Mari Hannah to feature in Read Regional Campaign

Mari Hannah is selected as one of 13 writers to feature in the annual Read Regional campaign, which is designed to encourage local readers to read books from local authors. Read Regional campaign is supported by New Writing North, the writing and reading development agency for the north of England. The writers will be involved in promotional events in libraries and bookshops throughout the North.

The Read Regional campaign started in 2008 and has been successfully running ever since. The campaign starts in October 2012 until Spring 2013. The campaign is in partnership with 23 libraries across the North East, Yorkshire and Humberside. The 13 writers, both novelists and poets, will also feature in a free Read Regional booklet, which will include information about their books and details of the events. Over 30,000 copies of the booklet will be distributed across the region. You can find out more information on the Read Regional campaign here.

Mari Hannah's debut novel THE MURDER WALL was published last year by Macmillan and her second, SETTLED BLOOD, is due in November 2012.

A personal and touching launch event for JOHN SATURNALL’S FEAST

There wasn't a dry eye at the personal launch event for JOHN SATURNALL'S FEAST at Lawrence Norfolk's home - or a less than satisfied palate. Celebrating the launch of JOHN SATURNALL'S FEAST, Lawrence enjoyed the night with friends, family and delectable food to satisfy epicurean tastes as David Moore, friend and owner of Pied-a-Terre a 2-Michelin starred restaurant in Charlotte Street, catered the stylish event.

Bloomsbury publisher, Alexandra Pringle, gave a heartfelt and warming introduction to Lawrence and will host a formal launch party on her houseboat later this week. Lawrence then made a speech of such generosity in which he movingly thanked his mother (who passed away in December) his wife and his agent Carole Blake as the 3 women who had sustained him throughout the book.

JOHN SATURNALL'S FEAST has had an overwhelming positive response and we are overjoyed for Lawrence's continuous success.

Praise for JOHN SATURNALL'S FEAST:

'A lyrical tale of historical havoc set in the English Civil War, with cookery as salvation.'
Eithne Farry, Marie Claire

'All of Lawrence Norfolk's novels - there have been two others since his spectacular debut, LEMPRIERE'S DICTIONARY, in 1991 - give the reader food for thought. However his latest offering is stuffed with thoughts about food… in Norfolk's skilful hands, there is no danger of verbal indigestion. JOHN SATURNALL'S FEAST is the most accessible of his works.  A grown-up fairy tale - complete with pretty pictures …Norfolk knows how to make words roll around the mouth…even if cherries don't bake your cake there is plenty of other delights on offer…Fantastical architecture and weird botany are a vivid background to the bloody conflict and swooning romance. Norfolk is an expert on obscure sources as well as sauces.  His blend of horrid history and oddly credible fantasy deserves to be consumed by the masses.' -- Mark Sanderson, The Sunday Telegraph

'A book to lose oneself in. The beautiful writing draws you in; the entrancing story keeps you there. Brilliant, evocative…a sumptuous feast for the soul.' -- Jane Sharp, Waterstones Watford

'Dense in research and intellectual ambition…Norfolk's novels have always expanded their readers' vocabularies, and JOHN SATURNALL'S FEAST is no exception…What may come across as a novel indicting Protestantism's suppression of fun, sex and good food (it's Protestant groups who smash up the manor and lay waste to its subterranean kitchens where Saturnall finesses his culinary skills; it's civil war that destroys his supply lines and thwarts his surreptitious affair with Lucretia), is really a broader exploration of control.' -- Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian

PERFECT PEOPLE on Wellcome longlist

The Wellcome Trust Book Prize awards fiction and non-fiction titles that centre around the theme of health, illness and medicine. Peter James has been long listed for this prestigious award for his stand alone thriller PERFECT PEOPLE which enters the sinister the world of designer babies. Eight additional fiction and nine non-fiction titles join James on the longlist with the shortlist announced on 11th October and the winner of both the award and a £25,000 prize announced on 7th November.  

Director of Medical Humanities and Engagement at the Wellcome Trust, Clare Matterson, called the longlist 'an excellent and extremely diverse selection of books, reflecting the creative ways in which authors use medicine in fiction and non-fiction.' She went on further to say, 'These books challenge and entertain the reader in equal measures, but crucially make us reflect on the impact that medicine has on our lives.'

We are thrilled with the continued success of our longstanding client Peter James. And at the time of writing, Ladbrokes have quoted odds that make him the favourite to win!

Click here for more details on the Wellcome Trust Long List.

Praise for PERFECT PEOPLE:

'He is best known for his No 1 bestselling Roy Grace crime novels, combining super-deft plotting, great characterisation and extraordinarily accurate procedure. But Peter James isn't just a superb popular writer, he's a great researcher...Now, his first stand alone novel since the extraordinary, though completely deserved, success of the Roy Grace series features all James' strengths, including his ability to capture a sense of real horror in a very real world.' -- Daily Mirror (Five star review)

'...fast-paced and gripping...' -- Jessica Hamzelou, New Scientist

'Peter James is acknowledged as being one of the top thriller writers in the UK, and his series of crime novels featuring DI Roy Grace are the best of the current genre.  But in his new novel PERFECT PEOPLE he has proved he can depart from the formula and break the mould... From the moment they meet the sinister geneticist who offers to create a new child from their cells, the pages just keep on turning themselves.  The ending is so horrifyingly scary that I was unable to sleep properly for several nights.' -- Joan Collins, The Mail on Sunday

"Brilliantly done, the emotional credibility of the characters is as good as it gets.  There's a movie in this book." -- Jeff Park, 'Front Row', BBC Radio

Julian Friedmann to Speak at StoryWorld 2012

Blake Friedmann co-owner Julian Friedmann will be one of the experts speaking at the StoryWorld Conference in LA this October. StoryWorld brings together industry leaders from film, publishing and game development to share expertise and experience in working towards the creation of successful cross-platform storytelling projects.

Julian will be discussing new models for rights and ownership in a rapidly changing media sector. His session will bring an agent's perspective on how intellectual property should be parcelled and protected in a way that allows the broadest, most engaging stories to be told across a number of platforms.

The StoryWorld Conference and Expo 2012 takes place at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles, CA between 17th and 19th October. The website can be found here.

Andy Briggs’ HERO.COM in top 100 UKYA books ever

HERO.COM is featured in the top 100 UKYA books alongside other top names such as JK Rowling and Phillip Pullman.

The HERO.COM series, published in tandem with its sinister opposite, the VILLAIN. NET series, updated the superhero genre.

As a set of young-teen action stories for the Playstation generation, the two series stand-alone as much as they are direct companion pieces interweaving characters and plot threads.

UKYA is a showcase for the best teen fiction set in the UK. The website aims to promote books set in the UK for the benefit of readers across the world.  It includes a handy list of British slang and the ability to search for a book by location, from the highlands of Scotland to the Cornish coast.

The HERO.COM series was first published in the UK by OUP and has been sold in eight territories.

For the full list and more info, click here.

Praise for HERO.COM:

'…Lots of sly wit and violence, fast-paced and gutsy…Percy Jackson, Alfred Kropp and Johah Wish et al will have to watch out...' -- Lion & Unicorn children's bookshop

'Another superpowered adventure from a master of pen and plot. If you're looking for a book that is exploding with gadgets, gizmos, adrenaline, exotic landscapes and fun then look no further than this series.' -- LoveReading4Kids.co.uk

'Tweens and younger teens who have wished for super powers will be drawn to this interesting concept, and there will be plenty of action to keep them reading.' -- Booklist

'Fantastic chase scenes, monologuing super-villains, twists, double crosses, mystery and mayhem - brilliant!' -- Mark Robson, author of the "DRAGON ORB" series