Trapeze Books Wins Two Novels From Striking New Voice Jendella Benson

Sam Eades, Publishing Director, Trapeze Books, has won UK & Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, in a fiercely-fought auction from Juliet Pickering, to GLORY and a second novel by Jendella Benson, Head of Editorial at Black Ballad. GLORY was pre-empted in a six-figure deal by William Morrow in the US.

GLORY is a rich, heart-warming story of loss, love and family chaos, and marks an exciting new voice in fiction. Glory Akíndélé arrives back in Peckham, from her seemingly-glamorous life in LA, to mourn the sudden death of her father, and finds her previously-close family has fallen apart in her absence. Her brother, Victor, has been jailed; her sister, Faith, appears to have lost her independence and ambition; and their mother, Celeste, is headed towards a breakdown. Glory is thrown by their disarray, and rather than returning to America she decides to stay and try to bring them all together again. However, when she unearths a huge family secret, Glory risks losing everyone she truly cares about in her pursuit of the truth.

Sam Eades, editor, said: ‘GLORY is a thoughtful exploration of Nigerian heritage and how tradition and history shapes families and the relationships within them. It is also a compulsive page-turner, with several revelations and narrative turning points that will have readers racing to the end. And at this book’s centre is Glory, and what I love about her as a character is her ability to connect those around her, at a time where human connection feels more important than ever. Jendella is a phenomenal talent, and I’m thrilled that she has chosen Trapeze Books as her publisher.’

Jendella Benson, author, said: ‘I'm really excited to introduce Glory and her loving but complicated family. This book was inspired by my own "quarter-life" crisis and the push and pull you often feel as a young adult between defining yourself as an individual and the loyalty you have to your family and their expectations. Knowing how powerful it can be to see yourself and characters that you immediately recognise reflected in what you read, I really wanted to write a story that was rooted in the experience of being from a British-Nigerian family but also captured all colours and contradictions of being a Black British millennial who is still trying to make sense of their place in the world. Glory's struggle to find herself and deal with the burdens of family secrets and shame is something that I think everyone can relate to in one way or another and I'm really happy that Sam and the whole Trapeze team immediately understood what Glory's story was about. This is a slice of British life that as a reader I know we don't get to see enough, so to say that I'm delighted to contribute to British literary landscape in this way is probably an understatement.’

Juliet Pickering, agent, said: ‘To see GLORY grow from an idea into a novel has been a joy, and I’m thrilled to know that this troubled, wry and relatable young woman’s story will be widely read and enjoyed. GLORY has all my favourite ingredients: family dysfunction, friendship, romance and ambition, from a voice we don’t often find in fiction. Jendella is at the start of what I have no doubt will be a very exciting career, and I can’t wait to launch her debut alongside Trapeze in early 2022.’

About the author

Jendella is Head of Editorial at Black Ballad – the award-winning digital platform for Black British women – and has previously been a columnist for Media Diversified, MTV UK, and Christian Today. She has written for Metro Online and Independent Voices, as well as had her visual work featured in The Guardian, The Metro, The Voice Newspaper, and on London Live. Her short story, KINDLING, was published in The Book of Birmingham and her visual work has been exhibited across the UK and internationally, most notably at the House of Commons, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, and at the International Center of Photography in New York as part of ICP Projected in May 2018. Finally, Jendella is a TEDx speaker who has also appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour, as well as speaking at various universities and conferences.

GLORY by Jendella Benson will be published by Trapeze Books on 17 February 2022 in hardback, eBook and audio on 17 February 2022 in hardback, eBook and audio. Preorder now from Sevenoaks Bookshop for a signed first edition and exclusive print: https://www.sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/glory-by-jendella-benson/

Visit Jendella’s website

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MICHAEL LEE RICHARDSON IS ONE TO WATCH AT THE EDINBURGH TV FEST

A huge congratulations to Michael Lee Richardson who has been named one of Edinburgh International Television Festival’s Ones to Watch for 2020,

Ones to Watch gives television’s best and brightest access to inspiring sessions, creative debate and unrivalled networking opportunities in August, as well as support and mentoring throughout the year. A place on Ones to Watch is a life-changing, money-can’t-buy opportunity.

The 2020 edition of Ones to Watch will take place over 6 days in August - 3 days of exclusive Ones to Watch content and 3 days to 'attend' the Edinburgh TV Festival, which this year will be a digital event.

Michael’s Ones to Watch page is accessible here.

4th Estate Acquires Thought-Provoking Debut Novel GOOD INTENTIONS By Kasim Ali

Helen Garnons-Williams, Associate Publisher at 4th Estate, has acquired British Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) at a fiercely-fought auction, in GOOD INTENTIONS, a debut novel by 25-year-old Kasim Ali, in a six-figure two-book deal from Juliet Pickering.

Photographer Credit: Naomi Burt

GOOD INTENTIONS tells the story of Nur, a young British-Pakistani man whose attempts to do the right thing by his family, his friends and the woman he loves creates an emotional pressure cooker. Deftly exploring millennial relationships alongside the complexities of immigrant obligation and racial prejudice, it is a dazzling,
urgent and captivating debut that introduces an incredibly exciting new voice in British literature.

It’s the countdown to midnight on New Year’s Eve and Nur is steeling himself to finally tell his parents he is dating Yasmina: a woman he loves deeply, has been with for years, but cannot be honest to his family about, for one reason: Yasmina is Black.

Nur wants to be a good son to his parents and a good boyfriend to Yasmina. He wants the best for his family, but also the best for his future. Nur has kept Yasmina a secret, putting growing strain on his first serious relationship, because although his parents want the best for him too, their aspirations do not match his and he doesn’t want to upset them with his choices. But is love really a choice for him, and how does Nur decide where his loyalties lie?

Helen Garnons-Williams says, ‘GOOD INTENTIONS is a beautifully crafted, wonderfully nuanced literary novel that engages, moves and provokes in equal measure. It asks big questions, without offering easy answers, exploring the conflicting dynamics of family, culture and race and introducing us to a cast of characters who too rarely take centre stage in British fiction –for whom we come to care about deeply.’

Kasim says, ‘Like every author, I’ve imagined this moment infinitely, conducted press interviews in the shower, cast the TV adaptation right before bed. And yet, speaking to Helen and her team, hearing the news from Juliet, it all felt like a hazy dream that I’d soon wake up from. There isn’t enough space to describe my elation at getting to work with Helen on this book, someone who so clearly understands it and me, who sees the characters not only for who they are but who they so desperately want to be. I couldn’t be happier to bring this book to life with the team at 4th Estate; I’ve been carrying Nur and Yasmina with me for too long, it’s time for the world to see them now.’

Juliet says, ‘When I first returned from maternity leave last autumn I was worried that my brain might never be able to absorb a whole book again! But I read GOOD INTENTIONS in one gulp, on a blessedly long and baby-free train journey, and it completely inhabited me. Kasim’s style is fresh and quick, and this novel has so many layers to it – every time I re-read it, I find something new. I had no idea Kasim worked in publishing or that he’d written the novel in just six weeks until I met him, when we hit it off immediately despite both of these revelations. I’m thrilled to have found Kasim and his novels a wonderful home with Helen and her colleagues, whose enthusiasm and commitment were dazzling from the start.’

4th Estate will publish GOOD INTENTIONS as their lead fiction debut in Spring 2022.

Kasim Ali works at Penguin Random House and has previously been shortlisted for Hachette’s Mo Siewcherran Prize, longlisted for the 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, and has contributed to THE GOOD JOURNAL. He comes from Birmingham and lives in London.

Follow Kasim on Twitter.

HODDER & STOUGHTON ACQUIRES KATE THOMPSON’S THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY

Hodder & Stoughton will publish THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY by Kate Thompson, based on a real-life underground library at Bethnal Green during the Second World War.

Women’s fiction publisher Kimberley Atkins bought world English language rights from Kate Burke at The Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. The title will be published in spring 2022.

THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY focuses on the women at the heart of the subterranean community.

Atkins said: ‘I am truly delighted to be publishing another novel from Kate Thompson on the Hodder list—she is a brilliant writer of evocative historical fiction, and I was captivated by this incredible story of friendship, romance, community and hope. Kate writes with meticulous historical detail based on her own research, often speaking to individuals who lived through the period and can give a first-hand account of what everyday life was like during the war. It’s a privilege to be publishing THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY, and to give a voice to some of the brave women on the home front.’

Thompson commented: ‘World War Two reconfigured the literary landscape. The unique challenges presented to the librarian at Britain's only underground shelter library, built 80 feet underground, next to the tracks at Bethnal Green Underground has had a powerful hold on my imagination since I discovered its existence in an old photograph. I can't wait to dig deeper into the 'Read for Victory' campaign and share this little known slice of social history. THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY has found its perfect home at Hodder & Stoughton.’

Thompson's other novels include SECRETS OF THE HOMEFRONT GIRLS (Hodder, 2019), SECRETS OF THE SEWING BEE (Macmillan, 2016) and SECRETS OF THE SINGER GIRLS (Pan, 2015). SECRETS OF THE LAVENDER GIRLS will be published in ebook and audio on 6th August 2020, and in paperback on 21st January 2021.

About Kate Thompson

Kate is an award-winning journalist, ghostwriter and novelist. She spent five years’ working on national newspapers such as the Daily Express and Daily Mail, and also on all the major national woman’s magazine titles. Over the past seven years, she has concentrated on writing fiction and non-fiction titles. Her debut novel, SECRETS OF THE SINGER GIRLS, was a Sunday Times bestseller in 2015, with first week sales of over 10,000. It has recently been optioned by Bandit Television.

Kate's first non-fiction book, which uncovers the lives of extraordinary women of wartime East End, THE STEPNEY DOORSTEP SOCIETY, was published by Penguin (Michael Joseph) in February 2019 and reached number one in the history categories on Amazon.

Praise for Kate Thompson

'An important glimpse into a vanishing world' - Sunday Express

'Inspiring tales of courage in the face of hardship' - Mail on Sunday

‘I loved this book, so filled with life and compassion and the sadness of wartime. Kate has caught the idioms and spirit of those tough women and the characters just danced off the page’ — Leah Fleming, author of THE OLIVE GARDEN CHOIR

'Crammed full of fascinating stories' - BBC 2 Steve Wright

‘Astonishing’ – Radio 5 Live

Follow Kate on Twitter.

SHEILA O’FLANAGAN’S THE WOMEN WHO RAN AWAY JUMPS STRAIGHT TO NO. 1 IN THE IRISH BESTSELLER CHARTS

In its first week of sale, Sheila O’Flanagan’s latest novel THE WOMEN WHO RAN AWAY (Headline, UK and Audio) shoots straight to the Number One spot on the Irish Times Bestseller list this weekend.

Deira isn't the kind of woman to steal a car. Or drive to France alone with no plan. But then, Deira didn't expect to be single. Or to suddenly realise that the only way she can get the one thing she wants most is to start breaking every rule she lives by. Grace has been sent on a journey by her late husband, Ken. She doesn't really want to be on it but she's following his instructions, as always. She can only hope that the trip will help her to forgive him. And then - finally - she'll be able to let him go.

Brought together by unexpected circumstances, Grace and Deira find that it's easier to share secrets with a stranger, especially in the shimmering sunny countryside of Spain and France. But they soon find that there's no escaping the truth, whether you're running away from it or racing towards it . . .

Sheila O’Flanagan is an international bestselling novelist, with more than 7.5 million copies sold. Numerous novels have been immediate and long-lasting No 1s in Ireland, UK Top 10 Sunday Times Bestsellers and Kindle Bestsellers, and she is widely published around the world. She is the recipient of the prestigious Irish Tatler Literary Woman of the Year Award.

Read Sheila’s recent interview in the Irish Times.

Praise for THE WOMEN WHO RAN AWAY
‘Sheila was a star at our Rooftop Book Club event last August, fans will love her fabulous new book.’ — Nina Pottell, Prima

‘Life-affirming goodness from O’Flanagan.’ — Irish Examiner

Praise for Sheila O’Flanagan

‘One of my favourite authors’ – Marian Keyes

‘O'Flanagan is one of our best-known, best-loved and most prolific women's fiction authors’ – Irish Independent

‘O'Flanagan's writing is crisp and concise and her plotting deft’ – Belfast Telegraph

'One of our best storytellers' – Irish Mail on Sunday

Visit Sheila’s website.

Follow Sheila on Twitter.