JULIET PICKERING WINS RNA AGENT OF THE YEAR AWARD

We’re delighted that Juliet Pickering was named Agent of the Year 2021 at the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Winter Party and Industry Awards ceremony. Blake Friedmann founder, the late Carole Blake, took the RNA Agent of the Year trophy in 2016, and many agency clients have both won Awards, and been recognised on the RNA Awards lists over the years.

This annual award celebrates the literary agent who has supported, mentored, nurtured and promoted their authors’ careers, the genre in general and the RNA in particular.

Juliet has worked in publishing for 18 years. After graduating from university Juliet became a fiction buyer for Waterstones. She then joined AP Watt in 2003 and began to build a varied list there before joining Blake Friedmann in 2013. Since then, she has gone from strength to strength, becoming Vice Head of the Book Department in 2017 and stepping up to the Executive Board in 2020 – all the while supporting clients and staff alike with her expertise and encouragement. She represents an impressive range of clients, including RNA authors Sue Moorcroft and Annie Robertson.

See more about Juliet and her clients here.

DUCHESS OF CORNWALL VISITS SET OF GRACE AS PETER JAMES LANDS NINETEENTH NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER WITH LEFT YOU DEAD

Last week, Peter James hosted the Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to the set of ITV’s GRACE, based on the author’s number one bestselling Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series. The series is recommended by HRH’s Reading Room. Filming for the fifth title in the series, DEAD TOMORROW, is currently underway.

Roy Grace hit TV screens around the world for the first time this year when ITV’s much-anticipated adaptation GRACE, written by acclaimed screenwriter and Endeavour creator Russell Lewis, premiered in March. Two episodes have been filmed so far, with a further three episodes currently in production. The stellar cast includes John Simm  (Life on Mars, Strangers, Doctor Who) as Roy Grace, and Richie Campbell (Top Boy, Liar, Small Axe), as Detective Sergeant Glenn Branson. The first episode, based on the first Roy Grace book DEAD SIMPLE, was watched by 8.8 million viewers in the UK and has since aired in countries including the USA, Canada, Japan, Norway and Finland.

After its first full week of sale, LEFT YOU DEAD, Peter James’s seventeenth Detective Superintendent Roy Grace novel, reached Number One earlier this month in the Sunday Times paperback bestseller charts. This marks his nineteenth consecutive Number One in the British charts.

In LEFT YOU DEAD, Niall and Eden Paternoster start their Sunday the same way they always do – with a long drive, a visit to a country house and a quick stop at the local supermarket on the way home. But this Sunday ends differently – because while Niall waits and waits in the car park for Eden to pick up supplies, Eden never returns. She’s not waiting for him at home, and none of their family or friends have heard from her.

Gone without a trace, Niall is arrested on suspicion of her murder. When DS Roy Grace is called in to investigate, it doesn’t take long to realize that nothing is quite as it seems – and this might be his most mysterious case yet.

Praise for Peter James:

‘Superior plotting and edge-of-the-seat suspense.’ – The Guardian

‘Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business’ – Karin Slaughter

‘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

‘Probably the closest we’ll get to a British Stephen King’ – The Financial Times

‘With echoes of Thomas Harris, the closer analogue is to Jeffrey Deaver’s clock-racing thrillers. … James delivers the goods.’ — Kirkus Reviews

‘James just gets better and better and deserves the success he has achieved with this first-class series.’ — Independent on Sunday

About Peter James:

Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels, repeatedly occupying the Number One slot on the Sunday Times bestseller charts in both hardback and paperback. Peter writes both thriller standalones and the hugely popular Brighton-set Roy Grace series, now adapted for ITV.

Peter’s books have been translated into thirty-eight languages, with worldwide sales of over twenty-one million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him 19 consecutive Sunday Times Number Ones. In 2015 WH Smith 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 Platinum Bestseller Award. Peter James has also written two books based on true crime stories, with former senior detective Graham Bartlett.

 The 16th Roy Grace, FIND THEM DEAD, was a UK Number 1 in both hardback and paperback, spending four consecutive weeks at Number 1 in paperback, and reaching Number 5 in Australia and Canada too. In 2021 Peter James repeated the hardback and paperback Top Ten double with LEFT YOU DEAD and standalone thriller I FOLLOW YOU.

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 packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. The stage play of LOOKING GOOD DEAD toured the UK in 2021, with a further run planned in early 2022. Several other Peter James novels are optioned for film and in further development.

Visit Peter’s website

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CANONGATE ACQUIRES LATEST HARRY MCCOY THRILLER

Francis Bickmore, Publishing Director of Canongate Books, has acquired World English rights to MAY GOD FORGIVE by Alan Parks from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency.

The fifth in the bestselling Detective Harry McCoy series – following BLOODY JANUARY, FEBRUARY’S SON, BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER and THE APRIL DEAD – MAY GOD FORGIVE follows McCoy as he has twenty-four hours to find two kidnapped boys before they turn up dead in Glasgow’s city centre. In a city where tempers are frayed and sentiment is running high after a devastating arson attack, this does not prove to be an easy task – especially when he discovers that the one of Glasgow’s most prominent gang bosses may be responsible…

Alan Parks says: ‘I am delighted that McCoy and Canongate are continuing their relationship, and looking forward to working with Francis and all there on MAY GOD FORGIVE.’

Francis Bickmore says: ‘Alan Parks’ coal-black noir novels always have a moral knot at their core and I’m thrilled Canongate has taken on Book 5 in the McCoy series. That sense of justice and morality in a fallen world is what keeps resonating with his readers and this plot promises to be the tightest yet. Space needs to be made on bookshelves alongside William McIlvanney.’

Isobel Dixon says: ‘Harry McCoy is one of the great characters in crime fiction, and 1970s Glasgow, seen through his eyes, is unforgettable. Alan Parks always delivers: peeling back the city’s layers in taut, gripping novels with supremely satisfying plots and real emotional depth. I’m thrilled that Canongate will bring this new gritty beauty to readers in May 2022.’

The McCoy series has already received significant international prize recognition. BLOODY JANUARY was shortlisted for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, FEBRUARY’S SON was nominated for an Edgar Award, BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER was picked as a The Times Best Book of the Year and THE APRIL DEAD was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. The Harry McCoy series is optioned for television. Translation rights are sold in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Spain (both in Spanish and Catalan), Sweden and Turkey.

Praise for the Harry McCoy series:

‘Vivid and evocative. 1970s Glasgow hewn from flesh and drawn in blood.’ — Peter May

‘Bloody and brilliant.’ — Louise Welsh

‘The meticulously described setting is so suggestive readers may even catch whiffs of stale cigarette smoke and patchouli. Fans of Scottish noir will be satisfied.’ ― Publishers Weekly

‘Parks’ sprawling plot offers not tidy whodunit puzzles but a wide-angle view of a gritty city in the grip of crime, home to an entertaining cross section of characters. Broad-shouldered McCoy is suitably unflappable as he walks Glasgow’s mean streets.’ ― Kirkus Reviews

‘McCoy is so noir he makes most other Scottish cops seem light grey. The novel also contains some of the most inventive swearing in crime fiction.’ – Marcel Berlins, The Times, Book of the Month

‘A series that no crime fan should miss: dangerous, thrilling, but with a kind voice to cut through the darkness.’ ― Scotsman

‘Pitch-black tartan noir, set in 70s Glasgow . . . Compelling . . . with an emotional heart that’s hard to ignore.’ ― Daily Mail

About Alan Parks:

Photo: Euan Robertson

Alan Parks was Creative Director at London Records in the mid 1990’s, then at Warner Music, where he created ground-breaking campaigns for artists including All Saints, New Order, The Streets, Gnarls Barclay and Cee Lo Green. He was also Managing Director of 679 Recordings, a joint venture with Warner Music. His debut novel BLOODY JANUARY propelled him onto the international literary crime fiction scene immediately and his work has been hailed by contemporary writers and critics alike.

Alan was born in Scotland and attended The University of Glasgow where he was awarded a M.A. in Moral Philosophy. He still lives and works in the city that is so vividly depicted in the 1970s setting of his Harry McCoy thrillers.

Visit Alan’s website

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ROMALYN ANTE MADE JERWOOD COMPTON FELLOW

We are delighted that Romalyn Ante has been selected as a Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellow for 2020/21, alongside poets Dzifa Benson and Jamie Hale. They were chosen from a field of nominees by award-winning poets and writers Joelle Taylor, Yomi Sode and Pascale Petit, as well as Jan Kofi-Tsekpo of Literature for Arts Council England; Jon Opie, Deputy Director of Jerwood Arts; and Nathalie Teitler, Project Manager for Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowships.

Romalyn Ante’s highly acclaimed debut poetry collection ANTIEMETIC FOR HOMESICKNESS was published by Chatto & Windus in 2020. It was an Irish Times Best Poetry Book of 2020, an Observer Poetry Book of the Month and a Poetry School Poetry Book of the Year 2020. It was also a National Poetry Day UK Recommended Read and was shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. Romalyn also hosts a series of video interviews, Tsaá with Roma, where she talks to poets and other creatives to invite aspiring writers and new readers into world of poetry. She is now working on a memoir.

Each Fellow is gifted £15,000 as well as a year of critical support and mentoring from the programme’s manager Dr Nathalie Teitler. The Fellowship is designed to give the poets the time and space to focus on their craft, though there is no expectation that they produce a particular work or outcome during this time. Previous recipients include Anthony Joseph and Rathbone Folio Prize winner Raymond Antrobus.

Jon Opie, deputy director of Jerwood Arts, commented: ‘The Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowships is a special programme, which over the last four years has charted significant changes in the poetry world and embraced the diversity of voices, experience and histories it encompasses. Past fellows, and now the ones we have announced today, exemplify some of the multitudes of forms and languages that makes poetry an essential part of this country’s life, inseparable from mainstream media, powerfully articulating lived-experiences and enhancing other artforms. I am hugely looking forward to working with Romalyn, Dzifa and Jamie over the coming year. Their talents are unique, and yet they share a generosity and sense of responsibility towards other poets and their communities. I have no doubt their Fellowships will be profound for them and for others around them.’

Sarah Crown, director of literature at Arts Council England, added: ‘The Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship continues to champion change in art funding practice in the UK as fearlessly as it has done for the last four years. Providing mentoring, financial support and, most importantly, time and space for underrepresented poets to experiment and hone their craft—without the external pressures of meeting a particular outcome—nurtures creativity and enriches the sector as a whole. The selectors have had the tough task of choosing three recipients from what was yet again an extremely strong set of nominees. Romalyn, Dzifa and Jamie join a long line of talented Fellows, and I am excited to see how they flourish over the coming year.’

Praise for ANTIEMETIC FOR HOMESICKNESS:

‘Poignant, beautiful, and meditative writing on movement — living in a foreign country, being away from one’s family, speaking a language not quite your own... This is possibly the most beautiful thing I have read this year.’ – Maria Lewandowska, The Poetry School Poetry Books of the Year

‘Captivating… playful…  moving, witty and agile… These poems have a tended quality, as though Ante's kindness as a nurse extended to them. She is an unforced poet with a lightness of touch and fortitude, not neglecting to see her situation within a wider cultural and historical context’ – Kate Kellaway, Observer Poetry Book of the Month

‘Ante's poems are like embers, pared back to a slow-burning emotional core whose intensity she sustains elegantly throughout the collection’ – Times Literary Supplement

‘By turns playful and tender, offering a formally-various exploration of migration, community, and nursing... there is honesty, musicality, a powerful heart.’ – Seán Hewitt, Irish Times Best Poetry Books of 2020

‘A poetry of rapturous images and riveting conscience.’ –  Tracy K. Smith

‘A poet to fall in love with... a fascinating and moving story of migration and loss, caring and tenderness’. – Liz Berry

About Romalyn Ante:

Photo: S. Chadawong

Romalyn Ante was born in 1989 during her hometown's fiesta of San Sebastian. She grew up and lived in the Philippines until she migrated to the UK when she was 16 years old. She is a Wolverhampton-based poet and co-founding editor of harana poetry.

She is the first East-Asian to win the Poetry London Prize (2018) and the Manchester Poetry Prize (2017). She also won the Creative Future Literary Award 2017.

Apart from being a writer, she also works as a specialist nurse practitioner.

Visit Romalyn’s website

Follow Romalyn on Twitter and Instagram

MATT HARVEY'S MANDRAKE TO BE SCREENED AT BELFAST FILM FESTIVAL

MANDRAKE, the new feature film by Matt Harvey, is set to be screened at 7 pm tomorrow at the Belfast Film Festival. This is the latest feature film backed by Northern Ireland Screen through its New Talent Focus scheme, produced by Village Films and directed by Lynne Davison.

Witchcraft isn’t real and there’s some good in everyone; two things that Cathy Madden thought were true…until she met Mary Laidlaw.

Probation officer Cathy Madden (Deirdre Mullins), is given the task of rehabilitating notorious killer ‘Bloody Mary’ Laidlaw (Derbhle Crotty) back into society after thirty years of jail for murdering her abusive husband. Cathy has always believed that every client deserves a shot at redemption, but her beliefs are firmly tested when two children disappear near Mary’s farm. A figure of local legend and the subject of occult rumours, Mary Laidlaw’s name has long been invoked to terrify the local children - and when two go missing not long after her release, the village’s suspicions fall on Mary, whose renewed presence in the community seems to be awakening a violent rage among its people.

Cathy - skeptical of the villager's superstitions and with no belief in the occult – tunes out of the local gossip about Mary’s dark history and rumours of witchcraft in the woods. She sets out to find the missing children and prove her new client’s innocence, but soon becomes part of a magic ritual and learns more than she ever thought she would about Mary, about the people of her village - and about herself.

Blending elements of the ‘haunted house’ and ‘backwoods’ sub-genres, MANDRAKE is a contemporary folk tale that starts as a mystery and escalates into full-on survival horror. The story places the supernatural in a plausible setting and maintains a line that this could all be real. The story taps into the mythology of the Mandrake plant which was fabled to grow beneath the gallows and was the most precious plant known to the dark magic of childbirth and fertility. It’s a film about motherhood and community and broken family bonds. Ultimately it’s the story of two women on a collision course.

Previous to MANDRAKE, Matt’s work includes the 2017 film AN ACT OF DEFIANCE about the trial of Nelson Mandela and nine others accused of sabotage against the government during the apartheid era in South Africa. The film won five awards including the Golden Calf for Best Feature Film.

Matt’s three-part TV thriller CRACKED SCREEN, co-written with Hamish Wright, is in development with the BBC.

The film festival runs until 13th November. Read more and access tickets to MANDRAKE on the Belfast Film Festival website.

Matt Harvey is represented by Conrad Williams in the media department.