THE TRICK IS TO KEEP BREATHING voted one of 10 Best Scottish Novels of Last 50 Years

Janice Galloway’s THE TRICK IS TO KEEP BREATHING has been voted one of the best ten Scottish Novels of the Last 50 Years. This was the result of a poll from the Scottish Book Trust for Book Week Scotland, and over 8,800 votes were cast from 57 different countries. THE TRICK IS TO KEEP BREATHING placed 9th after Scottish classics such as TRAINSPOTTING by Irvine Welsh, BLACK AND BLUE by Ian Rankin and EXCESSION by Iain M Banks. You can see the list of winners here.

Janice Galloway was born in Ayrshire in 1955. Her first novel, THE TRICK IS TO KEEP BREATHING (Vintage), now widely regarded as a contemporary Scottish classic, was published in 1990. It was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel, Scottish First Book, Italia Premio Acerbi and Aer Lingus Awards, and won the MIND/Allen Lane Book of the Year. Her second novel was FOREIGN PARTS (Vintage, 1995), which won Te McVitie's Prize. CLARA (Vintage), a fictionalised account of the life of Clara Schumann, was published in 2003 and won the Saltire Book of the Year.

Praise for THE TRICK IS TO KEEP BREATHING:

"The novel presents a searing portrait of a mind in crisis and offers the possibility of hope in its darkest moments." - Stuart Kelly

Andrew Wong on Paul Hollywood’s Pies and Puds

Photo copyright: Danny Elwes

Andrew Wong, winner of Chinese Masterchef in the UK, appeared on Paul Hollywood’s Pies And Puds last Thursday to help Paul make a chicken chow mein pie, as well as demonstrating the ancient art of noodle-pulling. If that sounds delicious or bizarre to you, and you want to find out more, you can watch the program here. Andrew’s segment starts at 15:20.

After stints in kitchens across London, Andrew decided to travel around China, moving from kitchen to kitchen - from a noodle stand in Chengdu to the Millennium Hotel in Qingdoa. Upon returning to London, he opened restaurant A.WONG to rave reviews from the Evening Standard, Guardian, Independent and Times. Just nine months after opening, the restaurant's modern exploration of regional Chinese cuisine has already resulted in it being rated as one of the best Chinese restaurants in the UK by The Good Food Guide, as well as recently winning a coveted Bib Gourmand in the 2014 Michelin guide.

Andrew is currently working on his first book.

Lucy Mangan's BOOKWORM sold to Square Peg

Square Peg has acquired Lucy Mangan's book about Children's Books, BOOKWORM. The book sold at auction to editor Rowan Yapp, who will publish it in Autumn 2015.

BOOKWORM is a love letter to the joys of childhood reading; it will offer a witty, impassioned history of the childhood stories we loved and the extraordinary people who created them; it will also explore the thousand subtle ways these books shape our own lives - the bonds we form, the rites of passage we undergo, the understanding we gain. It will begin as we all do, with picture books such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, leading us through secret gardens, along railway lines and across prairies, right up to a shared coming of age with Judy Blume, Patrick Ness and Philip Pullman. 

Lucy Mangan is a columnist for Guardian Weekend magazine and Stylist, and author of MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS, THE RELUCTANT BRIDE and HOPSCOTCH AND HANDBAGS.

Andrew Cartmel at the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Celebrations!

Andrew Cartmel will be appearing at the BBC’s 50th Anniversary celebrations for Doctor Who at the ExCeL Centre in Dockland this weekend. Andrew was the script editor for Doctor Who from 1986-89. He is most well-known for engineering the so-called "Cartmel Masterplan", a back story that restored some of the mystery of the Doctor's background. He has also written comic scripts for Doctor Who magazine and three Doctor Who novels for Virgin Publishing.

The Anniversary Party at ExCeL takes place from the 22nd to the 24th of November and includes behind-the-scenes demonstrations and workshops, stunts, explosions, monsters, props & costumes, official merchandise and memorabilia. Andrew will be at the celebrations on Sunday 24th November, attending the screenings of Remembrance of the Daleks Episodes 1 and 3, at 2:30 and 4:20pm respectively. Click here for more information.

Peter James Novella THE PERFECT MURDER chosen for World Book Night 2014!

Peter James’ novella THE PERFECT MURDER has been chosen as one of the 20 titles for World Book Night 2014.

World Book Night is a celebration of reading and books, which sees passionate volunteers apply to give away books to non-readers to share their love of reading. There are hundreds of events from small community gatherings to author readings and audiences of thousands. World Book Night is celebrated on April 23 in the UK, Ireland and the USA. Find out more here and apply to be a book-giver.

THE PERFECT MURDER was published as part of the Quick Reads 2010 programme to promote adult literacy. Victor and Joan, married for 20 years, barely communicate. He is so fed up with his job and distracted by his visits to his favourite prostitute, that he hardly notices his wife’s constant ridicule. Joan has resigned herself to the fact that he never looks at her. She even puts up with his constant snoring. But unknown to Victor, Joan is taking her sweet revenge: spending large amounts of money on sexy new underwear on his credit card to impress her secret lover. Bills mount, Victor loses his job.  The only way he can achieve his dream is to get Joan out of the picture. But he’s not the only one with murder on his mind.

THE PERFECT MURDER has been adapted into a play by award winning writer Shaun McKenna and will open at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford on Wednesday 8th January 2014, before touring to venues such as the Theatre Royal in both Bath and Brighton. The Perfect Murder will star Les Dennis, one of Britain’s most-loved actors and entertainers who is currently starring as King Arthur in the West End in Spamalot. See more here.

Peter James is the author of the Roy Grace crime novels: the 9th in the series, DEAD MAN’S TIME, is still high in the paperback bestseller lists, and the 10th, WANT YOU DEAD, will be subject to a massive promotion campaign when Macmillan publish it in last Spring 2014.  Peter’s novels are published in 36 languages.

Praise for Peter James

'Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business.' -- Karin Slaughter

'Exceptional, knock-your-socks-off.' -- Washington Post