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Notes on a Drowning

NOTES ON A DROWNING is a captivating legal thriller by bestselling author, Anna Sharpe. Using her fast-paced storytelling ability, coupled with her real-life knowledge of the law, Anna has created a narrative that is a gripping insight into a closed world. Orion acquired the UK and Commonwealth rights have a swift pre-empt to two books, the first to be published in August 2024 under the name Anna Sharpe. You can check out the bookseller announcement here.

After a Moldovan girl is found drowned in the Thames, two determined women – a lawyer and a political adviser – must work together to uncover a scandal that stretches to the heart of the British government. We think the key her is the two women, Alex, the lawyer and Kat, the political advisor. Both fascinating and complex women who could have the potential to becoming returning.

Anna is a writer of dark historical fiction, or historical crime. Her third novel, The Clockwork Girl, set in Paris in 1750, will be published by Orion in 2022. Her debut novel, The Unseeing, won an Edgar Allan Poe Award in the US. Her second novel, The Story Keeper, was nominated for the Highland Book Prize and follows a folklorist’s assistant as she searches out dark fairytales and stolen girls on the Isle of Skye in 1857. Anna is also a criminal justice and human rights solicitor working on behalf of victims of crime. Anna is represented by Juliet Mushens at Mushens Entertainment.

Bad Men

The Film/TV Rights are currently under option.

BAD MEN is the story of Saffy Huntley-Oliver who, for the past fifteen years, has been hunting down and killing bad men: rapists, murderers, domestic abusers. The problem is that it’s hard to sustain a healthy, balanced heterosexual relationship when you’re expecting to have to kill your boyfriend at any moment. That’s why she’s decided to look for a good man instead, preferably one who shares her interests. So begins a tale of obsession as Saffy uses every trick in the book to get her man. Regardless of the cost to human life…

Bonnier Zaffre books pre-empted BAD MEN and will publish in hardback, ebook and audio in July 2023. 

SAFFY HUNTLEY-OLIVER is beautiful, charming, rich, and in her spare time she’s a serial killer of bad men: rapists, murderers, domestic abusers. But it’s hard to sustain a relationship when you’re expecting to have to kill your boyfriend at any moment. She’s decided to look for a good man instead, preferably one who shares her interests. Campaigning true-crime podcaster JON DESROSIERS is perfect.

On the same day that his wife AMY leaves him, Jon finds a headless human body on his doorstep. He soon becomes a suspect in the crime, but when Saffy orchestrates a meet-cute with Jon, she volunteers to help him clear his name. What better way to get close to a cute guy than to talk about murder together?

But things do not stay perfect for a while. Framed for the poisoning of his ex-wife, and kidnapped by his number one fan at gunpoint – things go from bad to worse for Jon. Fortunately, Saffy is always on hand to help… but what part exactly has she played in everything? And when will she kill again?

Julie Mae Cohen is the pen name of Julie Cohen, a million-copy bestselling author of book club and romantic fiction, including the award-winning novel TOGETHER. Her work has been translated into seventeen languages. Julie is an Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Reading. She is a Vice President of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the founder of the Rainbow Chapter for writers of LGBTQIA+ love stories.  She is Patron of literacy charity ABC To Read. Julie grew up in western Maine and studied English at Brown University, Cambridge University and the University of Reading. She lives in Berkshire with her son and a terrier of dubious origin. BAD MEN is her début thriller.

All You Ever Wanted

A claustrophobic psychological thriller about privilege, family trauma – and what happens when you’re robbed of a fair start in life

 

You are inside. With your husband and baby.
Your life warm and calm and untroubled.
I am outside. Alone. Looking in. Watching you.
You have all I ever wanted.
Now it’s time for you to share.

EMILY has a picture-perfect life; gorgeous house, handsome husband and beautiful baby, Bonnie. But she is plagued with the sense that someone is watching her home. As she becomes more and more convinced, we wonder (as does her duplicitous husband, Simon) whether she’s being paranoid. After all, she’s still recovering from the birth of her daughter, Bonnie, she’s sleep deprived, she’s trying to hold down a job as a teacher, and she’s drinking too much.

When spirited and capable Anna appears, returning Emily’s lost cat, she quickly becomes a much-needed friend for an increasingly self-obsessed Emily.

But why is Anna so intent on mimicking Emily and Simon, and why is she so invested in their life?

When Anna takes Bonnie for the day without telling Emily, we begin to wonder if Emily’s paranoia may not be a construct of her imagination as she realises that those closest to you are far more dangerous than any stranger…

Susan Elliot Wright grew up in Lewisham in south-east London. Before becoming a full-time writer, she did a number of different jobs, including civil servant, cleaner, dishwasher, journalist, and chef.  She has an MA in writing from Sheffield Hallam University, where she is now an associate lecturer, and she lives in Sheffield with her husband. She is the author of The Things We Never Said and the Secrets We Left Behind.

Susan is represented by Kate Shaw at The Shaw Agency

End Of Story

END OF STORY is a piece of highly original speculative fiction, with an unpredictable twist, set in a world where fiction has been banned by the government for 5 years – and reading fairytales to children is punishable my law. Perhaps too much imagination can be a dangerous thing… It will be published by Hodder & Stoughton in March 2023 – you can check out the Bookseller announcement here.

It’s the year 2035 and fiction has been banned by the government for five years. Writing novels is a crime. Reading fairytales to children is punishable by law.

Fern Dostoy is a criminal. Officially, she has retrained in a new job outside of the arts but she still scrawls in a secret notepad in an effort to capture what her life has become: her work on a banned phone line, reading bedtime stories to sleep-starved children; Hunter, the young boy who calls her and has captured her heart; and the dreaded visits from government officials.

But as Fern begins to learn more about Hunter, doubts begin to surface. What are they both hiding? And who can be trusted?

Louise Swanson is the pseudonym for Louise Beech, who has published seven novels with Orenda Books. THE LION TAMER WHO LOST (2018) was longlisted for the Polari Prize while CALL ME STARGIRL (2019) and THE MOUNTAIN IN MY SHOE (2016) were both longlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker prize. Louise is represented by Emily Glenister at DHH Literary Agency.

The Other Ones

THE OTHER ONES by Fran Hart is a brilliantly wrought mixture of queer romance and spooky shenanigans, as two very different boys find themselves drawn to each other against the background of ghostly goings-on in a creepy old house. Think HEARTSTOPPER meets THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE. We are representing the rights on behalf of Chicken House – you can read more about the title here.

Sal hates standing out. But he lives in a haunted house – and everybody knows it. His oldest friend, Dirk, tries to help… but he wants to stay popular, and Sal isn’t helping. Elsie was popular – until recently. Now she’s on the outcast’s table too… and she doesn’t want to talk about it.

Then there’s the new boy, Pax, who won’t leave Sal alone. His idea of a good time is hanging out in graveyards. And, for some reason, Sal just can’t stay away. Meet The Other Ones. Can they banish their ghosts together?

Fran is a writer and graphic designer from West Yorkshire, who loves bringing new ideas to life. After studying English Literature for a year at university, she changed disciplines and went on to graduate with a BA in Graphic Design. Fran wrote her first novel for NaNoWriMo in November 2019 and it went on to win The Chairman’s Choice Award in The Times/Chicken House Competition 2020, gaining Fran representation by The Shaw Agency and a publishing deal with Chicken House. THE OTHER ONES published on 13th October 2022.

Jamie

JAMIE is an uplifting standalone novel set in contemporary England which tackles themes of bravery, acceptance and chosen family. It’s also interesting to note that the novel provides an accessible introduction into what being non-binary means, with definitions provided in Jamie’s narrative voice after certain chapters, explaining terms associated with LGBTQ+. Lapinski has previously written the STRANGEWORLDS trilogy, the most successful middle-grade debut series published in lockdown. JAMIE will be published by Hachette Children’s in April 2023. You can check out the bookseller announcement here.

Jamie Rambeau is a happy 11-year-old non-binary kid who likes nothing better than hanging out with their two best friends Daisy and Ash. But when the trio find out that in Year Seven they will be separated into one school for boys and another for girls, their friendship suddenly seems at risk. And when Jamie realises no one has thought about where they are going to go, they decide to take matters into their own hands, and sort it all out once and for all.

As the friends’ efforts to raise awareness eventually become a rooftop protest against the binary rules for the local schools, Jamie realises that if they don’t figure out a way forwards, they might be at risk of losing both their friends forever.

L.D. Lapinski lives just outside Sherwood Forest with their family, a lot of books, and a cat called Hector. L.D. first wrote a book aged seven; it was made of lined paper and Sellotape, and it was about a frog who owned an aeroplane. When L.D. grows up, they want to be a free-range guinea pig farmer. They have an MA in Creative Writing, and when not working, L. D. can be found online, usually talking about Spider-Man. Their first series, THE STRANGEWORLDS TRAVEL AGENCY, is out now from Hachette Children’s Group. Lapinski is represented by Claire Wilson at RCW Literary Agency.

The Ghost Theatre

THE GHOST THEATRE is a dazzling punk re-imagining of Elizabethan London through the eyes of a clairvoyant, bird-worshiping protagonist and her unlikely theatre troupe. It is gripping and magic, deftly crafted and filmic in its descriptions. The UK and Commonwealth rights were snapped up by Bloomsbury in a 48-hour pre-empt, and will be published in 2023. US Rights are with Overlook. You can read the bookseller announcement here.

On a rooftop in Elizabethan London two worlds collide. Shay is a messenger-girl and trainer of hawks who sees the future in the patterns of birds. Nonesuch is the dark star of the city’s fabled child theatre scene, as famous as royalty yet lowly as a beggar.

Together they create The Ghost Theatre: a troupe staging magical plays in London’s hidden corners. As their hallucinatory performances incite rebellion among the city’s outcasts, the pair’s relationship sparks and burns against a backdrop of the plague and a London in flames. Their growing fame sweeps them up into the black web of the Elizabethan court, where Shay and Nonesuch discover that if they fly too high, a fall is sure to come.

Mat Osman is the bassist and founder member of iconic British rock band Suede and a composer of music for TV and films. He also worked as a culture journalist during the noughties, writing about art and travel for papers, magazines and online. Mat is represented by Victoria Hobbs at AM Heath.

The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything

THE THEORY OF (NOT QUITE) EVERYTHING is a tender, poignant novel about two siblings who, bound by their parents tragic deaths, find themselves living together with their outlook aligned on not quite everything… It was pre-empted by Mantle in the UK and will be published as a lead debut fiction title in March 2023. Rights have also been sold to HarperCollins in the US and HarperCanada in Canada.

Mimi Brotherton, younger sister of a mathematical genius, believes in truth. And, most of the time, in telling it. Her brother Art believes in facts.

Bound together by their parents’ tragic deaths, the siblings share their family home and have a strong, if unequal, relationship. Art has everything he needs (math and a devoted sister). Now, Mimi’s ready for a life of her own.

That might include love. At first, Art is cautiously enthusiastic, keen to demonstrate that love, like everything, is subject to rules. Then Mimi meets Frank, who is affable enough, but another mathematician, and Art bristles. Art is on the cusp of solving a notoriously intractable equation and success promises fame and fortune–he fears that this new man may be after his sister for the wrong reasons.

After a serious accident involves both men, Mimi is caught between them. Can she trust her heart to guide her to the truth?

In this delightful, bittersweet novel, Kara Gnodde explores how the answers to life’s questions–the bonds of family, and the calculations of the heart–follow a logic of their own.

Kara Gnodde grew up in Johannesburg on a diet of Dr Seuss and no TV. After graduating from the University of Cape Town, she joined Saatchis in London. She has lived in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and is settled back in the UK, where she lives with her husband and three children. Hearing a discussion on the radio about a maths problem that could change the world gave her a place to start THE THEORY OF (NOT QUITE) EVERYTHING, her debut novel. Kara is represented by Charlotte Seymour at Johnson and Alcock.

What She Left Behind

Published in September, WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND follows Lauren as she begins a new life with her therapist husband Paul. Things gradually become not quite as they seem, and the mystery enhances as we are introduced to Paul’s first wife Eliza as she desperately tries to escape Paul’s web, whilst Lauren becomes more and more trapped in it. As we move between the perspectives, we are left with the question – what ever did happen to Eliza? With a chilling twist, WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND feels reminiscent of compulsive thrillers such as THE GIRL BEFORE and CLOSE TO ME.

Lauren can’t believe she’s escaped her old life in London for a new start with her partner, Paul, and his two young children. Haunted by her past, Lauren knows how lucky she is: a dream home, a ready-made family. And she also knows how much she could lose.

But as Lauren struggles to adjust to motherhood, her fears grow. She’ll never live up to the ghost of Paul’s perfect wife, or help him forget his grief over her tragic death. And as village rumours begin to swirl about their house in the woods, Lauren feels ever more isolated – despite Paul’s reassurances. She wants to trust Paul – she owes him everything – but how can she, when she can barely trust herself?

In her other life, Emily makes TV – having worked on award winning television programmes including EDUCATING YORKSHIRE, FIRST DATES, and SAD: WHO DARES WINS – as well as developing original programming for all the main broadcasters. Her lifelong fixation with story and character is the thread that runs through her work, and ultimately led to the pursuit of a writing career. Her debut MY BEST FRIEND’S SECRET was published by Quercus in 2021, and WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND was published by Quercus in September 2022. Emily is represented by Teresa Chris at Teresa Chris Literary Agency.

How To Solve Your Own Murder

This title is currently under option.

In 1965, when Frances Adams was seventeen, a fortune teller at a country fair told her that one day she’d be murdered. Thus began a lifetime of trying to prevent the crime that would be her eventual demise.

No one took Frances seriously for sixty years – until, of course, she was murdered. But for Frances, being the village busybody was a form of insurance. She’d spent a lifetime compiling dirt on every person she met, just in case they might turn out to be her killer. In the heart of her sprawling country estate lies an eccentric library of detective work, where the right person could step in and use her findings to solve her murder, if they can make sense of her superstitious filing system first.

When her great-niece Annie arrives from London and discovers that Frances’ worst fear has come true, Annie is thrust into her great-aunt’s last act of revenge against her sceptical friends and family. Frances’ last will and testament stipulates that the person who solves her murder inherits her millions, and she’s challenged a group that includes Annie to prove to the world that Frances was right all along about her future. Can Annie unravel the mystery and find justice for Frances, or will digging up the past lead her into the path of the killer?

K L Perrin is originally from Seattle, Washington, where she spent several years working as a bookseller before moving to the UK to do a Masters and PhD. She lives with her family in Surrey, where she can be found poking around vintage bookstores, stomping in the mud with her two kids, and collecting too many plants. Perrin is represented by Zoe Bent at The Bent Agency.