The Queen of Hay returns: HarperFiction acquires two new novels from Barbara Erskine as LADY OF HAY turns 40

Photo credit: Karolina Webb

Barbara Erskine took to the stage on the opening night of this year’s Hay Festival to mark the 40th anniversary of her iconic debut novel, LADY OF HAY.

First published in 1986 and never out of print, LADY OF HAY is a multi-million-copy bestseller and remains one of the most beloved of Erskine’s works, blending fantasy and history in a novel that was  well ahead of its time. Its journalist heroine, Jo Clifford, sets out determined to debunk the idea of past lives – only to find herself reliving the experiences of Matilda, Lady of Hay.

On stage yesterday evening, Erskine revealed that Jo’s story will continue in a new sequel, due to publish in 2028.

Belinda Toor, Editorial Director at HarperFiction, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to two new historical fiction novels from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency, with the LADY OF HAY sequel as the first book in the deal.

In it, readers will return to Hay-on-Wye, where journalist Jo Clifford begins hearing the desperate cries of a young girl, echoing through the past. As the famous Hay Festival fills the town with visitors, Jo finds herself drawn into a case that reaches back to 1876 – when a thirteen-year-old girl vanished without trace. Combining Erskine’s signature dual timelines and haunting atmosphere with a gripping contemporary suspense, the novel is set to enthral longtime fans and new readers alike.

Belinda Toor said: ‘Barbara’s stories are always rooted in real history and real lives, and that is precisely what has made her one of the most beloved storytellers in the genre. She has enchanted readers for decades with her extraordinary ability to weave the past and present together, and I couldn’t be more excited that she is stepping back into the story where it all began. The new novel has all the hallmarks of classic Erskine, but with a contemporary suspense that feels truly electric. We cannot wait to share it with readers.’

Barbara Erskine said: ‘I am enormously pleased and excited to be continuing my long and very special relationship with HarperCollins with two more books, made even more special by a return to Hay where the whole adventure started.’

Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann said: ‘Our inimitable Blake Friedmann co-founder, Carole Blake, was absolutely passionate about LADY OF HAY – one of the first agency titles she told me about. It’s such a privilege to continue working with Barbara, along with Belinda Toor and the HarperCollins team. What a thrill to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Barbara’s groundbreaking bestseller at the Hay Festival – and to anticipate sharing the suspenseful historical-and-contemporary sequel with legions of fans and new readers. What a legacy and what a joy! I imagine how Carole would be rejoicing too.’

Barbara Erskine is the author of 18 novels, nine of which have reached the Sunday Times top 10, alongside three short story collections.

Her forthcoming novel, THE VALLEY OF RAVENS, publishes on 30th July 2026.

About Barbara Erskine

Historian and novelist Barbara Erskine was the first writer to become a major bestseller with dual-time-period novels. Her debut, LADY OF HAY, catapulted her to international success in June 1986 – and has been constantly in print ever since. Often imitated, never equalled, Barbara’s work is published all around the world in English and in 26 other languages. Her books are regular Sunday Times bestsellers in both hardback and paperback, with millions of copies sold.

Her twentieth book, THE STORY SPINNER (set in Wales in the contemporary era and during the 4th Century Roman occupation), shot straight to No. 1 on the UK Sunday Times hardback charts in its first week of sale in August 2024.

Barbara lives in an old police station in Hay-on-Wye, the setting of LADY OF HAY and SLEEPER’S CASTLE and near Offa’s Dyke, a key location in THE DREAM WEAVERS.

Praise for Barbara Erskine

‘Fascinating, absorbing, original. But perhaps the most suitable word is hypnotic.’ – SHE

‘Erskine never disappoints.’ – Historical Novel Society

‘Will thrill, enchant and intrigue those who love history and the supernatural. Barbara Erskine’s grasp of time, place and atmosphere is second to none, the storytelling a masterpiece.’ – Alison Weir

‘The acknowledged queen of the historical time-slip novel.’ – Daily Mail

Praise for LADY OF HAY

'The author's storytelling talent is undeniable. Barbara Erskine can make us feel the cold, smell the filth and experience some of the fear of the power of evil men.' – The Times

‘A record breaker whichever way you look at it… A rattling good romance-cum-thriller.’ – MS London

‘Barbara Erskine’s first full-length novel is destined to be a best-seller… A fast-paced passionate historical romance with the tension of a modern thriller… Crisp characters, credible situations and the upbeat way Mrs Erskine alternates between the 12th and 20th century make the book fascinating and memorable.’ – Fay Bradley, Ealing Gazette

‘A fast-paced page turner combining all the best elements of hot-blooded historical romance with the tension of a modern thriller.’ – Hereford Times

‘A masterpiece of fiction.’ – Shropshire Star

‘So gripping is this one and so difficult to put down that, seizing every moment, I completed it in one weekend… A truly remarkable book.’ – The Ross Gazette

‘A remarkable first novel… Anyone who loves to sit down with a good story won’t be disappointed!’ – Woman and World

‘A most intriguing novel… Very cleverly handled, and gripping. I couldn’t put it down.’ – Maidenhead Advertiser

‘Packed with historical interest.’ –  North Norfolk News

‘Mesmerising. From cover to cover.’ – Eastern Daily News

‘Passionate and exciting.’ – Herald Express

James Cahill’s non-fiction book on the untold story of David Hockney’s BEVERLY HILLS HOUSEWIFE to be published by Thames & Hudson

Photo: Denise Quinlan

James Cahill, art critic and author of novels TIEPOLO BLUE and THE VIOLET HOUR, has written his first major non-fiction book THE BEVERLY HILLS HOUSEWIFE: Hockney’s Californian Muse and the World Beyond the Pool, to be published later this year by Thames & Hudson.

Marc Valli, Publishing Director, Trade Division at Thames & Hudson, bought World All Languages from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann. THE BEVERLY HILLS HOUSEWIFE will be published in hardback on 27 August 2026 in the UK and 3 November 2026 in the US.

In the summer of 1966, David Hockney visited a wealthy Los Angeles art collector and dedicated patron of contemporary music. Her name was Betty Freeman. He had intended to paint her swimming pool, but was more entranced by Freeman herself.

Hockney immortalized Freeman in his painting Beverly Hills Housewife (1966–67), a sunlit vision of the collector on the terrace of her home. Evoking the light and glamour of 1960s Los Angeles, and the first in a celebrated sequence of  large-scale portraits that spanned the following decade, this seductive painting has always carried an air of mystery. Who was the woman in pink?

Like Hockney driving through the Hollywood Hills, James Cahill meanders – interweaving the artist’s discovery of Los Angeles with Freeman’s own evolution from aspiring pianist to collector, philanthropist and photographer – but never loses focus on the art. Oscillating between art history and anecdote, this is an eclectic study of an artist, his mercurial muse and the beginning of a friendship that would shape the course of each of their lives.

‘I am thrilled to be working with Marc Valli and the entire team at Thames & Hudson on THE BEVERLY HILLS HOUSEWIFE,’ said James. ‘Revolving around a single painting, the book traces David Hockney’s rise to greatness, Los Angeles in flux, and above all, the bond between the artist and his beguiling subject, Betty Freeman. It’s also my own love letter to LA, the city where I’ve been living for the past three years.’

‘I have known James Cahill for many years,’ added the book’s editor Marc Valli. ‘When commissioning him to write for Elephant magazine I was always struck by how he was able to combine in-depth art history with an understanding of the challenges face by living artists. He has since added a powerful string to his bow with fiction. In this new book, Cahill combines all three aspects of his work: great art history, strong characterization and a captivating narrative line.’

Isobel Dixon added: ‘With a single iconic painting as pivot, James Cahill takes us on a fascinating artworld journey – through David Hockney’s 1960s LA and the Hollywood Hills, tracing the making of a legend, probing the allure of collecting. All along the way this book has been in the safest of hands with Marc Valli and the dedicated, inspiring Thames & Hudson team in both the UK and the US. I’m delighted that readers around the world will be discovering the story of THE BEVERLY HILLS HOUSEWIFE soon.’

About James Cahill

James Cahill is a British author and critic. He originally studied classics and English at Magdalen College, Oxford, followed by a master’s degree in contemporary European art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, and a PhD in classics at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of critically acclaimed novels THE VIOLET HOUR (2025) and TIEPOLO BLUE (2022; shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and selected for H.M. The Queen’s Reading Room), and writes regularly for publications including Artforum, the Financial Times, the Times Literary Supplement and The Spectator. Cahill has curated several exhibitions spanning contemporary art and classical antiquity. He is based between London and Los Angeles.

Praise for James Cahill

‘The spirit of E.M. Forster is alive and well in James Cahill.’ – Edmund White

‘I’m overwhelmed by the beauty of James Cahill’s writing and storytelling.’ – Santanu Bhattacharya

‘Cahill writes with an artist’s attention to colour and detail, but also with an acute awareness of surface glitter, be it the gleaming facades of 21st-century London or the confected personas we present to each other and ourselves.’ – Claire Alfree

George Makana Clark’s spellbinding epic THE WRECKERS to lead Europa’s Autumn 2026 publishing

Credit: Rikki Clark

George Makana Clark’s extraordinary second novel THE WRECKERS has been acquired by Europa Editions as their lead title for Autumn 2026. Millie Guille and Michael Reynolds bought World English Rights from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency, and WF Howes and Recorded Books will simultaneously publish in audiobook.

Described as One Hundred Years of Solitude meets The Count of Monte Cristo, the O. Henry Prize-winning Makana Clark’s polyphonic narrative is a centuries-spanning tour de force and darkly funny revenge drama. Centred on the Last Will and Testament of Garoto Bárbaro de Castro, a mysterious document which is both a list of thirteen bequests and a record of Garoto’s life story, The Wreckers moves between Angola, Cuba, and Louisiana’s ‘Angola’ prison to examine the scars of the transatlantic slave trade, and the consequences of prolonged civil war.

THE WRECKERS will be published in the UK on 10 September 2026, shortly followed by the North American edition on 22 September.

‘THE WRECKERS is a wild and brutal story, populated by stubborn oddsters who press on in the face of their abandonment,’ said George. ‘I’m so grateful that my agent Isobel Dixon and Millie Guille and Michael Reynolds of Europa connected with it as they did, encouraging me to keep chasing down this sprawling, seven-headed-dragon of a novel. Europa is a dream publisher for this book, Millie a super-savvy editor and I can’t wait for it to be published!”

‘THE WRECKERS is incredibly ambitious and addictively brilliant, with the plots and subplots spilling and growing from each other like nesting dolls,’ added Millie Guille on behalf of Europa. ‘With echoes of Bolaño and Marquez, Makana Clark has written a modern classic.’

Isobel Dixon added: ‘George’s THE RAW MAN was a wonder, and I’m so thrilled that he’s now brought us the great gift of this raucous, capacious, powerful and startling novel. It feels right that Millie and Michael’s huge enthusiasm for THE WRECKERS is carrying it out into the world on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond. Readers are in for quite a journey.’

About George Makana Clark

George Makana Clark grew up in Zimbabwe and now lives in Portugal. Winner of an O. Henry Award and shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing, his work is included in The New Granta Book of the African Short Story. His debut novel, THE RAW MAN, was published by Jonathan Cape in 2011.  

Praise for THE RAW MAN

‘The wonderful, poetic voice, at once fantastic and realistic, stands out from contemporary African literature.’ – Alain Mabanckou

‘An extraordinary novel, and a work of rare conception, bringing together, within one individual, the painfully conflicted history of southern Africa.’ – Brian Chikwava

‘Mythic and dark and oracular.’ – Adam Johnson

Harry Whitehead’s WHITE ROAD longlisted for 2026 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize

WHITE ROAD – the ‘spellbinding’ arctic-set ecothriller by Harry Whitehead – has been longlisted for the tenth Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, awarded by The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation. The award celebrates the very best in paperback books, across a number of genres, ‘where adventure can be found’, in the spirit of the award’s co-founder, the late international-bestselling author Wilbur Smith.

WHITE ROAD – the thrilling, unforgettable story of two survivors of a devastating oil rig explosion in the high arctic, and the mystery behind the catastrophe – was published in September 2025 by indie publisher Claret Press, and audiobook publisher WF Howes, gaining plaudits from Liz Jensen, Mark Cocker and Eve Smith, who named the book one of her favourite reads of 2025 in the Daily Express.

‘It feels fortuitous to be celebrating a decade of adventure fiction in the National Year of Reading,’ said Niso Smith, prize founder, on the announcement of the longlist. ‘Adventure stories are a gateway into reading for both children and adults, but they can also offer devoted readers something new – as this expansive longlist does! Wilbur Smith shared over 60 years of his adventures with the world and now we’re proudly working with readers to celebrate and support the contemporary writers who are redefining the genre. The focus on paperback will allow us to bring adventure stories to even more readers, and to do so with such accomplished books is incredibly exciting. Congratulations to each of the authors!’

The shortlist will be announced on Thursday 28 May, and the winner will be announced at a reception at Foyles’ flagship Charing Cross Road bookshop on 17 September, with the victor taking home the trophy and a £10,000 prize. Previous winners include Costanza Casati, Francesca de Torres, Emma Styles, Abir Mukherjee and Stef Penney.

Congratulations Harry!

About WHITE ROAD

‘An intelligent, urgent, white-knuckle ride… a novel that will get you thinking, keep you guessing – and leave you reeling.’ – Liz Jensen

‘A compelling eco-thriller with big themes and an unforgiving icescape that’s a character in itself.’ – Eve Smith

‘A spellbinding adventure story, told with anger, wit and a sense of beauty.’ – Mat Coward, Morning Star

Only one knows the truth. Only one can reveal it. Only one can save them all…

Carrie, a Scottish rescue swimmer out of her depth in the High Arctic. Ross, the owner of an oil rig with a guilty conscience. Amaruq, an Inuvialuit oil-rig worker caught between two worlds.

Stranded on the Arctic ice with a starving polar bear and a half-dead stranger, Carrie’s left with nothing but deadly choices. Ross and Amaruq face their own crossroads. Lives hang on their decisions.

From the cruel Arctic to the corporate backrooms of shady Big Oil, WHITE ROAD is an authentic and gripping eco-thriller of survival, battled out at the edge of everything.

About Harry Whitehead

Harry Whitehead is a novelist and Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Leicester, where he directs the annual free literature festival, Literary Leicester. He has been a Wingate Scholar and an Eccles Centre Fellow in North American Studies at the British Library. Before academia, he lived for several years in the Far East before returning to the UK to work in the film business as an assistant director, location manager and, latterly, a story consultant.

His debut novel, THE CANNIBAL SPIRIT (Penguin Canada) is a work of literary historical fiction set among the First Peoples of Canada at the turn of the twentieth century. The product of some fifteen years of historical and ethnographic research, it was reviewed as ‘powerful, brave, ambitious’ (The Globe and Mail), ‘a thriller with a Joseph Conradian plot’ (The Walrus), ‘a unique work, compelling, complex, thought-provoking and impressive’ (Quill and Quire).

His second novel, WHITE ROAD, a literary thriller set in the High Arctic, was published in September 2025 by Claret Press and WF Howes.

Visit Harry’s website

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GUNNER by Alan Parks longlisted for 2026 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award

Edgar Award and McIlvanney Prize-winning author Alan Parks has received his second consecutive nomination – and third overall – for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, this time with his World War Two thriller GUNNER. The award is given by a votes from both the votes from the Theakston Crime Academy and the general public – you can cast your ballot for Alan and GUNNER via the official Theakston Old Peculier Crime Award website from now until Thursday 28 May at 23:59 BST.

Presented as part of Harrogate’s annual Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, to be held from 23-26 July 2026, the award celebrates excellence, originality and the very best in crime fiction from UK and Irish authors. The winner – following in the footsteps of recent victors Mick Herron, Val McDermid, Denise Mina, Chris Whitaker and Abir Mukherjee – will be revealed on Thursday 23 July, the opening night of the Festival, and will receive £3,000 and a handmade, engraved beer barrel.

GUNNER marks its third prize nomination, following nods for the CWA Historical Dagger and the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year.

Alan Parks’s GUNNER was published by John Murray’s Baskerville imprint in the UK last year and made its debut last month in North America, where it’s published by Pegasus Books and garnered starred reviews from Publishers’ Weekly and Booklist. GUNNER will soon be followed by Book Two in the trilogy, DECEPTION, which whisks Joseph Gunner from Blitz-torn Glasgow to the streets of 1941 New York, following Gunner as he is drawn into a Secret Service conspiracy to lead the Americans into the war – no matter what the cost. Baskerville publish DECEPTION in the UK on 2 July, followed by Pegasus Books in North America on 1 September.

Rights to GUNNER have also sold in Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

Congratulations Alan!

About GUNNER

‘Great storytelling… I loved it’ – Peter James

‘Great stuff… a vivid sense of place and time and what a main character!’ – Ian Rankin

‘In this superb historical espionage thriller, Parks excels at capturing the brutality of war… Gunner, meanwhile, is a clever, endearing hero whose personal and professional baggage have enough heft to sustain future instalments. This is a winner.’ – starred review, Publishers’ Weekly

March, 1941. Joseph Gunner is back on the streets of Glasgow after being wounded on the front lines in France.

Keeping the pain in his leg at bay with the help of morphine, Gunner, a former detective, is hoping to keep his head down as the Luftwaffe begin bombing Glasgow.

But when he runs into his old boss Drummond, he is persuaded to help examine a body found in the wreckage. When the body turns out to be that of a German, mutilated to disguise his identity, Gunner reluctantly agrees to investigate.

As Gunner begins to hunt for the truth he runs into old flames, bitter enemies, before finding himself embroiled in a high-level conspiracy that reaches far beyond his hometown of Glasgow.

Partly inspired by the true story of Rudolph Hess's secret mission to broker appeasement with Britain during WWII, GUNNER is an atmospheric and addictive new thriller from one of Britain's best-loved writers.

Credit: Euan Robertson

About Alan Parks

Alan was born in Scotland and attended The University of Glasgow where he was awarded a M.A. in Moral Philosophy. He still lives and works in the city that is so vividly depicted in the 1970s setting of his Harry McCoy thrillers – and now in his WWII GUNNER series too!

He was Creative Director at London Records in the mid 1990’s, then at Warner Music, where he created ground-breaking campaigns for artists including All Saints, New Order, The Streets, Gnarls Barclay and Cee Lo Green. His debut novel BLOODY JANUARY propelled him onto the international literary crime fiction scene immediately and his work has been sold in many languages and recognised by critics and prize judges alike.

BLOODY JANUARY was shortlisted for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière; FEBRUARY’S SON was nominated for an Edgar Award; BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER won the 2022 Edgar Award for Paperback Original, the 2023 Prix Mystère de la Critique and was shortlisted for the Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel as well as being a The Times ‘Best Book of the Year’ pick; THE APRIL DEAD was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year in 2021, which MAY GOD FORGIVE won in 2022. MAY GOD FORGIVE was shortlisted for the 2023 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and longlisted for the 2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. His work is translated into ten languages and film/TV rights have been optioned.

Praise for Alan Parks

‘One of the great Scottish crime writers’ – The Times

‘Tipped to become an enduring classic of tartan noir.’ – Sunday Post

‘Dark and gritty… Gripping.’ – Crime Monthly

‘A brilliant series’ – Sunday Times Crime Club

‘Bloody and brilliant’ – Louise Welsh (on BLOODY JANUARY)

‘Pitch-black Tartan noir: bleak, but with an emotional heart that's hard to ignore.’ – Daily Mail (on FEBRUARY’S SON)

‘Manoeuvering through the mean streets of Glasgow, the morally ambiguous, deeply flawed McCoy makes an ideal antihero.’ – Publishers Weekly (on BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER, Edgar Prize Winner 2022)

‘Altogether one of the best police thrillers of the last few years.’ – Morning Star (on THE APRIL DEAD)

Visit Alan’s website

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