AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS BY CHRISTOPHER NICHOLSON OUT IN PAPERBACK

Christopher Nicholson’s contemplative AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS is out in paperback from September Publishing. His journey to discover the last snows to survive the summer in the Scottish Highlands was first published in hardback in 2017 and was longlisted for the 2017 Highland Book Prize. AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS was also one of six books shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature last year. The judging panel described the book as ‘lyrical and elegiac’.

As the summer draws to a close, a few snowbeds – some as big as icebergs – survive in the Scottish Highlands. Christopher’s AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS is both a celebration of these great, icy relics and an intensely personal meditation on their significance. A book to delight all those interested in mountains and snow, full of vivid descriptions and anecdotes, it explores the meanings of nature, beauty and mortality in the twenty-first century.

Christopher Nicholson is the author of three novels, including THE ELEPHANT KEEPER (Fourth Estate, 2009), shortlisted for the Costa Prize in 2009. In 2011 the novel was adapted for BBC Radio 4 and shortlisted for the Encore Award. His novel WINTER, about Thomas Hardy’s later life and the young actress who became his last muse, was published in 2014 by Fourth Estate and dramatized for BBC Radio as TESS IN WINTER. The stage adaptation of the novel, titled A PURE WOMAN, will premiere in September 2018 and will tour in Dorchester, Poole, Bristol, Chipping Norton, Malvern, Torrington and further afield.

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Praise for AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS:

‘Lyrical and elegiac, this debut is a tender account of an unusual fascination with the remaining snows of the Scottish Highlands. Nicholson offers us a wry, self-aware take on the relationship between humans and the changed (and changing) natural world.’ – Boardman Tasker

‘Destined to become a classic of mountain literature. Superb.’ – Chris Townsend, Outdoors

‘Strange, beautiful, eerie and unique, this is the best mountain book I've read in years.... it deserves all the praise likely to avalanche upon it.’ – Simon Ingram, Trail magazine

‘It’s a long while since I read a book that made me laugh and cry within just a few pages … A wrong-footing marvel of a book … touching both death’s void, and love, and the beauty of the natural world at one and the same time and in a way that is all the more powerful for its restraint.’ – Books from Scotland

‘A beautiful book about love and loss, fragility and chance, the wide world and the near world . . . full of intense light and colour, extraordinary glimpses, moving insights and subtle humour.' – Richard Kerridge, author of Cold Blood

CHRISTOPHER NICHOLSON’S CAPTIVATING AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS LONGLISTED FOR THE HIGHLAND BOOK PRIZE 2017

Christopher Nicholson’s AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS, a contemplative journey to discover the last snows in the Scottish Highlands, has been longlisted for the 2017 Highland Book Prize. AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS, published by September Publishing in 2017, was also one of six books shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature last year. The judging panel described the book as ‘lyrical and elegaic’.

The Highland Book Prize is an annual prize established in 2017 to promote high quality published works that recognise the Highlands for its strong cultural heritage and its magnificent landscape. Presented by the Highland Society of London and facilitated by Moniack Mhor Writers’ Centre, the prize aims to bring recognition to literature created in or about the Highlands, and is open to fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

The shortlist will be announced in April. The winner will be revealed in May at the Ullapool Book Festival and will receive £1000 and a writing retreat at Moniack Mhor.

As the summer draws to a close, a few snow beds – some as big as icebergs – survive in the Scottish Highlands. Christopher Nicholson's AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS is both a celebration of these great, icy relics and an intensely personal meditation on their significance. A book to delight all those interested in mountains and snow, full of vivid description and anecdote, it explores the meanings of nature, beauty and mortality in the twenty-first century. Chris Townsend of Outdoors Magazine describes it as ‘Superb’ and ‘Destined to be come a classic of mountain literature.’

Christopher Nicholson is the author of three novels, including THE ELEPHANT KEEPER (Fourth Estate, 2009), shortlisted for the Costa Prize in 2009. In 2011 the novel was adapted for BBC Radio 4 and shortlisted for the Encore Award. His novel WINTER, about Thomas Hardy’s later life and the young actress who became his last muse, was published in 2014 by Fourth Estate and dramatized for BBC Radio as TESS IN WINTER. He has lived near Shaftesbury in Dorset for the past thirty years.

AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS was selected by The Telegraph as one of the best Christmas books for armchair travellers in December.

Visit Christopher’s website or follow him on Twitter.

Praise for AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS:

‘Destined to become a classic of mountain literature. Superb.’ – Chris Townsend, Outdoors

‘Lyrical and elegaic, this debut is a tender account of an unusual fascination with the remaining snows of the Scottish Highlands. Nicholson offers us a wry, self-aware take on the relationship between humans and the changed (and changing) natural world.’ – Boardman Tasker

‘It’s a long while since I read a book that made me laugh and cry within just a few pages … A wrong-footing marvel of a book … touching both death’s void, and love, and the beauty of the natural world at one and the same time and in a way that is all the more powerful for its restraint.’ – Books from Scotland

‘A beautiful book about love and loss, fragility and chance, the wide world and the near world . . . full of intense light and colour, extraordinary glimpses, moving insights and subtle humour.' – Richard Kerridge, author of Cold Blood

‘This is a startlingly beautiful book… There’s a sense of quiet resilience and hope throughout, the renewal of life even in the blinding awareness of one’s own fragility…AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS is at once haunting, moving, silent, and profoundly beautiful. An essential read for chionophiles and lovers of good landscape and nature writing.’ – Alex Roddie, The Great Outdoors

‘A glorious little book, beautifully produced’ – Michael Kerr, The Telegraph, The best Christmas books for armchair travellers

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM EVERYONE AT BLAKE FRIEDMANN

Blake Friedmann is now closed for the holiday season and will re-open again on January 3rd. Until then why not read our authors’ festive novels, published this year, to tide you over ‘til 2018?

Now is the perfect time to pick up CHRISTMAS AT THE GIN SHACK, THE LITTLE VILLAGE CHRISTMAS and CHRISTMAS WITH YOU on ebook, as they are currently on offer for only 99p on Amazon and Kobo UK. Don’t miss your chance to grab them now!

CHRISTMAS AT THE GIN SHACK by Catherine Miller (HQ, 2017)

Olive Turner might have lived through eighty-four Christmases, but she’ll never get bored of her favourite time of year. And this one’s set to be extra-special. It’s the Gin Shack’s first Christmas – and there’s a gin-themed weekend and a cocktail competition on the cards!

But, beneath the dazzle of fairy lights and the delicious scent of mince-pies, Olive smells a rat. From trespassers in her beloved beach hut to a very unfunny joke played on her friends, it seems that someone is missing a dose of good cheer.

Olive knows she’s getting on a bit – but is she really imagining that someone in the little seaside town is out to steal Christmas? More importantly, can she create the perfect gin cocktail before Christmas Eve – in time to save the day?

THE LITTLE VILLAGE CHRISTMAS by Sue Moorcroft (Avon, 2017)

Alexia Kennedy — a talented and ambitious interior decorator — has been tasked with giving the little village of Middledip the community café it’s always dreamed of. After months of fundraising, the villagers can’t wait to see work get started — but disaster strikes when every last penny is stolen. With the village residents outraged at how this could have happened, Alexia feels ready to head home to London and admit defeat.

But help comes in an unlikely form when woodsman, Ben Hardaker, and his rescue owl Barney, arrive on the scene. Another lost soul who’s hit rock bottom, Ben and Alexia make an unlikely but compelling partnership. Throwing themselves into the café project and the community, they grow closer until Ben's complicated past, and Alexia's ambitions, threaten to force them apart. However, they soon realise that a little sprinkling of Christmas magic might just help to bring this village — and their lives — together again…

CHRISTMAS WITH YOU by Sheila O’Flanagan (Headline, 2017)

Tucked away in the Irish countryside, the Sugar Loaf Lodge is opening its door for the festive season. With snow falling on the mountains outside and warm fires roaring inside, it's the perfect place for guests to celebrate the happiest time of the year. But what if you've just had your heart broken? Or discovered that the man you're married to has lied to you? What if a secret from your past has finally come back to haunt you?

For some of the guests arriving at the Sugar Loaf Lodge, Christmas is looking far from tranquil. But can they find the magic and romance of the season within the walls of this beautiful hotel?

… and, not a Christmas title per se, but a snowy one, for the nature-lovers…

AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS by Christopher Nicholson (September Publishing, 2017)

AMONG THE SUMMER SNOW is an account of a summer's journey through the Highlands of Scotland in search of the snow patches that remain. Interwoven are meditations on the science of snow, the art of observation, the legacy of other walkers such as Boswell and Johnson and the lure of the mountains themselves.

Christopher Nicholson Shortlisted for Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature

Christopher Nicholson’s AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS (September Publishing, 2017) has been Shortlisted for the 2017 Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature.

The Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature was established to promote literature by providing an annual award to authors of literary works, the central theme of which is concerned with the mountain environment. The prize of £3,000 commemorates the lives of Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker and is given to the author or co-authors of an original work, which has made an outstanding contribution to mountain literature.

The winner will be announced on November 17th at the Kendal Mountain Festival. Other books on the shortlist include Tommy Caldwell’s THE PUSH and Ed Douglas’ THE MAGICIAN’S GLASS.

As the summer draws to a close, a few snowbeds - some as big as icebergs - survive in the Scottish Highlands. Christopher Nicholson's AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS is both a celebration of these great, icy relics and an intensely personal meditation on their significance. A book to delight all those interested in mountains and snow, full of vivid description and anecdote, it explores the meanings of nature, beauty and mortality in the twenty-first century.

Christopher Nichsolson is the author of three novels, including THE ELEPHANT KEEPER (Fourth Estate, 2009), shortlisted for the Costa Prize in 2009, and the Encore Award in 2011, and dramatized for BBC Radio 4. His most recent novel, WINTER, about the later life of Thomas Hardy, was published in 2014 by Fourth Estate and also adapted for BBC Radio as TESS IN WINTER.

Praise for AMONG THE SUMMER SNOWS:

‘A beautiful book about love and loss, fragility and chance, the wide world and the near world . . . full of intense light and colour, extraordinary glimpses, moving insights and subtle humour.' – Richard Kerridge, author of COLD BLOOD

'This ravishingly lovely book is about thought-snow, summer snow, flight, falling, stillness, memory, loss, mountains, Time, death, survival and everything in between. It is an intense scrutiny of minute worlds, a roaming gaze into the vastness of space, intimate, introspective and questioning.' – Keggie Carew, author of DADLAND

‘It’s a long while since I read a book that made me laugh and cry within just a few pages … A wrong-footing marvel of a book … touching both death’s void, and love, and the beauty of the natural world at one and the same time and in a way that is all the more powerful for its restraint.’ – Books from Scotland

Praise for WINTER:

'Fine, vivid moments... a strong addition to [Nicholson's] ‎... distinguished oeuvre.' – Thomas Mallon, The New York Times Book Review

'Understated, tender... an entrancing piece of fiction.' – The New Yorker 

'A wonderful novel, moving, gripping and illuminating. Keeping closely to the known facts about the triangular relationship between the elderly Thomas Hardy, his second wife Florence, and the beautiful young butcher's wife and amateur actress, Gertrude, Nicholson has used the resources of fiction to represent their emotional lives with intensity and depth.' – David Lodge 

‘A superb novel... Beautifully written, very moving.’ – John Boyne, author of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS

CATCH BFLA AUTHORS AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVALS

Edinburgh International Book Festival starts this week and you can see several Blake Friedmann authors there this August.

On Wednesday 16th Anneliese Mackintosh will be talking with Dana Spiotta. Their conversation will explore identity and transformation and the different ways their books address identity in their heroines on the panel Fast Friends. Mackintosh’s latest novel, SO HAPPY IT HURTS, was published on 27 July by Jonathan Cape. See more here.

Friday the 18th finds Pippa Goldschmidt author of THE NEED FOR BETTER REGULATION OF OUTER SPACE chairing the panel Rockets to Utopia? at 18:30, where she will be talking to Nalo Hopkinson, Ken MacLeod, Ada Palmer and Charles Stross about speculative fiction’s role in imagining hopeful futures. To find out more head to link here.

Christopher Nicholson is speaking to Jim Crumley about Men For All Seasons on 16th August. They will be exploring how Scotland’s wildlife copes with the chill, dark days, and exploring wildlife in the winter. Nicholson’s latest book AMONG THE SUMMER SNOW is an account of a summer's journey through the Highlands of Scotland in search of the snow patches that remain.  Find the event here.  

On Monday 21st Henrietta Rose-Innes talks on the panel of Dangerous Dispatches, as part of Amnesty International’s Imprisoned Writers series where they will discuss the dangers of being a journalist on the front line. The freedom of the press is continually under threat and reporting the news is one of the world’s most dangerous jobs. For tickets find the link here.

Henrietta Rose- Innes is also on the panel Near and Far, where she will be talking about her latest book Green Lion with author Cynan Jones. See her event at the Baillie Gifford Corner Theatre at 20:30.  

And finally, Alan Parks author of phenomenal debut BLOODY JANUARY will be appearing at the festival on Friday the 25th August where he will be talking with Malachy Tallack and Mick Kitson about their fiction. Get your tickets here.  

The Edinburgh Festival is one of the largest Arts events in the world and takes place for three weeks every August in Scotland’s capital city.

Annalise Mackintosh Website and Twitter

Pippa Goldschmidt Website and Twitter

Christopher Nicholson Website

Henrietta Rose-Innes Website and Twitter

Alan Parks Website