FANDOM, FRIENDSHIPS AND THE JOB OF YOUR DREAMS: A SECRET BEAT BY REBECCA DENTON OUT TODAY

Rebecca Denton is back with a brilliant new young adult novel A SECRET BEAT, published today by Atom. Set in the same world as her debut novel, THIS BEATS PERFECT (Atom, 2017), A SECRET BEAT follows the lives of two girls, Alexia and Greta, who are hoping an internship at a prestigious production company will be the first step in a glittering career.

Alexia Falls is eighteen, living in her parents' New York penthouse and working with superstar boyband The Keep. But with her heart set on independence and a career behind the camera, she trades it all for a take-it-or-leave-it internship at London's Bright Star Productions.

There, she meets fellow intern Greta. Greta's East End upbringing couldn't have been more different from Alexia's, but she's every bit as hungry for her big break.

But both girls have secrets.

While Alexia doesn't want anyone knowing about her privileged connection to The Keep, Greta has been anonymously running their #1 social fan-feed since she was at school. And when the gossip columns somehow get news of the band's latest scandals, suspicions and accusations start flying...

Real art demands integrity. But staying in the music business requires the opposite. Can you stay true to yourself when your heart follows a secret beat?

Rebecca Denton lives in Hackney. She spent her career traveling the world making Music TV for MTV and Channel 4, and wrangling young adult audiences for the BBC and ITV. She's filmed Iggy Pop, MIA, Kaiser Chiefs, Sonic Youth, Jack White, Dirty Pretty Things, and The Klaxons to name just a few.

Follow Rebecca on Twitter

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Watch Rebecca’s brilliant book trailers for A SECRET BEAT here and here and here!

Praise for Rebecca Denton:

‘Sparkling with wit, A SECRET BEAT explores celebrity, fandom, and being true to yourself. It’s sharp, fresh, and so much fun.’ – Carlie Sorosiak, author of IF BIRDS FLY BACK and WILD BLUE YONDER

‘A fun, I’m-NOT-with-the-band, tale about too-cool-for-school Amelia, who wants her music to change the world - if only she had the confidence to get up on stage.’ - Red

'THIS BEATS PERFECT is a fabulous celebration of music, friendship, and following your dreams. It's hugely entertaining with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and Amelie is a wonderful heroine. She's smart, loyal, and fiercely independent. Rebecca Denton's music expertise shows in the incredibly authentic backstage and on stage scenes. A fantastic addition to the burgeoning category of YA books about music, fandoms, and fame.' – Katherine Webber, author of WING JONES

Edward Carey's LITTLE selected to be pitched at SERIES MANIA this week

Edward Carey's LITTLE has been selected to be pitched at the international producer's conference SERIES MANIA this week. Utterly unique, LITTLE is the wry, macabre, unforgettable tale of an ambitious orphan in revolutionary Paris, befriended by royalty and radicals, who transforms herself into the legendary Madame Tussaud.

Eleanor Catton described Carey's earlier novel HEAP HOUSE as ‘delightful, eccentric, heartfelt, surprising, philosophical’, a description that is apt for LITTLE too.

Julian Friedmann will be pitching LITTLE to a wide range of producers and financiers, along with other select BFLA projects. 

FEEL-GOOD SUMMER ROMANCE MY MAMMA MIA SUMMER ACQUIRED BY ORION

World Rights (All Languages) for MY MAMMA MIA SUMMER by Annie Robertson have been acquired by Harriet Bourton, Publisher at Orion Fiction, in a deal struck by Juliet Pickering.

Orion Fiction will publish in eBook first on 7 June 2018 and as a paperback original and in audio on 12 July 2018 to coincide with the film release of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

A joyous, heart-warming summer read, MY MAMMA MIA SUMMER is perfect for fans of escapist women’s fiction and ABBA alike. When her beloved grandmother, Marnie, passes away, Laurel is left with a small inheritance and a note telling her to follow her dreams. Turning to her favourite film for inspiration, Laurel grabs her passport, dons her best dungarees, and jets off to Skopelos for her own Mamma Mia adventure. Laurel is having the life of her life – could this be where she truly belongs?

Annie’s previous novel, I HEART NORA, about an aspiring screenwriter who pens a sequel to When Harry Met Sally, was published in Germany (Blanvalet), the Netherlands (Singel Uitgeveijen), the Czech Republic (Albatros) and Slovakia (Metafora).

Harriet Bourton, editor said: ‘This is an irresistibly fun, feel-good story that practically packs itself into your suitcase! I was craving a romantic, sweet-natured escapist beach read and in MY MAMMA MIA SUMMER Annie delivers that in spades – as well as being so timely with the film just around the corner. This book has taught me that what can’t be captured in an ABBA pun isn’t worth saying.’

Juliet Pickering, said: ‘This is a gorgeous novel, full of adventure and sunshine, and I can’t think of a better match than Annie and the Orion Fiction team.’

Annie Robertson, author said: ‘I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with Harriet and the fabulous team at Orion. I hope MY MAMMA MIA SUMMER will find a place in readers' hearts this summer.’

Annie Robertson trained in London as a classical musician, then worked as an assistant for an Oscar winner, an acclaimed artist, a PR mogul and a Beatle. After several years of running errands for the rich and famous, she went to medical school where, hiding novels in anatomy textbooks, she discovered her true passion for writing. She went on to complete a Creative Writing MA with distinction. Annie now lives back home in Scotland. When not writing she enjoys playing the piano, swimming with her son, visiting antiques markets with her husband, and walking her Basset Hounds.

Dima Alzayat Shortlisted for Prestigious Deborah Rogers Writers’ Award

Short story writer, Dima Alzayat, has been shortlisted for the Deborah Rogers Writers’ Award, a prize set up to support first-time writers working on their debut book. Dima’s stories, including The Daughters of Manat, have been selected by judges Anne Enright, Jenny Uglow and Pete Hobbs, on a shortlist of just three. Chair of judges, Anne Enright, said, “The judges are delighted with this varied and hugely interesting shortlist which shows the vigour and range of writing in English today. New work is always so heartfelt.  It is a privilege to witness talent at this early stage.”

Dima won the Bristol Short Story Prize in November 2017 with her story Ghusl, and is now writing a collection of short stories alongside completing her PhD on Arab American Fiction, and teaching creative writing at Lancaster University.

The winner will be announced on Wednesday 16th May, and will also appear at Hay Festival on Sunday 27th May. Read more about the Award here.

TOMASZ JEDROWSKI’S SWIMMING IN THE DARK SOLD IN A SIX-WAY AUCTION IN UK AND FOR A SIX-FIGURE DEAL IN THE US

SWIMMING IN THE DARK, the tender and passionate debut by Tomasz Jedrowski, caused excitement on both sides of the Atlantic in the lead-up to London Book Fair. Set against the decline of communism in Poland in the 1980s, the novel tells a story of first love between two men as they seek moral integrity under a repressive system.

The manuscript garnered much praise from editors in the UK, leading to a hotly-contested six-publisher auction. Alexa von Hirschberg, senior commissioning editor at Bloomsbury secured UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) from Samuel Hodder. She praised the “seductive and heartbreaking novel, which as well as being a passionate coming-of-age story, also raises profound moral questions”.

Tomasz said: "I could not be more thrilled to be working with Bloomsbury. Their authors have inspired and sustained me throughout my creative journey and it's incredible that SWIMMING IN THE DARK will be published alongside writers who have helped to bring it to life. Many thanks to my agent Samuel Hodder at Blake Friedmann and to Alexa von Hirschberg at Bloomsbury for setting Ludwig's and Janusz's story free in such a gracious and loving way." 

Jessica Williams, senior editor at William Morrow, snapped up North American rights as part of an impressive six-figure pre-emptive deal. She told The Bookseller it was a “breath-taking debut”.

“I started SWIMMING IN THE DARK on a cold Saturday afternoon in New York, and immediately disappeared into its sensuous language and the lives of its characters,” she said. “I fell so utterly in love with Tomasz’s storytelling that I finished the book in one sitting, immediately sent a note to my publisher, and offered a pre-empt first thing Monday morning.”

Further auctions saw German rights sold to Hoffman und Campe, Italian rights to Edizioni E/O, and UK and Commonwealth audio rights to Audible. An auction for Dutch rights is ongoing.

Tomasz Jedrowski was born in Germany to Polish parents, but has lived in several countries, speaks five languages, and is a graduate of Cambridge University and Université de Paris. He currently lives in Warsaw but often travels to the UK. SWIMMING IN THE DARK is his first novel.