Sarah Franklin’s stunning debut SHELTER to be published by Bonnier Zaffre

SHELTER, the sparkling debut novel by Sarah Franklin, a two-time judge of the Costa Short Story Award and host of Short Stories Aloud, is to be published in June 2017 by Bonnier Zaffre. Publishing Director Eleanor Dryden snapped up the fantastic first novel, at auction, in a two-book deal.

SHELTER is a unique and engrossing tale of transformed lives in difficult times: it’s 1944, and Connie runs to the Forest of Dean to work as a lumberjill after her family home is blitzed and she must survive alone, hiding a huge secret. She meets Italian P.O.W., Seppe, and Amos, who has never left the forest but is mourning his son who has. These three compelling characters weave a special bond in extraordinary and testing circumstances and create a new family for Connie, but when her secret is revealed she must decide whether to stay or run - and who to leave behind. 

Eleanor said: ‘I am so, so thrilled to be publishing Sarah Franklin. I fell for SHELTER completely. Sarah’s characterisation is exquisite, and she delivers delightful and thought-provoking surprises at every turn. I could feel the forest living and breathing around me as I was engrossed in the stories of Connie and Italian POW Seppe. Connie is refreshing, appealing and delightfully flawed – I was rooting for her from the first page and she’s still with me. This is a female story that needs to be told and I remember so clearly how affected I felt when I finished it for the first time and desperately needed to talk to someone about it.’

Juliet Pickering said: ‘Having known Sarah as a wonderful champion of stories over the last few years, I was so happy when she wrote an incredible debut novel! Connie’s voice is bold yet vulnerable; she’s a wonderfully unpredictable character in a rich setting, and the repercussions of her decisions are heart-breaking. Everyone will be talking about SHELTER next summer, and I can’t wait.’ 

SHELTER will also be available in audio in summer 2017, published by Isis Publishing.  

About Sarah Franklin

Sarah Franklin grew up in rural Gloucestershire. She has written for The Guardian, Psychologies magazine, The Pool, the Sunday Express and the Seattle Times. Her creative non-fiction has been published in anthologies in the USA and appeared on radio affiliates there. Sarah is also the founder and host of popular Oxford literary night Short Stories Aloud.

Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahEFranklin

Orenda Books signs an EXQUISITE psychological thriller

Karen Sullivan, publisher of Orenda Books, is delighted to announce the acquisition of World English Language Rights for Sarah Stovell’s debut thriller EXQUISITE in a two-book deal negotiated with Hattie Grünewald at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency.

Karen says, ‘Hattie pitched this book to me at the London Book Fair earlier this year, and I was immediately intrigued; in fact, it’s possibly the first submission that I’ve ever “chased”. This is a sophisticated, exceptionally well-written, dark and twisty psychological thriller that revolves around the intense, sinister relationship that develops between two women: one an aspiring young writer who is drifting through her life, with a dead-end job and a freeloading boyfriend, and the other a successful author living an apparently idyllic life in the Lake District with her husband, children, and a clutch of bestselling books. Driven by a dual first-person narrative, EXQUISITE is a breathlessly pacy, relevant and original thriller, with a genuinely astonishing twist that will have readers flipping back the pages to see what they’ve missed. Beautiful prose, superb characterisation, atmospheric descriptions of the Cumbrian setting and an outstanding plot make EXQUISITE, quite simply, everything that its name suggests. It’s a perfect fit for the growing Orenda list and I am very excited to welcome Sarah to the team.’

Hattie says, ‘I’m thrilled that Sarah Stovell’s intense and captivating thriller has found a home at Orenda. I’m sure that with Karen’s help this will be a book on everyone’s 2017 wishlist!’

Sarah says, ‘I am delighted to be working with Karen on EXQUISITE and my next thriller. She's a great editor with a fantastic group of authors, and I feel really hopeful about our future together.’

EXQUISITE will be published in June 2017. For more information, please contact Karen@orendabooks.co.uk.

Pan Macmillan acquires memoir of coercive abuse by Helen Walmsley-Johnson, acclaimed Guardian commentator and author of The Invisible Woman

‘Not all abusive relationships can be measured in broken bones and bruises. Not all abusive relationships are visible to the untrained eye.’ - Helen Walmsley-Johnson

For more than a year, the unfolding story of Helen Titchener has gripped the residents of Ambridge and, via Radio 4’s long-running drama The Archers, the nation.  Now, found not guilty, freed from prison and with her children at last restored to her, Helen is free to get on with her life.   But her abusive husband Rob is still in Ambridge and the story is not yet over.

As the story developed, one listener shuddered as what was happening to the fictional Helen brought back painful memories of what she herself had gone through.  Not once, but twice.  When Helen Walmsley-Johnson published a remarkably frank piece about her experiences as a victim of abuse in the New Statesman, she received an overwhelming response.  Since then, Helen has been an active presence in the media as a commentator on coercive abuse.  In her as yet untitled memoir, Helen will describe with typically clear-sighted candour how very easy it is to succumb to this form of domestic abuse, but – more importantly – how to survive it and rebuild your life.

Non-Fiction Editorial Director Georgina Morley said, ‘I am thrilled to be publishing Helen.  We first met on Twitter, where her bracing tweetalong to the Archers omnibus has won her countless friends and fans.  Now, she tells her own story – and the story of so many women who have suffered from abusive partners.  Her book will find a wide readership and will, I have no doubt, help many women find the courage to tell their stories and to seek help.’

Helen Walmsley-Johnson said, ‘I hadn’t been able to give a name to my experiences until I read the Home Office list of typical behaviour in a coercive relationship; I read it because of Helen’s story in The Archers, and it rang a number of bells for me personally. I have to thank the women (and men) who got in touch after I wrote that first piece back in February, for starting me on the path to this book: I will endeavour to be as ‘bracing’ as my Twitter feed in seeing it through to completion under expert eye of George Morley and Pan Macmillan, and am delighted to be able to keep this important conversation going.’

Macmillan acquired UK & Commonwealth rights from Juliet Pickering at Blake Friedmann and will publish in early 2018.

For further information please contact Sarah Patel in the Pan Macmillan press office on 020 7014 6187 or email sarah.patel@macmillan.com

About Pan Macmillan

Pan Macmillan is the UK general book publishing arm of the Macmillan Group, which operates in over 70 countries.  Its imprints include Macmillan, Mantle, Pan, Picador, Bluebird, Boxtree, Sidgwick & Jackson, Bello, Tor, Macmillan Children's Books, Campbell Books, Macmillan New Writing and Macmillan Digital Audio.

www.panmacmillan.com

Paul Finch’s gripping thriller STRANGERS published today by Avon

Paul Finch’s five book HECK series has sold over 500,000 copies, with SACRIFICE the most pre-ordered book in HarperCollins history. STRANGERS is the gripping, gruesome first novel in Finch’s new Lucy Clayburn series, a heart-stopping thriller with a standout new heroine, published 22 September with Avon, and available in paperback, ebook and audiobook.

Unknown, alone, and fearing for your life. As PC Lucy Clayburn is about to find out, going undercover is the most dangerous work there is. But, on the trail of a prolific female serial killer, there's no other option – and these murders are as brutal as they come.

Lucy must step into the line of fire – a stranger in a criminal underworld that butchers anyone who crosses the line. And, unknown to Lucy, she's already treading it…

STRANGERS has been sold in the UK and Germany.

Praise for Paul Finch and STRANGERS

‘Wonderfully dark and peppered with grim humour. Finch is a born storyteller and writes with the authentic voice of the ex-copper he is.’ – Peter James

‘Lucy Clayburn is a brilliant new character and one that I know readers are going to love. STRANGERS delves into the darker side of some of the small towns surrounding Manchester and takes the reader on a fast-paced, terrifying journey. The story is wonderfully original and brilliantly written… a terrific book.’ – Rachel Abbott, author of ONLY THE INNOCENT

‘Consistently inventive. Consistently excellent. Paul Finch writes distinctive dialogue-driven horror that truly grips. Satisfying stories, tautly written with a real sense of authority.’ – Simon Clark, author of THE FALL and VAMPYRRHIC

‘Paul Finch is unique. He creates modern thriller and crime stories with supernatural overtones one minute, and sparkling traditional horror stories the next. One of the most exciting story writers in the business today.’ – Masters of Terror

About Paul Finch

A former cop and journalist, Paul was a writer for British TV crime drama, The Bill.  However, he is probably best known for his work in horror and thrillers. He has also written four Doctor Who audio dramas and his Doctor Who novel, HUNTER'S MOON, was published by Woodland Books in 2011.

Winner of British Fantasy Award 2002 & 2007, and the International Horror Guild Award 2007.

Visit Paul's blog here, or read more about Paul on the Blake Friedmann website. 

Follow Paul on Twitter and Facebook.

Sally Andrew winner of Nielsen Booksellers’ Choice Award

The South African Booksellers Association honoured Sally Andrew as their 2016 winner of the Booksellers’ Choice Award for her delicious mystery novel RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER, published by Umuzi.

The Association noted that it was an extraordinary year for the award, with around 150 nominations received and a high all-round quality. Two other Blake Friedmann authors were among the six shortlisted, 2012 winner of the award Deon Meyer and two-time nominee Zakes Mda. Sally was announced as this year’s winner on 30 August at a gala dinner in Cape Town.

Sally’s debut, which was published in the UK with Canongate in 2015, follows the heroine Tannie Maria, a loveable cookery columnist who suddenly finds a change of lifestyle on the menu. In an irresistible blend of recipes and page-turning intrigue, Tannie Maria, armed with her culinary wisdom, takes on her first investigation.

RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER has been published around the world, in the UK, South Africa, the US, Canada, China, Australia, Estonia, France, Israel, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, Poland, Catalan, and Holland. It is the first of Sally’s TANNIE MARIA MYSTERY series, and was followed this year by the equally delectable THE SATANIC MECHANIC, another charming novel with a killer combination of mystery, romance and sumptuous recipes.

Praise for RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER

‘A bright new talent, her fiction debut is a flavourful blend of the #1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY and the GOLDIE SCHULZseries, full of humour, romance and featuring a charming cast of characters.’ – Edinburgh Evening News

‘From South Africa, the debut novel that conquered the world. A book that perfectly mixes suspense and thriller with romance and fun.’ – Vero

‘Well written and evocative… an ideal gentle read with a frisson of excitement’ – Jennifer Crocker, Cape Times

‘RECIPES FOR LOVE & MURDER’ an intriguing mystery in an exotic locale is a work of enormous charm.’ - Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

Other accolades for Sally Andrew’s RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER

A Kirkus Best Book of 2015

A Wall Street Journal Best Mystery Book 2015

The Bookseller Fiction Editor’s Choice 2015

A Good Housekeeping Book of the Month

Longlisted for Barry Ronge Sunday Times Fiction Prize 2016

Oprah’s Book Club ‘16 Books for 2016’

Follow Sally on Twitter

Read more about Sally