Blue Mark Books will publish IN THE FIELD, a powerful and affecting novel by debut author Jesse Loncraine.
Editorial Director Toby Fountaine bought UK rights from Juliet Pickering at Blake Friedmann, for publication in April 2017.
IN THE FIELD follows Orin Perth, who disappears in East Africa after delivering a devastating article on Christine Lokeka, whose 12 year-old son, Paul, has been snatched by the militia that left her husband dead. Orin’s mother Liz, a hardened war reporter, embarks on a search to find her estranged son, enlisting the help of Christine. As Liz and Christine deal with their sons’ disappearances, Orin and Paul struggle to stay alive without losing their humanity in the process. IN THE FIELD grapples with the dilemmas of conflict journalism, and how far familial bonds will stretch when lives are at stake.
Jesse Loncraine, a short story writer for The White Review and former student of Violence, Conflict and Development at SOAS, has worked on documentaries about war crimes from Colombia and Guatemala to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In East Africa, he partnered with the International Criminal Court on outreach, disseminating information on the Court’s cases to affected communities.
Toby Fountaine said: 'This fantastic debut novel grabbed me in the first few paragraphs, and it didn’t let me go until I’d finished it. It still hasn’t. It’s a gripping story, and deals with some tough moral dilemmas. The characters and setting are wonderfully rendered by Jesse, and I found it very moving: he captures the relationships between two mothers and their sons brilliantly. And between the story, the drama, and all the emotion that comes with them, IN THE FIELD is simply a joy to read, sentence by sentence, because Jesse’s writing is bold, striking and often beautiful.'
Jesse Loncraine said: 'For all the newspaper articles and history books I have read about violent conflicts around the world, none were as powerful as hearing a single woman relate her experiences of war. That gap in experience—that tension between reportage and reality—became one of my central concerns when I started writing IN THE FIELD. Ironically, it was through a work of fiction that I felt best able to explore the dilemma of how we, as writers, tell other people’s stories. I never found a comfortable answer; I suspect there isn’t one. But with IN THE FIELD I hope I am at least able to pose the question—through the intimate stories of two mothers and their sons—in a compelling way. I am very grateful to Juliet for taking a leap of faith in signing me when this book was just a short story, and to Toby at Blue Mark Books for choosing to publish it.'
Juliet Pickering said: 'Jesse’s writing talent stood out from the first time I read his short stories. I’m delighted to have matched this striking, provocative debut with the ambition of Blue Mark Books. It’s vital we publish fiction that challenges as well as transports us, and Jesse’s is an important new voice.'
Orenda Books signs THE OTHER TWIN, a dark, sexy debut psychological thriller
Lucy V. Hay's debut thriller THE OTHER TWIN has been acquired by Karen Sullivan of Orenda Books in a two-book World English Language deal negotiated with Hattie Grünewald. Orenda is delighted to publish in early 2018.
Karen says: ‘This is a book whose premise grabbed me from the outset, and the writing, sublime and complex plotting, and very contemporary setting and storyline made it stand out from the rest. THE OTHER TWIN focuses on twenty-something Poppy and her quest to find out the truth behind the death of her sister India, who has fallen to her death from a bridge over the London to Brighton railway. Taking the reader into the lanes of Brighton, into the city’s gay scene and well-heeled families, THE OTHER TWIN is not just a fabulously layered, dark and twisty psychological thriller, but also an expose of the social media generation, where resentments, attachments and accusations are all played out online and identities are made and remade according to what is convenient or expedient at the time. This is an exceptionally relevant thriller, with an unforgettable cast of characters, a relentless tension and a chilling denouement, and Lucy is an unbelievably talented writer. I am looking forward to see her soar in the Orenda stable, and could not be more excited to welcome her to the team.'
Hattie says: ‘Lucy and Karen make a dynamic team and THE OTHER TWIN is a wonderful debut – dark, sexy and with twists you won’t see coming. I’m very excited to see Orenda publish.'
Lucy says: ‘I'm delighted to be working with Karen. As a crime fiction fan I've loved Orenda's output, so feel THE OTHER TWIN couldn't be in better hands.’
THE OTHER TWIN will be published in early 2018. For more information, please contact Karen@orendabooks.co.uk.
Read more about Lucy and follow her on Twitter.
RED EARTH by Tony Park published in Australia
Fans of bestselling thriller writer Tony Park can now enjoy his thirteenth novel, a breakneck chase adventure, featuring an assassination, a stolen baby and a race to the death. Pan Macmillan Australia published RED EARTH on 27 September, with publication by Macmillan South Africa due soon. Macmillan UK publish in ebook in the UK on 20 October with the print edition out in 2017. RED EARTH is also available in audiobook from Bolinda Publishing.
Durban, South Africa, a car is hijacked. Suzanne Fessey fights back and kills one thief but the other, wounded, escapes with her baby on board.In pursuit of the missing vehicle and baby are helicopter tracker pilot Nia Carras from the air, and Mike Dunn, a nearby wildlife researcher, from the ground.
But South Africa's police have bigger problems: a bomb has gone off in Durban, killing the visiting American Ambassador, and chaos has descended on Kwa-Zulu Natal.As the missing baby is tracked through the wild game reserves from Zululand to Zimbabwe, Mike and Nia come to realise that the war on terror has invaded their part of the world.
Tony Park's twelfth novel AN EMPTY COAST is newly available for UK fans, published with Pan Macmillan last month.
Tony’s writing has been published in ten countries around the world including the UK, South Africa, Australia, Italy, Latvia, Holland, the Czech Republic, Russia, Germany and Hungary.
Praise for Tony Park
‘Tony Park is one of Australia’s best thriller writers and his African-based novels are consistently entertaining and thought-provoking.’ – Canberra Times
‘In his novels you can smell Africa… Tony Park's insightful descriptions make you feel you are there… Another page turner from Tony Park whose love affair with Africa seduces us all.' – Susan DeLong, Mudgee Guardian & Gulgong Advertiser
‘For lovers of great African adventure... Tony Park has become required reading.’—The Daily Telegraph
‘An author who is starting to challenge the veteran Wilbur Smith for the title of ‘master of the African thriller’... Break-neck in pace, with narrow escapes from death on every page.’ – Geoffrey Wansell, Daily Mail
About Tony Park
Tony Park grew up in Australia and fell in love with South Africa on a short trip in 1995: he and his wife now divide their time between two homes, one in Sydney and another in South Africa on the border of the Kruger National Park. Author of many bestselling thrillers, he has worked as a newspaper reporter in Australia and England, a government press secretary, a public relations consultant, and a freelance writer. He is also a major in the Australian Army Reserve and served six months in Afghanistan in 2002.
Read more about Tony on the Blake Friedmann website or Tony’s own website.
Follow Tony on Twitter and Facebook.
Ken Hom's MY STIR-FRIED LIFE published today
Ken Hom OBE is the man who showed the British how to cook Asian food. A leading authority on Chinese cuisine, he is one of the most respected and celebrated TV chefs of all time. His phenomenal success is easily measured. He is the author of almost forty books, which have inspired millions of home cooks around the world. And in Britain alone, the Ken Hom wok is in one in seven kitchens.
Yet the story of his life – MY STIR-FRIED LIFE which is published today – makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable.
Here, Hom reflects on his improbable journey, which begins in the hustle and bustle of Chicago’s Chinatown, where he was a father-less boy raised by his mother, and employed – at the age of eleven – to work in his uncle’s restaurant.
This cook’s story is both alluring and powerful. In a way, it is the story of a young man who struggled to escape the social boundaries of minority, and to find acceptance – through food and cooking for others. It is a compelling and hugely entertaining autobiography – told in Hom’s gentle, familiar voice – that celebrates the power of sharing, and highlights how food can inspire and change lives; not just his but the lives of those he has met.
Hom delivers a deliciously uplifting memoir and, with his much-loved graceful wit, and zen-like charm, he draws the reader into one big party: fun and hilarity in all corners of the globe, forever mixing and mingling and, of course, eating at the tables of gastronomy’s great, good... and sometimes not-so-good. As the reader, you are at Hom’s side, happily being whisked along on his travels and tours, meeting presidents, prime ministers, Hollywood stars, singers and sportsmen.
Ever the considerate and dependable teacher, Hom also dips into his favourite recipes, passing on morsels of culinary wisdom that he has acquired during his well-fed life.
MY STIR-FRIED LIFE is a high-spirited, life-enriching feast in an ever-sunny world, where the chopsticks never stop clattering, the platters are always abundant, and dreams – no matter how ridiculously unbelievable – can and do come true.
‘Ken Hom not only introduced me to the hitherto esoteric world of Chinese cuisine but allowed me to understand its enormous importance to the rest of the world both culturally and intellectually … and that it is just extraordinarily lovely to eat.’ – Rick Stein
‘A master of his craft, a legend in TV food.’ – James Martin
‘I have enjoyed the luxury of Ken’s wonderful food for many years. I can’t wait to read about his life and his route to the top…’ – Sir Alex Ferguson
About the author
Ken Hom, OBE is a TV presenter, author, chef and restaurateur. His first book, CHINESE TECHNIQUE, was published in America in 1981. He has written thirty-seven books including, most recently TRUFFLES, and (with Ching-He Huang) EXPLORING CHINA: A CULINARY ADVENTURE.
For further information and interview requests, please email
victoria.gilder@bitebackpublishing.com or isabelle.ralphs@bitebackpublishing.com
or call 020 7091 1260
Westminster Tower, 3 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7SP
SHAKESPEARE IN SWAHILILAND SHINES IN THE USA
Edward Wilson Lee’s acclaimed exploration of the influence in Africa of Shakespeare the global poet has won praise across the Atlantic and the beautiful US hardback edition is available from Farrar Straus and Giroux now. William Collins published in the UK in March 2016, and German rights are sold to btb.
In the US, Kirkus Reviews wrote that ‘Wilson-Lee enjoyably melds memoir, history, and literary travelogue to reveal the surprising hold that Shakespeare continues to have on a culture remote from his own’ and Publishers Weekly said ‘Wilson-Lee draws a rich portrait of a region of Africa in which Shakespeare was familiar, adored, and widely performed with numerous local embellishments’, describing it as ‘acrobatic in style and impressive in scholarship.’
This surprising and intriguing literary history of Shakespeare's influence in East Africa sprang from Cambridge academic Edward Wilson-Lee’s own roots in Kenya. Beginning with Victorian-era expeditions in which Shakespeare's works were the sole reading material carried into the interior, the Bard has been a vital touchstone throughout the region. His plays were printed by liberated slaves as one of the first texts in Swahili, performed by Indian labourers while they built the Uganda railroad, used to argue for native rights, and translated by intellectuals, revolutionaries, and independence leaders.
Weaving together stories of explorers staggering through Africa's interior, eccentrics living out their dreams on the savanna, decadent émigrés, Cold War intrigues, and even Che Guevara, Edward Wilson-Lee tallies Shakespeare's influence in Zanzibar, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Travelling through these countries, he speaks with everyone from theatre directors and academics to soldiers and aid workers, discovering not only cultural dimensions traceable to Shakespeare's plays but also an overwhelming insistence that these works provide a key insight into the region.
An astonishing work of empathy and historical vision, SHAKESPEARE IN SWAHILILAND gets at the heart of what makes Shakespeare so universal and the role that his writings have played in thinking about what it means to be human.
Edward Wilson-Lee in Foreign Affairs on ‘Africa’s Theatre of War: Shakespeare and Nation-Building on the Continent’
Read Edward Wilson-Lee on other poets, Auden and Eliot, and how that led him to writing.
In this series of clips Edward considers questions like “What would the world be like without Shakespeare?” and why Antony & Cleopatra is (currently) his favourite Shakespeare play.
Edward Wilson-Lee was raised in Kenya by conservationist parents, studied English at University College London, and completed a doctorate at Oxford and Cambridge. Over the past few years he has spent extended periods in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. He now lives in Cambridge with his wife and son, and teaches Shakespeare at Sidney Sussex College. SHAKESPEARE IN SWAHILILAND is his first book and a second title is under contract to William Collins.
MORE PRAISE FOR SHAKESPEARE IN SWAHILILAND
‘There is no better time to recommend SHAKESPEARE IN SWAHILILAND: IN SEARCH OF A GLOBAL POET. A lecturer at Cambridge, Wilson-Lee was born on the African continent and spent his formative years in Kenya. This book evinces a remarkable familiarity with Africa, filtered through the lens of that most-English poet and playwright. Tracing the history of Shakespeare’s impact on Africa—from Victorian settlers to modern independence movements—Wilson-Lee shows the Bard to be a man for all continents.’ — The New Criterion
‘Edward Wilson-Lee . . . has successfully told a lesser-known story of Africa, and it is a story worth knowing.’ —The Economist
‘A fascinating book—part travelogue, part cultural history . . . Wilson-Lee proves a perceptive and entertaining guide to the Bard's influence in Swahililand.’ —Andrew Lycett, Literary Review
‘Wilson-Lee’s account of his East African Shakespeare-hunt is vivid and full of insights.’ —Daniel Hahn, The Independent
'SHAKESPEARE IN SWAHILILAND is an enjoyable story full of history and valuable insight into the work of England’s preeminent playwright and poet, told by a man whose prose is so well crafted that the reader will feel as if he/she was on the road with Edward Wilson-Lee while he was doing his research.' - The Roanoke Times