TV RIGHTS TO T.C. FARREN’S THE BOOK OF MALACHI ACQUIRED BY LITTLE ISLAND PRODUCTIONS

Little Island Productions has acquired the television rights to T.C. Farren’s THE BOOK OF MALACHI from Louisa Minghella at Blake Friedmann.

The story follows Malachi, a mute thirty-year-old man who receives an extraordinary job offer. In exchange for six months as a warden on a top-secret organ-farming project, Raizier Pharmaceuticals will graft him a new tongue. Malachi finds himself on an oil rig among warlords and mass murderers. But do the prisoner-donors deserve their fate?

Little Island Productions was founded by producer Helen Flint (Patrick Melrose, Summer of Rockets) in 2013, and specialises in high-end scripted drama for domestic and international markets. It is currently in production on big-canvas fantasy adventure series The Wheel Of Time, which is co-produced with Sony for Amazon.

Producer Suzan Harrison (The Dresser) is Little Island’s Head of Development, and the Development Executive is Bryony Cunningham (Patrick Melrose). 

Suzan Harrison said: ‘THE BOOK OF MALACHI’ is an intense and beautifully written story that explores themes of race, disability, and sexuality. T.C Farren has created an extraordinary world, and we’re thrilled to bring it to the screen.’

T.C. Farren said: ‘People who read the book often say they’ve just watched a movie. I felt the same way writing it. It is wonderful that Little Island Productions are going to make this materialise’.

THE BOOK OF MALACHI was published in the UK in October 2020 by Titan Books, and in South Africa in 2019 by Kwela, while the audio edition is available from Bolinda. Titan will also release THE BOOK OF MALACHI in the US on 10th November. The novel was nominated for the Nommo Awards for Speculative Fiction 2020.

About T.C. Farren

T.C. Farren is a prize-winning novelist and scriptwriter, based in Cape Town. Her first novel, WHIPLASH won both humanitarian and literary awards. Her screenplay adaptation gave rise to the feature film, TESS, which won numerous awards, including a prestigious screenwriting nomination. She also adapted her highly acclaimed second novel, SNAKE to a screenplay which has won production funding and is due to be produced soon. HOTEL NOWHERE, T.C. Farren’s drug trafficking thriller script has recently been selected for development.

Praise for THE BOOK OF MALACHI

‘Farren has created an extraordinary narrator in Malachi... An intense and memorable read.’ – SFX

‘Grace and hope elevate THE BOOK OF MALACHI from the foundations of its sci-fi action thriller narrative. The questions Farren asks about who controls our ideas about forgiveness, who deserves it and why, could stay with you for a long time.’ – New Scientist

‘Farren is an exceptional writer, one of the best I’ve encountered, and not just in this country. By the time the novel ended, I was bereft, missing the characters and the setting as if I’d spent real time in an actual place. I can’t recommend this powerful novel highly enough.’ — Janet van Eeden Harrison, LitNet

‘Her descriptive powers are faultless, but more than that her understanding and exposition of what it is to be human, even in a broken form is magical… Sheer genius … Utterly brilliant.’ — Jennifer Crocker, Cape Times

‘Will have you ripping through the pages. Part thriller, part horror, part speculative fiction: this gripping read goes to the heart of ethical quandaries, forcing the reader to ask: “What if it were me?”’ — Sunday Times (SA)

‘An extraordinary, moving story that I read sometimes through the gaps in my fingers, like peeking at a horror movie — but one with hope and some exquisite visuals.’ — Country Life

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THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH by Monique Roffey shortlisted for the 2020 Goldsmiths Prize

We are delighted that Monique Roffey’s The Mermaid of Black Conch has been shortlisted for the 2020 Goldsmiths Prize, an award established to celebrate fiction ‘that breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel form’. Prize judge Sarah Ladipo Manyika described the book as ‘a powerful feminist tale which speaks artfully to the nature of love and possession, race and class, creolization and colonialism’. Also shortlisted are Xiaolu Guo, M. John Harrison, DBC Pierre, Paul Griffiths and Anakana Schofield.

The Mermaid of Black Conch was published in the UK by Peepal Tree Press, and by W F Howes in audio, and was described by The Sunday Times as ‘sensuous, beguiling, but without whimsy’. Manyika also praised the book for its ‘unforgettable characters and scenes’, adding that it ‘sings with warm echoes of Jean Rhys, Ernest Hemingway and Zora Neale Hurston’ and is ‘one of those rare gems of a novel that can be read and enjoyed on many levels’. Read more about the novel and the judges’ commentary on the Goldsmiths Prize site here.

The Mermaid of Black Conch is a vivid, moving story of love and trust, family and friendship in a Caribbean island community – a world brought to unforgettable life by a master storyteller.

A fisherman sings to himself in his boat, but attracts an unexpected sea-dweller — Aycayia, a beautiful young woman cursed to live as a mermaid, swimming the ocean for centuries. Theirs becomes a calm, unspoken bond. But when she hears David’s engine again one day and follows the vessel, she finds herself in a fierce battle for her life. Caught by American sports fishermen, she is strung up on the dock as a trophy, but David rescues her, and gently wins her trust as she starts to transform, painfully, back into a woman. But jealous eyes are watching them…

Interwoven with David and Aycayia’s love story is that of Miss Arcadia Rain, a white landowner bringing up her deaf son on a dwindling estate. As her young son connects with fellow outsider Aycayia, an old lover of Arcadia’s returns to the island and she too begins to feel her way into love and trust again.

See more about The Mermaid of Black Conch on the Peepal Tree Press site here.

The winner of the 2020 Goldsmiths Prize will be announced on 11th November. The £10,000 prize is awarded to the work it deems ‘genuinely novel and which embodies the spirit of invention that characterises the genre at its best’. Winners over past years are Lucy Ellman, Robin Robertson, Nicola Barker, Mike McCormack, Kevin Barry, Ali Smith and Eimear McBride. 

Praise for The Mermaid of Black Conch

‘The Mermaid of Black Conch arrives bearing tragedy and beauty. Monique Roffey has created a new myth for an age of ruined oceans. She continues to be one of our most exciting new Caribbean voices.’ — A.L. Kennedy

‘Monique Roffey is a unique talent and most daring and versatile of writers.’ — Bernardine Evaristo

‘Monique Roffey is a writer of verve, vibrancy and compassion, and her work is always a joy to read.’ — Sarah Hall

‘The Mermaid of Black Conch is wonderfully written, with both soul and intense drama – it glistens almost, like the mermaid! I love its all-round charisma and also its great compassion for both humanity and the natural world.’ — Diana Evans

‘The Mermaid of Black Conch is like a lost myth, found, and made fresh again for our times.’ —  Tessa McWatt, author of Shame on Me: An Anatomy of Race and Belonging 

About Monique Roffey

Monique Roffey is an award-winning novelist. House of Ashes (Scribner UK) was shortlisted for the Costa and the BOCAS Prize. Archipelago, winner of the OCM BOCAS prize for Caribbean Literature, was published by Scribner in the UK, Viking in the US, and translated into 5 languages. Her second novel The White Woman on the Green Bicycle was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Encore Prize, among other accolades.

Read an interview with Monique Roffey here.

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FIND THEM DEAD BY PETER JAMES SHORTLISTED FOR CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR

FIND THEM DEAD by Peter James, the sixteenth novel in the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, has been shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year at the Capital Crime Readers Awards.

In FIND THEM DEAD, ending his secondment to London’s Met Police, Roy Grace returns to his old job in Brighton, and is drawn into the sinister sphere of influence of a drug dealer on trial. Roy Grace begins to unearth a powerful criminal network, but a mother, called to jury service, fears for her daughter’s life …

Crime and thriller fans can place their votes on the Capital Crime website and winners will be announced on Tuesday 13th October 2020.

FIND THEM DEAD shot straight to Number One on the Sunday Times hardback bestseller list in July, and stayed in the Top Ten for 7 weeks. It will be released in paperback on 29 October.  Another striking standalone title, I FOLLOW YOU, was published in hardback, ebook and audio on 1 October his year.

The Roy Grace series starring John Simm as Grace, is currently being filmed in Brighton, with ITV broadcast set for 2021.

Praise for Peter James:

‘Sinister and riveting… Peter James is one of the best British crime writers, and therefore one of the best in the world.’ — Lee Child

‘A master plotter who cunningly tunes into contemporary concerns. Peter James cannot fail to thrill.’ ¬– Daily Mail

‘Memorable characters and nail-biting tension.’ — Kathy Reichs

‘Peter James creates a world we can smell, touch and feel for his Brighton detective Inspector Roy Grace.’ – The Times

'Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business.' — Karin Slaughter

About the Author:

Peter James is an international bestselling crime and thriller writer. His books have been translated into thirty-seven languages, with worldwide sales of over twenty million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him 16 consecutive Sunday Times Number Ones. In 2015 WHSmith customers voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. In 2018 he received a Specsavers Honorary PlatinumBestseller Award.

Successful nationwide tours of the stage plays of THE PERFECT MURDER (2014), DEAD SIMPLE (2015), NOT DEAD ENOUGH (2017) and THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL (2019) have played to packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. The newest Roy Grace theatre production, LOOKING GOOD DEAD, will tour in 2021.

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Auction for Graeme Macrae Burnet’s captivating CASE STUDY won by Saraband, Text and Bolinda

Photo: Sveta Mishina

Graeme Macrae Burnet's latest novel, CASE STUDY, has been acquired by independent publisher Saraband in a hotly contested five-way auction. CASE STUDY will be the fourth of the author's novels to be published by the Salford-based press, including his 2015 Booker-shortlisted HIS BLOODY PROJECT.

Saraband’s MD Sara Hunt bought UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency, for an undisclosed sum. Michael Heyward of Text acquired ANZ rights, while Ellis Moore of Bolinda secured audio, also in a very competitive auction.

HIS BLOODY PROJECT has repeatedly been picked out as one of the outstanding novels of its decade and outsold the rest of the Booker shortlist in 2016. In his new book Burnet uses his playful ‘metafictional’ approach to present an enthralling, layered novel exploring 1960s psychiatry and society.

CASE STUDY consists of a series of notebooks apparently sent to the author in 2020 to aid his research into the forgotten 1960s psychotherapist Arthur Collins Braithwaite – a controversial contemporary of R.D. Laing. These notebooks reveal the story of a young woman convinced that Braithwaite is responsible for her sister’s suicide. Determined to get to the bottom of the charismatic therapist’s role in her sister’s death, she assumes an alter ego and presents herself as a client to him. And so begins a game of cat-and-mouse between therapist and patient, between author and reader, in a novel seething with secrets and teasing questions about the nature of identity itself.

Describing the novel as ‘complex, playful, clever, stylish and witty, complete with all of Graeme’s signature style and tricks, but also high-concept, with emotional depth, and utterly captivating’, Sara Hunt comments:

‘After an epic team effort with the creativity and hard work of my colleagues, I am over the moon that we’ve secured rights to this fantastic book. More than that, I can’t wait to resume our working relationship with Graeme, who is such a wonderful, warm, funny and talented person – a joy to work with in every way.’

She adds, ‘We are thrilled that Graeme has also agreed to be our Bookshop Champion for Bookshop Day on 3 October. He will be visiting bookshops either physically or virtually – as lockdown allows – to highlight the key role booksellers play in the lives of writers and readers.’

‘Graeme has been a prominent supporter of booksellers throughout his writing career. Next year, when CASE STUDY is launched, we’ll have some special surprises for booksellers (and, of course, readers) to look forward to.’

Graeme Macrae Burnet says: ‘I couldn’t be more delighted to be teaming up once again with the great teams at Saraband and Text. I was very gratified to receive a number of tremendous offers for the book, but Sara Hunt showed a passion and commitment to CASE STUDY that was simply irresistible. I can’t wait to get to work and look forward to seeing my new novel out in the world.’

Isobel Dixon says: ‘The battle for CASE STUDY was a truly extraordinary auction, for an extraordinary novel, all the bidders passionate about Graeme’s work. Saraband’s ingenuity and commitment was impressive and I’m delighted that Sara Hunt will be taking this forward, along with Michael Heyward of Text and Ellis Moore of Bolinda – strengthening old ties while breaking new ground with this brilliant book.’

CASE STUDY will be published in October 2021.

Graeme’s website

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About the author

Graeme Macrae Burnet is the author of three acclaimed novels, including two titles in the Inspector Gorski series – THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ADELE BEDEAU, which won a Scottish Book Trust Writer’s Award and was longlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award, and THE ACCIDENT ON THE A35, which was longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2018 and the Hearst Big Book Awards – Harper’s Bazaar Modern Classics 2018. HIS BLOODY PROJECT, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2016, won the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year Award and the Vrij Netherlands Thriller of the Year, and was shortlisted for the LA Times Book Awards. It has been published around the world and become a bestseller in several countries and languages.

HIS BLOODY PROJECT is optioned for film and for stage adaptation and Graeme Macrae Burnet’s work is published in 22 languages.

Praise for HIS BLOODY PROJECT

‘Spellbinding ... Riveting, dark and ingeniously constructed.’ – Edmund Gordon, Sunday Times

‘Brings an extraordinary historical period into focus, while the multiple unreliable perspectives are designed to keep the audience wondering, throughout the novel and beyond. This is a fiendishly readable tale that richly deserves the wider attention the Booker has brought it.’ – Justine Jordan, The Guardian

‘Burnet proves that the undeniable pleasures of the crime novel can be combined with real literary value and an experimental narrative structure... Burnet is a writer of great skill and authority.’ – Barry Forshaw, Financial Times

‘A gripping crime story, a deeply imagined historical novel, and gloriously written all in one tour-de-force of a book.’ – Chris Dolan, Book of the Year, The Herald

Praise for the Gorski novels:

‘Gripping and intelligent.’ – Philip Pullman

‘A strikingly singular talent, Burnet blends a gripping story with compelling characters and surprising sweeps of the imagination. This is an accomplished, elegantly written and exciting first novel.’ – Booktrust

‘Burnet skilfully knits together a solid detective story and a compelling character study to make a captivating psychological thriller.’ – Alastair Mabbott, The Herald

Arrow Books to publish two books by debut novelist Caroline Khoury

Jennie Rothwell, editor at Arrow Books, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Caroline Khoury’s debut novel, IT MUST BE LOVE, as well as an untitled second from Kate Burke at Blake Friedmann. German and Russian rights have also been snapped up to IT MUST BE LOVE.

IT MUST BE LOVE is a will-they-won’t-they commercial women’s novel spanning fifteen years and six cities. Abbie and Oz first meet when they are students from very different backgrounds, and their connection is unmistakable. They drift apart when Oz moves back to Turkey, but Abbie can’t shake the feeling that Oz might have been ‘the one’. As the years pass, it seems unlikely that they will ever meet again but fortunately fate has other ideas… delicious in its delivery and utterly heart-warming, IT MUST BE LOVE is an ode to second chances that you simply won’t be able to put down.

Jennie Rothwell, editor, said: ‘The moment I read the first page I knew IT MUST BE LOVE was a book that I had to publish. I found myself on a rollercoaster of emotions as I raced to finish it and I was instantly drawn to the locations Caroline had chosen for Abbie and Oz. I am so excited to welcome Caroline to Arrow, and can’t wait for readers to fall in love with Abbie and Oz, and their story.’

Caroline Khoury, author, said: ‘It is a dream come true that IT MUST BE LOVE has found a home at Arrow and I’m honoured to be working with Jennie and the team. I really loved writing this story and I can’t wait for people to read it.’

Kate Burke, agent, said: ‘I'm delighted that Caroline has found such a great publishing home with Jennie and the Arrow team. Her life-affirming, romantic novels are a breath of fresh air and I can't wait to see them published!’

IT MUST BE LOVE will be published by Arrow Books in February 2022.

About the Author

Caroline Khoury is half Lebanese, half Welsh, and moved to the UK as a baby to escape civil war in Lebanon. Having lived in Hong Kong, Tokyo and New Jersey, she recently moved back to the UK. Her hobbies include travelling, art, dancing, climbing mountains, collecting stationery, and watching Turkish soap operas. Her writing was shortlisted in the Trapeze/eHarmony love story competition 2018.

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