ROSALIND POWELL’S ADOPTION MEMOIR, HOW I MET MY SON, PUBLISHED TODAY

‘Honest, funny and, crucially, helpful to anyone who has ever had difficulty conceiving or considered adoption, this is required reading.’ – Emma Thompson

A warm, honest account of what it is to adopt and to build a family from scratch, Blink will publish HOW I MET MY SON today. The Sunday Times Magazine printed an extract last weekend, Stella feature an interview about the book this Saturday, and Prima Magazine have an exclusive feature written by Rosalind in their March issue (out now). She will be on a special adoption-themed Robert Elms show on BBC Radio London next week.

Rosalind will also be on ITV’s THIS MORNING, on the sofa with Holly and Phil, discussing adoption and her own experience of making a family.

About the author:

Rosalind Powell swapped arts administration for journalism 23 years ago and has since written for a wide selection of newspapers including The Observer, The Independent, Guardian, The Sunday Times, and The Mirror as well as magazines such as Red, Grazia, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Hello!, where she is currently Contributing Editor.

LIZ FENWICK SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROMANTIC NOVELISTS' ASSOCIATION’s RoNA Award

Liz Fenwick’s UNDER A CORNISH SKY is one of the five novels shortlisted for the Contemporary Romantic Novel award at the RoNAs (Romantic Novel Awards) 2016. The Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) Awards for 2016 will be presented by Fern Britton, television presenter and author, on 7th March and will take place in the Gladstone Library in London.

 The other shortlisted titles are HIGH TIDE by Veronica Henry, THE WEDDING CAKE TREE by Melanie Hudson, IT STARTED AT SUNSET COTTAGE by Bella Osborne and A JERSEY KISS by Georgina Troy.

In previous years RoNAs winners have included well known authors such as Joanna Trollope, Freya North, Rosie Thomas, JoJo Moyes and Rosamunde Pilcher.

Liz Fenwick, wrote here about how it feels to be shortlisted for the award. ‘Being on the short list with such talented authors is a dream come true’ she writes, and wishes the best of fortune to everyone on the day of the ceremony.

Liz Fenwick was born in Massachusetts, has lived in many cities around the world, but now lives in London with her family. She visits her Cornish house as often as possible. Her novels are translated into 11 languages so far.

Helen Walmsley-Johnson Speaks Out About Domestic Abuse

Photo credit: Anna Gordon for Guardian

After listening to the story of Helen Tichener’s abusive relationship on The Archers, Helen Walmsley Johnson has written about her own similar story in the New Statesman. The piece has been widely shared and a fund was set up to raise money for Refuge, to help women in situations like those of the Helens. They’ve now had contributions amounting to £11,685 and still growing. For anyone able to donate, Refuge, Paul and Helen deeply appreciate all contributions to this important cause. 

Helen, writing as The Invisible Woman, is a freelance writer and author of the popular column The Vintage Years, which she wrote for the Guardian. She has spoken out against ageism on Woman's Hour and BBC radio and now writes for various publications, including regular articles for Standard Issue

Her book on ageing, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, was published by Icon Books in June 2015. Funny and frank, Helen discusses what it is to reach your fifties, look both backwards and forwards, and how to continue pursuing adventures in later life even when it seems your brain and your body are working against you. 

Praise for Helen Walmsley Johnson:

‘We love the way Helen writes. She tells it as it is because she KNOWS how it is.’ – Gransnet

‘THE INVISIBLE WOMAN always speaks to me, and for me. It's about saying up yours to the cult of youth, but also about seeing the life of the 50 + as hilariously funny’ – Professor Mary Beard

The Invisible Woman on Twitter 

UK THEATRE TOUR OF "THE PERFECT MURDER" BY PETER JAMES STARTS TODAY

The UK theatre tour of Peter James' THE PERFECT MURDER kicks off today at the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre. The production stars award-winning actors Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace.

Victor Smiley and his wife Joan have been married for a long time. But their marriage has reached crisis point and Victor has decided that there is only one way to get Joan out of his life forever... but he’s about to get a nasty surprise. As a young Detective Roy Grace starts to investigate his very first homicide case, dark forces intervene and he begins to realise that nothing is quite as it seems…

Have you ever wondered how to commit the perfect murder? This highly entertaining dark comedy thriller, directed by Olivier Award-winner Ian Talbot, might just be your answer!

Television and stage stars Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace have famously appeared together in EASTENDERS for more than a decade. Their magnetic partnership has won them both critical acclaim and multiple awards including ‘Best On-Screen Partnership’ at the British Soap Awards.

Praise for THE PERFECT MURDER: 

"PERFECT ENTERTAINMENT: DEVILISHLY CLEVER AND, ABOVE ALL, TERRIFIC FUN!" - Chicester Observer

"IT’S A NIGHT FOR EVERYONE, WITH HORROR, INTRIGUE, MYSTERY AND YET PLENTY OF COMEDY"  - British Theatre Guide

You can buy tickets  following this link: 

 http://theperfectmurder.co.uk/buy.html

Dates and locations of the tour are listed below: 

Tuesday 2 - Saturday 6 February
Cheltenham Everyman Theatre
Box Office: 01242 572573

Monday 8 - Saturday 13 February
Churchill Theatre, Bromley
Box office: 08448 717 620

Monday 15 - Saturday 20 February
Bord Gais Theatre, Dublin
Box Office: +353 (1) 677 7999

Monday 22 - Saturday 27 February
Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Box office: 08448 11 21 21

Monday 29 February - Saturday 5 March
Kings Theatre, Edinburgh
Box office: 0131 529 6000

Monday 7 - Saturday 12 March
Theatre Royal, Brighton
Box office: 0844 871 7650

Monday 14 - Saturday 19 March
Northampton Derngate
Box office: 01604 624811

Mon 21 - Sat 26 March
Cambridge Arts Theatre
Box Office: 01223 503333

Mon 28 March – Sat 2 April
Coventry Belgrade Theatre
Box Office: 024 7655 305

PETER JAMES AWARDED THE 2016 DIAMOND DAGGER

Acclaimed British writer Peter James is awarded the highest Crime Writers’ Association reward, the CWA Diamond Dagger. This prestigious prize is awarded every year to a deserving writer with a past career marked by excellence and success.

CWA chair Len Tyler said that Peter James is able to combine up-to-the-minute accuracy with tight plotting and a fast pace in his books. He considers James to be the King of the Police Procedural.

Peter has had an exceptionally successful 2015 with his 11th novel in the best-selling Roy Grace series, YOU ARE DEAD, spending a total of 5 weeks at No. 1 in the bestseller chart, and many more weeks in the top 5. YOU ARE DEAD was awarded the Dr. Lector Award for Scariest Villain at Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Festival in Harrogate.

Peter’s standalone THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL was published in hardback in October 2015 and went straight to number 9 on the bestseller chart. His 30 year old novel, BILLIONAIRE, was republished this month and went straight into the chart at number 8.

Peter James has been twice Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association and has won many literary awards: as popular internationally as in the UK. He won the US Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel in 2012.  Last year he was voted by WH Smith readers as The Best Crime Author Of All Time. He is published in more than 3 dozen 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

‘Sinister and riveting… Peter James is one of the best British crime writers, and therefore one of the best in the world.’ – Lee Child

Find out more about Peter James at Blake Friedmann's, Pan Macmillan's and Peter’s websites and follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.