talented 23-year-old son, Daniel. Then Daniel meets Cherry. Cherry is young beautiful and smart, but hasn’t had the same opportunities as Daniel. She comes to the family wide-eyed and wants to be welcomed with open arms. . . . but Laura suspects she’s bad news.

Jackson commented: "This is a wonderfully chilling study of domestic noir based on the fall-out following an unforgiveable lie, which I devoured in one sitting. It looks at the potentially charged relationship between boyfriend, girlfriend and ‘his mother’ which most women can identify with, and locates it in an extreme but believable setting."

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Gaia said: "I was so impressed with Trisha’s immediate enthusiasm and vision for Michelle’s novel. Pan Macmillan excel in the publishing of crime fiction and thrillers and they are the ideal home for The Girlfriend."

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Pan Macmillan will publish The Girlfriend in Spring 2017. 

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Bookseller article here:

​https://www.thebookseller.com/news/pan-mac-publish-chilling-bbc-execs-debut-girlfriend-323838

1 March 2016

Happy publication day to Julia Lee! Nancy Parker's Diary of Detection is out in paperback today from Oxford University Press!

On this day 24th June 1920 I turned fourteen.

I plan to have a very exciting future now that I have thrown off the SHACKLES of SCHOOL! A detective is what I would most like to be. I cannot think of any reason why I could not be one. Except perhaps I am too young. And I don't like blood. Nancy Parker has recently been engaged in her first position - as a housemaid for the very modern Mrs Bryce. It's not Nancy's dream job (she'd rather be investigating crimes like they do in her beloved six-penny thrillers) but as Mrs Bryce starts to entertain her new neighbours with lavish parties, it becomes clear that something strange and interesting might be afoot. Local burglaries, a cook with a deep, dark secret - and Mrs Bryce's own glamorous but murky past. Will Nancy solve the mysteries while still keeping on top of her chores?

A hilarious and energetic middle-grade mystery, narrated part in the third person and part through Nancy's journal.

Grab you copy here!

17 February 2016

THE GUNS OF IVREA by Clifford Beal is already generating terrific reviews! Here are some of our favourites:

“a merrily anachronistic adventure….Beal keeps the action balanced expertly with complex political machinations.” --- Publishers Weekly 

“Beal is a storyteller who can handle plot adeptly enough to create a hugely compelling narrative…terrific fun.”--- SFX Magazine

“…an excellently gripping story of thievery, betrayal, piracy, and adventure…a fantastic and satisfying read.” --- SciFi Now Magazine

“…a cracking piece of salty fun. If you're a fan of Michael Moorcock and Fritz Lieber, you will most likely love Clifford Beal; The Guns of Ivrea proves that Beal can deliver addictive, page turning, pulp which also happens to have fun characters and nifty world building.” --- Starburst Magazine 

“Clifford Beal’s novel will suit those who want something somewhere in the middle of Scott Lynch’s Red Seas Under Red Skies and George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones… .A highly readable, fast-paced, fun adventure novel that somehow manages to be all of that without ever sacrificing on character development, authentic descriptions, and vivid worldbuilding… great reading that will keep you guessing until the very end.”---Fantasy Faction 

“Beginning with a deadly temple secret and leading into a pirate rebellion, Clifford Beal proves you can’t go wrong with a heavy dose of adventure and intrigue….From sea battles to subtle mental tricks, the fights are played out in many different ways and end with the promise of more.” ---Mazarkis Williams

11 February 2016

Happy publication day to Clifford Beal! The first of two books, THE GUNS OF IVREA, is published today in PB by Solaris/Rebellion Publishing.

Acquel Galenus, former thief and now monk of no particular skill, indifferent scribe and even worse chorister, uncovers a terrible secret under the Great Temple at Livorna that could shiver the one faith to its core. A secret that could get him killed. A secret that could enable an older, more sinister form of worship to be reborn...

Pirate princeling Nicolo Danamis, mercenary to the King and captain of the largest fleet in the island kingdom of Valdur, has made one deal too many, and enemies are now closing in to destroy him. And Citala, fair-haired and grey-skinned, the daughter of the chieftain of the Merfolk who inhabit the waters of Valdur, finds herself implacably drawn to the affairs of men. She puts events in motion that will end her people's years of isolation but that could imperil their very existence...All their fates will intertwine as they journey through duchies and free cities riven by political intrigue, religious fervour, and ancient hatreds. Alliances are being forged anew and after decades of wary peace, war is on the wind once again...

Make sure you grab your copy here

28 January 2016

Happy publication day to Cas Lester! Wilfred the (Un)wise is out in paperback today from Piccadilly Press.

When medieval wizardry meets cool street magic, what could possibly go wrong ...?

Wilfred is a young magical apprentice determined to become the best and most wise wizard that ever was. Unfortunately for him, he's not very good. He's got the raw talent, but he doesn't concentrate! In fact, he's become (rather unkindly) known as 'Wilfred the UNwise'.

And when one of Wilf's spells goes badly wrong, he's suddenly in more trouble than ever before. A mix-up which sees him catapulted into the future - and more specifically, into Bel's hometown. Bel is an aspiring magician too - she wants to be an amazing street magician like her heroes on TV. She's even got a stage-name sorted, and unlike Wilf, she practises all the time - maybe just a little too much . . .

Wilf is delighted by her skills, and begs to learn from Bel. She's not so sure, but agrees that they'll have to work together to try to work out how to get Wilf back to his own time. If only Wilf would stop messing around! Can these two young magicians work together, or will Wilf be stuck here forever?

Grab your copy here:

7 January 2016

Happy publication day to Robert Fabbri! The latest in his gripping Vespasian series, FURIES OF ROME, is out in HB today!

AD 58: Rome is in turmoil once more. Emperor Nero has surrounded himself with sycophants and together they rampage by night through the city, visiting death and destruction as they go. Meanwhile, Nero's extravagance has reached new heights. The Emperor's spending is becoming profligate at the same time as the demands of keeping the provinces subdued have become increasingly unaffordable. Could Nero withdraw from Britannia, and at what price for the Empire?

As the bankers of the Empire scramble to call in their loans, Vespasian is sent to Londinium on a secret mission, only to become embroiled in a deadly rebellion led by Boudicca, a female warrior of extraordinary bravery. As the uprising gathers pace, Vespasian must fight to stay ahead of Rome's enemies and complete his task- before all of Britannia burns.

FURIES OF ROME is published by Corvus Books and you can pick up your copy here!

3 December 2015

Also out today is the PB edition of THE BALLYMARA ROAD, the last book in Nadine Dorries' fantastic trilogy!

On Christmas morning 1963 fifteen-year-old Kitty Doherty gives birth in a hostile Irish convent. Kitty knows her beautiful baby boy presents a huge danger to her family's Catholic community back in Liverpool's Four Streets.

When her baby is adopted by a wealthy family in Chicago, Kitty considers the problem solved. But soon it's obvious the baby is very sick and only his birth mother can save him.

In Liverpool, things have begun to settle down. A charismatic new priest has arrived. The Dohertys are coping with the tragic consequences of Kitty's pregnancy, and the police seem close to solving the double murder which rocked the Four Streets to the core. But now all that is about to be put at risk once again.

Nadine's gripping trilogy consists of THE FOUR STREETS, HIDE HER NAME and THE BALLYMARA ROAD. You can buy your copy of THE BALLYMARA ROAD here!

3 December 2015

Happy publication day to Hugh Bicheno! His epic BATTLE ROYAL is out in hardback today!

England, 1454. A kingdom sliding into chaos. The mentally unstable King Henry VI, having struggled for a decade to contain the violent feuding of his magnates, loses his mind. Disgruntled nobles back the regal claims of Richard, Duke of York, great-grandson of Edward III. The stage is set for civil war.

The first volume of an enthralling two-part history of the dynastic wars fought between the houses of Lancaster and York, Battle Royal traces the conflict from its roots in the 1440s to the early 1460s - a period marked by the rise and fall of Richard of York, the deposition of Henry VI following the Lancastrian defeat at Towton, and the subsequent seizure of his throne by Richard’s son Edward. Populating this late-medieval saga of ambition, intrigue and bloodshed are such fascinating characters as the vacillating Henry himself, his indefatigable queen Marguerite of Anjou, Richard of York (father of kings but never king himself), his opportunist ally Richard Neville, 'the Kingmaker', and the precociously virile Edward of York.

Charting a clear course through the dynastic and factional complexities of fifteenth-century power politics, and offering crisply authoritative analysis of the key battles of the Wars of the Roses, Battle Royal is a compelling and rigorously researched account of England’s longest and bloodiest civil war.

BATTLE ROYAL is published by Head of Zeus and you can grab a copy here.

3 December 2015

Happy publication day to Nadine Dorries! The wonderful RUBY FLYNN is out in hardback today!

The darkest sin casts the longest shadow... RUBY FLYNN, set in Ireland and Liverpool, is the enthralling story of a family haunted by ancient wrongs.The FitzDeanes are wealthy. They have Ballyford Castle in Ireland and a growing shipping business in Liverpool. But Lady FitzDeane is unable to provide an heir. All of her five boys have died in infancy. There are whispers that the family is cursed - punished for a terrible mistake long buried in the past.

When young Ruby Flynn, an orphan reared and educated by nuns, arrives at Ballyford to work as a nursery maid, she cannot shake the feeling that she has been there before. But when?

Soon rumours and strong emotions are swirling around the beautiful girl with red hair, green eyes - and a mysterious past. Who is she really? And what will her arrival mean for this powerful family, riven by tragedy?

Nadine's trilogy of books THE FOUR STREETS received outstanding praise from its readers and RUBY FLYNN is her first stand alone novel. It is published by Head of Zeus and you can pick up your copy here!

2 December 2015

We are very excited to be able to share the jacket for Daniel Godfrey's novel NEW POMPEII, due out Summer 2016 by Titan Books!

Sometime in the near future, energy giant NovusPart develops technology with an unexpected side-effect: it can transport objects and people from deep in the past to the present day. For post-grad historian Nick Houghton, the controversy surrounding the programme matters less than the opportunity the company offers him. NovusPart’s executives reveal their biggest secret: they have saved most of the people from Pompeii, minutes before the volcanic eruption.

Somewhere in central Asia, far from prying eyes, the company has built a replica of the city. In it are thousands of real Romans.

The Romans may be ignorant of modern technology—for now—but city boss Manius Barbatus wasn’t appointed by the emperor because he was soft. The Romans carved out the biggest empire the world had ever seen, thanks to the uncompromising leadership of men like Barbatus. The stage is set for the ultimate clash of cultures…

You can read an exclusive excerpt on Barnes and Noble's Sci-Fi and Fantasy blog here!

2 December 2015

Simon Kettlewell is offering his latest novel, Dead Dog Floating for just 99p as part of Amazon's December sale.

Dead Dog Floating is a humorous and poignant portrait of 1970s working class life in the East Midlands. The story follows the unique and imaginative 12 year old Derek Jackson as he grapples with his runaway father's fantastical promises and tries to protect his fragile mother.

Download it here, 99p for December only.

Readers on 'Dead Dog Floating':

'The voice is fresh and utterly authentic; we all know Derek Jackson, and if you've forgotten you need reminding. Simon Kettlewell certainly hasn't forgotten what it was like to be twelve and at the mercy of the adult world, and yet how creative kids can be in that situation.' - Su Bristow

'Derek's wry humour is delightful and this whole novel is a joy.' - Lally

'Derek Jackson is a little star. Adrian Mole of Derby. Brilliant, funny, sad and a great read. Simon Kettlewell is one to watch'.

9 December 2014

Huge congratulations to Steven Carroll has been jointly awarded Australia’s prestigious Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction for his book A World of Other People, alongside Booker winner Richard Flanagan.

See the list of winners here 

http://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-books-blog/2014/dec/09/the-prime-ministers-literary-awards-the-ties-that-bind

2 July 2014

'This perfect book'

'Small masterpiece of animal literature'

Ben Downing reviews The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar by Martin Windrow for The Wall Street Journal. 

His opening paragraph is below, or to read the wonderful review in full click here.

In the annals of publishing, there may be a precedent or two for a venerable military historian setting aside

his generals and artillery to evoke the love affair that consumed him as a younger man, but it's probably

safe to say that in none of these memoirs is the object of adoration feathered, 10 inches tall and given to

maniacally attacking the historian's shoelaces. Such is the case with Martin Windrow's "The Owl Who

Liked Sitting on Caesar." If the above description makes the book sound funny, touching and divertingly

novel, so it is. But there's more to it than that. In relaxed yet lapidary prose, Mr. Windrow—best known for

"The Last Valley," his 2004 account of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu—has produced an homage to both a

creature and its species that is almost Leonardo-like in its precision and spirit of curiosity. The result is

nothing less than a small masterpiece of animal literature.

18 June 2014

We are thrilled to announce that Mark Lawrence's EMPEROR OF THRORNS - the final book in his epic trilogy - has won the David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy! The book's jacket designer, Jason Chan, also picked up the Ravenheart Award for best cover art. 

Awards Chair Stan Nicholls said: 'This year's Gemmell Awards once again hosted a wonderful night celebrating the very best in fantasy fiction, and as always we have three hugely deserving winners, with Emperor of Thorns being a rare example of a book scooping two awards on the night.'

Click here for more information about the Gemmell Awards or here to pick up a copy of the book. 

2 May 2014

ON GUARD

The sins of a master fencer have not been forgotten – revenge, jealousy and wanton murders return to haunt him. Ageing fencing master József Varga escaped from Budapest, Hungary, during the Revolution of 1956. Years later, female members of his fencing club are found dead, stabbed through with snapped fencing blades. Someone from his past is attempting to destroy his present. His son, Detective Sergeant Michael Varga, himself a fencer, tries to unravel the mystery, while keeping the hidden jealousy he has for his distant father from emerging. The mystery leads Michael to Budapest, where he must learn about his father’s past from the days of the Revolution and the years that followed in order to make sense of the killer’s identity and motivation. For once, Michael feels he is able to come into his own and out of the shadow of his father’s greatness, and finds that the revenge of the past is just as dangerous to his life as to that of his father. A gripping read, On Guard features the little-known historical context of the Hungarian Revolution along with realistic fencing sequences that will keep the reader enthralled throughout.

Click here to get your copy at the special publication price of just 99p!

8 April 2014

THE LOVERS' ROOM

As the Allied Forces occupy Japan at the end of World War II, shy Australian Allen “Spin” Bowler, an interpreter in the British Army, falls deeply in love with Momoko, a western-educated young woman whose calmness and dignity veils the weariness and numbness of defeat. Daughter of a diplomat recalled back from Knightsbridge in London to Tokyo, she finds Spin to be different from the brashness and moral superiority of the rest of the ‘conquerors’. Their intense love affair develops and under her spell, Spin gradually sheds his shy bookish self and in the quiet sanctuary of Momoko’s room, their love transcends the cultural boundaries that divide them. However, the betrayal that follows Spin’s jealousy and suspicions of Momoko’s intentions lead to devastating consequences, forever changing the course of both their lives. A powerful and heart-breaking story of love found and lost, or trust and betrayal, passion and secrets, The Lovers’ Room is nothing short of unforgettable! Carroll’s deftness of understanding the different cultural behavior especially under such extreme diversities - the East and the West, of the defeated and the conquerors, never fails to move the reader to tears.

Click here to download a copy

THE LAST VENETIAN (previously entitled TWILIGHT IN VENICE)

Descended from an ancient and noble line in Venice, Paolo Fortuny faces a bleak future. A former virtuoso musician and last in line to his aristocratic lineage, he is, like the once beautiful piazza he lives in, a mere shadow of his former self. Then Lucy McBride from Australia enters his life. Young and beautiful, she dreams to play the cello like the Maestro himself. She is at first seduced by the romance of the gondolas and the maze of streets she loses herself in. But devoted to Fortuny’s legend, she immerses herself in the power of his play and the physical aura that he projects. But slowly, she finds the Maestro she worshipped nothing but an old man and with this realisation, comes a shift in the balance of their relationship. Now it is Lucy who becomes the object of an intense and dangerous passion.

Click here to download a copy

3 April 2014

Peter Ackroyd’s fascinating and insightful portrait of Charlie Chaplin was published today, 3rd April 2014.

He was the very first icon of the silver screen, and is one of the most recognisable faces in Hollywood, even a hundred years on from his first film. But what of the man behind the moustache? The director holding the camera as well as acting in front of it?

Peter Ackroyd's new biography turns the spotlight on Chaplin's life as well as his work, from his humble theatrical beginnings in music halls to winning an honorary Academy Award. Everything is here, from the glamour of his golden age to the murky scandals of the 1940s and eventual exile to Switzerland. This masterful brief life offers fresh revelations about one of the most familiar faces of the last century and brings the Little Tramp into vivid colour.

Click here for a review in the Telegraph and here to pick up your copy.

3 March 2014

Happy publication day to John Hughes-Wilson! The fantastic A HISTORY OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR IN 100 OBJECTS is published by Cassell Books/Octopus and is out now! 

You can read the wonderful feature in the Daily Mail and pick up your own copy here.

A History of the First World War in 100 Objects narrates the causes, progress and outcome of the First World War by telling the stories behind 100 items of material evidence of that cataclysmic and shattering conflict.From weapons that created carnage to affectionate letters home and from unexpected items of trench decoration to the paintings of official war artists, the objects are as extraordinary in their diversity and story-telling power as they are devastating in their poignancy.Each object is depicted on a full page and is the subject of a short chapter that 'fans out' from the item itself to describe the context, the people and the events associated with it. Distinctive and original, A History of the First World War in 100 Objects is a unique commemoration of 'the war to end all wars'.

18 February 2014

Martin Windrow's fantastic book The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is published by Bantam Books (Transworld) on 27th February 2014.

‘Perched on the back of a sunlit chair was something about 9 inches tall and shaped rather like a plump toy penguin with a nose-job. It appeared to be wearing a one-piece knitted jumpsuit of pale grey fluff with brown stitching, complete with an attached balaclava helmet. From the face-hole of the fuzzy balaclava, two big, shiny black eyes gazed up at me trustfully. Kweep, it said quietly.’

When author Martin Windrow met the tawny owlet that he christened Mumble, it was love at first sight. Raising her from a fledgling, through adolescence and into her prime years, Windrow recorded every detail of their time living together (secretly) in a south London tower block, and later in a Sussex village. This is the touching, intriguing and eccentric story of their 15-year relationship, complete with photographs and illustrations of the beautiful Mumble. Along the way, we are given fascinating insight into the ornithology of owls – from their evolution and biology to their breeding habits and hunting tactics. The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is a witty, quirky and utterly charming account of the companionship between one man and his owl.

Click here for the link to the Daily Mail feature on Martin and Mumble.

18 February 2014

Co-created by ALAN GILBEY with Guru Animation, Laughing Gravy Media and Kindle Entertainment, Alan is lead writer on this new 52 x 11’ pre-school animated series, which began this week on Cbeebies and soon on Treehouse, Canada. The show follows three curious young Dinopaws – Gwen, Bob and Tony – who woke up one morning and decided they wanted to go everywhere and do everything in their brave, new world! Scripts have also been contributed by Sheil Land clients Jill Brett, Joel Jessup and Myles McLeod. The show stars Amanda Abbington as Gwen, Bob Golding as Bob, Keith Wickham as Tony with additional voice by Teresa Gallagher. Catch up on iPlayer here!

22 January 2014

Brand new comedy drama series HANK ZIPZER follows the life of 12-year-old Henry ‘Hank’ Zipzer, a boy whose glass is usually half full, but he just spills it everywhere…Starring newcomer Nick James as Hank, Henry Winkler as Mr Rock and Felicity Montagu as Miss Adolf, the funny, fast-moving show is based on Henry Winkler’s own experiences as a young boy growing up with dyslexia.

The show begins on 28th January at 5pm, but is available on iPlayer now. The episode from our very own Dan Berlinka will be aired on Tuesday 25th February. Make sure you catch it!

19 December 2013

A haunting psychological mystery, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Olivia Colman. When biographer Margaret Lea (Colman) reluctantly agrees to interview the legendary yet reclusive writer Vida Winter (Redgrave), she uncovers the disturbing secrets of Vida’s strange childhood that have lain hidden for decades within the walls of Angelfield, her ancestral home.

Adapted by Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher Hampton from Diane Setterfield’s best-selling novel.

Starring Vanessa Redgrave, Olivia Colman with Robert Pugh, Alexandra Roach, Steven Mackintosh, Tom Goodman-Hill, Sophie Turner, Antonia Clarke, Michael Jibson, Emily Beecham, Janet Amsden, Adam Long and Madeleine Power.

Airing on Monday 30th December at 9.30pm on BBC2. Make sure you save the date!

6 December 2013

“Irreverent, witty, fast-paced and outrageous” was how The Stage described Adam Long’s DICKENS ABRIDGED as it begins its six week run at The Arts theatre in Soho. Co-produced by SJC Productions and Alex Jackson-Long and written and directed by the talented Adam Long, the show condenses Dickens’ opus while also telling the story of Dickens’ own life.

Starring West End favourites Gerard Carey, Matthew Hendrickson, Damian Humbley, Kit Orton and Jon Robyns, the five work their way through a long list of characters from flaming Miss Havisham to a determined Tiny Tim. In the words of The Upcoming “It is a raucous, gag-laden sprint of bold theatrics, cross-dressing, slapstick and musical satire. This is Dickens rehashed for a 21st century audience, unlike any version seen before. It may be brash, but it is steeped in hilarity and guaranteed to have even the most pernicious Scrooge roaring with laughter.”

10 October 2013

Diane Setterfield's highly anticipated second novel, Bellman & Black was published today by Orion Books. 

"A boy takes aim at a rook with his catapult. His friends watch in awe as the impossible shot strikes home, the bird falls, and for the first time death enters into William Bellman's life. It's a strangely disturbing experience and one he instantly tried to forget. 

A man weighed down by tragedy has a drunken conversation in a graveyard. With a man dressed in black - who may or may not exist. And an extraordinary bargain is sealed between them.

A curious new shop opens its doors in the heart of London - the first mourning emporium, providing everything from coffins to umbrellas. As the bereaved flock to Bellman & Black. William Bellman believes the past can finally be forgotten.

Rooks, however, don't forget."