Sceptre to publish 'raw, uncompromising and intensely lyrical' Natasha Carthew’s new non-fiction ROUGH EDGES

Acclaimed writer, poet and activist Natasha Carthew’s fierce and powerful new non-fiction title, ROUGH EDGES: WHERE LAND MEETS WATER, THE UNTOLD STORIES OF COASTLINE COMMUNITIES has been acquired by Sceptre. Editorial Director at Sceptre, Charlotte Humphery will publish the book after Hannah Black acquired UK and Commonwealth rights (exc. Canada) from Juliet Pickering. ROUGH EDGES will be available in in hardback, export trade paperback, ebook and audio digital download on 4 June 2026.

Following on from Natasha’s Nero Prize shortlisted memoir, UNDERCURRENT, ROUGH EDGES is a rallying cry for the beauty and importance of our coast and its people. Beyond the picture postcards, Britain’s coastal communities are suffering. Crowds flood the beaches during summer heatwaves, but quickly vanish again, leaving behind litter and unstable seasonal jobs. Seaside property is in high demand but affordable only for landlords and gentrifiers. The cost-of-living crisis and the ongoing pains of austerity trap those at the vulnerable edges of our nation in poverty.

Having grown up in rural Cornwall, Natasha Carthew leaves the county in search of a new home. Travelling the country and exploring the villages, towns and cities of our coast, she meets the people fighting to keep these places alive. With fierce compassion, she shares their voices and their stories.

Charlotte Humphery says: ‘Natasha is a remarkable force on the page and in the world, and I’m proud to be working with her on this vital new book. Whether exploring coastal cities or walking country paths, she traces economic shifts, the cost of austerity and considers the past and the future of these places under threat by climate change, gentrification and political expediency. Journeying across the country, she gives voice to those often ignored and finds hope in the persistence of coastal communities and those who live on our nation’s edges.’

Natasha Carthew says: ‘I’m delighted to be able to call Sceptre the home for my new non-fiction ROUGH EDGES, and I couldn’t wish for anyone better to guide me along the urban edges of our coastline than Charlotte, an editor who is a compassionate, considerate and curious, ensuring that the voices of our nation, especially those of the working-class, are heard loud and clear.’

About Natasha Carthew

Natasha Carthew is a Cornish working-class writer, poet and activist. She is the author of ten books, most recently UNDERCURRENT: A CORNISH MEMOIR OF POVERTY, NATURE AND RESILIENCE (2023), which was shortlisted for the non-fiction prize at the inaugural Nero Book Awards. She has also contributed to HAG: FORGOTTEN TALES (2020) and WOMEN ON NATURE: 100+ VOICES ON PLACE, LANDSCAPE & THE NATURAL WORLD (2021) and BOG PEOPLE: A WORKING-CLASS ANTHOLOGY OF FOLK HORROR (2025).

Natasha has written extensively on nature and socio-economics, and frequently discusses how authentic rural working-class writing is represented, for several publications and programmes including BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, The Guardian, The Bookseller, Book Brunch, The Big Issue and The Economist.

Natasha is also the Founder and Director of The Working Class Writers Festival and Common Ground Nature Prize for Working Class Writers.

Praise for Natasha Carthew

‘Natasha writes with a vivid, imagistic language’ – The Financial Times

‘Carthew is an elegantly lyrical writer’ – The Independent

‘Gripping stuff, Carthew’s prose has a startling ferocity’ – The Telegraph

‘Carthew’s is a different voice: sinewy and inventive’ – Patrick Gale

‘The rhythm of the language is hypnotic, and the powerful imagery of Natasha’s prose takes over. The raw energy and beauty of the landscapes are particularly well-evoked’ – Daily Mail

‘A real thing of beauty. The innovative structure and striking illustrations combine to create a verbal and visual feast. The reader feels like they are down in the darkness of mine and eavesdropping on the past’ – Cathy Rentzenbrink

‘Carthew’s writing is raw, uncompromising and intensely lyrical’ – Bookanista

‘Rough and taciturn and frank and, at times, utterly shocking. But Natasha’s writing is also deeply, deeply intimate’ – The Bookbag

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Karen Campbell’s ‘beautiful, uplifting’ THIS BRIGHT LIFE shortlisted for Scotland’s National Book Awards

UPDATE: we are delighted to announce that Karen Campbell’s THIS BRIGHT LIFE has advanced to the shortlist for the Best Fiction prize at Scotland’s National Book Awards, presented by the Saltire Society.

Also nominated are Sean Lusk (A WOMAN OF OPINION), Chris McQueer (HERMIT), Michael Pederson (MUCKLE FLUGGA), Krystelle Bamford (IDLE GROUNDS) and Chris Kohler (PHANTOM LIMB).

‘These titles explore pressing issues and remake and challenge long traditions, with great characterisation, luscious language and a good dollop of straight-up craziness,’ wrote the judges on Instagram, announcing the shortlist. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 19th November at a ceremony at Edinburgh’s Central Hall, hosted by Coinneach Macleod. 

Congratulations again to Karen! For more information about THIS BRIGHT LIFE and the awards, please read on.

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THIS BRIGHT LIFE – the ninth novel by Karen Campbell – has been included on the longlist for this year’s Best Fiction prize at Scotland’s National Book Awards, presented by the Saltire Society. One of the world’s oldest running prizes for literature, first awarded in 1937, Scotland’s National Book Awards celebrate the very best of Scottish writing across five categories – Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, First Book and Research – the winners of each competing for the overall Book of the Year prize.

‘Witty and incisive, this is a quirky and compassionate novel centred on a brilliantly realised child character,’ said the judges on THIS BRIGHT LIFE, calling it ‘a deft and empathetic exploration of lives fallen between the cracks.’

THIS BRIGHT LIFE tells the intertwined stories of twelve-year-old Gerard, widower Margaret, and social worker Claire as a terrible decision brings together their three messy lives in order to heal, mend, and build again. The novel was published by Canongate in March 2025, with an audiobook simultaneously published by Bolinda. It earned rave reviews from the likes of Janice Hallett  (‘Ultimately life-affirming, this gritty novel will take you to dark places, but it’s one beautiful, uplifting journey’) and Kirstin Innes (‘Karen Campbell finds lives that can fall between the cracks, and holds them up to the light of her clear, compassionate writing’), as well as The Scotsman and The Herald. A paperback will be published by Canongate in March 2026, and a Turkish translation by Nemesis is forthcoming.

Longlisted for Best Fiction alongside Karen are Sean Lusk (A WOMAN OF OPINION), Chris McQueer (HERMIT), Michael Pederson (MUCKLE FLUGGA), Angie Spoto (THE BONE DIVER), Richard Strachan (THE UNRECOVERED), James Yorkston (TOMMY THE BRUCE), Selali Fiamanya (BEFORE WE HIT THE GROUND), Krystelle Bamford (IDLE GROUNDS) and Chris Kohler (PHANTOM LIMB). The shortlists will be announced in October, ahead of the awards ceremony in late November.

Congratulations Karen!

About THIS BRIGHT LIFE

Margaret – an elderly widow who just wants to be left with her memories and her quiet, contained life.

Claire – newly divorced, downsizing into the neighbourhood and way too busy to mend a broken heart.

Gerard – a tearaway twelve-year-old who hates his name but loves his little brother and sister. Gerard is a bright kid, but trouble always follows him. No one really knows what it's like at home; he's used to carrying a lot on his small shoulders.

Gerard doesn't always make good decisions. One morning, he makes a very bad one, upending not just his world, but the lives of Margaret and Claire too. Both heart-breaking and life-affirming, THIS BRIGHT LIFE is a story of messy lives, second chances and the many hands it takes to build a boy.

Photo: Kim Ayers

About Karen Campbell

Karen Campbell is originally from Glasgow but now lives in southwest Scotland. She graduated with distinction from Glasgow University’s Creative Writing Masters and won an SAC New Writers Award and a Creative Scotland Bursary. Before turning to writing, she was a police officer in Glasgow, then press officer with Glasgow City Council. She also tutors in creative writing and was Writer in Residence at Dumfries & Galloway Council during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Her first four novels focus on life behind the police uniform. This disconnect between what we see on the surface and the reality underneath runs through much of her work, with Karen going on to write novels such as THIS IS WHERE I AM (Bloomsbury, 2013), which was a Radio 4 Book at Bedtime.  Her eighth novel PAPER CUP (Canongate, 2022) was a Waterstone’s Scottish Book of the Month and won the 2023 Blairgowrie Bookmark Prize. Karen’s appeared on Radio 4 Women’s Hour, Radio 3’s The Verb, Radio Scotland and BBC television’s Big Scottish Book Club.

Praise for THIS BRIGHT LIFE

‘THIS BRIGHT LIFE is a moving, haunting portrait of childhood and the jagged reflections of one tiny action in the kaleidoscope of humanity. Karen Campbell captures the voice of 12-year-old Gerard with poignant accuracy and her words paint pictures with the touch of an old master. Ultimately life-affirming, this gritty novel will take you to dark places, but it’s one beautiful, uplifting journey.’ – Janice Hallett 

‘I love this story so much. Karen writes with such a rare and deep understanding of people and every word of her stories earns its keep. THIS BRIGHT LIFE is dark, moving and compassionate… it makes you feel hopeful, like a handrail in the dark. I adore it’ – Joanna Cannon

‘Karen Campbell finds lives that can fall between the cracks, and holds them up to the light of her clear, compassionate writing. Wee Gerard is yet another one of her brilliant creations – so real you can hear him breathing, feel his hurt and frustration alongside him.’ – Kirstin Innes

‘A novel of great empathy and humanity, in which bleakness is offset by optimism, represented by the community that rallies around, the stranger who wants to help and the possibility of redemption.’ – Alastair Mabbot, The Herald

‘Few write with such compassion and understanding of human nature, which is just one of the reasons her books mean so much to her readers. THIS BRIGHT LIFE looks back to childhood and how decisions made, and resultant events, impact on individuals and those around them. Karen Campbell manages to convey the drama of people’s everyday lives in the most empathetic and beautiful way.’ – Alastair Braidwood, SNACK Magazine, ‘Ten Books for 2025’

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Rachel Blackmore’s ‘powerful and deeply affecting’ COSTANZA longlisted for Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown award

COSTANZA – Rachel Blackmore’s acclaimed Renaissance Rome-set debut novel – has been longlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown award. The prestigious HWA Awards celebrate the best historical writing, fiction and non-fiction, and its ability to engage, illuminate, entertain and inform legions of readers. To be considered, the bulk of the work must take place at least thirty-five years prior to publication.

‘Hypnotic, sensual, heartbreaking, and shocking, COSTANZA is flawless in execution and is set to be a classic for years to come,’ wrote the HWA in their statement. ‘A rich and compelling evocation of art and obsession in 17th-century Rome.’

A passionate feminist retelling of a true seventeenth-century tale, COSTANZA brings the tragic muse of famed sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini to vivid life. The novel was published by Renegade Books in August 2024, with a paperback published worldwide in July earlier this year, and translation rights have so far sold in eight languages. Rachel’s next novel will be published by Renegade Books in Summer 2026.

Longlisted alongside Rachel are THE WICKED OF THE EARTH by A. D. Bergin, THE INSTRUMENTALIST by Harriet Constable (Bloomsbury), NEPTHYS by Rachel Louise Driscoll (Harvill Secker), MURDER IN CONSTANTINOPLE by A.E. Goldin (Pushkin Press), WINTER OF SHADOWS by Clare Grant (Black Spring Crime), A POISONER’S TALE by Cathryn Kemp (Bantam), SPITTING GOLD by Carmella Lowkis (Doubleday), THE EIGHTS by Joanna Miller (Fig Tree), A LITTLE TRICKERIE by Rosanna Pike (Fig Tree), THEY DREAM IN GOLD by Mai Sennaar (Picador), and A CASE OF MICE AND MURDER by Sally Smith (Bloomsbury).

The winner will follow in the footsteps of last year’s honouree, Blake Friedmann’s own Bridget Walsh, who was recognised for her Victorian London crime novel THE TUMBLING GIRL, and 2023 winner THE SECRET DIARIES OF CHARLES IGNATIUS SANCHO by Paterson Joseph. The shortlists will be announced on 15 October, ahead of the awards ceremony in Central London on 19 November 2025.

Congratulations Rachel!

About COSTANZA

Rome, 1636: In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin... Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.

Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.

When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair - and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.

Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza's story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise...

History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story. Based on a true story, COSTANZA brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history.

Photo: Nicolas Laborie

About Rachel Blackmore

Born in Birmingham the daughter of a theatre director and a teacher, Rachel developed her love of language and storytelling at a young age. She went on to study Early Modern History, before embarking on a career in politics which morphed into a long bout as a speechwriter – a craft she now teaches.

Rachel spent more than a decade working and raising a family, before taking a career break to write historical fiction about marginalised women, as a way of looking at contemporary issues.

In 2021 she was a runner up in Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition and won the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair in 2022. Her debut novel, COSTANZA, a historical novel set in Renaissance Rome telling the story of Costanza Piccolomini, the muse of Bernini, was published by Dialogue Books imprint Renegade in August 2024.

She lives in London with her three teenagers, two cats and one dog.

Praise for COSTANZA

‘Spent my week immersed in this stunning piece of historical fiction, COSTANZA… This gorgeous, intimate portrayal of Costanza herself, reminded me of THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT in its melding of art & artistry with the lives of the women of the time’ – Jennie Godfrey

‘Wonderful… This novel took over my life for the time I was buried in it. Powerful and deeply affecting storytelling bringing us a new perspective on a famous story’ – Paterson Joseph

‘Sumptuous, immersive and bold, Costanza breathes life into a woman frozen in marble for three hundred years, finally giving her a chance to speak… Costanza is both a cathartic cry and a clarion call for justice for generations of forgotten women’ – Hesse Phillips

‘COSTANZA by Rachel Blackmore is a mesmerising, powerful tale of a young woman’s seeming rise to power and riches as the muse of a famous artist, only to come crashing down as his true nature is revealed.’ – Laura Shepperson

‘The substance, the textures the feel of the city was so immediate and immersive. It’s one of those historical novels that transports the reader straight to the time and place… A fabulous, evocative novel with plenty of food for thought.’ – Elizabeth Chadwick

‘I was mesmerised by COSTANZA, a searing, fierce tale of obsession, revenge, and resilience. Blackmore’s lush, sensuous prose evokes seventeenth-century Rome superbly, from its seamy underbelly to the glamourous Bernini circle. An unforgettable debut novel.’ – Naomi Kelsey

‘A shocking story… It is most persuasively written, obviously deeply felt and the detail is excellent. Quite apart from anything else, I will look at Bernini in a new light.’ – Elizabeth Buchan

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Kat Lister’s beguiling exploration of art, FRAGILE BODIES, won at auction by Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Credit: Grace Gelder

Kat Lister’s new non-fiction book FRAGILE BODIES: Art Born of Bodily Trauma, exploring the impact of physical adversity on the lives of seven extraordinary artists who confronted and transformed their suffering into creativity. Jenny Lord, Executive Publisher of Orion Literary, won UK and Commonwealth rights in Kat Lister’s in a hotly-contested auction, from Juliet Pickering at Blake Friedmann. FRAGILE BODIES will be published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in Spring 2027.

‘What a privilege it is to be delving into the lives of these extraordinary artists whose stories tell us so much about what makes us human,’ said Kat. ‘Using my own history as a gentle guiding hand, I am keen to delve into the complexities of this sensitive subject, its shadows and light. I can't think of a better home for Fragile Bodies than at W&N, under the matchless stewardship of Jenny Lord who has worked with so many writers who have inspired me over the years.’

‘Kat is a beautiful writer with the mind of a magpie and I was utterly seduced by her beguiling investigation,’ added Jenny Lord. ‘I am so looking forward to collaborating with her at W&N.’

Art can be a response to pain, a way of making sense of the body when it turns against itself. From Henri Matisse’s cut-outs, created when he was no longer able to hold a paintbrush or stand at his easel, to the fragmentary hope of Derek Jarman’s garden in the years he spent living with HIV, via the ephemerality of Eva Hesse’s tragically curtailed sculptural life, these stories illuminate the fragile interplay between the body’s betrayals and the soul’s resilience. Through biography, cultural criticism and personal reflection, Lister explores how bodies in crisis can yield unexpected beauty – and how art can offer resistance when words or medicine fall short.

Drawing on her own experience of illness and grief, as both patient and caregiver, Lister weaves her story into those of her subjects to ask: how does trauma influence the act of creation? What are the ethics of turning pain into art? And how do we understand creativity when the body becomes a battleground? FRAGILE BODIES is a meditation on vulnerability, resilience and the human drive to create meaning – even in life’s harshest moments.

About Kat Lister

Kat Lister is a writer and editor who has worked in magazine media for nearly two decades. She began her career as a music journalist and went on to specialise in global women’s issues, writing for publications including Vice, Vogue and The Feminist Times. She regularly writes essays, arts features and profiles for an array of publications including the Guardian, the Observer, the i paper, the Independent, The Quietus and The Big Issue. Her first book, THE ELEMENTS: A WIDOWHOOD, was published 2021 by Icon Books.

Praise for THE ELEMENTS

‘A vivid, painful but beautiful articulation of grief… a deeply moving and thoughtful book.’ – Sinéad Gleeson

‘It knocked me for six: the honesty in it, the frankness, the detail, the research, the feeling, and such stunning writing … it’s not just about losing someone. It’s about rebuilding.’ – Jude Rogers

‘A staggering book. Kat writes with such hypnotic lyricism.’ – Terri White, author of COMING UNDONE

‘Masterfully crafted… the author lays out her heartbreaking grief in poetic paragraphs that will stay with her readers for days.’ – Booklist

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Diane Abbott and Kathryn Faulke both shortlisted for 2025 Royal Society of Literature Christopher Bland Prize

Two Blake Friedmann authors, Diane Abbott and Kathryn Faulke, have made the shortlist for this year’s Christopher Bland Prize, awarded by the Royal Society of Literature. The £10,000 prize recognises the best debut works, in any form or genre, by a writer over the age of 50, with previous winners including Raynor Winn (THE SALT PATH), Paterson Joseph (THE SECRET DIARIES OF CHARLES IGNATIOUS SANCHO) and last year’s honouree Chidi Ebere (NOW I AM HERE). The judges selecting the shortlist this year were Margaret Busby, Reverend Richard Coles and Jacqueline Wilson.

Diane is recognised for her memoir A WOMAN LIKE ME, a fierce, witty and moving account of her Windrush-generation family, and her journey from becoming the first elected Black female Member of Parliament in the UK, to her current position as Mother of the House. The book was named one of the best politics titles of 2024 by both Waterstones and The Sunday Times, and one of the best biographies of the year by The Guardian. ‘Her memoir is a lesson in brilliance, tenacity, activism & commitment to being a force for good in our country’, wrote RSL President Bernardine Evaristo, ‘buy the book, read about the struggles she's faced (you can imagine!) and be inspired by her incredible resilience and passion for politics’. The book was published in paperback by Penguin in March 2025, and is also available in audiobook, narrated by Diane herself.

Kathryn is shortlisted for EVERY KIND OF PEOPLE: A Journey Into the Heart of Carework, a vivid, poignant and unforgettable memoir recounting the author’s experiences as a careworker in London, celebrating humanity and compassion in the face of hardship. Serialised on BBC Radio 4 as their Book of the Week, Kathryn’s story has touched thousands with its warmth, humour and tenderness. ‘Not just essential reading for anyone curious about the realities of care work in this country; it’s also the work of a natural storyteller, and a book full of empathy, humour, and – yes – care,’ wrote Jon McGregor, author of IF NOBODY SPEAKS OF REMARKABLE THINGS; ‘this book is both beautiful and painful to read; beautiful because of its celebration of the human, but painful because we live in a time where caring is idealised but not rewarded or supported,’ agreed Gwen Adshead (THE DEVIL YOU KNOW). ‘This book is a compassionate invitation to get up close to the human condition and those who attend to it.’

On the announcement of the shortlisting, Kathryn Faulke said: ‘Words cannot begin to express how thrilled I am at learning that EVERY KIND OF PEOPLE has been shortlisted for the prestigious RSL Christopher Bland Prize. I am jumping for joy inside and out that a book about care, the profession I love, has been deemed worthy of such an honour. I have written all my life and to have this happen after all those writing years is just wonderful. I am deeply grateful.’

Also nominated for this year’s award are A BOOKSHOP OF ONE’S OWN by Jane Cholmeley, THE DIARIES OF MR LUCAS by Hugo Greenhalgh, THE PAGES OF THE SEA by Anne Hawk and TREES IN WINTER by Richard Shimell. The winner will be announced in an online event on Monday, 9 June 2025.

Congratulations Diane and Kathryn!