Manu Joseph’s SERIOUS MEN shortlisted for ALOA Prize.

SERIOUS MEN is published in the UK by John Murray, by Harpercollins in Canada and India, and has been sold in Brazil (Record), Denmark (Thaning & Appel), Germany (Klett Cotta & Suhrkamp), Holland (Podium), Italy (Edizioni Dedalo), Serbia (Laguna), and Spain (El Aleph). The novel won The Hindu Best Fiction Award 2010 and the PEN Open Book Award last year.

Manu Joseph will be in the UK for launch of his second novel, THE ILLICIT HAPPINESS OF OTHER PEOPLE, which will be published in August 2012 by John Murray. He will be in conversation with Patrick French at Asia House in London on 22 August. Manu is the editor of the Indian newsweekly, OPEN, and a columnist with The International Herald Tribune, the global edition of The New York Times.

Michiel Heyns, Henrietta Rose-Innes and Hugh Lewin on the Sunday Times fiction and non-fiction shortlists.

Michiel Heyns, Henrietta Rose-Innes and Hugh Lewin are on the Sunday Times fiction and non-fiction shortlists. The shortlist for the Sunday Times Fiction Prize was announced on the 12th May 2012 at the Franschhoek Literary Festival.

The fiction list features Henrietta Rose-Innes (Nineveh), Yewande Omotoso (Bom Boy), Adam Schwartzman (Eddie Signwriter),  Michiel Heyns (Lost Ground) and debut novelist HJ Golakai (The Lazarus Effect).

The shortlist for the Sunday Times Alan Paton Award was announced on the same evening and this year sees six titles on a shortlist usually limited to five. The list includes Andrew Feinstein (The Shadow World), Anton Harber (Diepsloot), Jonny Steinberg (Little Liberia) , Mandy Wiener (Killing Kebble), McIntosh Polela (My Father, My Monster) and Hugh Lewin (Stones Against the Mirror).

The winners of each prize, awarded last year to Ronnie Kasrils for The Unlikely Secret Agent and to Sifiso Mzobe for Young Blood, will be announced at an awards ceremony in Johannesburg on 21 June.

Praise for LOST GROUND:
Also shortlisted for Herman Charles Bosman Prize 2012
'The short review of this book is simply this: it's remarkable ...It's hard to know how Michiel Heyns does it - he is part magician, part juggler and fine linguist.' --Jane Rosenthal, Mail & Guardian

'A whodunit with a difference…The surprising end is the cherry on top. Read this book.' -- Dries Brunt, The Citizen
'The style is a remarkable combination of erudite and accessible. How many writers can achieve that?…Razor-sharp satire…It's wildly entertaining, and I suspect that it will delight a very wide range of readers.' -- Maya Fowler, book.co.za.

Praise for NINEVEH:
'A gripping, thrilling allegory of a troubled nation, NINEVEH is executed with wit, panache, precision and something that I can only call wounded love for the country the author calls her home.' -- Neel Mukherjee, author of A LIFE APART

'This is a thought-provoking, densely imagined work of fiction in which no detail is out of place. It is a seamless and unusual blend of different modes of writing - the comic, the gothic and the social realist. It will appeal to any reader willing to ask questions and probe beneath the surface of our familiar urban reality.' -- Rob Gaylard, Cape Argus

'This wonderful novel may be about dysfunctional families and pestilence but it's loaded with sly, dark humour and would make a great comedy film. You can't help loving the Grubbs clan with all their faults and the depiction of Nineveh as some kind of biblical theme park adds an element of magical realism. A hugely entertaining read from this talented SA writer.' -- Willem Moeller, YOU Magazine

Praise for STONES AGAINST THE MIRROR:
'Written with incredible grace and insight.' -- Ivan Vladislavic

'Hugh Lewin's astounding new book titled STONES AGAINST THE MIRROR tells the most touching story of two intimate friends who decide to join the fight against apartheid in the 1960s.  What the beautiful story of these two men demonstrates is that it is still possible to find forgiveness, healing and reconciliation before it's too late . . . This is by far the best book written and published in 2011, and I would be very surprised if it did not win the Alan Paton award for non-fiction in 2012.' -- Jonathan Jansen, The Times

'Hugh Lewin weaves a powerful tale, showing a master craftsman at work... a deeply moving memoir' -- Nalini Naidoo, The Witness

THE CORNISH HOUSE, Liz Fenwick’s debut novel, is launched!

The debut novel of Liz Fenwick, THE CORNISH HOUSE was launched yesterday, 24 May, with a fabulous party at High Street Kensington's Waterstones. The room was adorned with Cornish flags, posters and displays of the book and guests were served delicious Cornish pasties too! A huge crowd came to toast the novel with several of Liz's friends, family and members of the Romantic Novelists' Association present - it was a great evening!  Many author friends came to celebrate with Liz, including Judy Astley, Elizabeth Buchan, Marika Cobbold, Julie Cohen, Lesley Cookman, Christina Courtenay, Jean Fullerton, Henriette Gyland, Jenny Haddon, Fiona Harper, Kate Harrison, Bernardine Kennedy, Beryl Kingston, Sue Moorcroft, Adele Parks, Talli Roland and Stephanie Zia.

THE CORNISH HOUSE is published by Orion:

When artist Maddie inherits a house in Cornwall shortly after the death of her husband, she hopes it will be the fresh start she and her teenage step-daughter Hannah desperately need. Trevenen is beautiful but neglected, a rambling house steeped in history. Maddie is enchanted by it and determined to learn as much as she can about its past. As she discovers the stories of generations of women who've lived there before, Maddie begins to feel her life is somehow intertwined within its walls.

But Maddie's dream of a calm life is far from the reality she faces. Still struggling with her grief and battling with Hannah, Maddie is unable to find inspiration for her painting and realises she may have to sell Trevenen, just as she is coming to love it.   As Maddie and Hannah pull at the seams of Trevenen's past, the house reveals secrets that have lain hidden for generations. Can a house heal a broken heart?

Praise for THE CORNISH HOUSE:

'An intriguing, deeply felt and poignant story, stuffed with insight and observation.' -- Elizabeth Buchan

'Intriguing with a great sense of place.  The perfect 'Cornish' holiday read.' -- Katie Fforde

A roar of approval as TARZAN helps the apes

Faber and Faber, the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate and Blake Friedmann author, Andy Briggs, have donated over £2,500 to the EAZA Year of the Ape Campaign through sales of TARZAN: THE GREYSTOKE LEGACY.

With the funding provided EAZA can ensure to reach their aim to make a significant and lasting contribution to the continued survival of apes
and their habitats.

The sequel to TARZAN: THE GREYSTOKE LEGACY is published by Faber in July 2012.

Praise for TARZAN: THE GREYSTOKE LEGACY
'I fell in love with Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan when I was 11 years old, and was jealous when he married that silly Jane. I would have been even more jealous of the Jane in TARZAN: THE GREYSTOKE LEGACY - she is not silly at all!  And what a stroke of brilliance to transform Tarzan into an eco-warrior. The Lord of the Jungle is with us still.' -- Dr Jane Goodall

'Tarzan is back with a bloodcurdling roar! An epic re-book of the classic series.' -- Eoin Colfer, author of ARTEMIS FOWL

'CRACKING jungle adventure with the one and only, all- time best eco-warrior, Tarzan.' -- MG Harris, author of THE JOSHUA FILES

'Wow! All the things I loved about the original Tarzan books rebooted for modern-day Africa, with a plot that will whisk you off your feet and swing you through the trees at breakneck speed.' -- Roderick Gordon, author of TUNNELS

'This is a lion-roaring read of an adventure that seized me from the first page and refused to let go.The action is breathless, the characters are enthralling and the environmental message is vital. Tarzan is not only stunningly reborn, he is more relevant today than he ever was.' -- Chris Bradford, author of YOUNG SAMURAI

'A hero that doesn't have special powers, can't do magic, and isn't an angel? Andy's Tarzan doesn't need them; he kicks ass from the moment he appears in the first chapter.' -- David Gatward, author of THE DEAD, THE DARK, THE DAMNED

'An awesome African adventure. The legend of Tarzan is in great hands.' -- Steve Feasey, author of CHANGELING

'A white-knuckle adventure worthy of Burroughs at his best. Andy Briggs' Tarzan is a stunning achievement.' -- William Hussey, author of WITCHFINDER

Andy Briggs’ LEGENDARY enters production

Andy Briggs' 3D action adventure film LEGENDARY, set in the world of 'Cryptozoology', went into production this month.

The film follows Travis Preston, our heroic cryptozoologist, as he is called to investigate a series of unexplained deaths at a remote construction site. Rumours abound that the cause is a legendary lake monster. Preston, in competition with the ruthless Harker, struggles to prove the monster is more than myth. As the death toll mounts, Preston's suspicions are confirmed: not only is the beast real, but it preys on human flesh.

The film stars action legend Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, The Expendables) and Scott Adkins (The Expendables 2, The Bourne Ultimatum) is directed by Eric Styles (Relative Values, True True Lie). It is slated for a 2013 release. It is produced by Midsummer Films.