Two Beryl Matthews titles reissued in paperback today

Two of Beryl Matthew’s novels, A FLIGHT OF GOLDEN WINGS and THE UNCERTAIN YEARS, are published in the UK today by Allison & Busby. The books are available as paperbacks and ebooks. Beryl has previously published 12 novels in hardback with Severn House.

Beryl Matthews is an accomplished novelist, writing in the genre that Catherine Cookson made her own, but with stories set in London. As a young girl her ambition was to become a professional singer but lack of funds drove her into an office, where she worked her way up from tea-girl to credit controller. After she retired, she began to pursue her dream of becoming a published author.

In A FLIGHT OF GOLDEN WINGS, Ruth Aspinall is an accomplished pilot. When war breaks out and the Air Transport Auxiliary is formed she is anxious to join them. In America, brother and sister, Jack and Lucy Nelson, experienced pilots, make their way to England, also determined to become part of the ATA. Jack and Ruth meet, but with danger all around them, Jack won't commit himself to a serious relationship. By D-Day, Jack has a Spitfire to deliver to France, but his plane never arrives. Ruth is heartbroken but cannot accept that she will never see Jack again.

In THE UNCERTAIN YEARS, tomboyish Becky plans to join the ATS, her neighbours Bob and Jim the navy and army respectively. Only Becky's brother Will is left out of the excitement; because of a slight physical disability, he is forced to stay behind. As the friends are separated, their youthful enthusiasm is tempered by the grim newspaper headlines and their own experiences, and they will feel both joy and pain before the war is over.

Allison & Busby are giving these re-issued novels a fresh cover style. They have already re-issued four of Beryl’s earlier novels and published her new novel THE DAY WILL COME in hardback last year with the paperback coming this summer.

‘A skillfully wrought thriller that exposes the dangers of secrecy’, TWISTED RIVER is published today

TWISTED RIVER is published today IN THE US by Viking (Penguin). A compelling new ‘domestic noir’ set in Manhattan and Limerick, TWISTED RIVER tells the story of a dream holiday house-swap that goes tragically wrong. Kate and Mannix O'Brien live with their two children in a quirky house overlooking the Curragower Falls on the Shannon River in Limerick – a city where the haves and have-nots live side by side. Meanwhile, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the Harveys own a fashionable brownstone on Riverside Drive. For their family vacations this year, they’ve both booked in for a house-swap – and it’s one they will never forget. At the novel’s start, Oscar Harvey is opening the trunk of the car his hosts have loaned him – and finds the body of a woman. From this shocking beginning the story spools back to the roots of the house swap, taking us on a gripping journey that never lets up.

Praise for TWISTED RIVER:

‘TWISTED RIVER is a superb thriller – gripping, surprising, and terrifically rewarding.’ – Chris Pavone, author of THE EXPATS

‘Evocative and richly detailed, TWISTED RIVER is a page-turning mystery about the tragic consequences that result when the tightly held secrets of two families collide.’ – Kimberly McCreight, author of New York Times bestseller RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA and WHERE THEY FOUND HER

‘MacDonald's dark and twisted tale of American tourists caught up in recession-hit Limerick's underworld will change the way you look at Ireland forever’ – Alex Marwood, author of THE WICKED GIRLS

‘This thrilling tale about secrets that lie beneath a seemingly tranquil marriage will be a strong choice for readers who enjoyed Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train and authors such as Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies).’ – Library Journal

‘MacDonald toys with the reader, leading right then feinting left with plot twists that genuinely surprise. Infidelity, deception, revenge, and murder all come into play, but the big thrill here is the constant undermining of assumptions.’ – Kirkus Reviews

‘MacDonald gradually reveals the secrets of the two families, each with a preteen daughter and younger son, as the identity of the killer—seemingly so obvious—is brought into question, and suspense builds toward a potentially lethal climax. A skillfully wrought thriller that exposes the dangers of secrecy.’ – Booklist

‘Siobhán MacDonald's gripping novel commands your attention from the very beginning’ – InStyle

 About the author:

 Born in Cork, Siobhan studied in Galway, worked as a technical writer in Scotland for ten years, and then in France, before returning to Ireland. She lives in Limerick with her husband and two sons.

Her previous novel THE BLUE POOL was published in 2015 by Piper, in Germany to.

Visit Siobhan's Website

Siobhan on Twitter

Debut from Rebecca Denton to Atom

Atom has acquired a Young Adult novel from debut author Rebecca Denton.

Sarah Castleton, editor at Atom, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Hattie Grunewald at Blake Friedmann.

GOING SOLO tells the story of a girl who meets the lead singer of hot young boyband The Keep when her father takes her backstage at their London concert. This is a heart-warming story dealing with issues of family and friendship, creativity and confidence, fame and fandom.

Rebecca Denton has spent her career traveling the world making Music TV for MTV and Channel 4, and wrangling young adult and children audiences for Cartoon Network, the BBC and ITV. She’s filmed with Iggy Pop, MIA, Kaiser Chiefs, Sonic Youth, Jack White, Dirty Pretty Things, Laura Marling and Bloc Party to name just a few. GOING SOLO is her first novel.

Sarah Castleton says, “We’re so happy that Rebecca has joined Team Atom. What I love about GOING SOLO is that it celebrates all that is completely brilliant about artists and their fans, at the same time as poking fun at all that is woeful, bizarre and downright cringe-worthy about the fame industry. Rebecca’s insider’s eye means that we trust every page. Like Smash Hits at its best, GOING SOLO *knows* its pop music and is a right giggle to read. It’s going to be a lot of fun to publish.’

Rebecca Denton says, “This book as much a nod to my own hilarious adventures while filming bands across the world as it is a celebration of the creativity and bravery of young artists trying to find their voice. I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with Sarah and Atom on this book - it's a dream come true.” 

Hattie Grunewald says, “Rebecca knows the music industry back to front, and it’s this knowledge that brings her novel to life with the perfect blend of warmth, humour and cynicism. I’m delighted that it has found such a fitting home with Atom.”

For more information, visit Rebecca’s website.

LONDON IN AN HOUR PUBLISHED TODAY

Virgin Books have today published LONDON IN AN HOUR by Kate Hodges.

The book features 120 bite-size ideas for things to do and places to visit in London in under an hour. It is organised around the range of activities London has to offer, with chapters to help you find original and diverting suggestions for things to do, as well as a few places to eat and drink. LONDON IN AN HOUR includes tips on how to squeeze in some culture or some exercise; find the best places to buy a birthday present or go for a quick pampering; discover outdoor spaces or quiet hideaways to escape the chaos; avoid the typical al desco lunch; make the most of your mornings; and turn a spare hour in-between a meeting or at a train station into an hour well spent. It also features top ten lists for those really pushed for time, and comprehensive indices by location and activity type to help you find what you need, quickly.

Whether you’re a visitor, on a family day out or a busy working Londoner, LONDON IN AN HOUR will transform your experience of the city.

Kate Hodges graduated from the University of Westminster with a BA in Print Journalism. She has over 20 years writing experience on magazines, having been a staffer on publications including The Face, Bizarre, Just Seventeen, Smash Hits and Sky, and written for many more, including The Guardian, Kerrang! and NME. She has also worked for Rapido TV, makers of cult show Eurotrash, and P For Production films. Since June 2012, she’s edited, researched and written the weekly Hopscotch newsletter, a guide for families to the best cheap, fun things happening in London.

Kate's first book, LITTLE LONDON, was published by Virgin Books in Spring 2014. 

Kate on Twitter 

Unnamed Press to launch Henrietta Rose-Innes in the US this year

Unnamed Press are to launch South African writer Henrietta Rose-Innes in the US in November 2016, with an East Coast tour for the author alongside publication of her prize-winning novel NINEVEH. NINEVEH is also published in French by Editions Zoe and in Spanish by Almadia in Mexico.

Originally published in South Africa by Umuzi, NINEVEH was described in Pornokitsch as ‘part Gothic, part mystery, all amazing and in the Mail and Guardian as ‘relentless and perfect’. KD, the central character of NINEVEH, is a woman with unusual skills. She learned everything about pest extermination from her father, but has instead become a specialist in the humane relocation of vermin; a “caterpillar wrangler”. Dressed in her toxic-green overalls, she’s a friend to the rats, birds, spiders, snakes and baboons that stray into the human world. Her job makes her hyper-aware of the shifting topography of Cape Town: the neglected corners of the city where displaced creatures – human and otherwise – make their homes, the churn of demolition and development.

Indeed, a new construction project is literally shaking the foundations of KD’s house, but, as the walls crack, other more intimate and disturbing forces are about to muscle into her life …  You can read an extract here.

Olivia Taylor Smith of Unnamed Press says: ‘We are thrilled to be publishing Henrietta Rose-Innes in the United States and the novel NINEVEH in particular. Rose-Innes has the remarkable ability to create worlds that are lush, vivid, and endlessly fascinating, entire ecosystems and hidden communities that are buzzing with life. This is an absorbing, in every sense of the word, gothic novel for the 21st Century exploring both human relationships and the environment with grace and wit.’

‘I'm delighted to have found a home on Unnamed Press's exciting list,’ says Henrietta, ‘ – and very happy that NINEVEH's beasts and beetles will be swarming across the US soon.’

Henrietta is the author of four novels and one book of short stories. She was winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing 2008 (for which she was shortlisted in 2007), the PEN Short Story Prize 2007, and awarded the Runner-Up prize for her short story 'Sanctuary' at the BBC International Short Story Awards 2012. Her novel, NINEVEH, was shortlisted for The Sunday Times Fiction Prize (South Africa), the M-Net Prize 2012 and won the Francois Sommer Literary Prize in France.

She has degrees in archaeology and biology and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town and is currently completing a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. For more information on Henrietta, please visit her website.

More praise for NINEVEH:

‘A gripping allegory … executed with wit, panache, and precision.’ – Neel Mukherjee

‘A tragi-comic psychological thriller … an original work of elegant writing that looks set to cement her status as one of South Africa’s more promising writers.’ – Jonathan Amid, SLiPNet

‘This multidimensional novel recalls Italo Calvino's beautiful, challenging and descriptive novel, INVISIBLE CITIES ... Such delicacy is evident in NINEVEH, where the architecture is finely spun, amid the ugliness of urban life...’  – Maureen Isaacson, Sunday Independent

 Praise for Henrietta Rose-Innes:

‘Henrietta Rose-Innes writes an admirably taut, clean prose…A welcome addition to the new South African literature.’ – J.M. Coetzee

‘Rose-Innes’s writing is as entertaining as it is subtle – a rare combination.’ – Steven Amsterdam

'Rose-Innes is a writer almost in the Virginia Woolf mould – lateral of mind and poetic in her style of narration.' – Leon de Kock, Sunday Times

Follow Henrietta on Twitter: @HenriettaRI