DOUBLE TREAT FOR JULIAN STOCKWIN FANS: THE IBERIAN FLAME & THE BALTIC PRIZE

Captain Sir Thomas Kydd must face an old enemy and tackle a new threat in Julian Stockwin’s latest novel in the acclaimed KYDD series, THE IBERIAN FLAME. The landmark twentieth novel in this exciting series is published in the UK today in hardback and ebook by Hodder, and in audiobook by W F Howes. KYDD fans are in further luck as today also marks the paperback release of THE BALTIC PRIZE, the nineteenth novel in the series.

THE IBERIAN FLAME begins in 1808. With the Peninsula in turmoil, Napoleon Bonaparte signs a treaty to dismember Portugal and put his brother, Joseph, on the throne of Spain. Meanwhile, Nicholas Renzi, the Lord Farndon, undertakes a deadly mission to stir up partisan unrest to disrupt this Napoleonic alliance with Spain.

Thrust into the crucible of the uprising, Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is dismayed to come up against an old foe from his past – now his superior and commander – who is determined to break him. Faced with a ruthless enemy, Kydd will soon face the greatest decision of his professional career.

Bonaparte, incensed by the reverses suffered to his honour, gathers together a crushing force and marches at speed into Spain. After several bloody encounters the greatly outnumbered British expedition have no option other than make a fighting retreat to the coast. Only the Navy can save them.

But the flame of insurrection has been lit – and the Peninsular War has begun.

About the Author

At the age of fourteen Julian Stockwin went to a tough sea-training school, then joined the Royal Navy, later transferring to the Royal Australian Navy when his family emigrated. He saw active service in the Far East, the Antarctic, the South Seas and Vietnam, and was on board the Melbourne at the time of its disastrous peace time collision with the Voyager. Later he worked for NATO on the strategic development of merchant shipping.

He is now completing the twenty-first Kydd novel A SEA OF GOLD. He is also the author of two historical fiction standalones with Allison & Busby, THE SILK ROAD and THE POWDER OF DEATH, which examine and reimagine in gripping fashion certain turning points of the past.

Find out more about Julian on the Blake Friedmann website and on Julian’s website.

Follow Julian on Twitter here.

Praise for Julian Stockwin and the KYDD series

‘KYDD is a very readable and enjoyable story; the best part is that there is more to come! I can only recommend that you go out, beg, borrow or buy, and enjoy.’ — Bernard Cornwell

‘The brightest star in the firmament of today's nautical fiction authors, Julian Stockwin has been compared favourably to all-time greats like Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester. He is the preeminent living historical naval fiction writer on either side of the Atlantic.’  — George Jepson, Quarterdeck

‘The books, which incorporate actual historical events, are well-written mixtures of high-seas adventure and character-based drama ... Impossible not to enjoy – even newcomers to the series will be caught up in the spectacle, in Stockwin’s colorful characters.’ — Booklist

 ‘Elegantly plotted …The writing has the power of a broadside at close range.’ — Oxford Times

‘A pacy read … the book will probably be seen as his best so far. It places his hero right up there alongside C S Forester’s Horatio Hornblower and Patrick O’Brian’s Jack Aubrey.’ — Western Morning News

 ‘Stockwin is a master teller of grand historical fiction tales. Pick one, any one, and you will be highly entertained…He writes brilliantly, bringing wonderful characters to life in a wholly realistic setting exploring history and times in thoroughly researched detail.’ — Alan Eggleston, Booksville

‘His vantage point of a common sailor gives the nautical novel a fresh twist. In Stockwin’s hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world.’ — The Guardian

‘There is no disputing Stockwin’s ability to tell a good yarn backed by meticulous research. Stockwin’s eye for authentic detail is faultless.’ — Pennant

‘Julian Stockwin takes this tale and turns it into a fascinating story, full of colour and incident.’ – Historical Novel Society

LYNDALL GORDON’S GROUP BIOGRAPHY, OUTSIDERS, NOW OUT IN PAPERBACK

OUTSIDERS, Lyndall Gordon’s visionary interlinked biography of five female writers and the experiences that shaped them, is available in paperback from Virago. Described as a ‘thought-provoking group biography’ in The New Statesmen by Erica Wagner and as a book written with ‘passionate intelligence’ by Tessa Hadley in The Guardian, OUTSIDERS was included in New Statesman, Books Live and The Irish Times Books of the Year lists in 2017.

OUTSIDERS tells the stories of five novelists – Mary Shelley, Emily Brontë, George Eliot, Olive Schreiner, Virginia Woolf – and their famous novels. We have long known their individual greatness but in linking their creativity to their lives as outsiders, this group biography throws new light on the genius they share. At that time a woman's reputation was her security and each of these five lost it. But as writers, they made the identities of ‘outsider’, ‘outlaw’, ‘outcast’, their own, taking advantage of their separation from the dominant order to write their brilliant books. What they have in common also is the way they inform one another, and us, across the generations.  Lyndall Gordon names each of these five as prodigy, visionary, outlaw, orator and explorer and shows how they came, they saw and left us changed.

Lyndall has attended a number of festivals and literary events to discuss these inspirational women, including the Bath Festival and Cambridge Literary Festival. Lyndall will be giving the Annual Burnt Norton Lecture at The T. S. Eliot International Summer School in July, discussing the prestigious writer and the women in his life. Rights to OUTSIDERS have recently been acquired by Larrad in Spain and Shanghai Literature & Art Publishing House in China.

Lyndall Gordon's biographies have always shown the indelible connection between life and art: an intuitive, exciting and revealing approach that has been highly praised and much read and enjoyed Like all Lyndall’s books OUTSIDERS will continue to delight and inspire readers for a long time to come.

Praise for OUTSIDERS:

‘Fascinating… The strength of spirit of these outsiders shines from the pages and through the ages as Gordon takes us deep inside their minds, hearts, and books.’ — Anita Sethi, The Observer

‘As the role of women undergoes yet another convulsion, it’s good to read, in Lyndall Gordon’s OUTSIDERS, of the robust intelligence of five women who made a powerful contribution. The work and lives of Emily Brontë, George Eliot, Mary Shelley, Olive Schreiner and Virginia Woolf are well known. Gordon’s thesis sets out just how original and brave they were – and at what cost. We owe them much.’ — Joan Bakewell, New Statesman, Books of the Year 2017

‘I love how Lyndall Gordon thinks and I love the clarity and reach of her writing, combining imaginative audacity with scholarly scruple. Her OUTSIDERS, a collection of portraits of George Eliot, Emily Brontë, Virginia Woolf, Olive Schreiner and Mary Shelley, builds into a lucid meditation on how certain writers become lighthouses for each other.’ — Joseph O’Connor, Irish Times Books of the Year 2017

‘Visionary, beautiful’ — Karina Szczurek, Books Live, The best books of 2017 

‘A lively and enterprising group biography’ — Catherine Taylor, Financial Times

NANCY TUCKER’S THAT WAS WHEN PEOPLE STARTED TO WORRY OUT NOW

In her new book THAT WAS WHEN PEOPLE STARTED TO WORRY, published in hardback and ebook by Icon Books, Nancy Tucker brings together the experiences of sixty young women aged 16-25 to present the wide scope of mental illness and the impact it has on everyday life. Nancy’s writing is frank, funny and compassionate, offering readers the opportunity to better understand what it is to live with an unwell mind. Nancy’s book is also out in audio with Audible UK.

‘In the waiting room, I see a lot of people who I could tell had real, serious Problems. They deserve to be here. I don’t. I’m a fraud. A lazy wreck seeking an excuse for her incompetence. I’m useless.’ Abby, 24

THAT WAS WHEN PEOPLE STARTED TO WORRY examines modern perceptions of mental illness, placing women’s lived experience at the centre of that narrative. Nancy encourages readers to examine their preconceptions of these conditions with tongue-in-cheek ‘guidebook’ sections, and throughout these chapters we hear Nancy’s own voice and experiences, creating a compelling and cohesive narrative.

Through these stories of women pushed to the very edge, Nancy reveals something universal about what it means to grow up a woman, and shines a light on perspectives recognisable for anyone who has been affected, directly or indirectly, by mental illness. The result is a book that is unique: in turns funny, disturbing and deeply moving; sensitively handled, and intimate without being

Nancy’s first book THE TIME IN BETWEEN (Icon Books, 2016) explored her own struggle with anorexia and bulimia nervosa. In the Sunday Times Christina Patterson praised the memoir as ‘astonishingly good’ and in The Psychologist Sara Gilbert wrote it was ‘an illustration of the complexity of an eating disorder.’

Nancy Tucker is a 22-year-old writer and student, currently studying for a degree in Experimental Psychology at Pembroke College, Oxford. Nancy’s first book, THE TIME IN BETWEEN (Icon, 2016), explored her own struggle with anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Nancy aspires to eventually apply her understanding of mental illness to a career in clinical psychology, and has a particular interest in the treatment of binge eating disorder and personality disorders. 

You can read an extract from Nancy’s new book from The Observer here.

Praise for Nancy Tucker:

‘A startlingly affecting, starkly written account of her anorexia. This isn't just another anorexia misery memoir — it's a work of literature’ — Jacqueline Wilson

‘I found Tucker’s account of her illness clear-sighted, eye-opening, moving and wise.’ — The Bookseller

‘THE TIME IN BETWEEN is a tremendous achievement’ — New Statesman

‘THE TIME IN BETWEEN is stylish an incisive and Tucker weaves her tale of fear and food, confusion and calories grippingly and with skill.’ — Joanna Moorhead, The Guardian

‘A haunting first-person account of Tucker’s struggle with anorexia as a child… Her writing is distinctive, engaging and slightly spiky.’ — Helen Nianias, The Independent

PROFILE ACQUIRE LUCY MANGAN’S DIARY OF A SUBURBAN LADY

Photo Credit: Stylist

Lucy Mangan’s brilliant fictional account of life in the suburbs, DIARY OF A SUBURBAN LADY, has been snapped up by Profile Books. Rebecca Gray, Associate Publisher at Profile, has acquired UK & Commonwealth Rights from Juliet Pickering at Blake Friedmann and Louise Lamont at LBA. Profile will publish DIARY OF A SUBURBAN LADY in Autumn 2019.

Rebecca Gray says: ‘I’m so delighted that the marvellous Ms Mangan has decided to bring the DIARY OF A SUBURBAN LADY to Profile, we’re going to have a ball publishing it. From marital misadventures to children’s first haircuts to horrifying threadworm experiences, with plenty of friends and frenemies along the way, it’s a hilarious skewering of the combination of sweetness and nightmare that is modern family life. Hopefully she’ll have some thoughts on last minute World Book Day costume demands too.’

Lucy Mangan says:  I’m thrilled to be publishing this book with Profile and to have Rebecca by my side as I venture into fiction for the first time, with this modern take on THE DIARY OF A PROVINCIAL LADY (E M Delafield’s dry-witted classic of family life and other vexations). I intend to neglect my own family entirely as I get to work on DIARY OF A SUBURBAN LADY, which I hope will be a comic journey through the vicissitudes of modern domestic and professional life that will go well with a double gin and tonic at the end of the day.

Lucy will be attending the Derby Book Festival in June to discuss her memoir on childhood reading, BOOKWORM, which was published by Square Peg in March 2018.

Lucy Mangan is a journalist and a writer for the Guardian. She has written for most major women’s magazines, including Grazia, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan, and has a weekly column in Stylist magazine. She was named Columnist of the Year at PPA Awards in 2013. Her works include MY FAMILY AND OTHER DISASTERS, HOPSCOTCH AND HANDBAGS: The Essential Guide to Being a Girl, and THE RELUCTANT BRIDE. A commemoration of 50 years of Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, INSIDE CHARLIE'S CHOCOLATE FACTORY was published by Puffin UK/US in 2014.

Visit Lucy’s Guardian page

Follow Lucy on Twitter

THE HIDDEN STAR BY K. SELLO DUIKER AVAILABLE ACROSS THE US!

THE HIDDEN STAR, K. Sello Duiker’s magical story of one girl’s quest to change things for the better, is now available in the US from Cassava Republic. A captivating tale for young readers, THE HIDDEN STAR, has previously been brought to audiences in Nigeria, West Africa and the UK by Cassava Republic, and was first published by Penguin Random House South Africa’s imprint Umuzi.

Eleven-year-old Nolitye lives in a shack with her mother Thembi in Phola, a dusty township on the edge of Johannesburg. She loves maths and collecting stones, which she keeps in a bucket under her bed. She also has magical powers: she can communicate with dogs.

Nolitye’s granny used to say: ‘If you mess with a woman, you mess with a stone,’ and when Nolitye finds a magical stone on the dusty streets of Phola, her granny's words take on a new meaning. Along with her two friends — pampered Bheki, and Four Eyes, a reformed member of the Spoilers gang led by Rotten Nellie — Nolitye puts the powers of the stone to good use. For the first time the threesome can stand up to the Spoilers, Nolitye can save the life of Rex, the leader of a pack of talking township mutts, and dare to look scary MaMtonga — with her living brown-and-green snake necklace — in the eye.

But soon Nolitye finds out that the purplish-blue magic stone is one of five needed to put right things that started to go wrong the day her father died in a mining accident when she was five years old. Or so she was told by her mother... Merging a cast of characters from African myth and folklore with everyday township life, K. Sello Duiker created a magical world and a truly wondrous quest that will appeal to an ageless audience.

By his untimely death, K. Sello Duiker had published various short stories and two novels. THIRTEEN CENTS was awarded the Commonwealth Prize for a first novel, while THE QUIET VIOLENCE OF DREAMS was translated into four languages, and won the Herman Charles Bosman Prize for English Literature. THE HIDDEN STAR was published posthumously.

Praise for THE HIDDEN STAR:

‘An absorbing story about friendship and courage’ – BookTrust

‘Magic and mythology mingle with everyday life in this engaging tale about a girl who discovers a powerful magic stone...a pleasurable fantasy story with a strong nod to mythology. Readers will warm to Nolitye and her relatable run-ins with the school bully and will delight at the quirky details of Duiker's magic in an otherwise realistic setting… A satisfying fantasy story in a place not often represented in the genre. Recommended for most middle grade collections where fantasy is popular.’ – School Library Journal

‘Entertaining and pacy, but it succeeds in evoking the innocence and curiosity of a child, while communicating larger truths about the vulnerability of human beings…I got goose-bumps reading it.’ – Fred Khumalo, The Sunday Times Lifestyle

‘A fantastic journey from inside the cardboard-covered, corrugated iron walls of her shack into a world of African myth and folklore…This will enchant all young readers.’ – Kate Turkington, joburg.co.za

‘Duiker has taken South African fiction to another level with this convincing mix of the experiences of a child growing up in a modern township …It’s a truly wonderful novel whose words flow like poetry, taking you into another world.’ – Angelique Serrao, The Saturday Star